Back to Basics

Like you, I have been deeply torn up since 9/11. It has been difficult to keep my mind on tasks at hand. Experts say post-traumatic stress disorder kicks in after 30 days, and it can last a long time. Many of us are experiencing some level of this.

Although it weakens us, this doesn't make us weak. It makes us human. This unspeakably inhuman act has awakened us to our infinite humanity.

We know at a much deeper level than ever before that...

IN LIFE, THERE ARE NO GUARANTEES.

Your job, income and financial net worth are not guaranteed. Nobody can guarantee you will succeed, reach your goals, or accomplish what you set out to achieve. Certainly, life itself is not guaranteed.

Guarantees are illusions. But we've grown accustomed to having a security blanket, a safety net, something to fall back on. In a way, we seek guarantees because we feel like we need someone to blame, even if it's ourselves, just in case things don't work out. In some cases "guarantees" are contrived to give us the emotional feeling of certainty that we cannot lose. It's now clear from the events of 9/11 and the mayhem that has followed that our world of absolute certainty has been shattered; probably forever. There is a silver lining here, an opportuntity to turn deep tragedy into huge poss-abilities.

The truth has always been that success, achievement, wealth and prosperity are built on the simple, age-old principle of "quid pro quo" which means... something for something.

Nothing comes from nothing. To get something, we must give something. Like we build a life, success is built one step at a time, and over time. If we're not prepared to put something out, it's highly unlikely we'll get something back.

From Independence to Inter-Dependence

On September 11, the old world of independence was completely transformed. It gave way to a new era of inter-dependence. We discovered how interconnected we are at the human level. We cannot go it alone; not in our personal lives, our politics, or in our search to find a path to peace.

The new world we live in requires inter-dependence and interconnectedness. We need life skills we have not been taught nor nurtured in our formal education. In less than two decades, we went from a predominantly dependent society to an intricately woven inter-dependent one. We were just getting the hang of being independent. Now, we are thrust into a whole new paradigm again.

In an inter-dependent world we must align with and have access to networks, masterminds and groups of people who can teach us, help us and support us. And lead us. Leadership is not a quality we have been grooming here in America. We have plenty of politicians, not a lot of leaders. We need leadership training, not just for leaders, but for everyone.

FEW PEOPLE ARE BORN LEADERS, but anyone can be emboldened to lead. Knowing, even having the qualities of leadership aren't enough. You choose leadership. You take a stand for something bigger than you. That means having courage. Many of us have these capacities, but we don't access them, we don't claim them. We've been taught to think leadership is someone else's job.

That's not how the thousands of firefighters, police, doctors, nurses, EMS workers, Port Authority police and volunteers who ran to the Pentagon or into the WTC to save lives felt. Each is a hero. They are all leaders, regardless of their standing in the pecking order or the number of stripes they have on their lapels. Leadership is not a rank bestowed. It's an energy and commitment we bring to the world. WE ASSUME AUTHORITY. WE LEAD.

One day, I imagine we WILL rise above killing each other over beliefs, ideologies, points of view, religion, land, oil and politics. In the world of value, life itself and the human spirit transcend belief.

We need to ask ourselves...

"Is man's creation (a belief system) higher in value than God's creation: humanity itself?"

If we all die for our beliefs, they'll be nobody left to believe.


"Our lore is full of stories of men laying down their lives for the sake of what they think or what they have or what they want;
but how many have laid down what they think or have or want for the sake of their lives?"
Dr. Robert Hartman, from Freedom to Live

The Bridge to Prosperity...
Embrace New World Thinking, Preserve Old World Values!

We are redefining prosperity. We used to measure it by financial wealth. Prosperity is now registering on a much deeper level.

Life is more valuable than money and material things. There are 6,000 families who would trade their material wealth in a heartbeat if it would bring back their loved ones. It seems we lost site of it for quite some time, but we see with great clarity once again, what really matters. Intrinsic values of self-esteem, empathy, compassion, intuition and life itself have regained their prominence as the values we treasure most. We honor the memories of our lost citizens of the world (80 countries) by valuing life and the human spirit for their intrinsic and irreplaceable value.

The greatest prosperity is being rich in people and things that are intrinsically valuable, irreplaceable and infinite in worth. These are the things that money can't buy. Love, loved ones, spirit, soul, compassion, empathy and intuition, self-esteem and self-worth all have intrinsic worth. Taking time for people, and enjoying special moments are rich and intrinsically rewarding. They are unique, one-of-a-kind, and hold a special place in life.

These things CANNOT be measured.

In an interdependent world, the bridge to prosperity is to embrace new world thinking, and at the same time, preserve old world values.

New world thinking: you are a Virtual Entrepreneur™... the CEO of your own life.

Old world values: intrinsic values of life and liberty. And let's not forget, "the pursuit of happiness."

Now is a time to get back to basics. Fundamentals. Universals.

I call these basic life skills for business, and business skills for life...

Success-Abilities...™ 21 Life Skills for the 21st Century!

Life Skills for Business, Business Skills for Life!

For the past 20 years, I have been learning, writing about and teaching success-abilities, life skills for business, and business skills for life. You can read some of the recent newsletters and articles here.

It seems we've come full circle. This is a crucial time to put attention on and develop your Success-Abilities.

Nothing is more important right now than adapt-ability, flex-ability and bounceback-ability. How we adapt affects every aspect of our lives and our future.

Adapt-ability shows up as a major personal characteristic among long-lived people.

We all need to accept response-ability and maintain account-ability. How we respond to this new world will shape it.

We cannot go further than where we are today without coach-ability, support-ability and communic-ability.

Economically, we require a new grasp of finance-ability, value-ability and profit-ability. It's a whole new ballgame in terms of markets, assets, and the importance of having all three sources of income: ACTIVE, PASSIVE and RESIDUAL.

In a time of great change, common sense-ability plays a key role in making good choices, re-building our lives, and bringing peace to our planet. These Success-Abilities give us confidence and competence to live in an unpredictable and undefined new world.

On September 10, we didn't pay much attention, and gave only passing thoughts to security and safety. We looked to the future with anticipation and hope. We had a confidence born of certainty and predict-ability. We had an unprecedented explosion of wealth, the greatest this country has ever seen. Then we watched as our world literally blew apart.

Today, basic safety and security weigh heavily on our minds, from the exotic (traveling to faraway vacation spots) to the mundane (opening the mail). Uncertainty fills our lives. Markets have tumbled, industries are shrinking, and companies implode and collapse with the same eerie speed that flattened the WTC. We have seen the unthinkable and watched the unwatchable.

Our WORLD, our TRADE and our CENTER have fallen. Along with our confidence and certainty.

We have to learn to live with change and unpredictability, or we will find ourselves not living at all.

We're going to need to strengthen our core business skills as well.

These include network-ability and market-ability, sales-ability and service-ability, profit-ability, leverage-ability and leadership ability. And of course cap-ability, how well we do what we do.

As you develop your life skills for business and business skills for life, you are better equipped to live and prosper in the future. Strengthening your Success-Abilities will enrich your life, enliven your livelihood, and help you earn a more prosperous living.

We ought to teach these Success-Abilities to our children, and make sure our future generations learn the essential life and business skills they will need to survive and thrive in their world. Like us, they are experiencing vulner-ability. They need to be reassured. They need skills.

Use every opportunity to express and share yourself with your loved ones and others in your life; you'll never know when it's the last opportunity.

Do what you can to contribute something good to the world. Always be ready with a kind word, a pat on the back, or a shoulder to lean on. Lord knows there is someone who needs it.

Now is a good time to open up your tool box and see what's inside. Are you using all your tools? Are you using your BEST tools?

What can you do today to hone your skills and strengthen your Success-Abilities? Do it.

Back to Basics

Humans evolve. It's what we do. We pick up and move forward from devastating events. There has never been a more seminal event in our lives, nor a more confusing time. It could very well be a defining moment in our generation. We are called upon to muster our will to navigate our way through an uncharted new world, filled with more questions than answers.

It would do us good to get back to basics in what we're doing, where we're going and especially, who we're being.

Support-ability is a basic success-ability. BEING support-able is critical to life, livelihood and living!

Many people seem to be more supportive than they are supportable. It takes being willing to be vulnerable to be support-able, and reaching out to others to get the support we need. We saw God-like support at Ground Zero. To save a life is the ultimate in being supportive. To be saved is the height in being support-able. At some point, we all need a life raft.

Since 9/11, we've gotten a crash course on the importance of support-ability.

BE SUPPORTIVE of other people living life and doing their life's work.

BE SUPPORT-ABLE. Allow others to support you in yours.

In a Time of Dramatic Change, Go Back to Basics!

Since 1988, my livelihood and living has been helping individuals, businesses, and companies increase sales and reduce expenses. I've also worked with tens of thousands of individuals who want to enrich life, enliven livelihood and earn a more prosperous living (in money and all the things money can't buy).

We learn, practice and develop core life skills for business and business skills for life through training. Companies have increased sales and profits by hundreds of millions of dollars, and thousands of individuals we have worked with have experienced a boost in productivity, performance and personal satisfaction. Competence breeds confidence.

Now is a critical time to get back to basics. For me, too. I want teach what I know, and share it with others.

I'm sure you have heard the old adage: "WHEN THE STUDENT IS READY, THE TEACHER APPEARS."

There is another just as true: "WHEN THE TEACHER IS READY, THE STUDENT APPEARS."

I am an eager student. I am also a willing teacher. Many people have told me I'm an excellent teacher.

Teaching is what I love.

Teaching is connecting at a spiritual level with people who value the exchange of ideas.

I am ready. Are you?