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CARBONDALE, Ill., Oct. 15, 2009 — In his groundbreaking new book, “Your Better Self: A Simple Guide To Where You Want To Be” (published by AuthorHouse), Ken Wallace offers readers a resource designed to help them cultivate fulfilling lives of significance and positive attitudes.
“This book helps you answer the question, ‘What do I want most?’” Wallace writes. “It’s about achieving more than you ever thought you could and having more than you ever thought you should by guiding you to manifest your worthy aspirations in your daily life. It will make you unstoppable in living the life you’ve always wanted.”
Focused on helping readers integrate their perspectives on their past, present and future into a peaceful wholeness, “Your Better Self” is filled with useful, immediately applicable tips, techniques and strategies. But rather than providing an inflexible set of directions, the book guides readers to make their own decisions about what is most important to them now and how to use these tools to quickly improve their lives.
Wallace also warns readers of the challenges that they will encounter on the journey to their better selves. Self concern, unfocused thinking, procrastination, perfectionism, rushing, poor planning, misunderstandings, unhealthy desires and lack of empathy are just a few of the barriers that can stand in the way. “Your Better Self” examines these obstacles, and many others, and offers practical ways to deal with them so that the resources of your better self quickly emerge to help you live your “whole” life.
Full of seasoned advice, fresh ideas and inspirational stories, “Your Better Self” is sure to motivate readers to realize their full potential and not only find the answer to “What do I want most?” but also know precisely how to experience everything they are truly worthy of.
About the Author: Ken Wallace is a professional speaker, consultant and executive coach specializing in personal and organizational development. For more than 20 years, Wallace has spoken and consulted in various industries, helping his clients improve their performance, productivity and profitability. Since 2000, he has been one of only nine certified business process and systems coaches for General Motors worldwide. A professional member of the National Speakers Association since 1989, Wallace is also a member of the International Federation for Professional Speaking and is an ordained United Methodist minister.
For more information, visit http://www.YourBetterSelfBook.com, http://www.KenWallaceCompany.com or http://www.BetterThanYourBest.com.
The Russian psychologist, Bluma Zeigarnit discovered a concept, appropriately named, “the Zeigarnik effect,” that refers to the phenomenon whereby the recall ratio for tasks interrupted at the middle or latter end of task completion is higher than for tasks interrupted at or near the beginning.
In other words, what you start but don’t finish weighs more heavily on your mind the closer you were to finishing the task when you quit trying. This is the area of memory that constitutes the soul-sighing sadness of regret.
There is an old story of the 49er who dug and dug for months and months looking for the deep and rich vein of gold he adamantly believed was just beyond every swing of his pick. Yet, as strong as his belief was, he finally gave up and left the mine. The next week he learned that another miner who had gone in after he had abandoned his shaft had discovered a thick stratum of gold the likes of which had never been before unearthed. The old 49er was literally just inches from his riches.
There is a Chinese proverb that says, “The temptation to quit will be greatest just before you are about to succeed.” Former Presidential candidate, Ross Perot, a self-made billionaire, commented, “Most people give up just when they’re about to achieve success. They quit on the one-yard line. They give up at the last minute of the game one foot from a winning touchdown.”
Another person who knew a thing or two about the requirements of being successful, Thomas Edison, wrote, “Many of life’s failures are men (sic) who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."
You are mere inches from the riches of the rewards of your efforts to improve yourself and achieve everything you want in your life! Yes, you are. Take one more swing of the pick, strike once more with the force of commitment, the eagerness of positive expectation and the conviction of belief. What will be revealed will stun you – and propel you well beyond the best you've ever done.
I've been rehearsing for a Christams dinner theater for our church. The theme is a "Country Christmas" and involves country music and cowboy/cowgirl costumes. I was presented with a brand new western style snap-button shirt at our last gathering. The director handed it to me and said, "Here, try this on for size."
It fit perfectly. I thought it would but I really couldn't say for sure until I actually tried it on – to see if the size was right (or, perhaps, if I was the right size to fill it out). Whenever you have an idea that you think might be a good one, try it on for size by generating a list (it doesn't have to be a long list) of what you can do with that idea to make it happen. Then prioritize each item on your list and begin with the top one and see if it "fits."
Some ideas fit like an old shoe or a comfortable jacket – others are stiff and not very pliable. But until you "try it on for size" you won't know with any certainty. It is indeed a shame for an idea not to come to fruition simply because you thought is might be too big for you. Try it on for size! You'll find that most of your ideas will fit you perfectly.
Your better truth is what distinguishes you from all other living creatures. Your inner voice is that which always speaks in every experience you have but which is often overwhelmed by mental clutter that clogs our conscious awareness. Cut through the cloudy and murky mass of confused thinking and listen for your still, small voice of uniqueness and beauty. It's yours alone. Only you can hear it.
But when you do hear it and listen to what it's saying to you, you'll discover that you are not alone in seeking your soul outside yourself. You'll see that your previous journey was like the farmer who sold his land because he believed it was worthless. He went off pursuing riches in other lands, finding none. He soon learned that the person who bought his property had discovered diamonds in the stream that flowed through it. He found nothing outside what he had already possessed. He simply failed to search more diligently what he already had. Had he done so, he would have discovered the wealth he believed only existed elsewhere.
You'll find your better truth happily waiting to be discovered when you listen to what it's been saying to you for years. It whispers, "Here I am – all you need – all you want – already yours!" Then your soul will smile and your heart will be warmed in a way that will satisfy your longing for peace.
Whenever I hear this phrase uttered, I think not of radical railing against the "establishment" but of what people with power actually look like. People with power are people with poise, purpose and peacefulness. When you possess power, you know it; and you also know how to use it, for that is the prerequisite of power – being the one in the room who knows what to do . . . next.
Power originates in perception and manifests itself within the individual. In other words, when you know what needs to be done for the benefit of others and are committed to getting it done, you are perceived to be powerful by others and are then able to empower them to help you accomplish that goal.
We all need power to get what we want for ourselves. We also need power to give what we want to others. Power is experienced when you know what you want to both give and receive and when you know that what you want is worthy of your better Self.
"Power to the people" is really power through a person to the people. Are you that person in your world?
The last three lines are for you to fill in what you know you have personal choice over that are not mentioned in this list. Every choice you have means that the world is yours: you can make it what you want and get from it what you desire – depending on the kinds of choices you make. Choose wisely, choose well.
If we took $5 Trillion dollar bills and placed them end to end, how far would they go?
Take a guess:
1. From St. Louis to Chicago
2. From St. Louis to Hong Kong
3. From St. Louis to the moon
4. None of the above
The answer is 4. The line of bills would stretch 473,484,848 miles. That enough to encircle the earth 19,048 times. It would make it to the moon and back 991 times (it's 238,857 miles from earth to the moon).
The interest on $5 trillion dollars, using current rates, is almost $400,000,000,000 (count those zeros!) per year. That's over $1 billion per day!
This is for ONLY $5 trillion.
The Outstanding Public Debt as of 16 Nov 2009 at 09:53:02 PM GMT is: $12,006,580,141,918.41 (that's over $12 trillion). So the figures above need to be over doubled to account for our current debt and interest obligations. By the way, the national debt is expected to double in ten years, by 2019.
The estimated population of the United States is 307,299,348 – so each citizen's share of the November 16, 2009 (the date of this posting) debt is $39,071.28. Do have that laying around to give to the government? What this means is that the government needs to get this money from you in some form or fashion – the sooner the better. What are your plans to give the government what it has already taken from you – without asking you?
Another little tidbit of gloom: The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.85 billion per day since September 28, 2007!
For an up-to-the-minute tracking clock of the U.S. debt, click here.
“Many people succeed when others do not believe in them. Rarely does a person succeed when he does not believe in himself. “ – Herb True
An Intriguing Story
This true story is about the legendary marketing strategist, Claude Hopkins and the Schlitz beer company. Schlitz was about to go flat in the beer brewery industry. They wanted desperately to break into the top ten American breweries but didn’t know how to do it. That’s when they contacted Claude Hopkins.
Hopkins’ first item of business was to take a tour of the Schlitz facility. Even though the central brewing plant was located on the shores of Lake Michigan with its enormous fresh-water supply, the company had dug five, 4000-foot artesian wells because they wanted the purest water available. Hopkins was shown a special laboratory in which over 2,500 experiments were conducted by company scientists to cultivate the finest mother-yeast cell. He was taken through five different three-foot-thick plate glass rooms where beer was condensed, redistilled and recondensed for purity. The final stop was the tasting room where beer was tasted from five samplings on five separate occasions. He learned that the bottles they used were cleaned and sterilized twelve times!
After his tour, convinced of the company’s commitment to both its product and its customers, Hopkins exclaimed to his hosts, “My goodness, why don’t you let people know about this amazing process your beer goes through?” They replied, “This is the way all beer is made.” Hopkins immediately responded, “That may be, but the first company that tells the public about this will make a fortune!”
What would you have done with Hopkins’ advice? The problem in American business today is not a shortage of good ideas; rather, it’s the lack of implementation of good ideas. The Schlitz company took Hopkins’ advice and became the number one brewery in America within six months!
How did they do it? They simply told the story you just read to all their customers and prospects.
Educate your prospects and customers about what you do, how you do it and why it’s important to them. This is not merely telling how you’re different from your competition; rather, it’s a preemptive strike against your competition by informing the public of what your business and industry actually do. The more information and expert knowledge you can share with prospects and customers, the greater the chances are that they will make an informed buying decision — the one you want them to make.
Here’s the point: The first one to tell the public about the how, what and why of your business and industry — even about “business as usual” processes and concepts — gains a marketing advantage. I call this the “W.Y.K.V.W.O.D.K.A.A. (A.W.)” (Pronounced, “Wick-vee-Wadkah”) marketing principle: “What You Know Very Well Others Don’t Know At All (or “As Well).” Slap yourself in the face with the obvious and tell your customers and prospects about it and you’ll gain the competitive advantage.
How do you tell your customers and prospects about it? Write a report . . . .
Focus on Customers, Not Competitors
What about competitors getting hold of your report? Wouldn’t that be bad news? Chances are they already know much of what you’d be writing about. After all, they are in the same industry. The focus is on your customers and not on your competitors. Giving information to your customers gives them additional reasons to be loyal to your business. And if they remain loyal to your business, where’s your competition? YOU are your own competition: it’s not that others steal your customers, it’s that you don’t do those things that keep your customers coming back to you. One of those things that increases customer loyalty is providing expert information and on-going learning opportunities.
Whatever you do in your business, you’re giving your customers one of two things: a reason to come back or a reason to go elsewhere. – Ken Wallace
But wouldn’t the information in your report stimulate competition? That might happen, to be sure. But the likelihood of it happening is extremely remote. Even if it does, the caliber of competition will be low. Cassette Duplications Unlimited, in the late 1980’s, circulated a report entitled, “How to Produce Your Own Audio Cassette Program” which was amazingly detailed, honest and straightforward. It also contained excellent information about the business of audio duplication and distribution.
A few did use the report as a blueprint to set up their own business and “compete” with Cassette Duplications Unlimited. However, these were small-time operations none of which lasted very long. Most who read the report must have said something like: “Golly, this cassette production and duplication business involves a lot of detail and effort. I never realized it took so much work. Cassette Duplications Unlimited really knows what it’s doing – they’ve got my business!”
This approach contributed to their eventual evolution into the infomercial giant Guthy-Renker International, purveyors of Fran Tarkenton, Tony Robbins and other marketing “cash cows.”
By educating their prospects about how much expertise and work goes into an audio tape program, the company killed two birds with one stone: they discouraged most of their readers from becoming competitors while increasing their customer base from this very same group of readers!
Focus on your customers, not your competition. When you educate your customers, you dilute your competition.
Actions to Take Right Now:
• Make a bullet-point list (like this one) of everything you know about your business and your industry. Become aware of the obvious and ask yourself, “what am I taking for granted regarding my products and services?” It’s these things that your customers are probably taking for granted, too. Remember the W.Y.K.V.W.O.D.K.A.A. (A.W.) marketing principle. This is a significant key to use if you want to lock up additional market share.
Focus initially on processes you use to make and distribute your product(s) and/or the methods used to develop and deliver your services. Proprietary information does not need to be divulged or even hinted at in order to make the report valuable.
• Ask yourself, “Do my prospects and customers know about any of these things?”
Check off those items you think they already know about. This is not to completely eliminate these topics from being part of your report. It may be that some of these “obvious” topics need to be included in order to establish a natural knowledge flow from what is known to what isn’t. That’s the way we learn new information: by relating it to what we already know.
• Make a new list of the items you have not checked (the ones you think your customers and prospects don’t know about) and write a brief statement describing:
• how you do each item
• why it’s important for your customers that you do it that way (but also soliciting their feedback and suggestions on how you can improve)
• steps customers can take to make it easy (easier) to do business with you
• Write your final report (or have someone write it for you) following these guidelines:
Take time to come up with a powerful title. Your title is the sizzle that sells the steak. People are motivated by the potential for gain and/or the avoidance of pain (loss). Your title should create an emotional response toward gain and away from pain (loss). What about the title of this report? Gain is explicit while avoiding pain (loss) is implied. Consider the possible combinations of “gain/pain” in your title. This also holds true for any classified ads you might place.
Some title suggestions:
“How To . . .,”
“Secrets Of . . . ,”
“The Truth About . . . ,”
“A Guide To . . . ,”
“X Ways To . . . ,”
“. . . Made Easy,” or “ . . . Revealed!”
“7 Ways To . . .”
“10 Sure-Fire Tips For . . .”
“5 Big Reasons To . . .”
“The Untold Story Of . . .”
“Tips On . . .”
“Instant . . . Strategies (Tactics) Anyone Can Use”
“10 Deadly . . . Sins”
“You Want To . . . ?”
“Your . . . Is Already Out Of Date!”
“New Methods for . . .”
“Who Knows Why . . .?”
“People Are Saying . . .”
“Now Is The Time To . . .”
“Save Money The Easy Way”
You get the idea . . . .
According to Richard Bayan, author of Words That Sell, the most effective words to use in a title are (in order of effectiveness): You, Your, How, New, Who, Money, Now, People, Want and Why. Check classified ads to see what other words might prove to be effective in creating a desire for your report.
Keep it broad-based and general. Be specific only when you feel it’s necessary and you’re comfortable in doing so. Remember that this most likely will be new information for your customers and prospects, so don’t overwhelm them with too much detail.
Use anecdotes, stories and examples to make your points; use the KISS formula: “Keep It Short & Simple.” To paraphrase a wise author:
“The truly great writer is the one who can give the most to his/her readers while taking the least amount of their time.”
There are at least five effective ways you can distribute your report.
1. Mail it to everyone on your customer and prospect mailing lists with a cover letter that tells them that this information will help them better understand the benefits of doing business with you and why you’re at the top of your industry.
Repeat the mailing every three months. The report should always be included with every mailing regardless of the purpose (discount coupons, special sales announcements, administrative information, invoices, etc.).
2. Take out a classified ad in the newspapers in your market area. The ad could read something like: “The Whole Truth About XYZ Company (or Industry) Revealed! Free report from insiders tells all. Call today xxx-xxxx.” Mail on an “as requested” basis.
3. Place a stack of your reports at every check-out register and entrances/exits in your location(s) for customers to voluntarily pick up and take with them. You can also include a copy of the report with every purchase. As mentioned above, think about including a report with every invoice and other paper you mail. You could even hand them out to people who are inside and/or outside your establishment.
4. Offer your report free on your website. Customers will be able to download it easily and quickly for instant access whenever they want.
5. Publish your reports in the Ezine (Electronic Newsletter/Magazine) you email your opt-in customers and prospects at regular intervals (weekly, monthly, quarterly). Highlight a single section of your report(s) each time you send out an issue to emphasize one of your main points and reinforce its value for the reader. Repetition is the mother of teaching and learning and is the best approach to shaping perception and changing habitual behavior. Repetition is the mother of teaching and learning and is the best approach to shaping perception and changing habitual behavior. It’s true!
All the above methods for distributing your report can be used simultaneously or in any combination you desire. Your customers and prospects will eventually read the information and become better educated about you and your business, specifically regarding:
1. Competence in conducting your business
2. Commitment to your customers
3. Benefits experienced when doing business with you
4. Industry facts and trends
5. Uniqueness of your business within your industry
6. The on-going value you offer to your customers over the long-term
Here’s a great story to put us all in our proper place.
Tom Selleck, star of Magnum P.I ., a 1990’s television show that was filmed in Hawaii, relates the following incident. “Whenever I get full of myself, I remember the nice, elderly couple who approached me with a camera on a street in Honolulu one day. When I struck a pose for them, the man said, ‘No, no – we want you to take a picture of US.’”
Who’s the star of your show? Be sure to point your camera in the right direction by focusing on your customers by proactively providing them with useful and practical information about your company and its personnel, your industry and the long-term value you bring to loyal customers. When you make your customers the stars of your show, they will make you a star in their economic universe.
The same holds true for your relationships with your family, friends and colleagues. When you treat them as stars, their shine will light up your world.
A young boy found a cocoon. Each day, he held it up to the light to admire his discovery.
One day, a small opening appeared in the wall of the cocoon. He watched the tiny creature within struggle for hours to force its body through the tiny hole. Then it seemed to stop trying. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could go.
So the boy decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and opened the hole so that the butterfly could come out more easily. It quickly emerged. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The boy expected the butterfly to take flight at any moment. The longer he watched, the more he realized that the swollen body with shriveled wings would never fly. It was too bloated and weak, spending its pitiful existence floundering on the ground until it soon died exhausted from trying to start living.
What the boy did not realize was what the butterfly actually needed. It needed to struggle to emerge from its confinement because that is the way the fluids of its body are extended to its newly formed wings so it can fly as soon as it frees itself.
Although we may fear encountering them and believe that to have them is to admit weakness, struggles are not the true problems we face in our lives. To the contrary, they are very often the means of our freedom from that which seeks to cast our souls, minds and spirits into melancholic bondage and dispirited living.
The true problems we have are those that are caused by our insistence that we have no problems in our lives, and, if we do, that the solutions be quickly and easily found. When we attempt to circumvent the demanding (and sometimes longer-than-desired) process of honestly dealing with our difficulties, we wind up demeaning the significance of any resolution to those difficulties that eventually may ensue.
Struggling is something you must do in your own time, in your own way and for your own reasons. Always remember that to avoid struggle is to shun victory. There is a time to struggle and a time to let it go and assess the degree of victory your struggling has yielded. When struggling defines your daily living, you’ve lost the meaning of why you’re struggling in the first place. Struggles result in peacefulness or they simply serve to exacerbate existing despair.
When next you find yourself struggling with something in your life, know that it is a process at the end of which is a victory of unimagined proportions and benefits. In other words, “this, too, shall pass” – and it will pass into a state of being that now knows how to fly beyond it’s present state of spiritual and mental confinement. At the end of your struggles await peacefulness and wholeness – the home of your better Self.
Note well: the end of your struggle happens only when you realize that you no longer need to struggle to be your better Self. This, indeed, is good news!
