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Vol. 10 No. 6, November-December 2008
Copyright 2008 by Wolf J. Rinke
mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
http://www.WolfRinke.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. REFOCUS ON WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT
3. BEAT THE BAD ECONOMY AND HOLIDAY BLUES
4. HOLIDAY HUMOR BREAK
5. ABOUT THE EDITOR
6. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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HOLIDAY INSIGHT BREAK
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The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved--
loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
--Victor Hugo
Source: Make It a Winning Life, Perpetual desk calendar, (Unique Holiday
Gift--see below.)
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1. REFOCUS ON WHAT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
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A man punished his 5-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of expensive
gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became even more upset
when the child pasted the gold paper to a box to put under the Christmas
tree.
Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift box to her father the
next morning and said," This is for you, Daddy."
The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger
flared again when he found the box was empty. He spoke to her harshly,
"Don't you know, young lady, when you give someone a present there's
supposed to be something inside the package?"
The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh,
Daddy, it's not empty. I blew kisses into it until it was full."
The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around
his little girl, and begged her to forgive him for his unnecessary anger.
An accident took the life of the child only a short time later, and
it is told that the father kept that gold box by his bed for all the
years of his life. And whenever he was discouraged or faced difficult
problems, he would open the box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember
the love of the child who had put it there.
In a very real sense, each of us has been given a golden box filled
with unconditional love and kisses from our children, family, and friends.
There is no more precious possession in the world.
Source: W. J. Rinke, "Beat the Blues: How to Manage Stress and
Balance Your Life," a 28 credit pre-approved continuing professional
education (CPE) self-study course. Click here for more information.
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2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT ===================================================
I'd like to help you save some money during these tough times and make
your holiday shopping very easy by offering you an affordable holiday
gift!
It is an ideal gift for loved ones, friends, employees and co-workers.
It is a universal gift that everyone will LOVE and benefit from!
It will keep on giving for years to come!
It can be given at any time of the year!
It's inexpensive!
It's totally unique - there is no other gift quite like it!
What is it?
It's my Make It a Winning Life Perpetual Desk Calendar
This wonderful desk calendar provides words of inspiration and wisdom
every day of the year! PLUS easy to apply action steps to help make
the message a reality! Best of all, at the end of the year, turn it
over and use it again, and again . . .
********* 4 Calendars for ONLY $30 +S/H ******************
****** Regular Price $51.80 --You SAVE $21.80 *************
You risk absolutely nothing!!! If for any reason the calendars are
not everything you expected, send them back to me and I will give you
your money back. No questions asked!!!
Click www.WolfRinke.com/specialpc.htm
to order or call 800-828-9653. Offer expires 1/15/2009.
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3. BEAT THE BAD ECONOMY AND HOLIDAY BLUES
by Wolf J. Rinke, PhD, CSP
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Things are tough all over the globe. The economy is in the dumps and
everyone is telling us that things will get worse before they will get
better. (I just received an e-mail from a former client and friend in
Iceland. If you think things are tough in your country. Think again!)
Plus we have the holidays coming, which is a melancholy and sad time
for many people. So, its time to get depressed, right? NOT! Time to
focus on what's really important in your life (see paragraph #1 above)
and to take specific action steps that will enable you to make this
the best of times:
Have "Plastic Surgery"
If money is tight for you, have "plastic surgery." Get rid
of your credit cards or at least put them away until things turn around.
(Keep one, and use it for emergencies only.) Establish a holiday budget
in advance. Make up a gift list that insures that you stay within the
budget. Avoid keeping up with the "Jonses." They don't care
anyway, and it won't make you happy, because there is always something
better. You will be much better off to expect less (see the next paragraph).
Want to do something extra-ordinary for that special someone? Make a
gift yourself! For example, write a beautiful poem, sign it and put
it in a frame. It will be more appreciated than even the most expensive
gift you can buy! (Also take a look at the special offer in section
#2. It's a unique gift that every one will love. It's inspirational,
will keep on giving forever and is really inexpensive.)
Expect Less--Get More
Superwoman and I discovered this concept on a trip to Maine. We had
driven a full day from Clarksville, Maryland, to Kennebunkport, Maine,
just to find "no rooms at any inn." So we continued our travels
to Portland, Maine. By the time we found a vacancy at a Howard Johnson
it had gotten dark, it was pouring rain, and we were starved. So we
settled for dinner at an adjoining restaurant which was truly mundane
and nondescript in every way, causing us to have very low expectations.
They did however have a "North Shore Live Lobster Special"
which caught our attention. Given that Marcela and I love lobster (in
fact that is one of the primary reasons we go to Maine), we both apprehensively
ordered the special. We just knew that the lobster was going to be overcooked
and tough. To our surprise we were served a delicious cup of Clam Chowder,
followed by Mussels with Fennel, a perfectly tender and sweet 11/4 pound
lobster with fresh corn and passable French fries, followed by a delectable
Strawberry Shortcake for dessert; all of that for only $15.95. We were
absolutely blown away. In fact, although we subsequently ate in many
other restaurants which had a much nicer ambiance, none provided the
same quality and value of food for the rest of our six day trip through
Maine and Nova Scotia. So why not give it a try: Expect less, you might
just get more.
Turn Off the News
The media's axiom is: If it bleeds it leads. (Think of all the bad economic
news you've been subjected to.) It's time we inoculate ourselves against
this insidious virus--the incessant reports of bad news. The problem
is that we hear the same bad news over and over again, and we begin
to believe that that is the way things are for everyone. After a while
that feeling becomes a self-fulfilling reality. I know it happened to
me. So now I watch a lot less news, and feel much better, thank you.
Make Love Not War
Tonight, when you put your children to bed give each one a really big
hug and tell him/her from the bottom of your heart: "I love you,
and I'm very proud to be your parent." And then shut up. Do not
continue the sentence with "but" because but erases everything
you have said before. Repeat the exercise with your spouse. Your spouse
and children are the most important people in your life. So do not waste
another day without giving them lots of hugs and kisses.
Commit Random Acts of Kindness
To do this right you must do something for someone else without expecting
anything in return. For example, get the family together and serve a
meal at a shelter for the homeless. Or visit your local nursing home
and talk with an elderly person in need of companionship.
Give the Gift of Unconditional Love
The most powerful gift you can give anyone any time of the year, but
especially during these tough times, is to accept people the way they
are--not the way they ought to be. It makes virtually all other strategies
I'm sharing with you here superfluous. (See the story in section # 1).
Choose to Be Happy
It was Abraham Lincoln who said: "Most people are about as happy
as they make up their minds to be." You see, happiness is a state
of mind that you and only you control. So don't wait for the economy
to turn around or for others to give you happiness. Make a choice to
be happy and then make it happen! One of the best ways to make this
happen is to learn to get pleasure from people, not things. Create the
opportunity to spend the majority of your available time with the people
you love and deeply care for. That's what will give you the most powerful
joy.
Manage Stress
To deal with the stressors of the tough economic times and the holiday
season, master the most powerful stress control system of all time:
- Change the changeable
- Accept the unchangeable
- Remove yourself from the unacceptable
Also make quiet time for yourself and treat yourself to whatever truly
helps you relax, may it be a hot tub, a movie, a walk in the woods.
Decrease Conflict
Whenever you find yourself moving in the direction of conflict, simply
and sincerely say: "You are right about that." The primary
reason that you have a "need" to be right is to feed your
ego, and feeding your ego disempowers you. To insure that you are not
sounding like a parrot, use these derivations: "That's an interesting
perspective"; "I have never thought of it that way";
or "I see what you mean."
Give the Gift of Listening
To really listen, you have to learn to make your own mind quiet and
give the other party your undivided attention. The act of active listening--not
giving advice--is one of the most wonderful gifts you can give during
these stressful times.
Take an Inventory
No matter how tough things are for you right now, it helps to take a
verbal, or better yet, a written inventory of all the good things still
left in your life. If you set this up as a ledger with the credits (positives)
and debits (negatives) on one sheet of paper, you will usually find
that no matter how bad things appear to be, the positives in your life
still outweigh the negatives.
Manage Expectations
When are children most excited? About a week before the holidays or
right after they have ripped all the presents open? The former, of course.
Just like children, many of us also experience a feeling of let down
when the hustle and bustle of the holidays wind down. The reason is
that all the things that needed to get done have occupied all of your
mental and physical energies. And now that it is over, you experience
a sense of disappointment and the blues kick in. To combat this phenomena
start on a new project or a new goal right after the holidays. For example,
you and your significant other may want to start planning your summer
vacation.
Change Your Response
Increase your awareness of what or who "pushes your buttons."
For example, if your parents want to make you into the person they have
always wanted you to be during the holidays by asking hurtful questions
such as, "When are you going to live within your means?" or
"When are you going to get married?" Modify your typical response
by visualizing those comments as water floating off a duck's back. Remember
how you respond is always your choice, and if you are finding it too
difficult to make the right choices consider implementing the following
strategy.
Hang Out With Positive People
If the holidays bring you together with people who are suffering from
"stinking thinking," make sure that you minimize the time
you are together with them. For example, instead of staying at a relative's
house, stay at a local hotel. Or, if you find it difficult to be with
certain family members, build in some other activities that give you
a legitimate reason to minimize your time with them. That way you can
carve out some positive re-energizing time.
Make Yourself Laugh
Laughing can keep you healthy. So enjoy the humor break that follows
and make yourself laugh.
Source: W. J. Rinke, "Beat the Blues: How to Manage Stress and
Balance Your Life," a 28 credit pre-approved continuing professional
education (CPE) self-study course available from www.easyCPEcredits.com.
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For FREE articles, inspirational messages and money saving offers on
other holiday gifts such as books, audio and videotapes visit our website:
http://www.WolfRinke.com/MIWL.html
or call 800-828-WOLF (USA); 410-531-9280.
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4. HOLIDAY HUMOR BREAK
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An elderly man in Florida calls his son in New York. The father says
to the son, "I hate to tell you, but we've got some troubles here
in the house. Your mother and I can't stand each other anymore, and
we're getting a divorce. I've had it! I want to live out the rest of
my years in peace. I'm telling you now, so you and your sister shouldn't
go into shock later when I move out."
He hangs up, and the son immediately calls his sister in New York and
tells her the news. The sister says, "I'll handle this!" She
calls Florida and says to her father, "Don't do ANYTHING until
we get there! We'll be there Wednesday night."
The father hangs up the phone and hollers to his wife, "Okay,
honey, they're coming for Thanksgiving. Now, what are we going to tell
them for Christmas?"
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5. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is a highly effective management consultant and
executive coach who specializes in building peak performance organizations,
teams and individuals. He is the author of 12 CPE manuals, available
at www.easyCPEcredits.com and 5 books including "Make It a Winning
Life: Success Strategies for Life, Love and Business" available
at www.WolfRinke.com. He is also an internationally recognized motivational
and management keynote speaker and seminar leader who delivers customized
presentations that combine story telling, humor and motivation with
specific "how to" action strategies that participants can
apply immediately to improve their personal and professional lives.
You can preview a live demo at www.WolfRinke.com. To take advantage
of Dr. Rinke's services contact us at 800-828-9653 or WolfRinke@aol.com
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6. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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