Slammed Doors always = Open Windows
…At least in my world, I’ve learn to open the window and go through that way rather than sit and cry at the door.
Today (and this is the evidence that I am growing stronger and smarter and more in-touch with my authentic self, who cannot be crushed) I was GASP! rejected. 
It’s not really something I’m foreign to. Anyone who chooses to live outside the box faces rejection. And in fact, the more ‘No’s you get, the closer you come to a ‘Yes’ at least that is the perspective I choose regarding this topic.
I got a soft rejection from someone’s assistant regarding my book. I’m in the last stages of putting it together, and time is essential for success. Anyway, this person needs more time than I am willing to trade for the help that I might receive from him (or might not).
Now, a few years ago, I would take this as a blow to my ego. Telling myself all kinds of stories about how I’m a failure, don’t deserve success, or destined to die alone, with 8 cats and a shopping cart. Of course, now I’m stronger and smarter and in-touch, so I know that’s not true.
Instead of crying at that slammed door/opportunity, I have opened 5 other windows…and I feel really good. I’d rather go through a window anyway…so much more Pollyanna-like 
Redefining Success
What does success mean to you?
I know that most people have a canned response. “Success means having lots of money, wearing expensive clothes, travelling around the world and driving a fancy car.” Notice that all of those things are external? They are all things that you “get” outside of yourself, and most of those things don’t make you happy for long.
Crazy idea…If your house were to burn down, what would you take? You’d take the photo’s, the babybooks, family pet…you wouldn’t head to the closet to get your favorite pair of shoes or that designer dress.
WHAT IF you defined success from the inside out?
So start this process with a quick exercise. What does success really mean to you? What do you want to do with your life? Write it down, not editing or worrying about others might think. Then look at the difference between what you say you want, and what you currently have. Create a “backward” map. That is, start where you want to be and map out a backward trail until you end up where you are now. Since you are where you are now, start there and take the next logical step to living a successful life.
How to Guarantee a GREAT Day, Every Day
Guest post by Chris Widener
Every Monday morning I have a standing radio interview I enjoy very much. But you can imagine that it can become routine. To prevent this, the host doesn’t tell me the topic before we go live on the air—now that puts some excitement into it!
This week, he asked me: How can a person guarantee that they will have a great day, every day? Some may find that hard to answer, but for me it was easy. You see, I believe we can control our destinies and create for ourselves the kind of lives we desire. People who live based on these principles achieve what they desire, while people who live reacting to circumstances do not.
Here are the principles for having a GREAT day every day:
Focus on today only.
Yes, long-range goals are important. But our focus must be on today. My equation is that your short-term tasks, multiplied by time, equal your long-term accomplishments. With that in mind, it’s imperative that we focus on short-term because, when multiplied by time, it will eventually equal our long-term goals. Don’t worry about tomorrow. Make today the best day you have ever had. Realize that when you lay down to sleep tonight you will have just given up the only shot you will ever have at today. You only get one shot at your today, so focus intently on making it all that it possibly can be. Focus, focus, focus! When you focus on making today great, you are helping guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Embrace your power to choose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “The history of free men is never written by chance but by choice—their choice.” When your today becomes your yesterday, you will look back and realize that day was a result of your choices. “But wait Chris, what if my boss controlled my day? That isn’t my choice!” you might say. But it is your choice to work for someone else. You chose to let someone else tell you what to do. But you can control your own destiny. The moment we realize that we can exercise a powerful gift from God, namely the gift of free will and choice, is when we begin to create for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take ownership of the direction of your life. Make your choices and carry them out!
Your attitude is up to you.
Yes, bad things may happen in your day. The pitcher for “Team Circumstances” may have a tremendous curveball waiting for you, and you cannot control that. You cannot control what others may do or say. But you can control your attitude. Your attitude about whatever happens to you is up to you.
When something happens to you, you have the choice: Will you let it get you down and depressed, keeping you from forging ahead and making the day the best one ever? Or will you say to yourself that, no matter what happens, you are on the path to success and no obstacle will keep you from it? Will you say, “Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose—I guess this time I lost”? Will you say, “Sometimes you win and sometimes you learn—I can really learn something from this!”?
It is all in what attitude you choose. Your attitude is up to you, and when you choose to have a great attitude, you are choosing to guarantee to have a GREAT day, every day!
Live out and act on your priorities.
So far, we have dealt with internal perspectives, and that is indeed the place to start. But the practical place is in our priorities. If we want to make our days great, then we have to live out those things that will by definition make our days great. And those things are what are important to us. They are our priorities.
So each morning, start out by asking, “What things are important to me today? What are the things I need to accomplish in order for me to lay down tonight and know that I lived a GREAT day?” Then put those in order of most important to least important.
Don’t do what is fun. Don’t do what is easy. Do what is IMPORTANT! Live out your priorities. When you do, you will guarantee that you will make your day GREAT, every day!
Tomorrow, when you wake up, go through the four following points and see if you don’t make tomorrow a GREAT day:
* Focus on today only.
* Understand that I get to choose how today will go.
* Remain in a positive attitude no matter what happens.
* Live out and act on my priorities.
Do this, and you will guarantee a GREAT day, every day.
About Chris Widener
Chris Widener is a businessman, author, speaker and television host. A prolific writer and producer of CDs and DVDs, his most recent book is The Art of Influence. Widener is the host of the national interview show, Made For Success, and co-host of True Performance with Zig Ziglar. The Chris Widener newsletter is one of the most widely distributed on personal and professional development. Chris’ motto is, “Turn your potential into performance, succeed in every area of life, and achieve your dreams.” He very definitely gives you the tools you need to do that and delivers results-oriented programs designed specifically to help you achieve your goals!
Read more posts from Chris HERE
Progress in Leaps & Bounds!
I am typing this blog post from my Hotel room, I’ve been up since 5 am mulling things over in my brain. Yoga didn’t calm me, but working did (strange how that is) and finally I just decided to get it all out in a blog post!
The reason I am in a hotel room? I’m on my first of two, Private Platinum VIP retreats with my business coach (I like to call her my best friend in biz) Gina Bell. We spend yesterday going over the next three months of my calendar and talking about things in the industry in general and specifically. It’s good to know that I’m on the right track, and I got a confidence boost. Gotta love a good coach!
So before I get ready for Day 2 and grab a much needed coffee, I wanted to share this quick video about the difference between wanting success and actually being successful! If you are interested in more info about coaching, go here (I’m especially joyful right now, you’ll see why in the post, and I’ve gone delusional with my coaching pricing).
Discover Your Authentic Life
Shed the YOU that doesn’t work and embrace the YOU that does!
That is the subtitle for my upcoming book to be published this summer.
I sat down to do the bulk of the outline last weekend, and ended up writing almost the entire thing. A few things came to mind as I assembled, wrote and researched.
- I have learned A LOT in the last couple of years! And most of it came from an uncomfortable place, usually one I didn’t want to be in at the time. But on the other side, I realize that discomfort is required for massive growth. Sure you can grow slowly and there is nothing wrong with that. BUT if you say you want loads of money, a job you love and to meet the love of your life (and all right now) you’re going to have to grow into the person who has those things.
- It is the small things that really count. The quick, massive growth comes from all of the “small” things done on a regular basis to improve. I did a lot of inner work, learning to meditate My WAY, making the effort to find things to be joyful for, deliberately living in the moment. I read lots of books, articles and blogs. I signed up for every teleseminar under the sun (and actually listened to them).
- Once you decide, the rest is downhill. A couple of years ago I made the decision to go after a dream. I struggled for a very very long time with this. It tortured me (and those around me due to my increased crankiness) until I came to an earth-shattering decision. I can be happy, or I can be right. I was sick of being right…(being a victim of circumstance, job statistics and education choice). So I made the choice to succeed and just do it…and every thing that would lead me to success HAD to be a YES! Life gets simple when you make the choice.
Looks like I will have to write another book just to cover all of the inner stuff I learned while writing the first on! My point of this blog:
- Success takes a conscious decision
- Success takes uncomfortable growth
- Success is defined only by YOU
If you have decided that you are ready to shed the old, dull version of you
(you know, the one that is living someone else’s life, the one who spend all her time running around for others and not enough time reading, exercising or watching was she wants on TV) then get a jump start before my book comes out by purchasing my Master LIFE Cleanse Action Guide. It has all the tools you need to get started.
