TipsForSuccess: Ten Great Quotes

Ten Great Quotes by L. Ron Hubbard As you know, all TipsForSuccess success articles are based on quotes by L. Ron Hubbard. For this week's e-mail, we are sending you ten of his quotes. The first two quotes below are found in The Forbes Book of Business Quotations. Solving Problems: "The first step of handling anything is gaining the ability to face it." Avoiding Work: "The person who studiously avoids work usually works far longer and far harder than the man who pleasantly confronts it and does it. Men who cannot work are not happy men." Leadership: "A man who merely wants to be liked will never be a leader." "In all great leaders there is a purpose and intensity which is unmistakable." Staff Management: "Orders only occur where responsibility has failed." Goals: "No man is happy without a goal, and no man can be happy without faith in his own ability to reach that goal." Happiness: "All the happiness you ever find lies in you." Fun: "An individual who can freely and with a clear heart do things because they're fun is a very sane person." Self-importance: "There is nothing wrong with being the most important person under the sun if everybody else is just as important as you are." Personal Abilities: "Your potentialities are a great deal better than anyone ever permitted you to believe." Solutions: "All answers are basically simple." These quotes are now part of the TipsForSuccess.org website and can be found at www.tipsforsuccess.org/About-L-Ron-Hubbard.htm. Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You can improve your control over any issue, habit or problem with TipsForSuccess Coaching. Check out www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: The Blame Game

The Blame Game No one wins the blame game. For example, you make a mistake and someone makes you to feel guilty. In your defense, you blame someone or something. "I crashed the car because you played the radio too loud!" "It's not my fault there's too much salt in the soup! Your recipe is wrong." "If we had a newer computer, I wouldn't have deleted the computer files." Blame is used to explain weakness, poor performance and work failures. "My boss is such a jerk, I can't get my work done." "I closed my painting shop and went bankrupt because the local economy went sour." "I don't get paid enough to be nice to EVERY customer." Blame is also used for personal problems. "I'm depressed because of the tragedies on television." "I can't be faithful to my wife because I have a chemical imbalance." "I can't stop smoking because my father used to spank me." Why No One Wins the Blame Game When you blame someone or something else, you are also making yourself weak and ineffective. You make yourself "at effect" instead of being "at cause" of the situation. You give power to the person or thing you blame. "Blaming something else makes that something else cause; and as that cause takes on power, the individual in the same act loses control and becomes effect." -- L. Ron Hubbard For example, your business is failing and you blame your assistant. This makes your assistant more powerful than you. You are saying, "My assistant determines if my business will succeed or fail." If you take responsibility for your business, you would say, "I need to train my assistant so he doesn't make mistakes" or "I'd better fire my assistant so my business will succeed." As another example, you blame your parents for your stress and anxiety. This makes your parents responsible for your feelings, good or bad. You are saying, "My parents are so powerful, they control my emotions. I have no control over my anxiety." Stopping the blame game and accepting responsibility for yourself gives you hope. "I have let my parents bother me with their advice. I just need to improve my opinion about myself." Blaming things is even worse. "The rainy weather makes me sad." "The government is ruining my life." "My genetics make me fat." In these cases, you are saying, "I am controlled by the weather/government/genetics and will obey these things for the rest of my life." You only get ahead when you become "cause" over the situation. "I'll be happy despite the rain." "The government will not stop me from reaching my goals." "I'm only fat because I don't change my habits." Seven Recommendations for Ending the Blame Game 1. Draw three lines down a sheet of paper to make four columns. 2. In the first column, list all of the problems or conditions you blame on others or things. Example: "I can't stop smoking because I'm addicted to nicotine." 3. In the next column, write how you are responsible for each problem or condition. Example: "I am the one who decided to become a smoker." 4. Write how you can take more responsibility for each Example: "I could be more determined to quit smoking." 5. Write an action step you can take for each problem or condition. Example: "Make a 100% decision to not smoke whatsoever." 6. Each time you make a mistake, avoid blaming anyone. Consider how you are responsible for the mistake and how you can prevent it from ever happening again. Example: "That idiot Gene didn't mail the credit card payment on Monday and so we got a bad credit mark and owe late fees and extra interest. Actually, I was the idiot because I didn't personally ensure the check was mailed. So from now on, when a check absolutely must be mailed, I will mail it myself." 7. Break blame habits. For example, every time you start a sentence with these phrases, check if you are blaming someone or something: "I can't because he/she/they/it . . ." "I failed because he/she/they/it. . . " "I have a problem because he/she/they/it . . . " In each case, look at how you are responsible for the problem, failure or difficulty. Find ways to be more responsible and act accordingly. Eight Benefits of Taking More Responsibility * You have more personal power. * Other people and things have less control over your destiny. * Poor conditions start to improve. * You make fewer mistakes. * You are healthier and happier. * No one can control you without your consent. * You feel less trapped and more free. * You become the most powerful force in your future success.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You can improve your control over any issue, habit or problem with TipsForSuccess Coaching. Check out www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: How to Laugh About Anything

 

 

How to Laugh about Anything If you cannot laugh, you are in trouble. Life is not fun for you. You take things too seriously and build stress. If you cannot laugh, you set a negative example for others. People tend to dislike you. No one wants to help you get ahead. If you cannot laugh, you may not sleep well. You need drugs or alcohol to feel good. You have health problems. Fortunately, you can learn to laugh. Benefits of Laughter   * Laughter strengthens the Immune System. According to Dr. Lee S. Berk from Loma Linda University, California, USA, laughter helps increase the count of white-blood cells and antibody levels. * Laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation better than other aerobic exercises. Per Dr. William Fry of Stanford University, one minute of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine. * Laughing provides a good massage to internal organs. It enhances blood supply and organ efficiency, especially with intestines. Experiments also show your blood-pressure decreases after 10 minutes of laughter. * Laughter increases the levels of the pain killer endorphin. In Norman Cousins' book "Anatomy of an Illness," he explains how laughter relieved the intense pain of his spinal disease when no painkiller would help. * Younger appearance. Laughter tones facial muscles and improves facial expressions. When you laugh, your face becomes red due to an increase in blood supply. Laughing people look more cheerful and attractive. An average four-year-old laughs 400 times per day while "solid-citizen" adults average 15 laughs per day. Ideally, you laugh every five minutes (200 times per day). A New Laughter Tip Previous TipsForSuccess articles describe the Joy of Creating and the insanity of seriousness. Another way to find joy and laughter in life is to make your problems MORE serious! "The mechanism* is to make it more and more and more serious until it becomes utterly and completely ridiculous and the person will explode the whole thing off in laughter." -- L. Ron Hubbard (*mechanism: system or process) You exaggerate your troubles or expand your complaints to such hilarious levels that you and others end up laughing. Comics get laughs when they make things extra serious. Remember Saturday Night Live television shows where John Belushi would express his opinion with such force, he would turn red, scream with anger and flop back and forth until he fell off his chair? He was so overly serious, the audience would scream with laugher. For example, you go into a bank to cash a check. The bank teller looks at you suspiciously and says, "May I see two forms of ID please?" You say, "Sure. Here's my driver's license and my credit card." The bank teller clerk examines your cards without comment. She seems unhappy and very serious. So you pull out more cards and say, "And here's my library card, BlockBuster video rental card, Star Trek Junior Cadet Club card and my Yo-Yo Association card. My name is on all of them." The teller tries, but can't stop laughing. A serious waitress brings your food and says, "Be careful. The plate is very hot." So you grab the plate, jerk your hand back and say, "Oh Man! I burned myself!!" The waitress realizes you are exaggerating and laughs. More Ways to Make Things More Serious If you are having a pity party, write or say to yourself, "Oh, oh, oh! Woe is me! I suffer so much. POOR MEEEE!!! My life is a complete mess! I'm devastated! I will never be happy ever!" Do all you can to be a poor victim. Feel really sorry for yourself. Boost your feelings of self-pity to new levels. Make yourself sob, even cry. Be as serious as possible until you feel ridiculous. If you aren't laughing, bawl as loud as you can, just like Lucy Ricardo on her television show, I Love Lucy. Repeat each time you start to feel sorry for yourself. If you feel serious and stressed, act EXTREMELY stressed out. Pretend to have a heart attack. Fall on the floor. Give an Academy Award performance. If someone gives you some alarming news, grab your collar or tie, stick out your tongue and pretend to hang yourself. Pretend the world has come to an end until you and the other person laugh. If you are a manager or parent, do this with serious employees and serious kids. "Man, if sane, is a child of laughter." -- L. Ron Hubbard   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You can improve your control over any issue, habit or problem with TipsForSuccess Coaching. Check out www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here. To contact us, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Taking Control Coaching Website

New TipsForSuccess Coaching Website You can improve your control over any issue, habit or problem at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. This new coaching system helps you write a plan to take control of your toughest problems. It uses the five control techniques described in the TipsForSuccess articles last April. See the beginning of Part One below. The TipsForSuccess Coaching website is free. No personal information is required. The website uses the fastest programming language available so you can quickly move through the steps, even with a slow connection. In the Planning Section of this interactive website, you type in answers to various questions to create an action plan that puts you in better control of anything. You then print your plan, e-mail your plan to yourself or save a copy of your plan to your computer. Test Website Your opinion about this website is very important to us. If you like how it works, we can create dozens of similar websites to help you succeed. Examples: Financial coaching to boost your income. Personal improvement coaching to overcome fear, increase your motivation, reduce stress and more. Relationship coaching to improve your marriage or resolve relationship problems. A personal page where you and a success coach can send messages, tackle problems, work out plans and so on. Goal achievement system that helps you to set long-range goals and manage the details necessary to reach those goals. Take a few minutes to test TipsForSuccess Coaching. Please fill out the feedback form so we know how an interactive coaching website can best help you in the future. Taking Control, Part One Like money or nuclear power, control can be used for good or evil. You can use it to harm, suppress or destroy lives. Or you can use it to help people, increase your income and improve the world around you. Negative, destructive control gives control a bad name. Yet positive, constructive control is essential to successful living. When you are not in control of your sphere of operation, you feel stress, fear and frustration. When you are in control, you make progress, enjoy your work and achieve success. Taking better control of yourself and your time, career, business, equipment, files, tools, marriage, family and life is much easier when you understand and apply these five facts about control. 1. Control is the biggest difference between success and failure. 2. Control consists of three parts: Start, Change and Stop. 3. Your control problems are based on your weaknesses with starting or changing or stopping. 4. If you try to control people or things outside your sphere of operation, you fail. 5. To succeed, you must let others control you. 1. Control Is the Difference Between Success and Failure The greater your control, the greater your success . . . Continue this article at TipsForSuccess Coaching Section 1, Page 1.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Leading to Serve

Leading to Serve After working for five years as a car salesman, Jim was promoted to the sales manager position. During his first week as manager, he decided he needed to show everyone who was boss. Jim cracked the whip. He held a meeting and told the other sales people, "I want 10 cars sold today or someone will get fired!" Jim was pushy, demanding and angry. The sales people ran around looking busy and avoiding Jim. Everyone tried to force customers to buy cars, but car sales dropped. Jim yelled even louder. "You can't sells cars by pressuring customers, you idiots! Now get out there and sell these stupid cars!" After a month of this, his two best sales people quit. Sales dropped even further. The car dealership owner said, "Jim, if you can't turn sales around, I'm afraid I'll need to get another sales manager." Jim said, "I can't believe this! What am I doing wrong?" Five Bad Leadership Attitudes Like many new managers, Jim did not really understand his role as a leader. He and many other managers have these wrong ideas about managing people. 1. "Because I'm the manager, you better respect me . . . or else!" 2. "People are lazy and so I need to force them to work." 3. "I am superior to everyone here which is why I can do anything I want." 4. "If you work for me, you need to kiss my butt." 5. "If you don't like how I run things, you can leave." Because of these attitudes, Jim's staff were selling fewer cars and looking for other jobs. If Jim did not change his attitude, he would also be looking for a new job soon. Just in time, Jim learned this vital fact about management. A Key to Leadership Success "I believe that to command is to serve and only gives one the right to serve." -- L. Ron Hubbard After learning about this important leadership attitude, Jim said, "What? I'm supposed to serve others? How ridiculous!" But then he thought it through. The lightbulb above his head started to flash. "If I serve my staff by training them about sales and about these cars, they will know how to sell better." "If I serve my staff with kindness and courtesy, they will probably start to serve the customers better!" "If I'm here to serve my department, I will help them make sales, not force them." A New Day The next morning, Jim brought a box of chocolate doughnuts for his staff and said, "Today is a new day! This may be a shock to some of you, but I've realized that I've been a bad manager. I want to try helping you instead of yelling at you, okay?" Jim then served his sales people by giving them sales tips. "Give every customer a service. Learn as much as you can about their needs. Offer your best advice. Be kind and helpful." He asked, "How can I help you each sell a car today?" The sales people had some ideas: "Fill the tanks full of gas so we don't have to buy gas during test drives." "Let us give out more brochures." "Give a doughnut to each customer." Jim said, "No problem! I'll get you gas, brochures and doughnuts. Anything else I can do for you?" The staff were stunned, but happy. During the day, he helped his sales people give service to the customers, not pressure. "She wants to discuss it with her father first? That's probably a good idea. Invite him down to meet us if he can." "He wants to test drive ten cars before deciding? No problem." "Can I get you folks something to drink?" Jim persisted with his new service attitude. He thought of new ways to give service to his staff, his boss and their customers. Customers felt they were buying luxury cars because of the excellent service. The sales people enjoyed their work. Jim had more fun with less stress. Car sales increased to record levels. Service, Not Slavery Jim had one small worry, "Will my people take advantage of me or run over me if I'm trying to give them service?" He soon found this was not a problem when one salesman tried to boss him around. The salesman said, "Jim, I need a few hours off to run some errands for my wife. And I need to borrow the demo car, okay?" Jim said, "No. And you can't take off a few hours until I see you sell one car today. How can I help you do your job?" Recommendations Even if you are not officially a manager, you are a leader. People follow your example, learn from you, ask for your opinions, do what you do first and so on. Constantly improving your leadership skills is essential to your success. 1. Make a list of everyone you lead in one way or another: customers, staff, coworkers, family, friends, colleagues, even your boss. 2. Write down one or more ways you can better serve each person this week. 3. Provide these services to everyone you work with during the week. Observe the results. Watch how people react. Notice how you feel. If you persist with an attitude of service, your position will improve, your pay will increase and those you lead will be more successful. Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: To Tell the Truth

To Tell the Truth You succeed with you operate with honesty. For example, you exaggerate a customer's problem so you can charge him more. This increases your income, but causes you problems. The customer can sense the lie, no matter how sincere you act. If you are caught, the penalties are painful. On the other hand, if you understate the customer's problem, you are selling out what you know to be true. You prevent your customer from making the proper decisions. You feel like a wimp. The only solution is to look your customer in the eye, without hesitation, and tell the truth. The customer can then act accordingly. You do your job, even if you don't make as much money and even if the person doesn't like the truth. When you have the courage to call the truth the truth you become a powerful force. It is easy to hold a position on an honest fact. For example, your software adds numbers incorrectly. You call the software technician who looks it over. He says, "the problem is the user; the software is fine." You pull out a calculator and prove the computer's answer is wrong. Because you know the truth, you refuse to agree with the technician. No matter how smart the expert is, or how inexperienced the user is, you KNOW the figures do not add up. You have personal integrity. The same idea applies to your family, spouse and friends. You agree or disagree based on what you know to be true, not on what THEY want you to say or believe. Integrity Integrity means you are honest, complete, honorable. It means you hold to your personal code of conduct. You stick to what you decide is right and wrong. When you live with integrity, you succeed. You are open and honest. Your life is uncomplicated and less stressful. When you have good integrity you do not lie. You can look at yourself in the mirror. You have nothing to hide. The Best Code of Conduct for You So what is right and ethical for you? How do you work out your own code of conduct? "WHAT IS TRUE FOR YOU is what you have observed yourself "And when you lose that you have lost everything." "What is personal integrity? "Personal integrity is knowing what you know-- "What you know is what you know-- "And to have the courage to know and say what you have observed. "And that is integrity "And there is no other integrity." -- L. Ron Hubbard No one needs to tell you what is right or wrong. You can see and decide for yourself. For example, Doug may decide it is perfectly fine to drink wine with dinner. Wally may observe the same issue and decide it is wrong to drink wine. Both individuals made their own decisions. Both are operating with integrity. Maggie may decide spending money on vacations is a crime while Joyce may decide skipping a vacation is a crime. Both make their own decisions about what is right and wrong. Like most people, you have probably decided it is wrong to not support your family, abandon a friend, steal from your company, cheat on your marriage, shoplift, abuse drugs and so on. You probably believe it is good to work hard, be kind to your parents, have fun, pay your bills, tell the truth, return things you borrow and so on. You know the truth when you see it. You stick to your guns and build personal pride. When you deceive your partner, you both lose a little. If you lie to your spouse, you weaken your marriage. Whenever you abandon what you know to be true, you lose. Nothing makes you more miserable than "selling out" and failing to stick to your integrity. 10 Benefits of Living with Integrity 1. When you decide what is right or wrong for you, and act accordingly, you do not regret anything you do. 2. People follow your example and act more honestly. 3. Your powers of observation are more accurate. You can see the truth about others more easily. 4. No need to keep your stories straight as your stories are facts. Less mental work is required. 5. You handle rejection and criticism more easily. For example, you are not bothered if someone says, "Your fees are too high!" As you have no doubt that your fees are fair, you know the other person has the problem. 6. You have fewer personality conflicts with others, even when you are aggressive. 7. You fight crimes against you with more ferocity when you have nothing to hide. 8. When you make a mistake, it is easier to find the truth, accept responsibility and move forward. 9. You earn a reputation as a person with integrity. For example, employees brag about honest bosses. "He might be more honest about your work than you might want to hear, but he's fair and doesn't lie." 10. Your odds of being sued, fined or convicted of a crime go way down. Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Solve Your Own Money Problems

Solve Your Own Money Problems How do you solve money problems? 1. Stop spending 2. Worry 3. Blame someone or something 4. Give up 5. Go further into debt 6. Sell a possession 7. Become depressed 8. Complain 9. Cheat or steal 10. Hope Of course, none of these solutions help you gain more money. However, this solution is effective. "I answer money problems with lots of money, not with worry or sadness or impractical hope." -- L. Ron Hubbard You solve your money problems by making money. No other approach is a reliable solution. An abundance of money is your only solution. Ten Steps for Creating New Income Sources Use these ten steps to work out new income sources or to ensure your current efforts are the best available to you. 1. Figure out how much money you need to earn. Write the total at the top of a page. For example, "I need to earn $10,000 per month." 2. List all of your assets and resources. Include your possessions, skills, available time, knowledge, contacts and passions. These are the ingredients to your ultimate success, so make the list as complete as possible. Examples: You have a truck, a camera, an empty bedroom and $11,225 cash. You can devote 15 hours per week. You are good at organizing, listening, learning, speaking and making people feel important. You know a lot about horses, word processors, furniture building, the State of Texas, Internet auctions and using email. You know Jennifer, Robert, Tim, Ruth, Steve, Dave, etc. You have a passion to help others, build model airplanes, solve complex problems and learn new things. You have experience publishing newspapers, designing ads and running an insurance office. 3. Write down every way you can use your resources to make money. Consider all options. Use your imagination and make a list. Include old methods, new methods or any combination of assets that produce income. Examples: Use your empty bedroom to start a small business selling cameras, furniture and jewelry for others at Internet auctions. Learn how to prepare tax returns. Help your boss make deliveries with your truck. Type medical reports for your doctor. Start a local newspaper. Sell insurance. Once you have some ideas that might work, skip to #5. 4. If you cannot work out a workable income source, work out a plan to increase your resources. If you have the right ingredients, creating new income sources is easy. For example, you may need additional education, research, apprenticing or experience in certain fields before you can earn more income. You may need more familiarity with a subject. You may need to make more contacts. Write a plan to increase and improve your resources as soon as possible. A great deal can be accomplished with very little money, such as teaching yourself new skills. Do not use your deficiencies as an excuse to quit working on your income. 5. Select a method that is proven. Ask yourself, does this method already make money for people? If so, it is a good candidate. If no one has ever made money with your idea, consider something else. Stick to methods that already work and invent new methods as a hobby at some other time. 6. Verify that others would pay you for the product or service. For example, ask your boss, "Did you know I know 150 horse owners. They need shelters for their horses. What if I tested the market to see if we could add portable shelters to our product line. If it works out, I would be willing to run the new division." As another example, you are thinking of taking pictures as a profession. So you meet with professional photographers to see how much money they make. If you are working to expand your current business, you would ensure the new product, service or location would be desired by your customers. "If I open a new branch office in London, will the locals pay for these computers?" Do your own survey. For instance, ask your friends "If I had my own insurance company and could save you money on your car and home insurance, would you be interested?" "If I made a video on how to cut children's hair, would you buy it?" 7. If all the signs are good, test the idea in the real world before devoting much time or energy to the idea. For example, run a part-time business from your house to ensure it will be popular and profitable before leasing an office space. Make a few products or services to see if anyone will buy them. Try the new ad campaign by running it in a small newspaper. Dip your toe before taking the plunge, especially if the method is new to you. 8. Once the idea is proven to work, then and only then should you invest significant time and money into the project. 9. Once you have a plan you are certain will work, work hard to make it happen. You will solve your money problems by making more money on your own. 10. This final step is rarely taken, but is key to becoming wealthy. "I never count on any one source. I always plan to get the total sum of all the money I need from each one of three or four ways or sources." -- L. Ron Hubbard After you have one steady source of income, look for another source by repeating these steps. Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Boost Your Success By Thanking People

 

Boost Your Success By Thanking People "Approval and validation are often far more valuable than material rewards and are usually worked for far harder than mere pay." -- L. Ron Hubbard In a Gallup Organization poll of 2,000 workers, 69% said praise and recognition from their bosses is more motivating than money. Four out of five workers said recognition or praise motivates them to do a better job. Despite this, most workers feel they are not properly recognized nor praised. Studies by the US Army show soldiers improve their performance 90% of the time when praised and 30% of the time when criticized. But officers in the US Army still prefer to criticize and rarely praise anyone. This principle proved itself once with a failing business that could not pay its staff. Instead of laying off employees or borrowing money to cover payroll, the new owner used validation and acknowledgement as "pay." Every staff member stayed on board without financial pay for nearly two months. The morale of the group was tremendous. The operation became profitable and the staff was eventually rewarded with money. Thanking employees is an effective management technique. Every manager and executive must know how to show appreciation to deserving staff members. Good acknowledgments encourage better behavior and increased production. Workers can ALSO boost their success by properly thanking their bosses and coworkers. If your leader and teammates do better, you do better. For example, successful sports teammates are constantly approving and encouraging each other with loud yells and slaps. Enthusiasm is contagious. Thanking people in your family or your friends can also create interesting results. You can show your appreciation in many ways. Eight Ways to Thank People 1. Verbally and directly thank the person. Stop the person, look them in the eye, get their full attention. "Pat, thanks for straightening out those files." 2. Explain why you appreciate what the person did. Be specific. "I liked how you used the colored tabs to make it easier for us to find files in the future." "I'm amazed how you got Little Bill to calm down and clean up his room." "Ever since you upgraded my computer, I get my work done much faster!" 3. Expand your compliment. "The way you organize everything really makes it nice to work around you." "Ever since you came home, everyone in the family gets along better." "If you help me with my computer in the future, I'll get a raise!" 4. Give indirect praise. For example, compliment one person about another person. "Bob sure did a good job fixing my car!" "You know, Mary is one of the best friends I've ever had." "I think our boss is a fantastic manager." 5. Defend the person. "You said Chris is too much of a perfectionist, but no one can organize things like she does." "If one of us was the boss, we'd have to be tough too." "Maybe you should say that to his face and not behind his back." 6. Ask for the person's help, opinions or ideas. As a boss, asking for an employee's advice shows that you value the person's intelligence. "Could you give me your ideas about the parking problem?" "Do you think we should hire another assistant?" As an employee, if you ask a coworker for help, it not only shows you have a good opinion of the coworker, it encourages him or her to be on your side. "Can I ask you for some advice?" 7. Compliment their achievement. Instead of praising the person, you praise their work. Become happy, even excited, about the person's accomplishment. "This dinner is really fantastic!" "That fish tank has never looked cleaner!" "Mrs. Jones was very happy after you met with her." 8. Physical contact. Hand shakes, shoulder pats and even hugs can communicate your appreciation quickly and effectively. Give it a try and really thank someone right now!   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Orderly Progress

 

Orderly Progress = Power Many of those who wish to succeed find relief and an improved attitude from this quote: "THE TOTALITY OF POWER IS ORDERLY PROGRESS." -- L. Ron Hubbard Discouragement and frustration from not making your goals quickly enough are resolved through orderly progress. Do you ever get frustrated because your life is not the way you want it? Perhaps you are trying to skip steps necessary to reaching your goals. Instead of demanding PERFECTION TODAY!, focus on orderly progress and your odds of success are much higher. Do you ever feel overwhelmed? If so, orderly progress becomes even more important. Confronting huge amounts of work is not overwhelming when you see yourself making orderly progress, even in small amounts, toward your goals. Do you ever feel like you are losing ground or failing? If you map out your actual goal and move one inch closer on a regular basis, you have new power. Do you ever feel like you are treading water and going nowhere? It is time for you to focus on some orderly progress. How do you eat an elephant? How do you move a mountain? How to you reach huge goals? One mouthful, one rock and one step at a time. Examples: giving a positive impression to one more person; learning one more new skill; lessening one bad habit, investing a few more dollars in savings. Daily progress in a specific direction creates long-term power when the progress is constant and orderly. If you have been dissatisfied with your progress in life, or if you feel discouraged, overwhelmed or frustrated, make a list of orderly steps you can take every day and every week. Calm, direct, orderly steps. Once you have your strategy worked out there is no need to worry about the past or the future-just concentrate on the present; on the steps of this plan. By putting order into your progress, nothing and nobody can stop you. A mountain creek is more powerful than a granite boulder when the creek slowly and surely wears the boulder down. Orderly progress toward your goals starts with small, positive steps. You can generate new power from this week forward. Deciding to have orderly progress is the first step.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Which is Worse: Terrorists or Fear of Terrorists?

 

Which is Worse: Terrorists or Fear of Terrorists? Since 9/11, three years ago, many people are still afraid to fly in airplanes, visit New York or work in tall buildings. Many Americans are afraid of anyone who comes from the Middle East. Just as fear of terrorism can affect a country, fear can hurt your success. Instead of working on your career or future, you get quiet or hide. If you feel afraid, you make poor decisions. You fight the wrong targets. You feel confused. Fears make you imagine the worse. You play little movies in your head that have nothing to do with your real life. Life seems dangerous. Fear can also hurt your health. Your body is tense. You sleep poorly. You do not feel active. Terrorism is a big fear, especially for many Americans. So where is the threat? Personal Experience Have you ever seen a terrorist? Not on the news, but with your own eyes? If you walked in any direction from your home, how far would you have to walk before you were threatened by a terrorist? For most of us, it's a very long walk. Have you lost money, peace of mind or personal freedom because of a terrorist? Or maybe people's FEAR of terrorism is the bigger problem. Terrorist Purpose The only thing terrorists want to do is scare you. That's why they're called terrorists! Have you let terrorists achieve their purpose? Another question: Who is helping terrorists with their mission? Who makes money or gains power from terrorism? Chaos Merchants L. Ron Hubbard invented a new term: Chaos (disorder, confusion) Merchants (sellers, promoters) to describe a serious problem we have in our society. Anyone who profits from the suffering of others is a Chaos Merchant. Anyone who seeks to increase their popularity or power by making the world seem worse than it is is a Chaos Merchant. "It is to their [the Chaos Merchants'] interest to make the environment seem as threatening as possible for only then can they profit." "Look over a newspaper. Is there anything good on the front page? Rather there is murder and sudden death, disagreement and catastrophe. And even that, bad as it is, is sensationalized to make it seem worse." -- L. Ron Hubbard Chaos Merchants include politicians, lawyers, arms dealers and most of all, news organizations. Politicians feed on our fears. For example, a politician makes crime statistics seem bigger than anyone ever imagined. He promises to fight crime better than his opponent. He wins IF he scares enough people. Weapons dealers also make huge profits by spreading chaos. For example, an arms dealer tells the leaders of one country, "That country over there has bombs pointed at you. You need to buy more bombs to point at them." Weapons dealers quietly make billions in profits. Of course, newspapers, news magazines and television news also make big profits by spreading as much bad news as possible. The more terrifying the news, the more people will watch their television news or buy their papers and magazines. News shows and newspaper executives say, "If it bleeds, it leads" meaning violent death or injury (blood) is the first story (the lead) for their news show or newspaper. The more vicious the crime, the more attention it receives, and the more money they make. Terrorist Test Question If you never watched television news or read articles about terrorist attacks, why would you be afraid of terrorists? Would you even know they existed? More than 126,000 US citizens have died since 9/11/01 in traffic accidents--forty times more than died from terrorism. Are you more afraid of automobiles than you are of terrorists? Maybe you would be if car accidents lead the news each night. Recommendations To be a success, you must conquer your fears. If you feel anxious, afraid or nervous, you must make some changes to your life. 1. Stop believing Chaos Merchants. If you feel fear, notice who might have just sold you some chaos. Instead of believing them, look for yourself. 2. Stop reading about chaos in newspapers and news magazines. Consider cutting out all the news in your life. Instead, read an interesting book, do some work or have some fun. 3. When chaos is on television, watch something else. How does it help you or anyone to know about deaths, danger and catastrophes? 4. Avoid people who like to pass on disturbing "news." Instead, spend time with people who like to pass on cheerful news. 5. After 7-10 days, notice how you feel. If you are not sure if Chaos Merchants have any effect on you, do the above steps for 7-10 days. Then read about chaos in the newspapers and watch all the news. Listen to disturbing people for a few days. Notice how you feel now. Benefits Nearly everyone who breaks off all association with Chaos Merchants notices benefits like these. * Life becomes more interesting and less dangerous. * You eat better and sleep better. * You laugh more easily. * You feel healthier. * You feel calmer. For More Information Buy ($4.75) or download (free) a copy of "The Way to Happiness" by L. Ron Hubbard. In his 21 recommendations for your happiness, you will read how you should decide on the truth of things by looking yourself (#17). "The Way to Happiness" also has an interesting section (#10) about governments. You can buy a copy at www.tipsforsuccess.org/way-to-happiness.htm or download a free copy at www.thepathwaytohappiness.com.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. To subscribe, buy books or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Courage

 

Courage You are walking down the sidewalk and a guy walks up to you on the street and demands money. You are driving down the road and a police officer pulls you over. The leader of your group asks you to speak to the entire group. Your boss or a colleague is so mad at you he or she starts to scream. Your main investment suddenly crashes. The neighborhood bully wants to talk to you. As someone who wants to succeed, you need courage to deal with anything that scares you. You must face your fears head on. You need several types of courage. The courage to discuss touchy issues. The courage to be criticized. The courage to say "no." The courage to make decisions. The courage to tell the truth. The courage to face the facts. The courage to be in the minority. The courage to hold a position. The courage to admit you are wrong. The courage to trust others. The courage to accept responsibility. The courage to disagree. The courage to change. Without courage, your success is unlikely. "A person of high courage is a valuable associate and group member, but a coward is a dangerous liability as a friend." From Science of Survival by L. Ron Hubbard Each time you use more courage, you enjoy new benefits. You feel calm and peaceful. Problems that were persisting now tend to disappear. Your confidence soars to new heights. Managing your business, job or career becomes easier. You feel more energy. You sleep better. People around you follow your example. You inspire everyone to be more courageous. Your family and groups become stronger. Eight Articles to Help You Increase Your Courage (Each of the articles referred to below are posted on our website at www.tipsforsuccess.org/success-articles.htm.) 1. You have more courage if you are passionate. Fire up your purpose. Arouse your intensity. See "The Power of Passion." 2. Make steady, orderly progress. See "Orderly Progress = Power." 3. Communicate, communicate, communicate. You will often find the courage to communicate is all you need to resolve difficult situations. See "When in Doubt, Communicate." 4. Prepare for a confrontation. Write down your plan of action, list all contingencies and set the stage. See "How to Handle Difficult People." 5. Lighten up. Your odds of success are much greater if you are less serious about everything. See "Being Too Serious Can Drive You Crazy." 6. Look at the challenge as an opportunity. Much of what you have accomplished has taken courage. Every time you go through a difficulty, you come out stronger. See "Fishing Story: The Benefits of a Challenge." 7. Do not assume anything. Do not listen to others. Look for yourself. Horses are often terrified of shallow streams until they step in and feel the water is only an inch deep. Once you actually talk to a bully, you find it's not such a big deal. See "Operating with the Truth." 8. Be more of a professional. Assuming a professional attitude includes new courage. See "Professionalism Matters," also at www.tipsforsuccess/success-articles.htm.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: 15 Questions for Making Great Decisions

15 Questions for Making Great Decisions To succeed, you need self-confidence. Luckily, self-confidence is easy to obtain. "SELF-CONFIDENCE is nothing more than belief in one's ability to decide and in one's decisions." -- L. Ron Hubbard Everyone has made bad decisions: choosing friends who stab you in the back, saying the wrong thing to your spouse, spending your money unwisely. Yet to succeed and have self-confidence, you must make decisions. When you are afraid of decisions, you build up stress, create confusion and make people wait. When you put off making decisions, you miss important opportunities. The worst way to make decisions is to take a vote. Asking for people's opinions is like saying, "I don't have any self-confidence. Please tell me what to decide." The first thing you need to decide is that you can make good decisions. And how do you make good decisions? "Given information and the purpose, anybody can make a decision." -- L. Ron Hubbard Decision making is like playing cards. If you know the cards each player is holding, you make great decisions and win all the money. To make good decisions, you simply need enough information. 15 Questions to Answer Before Making a Decision You can make all of your own decisions on your own. From starting a business to changing careers, buying a house to choosing a vacation. Any decision is easy to make. First, list all of your options. For example, Steve is trying to decide about buying a new car. His choice is not "to buy or not to buy." In this case, he actually has three choices: 1) buy the $60,000 new BMW, 2) buy the $30,000 used Acura, 3) fix up and keep the old Toyota. As another example, Bob asks Dorothy to marry him. Dorothy looks it over and decides she has four choices: 1) Marry Bob immediately, 2) Marry Bob after a long engagement, 3) Don't marry Bob, but keep dating him, 4) Don't marry Bob and stop dating him. Once you have listed out your options, find the answers to these 15 questions for each of your options. You will know some of these answers and can find out the others. Somewhere along the line, your best correct decision will be obvious. 1. What is the goal or purpose of each option? Steve writes, "1) The purpose of the BMW is to ride in style and luxury while impressing the heck out of my friends. 2) The purpose of the Acura is to have comfortable transportation without big loan payments. 3) The purpose of the Toyota is to have good reliable transportation at a small cost." Dorothy examines the purpose of each of her options. She writes, "1) The purpose of marrying Bob immediately is to move on with our lives together. 2) The purpose of a long engagement is to leave plenty of room for me to change my mind. 3) The purpose of not marrying, but continuing to date Bob is to learn more about him without a commitment. 4) The purpose of not seeing Bob any longer is to look for someone else. Well, I can eliminate this last option as I'm sick of looking and really do love Bob." 2. How do the purposes of each option align with your goals? Steve writes, "My goal is to drive something comfortable I can be proud of, but not consume all of my extra money. The Acura fits that goal best." Dorothy writes, "I have the goal to get married, so the first two options line up with that goal." 3. What are the statistics for each choice? Each of your options has statistics. Steve can learn maintenance costs, resale value costs, miles per gallon and so on. Dorothy can check out Bob's statistics in life. How well does he keep his word? How much money does he make? What happened with his past relationships? When hiring an employee, his or her statistics in life and at the last job are important. When deciding on a job, a career, a relationship, a new business or anything, you can find the track records. 4. Finances? Two vital questions: What will each option cost? How much money will each return? The cost is not a barrier if the predicted return is greater than the cost. 5. Sequences? Most people forget to look at the exact steps involved with each solution. For example, you are notified by mail, "Congratulations! You have won either a deluxe AM/FM radio, $500 cash, a 60" TV or a cruise to Alaska!" You decide to go claim your prize. You never read the fine print or ask what steps are involved. After a four-hour Mexico condo timeshare sales pitch, you get a coupon for a cheap radio. "If I decide to buy the BMW, what happens next?" You might realize you need to wait two months before delivery. You also realize you need to get insurance, pay registration fees, sell your Toyota and so on. When interviewing job applicants, ask "If I asked you to start on Monday, what would you do?" Some applicants say, "Well, I might not have a car. . ." or "My bird has been sick . . ." A smart job applicant says, "I'll show up five minutes early!" 6. Is this choice legal and ethical? Is it fair to everyone involved? Will you be proud of your choice in the future? Would you have any problem telling a judge or TV reporter about your choice? 7. What is the probability of success? For example, how many BMW or Acura buyers are happy enough to buy a similar car? How long will the Toyota last? Estimate the odds of success for each choice if you have no concrete data. Dorothy estimates the odds of a successful marriage to Bob are higher with her second option, if she has a long engagement, than the other two remaining options. 8. Do I have the resources? Resources include people, space, skill, knowledge, money and time. Do you have the necessary means for each choice? 9. What are the end results? If everything went smoothly, how would each choice turn out? What would the results be? How would it change things in a year or two? 10. What do others want me to do and why? As your choice probably affects other people, you want to know what choice they want you to make. More importantly, why they want you to make it. Make a list of everyone who is affected and what you believe they want. You are not asking them to help with your decision, you are merely gathering information. 11. What are the potential gains and benefits? List each of these categories for each choice. 12. What are the potential losses and liabilities? Worst-case scenarios and risks. For each risk, look at how you can protect yourself or your group. For example, David is considering a major expansion of his hair brush company. He looks at the risks and realizes he could end with too many hair brushes in storage. To protect his group, he realizes he needs to expand his marketing and sales before increasing his manufacturing to ensure he won't have a storage problem. Dorothy evaluates the risks of a marriage and realizes a long engagement has a much lower risk of divorce than a fast marriage. 13. What are all the barriers and difficulties for each choice? What gets in the road of each choice. Lack of money? No one else wants it? Not enough time? Fear? David sees months of hard work to cause the expansion. Steve sees no difficulties in buying the BMW or Acura, but lists several problems with repairing his old Toyota. Dorothy realizes Bob might not like the third option of just dating, but would support a long or short engagement. 14. What would be easy and effortless about each choice? Some choices involve no barriers at all. 15. What do I really want? What am I willing to do? What interests me? Which choice turns me on and makes me happiest? Why do I feel like doing it? This last question is the deal breaker. Interest and enthusiasm are vital to a decision ending up being the right decision. An okay decision with lots of interest and enthusiasm is more successful than a brilliant decision with no interest or enthusiasm. You never regret a correct decision. It stands the test of time. A series of correct decisions will build your certainty and confidence. And once those around you learn you are usually right, they follow your lead without hesitation.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: No Means No!

 

No Means No! Is it easier for you to say "yes" or "no"? If you are like most people, "no" is a difficult word to use. Saying "no" is like telling someone they are bad or wrong. "No" seems to mean you reject them. However, if you can't say "no," you will have many difficulties. Financial Uses for "No" You cannot build wealth if you cannot say "no." For example, if you manage finances for a business or organization, you probably know how often people try to get you to say "yes." Yet if you agree to every financial request, your group will soon go broke. "It is up to a financial manager to be very, very, very tough and to learn how to say no, no, no, no. In fact, it would be a very good thing if he stood in front of a mirror for ten or fifteen minutes a day saying `no.'" -- L. Ron Hubbard If you are the financial manager for a business or group, you must say "no" for the sake of your organization. Even if you do not manage a group's finances, you ARE the financial manager of your personal finances. You also need to learn to say "no." If you cannot say "no," you never build any wealth. Time Uses for "No" Like money, your time must be used wisely to build your success. In fact, your time is your most valuable resource and must be spent wisely. Yet your decisions may not always be popular with others. You've probably heard statements like these: "To get along, you need to go along." "If you like me, you'll say yes." "Work with me here and don't rock the boat!" To move ahead, you MUST say "no" to non-productive activities. "No, sorry, I don't want to get drunk tonight." "I'd love to watch TV, but no, I'm going to study." "Do I want to slow down and wait? Nope!" Personal Uses for "No" The most difficult person to say "no" to is yourself. However, like starting yourself and changing yourself, self-control requires you to stop yourself. Breaking a bad habit is simply a matter of saying "no." "No, sorry, I won't eat that box of chocolate donuts." "No, I will not use my credit card to buy that new stereo system." "No, I don't smoke now." Telling yourself "no" is also essential to your success. "No, it's not time to quit working and go home." "No, this job is not perfect yet." "No, I WILL reach my goals." Recommendations 1. Write down situations when you should say "no" regarding money. 2. Write down instances when you should say "no" regarding time. 3. Write down examples when you should say "no" regarding your personal habits. 4. Say "no" to a mirror for ten or fifteen minutes. 5. Say "no" to yourself and others in every situation listed above. Say "no" to weakness, failure and waste. 6. If you say "yes" or "maybe" when you should say "no," repeat L. Ron Hubbard's advice and say "no" to a mirror for ten or fifteen more minutes.   Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce you to the technology of L. Ron Hubbard. Copyright © 2004 TipsForSuccess.org. All rights reserved. Grateful acknowledgment is made to L. Ron Hubbard Library for permission to reproduce selections from the copyrighted works of L. Ron Hubbard. You have permission to copy, print or post this article. Click here for details. For books by L. Ron Hubbard, additional articles or information about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.