You’re OK . . . and I am, too

A friend sent me an inspiring memo yesterday.
Tammy is a former high school drop-out.
Her candor about that poor choice was refreshing.
Having been troublesome myself, it touched me.
She did not try to hide what she had done.
She later got smart and went back to school.
Now she is completing her doctorate.
That takes desire and discipline.

Tammy is smart, compassionate and ethical.
She measures her progress against herself.
No comparisons with friends and colleagues.
Just her own progress as a person and professional.

God’s 10 Commandments tell us not to covet.
No competing with our neighbors.
No coveting what our neighbors have.
No sense of achievement by out-doing others.
That leads to jealously, hatred and harming others.
It leads to gossiping and back-biting.

Tammy strives to be great and wants you to be great, too.
She asks, "How can I help you achieve your goals."

"Let’s celebrate our successes, yours and mine."
We need not compare ourselves to others.
No rooting for their failure so we feel superior.
Instead think: "You’re great . . . and I am, too.
"What can we do together to be more successful?"

This is the true path to realizing your dreams.
It leads to fulfillment in life and your career.
It is the path of whose who pursue great purposes.
For more on your own great purpose, click below:
http://jerrybellune.biz/jerrys-ebooks/your-lifes-great-purpose/

Pursuit of excellence

At 85, Jiro Ono is a sushi master.
He and his sons work with raw fish.
Sushi fans will appreciate this fully.

Jiro is the subject of a new documentary movie:
“Jiro Dreams of Sushi”.
Jiro not only dreams of sushi.
He drives himself to make it memorable.
His tiny 10-seat restaurant is in a Tokyo subway station.
It’s become a sushi gastronomic shrine.
Michelin Guide editors gave it their top rating.

Making better sushi is all Jiro ever wanted to do.
He is driven and merciless on himself.
His passion drives his two sons.
Eldest son Yoshikazu works with him at his restaurant.
Younger son Takashi has his own restaurant.
He opened it with his father’s blessing.
Failure is not an option, his father warned.

Jiro’s success, he insists, is no secret.
He is dedicated to an abstract idea.
“Each ingredient has an ideal moment of deliciousness.”
It guides his choices of fish and rice vendors.
They, too, must pursue excellence.
Excellence permits his astronomical prices.
Patrons often book seats a year in advance.

Jiro does not want to expand his restaurant.
He knows that his success depends on:
1. The drive that has produced excellence.
2. The scarcity of only 10 seats.
3. The exclusivity of being hard to find.

Jiro has been willing to pay the price of excellence.
Our challenge: To be willing to pay a price, too.
For more on that, see my new book.
“What It Costs to Be the Boss”
Email me for a free sampler of the book.

Travelin’ by night

Today’s strategy is about getting more from life.
Success is really about living fully.
I used to think there were three stages of travel.

1. First, the fun of planning the trip.
Where you will go. Where you will stay.
What you will see and do while there.

2. Next, the adventure itself.
It’s always grander even than you imagined.
It’s exhilarating to see the sun rise over the Rockies.
It’s romantic to watch it set in the South Pacific.
It’s mysterious to experience the London fog.
Or bright sunshine on the snowy Peaks of Europe.
Lights glistening on the Seine in Paris after dark.

3. Finally, retelling our adventures.
Don't lord it over your friends who did not go.
Dazzle them with your adventures. Never bore them.
Share the experience. Let them see it as you saw it.
Then I discovered a fourth stage.

4. Writing to relive the adventure.
We share our adventures in our newspaper.
We drove around France for two weeks.
I wrote about it for nine months.

My wife says she married a compulsive note taker.
Just writing about it makes the trip come alive again.
This is something that you might want to do yourself.
Now I’ve come to realize there’s a fifth stage.

5. You dream about places you’ve been.
I dream about adventures with my family.
I call that “travelin’ by night”. It’s in our dreams.
If you don’t travel, you can’t enjoy such dreams.
Where do you want to go next?
Time to starting planning.

For free travel advice, drop me an email note.
Send your questions and I’ll answer them.

The $6,400 To-Do List

Here’s a challenge for you: Write a $6,400 to-do list.
Am I kidding? No. Johnny Cash did it.
How did he do that? Well, it’s really simple.
Johnny wrote "Things to Do Today" lists.

On one were these 10 items:
1. Not smoke.
2. Kiss June (his wife).
3. Not kiss anyone else.
4. Cough.
5. Pee.
6. Eat.
7. Not eat too much.
8. Worry.
9. Go see Mama.
10. Practice piano.
Under the "Notes" he wrote: "Not write notes".

Johnny probably had his tongue in his cheek.
But the to-do list reflected his values.
It shows he was trying to quite smoking, etc.
He was working on his family relationships.
He was trying to stay humble and down to earth.

His to-do list sold at auction for $6,400.
Someone with more money than sense paid that.
He may plan to sell it for more to some other sucker.

Well, you say. But he was Johnny Cash.
That’s what made the list so valuable.
Well, why can’t you be the next Johnny Cash?
Or Bill Gates? Or Steve Jobs? Or Oprah Winfrey?
You’re smart enough and talented enough.
But are you determined enough?

When you get to be Johnny whoever, keep a list.
It might be worth $6,400 one of these days.

Do you want to become famous, too?
Write me for the secrets that can make you famous.
Send to me at Jerry@JerryBellune.com
Put "Star Formula" in the subject line.

The Power of Less

I’ve been reading a great little book by Leo Babauta.
I recommend it to you - "The Power of Less".
Leo’s concept is beautiful in its simplicity.
Limit yourself to what’s essential in life.

That’s not as easy to do as it may sound.
You may be a lot like me.
We have the Superman or Superwoman Complex.
We can have it all and do it all, can’t we?
We’re burning our candles at both ends.
But the candle will last only half as long.

Leo advises you to get rid of the busy little things.
Let someone else do them - or forget them.
This takes discipline and super self-control.
Workaholics have the most trouble with this.

There’s a mountain of stuff on my desk.
Six file cabinet drawers are jammed with stuff.
Newspaper and magazine tearsheets.
Great copywriting and design ideas.
Unread mail. Notes from seminars.
Outlines for projects I may never get to.
I made myself (and my wife) a promise.
If I have not needed it for a year, I’ll get rid of it.
90% of it is going to the landfill.
That’s one way to unclutter our lives.
I’m going to block out my time.
Only the vital stuff will get on my calendar.
Mark Twain’s big frogs get swallowed first.
I’m going to say "no" or "not now" more often.

You can do this, too. But you must want to.
This year, why not join me in this challenge.

• We can unclutter our lives.
• We can get the really important stuff done.
• We can have more time for our loved ones.
• We can even have more time for ourselves.

Take a tip from Leo Babauta and do it.
Also read his book. He shows you how to do it.

Want a copy of "Your life’s Great Purpose"?
Email me at this address.