Success Principles Articles

"The reason most people never reach their goals is that they don't define them, learn about them, or even seriously consider them as believable or achievable," said motivational speaker and productivity expert Denis Waitley. "Winners can tell you where they are going, what they plan to do along the way, and who will be sharing the adventure with them." Get Personal Managers cannot motivate employees on an ongoing basis, just like people or circumstances cannot keep you moti

When Your Back is Against the Wall… by Bill Cottringer

Ever wonder why some people are successful? It could be the type of person you are. There are 3 types of people, and 1 of them is successful. Which one are you?nnn There are those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who don't know what the heck happened. n~UnknownnnWhat kind of person are you? And why should it matter? Because your happiness and success in life will be determined by what kind of person you are.nnn Those who make things happen nnTh

The New Year triggers the opportunity for reflection, evaluation and redirection. With life now traveling at warp speed, you need to be able to pull a Luke Skywalker and make a quick correction anytime you see that trajectory is off, even a bit. Here are my top 7 for 2011 — Happy New Year mindsets for us all! 1. Realize Your Uniqueness.

Don’t think for a moment that you aren’t creative. You are creating your life right now, one day at a time. So why not create the life you want? Everything you need to make your life what you want it to be already exists. What you must do is look at what you have and what’s around you. Then, figure out how to rearrange things from the way they are to the way you want them to be. The only time to settle for things as they are is when what they are is exactly what you want. Ca

Happiness is a choice. This is what I challenged you to see in the companion article to this one, "Make Your Life Happy - How to Prosper and Choose Your Life Pursuit of Happiness." As John Lubbock asserts, "Happiness is a thing to be practiced, like a violin." And if you've ever played violin (Believe me, I did in middle and high school) you know just how hard it is to get a sound not reminiscent of a cat fight out of that instrument.

Getting facilitated and appreciated is something that everyone longs for and if it comes with a trophy, it’s like icing on the cake. It makes one feel so grand and special. Trophies & medals are something which fills you with immense pride and honor and is your morale booster when you are low and is a constant reminder to you of your incredible feat. Awards & Trophies are not just a sign of winning or associated with victory but a way of honoring the person for the good wor

Ever know someone who “has it all,” then throws it away by doing something stupid or worse—something fatal? The most well-known examples are celebrities—musicians, entertainers, athletes—seemingly making all the money in the world and then doing something self-destructive. Think of Brittany Spears, Michael Vick, Paris Hilton, and Wesley Snipes; all are in a self-destructive spiral of their own decisions. While, hopefully, you are not having similar experiences, many people s

It's pretty easy to understand what causes nervousness: It's what we feel in the absence of self-confidence. So, the best way to stop feeling nervous is to seek the truth about yourself, about your unrealized talents and potential. You might notice that this means that you don't have to add anything to who you are, but rather, you've got to subtract the thoughts that make you feel limited. There you have it: Ridding yourself of nervous reactions is a matter of subtraction, n

#1 Success & Happiness Solution: Rubber Band Thinking Byr Bill Cottringer “I wouldn’t give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but for the simplicity just on the other side of complexity, I would give my life.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes.

In you lifetime, you will get to a point where your gift brings you before kings and people of major influence in society. You may not enter the real palace but for the sake of this document, I will look at etiquette considerations when you are meeting someone significant e.g. your mentor, minister, chief etc. The principles I share with you today apply to the real palace when you meet a real king or when you meet an authority figure. No longer will you live on assumption but you will be deliberate and intentional about some of the things you do.

“Not to mend one’s ways when one has erred is to err indeed.” – Confucius We all make mistakes. What separates us is how we respond. Either we pull up our sleeves and do what we can to make things right or we throw away something beautiful and potentially lose it forever. Please don’t do the latter! Instead, take Dale Carnegie’s advice by apologising quickly and emphatically when you’re wrong or simply could be wrong. Explain why you did what you did and ask for forgiveness. “There is no remedy for love but to love more.” – Henry David Thoreau

You Have to Start Over rn rnSomeone asked me awhile ago what I was really good at. Half kidding, I responded, "Starting over!" The reason I was only HALF kidding is because I am very familiar with starting over. I've started over in business. I've started over in marriage. I've started over financially and in my career. And unless you live a spectacularly blissful life, at some point—usually many points—in your life, you'll need to start over, too. We all do—in big thin

With the marketplace becoming increasingly competitive for professionals, service providers, and contractors, more people are focusing on their marketing efforts than ever before. While marketing seems to be the logical answer to the complex problem of creating greater awareness of your products and services, it's not an all encompassing solution. At the heart of every marketing issue is value. Understanding value starts with understanding what it means.

Success has never been achieved based solely upon talent, circumstance, brains, or even courage. It is obtained when specific goals are combined with an organized plan, commitment to that plan is combined with a belief that it is possible, and daily action is combined with continual persistence despite the inevitable failures that will occur along the journey.

The Common Misalignment Problem in Organizationsr By Bill Cottringer “Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” ~John F. Kennedy. Every “group” goes through a similar progression of four stages in its development and maturity: • Stage One: Members start out interacting with superficial “cocktail chitchat,” warming things up as an introduction of what is to come. • Stage Two: Then the conversations eventually switch to deeper subject matter conce s and issues, like the purpose of the group and how to proceed with that purpose and other related topics.

Ten Easy Ways to Have Hard Conversations Byr Bill Cottringer “Peace is not absence of conflict, it is the ability to handle conflict by peaceful means.” ~Ronald Reagan.

The Key Question for You to Ask.nnWhy are you on the payroll? This is one of the most important questions you ever ask and answer, over and over again, throughout your career.nnAs it happens, most people are not sure exactly why they are on the payroll. But if you are not crystal clear about why it is that you are on the payroll and what results you have been hired to accomplish, it is very hard for you to perform at your best and get paid more and promoted faster.nn Determin

An immovable will is something that we must possess in order to achieve the things of our greatest desires and fantasies. To have an immovable will does not mean that you are simply a stubborn person, it mean that you have a determination that is so deeply rooted to your core that it has become your internal motivation. It is the engine that drives you towards your desires. The ability to resist dissuasion from the positive beliefs we hold within ourselves that are in direct alignment with the things we have asked of the universe is something to which we must aspire.

“The highly developed, spiritual man, as he retires into the interior world during sleep, realises a state of spiritual bliss that is far beyond the stage of ordinary mortals.” The Dreamer Everyone dreams. Considering we spend a third of our lives asleep, that probably isn’t surprising. But while it’s understood that sleep rests our bodies (enabling us to “undergo the strenuous daily toil of physical life”) and recharges our minds (enabling us to subconsciously solve problems from our waking life), dreaming is more complex. What exactly are dreams for?

It is one thing to hire the employees you desire and require to get your vision on track towards fulfillment but it is yet another thing to ensure those people are fruitful and fulfilled to a point where they stay with your company long enough to make the impact you desire. The employee-employer relationship is such that there is mutual benefit. The employer meets all the required expectations while the employee attacks the key results areas so as to deliver results befitting of the benefits accruing to their name.

“The Dark Depression Cloud of Later Life” By Bill Cottringer “The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.” ~Doug Larson Later life often brings a dark cloud of depression that can be very worrisome and quite difficult to deal with, alone or as a couple. This period of life can be especially difficult because it involves a lot of things that work against each other to make matters worse.

The other day I was watching the animals in my backyard. As an animal love I have a bird feeder/squirrel feeder…because, you know – you can’t keep the squirrels out of a birdfeeder so I just make sure there is something for everyone…and I witnessed something that caused me to pause: I saw a chipmunk; maybe 3” long and very tiny go head-to-head with a big black squirrel who was easily 3 or 4 times his size, fighting over who was going to win the right to dine on the peanuts. I watched this, marvelling at the ferocity of the little, tiny chipmunk. He just was not giving up.

Use your passion to simplify your life. Knowing what you want out of life and intending your success in achieving it is the best way to simplify your life. Follow your passion every day. By first identifying that which you are passionate about, you will be able to categorize the other items in your life as “pending elimination”. For many people, it is impractical to suggest that they wake up tomorrow and do only the things that they want to do and none of the things they do not.

Resolving The Clash Between Younger and Older Workers Byr Bill Cottringer “Conflict is inevitable, but combat is optional.” ~Max Lucade.

Life's teachers come in the most unexpected forms. Sometimes, they even sport fins and scales, like the three-foot carp that lives in the pond where I take my daily stroll. OK, this carp has a human interpreter, Robert, a fishing enthusiast who I met a number of years ago during one of my pond strolls. I've since enjoyed the parallels he draws between fishing and life (he's been a serious fisherman for more tha 50 years and knows his stuff). During a recent walk around the p

Everyone knows that in the long term benefits that your company is by far the benefits of training to your work 9-5 job, from a financial point of view. Thousands of people open up a new business every day. This shows how we sprout new franchises for the latest thing to see on every corner. Problem is not everyone is suited to having their own burger joint, or donut shop. One of the best business opportunities is having your own online home business. Nothing can be more con

GOSSIP AT WORKPLACE - BANE OR BOON? Madan Tripathy GOSSIP is the name of the Davis Guggenheim directed American Movie I had the privilege of seeing more than a decade back. But, I liked it so much that it is still fresh in my mind. The movie centers on an interesting idea about Gossip and rumor, which if properly dispersed and nurtured, can be used as a powerful weapon.

Is the statement, “There is a Santa Claus” true? This should be easy enough: Define truth and see if the statement fits the definition. It is widely held that a statement is true if and only if there is a one-to-one correspondence between the statement and reality. “The cat is on the mat” is a ...

Your imagination is one of the most powerful tools you can use to create the life you want. The Law of Attraction (LOA) uses your frequently held thoughts and ideas to create your experiences. When you imagine something good on an ongoing basis, you are setting the LOA in motion. Imagine that something you want is already happening. You play this scenario over and over in your mind. By deliberately using your imagination in this positive way, you create a pattern which the LOA can use to bring similar circumstances into your life. Your positive imagination can -r

While many parents place a strong focus on academic learning through subjects like math and science, education in the arts contributes to overall student success. In the long run, learning through visual arts, dance, music or drama helps students boost creativity to interpret the world around them. In the shorter term, students engaged in the arts do better in school. The Canada Council for the Arts quotes substantial research from the U.S. that shows students with high arts

You need to have thorough knowledge of the general affairs happening in your environment in order to stay aware and secure. In this fast moving world, it is very important to be vigilant. Current affairs help you to be cautious and take necessary precautions if the need arises. Any news in any corner of the world affects us in some way or the other, eventually. With such an uncertain environment around us, it is essential for an individual to know what is happening so he or s

Little Things That Can Help a Good Relationship Stay That Way By Bill Cottringer “A man's sense of self is defined through his ability to achieve results; a woman's sense of self is defined through her feelings and the quality of her relationships.” ~John Gray.

We all associate arthritis with the aging process; our joints simply don’t work as well as we age. In the GPS Gide below, Personal Development expert Rob White explains that there’s another kind of arthritis that can set in way earlier -- it’s called Arthritis of the Mind. It’s a rigidity that can set in at any age and no one is immune. White says, “I’ve been around for nearly 70 years and have certainly experienced my share of unbending thoughts that only became more stiff

You weren’t born to be ordinary; you were born to be powerful! You feel this deep in your soul. But mediocrity is constantly threatening to keep you trapped forever. Escaping mediocrity is a matter of choice, not chance. Developing a lifestyle of powerful habits is the key to success in every area of your life! This is one of those things that’s easier to do in theory than in practice, but only practice counts. Here are some time-tested habits of powerful people. 1. Set A

The Flashing Red Flags of Fatally Crashing RelationshipsnBy Bill Cottringe n You may wonder why anyone in their right mind would miss these blatant red flags before they found themselves stuck in a fatal relationship; but the real problem becomes more of how to get out of such a ...

Double Vision Decision-Making Byr Bill Cottringer “Sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.” ~Phil McGraw. Double vision decision-making is a very useful and valuable skill in maneuvering around in today’s plethora of information overload that confronts us all. Basically, double vision is seeing both sides of the decision-making equation, or things like: • What information you already have and what you may need, and using what you already have smarter?r

Your success in life is not determined by the education obtained, institutions attended, career accomplishments, awards won, or the wealth you acquire. Real success in life is solely determined on who you become, the character and attributes you develop, the people you help, and whether or not at the end of the day you were true to the most important priorities in life – namely: God & Family. And yet our culture and society certainly do not proclaim that same message.

“As authentic self-knowledge begins to unfold, our principles, thoughts, commitments, and actions rise up to be in accord with who we truly are.” (Yasukiko Genku Kimura) Typically, integrity is perceived as it relates to the exte al world such as integrity in relationships, integrity in ...

Brain and Heart Management for Better Success Byr Bill Cottringer The lion’s share of success and failure is mostly due to how well we manage our brains and hearts—specifically how we learn, grow and improve the thinking and feeling which drives our behavior. Psychologists have never really explained the complicated process of thinking and feeling very well, notably as to which causes which and where one stops and the other starts. They are inter-twinned and seemingly inseparable but still called different things.

Decide right now that you're going to be successful, and decide right now that you're going to be able to handle that success when the time comes. "Ha!" you might say -- "I should be so lucky! I'll cross that bridge when I get to it." If you want to design your own luck and put yourself on the path to success, start planning for it now. The graveyard of successful people who didn't know how to handle their success is full. There's no need for you to join them. What really is

I have a neighbor, John, who turns his car around on the busy road in front of his house, causing traffic to slow down, and then backs up his driveway and into his garage. It’s an odd sight to watch. One day I asked him why he turns around and backs into the driveway rather than driving straight in. John explained that he learned it from his father, who always complained that there wasn’t enough room to turn around in the driveway to drive straight out when leaving the house

A Simple Life Gap Map That Makes Sense Of The Ones You Have To Pay For Byr Bill Cottringer “Life gets to be fun only when we begin to feel free to live it; but there is no real freedom apart from responsibility and ownership.” ~Dr. Henry Cloud. Here are two important things you know than no one else does: First, only you know exactly where you are on your journey (probably not exactly where you would really like to be). And secondly, only you know where you want to be (living your dreams and goals happily and dealing with misfortunes gracefully).

Find joy in the little things. Success comes from knowing that you lived a life lived well. It seems that in today’s fast pasted, multi taking society; we forget to follow the time tested adage of simply ‘stopping to smell the roses.” How many times have we let the glory of a sunset pass, because we were focusing on the bumper to bumper traffic instead? We get caught up in the day to day activities rather than taking the time to enjoy the gift of existence. Not quit sure wh

1. Their teams are held together by a thread - or even worse, by a threat. 2. When you abuse financial resources, you lose. Same thing with human resources - it's just not always as obvious. 3. All boats rise when the river's flowing - manipulating employees keeps them under water and that creates choked off resources. 4. Choked off resources create stagnant waters and stinky places to work make for stinky work habits. 5. People around obnoxious leaders can't figure out why they come to work.r

CHARACTER-BUILDING By Bill Cottringe nn If you do a Google search on “character-building programs in schools” you will uncover nearly a quarter of a million hits. Why is character-building such an important topic getting so much attention in our schools? First of all it is not ...

I pray that someone reading this will take heed and put it into action. This little bit of information has put me on the road of true success! "I want to be successful"..... Success although a meaningful word is becoming just another word that people use to express their fantasy to become rich, achieve dreams and goals. Notice I said fantasy, because one of the most important things I've learned about becoming successful is that it requires an unusual and powerful mental en

I’ve been around for a while, nearly seven decades. I’ve met a lot of successful folks in different domains of life. I’ve found some things are consistent with these folks, when it comes to succeeding in life. Most important is that they make a decision to feel good about themselves and life more often than not. You don’t have all the answers to life. No one does. But, if you follow your first instinct, which is to love yourself and enjoy life, then life gets a lot easier ev

“To find your mission in life is to discover the intersection between your heart’s deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger.” – Frederick Buechner

Excerpt from The Anatomy of Success & Failure *7* Essential Elements that will Guarantee Radical Success in Life! Essential Element #4: Blind Bamboo Faith The next Essential Element is BBF, which stands for blind bamboo faith. Now, let me explain, because I know you are likely really confused by those three little words. Interestingly, it takes five to six years for the bamboo to just break ground, but within one day, it could grow up to eighty feet. After a year or two in