Live to the fullest

“Live full, die empty” – Les Brown

I was listening to one of Les Brown’s speeches on youtube when I heard the above quote. He went on in his speech to talk about the richest place in the world. He said it wasn’t a diamond mine or oil field. He said it was a cemetery where all the dreams, goals, and untapped potential remained buried.

How many of us have a wealth of potential buried deep in our soul. Buried underneath a mountain of excuses on why we can’t achieve our ultimate goals. I believe everyone who reads about and pursues success does so because of a feeling deep inside that they are so much more than who they presently are. We read inspiring material, attend seminars and continually educate ourselves hoping that one day we will be able to overcome the fear that holds us back. That one day we will be able to lay aside all the excuses that have piled up and really go for it. To really use up all the God given talent and ability that is buried deep in us. That we will make a difference in this lifetime and leave a legacy for future generations. That when we take our last breath and we move beyond this world that we will leave with peace in our heart knowing that we used up all that was given to us.

Practice the golden rule for successful relationships

Do onto others as you would want others to do onto you. How many of you are familiar with the Golden Rule? How many of you believe it’s a good rule? I practiced the Golden Rule most of my life. Then one day I realized the Golden Rule wasn’t true. In fact, it was one of the major reasons I was having difficulty building effective relationships and achieving the kind of results I desired.

Why do I say the Golden Rule isn’t true? Because, after years of studying and learning about people, I discovered one incredible fact. Not all people are the same! Take a moment now and think about someone you had difficulty getting to know. Now ask yourself this question. “Does the person I thought about want to be treated exactly the way I want to be treated? I think we all know the answer to that question. So if not the golden rule, then what rule? We want to use the platinum rule. The platinum rule states “treat others the way they want to be treated” This rules says to acknowledge the feelings of others before we act. It says that it’s not about what you want, but what others want as well.

Below is an example of one person who practiced the golden rule and one who didn’t and also a personal example from my own life.

Henry Ford was an incredible success and pioneer in the automobile industry. Henry Ford practiced the Golden Rule. In the early 1900’s, Ford Motor company owned most of the market share for automobiles after releasing the Ford Model T. However, Ford was so proud of the Model T, that he refused to listen to his customers when they began asking for different models, accessories and color choices. From 1912-1925 the Ford Model T was only ever produced in black. It was once joked that you could get the Model T in any color you wanted as long as it was black. As a result of the way Ford thought, Ford Motors lost considerable market share to its competitors who were offering the customers the choices they wanted.

Steve Jobs on the other hand, practiced the platinum rule. When Jobs came back to Apple he began to realize that everyone was an individual and wanted more choice when purchasing a computer. He had an idea to offer computers in different colors instead of the same old black or white choices we had for 20 years. He began personalizing the experiences and options of customers. Steve Jobs was innovative and he listened to what the customers really wanted. Because of this way of thinking, Apple computers at one time became the #1 company in the world.

Now a more personal example. When I got married I became the proud father of 3 wonderful kids. I remember all the conversations I had with my wife about becoming a parent, how hard it was, what was required and what it would be like when we all moved in together. I felt confident I was up for the challenge. I would try telling my wife that I was totally prepared and I would rationalize this by telling her how many books I had read or how many hours I had spent studying my childhood and how I knew what Every child really needed from a parent. My fatal mistake…I was only thinking about what I needed from my parents growing up. I thought this gave me a rock solid plan that prepared me for anything I would face as a parent.

Wow was I wrong! Have you ever had life punch you right in the face?  I suddenly found out that my plan was obsolete and being a parent is tough! I didn’t realize that each kid was an individual and each one was as different from each other as night is from day. I also quickly came to the realization that every problem now required at least 3 different solutions. What would have worked for me growing up was meaningless and useless to steer through the trick waters of being a parent. Did I mention its tough being a parent?

Now I’ve picked myself back up after being knocked to my knees a few times. I began using the Platinum rule with our kids. I’ve began to see them as the 3 very different and unique individuals that they are. And learned to treat them how they want to be treated. I’ve began trying to really listen to the kids and stop pretending I know what they need because it’s what I would have needed in that situation. This approach seems to be paying big dividends. The more I practice the platinum rule the better I understand the kids and the better our relationship is.

Do yourself a favor and throw out what you know about the golden rule. Start paying attention to the people around you and what they want and less about what you want. If you begin practicing the Platinum rule, I know you’ll find your personal and professional relationships changing for the better!

Four Steps to Achieve Success

Most of the great thinkers of the past have generally agreed with one another that we become what we think about.  They agree that our dominant thoughts drive our behaviors and therefore are responsible for the majority of the results we achieve. Whether those thoughts are positive or negative makes absolutely no difference. Our lives tend to manifest in direct accordance to wherever we concentrate our thoughts. A major principle in our life has to be to focus our thoughts upon a worthy goal with as much intensity as possible until we attain that goal or the goal becomes unworthy.

So how do the great philosophers of our past describe the process of becoming what we think about? All though the language used varies from philosopher to philosopher I essentially found that its broken down to 4 basic steps; all though the 4^th step is often left out.

Step 1 – You have to know exactly what you want. You have to have a clear picture of the outcome. We start with the end in mind and reverse reengineer the process.  Without a clear picture or target we have no aim in life. Confucius said “man shoot at nothing sure to hit it”

Step 2 – You have to know why you want a particular outcome. I believe most people skip over this step and it kills your chances to achieve your goals. Why we want our outcome is the emotional part of the process.  It’s the fuel to blow through the obstacles we will surely encounter. Building a big enough why is how we stare fear in the face and win!

Step 3 – You have to have a reasonable idea of how to achieve your desired outcome. This is where you model other people that have already achieved this outcome, list out your available resources, determine the price you will have to pay and build a road map from where you want to be back to where you are.

Step 4 – You have to take action to achieve your outcome. This step is so obvious that I think most philosophers left this step out.  James Allen said “As a man thinketh in his heart so is he” and Napoleon Hill taught us all to “Think and Grow Rich”. I believe a lot of people are following the first 3 steps and still sitting on their couch waiting for fortune to fall upon them. This is the lifelong dreamer, who never reaped because he never sowed. Thinking should always precede action, but thinking without action is the single biggest cause of failure in our lives.

If we learn to follow the 4 basic steps above and we follow them in the proper order we can unlock the key to our future and begin to live the life we desire.

Related articles

• Napoleon Hill’s Key Success Factor to Mastery (ipnostudio.com)