Read Me First!
Change your mental attitude, and the world around you will change accordingly. Your world will become what you choose to make it. You can reach great heights of success, or you can settle for a miserable life that is devoid of hope. The choice is yours. When you choose a positive course, you set in motion an unstoppable force that will allow you to have a fulfilling career, the love of your family and friends, good physical and mental health, and all of the other true riches of life. To change your world, you must change it from the inside out. You must begin with yourself. When you choose the course that puts your life on a positive track, you will change your life for the better, and you will also positively influence the people with whom you come in contact.
Napoleon Hill Foundation
College Avenue, Wise, VA 24293
रावण ने लक्ष्मण को बताई थी सफलता की कुंजी : पहली बात जो रावण ने लक्ष्मण को बताई वह यह थी कि उचित कार्य जितनी जल्दी हो कर डालना और अनुचित को जितना अधिक टाल सकते हो टाल देना चाहिए यानी ‘शुभस्य शीघ्रम्’। रावण ने लक्ष्मण को बताया, 'मैं श्रीराम को पहचान नहीं सका और उनकी शरण में आने में देरी कर दी, इसी के चलते मेरी यह हालत हुई'। इसके बाद रावण ने लक्ष्मण को जो दूसरी बात बताई वह और भी हैरान कर देने वाली थी। उसने कहा, "अपने प्रतिद्वंद्वी अर्थात अपने शत्रु को कभी स्वयं से छोटा नहीं समझना चाहिए, वह आपसे भी अधिक बलशालि हो सकता है। मैंने श्रीराम को तुच्छ मनुष्य समझा और सोचा कि उन्हें हराना मेरे लिए काफी आसान होगा, लेकिन यही मेरी सबसे बड़े भूल थी।" रावण ने आगे कहा, "मैंने जिन्हें साधारण वानर और भालू समझा उन्होंने मेरी पूरी सेना को नष्ट कर डाला। मैंने जब ब्रह्माजी से अमरता का वरदान मांगा था तब मनुष्य और वानर के अतिरिक्त कोई मेरा वध न कर सके ऐसा कहा था क्योंकि मैं मनुष्य और वानर को तुच्छ समझता था, यही मेरी गलती थी।" रावण ने लक्ष्मण को तीसरी और अंतिम बात यह बताई कि अपने जीवन का कोई राज हो तो उसे किसी को भी नहीं बताना चाहिए। यहां भी मैं चूक गया क्योंकि विभीषण मेरी मृत्यु का राज जानता था, अगर उसे मैं यह न बताता तो शायद आज मेरी यह दुर्गति न होती।"
दी स्पीकिंग ट्री
नई दिल्ली
NO-THINGNESS: Only nothingness can be infinite; somethingness is bound to be finite. Only out of nothingness is an infinite expanse of life, existence, possible - not out of somethingness. God is not somebody: He is nobody or, more correctly, nobodiness. God is not something: he is nothing or, even more correctly, no-thingness. He is a creative void. Never for a single moment think that nothingness is a negative state, an absence, no. Nothingness is simply no-thingness. Things disappear, only the ultimate substance remains. Forms disappear, only the formless remains. Definitions disappear, the undefined remains. The awakening of a Buddha is total. In that total awakening there is a luminous awareness surrounded by a positive nothingness. It is not empty, it is overfull. Things have disappeared... and what has remained is inexpressible. We try to express it as blissfulness, as ecstasy, as eternal joy, but these are just faraway echoes of the real thing.
OSHO Rajneesh
Philosopher
You Can Change Your Life: Life is about constant, predictable patterns of change, and the only constant factor will be our feelings and attitudes toward life. We as human beings have the power of attitude and that attitude determines choice, and choice determines results. All that we are and all that we can become has indeed been left to us to decide and interpret through our attitude and choices. Life is like the changing seasons—you cannot change the seasons, but you can change yourself. So the first major lesson in life to learn is how to handle the winters. They come regularly, right after autumn. Some are long, some are short, some are difficult, some are easy, but they always come right after autumn. That is never going to change. There are all kinds of winters: the “winter” when you can’t figure it out, the “winter” when everything seems to go awry. There are economic winters, social winters and personal winters. Wintertime can bring disappointment, and disappointment is common to all of us. So you must learn how to handle the winters. You must learn how to handle difficulty; it always comes after opportunity. That is never going to change. The big question is what to do about winters. You can’t get rid of January simply by tearing it off the calendar. But here is what you can do: You can get stronger; you can get wiser; you can get better. Remember that trio of words: stronger, wiser, better. The winters won’t change, but you can. Before I understood this, I used to wish for summer when it was winter. When things were difficult, I wished they were easy. I didn’t know any better. Then my mentor Earl Shoaff gave me the answer from a part of his unique philosophy when he said, “Don’t wish it were easier, wish you were better. Don’t wish for fewer problems, wish for more skills. Don’t wish for less challenge, wish for more wisdom.”
Jim Rohn
Personal Development Coach
BAD TIMES - GOOD TIMES: Are there such thing known as bad times or good times? Recently when we hear news that the US economy is slowing down or even going into a recession, many people start declaring that bad times are coming upon us. Many countries begin to predict that their GNP will drop. To translate it into organizational terms, the sales managers are predicting that their sales are going to drop. If we were to translate it into individual terms, we are saying that our income will drop. If you too were analyze it carefully, you will notice that all the 3 cases above seem to point to the fact that the OUTSIDE ENVIRONMENT is going to affect us and there's nothing that we can do about it.
Has it not occurred to us that humans are supposed to have control over his environment? Like inventing the air-con when our weather is hot. Like inventing the airplane when we can't fly. Like inventing the submarine when we can't breathe under water. What makes us so sure that our income will drop? It's something affecting our mind - it's making us feel hopeless. But why do we let it be? Why not take the situation in our own hands. Why not channel our efforts and thoughts to finding new business opportunities, new ways, new clients, new strategy to increase our business or Income?
Listen to what Chris Newton has to say:-
"There's no law, written or unwritten that says that just because the 'cake' is shrinking, you must have a shrinking slice of it. With innovative advertising and marketing? you'll survive and prosper ?even if others around you are falling by the wayside."
The key would lie on whether you have the courage to do things you have never done before; courage to explore new ways; courage to promote or market yourself when others are cutting cost and licking their wounds at home. Remember, businesses are outside in the market place - not behind the cozy desk.
For those of you who are working for others - this is the time for you to put your best foot forward. Come up with innovative ideas for your bosses. Volunteer to implement it etc. You will notice that Bad times will become the Best of times for you.
In case you may think that we only know how to preach - for your information, our business has doubled the last 4 months and we have more coming that we don't know how to cope.
Anyway I will leave you with a very wise statement by a very great man:-
"There are no such things
as good or bad times;
There are only different type of times!"
Billi Lim
Author of "Dare To Fail”
DARE TO FAIL: Failing is a natural part of life. The more you put yourself out there, the bigger the rewards but also the greater the risk of failure. By trying to be our best, we likely will fall many times before we reach our goals. That is the way learning goes. I have had many great successes in my life, but I have also come face-to-face with failure more times than I can count. I think it is impossible to be a parent or leader and not get to know failure on a first-name basis. In my experience with failure, both personally and professionally as an executive coach, I see that the more we are scared of failure, the more power it has over us and stops us from trying new things. And trying new things and making bold moves is what can lead to the greatest successes. So, we have a choice to make. Do we live life small, fearing that failure could be around the corner waiting for us? Or do we take chances, risk failure and dare to live a life beyond our wildest dreams?
Here are four tips to help take some power away from your fears of failure:
1. Think of failure as a normal part of life. The saying "What you resist, persists" applies to many areas in life, including failure. Not getting things right the first time is a necessary part of learning. Think of failing as the "playing" part of anything new you try. The quicker you become comfortable with failure, the less stress and more success you will likely experience.
2. Realize you're probably worrying for nothing. A lot of times, people worry about all the potential failures before then deciding not to proceed with the action. The cost of something not going as planned would be too much to bear. Keep in mind that most of the things we worry about actually never happen. So, acknowledge your fears, put them aside and don’t let them stop you from what you want to do.
3. Reflect. Give yourself some time to reflect on mistakes made, extract some learning from the situation and then move on. Stop being so hard on yourself and spending precious energy dwelling on and overanalyzing things. If you find your mind going back over the events of the day again, just keep saying to yourself, "Stop!" You may have to repeat this 50 times, but eventually, your mind will move on.
4. Have faith. Trusting what is meant to be has been the most profound lesson for me about failure. Some opportunities are just not meant to be. It doesn’t mean it was a true failure, just not the right fit or the right timing. Trust in the greater plan. Take a look back at your life, and chances are you will see that everything has turned out for the best, despite some ups and downs along the way. Do your best work, put yourself out there fully and have faith that life will assist in bringing the opportunities and people your way that will have the most profound impact on all parties involved.
Carey-Ann Oestreicher
Forbes Coaches Council
If you don’t know what you want, don’t say you never had a chance. The people who complain the loudest about never having an opportunity in life are usually the ones who always have a ready excuse for their failures. Nothing is ever their fault; they are victims of their heritage, their environment, insufficient education, or any number of other factors that they perceive as placing them at a disadvantage. If you look hard enough, you can always find reasons for not attempting something or not sticking with the job to the end. Successful people, though, are not excuse-makers. They take responsibility for their actions, they set goals, and they assume responsibility for their achievement. Where others see despair, they see hope. They approach every situation with enthusiasm, confident in the knowledge that nothing is impossible for those who have a Positive Mental Attitude.
Dr. Napoleon Hill
Founder, NHF [USA]
Get Out There and FAIL! Remember when you learned how to ride a bicycle? With training wheels it was easy and a good introduction, but you aspired to ride free. Then, the training wheels came off, and things became more difficult. You were scared but excited! You struggled to stay upright and endured the inevitable falls, bumps, bruises, and scrapes. But you kept going. You looked forward to the time when you would succeed, when you would at last ride free on your own. So, you kept at it every day, and eventually mastered the skill of riding a bike. Let’s examine how you now approach the development of new skills. Do you move forward with excitement, willing to perform unsuccessfully until you master the challenge? Do you jump at the chance to try something new or to “prove yourself” in the face of unforeseen obstacles? If you’re like most people, the answer is probably no. So, what’s changed between your “bike riding days” and today? For one thing, I’ll bet that you’ve become a lot more concerned about the opinions of others, often hesitating because of possible criticism and ridicule. Sure, it can be 'uncomfortable' to try something new, perhaps even scary. But if you take your eye off the goal and instead focus your attention on how others may be viewing you, you are doing yourself a grave disservice. Successful people learn to 'fail' their way to success. While they may not particularly enjoy their 'failures,' they recognize them as a necessary part of the road to victory. After all, proficiency at any skill requires time, effort, and discipline, and the willingness to persevere through whatever difficulties may arise. Acclaimed TV talk show host Sally Jessy Raphael, by her own account, couldn’t pay her credit card bills for 26 years. In that period, she moved 25 times looking for work, was fired 18 times, and never earned more than $22,000 a year. Worse yet, there were times when she lived on food stamps and slept in her car. At what point should she have given up? So, when you get right down to it, there is no such thing as failure, there are only results, some more successful than others. Failure means you’ve reached the end of the line and that success is not possible. The only time that happens is when you quit. Quitting is final. But continued attempts, with commitment and diligence, can be turned into success.
Jeffrey Keller
Attitude is Everything, Inc. [USA]
Falling isn’t Failing : Mary Pickford used to say, “Don’t look at the sudden loss of a habit, or a way of life, as the end of the road; see it instead as only a bend in the road that will open up all sorts of interesting possibilities and new experiences. After all, you’ve seen the scenery on the old road for so long, and you obviously no longer like it.” The breaking of a long-time habit does seem like the end of the road at the time - the complete cessation of enjoyment. Suddenly dropping the habit so fills our minds with the desire for the old habitual way that, for a while, it seems there will no longer be any peace, any sort of enjoyment. But that’s not true. New habits form in a surprisingly short time, and a whole new world opens up to us. For those who have tried repeatedly to break a habit of some kind, only to repeatedly fail, Mary Pickford said, “Falling is not failing, unless you fail to get up.” Most people who finally win the battle over a habit have done so only after repeated failures. I remember in Arthur Miller’s play The Price, the father lost everything during the stock market crash of 1929 and, for the rest of his life, sat in a room in the attic of a relative. That’s failing. It seems some people lack the stamina, the energy, to do it all over again or to make a new start. For them, it’s just the end of the road, and they’ve come to a full stop. Many lead such superficial lives, have so little depth of mind and spirit, that the sudden loss of income or material things is too much for them, and they jump out a window or retreat into insanity. So if you’ve been trying to start in a new direction, you might do well to remember the advice of Mary Pickford: It isn’t the end of the road; it’s just a bend in the road. And falling isn’t failing, unless you don’t get up.
Earl Nightingale
Founder, Nightingale-Conant Corpn.
DREAMS : Our Attitude in many ways ties directly to our inner voice that forever asks the question … “Are you moving toward your dream?” If your answer is yes, then hope breeds contentment. However, if the answer is “no, it’s too late,” despair may fester within your subconscious. You might not even realize why your life lacks joy. I can say this with conviction … “It is never too late to be what you might have been.” Dreams are free, and just having them can make your life worth living. Ray Kroc is one of my business heroes. he founded McDonald’s when he was 52 years old, after trying for over two years and talking to more than 100 people to raise the money. Fifteen years ago, I had the good fortune to talk to Tom, one of the potential investors whom Ray approached. Tom told me how Ray had come to his office one Friday afternoon with his business plan for this “crazy idea” called McDonald’s. For $100,000 he was offering Tom 30 percent of the company. Tom told him that he didn’t have the time to review it then but that he would take it home over the weekend. Monday morning rolled around and Ray was waiting at the front door when Tom got to his office. Tom invited him in and said, “Ray, I read this plan three times; even shared it with a friend. And we both decided that there’s no way in the world you can make money selling hamburgers.”We all know that Ray thought otherwise; and the rest, of course, is history.
Mac Anderson
Founder and CEO of Successories, Inc.
The Questions of the righteous Crane or the Yaksha : Dialogue between Yudhisthir and Yaksha —
Question 1. The Yaksha asked Yudhisthira, "Who makes the sun rise and ascend in the skies? Who moves the Sun around? Who makes the sunset in the horizons? What is the true nature of the Sun and where is the Sun established"?
Yudhishthira answered, "Brahma makes the sun rise and ascend. The Gods perambulate about the Sun. The Dharma sets the Sun. Truth is the actual Sun and the Sun is established in Truth only".
Question 2. Yaksha enquired: What instills 'divinity' in Brahmins? What is the quality of virtuosity in a Brahmin? What is the humanlike quality of a Brahmin? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Brahmin?
Yudhisthira replied: The self-study (Swadhyayana) of the Vedas is divinity in a Brahmin. Penance is the quality like a virtuous person in a Brahmin. Death is human-like quality in a Brahmin. Criticizing others is conduct in a Brahmin like a non-virtuous person.
Question 3. The Yaksha asked, "What instills divinity in Kshatriyas? What is the quality of virtuosity in a Kshatriya? What is the humanity of a Kshatriya? What is the conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in a Kshatriya"?
Yudhishthira replied, "The art of archery instils divinity in a Kshatriya. Oblation is the quality of virtuosity in a Kshatriya. Fear is his humanity. Abandoning people under the protection of the Kshatriya is conduct akin to a non-virtuous person in the Kshatriya".
Question 4. The Yaksha asked, "What is that thing which is like Mantra in the performance of oblations (Yajna)? Who is the performer of rites and ceremonies during Yajna? Who accepts the offerings and oblations of a Yajna? What is that which even a Yajna cannot transgress"?
Yudhishthira replied, "Breath is like Mantra in the performance of rites. The mind is the performer of all rites in the course of Yajna. Only Shlokas of the Vedas, termed rucha or the richa accept oblation. The Yajna cannot surpass nor transgress the richas".
Question 5. The Yaksha asked, "What is heavier than Earth, higher than heavens, faster than the wind and more numerous than straws"?
Yudhishthira answered, "One's mother is heavier than the Earth, one's father is higher than the heavens, the mind is faster than the wind and our worries are more numerous than straws ".
Question 6. The Yaksha asked, "Who is the friend of a traveler? Who is the friend of one who is ill and one who is dying"?
Yudhishthira's response, "The friend of a traveler is his companion. The physician is the friend of one who is sick and a dying man's friend is charity".
Question 7. The Yaksha asked, "What is that which, when renounced, makes one lovable? What is that which is renounced makes happy and wealthy"?
Yudhishthira replied, "Pride, if renounced makes one lovable, renouncing desire one becomes wealthy and to renounce avarice is to obtain happiness".
Question 8. The Yaksha asked, "What enemy is invincible? What constitutes an incurable disease? What sort of man is noble and what sort is ignoble"?
And Yudhishthira responded, "Anger is the invincible enemy. Covetousness constitutes a disease that is incurable. He is noble who desires the well-being of all creatures, and he is ignoble who is without mercy".
Question 9. The Yaksha asked, "Who is truly happy? What is the greatest wonder? What is the path? And what is the news"?
Whereupon Yudhishthira replied, "He who has no debts is truly happy. Day after day countless people die. Yet living wishes to live forever. O Lord, what can be a greater wonder? Argument leads to no certain conclusion, the Srutis are different from one another; there is not even one Rishi whose opinion can be accepted by all. The truth about Dharma and duty is hidden in the cave of our hearts, therefore that alone is the path along which the great have trod. This world full of ignorance is like a pan. The sun is fire, the days and nights are fuel. The months and the seasons constitute the wooden ladle. Time is the cook that is cooking all creatures in that pan (with such aids). This is the news".
Mahābhāratam
One of the major Sanskrit epics of ancient India
Don’t Send Your Ducks to Eagle School : The first rule of management is this - Don’t send your ducks to eagle school. Why? Because it won’t work. Good people are found, not changed. They can change themselves, but you can’t change them. If you want good people, you have to find them. If you want motivated people, you have to find them, not motivate them. I picked up a magazine not long ago in New York that had a full-page ad in it for a hotel chain. The first line of the ad read, “We do not teach our people to be nice.” Now that got my attention. The second line said, “We hire nice people.” I thought, "What a clever shortcut!” Motivation is a mystery. Why are some people motivated and some are not? Why does one salesperson see his first prospect at seven in the morning while the other sees his first prospects at 11 in the morning? Why would one start at seven and the other start at 11? I don’t know. Call it “mysteries of the mind.”I give lectures to a thousand people at a time. One walks out and says, “I’m going to change my life.” Another walks out with a yawn and says, “I’ve heard all this stuff before.” Why is that? The wealthy man says to a thousand people, “I read this book, and it started me on the road to wealth.” Guess how many of the thousand go out and get the book? Answer: very few. Isn’t that incredible? Why wouldn’t everyone go get the book? Mysteries of the mind. To one person, you have to say, “You’d better slow down. You can’t work that many hours, do that many things, go, go, go. You’re going to have a heart attack and die.” And to another person, you have to say, “When are you going to get off the couch?” What is the difference? Why wouldn’t everyone strive to be wealthy and happy? Chalk it up to mysteries of the mind and don’t waste your time trying to turn ducks into eagles. Hire people who already have the motivation and drive to be eagles and then just let them soar.
Jim Rohn
Personal Development Coach
How to React to Stress : Two young boys were raised by an alcoholic father. As they grew older, they moved away from that broken home, each going his own way in the world. Several years later, they happened to be interviewed separately by a psychologist who was analyzing the effects of drunkenness on children in broken homes. His research revealed that the two men were strikingly different from each other. One was a clean-living teetotaler; the other, a hopeless drunk like his father. The psychologist asked each of them why he developed the way he did, and each gave an identical answer, “What else would you expect when you have a father like mine?”That story was revealed by Dr. Hans Selye, internationally renowned Canadian physician and scientist known as the father of stress. A medical pioneer, he devoted the majority of his years to the exploration of biological stress. And he related the story of the two sons of the drunken father in an article for New Realities. And the story demonstrates a cardinal rule implicit in stress, health, and human behavior. According to R.H. Schuller, “It is not what happens to you in life that makes the difference. It is how you react to each circumstance you encounter that determines the result. Every human being in the same situation has the possibilities of choosing how he will react—either positively or negatively.”Thus, stress is not necessarily caused by stressor agents; rather, it is caused by the way stressor agents are perceived, interpreted, or appraised in each individual case. Outside events and people upset some more than others, because they are looked upon and dealt with in entirely different ways. The stressors may even be the same in each case, yet the reaction will almost always be different in different people. Armed with that kind of information, it would seem that we can greatly improve our reactions to stressful situations. What seems to be a cruel world to one person might be filled with challenge and opportunity to another. It is our reaction that makes the difference.
Earl Nightingale
Nightingale-Conant Corp.
KNOWLEDGE : Nothing Boosts your self-confidence or nurtures your positive attitude more than a mentor. And remember this … you’re never too old or too young to have one. The ability to find and benefit from a mentor is one of the key lessons to be drawn from the extraordinary life of Eleanor Roosevelt. As Robin Gerber, author of Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt way explains: Great mentors will not only lead you on your future professional path but also help you to realize your full potential - spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Eleanor did not have a happy childhood. After losing her parents at a young age, she had no one to show her any respect or affection. And because she was unattractive and lacked certain social graces, her own family members - not to mention other children - insulted and ridiculed her. Ordinarily such a childhood would lead to lack of self-esteem and confidence. Nothing, as we all know, was further from the truth. She was not afraid to fly in the face of convention, to do exactly as she pleased with the whole world watching. How did the shy, unattractive girl become the smiling, confident Eleanor Roosevelt? Much of the success of this great woman has to do with another woman - a mentor she met in boarding school. Marie Souvestre was the French headmistress of the English boarding school to which Roosevelt was sent when she was 15 years old. Instead of laughing at Roosevelt, Souvestre encouraged and complimented Eleanor on her intellect, her proficiency in the French language, and her attitude toward the other girls. Slowly, Souvestre built up Eleanor’s confidence, in essence creating the young woman who later would take on the world. Ask yourself who could make a positive difference in your life. When faced with difficult choices or challenges, to whom could you turn for guidance? The answer might not come to you immediately, and that’s probably for the best. What I would suggest is that you go through your address books and make a list of candidates. List the strengths and weaknesses of each person, and rank potential mentors in the order of preference. At that point, I’d arrange a lunch with your top choice (or send a letter) to gauge that person’s interest. You might be surprised at how flattered some people are that you asked; however, if a mentoring relationship doesn’t work out, move to your second choice. I’ve always lived by the “nothing ventured, nothing gained” theory, and selecting a mentor is one place to put it to the test. I also suggest you read books specifically about mentoring relationship, but for now I hope I’ve helped you take that first step. The right mentor can change your life in many positive ways.
Mac Anderson
CEO of Successories, Inc.
Let Failure Spur You On : It has been said that failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead-end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing. It may motivate you more toward your own goals to know that some of the most famous and well-known people in modern times had to overcome obstacles as difficult as anyone’s before they finally reached the top. It takes persistence and total commitment to your goals, but it’s possible. Thomas Edison’s father called him a “dunce.” His headmaster in school told Edison he would never make a success of anything. Henry Ford barely made it through high school. The machines of the world’s greatest inventor, Leonardo da Vinci, were never built, and many wouldn’t have worked anyway. Edwin Land, the inventor of the Polaroid Land camera, failed absolutely at developing instant movies. He described his attempts as trying to use an impossible chemistry and a nonexistent technology to make an unmanufacturable product for which there was no discernable demand. These hurdles, in his opinion, created the optimum working conditions for the creative mind. Joe Paterno, head coach of the Penn State University football team, was asked by the media how he felt when his team lost a game. He rapidly replied that losing was probably good for the team, since that was how the players learned what they were doing wrong. Setbacks and failures mean little or nothing in themselves. The whole meaning of any setback or any success, for that matter is in how we take it and what we make of it. We often look at high achievers and assume they had a string of lucky breaks or made it without much effort. Usually the opposite is true, and the so called superstar or “overnight success” had an incredibly rough time before he or she attained any lasting success. You may not know the background of a certain laundry worker who earned $60 a week at his job but had the burning desire to be a writer. His wife worked nights, and he spent nights and weekends typing manuscripts to send to publishers and agents. Each one was rejected with a form letter that gave him no assurance that his manuscript had even been read. I’ve received a few of those special valentines myself through the years, and I can tell you firsthand that they’re not the greatest self-esteem builders. But finally, a warm, more personal rejection letter came in the mail to the laundry worker, stating that, although his work was not good enough at this point to warrant publishing, he had promise as a writer and he should keep writing. He forwarded two more manuscripts to the same friendly-yet-rejecting publisher over the next 18 months, and as before, he struck out with both of them. Finances got so tight for the young couple that they had to disconnect their telephone to pay for medicine for their baby. Feeling totally discouraged, he threw his latest manuscript into the garbage. His wife, totally committed to his life goals and believing in his talent, took the manuscript out of the trash and sent it to Doubleday, the publisher who had sent the friendly rejections. The book, titled Carrie, sold over 5 million copies and, as a movie, became one of the top-grossing films in 1976. The laundry worker, of course, was Stephen King. Think back to a time in your life you have found difficult. Try to see what you gained as a result what you learned, what strength you found even in the most trying time or what strength you find now in your having overcome it. Perhaps you may never have been aware of what you gained until you think about it now. The Chinese have a saying: “Eat bitter to taste sweet.” It means that by living through painful times, we can become stronger people. I certainly agree with this, and the transformation depends on our ability to discover something beyond the pain.
Denis Waitley
Best-selling Author
and Personal Development Coach