Overnight he developed a fantastic hunger for reading. Now the first book I had him read was Dale Carnegie's "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Now the first day he came down and said, "Dad, dad, there's a whole chapter in here on smiling and shaking hands." And he shook my hand, shook my hand - first sign of life in fourteen years. Woohoo! And he smiled at me. Then I had him read a book named Joshua in the Old Testament on discouragement. And we were going to Sunday school one week, and I said, "Jerry, how are you getting along with Joshua?" He says, "Dad, dad." He hit my leg. Imagine that, he hit my leg. And he said, "Everybody ought to have to read that book." That was a sign he was beginning to think about somebody other than himself.

Well, he read 22 books. Did he buy a car? No. He kept the money, used my car and my gas. Now but wait a minute. Don't laugh. It was worth it. Then he went off to college, and I got one of the greatest experiences of my life. And the last chapter of my book "Life is Tremendous" is about Jerry Jones (my son), and there is the reading contract to negotiate with your dad to get it in writing, so he can't change his mind. So Jerry goes off to college and he writes me a "Dear Dad" postcard everyday for four years. You know what I used to do when I would get some of the cards? I would put my head on my desk and cry. Do you know why? He was thinking thoughts that I never dreamed a young person could think. Now he didn't have the full meaning of them, but he had read and he had the thoughts in his mind. So I would like to read you a couple cards from college to me.

"Dear Dad, It's tremendous to be able to know that when you are in a slump, just as a baseball player will break out in time, so will you break out of yours. Yes, time really cures things. Like you said, you don't lose any problems, you just get bigger and better ones, tremendous ones. Tremendously, too. Jerry"

"Dear Dad, Just started reading a hundred Great Lives. Thanks for what you said in the front. The part that every great man never sought to be great. He just followed the vision he had and did what had to be done. Love, Jerry."

"Dad, I just got done typing up little quotes out of the Bible and Napoleon Hill, so everywhere I look, I see them. When people ask me what they are, I tell them they are pinups. Tremendously."

"Dad, I am more convinced than ever that you can do anything you want to. You can beat anyone at anything just by working hard. Handicaps don't mean anything. Because often people that don't have them have a bad attitude and don't want to work."

"Dad, nothing new. Just the same old exciting thought that we can know God personally and forever in this amazing life."

"Dad, when you're behind two papers in the fourth quarter and you're exhausted from the game, you have to make up a set of downs in order to stay in the game, and you get up to the line and you see two, 250 pound tests staring you in the face, it sure is exciting to wait and find out what play the Lord will call next."

Well, the power of books. Now here is another one. Sammy is my nine-year-old grandson. I'd like to share something that I hope your dads will get for you. So last Father's Day a year ago, I'll just read you a paragraph that I wrote to Sammy on reading.

My dear Sammy, each word in this letter is bathed with my love and prayers for you. As you get older, you will discover that your mind doesn't always keep pace with your body. The food you eat can nourish your body, but the food you feed your mind and heart determines your good as a person. I am going to share a few principles I pray you will commit to memory. I could share many more, but I have tried to select ones that I wish I could have begun working on earlier in my life. Read, read, read, read. A proper diet is good for your body, and the best books are good for your mind. Your life will be determined by the people you associate with and the books you read. You will come to love many people you will meet in books. Read biographies, autobiographies and history. Books will provide many of the friends, mentors, role models and heroes you will need in life. Biographies will help you see that there is nothing that can happen to you that wasn't experienced by many who used their failures and tragedies and disappointments as stepping stones for more tremendous lives. Many of my best friends are people I've never met – Oswald Chambers, George Mueller, Charles Spurgeon, A.W. Tozer, Abraham Lincoln, Jean Gietzen, hundreds of others. Don't read the Bible, but instead study it. Digest it. Memorize it. Realize that God's greatest gift for our time on earth is His word. Well, know the word..."

Happy Reading!

Success has been an elusive term since the beginning of time. For ages, men and women have pursued that which would make them happy and fulfilled. At the same time they have tried to determine that which would make them feel as though they have achieved success. Some have defined success themselves, while others have been content to have others, or societies at large, define success for them. We would most certainly all agree that to a large degree, "success" is defined by the individual or group that is pursuing it.

Is there an objective definition of success? I do think that there are some general principles, shown throughout history, which measure true success. I would like to give you some principles that I believe are helpful when thinking about the subject for yourself, your family, and your career.

Before we begin, I need to say that I am excited about the direction that much of the recent success literature has taken. While I don't agree with all of the viewpoints that are expressed, I am glad that more emphasis has been placed on what I call "whole-life" success, including such things as family, health, and spirituality. Success literature that is centered on financial wealth and the attaining of material possessions only, is not truly success literature in the broadest sense of the term. While financial success is good, it is certainly not the final measurement of the fulfilled life.

To truly understand success, one must first understand the nature of human beings. I believe that you would agree with me that humans are in their very nature a trichotomy, that is, they are made up of three parts: Body, Soul (the mind, emotions, and will), and Spirit (that part of us that transcends this body). To achieve whole-life fulfillment, "Success," each of these areas must receive special attention in order to bring balance to our lives and achieve true success.

In the past, success has come to be measured by a basic core of measurable objectives, all of which, in and of themselves are fine, but in and of themselves are totally inadequate to fulfill a person. Some of these are:

Money. The accumulation of money has always been a pursuit of man. The more money the better, it has been believed. And yet many who have achieved this end have looked back at the rest of us and warned that it isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Now, don't get me wrong, having money is not a bad thing. Many people misquote the New Testament when they say, "Money is the root of all evil." In fact, the N.T. says, "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Money is neutral. What people allow money to do to them, is not. So the pursuit of money, in the right frame of mind, can be a good thing.

Power. Power, like money, is high on the list of success goals. And, like money, power is bad or good based on the use it receives in the hands of people. Power, whether political or simply untitled influence, can be a good thing. If you achieve power that is good, as long as you are good with it.

Happiness. This is almost entirely subjective and usually includes one or all of the other success goals. People define their version of success and then pursue it. Usually it means a sense of fulfillment and peace, which I will discuss later on.

Freedom. Whether as individuals or groups, freedom has rightly been a pursuit and definition of success. America, even with its faults, is still the epitome of freedom. This is why so many people from around the world long to come to America or other fine democratic countries. As individuals, they want to be able to choose their own destiny, to wake up every day and do what they want, to as opposed to what someone else chooses for them.

Healthy relationships. Let's face it, life is not lived alone. We are in a plethora of relationships, from the very superficial to the most intimate. Let's also agree that unhealthy relationships are not good. Nothing can bring a person down quicker or for a longer time than trouble in a cherished relationship. And yet, millions of people have realized that the pursuit of some goals have been to the detriment of their personal relationships. This is what John R. O'Neil calls "The Paradox of Success."

Health. The joy of success is not in the achievement of it, but the experience of it. It is the conscious knowledge of your success, the fruit of your success, which brings fulfillment. And if you are not healthy, you can almost certainly not enjoy your success. Your health is perhaps the most cherished of all possessions. Without it, you cannot enjoy your other possessions.

A relationship with God. For most people, eternal questions are important, even the most important. To be sure, we live after this life a lot longer than we do in this life! Having a belief in God and an understanding of his ways has long been a pursuit and goal of people, regardless of age, nationality, race or gender.

So, how can we sum this all up? What is success? Is it one of the above? All of them? Others? I have found something that helps me understand the concept of success very well. It is the Hebrew word "Shalom." Most people have heard this word interpreted as "peace," and, in its simple definition, that is indeed what it means. But the understanding of the word peace to those who originally used this word meant something very broad. When someone said "shalom" to you, they were wishing you peace in every area of your life. They meant success to you. This incorporated all areas of your life. It meant wholeness. They were saying, "May your finances be well. May your health be well. May your mind and heart be at rest. May your relationships be good. May you know and understand God. May you be blessed in every area of your life."

So what is success? It is wholeness in every area of your life. It isn't the achievement of one area to the detriment of one or more of the others. This isn't balance and won't bring us peace.

This is what Made for Success is all about, to challenge and encourage you to true success, to peace in every area of your life. Shalom!

And there are a lot of folks that really can mess up a great prospect by NOT saying the right things... happens everyday...

I call the process "Navigating", as that is all you are doing is Navigating the prospect to the decision that is RIGHT and BEST for them... would not you agree?

And we have been teaching "navigators" for years, to help create a more powerful "Decision Environment" that will work in your favor, not against it...

And if you can create a Powerful Environment for getting the decision, you are already ahead of the game!

How in the world do you get a decision in 5 seconds flat...???
Simple... used to do it all the time...

Here is what you ask:
"Do you see yourself more as a customer or more as a distributor?"

That's it. Ask that one powerful Navigator, and watch your results soar! Mine did, and yours will too...

But you MUST ASK FIRST!!!!!

Hope this little Nugget will help set your business OnFIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings...
Doug Firebaugh