Chris Widener's Weekly Ezine
April 29, 2005
Issue 08

Welcome!

It has been said that Compound Interest is one of the most powerful forces in the world... But in preparing for my upcoming CD program based on my keynote speech, The Winning With Influence, I am taking a look at that concept and giving it a new twist I call Compounding Influence.

You see when you learn to influence someone, you aren't just influencing them, you are opening up doors to influence everyone in their network! And if you are a good influencer, that can take on exponential growth!

Think about it. If you try to sell something to someone and you aren't very good at influencing, you won't influence them and you lose the sale. However if you get better at the art of influence, you make that sale, and the product performs the way you say it does, you now have another influencer on your team! He or she may have ten friends or relatives that they tell about your product. And, as the old ad says, "And so on, and so on, and so on..."

The same is true with children. If you are skillful at influencing your kids, you will be able to influence their friends.

In politics, every four years a president is elected because of his ability to influence people to vote for him. He doesn't know every person that votes for him; but through influencing others, they in turn influence others, who in turn influence others.

So, as you seek out personal development, seek to grow your influence through improving your character and your skills so that others view you as a person to follow.

Learn to harness the power of compounding influence and as you do, you will see your influence grow exponentially!

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. The Angel Inside for Mother's Day
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Weekly Article

Seven Things You Must Give to Others if You Want to Achieve Success! by Chris Widener

A major part of the process of achieving success and living the kind of life that you dream of is to give. Many people think that to get what you want you have to take it. There is a universal truth though that the true path to get what you want is to give. When you give, you get. What you sow, you shall reap. If this is true, then what is it we must give? I'll show you the way...

Give Others Your Honesty. The world we live in has a simple rule that most follow: Lie when you have to. Unfortunately, this may make some people wealthy but it makes us humans poor. To achieve success is to become wealthy not only in money, but in character. To be successful, truly successful, is to be able to attain your goals and keep your character at the same time!

"Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product." Ed McMahon

Mister McMahon is right, though others will tell you otherwise. Some people will say, "You have to bend the truth to get ahead." Not true. Some of the most successful people who have ever lived where honest people.

How about you? Are you honest in all things? The problem with little lies is they become big ones. Lies spin out of control. You get caught in one lie and you lie to get out of it etc.

In all things and at all times, give others your honesty.

Give Others Your Respect. Most of the time we give people respect based on what they have done or what they have accomplished. We gauge whether or not they are "worthy" of it based on what we know of what they have achieved or who they know or are related to.

But I believe we should have a higher standard: We respect people not for what they have done or for who they are related to or for what they can do for us. Instead, we respect people for simply being.

What would happen in our world, in our company, and yes, even in our families if we started with respect for everyone else rather than making them earn it? I think we would see that most people would live up to the respect that we give them!

Give Others Your Vulnerability. We are taught to "be strong." And yes, we should be strong. But we have also embraced something that I think keeps us from having the kind of life that we long for. It is an idea that keeps us from experiencing the kind of relationships that would bring deep meaning to us. It is the idea of vulnerability.

"But Chris, make yourself vulnerable and people will step all over you!" It is true that this will happen. But I have also seen that most people will be drawn to you. They will help you. They will open up to you. You see, we are all broken people inside. We all have secrets. Yes, everyone plays "the poser" at some point in their lives, but when one let's down their veil, others soon follow - and we all win.

Give Others Your Care. Too many people are running around this old earth not caring about others. The days of "Look Out for Number One" and "Winning Through Intimidation" are over! Let's bring about a new day when we can care about others AND succeed!

Take the time to show people you care. Listen to them. Empathize with them. Love them. Now, I don't mean that you have to go around hugging everyone - that probably wouldn't fly in corporate America anyway - but we can take some time to step back from business and be human! And I have found that when we do so, our business succeeds as well!

Give Others Your Passion. There is nothing this world needs more than passionate people. And people need passionate people. Living in this day and age can be tiring. The hustle and bustle of it all can wear you down and tire you out. Give your passion to others and fire them up.

Don't just be humdrum - be excited. Give people all the energy you can muster up. And you will find that energy reciprocal. They will get energized and passionate. This in turn will fire you up more when you are already charged and get you going altogether when you don't feel like moving at all!

Give Others Your Experience. We all have areas that we excel in and they are usually areas that we have experience in. One of the things we can do to make our lives more meaningful and be of utmost help to others is to show them the way through the experiences we have.

Sometimes it will be what they should do: Shortcuts to take, people to meet, etc. Sometimes it will be what they should not do: Shortcuts not to take and people to stay away from! Whatever it is, we can be of service to others by giving them our experience and ultimately it will make us all better!

Give Others Your Help. All in all, what we want to do is to help others. Zig Ziglar says that if we will "help enough others get what they want, we will in turn get what we want." If we want to be successful, we should consider ourselves servants of other people. What can we do to help them and make them better?

If you want to live the life you have always dreamed of ask yourself if you:

Give Others Your Honesty
Give Others Your Respect
Give Others Your Vulnerability
Give Others Your Care
Give Others Your Passion
Give Others Your Experience
Give Others Your Help

This is the true path to greatness and success, not only in business but in life!

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

"Change comes more from managing the journey than from announcing the destination." -- William Bridges

Chris' Commentary:
Talk of vision is popular and rightly so because it is important. Being able to articulate your destination is good and very important, but many people think that coming up with a big plan or inspiring vision is what will propel them or their organizations to change. Yes, we need to have great vision, but as in most of life, the spectacular is brought about by the diligent managing of the mundane. Day by day we plug away, managing the journey, knowing that every moment we are closer to the goal.

Action Point: Don't stop with announcing the vision and think that everyone will automatically get there! Look at your vision, then look at the journey you are taking to get there. Take some time today to work on the steps you must take on the way. Do something tangible to manage your journey, for in doing so you will be closer to your destination!


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...

This week, I'd like to offer you a bonus article I wrote a while ago, and since Mother's Day is fast approaching, I thought it would be an appropriate contribution to my "Last Word" section in this week's edition. Enjoy and Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there who contribute so much to their children's lives.

Success Lessons I Learned From My Single Mom by Chris Widener

I was at a dinner party the other night when someone posed this question: Who has influenced your life the most? I thought for a moment and said what no one else said, "My mother." You see, when I was four, my dad died. At the time, it seemed like we were on top of the world. My dad was making over $80,000 a year (in 1969), we were living in the largest house in one of the most prestigious country clubs in Seattle. Then my dad came down with cancer and was gone in 6 months.

After his death, we found out that my dad had only $30,000 in life insurance (I don't sell life insurance, but I can tell you this - you need more!). My mom and I went from the upper bracket to the lower middle financial bracket almost overnight. A year after my dad's death, we were comfortably lower middle class.

As I reflect back on my life, most of what I am today I learned from a "tough-as-nails" woman who went to work and busted her tail to get me ready for life. I realize now how many success principles she displayed while living out her life. The following success principles, though they can be and should be applied by all of us, are dedicated to all of those single moms out there. You are doing a tough job. Keep plugging away, be tenacious, and love your kids. They'll see your life and turn out all right.

Don't whine during tough times.
You know, my mom got a bad deal, but as I look back on it, I cannot ever remember her complaining about her lot in life. That spoke volumes to me and has been a lesson ever since. Two people working, one whines, the other makes the most of the situation and works harder - who do you root for? Successful people don't whine, they work harder and beat the odds.

Be creative.
My mom immediately went to selling real estate. She did all right, but she also bought old houses and fixed them up and sold them. We would move in and she would hire the workers from the real estate office to fix up the house on the weekends. A couple of years later we would sell the house and pocket some much needed extra cash. I moved a lot, but you do what you have to when your back is against the wall. Successful people get creative when it comes to solving problems.

Sacrifice for others.
I know we didn't have much growing up but my mom always found ways to give me the extras. We would cut back here and there so that we could take the mandatory trip to Disneyland or get new athletic shoes. Finding purpose by sacrificing for others is one of the highest calling in success. Successful people live not only for themselves but for those around them as well.

Be independent.
My mom didn't cut corners or get a leg up in anything. She worked hard for what she got. And she taught me to do the same. I can remember being taught to do things on my own that other parents were doing for their kids. Many of those kids still need their parents to get the job done. Successful people don't rely on others to do for them what they can do themselves.

Believe in yourself.
When I would say I wanted to do something but didn't think I could, my mom would ask me, "Has anybody else ever done it?" I would say "Of course, lots of people." Her reply? "Then you can too. You are smarter than them!" Well, I probably wasn't smarter than them, but point well taken. If someone else has proven it can be done, then you have a chance! Successful people believe that they can do it!

Have a dream and pursue it - even if it takes years.
My mom kept a dream alive and pursued it on the side as I grew up. The year I graduated from high school, my mom graduated from college. She was 54 years old. She kept her dream alive and worked at it bit by bit and finally it happened! Successful people dream big dreams and then complete them no matter how long it takes.

Stretch yourself.
I can remember my mom taking me to business and real estate seminars when I was a twelve-year-old kid. Not because she couldn't find babysitting, but because she wanted me to learn something! Most parents wouldn't even think that their twelve- year-old could learn something there. Mine did. And I did learn a thing or two. Successful people stretch themselves.

Experience is the greatest teacher.
My mom used to pull me out of school all the time and take me on these wild trips and journeys. I would say, "Uh, mom, shouldn't I be in school." She would always answer the same way, "Chris, we can't let school get in the way of your education!" Successful people understand that going to school can get you some knowledge and a degree, but nothing beats actually doing it.

Some things are worth more than money.
One of the greatest sacrifices my mother made for me was when I began high school. I did well in sports and played in the evenings, so my mom quit selling real estate, which takes up a lot of evenings, and took a lower paying job as a secretary at the University. She rarely missed a game all through high school. Successful people realize there are some things money can't buy.

So as I said earlier in the article, but it bears repeating: Keep plugging away, be tenacious, and love your kids!

-- 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.
 

4. The Angel Inside for Mother's Day!

If you are looking for a unique gift to give the special "mothers" in your life, we have Chris' book, The Angel Inside, available in both hardback and paperback, along with quantity discounts available, plus 5 free bonus gifts!


The Angel Inside by Chris Widener

Take a journey to modern day Florence, Italy where a despondent thirty year old American goes to "find himself." On the last day of his trip, a mysterious old man approaches him on a park bench and leads him on a tour of art, the life of Michelangelo, the history of the David and a deeper look at his own life. This new novel from Chris Widener will inspire you to take your life to the next level and beyond. It will encourage you and challenge you to create a life of power and beauty.

Choose from Hardback or Paperback. Special Quantity Pricing available, plus 5 free gifts with your order, including:

Excerpts from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn, Excerpts From the Seeds of Greatness Treasury by Denis Waitley, Zig Ziglar's Little Book of Big Quotes by Zig Ziglar, Excerpts from The Treasury of Quotes by Brian Tracy and The Jim Rohn Sampler CD.

To order go to http://www.jimrohn.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?id=20 or call 877-929-0439.
 

5. More Information