Kindness... It’s a powerful thing. Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone practiced it.. What a different world we would all live in.. I am posting a moving excerpt from the book , The Power Of Kindness..

One day, a poor boy who was selling goods from door to door to pay his way through school, found he had only one thin dime left, and he was hungry. He decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door.

Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?”

“You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit.

Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled. They finally sent her to the big city, where they called in specialists to study her rare disease.

Dr. Howard Kelly* was called in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall of the hospital to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her. He recognized her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case.

After a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would take the rest of her life to pay for it all. Finally, she looked, and something caught her attention on the side of the bill. She read these words:

“PAID IN FULL WITH ONE GLASS OF MILK…”
(Signed)
Dr. Howard Kelly

*Dr. Howard Kelly was a distinguished physician who, in 1895, founded the Johns Hopkins Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. According to Dr. Kelly’s biographer, Audrey Davis, the doctor was on a walking trip through Northern Pennsylvania one spring day when we stopped by a farm house for a drink of water.

If you have interest in acquiring this book for your library you can go to www.simpletruths.com click on weekly specials. Please be aware I do not earn any type of commissions for promoting this… I just love the book and site.

Continued Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792

Our featured article today is What If, by Jerry Clark.  Jerry Clark became a self-made millionaire while still in his 20′s. Today, through his company Club Rhino, Inc., he conducts personal and professional development seminars in over 35 countries worldwide.

What if we are not Joyful today because we were not Thankful yesterday? And what if we are Blessed tomorrow because we are Grateful today?

What if we are not Inspired and Motivated today because we were not Committed and Disciplined yesterday?  And what if we are Inspired and Motivated tomorrow because we are Committed and Disciplined today?

What if we were never able to see a Rainbow because we were too busy complaining about the Rain? And what if today we couldn’t experience the warmth of the Sun because we focused on the coldness of the Shadow?

What if there were no more books tomorrow because we didn’t take the time to read today? And What if there were no life changing tapes today because we didn’t take the time to record our experiences yesterday?

What if our Prayers were not answered tomorrow because we didn’t listen to our heart today? And what if we did not follow our true “calling” today because we did not “hear” the phone ring yesterday?

What if life does not give you what you want today because you didn’t ask for it yesterday? And What if life will give you anything you want tomorrow if you would simply ask for it today?

What if you have GOTTEN today 10 times what you GAVE yesterday? And What if you GET tomorrow 10 times what you GIVE today?

What if you are not getting the Message today because you didn’t listen to the Messenger yesterday? And What if you don’t get the Message tomorrow because you didn’t listen to the Messenger today?

What if your life today is a reflection of your Thoughts yesterday? And what if your Thoughts today are a reflection of your Life tomorrow?

Things that make you say hummmmm…

Think about it,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com

Here is a question you may want to ask yourself…What gives a man or woman the right to lead?

It certainly isn’t gained by election or appointment. Having position, title, rank, or degrees doesn’t qualify anyone to lead other people. And the ability doesn’t come automatically from age or experience, either.

No, it would be accurate to say that no one can be given the right to lead. The right to lead can only be earned. And that takes time.

The key to becoming an effective leader is not to focus on making other people follow, but on making yourself the kind of person they want to follow. You must become someone others can trust to take them where they want to go.

As you prepare yourself to become a better leader, use the following guidelines to help you grow:

1. Let go of your ego.

The truly great leaders are not in leadership for personal gain. They lead in order to serve other people. Perhaps that is why Lawrence D. Bell remarked, “Show me a man who cannot bother to do little things, and I’ll show you a man who cannot be trusted to do big things.”

2.         Become a good follower first.

Rare is the effective leader who didn’t learn to become a good follower first. That is why a leadership institution such as the United State Military Academy teaches its officers to become effective followers first – and why West Point has produced more leaders than the Harvard Business School.

3.         Build positive relationships.

Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less. That means it is by nature relational. Today’s generation of leaders seem particularly aware of this because title and position mean so little to them. They know intuitively that people go along with people they get along with.

4.         Work with excellence.

No one respects and follows mediocrity. Leaders who earn the right to lead give their all to what they do. They bring into play not only their skills and talents, but also great passion and hard work. They perform on the highest level of which they are capable.

5.         Rely on discipline, not emotion.

Leadership is often easy during the good times. It’s when everything seems to be against you – when you’re out of energy, and you don’t want to lead – that you earn your place as a leader. During every season of life, leaders face crucial moments when they must choose between gearing up or giving up. To make it through those times, rely on the rock of discipline, not the shifting sand of emotion.

6.         Make adding value your goal.

When you look at the leaders whose names are revered long after they have finished leading, you find that they were men and women who helped people to live better lives and reach their potential. That is the highest calling of leadership – and its highest value.

7.         Give your power away.

One of the ironies of leadership is that you become a better leader by sharing whatever power you have, not by saving it all for yourself. You’re meant to be a river, not a reservoir. If you use your power to empower others, your leadership will extend far beyond your grasp.

Continued Success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com

Today’s featured blog article is titled develop the do it now habit by Tom Hopkins. Tom Hopkins is one of my long time favorites and after reading this you will understand why.

Self-Discipline really encompasses nearly everything in life. Do you remember in school when you were given 30 days to write a term paper? Did you start it that first night?

Most of us didn’t. Instead, we thought about it every night. “Got to get moving on that ratty project. But I’ve got almost a whole month left–it can wait.” As time goes by, worry about getting a failing grade looms larger in our minds. At first the pain of starting the term paper is greater than our concern about the failing grade, so after a week we still haven’t started.  Two weeks go by. What are we doing every night before we go to sleep? Worrying about that F. “I better start. Tomorrow I’ll get moving on it.”

A week before the term paper is due, the F is getting larger–but it’s still not quite large enough to offset the pain of working at preventing it. All of a sudden there are only three days left before it’s due, and at last the F looms larger than the pain of working on the term paper.  So we start.

As you lay it out you begin feeling some enthusiasm. “This isn’t bad. I may get an A if I do this and do that.” When you walk in with your paper you’re happy, but you wasted 27 days worrying about starting. In other words, you operated at a deficit emotionally for 27 days when you could have been in the profit column the whole time. Move into the emotional profit column right now; starting today, get your priority tasks and actions handled promptly. Plan your actions, then act on your plans. Apply this determination to every area of your life and it will make an enormous difference in your income, growth rate in business as well as your satisfaction and growth rate personally.

The portrait of a man who was being called the Whiz Kid on Wall Street appeared on the cover of a national magazine many years ago. He was one of the first to put a conglomerate together, and some of the federal laws affecting business in the early 70′s came about because of the trends that his creativity set off. At the time he was 42, he was running one of the largest industrial combines in the country, the conglomerate he had built himself. So the magazine had assigned a journalist and a team of researchers to do an in-depth report on this entrepreneur.

One of the researchers went to the small city the dynamic executive had left 15 years earlier. A few items turned up there about an alcoholic with the same name who had been sleeping on park benches at that time. The researcher passed this information along, and as the journalist was concluding his interview with the Wall Street powerhouse in his plush office, the journalist laughed and said, “Believe it or not, a man with your exact name was sleeping on park benches and getting ousted by the police when you lived in your home town. I guess the poor guy was a real wino. Isn’t that something?”

The president looked up and smiled. “That was me,” he said.

The reporter was flabbergasted. “This can’t be. You’re kidding.”

The president of the conglomerate leaned back in his leather chair and shook his head. “I’m not kidding. The wino sleeping off drinks on park benches was me.”

The journalist stared at him for a moment and realized that the man was telling the truth.  He also realized that now he had a whole new story. When his apologies were waved aside, he said, “I have to ask, what made you change?”

Listen to what he said because so many people fit this mold: “When I was sleeping under newspapers in the park 15 years ago, I knew that someday I would do what I’m doing now. I was just waiting until I was ready to start.”

Do you know how many people are like that?  “Well, next year’s my year. I’m going to get to work then. You just wait and see–right after the first of the year I’m gonna start shaping up.” But of course the time to get going never quite comes for most people. They have good intentions, but are lacking the two most vital components of any good deed: the motivation to begin and a strategic plan to keep them moving forward.

You see, by not beginning, you’re not risking failure, but you’re also confining yourself to the level of success you currently have. If you’re happy with that, fine. If not, make that plan and get fired up!

If your potential for greater success is nagging at you, don’t wait. Time is flying by so fast. Start today to achieve the greatness you know is within you.
Continued success,
Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com

It’s that time again to set our goals and update our vision boards for 2011. Many of us take time this time of the year to put together 2011 New Years Resolutions And Goals.

As New Years fast approaches I’m sure everyone has given thought to their New Years Resolutions. What do you want to be, do and have in 2011? I believe that New Years Resolutions don’t work unless you set True Goals – goals that have everything you need to be able to achieve them.  I wanted to share a quick outline on how to make a True Goal with the hope that your New Years Resolutions this year will result in making 2011 the best year of your life.

Here goes – A True Goal needs three things:

Vision, Mission, and Strategy

Vision Provides a Picture – answering What?
Mission Provides Purpose – answering Why?
Strategy Provides a Plan – answering How?

A true goal requires that you identify what you want, feel a deep sense of why you want it and then develop a plan as to how you will achieve it.

To develop your strategy – there are four simple questions to ask. They are:

Who has done it?
How did they do it?
What are the obstacles?
What are the solutions?

When you set a goal with vision, mission and strategy – you dramatically   increase your odds of achieving it.

Here is to making 2011 the best year Ever!

Happy New Year,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792, hunter645@aol.com

Our blog today is, your security by James Ray. James Ray is one of my personal favorites and I feel certain you will enjoy his work. James Ray, is the Master of The Entrepreneurial Mindset, and is the author of The Science of Success.

“Your security lies in your power to produce!”

I was speaking with a young man today at the gym about the idea of security. He made the comment to me, “It must be nice to be in your position James, to have created a career with such security.”

Like so many, what this man failed to realize is that security in position or bank account are absolutely false. I coached a couple some time ago, and her big thing was “paying off all debts and paying cash for everything.”

How often do we measure our “security” by the digits in our savings account or checkbook? By our income or salary? By having a certain title or award in our business? By having a certain romantic relationship? A certain degree or education level? The list is endless.

NONE of these things are true security — only a temporary illusion. So many times I have felt “secure” in some of the areas above, only to have some unexpected event come along and take the wind out of my sails. I bet you have experienced this as well — haven’t you?

I looked this bright young man in the eyes and said, “Security is a state of mind.”

True security comes from knowing that you have the power to produce. That you have full access to a greater source than yourself — a totally unlimited supply of energy and goodness within our universe. This power can more fully work through you as you develop right thinking and right action.

Henry Ford was once asked, “What would you do if all your success and riches were taken away tomorrow?” He wisely responded, “I would find a human need and fill it — and I would be a millionaire again in 5 years or less.”

Let me challenge you this week to “judge not by appearances.” You are secure – Right Now! Know it and Claim it!

“The greatest asset you have to constantly preserve, maintain, enhance and develop is your own capabilities.” Greater than any digit in a checkbook, title, relationship, or present circumstance.

Develop yourself, and your results will flourish — no matter what life throws your way. This unlimited power will be able to work and produce more fully through you.

“Your security lies in your power to produce.” Make your life Magnificent.

Continued success,

Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792

Todays blog is titled,THE EIGHT-STEP PROCESS TO BETTER ASKING   by Mark Victor Hansen. Mr. Hansen, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul Series, has for more than 25 years, uniquely focused on the vital elements of human behavior that most affect our personal and professional lives and has influenced society’s top leaders and the general public on a global scale. Below is what he has to say..

When you begin to ask for what you need and want, you’ve taken control of your life, and are proactively steering its direction. Many wonderful and great things come to you as a result.
But just how do you go about getting started asking? Here are the primary action steps to take:

Act as if you expect to get it. It is of primary importance that your state of thinking contain a solid level of certainty and expectation when you ask. This state of mind will affect everything else – your body posture, eye contact, tone of voice, and choice of words. Think for a moment – you’ve been in situations when you’ve asked and had every certainty that you would receive exactly what you were asking for. Remember how you felt then? Keep that in your mind with every request you make.

Ask someone who can give it to you.

Before you ask someone for something, make an assessment of whether or not they will be able to give it to you. Some people are very qualified and motivated to help. Others just aren’t capable of delivering – watch people and review that capacity. Have you ever seen them capable of delivering what you’re about to ask them, or are you just hoping the potential is there?

Get the other person’s full attention.

Your request deserves that respect! If the person cannot give you his or her full attention, set up an appointment, ask to talk during the commercial break, or ask them to schedule time for you in the very near future.

Be clear and specific.

Be as concise as you possibly can in your requests. Ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want. At the same time, be careful what you ask for – more often than not, you get exactly what you’ve requested!

Ask from the heart.

You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough! Keep that unbridle passion for your purpose, project or goal stirring in your soul as you begin to ask, and maintain eye contact throughout the entire ask process. This further establishes your integrity, trustworthiness and passion on the subject.

Ask with humor and creativity.

Humor captures our attention and breaks down our defenses. Creativity disarms our resistance and opens our minds to new possibilities.

Give something to get something.

As Zig Ziglar says, “You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”  When you’re asking, always be sure to explain what’s in it for them, how they benefit and win because they’ve acted positively on your request.

Ask repeatedly.

If someone says, “No!” you say “Next!” Expect no’s – even on a repeated basis from the same people you’re asking. Your tenaciousness and perseverance will undoubtedly pay off.

So You’ve Asked and They Still Say “No.” Now what?

Don’t lose your cool when you’re faced with resistance! A powerful request can only be powerful if you’re also willing to be declined. Ask with authority, prepare yourself for a “no,” be gracious in receiving that “no,” then make one of two choices:

* Ask the person you just made the request of to help you with a solution. They may know someone who CAN give you a “yes” and, given some freedom and respect from you, they often wander their own way into providing your “yes.”

* Walk away without burning your bridges. You probably just came across someone who feasibly could not help you. The world is much too small and inter-connected to lash out at even one person.

Continued success,
Herb Hunter, 734-285-6792 , hunter645@aol.com