Fear. Not fun to talk about but, when we do, we name – and shed light upon – perhaps the number one thing that holds us back regarding whatever we would like to accomplish.

Could that really be true though? Does fear really play that big a role in our lives?

According to internationally-known speaker and recognized success coach, Lisa Jimenez…yes, it does. She believes that fear (and its cousins, such as worry, anxiety and self-doubt) paralyzes us and keeps us from reaching that which we desire.

The good news is that she has mastered helping people to uncover their fears and turn them instead into the powerful beliefs that can propel one to huge accomplishments.

While the topic itself seems like kind of a downer you’ll find Lisa to be one of the most uplifting people you’ve ever experienced. Enjoy our chat!

Rx-Success.com

After listening to Lisa, do you agree with her assessment of fear? If so, what steps are you willing to take to overcome whatever fears are holding you back in order to propel yourself on to the success that is your birthright?

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“We all want to change the world.”
~ John Lennon

“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world.
Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”
~ Rumi

Okay, so not everyone necessarily wants to change the world but, if you’re like I am, maybe you want to change some other people; perhaps those you most love, are friends with, or have to work with. And, if you’re like I am, you want to change them into your image.

That’s just a human thing…ain’t it?

And, there are two major challenges with this philosophy that I see…

1. We Ain’t Poifect. The challenge is that until we become a better, more effective version of ourselves, then trying to change someone else into our image is fruitless at best and counterproductive at worst.
2. Self-Improvement Lessens Our Desire to Change Others. As we begin to see an evolution of growth and effectiveness in ourselves, we feel less a need to control the actions of others. This, of course, isn’t a challenge but rather, like the man or woman who conquers an enemy simply by making them a friend, we have advanced the entire process.

Only by growing and becoming more advanced personally can we ever really influence the world around us…not by force, but simply by being a much more effective version of…us.

So, change others? Naw. Instead, let’s take the advice of another very wise man:

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”
~ Gandhi

That’s much more better-er!

Years ago, I learned a very simple method for increasing my personal effectiveness from studying the work of Benjamin Franklin. It changed my life dramatically and can do the same for you. If you’d like more information, visit Master Your Traits.

Before we can influence others, we must first be able to influence ourselves that we have something of value to offer. I mean, if *we* wouldn’t listen to us…why would anyone else?

At my live programs, I often bring up the story of my great friend, Amy Wells, owner of The Bridal Salon of San Antonio, Texas. After attending a program she decided to shift one part of her business model — from discounting (an industry norm) to selling at full price — by focusing on the value she could provide to her clients.

“When you sell on price you are a commodity.
When you sell on value you are a resource.”
– Me

As Amy told me during a recent conversation, “first, I had to really understand the value I had to offer them. Once I understood it myself, communicating it to them became easy.”

Wow!

The influence you have on others is a direct result of the influence you first have on yourself.

So, readers and friends…how do you influence yourself regarding the exceptional value you have to offer your prospects, customers and clients?

Over the past 30 years, Zig Ziglar has been holding an annual life-enhancing course at his Dallas headquarters entitled, “Born to Win.” The principles he has so generously shared have help graduates to live a life of great success in the various areas success includes: physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, social, relational, etc.

Now, Zig teams up with his son – and my great friend – Tom Ziglar to bring you the book by the same name. I got to read the manuscript and, not surprisingly, it’s filled with the kind of brilliance that make it a treasured part of one’s bookshelf.

Winning in today’s world can seem more challenging than ever. First, we need a clear picture of what winning is, and a clear plan on how to achieve it. And, we need to be able to measure it…in each area!

Recently, I chatted with Tom about Zig and the three simple steps that make up the meat of information in their great new book, Born To Win: Find Your Success Code. Enjoy our chat!

www.BornToWinBook.com

How would you rate yourself in the three key areas Tom discussed in the interview? Feel free to share your personal examples of what you are doing correctly, as well as others you know who are great examples of such.

NOTE: If you are having trouble playing the interview, please make sure Adobe Flash Player is installed in your web browser. If not, then download Flash Player. Or right-click here and select “Save Link As…” to download the audio file to your computer.

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Like many content-providers, I am disturbed by the huge amount of intellectual property theft over the Internet. Sure, it occurred pre-Internet but the now robust amount of easily accessible information has made this a profound issue. Impacted most are movie producers, musical artists, authors, bloggers and many more.

Now, wouldn’t it be best to just find a way to work within this paradigm? After all, many enterprising musicians have realized they can actually utilize the piracy by certain fans to make even more money on the back-end.

Perhaps. But, it should always be the choice of the content creator. I’ve personally had my information copied and republished without permission (at best) and without proper credit (at worst). I truly believe some people don’t know and understand that this is wrong. Others do, and do it any way. Mine is not a lone example. It’s very widespread.

So, it would seem that I — and many other creators, purveyors and compilers of content — would be overjoyed by the recently-proposed House of Representative’s Software Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and its Senatorial cousin, the Protect IP Act (PIPA).

But, I’m happy and proud to say we’re not. Owners of huge websites as well as one-person businesses; those on the political left and the political right; those who usually believe in big government and those who want government mainly out of their lives are all — in their own way — saying, “Nope. We don’t trust you to control what is perhaps the foundational principle of liberty…Freedom of Speech.”

We don’t trust the FCC and its bureaucracy to choose winners and losers based on whose opinions they (or their elected official bosses) might not feel is, er…beneficial.

We don’t trust the politicians to resist pressure from their paid sponsors (I mean, donors) to tilt the playing field in one business’s favor over another.

No, while we would love protection from the pirates, we have more to fear from those who make the laws. Both intended as well as unintended consequences could eventually all but wipe out any freedom we have to make our thoughts and opinions known.

I appreciate and respect the owners of many sites such as Wikipedia and Google who participated in the blackout as well as the many individuals who called their elected representatives to complain.

Thank you for voting for Freedom, even though — in the short term — it still leaves us with the frustration of those who would steal from us.

Solutions? While a free-market solution is always (in my opinion) preferable, protecting its citizenry from theft is a legitimate function of government. So, I’m personally not opposed to a government solution, IF it can do it without causing more harm than good. Unfortunately, government has not proven to be especially proficient in this regard. Their solutions typically cause even bigger problems and tend to result in a greater lack of freedom for us all.

Please weigh in with your thoughts.