Today is your day!

Hopes and dreams are important, but it's what ACTION you take TODAY that will determine if you will reach your ultimate goals.
- Keith Cumming, President Prime-Way Companies

Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So get on your way.
- Dr. Seuss

Life must be measured by thought and action, not by time.
- John Lubbock, Conductor

It's amazing...

Whatever you do, do with all your might.
- Marcus Tullius Cicero

It's amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions.
- Charles Kettering

I know the price of success: dedication, hard work, and an unremitting devotion to the things you want to see happen.
- Frank Lloyd Wright

Today is life...

Today is life - the only life you are sure of. Make the most of today. Get interested in something. Shake yourself awake. Develop a hobby. Let the winds of enthusiasm sweep through you. Live today with gusto.
-Dale Carnegie

Your luck is how you treat people.
-Bridget O'Donnell

The pace of events is moving so fast that unless we can find some way to keep our sights on tomorrow, we cannot expect to be in touch with today.
-Dean Rusk

You can't cross the sea...

You can't cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.
- Rabindranath Tagore

I remind myself every morning: Nothing I say this day will teach me anything. So if I'm going to learn, I must do it by listening.
- Larry King

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
- Dale Carnegie

My basic principle is...

My basic principle is that you don't make decisions because they are cheap; you make them because they're right.
- Theodore Hesburgh

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.
- Roy Disney

Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain but it takes character and self control to be understanding and forgiving.
- Dale Carnegie

There are only two thoughts...

Nothing is more difficult, and therefore more precious, than to be able to decide.
- Napoleon Bonaparte

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.
- Mike Krzyzewski

There are only two thoughts; what you want to create and what you want to eliminate. Make your choice wisely.
- Neil Thornton & Angela Carter, Dale Carnegie Business Coaches

A cloudy day is...

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
- Ann Frank

High expectations are the key to everything.
- Sam Walton

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
- William Arthur Ward

For a change...

I am always doing that which I can not do in order that I may learn how to do it.
-Pablo Picasso

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

For a change, try Execution rather than Excuses.
-Troy Treleaven, Managing Partner, Dale Carnegie Business Group

On a long journey...

Love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupery

On a long journey of human life, faith is the best of companions; it is the best refreshment on the journey; and it is the greatest property.
-Buddha

There is a reality beyond your viewpoint that is clear and distinct. See the world as it is, not as you wish it were or "should" be. Instead of trying to sell others on your view, try listening to what others see to get a clearer picture of the reality you are observing. Your actions from this strategy will be specific, focused, and will accelerate your advancement towards your desired objectives.
-Dave Mather, Corporate Specialist

How old would you be...

How old would you be if you didn't know how old you are?
-Satchel Paige

If you haven't got the time to do it right, when will you find the time to do it over?
-Jeffrey J. Mayer

Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.
-Mark Twain

The world is not about you...

The world is not about you. It is about the impact you have on others. The sooner you learn this lesson, the quicker success will come.
-Neil Thornton, Dale Carnegie Business Coach, Niagara, Ontario

You are the way you are, because that is the way you made up your mind to be.
-John Maxwell

It's not your aptitude but your attitude that will determine your altitude.
-Jesse Jackson

You have it...

Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures - in this century as in others our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together.
-Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, French writer & pilot

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.
-Muhammad Ali

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.
-Dale Carnegie

He who has health...

Good friends are good for your health.
- Irwin Sarason

It isn't what you have, or who you are, or where you are, or what you are doing that makes you happy or unhappy. It is what you think about.
- Dale Carnegie

He who has health, has hope. And he who has hope, has everything.
- Arabian Proverb

People who ask confidently...

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world. The unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
-George Bernard Shaw

People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you've figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence.
-Jack Canfield

One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon-instead of enjoying the roses blooming outside our windows today.
-Dale Carnegie

You must play boldly to win.

Life is not so much a matter of 'finding' ourselves as it is a matter of making ourselves.
- Alan McGinnis

The ultimate leader is one who is willing to develop people to the point that they eventually surpass him or her in knowledge and ability.
- Fred A. Manske, Jr.

You must play boldly to win.
- Arnold Palmer

If you want to win friends...

We must be the change we wish to see in the world.
- Mahatma Gandhi

Communication is to a relationship what breathing is to living.
- Virginia Satir

If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.
- Dale Carnegie

Tips on Coaching Employees

Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.
- Marilyn vos Savant

Leaders must be determined to focus on their goal and to coach their employees to do the same.

Here are some tips on coaching employees to persevere in the attainment of their goals:

• Build rapport with your employees so that you have a good relationship from the start
• Begin with praise and honest appreciation
• Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly
• Reassure employees and give the other person a fine reputation to live up to

Iron rusts from disuse...

Iron rusts from disuse; stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen; even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind.
- Leonardo Da Vinci

May your walls know joy; May every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility.
- Mary Anne Radmacher-Hershey, Author

First ask yourself: What is the worst that can happen? Then prepare to accept it. Then proceed to improve on the worst.
- Dale Carnegie

Happiness doesn't depend on...

No one can be great, or good, or happy except through the inward efforts of themselves.
- Frederick W. Robertson

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.
- Frank Tibolt

Happiness doesn't depend on any external conditions, it is governed by our mental attitude.
-Dale Carnegie

To climb steep hills...

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!
- Barbara Hoffman

To climb steep hills requires slow pace at first.
- William Shakespeare

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
- Dale Carnegie

If you do not like people generally...

No alibi will save you from accepting the responsibility.
- Napoleon Hill

Keep going, gather good people around you to do what you can't and focus on your gift.
- Anne Beiller, CEO, Auntie Anne's Inc.

If you do not like people generally, there is one simple way of cultivating the characteristic; just look for good traits. You'll be sure to find some.
- Dale Carnegie

Kind words...

Follow your own path, no matter what people say.
- Karl Marx, Philosopher

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
- Mother Teresa

Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
- Napoleon Hill

Giving Positive Feedback

“Praise and attention may easily have a profound effect on an individual's entire life.”
- Dale Carnegie

Good professional behavior deserves to receive attention as much as bad behavior does. Both cases provide an opportunity for your company to foster progression. It is unfortunate that people often only take advantage of the latter scenario to better their company. Appealing to one's pride is actually much easier than trying to lead someone to change. People want to be recognized for the good work they've done. Positive feedback and appreciation will foster not only the personal bonds had between you and your coworkers, but between those people and the very work they are there to do. It is then made nearly inevitable that the worker's progressive measures will not only continue, but likely increase in their rate of implementation.

Remember to:

• Offer encouragement
• Reassure people in their progress
• Provide a feeling of victory
• Be enthusiastic
• Be grateful for all effort being put forth.

If you can`t sleep...

It is expressly at those times when we feel needy that we will benefit the most from giving.
- Ruth Ross

A man should never be ashamed to own that he has been in the wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than yesterday.
- Jonathan Swift

If you can`t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It`s the worry that gets you, not the lack of sleep.
- Dale Carnegie

My philosophy is...

Everyone who's taken a shower has an idea. It's the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.
- Nolan Bushnell, Entrepreneur (Founder of Atari and Chuck E. Cheese)

My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.
- Oprah Winfrey

Yanking a dog's ears is no more foolish than interfering in an argument that isn't any of your business.
- Proverbs

The Impending Leadership Crisis

More than ever, organizations require strong leadership. Without clear direction, people cannot move the business forward. Current research is clear; most employees are disconnected or unclear about their specific roles in creating the business future.

Traditional job descriptions are not enough. It is also critical to establish each person's right to make decisions and how those decisions will be communicated upward.

We have cell phones, text messaging, e-mail, express packaging, and high-speed internet video conferencing - tools unheard of in previous decades, yet communication is one of our most pressing issues. In most businesses, people wander around looking for the right path when what's required is a clear picture of where they are in relation to where they're headed.

If you're going to build a second floor on a building and put a lot of weight on it, the smart thing to do is to go downstairs and look at the beams to see if they can hold that kind of weight. What you are doing is standing under the foundation to get under-standing. That's where the word understanding comes from. Careful and objective scrutiny of current reality is necessary in order to effectively lead the organization.

For example, in excellent companies, succession planning is not a theoretical exercise nor is it left to individual managers or employees. According to the Aberdeen Group, best-of-class organizations are 2.5 times more likely to integrate succession planning with the overall corporate strategy.

In a strong structure, no building block stands alone. Moving blocks around in isolation often creates more harm than good. Ad hoc development processes and weak hiring decisions can be devastating to future development. Don't sacrifice your long term vital future for the temporary present.

Do your best to clearly see what is really going on in your organization and in your marketplace. For example, do your strategic planning efforts result in apparent consensus, but bog down in implementation? Do people appear to say one thing and do another? What's going on here? Be careful of reacting by trying to "sell" others or accusing them of resisting change. Above all, do NOT implement a change initiative or appoint a "change management" committee, executive, or task force. These "solutions" create deeper, entrenched resistance. When "change" becomes the focus, the first thing you sacrifice is clarity of the desired end result.

Change is not the target. If you change the organization but miss your targets, is that okay?

Enough said.

You may be stuck in an enterprise that grew like the traditional Canadian farm house. As the family grew, it became necessary to add extra bedrooms and extensions. Outdated and rambling, many of today's businesses are confusing places in which people wander around expressing their latest ideas to anyone who will listen while lamenting management's failure to act decisively.

In some command and control organizations, fear of making mistakes drives people underground to CYA behaviours keeping management in the dark. People in these organizations often say, "It's better to beg for forgiveness than to ask for permission." Dale Carnegie's advice is, "If you lay an egg, step back and admire it." Put another way, "Smart people learn from their mistakes; a wise person learns from other's mistakes."

A myth, often perpetuated by consultants, contends that Michelangelo simply "chipped away the extraneous rock revealing his cherished statue of David." Nothing could be further from the truth, and every genuine artist knows it. Michelangelo created innumerable sketches, made at least two smaller versions of his masterpiece, and then turned the vision in his head into a priceless sculpture admired by generations of art lovers. The statue of David began as a picture in the mind of the artist and was declared finished by that same artist. The process he followed is one that is sadly misunderstood or missing in most of today's business models. Instead, owners, managers and consultants often unwittingly apply faddish or benchmark processes that fail to create their desired end result.

Lead by picturing your desired end-result in concrete terms and communicate that picture often. Commit to serving the business community by providing goods and services built on a platform of genuine interest in others, value for money, sustaining a healthy environment for future generations, while willingly sharing the organization's talents with those less fortunate. Lead your industry, lead your organization and provide leadership to your community.

For example, a real estate firm conducts seminars in selling skills for any agent in their community wanting to attend. In a sense, they are training their competition. They strictly enforce a "no recruiting" rule at these seminars that are eagerly attended by agents looking for ways to improve their performance.

Action Steps

Engage others in conversations around what is important to them. Where do they see changes/challenges and opportunities? Rather than trying to secure agreement or consensus, get alignment through hearing key stakeholder's connection to what is important to their future and the future of the enterprise.

Make it clear to each level of your organization what they are responsible for, and the level of decision-making power they possess. Hold them accountable to making decisions assigned to them. Provide support and guidance but do not decide for them.

Ensure hiring practices support recruiting people that align with the firm's business values. Don't put future development on the shoulders of individuals whims or personal motivation. Instead, design and implement development plans with roadmaps for advancement and relevant skills enhancement.

Do not allow people to default to courses they are naturally attracted towards. In appraisals and performance conversations, insist that people pursue learning paths that support the direction of the enterprise.

Focus on metrics that reflect the organization's ability to groom future leaders. For example, scrutinize current practices and determine what percentage of key vacancies are filled from internal resources.

Find ways to recognize and reward managers who produce candidates for advancement. Few organizations do this. Most companies reward current performance while ignoring or paying lip-service to the all-important impact actions taken have on the future success of the enterprise.

Stop guessing at other's motives or intent. Leaders know the motivation of their players. You get this knowledge from listening and observing, not from short-lived pep talks. Your job is to achieve results through the willing cooperation of others. Any manager can do this - almost none do. The good news is, when you step up, you separate yourself from the crowd.

Resist the temptation of fad-based "team-building" exercises. Rock climbing, paint-ball battles and other outdoor activities may be fun, but they rarely produce lasting culture change. This is not a mystery. Each of these exercises clearly put people in environments where the path of least resistance moves them towards a desired end result, including a structure that depends on developing collaborative relationships. It is a leader's responsibility to construct a similar design in the workplace where the path of least resistance leads to desired results.

The greater danger...

No matter what is going on, you still have a choice - either what you do, or how you react. You may not like what happens, but there is still a choice. There is always a choice.
- Mick Wilcox

The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
- Michelangelo

The greatest results in life are usually attained by simple means and the exercise of ordinary qualities. These may for the most part be summed up in these two - common sense and perseverance.
- Owen Feltham

I keep my ideals...

I see skies of blue... and clouds of white
Bright blessed days.... warm sacred nights
And I think to myself... what a wonderful world.
- Louis Armstrong

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
- Ann Frank

We must want for others, not ourselves alone.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Know The Purpose of Your Presentation

“Proper planning prevents poor performance.”
- Anonymous

Know the purpose of your presentation.

Most Accepted Purposes:

• Convince/Persuade to get action
• Inform
• Motivate
• Entertain

Doing what you love is...

Your life right now is a reflection of your past thoughts. That includes all the great things, and all the things you consider not so great. Since you attract to you what you think about most, it is easy to see what your dominant thoughts have been on every subject of your life, because that is what you have experienced.
- Rhonda Byrne, Author, "The Secret"

When you live your life with an appreciation of coincidences and their meanings, you connect with the underlying field of infinite possibilities.
- Deepak Chopra

Doing what you love is the cornerstone of having abundance in your life.
- Wayne Dyer

I am just a person who is human...

The link between my experience as an entrepreneur and that of a politician is all in one word: freedom.
- Silvio Berlusconi, Italian Prime Minister and Businessman

I think you have to work with people, and when I talk about managing relationships, don't think the derogatory ''managed relationships''. It is a question of sharing emotion and feelings. The common denominator of everything can't be money, and it should not be money.
- Anil Ambani

I am just a person who is human, down to earth enjoying life... whatever god blesses you with. Enjoying life for me is just normal.
- Mohamed Al-Fayed, Harrods Department Store Owner (London)

Take the attitude of a student...

They say a year in the Internet business is like a dog year.. equivalent to seven years in a regular person's life. In other words, it's evolving fast and faster.
- Vinton Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist for Google

Remember, I am neither a bear nor a bull, I am an agnostic opportunist. I want to make money short- and long-term. I want to find good situations and exploit them.
- Jim Cramer, Investment Author and TV Presenter

Take the attitude of a student, never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.
- Og Mandino

Everything's in the mind...

Everything's in the mind. That's where it all starts. Knowing what you want is the first step toward getting it.
- Mae West

We should be taught not to wait for inspiration to start a thing. Action always generates inspiration. Inspiration seldom generates action.
- Frank Tibolt

To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.
- Johann von Goethe

Relieve Personal Frustrations

“Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration and resentment.”
- Dale Carnegie

Often fatigue at the end of a work day cannot be attributed simply to the hard work we've done. Our own negative reactions to the stressful, daily grind drain our energy and stifle our potential for success.

Here are a few tips on how to relieve some personal frustrations so as to increase productivity without resentment:

• Fill your mind with thoughts of peace, courage, health and hope
• Count your blessings instead of your troubles
• Cooperate with that which is inevitable

Let's not get so busy...

Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service.
- Robert Collier

When you have to make a choice and you don't make it, that itself is a choice.
- William James

Let's not get so busy or live so fast that we can't listen to the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest. Some things in the world are far more important than wealth; one of them is the ability to enjoy simple things.
- Dale Carnegie

The fruit of love is...

When your desires are strong enough you will appear to possess superhuman powers to achieve.
- Napoleon Hill

The reason why love and compassion bring us the greatest happiness is simply that our nature cherishes them above all else.
- Dalai Lama

The fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace, and peace begins with a smile.
- Mother Teresa

The ultimate measure of a man...

Believe that life is worth living and your belief will create the fact.
- William James

Our intention creates our reality.
- Wayne Dyer

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
- Martin Luther King

Every burden is a blessing.

Every burden is a blessing.
- Robert H. Schuller

The battle is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave.
- Patrick Henry

It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.
- Richard DeVos

Stand up to your obstacles...

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
- Kahlil Gibran

Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and celebrate the journey!
- Barbara Hoffman

How to Convey Your Message

“We must have a deep and abiding desire to communicate our convictions and transfer our feelings to our listeners.”
- Dale Carnegie

To achieve success in today's world, you need to be able to communicate your ideas concisely and clearly.

Here are some guidelines on how to convey your message to your audience.

• Earn the right to speak on your topic by showing the audience that you are qualified to do so
• Express your message positively and with enthusiasm
• Provide the audience with the action you want them to take
• State the benefits that will be achieved from that action

The freedom to be...

The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
- Alan Kay

The freedom to be your best means nothing unless you are willing to do your best.
- Colin Powell

The next time...

Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives.
- Albert Einstein

Life can't bring you joy unless you really will it. Life just gives you time and space, it's up to YOU to fill it.
- Author Unknown

The next time you are appalled by some task, sail into it, accomplish the impossible. It can be done; if you will have the utmost confidence in yourself, you can do it.
- Dale Carnegie

The greatest glory...

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
- Nelson Mandela

Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline.
- Jim Collins

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
- Harold R. McAlindon

The price of greatness...

The price of greatness is responsibility.
- Winston Churchill

I'm probably never going to be satisfied with anything we do. I think there's always the possibility of doing better. And I'd say we're doing better than we were a year ago, in terms of delivery and quality of service, but nowhere near what we should be doing.
- Steve Case

To succeed in life in today's world, you must have the will and tenacity to finish the job.
- Chin-Ning Chu

A boat...

A boat can't have two captains.
- Akira Mori

I think the most important CEO task is defining the course that the business will take over the next five or so years. You have to have the ability to see what the business environment might be like a long way out, not just over the coming months. You need to be able to both set a broad direction, and also to take particular decisions along the way that make that broad direction unfold correctly.
- Chris Corrigan

Learning is an active process. We learn by doing... Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind.
- Dale Carnegie

There is a certain degree of satisfaction...

Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.
- Albert Einstein

Sandwich every bit of criticism between two thick layers of praise.
- Mary Kay Ash

There is a certain degree of satisfaction in having the courage to admit one's errors. It not only clears up the air of guilt and defensiveness, but often helps solve the problem created by the error.
- Dale Carnegie

I'm a big believer in growth...

I think that our fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times.
- Mukesh Ambani

I'm a big believer in growth. Life is not about achievement, it's about learning and growth, and developing qualities like compassion, patience, perseverance, love, and joy, and so forth. And so if that is the case, then I think our goals should include something which stretches us.
- Jack Canfield

The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.
- Thomas Edison

We are taught...

We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear, but the capacity for action despite our fears.
- John McCain

I found that when you start thinking and saying what you really want then your mind automatically shifts and pulls you in that direction. And sometimes it can be that simple, just a little twist in vocabulary that illustrates your attitude and philosophy.
- Jim Rohn

There is a certain degree of satisfaction in having the courage to admit one's errors. It not only clears up the air of guilt and defensiveness, but often helps solve the problem created by the error.
- Dale Carnegie

The successful person...

We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.
- Jeff Bezos, Amazon Founder

The successful person makes a habit of doing what the failing person doesn't like to do.
- Thomas Edison

Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.
- Vince Lombardi

It is wonderful...

It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she's something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are a part of.
-Emily Carr

There are no limits to the majestic future which lies before the mighty expanse of Canada with its virile, aspiring, cultured, and generous-hearted people.
-Winston Churchill

Whether we live together in confidence and cohesion; with more faith and pride in ourselves and less self- doubt and hesitation; strong in the conviction that the destiny of Canada is to unite, not divide; sharing in cooperation, not in separation or in conflict; respecting our past and welcoming our future.
-Lester B. Pearson

HAPPY CANADA DAY!

Attain Better Leadership Opportunities

“Most of us have far more courage than we ever dreamed we possessed.”
- Dale Carnegie

Leaders are expected to own higher levels of confidence than those who are not in positions of leadership. Here are some tips on how to build self-confidence so as to attain better leadership opportunities:

• Surround yourself with a supportive environment
• Be resolved to succeed
• Be receptive to constructive criticism
• Set attainable goals

Courage is not the absence of fear...

Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.
-Ambrose Redmoon

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
-Dale Carnegie

One can never...

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!
-Alice in Wonderland

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
-Helen Keller

One can never...

I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!
-Alice in Wonderland

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar.
-Helen Keller

Don't be afraid...

Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervor.
- Benjamin Disraeli

It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.
- Richard M. DeVos

Don't be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves.
- Dale Carnegie

Motivation is everything...

Motivation is everything. You can do the work of two people, but you can't be two people. Instead, you have to inspire the next guy down the line and get him to inspire his people.
- Lee Iacocca

Be more committed to your dreams than to your fears.
- Abdul Mansoor

Commitment first, then action.
- Kevin Crone, CEO, Dale Carnegie Business Group

Being a More Invested Friend

“The only way to have a friend is to be one.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In order to make friends, you have to treat others the way you would want to be treated. Here are a few tips on being a more invested friend:

• Don't criticize, condemn, or complain
• Become genuinely interested in other people
• Be generous with your smiles
• Be a good listener
• Make the other person feel important

It is good to dream...

It is good to dream, but it is better to dream and work. Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.
- Thomas Robert Gaines

No one can go back and make a brand new start, my friend, but anyone can start from here and make a brand new end.
- Dan Zadra

Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.
- Carl Sandburg

Embrace change...

Passion is involved in your approach to everything that is truly worthwhile.
- Jack Lemmon

Embrace change. It's going to happen whether you like it or not.
- Odette Pollar

If you want to keep your memories, you first have to live them.
- Bob Dylan

Few of us take the time...

Few of us take the time to consider the feelings of other people. We like to get our own way, finding fault and issuing threats or even criticizing in front of others, all without considering the hurt to the other person's pride.

A few minutes thought, a considerate word, or a genuine understanding of the other person's attitude goes so far toward alleviating the sting. Even if we are right and the other person is definitely wrong, we only destroy ego by causing someone to lose face. For the most part, a person already knows if he/she made a grave error or are being unproductive, etc. Is he/she really going to want to correct the situation after being yelled at, criticized, or threatened?

Take the time to consider the other person's feelings, let them save face.

-Dale Carnegie's writings

Do or do not...

Do or do not. There is no try.
-Yoda

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons.
- Ruth Schabacker

A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.
- Henry Adams, Historian

You may forget...

None will improve your lot if you yourself do not.
- Bertolt Brecht, 1933

I can give you a six-word formula for success: Think things through, then follow through.
- Captain Edward V. Rickenbacker

You may forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient will cherish them for a lifetime.
- Dale Carnegie

Minimize fear and anxiety

“One may walk over the highest mountain-one step at a time.”
- John Wanamaker

Steps to minimize fear and anxiety:

1. Know the audience - do your homework
2. Don't memorize your presentation - know it so well, you own it
3. Practice with visuals and equipment
4. Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
5. Remember to have fun

Man has never...

No matter what is going on, you still have a choice - either what you do, or how you react. You may not like what happens, but there is still a choice. There is always a choice.
- Mick Wilcox

Man has never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.
- Bern Williams

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.
- Napoleon Hill

Do a little more each day...

The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated.
- William James

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
- Lowell Thomas

If you have worries, there is no better way to eliminate them than by walking them off. Just take them out for a walk. They may take wings and fly away!
- Dale Carnegie

Life is like music...

The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt with the heart.
- Helen Keller

Life is like music, it must be composed by ear, feeling and instinct, not by rule. Nevertheless one had better know the rules, for they sometimes guide in doubtful cases, though not often.
- Samuel Butler, Writer

The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.
- Joseph Campbell

When we are dealing with people...

To ease another's heartache is to forget one's own.
- Abraham Lincoln

A man is about as happy as he makes up his mind to be.
- Abraham Lincoln

When we are dealing with people, let us remember we are not dealing with creatures of logic. We are dealing with creatures of emotion, creatures bustling with prejudices and motivated by pride and vanity.
- Dale Carnegie

Using Visuals

“A picture is worth a thousand words.”
- Anonymous

Using visuals can enhance a presentation, but they introduce one more hurdle that must be crossed to deliver an excellent presentation. For that reason the heart of the presentation must always remain the presenter, not the media.

If you are devastated by sorrow...

Do a little more each day than you think you possibly can.
- Lowell Thomas

Our intention creates our reality.
- Wayne Dyer

If you are devastated by sorrow, by disaster or calamity, get busy doing something. Keep your mind and your hands occupied. To do this will help you as nothing else will. I know. I have tried it.
- Dale Carnegie

Decide what your priorities are...

The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance will rise up to help you. The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help.
- Napoleon Hill

Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't, someone else will.
- Harvey MacKay

Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.
- Emily Post, Manners Expert

If you're waiting for someone...

If you're waiting for someone to believe in you, you'll be waiting forever. You must believe in yourself.
- Cher, Singer

All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.
- Martin Luther King, Jr.

Plant the seed of desire in your mind and it forms a nucleus with power to attract to itself everything needed for its fulfillment.
- Robert Collier, advertising copywriter

Laughter is...

I get by with a little help from my friends.
- John Lennon

Laughter is the music of life.
- William Osler

Love is the beauty of the soul.
- Saint Augustine

Once you make a decision...

Great things are only possible with outrageous requests.
- Thea Alexander

When you take a flower in your hand and really look at it, it's your world for the moment.
- Georgia O'Keefe, Artist

Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.
- Ralph Emerson

Basic Presentation Structure

“If your own mind is muddled, much more will the minds of your hearers be confused.”
- Dale Carnegie

The effective speaker should have a clearly organized and purposeful presentation.

Here is the basic structure of a successful presentation:

Opening - Favorably attract immediate interest from the audience
Message - Clearly state your message or theme
Evidence - Establish credibility and inspire respect and confidence by using convincing evidence
Closing - Leave the audience with a favorable, memorable impression

Start where you are...

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.
- H. Jackson Brown Jr.

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service.
- Robert Collier

Wherever there is danger...

There is far more opportunity than there is ability.
- Thomas A. Edison

Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity; whenever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable. They go together.
- Earl Nightingale

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
- Emily Dickinson

Any coward can fight

Let your hook be always cast; in the pool where you least expect it, there will be a fish.
- Ovid

Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.
- William Shakespeare

Any coward can fight a battle when he's sure of winning, but give me a man who has pluck to fight when he's sure of losing.
- George Elliot

The person who goes farthest is...

You don't develop courage by being happy in your relationships everyday. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.
- Barbara De Angelis

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.
- Hugh Allen

The person who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.
- Dale Carnegie

Reduce Nervousness.

“The mind is a wonderful thing. It starts to work the minute you're born, and never stops until you get up to speak in public.”
- John Mason Brown

To significantly reduce nervousness follow the three E's:

1. Earned the right to speak on the topic through experience or research
2. Excited to talk about the topic
3. Eager to share your experience or research with the audience

Do not follow where the path may lead...

There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because his conscience tells him it is right...
-Martin Luther

The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business--or almost anywhere else for that matter.
-Lee Iacocca

Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.
-Harold R. McAlindon

You must be...

We are all motivated by a keen desire for praise, and the better a man is, the more he is inspired to glory.
-Cicero

If we all worked on the assumption that what is accepted as true were really true, there would be little hope of advance.
-Orville Wright

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.
-Mahatma Ghandi

Appreciation can make a day...

The Eskimo has fifty-two names for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love.
- Margaret Atwood

Appreciation can make a day - even change a life. Your willingness to put it into words is all that is necessary.
- Margaret Cousins

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Enthusiasm releases...

Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Before beginning, plan carefully.
- Marcus T. Cicero

The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
- Dale Carnegie

The quality of a leader is...

What I do best is share my enthusiasm.
- Bill Gates

The quality of a leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.
- Ray Kroc, Founder of McDonald's

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.
- T.S. Elliot

Name Memory Techniques

“Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.”
- Dale Carnegie

No single action conveys the message "you're important" as effectively as remembering another person's name.

Here are some steps you might take to help ensure name recollection:

1. Hear and understand the name
2. Create a mind picture linking the name with the person
3. Add details about the person to the mind picture
4. Repeat the name in conversation

Be more concerned...

To waken interest and kindle enthusiasm is the sure way to teach easily and successfully.
- Tryon Edwards

Success, happiness, peace of mind and fulfillment-- the most priceless of human treasures--are available to all among us, without exception, who make things happen--who make *good* things happen--in the world around them.
- Joe Klock

Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Your character is what you really are while your reputation is merely what others think you are.
- Dale Carnegie

The entrepreneur is our visionary...

The entrepreneur is our visionary, the creator in each of us. We're born with that quality and it defines our lives as we respond to what we see, hear, feel, and experience. It is developed, nurtured, and given space to flourish or is squelched, thwarted, without air or stimulation, and dies.
-Michael Gerber

We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts. It's our job every day to make every important aspect of the customer experience a little bit better.
-Jeff Bezos

Remember, today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.
-Dale Carnegie

The future depends on...

The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well.
- The Olympic Creed, introduced at the 1896 Olympic Games by Pierre de Coubertin

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.
- Vance Havner

The future depends on what we do in the present.
- Mahatma Gandhi

If you want to win friends...

I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.
- Ernest Hemingway

Kill the snake of doubt in your soul, crush the worms of fear in your heart and mountains will move out of your way.
- Kate Seredy

If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.
- Dale Carnegie

Success is to be measured...

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles that one has overcome while trying to succeed.
-Booker T. Washington

Life is not so much a matter of 'finding' ourselves as it is a matter of making ourselves.
-Alan McGinnis

In time, we lose our freshness and spontaneity of true conversation. These are areas in which everyone interested in self improvement will seek to improve.
-Dale Carnegie

Today is a new life...

Great things are only possible with outrageous requests.
-Thea Alexander

The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.
-Martina Navratilova, Tennis Player

Today is a new life. Shut the doors on the past and the future. Live in day-tight compartments.
-Dale Carnegie

Your life is...

To him who is determined it remains only to act.
- Italian Proverb

Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously. If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life. You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.
- Robert Bennett, U.S. Senator

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.
- Eleanor Roosevelt

Obstacles cannot crush me...

Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind.
- Leonardo da Vinci

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.
- Dale Carnegie

Life is a...

It is common sense to take a method and try it; if it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

The difference between a boss and a leader: a boss says, 'Go!' - a leader says, 'Let's go!'"
- E.M.Kelley

Life is a series of experiences, each of which makes us bigger, even though it is hard to realize this. For the world was built to develop character, and we must learn that the setbacks and griefs which we endure help us in our marching onward.
-Henry Ford

If you stand up and be counted...

No person will make a great business who wants to do it all himself or get all the credit.
-Andrew Carnegie

To succeed in business, to reach the top, an individual must know all it is possible to know about that business.
-J. Paul Getty

If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.
-Thomas J. Watson

The glory of friendship...

The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile... it's the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with his friendship.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

There is nothing better than the encouragement of a good friend.
-Katharine Butler Hathaway

In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, and sharing of pleasures.
-Kahlil Gibran

Whenever you do a thing...

The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs.
-Vance Havner

Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world were watching.
-Thomas Jefferson

In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Do the hard jobs first...

Opportunity is often difficult to recognize; we usually expect it to beckon us with beepers and billboards.
-William Arthur Ward

Grasp your opportunities, no matter how poor your health; nothing is worse for your health than boredom.
-Mignon McLaughlin

Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.
-Dale Carnegie

Inaction breeds doubt and fear...

Our attitude toward life determines life's attitude towards us.
-Earl Nightingale

I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
-Judith M. Knowlton

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.
-Dale Carnegie

Feeling sorry for yourself...

Start each day by affirming peaceful, contented and happy attitudes and your days will tend to be pleasant and successful.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.
- Charles Kettering

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.
- Dale Carnegie

To laugh often and much...

To laugh often and much;
to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children;
to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends;
to appreciate beauty;
to find the best in others;
to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;
to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.
This is to have succeeded.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Satisfaction lies in the effort...

A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than an hour of praise after success.
-Unknown Author

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
-Oprah Winfrey

Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attainment. Full effort is full victory.
-Mahatma Gandhi

People rarely succeed unless...

As so often happens when people are seduced by promises of power, the price is servitude and impotence. Power is nothing if it is not the power to choose.
-Joseph Weizenbaum

Do nothing in anxiety, in quietness and confidence lies your strength.
-Author Unknown

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
-Dale Carnegie

An optimist is...

The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed.
-Carl Jung

An optimist is a person who sees a green light everywhere, while the pessimist sees only the red stoplight. The truly wise person is colorblind.
-Albert Schweitzer

The gods cannot help those who don't seize opportunities.
-Confucius 500 BC

Forget yourself...

All growth depends upon activity. There is no development physically or intellectually without effort, and effort means work. Work is not a curse; it is the prerogative of intelligence, the only means to manhood and the measure of civilization.
-Calvin Coolidge

I never did a day's work in my life. It was all fun.
-Thomas A. Edison

Forget yourself by becoming interested in others. Do every day a good deed that will put a smile of joy on someone's face.
-Dale Carnegie

Praise a man...

Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours.
-Benjamin Disraeli

Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.
-Elbert Hubbard

Praise a man for what he does well, then gradually help him with his shortcomings. That method will work in an office, in a factory, in one's home, with wife, children, parents, with almost anyone in the world.
-Dale Carnegie

The human spirit...

Always remember, there is more strength in you than you ever realized or even imagined. Certainly nothing can keep you down if you are determined to get on top of things and stay there.
- Norman Vincent Peale

The forgiving state of mind is a magnetic power for attracting good.
- Catherine Ponder

The human spirit is stronger than anything that can happen to it.
- C. C. Scott

To think is easy...

To think is easy. To act is hard. But the hardest thing in the world is to act in accordance with your thinking.
- Johann von Goethe

Life must be measured by thought and action, not by time.
- John Lubbock, Conductor

Successful leaders have the courage to take action while others hesitate.
- John C. Maxwell

We choose our joys...

Where ever you go, go with all your heart.
- Confucius

The more you praise and celebrate your life, the more there is in life to celebrate.
- Oprah Winfrey

We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.
- Kahlil Gibran

Destiny is not a matter of chance...

Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.
-William Jennings Bryan

In time, we lose our freshness and spontaneity of true conversation. These are areas in which everyone interested in self-improvement will seek to improve.
- Dale Carnegie

Challenges are what make life interesting; overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.
-Joshua J. Marine

It is in pardoning...

Every man I meet is in some way my superior.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
- Saint Francis of Assisi

Dalton's records, carefully preserved for a century, were destroyed during the World War II bombing of Manchester. It is not only the living who are killed in war.
- Isaac Asimov

If a window of opportunity appears...

If a window of opportunity appears, don't pull down the shade.
-Thomas J. Peters

You are, at this moment, standing, right in the middle of your own "acres of diamonds."
-Earl Nightingale

Not knowing when the dawn will come, I open every door.
-Emily Dickinson

Take a chance!

It is impossible to win the race unless you venture to run, impossible to win the victory unless you dare to battle.
-Richard DeVos

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare.
-Dale Carnegie

All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.
-Walt Disney

Courage is...

Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others.
-Winston Churchill

Every burden is a blessing.
-Robert H. Schuller

It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, "Always do what you are afraid to do."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

If you have some idea you believe in...

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
-Kahlil Gibran

If you have some idea you believe in, don't listen to the croaking chorus. Listen only to what your own inner voice tells you.
-Dale Carnegie

Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have.
-Norman Vincent Peale

My advice is...

Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.
-John Wesley

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
-Dale Carnegie

My advice is to go into something and stay with it until you like it. You can't like it until you obtain expertise in that work. And once you are an expert, it's a pleasure.
-Milton Garland

If you think you can do it, you can...

If you think you can do it, you can. If you believe you can do it, you will. If you trust you can do it, you will make a difference.
-Catherine Ellis

Too much of a good thing is wonderful.
-Mae West

Make your life a mission - not an intermission.
-Arnold H. Glasgow

Is enthusiasm important in selling?

Is enthusiasm important in selling? Yes, genuine, heartfelt enthusiasm is one of the most potent factors of success in almost any undertaking.
- Dale Carnegie

A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.
-William Arthur Ward

For success, attitude is equally as important as ability.
-Harry F. Banks

It's not just...

It's not just the emotional, intellectual, and physical gaps between you and money. The real gap is always between what you think you want and what you actually want, deep down.
-Stuart Wilde

I'm a firm believer that to really understand a business takes years, not months. As an investment analyst you think you understand a business from the outside, but the reality is that, once you are inside, you can go on learning for five or ten years.
-Chris Corrigan

Checking the results of a decision against its expectations shows executives what their strengths are, where they need to improve, and where they lack knowledge or information.
-Peter Drucker

Don't limit yourself...

Don't limit yourself. Many people limit themselves to what they think they can do. You can go as far as your mind lets you. What you believe, remember, you can achieve.
-Mary Kay Ash

If I had to list all the reasons I've been successful, the No. 1 reason would be the Dale Carnegie influence. In fact, reasons number two and three would be Dale Carnegie Training, too.
-Harvey Mackay

In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm.. in the real world all rests on perseverance.
-Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A business has to be involving...

What I know is, is that if you do work that you love, and the work fulfills you, the rest will come.
-Oprah Winfrey

A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts.
-Richard Branson

I think that our fundamental belief is that for us growth is a way of life and we have to grow at all times.
-Mukesh Ambani, Chairman and Managing Director of Reliance Industries

I made a resolve...

It is neither the smartest nor the hardest working CEOs who succeed in business. It is the ones who best communicate their firm's vision to customers, vendors, and employees.
-Tom Stemberg, CEO of Staples

Sometimes the situation is only a problem because it is looked at in a certain way. Looked at in another way, the right course of action may be so obvious that the problem no longer exists.
-Edward de Bono

I made a resolve then that I was going to amount to something if I could. And no hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me. And I have done that ever since, and I win by it. I know.
-Colonel Sanders, Kentucky Fried Chicken Founder

I discovered...

I discovered I always have choices and sometimes it's only a choice of attitude.
- Judith M. Knowlton

Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes.
- Norman Vincent Peale

Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.
- Dale Carnegie

There is always one moment...

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.
- Hugh Allen

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.
- Deepak Chopra

As you begin to take action toward the fulfillment of your goals and dreams, you must realize that not every action will be perfect. Not every action will produce the desired result. Not every action will work. Making mistakes, getting it almost right, and experimenting to see what happens are all part of the process of eventually getting it right.
- Jack Canfield

When fate hands us a lemon...

A great leader's courage to fulfill his vision comes from passion, not position.
- John Maxwell

Everything depends upon execution; having just a vision is no solution.
- Stephen Sondheim

When fate hands us a lemon, let's try to make lemonade.
- Dale Carnegie

Opportunities are usually disguised...

The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforseen incidents, meetings and material assistance will rise up to help you. The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help.
- Napoleon Hill

Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don't recognize them.
- Ann Landers

Decide what your priorities are and how much time you'll spend on them. If you don't, someone else will.
-Harvey MacKay

We can do anything...

We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough.
- Helen Keller

There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision.
- William James

The difference between Managers and Leaders: Managers base their goals on what they think is possible = Incremental Growth. Leaders first define what they want in their business, and then they engage a willing team to make the impossible happen = Breakthrough Growth. What do you want? Who do you choose to be?
- Kevin Robert Crone, Partner & Dale Carnegie Business Coach

When you face a problem...

At the end of each day, you should play back the tapes of your performance. The results should either applaud you or prod you.
- Jim Rohn

Let us not look back in anger, nor forward in fear, but around us in awareness.
- Leland Val Vandewall

When you face a problem, solve it then and there if you have the facts necessary to make a decision. Don't keep putting off decisions.
- Dale Carnegie

Do not wait for life...

Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it.
-Mark Twain

Do not wait for life. Do not long for it. Be aware, always and at every moment, that the miracle is in the here and now.
- Marcel Proust

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you imagined.
-Henry David Thoreau

You can and should shape your own future...

The gods cannot help those who don't seize opportunities.
-Confucius 500 BC

When I accept that the universe is always ready to work in my favour, I can then relax and let go of outcomes. This is where I find true peace of mind and happiness.
-Mark Yerbury, Dale Carnegie Business Group, Quebec

You can and should shape your own future; because if you don't someone else surely will.
-Joel Arthur Barker

Business is not just doing deals...

Take the attitude of a student; never be too big to ask questions, never know too much to learn something new.
-Og Mandino

Start where you are. Distant fields always look greener, but opportunity lies right where you are. Take advantage of every opportunity of service.
-Robert Collier

Business is not just doing deals; business is having great products, doing great engineering, and providing tremendous service to customers. Finally, business is a cobweb of human relationships.
-H. Ross Perot

You will never find time for anything...

Everyone has all the time there is - no more, no less than anyone else.
-Dave Mather, Dale Carnegie Business Coach

I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything, I still believe that people are really good at heart.
-Ann Frank

You will never find time for anything. If you want time, you must make it.
-Charles Bixton

They may forget what you said...

Give me the gift of a listening heart.
-King Solomon

They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.
-Carl W. Buechner

Jumping at several small opportunities may get us there more quickly than waiting for one big one to come along.
-Hugh Allen

One kind word...

One kind word can warm three winter months.
-Japanese Proverb

Do not say a little in many words but a great deal in a few.
-Pythagoras

If you want to win friends, make it a point to remember them. If you remember my name, you pay me a subtle compliment; you indicate that I have made an impression on you. Remember my name and you add to my feeling of importance.
-Dale Carnegie

Courage is...

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
-Winston Churchill

First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.
-Epictetus

You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime.
-Dale Carnegie

Smile...

Smile, it increases your face value.
-Dolly Parton

I take nothing for granted. I now have only good days, or great days.
-Lance Armstrong

Flaming enthusiasm, backed up by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.
-Dale Carnegie

Act enthusiastic...

Enthusiasm releases the drive to carry you over obstacles and adds significance to all you do.
-Norman Vincent Peale

Celebrate what you want to see more of.
-Thomas J. Peters

Act enthusiastic and you become enthusiastic.
-Dale Carnegie

You must take personal responsibility...

You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.
-Jim Rohn

The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
-E.E. Cummings

People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.
-Dale Carnegie

Every tomorrow has two handles...

Keep away from people who belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you too can become great.
-Mark Twain

Every tomorrow has two handles. We can take hold of it with the handle of anxiety or the handle of faith.
-Henry Beecher, Minister and Writer

Applause is a receipt, not a bill.
-Dale Carnegie

Fear not...

Prosperity is a great teacher; adversity a greater.
-William Hazlitt

A mighty flame followeth a tiny spark.
-Dante

Fear not those who argue but those who dodge.
-Dale Carnegie

All human actions have...

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsion, habit, reason, passion, and desire.
-Aristotle

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.
-Voltaire

No matter what you do, no matter how stupid, dumb or damaging you judge it to be, there is a lesson to be learned from it. No matter what happens to you, no matter how unfair, inequitable or wrong, there's something you can take from the situation and use for your advancement.
-Peter McWilliams, Author

When I let go...

Just as there are three R's there are also three A's of business life. They are: Ability, Ambition, and Attitude. Ability establishes what a worker does and will bring him a paycheck. Ambition determines how much he does and will get him a raise. Attitude guarantees how well he does.
-Wilbert Sheer

When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
-Lao Tzu

Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.
-Dale Carnegie

If money is your hope...

We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.
-Stevie Wonder

If money is your hope for independence, you will never have it. The only real security that a man can have in this world is a reserve of knowledge, experience and ability.
-Henry Ford

Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.
-Dale Carnegie

The way to happiness...

The first duty of love is to listen.
-Paul Tillich

Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul. And sings the tune without the words, and never stops at all.
-Emily Dickinson

The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.
-Norman Vincent Peale

A man is the sum of his actions...

Begin doing what you want to do now. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.
- Marie Beyon Ray

A man is the sum of his actions, of what he has done, of what he can do, nothing else.
- Mahatma Gandhi

If you want to gather honey, don't kick over the beehive. If only the people who worry about their liabilities would think about the riches they do possess, they would stop worrying.
- Dale Carnegie

What this power is I cannot say...

You can do what you have to do, and sometimes you can do it even better than you think you can.
- Jimmy Carter

What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.
- Alexander Graham Bell

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.
- Dale Carnegie

Don't compromise yourself...

When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably.
-Walt Disney

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got.
-Janis Joplin

First ask yourself:
What is the worst that can happen?
Then prepare to accept it.
Then proceed to improve on the worst.
-Dale Carnegie

Try not to become a man of success...

Few things can help an individual more than to place responsibility on him, and to let him know that you trust him.
-Booker T. Washington

There are four ways, and only four ways, in which we have contact with the world. We are evaluated and classified by these four contacts:
what we do,
how we look,
what we say, and
how we say it.
-Dale Carnegie

Try not to become a man of success, but rather to become a man of value. He is considered successful in our day who gets more out of life than he puts in. But a man of value will give more than he receives.
- Albert Einstein

Take a chance!

I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.
-Aldous Huxley

Take a chance! All life is a chance. The man who goes the furthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure thing boat never gets far from shore.
-Dale Carnegie

There is nothing permanent except change. (Observation made in 513 B.C.)
-Heraclitus of Greece

Great Results

Last night we finished session #5 of our Sales Program and it's great to see the wonderful results that we've seen so far. All the class members work in sales and have experience that varies from "just started" to "lots of years of experience".

One participant has gained four new clients in the last week using the techniques he's learned. Another has tripled his sales and had his best month ever in January. One gentleman got in to see a client that his company has been trying to meet with for over two years!

It's not surprising, because we consistently get these kind of results, but every time it happens it's great to see. In fact the feeling is so positive from what they've learned that everyone referred someone they think would benefit from the program.

Next week we have the big graduation and that'll be a lot of fun!

The successful man will profit...

What is important is not what happens to us, but how we respond to what happens to us.
-Jean-Paul Sartre

The successful man will profit from his mistakes and try again in a different way.
-Dale Carnegie

It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change.
-Charles Darwin

Flaming enthusiasm...

It is only as we develop others that we permanently succeed.
-Harvey Firestone

No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see the possibilities -- always see them, for they're always there.
-Norman Vincent Peale

Flaming enthusiasm backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes for success.
-Dale Carnegie

Friendship is always...

If you wish to be loved; love!
-Seneca

Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.
-Kahlil Gibran

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.
-Lao Tzu

Twenty years from now...

Above all be of single aim: have a legitimate and useful purpose, and devote yourself unreservedly to it.
-James Allen

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

You'll never achieve real success unless you like what you're doing.
-Dale Carnegie

Every child is an artist...

It is good to have money and the things that money can buy, but it's good too, to check up once in a while and make sure you haven't lost the things money can't buy.
-George Lorimer

Your opponent, in the end, is never really the player on the other side of the net, or the swimmer in the next lane, or the team on the other side of the field, or even the bar you must high-jump. Your opponent is yourself, your negative internal voices, your level of determination.
-Grace Lichtenstein

Every child is an artist, the problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.
-Pablo Picasso

Real generosity is...

He who waits to do a great deal of good at once will never do anything. Life is made up of little things. True greatness consists of being great in little things.
-Samuel Johnson

Real generosity is doing something nice for someone who will never find out.
-Frank A. Clark

I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do, provided he keeps doing them until he gets a record of successful experiences behind him.
-Eleanor Roosevelt

Desire is the key to motivation...

Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.
-James R. Cook

The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.
-Johann von Goethe

Desire is the key to motivation, but it's determination and commitment to an unrelenting pursuit of your goal - a commitment to excellence - that will enable you to attain the success you seek.
-Mario Andretti

You can make more friends...

The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.
-Theodore Roosevelt

Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.
-Patrick Overton

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.
-Dale Carnegie

Always remember...

Imagination is more important than knowledge.
-Albert Einstein

Always remember, there is more strength in you than you ever realized or even imagined. Certainly nothing can keep you down if you are determined to get on top of things and stay there.
-Norman Vincent Peale

You have the power to create the environment you want. What are you creating today?
-Neil Thornton, Dale Carnegie Business Coach, Ontario

You are the only person...

First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.
-Epictetus

If a man does not know what harbor he is seeking, no light will be enough to guide him.
-Unknown

You are the only person on earth who can use your abilities.
-Zig Ziglar

Are you bored with Life?

Are you bored with Life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.
- Dale Carnegie

The purpose of life...

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.
-Robert Byrne

We can try to avoid making choices by doing nothing, but even that is a decision.
-Gary Collins

The mind has exactly the same power as the hands; not merely to grasp the world, but to change it.
-Colin Wilson

The best job goes to...

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.
- Oprah Winfrey

The best job goes to the person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.
Napoleon Hill

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.
- Theodore Roosevelt

If you have enough push...

It requires a great deal of boldness and a great deal of caution to make a great fortune, and when you have it, it requires ten times as much skill to keep it.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The possibilities of creative effort connected with the subconscious mind are stupendous and imponderable. They inspire one with awe.
- Napoleon Hill

If you have enough push, you don't have to worry about the pull.
- Zig Ziglar

Learning to Produce

Big-picture Goals Boost Company's Bottom Line

Derek Sankey
For the Calgary Herald
Saturday, January 19, 2008

Companies have embraced the notion of "learning organizations" in recent years by offering more learning and development opportunities in a tight labour market to boost productivity and enhance recruitment.

But if Canada's productivity gains are any indication, much of that investment in learning seems to be making little difference to the bottom line.

Canada's bleak record on labour productivity continues, despite efforts by businesses to invest in a wider range of training and development programs. Productivity growth in Canada was 2.5 per cent from 2001 to 2005, compared with 15.9 per cent in the U.S. It slowed to 0.1 per cent in 2004 and 1.1 per cent in 2006.

The "learning organization" became a buzz word when companies started to focus on complex "learning goals" to build the knowledge, skills and strategies that lead to increased performance.
Performance goals, meanwhile, focus on the end result and are most effective for simpler tasks.

Research over the past 30 years has shown learning goals are more effective at attaining objectives, but companies aren't embracing them enough because they're targeting the quarterly bottom line instead of the bigger picture, according to one researcher.

"Oftentimes in organizations, it is very tempting to be in performance mode all the time, not learning what is going on outside an organization," says Gerard Seijts, a professor at the Richard Ivey School of Business at London's University of Western Ontario.

He recently completed research that backs up previous findings showing learning goals lead to better performance, even if the process takes longer and is more complex.

Working with Masters of Business Administration and graduate students, he developed a simulated telecommunications company in a laboratory setting where students were asked to perform the complex task of increasing market share.

People in the learning goal condition took more time to access information and spent longer in the simulation, but at the end they had outperformed individuals that had a performance goal.
"With a performance goal, (students) often develop some kind of tunnel vision with results at all costs," says Seijts.

Piers Steel, a professor at the University of Calgary's Haskayne School of Business agrees the trick is finding the right balance between the two types of goals.

"If you completely focus on outcomes, what you're going to have is people covering their asses and refusing to take risks," says Steel.

Perhaps one of the reasons that U.S. industries have outperformed Canadian businesses in recent years may be related to the differing business and social cultures.

"Sometimes in the U.S., they set these outrageous goals and then they do a phenomenal job of attaining them," says Seijts.

Companies need to carefully evaluate how they are specifically building learning goals into the daily job functions of employees, as opposed to offering only professional development courses that may not be related to the corporation's objectives.

Coaching and mentoring programs are one way to enhance learning objectives because the concepts generally establish longer-term relationships and performance can be measured more accurately than via a quarterly sales chart.

A review of internal processes such as HR practices that reinforce learning goals, as well as an analysis of how a company's research and development budget aligns with those goals, might be necessary for business leaders to fully capture the gains that learning goals offer.

For employees, it means using every opportunity available to build on the knowledge and skills that enhance your productivity.

"You need to invest a bit of time in your learning . . . and you will rapidly outperform other individuals," says Seijts.

Steel says that when new employees are hired, it presents a good opportunity to adopt the learning organization philosophy right from the start.

"If somebody's new to a job, for example, you would get better results in the long run if you evaluate them and help them focus on how much they're learning over time," he says.
"Performance is just focusing on the easy gains and they're not willing to take any risks," says Steel. "Focusing on learning is focusing on what you can control."

Dale Carnegie Training has been in the business of training people for over 96 years. During that period, we have trained over 8 million people. That shows our programs have stood the test of time, because they work!

People like Warren Buffet, Annette Benning, Lee Iacocca, Lanny and Ardelle McDonald have taken the program. Our programs are designed to help people tap into their potential and maximize their opportunities.

We use time-phased learning, which means our programs run over a number of weeks. It is not so much what you know, but what you do with what you know. Most psychologists suggest it takes a minimum of two months to affect behavioral changes.

In our programs we encourage the next opportunity. Our coaches build the next level of growth, by working with our clients to experience success. Mr. Lee Iacocca was a young engineer and an up-and-coming-executive with Ford, when he took a Dale Carnegie Program. When he was asked why he was taking the program, he said, “I want to become more confident.” When questioned as to what he meant, he said, “When I increase my confidence, two things accrue; number one, I increase my income and secondly, I enhance my marketability.”

For lasting results from your training call Dale Carnegie Training in Calgary at 265-5344. We have training programs offered all over the province.