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Articles from John AOV | Selfgrowth.com
- An Almond Tree Or An Oil Well? - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVIS A PARK BETTER THAN A COAL MINE? What’s a mountain got that a slag pile hasn’t? What would you rather have in your garden - an almond tree or an oil well? Those suitable-for-Earth Day 2009 (Wednesday, April 22) challenges were articulated by a character created by French diplomat and author ...
Views: 1016 - Stop Trying…Damn It! - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I’VE GOT IT LOCKED UP somewhere in my visual and auditory memory bank. I don’t know who, what, where, when, why or how it got there. But it’s there. And I’m grateful. “What is it?” you ask. It’s a reminder. And it’s - A very real picture. Of? Of a whiney, wimpy voice of a ...
Views: 932 - Tax Time Acronyms To Stimulate Your Thinking - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVADDING INSULT TO INJURY. As you prepared (prepare?) to comply with Wednesday’s IRS April 15 filing deadline, did you feel just a little annoyed about funding the bailout of folks who have been at least a bit irresponsible in the way in which they handled their finances? Me, too. But fortunately ...
Views: 1142 - How To Avoid The Distractor Factor - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVSOME OF MY GOOD FRIENDS would tell you that, if you looked up ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in the dictionary, you would see my picture. Very funny! But hey, what are friends for? I have to ADMIT: Sometimes harnessing my energy IS a challenge. I used to be easily distracted ...
Views: 2007 - Inspiration is Nowhere - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: OH, MY APOLOGIES. Since this weekly FYI is intended to mean For Your Inspiration as well as Information, did you think that I had a pretty outrageous typo in the headline of today’s message? Or did you recognize this version of a challenge we’ve put forth in this Ezine from ...
Views: 1033 - K.O. Stress With This One-Two Punch - by Submitted on Apr 21, 2009 from John AOVTHE OTHER DAY AT LUNCH I sat with four people I didn’t know well but each holds a leadership position in unrelated middle-market-sized companies. TGIM quick-start bonus idea: It never ceases to bewilder me why folks from the same company or long-time pals clump together and “talk amongst ...
Views: 828 - Speak and Grow Rich - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Some people say the #1 Fear in Life (more than death is … Public Speaking). I don’t necessarily know that’s true but if you’re interested in where it ranks, feel free to Google the topic and check the various surveys for yourself. This FYI is going to be focused on the core ...
Views: 1556 - Mental Plaque - add Mental Floss vs. Dental Floss for the hard to reach areas. - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVYour dentist probably told you the same thing she told me. “If you don’t brush your teeth at least twice a day to remove plaque on a regular basis, one of three things will eventually happen. You’ll get gingivitis … your teeth will decay, rot and fall out … or at the very least, your breath will ...
Views: 1412 - Your Vision Is Your Fate - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVYogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Well, while it’s entertaining, that advice won’t do much for you. So how do you know which way to turn when you come to a fork in the road of life? Since that question could encompass such a wide range of challenges (or, better ...
Views: 861 - How to Make a Fortune - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOV“How To Make A Fortune” is the challenge. Here’s your answer, courtesy of the brilliant Jim Rohn: Formal education will make you a living; Self-education will make you a fortune. Self - Education! How’s that for immediate gratification? Lesson’s over. Have a nice day! Just kidding. There’s ...
Views: 1196 - Procrastination The Silent Success Killer - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVOne of the reasons I love writing this FYI (For Your Information & Inspiration) newsletter is… Because I have too! Every Monday morning at 6:00 AM there are literally thousands of people just like you waiting to read this newsletter. Every week, you are expecting and hoping (at least that’s ...
Views: 1219 - Sly Wisdom Will Make You A Contender In The New Year - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVYo, Adrian! I want to share a piece of Sylvester Stallone wisdom with you. (If you think “Stallone wisdom” is an oxymoron, I’ll address that, too.) But first let me lay some groundwork. Every morning I wake up at 4:00 AM and I start my day. Does the idea of a 4:00 AM wakeup call make you ...
Views: 2888 - Are You Advancing Confidently? - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever, Know what’s the most difficult part about writing a weekly newsletter, a book, a training program, or anything? The beginning. Try this test: When you are done reading this FYI, open up a Word doc. Notice the cursor … sitting on the blank white page … just blinking at ...
Views: 2717(2 votes) - Bigger Than You - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I’VE GOT TWO GIGS, as many FYI/TGIM readers may already realize. One is being an inspirational speaker, seminar leader and sales trainer, and the founder of Empowerment Group International. And I’m also the “Chief Inspiration Officer” (a.k.a. VP of Sales) for ...
Views: 896 - Know Thyself - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: KNOW THYSELF. Yea right, what a paradoxical aphorism that is. I’ll save you the time and trouble looking up “paradoxical” and “aphorism” in your thesaurus. • Paradoxical means self-contradictory. (I’ve been there before). • Aphorism is a statement expressing an opinion or ...
Views: 1291 - Be, and Not Seem - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: ONE OF THE THINGS I love most about the profound musings of Ralph Waldo Emerson is how much conversation can be generated by just one of his insights or, in this case, four words. “Be, and not seem” may or may not seem so profound to or for you, but the instant I read those ...
Views: 5391 - Your Tipping Point - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: THE TIPPING POINT I’m about to talk about is personal. I say that right out of the chute to be clear that this FYI isn’t a book review of Malcolm Gladwell’s best-seller, The Tipping Point. Any references or similarities to what he wrote will be purely coincidental. So now ...
Views: 903 - Start Mondays Strong - by Submitted on Apr 01, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I LOVE THE SAYING, “How you enter a room is often how you exit.” This is a quote I programmed and locked into my brain many years ago. I don’t know who said it, BUT IT WORKS. If you haven’t heard it before I hope you consider adding it to your arsenal of “top-of-mind” ...
Views: 960 - Be Driven - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I LOVE WHAT I DO. I’m blessed enough to have chosen a career path where I’m surrounded by high achievers every day. The area of personal development is something I fell in love when I was only eighteen years old. To have a life where I actually get to work side by side with ...
Views: 876 - The Power of Completion - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: QUESTION: Do you have too much to do on your “To Do” List? Answer: Yes, of course you do. I use to think it was cool to have twenty or thirty things on my “To Do” List. It meant I was busy. I’d be on the phone and someone would ask me how it’s going and I’d say, “I’ve got ...
Views: 880 - What’s In Your Journal? - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOV“WELL, EXCUSE ME!” did I hear you say? “What’s in my journal? That’s getting mighty personal right off the bat this Monday morning, isn’t it?” But, more likely you’re saying: “Uh, journal? … What journal?” So my question isn’t really that nosey. My guess is that you don’t have or keep a ...
Views: 1820 - Not Normal - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVHave you ever noticed that some of the greatest sources for inspiration, ideas and ways of thinking and seeing life, happen when you least expect it? And when that happens it’s pretty cool, huh? Well guess what: There’s a trick to being acutely tuned-in to a higher level of receptivity? OK, ...
Views: 960 - Daily Intricacies - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDid you ever have a moment when you noticed someone’s non-verbal gestures or physiology totally contradicted what they were saying? Or, while you were speaking, someone’s facial expressions were so animated you could tell exactly what they were thinking? No doubt you have. I find it fascinating ...
Views: 977 - Success Acceleration - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Is there an area of your life where you would like to make a monumental shift, massive improvement and transformation? I bet there is. When I ask this question at a seminar, a workshop or to anyone, I inevitably get one of five answers. •1. Money - finances •2. Health - ...
Views: 1032 - Got F.O.C.U.S - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVThink about the times when you’ve been remarkably effective communicating. No doubt there have been times in your life when your words, phrases, illustrations and delivery would have won you an Academy Award. And then I’ll bet there have been times when you’ve babbled on just like some of those ...
Views: 926 - Self-Discipline Pays Big Dividends - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Religion, politics and money management are topics I typically stay away from in my personal conversations and in the FYI ezine. But today, I’m going to use a quote from the Bible because, in my opinion, it best illustrates the importance of Self-Discipline. He that hath no ...
Views: 1200 - No More “Some Day” - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVTHE WORDS FOR THIS FYI are hard for me to write. Someone very close to me was recently diagnosed with fourth-stage Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. So the words for this FYI don’t come easily or painlessly. But one thing I’ve learned over time is that – Writing focuses your thinking. So creating and ...
Views: 909 - Positive Persistence - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVIF THERE’S EVER BEEN A TIME in your life to be persistent, it’s right now. Now is the time for you and me and all the folks we know and love to wake up every day with the mindset of “Positive Persistence.” FYI ACTION IDEA: Do everything in your power to stay motivated and inspired. Read, listen ...
Views: 2639 - Trust Your Instincts - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: HAVE YOU EVER SAID: “I should have gone with my gut.” Or “I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Or “That person gives me the creeps, I don’t like their vibe.” Or “I’ve just got a hunch this is the right decision”. I‘ve got a feeling: That you’ve said at least one. In ...
Views: 1054 - You Can’t Get There From Here - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVI LIKE TO THINK — and hope, if you know me personally, you would agree - I’m an eternally positive and trusting person, sometimes to a fault. So, if you know me personally or have been receiving this e-zine for any length of time, you might think the kinda pessimistic and negative-sounding title ...
Views: 861 - Why You Must Ping Often - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVWHEN WAS THE LAST TIME you pinged? How did it make you feel? I bet it brightened up your day, put a smile on your face and made the person you pinged happy too. Pinging is fun and it’s good for your heart. I love pinging and getting pinged. I do it as many times a day as I can. It makes me ...
Views: 951 - I Am NOT Responsible For Your Success … Or Your Failure - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDON’T READ THIS FYI — if you’re an overly sensitive person. Sales whiners, network marketing whiners, employee whiners, management whiners, entrepreneur whiners, not-enough-time-whiners, and any other whiners I’ve left out. I’m tired of The WHINERS! I think I’ve heard from all of them this ...
Views: 1668 - Don’t Waste Your Time - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: HOW MANY TIMES have you been told not to waste your time? ANSWER: More times than you can remember. Friends, relatives and even strangers love to give you “don’t waste your time” advice. It may have been when you were talking about going to a movie … eating at a restaurant ...
Views: 2852 - Where Do You Get Yours? - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Questions. We get questions. I received an email the other day from one of your fellow High Achievers asking where I get the inspiration to write a newsletter every week. Hmmm? It’s the first time I ever got that question. After 124 FYIs, I was actually quite surprised. But ...
Views: 896 - Self-Help Yourself - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I love the latest CareerBuilder.com commercial. Besides being extremely entertaining, CareerBuilder makes a powerful point at the end of the commercial with two tag lines; Self-Help Yourself and Start Building. If you haven’t seen it, after reading today’s FYI / TGIM log on ...
Views: 895 - The Five Ps and You - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I’ve got to let you know, right up front, that this FYI is going to be - A bit of a rant. Please don’t take it personally, because I may or may not know you, but as always, my FYIs are meant to be Informational, Inspirational and, I trust, Educational. So, if it applies to ...
Views: 1576 - My Memory Serves Me - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Is your memory an asset? Or a liability? Think of the times when you’ve been introduced to someone at a business, social or even family function and, within 5 seconds of meeting that person and hearing their name, you forgot it. Embarrassing? No doubt. And … If it’s the ...
Views: 1248(1 vote) - Chief Inspiration Officer - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I haven’t counted lately but, I easily send/receive over fifty emails a day. Actually, I’m certain it’s closer to triple digits. Most of my emails are sent to schedule a conference call, for a client consultation, or to set up a selling opportunity. I start off following ...
Views: 1054 - The Tradeoff - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: Zig Ziglar. For students of success like you and me, he’s a living legend. Over the last forty years Zig has touched millions of people around the world with his motivational message and wisdom. (You can find many of his quite quotable quotes if you simply Google “Zig Ziglar ...
Views: 888 - If Not You, Who? - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: I’M CERTAIN you’ve heard this quote before, especially if you are in sales or have ever been to a motivational seminar. Ironically, I’ve never asked the audience at one of my seminars these two questions …so here they are for you in writing. If not you, who? If not now, ...
Views: 979 - Negativity Kills Empowerment - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: If it’s not already in your library, one of my favorite books — The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale — should be. It’s one of the influential books that helped me in the early stages of my quest to develop consistent positive thoughts, habits and core ...
Views: 1093 - 10 Life and Leadership Lessons I Learned from Superman (and How They Changed My Life Forever) - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: For many, the actor who epitomized the character “Superman” is Christopher Reeve, and as millions know, at the height of his career he suffered a tragic accident that left him totally paralyzed, unable to care for himself or, initially, even to breathe unassisted. With the ...
Views: 2988 - Defining Moments - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: WHAT WAS YOUR LATEST DEFINING MOMENT? You and I have both had defining moments in our lives. You and I have both experienced an event – probably more than one – that changed the very essence of who we are and what we’ve become. Think back. What moments stand out for you? ...
Views: 1175 - Be Your Own Boss - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: EMPLOYER OR EMPLOYEE MENTALITY? Which do you have? Which is best for your career? Which will boost your lifetime earnings? If you are an employee of any organization I encourage acquiring an Employer Mentality, muy pronto! And guess what: Even if you’re a business owner ...
Views: 927 - Your Life Is An Urgent Matter - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever! It happened twice last week and three times the week before. Actually, it happens so often that I sort of stopped keeping track. But, I used to. And I was paying attention again and keeping a mental tally in the New Year because it intrigued me. Its not that I didn’t ...
Views: 958 - Beware of the “Energy Vampire” - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVWARNING! There’s a 21st century Vampire out there … alive … and omni-present … and stalking YOU. Seriously. I’m not talking about myth or folklore. This 21st century Vampire, much like the fictional Count Dracula created by writer Bram Stoker in 1897, lures victims by exuding charm, charisma ...
Views: 4835 - Attitude Isn’t Everything (That’s Right, It’s NOT) - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVHow many times have you heard these three famous words? Attitude Is Everything! Me? I’ve heard this repeated literally thousands of times. Every self-help guru, motivational speaker, loving parent and CEO on the planet teaches and preaches how important having a positive attitude is. And ...
Views: 1300 - The DNA of a Sales Superstar - by Submitted on Mar 31, 2009 from John AOVDear High Achiever: DO YOU HAVE THE DNA? Do you have the right stuff to be a sales superstar? Over the past ten years I’ve made a habit of showing up a couple hours early to my corporate and tradeshow talks so I can hear other people speak. Being a life-long student of learning, I love the ...
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