What’s Thanksgiving without stuffing? Honestly, a lot healthier. This white bread, saturated-fat-laden staple contributes in a big way to that postmeal stupor. Luckily, it’s easy to up its health quotient while preserving the savory goodness.
Add Earthy Flavors
Apples and shiitakes impart moisture to stuffing, along with subtly sweet and earthy notes. What’s more, the flavonoids in apples benefit your heart, lungs, and brain, and the pectin in apples helps your heart. Shiitakes boost your immune system and can lower cholesterol.
Cut the Fat and Sodium
Stick that butter back in the fridge. Instead, use olive oil, with its heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, to saute vegetables. When it comes to liquid, low-sodium chicken broth enriches the stuffing without flooding it in salt.
Pick Fresh Herbs
Toss in spoonfuls of sage and thyme, classic stuffing herbs that rank near the top for heart-protecting antioxidant capacity. Bring a fresh, green flavor to the dish by adding parsley, a good source of antioxidants such as beta-carotene and vitamin C. Parsley and sage also contain decent amounts of vitamin K, needed for blood clotting.
Choose Nuts and Berries
Crunchy walnuts and chewy dried cranberries add fiber, which promotes heart and digestive health, among other benefits. Both foods are high in antioxidants as well, which help prevent damage from free radicals. The omega-3 fat (ALA) in walnuts also protects the heart, and cranberries help prevent urinary tract infections.
Go Whole Grain
Skip the packaged dried clumps of white bread and grab a loaf of whole-grain wheat instead (choose a dense, chewy kind and look for 3 grams of fiber). Its hearty flavor makes a superlative partner for the aromatic herbs and vegetables in stuffing — and eating whole grains regularly can help prevent heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
Before and After
Calories:Â 291 down to 275
Total Fat:Â 12 g down to 11 g
Saturated Fat:Â 7 g down to 1 g
Cholesterol:Â 28 mg down to 2 mg
Fiber:Â 2 g up to 7 g
Sodium:Â 1,127 mg down to 302 mg
Ingredients:
1-2 cups Mixed micro greens
1 small apple, sliced (or pear)
1 ounce of raw pecans
sliced onion (as much as you like, or omit)
sliced tomato (as much as you like, or omit)
2 oz Salad dressing of choice. Make sure it’s GMO free and Vegan.
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Larry Zimberg is one of the many people that I get to learn from. This is one of his latest writings and it’s brilliant! It’s far too brilliant not to share with anyone and everyone. I hope you enjoy the read and I hope it resonates…
“The most important single ingredient in the formula of success is knowing how to get along with people.”
âTheodore Roosevelt
The number one skill to have in our business is not selling skills; it’s people skills. The ability to get someone to trust you, like you, and want to do business with you is the key. Personal development is the one single component that will define your path to success more than any other.
“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you’re probably right.”
âHenry Ford
Sometimes we become so fixed on the how-to’s that we fail to recognize that there is a far more telling and essential component needed in order to be successful. Any skill you may need can be acquired. It’s the attitude that precedes it that will determine how far you go.
“Failure is an inside job. So is success. If you want to achieve you have to win the war in your thinking first.”
âBrian Tracy
So many people brush off Personal Development, and as a result when they have disappointments about recruiting or sales, they quit. If they had worked to make themselves stronger and developed the right philosophy and attitude, these temporary minor setbacks would not have fazed them in the least. It’s much easier to keep moving forward when you have the right attitude.
“Ninety percent of those who fail are not actually defeated, they simply quit.”
âPaul J. Meyer
Just because you’ve failed doesn’t mean you’re a failure. The road to success is never a straight line. It’s a series of twists and turns, ups and downs, successes and failures. Whether the inevitable obstacles you’ll encounter become stumbling blocks or stepping stones depends entirely on your philosophy. The shortest route to your success is found in overcoming any and every obstacle in your path.
“Nothing is stronger than habit.”
âOvid
Successful people form habits that feed their success, instead of habits that feed their failure. That is why it’s every bit as important to consistently put good things in our headâjust as we do our bodyâif we want to consistently experience good results. And like your physical transformation, it won’t happen all of a sudden; it takes a little time. But with a plan, a desire to grow, and a simple formula which I’ll outline below, the right habits and attitude can be developed and nourished, and that will lead you to the right results.
There is no single more powerful force than the potential of what is already inside you. The best way to strengthen, grow, and reach that potential is through personal development.
So here is an easy way, and a daily plan, for you to follow that will create lasting, real change and put you on track to realizing your true potential.
Read 10 pages a day of a good personal development book, and listen to 15 minutes of a good audio.
Reading 10 pages a day will give you a daily dose and a steady stream of power, truth, motivation, and courage that will allow you to take command of your life and summon the inner strength to take actionâdespite any fearsâso you can create the life you desire.
Now let’s look down the road. Ten pages a day is 300 pages a month and 3,600 pages a year. That’s 15 to 20 powerful books you’ll have read over the next 12 months! That simple daily discipline, compounded over time, will result in huge positive rewards for you that go way beyond this business and will be a tremendous asset to you in building not just a successful business, but also a successful life.
Listen to 15 minutes a day of a good audio. Turn time spent in the car into Drive Time University. Don’t drive? Load a book on CD or motivational audio onto your iPod and build some mental muscle as you exercise. Either way, it’s an easy thing to do that will produce some positive growth and won’t interfere time-wise with what you’ve already got going on.
Personal development is about you becoming a better you, so you can experience the kind of life that you always knew you were meant to live. And using this formula, you can easily fit a program of incorporating personal development into your life.
Can you do it? Yes. Will you do it? That, of course, is up to you. But IF you do it, you will enrich your life in ways that reach far beyond this business and uncover yet one more way to pass on a message to others that will certainly enhance their lives as well.
They say the winds of life blow on us all; it’s how you set your sail that makes the difference.
Another great recipe from the Team Beachbody Club! We all know that I love pumpkin seeds… but if you are feeling like getting more home-made and want a better finger food for yourself or to serve at your party, then consider roasting your own pumpkin seeds!
Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
Seeds from one medium pumpkin, rinsed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
(Optional coatings: 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or garlic powder, 1 Tbsp. curry powder or seasoning salt)
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place seeds in a saucepan with water (2 cups water to every half cup of seeds) and salt, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes, then drain. Spread a tablespoon of olive oil over a cookie sheet, then spread pumpkin seeds on the cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until seeds are lightly browned. Let cool completely in a medium-sized bowl. For spicy seeds, coat with one or more suggested spices before roasting. Makes 6 servings.
1 lb. fresh salmon fillet (or two 6-ounce cans, drained*)
2 Tbsp. drained capers
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
4 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. olive oil
8 leaves red lettuce
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut the pumpernickel bread into 1/2-inch cubes (4 cups). Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil spray. Place bread cubes on baking sheet; spray with olive oil and sprinkle with seasoned salt. Bake 10 minutes, until toasted.
Meanwhile, put salmon in a shallow, microwave-safe dish (*skip the cooking step when using canned). Cover with plastic and microwave on high 3 minutes, until fish is fork-tender, rotating dish halfway through cooking.
Using two forks, break up fish into 2-inch pieces. Discard skin and transfer salmon to a large bowl. Add capers and dill; toss to combine.
To prepare vinaigrette, in a small bowl whisk together vinegar, mustard and olive oil. Pour half of the mixture over salmon and toss to coat. Add bread cubes; toss to combine.
Arrange lettuce on four plates. Top with pumpernickel-salmon mixture. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over top.
Nutritional Information: (per serving)
Calories: 339
Protein: 28 g
Fiber: n/a
Carbs: 33 g
Fat Total: 10.5 g
Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
If you’d like to JOIN the Team Beachbody club so that you have access to even more great videos as well as great recipes, then visit Tom’s site to get signed up today!
2 oz. OF COOKED CHICKEN OR TURKEY BREAST
3 EGG WHITES WHISKED
1 CUP OF SPINACH LEAVES
1 SLICE OF REDUCED FAT OF YOUR CHOICE
1 6 INCH WHOLE WHEAT TORTILLA (ABOUT 60 CALORIES)
NON STICK COOKING SPRAY
PREPARATION
Heat a nonstick skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray over medium heat. Add chicken or turkey, eggs, and spinach. Scramble together and cook until eggs are throughly cooked. ( about 5 minutes) Add the cheese and remove from heat.
Pile mixture onto tortilla and wrap it up. ENJOY!!
P90X and Insanity Awesomeness Aging me Gracefully My Fountain of Youth!!
I was training my client Mark the other day and I asked him if he thought any of his friends could get through the workout I had just put him through. He thought for a while and said, “Maybe a couple.” Mark is 48 and has dozens of friends who can’t begin to touch his level of fitness in their present state. Most of them would have never gotten through his pull-up and push-up routine without hurling or quitting half way through. At 50 I might have 4 friends who can get through most of my workouts. All younger than me. I’m not here to brag or boast, but I am here to let you know that as the clock ticks into the future so do your opportunities to improve physically, mentally and emotionally.
When I was training Mark I also asked him if he saw himself working this hard in his 60s, 70s or 80s. He said he hoped to. The truth is, if he kept it up, there’d be no reason why he couldn’t do most of his present day workouts in his 70s and 80s. Here’s a guy doing sets of 30 push-ups and 10 plus pull-ups for an entire workout, who couldn’t do that in college. I’m not saying that college linebackers are going to bench 375 lbs in their 70s, but I am saying that the human body is capable of amazing things well into your 70s and 80s, if the human mind is willing to show up too.
Quite often older athletes struggle because of their unwillingness to mix these up and stay consistent. If you have a one, two or no dimensional approach to exercise you leave yourself wide open to injuries and issues as you get older. With injuries comes disappointment. With disappointment comes fear. With fear comes less exercise period. The words “I used to ______” make me angry. The glory days are not over! They are right now. You just need to know what to do and how to do it. An example is when I see older folks running. At some point you have to realize that the thing that brought you, might be destroying you now. Bent over choppy strides is an indication that yoga never happened in previous years. The effort is there, but lack of acknowledgement that something is wrong is the problem.
If you’re reading this and you’re younger than 50 and haven’t made movement and healthy eating a priority yet, then do yourself a favor and get busy because the clock is ticking and the last third of you life will be bleak. Look around at the people in your life who’ve made it to 60, 70 and 80 who haven’t taken care of themselves. What do you see? Issues. Lots of issues. Is that any way to live your life? Trying to solve these issues with pills, potions and processed foods? I think not. Consistency, Variety, Intensity and Curiosity are the keys to lifelong health and fitness. If you mix it up, you’ll avoid the pitfalls of aches, injuries and the fear of failure as you get older.
Sir William Osler, the famous Canadian medical doctor, once quipped, âThereâs only one way to treat the common coldâwith contempt.â And for good reason. The average adult has two to three respiratory infections each year. That number jumps to six or seven for young children.
Whether or not you get sick with a cold after being exposed to a virus depends on the many factors that affect your immune system. Old age, cigarette smoking, mental stress, poor nutrition and lack of sleep have all been associated with impaired immune function and increased risk of infection.
Keeping the Immune System in Good Shape
Research has established a link between moderate, regular exercise and a strong immune system. Early studies reported that recreational exercisers reported fewer colds once they began running. Moderate exercise has been linked to a positive immune system response and a temporary boost in the production of macrophages, the cells that attack bacteria. It is believed that regular, consistent exercise can lead to substantial benefits in immune system health over the long term.
More recent studies have shown that there are physiological changes in the immune system as a response to exercise. During moderate exercise, immune cells circulate through the body more quickly and are better able to kill bacteria and viruses. After exercise ends, the immune system generally returns to normal within a few hours, but consistent, regular exercise seems to make these changes a bit more long-lasting.
According to professor David Nieman, Dr. PH., of Appalachian State University, when moderate exercise is repeated on a near-daily basis there is a cumulative effect that leads to a long-term immune response. His research showed that those who perform a moderate-intensity walk for 40 minutes per day had half as many sick days due to colds or sore throats as those who donât exercise.
On the other hand, there is also evidence that too much intense exercise can reduce immunity. Research shows that more than 90 minutes of high-intensity endurance exercise can make athletes susceptible to illness for up to 72 hours after the exercise session. This is important information for those who compete in longer events such as marathons or triathlons. Intense exercise seems to cause a temporary decrease in immune system function. During intense physical exertion, the body produces certain hormones that temporarily lower immunity. Cortisol and adrenaline, known as the stress hormones, raise blood pressure and cholesterol levels and suppress the immune system.
Should you exercise when sick?
Fitness enthusiasts and endurance athletes alike are often uncertain of whether they should exercise or rest when sick. Most sports-medicine experts in this area recommend that if you have symptoms of a common cold with no fever (that is, symptoms are above the neck), moderate exercise such as walking is probably safe.
Intensive exercise should be postponed until a few days after the symptoms have gone away. However, if there are symptoms or signs of the flu (fever, extreme tiredness, muscle aches, swollen lymph glands), then at least two weeks should probably be allowed before you resume intensive training.
Staying in Shape to Exercise
For athletes who are training intensely for competition, the following guidelines can help reduce their odds of getting sick.
Eat a well-balanced diet â The immune system depends on many vitamins and minerals for optimal function. However, at this time, there is no good data to support supplementation beyond 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances.
Avoid rapid weight loss â Low-calorie diets, long-term fasting and rapid weight loss have been shown to impair immune function. Losing weight while training heavily is not good for the immune system.
Obtain adequate sleep â Major sleep disruptions (getting three hours less than normal) have been linked to immune suppression.
Avoid overtraining and chronic fatigue â Space vigorous workouts and race events as far apart as possible. Keep âwithin yourselfâ and donât push beyond your ability to recover.
Additional Resource
American College of Sports Medicine Current CommentâExercise and the Common Cold: www.acsm.org
Well, it’s been three months since I posted my original “Note” Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Part 1 “The Missing Piece” and I have some exciting news to share. I have been drinking Shakeology religiously since my first post and I am VERY pleased to report that for the first time in over 10 years I am finally experiencing regular menstrual cycles. What’s more, not only am I menstruating regularly, but without any PMS symptoms. As I mentioned in my previous post, I had been suffering from extreme cramping (which was later reveled to be cyst ruptures) that would literally cause me to become violently ill. Those nights seem to have become a thing of the past. In fact, this last month passed so uneventfully I was caught completely off guard the day my period started.
I’ve also noticed some additional benefits that have me excited beyond words. For me, two of the crulest symptoms of PCOS were the acne and hair loss. As a teen I didn’t have too much of a problem with my skin, not nearly as bad as many of my friends did, however, in my 20’s I started having nothing but problems, and nothing I tried could clear it up. Well, I am ecstatic to say that I am currently enjoying the clearest skin I have had since my whole PCOS nightmare began.
The issues with my hair have probably been, for me, the most embarrassing of all the physical symptoms. As a child I always had thick, dark, fast growing hair, but in my mid-20’s I noticed that not only did my hair stop growing, but it was falling out at an excessive rate. By the time I was 28 it was literally a traumatic experience for me to brush or wash my hair as I’d end up with handfuls that had come out. I was scared to death that I was going to end up bald like the men in our family. To make matters worse, my hair was constantly oily. No matter how frequently or infrequently I washed it, or what brand of shampoo I used I just couldn’t seem to get it clean. I was so embarrassed, my already low self-esteem became almost non-existent and the thought of being involved in a serious relationship with someone that could lead to living together (or something more) was completely out of the question as I wasn’t about to let anyone know what I was going through. Since I have been drinking Shakeology my hair has stopped falling out, I can use whatever shampoo I feel like without having to worry about my hair being oily an hour later, and my hair has actually grown over an inch since I cut and colored it the beginning of June. In fact, it’s growing so fast that I’ve actually given up on coloring it as I just don’t have the time or resources to keep up with it.
I can’t say enough about the positive changes I’ve experienced in my life since I started drinking Shakeology, and if my own experiences aren’t enough to convince you, I will be sharing testimonials from other Shakeology drinkers on my page throughout the day. Shakeology has done so much for me and other people that I know personally, and I want to share this amazing product with as many people as I can because I know first hand, this is the real deal.
I think I was about 20 years old when I first realized that something in my body wasnât working quite right. It started with missed periods, then extreme cramping (which was later reveled to be cyst ruptures) that would literally cause me to become violently ill. Additionally I noticed other little things that at the time I didnât realize were related (I.e. hair loss, problems with my skin, and weight issues). I didnât have a clue what was going on and I was afraid to try to talk with my mom or go to the doctor (I was in college and still on my momâs insurance) because I figured my mom would say it was because I was way too young when I had my son, so I suffered in relative silence for about three years. Just before Thanksgiving 2003 I came across an article online about Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and was shocked to see that all of the symptoms Iâd been dealing with where outlined in the article. Armed with the article I finally found the strength to talk with my mom and she agreed it was time to see the doctor. I wonât bore you with all the details about getting a diagnosis, lets just say PCOS wasnât nearly as common in 2003 as it is today and it took multiple doctors and multiple tests before anyone would commit.
Unfortunately, getting a diagnosis wasnât the only struggle. At the time there still wasnât a lot known about exactly what causes PCOS, and how to treat it, so I was put on birth control pills to regulate my period and advised to switch to a very low carb diet to help with the weight issues and hopefully get ahead of the diabetes Iâm destined to end up with. Iâve been off and on the birth control pills since but they cause other problems of theyâre own.
I stopped taking the birth control pills in August after having been on them again for about two years and within a month menstruation had stopped and the cyst ruptures started happening again. By December I had just about reached my breaking point, just about. Thereâs been quite a few advances in the treatment of PCOS in the last few years, and a couple of my friends have had some success, but the treatments are all medical and taking pills just isnât for me. While doing some research online I came across a page that explained how nutrition and getting the right balance of vitamins and minerals can help reduce and even eliminate the symptoms of PCOS. Of course, the creators of the website wanted you to buy their nutritional supplements to the tune of $200+ a month for, you guessed it, a bunch of pills, but it got me to thinking. Iâd been reading the various testimonials regarding Shakeology Tom had been posting up for some time and I started wondering if it would help with the PCOS too.
I started drinking Shakeology as part of my morning ritual beginning in January, and within one week I got my period for the first time since August. (Yes ladies, I know, youâd have to be crazy to actually want to get your period, but with a family history of endometrial cancer hanging over my head I have learned to appreciate the necessity of menstruation.) I continued to drink Shakeology every day and four weeks later, like clockwork, I got my period again, and all without birth control pills. Curious person that I am I began to wonder if it really was the Shakeology that was bringing back the regularity to my menstrual cycle or if it was just coincidence so I decided to do a little experimenting. I quit drinking the Shakeology for about 6 weeks and found that, as I suspected, I didnât menstruate and I wasnât feeling well at all so I started drinking Shakeology again every day, and once again within a week I saw a return of my menstrual cycle.
Even if I were to never receive another benefit from Shakeology, the regulation of my menstrual cycle alone is well worth the cost to me. However, I am very pleased to say that I have seen other changes as well that I will write about later. If you or someone you know is suffering from PCOS, please reach out for help.
– Letti
For more information about shakeology visit : http://shakeology.com/metalpalace
For information about joining a small group online for support, encouragement, and accountability please Reach out to me on facebook: http://facebook.com/tombirkenmeyer People who participate in one of my private exclusive groups on facebook get faster results by far and actually see it through despite having a terrible history of relapsing on their goals in the past.
Your mission: to add bulk, or form some well-defined curves. The prescription: get some sleep!
Crazy as it sounds, that’s the advice you’ll get from bodybuilders, trainers, professional coaches, and fitness experts in general. The fact is your body can only heal, repair, and grow during deep sleep.
You can be doing the right thingsâperfectly portioning out your food, doing hardcore lifting that pushes you to the edgeâbut all that effort will be negated without enough recovery.
You can’t cheat on sleep. We know sleep is essential to life, just like eating and breathing. But there are many theories as to exactly why we sleep, with no one clear answer.
One is that sleep “restores” what our bodies lose while we’re awake. And recent findings actually support this theory, showing that many of the major restorative functions in the body, like muscle growth, tissue repair, protein synthesis, and the release of growth hormones, occur mostly, or as noted above, only during sleep. Warning signs that you’re sleep-deprived. Have a sneaking suspicion you might not be getting the sleep you need? You’re not alone. An estimated 50 to 70 million people in the U.S. don’t get adequate sleep every night. Here are a few classic signs:
– Hitting the snooze button consistently on your alarm clock
– Yawning uncontrollably and at inappropriate times (e.g., workplace meetings, parent-teacher conferences)
– Feeling sluggish in the afternoon
– Getting drowsy while driving
– Having heavy eyelids and watery eyes
– Experiencing memory lapses
– Experiencing irritability and low energy
– Feeling excessive hungriness or a complete lack of appetite
Tips for catching quality z’s. Now that you know how important sleep is, don’t let it get away from you. Here are some handy tips to make the most of your rest time.
– From 4 to 6 hours before bedtime, avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other chemicals that interfere with sleep.
– Keep a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed at the same time every night. And wake up at the same time every morning. If you’re getting enough sleep, you’ll wake up automatically without an alarm clock.
– Get regular exercise. Physical activity, especially aerobic exercise, can help you fall asleep faster and make your sleep more restful.
– Have a relaxing bedtime routine that eases the transition between being awake and sleeping.
– Sleep primarily at night. Short naps are great for recharging and catching up on missed sleep, but too many naps, and naps that are too long, can interfere with your regular schedule.
Make the most of your workouts. Be honest with yourself. If you’re doing the work and the healthy eating plan and you’re still not seeing great results, it could be lack of sleep that’s holding back your progress. Remember, your body is an incredible machine. Give it a chance to recover and build for the jump-start you’ve been looking for.
References:
Sleep and muscle recover: Endocrinological and molecular basis for a new and promising hypothesis. Dattilo, M,. H.K. Antunes, A. Medeiros, M. MĂŽnico Neto, H.S. Souza, S. Tufik, and M.T. de Mello, Centro de Estudos em Psicobiologia e ExercĂcio (CEPE), SĂŁo Paulo, Brazil, April 2011.
Enlightened self-interest leads to wealth. Selfish self-preservation leads to poverty. Somebody says, â I canât be concerned about other people, I can only be concerned about myself.â Well then, youâll always have to be concerned about yourself. Somebody says â I canât be concerned about other peopleâs bills, Iâve got enough worries trying to pay my ownâ. Well then, youâll have to worry about them for the rest of your life. The best way to get that monkey off your back is to turn your attention to other people.
Once I understood this perspective, it revolutionized my whole life. Self-interest is necessary, of course. But hereâs what self-interest must be if you truly want to be happy: it must be enlightened. Donât keep your attention only on yourself if you want your life to work out well. All the possibilities of greatness â great wealth, great reputation, great satisfaction â come only if you turn your attention from yourself to others.
In your own self-interest, be enlightened. Truly act in your own self-interest by making an investment in service to others.
If you wish to receive, you must give. Some people say, âif you give, itâs gone.â Thatâs not true if youâre educated. If youâre foolish, yes, itâs gone. But if youâre enlightened, chances are if you give, youâve invested. What do we expect an investment to do? We expect it to return multipliedâŠbigger, better, greater.
When I was young, my father taught me an important lesson. He said, âSon, always do more than what you get paid for.â Some individuals might argue with that. They say âno, youâre going to mess up the whole program.â I know theyâre wrong. In my own self-interest, I did what my father taught me⊠I always did more than I got paid for. Why? To make an investment in my future. And itâs paid off for me.
If youâre wanting that big promotion, you canât go up to your boss and say, âJust give it to me. Iâll work harder if you just give me that promotion.â It doesnât work that way. Youâve got to do more in your current position to get noticed. You need to stand out from everybody else. That way, your boss will say, âYou know, weâve got this position opening up, and I think we should give it to Nancy. She does so much more than we expect. Just imagine what sheâll do if we give her this promotion!â
Youâve got to do more that youâre paid for. Itâs an investment in your future.
Itâs one thing to make a sale. If you make a sale, youâll make a living. If you go beyond making the sale by providing exceptional service â keeping in touch, calling your clients before they call you, writing thank you notes â sales will lead to multiple sales. You can make a fortune if you take good care of the customer. People who are well taken care of will open doors you canât get through by yourself.
All of us have found ways to make a living. What was interesting for me early on was to figure out ways to make a fortune. You may say, âWell, Mr. Rohn, how could I deserve to make a fortune?â Itâs easy. Render fortunes of service. People will do things you cannot believe for those who give them good service.
Hereâs one of the greatest gifts you can give to anybody: the gift of attention. In return, they will do extraordinary things for your career. They will take you by the hand and lead you to more people that you could meet by yourself. Always do more than you get paid for.
You see, life responds to deserving, not need. Life was not designed to give us what we need. Life was designed to give us what we deserve. Once you understand that principle, your life will change.
The ancient law does not say this: âIf you need you will reap.â It doesnât work that way. A lot of people out there are hoping it works that way, but it doesnât. The ancient law says this: that if you sow, if you plant, you will reap. Somebody says, âWell, I really need to reap.â Then you really need to plant. Your own self-interest needs to be educated in how to plant. You must know how to do it so everybody wins, because life just doesnât respond to need.
You canât go to the soil and say, âI need a crop.â The soil just smiles at you and says, âDonât bring me your need, bring me some seed. Bring me some effort. Bring me some discipline. Bring me some interest. Bring me some service. Bring me these things, and Iâll return them to you multiplied.â You canât come with need. Youâve got to come with seed. Youâve got to come with willingness. Youâve got to come with skills.
Youâve got to be willing to learn, to change, to grow, to make an effort. You must be willing to stand up to the bad weather, to pull out weeds, to nurture. Thatâs the only way you serve others. And thatâs the only way you get a return. Everybody wins with enlightened self-interest.
