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Editor: Dr. Wolf J. Rinke
Publisher: Wolf Rinke Associates, Inc.
(c) 2005 Wolf J. Rinke
Vol. 8 No. 6, December 2005-January 2006
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IN THIS SPECIAL HOLIDAY ISSUE:
1. A SPECIAL STORY TO REKINDLE YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT
2. HOW TO BEAT THE HOLIDAY BLUES
3. SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT--FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
4. HOLIDAY HUMOR BREAK
5. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
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HOLIDAY INSIGHT BREAK
"Love people the way they are, not the way they ought to be."
--Wolf J. Rinke
Source: Make It a Winning Life, Perpetual desk calendar, Nov. 30
(Unique Holiday Gift--See the Special Holiday Gift below.)
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1. A SPECIAL STORY TO REKINDLE YOUR HOLIDAY SPIRIT
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THE GOLD BOX
Times were tough and money was tight at the Jameson residence. Dad had
been laid off more than four months ago--another victim of merger mania--and
Mom was unable to work since she was suffering with complications associated
with her second pregnancy. To make matters worse Julie, their 5-year
old daughter, was suffering from an unknown disease that no doctor had
been able to diagnose or treat. At the Jameson house only little Julie
seemed to be looking forward to the holidays. She was all excited because
she had come up with an idea to give all her love to her parents without
spending any money. All she needed was some wrapping paper so she could
wrap her gifts. After looking all over the house she finally found the
most beautiful gold wrapping paper, which she used to cover two boxes.
Dad was furious when he caught Julie in the act of wrapping the boxes.
"Don't you know," he said harshly, "that we barely have
enough money to buy food, and here you are using up the only wrapping
paper we have left to cover these useless old boxes. Go to your room
and next time, don't be so wasteful." On Christmas morning Julie
gave a carefully wrapped gift box to her father, "This is for you,
Daddy," she said.
The father was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger
flared yet again when he found that the box was empty. He spoke to Julie
in an angry tone, "Don't you know, young lady, it's rude to give
an empty box?" Julie looked up at him with tears in her eyes and
said, "Oh, Daddy, the box is not empty. I filled it with love and
kisses."
The father was crushed. He fell on his knees and put his arms around
his little girl and begged her forgiveness for his insensitive behavior.
A few weeks later Mom had a miscarriage and little Julie died unexpectedly
from that dreaded disease that no one had been able to diagnose.
Dad's heart was broken, and it is told that he kept the gold box his
daughter had given him by his bed for the rest of his life. And whenever
he was discouraged or faced seemingly insurmountable difficulties he
would open the gold box and take out an imaginary kiss and remember
the love of his wonderful daughter who had put it there.
You too have been given a "gold box" filled with unconditional
love and kisses from your loved ones. Cherish it with every fiber of
your body because it is the most precious gift you will ever own.
Source: Loosely based on an e-mail I received from an unknown source
with the admonition to "pass this on to your friends," which
is what I just did.
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2. HOW TO BEAT THE HOLIDAY BLUES by Wolf J. Rinke, PhD, CSP
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Tis the season to be jolly ... Noooot! At least not for lots of folks.
For many the holidays are the season to be melancholy and sad. For others
it's more serious--serious enough that statistics tell us that more
people die in the Western World the day after Christmas than at any
time of the year.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health and the American
Psychiatric Association (www.viahealth.org) many people experience clinical
depression especially around the holidays. You have a serious disorder
that requires medical attention if you are suffering from one of the
following NEARLY every day, all day, for at least two weeks:
- loss of interest in the things you used to enjoy
- feeling sad, blue or down in the dumps
In addition people who are depressed also experience at least three
of the following symptoms:
- feeling slowed down or restless and unable to sit still
- feeling worthless or guilty
- increased or decreased appetite and weight
- thoughts of death or suicide
- problems of concentrating, remembering or making decisions
- trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- loss of energy or feeling tired all of the time.
If you are experiencing these symptoms you should make an appointment
with your doctor now.
If on the other hand you are experiencing the following symptoms you
are likely experiencing the blues:
- headaches
- inability to sleep or sleeping too much
- change in appetite causing weight loss or gain
- agitation and anxiety
- excessive or inappropriate feelings of guilt
- diminished ability to think clearly or concentrate
-decreased interest in activities that usually bring you pleasure such
as food, sex, work, friends, hobbies or entertainment.
To beat the holiday blues take the following actions:
Turn Off the News
The media's axiom is: If it bleeds it reads. (Think of all the gruesome
pictures from Iraq.) It is time that we inoculate ourselves from this
insidious virus--the incessant reports of bad news. Remember, that whatever
gets reported in the media represents the exception--not the rule. 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. It is NOT! Think about
it. How often did you hear about the casualties in Iraq, compared to
the good deeds being committed in your community right now? Now which
one do you believe occurs more often?
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 our
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 holiday. For example,
you and your significant other may want to start planning your summer
vacation.
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
holiday 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 Listening
To really listen you have to learn to make your own mind quiet and give
the other party your undivided 111% attention. The act of active listening--not
giving advice--is one of the most wonderful gifts you can give during
these stressful times.
Choose to Be Happy
It was Abraham Lincoln who said: "Most people are about as happy
as they make up their minds to be." Happiness is a state that only
you control. So don't wait for others to give you happiness. Make a
choice to be happy and then make it happen! For example, learn to get
pleasure from people, not things. Plan to spend the majority of your
available time with the people you love and deeply care for. If you
want to supplement it with stuff, learn to get pleasure from little
things.
Manage Stress
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 or a walk in the woods.
Decrease Conflict
Whenever you are in a situation that seems to be moving in the direction
of conflict, simply and sincerely say: "You are right about that."
The primary reason that we have a "need" to be right is to
feed our 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." "I see what you mean."
Have "Plastic Surgery"
If overspending is a critical issue for you, start by having "plastic
surgery." Get rid of your credit cards, or at least put them away
for the holidays. 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." It won't do a thing for you, and they don't
care. 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 following unique gift that
every one will love.)
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3. SPECIAL HOLIDAY GIFT--FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
===================================================Get your holiday
shopping done early with this one-of-a-kind holiday gift that will save
you time and money!
It's a great way to say thanks to all the people who support you all
year long--team members, co-workers, friends and family.
It is a universal gift that everyone will LOVE. It will keep on giving
for years to come! 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 unique perpetual calendar provides words of inspiration and wisdom
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the message a reality! Best of all at the end of the year, turn it over
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PLUS in the spirit of the holidays I will include my LIVE "Positive
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Log onto www.wolfrinke.com/holiday.html or call 800-828-9653. Mention
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4. HOLIDAY HUMOR BREAK
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The crumbling, old church building needed remodeling, so the preacher
made an impassioned appeal, looking directly at the richest man in town.
At the end of the message, the rich man stood up and announced, "Pastor,
I will contribute $1,000." Just then, plaster fell from the ceiling
and struck the rich man on the shoulder.
The rich man promptly stood up and shouted, "Pastor, I will increase
my donation to $5,000." Before he could sit back down, plaster
fell on him again and he screamed, "Pastor, I will double my last
pledge." He sat down and an even larger chunk of plaster fell,
this time hitting the rich man on the head.
The rich man stood once more and hollered, "Pastor, I will give
$20,000!" This prompted the pastor to shout, "Hit him again,
Lord! Hit him again!"
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5. HEAR WOLF HOWL--I MEAN SPEAK
===================================================
These full day seminars maybe open to you, especially if your company
is a member of the Institute of Management Studies (IMS). Contact the
Chairperson for additional information.
Achieve Peak Performance by Increasing Your Personal Effectiveness
3/6/06 Amsterdam, Giep Franzen, Amsterdam@ims-online.com
3/9/06 Scotland, Graeme Crawford, Scotland@ims-online.com
8/1/06 Philadelphia, Joe Paesani, Philadelphia@ims-online.com
Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel and Other Contrarian Ways to Improve Your
Leadership Effectiveness.
3/7/06 London, Mike Matthews, London@ims-online.com
3/10/06 Manchester, Gareth Morris, Mancherster@ims-online.com
Winning Management: Building a Peak Performance Workplace
8/22/06 Hartford, CT, Mark Jesty, Hartford@ims-online.com
10/18/06 Atlanta, GA, Dennis Piehl, dpiehl@aol.com
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6. ABOUT THE EDITOR
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Dr. Wolf J. Rinke, CSP is an internationally recognized 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 management and personal effectiveness. He is also a highly effective
management consultant, executive coach and author of 13 books including
Don't Oil the Squeaky Wheel and 19 Other Contrarian Ways to Improve
Your Leadership Effectiveness and Winning Management: 6 Fail-Safe Strategies
for Building High-Performance Organizations available at www.WolfRinke.com
To take advantage of Dr. Rinke's services call 800-828-9653 or mailto:WolfRinke@aol.com
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7. PRIVACY STATEMENT AND SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION
===================================================
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