Self Discipline-The Difference between winning & losing in 2010!

Introduction from 'The Power of Discipline' ....By Brian Tracy
Why are some people more successful than others? Why do some people make more money, live happier lives and accomplish much more in the same number of years than the great majority?
I started out in life with few advantages. I did not graduate from high school. I worked at menial jobs. I had limited education, limited skills and a limited future.
And then I began asking, "Why are some people more successful than others?" This question changed my life.
Over the years, I have read thousands of books and articles on the subjects of success and achievement. It seems that the reasons for these accomplishments have been discussed and written about for more than two thousand years, in every conceivable way. One quality that most philosophers, teachers and experts agree on is the importance of self-discipline. As Al Tomsik summarized it years ago, "Success is tons of discipline."
Some years ago, I attended a conference in Washington. It was the lunch break and I was eating at a nearby food fair. The area was crowded and I sat down at the last open table by myself, even though it was a table for four.
A few minutes later, an older gentleman and a younger woman who was his assistant came along carrying trays of food, obviously looking for a place to sit.
With plenty of room at my table, I immediately arose and invited the older gentleman to join me. He was hesitant, but I insisted. Finally, thanking me as he sat down, we began to chat over lunch.
It turned out that his name was Kop Kopmeyer. As it happened, I immediately knew who he was. He was a legend in the field of success and achievement. Kop Kopmeyer had written four large books, each of which contained 250 success principles that he had derived from more than fifty years of research and study. I had read all four books from cover to cover, more than once.
After we had chatted for awhile, I asked him the question that many people in this situation would ask, "Of all the one thousand success principles that you have discovered, which do you think is the most important?"
He smiled at me with a twinkle in his eye, as if he had been asked this question many times, and replied, without hesitating, "The most important success principle of all was stated by Thomas Huxley many years ago. He said, 'Do what you should do, when you should do it, whether you feel like it or not.'"
He went on to say, "There are 999 other success principles that I have found in my reading and experience, but without self-discipline, none of them work."
Self-discipline is the key to personal greatness. It is the magic quality that opens all doors for you, and makes everything else possible. With self-discipline, the average person can rise as far and as fast as his talents and intelligence can take him. But without self-discipline, a person with every blessing of background, education and opportunity will seldom rise above mediocrity.
In the pages ahead I will describe seven areas of your life where the practice of self-discipline will be key to your success. These areas include goals, character, time management, personal health, money, courage and responsibility. It is my hope that you'll find a few "nuggets" that will help make your dreams come true.

Integrity Characteristics

From the book 'The Integrity Advantage"....which EVERYONE should read !!!

10 Characteristics consistenly displayed by people with a high level of integrity:
1-they know that little things count
2-they find white (when others see gray)
3-they mess up...they fess up
4-They create a culture of trust
5-They keep their word
6-They care about greater good
7-They're honest, but modest
8-They act like they are being watched
9-They hire (surround themselves with) integrity
10-They stay the course

3,900 Saturdays.....

a touching little snippet from a book called, Charging the Human Battery....
It's called: 3,900 Saturdays.
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday morning. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable.
A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the garage with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time. Let me tell you about it:
I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind; he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whomever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles." I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say.
"Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. It's too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital," he continued; "Let me tell you something that has helped me keep my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years.
Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3,900, which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now, stick with me, Tom, I'm getting to the important part.
It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail," he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays. I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy. So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round up 1,000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear.
Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away. I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life.
There's nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight.
Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure that if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time.
It was nice to meet you Tom. I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. This is a 75 year old man, K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile.
"Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. And hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."

Green Tip for today !!

Green Tip
Flame retardants, such as what is applied to most kids’ pajamas, have been linked to neuro-developmental and behavioral deficits and possibly cancer. Reduce your kids’ risk by getting organic cotton or 100% cotton (untreated) clothes to sleep in. (And then keep them away from cigarettes and open flames.)

Get started with our team and make the change you're looking for !

So....I have to say...having been with our team for 9 years now...I LOVE what I do...and
thank goodness I paid attention 9 years ago !!! I was a regular mom (still am ! LOL !) and really wasn't sure how possible it was to REALLY earn an income from home. I use to DREAD Sunday evenings....knowing I had to get up and take my newborn to daycare for 10 hours every day, and go to a job that I really didn't feel appreciated at, especially for barely getting paid enough to cover the daycare. We moved a lot so my husband could climb the corporate ladder, and I thought I would never work out side the home again until our kids were in school. We had twins, and then my husband lost his job!! There is a lot of "stuff" in between....but I don;t want to bore you with all the details. I found this team in 2000....had another baby in 2004 and have been working with my kids by my side this entire time, while steadily earning an income that grew each year and surpassed my husbands !! All 4 of my kids are in school full time now (the baby just started kindergarten this year), and I can't imagine how different our lives would have been if I had not chosen to listen to the information about this team, the support and the incredible company we work with !! No pressure here.....but if you have 30 minutes, I can share all the facts about something that may change your life as well. :)

thought for today... :)

If a dog were your teacher
... these are some of the lessons you might learn...
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy
When it's in your best interest, practice obedience
Let others know when they've invaded your territory

Take naps and stretch before rising
Run romp and play daily
Thrive on attention and let people touch you
Avoid biting, when a simple growl will do

On warm days stop to lie on your back on the grass

On hot days drink lots of water and lay under a shady tree
When you're happy dance around and wag your entire body
No matter how often you're scolded don't buy into the guilt thing and pout..
run right back and make friends....
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm

Stop when you have had enough...Be loyal
Never pretend to be something you're not
If what you want lies buried, 
dig until you find it
When someone is having a bad day...be silent .....sit close by....and nuzzle them gently

Expect greatness !!

The way you do the little things determines the way you'll do the big things!!! Be better today than yesterday !!