Chris Widener's Ezine
November 4, 2009
Issue 125

Welcome!

You know, the people who seem to be having the most fun in life are those who are pursuing their dreams and have purpose. We’ve all heard the analogy of a ship without a rudder, but it is so true…. You’ve got to have a purpose that is driving you and inspiring you! Now, don’t start feeling lost or frustrated if you’ve not completely defined your purpose. But let me encourage you to do this if you feel like you are struggling and don’t have a clear vision: Start small. Now I can hear you say, “What, Chris? Start small, how is that going to help?” What I mean by that is take what you are currently doing—your J-O-B—and start there. What is it about your work you enjoy? What gives you energy? What fuels you in your everyday activities? Sometimes you have to really look, but find something in your day that gives you joy or fulfillment and start building on that. Look for other similar things in your life that give you joy and start to define those activities and areas. What are you good at?

Sometimes I think we believe we are supposed to have these grandiose plans that are monumental and earth shaking, and if we don’t then we don’t really have a purpose. Not true! I think creating our purpose starts with being a person of integrity, of influence, and leading ourselves. In other words, being a contributing member to society. I love what John Kennedy said: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” If each of us does our part, how much better would life be? And isn’t that a big part of success?

You Are Made For Success!
Chris Widener

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In This Issue.......

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article
2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary
3. The Last Word...
4. If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail
5. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Article

True Success Is Generous by Chris Widener

“Write checks on a regular basis to those who you want to bless, not those who you owe. Be generous. If you are thinking of one amount, raise it a bit. They’ll be glad now. You’ll be glad now and later.” —Chris Widener in The ABCs of Success

There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who allow their abundance to pile up and bring them a sense of (false) security, and those who use their abundance to increase not only the joy in their lives but also in the lives of others by being generous.

I believe that the truly successful, those who will change the lives of others and leave a legacy, are the ones who are generous with their abundance. So how do we become generous people? Here are some thoughts.

First, get over your idea that money will bring you security. It won’t. It might make you feel more secure, and it might enable you to purchase things right now, but all money can disappear quite easily. Markets go south, businesses go bankrupt, and fortunes are lost. History is filled with poor people who were once rich and lost it all. This idea that we can and have to keep it all is one of the greatest myths around. So when we give money away, it doesn’t affect us emotionally, bringing out a fear of lost security.

Second, focus on the joy you bring to others when you are generous. I love to be the one to buy something for someone who would enjoy it, to help someone who needs it, or to encourage someone who would be helped by my generosity. There are always people and organizations who will benefit from our generosity and who will be overjoyed by it. And in turn, they will help others.

Third, make giving a planned and methodical task. I write out checks at the beginning of every month to people and organizations that I believe are helping others. I don’t owe them this money; I choose to give it to them. It is something I believe in. Every month without fail I write those checks. It keeps me on track and keeps them encouraged, motivated and moving in the right direction.

As for methodical, remember that, over time, even small gifts add up. Maybe you can’t afford to give or help with $300 today, but you could with $25 a month for a year. There is no way that my wife and I could afford to give a million dollars away at this stage of our lives, but our goal is to do that before we die. And I believe we will hit that because we are pursuing it methodically every month. And when we get to the end of our lives, we will be able to look back at our generosity and see that we made a difference. But you can’t achieve those kinds of goals if you don’t start somewhere and stick to a plan.

Fourth, make your generosity spontaneous. This takes a lot of self-awareness, because I am not suggesting that you get yourself in financial trouble by being foolish, but here it is: Be the generous one of the group. Pick up the check for your friends and others. I have found that if you are wise with your money, you won’t get yourself into trouble by being the generous one. Picking up lunch won’t break the bank. Offer to do nice things for your friends, relatives and co-workers. And then watch your relationships blossom!

Fifth, understand the principle that you reap what you sow. I truly believe that those who are generous, who help others, will always receive back what they need. I live by the principle of John Wesley: “Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can.” This principle brings our finances into perfect tension. Yes we earn, and all that we can, but we also go at our saving and giving with the same kind of gusto! And what happens, but that we are given more to turn around and be generous with again.

Lastly, and this is key for successful people, never allow there to be strings on your generosity. Do not expect anything in return. That is not generosity but manipulation. Pure generosity is its own reward.

How to start today?

If you aren’t currently on a plan of giving, choose a charitable organization you believe in and write them a check—today. And then write that same check on the first of every month.

If you are currently being generous with your resources, seriously consider an increase! Even a percentage point or two will help you and them. It will stretch you and encourage them!

Be a Success! Be Generous!

—Chris Widener

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2. Made for Success Quote and Commentary

“True success always affects people far beyond the one who has achieved it. If it doesn’t, it isn’t success; it’s selfishness.” —Chris Widener

Chris’s Commentary:
True success always sends reverberations. Like the waves that go out from the center when you throw a rock in the water, true success doesn’t stay at one point. Whatever we achieve we should enjoy, yes, but we should also share. This is what keeps everything in perspective. Are you successful financially? Then build a church, or feed the hungry, or send an underprivileged child to college. Are you successful physically? Then help the handicapped. Use your strength to help others. Are you successful in your marriage? Then take some time to help a marriage that is struggling along. Are you successful in your emotional life? Then be someone for others to lean on. Are you successful in your spiritual life? Then help someone along in his or her quest to find God. True success always shares. This multiplies success and makes the world a better place.

Action Point:
Ask yourself what area you are most successful in. Now take some time today to help someone else who could really use some more success in that area!

3. The Last Word...

Today, I turn the last word over to my friend and personal-achievement expert, Brian Tracy. It’s excerpted from his The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success.

Thirteen Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Success by Brian Tracy

1. The Law of Control: You feel good about yourself to the degree at which you feel you are in control of your own life.

2. The Law of Responsibility: You are completely responsible for everything you are and for everything you become and achieve.

3. The Law of Direction: Successful people have a clear sense of purpose and direction in every area of their lives.

4. The Law of Compensation: You are always fully compensated for whatever you do, positive or negative.

5. The Law of Service: Your rewards in life will always be in direct proportion to the value of your service to others.

6. The Law of Applied Effort: All things are amenable to hard work.

7. The Law of Overcompensation: If you always do more than you are paid for, you will always be paid more than you are getting now.

8. The Law of Preparation: Effective performance is preceded by painstaking preparation.

9. The Law of Forced Efficiency: The more things you have to do in a limited period of time, the more you will be forced to work on your most important tasks.

10. The Law of Decision: Every great leap forward in life is preceded by a clear decision and a commitment to action.

11. The Law of Creativity: Every advance in human life begins with an idea in the mind of a single person.

12. The Law of Flexibility: Success is best achieved when you are clear about the goal but flexible about the process of getting there.

13. The Law of Persistence: Your ability to persist in the face of setbacks and disappointments is your measure of your belief in yourself and your ability to succeed.

—Brian Tracy

4. If You Fail to Plan, You Plan to Fail

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5. More Information

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