Five Lessons about Communication

Powerful communication involves timing, silence, listening, actions, and carefully chosen words and emotions...

1. First Things First: Communication involves making internal choices. Timing can make all the difference when conveying your thoughts. Some things need to be said up front, and some things are better said later. Knowing the difference is crucial. If there is something important that you need to say to someone, say it now. There isn't always a second chance.

2. Silence is Powerful: Moments of silence can sometimes send the most powerful messages. Not every moment in a conversation needs to be filled with spoken words. Sometimes silence is more telling, effective, necessary, and appropriate.

3. Messages are Everywhere: Listen deeply, not only to what a person is saying. Listen to what they are not saying. Hear the messages between words, within emotions, and in the choices of words used. Often, these silent messages are not there by accident. Ask questions and confirm what you think you heard.

4. Actions Tell the Story: Actions are the greatest tellers of the truth. They need to be congruent with our words. This is a powerful lesson that is often overlooked. Powerful communication requires watching and doing as well as speaking and listening. Actions that back up words will build trust.

5. Turn to the Appropriate Emotional Page: Match your emotions to the needs of your communication partner. Children are especially sensitive to the emotions accompanying our words. In order to hear our messages, they need for us to be on the same page with their level of enthusiasm. Emotions and words chosen and measured carefully allow us to communicate with empathy while communicating with honesty.

commitment

"What you achieve is determined by your desire and level of commitment. Commit yourself 100% to your most cherished dreams. "

"Kind acts keep on giving. They begin a continuing chain of events that will not only effect others. They will always return - often in ways we might not anticipate."

"At any moment in time, you are moving toward or away from any goal you've set for yourself through your actions. If you don't like the direction you are headed, you can choose different actions right now that will keep you on the path to higher achievement."

Dreams

"Study as if you were to live forever, live as if you were to die tomorrow. " -MAHATHMA GANDHI
"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life he has imagined, he will meet with a successunexpected in common hours."
"I learned that the only way you are going to get anywhere in life is to work hard at it. Whether you're a musician, a writer, an athlete or a businessman, there is no getting around it. If you do, you'll win. If you don't you won't." -Bruce Jenner

"If we are ever to enjoy life, now is the time, not tomorrow or next year. Today should always be our most wonderful day." -Thomas Dreier (Author)

Turning Lives Around

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around." ~ Leo F. Buscaglia (1924-1998)

"I had found a kind of serenity, a new maturity... I didn't feel better or stronger than anyone else, but it seemed no longer important whether everyone loved me or not--more important now was for me to love them. Feeling that way turns your whole life around; living becomes the act of giving." ~ Beverly Sills (1860-1954)

"When one begins to purposefully perform acts of kindness, the spirit changes, and soon doing good deeds becomes a focal point for our life; doing good begins to be the same as feeling good. The periods of emptiness when we search for the 'meaning of it all' begin to fill with acts of kindness." ~ Gary Ryan Blair

"Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house... let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God's kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile." ~ Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

Commitment

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." - Thomas Edison
"Commitment means coming through time after time, year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of. It is the daily triumph of integrity."
"In human intercourse the tragedy begins, not when there is misunderstanding about words, but when silence is not understood." -Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

Attitude is Everything

"I studied everything but I never topped, but today toppers of the best Univesities are my employees." -Bill Gates

Goal

"Write a goal every single month to eliminate a mess from your life, and when you do - abundance will come in."- Raymond Aaron Success Coach and Speaker
"Being big or small isn't the crucial issue. If you don't move, you don't move." -Steve Ballmer

Martin Luther King Jr

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr.
The King Center

Ryan's Well foundation

Inspiration of the day
Ryan Hreljac, at 6 years of age, was inspired by lessons learned in his grade 1 class about children who don’t have clean water around the world. you can click and watch more about his Ryan's Well foundation.

Rayn, Really you inspried me and many others, Great inspiration, Keep it up good work. Thanks a lot and long live - V.Ramaswamy Chandrasekhar - Saturday, June 09, 2007

07/14/2009

"There's a very positive relationshipbetween people's ability to accomplish any task and the time they're willing to spend on it." - Joyce Brothers
"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm"
"Good manners will often take people where neither money nor education will take them." -Fanny Jackson Coppin
"A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out." -Walter Winchell (1897-1972, Journalist)

06/26/2009

"The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

"Most of our obstacles would melt away if, instead of cowering before them, we should make up our minds to walk boldly through them."- Orison Swett Marden

Never give up

"Never, never, never give up. "-Winston Churchill
Roger Federer proved this by his attitude. He lost French open in 1999-1st round, 2000 -third round, 2001-quarterfinals, 2002- early-round exit, 2003-first round, 2004 - final, 2005 semi-final, 2006, 2007 and 2008 but he tried again and again at last He won in 2009, see the picture: Switzerland's Roger Federer poses next to Eiffel Tower during a photocall in Paris, Monday, June 8, 2009. Federer defeated Sweden's Robin Soderling in their men's singles final match of the French Open tennis tournament at the Roland Garros stadium on Sunday.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try Again. Fail again. Fail better." -Samuel Beckett

"I didn’t fail 1,000 times. The light bulb was an invention with 1,000 steps." -Thomas Edison

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall." -Confucius

06/06/2009

"Success is a state of mind.If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success." - Dr. Joyce Brothers

"Leaders should lead as far as they can and then vanish. Their ashes should not choke the fire they have lit." -H.G. Wells (1866-1946)

"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase. Just take the first step." - Martin Luther King Jr

"It's time to start living the life you've imagined" - Henry James

06/01/2009

“Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.” - Dale Carnegie

"I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed." -Michael Jordan

"We've all heard that we have to learn from our mistakes, but I think it's more important to learn from successes. If you learn only from your mistakes, you are inclined to learn only errors." -Norman Vincent Peale 1898-1993, Pastor and Author

"To think that you are not going to fail is an illusion.Fail faster, you will only be closer to what you want." -Unknown

05/28/2009

"We must reform society before we can reform ourselves." -George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

"You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down."-Mary Pickford (1893-1979), Actress and Producer

"If your position is everywhere, your momentum is Zero." -Michael Korda

05/26/2009

An Invincible Vision

"Your success and happiness lies in you. Resolve to keep happy, and your joy and you shall form an invincible host against difficulties." - Helen Keller (1880-1968)

"There is a place in God's sun for the youth 'farthest down' who has the vision, the determination, and the courage to reach it." - Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)

"Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably will themselves not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die."- Daniel H. Burnham (1846-1912)

"The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire." - Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929)

05/24/2009

"The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions."

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

“Try honestly to make the other person feel important, and do it sincerely.” - Dale Carnegie

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

05/19/2009

Finding Strength in Change

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. To keep our faces toward change and behave like free spirits in the presence of fate is strength undefeatable." - Helen Keller (1880-1968)

"In this world of change, nothing which comes stays, and nothing which goes is lost." - Anne Sophie Swetchine (1782-1857)

"Dream lofty dreams, and as you dream, so you shall become. Your vision is the promise of what you shall one day be; your ideal is the prophecy of what you shall at last unveil." - James Allen (1864-1912)

"It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new. But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful. There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power." - Alan Cohen

05/17/2007

"There is no such thing as can't, only won't. If you're qualified, all it takes is a burning desire to accomplish, to make a change. Go forward, go backward. Whatever it takes! But you can't blame other people or society in general. It all comes from your mind. When we do the impossible we realize we are special people." - Jan Ashford

"If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals, if the strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and the power to achieve your goals." -Robert Conklin,Teacher, Author and Speaker

"Everyone's life is under someone's control - it might as well be under your own so that you can direct your destiny." -Harry

"The individual who wants to reach the top in business must appreciate the might of the force of habit and must understand that practices are what create habits. He must be quick to break those habits that can break him and hasten to adopt those practices that will become the habits that help him achieve the success he desires." -J. Paul Getty, 1892-1976, American Oil Tycoon

05/15/2009

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

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working"

"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: decide what you want." - Ben Stein

"If you really do put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price." - Anonymous

05/13/2009

"Your life is nothing more than a collection of experiences." - Jim Rohn

"You can have anything you want, if you help enough other people get what they want" - Zig Zigler

"False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports." -Sir Richard Burton 1821-1890, Explorer

"The real winners in life are the people who look at every situation with an expectation that they can make it work or make it better." - Barbara Pletcher Author

05/12/2009

A Graduation of Winners

"I hope that my achievements in life shall be these: that I will have fought for what was right and fair, risked for that which mattered, given help to those who were in need, and that I will have left the earth a better place for what I've done and who I've been." - C. Hoppe

"Graduation is only a concept. In real life every day you graduate. Graduation is a process that goes on until the last day of your life. If you can grasp that, you'll make a difference." - Arie Pencovici

"The measure of your success usually comes down to who wins the battle that rages between the two of you. The 'you' who wants to stop, give up, or take it easy, and the 'you' who chooses to beat back that which would stand in the way of your success - complacency." - Chris Widener

"You cannot help but learn more as you take the world into your hands. Take it up reverently, for it is an old piece of clay with millions of thumbprints on it." - John Updike (1932-2009)

05/11/2009

"I can feel guilty about the past, apprehensive about the future, but only in the present can I act. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness." -Abraham Maslow, 1908-1970, Psychologist

"As simple as it sounds, we all must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given." -Mary Lou Retton

"Winners are losers who got up and gave it one more try." -Dennis DeYoung

"When spider webs unite, they can tie up a lion." -Ethiopian Proverb

05/09/2009

"Excellence is to do a common thing in an uncommon way." -Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)

"If you do not conquer self, you will be conquered by self." -Napoleon Hill

"What does money like? Money likes speed. That's the secret few know about money. Money comes to those who act fast. If you think, wonder, question, doubt, plan, meet, discuss, or in any other way drag your feet, money goes to the next person in line." -Joe Vitale

"It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him." -Abraham Lincoln

05/08/2009

"Many things which cannot be overcome when they are together yield themselves up when taken little by little." -Plutarch

"Great work is done by people who are not afraid to be great." -Fernando Flores

"Courage is not the absence of fear, it's the mastery of it." -Zig Ziglar quoting Mark Twain

"He insulted me, he cheated me, he beat me, he robbed me' -- those who are free of resentful thoughts surely find peace." - Buddha

05/06/2009

"The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice." -George Eliot

"If you want to achieve excellence, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work." -Thomas J. Watson,1874-1956, Founder of IBM

"Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there." -John Wooden

"Every man is the architect of his own fortune." -Sallust

Small and Significant

"What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful." - Mother Teresa (1910-1997)

"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 tend to take care of themselves." - Dale Carnegie (1888-1955)

"To do something, however small, to make others happier and better, is the highest ambition, the most elevating hope, which can inspire a human being." -John Lubbock (1834-1913)

"Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see." - C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)

05/02/2009

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~ Thomas Edison

"Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish." -John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)

04/28/2009

An Empowering Destination

"Waiting may seem in the way of us getting to where we want to go. But many times, it is through waiting that the sight of a truer destination appears." ~ Duke Rohe

"The road leading to a goal does not separate you from the destination; it is essentially a part of it."- Charles de Lint

"The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made, and the activity of making them, changes both the maker and the destination." - John Schaar

"If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things." - Henry Miller (1891-1980)

04/26/2009

"Determination gives you the resolve to keep going in spite of the roadblocks that lay before you." -Denis Waitley

"I could not, at any age, be content to take my place by the fireside and simply look on. Life was meant to be lived. Curiosity must be kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life." -Eleanor Roosevelt

"Continuous effort -- not strength or intelligence -- is the key to unlocking our potential." -Liane Cardes

"Clean up your own backyard. Change by example.

Just be the way you want others to be and hope they pay attention." -Larry Winget

04/21/2009

"Champion the right to be yourself; dare to be different and to set your own pattern; live your own life and follow your own star." -Wilferd Arlan Peterson (1900-1995)

"Abolish your fears and raise your commitment level to the point of no return, and I guarantee you that the champion within will burst forth to propel you toward victory."- Bruce Jenner

"Champions know that success is inevitable; that there is no such thing as failure, only feedback. They know that the best way to forecast the future is to create it." - Michael J. Gelb

"A champion needs a motivation above and beyond winning."- Pat Riley

"Failure is merely part of your education. You must first recognize your mistakes before you can learn from them."

04/07/2009

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

"Communication - the human connection - is the key to personal and career success." - Paul J. Meyer

"The best way to lead people into the future is to connect with them deeply in the present." - James Kouzes

"A cheerful attitude helps to create trust, confidence, and beneficial new relationships. It forms the foundation of a strong, enduring connection with others." - Steve Brunkhorst

03/31/2009

People always fear change. People feared electricity when it was invented, didn't they? People feared coal, they feared gas-powered engines... There will always be ignorance, and ignorance leads to fear. But with time, people will come to accept their silicon masters. -Bill Gates

03/23/2009

"Being defeated is only a temporary condition; giving up is what makes it permanent." -Marilyn vos Savant

"Remember, success is not measured by heights attained but by obstacles overcome. We're going to pass through many obstacles in our lives: good days, bad days. But the successful person will overcome those obstacles and constantly move forward." -Bruce Jenner

01/01/2009

"You can conquer almost any fear if you will make up your mind to do so. For remember, fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind." -Dale Carnegie (1888-1955, Speaker and Author)

"If you want to succeed you should strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success." -John D. Rockefeller

There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge; both poverty and riches are the offspring of thought." -Napoleon Hill

"The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom." -James Allen (1864-1912, Author of As A Man Thinketh)