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Lending a Hand to Make a Difference
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Fun and Sun for February
By Jack Chafin
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Sorry for the late issue of our February Newsletter, but the management team
was sidetracked by travels plans. Laura wanted to make sure our readers and
members were not short changed, so we are publishing this issue a little late.
Janice and I fulfilled a major goal in February and took the entire family to
Orlando, Florida for a vacation. By the time we added up our seven children,
their spouses, our nine grandchildren, and Jan's 93 year old mother, Betty, we
had 25 people touring Disney World. It was a great time for all of us. High
point for the kids was a Disney Character dinner at Chef Mickey's Caf. I was
inspired by our tours of the Disney Parks and the story of Walt Disney's life
at Epcot. I reaffirmed my intent to build MindBiz into the "Disney" of Personal
Development for our clients around the world.
While in Florida, we also visited with my brother Robert Chafin and caught up
on families, careers, and personal growth. Bob is a fitness buff and currently
is enjoying running, kick boxing and weight lifting to stay in shape and keep
ahead of his two athletic sons and active daughter. He is an excellent speaker
and noted conversationalist and was president of the Treasure Coast
Toastmasters Club in the Palm Beach area. Bob contributed an article for our
newsletter highlighting his tips for successful public speaking.
Laura and Mel Quesada coordinated a Las Vegas trip in February to bring
together some folks from around the country. Janice and I were pleased to join
them for a few days and catch up on business and pleasure.
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February 2004 Newsletter
"To create the world's leading Internet
community for the pursuit of personal development and deliver outstanding
products and services to our clients and partners worldwide"
New... Evolved... Revolutionary...
So Much Information
@ Your Fingertips!
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The photo is evidence that we were at the Limo trade show where their friends
Lisa and Kenny were showing off some of the great cars that they manufacture in
San Antonio and Mexico. We did not buy anything, but Jan liked this one with
the blue top. Sales at MindBiz will have to pick up before we purchase any
company limos. Friends Curtis and Susan coordinated entertainment while Laura
and I used the "three finger technique" to come out "Even or Better" at the
casinos. While Laura and I are the experts at the MindBiz techniques, Jan and
Mel seemed to walk away from the Blackjack tables with the "or Better".
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Checklist for Success
By Laura Silva Quesada
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There are many ways to stay on track with your goals and keep moving towards
creating the life of your own design. Making a list of what you value most in
life, and then being true to those things you value, is one of the best ways to
get you from where you are to where you want to be. This list becomes a
Checklist for Success!
Begin your list by first taking a few moments to think of what is the one thing
you value more than anything else in the world and then write it on the top of
a page. Continue with the second thing you value most, and write it below the
first one. Continue listing what you value most in order of importance. When
your list is done, you have before you your hierarchy of what is most important
to you in life. For example:
God
Self
Significant Other
Children
Family and Friends
Pets and Plants
Next, write down everything you need to do in order to be true to each of the
things you value. For example: God - Create and/or maintain a strong
relationship with God by doing good things such as solving problems instead of
creating them; serve humanity through my work and/or life; do onto others as I
would like to have done onto me; meditate and/or pray daily; be grateful for
all the goodness in my life as well as for the challenges that help me grow and
learn; and be more charitable.
Self - Be the best me I can possibly be
by putting conscious effort into keeping healthy in:
Body - maintain health or do whatever is
necessary to return to health; exercise and maintain a healthy weight; sleep as
much as is needed for my body; be conscious not to abuse drugs or alcohol;
eliminate negative or harmful habits.
Spirit - keep a strong relationship with
God; touch base with my inner self through meditation; be kind and generous to
others; do something creative daily; enjoy art and music; and spend more time
with nature.
Mind - think positive thoughts; search
for solutions to all challenges; set and update goals quarterly; create mental
pictures of desired future and revise them as necessary; practice mental
gymnastics such as when using memory techniques.
Emotions - be true to what I believe in;
set clear boundaries for myself and others; overcome even the slightest fears;
be open to loving and being loved; do what ever I need to do to truly love
myself; accept myself for who and how I am in the areas I cannot change; accept
others for who and how they are realizing they are probably doing the best they
know how; forgive myself and others and move forward.
Other - continue to learn new skills and
talents; strengthen existing skills and talents; enjoy my work and do it very
well; have a makeover; do everything so well that I would be proud to sign my
name next to it.
Significant Other - Love and accept my
Significant Other for who and how they are; have fun and laugh a lot with them;
be affectionate and share a lot of physical, loving contact; be a source of
emotional support; keep the spontaneity and passion alive; be available; be
sensitive to their needs; be totally honest, maintain clear lines of
communication; always be best friends.
Children - teach them about God and
goodness; love and accept them unconditionally for who and how they are;
discover their unique nature and gift; acknowledge and respect them as
individuals, be the best teacher and guide I can possibly be; be a good
example; teach them healthy morals and values; teach them to take
responsibility for all their actions and outcomes; teach them how to make good
choices and decisions, teach them about consequences; teach them how to create
a life of their own design; keep a 24 hour open line of communication; be
patient.
Family and Friends - stay connected;
address unresolved issues whenever necessary and appropriate; do not enable
unresourceful behaviors; be honest; forgive and allow to be forgiven; make
amends if necessary; lend a helping hand; be available; be supportive;
encourage positive change when ever necessary; spend time together; remember
their birthdays and special occasions; be there for them during tough times.
Pets and Plants - love, respect and
appreciate them and their existence; be sensitive to their needs; provide them
with the proper care for maximum health; spend time with them; have fun.
This sample list may or may not match the kind of person you are today. Putting
that aside, you will notice that material possessions and finances are not
listed. This is because when you are doing everything you know how to do to
keep your relationship with God and your Self strong, healthy and true, then
you will have plenty of work. And, because you do your work so well with your
have highly developed skills and talents, you will be in high demand giving you
the corresponding income to buy the possessions you desire.
Note: It would be interesting to see how
your Checklist for Success compares to that of your Significant Other. If they
are the same, you may have a match made in heaven. If they are slightly
different, then you may each agree to modify your lists in order for them to
match. This could be taken as a sort of written agreement between the two of
you that basically states you will go through life together valuing the same
things. If your lists are totally different and there is no desire to make any
modifications in order to make a closer match, then you may want to reconsider
how Significant the Other really is.
These kinds of lists can be made between you and anybody else such as business
partners, employees and children. Parents and children making a list with the
title "What It Takes To Have And Maintain A Healthy, Loving And Open
Relationship" may find it to be a real eye opener when the most important thing
for a parent is to have "open communication," yet for the child it is having
"total privacy." As long as each person participating in this exercise is
willing to be flexible and work together the outcome is more than likely going
to be very positive.
Your Checklist for Success is a great way to set goals as well. Whenever you
discover that you are not doing something that would surely improve how you
relate to one of the persons or things on the list, then make it a goal for you
to reach. Your life will only move forward, and in a very positive manner.
You Can Achieve Success In Public Speaking
By Robert Chafin
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Have you had the opportunity to speak before a group and declined because of
lack of confidence?
Or perhaps you have spoken at a public gathering but did not feel like you did
as well as you would have liked to do?
If you answered yes to either question, read on; help is on the way!
More and more business and civic-minded people are speaking before groups.
Business people are speaking at conferences, seminars, and workshops.
Ecologists, builders, and citizens are voicing their opinions before local
governments. All of us are out promoting our cause and selling our ideas to as
many people as possible.
You can immediately improve your speaking ability by working on three key
areas.
First Area Is Preparation
Pick a subject that you are qualified to speak about and are enthusiastic
about. This will show in your speech. Once you have picked a subject or
position, research and review for those facts and ideas you would like to
present.
Organize your talk with a strong opening statement, a body of supporting data,
and a strong conclusion which summarizes your main position and restates your
opening remarks.
In other words, it simply means:
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Tell them what you are going to tell them.
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Tell them.
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Tell them what you just told them.
Other organizational tips include:
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Practice, Practice, Practice. In front of friends, family, or, if need be, at a
makeshift lectern in the biggest room in your house with a bunch of teddy bears
in front of it. They won't throw vegetables if you bomb out.
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Time yourself. A microwave oven timer or an egg timer works fine here.
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Don't try to present more information than you have time for. Your job is to
sell your ideas and inspire action, not to present data ad infinitum.
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Make sure your topic is relevant to your audience.
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End with a definite closing statement and a call to action.
Second Area Is Mannerisms and Appearance
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Dress appropriately for your audience. .First impressions can never be
duplicated and your listeners will look for congruity here.
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Smile genuinely and often, even when you slip up a line or two. You will appear
confident and your listeners will feel more at ease.
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Use appropriate gestures to liven up your talk. Avoid distancing ones such as
jingling change in your pocket or pacing back and forth.
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Practice good posture. Stand erect but comfortable. And please don't hug the
lectern. Its not going to fly away and neither are you.
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Use good eye-to-eye contact. Glance at all areas of the room from time to time.
It will make all listeners feel included and add to your credibility as a
speaker.
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Feel free to use notes to remind you of key points and their sequence, but
don't read from a written script. It will detract from your speech. If you use
notes, write them in large print so you can see them without bending over.
The Last Area Is Voice
Look up and speak clearly. Allow your voice to be heard by everyone in the
room.
Change your vocal rate and even your volume to add variety or to emphasize a
key point.
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Avoid saying ahh, and-ahh, you know, etc.
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Take moderately deep breaths.
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Show enthusiasm in your voice and you will succeed.
So there you have it. All the basics to make that next public talk a winner.
Don't worry about a mistake or two. Your audience will sympathize with you and
will be wishing they had the guts to get up and do what you are doing. Especially
your competition!
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