Self Improvement Newsletter
Issue # 524, September 22-23, 2008

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* Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter *
Issue # 524, Week of September 22-23, 2008
Publisher:  David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com

In this issue:

-- Quotes of the Week
-- Recommended Product of the Week
-- Article:  The Law of the Garbage Truck - By Larry Crane
-- Article:  Sell Yourself First! - By Shannon Smith
-- Book Review:  The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss Used by More Than 100,000 People - By Rena Greenberg
-- Brief News of the World
-- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter

Current Subscribers - 271,100 subscribers
Removal instructions are listed at the end of the newsletter.


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*** Quotes of the Week ***
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The secret of being boring is to say everything. - Voltaire, 1694-1778, French Writer and Philosopher

Living in dreams of yesterday, we find ourselves still dreaming of impossible future conquests. - Charles Lindbergh, 1902-1974, American Aviator

The aim of argument, or of discussion, should not be victory, but progress. - Joseph Joubert, 1754-1824, French Moralist and Essayist

 
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*** Recommended Product of the Week ***
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*** Article:  The Law of the Garbage Truck - By Larry Crane ***
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"One day I hopped in a taxi and we took off for the airport.

We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car backed out of a parking space right in front of us. My taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches! The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us.

My taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy.

He was really friendly. So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? This guy almost ruined your car and sent us to the hospital.' This is when my taxi driver taught me what I now call 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.'

He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on.

Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.

The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets. So... Love the people who treat you right. And love the ones who don't.

Life is ten percent what you make it and ninety percent how you take it!

Have a blessed, garbage-free day."

-- Dan Westfall

Thanks to Dan for sharing this story with us. Thanks, too, to the taxi driver who is a unique person.

The taxi driver knows that any event, any situation, any person you come across is neutral, that is, neither good nor bad until you place the label. Shakespeare said, "Nothing is good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Calling something bad, labeling it bad, is making the thing or event negative for you. You go negative on the negative thing and you are joining up with negative. Put it this way. Going negative is getting negative.

Your mind doesn't like that. It's saying, "What am I supposed to do? You want me to like it when something comes along that's negative?" Yes, you're supposed to like it. Better yet, love it. It's only negative because you think it is.

The taxi driver knew that. Were a garbage truck running him, he would have lashed out against the other driver. He would have gone negative and gotten negative. He would have ruined his day. He would have put himself in a negative frame of mind, a bad mood. Garbage would have won out. Garbage would have had a victory. Negative, non-love would have gotten stronger.

The taxi driver applied love. In so doing, love got stronger in him and increased his storehouse of positive energy. He remained happy and untouched by the event. It was a victory for freedom, freedom from non-love feelings, freedom from negativity and misery.

Most of the world is applying negativity, non-love feelings, thoughts, actions, and reactions. Look around. That's why most of the people in the world are sick, miserable, and very depressed.

Life is a decision. Your attitude, your outlook is a decision moment to moment. I'm going to be positive; I'm going to be negative. I'm going to express negative non-love into the world. I'm going to dump my garbage into the world. Or, I'm going to be positive. I'm going to express positive in the world. I'm going to apply love.

Lester Levenson said that in any situation, if you would love more, the situation would resolve in a positive way. The taxi driver knew that.

The taxi driver could have met garbage with garbage. It would have made his day negative. It would have presented Dan with a negative situation. Garbage would have won the day. Look what a difference the taxi driver made by remaining positive and loving in spite of the negative garbage being thrown his way.

Practice love. Practice being positive and loving in spite of garbage pails or garbage trucks. Being positive and loving in spite of what is happening is a victory for freedom, freedom from the garbage truck with all its negativity, stress, frustration, and suffering. Being positive and loving in spite of whoever or whatever is expanding your capacity to love and increasing your happiness.

The story says it right. Being positive is being loving. Being loving is being successful. Positive is the same energy as love, as success, happiness, and abundance. It's your decision. In spite of any circumstance you have a decision to make. Be positive and loving, or spread the garbage. Which one feels better? Which one provides the best outcome? Which one is better for you, for those around you, for the planet?

Next time something comes your way that you could throw garbage at, remember the taxi driver. Be positive and loving. Stay in the high energy of love and conquer any and all situations. Love is the answer.

Make it a victory for freedom over the garbage. Apply love. Love wins, you win.

Remember, life is ninety percent what you make it. Make it positive and loving.

Copyright 2008 by Lawrence Crane Enterprises. All rights reserved. Photocopying or other reproduction welcome if in its entirety.

*****
The Release Technique shows you how to be positive by letting go of the negative. Check it out at http://www.releasetechnique.com. The Release Technique Abundance Course consists of 20 lessons on 10 CDs. It has a 30-day money-back guarantee. What do you have to lose besides unhappiness and negativity?

About the Author:
Larry Crane has been teaching The Release Technique to executives of Fortune 500 companies for years. He has personally trained businessmen, psychiatrists, psychologists, sports and entertainment celebrities, salespeople, managers, and housewives in the art of letting go of problems, emotions, stress, and subconscious blocks that are holding people back from having total abundance and joy in their lives. The Release Technique has been taught to over 100,000 graduates worldwide. The Abundance Course IS the Release Technique, the original Release Technique Method as taught by Lester Levenson.

Check out the Experts page for Larry Crane, the Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to Abundance and to Overcoming Fear.
 

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*** Article:  Sell Yourself First! - By Shannon Smith ***
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Did you know that humans think visually?! The saying "I hear what I see" is true.

A UCLA study proves that 85 percent of all decisions are made with our eyes. The three areas of personal presence are the verbal, vocal, and visual ones. The one with the most impact is the visual presentation.

Whether you like it or not, the image you project affects others' decisions as to your intelligence, character, and ability. It further determines whether or not others want to do business with you. People notice...AND they immediately place you somewhere on a scale. You rank only as others perceive you.

The way you dress and act has a remarkable impact on the people you meet professionally and socially. This greatly affects how they treat you. Clients have told me that they have lost promotions, deals have fallen through, memberships were denied, and friends have disappeared because they paid so little attention to personal branding.

If your personal brand (image) is not professional and congruent, attractive and attracting, you will be passed over -- guaranteed. Therefore, to be competitive, to have a greater influence on others, attract more business, and be more successful, it's critical that you pay greater attention to personal branding. As an image coach I know that before you sell anything -- your product, company, or service -- you sell yourself first.

Large, successful companies understand the power of branding a product. They spend a lot of time, money, and energy to create a brand that is eye-catching and appealing enough to sell their product through to market.

Have you ever thought of yourself as A COMPANY OF ONE? How much time, money, and energy have you spent in developing a personal brand that is unique enough to sell through to your market? Chances are you haven't even given it a thought, right?! Perhaps, like many of my clients, you too will dismiss personal branding as frivolous, unimportant, and superficial until you, like them, hit a brick wall, lose business, that big contract, or the next promotion.

Perception is reality. Unfortunately, we all make snap judgments about others in the first 10 seconds. As an image consultant, the first step in assisting a client create a dynamic personal brand is to start on a fact-finding mission with a personal brand assessment. Then, following the initial session, we step into the bigger picture and move forward developing an action plan and determine scheduling. 

Here are a few questions in one of the assessment tools I use with my personal clients to determine their attitudes, knowledge, goals, and the level of their etiquette IQ.

BE HONEST!

1. Has your business changed? Has your position or responsibilities changed?

2. Has your personal life had a recent significant change? Is your personal brand in line with your present lifestyle? Business goals?

3. When was the last time you took stock - seriously? Does your wardrobe and how you use it reflect trust, congruency, and responsibility?

4. How would your clients describe you?

5. When was the last time you changed your personal style -- your hair style, your habits -- or treated yourself?

6. What about deportment? Does the way you behave and conduct yourself reflect the importance of your profession and company or who you are now?

7. You may dress the part, but do you act the part? Do you fidget? Do you have any nervous habits you are unaware of?

8. Do your manners need a tune up? Do you know how to do business with the right fork? How to pay the bill graciously or the correct protocol in dealing with the opposite sex in business? Have you had etiquette training?

MORE IMPORTANTLY - WOULD YOU DO BUSINESS WITH YOU?

How did you do? Do you really know what your first 10 seconds are saying about YOU? Are you paying attention? Where do you really rate on a scale of one to ten?

We know that in the current economy, competitiveness has increased dramatically. Business has become more serious and conservative - not only in attitude and business attire but in etiquette and manner as well. Companies are hiring me as an etiquette consultant to train their employees in the fine art of manners, business etiquette, dining, and appropriate dress.

Even though intelligence, experience, and education count, companies tell us they are simply not hiring those who do not possess these all-important communication skills. It is the whole package that counts.

The hallmarks of successful individuals in a fast-paced global marketplace are their confidence, manners, and poise. Mediocre is dead ---and it's about time. It's not acceptable to dress inappropriately or do business with the wrong fork. There is a return to formality, elegance, manners, and sophistication. People are getting dressed up again, dining in fine restaurants, are entertaining clients, and being entertained as well.

It's been my experience that when an individual understands the power of perception, that individual will make the changes necessary to ensure that he or she communicates more effectively through the power of his/her personal brand.

You either create a brand that is distinct... or you become extinct. - Tom Peters, "In Search of Excellence"

About the Author:
Shannon Smith is a leading image strategist and founder of Premiere Image International. She is also an etiquette consultant, writer, TV personality, and featured in national publications. Shannon assists individuals transform from unnoticed to unforgettable and provides one-on-one training and programs for companies across North America in personal branding. Simply put -- a contemporary finishing school for adults. Customized programs include image mastery, executive dress and grooming, presentation skills, manners, business etiquette, executive dining, to international protocol.

Please contact Shannon at Premiere Image Intl. -- 416 324 8955 or visit http://www.premiereimageintl.com

Check out the Experts page for Shannon Smith, the Official SelfGrowth.com Guide to Business Etiquette.

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*** Book Review:  The Right Weigh: Six Steps to Permanent Weight Loss Used by More Than 100,000 People - By Rena Greenberg ***
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"The Right Weigh" is a unique 35-day, five-step approach to weight control that combines both a practical and a spiritual approach. Rena Greenberg addresses the importance of making changes in your diet and activity level -- and makes it easy for you to do so -- but she emphasizes what most diet books overlook: how to do the inner work necessary to change the very way you think about food.

Using self-hypnosis, neuro linguistic programming, and a technique called "Remembrance," this program shows you how to get past the obstacles that have held you back from losing weight and keeping it off. You'll find yourself naturally craving healthier foods, and being indifferent to or even repulsed by unhealthy, fattening, or high-sugar foods without the need to draw upon willpower to change the way you eat.

"The Right Weigh" teaches you how to change your perceptions of yourself and the foods you're eating by tapping in to the vast Source of power within, and reconnecting to your infinite spiritual nature. In this way, the wisest part of yourself guides you to make excellent choices to improve the quality of your life and live healthfully at the mind, body, heart, and spirit levels.

About the Author:
Rena Greenberg is the founder and CEO of Wellness Seminars, Inc., located in Bradenton, FL. She holds two certifications in hypnosis from The Eastern NLP Institute and the National Guild of Hypnotists, as well as biofeedback certification from the Biofeedback Certification Institute of America. Rena is a certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming and is a member of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and The National Guild of Hypnotists. This is Rena's first book.

*****
Purchase this book and you'll receive free gifts from Rena Greenberg, Hay House, and their sponsors. For additional details, visit http://www.selfgrowth.com/products/rightweigh.html

The list price of this book is $14.95. To purchase it from Amazon.com for $11.96, a 20% discount, go here.

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*** Brief News of the World ***
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Positive:

* Senior citizens pursuing education from home: The telephone-based program attracts 500 seniors from across the country *

Kathy Leeds grows animated as she describes the courses she is taking this fall, including classes in current events, art and literature. But Leeds will never step foot on a campus or in a classroom. The 79-year-old widow has multiple sclerosis, uses a wheelchair and is confined to her Manhattan apartment. Leeds is one of about 500 people enrolled for the fall semester in a telephone-based educational program for homebound seniors called DOROT University Without Walls, believed to be the largest program of its kind in the country. (Click here for complete news story)

* Plastic-Munching Bugs Turn Waste Bottles Into Cash: New Bacteria-Driven Process Could Make Recycling Plastic Bottles More Attractive *

Newly discovered bacterial alchemists could help save billions of plastic bottles from landfills. The Pseudomonas strains can convert the low-grade PET plastic used in drink bottles into a more valuable and biodegradable plastic called PHA. PHA is already used in medical applications, from artery-supporting tubes called stents to wound dressings. The plastic can be processed to have a range of physical properties. However, one of the barriers to PHA reaching wider use is the absence of a way to make it in large quantities. (Click here for complete news story)

* New Mozart piece of music found in French library *

A French museum has found a previously unknown piece of music handwritten by Mozart, a researcher said Thursday. The 18th century melody sketch is missing the harmony and instrumentation but was described as an important find. Ulrich Leisinger, head of research at the International Mozarteum Foundation in Salzburg, Austria, said there is no doubt that the single sheet was written by the composer. "This is absolutely new," Leisinger said in a telephone interview. "We have new music here." (Click here for complete news story)

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

Other:

* Yankee Stadium closes after 85 years *

Derek Jeter climbed the mound, surrounded by his teammates, and began the final farewell. Microphone in hand, the New York captain addressed the 54,610 fans who came to say so long to Yankee Stadium, his words booming around the old ballpark where the voices of Lou Gehrig, Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle had echoed years before. "So take the memories from this stadium, add it to the new memories that come with the new Yankee Stadium and continue to pass them on from generation to generation," he said. (Click here for complete news story)

* To Sleep, Perchance to Smell? Odors can affect the emotional tone of dreams, study finds. *

Can the smell of rotten eggs or roses change the type of dream you have? Quite possibly, new research suggests. German researchers are reporting that when people smelled the scent of rotten eggs while sleeping, the nature of their dreams turned decidedly negative, while those who got a whiff of the scent of roses had more positive dreams. (Click here for complete news story)
 

* Feeling Cold? Maybe You're Lonely: Social Isolation Makes People Feel Colder, Seek Warmth *

Feeling cold? Maybe you're lonely. Social isolation makes people feel physically cold, find University of Toronto psychologists Chen-Bo Zhong, PhD, and Geoffrey J. Leonardelli, PhD. Moreover, they find that making people feel left out makes them more likely to choose hot soup or coffee over warm or room-temperature foods and beverages. "It's striking that people preferred hot coffee and soup more when socially excluded," Leonardelli says in a news release. "Our research suggests that warm chicken soup may be a literal coping mechanism for social isolation." (Click here for complete news story)

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