May 3, 2005
Issue 31
Welcome!
To this week's issue of the Denis Waitley International online
newsletter. My goal is to offer valuable, relevant, leading
edge, and interesting content, with some innovative and
refreshing differences from the other ezines and newsletters
you may be receiving.
My mission is to help you win in all the arenas of your
life. You deserve the best and so do your family members.
Also, please feel free to let us know how we are doing and
what special interests you may have.
Warm regards,
Denis Waitley
P.S. If you've enjoyed this week's edition and found it to
be valuable, then if you would do me the favor of forwarding
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Many Thanks!
In This Issue.....
1. Weekly Jumpstart
2. Champion Within Weekly Article
3. Weekly Seeds of Greatness
4. Winner's Edge Coaching Tips
5. Featured Product of the Week
6. Frequently Asked Questions
7. More Information
1. Weekly Jumpstart
Every Decision We Make has an "Opportunity
Cost"
Every decision forfeits all other opportunities we had
before we made it. We can't be two places at the same time. In their excellent
management book, Tradeoffs, Drs. Greiff and Munter discuss the difficult options
that face us in all areas of our lives. One case in point illustrates a common
opportunity cost. It's a true anecdote they call, "Bicycle vs. Mother":
"John is a precocious eight-year-old boy. Both his parents work. His mother is a
management consultant and travels frequently. After being away for several days,
she arrived home late one night and hugged her son.
He said, 'Mom, I missed you. Why were you away so long?'
She smiled and replied, 'One of the reasons I was away was to make enough money
to buy you the bicycle you wanted.'
Young John looked at her reflectively and stated, 'Mom, I really did want the
bicycle. But mothers are more important than bicycles. So please stay home
more.'"
Even though we all are aware of the tradeoffs of "quality time vs. quantity
time" in our relationships, we are not used to thinking specifically about how
our decisions cost us other opportunities. Without this understanding, our
decisions will often be unfocused and unrelated to helping us achieve our most
important goals.
This week be more aware of the "opportunity cost" and use this to help you make great decisions!
-- Denis Waitley
2. The Champion Within Weekly
Article
I Learned from My Grandma that the Seeds of Greatness Are...
by Denis Waitley
My grandma, Mabel Reynolds Ostrander, and I shared one of
those special relationships as rare as a double rainbow. She
was fifty-three when I was ten. That's when we planted our
first "Victory" garden together during World War II. We
planted seeds together -- in the soil -- and in each other.
Grandma lived eighty-seven seasons without a complaint. I
was forty-four when I last saw her. But I remember every
mince and lemon tart, every bite of "made from scratch"
apple pie, and every lingering wave of her hand as she stood
(out of sight or so she thought) behind the rayon, Priscilla
curtains in the little house at 718 West Pennsylvania Avenue
in San Diego, California, where I was born and raised. As
our station wagon full of kids and contentment would slowly
pull away from the curb, we would all look back at her and
wave - and I would gaze at her fragile silhouette through
the rear view mirror, wishing I could frame her there
forever, just that way - wondering how many more Easter and
Christmas dinners we would share.
Most of all, I remember my grandma and me planting seeds. We
planted squash, beans, corn, watermelons, beets, pansies,
mums and other flowers. I'll admit I rode my bike those
twenty miles each Saturday more for the bonus of the
conversation and the homemade pastries, than for the
vegetables and flowers. But no matter how full I was after I
ate, I was always left hungry for more of the wisdom and
optimism she shared with me.
I'll never forget the day we tasted our first harvest as a
result of crossing a plum tree with an apricot tree. The
ripe fruit was pink, not purple like a plum, nor orange like
an apricot; but a combination of both. "Gee, do you suppose
they'll be any good?" I asked. "Why of course they will be
wonderful," she chided. "Didn’t we do the planting,
nurturing and pruning?"
Sure enough, they were delicious, even though they were
different than any fruit I'd ever seen before. "That's
because they are uniquely unlike any other fruit you'll ever
eat. They are plumcots!" she exulted. '“You always get out
what you put in," she continued as we sat under the tree
eating most of what we had picked.
"Plant apple seeds and you get apple trees, plant acorns and
you get majestic oak trees, plant weeds and you will harvest
weeds (even without watering), plant the seeds of great
ideas and you will get great individuals," she said softly
and intently, looking directly into my eyes. "Do you
understand what I mean?" I nodded, remembering I'd heard her
say the same thing before, in different ways.
I learned from my grandma that the seeds of greatness are
not special genes, dependent on the gifted birth, the
inherited bank account, the intellect, the skin-deep beauty,
the race, the gender, or the status. The seeds of greatness
are attitudes and beliefs that begin in children by
observing, imitating and internalizing the lifestyles of
significant role models and heroes.
"Model your thoughts and actions after men and women who
have been passionate, excellent, honest, unselfish and
creative in their service to others," my grandmother had
counseled. Armed with that affirmation, I ventured forth to
sow and reap my own legacy in life.
I've traveled the world to the seven seas.
I've been up at the top and down on my knees.
I've been blessed with abundance and plenty of weeds.
But I've never stopped caring about others' needs.
As you tend your own garden, unlike any other.
Remember the words of my lovely grandmother.
"If you're hoping to harvest a life of great deeds, remember
you first have to plant some great seeds."
Denis Waitley
Denis Waitley has studied,
counseled and trained leaders in virtually every field
including Apollo astronauts, Olympic gold medalists, Super
Bowl champions, returning POW's, heads of state and Fortune
500 top executives.
Denis is recognized as a world class speaker and author and
has traveled the globe sharing success ideas and strategies
to thousands of companies the past 25 years. To book Dr.
Waitley to speak for your company or to be part of your
upcoming Regional or National Convention send an email to
speaker@deniswaitley.com or call 877-929-0439 and ask
for Hilary.
3. Weekly Seeds of Greatness by
Denis Waitley
(This excerpt was taken from
Denis Waitley's Seeds of Greatness Treasury)
Love: The Greatest Four-letter Word
L - is for Listen. To love someone is to listen
unconditionally to his or her values and needs without
prejudice.
O - is for Overlook. To love someone is to overlook the
flaws and faults in favor of looking for the good.
V - is for Voice. To love someone is to voice your approval
on a regular basis. There is no substitute for honest
encouragement, positive strokes and praise.
E - is for Effort. To love someone is to make a constant
effort to spend the time, to make the sacrifice, to show
your interest.
To order The Seeds of Greatness Treasury by
Denis Waitley go to
http://www.jimrohn.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=460 or
call 800-929-0439.
4. The
Winner's Edge Coaching Tips
From Inside to Outside: Enhancing your Self-Esteem and That
of the Significant Others in Your Life is the topic of our
current coaching tips. The purpose of these coaching tips is
to help us master our core values and learn to accept that
we are worthy of the best, but not more worthy than the
rest. So let's cover this week's tip:
Be open to criticism and relaxed about acknowledging your
mistakes. Your self-esteem is not tied to always being right
or to an image of perfection.
This week work to become comfortable with the fact that each
one of us is imperfect. Accept and acknowledge your mistakes
and keep working on improving!
DW
5. Featured
Product of the Week
10 Great Graduation and/or
Mother's/Father's Day Gift-Giving Ideas
(and for yourself)!
Perfect for Mother's Day includes -
The Angel Inside by Chris Widener and
The Seeds of Greatness Treasury by Denis Waitley
Perfect for that upcoming new graduate includes - Leading an Inspired Life by Jim Rohn or
Safari to the Soul by Denis Waitley
and much more
Special Pricing for a Limited Time
Visit -
http://www.jimrohn.com |
6. Frequently Asked Questions
Every so often we'll take a question about or addressed to Denis Waitley and provide the answer! This week, a reader asks for help in getting the "creative juices" flowing more quickly for those of us who are writers. Enjoy!
Q: My question is this, after a full day I
sometimes get the chance to write and I love it, although
often this time is late at night I find it usually takes an
hour or so before the artwork begins to dance across the
page, do you have any advice (being a writer yourself) on
how to get the creativity flowing immediately? -- Anthony
A: Dear Anthony: I have great empathy for you in
getting the creative juices flowing more quickly.
Some off-the-top ideas:
When beginning to write or brainstorm, listen to Baroque
period classical music, that are largo tempo, such as Bach,
Handel and Vivaldi. If this puts you into too mellow a mood,
mix in a little Mozart. I am not an aficionado of the
classics, but have studied, in depth, the use of certain
types of music to inspire creativity. If possible, also go
for a brief walk before starting to write. Not a power walk,
but a stroll.
Writing takes place, most favorably, in longer,
uninterrupted blocks of time. Why? Because creativity can't
be ordered up. It arrives with many flashes of insight. Try
to block out more time on a weekend or during a vacation
where writing becomes the focus. You don't need a beach or
lake to write, because they can become distractions.
Put a small sign near your keyboard, "Keep the Reader in
Mind." In other words, try to picture the person reading
your words, rather than trying to select the words you want
to write.
When creative ideas don't flow, simply exercise, have a
glass of wine, or a cup of hot chocolate and go to bed. But
make sure you have a pen and pad of paper near your bedside.
Some of my best ideas have come just before falling asleep
and I have jumped out of bed or turned on the lamp and
scribbled down the ideas before they steal away. I try to
wake up about a half hour before I need to "get up", because
the same thing can occur while you are lying in bed
contemplating the day. By already having your priorities
planned, you won't have to spend time before you go to bed
or just when you wake up, to worry or be concerned about
projects and schedules. You can focus on your writing and
the bigger picture.
To be more creative, I also try to alter my daily routine a
little. I take a bath at night instead of a shower. I drive
to work a different way. I eat different foods with
different tastes.
The classical music makes the most difference for me. It
seems to allow the right hemisphere of the brain to have an
open dialogue with the left hemisphere, and creativity seems
to be more immediate and enhanced.
Warm regards,
Denis Waitley
7. More Information
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please go to: Ezine Archives
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