It goes like this: at the beginning of the class, there is on the teacher’s desk a big bowl that could be used as a fish tank. The teacher then puts on his desk a box full of stones as big as a fist and asks his students the following question:

“How many stones do you think could fit into the bowl?”

Every student makes his own guess; after which the teacher fills the bowl with stones and asks his students again:

“Is the bowl full?”

Since it was hard to fit the last stone into the bowl, every student is eager to approve. Next, the teacher begins to smile and takes a out a bag full of gravel, out of which he manages to pour some in the space left over between the stones.

“Is the bowl full?” he asks again.

Given that they don’t want to be deluded twice, the students are wary and reply in the negative. And they were right to do so, as the teacher promptly takes a water jug and manages to pour almost half of its content into the bowl.

At last, he asks:

“What do you think did I want to make you understand?”

“That even if we think our schedule is tight, it’s always possible to find time for other tasks, especially after having taken your class!” shouts one of the students.

The teacher smiles again in amusement, but kindly sends him packing:

“No, What I wanted to show you was that, if I had not chosen to put the bigger stones first, I would not have been able to put them afterwards, because there wouldn’t have been any space left.”

The bigger stones being, of course, the more important things… And for any businessman, the important things – in his professional life of course – are the things that will generate money. Not because he is attracted by profit only, but because he is aware of his own value and of the value of time.

Feeling grateful for what you already have can help you shine.

Have you already noticed that people with a positive state of mind and attitude more often attract favorable opportunities in their life and business? Do everything you can to ensure that you become that kind of person!

Almost every single day, you will hear an inner voice telling you to give up something. Renunciation is always an easy way out, and is therefore undesirable: it’s the path of least resistance.

This leads to a lack of faith and skill in achieving what you committed yourself to. Such a choice will bring on doubt and disappointment, and ultimately failure.

Just try to imagine what kind of nation America would be if Martin Luther King had given up! Of course, he went through moments when he felt he made no progress in his quest for racial equality. Do you think he was ever tempted to forget his notion of excellence and to resign himself to be just an average human being? Had he done so, he would have annihilated his dream of a better future and left all those people who found inspiration and leadership in him.

Winners know that in order to meet with victory, it is crucial to be ready to face potential failure under way. If we learn to consider failure as a potential process, we will understand that allowing ourselves to fail will bring up more opportunities to succeed and move forward.

When you fail, you should consider different possible attitudes:

First of all, take some time to observe the attitudes and deeds of those people who succeeded before you. Read biographies of men of women who fought adversity and won hands down. The more you will read about other people leading similar struggles at the beginning of their careers, the more it will reinforce your determination to pay no heed to discouragement and failure.

A second way to transform discouragement into determination is to find yourself some kind of coach who will help you keep an appropriate attitude.

Third, try establishing criteria that reflect your aspirations and reviewing them regularly, especially when you have to face temporary failure. This will help you adjust your career path. Having a clear vision of your qualities can give you the necessary motivation to overcome any temporary failure.

Failure should be considered as an opportunity to re-evaluate yourself and the actions that led to the setbacks you experienced, in order to find how to become more efficient in your business.

“Failure defeats losers, failure inspires winners.”  – Robert Kiyosaki

Ref. Text inspired by author and network marketing specialist Joe Rubino.

We are now entering an era of entrepreneurship. Newly voted laws have resulted in leveling the playground, but still, the changes that are taking place on a technological level are clearly tipping the scales in favor of every single entrepreneur. Home-based companies in network marketing are one of the most rapidly growing components of our economy; and this tendency will keep growing.

Keep in mind that there are several elements to consider before embarking on a relational marketing business.

Today, relational marketing is a booming industry, offering innumerable possibilities on a personal level as well as on a professional one. Why not consider this new alternative? Let’s talk about it!

This type of home-based business will give you the opportunity to truly increase your creativity and productivity, thereby ensuring a positive and beneficial impact upon the lives of millions of people, thanks to its naturally inherent power.

Today, relational marketing is a booming industry, offering innumerable possibilities on a personal level as well as on a professional one. Why not consider this new alternative? Let’s talk about it!

A few ideas to help you listen actively:

• Put your own preconceived ideas aside, as well as any attempt to interpret.
• Be physically available.
• Let your interlocutor express himself/herself without interrupting.
• Ask open questions.
• Stimulate him or her to specify his point if you think it is needed.
• Give him or her lots of visual and verbal signs of interest.
• Rephrase his points of view in his or her words, then in your own.
• Leave blanks.
• Show empathy.
• Keep neutral and benevolent.
• Don’t forget to listen and show respect for your interlocutor, if you want this respect to be mutual!

• The energy is centered on yourself.
  The other person perceives your will to convince him or her. There is nothing else to say except that he or she is forced to react, not to act, if he or she wants to communicate.
• The energy is essentially centered on the other person.
  He or she finds himself/herself in the position of the actor, called upon to express himself/herself and to advance his or her own point of view. (read the article about active listening)

A lot of communication problems can be resolved by realizing how this attitude reversal guarantees a much more profitable exchange. It is important to have a high regard for your interlocutor, at the risk, if you omit to do so, of competing against much more efficient systems than human relationships. Communication requires that you really care for the other without losing your own point of view and sensibility, as well as try to find an agreement fitting both.

I would like to share with you these few lines on mental attitude and its importance in our lives. Indeed, mental attitude can make us succeed, or, if we use it in a wrong way, bring along frustrations and disappointments.

Knowing and understanding this principle is the first step on your way to success, the cornerstone upon which to build a happy, healthy and prosperous life for you and your family. Be careful about your attitude towards life, because it will determine life’s attitude towards you. Choose the bright side of life!

Here are four ways of working on your self-discipline that can yield huge benefits:

•  Be punctual:
  Some people have lost all credibility in the eyes of their associates by not being on time on their business meetings. Punctuality is a way of showing your respect for the time you are being given.
• Avoid procrastination:
  Every day, make up a list of things to do. Determine the ones that put you off, with the intention of taking care of them first. Be keen about it! The other tasks on the list will seem much easier to tackle then.
• Keep healthy and take care of your looks:
  If you are self-disciplined regarding food and exercise, you’ll develop a strength of will that you might use successfully in the other fields of your life.
• Show proof of stringency in your work:
  Some people are ready to work very hard in a short period of time, but are not disposed to do this on a long-term basis. By adopting a strict work method, you’ll stimulate other people to work hard as well, taking you as a model. Sustained efforts will speed up the growth of your company.

Self-discipline yields lots of advantages:

• Self-respect
• Self-confidence
• Communicative energy will attract people towards you like a magnet.
• The habit of self-discipline will transcend other realms of your life.

The practice of self-discipline is a habit that transcends other areas of your life.

(Text inspired by Joe Rubino, author and specialist in network marketing.)