"Your Possiblities Are Unlimited"
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Your Possibilities Are Unlimited In this article:
HENDRICK KNEW THE RIGHT ANSWER Several years ago my wife and I were on vacation in Puerto Rico at the Dorado Beach Hotel. The manager Hendrick Santos threw a Wednesday night welcoming party for the hotel guests. I asked Hendrick to tell us how he became the manager of one of the finest hotels in Puerto Rico. He seemed genuinely happy to tell us his story. SWEET SIXTEEN When Hendrick was sixteen years old, he was a golf caddy at the Dorado Hilton Hotel. A banquet was scheduled to honor the best caddies, and he was one of the recipients. He borrowed shoes, a suit, a shirt, and a tie in order to attend the event. He was dressed in a suit for the first time, and as he stood in the lobby, a wealthy lady asked him if he was the manager of the hotel. Hendrick immediately replied that he was not the manager, but he would introduce her to the manager. He went home that night and could not sleep. He figured that if the lady thought he was the manager of the Dorado Hilton, perhaps he could be the manager of a fine hotel in Puerto Rico. Thinking about that awesome possibility, Hendrick could not sleep that night. The next day, he told his caddy friends about his goal, and they laughed and told him that the bigwigs would never make him the manager of any hotel. CLOSE YOUR EARS AND OPEN YOUR MIND He ignored their taunts and pursued his dream. Hendrick Santos looked at me with pride in his eyes and said, 'And today I am the manager at the finest hotel in Puerto Rico.' What if Hendrick had listened to his friends? How many times have you listened to others when trying to determine your future, and how many times have you allowed their comments to hold you back? DO NOT WAIT - ACT NOW! Your possibilities are a choice. Every day when you rise, you are given a new slate to write on. If you choose to continue to use the old slate, you will continue to get what you have always been getting. If you choose to do so, you can change your life for a better alternative, and you don't have to wait another minute. You must decide what it is that you really want, and then take the first step. WHERE ARE YOU GOING? If I invited you to take a journey with me, you would ask, 'Where are we going?' Yet, have you seriously asked yourself that question about the most important journey you will ever take - the journey of life? Your life is not a dress rehearsal; it is the real thing! Make up your mind, and you will have a productive life. Instead of waiting for things to happen, YOU can begin making things happen in your life. You have heard the expression, 'Nothing happens until somebody does something.' I would like to change it to, 'Nothing happens until YOU do something.' Success is a choice that you make every day. Are you making the right choices? Better yet, are you making any choices?
THE RIGHT CHOICES Here are some ways that you can become unglued from the floor, and move forward: 1. Personally commit to increase your efforts by just 10% a day for the next thirty days. Note, I did not say 100%. It only takes 10% more effort to be 100% more successful. FINISH FIRST In 1973, the great racehorse Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, and went on to win the Triple Crown. Who finished second to Secretariat in the 1973 Kentucky Derby? Sham finished second to Secretariat in 1973. The irony is that if Sham had run in any other Kentucky Derby, Sham would not only have won, but Sham would still hold the record for the fastest Kentucky Derby ever run. Secretariat beat Sham by only two-fifths of a second. Two fifths of a second and Secretariat is immortal in racing history, and Sham is seldom known by most people. 2. Operate as if you could not fail. Ask yourself each day, 'If I could not fail, what would I do differently?' Fear of failure is the biggest obstacle on your road to success and fulfillment. Fear freezes you into a comatose state of inaction. IT ALL BEGINS WITH A GOAL When I was 20 years old, I set a goal to establish an advertising agency before my thirtieth birthday. I was twenty-nine years and nine months old when I started Bon Advertising Agency in 1972. Bon Advertising became one of the largest in Kentucky with an equally successful office in New Orleans. OVERCOME THE FEAR FACTOR It was a frightening experience to start my own business, but I did it anyway. I had a wife, three children, two cars, and a mortgage payment. I can remember driving to a secluded spot off of Interstate 64, stopping my car, and looking at the moon in the sky. I told myself that if man could go to the moon, I could surely open an advertising agency. Seeing the accomplishments of others put the fear behind me, and I moved forward. For inspiration, observe the success of others. Read books or listen to CD's on success and motivation. New input produces new output. 3. Work creatively toward your possibilities. Earl Nightingale said that if hard work alone were all it took to be successful, a mill ox would be the most successful creature in the world. ARE YOU THE SOLUTION OR THE PROBLEM? Think how you can become the solution instead of the problem. Every day, list ten ideas that you have been dreaming about. You do not have to do anything but write them. If the ideas are big enough and attainable, your subconscious mind will take over and begin to make them happen. If you act on only 10% of your ideas, you will be successful beyond your greatest dreams. When was the last time you wrote your dreams on paper? 4. Expect to succeed. Wayne Dyer says, 'Believing is seeing.' That is a powerful statement because all success begins in the mind. Whenever I make a sales call, I see success, not failure, because I create what I expect. Positive expectation is a powerful tool. YOU ARE GOING TO DIE When my Dad was 39 years old, the doctors diagnosed cancer. A year later, the cancer recurred, and the doctors told him to prepare to die. Today my Dad is 86 years old. He expected to be here, and he is. When I asked him his secret, he said that he focused on living instead of dying. What are you focused on today? Whatever it is, you will surely get it - good or bad. 5. Reach for the stars. Leo Burnett, one of the early greats in the advertising agency business, said, 'Reach for the stars, and you won't come up with a hand full of dirt.' Always be reaching beyond your grasp. The opportunities are there, waiting for you to decide to be a success or a failure. Failure is also a choice. By choosing not to choose, you opt to allow fate to determine your future. Webster defines fate as an inevitable and often adverse outcome. Look for opportunities, and every day, make an effort to progress. You are either moving forward or backward; there is no such thing as standing still. YOU HAVE THE POWER POWER, an acrostic, was formed with the first letter of each of the above 5 steps to progress. You have the power to have, be, or do, anything that you want in life. It is up to you whether you want to live a life of excuses or a life of fulfillment and abundance. Make the right decision today. The choice is up to YOU.
© 2004-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. |
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REPRINT info: Joe Bonura About Joe Bonura His background is unique. Joe owned and operated a highly successful advertising agency for 18 years. During that time, he found his advertising campaigns were more effective when he educated his clients in the areas of sales and service. He conducted training seminars for his clients as added value. Word spread that Joe was a quality speaker and more and more people asked him to speak. The demand became so high that he sold the agency to three of his associates to start his own speaking and consulting company, Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc. Joe is past President of the Kentucky Speakers Association and a Certified Speaking Professional (CSP), a prestigious designation earned by only 8% of the 3,600 member National Speakers Association. Joe presently serves on the board of directors of NSA. He is author of the audio learning systems "Three-Dimensional Selling®" and "Turning Customer Satisfaction Into Customer Excitement®." He is author of the book Throw the Rabbit—The Ultimate Approach to Three-Dimensional Selling. Click here TO ENGAGE JOE BONURA FOR A TRAINING SEMINAR AT YOUR COMPANY
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