TipsForSuccess: How to Make Yourself Happier in Five Minutes or Less

 

How to Make Yourself Happier In Five Minutes or Less In 1982, L. Ron Hubbard wrote a poem called, "The Joy of Creating" "Force yourself to smile and you'll soon stop frowning. "Force yourself to laugh and you'll soon find something to laugh about. "Wax* enthusiastic** and you'll very soon feel so. "A being causes his own feelings. "The greatest joy there is in life is creating. "Splurge on it!" -- L. Ron Hubbard (*Wax: to gradually increase in size, strength or intensity.) (**Enthusiastic: having or showing enthusiasm.) You can find dozens of ways to use this poem to become happier, smarter and more successful. The suggestions below take five minutes or less to try. Four Fast Ways to Make Yourself Happier 1. "Force yourself to smile and you'll soon stop frowning." A. Force yourself to smile. B. Relax your face. C. Repeat steps A and B above until you are cheerful. Some people feel happier immediately while others take longer. Try the exercise in front of a mirror for an extra boost! 2. "Force yourself to laugh and you'll soon find something to laugh about." A. Force yourself to laugh. B. If you cannot force a laugh, say, "ha ha ha ha ha." Then say, "ho ho ho ho ho." Then say, "he he he he he." Repeat until you can force yourself to laugh. C. Sooner or later, something funny will come to mind. Just keep forcing your laughter. A reason to laugh will show up! 3. "Wax enthusiastic and you'll very soon feel so." You have the power to motivate yourself. You do not need a bonus, an energetic boss or a seminar to get you excited. When you make yourself enthusiastic, you make better decisions, get more done in less time and produce better results. To motivate yourself, simply "wax enthusiastic" or increase your show of enthusiasm and you will feel interested and excited. For instance, you can motivate yourself to do a difficult task or project. A. Select a task you are avoiding or hate to do. Put the task in front of you. B. Pretend to be slightly enthusiastic about a small part the task. C. Act a little more enthusiastic about another small part of the task. D. Show even more excitement about another part of the task. E. As soon as you feel enthusiastic and motivated about the task, do it! Example: You walk into the dirty bathroom that you need to clean, but hate to clean. You pretend to be a bit enthusiastic about cleaning the mirror by doing a little jump. You act a little more enthusiastic about emptying the bathroom garbage can by clapping your hands and smiling. You gradually show more enthusiasm until you are jumping up and down with a big smile on your face. Suddenly, you grab the toilet brush and start scrubbing! 4. "The greatest joy there is in life is creating." What are your greatest joys in life? Being a parent? Starting a company? Finding new customers? Forming new relationships? Notice how each activity creates something new? You can add creation to each part of your day. A. Write down something you can create right now. Examples: A fabulous meal. A redecorated room. A new section of your garden. A new friendship. A new way to boost your income. B. Write down something you must keep as a routine. Reword it to emphasize the creative aspect of it. Examples: Continue to show up at work each day so I can finance my new home business. Keep exercising so I add a few extra years to my lifetime. Protect my time with my kids so they grow up to be happy, useful members of society. C. Write down something you must stop or destroy. Reword it to be a creation. Examples: Stop smoking so I can live a healthy lifestyle. Throw away the junk in my garage so I can create a place to store my car at night. Stop worrying about my problems so I can learn how to do a better job at work. Add these activities to your plans for today or this week. When you do them, stay focused on the creative aspect of the task. The happiest people in the world are those who create things. You and you alone will create your success. "Splurge on it!" To read other poems by L. Ron Hubbard, go to www.ronthepoet.org.   Copyright © 2006 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. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Success Through Speed

TipsForSuccess: How to Boost Your Power Base

 

Success Through Speed How long do you wait for a haircut? For a table at a restaurant? For your car to be repaired? How long does it take before you get irritated? On the other hand, how do you feel when you receive instant service? "You need your car fixed? We can do it in five minutes." "Hello, you're right on time! Dr. Smith will see you now." "You need a new driver's license? Okay, stand here for your photo. Here's your license. Have a nice day." One of the fastest ways to hurt your business is to make people wait. After five minutes they become uncomfortable. In ten minutes they are unhappy. In fifteen they are irritable. After twenty, they decide to leave. There is no benefit in making people wait. They do not think, "Boy, these guys are really important, really busy, really in demand!" Instead, they think, "These idiots aren't very organized." "Maybe they don't think I'm very important." "To prosper, service must be as close to instant as possible." "Anything which stops or delays the flows of a business or delays or puts a customer or product on WAIT is an enemy of that business." -- L. Ron Hubbard Businesses that provide fast service or fast products take over their industries. For example, McDonalds gives you hot food in one minute, Jiffy Lube changes your car oil in ten minutes and Lenscrafters makes your glasses in an hour. All three companies have made their owners and executives wealthy because they provide fast service. The same principle works for you. Each time you make a customer wait, your boss wait or even a coworker wait, you are hurting your income. For example, a lazy waiter makes a hungry customer wait for ten minutes before taking his order and gets a $1 tip. The same customer gives a $5 tip to a waitress who takes his order within thirty seconds. With 40 customers per day, the fast waitress earns $800 more in tips each week because she gives fast service. The restaurant also makes more money as customers use a table for 45 minutes instead of 60 minutes; more meals are sold. If you own a small business, you can use this principle to beat the big boys. For example, you open a small print shop, but cannot get enough work to pay your bills. You advertise, "We will finish any print job in 24 hours." Within a week, you have ten new jobs. Even though you work 15 hours per day for a week, you steal a few of your competitors' big customers and make a small fortune. As another example, your boss asks you and two of your co-workers to gather your production numbers for the past six months. You bring it to your boss in an hour. One of your co-workers brings his numbers at the end of the week. The other co-worker forgets all about it. If you are consistently fast, who will the boss want to give more responsibility and pay? Who might get laid off? If you wish to succeed and prosper, you must be fast! Action Plan #1 1. How do you make money? List every step of the process you use. 2. Look for every delay. Where do things slow down? 3. How can you speed up these points? How can you provide nearly-instant service or a nearly-instant product? Action Plan #2 1. Who waits for you? 2. Of these people, who has influence over your success? 3. How can you break all speed records and give these people what they need instantly? Write down your plans and act!   Copyright © 2006 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. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

How to Boost Your Power Base To succeed you need a power base. What is a power base? It can include the money and property you control. The number of people who you influence. The groups or businesses you control. The number of people who listen to you. The size of your game. So how do you get more power? In most cases, you have to get your power from others. People give you (or don't give you) control, credibility, money, property, authority, influence and so on. How you act with people often determines the amount of power you get. For example, Mr. Green is the CEO of a successful book publishing company in New York City. He is retiring and needs to recommend a new CEO to the Board of Directors. Mr. Green's two best managers are Steve, who runs the printing division, and Melissa, who runs the editing division. Steve has wanted to run the company for years. He tells his staff, "Someday, I'll be running things and we'll come out of the dark ages. Mr. Green's a nice guy and all that, but he's old." Melissa is also interested in the CEO job. She tells her staff, "Mr. Green is an outstanding leader. He's taught me a great deal. If I run things, I'll try to be like Mr. Green." Steve likes to disagree with Mr. Green. "You don't want me to be a yes-man do you Mr. Green? We can't always do things your way. I have better ideas." Melissa prefers to support Mr. Green. "Tell me what you want done and I'll take care of it for you." Steve is shocked when Mr. Green recommends Melissa for the CEO position. Your Power Sources Who are your "powers"? Who do you depend on for your success? Certainly your boss, but also your customers, colleagues, advisors, leaders of your groups, influential friends and others. Everyone depends on others for their power. Bosses depend on their staff. Fathers depend on mothers. Young politicians depend on senior politicians as well as voters and financial contributors. Who do you depend on? Who are the people who can help you? These are your "powers." Now examine how you treat these powers. Do you build them up or drag them down? Do you make them more powerful or less powerful. Do you give them ease or stress? How you treat these people may have more to do with your success than you realize. Pushing Power "Always push power in the direction of anyone on whose power you depend. It may be more money for the power or more ease or a snarling defense of the power to a critic." "If you work like that and the power you are near or depend upon is a power that has at least some inkling* about how to be one and if you make others work like that, then the power-factor expands and expands and expands and you too acquire a sphere of power bigger than you would have if you worked alone." - L. Ron Hubbard (*inkling: a slight idea) Some movie actors find it hard to share the spotlight. They think they will get ahead if they criticize others. When talking about a movie director, they say things like, "He was the toughest director I've ever worked for" or "She and I had artistic differences." These actors are often out of work. When John Travolta was promoting his movie Pulp Fiction, he spent most of his time complimenting and thanking writer/director, Quentin Tarantino. John praised Quentin during dozens of national television interviews. Who was John flowing power to? What happened to John's career? It exploded! He became one of the busiest, best-paid actors in history. Have you heard about assistants, secretaries and clerks who become millionaires? These workers flowed power to their bosses. When these bosses hit it big, they took care of their staffs. Since most bosses have an "inkling" of how to be a power, they love to share their success with those who help them succeed. Employees who bite the hand that feeds them are soon looking for work. Staff who do not defend their bosses when their bosses are attacked see their workplace become stressful and unpleasant. Managers who do nothing while the company owners suffer with financial problems may lose their bonuses and job security. On the other hand, if you flow power to your powers, you make them happier and more successful. These powers then have the means and desire to help you. They can give you promotions, raises, freedoms, responsibilities and opportunities you would not otherwise receive. They can help you succeed in more ways than anyone else you know. Ten Suggestions for Flowing Power to Your Powers 1. Do a better job for your power than he or she expects. Surprise him or her with fast completions, incredible production and amazing results. 2. Support the power's ideas and requests whenever possible. 3. When the power offers you more responsibility, grab it. Do not hesitate or worry about the pay. 4. Give your powers the information they need. Hide bad news you are sure they don't need to know. If you need to tell the power about a problem, include a solution as well. Better yet, solve the problem so you can relay the problem and the fact that it is now solved. 5. If you see your power is making a mistake, try to help him or her. Provide the information he or she may be missing. Offer suggestions and solutions. 6. Never miss a chance to make a gesture of support. For example, insist on paying for the meal you share with a power, even if he or she is wealthier than you. Never forget the power's birthday. Be generous with your time and favors. 7. If you hear criticism about one of your powers, jump in and defend him or her. Change negative attitudes that others have about your power. Encourage them to support your power. 8. If your power is under stress, do what you can to reduce that stress. Help him or her become cheerful and optimistic. If the boss is happy, everyone is happy! 9. If one of your powers is being attacked, take some of the heat. Get in front of your power and fight back. 10. If one of your powers does not have an inkling of how to be a power, find another power to support. If you work like this, sooner or later, you will find you are a bigger power than ever before.   Copyright © 2006 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. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

TipsForSuccess: Are You Blameless?

 

Are You Blameless? No one succeeds with attitudes like these. "I don't want to make the decisions." "I don't want to make waves." "I don't want to get in trouble!" To succeed, you must be willing to stir things up! Cause or Effect You are either at Cause over things or you are at the Effect of things. For example, if a computer problem confuses you, you are at the Effect of the computer problem. As soon as you solve the problem, you are at Cause. If you want to be wealthy, and your income is increasing, you are at Cause. If your income is stuck or decreasing, you are at Effect. If you make steady progress toward your goals, you are at Cause. If you are stuck in a rut, you are at Effect. If you could care less if someone blames you, you are at Cause. If you worry about being blamed, you are at Effect. "You should not minimize* yourself as CAUSE. It is your greatest ability. "Being blamed sometimes blunts** being CAUSE. But if one's total ambition is to be blameless, the best situation is to get one's name on a tombstone. And it's no fun being dead." -- L. Ron Hubbard (*Minimize = lessen, reduce. **Blunts = weaken, make less effective) Who Blames You? If someone blames you for a mistake or a problem, you might decide to be at Effect and try to hide. You want to keep out of trouble. You blunt yourself as Cause. For example, a shoe sales clerk named Mary had an upset customer. He wanted a refund for a pair of shoes that did not fit, but the shoes had scuff marks on them. So despite store policy, she gave a refund to the customer. She decided it was the right thing to do. When Mary's boss saw the shoes, he said, "You idiot! You know it's against store policy to pay refunds for worn shoes! I'm taking the refund out of your check." Mary decides, "I'm never making a decision again!" She blunts herself. She stops being at Cause and becomes a clerk who never makes decisions. The next day, another customer asks for a refund for his slightly-worn shoes. Mary says, "I'm sorry sir, but store policy won't allow me to give you a refund. See here? The bottoms of the shoes are scratched up." The customer says, "But they don't fit! I can't wear them! Here, give them to the homeless." He starts to walk away. Mary decides the store policy is wrong and she's not going to be Effect. She says, "Sir, wait. Never mind. I'm giving you a refund." She feels good. She is at Cause. Mary then walks up to her boss and says, "I gave another refund. It's the right thing to do. Go ahead and take it out of my pay." Her boss is flabbergasted! He says, "I will!" But then he thinks it over. The next day the boss finds Mary and says, "You know, I thought it over and I think you're right. We should give refunds for shoes that don't fit. After all, we're supposed to help them find their correct sizes. I'll talk to the General Manager about changing this policy." Recommendations 1. List the things you would do if you had no fear of blame. 2. Take the easiest item on the list and rise to Cause. Do it, say it, stand up and take the action! 3. Do the next easiest item on your list and so on. Soon, you will find it's okay to take risks and, when necessary, accept the blame. If you do not worry about being blamed, you do not blunt yourself. You are at Cause! Copyright © 2006 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. Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.TipsForSuccessCoaching.org. For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here. To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.