Chris Widener's Weekly Ezine
April 21, 2005
Issue 07

Welcome!

Life always presents us with interesting scenarios and through those often provide opportunities for thought and learning. For example, the other day we had a new riding lawn mower delivered with a large attachment that hooks onto it and sucks the grass up and into a container. I think they called it a grass catcher...

Now, you have to know that I have, and I can't stress this enough: ABSOLUTELY NO MECHANICAL ABILITY WHATSOEVER!! So I did what any normal guy like me would do: I paid my 14-year-old boy to put it together for me. He gets ten bucks, I get a grass catcher – we're both happy (on another note, I didn't pay my wife when she put together our barbeque grill – I'm hopeless, I know!).

So an hour later he comes into my office and announces that he's done. I promptly hand him ten bucks and he says, "I can't believe that I just got paid $10 for doing something I like to do." To which I said, "No, you got paid $10 for doing something I don't like to do."

Well, that got me to thinking about who gets paid what in our society. Think about it for a minute:

Doing things that others could do but don't want to do will get you paid very little. Things like garbage collection. That will get you $18-30,000 a year.

Doing things that others could do with a little effort and education but choose not to do will get you paid more. Things like tax preparation. That will get you $60-120,000 a year.

Doing things that others could do, but would require a lot of effort and education and so they choose not to do will get you paid quite a bit. Jobs like being an attorney or a doctor come to mind. That will get you $80-750,000 a year.

Doing things that others can't do but would like to do will get you paid a lot! Things like being able to dunk a basketball, hit a 95 mile an hour fastball over a fence or throw a football 60 yards to a man running a 4.2 forty come to mind. That will get you from $400,000 to $25,000,000 a year.

Have you ever given thought to why you earn what you earn and how it is related to what others are able and/or willing to do? It is insightful because if you want to increase your income, you can just tweak what you provide to others based on what they are willing to pay for it.

Chew on that... I know I am.

You Are Made for Success!
Chris Widener


P.S. If you enjoy this week's edition and find it to be valuable, then if you would do me the favor of forwarding it to your friends, family and associates, it would be very much appreciated. If they would like to subscribe, have them send an email to: subscribe@chriswidener.com

Many Thanks!


In This Issue.....

1. Charting Your Course to Success Weekly Article
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
3. The Last Word...
4. Customer Feedback
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Weekly Article

The Secret to Intense Focus by Chris Widener

One of the common elements you see in almost all successful people is focus. They saw what they wanted to achieve and they focused in on it like a laser. Then, when they become famous and we, the common folk, know their name, we are amazed at the focus they have.

Focus will set two people apart who have equal skills.

What I am about to say may appear to be blasphemous to some: Tiger Woods is not that much more highly skilled than the other top PGA players! No, I haven't lost my marbles. Take any of the big names and stick them on any course and on any given day they can shoot a 65 for 18 holes. You see, it isn't whether they can – they all CAN – it is whether or not they DO. And that is determined mostly by F-O-C-U-S.

Watch Tiger sometime in a close race to the finish. Watch when he hits a bad shot. Does he fall apart and grumble to anyone who will listen? No! In fact it is almost eerie to watch him lock back in, even more focused than ever. THAT is what makes him a champion. I truly believe it is Tiger's focus that has distinguished him from the rest of the field to become the best golfer ever.

The same is true with others who achieve great things, even in crucial and highly tense situations. Think John Elway in those final minutes of those games he brought the Broncos back in. Think of all of those last second shots that Michael Jordan took (that everyone in the entire arena knew he was going to take – including the other team). These were classic examples of focus.

So what can the average person do to increase their focus? There are some things to do to train yourself. You may never be Tiger Woods, either on the golf course or in the office, but you can increase your focus to where it needs to be to give you the success you desire.

In the remaining part of this article I want to show you how to stay away from a common mistake and turn toward a discipline of focus that will be the first step in greatly enhancing your ability to focus. I will show you a practice technique to use that will greatly enhance your focus and your performance.

The myth is that to focus we must push other things out of your mind. For example, people will say to an athlete, "Don't listen to the fans." Or someone will say to another, "Don't think about..." This doesn't work! For example, right now, do not picture your car. You thought of it right? Exactly. This myth actually gets you to focus on exactly what you don't want to focus on!

Instead, the secret to intense focus is to set your mind intently on what it is you want to focus in on. For example (I'm hoping we have some golfers here – and if not, make the changes you need to, but you should get the point), let's say you are standing over a ten foot putt.

What do you want to focus on? Making that putt! So what are the elements you should be aware of? Now focus on them. But go beyond mere observation. Most people just look at the line of the putt, take a guess on how hard to hit and fire away...

Here are some other things to do (remember the process here is to get you highly aware of your surroundings and to focus with intensity):

Look at the hole. Is the plastic cup even with the top of the grass or is it sunken in? How much? Bet you never noticed that before. Does the grass tip in at the edge or is it even? How long is the grass between you and the hole? Does it waver in length from foot to foot?

Is there sand along the way in your path? How much? What color? What size? Is it even or just for a section?

Are there any bugs sitting on the ground between you and the hole? Does the hill go up or down at all? Not significantly – you would have already noticed that – but even slightly?

Is there a slight wind? Can you feel it blowing on your face?

Lastly, imagine that ball rolling along that path, curving slightly if it has to, and falling in the hole. I mean, really create that movie in your head and watch it!

Now I can hear you asking, "Chris, is this the secret to making your putts?" No, but it's an example of how to focus... Be observant. Notice. Focus. Lock into your focal point(s).

The same could be done at a business meeting with all of the people there, what questions they are asking, what points are being made, what may come next, what the others are wearing, why they chose that outfit for this meeting (What were they were trying to accomplish etc).

The myth of most focus advice is to try to not focus on bad things.

The secret to intense focus is to focus to a higher degree than you normally do on the "good things" – the things you are trying to accomplish!

Give it a try for a week. Focus intensely on what it is you want to accomplish. Bring yourself to a much higher degree of awareness of the surroundings etc... and see for yourself the power behind this methodology!

Then when you have taught yourself to do this for practice, it will become a part of you and you will start to do it naturally and that will be an incredible day!


Chris Widener


Chris Widener is an internationally recognized speaker, author and radio host. If you are interested in booking him to speak at your next event, go to http://www.chriswidener.com or send an email to speaker@chriswidener.com or call 877-929-0439 and ask for Hilary.



2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary

"The real superstar is a man or a woman raising six kids on $150 a week." -- Spencer Haywood (Who rose from a home of poverty with lots of siblings to become a basketball superstar)

Chris' Commentary:
One of the problems with success literature is that most of the time success is left undefined, which means that it is usually interpreted by its default definition, which is material success or power. This leaves a lot of people outside and unable to feel as though they are making significant contributions to society! What about you? Do you sometimes feel as though you aren't a success? We need to remind ourselves that true success isn't just Hollywood's version of it! True success is doing your best, working from your strengths while improving your weaknesses, making the world a better place wherever you are, and helping others to become all that they can be!

Action Point: Take some time today to make a list of all the areas you are successful in! Feel good about that! You are making a difference. Don't let someone else define for you what success looks like! When you are done with that, then set some lofty goals and seek to reach even higher!


Chris is the author of five books including his Newest Release, The Angel Inside - Michelangelo, Il Gigante, and Creating a Life of Power and Beauty. To order The Angel Inside go to http://www.jimrohn.com/shopping/shopexd.asp?id=440 or call 800-929-0434.



3. The Last Word...

You may have noticed that this week's Ezine (in a loose sort of way) has a financial theme to it. So in keeping with that, I've excerpted a little from my "2 cents worth" of the Month Five from the Jim Rohn Financial Mastery Year Two Program. Month Five was one of the most fun because it dealt with teaching kids about money and being prepared financially for their college. In sharing this with you my hope you get a few new ideas or good "tidbits" that will either start or keep your children on the road to financial freedom and independence! Having said that, let's get started...

Working with adults (as well as children and teens) for the past 16 years, I have noticed that there are just a few primary struggles that most adults face on the money issue. I also see how better training as a child and teen could have given them the skills and attitudes that would have prevented the problems that they now face.

As I see it, much of the way we live our lives is groomed as we grow up. And while we can certainly change, it is harder to do the older we get. This can cut both ways: If we are taught correctly we have a high chance of succeeding as adults and if we are taught poorly, there is a high chance that we will continue those poor habits into adulthood.

The good news? We can put our kids on the fast track to success by diligently applying some basic success skills. To get you started, I've brainstormed some ways you can head off your children's money problems years before they face them.

Teaching Kids To Have Successful Finances:

Teach them to earn money.
Sure you can give your kids money - we do. But we should also teach them to earn money. We should give them opportunity to earn money. I don't think a kid should get an allowance for doing chores. Chores are the responsibility of being part of the family. But you can give them extra jobs so they can understand fully the hard work they put in and appreciate the value of the money they receive. This will cause them to handle it better.

Have them give money away.
Greed works its wonders on some of the nicest people. That is what I have found. And the best way to break greed is to give money away. Our children give away 10% of every dollar they get. This builds generosity into their hearts. We have been doing it so long that it is just a part of them. How can you be greedy about something you are giving away? And when you give it away you can see the good that it does to the people and organizations you help. (One side story: When my son was younger and got one dollar a week in allowance he would give a dime away. He suggested it would be a good thing if he started getting two dollars - because then he would be able to give two dimes away. I don't know if he was being generous or shrewd!)

Teach them about investing.
A few years ago I sat in the car explaining the law of supply and demand to my son who was ten at the time. I was telling him about the old "guns and butter" theory (guns represent items that appreciate and butter represents the things that melt away. Invest in appreciating assets and you can have all the butter you want later on. Invest in butter and you won't ever have the guns.) These are basic principles that will allow your kids to be financially secure and not strapped later on. They will be the lender and not the borrower. I teach them about the stock market and how it works. I teach them everything I can about investing so they can be ahead of the game.

Teach them to delay self-gratification.
If we teach our kids to delay gratification, they can put themselves into a financial position wherein they can actually afford the item they want rather than put themselves into debt or a precarious position to get it. Besides, half the time when they wait, they don't want it in three weeks!

Teach them to never have any debt!
No debt. Never. Period. Nada. Never, ever, ever. Pay cash or wait. Okay, did I get that through? Now let me be a little more temperate. Debt creates more problems I have dealt with in my experience with others than just about any other issue--marriage problems, emotional problems, work problems, spiritual problems and physical problems. We should engrain it into our kids' heads that the only acceptable debt is a home mortgage and they should be conservative with that and even pay cash if they can! I hear you, "But I can't get the car I want!" Too bad! See the guns and butter theory above! Your kids will visit your grave every week with flowers after you are gone if you love them and teach them to avoid debt.

Here are three more things we can do to help our children become wealthy in life and finances:

Encourage Them to Dream. Think about all of the wealth that has been created on a dream of what could be. Bill Gates had a dream that computers could be personal rather than just corporate mainframes, and his goal was a computer on every desktop. Edison dreamed of the light bulb. When we encourage our children to dream of what could be we develop a richness of life within them that, when combined with the entrepreneurial spirit and a healthy dose of capitalism, could very well make them rich.

Foster Their Creativity. Creativity is something we should all work on, but especially so if we want to build wealth.
The ability to think creatively is a primary factor in being able to solve problems and take advantage of opportunities, both of which are an integral part of most wealth building journeys. Encourage your children to think outside of the box and to think of new and creative ways to do the same things. You never know--they may invent the proverbial "better mousetrap" and buy you a nice retirement villa in Mexico!

Help Them Become an "Ideas Person." This is similar to the point before on creativity. The world today is a world that is driven by ideas. We have now fully moved from the industrial age to the information age. Whereas plants filled with machinery could once fetch millions of dollars when sold, now simple ideas are sold for millions of dollars. Anybody can regurgitate old ideas. It takes a creative person with wisdom and knowledge to create new ideas...and those new ideas may pave the road to wealth.

Now... Here is a Q & A on a Practical Application:

Q. What about Allowances?

A. This is a question I hear frequently and I know many parents wonder about. First off, let me say that there is no right way of doing it. That being said, let me tell you how my wife and I have done it with our kids.

We started when our kids were about 4 years of age and we began by giving them 1 dollar a week. The first ten cents went into the church offering. The next 40 cents went into savings, and the last fifty cents was theirs. As they got older, we increased that so that they got a bigger allowance. At thirteen they got to five dollars each week, or $20 each month. That is allowance, just money we give them. We give it to them primarily to teach them about money. It isn't a reward for doing chores nor is it expected to cover expenditures like outings, retreats etc. So, how do we handle chores and outings? Here is how:

Chores are a part of being in the family. Each kid is assigned chores and they are expected to do them. If they want to earn extra money, then we will think of additional things they can do - like wash the cars, etc. - for extra pay. Or they can take a job babysitting for others, etc. Have you seen what babysitters make nowadays? My 12-year-old daughter is virtually rolling in money! Some of you can probably remember ten cents an hour for babysitting!

What about special events? I play that by ear and determine that case-by-case. Sometimes I have them pay. Sometimes I pay for half and sometimes I pay for all. It just depends. For example, a week ago my two oldest kids asked me to pay $35 each for an event they wanted to attend. I told them if they wanted to go they would have to pay it themselves. My son, a little Rockefeller in the making, decided he didn't want to go. I told him that in and of itself was a good enough reason for me not to pay for him to go since he didn't see the value in it. My daughter decided to shell the money out and go. And she loved every minute of it. I was teaching them to make decisions on what they value and the setting of priorities. On the other hand, I am paying for all of camp this summer for each of the kids. The basic rule of thumb I have is that I am gauging their attitudes and trying to use situations to teach them lessons about money.

Take these keys and begin applying them to your children's financial present and future, get them involved and teach them now the skills that they need to create a firm foundation of financial knowledge to take their future where they want it to go!

-- CW
 

To join Chris Widener and Jim Rohn as part of the Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan go to http://jr1.jimrohn.com or call 800-929-0434.

To join Chris Widener and Jim Rohn as part of the Jim Rohn Financial Mastery Year Two Plan go to http://tj.jimrohn.com or call 800-929-0434.

Also, my good friend and colleague, Loral Langemeier, has been doing and teaching financial independence strategies for over 20 years--how to be financially free and debt free, as well as how to create wealth through real estate, investing and business ownership, as well as how to protect your profits and investments from loss and from over paying tax. Basically strategies on how to multiply your earning power, short and long-term income, create long term assets and to pay as little tax as legally possible. To take advantage of her special package go to http://loral.jimrohn.com or call 800-929-0434.
 

4. Customer Feedback

Here are some of the testimonials and comments we received over the past week from our Ezine subscribers. We love receiving comments and feedback from our readers - so keep it coming!


Dear Chris, thank you so much for the inspiration and the hope you create in my soul. It gives me energy to live, to make my plans and to make my plans happen. I am always overwhelmed after reading your e-zines, and always share this information with my family and friends. I have found that all the topics in the e-zines are extremely interesting for my friends and colleagues.
-- Natalia Myasishcheva

Hello Mr. Chris! How are you doing? My name is Oleksiy Platygin and I am from Ukraine. I have just subscribed for your E-zine, but your story about being "the least" already helped me so much to overcome the feeling of giving up. I couldn't find any way out yesterday, but having read your article where you share your own experience empowered me and got me back to the right track! So, I just want to thank you, Mr. Chris, and your team for what you are doing!
-- Oleksiy Platygin


Thank you Ezine readers, for the sincere and kind words of encouragement and appreciation you sent us this week! -- CW

5. More Information