Email for: killdragonhero@gmail.com * Self Improvement and Personal Growth Weekly Newsletter * Issue #886, Week of August 31-September 1, 2015 Publisher: David Riklan - http://www.SelfGrowth.com In this issue: -- Quotes of the Week -- Article: The Top 10 ways to Keep Yourself Enthused - by Diana Robinson -- Article: The Scientific Process Behind Making Wishes Come True - By Mark Victor Hansen -- Book Review: Influence : The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini -- How to Advertise in the Self Improvement Newsletter -- How to Subscribe and Unsubscribe from this Newsletter ------------------------------------------------------------ *** Quotes of the Week *** ------------------------------------------------------------ You see things; and you say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" - George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) If a man has talent and cannot use it, he has failed. If he has a talent and uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he has a talent and learns somehow to use the whole of it, he has gloriously succeeded and has a satisfaction and a triumph few men ever know. - Thomas Wolfe If you want to be successful, find someone who has achieved the results you want and copy what they do and you'll achieve the same results. - Anthony Robbins ------------------------------------------------------------ *** ARTICLE: The Top 10 ways to Keep Yourself Enthused - by Diana Robinson *** ------------------------------------------------------------ Almost all of us feel enthusiastic at the start of a new project. However, keeping the enthusiasm going over time is another issue, and is problematic for many people. Wisdom Source G. Gurdjieff suggested that there are points in the progress of every project when energy fades unless there is an influx of external energy. Since we cannot be sure that we will receive an energy boost from outside ourselves at just the right time, here are some ways to prevent our enthusiasm from flagging. 1. Use visual reminders of your goal. Develop visual reminders of your goal and the advantages you will experience when you reach it. The classic example is that if, when you achieve it, you will be able to afford that luxury item you are yearning for, get your photograph taken with that item (e.g. go to a car showroom, sit in the car of your dreams, and have a friend take a picture), and place the photograph where you will see it daily. 2. Develop tiny steps. It is easy to become discouraged if each step looms large, and requires a major expenditure of time. If you break the project down to extremely small steps, then you can make some progress even if you have only five minutes. It may be something as small as setting out the materials for the next step, but, nonetheless, it is progress. ** To read the full article, go here. ------------------------------------------------------------ *** ARTICLE: The Scientific Process Behind Making Wishes Come True - By Mark Victor Hansen *** ------------------------------------------------------------ I've told people thousands of times that they've just got to ask for what they want. And I find that most people only have one problem with this directive . . . They don't KNOW what they want! You can't ask for what you want unless you know what it is! In this exercise, I'm going to start you on a wonderful path of painting your dreams into reality. I'm going to teach you the secrets behind setting - and achieving - your greatest ambitions. Before we set off on this path together, let me make one thing very clear: The word "goals" can be intimidating - it can feel so overbearing that it keeps people from even beginning the process. So, let's instead think of goals as a "To Do List With Deadlines." Do the deadlines have to be tomorrow? Next week? Of course not. This is your To Do List for the rest of your life. Goals can be added to, subtracted from and - most importantly - scratched off the list - as you move through your life. Here's a checklist to ensure you're using a successful framework to set your To Do List: * Your most important goals must be yours. Not your spouse's. Not your child's. Not your employer's. Yours. When you let other people determine your definition of success, you're sabotaging your own future. ** To read the full article, go here. ------------------------------------------------------------ *** BOOK REVIEW: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini *** ------------------------------------------------------------ Arguably the best book ever on what is increasingly becoming the science of persuasion. Whether you're a mere consumer or someone weaving the web of persuasion to urge others to buy or vote for your product, this is an essential book for understanding the psychological foundations of marketing. Recommended. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology The materials in Cialdini's Influence is a proverbial gold mine. Contemporary Psychology Influence is a joy to read. Cialdini deserves a pat on the back for breaking the mold. Some people just won't take no for an answer. In Influence, Dr. Robert Cialdini explains the six psychological principles that drive our powerful impulse to comply to the pressures of others and shows how we can defend ourselves against manipulation (or put the principles to work in our own interest). Influence guarantees two things: Readers will never say yes again when they really mean no, and they'll be more persuasive than ever before. Robert Cialdini's Influence was a hit the moment it was first published in 1984. Now it's been updated and revised to incorporate the most recent developments in the fields of persuasion and compliance to provide fresh insights and examples of how influence works to change behavior. ***** The list Price of this book is $17.99. To purchase this book for $7.41 at a 40% discount from Amazon.com, go directly to, go here. |