Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 485, December 25-26, 2007

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* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter * Issue # 485, Week of December 24-25, 2007
Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com

In this issue:

-- Quotes of the Week
-- Personal Growth Products and Services
-- Article: The Truth About Setbacks - By Leslie Householder
-- Article: The Second Step - By Stuart Rosen (a.k.a. "GuruStu")
-- Book Review: The Key: The Missing Secret for Attracting Anything You Want - By Joe Vitale
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter

Current Subscribers - 263,351 subscribers

Removal instructions are listed at the end of the newsletter.


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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care. - Theodore Roosevelt, 1858-1919, 26th President of the United States

Creativity is a natural extension of our enthusiasm. - Earl Nightingale, 1921-1989, American Motivational Author and Radio Broadcaster

Keep your fears to yourself, but share your inspiration with others. - Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894, Scottish Novelist/Poet/Travel Writer


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*** Personal Growth Products and Services ***
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*** Article: The Truth About Setbacks - By Leslie Householder ***
----------------------------------------------------

Have any of your recent decisions flopped? I've had a few of my own, and
just before giving up on my dreams, I learned the truth about setbacks.

It all started back in May when my 5-year-old ran inside the house yelling,
"Mom, Bethany's lips are blue!!!"

I heard the intense panic in his voice all the way upstairs in my office,
and I went numb. I'm not sure my feet even touched the floor as I flew down
the stairs and out to the backyard with one intention: to see my 3-year-old
well.

My now 8-year-old was by the side of the pool with her, having discovered
her floating face-down in the deep end. He had already pulled her out all by
himself and was waiting for me, hoping I could make everything all better.

She laid there, lips blue, no heartbeat, and not breathing. My older
daughter was crying, and I yelled at her to call 911. She froze, feeling the
weight of the situation. "Call 911!" I yelled until she ran inside.

I had failed to keep my 3-year-old safe. Even though I had already taught
her how to swim, on that day I failed to be watchful enough.

Subconscious programming took over. My first instinct was to pick her up and
lay her over my knee, as I patted her back. That's what I've done for 15
years whenever my babies had trouble breathing... but of course it didn't
work because she wasn't choking. There again, I failed. I had one intention
in mind: to see her well, and I made a mistake. I did the wrong thing. I
failed.

Immediately I turned her over, letting her head hit the deck too hard in my
frantic effort to try something else. I blundered again, hurting her in an
effort to help her. If she were awake, she may have complained, but there
was no response.

Get oxygen to her brain; that's what I had to do. But my CPR training was
back in 1991. All those detailed, systematic instructions of what to do were
forgotten in this moment. All I knew is that she needed oxygen until the
paramedics showed up. I put my mouth over hers and gave her a breath. But it
only came rushing out of her nose. Again, I failed.

So I plugged her nose, gave her a breath, and it filled her chest. Common
sense told me her brain needed the oxygen... and since her silent heart was
designed to do the job, I gave a few chest compressions, and another breath.
Another round of compressions, and she began to revive.

Gratefully, she completely recovered. There were, of course, lessons to be
learned from this horrific experience. Be more watchful... as if I didn't
already know that. A deeper lesson was to comprehend on a whole new level
how nothing material matters, so long as our family is intact.

But later, as I finished up the creation of our home study course, I had an
even deeper epiphany, which has led me to conclude that I was meant to
experience our business setbacks as well as this incident to learn a
universal truth that I had never really grasped before. I thought back to
our flopped investments, and then I thought about my daughter. Then I
realized this:

We make mistakes. With good intentions, we sometimes fail. Nobody achieves
success at remarkable levels without experiencing some failure along the
way. How we respond to failure is really what determines whether or not we
deserve to enjoy success.

We must press on.

With my daughter, in a matter of minutes, I failed four times. What if I had
stopped even for a second to bemoan it? There was NO TIME to whine. Her life
was on the line, and each failure provided valuable feedback to help me get
it right. If I had stopped after any one of my failures, I could have missed
the window of time that decides whether she lives or dies, is handicapped or
well.

Financial mistakes are no different. If you've experienced a few and are
having trouble picking yourself up again, remember that your financial life
is on the line.

Take too long to bemoan your setbacks, and it could literally mean financial
death or long-term handicap for you. It's time to take a deep breath, take
personal responsibility for where you're at, learn from the experience, and
get busy creating again. When one door closes, another one always opens; but
you'll only find it if you get up and start looking.

About the Author:
Leslie Householder is the award-winning two-time best-selling author of "The
Jackrabbit Factor" and "Hidden Treasures." She is the co-founder of
ThoughtsAlive.com, a site dedicated to helping people gain more family time
and money freedom through principles of prosperity. Trevan and Leslie
Householder are the parents of seven children. http://www.ThoughtsAlive.com

Check out the Experts page for Trevan and Leslie Householder, the Official
SelfGrowth.com Guides to Prosperity:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/trevan_and_leslie_householder.html


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*** Article: The Second Step - By Stuart Rosen (a.k.a. "GuruStu") ***
----------------------------------------------------

Everyone acknowledges the importance of that first step. Volumes of books
are written on the subject. Empires are built upon them. But there is
another moment that is just as important, if not more so.

It's that second step.

The second step not only defines our direction, but also the pace,
intensity, and commitment to reach our goal.

Things to note about that second step:

* Was it made with more confidence than the first?
The first step is usually the toughest one. If the second one is made with
more confidence, it usually indicates that the first step was met with
favorable results.

* Is it still in the same direction as the first?
The second step sets the course. Are you heading in a direct line or perhaps
an arch? Or is it a step back? If that's the case, then the second steps
tells a whole lot more than the first!

* Is it a baby step, or giant leap?
Baby steps might indicate that you're still a bit hesitant, or perhaps you
need something more to make the larger steps. Remember, you'll need a lot
more baby steps to reach your destination. Determine now if you want to keep
taking those, or start planning for bigger steps.

* How soon did you take the second step?
That's setting your pace. Is it something you can sustain? Do you need to
adjust it faster or slower? Keep in mind that the long haul has to be
sustainable, so the second step should be in "step" with the first.

* What is the impact of that step?
Sometimes the first step is met with great resistance by others, but the
second step isn't; other times, it's the other way around. This will tell
you a lot about the environment that you're trying to succeed in.

* Is it getting easier or not?
It's said that things at rest remain at rest, and things in motion continue
in motion. What that means here is that it SHOULD be getting easier with
each step because you'll have momentum on your side. If it's NOT getting
easier, time to quickly assess your situation and adjust accordingly.

After all, there's a third step just waiting beyond.

About the Author:
Stuart Rosen has been known as "Gurustu" since the last millennium. His
chapter, "Power of Thanks," appears in volume one of "101 Great Ways to
Improve Your Life." He has had a radio show in Los Angeles, a book of
sayings ("Lil Words O'Wisdom"), and hundreds of articles and cartoons
gathered on his website, http://www.gurustu.com

Check out the Experts page for Stuart Rosen:
http://www.selfgrowth.com/experts/stuart_rosen.html


------------------------------------------------------------
*** Book Review: The Key: The Missing Secret for Attracting Anything You
Want - By Joe Vitale ***
------------------------------------------------------------

"The Key" reveals the ultimate secret of attracting wealth, health, success,
happiness, or anything else that we want from life. From author and
self-help guru Joe Vitale, "The Key" builds on his best-selling book, "The
Attractor Factor," and goes beyond the mega-hit book and movie "The Secret,"
which features Vitale.

"The Key" shows how a person must first rid themselves of unconscious
self-limiting beliefs if they want to reach their full potential and attain
the things they say they want from life. Inside every person are
"counter-intentions" that actually attract the things they don't want and
prevent them from getting those things they do. "The Key" reveals ten proven
ways to remedy the situation and end self-sabotage forever. For anyone who
knows they can achieve more but doesn't know why it isn't working for them,
"The Key" reveals the psychological and unconscious limitations that are
holding them back. Like all of Joe Vitale's other best-selling books, "The
Key" offers real, practical wisdom for anyone who wants to get more out of
life.

*****
The list price of this book is $24.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com for
$16.47, a 34% discount, go directly to
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*** Brief News of the World ***
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Positive:

* Principal Donates Kidney to Student: New Hampshire Middle School Principal
Gives Gift of Life to Sick 13-Year-Old Student *

Morgan Corliss wanted to be like every other 13-year-old in Franklin, N.H.
"Just to go to school dances and play basketball and just have fun," she
said. But ever since she was 4 years old, Morgan has been battling a rare
kidney disease called Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). (Click here
for complete news story)
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/ChristmasCountdown/story?id=4018963&page=1


* Award for child who saved sister *

An 11-year-old boy from Perthshire is to receive a national bravery award
for saving his young sister from drowning. Connor Newlands from Comrie
jumped into the River Lednock after nine-year-old Gemma fell from her bike
into the water in June. (Click here for complete news story)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/tayside_and_central/7153723.stm


* Diabetes Nannies to the Rescue: In Germany, Help for Diabetics Is Only a
Phone Call Away *

About 250,000 children in Germany have diabetes and concerns grow as three
to four new children here are diagnosed with diabetes every day. As
incidence of the disease have increased, some families have turned to a
private nanny service to help with the rigorous medical care, often
including thousands of insulin injections throughout a patient's childhood.
(Click here for complete news story)
http://abcnews.go.com/International/DiabetesResource/story?id=4031839&page=1


** For more positive news, please visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/news.html


Other:

* A Rural Teacher With Global Reach: He Posts Videos About Climate Change,
And The World Beats A Path To His Classroom Door *

Greg Craven is flat out. The fifth-period physics class he teaches is about
to start, and there's still lesson planning to do. But at his cluttered desk
over by the window, he's e-mailing last-minute changes to his guest column
scheduled to run tomorrow in The Oregonian newspaper. And a producer from
National Public Radio in New York has called about setting up an interview.
(Click here for complete news story)
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/12/20/tech/main3635309.shtml


* China raises 800-year-old sunken ship *

After 800 years at the bottom of the sea, a merchant ship loaded with
porcelain and other rare antiques was raised to the surface Friday in a
specially built basket, a state news agency reported. The Nanhai No. 1,
which means "South China Sea No. 1," sank off the south China coast with
some 60,000 to 80,000 items on board, Xinhua News Agency reported, citing Wu
Jiancheng, head of the excavation project. (Click here for complete news
story)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071221/ap_on_re_as/china_ship_salvage;_ylt=AhxKX.EnePGmT9GDI8dyTCsDW7oF


* Are you a 'cyberchondriac'? *

First-year medical students are some of the biggest hypochondriacs around.
Bombarded with information about every disease under the sun, they start to
imagine they have them all. In their minds, every mole is skin cancer. A
nosebleed is surely a sign of a tumor. Headache? Must be skyrocketing blood
pressure. "People get terribly anxious," says Dr. Arthur Barsky, professor
of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "One woman who came to see me was
convinced she had melanoma. She brought in 20 pages of color photos of
various skin lesions, trying to figure out which one looked most like hers."
And now, because of the Internet, we can all be first-year medical students.
... (Click here for complete news story)
http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/12/20/ep.cyberchondriacs/index.html



 

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