Book--on Wings Of Eagles

ON WINGS OF EAGLES THE ABC’S OF LIFE

I. How Do You Achieve Success? ACTION! To be successful you don't have to do extraordinary things--just do ordinary things extraordinarily well. Put the pedal to the metal--gas it and guide it. To prove you are a man of action Glenn Bland says there are several things you can do: 1. Be a front seater; 2. Develop eye contact with everyone you meet and talk to; 3. Walk 25% faster; 4. Speak up; 5. Smile big; 6. Dress well. The winner is a person who does what others won't or can't do in order to have what others will never have. So some people will walk--and that is all they can do--but if you can, run, charge, attack, win, as you seek your objective. The time is now, the place is here, the people are you. Go for it--attack. In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker tells Yoda, "I'll try." Yoda counters with, "Try, Try! There is no try. Only do! do!" Taking a training course in success or reading a book on success will not make you any more successful than going into a drugstore will make you a pill; or going into a garage will make you a car; or going into a hat store will make you a hat. Take the things you learn and put them into action. Zig Ziglar tells the story of going to the neighbors to have some biscuits. They came out of the oven flat and hard. The cook laughed and said, "They squatted to cook and were cooked in the squat." Zig used this as a metaphor of life. He says too many people are "cooked in the squat" by saying, "I'll get started when I ..." You can fill in the blanks.

Theodore Roosevelt said, "It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." Take your learning out of your notebook and practice it. Break down what you want to be good at into small pieces, then practice them. Never compare yourself to others..only compare your present performance with past performance. Compare in tiny increments rather than huge chunks. You create belief in yourself by paying the price--by action. That means hard work, persistency and consistency. Nothing takes the place of action. Three girls spent a weekend at a resort. They put on their swimming and went to the swimming pool. At the swimming pool one dipped a toe in the water and then went over to sunbathe. One sat at a table with a cold drink and a book. One dived in and swam. Yet, if they were asked, all three would have said they had been swimming. Isn't that much like success? Some sit looking on, some dip a toe in, and some dive in and make it work. A man's greatest enemies are his own apathy and stubbornness. Action is the last resource of those who do not know how to dream. Fame and rest are utter opposites. Oliver Goldsmith said, "Fortune is ever seen accompanying industry." Horace Mann added, "It is good to think well, it is divine to act well." We become what we do. We do today what others won't so we can do tomorrow what others can't. Begin to do those things you can do, or even dream you can do. Be bold in beginning. Goethe said that boldness has genius, power and magic in it.

What kind of person are you? The "yo-yo" person who is up and down and needs to be constantly pumped up? Does someone need to keep a portable air-compressor handy for you? Or, are you the "blow-blow" person who is all talk and no walk? I hope you are the "go-go" person who walks the walk. If you are this kind of person you may lose the battle but you will never lose the war. You might even lose some loyal lieutenants you love, but you will go on to win. Imperfect action is better than perfect paralysis. It is better to light one small candle than to stand around cursing the darkness. It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can. In the film, Shenandoah, Mr. Anderson, when his youngest son was lost, said, "If we don't try, we won't do. And if we don't do, then why are we placed here upon the earth?" The joke is told of a preacher doing his best to not be upset by a heckler. Finally the heckler stood on a stump and said, "Have your God knock me off my stump." The preacher stepped up to him, hauled off and hit him. The heckler did three flips as he fell backward. The preacher rubbed his hands together. "I don't ask my God to do anything I can do myself." Emerson said to do the thing and you will have the power. In the Bible, as King David was dying, he said to his son, Solomon, "Be strong, and be of good courage, and do it." (Emphasis mine.) Be prejudiced against laziness. Henry Ford said, “Bite off more than you can chew, and chew it. Do More than you can do, and do it. Hitch your wagon to a star, dare to dream, and there you are.” Edward Everett Hale, in his Patriot's Oath, stated, "I am only one, but I am one; I cannot do everything But I can do something. And what I can do That I ought to do; And what I ought to do By the grace of God I will do." A modern president, John F. Kennedy, said, "Things don't just happen. They are made to happen, and they are made to happen by each one of us."

To rest is to rust. The place for peace and harmony is at a funeral. That is not what people want. People want success and success only comes through action. A dead branch cannot give new life. An unlit match cannot light a stick of dynamite. Convince a man of what he wants and he will move heaven and earth to get it. Don't be a procrastinator--be an activator. Don't let the energy crisis be your own. Some people have gludus plumus disease--lead in the britches. To make ends meet--get off yours. Things don't just happen--someone makes them happen. Take action--NOW!

II. How Do You Achieve Success? GET STARTED! You can achieve great things, if you will only make up your mind to do so. The accomplishment is really in the decision. If you are going to achieve--if you are going to be great--you must reconfirm your faith in God and believe in yourself and your God-given abilities. The world has a tendency to put down achievement. But you must believe in achievement. Remember poor people cannot help poor people. Get rich by sharing. To achieve, first make a decision, then develop a plan, and finally, take action. Decision precedes actions. Put these four words on your mirror: we de ci ded. Decide to decide. Not doing anything is a decision. Action is the key. But first, you have to begin! A Chinese proverb states that a man who stands on hillside with his mouth open waiting for a duck to fly in will wait a long time. A modern parable says the same thing: people who want milk shouldn't sit on a stool in the middle of a field in hopes that a cow will back up to them. We must be excited about life. Be an accomplisher, a doer. Not a "wait-and-see er". There are too many people who want to gain all knowledge before starting to do. You already know what to do. Do what you know. Knowing is not enough. You must take action. The best way to eliminate discouragement and disappointment is to do something. Lightning starts the fire--not the thunder. Steam, not the whistle, moves the train. Anthony Robbins said that the most powerful way to shape our lives is to get ourselves to take action. We don't even have to be the best--we only need to do our best. God is going to rate us on our performance--not our desires, not our plans, not even our knowledge--only performance. In his poem, "A Psalm of Life," Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said "TO ACT, that each tomorrow Find us farther than today.”

Be a starter. Until you learn how to start, all of the rest of your knowledge, training, talent, and experience will be of little value. Program your mind like the computer it is and it will feed back to the body and to your heart what you have programmed into the brain. Woody Allen said 80% of success is just showing up. Beginnings make a difference--and you can control the beginnings. If you don't start you will surely fail. Pushing a stopped car takes every ounce of strength. After the car starts rolling it is much easier. At times a person can even jump on and coast. There is no better time than the present. Robert Schuller has stated that getting started is half done. When I learned to pilot an airplane, I learned that an airplane needs full throttle on take-off. To get off the ground you shove it to the firewall. The start is the most important. The most important element of action: "Get started." The guidance system won't work until the rocket is off the pad. God can't steer a parked car. The man who sits back waiting for his ship to come in is the one who misses the boat. A Chinese proverb says that a journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step. And Socrates said, Let him that would move the world first move himself. John F. Kennedy said, "We may not complete it, not in the first 100 days, perhaps not in the first 1000 days, nor perhaps during our entire time on this planet, but let us begin!" Some people have fears that prevent them from getting started. The only way to overcome fear is by action. Skip Ross says to do the thing you fear. Don't try to do something, just do it. And most importantly, DO IT NOW! Robert Schuller said, When you start something, even though there is risk involved and you cannot be sure that you will make it, at least you are exercising faith.

The ninety and nine are with dreams content

But the hope of the world made new Is the hundredth man who is grimly bent On making his dreams come true. Get involved with people who have similar dreams, similar goals. Stop waltzing with those who don't want to dance. We have a tendency to spend too much time with those who would pull us down--those who would stifle our achievement. Find those who are achievers, and dance with them. It's later than you think. You don't have time to get cooked in the squat. Make up your mind to be successful. Then not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. Make up our mind and your heart will follow; if you start with your heart you will fail. Lead with your head and you will win. Just go and do it until your feelers catch up with your doers. By itself, positive thinking won't work. It will take positive action. ClemontStone says to throw away your wastebasket--replace it with a tackle box--tackle anything. Can you think of any reason to put off becoming successful? Develop a sense of urgency. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, "The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." Performance always brings its reward. Be a performer. It is better to be doing something, even if you get embarrassed, than to do nothing. Don't worry about how good you are; just make sure you are doing something. Action releases tremendous energy. The man who rows the boat generally doesn't have time to rock it.

In hunting, you can aim high, but it does no good unless you pull the trigger. There are dozens of rules for success, but none of them work unless you do. So, to make ends meet, get off yours. Even a mosquito doesn't get a slap on the back until he starts working. If you do anything, and keep doing it, chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. No one stumbles on anything while sitting down. Henry Bergs says we should think like a man of action and act like a man of thought. That is similar to the axiom that small deeds done are better than great deeds planned. Zig Ziglar says to stop staring at the steps and start stepping up the stairs. Do some unspectacular things in order to have the spectacular. Even a dead fish can float downstream. Learn to swim upstream. Make the best of what you have. Those who sit around and wait for prosperity to come will always work for those who don't. It reminds me of the statement that there are two ways to climb an oak tree: sit on an acorn and wait for it to grow, or just start climbing. So, get started today. Do not delay. Your success in life depends on it. Heroes are always on the front lines. If you don't start, you have already failed.

III. How Do You Achieve Success? HAVE AN ATTITUDE! Of all things available to help man's success, a positive attitude has to be at the top. Attitude is never off-duty, and it is the weather vane of your business. No one can affect your attitude, unless you allow it. You should be in control. I love to garden and care for my lawn. Weeds are an anathema to me. I love to chop out those dandelions. Don't let weeds grow in the positive mind. Get a hoe and chop them out. Sally Kempton said it is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head. Our attitude should be that anything is possible and achievable. We need to have the attitude, then be strong enough and work hard enough to achieve it. The attitudes of others, if we allow them, do rub off on us. The world is chock full of negative people. They have a thousand reasons why something won't work, and they are ready to share them with you at the drop of a hat. Think back to where you came from. Most people try to hold us back or pull us down. Sometimes only a change of viewpoint is needed to convert a tiresome duty into an interesting opportunity. Remember, nothing can hurt you unless you give it the power to do so. Rather than hanging around negative people, place yourself in the proximity of successful, positive people. One man said, if you want big fleas hang around big dogs. Ayn Rand said that every man is free to rise as far as he is able or willing, but it's only the degree to which he thinks that determines the degree to which he will rise. It is you and your attitude that really determines the future. So many people are heard to say, "Under the circumstances.....! What a terrible place to be! Bah! It is you that controls your own circumstances. A person cannot choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts, and thus work through the circumstances. Do not

let your circumstances of yesterday become your chains of tomorrow. Circumstances do not determine what your attitude is--they only reveal it. Too many times our minds are on the past. A Schultz cartoon depicted Charlie Brown missing a high fly. He told Lucy, "I guess I let the past get into my eyes." Dexter Yager said that those who relive their past do so because they can't see their present or future. He added that if you control your thoughts you will control your life. That does not mean the past is not important. Today’s success is a result of yesterday's attitude. But as important as your past is, it is not nearly as important as the way you see your future. Zig Ziglar, always the man with the words, said that “it is a person's attitude, not his aptitude, that will determine his altitude in life.” Centuries ago, the wise Marcus Aurelius said that a man's life is what his thoughts make of it. One of my favorite poems has always been the poem, “If”. Not the Kipling poem, even though that is also a favorite, but this one by Walter D. Wintle: IF If you think you are beaten, you are; If you think you dare not, you don't; If you like to win, but you think you can't; It is almost certain you won't. If you think you will lose, you've lost, For out in this world we find Success begins with a fellow's will.. It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are, You've got think high to rise. You've got to be sure of yourself before You can ever win the prize. Life's battles don't always goTo the stronger or faster man, But sooner or later the one who wins Is the one who thinks He can! Viktor Frankl, as a longtime prisoner in bestial Nazi concentration camps, found himself stripped to naked existence. His father, mother, brother, and wife died in camps or were sent to

the gas ovens. How could he--every possession lost, every value destroyed, suffering from hunger, cold, and brutality, hourly expecting extermination--how could he find life worth preserving? He learned what a human being did when he suddenly realizes he has nothing to lose except his so ridiculously naked life. Frankl found he had something no one could take from him: "his ability to choose one's attitude in a given set of circumstances." No one can accomplish anything great in this world who is contented with little, who is confident that he was made for little things, or is satisfied with just what happens to come his way. You can either see the sunshine, or the dirty window. Some people have a terminal case of "stinkin thinkin." Nowhere in the importance of attitude better illustrated than in the story of the young bride from the east who, during World War II, followed her husband to an army camp on the edge of the California desert. Living conditions were primitive at best. He had advised against it, but she wanted to be with him. The only housing they could find was a rundown shack near an Indian village. The heat was unbearable in the daytime--115 in the shade. The wind blew constantly, spreading dust and sand all over everything. The days were long and boring. Her only neighbors were the Indians, none of whom spoke English. When her husband was ordered into the desert for two weeks of maneuvers, loneliness and the wretched living conditions got the best of her. She wrote her mother to tell her that she was coming home--she couldn't take it anymore. In a short time she received a reply which included these two lines: “Two men looked out from prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars.” She read the lines over and over and began to feel ashamed of herself. And she didn't really want to leave her husband. All right, she'd look for the stars. In the following days she set

out to make friends with the Indians. She asked them to teach her weaving and pottery. At first they were distant, but as soon as they sensed her interest was genuine they returned her friendship. She became fascinated with their culture, history, everything about them. She began to study the desert as well, and soon it, too, changed from a desolate forbidding place to a marvelous thing of beauty. She studied the forms of cacti, the yuccas and the Joshua trees. She collected sea shells that had been left there millions of years ago when the sands had been an ocean floor. Later, she became such a expert on the area that she wrote a book about it. What had changed? Not the desert; not the Indians. Simply by changing her attitude she had transformed a miserable experience into a highly rewarding one.

IV. How Do You Achieve Success? NEVER LET UP! Pursuit of excellence starts in the mind. It will go only to the extent of your mental attitude. You must get uncomfortable before you will change. If you are behind, never give up. If you are ahead, never let up. Who you are (your personal ethics) is what really counts. Learn to think like a successful person and you'll spend money like a successful person. A man cannot choose his circumstances, but he can choose his thoughts. If you are suffering from the circumstances, have an attitude attack. Stop creating your own crises by your own stupidity. Charlie Plum, a prisoner of war for many years in Vietnam, had to learn to keep his attitude up. He said that the first criterion for a good attitude was faith; the second was Commitment; and third was Pride. He stated that one's freedom was vital but not without integrity. He stated, that “if I think I will live, I'll live; If I think I will die, I will die.” Prison thinking, to him, amounted to self-pity, ie, “I don't have any input in the outcome--that ain't fair.” He added that the barriers in the prison cell are not the walls, but what is inside your head. To the degree that a person understands the importance of attitude and applies it--will be the degree to which his business will be successful. When you are tough on yourself life is infinitely easier on you. Rita Davenport said that you will only obtain what you think you deserve. The book and movie, The Secret, characterizes this very well as the “LAW OF ATTRACTION.” We get what we think about. It is your values that really determine your attitude. It is not what happens to you--it is what you do with it that matters. There are too many pity parties. Everyone who is successful had to take a different road to get there. If your attitude isn't right, it is like trying to swim with your overcoat on. It is poor attitudes that keep most people poor.

A shoe salesman was sent to a new territory. The reports sent back to the company indicated no sales. The manager called, "What's happening? Why don't you have some sales." The salesman replied, "People here don't wear any shoes. It is really a poor territory. I can't make any sales." The manager pulled him home and sent out another salesman. Orders started flowing in, faster than the factory could keep up. The sales manager called. "What's happening? We can't keep up with your orders." The salesman replied, "This is a fantastic territory. Nobody has any shoes. Everyone needs them." Attitude itself creates change, either positive or negative. You need to be the best you can be. That means keep your thinking positive. Emerson said that you are what you have been thinking about all day. Aristotle's words were similar. He said you are what you've been thinking all your life. Many years ago, James Allen wrote a small book called “As a Man Thinketh.” It became a classic. Don't look at what you have done, but what you are going to do. We can't get excited about the past but we must get excited about the future. Show the right attitude by walking fast, talking fast, driving fast, smiling a lot, be easy to be around, shake hands a lot, love people, be excited. We all live under the same sky--but we don't all have the same horizon. We are not what we think we are, but, what we think, we are. We are what we choose to make of ourselves. Our only restrictions are in our own minds. Consciously work to screen out the negatives. You will seldom surpass the income you picture on your subconscious mind. You have to change the picture. Your success--as well as your income--will be as big as you see it. Life is not a dress rehearsal, but the real thing. Think like it and act like it. Don't be a whiner but a winner. Don't be an also ran. Remember that your attitude is never off-duty, so always have a win-win attitude.

William James, the father of American psychology, said that the greatest revolution in our generation is the discovery that human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives. That is really an add-to to what Abraham Lincoln said, that people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be. Yoga Berra, famous for his misstatements, said that attitude is 90%--work is the other half. And speaking of work, too often we have the attitude of getting the reward before we do the work. It's like the farmer who might say, "Lord, give me a great harvest this year and I'll plant the seeds next year." That's not the way it works. Instead, we prepare the soil, plant the seeds, nurture the ground, cultivate, water, and then the harvest comes. Another parable speaks of the man who says to the stove, give me some warmth and I'll give you some wood. That attitude never works. Everyone has an attitude of some kind. Your attitude is 90% of your success. Work alone won't do it. Karl Menninger said that a person's attitudes are more important than facts. If we allow our attitude to be negative, our low point is lower than a snake's belly in a wagon track. There are really at least two ways to look at things. Either they will get you up or they will get you down. Our attitude conforms to the laws of life. There is a law of negative living--which will repel and destroy. The law of positive living will attract and build. There is no such thing as an empty glass--it is either filled with liquid or air. There is also no such thing as an empty mind. It is either filled with positive or negative thoughts. Minds are like parachutes--they only function when they are open. Many things can destroy a positive attitude. One of them is being in debt. If you overspend on the goodies you won't have a good attitude. What we speak is not only controlled by our attitude, but in reality we are what we speak. Again, the LAW OF ATTRACTION says that what we speak is what we get. Don't let anything

out of your mouth that isn't where you want to be. You speak it and then you get it. It's vital. We are hung by the tongue. There is even a book in print called Hung by the Tongue. Not only does what you speak affect you, but it also affects those with whom you work. Always see the good in other people--not the bad. Talk about the good and how good the group is. Develop the air of expectancy. Program those who work with you for success. Use selffulfilling prophecy. "I expect you to be successful." "I don't expect any less." "I'm the best mentor in the world." "I can teach you." "You're no dummy." "Here's what we will do." You must develop respect and belief in what you have to offer. Then you will show it to the right people with the right attitude. Finally, it is important to have an attitude of gratitude. Be thankful in all things.

V. How Do You Achieve Success? OVERCOME ADVERSITY Everyone has adversity—especially those who are trying to accomplish something. Trials, tribulations, and problems are a standard and necessary part of life. You learn to wimp out or you learn to get tough. The many devastating things that can happen all have the potential to destroy the heart of a person. But tough people turn these times into increased determination to move ahead. They make the most miserable circumstances a challenge. Marvin J. Ashton said that the heaviest cross to bear would be not to have one. Robert Seashore added that the happiest people are not the people without problems; they are the people who have learned how to solve their problems. People just have to learn to ignore the petty stuff and move on. General George Patton said to “just keep moving and the pain will never hit you.” What I've found is that the more pain you overcome the more power you get. Dexter Yager says to take the crap and turn it into perfume. What that means is to turn every tragedy into a blessing. Someone else said that when life gives you a lemon, just turn it into lemonade. Trouble is not spasmodic. Trouble is chronic. Trouble is not an interruption in the normal processes of life. Trouble is life. People of character find a special attractiveness in difficulty, Only by coming to grips with difficulty can we realize our potential. Clarence S. Funk said we are fortunate if we get our disappointments early in life. That way we learn to start over again. We learn not to be afraid. He says the man to be pitied is the one who at 45 or 50, after getting all of the breaks, has disaster suddenly descend upon him. He has no iron in his soul, no inner strength born of previous struggles. He has never learned how to make a fresh start. Epictetus said that difficulties are the things that show what men are. We long to live in comfort and pleasure. God, however, knows better what we were made for. He gives us toil and

painful strife so we can raise ourselves above the sphere of our sorrows. William James said that need and struggle are what excite and inspire us. Emerson added that difficulties exist to be surmounted. Every problem is really more a potential benefit than an adversity. Never complain about your troubles; they are responsible for more than half of your income. The size of your problems will be in direct proportion to the size of your dreams. The people who solve problems make the biggest bucks. We have the choice of living in our problems or in our possibilities. Sometimes we are so busy looking for forest fires we forget to plant trees. Take a tragedy and make a cause out of it. Take the negative and turn it into energy. That follows the old axiom that man learns little from victory--much from defeat. Success is not measured by what we have achieved as much as it is by the obstacles we have overcome. If we don't attempt to overcome obstacles, we become like the winding river. Following the path of least resistance makes both rivers and men crooked. Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. It really makes no difference how many times we fall, unless it is the last time we try. Paul Dunn says success is getting up one more time than you fall down. He says that crisis plus time equals humor. Robert Schuller adds that tough times never last, but tough people do. When you get kicked in the rear, at least you know you are out in front. It is true that God only prunes those who have the capacity to grow. Rich DeVos said that the higher you climb on the ladder of success, the more your rear-end is exposed. Don't be afraid of the arrows. I am convinced that if you are not hurting you are not going to grow--that in order to get to the mountaintops we have to travel through the valleys of discouragement. No pain--no gain has become a motto of bodybuilders. It probably should also be the motto for "lifebuilders." You only hurt when you know you are capable of having something. Unless there is a problem, there

is probably little potential. There are many pithy axioms that repeat this thought: Stars always shine the brightest when the night is darkest. It's always darkest before the dawn. The lowest ebb is the turn of the tide. When everything seems to be going wrong, get ready for the Lord to bless you. One of Coach Knute Rockney’s most famous sayings is that “when the going gets tough, the tough get going.” George Halsey says that whenever adversity comes his way he praises the Lord, because he knows there must be a blessing following the trial. What should our attitude be towards adversity? If you are an overcomer you will live your life regardless of any problems that come along. You will never find a better sparring partner than adversity. The Apostle James says to rejoice in your trials. An old cliché says that a smooth sea never made a skillful mariner, neither does uninterrupted prosperity and success qualify men for usefulness and happiness. Always see an advantage to every disadvantage. On the timberline of the mountain, where the storms beat in full fury, are found the sturdiest trees, the hardy veterans of ten thousand blasts. In the hothouse is produced the puny plant that fades in a day. Good timber does not grow in ease, The stronger wind, the stronger trees. The further sky, the greater length, The more the storm, the more the strength. Adversity is hard to bear, but it tries the soul and strengthens it. Small skill is gained by those who cling to ease; The able sailors hail from stormy seas. The roses are in the struggle, not the victory. The test will make you a better person. Someone said that when hurting starts feeling good you are on the way to success. A Jewish

proverb speaks similarly, “He that cannot endure the bad will not live to see the good.” We must learn to love the storm. Learn from the successful failures. Babe Ruth struck out 1330 times--only hit 714 home runs. Cy Young--perhaps the greatest pitcher of all time--accumulated 511 victories, but he lost more games than he won. Thomas Edison--one of the failingest men who ever lived--was always trying experiments that failed. Yet we never think of Edison as a failure. The best advice one can give concerning adversity is to not put the problems center stage; to realize that in every adversity there is an equal of greater benefit; that your problem will not live forever, but you will; that storms always give way to the sun. Robert Schuller says problems are like a pregnancy. They will grow until their presence is obvious. No one is just a little pregnant and no problem is unimportant enough to ignore. He says to turn your scars into stars. Whereas one man finds an obstacle a stumbling block another finds it a stepping stone. Turn your stumbling blocks into stepping stones. Learn from the Chinese drawing for crisis: Opportunity in wind. Remember that the harder the struggle the sweeter the victory. Dexter Yager says if the dream is big enough, the facts don't count. Concentrate on the dream, not on the obstacle.

VI. How Do You Achieve Success? OTHER “A” WORDS! There are several other “A’s” that contribute to success. Where would we be without abundance? America has given us the opportunity to grow and the freedom to succeed. To be successful we must be accountable for our actions. I must admit that I have “A Negative” blood. Hopefully that is the only negative thing about me! There are some negative A’s. Among them are apathy and average.

ABUNDANCE We are all entitled to abundance. It is God's natural law. Sterling Sill said that God gives us everything in abundance and expects us to manifest that abundance in our lives. The Creator did not intend us to be scrubs, and certainly that is not the example that he sets for us. Nature is rich, and it was intended that every man, woman and child should be rich likewise. To be in want is a sin. Plutarch said that while poverty may not be dishonorable in itself, it is usually the manifestation of laziness, intemperance, carelessness, lack of planning, and lack of courage. In our generation Emerson said man was intended to be rich. We must believe in abundance; we must think abundance; we must raise our sights; we must let no thought of failure or limitation enter our minds; we must think success and work for success. ACCOUNTABILITY But if we are to have abundance, we must be accountable for that abundance. After all, we are only stewards for those things we have been given. Winners know who is keeping score. We must accept responsibility for our own actions. On the east coast of the United States is the Statue of Liberty. Plans are underway to build a “Statue of Responsibility” on the west coast. They go hand in hand. John Wooden said “nobody is defeated until he starts blaming somebody else.” Instead of fixing the blame, let's fix the problem. Seneca said that nothing is more dishonorable than an old man, heavy with years, who has no further evidence of having lived long, except his age. Don't

let age be your cage. Make a resolution now that you will not blame your lack of progress on something or someone else. Remember that every day we walk out on the front porch of our lives. It is in your hands. There is no excuse. Either fish or cut bait. The beginning of personal growth comes when we admit that we are responsible. A little phrase that has had much exposure says, "If it is to be it is up to me." AMERICA American is synonymous with free enterprise, the rise of the individual, rugged individualism, success, wealth. But America stands at a crossroads, with many individuals trying to destroy the very fabric that made it great. We have thought of America as the "unsinkable lifeboat"--perhaps even like the Titanic. There have been warnings to which we have paid no heed.--about icebergs in the sea lanes; The lights are on; the bands are playing, people are laughing; It is 11:59 1/2. Freedom is no longer free. Some are saying "We can't do anything about it." We are here to say we can do something about it. We are in trouble unless we find enough dreamers--enough people who will stand on principle. George Washington warned us to persevere in our "affectionate vigilance over that precious depository of American happiness, the Constitution of the United States. Let them cherish it, too, for the sake of those who, from every clime, are daily seeking a dwelling in our land." E.T. Benson says that America has been a glorious experiment in freedom--freedom of the individual, but more particularly, freedom of the mind. When the mind is free to plan, devise, and dream, nothing is impossible and the horizons of limitation are swept back and back. Freedom needs to be cherished and guarded constantly. It must never be taken for granted. At least 20 great civilizations have disappeared. The pattern is shockingly similar. Before their collapse, all showed a decline in spiritual values, in moral stamina, and in the freedom and

responsibility of their bloated bureaucracy, government paternalism. An elaborate set of supports, controls, and regulations affect prices, wages, production, and consumption. "Being in Washington," Floyd Spence said, "makes you sleep like a baby--sleep for an hour and wake up crying." Oliver North said we are a great power and we ought to act like one. George Washington said that government is like a fire--a dangerous servant and a fearful master. APATHY "Science may have found a cure for most evils," Helen Keller said, "but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all--the apathy of human beings." The joke is told of the pollster, taking a poll on citizenship, who knocked at the door. A woman, curlers in her hair, answered. He went through the questions. One of the questions he asked: "Which do you think is worse-ignorance or apathy?" The lady at the door replied, "I don't know and I don't care!" AVERAGE I'm glad that I'm not average--average is cream of the crap. It's easy to be average--so most people take that route.

VI. How Do You Achieve Success? BELIEVE! Of all the attitudes an individual needs to nurture, none carries the importance of belief. A person cannot step forward without belief. Anthony Robbins said that beliefs are what make the difference between a lifetime of joyous contribution and one of misery and devastation. Belief is the forerunner of faith, which becomes the foundation of knowledge. When we know something, then it is no longer belief or faith. Until that time, belief carries one towards that which he believes in. I believe that it is the will of God that his children should succeed. A belief in your success should be part of all your subconscious thought. A person must believe in many things: God; self; his country; his business; his goals; other people. The opposite of belief is doubt. We need to avoid that disease like a plague. Franklin D. Roosevelt said that “the only limit to our realization of tomorrow will be our doubts of today.” Alexander Dumas said it even more dramatically, that a person who doubts himself is almost like the person who enlists in the ranks of his enemies and takes up arms against himself. The doubter makes his failure certain by being the first person to be convinced of it. Doubt is expressed in many ways, like the whale said when he saw Jonah standing on the shore: "I'm not swallowing that!" You must get your belief up and your doubt down; get your trust up and your distrust down. The only one who has to believe you are going to make it is you. But it does help when others also believe in you--and tell you so. For most people, the biggest obstacle they will face is believing they will not make it. You will hear many people--the doubters-- say, "If I see it I'll believe it." The successful person says, "If I believe it, I'll see it." Is your belief system holding you up or holding you back? Beliefs have the awesome potential to create or destroy.

Believe it and you can achieve it. One man said that anything the mind of man can conceive of and believe in, he can achieve. Belief is like an arm that reaches out to the dream and sets the goal. Belief is knowing it will happen before it happens. Anthony Robbins says our beliefs are like unquestioned commands. Success comes when you believe you can achieve and then act as if it were true. Denis Waitley once said you must “be within when you are without.” That follows closely the statement of William James, the father of American psychology, who said that you must act "as if" what you desire is already accomplished. Some people have cheapened this statement to "fake it until you make it." One can "fake it" without belief. The belief will make it so. All situations are temporary to those who believe. The individual is the only person who needs to believe in his own success. That individual must have a belief strong enough to step out until confidence catches up. We truly become what we believe. Through repetitive thought we learn to accept certain beliefs about ourselves and others. Repetitive thought comes from influential outside input. Influential outside input is obtained through association. In other words, we become like the people we are around. Charlie “Tremendous” Jones said that five years from now we will be the same person that we are now except for the books we read and the people with whom we associate. Believe that you have the right to be the very best, and then act as if that were true. In the movie, The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker mires his spaceship in the swamp. When he doubts that he can raise it from the swamp, YOGA stamps his foot, "So sure are you?" he demands. "Tried have you? Always with you it can't be done. Hear you nothing that I say? Try no! DO! DO! Or do not! There is no try." Luke succeeds in moving small objects, yet when he tries to raise his ship, which is still mired in the swamp, he fails. He then watches in amazement as YOGA levitates it to dry land. "I don't believe it," he says.

"That," retorts YOGA, "is why you fail." The only thing that will stop us from growing is when we stop believing. Believe with all your heart that whatever you desire can be yours. If you have enough belief, you'll go out and do whatever has to be done to insure your success--even if it is difficult for you. Then you must believe you have it already in hand or you'll never get it. Believe what you don't have in order to get what you want. You are where you are because of what has gone on in your own mind. The story of Roger Bannister is a story of belief. In 1954, Dr. Roger Bannister broke the belief barrier. Up to that time runners and coaches believed that it was impossible to break the four-minute mile. Bannister started believing he could do it—that a four minute mile was possible. Physiologists told him it was impossible for man to run that fast--that his heart would tear apart within him. Bannister believed he could do it. He visualized it. He applied himself to hours, days, years of practice. He broke the four-minute mile. As soon as he demonstrated that it could be done, others believed. Within a year of his accomplishment, thirty-seven other runners had broken the four-minute mile. One race had four runners who all completed a sub-four-minute mile. Today the four minute mile is so common few pay any attention to those athletes who complete the mile in less than four minutes. Just like the four minute mile, all barriers to human achievement are caused by habits and attitudes that are controlled by what you think and believe to be true. Anthony Robbins said that all personal breakthroughs begin with a change in beliefs. It was only because of that change in beliefs that Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile. He found that when you believe you don't relate to circumstances. Henry Ford said whether you think you can, or can't, you are right. Belief determines our efficiency and effectiveness. What you believe is really what you are. Sophia Loren stated that nothing makes a woman more beautiful than the belief by herself and others that she is beautiful. Dr. Robert Schuller stated: “I

am not the person I think I am; I am not the person you think I am; I am the person I think you think I am.” A story I have loved since childhood, and have taught each of my children and grandchildren, is The Little Engine that Could. It is one of the strongest stories of belief ever written. It has been a favorite of children of all ages. You remember the story: The engine of the train carrying toys for the children to the city on the other side of the mountain broke down. The toy clown, wanting to get the toys to the children, flagged down a large, but old and wheezy engine. When he asked the engine to pull the little train, the old engine replied, "I would if I could, but I can't." Soon, along came a bright, young cocky engine. When the clown asked the engine to pull the little train, he replied in his cocky way, "I could if I would but I won't." Finally, the clown flagged down a little red switch engine. He was not used to being out of the roundhouse, but when told of the problem of getting the toys to the children, said, "I'm just a little engine, but I think I can." He hitched himself to the train and started pulling up the big mountain. As he went, he chugged out, "I think I can. I think I can. I think I can." As he went over the top, he said, "I knew I could, I knew I could, I knew I could." The little engine's belief, when applied and visualized, became knowledge as he accomplished his task. He spoke his belief into existence. Like the Little Engine that Could, you must affirm your ownership of whatever it is you desire; accept is as being already yours; see yourself having it. Visualize it; Feel the thing. What could you do if you started believing in yourself? That becomes one of the most important things you can do as you work toward success.

VII. How Do You Achieve Success? BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! How many seeds would the farmer plant if he didn't believe they would grow? How many stamps would you lick if you didn't believe the mail service would carry your letter to its destination? How much work would you do if you saw no purpose in it? When obstacles come many people stop believing. Yet that is the time when belief needs to be the strongest. Sometimes we just have to deny the evidence of the senses--it is not logic. You've gotta believe. Robert Schuller, noted preacher, said we need to believe that every time a door closes, another will open. The average person has belief when things are going right. The successful person believes all of the time. Make belief a part of you--change the impossible to the possible. How do successful people develop that strong belief? What are the factors which inculcate belief so strong within an individual that nothing destroys that belief? 1. Act as if. You might remember Anna in the The King and I: She sang: “Whenever I feel afraid, I hold my head up high, and whistle a happy tune, then no one else will know I'm afraid.” 2. Read positive thinking books. There has never been such a selection of books available to people as line the shelves of bookstores today. One of the most positive books of all is the Bible. A word search of the scriptures with the computer brings up over two hundred citations. My two very favorite scriptures about belief are found in the Gospel of Mark: Mark 9: 23,24. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

Mark 11:22-24. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea, and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Let us move forward with a strong and active faith. 3. Listen to positive tapes. Nightingale-Conant and the Success Motivation Institute (SMI) have a powerful list of tapes by noted authors, speakers, and business men which teach belief and success psychology. Robert Allen’s tape sets have helped scores of people become successful. 4. Attend seminars, functions, lectures, classes that specifically teach marketing, success principles, and self-development. Stay away from typical college classes which have more of a tendency to destroy belief than to build it. 5. Use affirmations. Affirmations are nothing more than statements of faith. An affirmation is a statement of belief of what you want to happen even before you see it come to pass. You speak yourself into existence. I believe I have the right to be the very best. I believe that I deserve it. I believe that I can do it. I am a Child of God. God don't make no junk. God made me for a purpose. God made me to be successful. I believe in me. Say to mirror: "Hi successful person!"

Say to your mate: "Hi successful person!" Say to mirror: "You're a good-looking ________." AFFIRMATION FOR SOMEONE IN NETWORKING: "Today is the best day in the history of ____(name of your business) to be sponsoring. There are 100's of people who are just waiting to be told about this fantastic business. We are sponsoring everyone we are showing the marketing plan to. People are so excited that they are calling us to get into the business. AFFIRMATION FOR ANYONE WHO DESIRES SUCCESS: My thinking and my attitudes are calm and cheerful. I act and feel friendly towards other people. I am tolerant of other people, their shortcomings and mistakes. I view their actions with the most favorable understanding possible. I act as though attainment of my goals is certain to happen. I am the kind of individual I aspire to be. I smile often. Everything I do and the way I feel expresses my individuality. I will not allow my judgment or attitude to be affected by negativism. I respond in a calm and intellient manner, without alarm, in all situations. If I cannot control a situation, I still react in a positive manner. 6. Do whatever is required to accomplish the task. You create belief in self by paying the price--action. So far, we have been talking about developing belief in oneself. How do you develop belief in others? What a person believes is going to influence his/her relationship with you. No matter how credible you are, people will filter whatever you say through their own belief system. The most important thing we can do for the other person is to believe in that person strong enough that they will start believing in your belief. Regardless of your occupation, profession, or business, you need to help your people believe in themselves. Be sincere. People are convinced by the depths of your conviction rather than by the heights of your logic. There is no limit to what a person can do or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit. One

of the best-kept secrets in the world today is that people would rather work hard for something they believe in than enjoy a pampered idleness. Some of life's most beautiful words are: "If I can do it, you can do it." Help your people believe in themselves by living the principles in which you believe. We must be willing and prepared to stand for what we believe. Alistair MacOdrum lists what he calls: TWELVE STEPS OF BELIEF 1. Believe in yourself--you are marvelously endowed. 2. Believe in your work--all honest work is sacred. 3. Believe in this day--every minute contains an opportunity for good. 4. Believe in your family--create harmony by trust and cooperation. 5. Believe in your neighbor--the more friends you can make the happier you will be. 6. Believe in your decisions--consult God first--then go ahead. 7. Believe in uprightness--you cannot go wrong doing right. 8. Believe in your health--stop taking your pulse. 9. Believe in your church--you encourage others to attend by attending yourself. 10. Believe in the now--yesterday is past recall; tomorrow may never come. 11. Believe in God's promises--"I am with you always." 12. Believe in God's mercy--If God forgives you, you can surely forgive yourself. Make belief a part of you--change the impossible to the possible. Be a BIONIC person: Believe It Or Not I Can.

IX. How Do You Achieve Success? C’s THE MOMENT! Commitment, challenge, choice, consistency. What wonderful words start with “C”. Character and Change denote the individual. There is also the negative “C” of criticism. CHALLENGE Love the challenge. James Randy Allman, a climber of Mt. Everest, said that challenge is the core and the mainspring of human activity. If there is an ocean--we cross it; If there is a disease--we cure it; If there is a wrong--we right it; If there is a record--we break it; If there is a mountain--we climb it. CHANGE If you want to change some things in your life you need to change some things in your life. Ben Franklin said there are 3 things that are hard: 1) steel; 2) diamonds, 3) changing oneself. A person must change, even if it hurts (and it will!). Change is always painful. It takes effort to change. But change is still necessary. Denis Waitley said that change is the only constancy. As a constant, it becomes almost a law. If you don't become involved in change, you will become the victim of change. The ancient Greeks knew the constancy of change. Two statements they made were that This too shall pass, and You cannot step twice into a river in the same place. Where does real change occur? All meaningful and lasting change starts on the inside and works its way out--you get what you expect. Man alone, of all the creatures on earth, can change his own pattern. Man alone is architect of his destiny. When you quit changing you quit growing. Since change is inevitable, point it, control it, direct the change. You have the choice.

CHARACTER The development of character should be one of our major goals. What is character? It is really what we are. It is what makes us who we are. Cavett Roberts said that character is the discipline and ability to carry out a good resolution long after the mood is gone. Florence Littauer added that character is the resolve to keep going long after the desire to do so has passed. Martin Luther King said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Good character, like good soup, is made at home The "haves" and the "have nots" can be traced back to the "dids" and the "did nots." Character is much easier kept than recovered.

CHOICE The greatest freedom we have is the freedom of choice. The greatest power we have is the power to choose. People choose to be successful or to fail. You have the power to choose whatever you want to be. Every single day you sit at the banquet of consequences. COMMITMENT The story is told of the chicken and pig taking a walk downtown. Above them loomed a huge billboard showing someone eating a hearty breakfast of ham and eggs. The chicken preened herself proudly, "We start everyone's day right," she said primly. The pig grumbled, "That's okay for you to say. For you it's all in a day's work, but for me it's a total commitment." Give unconditional commitment to the continuity of your business. What is commitment? Commitment is a quality decision; a conviction that compels. Winners make commitments. Losers make promises. If you are truly committed, there is nothing that will stop you, no matter what endeavor you attempt. No one is good at anything that he isn't committed to. When we become committed to something God takes over. Goethe said that the moment one definitely

commits oneself, then Providence moves, too. That's why things don't just happen--they happen just. The Reverend Charles Stanley said there are three “t's” to commitment: time, testimony, treasure. Commit yourself to the success of others with all your resources. Commitment can work wonders with any business or organization. Commitment enables individuals to work to their full potential. Do more than is necessary. A high I.Q. is not needed to build your business, but a high "I will!" is. There are at least three levels of commitment: 1) I'll try; 2) I'll do my best; 3) I'll do whatever it takes. What is your commitment? Don't be like the Kamikaze pilot on his 12th mission, or the guy who got baptized and held his wallet up out of the water. Edmund Burke said that all that is necessary for the forces of evil to win in this world is for enough good men to do nothing. You don't get paid for what you feel like doing; you get paid for what gets done. Winston Churchill, when approached by the Women's Temperance League, was told that he had drunk enough in his life to fill his living room up to the six foot mark. He sat heavily in his chair, eyeballed the distance from floor to ceiling, "So little have I done...So much is there left to do." COMPLIMENT Everyone likes a compliment. One thing you are always able to give is the word of praise. One of the marks of a true leader is the ability to find out something good about someone and then tell them. William James said that everybody likes a compliment and that the deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. Charles Schwab, one of the greatest industrial leaders of the past century, said he considered his ability to arouse enthusiasm among the men the greatest asset he possessed. He felt that the way to develop the best that is in a man

is by appreciation and encouragement. In working with people, in your daily interaction, in stores, offices, churches, and homes, pay compliments sincerely and often. Les Giblin says the three most important words are "you are right.' Mark Twain said he could live for two months on one good compliment. A favorite poem by Berton Brayley dealing with this concept is: If with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing, If you like him or you love him, tell him now. Don't withhold your approbation till the parson makes oration, And he lies with snowy lilies on his brow. No matter how you shout it, he won't really care about it, He won't know how many teardrops you have shed. If you think some praise is due him, now's the time to slip it to him, For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead. More than fame and more than money, is the comment kind and sunny And the hearty, warm approval of a friend. For it gives to life a savor, And it makes you stronger, braver, And it gives you heart and spirit to the end. If he earns your praise--bestow it; If you like him, let him know it, Let the words of true encouragement be said. Do not wait til life is over and he's underneath the clover, For he cannot read his tombstone when he's dead. CRITICISM

Fear of criticism keeps people from achieving goals. Dale Carnegie said that criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive, and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous, because it wounds a person's pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses his resentment. Laughter is the severest form of criticism. In the Eskimo village, if a person is found to be a thief, all the Eskimos in the village laugh at him whenever they see him. As a result, there is very little stealing among Eskimos. If they gave rewards for finding fault, some people would get rich quick. Charles Schwab said that he never criticizes anyone. "I believe in giving a [person] incentive to work. I am anxious to praise but loath to find fault...I am hearty in my approbation and lavish in my praise." He went on to say "I have yet to find the [person] who did not do better work and put forth greater effort under a spirit of approval than he would ever do under a spirit of criticism." Like homing pigeons, criticism always returns home. Abraham Lincoln said, "If I were to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, then angels swearing I was right would make no difference."

X. How Do You Achieve Success? HAVE COURAGE TO ACT! Whenever you take the great step forward toward success, you need courage. You need to decide today if you are going to be a fighter or a whipped dog. It takes guts to get out of the ruts. A modern cliché says “What counts is not the size of the man in the fight. It is the size of the fight in the man.” Winston Churchill said that courage is the finest of human qualities because it guarantees all the others. He said that no war has ever been won by evacuation. Wars are won by those who stay and fight. Be a fighter. Don’t sit on the sidelines of life watching someone else getting all the glory. Stand up for your rights. Fight for freedom. Get reckless. Be a wealth creator. Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spines of others are stiffened. David McKay said, "It is not alone on the field of battle that courage can be manifested. It is needed in the day-by-day battle of life, not physical courage only, but moral courage. Pages of history glitter with the accounts of loyal men who, in the face of difficulties and even death, have kept that which was committed to their trust." Unless a man stands for principle, he stands for nothing. If you are gutsy enough or persistent enough, nothing can beat you. One of my favorite stories of courage is Joan of Arc. This seventeen-year-old French peasant girl, who heard angelic voices calling her to aid her country, inspired that ailing country with her courage and leadership and at nineteen, broke the siege of Orleans, drove out the British, saved France, and crowned the Dauphin the king at Rheims. On one occasion, with an almost impossible objective ahead, she said, "I will lead the men over the wall." One of her generals said, "Not a man will follow you." She replied, "I will not look back to see whether anyone is following or not." With a flash of her sword she leaped over the wall and the soldiers of France followed her. She explained that

"When God fights, it's of small consequence whether the hand that holds the sword is big or little." The motto of the elite British Commandos is, “Who dares, wins!” One man with guts is a majority. "On May 20, 1927, a young man by the name of Charles Lindbergh climbed into the cockpit of a little one-engined airplane and pointed its nose out across the great Atlantic. Thirtythree hours and thirty minutes later he set it down in Paris. Then the newspapers around the world wrote great headlines saying, "Lindbergh flies the Atlantic alone." Then the New York Sun wrote an editorial. "Alone? Is he alone at whose right side rides courage; who has skill sitting in the cockpit and faith upon his left hand? What is solitude to him who has self-reliance to show the way, and ambition to read the dials? Does he lack for company for whom the air is cleft by daring and darkness is made light by Enterprise? True, the bodies of other men are absent from his crowded cabin, but as his aircraft keeps its course he holds communion with those rarer spirits, whose sustaining potency gives strength to his arm, resourcefulness to his mind, and contentment to his soul. Alone? With what more inspiring companions can he fly?” Dale Carnegie lists five Rules for Courage: 1) Act as if you are courageous. 2) Reflect that others have had to face great discouragements and great obstacles and have overcome them. What others have done, you can do. 3) Life moves in rhythms. As you feel depressed you may be at the bottom of your trough. Keep up your courage. Swing out of it with the same forces--which at the moment are sucking you down. 4) Courage comes with the sun. You feel more discouraged and downcast at night. 5) Courage is the measure of a big soul. Measure up!

Being right and doing what is right requires courage. Some may laugh at yous for doing what is right—even when they know they are in the wrong. This is where the men are separated from the boys. When our desire to belong to our crowd is more important to us than to stand up for what we know to be right, we lack two important attributes of a human being: Courage and maturity. “The real tragedy,” Arnold Bennett said, “is the tragedy of a man who never in his life braces himself for his one supreme effort, who never stretches to his full capacity, never stands up to his full stature.” To lie down and moan and whine about limited opportunities is the part of weaklings. To grasp the opportunities at hand and walk forward is the way of the strong. Some people run around behaving like Clark Kent when they should be acting like Superman. One of my favorite poems dealing with courage, by that famous author, Anonymous is:

The test of a man is the fight he makes, The grit that he daily shows. The way he stands on his feet and takes Fate's numerous bumps and blows. A coward can smile when there's naught to fear, When nothing his progress bars But it takes a man to stand up and cheer While some other fellow stars.

It isn't the victory after all But the fight that a brother makes. The man, who driven against the wall, Still stands up erect and takes The blows of fate with his head held high, Bleeding and bruised and pale. He's the Man who'll win in the by and by, For he isn't afraid to fail.

It's the bumps and the jolts you get And the shocks that your courage stands, The hours of sorrow and vain regret, The prize that escapes your hands That test your mettle and prove your worth, It isn't the blows you deal,

But the blows you take on this good old earth That shows if your stuff is real. Have a sense of destiny. Think anew, act anew. It is your right to excel and achieve. Theodore Roosevelt said, "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." President Ronald Reagan told the American people, "You may be called to fulfill a mission--that you and only you can fulfill at that point in time. Even to the point of laying down your life. If you don't measure up and meet your responsibilities, you'll be faced with the taste of ashes in your mouth for the rest of your life." Everybody is not going to be successful. It takes guts. Be a fighter! You might not go into battle expecting to win--just go into battle determined not to lose. Don’t be a loser just to make some other loser happy. "On the plains of hesitation lie the bleached bones of thousands, who, on the verge of victory, sat down to rest and died." The harder the struggle the sweeter the victory. The only thing worse than being a quitter is not having the courage to start in the first place. In Tombstone, Arizona, there is a wagon box with a wooden plaque. On it are inscribed the words: The cowards never started. The weak died along the way. Only the strong survived. Know what you stand for. Where are you coming from? What excuses do you have for not being successful? If you don’t make it, it isn't because you don't have the ability; it isn't because you can't figure it out; it isn't because it is an impossible situation; it isn't because of conditions you can't control. What then? Because you don't have the guts! How tough are you? What are your excuses? Abraham Lincoln said we must arise to the occasion. No guts, no glory!!

Winston Churchill, eloquent in his speech, courageous to a fault, was silver-tongued in his challenges to his nation: "Give us the tools and we will finish the job... We shall not flag nor fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend this island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields and in the streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender." Fear of failure often stops courageous progress. A couplet states: It matters not if you try and fail and try and fail again. It matters much if you try and fail and fail to try again. Have the courage to keep going; to pick yourself up when you fall, and go on, and on, and on.

THE CHAMPION The average runner sprints until The breath in him is gone. But the champion has the iron will That makes him carry on. For rest the average runner begs When limp his muscles grow. But the champion runs on laden legs His spirit makes him go. The average Man's complacent when He's done his best to score, But the champion does his best, and then--He does a little more!