Chris Widener's Weekly Ezine
May 26, 2005
Issue 12

Welcome!

Yet another week has passed, one I hope that has been filled with opportunities -- those presented to you and those you've created -- that continue to propel you towards success! This week in the Charting Your Course to Success Weekly article, we'll cover the second part of How to Put Your Kids (Or Grandkids) On the Fast Track to Success.

Keep moving in the direction of your dreams and goals, and teach your children and grandchildren to first dream big and then to GO FOR IT!

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. 7 Tips for Leaving the Office Earlier by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP
5. A Special Download and One-on-One Coaching Invitation!
6. More Information

1. Charting Your Course to Success Weekly Article

How to Put Your Kids (Or Grandkids) On the Fast Track to Success (Part 2 of 2) by Chris Widener

Before we jump into the final part of this article, I'd like to give a quick recap of part 1 from last week. As I said last week, the primary areas adults struggle with are: 1) Money, primarily debt; 2) Lack of disciple, or the inability to do what they want to do, be it weight, money, work etc.; 3) Relationships

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 and face many difficulties. The good news? We can put our kids on the fast track to success by diligently applying some basic success skills. Here's what we covered last week...

To Have Successful Relationships:

-- Show them unconditional love. No matter what, we are to welcome and love our children.

-- Teach them manners. There are acceptable ways of behaving.

-- Help them learn to forgive. Most of the relationship problems I work with boil down to this: The people simply will not forgive one another and continue to hold past wrongs against the other person.

-- Help them to be able to focus on and serve others. We should teach them to consider other people's interests as more important than our own.

To Have Successful Finances:

-- Make them EARN money. Sure you can give your kids money - we do. But we should also teach them to earn money.

-- Have them give money away.

-- Teach them about investing. 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.

-- Teach them to delay self-gratification.

-- Teach them to never have any debt! No debt. Never. Period. Nada. Never, ever, ever. Pay cash or wait.


Okay, now let's move on (to paraphrase Paul Harvey) to the rest of the article...

To Help Them be Successful in Discipline:

Have them do certain tasks/chores on a regularly scheduled basis. Discipline is, well, a discipline. Teach your kids to make their beds every morning. Or do wash every Monday. Or mow the lawn every Saturday morning. Building schedules builds disciplined people who do not procrastinate, who are methodical and who are diligent. These are the people who succeed.

Let them experience discipline and consequences. Consequences are the greatest teachers! Many people who I see fail are people who have never suffered consequences. I know a gentleman who couldn't hold a job. His employers were going to fire him. He was always late and couldn't be relied upon - even by his friends. You never knew if he was telling the truth. One day I was talking to him and he said that he had never been punished or disciplined! The light went on! I finally understood. You know the old saying, "Spare the rod and spoil the child?" I say, spare the rod and you'll raise a criminal! You may not want to let little Johnny experience the pain of consequences, but his boss will let him feel it 20 years from now! Prepare him for success now by making him realize that if he doesn't do what is right, he will spend a lot of time in his room or he will miss out special things. He will grow up to be the most relied upon person in his office and he'll be the boss one day.

Don't protect them from losing. I coached little league football one year. It just so happens we were the youngest team in the league and we were terrible. One game we were getting beat 55-0 with about five minutes to play and I was getting yelled at by an irate parent. I turned to them and said, "You know. I learned some of my best lessons in 55-0 losses. I took a few of them in my athletic career, and I handed a few out too!" Sometimes we win in life, sometimes we lose. We need to learn what it feels like to lose and then get right back out there. It will prepare your kids much better to lose until they win legitimately than to win all the time. I remember one basketball game when I was on my way to about thirty points and a parent from the other team was screaming about it. My brother, who is 13 years older than me, told the guy to sit down because I had earned all those point because of how many basketball thrashings I had taken at his hands through the years. Losing made me better!

Teach them to eat right and exercise. Many people struggle with their weight and it is usually because we learned bad habits as kids. We weren't that overweight when we were younger but as our metabolism slows it catches up with us. Teach your kids basic nutritional information. Teach them how Candy bars plus milk shakes plus no exercise equals trouble! When we go to the health club our kids can swim and play all they want in the pool - as soon as they finish their laps!

Teach them to make tough decisions and learn to say "no." The most powerful word in the world! We should teach our children to understand what is the most important - their priorities - and say "no" to everything else. So many people get themselves into trouble and overextended because they do not have the discipline to say "no." The reality is that you will act on an agenda - either yours or someone else's. Saying "no" enables you to stay on track. Teach them to make tough decisions because it is what is right or because it will be better in the long run, rather than on how it will make them feel.

Encourage them to risk failure and try new things. I have met so many people who were always taught to play it safe. And guess what? They are playing it safe, leading, as the quote says, "Lives of quiet desperation." Teach your kids to try new things and give them the opportunity to do so. Help them see the bigger picture when they fail, like what they can learn from the situation so they can win the next time. It is the people who risk failure and try new things who change the world and lead the lives they want to!

Pitch the TV. Okay, my soapbox: Get rid of the television. If you have to have the one-eyed monster in the house just get a monitor so you can watch videos from time to time. I haven't had a TV for 12 years - and I LOVE IT!

My kids are healthy, sociable, well-adjusted, smart kids. They have creative imaginations because they have to picture everything themselves rather than rely on someone else's interpretation. They read many grade levels above where they are. They have time to do all sorts of things that they want to because they have an extra 20 hours a week (1040 hours a year) that other kids their age don't! Someday I am going to write a book on benefits and reasons to get rid of the TV because the fact is you will be much better off without it than you are with it! And so will your kids!


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

"Seek direction from one who's already there." -- Old Zulu Saying

Chris' Commentary:
One who wants to achieve success should beware of pride. Pride can make things so difficult sometimes – particularly when you are trying to find your way to that destination we call success. Like proud, obstinate husbands, we refuse to stop and ask for directions! The best way to success, and by far the least painful is to learn from someone who is already there. They can show us the way, give us tricks of the trade, encourage us not to worry or over-react when things get tough or go wrong, and be a great guiding light. What do they call these people? Mentors and coaches, and you should have one!

Action Point: Sit down and identify someone who is where you already are. I don't care how big they are. Dream BIG. Make a list of ten of these people. Start with the one you would like to learn from first. Now, contact them and ask if you can speak to them on the phone or in person. If they can't or won't, go to the next person on the list until you hit someone who will take the time to give you direction.


If you are interested in pursuing or have been looking to establish a coaching relationship, I have a proven track record in working with a wide variety of individuals, including top producers and CEO's, and I'm available! Let me coach you for the next 3 months (including one-on-one and group Mastermind calls)-- starting June 6th -- and together let's accelerate your pace towards achieving your dreams and goals. If you are interested or would like more details, scroll down to #5 below or go to http://cw.jimrohn.com Let's go do it together!



3. The Last Word...

This week I'd like to offer you a reason to leave the office earlier. What? Did you read that right? Yep, you sure did! My good friend, Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, is president of The Productivity Pro, Inc. and best-selling author of the book, Leave the Office Earlier. I've included the "press release" as the my offering for this week's Last Word. Then see #4 below for Laura's 7 Tips for Leaving the Office Earlier. Read, apply and reap the benefits!

Leave the Office Earlier Day Aims to Cap Workday at Eight Hours -- New National Event Challenges Workers to Get More Done in Less Time!

Highlands Ranch, CO (May 2005) -- June 2nd has been designated as National Leave the Office Earlier Day by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, bestselling author and a leading authority on productivity and workplace issues. The annual event, which is officially listed in Chase's Calendar of Events 2005, is intended to focus workers on improving their personal productivity and asks them to commit to working no more than eight hours on that day.

"The eight-hour workday remains a myth to many working Americans," says Stack." But by implementing some simple strategies and tactics, even the most overworked and overstressed people can be more productive and shorten their workday and feel good about it."

Stack says that Leave the Office Earlier Day is especially relevant in light of Microsoft Corporation's recent landmark, worldwide survey on worker productivity, which found that workers average only three productive days per week. "That's not good for workers or the organizations they work for," says Stack. "Leave the Office Earlier Day is an opportunity for people to focus on changing work patterns, adjusting priorities, and to discover how much more productive they can be in an eight-hour workday."

To encourage news writers and editors to alert their audiences to this timely event, Stack is making available her proprietary "7 Tips for Leaving the Office Earlier" (attached) for reprint with attribution. Reprint permission is also included.

Stack says that personal productivity can be dramatically improved when workers apply her ten competencies of personal productivity: Preparation, Reduction, Order, Discipline, Unease, Concentration, Time Mastery, Information Control, Vitality, and Equilibrium (P.R.O.D.U.C.T.I.V.E.).

Stack chose June 2 as National Leave the Office Earlier Day because that is her birthday. "I do not want to work more than eight hours on my birthday, and no one else should have to either," says Stack.

For more tips on how to be more productive and leave the office earlier, please visit the Media Room at http://www.TheProductivityPro.com (password: productivitypro). Free articles are available, and reprint permission is provided.

-- CW


4. 7 Tips for Leaving the Office Earlier by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP

1. Stop participating in the cultural rules. Commit to getting out the door on time. Who decided that you should work until 7:00 p.m.? How much is the time "you're devoting because you're a salaried employee and obligated to do what it takes to get the job done" worth?

2. Start meetings before 4:00 p.m. If you have some say or control regarding meeting times, schedule them to end by 4:30. Preferably, start meetings right after lunch. Block out your calendar beginning at 4:00 every day so people can't schedule with you. And don't ask people to begin projects at 4:45 PM. Respect their right to a life, too.

3. Be assertive. Don't be afraid to tell others, "I leave work at 5:00, on time, every day. I have a 5:30 commitment I must adhere to." It's none of their business that your commitment is with yourself or your family. People tend to support others when their goals are made public.

4. Schedule fixed office hours. If you have an assistant, block off certain hours a few days a week to accept appointments. Perhaps Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, you take appointments from 9:00 to 10:30 and 2:00 to 3:30. This way you don't have interruptions overlapping the time you're trying to leave the office.

5. Make preparations to leave. Gather up your coat and put it in a visible spot so others can see you're on your way out. Close your door a few minutes before quitting time so people will think you're busy or already gone. Whatever they want, it can wait until tomorrow.

6. Challenge your assumptions. Long hours aren't "the way it is." To reduce the time pressure you feel, decide to reclaim your day, not by working longer, but to finish your work within the workday. Don't focus on "catching up." You will never catch up. There will always be more things to do than time to do them. By being more productive during the day, you'll get the same amount of work done and leave earlier.

7. Start small. Pick a single day, perhaps Thursdays, to be "the" day you leave work on time. To support this decision, you will automatically begin to be more productive on Thursdays and work your day more carefully. Keep working on productivity skills and adding more days, until you're working your 40-hour workweek again and accomplishing even better results.
 

Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, is president of The Productivity Pro, Inc., an international consulting firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress industries and is the media's go-to expert on personal productivity and workplace issues. Laura is the author of the bestselling book Leave the Office Earlier (2004 Broadway Books). She has appeared on many top news media outlets including CNN, NBC-TV, NPR, Bloomberg, the New York Times, and numerous leading magazines. Laura presents keynotes and seminars on surviving information overload, managing multiple priorities, reducing stress, and balancing work and family. (C) Copyright 2004 Laura Stack, MBA, CSP. All rights reserved.
 

5. A Special Download and One-on-One Coaching Invitation!

Chris Widener's Winning With Influence Tele-Seminar and One-on-One Coaching     Four full-length MP3 files Seminar Study Guide Plus 2 bonus e-books Instantly downloadable No Shipping Cost Cost of Original Course $149 *Special Offer Only $69 *First 100 to order ONLY $49 *plus bonuses Chris Widener's Gold and Platinum Coaching Programs are now available! For all the details and to order - http://cw.jimrohn.com

6. More Information