LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS AND LIFE

A LESSON LEARNED IN BUSINESS AND LIFE

by Ronald Reeker

The world has many people who are either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE.

No matter what you do, they will either like you and love you,or they will reject you and blame you.

You can not change them so do not try, the only person who you can really change is you.

Associate with the positive people who want to motivate you, inspire you, and make your life better and more rewarding.

Realize that you are not meant for everyone, and that’s okay.

You have a unique VALUE , so do not waste your time and effort on convincing someone that your VALUE matters.

If they do not see it, they never will.

You will be wasting both your time and theirs, and the results will be damaging to both of you.

The truth is that you are not for them, and they are not for you.

Make the decision to move on, there are many people out there who will know your VALUE, and will accept you and love what you do.

Your time and effort is a precious gift each of us has, and we should not waste it on those who do not choose to accept it.

Keep believing in yourself and what you do, and the rewards will be outstanding beyond your dreams.

YOUR "WHY" IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR "WANT" IN LIFE

by Ronald Reeker

www.casarocktravel.com

Most of us probably have not taken the time to consider why we do the things we do everyday of our lives.

We do the normal daily routines of sleeping, eating, and going to work without must thought. We spend time with our children, family, and friends the rest of the time allowed to all of us.

We have dreams and desires, and we want to succeed in life, but have we taken the time to really 

focus on the "why" ?

The "why" is more important than the "want" !

Once you know what your "wants" are (your dreams, your purpose and your passions) then you need to know your "why"

the reason you want to take action to

achieve your "wants".

Your "wants" and your "why" must work together in

order for you to lead a successful life. 

One without the other should not be an option.

Each of us should take some time out each day

to concentrate and evaluate if we are

heading in the right direction with our life.

Are you happy and love what you are doing each day,

or are you going to continue doing the same things

that make you unhappy.

The only person you can really change is you and no one else.

Once you really know your "wants", and you have

a "why" for doing them, your life will change,

and you will be rewarded with a 

happy life.

May all your "wants" come true, and your "why's"

for doing them.

THE BEST WAY TO COMMUNICATE AND CONNECT WITH PEOPLE

by Ronald Reeker

I believe we are losing our ability to communicate with people effectively.

We are looking down more at our cell phones than looking up at people. 

Do you think that cell phones are the most effective way to connect and communicate with people?

I think that by looking at peoples faces one to one and speaking to them is a better method of connecting and communication.

By using your cell phone you do not get to experience that human emotion that is reflected with the person to person contact.

The eye to eye and handshake to handshake method always works for effectively in the communication and connection process.

More and more people these days are becoming more dependent on using electronic devices as their only means of communication.

This will eventually lead our society in the wrong direction, and make communications less effective.

It is very hard to communicate feelings, expressions, and emotions using text and voice on a cell phone.

On the other hand the best method I believe is the old fashioned way of direct contact or person to person.

One of the reasons I believe people use cell phones is that they might fear meeting new people, and using a cell phone instead hides them from revealing their true personality to others.

There is this fear in society these days that something bad or wrong is going to happen to them, and they avoid the person to person contact as a means to protect themselves.

Most fears are only created in the minds of people as a defense mechanism, but they do not in reality actually happen that often.

People then use their cell phones and other electronic devices as a wall to shield themselves from the person to person contact.

We need to change the way we think and the way we communicate and connect with people.

Cell phones and electronic devices do play a small part in our lives, but they should not be the major factor. 

Communication and connecting with people with the face to face, eye to eye, and hand shake to hand shake method will alway be the best.

Let's start today at looking up and seeing people's faces, instead of looking down at our hands and cell phones.  

casarocktravel.com

THE SUNRISE OR THE SUNSET

by Ronald Reeker

Life gives us many choices, and we can choose how we want to live.

You can choose a life to be either a sunrise or a sunset.

A sunrise is a person who is positive about the new day, and looks for the good things that is going to happen to them and to those around them.

They reflect a glowing personality by encouraging, inspiring, and uplifting other people.

Their image is so bright that they do not let negative thoughts or actions invade their minds.

They realize that they can create positive results by actions and not only words.

A sunset is a person who is negative, and looks at life from a point of view that something is always wrong and nothing good is ever going to happen. 

They are more concerned about themselves than those other people around them.

They blame others and do not take any responsibility for their actions or failure to act.

Life to them seems meaningless, and there is nothing they can do about it.

Did you know that the sun is so bright that the stars can not be seen while it is shining.

 The stars are still there but can not be seen because of the sun's bright beam of light.

The sun represents the positive things in life, and the stars that shine at night the negative things.

The sunrise person represents the sun, and the sunset person represents the stars.

You have the freedom to choose how you want to live your life.

You can have a positive and rewarding life for yourself and others around you.

The only thing that may be holding you back is how you view your world and the world around you.

Change your way of thinking, and you will be surprised with the results.

A sunrise or a sunset type of life is your choice.

FORMAL EDUCATION OR KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM

by Ronald Reeker

When I was growing up and going to school, I was taught that I should plan to go to college, because that was the way to be successful in life if I was going to amount to anything.

I did go to college and graduate like most people, but later in life and looking back, I wish I had made other decisions.

While college was a great experience for me, and one of the reasons for going to college was that it opened many doors for me as far as employment and working for someone else. 

I realized later in life that the information taught in college was a very small part of my success.

Most of the knowledge and wisdom I learned was from people who first never went to college, and were influential in my becoming who I am today.

While formal education can help you get a job, it takes knowledge and wisdom to make a life.

My dream and goal was to make a better life.

This is the average or norm for most people in America living from day to day working for someone else.

I wanted to be better than ordinary or average.

The people who inspired me the most and made my life the most successful were not formally educated in the traditional schools and colleges.

I learned a great principle that knowledge and wisdom can come from people who most people would normally not listen too. 

Most people think that unless you have the college degrees you are not that important. 

I can definitely state from my experience that statement is totally inaccurate. 

Some of the people I have met over the years have been more influential in my success than those who had college degrees and thought they were the experts. 

As I look back at my life, I think knowledge and wisdom come more not from colleges, but from people who have had life experiences, and they can help you become more of a success in life, than those who went to college. 

The moment you decide not to follow someone's advice or wisdom because you think it is not important, or they are not important enough, is the time you may miss that opportunity to be more successful in your life.

I have learned that everyone in your life is important, and you can learn more from them if you just take the time to listen.

I have learned a great lesson in life that knowledge and wisdom are more important than a formal education.

SUCCESS AND WAKING UP EARLY IN THE MORNING

by Ronald Reeker

Did you know that there is a direct relationship between the way you wake up in the morning and your success?

Many of the most successful people wake up very early in the morning. They start each day by first setting the alarm clock a few hours earlier than most average americans. They are excited and motivated to begin achieving the goals they had planned for the day, because the night before they wrote down what they were going to accomplish the next day.

They did not make excuses for not getting out of the bed, or keep hitting their snooze alarm several times in order to get that last minute of sleep they thought they needed to start the day.

They realized that in order to be successful , you had to make some changes in their life and not be like the ordinary or average person in the morning.

Their success depended more on them than on other people if it was going to happen. While other people are an important element of anyone's success , it does take that one person to set the example for others to follow. 

The successful person follows the old saying "early to bed, and early to rise" sets the stage for your success in life. 

Many of us might look at this from another point of view, but successful people look out it as one of the one characteristics than makes them who they are and what drives them to succeed.

I like the the phase the military uses "we do more before 9 am. than most people do all day."

The successful person realizes and follows the same example. They know this is one of the keys to accomplishing more in life, and waking up is the first step.

By waking up earlier, you realize that you are adding more time in your life to achieve some of your dreams and goals. You are excited and motivated about your life , and you can not wait to begin a new day with new opportunities. 

There are only so many hours in a day, and how we use them effectively determines our success. Time is one of the most important factors in anyone's life, and we are all allowed the same amount each day. Time can be taken away from us in a moment without notice. 

Successful people know that before they go to bed each night they are thankful for the things they have done that day, and they write down the new goals they want to achieve tomorrow.

They are always moving forward, and never looking back, because they can not change the past, but they know they  can change their future. 

Are you now considering following the example successful people are doing, or are you wanting to stay in your ordinary or average lifestyle like so many other americans?

You know you have a choice, and you can change your life, you can be more successful if you really want to make a change.

The meaning of success is not making more money, but it is making your life more meaningful and rewarding than it is now.

The challenge is there for anyone who wants more out of life, and by waking up in the morning earlier is one way to achieve your dreams and goals for success.

THE CHINESE BAMBOO TREE PRINCIPLE

by Ronald Reeker

I saw this article the other day and thought how is relates to business and to our life.
We expect things to happen overnight, but they never seem to work out that way.
If the results do not happen immediately or in a few years, we either quit or say it will not work out for me.
Apparently we have not learned the secret to success in business and life.
We need to take a lesson from the Chinese bamboo tree and how it develops and grows.
If we keep the motivation, focus, and action moving in a positive direction, eventually all things develop.
If we make excuses and quit, the ultimate result will be disaster and us not achieving all we wanted to happen.

Keep Watering Your Bamboo Tree – Eric Aronson

In the Far East, there is a tree called the Chinese bamboo tree. This remarkable tree is different from most trees in that it doesn’t grow in the usual fashion. While most trees grow steadily over a period of years, the Chinese bamboo tree doesn’t break through the ground for the first four years. Then, in the fifth year, an amazing thing happens – the tree begins to grow at an astonishing rate. In fact, in a period of just five weeks, a Chinese bamboo tree can grow to a height of 90 feet. It’s almost as if you can actually see the tree growing before your very eyes.
Well, I’m convinced that life often works in a similar way. You can work for weeks, months and even years on your dream with no visible signs of progress and then, all of the sudden, things take off. Your business becomes profitable beyond your wildest dreams. Your marriage becomes more vibrant and passionate than you ever thought it could be. Your contribution to your church, social organization and community becomes more significant than you have ever imagined.
Yet, all of this requires one thing – faith. The growers of the Chinese bamboo tree have faith that if they keep watering and fertilizing the ground, the tree will break through. Well, you must have the same kind of faith in your bamboo tree, whether it is to run a successful business, win a Pulitzer Prize, raise well-adjusted children, or what have you. You must have faith that if you keep making the calls, honing your craft, reading to your children, reaching out to your spouse or asking for donations, that you too will see rapid growth in the future.
This is the hard part for most of us. We get so excited about the idea that’s been planted inside of us that we simply can’t wait for it to blossom. Therefore, within days or weeks of the initial planting, we become discouraged and begin to second guess ourselves.
Sometimes, in our doubt, we dig up our seed and plant it elsewhere, in hopes that it will quickly rise in more fertile ground. We see this very often in people who change jobs every year or so. We also see it in people who change churches, organizations and even spouses in the pursuit of greener pastures. More often than not, these people are greatly disappointed when their tree doesn’t grow any faster in the new location.
Other times, people will water the ground for a time but then, quickly become discouraged. They start to wonder if it’s worth all of the effort. This is particularly true when they see their neighbors having success with other trees. They start to think, “What am I doing trying to grow a bamboo tree? If I had planted a lemon tree, I’d have a few lemons by now.” These are the people who return to their old jobs and their old ways. They walk away from their dream in exchange for a “sure thing.”
Sadly, what they fail to realize is that pursuing your dream is a sure thing if you just don’t give up. So long as you keep watering and fertilizing your dream, it will come to fruition. It may take weeks. It may take months. It may even take years, but eventually, the roots will take hold and your tree will grow. And when it does, it will grow in remarkable ways.
We’ve seen this happen so many times. Henry Ford had to water his bamboo tree through five business failures before he finally succeeded with the Ford Motor Company. Richard Hooker had to water his bamboo tree for seven years and through 21 rejections by publishers until his humorous war novel, M*A*S*H became a runaway bestseller, spawning a movie and one of the longest-running television series of all-time. Another great bamboo grower was the legendary jockey Eddie Arcaro. Arcaro lost his first 250 races as a jockey before going on to win 17 Triple Crown races and 554 stakes races for total purse earnings of more than $30 million.
Well, you have a bamboo tree inside of you just waiting to break through. So keep watering and believing and you too will be flying high before you know it.