The Ultimate Key to Success

The Ultimate Key To Success

(1)

Every day, a fatherless boy gazed at the fence separating his family's ramshackle cabin from a plush club's golf course. What chance did a poor Mexican-American who'd dropped out of school after the seventh standard have of being welcomed into that world?

Yet the boy was determined. First, he gained entrance to the grounds as a gardener. Then he began caddying and playing a few holes at dusk. He honed his putting skills by hitting balls with a soda bottle wrapped in adhesive tape.

Today no fence keeps Lee Trevino, one of the world's top golfers, from being welcomed into any club in the United States.

Sure, Trevino had talent. But talent isn't what kept him from quitting after he placed an embarrassing 54th in his first US Open golf tourna­ment. His secret was perseverance.

Persistent people know they can succeed where cleverer and more talented people fail. You can succeed, too, if you follow their strategies. As author Christopher Morley once said, "Bag shots are only little shots that keep shooting."

(2)

Achievers may lose their jobs, get rejected, watch their companies fail or see their ideas founder. But they take advantage of adversity, carving opportunities from change.

In her 30-year career, one American broadcaster has been fired 18 times. But every time, she set her sights on something bigger and better.When no major American radio station would hire her because they thought women couldn't attract an audience, she moved to Puerto Rico and polished her Spanish. When a news agency refused to send her to an uprising in the Dominican Republic, she scraped together money to fly there and sell her own stories.

In 1981 she was fired by a New York radio station for not having kept up with the times and was out of work for more than a year. One day she talked about her idea for a new talk show to a man who worked for NBC radio.

"I'm sure we'd be interested," he said-and then left NBC. She met another man at NBC radio and presented the idea again. He also praised it, and then disappeared. So she persuaded a third man to hire her-but he wanted her to host a show on a political radio station.

"I don't know enough about national politics to make this work," she told her husband. Yet in the summer of 1982 she went on the air. Drawing on her familiarity with a microphone and her easy, confes­sional style, she talked about what America's Independence Day meant to her and invited callers to do the same.

Listeners connected immediately, and she became famous. Today, Sally Jessy Raphael is the two-time Emmy-award-winning host of her own television show, reaching millions of viewers daily throughout the United States, Canada, the UK and Asia.

"I could have let those 18 firings prevent me from doing what I wanted," she says. "Instead, I let them spur me on."

(3)

SUCCESSFUL people radiate a positive attitude that inspires others to help them realize their dreams.

He was the son of a seamstress and an impoverished trunk maker. He worked his way through school in an impoverished New York neighbourhood. He loved theatre and longed to see a Broadway show. But he couldn't afford a ticket.

Through sheer energy and will, he rose to become a television stage manager. But he wanted to produce plays for people like himself, who could never afford to see one on Broadway.

He started a drama group in a church basement and later rented an outdoor amphitheatre. One of his company's early plays, a boisterous production of Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew, attracted enthu­siastic crowds-but not one drama critic. Without publicity, how could he attract donations?

So one day, he showed up at the New York Times, demanding to see drama critic Brooks Atkinson. Atkinson was in London, his assistant, Arthur Gelb, told the young man.

"Then I'll wait here until Mr Atkinson returns," he said firmly. Gelb decided to hear him out. The trunk maker's son passionately spoke of his fine cast of actors, and the applause of his audience, mostly

immigrants who had never seen live theatre. Yet if the Times didn't review his production, he'd have to pack up by week's end.

Moved by the man's determination and spirit, Gelb agreed to review the production that night.

The evening sky darkened with clouds as Gelb showed up at the outdoor theatre. At intermission, rain drenched the stage. The young man grabbed Gelb as he ran for cover: "I know critics don't normally review half a show, but I beg you to make an exception."

That night, Gelb wrote a small, favourable review of the first half of the play and explained the production company's need for financing. A day later, Herman Levin, prod ucer of My Fair Lady, sent a messenger to the production company with a cheque for 5750--enough in 1956 to keep the show afloat until summer's end. When Brooks Atkinson returned, he saw the play and raved about it in his Sunday column.

Soon Joe Papp was giving free Shakespeare productions to all of New York. He became, until his death last year, perhaps the greatest modern influence in American theatre, producing such shows as A Chorus Line, Flair and The Three-penny opera. He once said the cornerstone of his persistence was a conviction that the theatre is important to other people's lives.

"if you don't believe his, you might as well give up."

(4)

SUCCESSFUL people know that being persistent involves making choices. And choice involves risk, at this 58-year-old American farm-products salesman discovered.

For years, he had experimented with different strains of popcorn to produce a lighter, fluffier variety with few unpopped kernels. When he finally grew his ideal strain, no seed buyer wanted it because it cost more to produce.

"If I could just get the public to try the popcorn, I know they'd buy it," he told his partner.

"If you feel that strongly about it, why don't you sell it yourself?" his partner replied.

If "Red Bow" failed, he might lose lots of money. At his age, did he really want to take such a risk?

He hired a marketing firm to develop a name and image for his popcorn. Soon Orville Redenbacher was selling his Gourmet Popping Corn across the United States. Today, it's the best-selling popcorn in the world-all because Redenbacher was willing to risk what he already had to get what he wanted.

"I think most of my drive comes from people telling me I can't do something," says Redenbacher, now 84. "That just makes me want to prove them wrong."

(5)

AT Times, even the most persistent person feels overwhelmed, and needs the support of others who really believe. Consider this worker in an industrial laundry.

He lived in a caravan and earned $60 a week. His wife worked nights, but even with both jobs they barely made ends meet. When their baby developed an ear infection, they had to give up their telephone to pay for antibiotics.

The laundry worker wanted to be a writer. Nights and weekends the clack-clack of his typewriter filled the caravan. He spent all his spare money on sending his manuscripts to publishers and agents.

Everyone rejected them. The form letters were short and impersonal. He couldn't even be certain his work was being read.

One day, the laundry worker read a novel that reminded him of his own work. He sent his manuscript to Doubleday, the book's publisher. The manuscript was given to Bill Thompson.

A few weeks later, a warm, personal reply came in the mail. The manuscript had too many flaws. But Thompson did believe the laun­dry worker had promise as a writer and encouraged him to try again.

Over the next 18 months, the laundry worker sent the editor two more manuscripts. The editor rejected both. The laundry worker began work on a fourth novel. But with bills mounting, he began to lose hope.

One night, he threw his manuscript into the garbage. The next day, his wiife fished it out. "You shouldn't be quitting," she told him. "Not when you're so close."

The laundry worker stared at the pages. Perhaps he no longer believed in himself, but his wife did. And so did a New York editor he'd never met. So, ever-^,.1 day, he wrote another 1500 words.

When he finished, he sent the novel to Bill Thompson-but he was sure it wouldn't sell.

He was wrong. Thompson's publishing house handed over a $2500 advance, and Stephen King's horror classic, Carrie, was born. It went on to sell five million copies and was made into one of the top-grossing films of 1976.

(6)

SUCCESSFUL people understand that no one makes it to the top in a single bound. What truly sets them apart is their willingness to keep putting one step in front of the other-no matter how rough the terrain.

----x---

good day!

(compiled by g prasad)

Essential Learning

Essence

Whatever I am doing, my meditation continues. It is not something that I have to do it separately; it is just an art of witnessing. Speaking to you, I am also witnessing myself speaking to you. So here are three persons: you are listening, one person is speaking, and there is one behind who is watching and that is my real me. And to keep constant contact with it is meditation.

So whatever you do does not matter, you just keep contact with your witness. I have reduced religion to its very fundamental essence. Now everything else is just ritual. This much is enough. And this does not need you to become a Christian or a Hindu or a Mohammedan or anybody, and this can be done by an atheist, by a communist, by anybody, because it needs no kind of theology, no kind of belief system. It is simply a scientific method of slowly moving inwards. A point comes when you reach to your innermost core, the very center of the cyclone. (The last Testament)

The basic element running through all the methods of meditation is witnessing. You ask me: What is witnessing?

Whatever you are doing. For example, right now you are writing. You can write in two ways. The ordinary way that you always write. You can try another method: you can write it and you can also inside witness that you are writing it.

And you ask: Does that mean some kind of detachment?

A detachment. You are a little distant, away, watching yourself writing. So any act, just moving my hand, I can watch. Walking on the road, I can watch myself walking. Eating, I can watch. So whatever you are doing, just remain a witness.

If you have any ego,. it will destroy it, because this watching is very much poisonous to the ego. It is not ego that watches. The ego is absolutely blind. It cannot watch anything. You can watch your ego. For example, somebody insults you and you feel hurt, and your ego feels hurt. You can watch it. You can watch that you are feeling hurt, your ego is feeling hurt, and that you are angry. And you can still remain aloof, detached, just a watcher on the hills. Whatever goes on in the valley you can see.

So all the methods are basically different ways of witnessing. I have condensed them in a very simple way:

First, watch your actions of the body.

Second, watch your actions of the Mind: thoughts, imaginations.

Third, watch your actions of the heart: feelings, love,hate, moods, sadness, happiness. And if you can succeed in watching all these three, and as your witnessing grows deeper and deeper, a moment comes that there is only witnessing but nothing to witness. The mind is empty, the heart is empty, the body is relaxed. In that moment happens something like a quantum leap. Your whole witnessing jumps upon itself. It witnesses itself, because there is nothing else to witness. And this is the revolution which I call enlightenment, self-realization. Or you can give it any name, but this is the ultimate experience of bliss. You cannot go beyond it.

This is the simplest. And because it can be done without in any way interfering with your everyday life, because it is something that you can go on doing the whole day. Any other

method you have to take some time apart for it. And any method that needs one hour or half an hour to sit and do it is not going to help much, because twenty-three hours you will be doing just the opposite. And whatever you have gained in one hour will be washed away in twenty-three hours. This is the only method that you can continue around the clock. While falling asleep you can go on witnessing, witnessing, that the sleep is coming, coming, coming, that it is getting darker and the body is relaxing. And a moment comes when you can watch that you are asleep. And still there is a corner, a space in you which is awake. When you can watch yourself twenty-four hours, you have arrived. Now there is nothing to be done. Then witnessing has become natural to you. You dont have to do it. It will be simply like breathing, happening to you. This is my basic method. But there are other methods. If people feel that this is difficult for them, they can try other methods. All are available. (The last Testament)

I have returned from a movie show. It is surprising to see how much the light and shade photos projected on the screen captivate people. Where there is really nothing, everything happens! I watched the audience there and it felt as if they had forgotten themselves, as if they were not there, but the flow of electrically projected pictures was everything. A blank screen is in front and from the back the pictures are being projected. Those who are watching it have their eyes fixed in front, and no one is aware of what is happening behind their backs.

This is how leela, the play, is born.

This is what happens within and without.

There is a projector at the back of the human mind. Psychology calls this back side the unconscious. The longings, the passions, the conditionings accumulated unconscious are being continuously projected onto the mind’s screen. This flow of mental projections goes on every moment, non-stop. The consciousness is a seer, a witness, and it forgets itself in this flow of the pictures of desires. This forgetfulness is ignorance. This ignorance is the root cause of maya, illusions, and the endless cycle of birth and death. Waking up from this ignorance happens in the cessation of the mind. When the mind is devoid of thoughts, when the flow of pictures on the screen stops, only then the onlooker remembers himself and returns to his home. Patanjali calls this cessation of the activities of the mind Yoga. If this is achieved, all is achieved. (The Seeds of Wisdom).

This is my observation of thousands of people: I see them carrying such great psychological luggage, and for no reason at all. They go on gathering anything they come across. They read the newspaper and they will gather some crap from it. They will talk to people and they will gather some crap. And they go on gathering. And if they start stinking, no wonder! I used to live with a man for a few years. His house was so full of unnecessary luggage that I had to tell him "Now, where are you going to live?" And he would go on collecting any kind of thing. Somebody would be selling his old furniture, and he would purchase it, and he already had enough. He had no time to use that furniture, and he had no friends to call. His whole house was full of furniture: old radio sets, and all kinds of things. And I said "But, I dont see the point why you collect all this." He said "Who knows, any time it may be useful." One day we went for a walk and

on the road. By the side of the road, somebody had thrown a cycle handle. He picked it up. I said "What are you doing?"

He said "But, it must be worth twenty rupees at least, and I have picked up a few other things also sooner or later I am going to make a bicycle!" And he showed me. He had one wheel, one pedal, that he had picked up from the roads. And he said "What are you saying? Soon you will see!"

This man died. The cycle remained incomplete. And when he died, everybody who came to look was puzzled by what he was doing in this house there was no space even to move.

But this is the situation of your head. I see cycle-handles, and pedals, and strange things that you have gathered from everywhere. Such a small head, and no space to live in! And that rubbish goes on moving in your head; your head goes on spinning and weaving it keeps you occupied. Just think what kind of thoughts go on inside your mind. (The sun rises in the evening).

Sometimes, sitting under the stars, you feel a bliss arising within your heart. It seems not of this world. You are surprised. You cannot believe it.

I have come across simple people who have known many moments in their life which are Buddha-like, which belong to Christ consciousness, but they have never talked about them to anybody because they themselves don't believe that they were possible. They have in fact suppressed them. They have been thinking that they must have imagined them: How can it happen without any effort of my own? How is it possible that suddenly one becomes blissful? You can remember them in your own life and in such moments when you were never expecting them, just going to the office, in the daily routine, the sun is high and you are perspiring and suddenly somethi_.ng strikes home,and for a moment you are not the old you. Paradise is regained. And then it is lost again. You forget about it because it is not part of your style of life. You don't even talk about it, you think, I must have imagined it. How are these things possible? And I have not done anything so how can it happen? It must have been hallucinatory, an illusion or a dream. You don't talk about it. As I have observed thousands of people deeply I have not come across many people who have not found such certain moments in their life. But they have never talked of them to anybody. Even if they tried to, people laughed and they thought: You are foolish, stupid. They don't believe, they repress. Not only has humanity repressed sex,

has humanity repressed death, humanity has repressed all that is beautiful in life. Man has been forced to become like an automaton, a robot. All clues, all doors, have been closed towards the unknown. (Tao-The Three treasures)

It is my continual experience of thousands of people that when they come for the first time to meditate, meditation happens so easily because they don't have any idea what it is. Once it has happened, then the real problem arises, then they want it, they know what it is, they desire it. They are greedy for it; it is happening to others and it is not happening to them. Then jealousy, envy, all kinds of wrong things surround them. (The golden Future)

The inner world is a new world where you have not even looked, where you have never

taken a single step. So I have to teach you how, slowly, you can step inwards.

Even when I say to people to go inwards, immediately they ask questions which show how focused on the outside things they are.

I say to them, "Sit silently."

And they will ask me, "Can I do gayatri mantra?"

Whether you do gayatri mantra or you read the newspaper does not matter, both are outside. I am telling you, "Sit silently."

They say, "That is right, but at least I can repeat omkar," It is pitiable. I feel sad for them, that I am telling them to be silent but they are asking me to fill their silence with something. They don't want to be silent. If nothing else, then omkar will do, anything will do. (The Rajneesh Upnishad).

In India people go on doing all kinds of things. They concentrate, they chant mantras, they fast, they torture their bodies, and they hope that through all these masochistic practices they will realize God. As if God is a sadist! As if God loves you to torture yourself. As if he demands that the more you torture yourself, the more worthy you become. God is not a sadist; you need not be a masochist. I have come across people who think that without long fasting there is no possibility of meditation. Now, fasting has nothing to do with meditation. Fasting will only make you obsessed with food. And there are people who think celibacy will help them into meditation. Meditation brings a kind of celibacy, but not vice versa. A celibacy without meditation is nothing but sexual repression. And your mind will become more and more sexual, so whenever you sit to meditate your mind will become full of fantasies, sexual fantasies. These two things have been the greatest problems for the so-called meditators: fasting and celibacy. They think these two°things are going to help they are the greatest disturbances!

Eat in right proportions^. Buddha calls it "the Middle Way,neither too much nor too little. He is against fasting, and he knows it through hard experience. For six years he fasted and could not attain to anything. So when he says, "Be in the middle," he means it. About celibacy also: dont enforce it upon yourself It is a by-product of meditation, hence it can not be enforced before meditation. Be in the middle there too, neither too much indulgence nor too much renunciation. Just keep a balance. A balanced person will be more healthy, at ease, at home. And when you are at home, meditation is easier. What then is meditation? Just^, sitting silently doing nothing, witnessing whatsoever is happening all around, just watching it with no prejudice, no conclusion, no idea what is wrong and what is right. (The Dhammapada).

Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People

** Article: Top 10 Traits of Highly Successful People - That You Can Learn! - By Dr. Philip E. Humbert ***
------------------------------------------------------------

We have all read about people who are successful briefly. They win a gold medal, make a fortune, or star in one great movie and then disappear. Or, there are those like Marilyn Monroe and Howard Hughes who achieve extraordinary success, at the cost of their own lives. These examples do not inspire me!

My focus and fascination is with people who seem to do well in many areas of life, and do it over and over through a lifetime. In entertainment, I think of Paul Newman and Bill Cosby. In business, I think of Ben and Jerry (the ice cream moguls), and a local hardware store owner who is famous for the money he's give to children's charities. As a Naval Officer, husband, businessman, politician and now as a mediator and philanthropist on the world stage, Jimmy Carter has had a remarkable life. We all know examples of people who go from one success to another.

These are the people who inspire me! I've studied them, and I've noticed they have the following traits in common:

1. They work hard!
Yes, they play hard, too! They get up early, they rarely complain, they expect performance from others, but they expect extraordinary performance from themselves. Repeated, high-level success starts with a recognition that hard work pays off.

2. They are incredibly curious and eager to learn.
They study, ask questions and read - constantly! An interesting point, however: While most of them did well in school, the difference is that they apply or take advantage of what they learn. Repeated success is not about memorizing facts, it's about being able to take information and create, build, or apply it in new and important ways. Successful people want to learn everything about everything!

3. They network.
They know lots of people, and they know lots of different kinds of people. They listen to friends, neighbors, co-workers and bartenders. They don't have to be "the life of the party", in fact many are quiet, even shy, but they value people and they value relationships. Successful people have a rolodex full of people who value their friendship and return their calls.

4. They work on themselves and never quit!
While the "over-night wonders" become arrogant and quickly disappear, really successful people work on their personality, their leadership skills, management skills, and every other detail of life. When a relationship or business deal goes sour, they assume they can learn from it and they expect to do better next time. Successful people don't tolerate flaws; they fix them!

5. They are extraordinarily creative.
They go around asking, "Why not?" They see new combinations, new possibilities, new opportunities and challenges where others see problems or limitations. They wake up in the middle of the night yelling, "I've got it!" They ask for advice, try things out, consult experts and amateurs, always looking for a better, faster, cheaper solution. Successful people create stuff!

6. They are self-reliant and take responsibility.
Incredibly successful people don't worry about blame, and they don't waste time complaining. They make decisions and move on. Sometimes they are criticized for taking this to extremes - Jimmy Carter carried his own briefcase and a President "shouldn't" do that! Extremely successful people take the initiative and accept the responsibilities of success.

7. They are usually relaxed and keep their perspective.
Even in times of stress or turmoil, highly successful people keep their balance, they know the value of timing, humor, and patience. They rarely panic or make decisions on impulse. Unusually successful people breathe easily, ask the right questions, and make sound decisions, even in a crisis.

8. Extremely successful people live in the present moment.
They know that "Now" is the only time they can control. They have a "gift" for looking people in the eye, listening to what is being said, enjoying a meal or fine wine, music or playing with a child. They never seem rushed, and they get a lot done! They take full advantage of each day. Successful people don't waste time, they use it!

9. They "look over the horizon" to see the future.
They observe trends, notice changes, see shifts, and hear the nuances that others miss. A basketball player wearing Nikes is trivial, the neighbor kid wearing them is interesting, your own teenager demanding them is an investment opportunity! Extremely successful people live in the present, with one eye on the future!

10. Repeatedly successful people respond instantly!
When an investment isn't working out, they sell. When they see an opportunity, they make the call. If an important relationship is cooling down, they take time to renew it. When technology or a new competitor or a change in the economic situation requires an adjustment, they are the first and quickest to respond.

These traits work together in combination, giving repeatedly successful people a huge advantage. Because they are insatiable learners, they can respond wisely to change. Because their personal relationships are strong, they have good advisors, and a reserve of goodwill when things go bad. And finally, none of these traits are genetic! They can be learned! They are free and they are skills you can use. Start now!

© Copyright 2000 by Philip E. Humbert. All Rights Reserved.

** To comment on this article or to read comments about this article, go here.

About the Author:

Written by Dr. Philip E. Humbert, author, speaker and personal success coach. Dr. Humbert has hundreds of tips, tools and articles on his website that you can use for your own success! It's a great resource! Visit him on the web at: http://www.philiphumbert.com and be sure to sign up for his great newsletter!

One Minute Wisdom

One of the most lasting pleasures you can experience is the feeling that comes over you when you genuinely forgive an enemy - whether he knows it or not.

(O. A. Battista)

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

(Dr. Wayne W. Dyer)

If you have no confidence in self, you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence, you have won even before you have started.

(Marcus Tullius Cicero)

Essential Virtues for a Successful Project Manager

1.WISDOM
2.JUSTICE
3.FORTITUDE
4.SELF-CONTROL
5.LOVE
6.POSITIVE ATTITUDE
7.HARD WORK
8.INTEGRITY
9.GRATITUDE
10.HUMILITY