* Three Keys to Greatness

by Jim Rohn

Several years ago I went into the studio and recorded a 56-minute video for teenagers called, "Three Keys To Greatness." Although my focus was for teenagers, the principles I shared certainly apply to adults as well.

Recently I was asked to list these three things using one to two sentences for each. Now for your benefit here they are again.

1) Setting Goals. I call it the view of the future. Most people, including kids, will pay the price if they can see the promise of the future. So we need to help our kids see a well-defined future, so they will be motivated to pay the price today to attain the rewards of tomorrow. Goals help them do this.

2) Personal Development. Simply making consistent investments in our self-education and knowledge banks pays major dividends throughout our lives. I suggest having a minimum amount of time set aside for reading books, listening to audiocassettes, attending seminars, keeping a journal and spending time with other successful people. Charlie "Tremendous" Jones says you will be in five years the sum total of the books you read and the people you are around.

3) Financial Planning. I call it the 70/30 plan. After receiving your paycheck or paying yourself, simply setting aside 10% for saving, 10% for investing and 10% for giving, and over time this will guarantee financial independence for a teenager.

If a young person, or for that matter an adult, focused on doing these three simple things over a long period of time I believe they will be assured success!


To Your Success,
Jim Rohn

Back to table of contents
 

* Overcoming the Fear of Rejection

by Dr. Denis Waitley

To conquer your fear of rejection, you need to handle the word "no" in a constructive way. When people turn you down after a presentation, you have to interpret the "no" as "no this is not right for me now." We also can interpret "no" as meaning, "I need to know more about this opportunity or the products before I can say yes."

I look at the service I offer to others as a gift that almost everyone desires. It's like a nutritious dessert. What if waiters or waitresses in a restaurant said to customers at their tables: "Would you like our special strawberry parfait for dessert? It's the best in the world!" And they were told "no" by their patrons, three out of five times.

Would they go to their manager, throw up their hands and quit, lamenting, "They don’t like me or my strawberry parfait"? Of course they wouldn't. They'd go on about their business, thinking the patrons had missed out on something delicious.

That's why I treat products as a gift, much more nutritious and beneficial than a fruit dessert. But what is being rejected is the presentation, not the presenter. When I can separate my self-esteem from offering the products or business opportunity, I can live with rejection and look for ways to get a positive response more often.

When you are experiencing rejection, that's the time to network with mentors and role models. It's also the time to listen to upbeat music and read articles like this, to attend meetings and conference calls, and to hang around with optimists and winners.

There are basically four things we do in selling our products and services, and only four. We use the products and services ourselves, we talk to people about the products and services, we talk to people about the financial benefits we offer, and we coach them to refer us to others who do the same thing. First, we are coachable and willing to learn something new every day. Then, we become coaches. All you really need to move up to the next level is have faith in yourself.

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose your feelings is to risk revealing your true self. To place your ideas and dreams before a crowd, is to risk rejection. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk despair. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing at all. People who will risk nothing --- do nothing, have nothing, and become nothing. They may avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live. Chained by their certitudes, they are slaves.

They have forfeited their freedom. Only a person who risks is truly free.

And one last idea you can live and believe, is the more that you give ----- the more you'll receive!

* Additional Resources
 

A new mini-ebook gift for you ...

Back to table of contents
 

* Real Life

by John Pistorius

I met a family a couple of weeks ago who told a story that I'll share. In my opinion, it uncovers one of the very real motivations behind killing people with disability labels.

The mother tells how her 22 yr old son was in an auto accident. He sustained a brain injury and was taken to the hospital. The family was told by the professionals that he was in an irreversible state and was expected to die. They were asked to give permission for organ harvesting. They refused to give up on him.

The mother’s eyes fill with tears as she tells the story. She explains that while she was praying with others for her son, another mother was there for her own son. They offered to pray with the woman for her son. But the other woman refused. The mother told me that she learned later that the other woman's son was waiting for a heart transplant. The hospital was trying to get this mother to let them harvest her son's organs while promising the other mother a "new" heart for her boy.

I realize that this is an isolated incident. It is probably a unique situation. But it points to a problem that is rarely, if ever, looked at. Human body parts have become a commodity. One person has to die in order for another to receive a part they need to continue to live or function. And sometimes doctors practice deciding who lives and who dies.

Even without the above information, the mother whose son sustained the brain injury stayed firm in her resolve to keep her son alive. She refused to part him out. He survived that night and many more since. However, the mother told me that when he was in the hospital that "somehow he was going to fall out of bed" while she was not there. The medical company employee, who stopped the fall, grabbed the shunt and feeding tube to pull him back to the bed, thereby ripping these devices out and causing additional injuries. (Appalling?)

Because of the unofficial shunt removal and damage, docs decided to drain fluids via spinal taps. On one such occasion, again when the family was out of the room, instead of draining 10 cc of fluid, the nurse forgot to check and 60 cc's were drained. This was equal to sucking his brain dry. The mother tells me that his brain stem was injured by this negligent act. She tells how he was violently shaking and his eyes were completely bloodshot when she returned. And how the so-called professional casually apologized because she forgot to check on him! (Angering?)

He is now receiving therapy in a rehabilitation facility. But the insurance company representative has told the family that they are not willing to spend any more money on him. This insurance company employee stated that he was concerned that he could lose his job. The mother has fought successfully to have the son's therapies continue. But how many mothers lose? Will you win for your loved one?

This story brought some things together for me. I know that many individuals are pushing euthanasia for a lot of reasons. I believe the insurance industry is pushing this for their reasons too. Perhaps the human body parts doctors are pushing this also. I know that money is the motivating factor behind euthanasia. It’s about BIG money.

Euthanasia Wants You
Each and every citizen of United States of America is eligible for euthanasia. I've met countless numbers of people who would be food for worms right now if not for the efforts of caring parents or spouses and funding for services.

Citizens of other countries were looking to us to set a positive example in favor of life regarding Terri Schiavo. We let them down. Not only have we failed this one woman, but we have failed millions of human beings all over the world. In third-world nations where human life is considered cheap, we have affirmed their stance. We have proven to the world that the citizens of these great United States of America do not value human life. Not truly.

Brain injury does not discriminate. It comes without warning in most cases like a thief in the night. Usually with little or no notice, it robs productive people of their ability to defend themselves from others who perpetrate all sorts of crimes. No one is immune. Not even YOU. And now death has been sanctioned as a response to brain injury. Terri Schiavo was not terminally ill. Her murder was not performed secretly. It was done in the public square with all cameras focused on the event. It was broadcast all over the world. You cannot say that you were not warned.

Maybe you are one of the people that I've heard say "I wouldn't want to live like that." or "Who would want to live like that?" or "Those people cost a lot of money to keep alive." or any number of other derogatory statements and comments.

One person wrote to me, a pastor, who told me that removing the feeding tube was only permitting nature to take its course. I didn't disagree. Anyone could simulate the inability to speak by having a rag stuffed in their mouth. They could have their hands tied and stop themselves from consuming any food or water. Nature will take its course with them too. Death will be as excruciating and drawn out for them as it was for Terri Schiavo. And with or without disability, death will probably not take any longer to come to them than it did for her.

I have faith in the goodness of this nation. It is indeed the greatest place on earth. Yet our country is sick. The sickness is not being treated. It is a moral disease that causes people to be divided. On both sides of the line, we have hypocrites. On both sides we have agitators who further the divide. If human life is not sacred, then nothing is.

Automobile Lesson
Everyone in modern society lives at the mercy of motorized transportation systems. Even the persons who are homeless eat food that has been transported by petrol-fuel based transportation systems.

The personal automobile machines that we use are designed to move us from one place and point in time to another place, forward in time. They offer some degree of comfort, style and usability. However, their useful life has functional limits. These limits can be influenced by many factors.

When an automobile has reached the end of its useful life, we have recycling centers that process these machines. Some people call them junkyards. The operators of these recycling yards are keenly aware of the value that remains in a “used-up” or “broken-down” personal transportation machine. And they are adept at extracting the remaining value from these machines.

One of the ways in which this remaining value is harvested from our discarded automobiles is by disassembling them and selling off the useable parts. A certain demand exists for many parts because manufacturers sometimes use identically designed mechanical parts for many years. These parts are interchangeable between many models and many years of manufacture. Of course everyone knows that the color of the paint used on these machines does not affect the usability of the parts from that machine. Therefore, every personal transportation machine that ends up in the hands of the professional auto dismantlers and recyclers can be converted into money for these pros. These dismantlers remove parts from discarded units and sell them to others to repair other vehicles. This can be a very lucrative business, especially when legislation is enacted to stiffen the rules governing safety, emissions and usability of the machines.

Laws insure the addition of newer models to the recycling yards’ storehouse of parts by making it cost prohibitive to maintain the damaged vehicles. Those that can be dismantled are looked at as parts and profit. The others are looked at as disposable, crushed, and melted down to be used as feed stock for new materials in the manufacturing process. And this fills the recyclers’ pockets with lots of loot!

There is another side to this automobile recycling business. It is one of profound greed. Autos that could continue to function are routinely dismantled because they are more valuable to the dismantlers that way. Some auto mechanics are tied to the recyclers. They feed customers to their affiliates. This type of collaboration terminates the life of countless machines every year.

On the dark side of this business, some recyclers accept perfectly good autos from unscrupulous suppliers who bring perfectly functional units to them. Many of these units are stolen. Some are made to disappear by insurance fraud. Others are deliberately disabled by the mechanics who are tied to the professional dismantlers.

Profiteering on Humans
Once upon a time, judges and legislators were united on slavery in this country. Human beings were labeled as non-human by external criteria. Those in power used specific terminology to devalue human life and to use humans to benefit and profit their selves. Based on external criteria that had nothing to do with intrinsic value, humans were routinely killed, maimed and enslaved by others who were able to reap huge profits by disempowering this group of people. However, we overcame this type of human abuse with enlightened language choices and a determination to end the inhumane treatment of human beings.

I believe the persons who were most affected by slavery were those who had been enslaved all of their lives. They just couldn't see a way out. They were disabled by their inability to even imagine freedom. But scores of people were able to see a way out and they were able to fight for freedom.

I also believe many of the people with disabilities caused by brain injury are like the slaves who had lived disempowered lives. They cannot envision freedom. They are bound by invisible chains. Some of these bindings are only in their minds. Others are a part of the way they are excluded from participating in life.

They are chained to an inaccessible world that denies their humanity. They are shackled to undignified treatment that is promoted and sold as dignity. Few are able to speak out about the abuse they are subjected to. Many are unable to fight because of the nature of their disabilities. These facts make them vulnerable in ways that slaves could never have imagined.

In this new model of slavery, the wealthy “plantation owners” have lost their original profit motive. The paradigm is shifting. The disempowerment of human beings being perpetrated upon those who have functional limitations has just reached a new low with the well-publicized lynching of Terri Schiavo. People with disabilities are fair game for all manner of discrimination. The open murder of Terri proves it. They might as well have wrapped a rope around her neck and tossed her over the side of a bridge.

Profiting from the delivery of minimized services and institutionalization and incarceration of individuals with disabilities has long been fought by persons who themselves experienced impairments that were labeled disabilities. But how can a dead girl fight back? How can the millions of people who live with impairments that are classified as disabilities fight the recycler’s mentality? In our image conscious society, many persons with disability labels are perceived to be junkyard material. Those that can be dismantled are looked at as parts and profit. The others are looked at as disposable. After all, we do live in an overpopulated world where natural resources are endangered.

We live in a society that has grown up on disposable products that are made to be consumed. We have objectified human beings. As objects, humans only have value insomuch as they can serve us in some capacity. Once we label people "disabled" or when they no longer serve our purposes, we want to dispose of them like yesterday's newspaper.

While persons with disabilities fought for freedom from oppressive, inaccessible systems and services to be accommodated into mainstream society, the new “plantation owners” were fighting for the money. Persons with disabilities are expendable because in the eyes of these plantation owners, they are chattel. And they have become a liability instead of an asset. What better way to raise the bottom line of companies than by cutting liabilities and improving access to profitable materials? It makes good business sense.

Die Hard
You might be cut next. One bump on the head and you can get demoted from human to vegetable status. Maybe you think you wouldn't want to live like that. But think about whether you want to die like that. Just for kicks, go one day without food and water to get a feel for it. If you can get through one day, push for two. Dehydrate yourself and feel how "natural" death would feel under those circumstances. Then, those who told me that this was "letting nature take its course" and those of you who said that this was the "best thing" for Terri Schiavo can tell me how natural it feels. But I doubt it because when it comes down to it, no one would ever ask to be murdered the way that Terri Schiavo was.

My hope is that parents, siblings and spouses fight for the lives of their loved ones to keep them from being made dead. If not, God help us.
 

Back to table of contents
 

* Using Your Head

 

 

Motivational Tip For The Day
  by Jan Tincher

In his book, *The Science Of Getting Rich,* Wallace D. Wattles says, *You cannot retain a true and clear vision of wealth if you are constantly turning your attention to opposing pictures, either external or Imaginary.*

Are you constantly thinking of, or telling others, about your past financial troubles?

Stop it.

Do you talk about your overdue bills to others?

Stop it.

Do you talk about how your gas bills are so high, you can't afford them?

Stop it.

Do you talk about how the interest rate on your charge cards are killing you?

Stop it.

I am not saying the problems will go away, I am saying that if you make a conscious effort to focus on the good in life, the good will come to you. If you focus on your problems, it won't.

It's that simple. What are YOU focusing on or thinking about?

-----

Be a success!  Let Jan Tincher, Master Neuro-Linguistic
Programmer, help you!  Great articles, great strategies you can
implement immediately!  Go here now:
http://www.tameyourbrain.com/success/index1.htm

 

Back to table of contents

* The Eyes of Truth (Song Lyrics)

By ENIGMA

If you understand or if you don't

If you believe or if you doubt

There's a universal justice

And the eyes of truth

Are always watching you.

Back to table of contents

* Urgent - Action Needed on SSI

Like Medicaid, SSI also is in serious jeopardy in the budget bill conference negotiations.  A paper explaining the issue is now posted on the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities website at:

http://www.c-c-d.org/SSI%20Threat4c.pdf.
 

(Editor's note: The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities is a coalition of approximately 100 national disability organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society.)

 

Back to table of contents

* Easy Microwave Cleaning

Is your microwave oven a mess? Well, here is an easy method of cleaning it.

Put two tablespoons of lemon juice in a cup of water. Microwave this mixture of lemon juice and water in a microwave-safe bowl for about 7 minutes.

Allow the heated mixture to cool. Check to make sure it is cool enough to touch. After carefully removing the bowl, wipe the microwave down with a soft cloth. It's that easy. Repeat as often as necessary.

Back to table of contents

Mail Bag

* Support Group Development Tools

Free Help for anyone Starting or Running Peer Groups

The Ten Insider Tips manual is ready for release. Anyone interested in receiving a copy of the manual and tools can visit http://www.bisga.org/tools.html or  write to John Pistorius at jp@pabia.org or call (412) 481-0443 to receive a free CD with the support group tools created so far.

Back to table of contents

* Upcoming Peer-Support Meetings and Social Events

 

Please visit http://www.pabia.org for a complete listing of Pittsburgh Area Peer Support group meetings. Please mark your 2005 calendar for each month in advance as an ongoing reminder.

 

We do not have any control over the people who are responsible for directing these meetings. Therefore, if you are interested in attending any of the meetings, please contact the person listed for that meeting to confirm the date, meeting place and time.

For more complete information please visit the directory of meetings at http://www.pabia.org/Support%20Groups/Support%20Groups.htm

 

For a list of State Brain Injury Associations and the groups in those states, please visit:  http://www.biausa.org/Pages/state_contacts.html

 

Brainstormers International Email Support Group

 

We have two email support groups you can join. One is through Denise Patterson. Contact Denise at deenomad@aol.com to be added.

 

The other is through Yahoo Groups. You can join at http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Brainstormers101/

 

Back to table of contents

* Thank You!

* B-NEWS Subscriber Policy

 

We aim to inform, inspire and empower people to be their best. We value every subscriber and respect your privacy. Our subscriber list is NOT made available to anyone for any reason. We do not sell, rent or lend our mailing list. If you find this newsletter to be of value, we invite and encourage you to forward it (in its entirety, please) to your friends. Sometimes people choose to stop receiving "B-News". You may unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions provided at the end of this message. We don’t want to send this to anyone who doesn’t wish to receive it, and we will make every good faith effort to remove you if you notify us of your intent to be removed.

 

Back to table of contents

* Subscribe/Unsubscribe Instructions

Visit: http://www.bisga.org/ and click on the subscribe/unsubscribe link and follow the simple procedure on our list server's form to add or remove yourself.

To Subscribe- Send a blank email to:  B-NEWS-SUBSCRIBE-REQUEST@LISTSERV.TBINET.ORG (your Subject: line may say JOIN)

To Unsubscribe- send a blank email to B-NEWS-SIGNOFF-REQUEST@LISTSERV.TBINET.ORG (your  Subject: line may say REMOVE)

Back to table of contents

Do something to leave someone a little better off today.

The Beauty of Love: