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Vol. 11 No. 6, November-December 2009
Copyright 2009 by Wolf J. Rinke
mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
http://www.WolfRinke.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. A HEART WARMING STORY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT
3. HOW TO MAKE IT A GREAT HOLIDAY
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 three great requirements for a happy life are
something to do,
something to love, and
something to hope for.
-Joseph Addison
Source: Make It a Winning Life, Perpetual desk calendar, (Unique Holiday
Gift--see Section #2 below.)
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1. A HEART WARMING STORY FOR THE HOLIDAYS
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THERE'S NO CHARGE FOR LOVE
A farmer had several puppies he needed to sell. He painted a sign advertising
the four puppies, and set about nailing it to a post on the edge of
his yard. As he was driving the last nail into the post, he felt a tug
on his overalls. He looked down into the eyes of a little boy. "Mister,"
the little boy said, "I want to buy one of your puppies."
"Well," said the farmer, as he rubbed the sweat of the back
of his neck, "These puppies come from fine parents and cost a good
deal of money."
The boy dropped his head for a moment. Then reaching deep into his
pocket, he pulled out a handful of change and held it up to the farmer.
"I've got thirty-nine cents. Is that enough to take a look?"
"Sure," said the farmer. And with that he let out a whistle.
"Here, Dolly!" he called. Out from the doghouse and down the
driveway ran Dolly followed by four little balls of fur. The little
boy pressed his face against the chain link fence. His eyes danced with
delight. As the dogs made their way to the fence, the little boy noticed
something else stirring inside the doghouse.
Slowly another little ball appeared, this one noticeably smaller. Down
the ramp it slid. Then in a somewhat awkward manner, the little pup
began hobbling toward the others, doing its best to catch up. "I
want that one," the little boy said, pointing to the runt.
The farmer knelt down at the boy's side and said, "Son, you don't
want that puppy. He will never be able to run and play with you like
these other dogs would."
With that the little boy stepped back from the fence, reached down,
and began rolling up one leg of his trousers. In doing so he revealed
a steel brace that was running down both sides of his leg and was attached
to a specially made shoe. Looking back up at the farmer, the little
boy said, "You see sir, I don't run too well myself, and he will
need someone who understands." With tears in his eyes, the farmer
reached down and picked up the little pup. Holding it carefully he handed
it to the little boy. "How much?" asked the little boy.
"No charge," answered the farmer, "There's no charge
for love."
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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2. AN INEXPENSIVE ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLIDAY GIFT
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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 to order or call 800-828-9653. Offer expires
1/15/2009.
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3. HOW TO MAKE IT A GREAT HOLIDAY
by Wolf J. Rinke, PhD, CSP
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Things are tough for lots of people. Plus we have the holidays coming,
which is a melancholy and sad time for many people. So, it's time to
get depressed, right? WRONG! Here are 11 specific things you can do
to help you make it a great holiday.
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, just like
a great holiday, is a state of mind that 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 to make it a great holiday. One of the
best ways to do that 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, and help you make it a great holiday.
2. 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, 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 1¼ pound lobster with fresh corn and
passable French fries, followed by a delectable Strawberry Shortcake
for dessert; all for only $15.95. We were absolutely blown away. In
fact, although we subsequently ate in many other restaurants which had
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.
3. 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 don't waste
another day without giving them lots of hugs and kisses.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. 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.
10. 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.
11. 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 so that you stay within the budget.
Avoid keeping up with the "Joneses." 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 as we discussed in the first
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 everyone will love. It's inspirational,
will keep on giving forever and is really inexpensive.)
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.
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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The CEO of the Butterball Company has an appointment with the Pope.
Being fully aware that he may never get to see the Pope again, the CEO
asks the Pope to change the Lord's Prayer from "Give us our daily
bread" to "Give us our daily turkey."
When the Pope graciously declines, the Butterball CEO offers to give
the church a million dollars to change his mind. The Pope answers: "I
must discuss this with the Cardinals."
The next day the Pope calls all Cardinals together and announces that
he has good news and bad news. "The good news", he begins
"is that the church will be getting a million dollars. The bad
news is that we are losing the Wonder bread account!"
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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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