A few years ago I led a small group bible study. There were about 30 in the group and one night I sat on my couch thinking of how I could let each member of the group know that they were important to me. I thought of gifts, phone calls, etc. But then it hit me. I walked over to my computer and I composed an email to all 30 people. I listed each person's name and then wrote 2 or 3 sentences about each person. It looked something like this:

Chris - You are one of the smartest people I know. I have never known someone who seems to be so educated on so many topics! I think you may have a computer chip in your head. At any rate, thanks for always being there when my computer breaks and sharing your time and knowledge. Also, you are quite the funny guy - when you told my 3 year old cousin you could get her a job at the amusements park because you 'knew the manager' I laughed so hard! Thanks for being a friend.

I did that with 30 people. It was a multi-page email and I just told them what I liked about each one of them. Not only did they get to read it but everyone got to see what I wrote about the others. It took about 3 hours (for some people it is easier to find something nice to say!). Upon completion I pressed send and went to sleep. When I checked my email the next morning I had almost 30 replies! Two of the people who replied told me that they were crying as they typed the email back. It didn't take much to touch the hearts of that group - but that email did it. Many members became some of my best friends and I gained the respect of many. The next time I taught a lesson they were listening with more intent ears.

You can attempt to gain respect by showing others how great and powerful you are - or you can do it by showing them how great and powerful they are. When you do, they may not cry... but they will never forget it... or you.

Go for More this Week!
Ron White

P.S. Today's issue is going out to more than 65,361 weekly subscribers. If you enjoy this week's edition and find it to be valuable, then if you would do me the favor of forwarding it to your friends, family and associates, it would be very much appreciated. If they would like to subscribe, have them send an email to: ronwhite@yoursuccessstore.com
 

In This Issue.....

1. Gradual Adaptation by Ron White
2. Quotes of the Week
3. Stickability Is Tremendous by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones
4. 3 Announcements from Ron White
5. More Information

1. Gradual Adaptation by Ron White

The older I get the more I notice that my metabolism seems to be moving slower than most glaciers. I was watching a turtle the other day make its way across the grass and I could have sworn that I heard my metabolism say,' Hey turtle, slow down…what is your hurry?'

It has become a monumental struggle to maintain the weight that I prefer to be at. Other than eating the right foods, I have become a runner. That is right – a runner. It is the last thing I thought you would ever hear me say. A few years ago, it would have been more likely that I join a Polish circus as a fire juggler. Yet, here I am a runner.

A concept that running has taught me is the one of 'gradual adaptation'. When I started running 1 and a half miles seemed unfathomable. As I lumbered around the track that first jog it felt as if my eyes were rolling back in my head. I could feel my lunch making its way to resurface and my lungs gasped to grab all the oxygen in my time zone.

Now, today as I glide past the 1.5 mile mark I haven't even gotten warmed up. What made the change? Gradual adaptation.

A fellow runner suggested that I run for twenty minutes at a slow pace. He convinced me that it was the duration and not the intensity that was important. I soon reported back to him that I was able to run twenty minutes with great ease at 6.3 mph. 'Super!' he replied. 'Next time you run – run for 25 minutes' was his continued suggestion.

In my mind, he might as well told me to sprout wings and fly. Yet, I nodded my head and told him I would give it a try. To my amazement the extra five minutes came easy. Within a few weeks, I was running 30 minutes, then 35, then 40, then 45 and then 60 consecutive minutes!

If I had started at 60 minutes, I would have most likely been wheeled to the hospital afterwards and never ran again. Instead, I chose the option of gradual adaptation.

Whether your goal is running, building a business or learning a new skill the concept of gradual adaptation is one that you must implement to be successful.

Don't attempt to change the world in a day. Brian Buffini says that most people over estimate what they can accomplish in a year (this is because they don't practice gradual adaptation) and underestimate what they can accomplish in a decade.

How to implement gradual adaptation:

- Decide what your ultimate goal is
- Understand this will also be a lesson in patience and do not rush the end result
- Establish stages or levels of the larger goal
- Focus on the next stage, not the end result.
- Remind yourself of the end result to maintain excitement and passion while still focusing on the next stage
- Measure your progress with a chart

Realize that your results in any endeavor will be slow at first but as you gain momentum the results expand geometrically. This is why most overestimate their accomplishments for a year and under-estimate the possible accomplishments of a decade.

This six step process will work if you are building a business, a workout routine or learning a new skill. Remember that no one ever ran a marathon the first time out of the blocks and neither will you.

Practice gradual adaptation.

-- Ron White


Ron White asks: Are you looking to learn a new routine or skill in Memory or Sales? Well, Ron's got 3 announcements that can help you! To learn more scroll down to #4 below or go to http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/sales or http://www.yoursuccessstore.com/rw_seminar call 877-929-0439 in the US. International and/or Dallas/Ft. Worth, call 817-442-8549.
 

 

2. Quotes of The Week

SKILLS

"We must combine the toughness of the serpent and the softness of the dove, a tough mind and a tender heart." -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

"You must either modify your dreams or magnify your skills." -- Jim Rohn

"The better you get at your key skills, the more you accomplish in a shorter period of time." -- Brian Tracy

"Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom." -- Jim Rohn

"The whole secret of the study of nature lies in learning how to use one's eyes." -- George Sand

"If one is master of one thing and understands one thing well, one has at the same time, insight into and understanding of many things." -- Vincent Van Gogh

"The telephone is your second most important selling tool -- the first being your mouth. Few salespeople really study the techniques of the telephone. Sit or stand tall when calling. Smile while talking. Focus on the call, not what's on your desk." -- Tom Hopkins

"Learn to hide your need and show your skill." -- Jim Rohn

"Give yourself an even greater challenge than the one you are trying to master and you will develop the powers necessary to overcome the original difficulty." -- William J. Bennett

"Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot; others transform a yellow spot into the sun." -- Pablo Picasso

"That's the secret: be interesting. If you can't be interesting, shut up. There's nothing wrong with silence." -- Earl Nightingale

"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." -- Thomas H. Huxley

"To survive, to avert what we have termed future shock, the individual must become infinitely more adaptable and capable than ever before." -- Alvin Toffler

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



3. Stickability Is Tremendous by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones