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Inspiration in a few words:
Whatever you believe with emotion becomes your reality. You always act in a
manner consistent with your innermost beliefs and convictions. - Brian Tracy
Guest Book
Review
Biography Book Review - Bill Gates -
The Founder of Microsoft
Book Review By Lance Winslow
Perhaps there has been more written about Microsoft Founder, Bill Gates, than just about any
other business person in history, and that stands to reason considering what he created and how
he brought personal computing into the homes and small businesses of every person in America.
The story is truly incredible, but most people do not know the full story, as it spans many
decades.
To help you better understand some of it, the years prior to 1993, you might wish to do a
little reading. So, let me recommend and interesting book to you, one which I am sure you'll
enjoy:
"Gates; How Microsoft Mogul Reinvented an Industry and Made Himself the Greatest Man in America
by Stephen Manes and Paul Andrews; Touchstone Books, a Simon Schuster Book Publishing
subsidiary; New York, NY 1984. ISBN: 0-671-88074-8.
Gates' story is a cool one from the time he was a boy playing with computers and his days in
college. The early years in Albuquerque and the deal with IBM; indeed, there is so much to this
story that you are going to have opened your horizon and your mind to exactly what this
phenomenal person has given to the human race. And remember this book was written in 1994,
before all his foundation work, or his real success. Of course, all that is another chapter for
another book.
After reading this book, I recommend Business at The Speed of Thought, which will really help
you get to know Bill Gates, his vision, leadership and our future, thanks to his hard work.
Think on this.
Lance Winslow enjoys community philanthropy -
[http://nashville.bizjournals.com/nashville/stories/2000/11/06/smallb2.html]Lance Winslow likes
small business. Lance Winslow has also been involved in the Oil Industry;
[http://www.oilchangeguys.com/aboutus.shtml]http://www.oilchangeguys.com/aboutus.shtml/.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lance_Winslow
http://EzineArticles.com/?Biography-Book-Review---Bill-Gates---The-Founder-of-Microsoft&id=2294330
Guest
Article
Say YES to Yourself with a Personal
"Don't-Do" Policy
by Jack Canfield
Our world is a highly competitive and over stimulating place, and more and more concentration
is needed every day just to stay focused on completing your daily tasks and pursuing your
long-term goals.
With the explosion of communications technology we are more accessible to
more people than ever before.
Complete strangers can reach you by telephone, cell phone, pager, fax, regular mail, express
mail and e-mail.
They can e-mail and instant message you at home, at work and on your hand held smart-phone. And
with the explosion of social media, requests now find their way to us on our Facebook and
Linked-In accounts.
It seems everyone wants a piece of you!
Your kids want rides or to borrow the car, your co-workers want your input
on projects that are not your responsibility, your boss wants you to work overtime, your sister
wants you to take her kids for the weekend, your child's school wants you to bake four dozen
cookies for teacher appreciation day, your mother wants you to come over and fix her screen
door, your best friend wants to talk about his impending divorce, a local charity wants you to
head up a committee, and your neighbor wants to borrow your van.
Not to mention the endless slews of telemarketers who want you to subscribe
to the local newspaper, contribute to the nearby wildlife sanctuary or transfer all of your
credit card debt over to their new card. Even your pets are clamoring for more
attention!
We suffer from overload at work--taking on more than we can comfortably
deliver in an unconscious desire to impress others, get ahead, and keep up with others'
expectations. Meanwhile our top priorities go unaddressed.
How much time do you waste with projects and activities that you really
don't want to do simply because you are uncomfortable saying no?
Success depends on getting good at saying no without feeling guilty. You
cannot get ahead with your own goals if you are always saying yes to someone else's projects.
You can only get ahead with your desired lifestyle if you are focused on the things that will
produce that lifestyle.
You will have to structure your work and life so that you are focusing your time, effort,
energies, and resources only on projects, opportunities, and people that give you a huge return
on your efforts. You are going to have to create stronger boundaries about what you will and
won't do.
Most of us are busy, but undisciplined. We are active, but not focused. We
are moving, but not always in the right direction. By creating a stop-doing list as well as a
to-do list, you will bring more discipline and focus into your life
Start by creating a stop-doing list as soon as possible! Then make the things on your list
"policies." People respond to policies. They understand a policy as a boundary. They will
respect you more for being clear about what you won't do.
For example, some of my "don't do"
policies on a personal level are:
·
I never lend my car to anyone
for any reason.
·
I don't lend money. I am not a
bank.
·
We don't schedule outside
social events on Friday night. That is our family night.
·
I don't discuss contributions
over the phone. Send me something in writing.
On a business level some of my "don't
do" policies are:
·
I don't give endorsements for
books of fiction.
·
I have a policy of not lending
my books to other people. They rarely come back, and they are the source of my livelihood, so I
don't lend them out.)
·
I don't schedule more than
five talks in one month.
·
I no longer co-author books
with first-time authors.
Their learning curve is too expensive.
·
I don't do individual
counseling or coaching. There is greater leverage in working with a group.
·
Except for when I am doing a
new book tour, I don't schedule more than two radio interviews in a day.
It is very easy to say what your policies are, and you don't even have to
use the word no!
People respect policies. And it's likely that no one will take your policy
personally, they'll realize it's a boundary you have set for all occasions.
Be brave in saying no, stay focused on your higher goals and let people know
that you are committed to those goals. People will respect your clarity and
drive.
Remember, just as you are in control of your feelings and attitudes, other
people are in control of theirs, so if they do get upset with you for saying no...well that is
a choice they make for themselves.
For more tips on Just Saying NO!, read Principle 42 in The Success
Principles.
© 2009 Jack Canfield
Are you "stuck" in this area?
www.AskJackCanfield.com
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