and here

‘The secret of success for every person who has ever been successful – [...]]]> Today I was shown a fantastic speech by Albert E.N.Gray “The Common Denominators of Success”
I have read it through several times just now and I want to highlight for you the bits that really stood out and rang true for me.  Here they are:

‘The secret of success for every person who has ever been successful – lies in the fact

“THEY FORMED THE HABIT OF DOING THINGS THAT FAILURES DON’T LIKE TO DO.”

..we’ve got to realize right from the start that success is something which is achieved by the minority of people … and is therefore “unnatural” and not to be achieved by following our natural likes and dislikes nor by being guided by our natural preferences and prejudices.

We don’t like to talk to people about something they might not want to talk about. Any reluctance to approach someone, to suggest a change in their activity, to persuade them to take a new approach is caused by this one basic dislike…..the most important weakness we possess: namely, our desire to be appreciated.

Perhaps you have wondered why it is that those who accomplish most seem to like to do the things that you
don’t like to do.

….by doing the things they don’t like to do, they can accomplish the things they want to accomplish. Now let me repeat that: Successful people are influenced by the desire for pleasing results. Failures are influenced by the desire for pleasing methods and are inclined to be satisfied with such results as can be obtained by doing things they like to do.

Because successful people have a purpose—strong enough to make them form the habit of doing things they don’t like to do in order to accomplish the purpose they want to accomplish.

When a person gets into a slump…  for the time being, the things they don’t like to do have become more important than their reasons for doing them. …it is easier to adjust to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust to the hardships of making a better one.

If you do not deliberately form good habits, then unconsciously you will form bad ones. You are the kind of person you are because you have formed the habit of being that kind of person, and the only way you can change is through changing habits.

The success habit for any area of achievement can be divided into four main groups:

1. Contacting habits
2. Calling habits
3. Persuading habits
4. Working habits

Let’s discuss these habit groups in their order. Any successful person will tell you that it is easier to persuade someone to a particular course of action than to find someone who already wants to do it, but if you have not deliberately formed the habit of contacting those who need what you’re offering regardless of their wants, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of limiting your contacts to those people who already want what you have to offer; and therein lies the one and only real reason for a lack of interested contacts. As to calling habits, unless you have deliberately formed the “habit” of calling on people who are able to do what you want them to do, but who may be unwilling to listen, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of calling on people who are willing to listen but unable to do what you want them to do. As to persuasion habits, unless you have deliberately formed the habit of calling on people determined to help them see why it is in their best interest to take a particular course of action, then unconsciously you have formed the habit of calling on people while you are in a state of mind in which you are willing to let them make you see their reasons for not going along with you.

As to working habits, if you will take care of the other three groups, the working habits will generally take care of themselves because under working habits are included study and preparation, organization of time and efforts, records, analyses, etc.

Here’s the answer. Any resolution or decision you make is simply a promise to yourself that isn’t worth a tinker’s dam until you have formed the HABIT of making it and keeping it. And you won’t form the HABIT of making it and keeping it unless right at the start you link it with a definite purpose that can be accomplished by keeping it.

Your resolution or decision has become a habit and you don’t have to make it on this particular morning…you have become master of yourself, and master of your likes and dislikes by surrendering to your purpose in life.

Your future is going to depend on your purpose in life.

First of all, your purpose must be practical and not visionary. But in making your purpose practical, be careful not to make it logical. Make it a purpose of the sentimental or emotional type. ….your wants and desires will keep pushing you long after your needs are satisfied and until your wants and desires are fulfilled.

…there’s no inspiration in logic. There’s no courage in logic. There’s not even happiness in logic.

find your purpose … surrender to it. If it’s a big purpose, you will be big in its accomplishment. If it’s an unselfish purpose, you will be unselfish in accomplishing it. And if it’s an honest purpose, you will be honest and honourable in the accomplishment of it.’

The full speech is definitely worth reading over and over. You can find a copy here: Common Denominator of Success

Slim walks you through nearly everything you’ll need [...]]]> It’s not easy to make the switch to self-employment, but Pamela Slim is a good guide.  Her new book, Escape From Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur (Copyright 2009, U.S. $25.95; ISBN  978-1-59184-257-6; , is the homework you’ll need to do before you leave that corporate job.

Slim walks you through nearly everything you’ll need to consider before making a major change, and not only the specifics of starting a business, but also a close-up look at the emotional issues you’ll face.

She begins with the process of deciding to depart The Cubicle (and all that entails), including identifying and managing fears.  One exercise for decreasing fear and anxiety requires four columns, entitled belief, underlying assumptions, what I need to find out and where I can find it.  Clarifying those scary thoughts and dealing with them realistically shrinks them down to size.

Slim then moves on to the nuts and bolts of business: the process of uncovering appropriate business ideas for you, assembling your team and defining the “spirit of your brand.”  The chapter on testing and failing talks about the danger of waiting to be perfectly prepared, or do perfect work.  She offers some kick-in-the-pants ideas to jump-start your process.

Another reason this book is worthwhile is that the author addresses the reality of money.  The “Making the Money Work” section offers Q&A, helps you put a figure to the value of your employee benefits, offers five ways to clean up your credit score and explores common financial patterns.  She even defines common health insurance terminology and explains how to shop for self-employed insurance.

And then it’s time to make the leap.  The final section addresses the emotional factors in how to handle friends and family, and knowing when it is time to make a graceful exit and walk out your employer’s door for the last time.

The last pages are where you’ll find a compendium of blogs and books that provide guidance on matters of finance, infrastructure and business plans.

Slim speaks not only from her experience, but also from thousands of conversations from her blog of the same name.  She uses direct language in a quick-to-read format.  Nearly every page has bullet points or lists, and the 340 page book is a relatively quick read.