In today's society, there are plenty of things to worry about. Will I lose my job? What if my daughter gets involved with drugs? Am I getting too fat? Can I keep this relationship going? Will I have enough money at retirement? What if a natural disaster hits my town? Will the economy recover? Worry, worry, worry. News programs don't help because they typically direct our focus on the worst news they can find, which causes us to worry. Politicians don't help since they bring up worst-case scenarios to scare you into supporting their policies. All of these factors tend to make us worry and fret about the future.

The sad news is that all of this unnecessary worry robs us of our effectiveness and peace of mind. We can't enjoy the happy moments of life, because we are too busy worrying. We can't pursue our dreams because we worry about what might go wrong. The truth is that worry can become so paralyzing that we are literally unable to get anything worthwhile accomplished. Excessive worry can even affect us physically by contributing to stress and even leading to chronic conditions such as anxiety or depression, which negatively affect our emotions, our health, and our productivity.

Now for the good news: 1) things are not as bad as they seem, and 2) most of the things you worry about will never happen. Mark Twain put it this way, "I am an old man and have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened." In other words, what a shame it is to live our lives in a cloud of despair, weighed down with fear, anxiety and worry about something that will likely never happen and over which we have no control!

How do you eliminate worry from your life? The answer is simple. If the thing you are worrying about is something over which you do have control, such as saving for retirement or improving a relationship, stop worrying and do something active about the cause of your worry. If the worry is about something over which you have no control, remind yourself that you have taken all necessary precautions and that the negative event will probably never happen. Reassure yourself that even if the negative event was to happen, you would be alright in the end. Then, immediately replace the worry thought with a positive action: help someone else, read a book, make a great dinner for your loved ones, etc. No matter what the cause of your worry, in every case the cure for worry is the same: replace fear with action!

Success Tip: Worry robs us of happiness, productivity, and peace of mind. Yet, most things we worry about never happen. Eliminate worry from your life by replacing fear with action.

Watching the recent Winter Olympics, I was struck over and over with the idea that those who won medals consistently pulled out all the stops and risked everything.  On the other hand, those who gave "safe" performances ended up with mediocre results.

The same is true in relationships. Friendships involve risk and vulnerability. If you remove all risk and vulnerability, you also remove any chance at real friendship. So often we try to protect ourselves from being hurt.

We hold back some of our emotions or talents or effort to avoid embarrassment or because of fear of failure. To the extent we do this, we remove the possibility of succeeding in that area.

Success Tip: Give your all in every situation. The greatest success comes to those who allow themselves to be vulnerable and to embrace reasonable risks.

One of the saddest words in the English language is the word "almost." I'm not speaking of someone who gives it their all but barely misses their goal. (That person is sure to double his or her efforts and demolish the goal the next time around.) I'm talking about the person who "almost" get's started, or who "almost" sets a goal, or who "almost" gives it their best shot.

As a sales manager for many years I heard excuses like these: "I almost had time to study my presentation" or "I almost remembered to apply the skills from our last seminar" or "I almost made some cold calls!" The sad part, of course, is that these same people "almost" became successful. They put in quite a bit of mental exertion to get to the point where they almost accomplished something, but they failed to hang in there for that final push---that extra effort. Unfortunately, in the world of selling, commissions on sales you "almost" make still amount to zero.

Almost means very nearly, coming close to, or not quite. If you are going to put in the effort to "almost" do something, why not put out that tiny bit more effort to just do it? Of course there are situations over which you have no control. With those, we do the best we can. But, in those situations where we have control, "almost" effort is never good enough. It takes grit and determination to go all the way with a project, but it can mean the difference between success and mediocrity. Instead of 90% effort, give 100% to every project. When you do, even though your effort is only increased by 10%, your results could improve by 50% or 100% or 500%.

Success Tip: Never settle for "almost" when you can just do it 100%. That tiny bit of extra effort will multiply your results exponentially.

Life doesn't always go as you planned. I recently read the story of a man who deeply desired to be an artist but faced great opposition from his family and friends. As a child, he loved to draw but didn’t always have paper, so he would draw on everything he could find, like walls and his brothers’ school books. Once, he drew a pig on the side of the farm house with tar. (He got in trouble for that one.) When his aunt bought him a drawing book and drawing table, he decided that he wanted to be an artist when he grew up. But, his father adamantly opposed the idea. “I don’t want any boy of mine growing up to be an artist . . . Most artists end up starving to death,” he often said.

As a young man, he tried several jobs but could never let go of his dream to be an artist. Finally, he went to work for an advertising company drawing ads. Soon after, he was laid off. He decided to start his own advertising agency but things didn’t work out. He lost everything. He started another business doing film; it failed too. He thought cartoon animation was the perfect combination of film and art, so he started another business doing animation. But, when this third business failed, he was literally homeless. He had no money, no place to stay, and few friends. He was afraid to tell his father, because he didn’t want him to say, “I told you so.”

But, this young man refused to give up, even when everything he touched seemed doomed for failure. His dream to be a successful artist could not be suppressed. So, he borrowed some money and got on a train headed for California where he started a fourth business with his brother. His brother was good at managing money and he was good at creative ideas. Together they became the perfect team. He developed a cartoon character called “Mortimer Mouse” which saw limited success. Later, he decided to do a full length animated movie. A lot of people said it would never work – that people would not sit through an hour long cartoon. Fortunately, they were wrong. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs became one of the most popular movies of all time.

This, of course, is the story of Walt Disney. Several years later, he thought of the idea for a Magic Kingdom, a place where both parents and children could experience the magic of imagination. Many said he was crazy, even his brother and business partner said it would cost a fortune, but he raised the money and went forward. Disneyland opened July 18th 1955, and the rest is history.

Success Tip: “Get a good idea and stay with it. Dog it, and stay with it until it’s done right!” -- Walt Disney

Several days ago, I took my golden retriever on his customary walk. The wind was blowing pretty hard and I found myself leaning forward a little and planting my steps deliberately in order to keep moving. This headwind made every step a chore and even breathing was difficult. Determined to continue our walk, I put my head down and trudged forward.

Finally we reached the half way point and began circling round back to our home. Amazing! Suddenly, with the wind at our backs, everything became easier. My dog and I walked along briskly with perfect ease. I was able to raise my head and enjoy the passing scenery with pleasure. What a difference!

We have something in life which creates a similar effect. It’s procrastination. When we put off important tasks, our unfulfilled responsibilities tend to build and build until, like a headwind, they hamper our ability to function. Unfinished tasks are always on our mind. Worry and stress dog our steps and inhibit our creativity.

But, when we learn to stop procrastinating, when we plan out important tasks and get them done on time, all of those completed tasks are like the wind at our backs, helping to propel us forward. Our mind is clearer, our creativity flows, our stress is minimized, and everything seems easier.

Success Tip: Stop the headwind of procrastination by planning out important tasks, staying on schedule and getting them done on time.

Thoughts are the building blocks of our actions. Just like a well-prepared blueprint is critical to constructing a safe, efficient and beautiful building, so our thoughts become the plan for our actions in building a life. As such, our thinking must be carefully trained and nurtured in order to produce the actions necessary to create the life that we desire. You would never think of trying to construct a skyscraper by randomly throwing building materials together, hoping that it would all work out. Likewise, a life built on random thinking, pursuing whatever pops into our minds, or following the path of least resistance, produces broken disappointed lives. Paying attention to our thinking, our planning, our visualization, is critical to our success in life. Thus, just like a blueprint is a necessary thing, our thoughts are critical things. These principles have been taught and understood for thousands of years.

Jesus said it like this: “For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him. Saying, this man began to build, and was not able to finish.” I don’t think Jesus is only talking about having enough money. He is saying that we must think it through, have a plan, a vision for how it should turn out.

Ancient Hindu scriptures compare the power of our thoughts to the might of the wind. Both are unseen, but both can have a powerful affect on the visible world. “The mind is restless, impetuous, self-willed, hard to train. To master the mind seems as difficult as to master the mighty winds,” says a disciple. The master replies, “The mind is indeed restless, it is indeed hard to train. But, by constant practice and by freedom from passions the mind indeed can be trained.”

Just like a blueprint, our thoughts allow us to plan and prepare and visualize the end results. Just like the wind, though unseen, our thoughts can have great power in our lives. If our thinking, planning, preparation, and visualization is positive, enthusiastic, and upbeat, it will produce better results. Negative thinking tends to produce unenthusiastic, pessimistic actions—or even no action. Positive thinking, on the other hand, results in optimistic planning and constructive visualization, which in turn contribute to positive action and successful results.Negative thinking tends to produce unenthusiastic, pessimistic actions—or even no action. Positive thinking, on the other hand, results in optimistic planning and constructive visualization, which in turn contribute to positive action and successful results. Negative thinking tends to produce unenthusiastic, pessimistic actions—or even NO action. Positive thinking on the other hand, results in optimistic planning and constructive visualization, which in turn contribute to positive action and successful results.

Success Tip: Pay attention to your thinking. Keep it positive, upbeat and enthusiastic. Plan and prepare, then take action.

This time of year, we hear a lot about Santa “making a list and checking it twice.” It seems like a lot of people think this list is about figuring out who’s naughty or nice. On the contrary, I choose to believe that Santa, like all of us, when confronted with a big task and a busy schedule, knows the value of making a list to keep himself organized and on track. 

Have you ever woken up on a Saturday morning with no plans and nothing in particular to do? You may have a lot of things that you would like to do, but with no particular hurry or plan, how many of those things did you get done? None, right? On the other hand, think about the day before going on an extended vacation. Perhaps you have a dozen things that must be done in order to be ready. You sit down, make a list, plan out your day and -- voila! – everything gets done, like magic. That is the power of a list. 

Once your list is written, go over it again and prioritize your list. Decide which events or tasks are most important and give them priority. Then, start with the most important item and do it first. Keep your list in front of you at all times so you are not distracted by things that may seem urgent, but are not that important. Notice, Santa doesn’t just make a list, he checks it again and again. 

Success Tip: To increase productivity and reduce distractions, take a lesson from Santa and start your day by making a list and checking it twice.

When I was a child, I loved to go to the local amusement park. There, they had a building called the "fun house." Inside, you were confronted with unusual or unexpected things at every turn. The floors moved, wavy mirrors distorted your reflection, rotating tunnels made you fall down, thrilling slides were filled with bumps and turns, and rooms seemed to change size. One of the most popular features was simply called "the wheel." It was a large round spinning disc laying flat on the floor. When it was stopped, dozens of people would jump on and crowd in as close to the center as possible. Then, it would start spinning, very slowly at first, but then faster and faster. As the velocity increased, the centrifugal force began to pull us all toward the edges. At a certain speed, people on the outside edges of the wheel could no longer hang on and would slide off the disc out of control and on to the floor. But, the people closer to the middle were still on board. Sometimes, people would grab on to their friends to keep from being spun off the disc, only to drag their friends off with them. The speed kept growing and more and more people flew off the spinning wheel, ultimately leaving only the few in the very center. The idea was to see who could stay on the wheel the longest.

The fun house was closed many years ago and I think I know why. It is no longer a fantasy. For many of us, it is our reality. Our world has become so chaotic, so unexpected, so unreliable, and so busy that we often feel that we are on that spinning wheel which keeps going faster and faster, trying to spin us off!! Especially during the holidays, we are so surrounded by activities and expectations that we seldom take time to consider what we are celebrating in the first place.

During this holiday season, let us momentarily step off the spinning wheel of life and make time to remember the meaning of the holidays. Whether you are a religious person or not, the holiday season can be a time of renewal and peace: a time for random acts of kindness, a time to show love to others, bury grudges, connect with family, give joy, and feel hope.

Success Tip: In the midst of our hectic lives and schedules, set aside time for the important things of life. It will make your days sweeter, your family happier, and your work time much more effective.

Blind, deaf, and for many years speechless, Helen Keller said:

"Recently I asked a friend who had just returned from a long walk in the woods what she had observed. 'Nothing in particular' was the reply. How is it possible, I asked myself, to walk for an hour through the woods and see nothing worthy of note. I who cannot see, find hundreds of things to interest me through mere touch.

"I who am blind and deaf can give a word to those of you who can see. Use your eyes as if tomorrow you would be stricken blind. Hear the music of voices, the song of birds, the mighty strains of an orchestra as if you would be stricken deaf tomorrow. . . Smell the perfume of flowers, taste with relish each morsel as if tomorrow you could never smell and taste again. Glory in all the facts of pleasure and beauty which the world reveals to you."

Success Tip: Consider what your world would be like if you could not see or hear. Now, look around, listen and enjoy. Appreciate. Take pleasure in the beauties that surround us.

One of the most important attitudes of a successful person is a firm belief in the Law of the Harvest.  That is, the more you plant, the more bountiful the harvest.  If you work, you will win.  And setbacks actually pave the way to your future success.  

In the world of business, it means that if we simply serve enough people, profits will come.  Once we have a fixed belief in this fact, we can quit focusing on sales and commissions and direct our attention to service and activity, which are the foundational principles for business success.

 In his classic book on selling, trainer Frank Bettger said, "After all, this business of selling narrows down to one thing -- just one thing...seeing the people! Show me any man of ordinary ability, who will go out and earnestly tell his story to four or five people every day, and I will show you a man who just can't help making good."  Success in selling doesn't mean you make a sale every time you talk with someone.  It means that you share your offer with so many qualified people that a good percentage of them will want to own your product.  The more seeds you plant, the more bountiful the harvest.

This is true in every area of our lives.  Most of our failures are nothing more than stepping stones to success—as long as we keep trying.  The tragedy is when people give up and quit, often just before things would have turned around.  Too many of us quit watering the garden, because we can’t see the shoots coming up.  The trick is to keep learning, and keep improving, and most of all, keep trying.

 In 1974, Hank Aaron broke Babe Ruth's all-time home run record with 715 home runs. But he also had 1,262 career strike-outs.  In other words, he went through the humiliation of striking out almost twice as many times as he hit a home run.  Even champions fail most of the time on the road to success.  The difference for Hank Aaron was --he kept on swinging!!

Success Tip:  Remember, each "no" just takes you that much closer to the next "yes."  Each failure moves you toward the next triumph.  As surely as sunshine ultimately follows rain, and planting brings on the harvest, so your actions of today are building your bright future.  Each setback paves the road to your future success.  Believe in the Law of the Harvest and never give up.