Do you remember the old oil filter commercial? The mechanic is holding an oil filter in his hands. Behind him is an engine getting overhauled. The mechanic says, “Pay me now... or pay me later.” He is suggesting you could pay $5 now for a new oil filter or $2,000 later for an overhauled engine. Life is much the same way. Many see personal development as an expense that they can choose to forgo, and the truth is you can. You don’t have to invest in the $79 CD album or the $399 workshop today. There is no law that says you have to fill your mind with education, knowledge and self-improvement. In the short run, you will have more cash for the things you desire. However, in the long run, that engine will break down and the lack of knowledge will cost you significantly more than the $79 CD album ever would have.

Benjamin Franklin said, “If you take the pennies from your pockets and put them in your head, your head will again fill your pockets.” Jim Rohn says, “Standard education will get you jobs and self-education will make you fortunes.” You don’t have to invest in my CDs and workshops, but I highly encourage you to invest in worthwhile audio material and workshops.

In terms of workshops, you can pass on enrolling in the memory seminar and save that investment for today. However, in three months when you are at the bank and see one of your clients and can’t recall his or her name and miss the opportunity to deepen a relationship, you will have by that time paid for the memory seminar many times over and, even worse, not have the knowledge you could have gained from the class.

Fill your brain with something worthwhile today and watch your brain refill your pockets.

Go for More This Week!


1. Free Time by Ron White

My friends and I were having dinner. The topic of success came up and I remained silent. I wanted to hear what they had to say. Someone who had been my friend for over 20 years spoke to the group; however, I knew his words were meant for me. He boldly proclaimed, “Success is all luck... luck. That is all it is!” He then looked at me as if to say, “You are a lucky man and that is it.”

I didn’t say a word, but I confess that it hurt. He was one of my best friends and although it wasn’t a direct quote, he was telling me that he didn’t respect my success because it was all luck. In other words, he could have done the same if he was just as lucky.

I mulled this over for a few days and then let it go. What could I do?

Then some time after that, my truck window broke and I had to park in his garage for the day to stay out of the rain. I was stuck at his home for six hours. During the six hours, I watched five of his friends come over and they all watched the Comedy Channel and consumed adult beverages for five hours. It was driving me up a wall! I wanted to go for a run, write, read a book, goal set, strategize or spend time with someone I loved. Instead, I wasted six hours watching the Comedy Channel.

I am not suggesting that watching television or the Comedy Channel is a waste of time. Most certainly not. However, it was obvious that this was their daily routine. Then it hit me!

Success is not a result of luck. It is a result of how you spend your free time!

He and I both work hard. The difference is when my workday is done my free time is productive and his is not.

My 6-CD Memory in a Month program was created in my free time. Every month, I get checks in the mail because of this program, and I will never have to do a single bit of work again for it. I did the work in my free time. My friend was watching the Comedy Channel. Today, his mailbox is empty.

Success is a result of luck? No, success is a result of how you spend your free time.

Ron


Growth

“Few things help an individual more than to place responsibility upon him, and to let him know that you trust him.” —Booker T. Washington

“A person will not buy from you until he is convinced that you are a friend and are acting in his best interest. You must make this clear.” —Brian Tracy

“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.” —Indira Gandhi

“You may be deceived if you trust too much, but you will live in torment if you don’t trust enough.” —Frank Crane

“One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.” —E. M. Forster

“A man who doesn’t trust himself can never really trust anyone else.” —Cardinal De Retz

“I think we may safely trust a good deal more than we do.” —Henry David Thoreau

“Trust men and they will be true to you; treat them greatly and they will show themselves great.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. Six Steps to Doubling Your Income and Doubling Your Time Off
by Brian Tracy

The key to doubling your income and doubling your time off is simple.

Identify Your Key Tasks
First, identify those few tasks that contribute the greatest value to your work. Think your work through carefully, in advance. Discuss it with your boss and your co-workers. Identify your key tasks with absolute clarity so that you know without the shadow of a doubt what it is that you can do that makes the greatest contribution.

Stop Doing Low-Value Tasks
Identify all those routine tasks and activities that consume so much time but which contribute little or nothing to your long-term goals at work. Begin today to delegate those tasks to others, one at a time. Eliminate them altogether wherever possible. Outsource anything that can be done by any other person or company. Reduce the amount of time that you spend in low-value, time consuming activities. Be adamant about discontinuing tasks and activities that are of little importance.

Take Time Off
Decide today to take at least one full day each week off work during which you spend time exclusively with your family and on your personal pursuits. During this time off, you absolutely refuse to do anything associated with work. You do not read, make telephone calls, catch up on your correspondence, work on your computer, or anything else. You let your brain completely recharge and rejuvenate by turning your attention to something totally separate and apart from the work you do during the week.

Once you are comfortable taking one day off each week, expand your time off to two days, a full weekend, every week. Begin to schedule a three-day vacation away with your spouse every three months, and eventually, every two months. Begin to schedule two to four weeks of vacation with your family every year. Reorganize your life so that time off and time with your family becomes a major priority.

The more you get your time and your life under control, the more you will get done and the more enjoyable your work will be. The more you get done, the more free time you will have. The more free time you have, the better rested you will be. The better rested you are, the more alert and productive you will be when you are working, thereby getting even more done.

Think Through Your Activities
Start today to pay closer attention to the things you do. Be more conscious and aware of yourself and your actions. Think about your tasks carefully before you begin. Identify your most important tasks and concentrate on them single-mindedly. The very act of continually thinking through your activities before you begin will develop within you new habits of thought and action that will lead to ever greater levels of productivity and performance. You will be amazed at the improvements that take place in every part of your life, and they will take place far faster than you can imagine.