Chris Widener's Ezine
April 19, 2006
Issue 36

Welcome!

Hey, I turned 40 yesterday, and so as I hummed "Happy Birthday to Me, I thought, "Why not do a 'Turning 40' Sale?" Actually I thought about it Monday, so I created it a day early -- two days of Birthday are better than one, in my humble opinion! ;-) So join me in celebrating today, and see what my special "Turning 40" Sale is all about (scroll down to #4 below for all the details). Don't worry, it's short and sweet! And to all my faithful ezine readers and seminar attendees, thanks for helping me make this year my best year yet! You guys are a huge part of me achieving the dreams and goals I've set to impact this old world of ours for the better.


You Are Made for Success!
Chris Widener

P.S. Today's issue is going out to 60,312 subscribers. If you've gained value from what you read in my ezine, then I would like to thank you in advance for forwarding this issue to friends, family and associates!

 

In This Issue.......

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
3. The Last Word...
4. Chris Widener Turning 40 Sale!
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article

How to Guarantee a GREAT Day Every Day! by Chris Widener

A few years ago, I had a standing interview every Monday morning on a radio station in the southeast that I enjoyed very much. You can imagine though that it became routine. So to make it a little more fun, the host got to where he didn't even tell me the topic before we would go live on the air - that put some excitement into it!

One week he asked me the following question cold, at the beginning of the show: How can a person guarantee that they will have a great day, every day? Now some may find that a hard question but for me it was actually a very easy question to answer (a little harder to actually live, but not that hard). You see, I believe in principles that govern our lives so that we can control our destinies and create for ourselves the kind of lives that we desire. People who live based on principles achieve what they desire while people who live reacting to circumstances do not.

So, what were the principles that I gave to guarantee that a person could have a GREAT day every day? Here they are:

Focus on Today Only.
Yes, we need to have long-range goals. But our focus must be on today. My old equation is that your short-term tasks multiplied by time equal your long-term accomplishments. With that in mind, it is imperative that we focus in on our short-term, to control it and make it what will eventually, when multiplied by time, equal our long-term goals. Don't think about tomorrow.

Today is enough trouble in and of itself. You can work on tomorrow when it gets here. Instead, 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. Today is now gone and it is only a memory. 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 on the road to guaranteeing that you will make your day GREAT, every day!

Embrace Your Power to Choose.
Dwight D. Eisenhower said that "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 that day was a result of your choices and your choices only. "But wait Chris, what if my boss controlled my day? That isn't my choice!" But it is your choice to work for someone else! You choice to let someone else tell you what to do. You chose the feelings of helplessness that overwhelm you when you feel bad that you do not control your own destiny. The moment we realize that we have a gift from God that the animals do not have, mainly the gift of free will and choice, and when we realize the inherent power within that gift, and ultimately when we finally begin to exercise that gift, then and only then, will we begin to create for ourselves a GREAT day each and every day! Take ownership of the direction in your life. Make your choices then 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 do 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, "Sometime you win and sometimes you lose - I guess this time I lost"? Will you say, "Sometime you win and sometimes you learn - I can really learn something from this!"?

It is all in what attitude we 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 you start out by saying, "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 you put those in order of most important to least important.

Don't so 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!


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

"Put off thy cares with thy clothes; so shall thy rest strengthen thy labor, and so thy labor sweeten thy rest." -- Francis Quarles

Chris' Commentary:
When you think of successful people you tend to think of people who are driven. People who never rest. People who don't ever stop. But I think we need to review this thought. Quite simply, we can desire to go forever but these old bodies of our just can't! In fact, they were designed to go hard and then rest and refuel so they can go hard again. To not give your body, your mind and emotions, and yes, your spirit, a rest is to undermine the very success you desire. If we don't give our bodies a rest, they will take one on their own. Instead, rest so you can be strong for your labor and labor hard so you can enjoy your rest.

Action Point: Here is a challenge - Every so often, take a three-day weekend to do nothing but rest. Your work will be there on Monday and you will be stronger for the week. You work hard and you deserve a rest. Besides, your body will thank you for it.




3. The Last Word...

Spend less time at work and get more done. Sounds too good to be true? It really isn't! In fact, studies show that after a certain amount of hours at work each week, the average worker hits diminishing returns for their labor. Here are a couple of reasons this is true:

1) Family drain -- Does your spouse or family complain that you work too much? This puts strain on you when you're at work and limits your effectiveness. Cutting out five or more hours a week and spending it with your family will make them happier and that will make you happier too, enabling you to enjoy your work more and get more done. A healthy home life helps ensure a happy work life.

2) Mental fatigue -- Remember the old saying, "All work and no play makes Johnny a dull boy"? After a certain amount of time at work, your brain goes on auto-pilot and begins to work ineffectively. Taking some more time to relax and recreate will put you at a higher level of performance when you do go to the office. Get some exercise, take up a hobby, but take some more time off. It will help your work become more effective! -- CW




4. Chris Widener Turning 40 Sale!

Chris Widener Turning 40 Sale!

Yesterday was the Big 4 0 for me! So I could not resist (I've waited 40 years to do this), this is my "Turning 40" sale!

So I have 3 incredible offers (good for only 4 days)!


1) Buy 10 books for only $40! You can get 10 Angel Inside or 10 Twelve Pillars or a combo of 5/5 each, for only $40!

These make great gifts, I promise!

2) Receive "The Winning With Influence" 8 CD set for only $40 (normally $129).
Wow, only $40! And only $32 for the downloaded version! (I wish I was still 32!)

3) Receive an additional $40 off the already greatly reduced price when you buy my combo package of:

Winning With Influence 8 CDs (retail $129)
The Extraordinary Leaders Seminar Package 13 CDs/Downloadable Workbook (retail $199)
Ultimate Success Series 12 CDs (retail $199)

Total Value $527
Special $179
Turning 40 Discount - $40 off!
Special Turning 40 Offer Only $139!

To order go to http://turning40.yoursuccessstore.com or call 877-929-0439.

This lasts for only 4 days so hurry!

Chris Widener

5. More Information