TipsForSuccess: 2009

Take Control, Part Five

Take Control, Part Five

To Succeed, You Must Let Others Control You at Times

“Control is so far from being bad that a person who is sane and in very good condition does not resent good, positive control and is himself able to administer* good, positive control to people and objects.

“A person who is not in very good condition resents even the most casual directions and is actually not capable of controlling people or objects. The latter person is also inefficient and has many difficulties with work and with life.

“When a person cannot control things or when he resists things controlling him he involves himself with difficulties not only with people but with objects. It is also apparent that people with control difficulties more readily become ill and fail in other ways.” -- L. Ron Hubbard (*administer: provide, dispense, give)

How do you feel when people give you orders or directions?

For example, if you are a business owner or executive, you need to let your staff members control your time. For example, they may need to set your appointments or control where you go and who you see. If you don't let them control your time, you can become overwhelmed and inefficient.

As another example, Joe asks his wife to handle the family finances. Yet when she tries to control Joe's spending, he argues about it. He spends the money however he likes despite his wife's efforts to control spending.

The couple's credit goes bad. They constantly fight. They blame money problems for their marriage problems when the real problem is with Joe's inability to be controlled.

You see examples of this every day. A young man leaves the Army because he hates being bossed around. He tries to work at a car dealership, but leaves because he hates being bossed around. He fails at several other jobs as he hates control. He can't even stand driving a truck as shippers want to control him. He prefers the “freedom” of homelessness and dies from a drug overdose.

If you have a problem with control, you might feel a reactive irritation or anger when someone tries to control you. You may think being controlled is a sign of weakness or failure. You see no benefit to being controlled.

Yet if you decide to let someone help you, you must then let them control you.

For example, a dental patient needs help with her bad teeth and lets the dentist control her dental care. A failing basketball player needs help with his shooting and lets his coach control his practice routine. A business owner with low profit accepts help from a consultant and lets the consultant guide his actions.

If the person who is controlling you also knows how to use control, as described in the previous four articles on control, you succeed.

Receiving Good, Positive Control

Positive control is not forced on you. You trust that the person wishes you success, not harm. You know his or her control is for your benefit.

Positive control from others can improve all parts of your life. For example, a good accountant controls you to stay on the right side of the tax laws. If you are a professional singer, your agent controls you to improve your income. If you are an employee, your boss controls you to improve your performance.

When you are a customer, you must let the store, restaurant or business control you so you get what you want. When you are a medical patient, your health depends on letting doctors and nurses control you. As a citizen, you can be part of an orderly society when you let government representatives take control.

Husbands and wives must give and accept control from each other. Parents need to let their children control them at times. Even managers must let employees control them when it is right for the group.
Positive control moves you in a positive direction. You end up with more money, success and joy than if you tried to keep control a one-way street.

You happily accept control when you know it is for your benefit.

We all need to give and receive control to get the most from life.

Summary: All Five Steps to Taking Control

“The whole feeling of self-confidence and competence actually derives from one's ability to control or leave uncontrolled the various items and people in his surroundings.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

1. Take a look at all your areas of worry and stress. Make a list of the situations in which you feel a lack of confidence or competence. Include all aspects of your job or life in which you need better control. List your concerns down the left side of a page. Leave room next to each problem to write solutions.

2. Now check if some of these problems are far outside your zone of operation. Last week's article, “Take Control, Part Four” addressed the need to stop trying to control these problems. Write, “Stop trying to control this” next to each of these. You can still have some influence on these matters if you wish, and you may extend your responsibility and sphere of control some day. Yet for now, if it is not your responsibility to control it, stop trying.

3. For the remaining problems, ask yourself if you should be letting someone else control you somehow. If so, write what types of control you need to accept, even encourage, from others. Plan to tell them.

4. With the remaining problems, write if the problem is with you starting something, changing something or stopping something. This was covered in “Taking Control, Part Three.”

Then write down what you could do. How could you start it or change it or stop it? What else could you do?

5. Carry out your plan for each problem and you will take control of your success, your life and your future!

For more information about taking better control, read The Problems of Work by L. Ron Hubbard.

You can also visit www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org for a free, private interactive website that helps you put all five “Take Control” articles into use. Let us know how you like this website!

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here.

Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org. or click here.

Take Control, Part Four

Take Control, Part Four

If You Try to Control People or Things Outside Your Sphere of Operation, You Get Problems

"However, control in itself is not an entire answer to everything, for if it were one would have to be able to control everything, not only in his own job, but in an office or on earth, before he could be happy."

"When an individual attempts to extend control far beyond his active interest in a job or in life he encounters difficulty."

"Thus there is obviously another factor involved than control. This factor is willingness not to control and is fully as important as control itself." -- L. Ron Hubbard

For example, when the manager of Department A tries to control employees in Department B, problems come up. As long as he sticks to controlling his sphere of operation, which is Department A, all is well.

You may have felt overwhelmed in the past when you tried to control something that was not part of your sphere of operation. If it is not your responsibility, why bother?

For example, a business owner was overwhelmed and stressed out. His consultant, who knew this technology on control, had him list all the things he was concerned about.

● Business income was down
● The roof was leaking in the office building
● His son was having problems at college in another state
● His community club meetings were irregular
● His quarterly tax payments were late

The client was trying to fix all of these problems without success.

The consultant pointed out only the first problem was in his sphere of operation. His income was low because he was not spending much time working. All the other problems were outside his zone.

The landlord was in charge of the roof.

The son was twenty years old and now on his own.

While the client was the former president of his community club, he no longer was in charge. He was just a member.

His accountant was negotiating a deal with the Internal Revenue Service and didn't feel the client needed to pay the overdue tax.

While it would be wonderful if the client could control all of these problems, he needed to change his mind and let others control them.

As soon as he realized this, he relaxed. He focused on his income and soon solved the first problem.

Meanwhile, the landlord installed the new roof. His son realized he was responsible for his own success, good or bad, and started doing better in college. He stopped attending the community club meetings. His accountant solved the IRS problem.

People may try to make you control things outside your zone of operation. You must refuse. Three examples:

Someone asks you for a loan to pay his bills. You say, "While I'm sorry you can't pay your bills, I'm not going to pay them for you. You need to solve this yourself."

Your sister sees your grandson watching television and tells you, "Don't let him watch TV." You say, "I agree he shouldn't watch TV, but he's my daughter's son, not mine."

Your boss asks you to go fix the sales problem with another department. You say, "Even though I'm the domestic sales manager, I'll be happy to fix the international sales department . . . if you promote me to Vice President of Worldwide Sales."

Recommendations

1. Make a list of areas in your life that are difficult for you to control.

2. Add a list of things that bother you to the first list.

3. Circle all the items that are outside your sphere of operation.

4. Decide to stop trying to control these circled items. Let them go.

5. Work on the remaining items on your list as you can control them.

For example, a coworker slurps his coffee each morning. It drives you crazy! You drop hints and make jokes, but he still slurps away.

You realize the coworker's noise is outside your sphere of operation and so you stop all efforts to make him stop slurping. You focus on your job instead. You soon realize you don't care about the slurping noise any longer. No more stress!

The above exercise, and all the text from "Take Control" parts 1, 2 and 3 can be found at www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org.

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

FW: How Do You Handle Life's Roadblocks?

How Do You Handle Life's Roadblocks?

When you are stopped while trying to accomplish something, how do you respond? How do you handle the frustration?

For example, you want to be a professional piano player. You take piano lessons, practice for two hours every day and learn as many songs as possible. You play at a friend's wedding and feel ignored. You audition to play at your church services, but do not get selected. Your mother even says, “Maybe you should take up water colors.” What do you do?

Maybe you cry and feel sorry for yourself. “Boo-hoo! I feel so bad!”

Perhaps you blame others. “My teachers were so bad that I'll never succeed.”

Or maybe you blame yourself. “I'm such an idiot! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!”

Many people like to drown their sorrows. “To heck with it! I'm getting drunk.”

Some prefer depression or apathy. “Life isn't worth living. I'm going to watch TV all day.”

Finding excuses is popular. “My fingers were sore.” “The music is too old.” “People just don't appreciate fine piano playing.”

And of course, many people just give up. “I'm not going to play the stupid piano. In fact, piano players are losers.”

How do you handle life's roadblocks?

Intention

“Intention is like a landmark.”

“If you were traveling through unfamiliar country toward a snow-capped mountain, you would find that you sometimes took a wrong turn, but as long as you could see the mountain, you would make progress toward it. Sometimes obstacles would get in your way. Sometimes they would even hide the mountain from you. But there is one thing that would not happen. You would not forget to look for the mountain. You would know that you could not reach the mountain by forgetting its existence. You would laugh at the idea of forgetting to look for the mountain.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

For example, despite the obstacles, you would not lose sight of your goal to be a piano player. You would ignore the losses and stay focused on the goal. “I will become a fabulous pianist! I'm going to take 200 lessons and practice for four hours a day until I make it.”

Luckily, using intention is not difficult. Constantly looking for the mountain is easy. You just look! Your feet then follow your eyes.

As another example, you own a restaurant and have the goal of $10,000 profit per month. You figure out you will need 200 happy, satisfied customers per day to reach your goal. You keep this mountain in mind at all times.

One day, your chef calls and says, “I got a better job in New York and I'm leaving today. Good luck to you.”

You realize you'll be cooking a lot of food today and feel like closing the doors and going to a movie instead. Yet you look for your mountain. You see 200 happy customers. You intend to reach the goal.

You suddenly remember your mother is a great cook. She has been offering to help out, so you ask her to take over the kitchen for a few days. She agrees and doesn't even want any pay!

You run an ad and hire a new chef by the weekend. You continue hiking up the mountain.

Recommendations

1. Write down your top three goals. If you do not have three top goals, write down three big things you really want.

2. Put these goals where you will see them several times each day. For example, a note taped on your car's dashboard. A note on your computer screen. A postcard in your shirt pocket. A sticker on the inside of your wallet. Anywhere you will constantly see the goal.

3. Every time you get stopped by life's roadblocks, do not get sad. Do not give up. Do not look for excuses. Instead, just look at your goals. Never forget to look for the mountain.

If you constantly look for the mountain, you will persist. You will work to reach it, day and night. You will find the time and energy it takes to reach the top.

No obstacle will be big enough nor strong enough to stop you.

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

Take Control, Part Three

Take Control, Part Three

Your Control Problems Are Caused by Your Weaknesses with Starting, Changing or Stopping

“Franticness, helplessness, incompetence, inefficiency and other undesirable factors in a job are all traceable to inabilities to start, change and stop things.”

“No business can succeed unless it has been properly started, unless it is progressing through time or changing position in space and unless it is capable of stopping harmful practices and even competitors.”

“Thus the secret of doing a good job is the secret of control itself. One not only continues to create a job, day by day, week by week, month by month, he also continues the job by permitting it to progress, and he is also capable of stopping or ending any cycle of work and letting it remain finished.” -- L. Ron Hubbard from The Problems of Work

To improve your control, you strengthen the part of control that is most difficult for you. To do this, start by identifying your weakest part. Which is most difficult for you: starting, changing or stopping?

Signs You Have Difficulties Starting Things

You have many ideas that you never implement. You make notes and even write down plans, but you never start them.

You may even obtain the material you need to do a job, but do not start it. For example, you buy the tools and materials to build a dog house, but never actually start to build the dog house.

You might have big goals, great plans or incredible dreams, but you never take that first step.

Signs You Have Difficulties Changing Things

You may take the first step on a work project, but you never get much done.

You might leave things incomplete. For example, you paint a wall with the first coat, but never get around to putting on the second coat.

You might follow the same routine you learned in school or have had for years, even though you know a better way exists.

You possibly make big resolutions every New Year and do well for a day or two. Yet you never really make the change.

Signs You Have Difficulties Stopping Things

You probably have bad habits that you cannot break. You might say, “I just can't stop myself.”

You may hate to throw things away, even if they are useless. Your closets are stuffed with worthless junk.

If you force yourself to finish a project, you are likely to leave your tools lying around as you hate to clean up after yourself.

If you are a boss, you take too long to fire employees, even though they deserve it. Stopping people, who are damaging your operation, may be difficult for you. You may also have a hard time ending bad relationships or forgiving people.

When you give a job or object to someone, you have a hard time leaving him or her alone. You can't stop possessing the responsibility or the object.

Signs You Are Fixated on Start, Change or Stop

Control is also difficult if you are fixated or obsessed with starting, changing or stopping things.

For example, you are constantly starting new programs or projects. Every week or so you start a new project or two. Unfortunately, they do you no good as you or your group cannot complete all the things you start.

Or you are constantly changing things. You do not like the way things are. You are never satisfied. Unfortunately, you end up changing things that should be left alone.

Or maybe you like to stop things a little too much. Your first reaction to any change is to stop it or end it. If you are a boss, you fire people too quickly. You throw things away you later need. Or maybe you feel like a police officer and constantly try to stop bad things from happening. Unfortunately, you end up stopping good things, as well.

Recommendations

1. Determine your biggest problem: starting things, changing things or stopping things.

2. Write down how you can improve this weakness this week.

3. As you make these improvements, notice how your control improves.

4. Keep working on your weakest areas until you enjoy more success.

When you can easily and effectively start, change and stop things when they need to be started, changed or stopped, you are in control

For more free assistance with your control skills, go to tipsforsuccesscoaching.org.

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

Take Control, Part One

Take 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. No control over your job, family or life leads to failure.

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, your time, career, business, equipment, computers, marriage, family, personal property, bad habits and so on, 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.

In this first of five articles, we cover the first fact.

1. Control Is the Difference Between Success and Failure

"What is control?

"Whether one handles a machine of the size of a car or as small as a typewriter or even an accounting pen, one is faced with the problems of control. An object is of no use to anyone if it cannot be controlled. Just as a dancer must be able to control his body, so must a worker in an office or a factory be able to control his body, the machines of his work and, to some degree, the environment around him.

"The primary difference between 'the worker' in an office or a factory and an executive is that the executive controls minds, bodies and the placement of communications, raw materials and products, the worker controls, in the main, his immediate tools." -- L. Ron Hubbard (The Problems of Work)

Consider two different restaurant owners.

Steve owns an Italian restaurant and Kate owns a French restaurant. Steve loves to chat with customers while Kate loves to improve her operations.

Steve hires an accountant to handle his bookkeeping while Kate stays late to figure out how to do her own books. Steve hires an attorney to write the employee policies and keep him out of legal trouble. Kate goes to a labor law seminar, writes her own employee policies and has a lawyer check it over.

Steve believes his personality will keep people coming back while Kate decides good food and well-trained servers will keep people coming back.

Steve has no idea how to cook, clean the kitchen or balance the books. He can only hire experienced people to do these jobs. He must bend over backwards to keep them on the job, despite their bad attitudes.

Kate and her cooks invent their own recipes and keep them in a book. Kate establishes checklists for the staff for setting up tables, cleaning and so on. She also enjoys training inexperienced cooks, servers and other staff.

Who is in better control? Who is making a better profit? If Steve's top people quit working for him, what will happen to his restaurant? If Kate's top people quit, what will happen to her restaurant?

Another Example

Two medical transcribers, Jill and Sue, are hired by a large hospital on the same day. They are expected to type medical reports explaining the patients' treatment so the hospital can collect its fee from insurance companies.

Jill decides to be a robot and simply type whatever is in front of her. One day, her computer goes down. She calls the technician and paints her fingernails until the computer is fixed. She has no idea what she is typing as she cannot understand the medical terms. She decides to just pretend it is a foreign language. She types every word placed in front of her without using the computer shortcuts. She produces 20 reports per day.

Sue wants more control of her position. As well as typing the reports, she learns about the computer. She reads the help screens to learn shortcuts in the program. She learns to copy and paste large sections of text and other time-saving actions. She produces 30 reports per day.

When the computer goes down, Sue carefully watches the technician and asks questions so she knows what to do next time.

Sue finds a medical dictionary in the storage room and starts to look up the terms in her reports. She buys lunch for a nurse so she can ask about medical procedures. She even listens to tapes about insurance code rules.

Who is in better control of her job? Of her career?

One day, Jill types a report about a one-year-old receiving treatment for Alzheimer's disease. She types it exactly and sends it to the insurance company. That same day, Sue is typing a report for a eighty-year-old man's immunization shot for chicken pox. She knows this is a mistake and sends it back to the nurse. The nurse realizes the patient names were switched.

Another day, Jill's computer goes down. She learns the computer technician is unavailable and asks to go home. Sue overhears the request and offers to fix the computer, which she does.

Who is the more valuable employee? Who should get the next promotion? If business slows down, who will keep her job?

Certain symptoms show how well you control your job.

10 Signs You Are Not in Control of Your Work
Easily fatigued or exhausted
Work area is messy and disorganized
Job is not interesting
Easily stressed
Need constant help
See no way to improve performance
Easily confused by others while on the job
Frequently think of quitting
Frantically react to emergencies
You cannot conceive of greater productivity

10 Signs You Are in Control of Your Work
Energized, motivated
Work area is neat and organized
Work is interesting and enjoyable
Feel challenged, not stressed
Effectively supervise self
Constantly looking for ways to improve
Rarely confused while on the job
Frequently thinking of more responsibility
Rationally respond to emergencies
You have good ideas for increasing productivity

On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being in full control, how well do you control of your job? Your home life? Your possessions? Your personal habits? Your success?

Recommendations

1. Make a list of all your duties, responsibilities and areas of your life.

2. Rate your control of each on a scale of 1 to 10.

3. Work out a plan to take a little more control of each.

For more free assistance with your control skills, go to www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org.

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

Copyright © 2009 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 Control, Part Two

Take Control, Part Two
Control Consists of Three Parts: Start, Change and Stop

“Control consists entirely of starting, changing and stopping. There are no other factors in positive control. If one can start something, change its position in space or existence in time and stop it, all at will, he can be said to control it, whatever it may be. If one can barely manage to start something, can only with difficulty continue its change of position or existence in time and if one can only doubtfully stop something, he cannot be said to control it well, and for our purposes he would be said to be able to control it poorly or dangerously. If he cannot start something, if he cannot change its position in space, if he cannot stop something, then he is definitely not in control of it.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

Start

If you are a boss, a parent or a leader, you know how difficult it can be to control others. Yet when you control people properly, they like it!

People feel satisfied when you control them properly. You start them, allow them to make changes and then stop them when they are finished.

“Jill, please bring me the red pen . . .” (Start) “. . . and put it right there.” (Change) “Thank you very much.” (Stop)

People do not like you to control them when you mess up any of the three points.

For example, if a business does not start its employees by telling them when they should arrive for work, people just start work when they get around to it. The late starters irritate the prompt starters. Some might not start at all. The business is a messy confusion.

So if you want to control a group or an individual, you need to give a clean “START” and then let them get on with it. “Everyone must be here at 8:00 AM for staff meeting. Not 8:01! We will start the meeting at 8:00.” Of course, you then make sure the meeting starts exactly at 8:00.

Change

Once you start someone, you create problems if you prevent the change portion of the cycle. For example, you tell one of your staff members, “Dave, please sweep up this room.”

Just as he gets out the broom, you say, “Dave, you need to file these papers right now.”

After he files a few papers, you say, “Hurry Dave, go get me a box!”

You earn better cooperation if you let people complete the change without interruption.

“Dave, please sweep up this room.”

Stop

The final mistake you can make when controlling people is not stopping them. For example, you fail to notice they are done and do not acknowledge them for finishing. If you do not stop people, they may tend to keep working on the project indefinitely.

For example, you say, “You swept up the room very well.”

If you don't stop the cycle, you lose control. By cleanly stopping the cycle, you complete your control on that matter. People are now open to your next cycle of control. You are in charge.

When people discover that you cleanly start, change and stop them, you can ask and obtain more and more from them. You can give complicated instructions, long lists of tasks and major projects. They feel comfortable with your control as they know you will let them complete the work and acknowledge them when they are done.

Some people believe you need to use fear, force or threats to control people. The government and certain institutions get a bad reputation for using fear and threat. This type of control makes you feel like you are a slave.

A business manager runs into trouble when he tries the same type of control. His or her employees revolt!

Fortunately, you will find that using the information in this article will put you in much better control than fear, force or threats. Simply start, change and stop people, cheerfully, cleanly and consistently.

Exercise

1. Write down the name of someone you want to control.

2. Write what end result you want the person to accomplish.

3. Plan how you will:
A. Start him or her
B. Allow or direct the needed changes or activities
C. Bring him or her to a stop

4. Finally, follow the steps of your plan.

Example:

1. You want to control your 10-year-old son, Joey. He gets upset when you tell him to clean his room.

2. You want Joey to clean up his room when you ask and without any drama.

3. You work out your plan.
A. You get him to agree on a time to start. “Joey, in 10 minutes, I'd like you to start cleaning up your room.”
B. You will direct the change part of the cycle by watching and helping, as needed. “You're doing a good job Joey. Let's look under the bed now . . . “
C. You acknowledge his good work. “Joey, that is a really clean room! Good job!”

4. You then follow your plan. Joey calms down, cleans his room and feels proud of himself.

Example:

1. The only person who understands your computer is also a jerk. Russ is constantly complaining about your old equipment.

2. The end result that you want is that Russ does his job without complaining.

3. You work out your plan.
A. You decide on how to get Russ to start. “Russ, instead of just showing up this week, can you start at 10:30 on Wednesday? Great.”
B. You plan on how to change Russ. “Russ, I know our equipment is old which is why we need your help. Instead of complaining, it would be great if we could just make it work, okay?”
C. You plan on how to stop Russ. “Russ, you did a great job. I'll take it from here. Thanks.”

4. You implement your plan with Russ. At first, he is resistive to your control. But you persist and gain small pieces of control until you are successfully starting, changing and stopping Russ. You are soon in control of the relationship.

So starting with step 1, who would you like to control?

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

To subscribe, buy books, contact us or learn more about TipsForSuccess.org, click here.

For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here.

Take better control of your life with the TipsForSuccess coaching website at www.tipsforsuccesscoaching.org. or click here.

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 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 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, the louder the better! Enthusiasm is contagious.

Thanking people in your family or your friends can also create interesting results.

You can thank people 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 folders to make it easier for us to find files." "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. Asking for advice shows that you value the person's intelligence. “Where is the best place to eat lunch?” "Could you give me your ideas about the parking problem?" “Any ideas of how I can earn more pay around here?”

7. Compliment their achievement. 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 thank someone today!

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Interested in Life

Interested in Life?

Everyone is looking for happiness. But many people make the mistake of thinking their happiness comes from other sources.

“As soon as the weather warms up, I'll be happy.”

“If my friend would come visit, I'd be happy.”

“I would be really happy if I could move to a new house.”

Fortunately, you can make yourself happy.

“The clue to happiness is being interested in life.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

For example, why does a sunny day make you happy? Maybe because you become interested in the outdoors? Because you can participate in interesting activities?

Do you feel happy when you're around a certain friend? Perhaps you are also interested in what he or she has to say? Perhaps you do interesting things together?

What makes you happy about a new house? Is it interesting to be there and to live there? Maybe you can take more interest in your current house?

Five Simple Exercises to Increase Your Interest

1. Look around your desk and find a few interesting items. Take a minute to enjoy each of them.

2. Think about your spouse and family. Write down three or more things about your spouse and family that you find interesting.

3. Think about your job. Write down three things that are interesting about your work.

4. What were three interesting things you did yesterday?

5. What are three interesting things you will do today?

If you do not feel happier after doing these five exercises, do them again until you do!

Three Tips for Making Others Happy

Now that you know the clue to happiness, you can use it to make others happy as well. Here are some ideas.

1. When children are upset or unhappy, find something in life which brings out their interest.

For example, a small girl falls and scrapes her knee. After you clean her up, she is still crying. So you say, “Do you like this picture of a kitten?” “Where's your doll?” “Will you help me make a snack?”

2. Your friend is depressed because he lost his girlfriend Sheila. How could you get him interested in life?

“Let's take a walk.” “Have you seen this new web site?” “Who is the most interesting person you know?”

3. If you want people to be happy when they talk to you, find out what interests them.

“What is your favorite food?” “What's the most interesting vacation you have ever taken?” “What was the last book/play/concert/movie you really enjoyed?”

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

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Joy for Your Job

Joy for Your Job

“Work is only as good as it's enjoyed, not as it's paid.” -- L. Ron Hubbard (from The Problems of Work)

When you do what you love, your odds of success are much greater. You have more passion, more energy and more fun.

When you enjoy your job, you look forward to Monday mornings. Your days fly by. You make steady progress.

Work enjoyment is contagious. The people around you get along better. They follow your example and get more done.

So what if you do not enjoy your work?

The Parts You Hate

Every job, every profession and every business includes distasteful aspects--the complicated, boring, dirty or difficult parts of the job. Yet conquering these difficulties, and enjoying your job anyway, is how you succeed.

To get rich, simply find and perform an important job most people can't do or won't do. For example, drilling tiny holes in people's teeth or performing surgery on people's stomachs is very tough work, but it makes dentists and physicians wealthy.

If you have no love for your job, the difficult parts become unbearable. You hate going to work. You hate the people. You want to quit.

When you love the purpose and results of your work, the difficulties are easier to deal with. You take pride in conquering them. The benefits of the job outweigh the liabilities.

Five Steps to Getting More Enjoyment from Your Work

1. List what you like about your work. What makes it worth doing? For example, working with good people, improving your customers' lives, doing a technically perfect job and so on.

2. List what you dislike about your work. What makes you want to quit? For example, working long hours, customer complaints, health risks, mean bosses and so on.

3. List your purposes for this job. Why did you start? What is the big picture? Why do you do this work?

4. Review and add items to the above three lists. Continue until you feel more joy for your work. When the lists are balanced, your passion takes over and you love your job.

5. If the four steps above do not help you find joy for your job, you need to make some changes.

Change your routine. Work with different people. Do a better job. Transfer to a different department. Change directions, get a new job or learn a new profession.

Change a negative attitude. Learn to accept help. Stop cutting corners.

Keep making changes until the joy of your job is greater than its difficulties.

If you own a business that gives you no joy, change it as well. Make it into an operation that makes you happy. Replace difficult employees. Delegate more responsibilities. Improve the quality of the service or product. Make the operation bigger or smaller. Sell out and start another business.

Go!

When you love your work, you recognize opportunities and make better decisions. You know where you are going. You are on the road to your major, significant success.

Take your foot off the brakes and accelerate!

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The Power of Your Imagination (Part One)

The Power of Your Imagination (Part One)

If you were locked up in prison for ten years, how would you keep your sanity?

If you feel locked in a bad marriage, bad job or bad living arrangement, it might seem like you are in prison. The stress and depression can be unbearable. Even waiting in long lines, traffic jams or boring meetings can feel like jail.

Fortunately, you have the ability to improve your mood in any situation.

“Imagination is a good thing, not a bad thing. With daydreaming, for instance, a person can convert a not-too-pleasant existence into something livable.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

Instead of feeling frustrated while sitting in a traffic jam, have a daydream about your next vacation. You can lay in your hospital bed for hours, with nothing to do, and enjoy a daydream about a shopping trip. You can spend an entire day in a jail cell while imagining a day at the beach.

Your imagination reduces your stress and lightens your mood. Instead of enduring life, you enjoy it. You control the dream; the dream does not control you.

Imagination is so powerful, it can do much more than make bad conditions more bearable.

“Imagination could be classified as the ability to create or forecast a future or to create, change or destroy a present or past.” -- L. Ron Hubbard

Destroy a Past

After being married to Bill for 10 years, Julie has an brief affair with an old boyfriend. She breaks off the affair and tells her husband Bill what she did.

Months later, Bill tells his friend, “I've tried, but I just can't forgive her. I want us to have a wonderful marriage, but all I can think about is her in a motel bed with her boyfriend.”

Bill's friend, who knows the power of imagination, says, “Use your imagination to fix this. Imagine she never had the affair.”

Bill does this. “Okay. Julie never even saw this guy. It never happened. She was shopping.” He closes his eyes and puts his imagination to work. A few minutes later, he says, “Fantastic! I feel better about this. I even think I can forgive her now.”

Of course, Bill knows Julie was unfaithful, but the past incident no longer ruins his marriage. He used his imagination to destroy the affair.

Change the Present

Liz works for a nasty, mean boss. “Liz! I told you to clean my bathroom. Get to work you stupid cow!” She feels like crying whenever he yells at her.

Liz uses her imagination to change the present. “I'm going to imagine my boss is only five years old and I let him think he's really important.”

Now, when the boss yells at Liz, she secretly smiles at his tantrums. Liz uses her imagination to change the present.

Create a Future

Three years after graduating from high school, Charles is still broke. “I work hard at ABC Computers, but I just can't get ahead. And I don't want to fix computers for the rest of my life.”

Charles uses his imagination to create a future. “I will create a new website that millions of people will pay to use. It will be valuable, but inexpensive. It will become very popular and will make me wealthy.”

He daydreams about his new website every day. He thinks of several new ideas. He imagines how each page would work. Using his imagination, he even solves all the problems that may occur with his future website business.

Charles arranges to get transferred to the ABC Computers website design team. When his new boss recognizes his creativity, she gives him exciting new projects. Charles enjoys his new work a great deal. His pay doubles within a few months.

Charles keeps imagining his own website business and works on it at home every night.

Charles used his imagination to change his future.

Three More Ways to Use Your Imagination

1. Successful business owners are constantly imagining how they can give a better service or produce a better product. They turn these imagined improvements into reality which increases their business income.
As a worker, a great way to increase your income is to do the same. Imagine getting more work done than ever before. Imagine ways your work becomes more valuable. Imagine your boss being so delighted with you that you get raises and promotions.

2. Use your imagination to feel happier. Mentally see yourself smiling and feeling good.
Try it right now. Imagine you will feel energized and happy in 60 seconds.

3. Use your imagination to change a condition with your body. For example, if you are ill, imagine the disease slowly dissolving.
If you have a layer of fat you don't like, imagine it disappearing. If you wish to look more attractive, use your imagination to make it so. If you wish you were shorter or taller, had more hair, had more energy, looked younger or whatever, simply imagine the change.
If you maintain your imaginary appearance over time, don't be too surprised if your body changes!

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Your Golden Goose

Your Golden Goose

Do you think your most valuable asset is a possession? Your home, your car, your stereo or your savings? No, none of these things are your most valuable asset.

Even if you have millions of dollars. Your money is not your most valuable asset. In fact, it might become a liability if you get obsessed about keeping it and protecting it. Your life can become controlled by your cash.

No, the most valuable financial asset you own is not a possession, but your personal golden goose.

The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs

The Greek slave Aesop told this story 2500 years ago. A man and his wife owned a goose that laid a golden egg every day. They decided they were not getting rich fast enough. They believed the bird must be full of gold and so decided to kill it.

When they cut open their golden goose, they found it was just like any other goose. They not only failed to get rich all at once as they had hoped, they no longer enjoyed the daily golden eggs.

Because you have probably heard this story, you would never think of cutting a goose that laid golden eggs for you. You would take special care of that goose. You would buy it the best goose feed, build it the most comfortable goose nest and give it the nicest goose pond available, right?

The truth is, you own a golden goose.

Conditions of Success

“The conditions of success are few and easily stated.

“The ability to hold a job depends, in the main, upon ability.

“One's intelligence is directly related to his ability. There is no such thing as being too smart. But there is such a thing as being too stupid.” -- L. Ron Hubbard from The Problems of Work

Your ability to work and produce something valuable is the goose that lays golden eggs for you. The more ability you have, the more golden eggs you can earn.

The Best Investment in the World

Professional investors are constantly searching for investments (golden geese) with three qualities:

1. The investment must be safe and secure.

2. It must produce above-average income.

3. Opportunities to buy the investment must be everywhere.

Your ability to make money, fits all three qualities.

1. Your ability to earn money is safe. Some idiot might try to kill your goose with criticism, attacks or backstabbing. Yet once you bounce back, your skills start to produce golden eggs again. Your skills do not easily disappear.

2. By investing in your golden goose, you can earn a huge income.

For example, a doctor spends $90,000 on education and then earns $180,000 per year. He or she earns twice the education cost every year. How many other types of investments can do that?

As another example, you decide to take a sales class. You pay $5,000 for the class and travel costs. You come back to your business and increase your sales by $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year. By investing $5,000, you get back $12,000 the first year. This is a return of 240% which any investor will tell you is an incredible return.

You can expect an excellent return on your investment by obtaining any skill: people skills, computer skills, speaking skills and so on. Even better is improving your personal power base -- your ability to deal with difficult situations, to make correct decisions, to work harder, to accomplish more, to do tough jobs.

3. Skill-enhancement opportunities are all around you. Professional investors spend most of their time looking for golden geese. They are happy if 60% of their investments make money. By investing in your personal abilities, you can expect 90-100% of these investments will help you succeed. Because you get some improvement from everything you learn, you have no real risk.

Recommendations

1. Make a list of all the abilities you have that make you money. For example, “My ability to handle customer's complaints.” “My ability to lead great workshops.” “My ability to build garages.”

2. Next to each item on your list, write down how you can improve each of these abilities. For example, “As well has handle complaints, I'd like to know how to make people happy.” “As well as leading great workshops, I'd like to give them business consulting.” “As well as building garages, I'd like to learn how to build houses.”

3. Next to each of these new abilities, write down what you can do to obtain them. Examples: “Read every book I can find on helping people.” “Take classes in my spare time on business consulting.” “Find a successful construction company owner who is willing to train me.”

4. Take action. Invest all your spare time into yourself.

If you do one thing every day, to improve your golden goose, you will soon have all the golden eggs you need!

Provided by TipsForSuccess.org as a public service to introduce the technology of L. Ron Hubbard to you.

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For permission to copy, print or post this article, go to www.tipsforsuccess.org/reprint_info.htm or click here.

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Succeed with Speed

Succeed with 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!

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