Leaders are driven by being of service to people. Why should you make more money? Because you can be a bigger blessing to more people. Leaders are driven by being of service to people. Without money you can offer your compassion and encouragement, but with money you can do more–so much more. You can make a difference. Do you know the story of the good Samaritan in the Bible? Regardless of your religious persuasion, it's a great story I recommend you read (Luke 10:30-36). Most people think of it as a story of compassion, because two people passed by a hurt man on the road without helping him. One felt he had more important things to do and the other was afraid of getting involved. But the third person, the Samaritan, took him to an inn and asked the innkeeper to take care of him for a month. He also gave the innkeeper enough coins to take care of the man and told him that if it weren't enough, he'd give him more when he came back in 30 days. How many innkeepers do you think would have taken the hurt man on for no cash? The only reason the Samaritan could do what he did was because he had the money. When people tell me they do not care about making more money, I shock them by telling them, "That is the most selfish thing I have ever heard!" I wait until they ask why and I explain that to take care of themselves is easy to do. It does not require much money. But to truly care for all those others who need help takes courage and compassion . . . and more money! "If you don't want more money, then you obviously only care about yourself or a very limited number of people." How big a blessing do you want to be to others? Most people live in a world of indifference because they are afraid they are incapable of making a difference. Allow yourself to see the needs of the world so that you have the need to create enormous amounts of cash. Commit this week to making and giving away more money than you ever have before. TAKEAWAY! The purpose of making money is to be a bigger blessing to more people. The way you use money describes your true value system. Action Step #1 Pull out your checkbook. Look at the last three months. Outside of bills and birthdays, how much money have you spent on other people? An Example My friend John is what's known as a big tipper. Even when John has been close to broke–and he has– he hands out five-dollar bills to skycaps at airports and bellhops. He always tips serving people 20 percent and usually more. John says he's just helping the people who are helping him. Win-win. Action Step #2 Get out of your daily routine and expose yourself to the needs of others. Visit a children's hospital and talk, not just to the children, but to the parents and administrators as to how it is being paid for. Go to a homeless shelter and ask them what they could do if they had $10,000 more a month. Now, come up with two or three things you could do to make sure they get that money. An Example  I have another friend named Azim Khamiza. His 19-year-old only son was shot and killed by a 13-yearold gangster. His son was delivering pizza as a way to work through school and a gang held him up. When he refused to give up the pizza, the 13-year-old was ordered to kill him. Until I met Azim, my mind didn't even want to think of these kinds of occurrences. Violence seemed far away from me. Yet, after meeting Azim, I was exposed to how prevalent violence is with many of our youth. Azim and the guardian of his son's killer, Plez Felix, formed the TKF Foundation to end violence among youth. In one year alone our Klemmer & Associates Heart of the Samurai graduates pledged over 1 million dollars for TKF ( www.TKF.org ). In one sense that is great, but in another sense it is but a drop in the bucket as to what needs to be done. For a mere 30 dollars a child they make a real statistically significant difference on steering youth away from violence. It requires courage to open up to the need and allowing oneself to be compelled to do something about it. "Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'what are you doing for others?'" –Martin Luther King Jr

Leaders systematically give what they want to receive. Imagine you are lying in a sleeping bag inside a log cabin with the snow coming down outside. As you first open your eyes, all that's sticking out of your sleeping bag is your eyes and nose because it is SO cold. You realize the reason it's so cold is that there is no fire in the wood stove. In fact, you become aware there's no wood inside the cabin! You have A PROBLEM. Now, you try and get very creative and you tell the stove, "Look, if you will just warm me up a little, then I'll gladly run outside and get you some wood." Silly, yet how much of our lives do we live that way? We say to our spouse, "Spend more time with me and I will love you more." And your mate is saying back to you, "Love me more and I will spend more time with you." The stove won't heat up until you put wood into it! In many businesses, employees are saying, "Pay me more and I will work harder." Management is saying, "Work harder and I will pay you more." Again, the stove won't heat up until you put wood into it. Become a giving maniac. Be on a mission to give first, even when you don't see how it will come back to you. This week, when you go to work, consciously decide how to give to the receptionist, your boss, someone out in the field, or someone in another department. Try giving simply because you have decided to be a giver and see what happens. The reasons for giving are many. Also, it is plain FUN to give. Think about the last time you gave and how it felt. It's not only fun, it's fulfilling. Giving has other practical benefits. You give and it sometimes comes back from that person. But other times it comes back from some other source. For many people, when the giving does not come back from the person or organization they gave to, they falsely conclude that giving does not pay. I am a huge believer in tithing (giving 10 percent of everything you earn back to God). Besides the spiritual lessons, in a very practical way this convinces your sub-conscious of the abundance that is out there in the world. Giving builds loyalty in the relationships you have. We are prevented from giving first because of three factors: -Our pride says that someone doesn't really deserve it. -Our viewpoint of scarcity that there is not enough to go around or will be left for us. -Our self-centered point of view. It always amazes me that when people complain about not having enough time and I tell them to give some time away, they resist. They insist they do not have enough time and I insist they give some away. The perceived need for survival blinds us receiving from many, many sources. TAKEAWAY! If you want something, then give it first. Receiving does not necessarily come from the same place to which you have given. Action Step #1 What is it you lack most: Time? Money? Control? Recognition? Begin a systemized way of giving what you lack on a regular basis. You want a "system," not a random act of giving, because repetition will build and create more and more momentum. Action Step #2 Pick someone you want to receive something from. Now, find out what it is that they want and give that to them. Many times we give what we want to give, missing the mark widely from what it is they want to be given. An Example  Several years ago, we had done a few classes for a network marketing company with their distributors. As usual, those men and women became not just clients, but good friends we cared about. One day I got a call from a director in the company. He shared with me that they had some severe challenges going on. They had gone public at about $8 a share, and the stock price had dropped to $1. There was conflict and even lawsuits being threatened. He said he knew of our sales training, but asked if I also did conflict resolution. I said yes, but not directly. I told him to put the senior management in a room along with the key "upset" distributors and I would fly in at my own expense and spend a day with them and then we'd see what developed. I gave freely of my time and expertise. The day turned out very well, and it led to close to a million dollars in business for us with that company. Have I given and not had it come back from the same company or person? Sure, but in some way from some where, it always comes back. "My father was a successful businessman. When he died no one remembered him for his skill at reading the markets. They remembered him for the favors he did."–Rabbi Harold Kushner

Leaders make change to their lifestyle. If you don't change, crashing is certain. This is true in business, marriage, and any other pursuit. The world is a constantly changing road, so if you don't continually adjust the steering wheel you will eventually crash. Leaders make change to their lifestyle. They practice changing until they are comfortable with it and it becomes a habit. Learn what to change and what not to change. Control the direction and speed of change. It has been said that Socrates was instructing his star pupil Plato about the subject of change. He explained that everything began at a point of energy and went through a phase where it expanded and got bigger. He called this phase growth. Then things went through a period where nothing changed, which he called stability. Then it went through another phase where it shrank or decreased until it returned to the original point of energy. Socrates called this last phase decay. Plato is reported to have pondered this awhile and then returned to disagree with his mentor. He said that there are only two phases, not three. The two phases were growth and decay. Plato argued that stability is an illusion and that things are always either growing or decaying. If you look at a common table, it is in slow decay. The varnish or finish slows the decay down, while fire would speed it up. You can control the speed of change and the direction of change, but not whether things will change. We want to believe in stability because it gives the illusion of security, safety and comfort. It allows us to avoid action. Pretend there is no such thing as stability. Then ask yourself: Is my business growing or decaying? Are my significant relationships growing or decaying? Is my health growing or decaying? Is my spiritual nature growing or decaying? What changes are occurring around me that I am resisting? What actions am I compelled to take now? (When Good Intentions Run Smack Into Reality covers this in greater detail.) Commit to doing something different each day this week and record your reactions to change. TAKEAWAY! Change is a requirement for success. Develop an appetite for change and you will automatically be in the top 5%. Action Step #1 Most everyone has a dominant hand: right or left. Starting today, and for this entire week, brush your teeth with your opposite hand. Notice your thoughts and feelings day-by-day and write them down. "In times of change learners inherit the earth while learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists"–Eric Hoffer

Leaders welcome resistance Nothing great becomes great without overcoming great resistance. Christianity did not become great during the time of Christ. It became great when the Christians had to overcome persecution and being eaten by the lions. The Jewish faith was the same. Any country is the same. Any organization is the same. So is a person. Overcoming resistance is how people and their organizations become what they need to become in order to be great. The only way you get muscles is by lifting weights. Resistance is simply the weights. That's a very different perspective on resistance than the average person has. The average person doesn't want any resistance in his or her life. They resist resistance. Did you ever hear, "What you resist persists?" Your resistance to an outside resistance makes the problem worse. Most people have a deep-seated belief they must resist in order to maintain control, but that always backfires. So what resistance are you experiencing in your life? Can you get excited about that as the very thing you need to build your muscles for greatness? It's the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was the best thing to happen to David. Without overcoming Goliath, David could not have become King. No one would have known about him. He would not have developed certain attributes that allowed him later to rule the kingdom. Most people want to be kings and queens, but they never want to have to fight a Goliath. Maybe the resistance you are experiencing is an economic downturn. Perhaps it is a spouse not supportive of the work you do. Maybe it is some employees who are resisting a new direction you are taking your department or the whole company. Perhaps you're in sales and prospects are resisting your price. Maybe you have children who resist you. Non-resistance on your part to outside resistance does not mean you throw your hands up in resignation. It is an acknowledgment of how things are, which frees you up to have an effective response. There are two kinds of resistance: external and your own internal resistance. I'm speaking here of a leader's ability to embrace outside resistance as a positive step in growth. Re-frame external resistance as simply part of the necessary steps you're taking in becoming great. TAKEAWAY! If you want an extra-ordinary life, then you must face extra-ordinary resistance. Welcome resistance instead of resisting it or looking to minimize the amount of resistance you face. Action Step #1 What was the last major resistance you faced or are facing? What was the lesson you learned that made you stronger? Place a stone (like the one David used in his sling to slay Goliath) on your desk where you work to remind yourself that resistance is good! Action Step #2 Read a story this week on someone who has overcome resistance. Some suggested biographies are Abraham Lincoln, Helen Keller, or Winston Churchill. Write down three things they did that you can also do. An Example I come from a background where everyone in my family went to college. It was expected. My wife's family is very successful, but no one graduated from college so they didn't have the same value. Our oldest son resisted school. He flat out didn't like it and for years I resisted that. The result was that our relationship wasn't very good. I was trying to change him instead of work with what I had. I thought there was something wrong with him and the situation. I finally stopped resisting. It wasn't working. I asked myself, "What could I do and where could I take this situation that would be good?" I started by simply listening to him. Then, I was honest with my own fears. The first good thing that came out of it was a great relationship with my son. Then, it became an exploration of what he could do without a college education. Interestingly enough, one of the turns the journey took was that he entered college and graduated from San Francisco State at the age of 24. He worked for me for a while, which never would have happened before, and then he went on to pursue his career. My overcoming my resistance not only made me a better parent with my other children, but a better CEO of our company. Life is not so threatening when what used to be a threat is now a friend. "One man with courage makes a majority"–Andrew Jackson

Leaders understand that sales is the most important skill in being successful as a leader Do you have a negative reaction to sales? Many people do. Why is it people love to buy, but hate to be sold? Well, guess what? Everyone is in sales–EVERYONE! Have you ever gone out on a date? That was sales. You sold the other person on asking you out OR you sold him or her on saying, "Yes" to you. Have you ever comforted a person who was feeling sad or bad? That was sales. You were selling them on feeling different and better. Have you ever gotten married? That was a huge sale! (By the way, in my viewpoint the biggest problem in most marriages today is the same as most other sales: We forget to service what we sold!) Sales is communicating in such a way that you cause action. Let me repeat that: Sales is communicating in such a way that you cause action. That's very different than just informing or educating people. And it is certainly not jamming something down someone's throat they don't want. That doesn't cause positive productive action–it causes resistance! It could be argued (and I do) that sales is the single most important skill to learn to be successful in life. If you want your children to study and do well in school, you must know how to sell. They will not study just because you tell them to. Every interaction between two people is really a sales situation. There will always be a buyer and a seller. What have other people been selling you, your friends, family members, and business associates? Leaders are good at sales and great leaders are great at sales. Here is a sales formula that works. If you follow it, you will get more of what you want and assist others in getting what they want as well: WANT > PROBLEM > SOLUTION. Find out what the person WANTS. Have them tell you what their PROBLEM is in getting it. Then, you can offer your SOLUTION to solve that problem. It must be done in that order. Most people try to go out of order and they fail to make the sale. They present their solution first, whether it is in their business or role as a parent. Consequently, they're usually not successful. Pick one area of your life whether it is coaching a business partner, dating, or parenting. Commit to following the Want > Problem > Solution for the week. Notice how much more effective you are at "sales." TAKEAWAY! A sale is not something you pursue, it's what happens to you while you are immersed in serving your customer. Action Step #1 Enroll your son or daughter (or other family member or friend) in helping you complete a personal project, such as something around the house using the Want > Problem > Solution formula. An Example Let's say you want the dishes done. Find out what they want. Perhaps your teenager wants a later curfew. Ask what their problem is in getting it. They reply you won't let them. You then ask if they are interested in a solution. They reply yes. You now come back with the solution. You say if they do the dishes for a month without you having to remind them they can have an hour later curfew as long as they come home on time. Action Step #2 Look around the world today and pick out at least one situation that's important to you. It could be something to do with the environment, education, or a social ill you see needs a cure. Choose something you want to change. Now, write down the Want > Problem > Solution as you see it. Don't limit any part of the formula by what you think is possible right now. Once you've completed writing your sales formula, share that with enough other people until you've sold your idea to at least two other people. "The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself."–Peter Drucker

Leaders create the kind of action that leads to building lasting momentum Have you ever watched a satellite launch? Do you know that sometimes even when the satellite is perfectly on target they will blow it up? Imagine that! A perfectly good (and incredibly expensive) satellite and it's precisely on course and they blow it up? Why? The reason is that there is a certain speed it takes to break out of the earth's orbit. That's called "escape velocity." I believe it is in the neighborhood of 25,000 miles per hour. If the satellite has not reached that critical speed, then even though it's on course it won't break out of the earth's orbit. The scientists blow it up so it won't fall back to earth, hurt people, and do damage. I believe our business and personal life is much the same. People need to create a critical speed so they can break through to the next level. One way to do that is MASSIVE action. You identify a period of time like a month or six months. You commit to have an extra-ordinary amount of action. It is not a pace you can keep up forever. Its purpose is to create breakthrough momentum. Did you know a train that is stopped can have a small six-inch block of steel on the track and that alone can prevent it from moving, though the locomotive weighs 40 tons or more! Yet, that same train moving with a momentum of 50 miles per hour will run right through a tractor-trailer like it was paper. Momentum can overcome many problems that would otherwise keep you stuck. It is more effective to focus on building momentum and letting momentum overcome the obstacle you face, rather than focusing directly on the obstacle. What area of your life are you willing to create momentum in? What period of time are you willing to commit to massive action? Make a list of the actions you will take, and start today. TAKEAWAY! Focus on building momentum instead of directly over coming an obstacle. MASSIVE action is one powerful way to create momentum. Action Step #1 Think of an ordinary problem you have. List 10 things you can do in other areas of your life to build momentum to overcome that problem that have nothing to do with the problem itself. An Example Let's say your problem is work related. What momentum could you gain by making time to do some physical exercise? How about putting in some needed relaxation? Or study? Every success in one part of your life will add momentum to other areas even when they do not seem related at all. Action Step #2 Now, think of your biggest problem. What momentum can you focus on building through massive action to overcome that obstacle? Write down five things that will create that momentum. If you get stuck thinking of five items, you can form accountability partnerships or a mastermind group and brainstorm with them until you not only have five things, but you make an agreement with your partners as to what specific actions you will do this week to build momentum. An Example Young Glenn Cunningham used to run to the little country schoolhouse every morning and start the wood stove. He loved to run more than any thing and the money he earned helped his family. One day the teacher and some students arrived to see the schoolhouse engulfed in flames. The fuel oil used to start the fire had ignited the entire building. They pulled Glenn out of the inferno and rushed him to the hospital. He was so badly burned the doctors expected him to die within hours. To the amazement of everyone, Glenn survived. But it was clear he would never walk, much less run, again. He had no motor ability in his legs and they were severely burned, damaged beyond repair. Everyday his mother would massage his shriveled legs with oil, to ease the pain and try to bring some life back into them. But there was no feeling, no movement, nothing. In time, through his mother's unceasing care, Glen developed enough strength to go outside in a wheel chair. One day, he threw himself from the chair and dragged his body across the yard, pulling himself up on the white picket fence. Hand over hand, picket by picket, he dragged himself along the fence. He was determined he would walk again. Every day, day after day, Glen would drag himself all around the fence. He wore a path in the grass in the yard inside the fence. Through his mother's massages and truly super-human effort and iron will, Glen began to stand, then walk and finally to run. And not just to run, but to run faster than any human being had before. For three years, from 1932 to 1934, he won the Big Six indoor track titles and was again at the Olympics in 1936 (he'd also competed in 1932). In 1938, Glen Cunningham became the world's fastest miler as he set a new record at Dartmouth College. That same year he also received a doctorate degree from New York University. By simply going outside, each day, every day in a wheel chair–nothing spectacular, but it got the momentum going–Glen Cunningham was finally able to cast aside his circumstances and achieve greatness. "It is even better to act quickly and err than to hesitate until the time of action is past."–Karl Von Clausewitz

Leaders are vigilant about not letting discouragement into people's lives There's an old story about the devil having a "Going Out of Business" sale. Now, I think you'll agree that's a pretty amazing prospect. He had this huge room filled with everything he ever owned or used to do his work and the prices were displayed openly on every item. In the very center of the room was a small podium and the tiniest item in the room was there on top. The price on the tag was by far the highest, most expensive in the whole room. Someone asked the devil, "What is that on the podium that is so small and yet is the most expensive item you have?" The devil said it was "discouragement" and it was the most expensive because with that he didn't need anything else to do his work. Think about that. Be vigilant about not letting discouragement into your life anywhere: not for your business, not for your health, not for the state of your relationships, etc. Sometimes we think we have to listen to other people's negativity to be a nice person. DON'T LISTEN! And don't allow them to pollute your mind and your coworkers or family's mind either. It brings discouragement. Leaders control the conversation and will end a discussion or change the topic if necessary. Leaders will stop someone from complaining if the person is complaining to someone else who cannot do anything about it. Leaders will be proactive at dispelling discouragement in other people's lives, especially family, partners, or team at work. Leaders will seek out someone who is discouraged and give them encouragement or assist them in focusing on what is working, what's right. What can you do today to dispel discouragement in someone else's life? Make a list of three people you will say or do something for this week to dispel discouragement out of their life. Commit to doing that. TAKEAWAY! Leaders dispel discouragement. Leaders control the conversation and keep it positive and constructive. Action Step #1 Find a couple people who are discouraged and make a massive infusion of encouragement into their life. Let them know about a similar experience or setback you've had or about someone you know who has and what positive changes came out of it. Simply share your enthusiasm and shift their focus to what works and the possibilities. Write a simple postcard to 10 people telling them the one thing you admire most about them and that you believe that quality will be the reason for their success. As Winston Churchill said, "Success is the ability to go from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm." An Example  About two years ago I got an email that asked, "Are you the Brian Klemmer that served in the 25th Infantry division as an officer in the 1/21st Battalion in the early 70's?" I replied, "Yes I am." He said, "You probably don't remember me, my name is (withheld for confidentiality), but if you do remember, it's because you busted me for drugs. You made me get my GED (high school equivalency diploma) and I fought you kicking and screaming. I'm writing to let you know how appreciative I am. I am sitting here in a good job and my whole life is different because you cared about me more than I cared about myself." I have to tell you that didn't just make my day. It made my year! I think about that letter every time I do a seminar and someone is being resistant or negative. Action Step #2 Now, interview a very successful person in any field. Ask what was their biggest setback and what one or two things did they do that helped them overcome it. That will dispel your discouragement. An Example  Who is this famous "failure"? He failed as a businessman (storekeeper). He failed as a farmer (he despised this work). His sweetheart died. He had a nervous breakdown. He failed in his first attempt to obtain political office. He was elected to the legislature, but he failed when he sought the office of speaker. He failed in his first attempt to go to Congress. He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office. He failed when he ran for the United States Senate. He failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the Vice-Presidency. And, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln was elected president of the United States of America. "No matter how busy you are, you must take time to make the other person feel important."–Mary Kay Ash

Leaders are bold enough to interfere in other people's lives Do you remember studying the physicist Sir Isaac Newton in school? His first Law of Motion stated, "An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an outside force." Objects (and you and I are "objects") tend to keep on doing what they're doing. In fact, it's the natural tendency of objects and people to resist changes in their state of motion. This tendency to resist changes in their state of motion is described as "inertia." What has been the direction of your business? If your business continues on its current path for a year will you be happy? What has been the direction of your family life? Will you be satisfied if it maintains its current course for another year? Leaders are the force in other people's lives that alter the direction that life is taking. A positive leader interferes in other people's lives and causes them to do what they otherwise would not do toward what is important to them. That's service. If leaders interfere for their own purpose, then it's manipulation. You have to know what the other person wants in order to interfere and be of service. Are you bold enough to interfere? Whose life can you impact this week by finding out what they want and then be bold enough to cause them to do what they would not have done on their own? Commit to doing that. TAKEAWAY! Servant leadership requires caring enough to interfere, but doing so by giving what is wanted and needed not what we want to give. Action Step #1 Ask several business partners or members of your team what they want to achieve this week. Now commit yourself to actions that will "interfere" in their lives to support them to accomplish their goal. Yes, it's uncomfortable. You have to be more committed to what they want for themselves than what they think of you in the moment. You cannot lead people whose approval you need. This might be as simple as sitting with them until they make a certain call, forcing them to do a presentation when they don't feel they are ready for yet, or requiring an accountability call from the person each day after they have completed a challenging task. There are many ways you can interfere to cause powerful, productive action. Action Step #2 Find a seminar that will alter your path before you need to. This could be one of our trainings at Klemmer or another you're attracted to, but pick some training that will challenge and change your thinking. Rarely if ever does that happen without the influence of an outside force. Perhaps it's taking a trip to a third world country or to a really depressed neighborhood near you and being of service. (Note: Journal about any changes you notice in your life and work.) "None of us has gotten where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We got here because somebody . . . bent down and helped us."–Thurgood Marshall

Leaders operate from being responsible, even when they don't feel like it and it doesn't seem true A construction worker went to work every day with his black metal lunch pail under his arm. On Monday, he complained loudly about the peanut butter and jelly sandwich he had for lunch. His co-workers ignored his complaints, since it was his first day on the job. Tuesday at lunch this same worker was even louder about how much he hated peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. There were a few rumblings from his co-workers, but they let it slide. By Friday, after hearing him complain every day about PBJ sandwiches one of his co-workers yelled out, "Why don't you just get your wife to make you a tuna fish or Philly cheese steak sandwich or something else?" The man looked up with a puzzled look on his face and said, "My wife? I don't have a wife. I made this myself." What if the state of your business, your personal relationships, and your health were all simply a sandwich you made yourself? Leaders take the viewpoint that their choices create their experience, whether that is true or not. I submit that for most people, they are living a life of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich of their own creation. Of course, it doesn't look that way to them. That's because the decisions that are creating their life are unconscious decisions instead of conscious ones. It's what you don't know that trips you up or prevents you from producing the life you say you want. When was the last time you explored what unconscious decisions were affecting your life? What have you bought into as reality–such as what success really means–that is merely an unconscious decision? Is there a success you are currently enjoying you think is just a coincidence or a matter of chance or lucky timing? Explore the choices you made in setting any and all of that up. If you don't see how you create your success you will always be afraid of losing it because you won't know how to recreate it. Take one hour this week and invest it in exploring what unconscious decisions are affecting your life. TAKEAWAY! It is what you don't know that is stopping you. Every result in your life is a peanut butter sandwich you made for yourself. Action Step #1 Write down one result you have in your life currently that you do not like (the size of your bank balance, the state of a relationship, the condition of your car, etc.). Now, write down at least 10 choices you've made that set up that result; 10 thoughts, feelings, speaking or actions, which allowed that result to happen or flat out caused that result. Don't quit until you have all 10. Now, do this same exercise with one successful result you are enjoying today. If you don't see how you are making the great things happen you will not be able to recreate them. Pretend your choices were at cause even if you don't believe it or feel that it isn't true. Action Step #2 Do a seminar or hire a coach where you explore what decisions you have made about you that are unconscious. This is what our Personal Mastery seminar does or what a good coach can create for you. An Example  An advanced graduate of ours (Curt) relayed a story that illustrated a peanut butter sandwich he made for himself. Curt was struggling along with mediocre success when he took our seminars. One of his insights was that during his attendance at the Air Force Academy, his flight team had been climbing a tower in a training exercise. One girl on his team slipped and fell–from 60 feet high! Although she didn't die, it was a traumatic incident that stayed with Curt. For years, Curt told me, he blamed the Air Force for accepting this woman into the Academy when it was obvious she lacked the standard physical requirements. He was holding that against them and he was holding that against himself as well. What he did not see until our seminars was that although everyone saw him as a leader, Curt did not trust himself. Curt had decided out of that incident that he couldn't trust himself. Until he saw that he just thought others believed in him falsely. What he did not know about his unconscious thinking was repeatedly holding him back from productively assuming a leadership role in anything, let alone his business. "One's philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes . . . and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility."–Eleanor Roosevelt

Leaders develop the vision of the organization, others, and themselves I had lunch one day with a woman named Ann Low. Her eight-year-old daughter Landry was trying to cope with the 9-11 World Trade Center disaster. Those 3,000 people dying was such a large number for her to comprehend. After sympathizing, Ann decided to leverage the moment in terms of instruction. She asked her daughter how many children under the age of five died every day? Landry guessed 400. Ann encouraged her daughter to think bigger, because this was the whole world. Landry guessed a thousand. Ann then told her that 15,000 children under the age of five die every day. Astounded, eight-year-old Landry, committed to feeding 1,000 children. She sat in her principal's office five days in a row before getting an appointment. When she finally got to see him, she convinced the principal to let her announce daily for eight days over the PA system that all the children in school could change the world with their spare change. After eight days, Landry had collected a wheelbarrow full of money. It was enough to feed over 4,000 children. If an eight-year-old can do that, what can you do in your business? Can you ignore rejection and call someone five times like Landry did as she sat in the principal's office waiting to see him for five days? Can you commit to a goal that others think is unrealistic or, based on your past, is unrealistic? Remember that realism is for those that lack imagination. Vision is the ability to see with your imagination the potential that the physical eye cannot see. The physical eye sees facts, such as an apple seed sitting in the palm of my hand. Vision sees the potential of the tree it will become and the fruit of that tree, which has seeds and the trees of those seeds, etc. Where in your life do you feel overwhelmed? What piece are you willing to commit to solving? Sure, 4,000 starving children being fed may not solve the whole problem, but it begins a movement of hope. A graduate of our seminars and top marketing professional, Mark Lance, wisely states, "Take someone as far as they can see and then they can see further." Take 10 minutes today and make a list of your goals that are outside of accumulation and in the realm of contribution or making a difference. TAKEAWAY! Large visions grow out of little visions. Never underestimate your ability to make a difference. Action Step #1 Take one of your business partners and have a conversation like Ann had with her daughter. Remember, it started with something huge–3,000 people dying in one incident. It moved to something even bigger–15,000 children under the age of five dying every day. It then moved to a commitment the daughter thought she could take on– feeding 1,000 children. With your team, that might sound like the difference a leader in your business makes in a community project or charitable cause. What if 1,000 successful people were involved? Ask yourself what you can do right now. You don't have to swallow the whole elephant right now, you just have to take one bite and start chewing. An Example More than 20 years ago, I interviewed Wally Amos, an international speaker and the creator of "Famous Amos" Cookies. I interviewed him because I found out he had lost the entire business of "Famous Amos" Cookies and yet, within 30 days, he had another company up, running, and making a profit. I wanted to know all about that. During our meeting I asked him if he started with a vision of an international cookie company. Quite the contrary! His vision in the beginning was simply to have the best cookie store in Los Angeles. From that the vision grew and grew. Action Step #2 List the biggest difference you think you make in your lifetime. Then have someone close to you give an honest evaluation if they see it the same way. Now fantasize about what a difference that difference made in all the people touched by that person and so on. Know that you have impacted thousands. Look at all the people touched by the story of Ann and Landry. Now, write a page in your journal on how you might make twice that difference, or, even more. An Example  I know that this can be a difficult exercise for some people. To get you started, recall the classic holiday movie starring Jimmy Stewart, "It's a Wonderful Life." The character Stewart plays George Bailey, who is thinking of suicide and gets the chance to see what life would have been like if he had never been born. From that perspective, take a fresh look at all the differences you've made in your life. "The purpose of life is a life of purpose"–Robert Byrne

Leaders are more interested in developing the root structure than the immediate visible results There is a Chinese bamboo tree I have heard about, that when planted, you will see no growth for 90 days, then in a few short months grows 90 feet! What it was doing prior to the explosive growth was putting down a root structure that would support its future growth. In building the huge Sears tower in Chicago, they first went 100 feet down before they ever started building up. Many times we invest effort in a business or relationship and we get impatient that there is no visible growth. The results we are working for just don't seem to be there. But often what's really happening is that we are changing in those hidden ways necessary to support our future results. Growth is usually never a straight-line increase. In my experience, it's a series of intermittent increases or "growth spurts" and then plateaus. Think of learning a sport. Most of your development occurs in leaps of getting better followed by lingering plateaus of staying at that same level (and those plateaus always seem to take too long). Near the end of your growth, it takes an incredible amount of effort and time to get those last, final, small increases in performance. It's those last small increases that separate the champions from the alsorans. Take five minutes right now and list the ways you are investing in creating a foundation or root structure for your life and work. Are you investing in a computer structure or accounting system that will allow you to expand? Are you investing time in extending your education in marketing, management, or technology that will allow you to grow bigger or faster? Are you spending time developing your second layer of leadership? This is your greatest leverage. There is always a decrease in your personal production as you spend time developing other people. There needs to be a balance of both being done all the time. Are you spending time in spiritual or inspirational studies that will give you a stronger, deeper foundation? This week, outline a plan that will increase your root structure this year in a significant way. TAKEAWAY! Building a Root Structure is often invisible, but is even more important than visible growth. Invest money and time in root structures to support your desired future growth and gains. And be patient! Action Step #1 If your income suddenly became 10 times what it is now, what would you need to know to handle that increase? What would you need to know to profitably invest that much money? What resources would you need to protect that much money? Now, develop a study program to learn those things. Action Step #2 Ask yourself: who do I want to be around and associating with in five years and who do I know who knows them that I can network with? Take a step this week to get to know someone who knows who you want to know. Spend time building your network of people that will get you to the people you want to be around in five years. Work on your willingness to have them in your network even sooner. Build a Rolodex of successful people. Never let a month go by where you have not added at least one super achiever to your file of friends and associates. List your top three business partnerships. This is your root structure. List one thing you are doing to develop your relationship with each one of your partners. Now list three new people who you have not spent much time with who will be future partners. What can you do to increase the value of your relationship? You must grow the roots wide and deep to grow a 90′ bamboo tree. "Ninety-nine percent of who you are is invisible and untouchable."–R. Buckminster Fuller

Leaders know there are prices and benefits for everything The prices–or what you have to invest or give up– are not always so obvious and, in fact, are often hidden. If you don't know the price, it's usually higher than you want to pay. There is no free lunch. There are prices to be paid for doing your business successfully or in making a relationship work. There are people I know who want to be financially independent. I always ask them, "How much are you willing to pay for your financial independence?" When I press for a specific amount of money, they sometimes squirm a bit. The problem is they want a huge return–financial independence–without having to pay for it. Be willing to pay the price, because often times the cost of not doing something is hidden AND far more expensive. In addition, many times we think there is a price for achieving success that isn't there or isn't as high or hard to pay as we thought. Many times I have heard people say, "I don't want to become rich or super successful because I wouldn't be able to spend any time with my family." I haven't found that to be true at all. At the same time there will be prices to be paid. Right now, write down two things that are very important to you that you want to create. Perhaps it is a rewarding relationship, doubling the size of your business, a certain size waistline, or making a huge, positive difference in your community. Ask yourself: How much time will this take? How uncomfortable will I need to allow myself to be? How much money will it take? Now, tell the truth about what you are willing to pay to get that. There will be prices you are unwilling to pay. That's fine, but state clearly what you ARE willing to pay and begin to build up your willingness to pay the price. This will put you in elite company and is a giant step to achieving your result. TAKEAWAY! Leaders change the situation, so even after they leave, things are different than when they arrived. Action Step #1 List 10 prices you THINK you will have to pay to reach your goal for this year. Are there any you are unwilling to pay? Interview someone who has made that level of success you are aiming for and ask that person what prices he or she paid? Did you have any false assumptions? Now, list 10 prices you are paying for being at the level of your business you are currently at, instead of the higher level of your goal. Identify at least one price you are unwilling to continue paying. An Example I have a friend in a network marketing company who has not achieved the top income designation, but has sat at the second highest level for a couple years. When I asked her what it was costing to not achieve the highest level, she replied "not much." (This was why she was still #2.) I had to press a little to get her to truly examine the real prices, but the price that caused her to move into action was when I asked her how many families were suffering because other networkers weren't going for the top level because my friend hadn't made it yet and everyone saw her as "the leader." She recognized that she was holding them back. Action Step #2  Go back to any goal you have failed at. Now, make a commitment not to stop until you have completed it. This will build your quotient of being willing to pay the price. The willingness to pay the price is what separates the excellent from the average. "The most important thing is to be able at any moment to sacrifice who you are for what you could become"–Charles Dubois