Dr Zimmerman Sign Up Information

Hello from Dr. Z Joshua,

My last in-person 2020 Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program is almost here . November 12-13, 2020 in St. Louis. And the $500 Early-Bird Discount expires this Thursday, October 8th. So I wanted to encourage you to register now.

(P.S. If you're not comfortable attending the Journey in person, no problem. I will offer the same program virtually a few days later. We'll share the same content and time, not just the same space.)

Of course, I realize, some of you may not be familiar with the Journey program. So let me give you a quick overview. It is an intense, interactive workshop designed to transform your life and give you the tools you need to get all the happiness and success you want on and off the job.

And the testimonies from our hundreds and thousands of past participants say this will be one of the best investments you will ever make.

Sheila Fitzgerald, a Supervisor for the Department of the Treasury, says:

"Your Journey made a tremendous difference in my life. I learned how to deal with stress so I'm happier, more productive, and better received by my coworkers. I learned how to achieve my goals, once and for all. So I went back to school, started exercising, and lost 25 pounds. I dramatically improved the way I listen to my staff and my peers, and my attitude has certainly improved!"

Just so you know, I only offer my offsite Journey to the Extraordinary once or twice a year. And with the uncertainty in the world, this may be the last time I will be able to offer the live, in-person version. Who knows?

Again, if you prefer the virtual offering, great. I welcome you to either one.

Also, our enrollment is strictly limited. Because I want to create a small, safe, interactive environment where change and growth take place. Not some huge rah-rah rally where you get excited for a day, but nothing really changes.

During this program, you'll learn the 12 keys that ensure your success. These 12 keys will make sure that you operate at your very best. And these 12 keys will help you build positive and productive relationships, so you not only bring out the best in yourself but also the best in others.

Register by October 8, 2020 and you save $500 on your tuition.

Click here to join us for Dr. Zimmerman''s "Journey to the Extraordinary" in St. Louis on November 12th and 13th, 2020!

Here's what you'll learn:

Day 1 (8 AM - 5 PM)

6 Keys to Personal Peak Performance: Bringing Out the Best in Yourself

Peak Performers . in any profession . at any level . have invariably mastered the 6 keys to personal and professional transformation. They have mastered the keys of self-esteem, purpose, goals, attitude, risk, and balance.

And Day 1 of the JOURNEY gives you the tools you need to be a Peak Performer . all the time . no matter what . on and off the job.

Topics Covered:

• 7 strategies for unshakeable confidence
• 10 questions to determine what you really want out of life
• A process for figuring out your purpose
• How to eradicate the biggest block to the use of your full potential
• An easy, 10-minute daily exercise that achieves your goals
• The danger of living in your comfort zone
• How to take constructive risks that pay off
• 8 skills that lead to a positive attitude
• 9 strategies that neutralize stress, no matter how busy your life is
• How to create true balance in your life - without sacrificing results

Listen to Stuart Gray, the President of 4Remarkable Service. He says: "Your Journey is absolutely incredible. I've been using the affirmation techniques you taught, and they have brought about some major changes in my life. Just to name a few, I left a very comfortable role to take on a new position - where I turned a group into the most effective and productive sales team in the company. I achieved a great deal more work-life balance, have deepened my spiritual life, and have a new and clearer vision for my future. I learned it all from your program."

Click here to join us for Dr. Zimmerman''s "Journey to the Extraordinary" in St. Louis on November 12th and 13th, 2020!

Day 2 (8 AM - 4 PM)

6 Keys to Positive Productive Relationships: How to Bring Out The Best In Others

It doesn't matter if you're an executive, a manager, a team leader, team member, employee, parent or spouse; you've got to work with people. You've got to know what "motivates" them and what kinds of things build solid, cooperative, and lasting relationships with those other people.

Day 2 of the JOURNEY skips the boring, impractical theories delivered in so many programs and gets right down to the nitty gritty skills that actually work. You learn people skills you can use today . to get results today.

Topics Covered:

• How to melt people's resistance to change
• 5 reasons people refuse to go along with you
• The key in getting people to do what you want them to do
• Listening that ensures understanding and improves relationships
• 12 recognition strategies that motivate others to do their very best
• Ways to ask for what you want . and get it
• Strategies that inspire others to accomplish bigger and better
• How to confront difficult behavior without creating defensiveness
• How to create a fun, productive, engaging work environment
• Brave questions that build deeper stronger relationships

Kathy Welte, the Director for the National Marrow Donor Program writes:

"Your Journey was unlike any other training program I have ever attended. When those other programs were over, we put our notebooks on the shelf and never opened them again. But at the end of your Journey, you gave each of us a 15-week reinforcement program to keep the lessons in the forefront of our minds, and you made sure we stayed on track and used what we learned. Thanks!!!"

I would love for you to join me at the "Journey to the Extraordinary" program in St. Louis on November 12th and 13th, 2020!

Sign up now ... and you will save $500 on your tuition. Better yet, if 3 or more of you are coming from the same organization, and if you sign up together, you'll save even more.

Need more details on what you''ll learn at the "Journey to the Extraordinary" program? Click here for the complete tour!

Have questions? Call 1-800-621-7881 or reply to this email.

To your Success!

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

"Businesses are built on satisfied customers." True or false?

Almost everyone says "True." It only makes sense.

However, the answer is "false." A study by the Forum Corporation says almost 40% of your "satisfied" customers will switch to another vendor.

As Buzz Bainbridge wrote in Network magazine, many people back in the 1980''s assumed there would be a direct correlation between customer satisfaction and repeat business. It''s just not true.

A satisfied customer is simply a person who got what he paid for. Nothing more, nothing less. Once he''s paid for your product or service, he feels no particular need to stay with you.

The truth is that you build your business on enthusiastic customers who talk about you. Who spread the word about your business through positive word-of-mouth buzz. Who become, in effect, your ambassadors.

So what can you do to turn your ordinary customers into extraordinary ambassadors? Use any or all of the following techniques.

? 1. Provide moments of magic.

Do something . anything . that will make your customers say "Wow!" and will make them want to talk about it.

Do something . anything . that will make your customers say "Wow!" and will make them want to talk about it.

For example, The ABC Bus Company has seven locations across the country where they sell and repair buses. When I first went there, I expected their shops to be like most mechanical shops I''ve seen--fairly greasy, dirty, and slippery.

Not at all! Their shops are so amazingly clean you could literally go there, all dressed up, sit on the floor and eat your brown bag lunch, and feel totally comfortable. It was so impressive that I've been saying "Wow" ever since.

If you can't think of five or six things that almost always get your customers to say "Wow," create some moments of magic, starting right now.

? 2. Make life easier.

Everyone seems to have too much stress these days. You know, too much to do and too little time plus the health and economic disasters of COVID. If you can remove some of that stress, you'll get people talking about you and your business.

The Opryland Hotel does that for their guests. When I asked for a restaurant recommendation offsite, they did more than mention a place. They did more than whip out a basket of menus they had collected. Anyone could have done that.

This hotel went one step further. They told me they had personally checked out several restaurants. They had tasted the foods and thought they were excellent. They even made sure the prices were fair. And they totally removed the possible frustration of a poor dining experience. They made life easier for me and their thousands of other guests.

The result? I became one of their enthusiastic customers. In fact, I just told about 100,000 of you who receive my Tuesday Tip newsletter every week.

Remember, you are not in the business of merely selling goods and services. You're in the business of making life easier for your customers . if you want to stay in business, that is.

As I said above, make life easier. That's right, make life easier for yourself and the other people in your life. That's exactly what my in-person or virtual Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience will do for you.

That's what Dr. Sally Webb said about the program. Having spent several decades going to school, getting degrees, and teaching at the University level, I figured she was certain to be a tough critic. Well, she was delighted with the Journey.

Sally says, "Dr. Alan Zimmerman is the perfect guide for the Journey-to-the-Extraordinary. He combines his personal experiences and those of others with years of research and academic and business success. Whether adults are young or old, Alan gives participants valuable, rich, practical, new guidelines in these fast-paced, interactive sessions. Participants left the Journey energized with a new zest for their family, friends, and careers. And I learned so many take-aways that I have to say my life and career have never been better."

? 3. Serve with a super-caring attitude.

Whatever your product or service, I presume it is a quality product or service. But face it; there are lots of quality products and services in the marketplace. Your competitors can give you a healthy run for your money.

What your competitors can''t do, however, is duplicate your exact attitude. They can''t add the precise personal touch that you can add. And if your attitude stands out as especially attractive, the customers will remember you.

Now you may not want to hear that. You may think your product or service speaks for itself. You may think you don''t need any of this "touchy-feely, mumbo jumbo attitude crap." That''s what one of my audiences said.

As I pushed them to take a good hard look at their service, they told me, "Look, we''re no worse than anybody else." I thought to myself, admittedly somewhat sarcastically, "What a wonderful advertising slogan: ''We''re no worse than anybody else.'' That should really draw in the customers."

Fortunately, I was able to get through their defensiveness. I helped them see the importance of attitude and how it would add to their bottom line. They ended up with a lot more success with their customers and a lot more profit.

If you work with people in person or virtually, what are you doing to make sure your attitude is a positive one? Does your attitude impress customers or does it turn them off.

If you manage people, what are you doing to help your people develop a positive attitude? And what are you doing to ensure their attitude stays positive? If you''re leaving it to chance, you might as well be flushing some of your profits down the toilet.

It''s weird. Some organizations have focused all their energy on lowering prices, but they haven''t learned how to raise their attitudes. I sometimes think they should hang a sign that says, "We give lousy service, but we''re cheap." At least that would be truth in advertising.

The more enlightened companies are starting to "get" it. They''re starting to realize that they may have been hiring the wrong way. They were hiring people with skill but they were overlooking the attitude of their new hires.

Disney changed all that. They said it was easier to give someone a skill than an attitude. Disney said hire for attitude -- and then train for skill.

Are you doing that? You need your customers to be impressed by the positive, professional attitude of your employees. You need your customers to feel good about the quality of your product, and you need your customers to talk about the quality of the service they received.

Final Thought: Everyone in your life is a customer. Your spouse, partner, kids, coworkers, friends, family members, and yes, of course, your organization's customers are all YOUR customers. Which means you can use all three of today's tips on any of those people to create better, more profitable relationships.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1058- 6 Ways to Turn Your Customers into Your Ambassadors (Part 1)

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Hi Joshua,

Since the age of seven, I've forged my own path in business. Whether it was selling greeting cards door-to-door or importing products, being entrepreneurial has always been a priority for me. Over the decades, I've faced countless obstacles, and each time, I've had to find a way to move forward. These experiences have enriched my life, both personally and professionally, and every time I get to share what I've learned, it allows me to fulfill my purpose in helping others.

This month, Dennis Postema, the founding editor of SHOTCALLERS magazine, allowed me another opportunity to share what I've learned. During our video interview, which was adapted for print, we talk about the six core principles discussed in my new book and my new 5-week virtual program called The Champion Edge Master Class.

To get your copy of the magazine and read the article, go to http://motivationandsuccess.com/shotcallers/.

Act now because prices go up in December and January . plus this is a great way to start off a new year, picking up the tools you need to ensure the accomplishment of the goals you want.

Happy Thanksgiving. Despite all the challenges we face, we still have much to be thankful for.

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

We may be living in one of the most stressful times in our lives. Some people are working an insane number of hours while millions of others have no work. Our economy is hurting badly and the lives of many people have been sacrificed to COVID-19.

So if you're feeling more stress than usual, you're normal. The trouble is you may have too much stress and too few stress-relieving weapons in your arsenal. As a result, you may be wearing down at work as well as at home. And one thing is for sure; you can't be effective if you're a victim of stress.

However, over the years I've learned dozens of quick and easy, powerful stress-busting techniques and I'm teaching them to my clients these days. Let me share five of them with you today.

I'll warn you that these strategies may seem a bit soft or too touchy-feely for you. They may be outside your comfort zone. No problem. Just pick one or two of them to use when the stress is starting to weigh you down.

? 1. Change your thoughts. Think peace

To a large extent, your stress is controlled by your thoughts. The more you think, "I can't take much more of this. I've had it. or. That's not fair," the more stress you'll have. You've got to stop thinking those thoughts.

If you're feeling too much stress, sit back, close your eyes, and picture the serenity that comes after a storm. Imagine that the turmoil within you has passed. All that remains is stillness. Try this exercise whenever you feel tense, nervous, and upset. You'll be amazed at the calmness you can create.

? 2. Take time for quietness.

Of course, you may think you've got too much to do to stop and be quiet for a few minutes. But you will pay a price if you don't.

Novelist Robert Louis Stevenson said: "Extreme busyness.is a symptom of deficient vitality." Physicist Blaise Pascal said: "One of the ways in which man brings the most trouble upon himself is by his inability to be still."

You know how you feel after a good night's sleep. You feel stronger and more able to meet the day. Taking time for quietness during the day enables you to restore your vitality and energy. You'll begin to understand what is happening. You'll think more rationally, and your tension will diminish.

If you're not doing this at present, I'd suggest you start with five or ten minutes a day. Find a private place and just sit there quietly. Don't try to solve any of your problems. Don't try to focus on anything. Don't even focus on thoughts of peace as I suggested above. This is a different exercise with a different purpose. Just experience the calmness of silence and the quietness will work as a pressure releaser.

F.Y.I. Besides taking time for quietness, as point 2 indicates, you should also take time for self-empowering, stress-busting, continuing education. Enrollment for my next virtual 5-week Champion Edge Master Class starting in September is now open. Register now and save $100.

? 3. Behave with deliberate patience.

Yes, I know that patience isn't always easy. I remember a golfer who had trouble sinking his ball. The ball just wouldn't go where he wanted it to go. Finally, after many strokes, he got the ball in the cup. Then with a look of hatred, he took the ball out, placed it on the ground and pounded it into the earth with his club. I don't know how his game went after that, but I can't believe that his lack of patience served him very well. If nothing else, he lost the respect of the onlookers, not to mention his own self-respect.

However, you can become patient by simply acting that way. The mind-body connection is tremendously powerful. When you start moving a bit more slowly, a bit more deliberately and less erratically, your whole body and mind take on an aura of calmness and control. Certainly there are times when you must move quickly, but for the most part, don't.

? 4. Refuse to worry.

There's a lot of research that says worrying actually increases the chances of bad things happening. If you worry a lot about getting sick, you'll probably get sick more often. If you worry about getting into a car accident, your uptightness will make you a poorer driver who has more accidents.

The way to refuse worry is to replace it with a counteracting force. Whenever a worry pops into your mind and starts to give you stress, replace the worry with a powerful positive sentence. Your mind can't have two thoughts at once and positive thoughts, held long enough, always overcome negative thoughts.

John Evan Jones, a newspaperman, told a story about his experiences in London during the bombings of World War II. He had a maiden aunt who was a strong, resolute, religious woman who lived alone.

After each bombing raid, John would visit his aunt to see that she was all right. He noticed that on the wall she kept a motto which read, "Don't worry, it may never happen."

One night it did happen. A bomb fell close to the house knocking out every window and smashing all her fine china. Rushing to look in on her, John found her calmly sweeping up. Still hung on the wall was her motto.

"What will you do with your motto now?" he asked. "Oh my," she responded. "I forgot to turn it over." She did, and on the reverse side it said, "We can take it."

? 5. Picture success.

When you vividly picture a desired goal or an answer to a problem you will eventually reach your goal or solve your problem. Even before that, however, your picture will give you hope and renewed energy - which in turn reduces your stress.

This was the method used by Henry Royce, the creator of the Rolls Royce automobile. Henry dreamed of the day when people could drive a car without the constant threat of breaking down.

It was an incredible challenge for Royce, but in his mind he had the image of a completely reliable car. To that end, he manufactured a "bumping machine" that was like driving a car over railroad tracks at 60 miles per hour. Parts broke, pieces fell off, frames bent, and rear axles gave way. As each weakness was revealed, Royce used his ingenuity to make corrections.

Finally, the day came when Royce's car could run the equivalent of 250,000 miles without the failure of a single part. Royce had achieved his goal. The image he had formed of a reliable car became a reality.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1052- How to beat down the stress that is beating you down

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

This is Thanksgiving week and despite the extreme challenges of 2020, there is still so much for which we can give thanks. And indeed, we should give thanks, for it is in the atmosphere of thankfulness that families thrive and workplaces flourish.

However, a tone of thankfulness is not something that automatically happens. It has to be built and it can be built with conscious effort and the right skills.

Unfortunately, a tone of thankfulness is not even thought about in many organizations and families.

For example, I remember a plant manager who told his workforce, "Doing it right is no excuse for not meeting the schedule." Of course punctuality is important, but that manager also failed to show any thankfulness for the fact that his workers wanted to make sure their work was done with excellence. He set the wrong tone.

I also remember the time I found crayon drawings all over the walls in my three-year-old daughter's bedroom. She got a stern word from me and a significant time-out. It wasn't until later that I took the time to listen to her tearful confession that she was drawing a picture to show me how much she loved me. Again, writing on the walls isn't appropriate, but I hadn't shown any thankfulness for her beautiful sentiment. My tone was wrong.

As I speak to organizations, in person or virtually, I remind the managers in the audience that they set the tone as they walk into their workplaces or get on their Zoom calls each day. And I ask them, "Have you thought about that?" and "Are you ready to set the tone as you walk through the door?"

I hope so, because the tone set by the boss at work or the spouse, partner, or parent at home may have a bigger impact on the outcomes of that day than almost anything else.

So what can you do to set the right tone at work or at home? Here are a few tips for starters.

? 1. Go out of your way to show caring.

It does wonders in bringing about the payoffs you want and need.

One CEO learned that accidentally. As the CEO of a trucking firm, he was worried by the company''s financial picture (even before COVID) and his somewhat uncooperative employees. A friend advised him to get a closer look at his employees.

So the CEO came in early one morning to chat with his crew. His first few attempts at conversation were awkward and brief. He was about to go up to his office when he noticed one driver sitting by himself, looking upset. The CEO asked him what the problem was.

"It''s my mom," the driver said. "She''s in the hospital and there''s no one else to take care of her."

The CEO told him to go see his mother and not worry. The grateful driver left and then the CEO realized that someone would have to cover his deliveries that day. It had been years since the CEO had driven a truck route, but he managed to load up the truck and do the job. Later that day, the CEO went to the hospital with flowers to visit the driver and his mother.

This routine went on for several days, the CEO making deliveries and then visiting the hospital, while the rest of the employees noticed. News of the CEO''s concern for an employee traveled quickly. When the time came for the drivers to vote on joining a union, they rejected it because they knew they had a leader who really cared about them.

Do you care enough about yourself to invest in yourself? I hope so. Register for my next Champion Edge Master Class starting in January 2021. Register now with our special Thanksgiving week special pricing.

? 2. Praise often.

William Arthur Ward, the inspirational author, noted, "Feeling thankful and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it." In other words, thinking about how well your employees, teammates, colleagues, and kids are performing is almost worthless if you don''t say something about it.

Of course, some of you are thinking if you praise someone too much, they''ll get a big head. They''ll become arrogant or get conceited. But I like the way playwright G. B. Shaw responded to that kind of thinking. He wisely remarked, "To withhold deserved praise lest it should make its object conceited is as dishonest as to withhold payment of a debt less your creditor should spend the money badly."

To create a tone of enthusiastic engagement, praise often. Indeed, management author Michael Le Boeuf says the greatest management principle in the world is: "What gets rewarded gets done. What gets recognized gets repeated."

And I would add, "Praise does wonders for the sense of hearing." Not only will other people tend to hear and remember your praise, but they will be motivated to give their very best.

A few ways that I''ve learned to make praise a part of my daily routine include the following:

• Make up a To-Do list each week that includes the names of your coworkers and family members. Cross off the names as you praise them.
• Use voice mail to leave messages of praise for a job well done.
• At the beginning of the day, put five coins in your pocket. Then, during the day, each time you praise someone, transfer a coin to your other pocket. It will hold you accountable and make praise a part of your daily routine.
• Write praise notes at the end of the day. Keep a stack of note cards on your desk, where you can''t ignore them. At the end of the day, take a minute to write thank-you notes to anyone who made a difference that day.

Some of these techniques might sound a little corny, but so what! They work.

? 3. Set an example of expressed thankfulness.

Albert Schweitzer, one of the most prominent physicians and missionaries of the 20th century, noted, "Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

Are you setting an example of expressed thankfulness? When a coworker goes out of their way to serve a customer, does anybody else in your organization ever hear you say thanks or watch you send a note of thanks? They should.

When you receive a gift from a friend, does your spouse or kids hear you say thanks and see you write a note of thanks? They should.

They should hear and see those things and be encouraged to do likewise.

For years I've heard parents and grandparents complain about a lack of thankfulness in their kids and grand kids. It may be that those kids and grand kids aren't thankful, or have simply learned to take things for granted, or have never been taught the importance and necessity of expressing thanks.

Well it doesn't have to stay that way. Teach them the right way to set the right tone. We had to do that in our family and it worked.

Living in several different states, many times we have not been with our family members for some of the birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays that were being celebrated. So we sent our gifts. But quite frankly I got upset when some of them never even acknowledged the receipt of the gifts let alone expressed their thankfulness.

So I decided to teach them, directly, with no hinting or beating around the bush. I informed each family member that a gift was being sent before it was sent, along with a note that told them their silence was not acceptable, and neither was a text message or an email. We expected a phone call or a handwritten note that said the gift was received and whatever thankfulness they wished to express. I told them that's what kind, caring, mature, appreciative people do.

Of course it sounds weird, but again it worked. There's a much stronger tone of thankfulness in our family these days.

During the Thanksgiving week and all the weeks to come, remember you are helping to set the tone at work and at home. Let it be said that you are setting a tone of thankfulness.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1067- How to Set the Right Tone at Work and at Home

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

A 7th grader asked Dr. Bill Bennett, the former Secretary of Education, "How can you tell a good country from a bad one?"

Bennett replied, "I apply the Gate Test. When the gates of a country are open, watch which way the people run. Do they run into the country or out of the country?"

It was an excellent question that got an excellent response.

And I think the same question could be applied to your organization. If your people were exposed to other job opportunities and if all other things were equal, would they stay with you or would they leave you?

The answer will tell you if you''ve got a positive or negative work environment. And it''s no small matter because.

? 1. Negative work environments cost you big time.

After all, negative work environments drive your best people away.

And it costs 1? to 2 times a person''s yearly salary to replace an employee and get a new person up to speed. Because you have to pay for such obvious things as advertising, recruitment, background checks, interviews, orientation, and training when good people flee your "gates."

You also have some less-obvious costs in the loss of intellectual capital when an experienced person leaves and mistakes are made by the new inexperienced person. There''s the disruption of teamwork and a variety of service problems -- all of which can lead to lost customers.

Quite simply, you can''t afford a negative work environment.

The good news is you''re not stuck. .

? 2. You can build a more positive work environment.

I know. I do that all the time in organizations where I speak live or virtually.

In fact, David G. Lewis wrote to tell me: "My wife came home this evening and couldn''t wait to tell me about your Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program. She thought you were AWESOME and gave you fives all across the board. Now you''d have to know my wife to know that fives all across the board means that next to the 2nd coming of Christ you''re the next best thing! Heck she doesn''t even give me fives across the board."

F.Y.I. My next and last Journey program will be November 12-13, 2020 in St. Louis. We have fewer than ten seats remaining. To join me, go to www.attendthejourney.com and register now.

Of course, you're wondering where your workplace falls on the negative to positive scale.

I tell my clients to start with my "Environmental Burnout Premise." It says that people are not so much burned out on their jobs as they are burned out on the atmosphere in which they have to do their jobs.

To check out the environment or atmosphere in your workplace, ask yourself the following questions.

? 3. Do the people at work feel more like Prisoners or Pioneers?

John Borchert, the general manager for the Army Corp/Prison Blues Clothing Line in Oregon, says, "Prisoners learn early that the way to survive on the inside is to keep a low profile and follow orders. Sadly, that''s the same lesson that workers in most businesses learn."

In positive work environments, the workers do more than simply "get by" or "survive." They''re pioneers. They''re thinking of new and better ways to do their jobs or serve their customers. They''re excited and energized and their enthusiasm touches everyone around them.

? 4. Are the people at work more Upbeat or Downcast?

As I speak in various organizations, I can see that lots of people don''t like their jobs. And I hear about the whining, complaining, and backbiting that those people engage in. They''re obviously Downcast.

What about the folks around you? Are they more Upbeat or Downcast? Do you see more smiles or frowns? It''s a pretty good indicator of your work environment.

And what about you? What are people going to say at your funeral? Are they going to say, "He hated every day of work and he made sure everyone around him hated their work as well?"

When I listen to Downcast people, they talk about their pay, their hours, their boss, or any number of challenging scenarios.

But I tell them they have a choice. They can focus on the negatives or they can focus on the positives -- because there are no perfect jobs.

Of course, when I talk that way, Downcast people think I''m too cheerful. They think I''m being unrealistic. But I like the way Daniel L. Reardon puts it. He says, "In the long run, the pessimist ''may'' be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip."

? 5. Does your organization put a greater emphasis on Sick Days or Well Days?

As you well know, only 50% of those who call in sick are actually sick -- physically sick. They''re just sick of work.

Part of the problem is due to the fact that many organizations reward sickness while they punish health.

I''m NOT suggesting that companies remove sick-day pay. Not at all.

I''m simply saying that it makes sense to put a greater emphasis on wellness. An organization could reward people for perfect attendance over a period of time. They could put all the winners'' names into a drawing for a bigger prize. It would make things a bit fairer for those people who never get sick and never get to use their sick days.

Or an organization could give their employees the privilege of using a "sick day" as a "call-in-well day." The employee could call in and say, "I''d love to come to work today, but I''m feeling so mighty good that I''m calling in well. I won''t be there, but I''ll see you tomorrow, brighter and fresher than ever."

Final Thought: Before you complain too much about this country, or your organization, or your job, apply the Gate Test. When all the barriers are removed, watch which way the people run.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1048- How to get people to run to your workplace

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

You probably eat 3 meals every day. And you probably eat those meals at about the same time every day.

But have you ever been so busy that you had to skip a meal? Of course you have.

Then what did you do? You probably told your coworker, your partner, or anyone else around that you were so busy that you didn't even have time to eat lunch! And then you repeated your story, just to let them know how busy you were and how hungry you are.

Sound familiar? Of course.

ARE YOU HUNGRY?

But have you ever had anyone come up to you and say, "I'm so hungry, and I have no idea how to solve this problem. I'm so confused. Do you have any suggestions?"

I would wager that you have NEVER had anyone say that to you. People automatically know when they're physically hungry they need to eat.

The sad thing is people also get mentally, emotionally, recreationally, relationally, occupationally, spiritually, and financially hungry. And they may not even know it.

And if they do know it, the chances are very good that they're not feeding those 7 parts of themselves on a regular basis.

Now that's really sad. Because almost all your success and happiness in life, at work, and in your relationships depends on WHAT you feed those 7 parts of yourself and HOW OFTEN you feed those parts.

THAT'S WHY I'M INVITING YOU TO THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME

I call it a journey. The Journey-to-the-Extraordinary . what I think is the best, most practical, powerful course you will ever encounter. It has literally transformed the lives, the relationships, and the careers of hundreds of thousands of people.

Matthew Nemecheck calls it an absolute must. As an account representative at Thomson Reuters, Matthew says, "This is an absolute must to advance your personal and professional career."

Elquin Aulae calls it transformational. As a project manager from the Missouri Department of Transportation, he decided to teach his son one of the techniques he learned at my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program. He says, "My son used Dr. Z''s ''asking'' technique as a summer student selling air ambulance insurance. He became the company''s top seller that summer. It changed his whole outlook on his life and career. The Journey is transformational."

WHERE DO YOU NEED TO FEED YOURSELF?

Do you need more self-confidence? You will learn that at the Journey.

Do you need to discover or clarify your purpose, once and for all? We cover that in the Journey.

Do you need to master the process of setting your goals and then releasing your mind to actually achieve your goals? I'll teach you how to do that at the Journey.

Do you need to have a more positive attitude that sticks with you, in good times and bad? We've got that covered.

Do you need to get out of your comfort zone more often and go for what you really want? You'll learn a process for doing that . constructively.

Do you need to eliminate or manage the stress in your life and work so you can once again capture a healthy sense of work-life balance? Yes, we spend time on this also at the Journey.

Do you want more positive, productive, and profitable relationships but you're not quite sure how to make that happen? No problem, I'll share the exact strategies you need to use at the Journey.

Do you need to improve your communication and listening skills so you can pick up what is said and left unsaid? You're going to learn how to do that as well.

Would you like to know how to ask for what you want so people will say yes to your requests? As noted above by Mr. Aulae, you'll love this technique.

Do you need to bring out the best in others, on the job and even at home, but also need some more powerful and effective strategies to make that happen? No problem. You're going to learn that as well.

Now is the time to register for my last scheduled Journey which is November 12-13, 2020, that you can attend in person live with Dr. Zimmerman or virtually at your location of choice.

And now is the BEST time to register because you save $400 on your Journey tuition.

I'd love to see you in St. Louis in November or online. Either way it will be great.

Hi Joshua,

You''ve only got so much time and energy. Are you using it to create the life, career, and relationships you've always wanted?

That's exactly what people with The Champion Edge do. They are purpose driven.

The British Prime minister Benjamin Disraeli said, "The secret of success is constancy of purpose."

Michelle Obama says, "A woman who walks in purpose doesn't have to chase people or opportunities. Her light causes people and opportunities to pursue her."

And noted educator Larry Wilson declares, "Finding our purpose is the most emotionally healing thing we can do."

The problem is most people don't know what their purpose is let alone make sure they are living their lives on purpose.

I say it's time to stop living your life BY ACCIDENT and start living your life ON PURPOSE. And there is literally no better time to do that than at the beginning of a new year . which is coming very soon.

That's why I invite you . no, I urge you . to join my upcoming live virtual program, The Champion Edge Master Class, where you will discover your purpose. And you will learn the six practices that every highly effective, highly successful person follows.

• Steadfast Confidence
• Compelling Purpose
• Defined Goals
• Unwavering Attitude
• Positive Change
• Thriving Balance

The Champion Edge Master Class starts next Thursday, January 14, 2021, running from 6 to 7:30 pm Eastern Time (5 pm CT, 4 pm MT, 3 pm PT). We'll meet every Thursday for five weeks, giving you the skills you need to discover your purpose, achieve your goals and stamp out your stress.

TWO SPECIAL BONUSES:

• If you register in December, you're going to save $100 on your tuition.

• And you're going to receive an extra, live, virtual, training session with me where you're going to learn the exact step-by-step process that every Champion uses to accomplish extraordinary goals.

Register now while there is still room and you can still save $100.

And I'll see you in January 2021.

Hi Joshua,

There are lots of so-called winners of such things as an Oscar, an Emmy, a sports trophy, or a political contest, but many of them fall into the category of being "the last people you would want to emulate." Their lives are a mess and they are bankrupt as human beings.

Champions are quite different. They live their lives correctly. They have The Champion Edge working for them . because they master six transformational practices . which I will be teaching in my live, virtual Champion Edge Master Class starting September 3rd. More info below.

Champions also think differently than everyone else. That's why they move to the top. Over the years I've been collecting those thoughts, but here are a few of them you can adopt right now.

1. Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.
2. If you don''t know where you're going, you''ll wind up someplace you don''t want to be.
3. Champions have plans and losers have excuses. Champions make commitments and losers make promises.
4. If you work hard, results are easy. If you work easy, results are hard.
5. It's better to attempt something great and fail than to attempt nothing and succeed.
6. You need goals and deadlines in your life. Goals must be big enough to be exciting and deadlines must be clear enough to keep you honest.
7. The size of your potential is determined by the space between your ears. A degree may open the door but continuing education moves you to the top. If you're not expandable, you're expendable.

Above I said that Champions have mastered six practices that fill their lives and work with confidence, purpose, goals, attitude, stress-free balance, and positive change. I would love to share all six practices with you in my live, virtual, upcoming Champion Edge Master Class starting September 3rd and running through October 8, 2020.

Register now while there is still room in the class and before the $100 savings expires. It will be one of the best move-to-the-top decisions you will ever make.

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

When you get right down to it, life is pretty simple. Encouragement builds relationships, companies and countries and discouragement tears them down.

Unfortunately, the world is filled with people eager and ready to spew out words of discouragement. Turn on the television or check out the social media posts and you will see and hear a litany of bad news and dire predictions given by cynics, doubters, and dream-killers.

In contrast, encouragement works wonders. As Tommy Barnett, the co-founder of the Los Angeles Dream Center, an organization dedicated to helping the hungry and the homeless, a place where I volunteer some of my time, knows firsthand the power and importance of encouragement. He says, "Encouragement is more potent than any drug on the market. It imparts something no chemical company can: real, genuine hope."

In the midst of the COVID crisis and the upcoming elections, all of us need more hope and more encouragement right now. And you can and should be a source of encouragement to the people around you at work, at home, and everywhere else.

Do some of these things, please.

? 1. Give regular praise.

Everyone wants and everyone needs to receive some praise. Indeed, very few people, if any, get too much praise. Perhaps that's why the number one job complaint continues to be, "You can do a hundred things right and not hear a darn thing about it. You do one thing wrong and they''re right on your back."

For one week, I challenge you to call a different person each day to share a word of praise. It may be the only praise that person gets that day, or that week, or that year.

Of course, you could easily cop out and tell yourself that the other person already knows they've done a good job. That may be true, but the other person needs to know that you know about their great performance.

? 2. Give occasional public recognition.

One of the most powerful ways to encourage someone else is the occasional use of public praise. Recognize and thank an individual ... in front of others ... for the specific strength or character quality they have demonstrated. Explain how you personally or your organization has benefited from their actions.

Oh sure, the other person might feign embarrassment or insist that such public praise is totally unnecessary. But I'd also wager that they will long remember the encouragement that was given in that moment.

Think of one bit of sincere public recognition you could give in the next month and then do it.

? 3. Encourage someone with possibility thinking.

The book called First Mothers: The Women Who Shaped the Presidents drove that point home for me. I found it fascinating that each of the mothers continually and unrelentingly encouraged their sons to believe that they could be and would be the President of the United States.

Perhaps on a more limited scale, are you encouraging the dreams, goals and aspirations of your loved ones as well as your customers and coworkers? I hope so. To a large extent, you hold the power of life and death in your words.

"That''s why encouragement is so important." says Tommy Barnett. "It holds open the possibility that the future may be more exciting, more mind-boggling than we think. It refuses to say no to an idea, even if it seems foolish. Perhaps that crazy idea is just ahead of its time."

In fact, I wouldn't be where I am today without the encouragement of my stepmother. When I contemplated leaving my tenured university professorship to start my own business as a speaker, coach, and consultant, everyone told me I was stupid for giving up a for-sure paycheck to enter the uncertain world of being self-employed. But her possibility-thinking encouragement helped me take that step, and hopefully in turn, I've been able to encourage thousands of others along the way.

? 4. Encourage others by giving them your time.

I can already hear some of you saying, "I don''t have any more time. How am I supposed to give away more of what I don''t have?"

Start by thinking smaller. I''m not saying you have to give every waking moment to other people at work or at home. You''d never get to the rest of your responsibilities.

But you can start by spending a few minutes each morning checking in on each of your team mates. You can take a moment here and there to ask them some questions, listen to their answers, and listen to their questions.

And instead of thinking in terms of hours and days of time, think in terms of half-hour blocks. In fact, if you tell me what you do with your half hours, I can tell you how productive your life is and how well your career is going.

So forget about what you want to do in the next six to twelve months ... temporarily. It''s the half hours that count. The half hour after you get up in the morning. The half hour spent waiting for your meal to arrive at the restaurant, or waiting for the train, or waiting to go to bed.

Everything that is worthwhile has been done in half-hour blocks. As the old poem says:

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land.

It''s what you do with your little half-hour blocks that add up to something big.

Half-hours determine your future. In fact, most of the most important things in your life happen in half hours. You get married or buried in a half hour. You get hired or fired in a half hour. And you often make life-changing decisions in half of an hour.

So you''re pressed for time. So is everybody else. But you can be a mighty encourager by using your half-hour blocks of time well.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1063- Encouragement: The power of life and death is found in your words

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

No matter who wins the Presidential election today, about half the country will be happy and relieved while the other half will be unhappy and scared. There seems to be almost no middle ground.

The reason is simple. The happy ones expect that the winner of the election will fix all the issues confronting us today. After all, it's his job. It's his responsibility. And the unhappy ones don't believe the winner will take his responsibility to fix everything to their liking.

But I would suggest that both sides of that argument have got it wrong, at least in part. The most successful people in life, in business, and in relationships are successful in their endeavors no matter who's in the White House, because they take personal responsibility for getting the results they want.

The question is: How do you get personal responsibility to work for you?

? 1. Take responsibility to get the training you need, BEFORE you need it.

In other words, winners go out and get the right attitudes, skills and classes ... BEFORE they need them. They prepare themselves for the tough times ... BEFORE the tough times come.

And that''s pretty much the way Olympic athletes do it. Take Rulon Gardner, for example. He was the wrestler who won the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics. But how he did it was even more amazing.

Gardner beat the great Russian, Aleksandr Karelin, who hadn''t lost in 13 years. In fact, he hadn''t even been scored on in 10 years.

So how did Gardner do it? He took personal responsibility for his grueling preparation. He''d wrestle the best wrestlers in the country for a minute each, facing one immediately after another. He''d do this for 10 to 15 minutes at a time with no breaks.

A typical wrestling match is three, three-minute periods with a much-needed breather in between. But Gardner''s training was akin to running a 200-yard sprint up a steep hill, full speed, wearing a harness with someone behind him trying to hold him back ... and then trying to swim 100 yards with weights strapped to his back with someone holding his legs.

Gardner said this "over-training" helped him the most when he needed it the most ... in the last seconds of the match against the Russian. With both of them dead tired in the final seconds of the final period, Gardner broke from the hold Karelin had on him to score a point.

Final score: Gardner 1. Karelin 0. The gold medal went to Gardner and ranks as one of the biggest upsets in sports history.

What about you? Do you take personal responsibility for getting yourself trained ... BEFORE the problems inevitably hit your business, your job, life, or marriage? Or do you wait for the problems to come ... and then wonder how you''re going to handle them?

It all comes down to personal responsibility. Are you doing what you can to get the training you need or are you waiting for your company or manager to give you the training? Champions never wait.

? 2. Personal responsibility grows in the process of overcoming setbacks.

Professor and author Ben Stein says, "The human spirit is never finished when it is defeated. It is finished when it surrenders."

Gardner knows that. Sometime after winning the Olympic gold medal, Gardner was snowmobiling in Utah. He got lost, plunged into a half-frozen slushy river, and when he tried to walk his way back to safety, the four feet snow swallowed his legs with each laborious step.

Exhausted, with his clothes soaking wet, and the temperature dropping to 25 degrees below zero, he nodded off repeatedly, battling sleep, knowing that a long sleep would mean certain death. But Gardner was determined to stay awake, to hang on ... even though every nerve in his body ached for sleep. Gardner refused to give up.

Some 17 hours later he was rescued. He could no longer feel his frozen feet. And the doctors had to cut off his boots ... only to find his frozen feet, wooden to the touch ... just like his frost-bitten hands. The doctors thought his hands and feet wouldn''t make it, and they gave him little hope of ever walking or performing everyday routine tasks again. Wrestling was certainly never going to happen again.

But Gardner thought otherwise ... even though they had to amputate one toe. And amazingly enough, Gardner came back to win another medal in the next round of Olympics.

Could the same be said of you? Do you refuse to let your setbacks kill off your dreams, snuff out your motivation, and have the last word?

As strange as it may seem, your setbacks can be a blessing in disguise. As Helen Keller noted, "The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse."

Simply put, victories that come too easily are seldom savored . because there is little or no personal responsibility for that victory

And finally,

? 3. Personal responsibility refrains from entitlement attitudes and handout goodies.

Losers believe they are entitled to success, wealth, happiness, and position. So they wait for it to fall into their laps rather doing something (or lots of things) to make it happen.

Indeed, as philosopher Jim Rohn says, "It''s too bad losers or failures don''t give seminars. Wouldn''t that be valuable? We could sit back and say, 'Pete ... Henry ... Mary ... Jessica, you''ve screwed up your life for forty years. If I bring a notepad and promise to take good notes, would you spend a day with me? Would you teach me all the things NOT to do?'"

By contrast, champions seldom think about being entitled to the good things in life ... without working for them. Champions adhere to Winston Churchill''s admonition, that "The price of greatness is responsibility."

Champions know they would miss out on the real joy in life if the goodies in life were just handed to them. They would miss out on the opportunities to grow as a person and contribute as a professional.

That''s why the legendary sales trainer Tom Hopkins says, "Every dollar you earn is worth ten given to you. Earned money creates the self-image of self-reliance; given money creates the self-image of other-dependence."

In fact, we''re designed with this internal desire to learn, master, and conquer. That''s why little kids say ... with great pride ... when they dress themselves, tie a shoe, or cut their own meat ... "I did it myself."

Misguided parents jump in and say, "Here, let me do that for you." They don''t want to see their kids struggle. But by jumping in to help, these same well-intentioned parents rob their kids of any chance they might have to learn the art of personal responsibility.

Managers often do the same thing and then wonder why they're so overloaded and so out of balance.

What about you? Are you taking responsibility for getting ahead or making things better? Or are you simply waiting for good things to happen ... for lightening to strike ... or for your ship to come in?

Well, chances are, if you taking responsibility, you''ll see most of your dreams come true. If you're not taking personal responsibility, the best thing you have going for you is luck, which is fairly unreliable.

No matter who wins the election, a lot of the results you're going to see in your life and work have more to do with your personal responsibility than his responsibility.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1064- You win every time when you take personal responsibility

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Hi Joshua,

Champions know that their success or failure is largely determined by the thoughts they hold and the words they use. After all, words turn into actions, and actions turn into outcomes.

So let me ask you: What's going on inside your head? Are you thinking thoughts that empower or defeat you? Are you speaking words that increase your chances of success or failure?

From working with thousands of people, I know . I absolutely know . that you will never outperform your own self-talk. If you ever tell yourself things like "I'll never get ahead . I can't seem to save any money . I can't remember names . I can't lose weight . I can't change . That's just the way I am . or . I've got too much work to do," that's where you will be stuck, perhaps forever.

But when you change the way you think and talk, you take control of your behavior, results, and achievements.

That's a big part of having The Champion Edge working in your life and career.

Bob Wernimont from Syngenta says, "For many years I've heard that you need to write down your goals and say affirmations, but I didn't know how to do it. So I never did it . until I came to your class. Using the practices you taught us, my confidence, listening, conversing, motivation, energy, enthusiasm have all improved dramatically. The practices remind me of my goals and push me toward the accomplishment of those goals. It really is quite awesome!"

You can have that power working for you as well. I'll show you how at The Champion Edge Master Class. We'll start on September 3rd and run through October 8th, from 5:00 to 6:30 pm Eastern Time each Thursday (4 Central, 3 Mountain, 2 Pacific).

As you will notice on the model, Champions master 6 unique, empowering practices that make all the difference in their lives and their work. In The Champion Edge Master Class, you will learn how to make each of these practices come alive for you in a very real, tangible, engaging, skill-oriented way.

Register now. Early-bird registrants save $100 savings on their tuition and receive a host of other learning bonuses free of charge . including my books, audio courses, email reinforcements, and one-on-one coaching.

See you in September.

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

We're in the midst of an election. We're hearing an awful lot of questions being asked and we're seeing about an equal number of questions being dodged. We hear a lot of talk but don't see much listening.

And to me, that's sad, as well as frightening, because listening is literally the difference between life and death in a country as well as in a relationship.

That might sound like an exaggeration, but it's not. We learned that hundreds of years ago when the English cemeteries were running out of space. They would dig up coffins and take the bones to a bone-house and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive.

To avoid that tragedy in the future, they began tying a string on the wrist of the corpse, leading it through the coffin and up through the ground, and tying it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night (the graveyard shift) to listen for the bell. Thus, someone could be saved by the bell or was considered to be a dead ringer. In those cases, listening was literally the difference between life and death.

The same is true in relationships. When I coach teams or counsel couples, I can tell immediately if those relationships are dead or alive by looking at the quality of their listening.

That being the case, let me suggest a simple way you can increase your listening effectiveness immediately. Use the LISTEN acronym.

? L = Like the other person

You must find something you like about the person you''re listening to or you probably won't listen to them.

For example, millions of people categorize our various political candidates as the epitome of evil or the height of incompetence, neither of which is 100% true. And as a result, they automatically tune those people out whenever they speak. That's not very smart, if you aspire to be a fully informed individual.

Find something to like about the other person. It might be as simple as their taste in clothes or tone of voice. Or it may be something as significant as their honesty or their willingness to help. When you find something to like, your listening automatically improves.

? I = Interest yourself in the other person

It''s very difficult to listen to someone if you''re not interested in the other person or what he has to say. I would suggest, however, that everyone can be interesting, if you dig deep enough.

I re-learned this lesson while I was working in London. After I finished my presentation to my client, I stopped in a nearby tea shoppe and was soon joined by a 90-year old gentleman who asked if he could share the table. Instead of presuming he would have nothing of interest to share with me, I decided to show interest in him. I asked a couple of questions and soon found myself in the midst of the greatest conversation I had had in a long time. Turned out this gentleman was Commodore Charles Clarke, a former POW in the German concentration camp made famous by the movie, The Great Escape.

? S = See the other person

By "seeing," I''m not referring so much to the use of your eyes as the use of your heart. "See" the other person so they feel noticed, heard, and appreciated rather than invisible.

In essence, most everyone is starved for the attention of a good listener! And this tremendous universal need means that listening is well worth the time it takes ... because when you''re good at it, people buy more from you, open doors to important contacts for you, work harder for you, and even love and respect you.

? T = Touch the other person

Again, this doesn''t necessarily mean touching in the physical sense. Listen in such a way that you touch the other person's feelings in a positive way.

You could do that by giving some positive feedback. That''s what Margaret Pederson did. She attended my two-day Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program last year at the age of 92. That impressed me. But what really "touched" me was her feedback. She said, "I heard you speak 30 years ago and your presentation changed my life. I bought an audio copy of your talk, listened to it dozens of times, eventually memorized it, and typed it out word for word, and have used what you taught me ever since."

You could also "touch" the other person with encouraging nonverbals as you listen to them. Instead of scowling, sneering, shaking your head, or rolling your eyes while the other person talks, give some subtle nonverbal encouragement, which is not the same thing as agreement. Say such things as, "Uh-huh... I see... Oh yes... Mm Mm." Give good eye contact or nod your head as sign that you are following along with respect.

? E = Empathize with the other person

Somehow or other, you''ve got to show the other person that you understand what they are thinking, feeling and saying. Paraphrase some of their major points by saying such things as: "If I understand you correctly... What I think you''re saying is... It sounds like you''re feeling... and... So the bottom line seems to be..." When people know that you know what they're thinking, feeling and saying, a huge degree of trust enters the relationship. Animosity is replaced with trust and argument is replaced by conversation.Finally,

? N = Need the other person

Being needed is the ultimate compliment. It reassures the people you are talking to that they are important, recognized, and respected.

A good way to communicate your need for the other person is to emphasize the words "need" and "important." Say such things as: "I need to hear what you have to say ... I need your input on this project ... or ... Your thoughts are very important to me."

When you become a good listener, you build rapport with other people. When you become a great listener, people will do everything in their power to maintain that rapport and help you succeed. As motivational speaker Zig Ziglar used to say, "You can get everything you want in life if you just help enough people get what they want."

And what do they want? They want you to LISTEN!!!

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1061- Listening: It really is the difference between life and death

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

One thing I know . this e-mail holds more potential for you than any other e-mail you're going to receive, this week, this month, or this year.

When I survey people and ask them what they want of out of life, most people say, "I just want to be happy," or "I would like to be more successful."

There's nothing wrong with those answers. In fact they're great answers.

The problem is most people DON'T KNOW HOW to achieve more happiness and achieve more success.

Not to brag, but I do know the answers. I spent 30 years researching those two questions and have discovered that it all comes down to 12 keys that I share in my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program.

And thousands of past participants will tell you this program is life-changing, career-enhancing, and relationship-building. It really works.

So in this email, I want to do 3 things.

First, I want to tell you something about the last public offering of my Journey program for 2020. Being held November 12-13th.

Second, for the first time ever, you can attend live in-person in St. Louis or you can attend virtually at the location of your choice.

Third, I want to give you a copy of my whitepaper on Dr. Z's Tips for An Exceptional Life, whether you choose to take part in this in-person or virtual Journey program (and save $400 on your registration).

BTW: If you have no interest in my Journey program whatsoever, you can scroll right down to the end of this email and download your free copy of Dr. Z's Tips for An Exceptional Life.

First, the info on my St. Louis Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program that will be delivered on November 12-13, 2020.

IT'S ALL ABOUT PERSONAL POWER

For years I wondered why some people, who had so much going for them, achieved so little in life. And I wondered why other people, who had so little going for them, achieved so much.

Then I discovered the answer. The winners, the champions, the peak performers have PERSONAL POWER.

Their success had NOTHING to do with their age, gender, IQ, education, family background, breaks in life, or racial/ethnic identity. Absolutely NOTHING!!

Of course, I immediately began to ask what was this PERSONAL POWER and how could I get more of it.

After all, I grew up in a family where alcoholism, suicide, divorce, and prison were all a part of the family history. I lost my ability to walk at age 20, and a few years later I lost the most important people in my life.

Later, I was so broke that I had to furnish an entire apartment for my family for less than $100 by shopping at garage sales.

THEN I HAD A BREAKTHROUGH

I searched and researched the PERSONAL POWER that champions exhibited, and I learned that it could be distilled into 12 incredibly powerful keys.

When I applied those 12 keys to my life, my career, and my relationships, the results were phenomenal. My life, career, relationships . and yes, even my health and my finances . everything changed for the better.

I was able to work my way through a bachelor's, masters' and doctor's degree, all with the highest honors. I spent 15 years as a university professor, being named by two different universities as their Outstanding Faculty Member.

Then I started my own company and have given more than 3000 programs on these 12 incredibly powerful keys in 49 states and 22 countries . maintaining a 92% repeat and referral business. So I know these keys really work!

The good news is these 12 keys don''t have to remain secrets anymore. I''ve done all the work and all the research for you.

And I share every one of these 12 keys with you when you attend my in-person program in St. Louis or my live same-time virtual offering of the Journey on November 12-13, 2020.

For example, here''s just a small sample of what you''re going to learn on Day One of the St. Louis Journey . not to mention a whole lot more on Day Two of the Journey.

• 6 Behaviors That Take-Charge Champions Use To Guarantee Their Success

• 7 Strategies For Unshakeable Confidence That Will Help You Get What You Want

• 10 "Purpose" Questions That Will Tell You If You''re Living "On Purpose" Or "By Accident"

• #1 Block To The Use Of Your Full Potential And How To Eradicate It Once And For All

• 10-Minute Daily Routine That Will Help You Accomplish More Goals Than Ever Before

• 2 Ways To Get Outside Your Comfort Zone, Take Intelligent Risks, And Get Results

• 8 Skills That Lead To A Positive Attitude And A Never-Ending Source Of Energy

• 3 Tests Of Your Work-Life Balance To Make Sure You''re Making A Life, Not Just A Living

• 24 Lifestyle Choices That Will Make You Healthy, Wealthy, And Wise

• 6 Ways To Win Despite The Obstacles Or The Other People In Your Life

Those are some of the things that Todd Livingood discovered. Working at the world-famous medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, Todd reported:

"Just an update from my time with you at the Journey class. I am still using the affirmations you taught us, and this last June I completed my Master of Arts in Health and Human Services at Saint Mary''s University, a dream for nearly two decades. I want you to know that your program was a big part of the turnaround in my life. Thank you so much for your Journey class."

(Don't forget to download Dr. Z's Tips For An Exceptional Life at this end of this letter.)

The question is .

DO YOU WANT MORE PERSONAL POWER IN YOUR LIFE?

Are you achieving all your goals? Or are you merely getting by or settling for less?

And what about your organization? Are you working in a positive, productive organization? Or does it feel more like a pressure cooker?

Carl Jordan, a Fleet Analyst at the Wagner Equipment Company, says the Journey changed his life. In fact, his story touched my heart, as it will yours.

Carl said: "Alan, replacing my low self-esteem with confidence in my abilities was my primary reason for attending the Journey. I have followed your suggested esteem-building steps, and now I have the confidence and security that I have desired for so many years. Before your seminar, I often thought how much I hated myself when things didn''t go the way I thought they should. It got to the point that I would verbalize those thoughts in front of both my family and friends. I now stand in front of the mirror telling myself what a great person I am. I started to believe what I was saying, and my attitude has greatly improved. I focus on this every day and am much happier in my daily life. When difficult periods crop up I say a few positive affirmations and can now overcome those times without feeling that there is no hope for me."

Carl continued, "When the day is done, I list the positive things I have accomplished whether it is on paper or just mentally. Sometimes the list is short but sometimes it is fairly lengthy. The most rewarding days of my life have all come after taking your 'Journey.' Thank you very much for opening my eyes to what I can do if I believe in myself. I now look forward to every day''s challenges with anticipation rather than dread."

Whatever your situation, I know my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience coming to St. Louis will be a game changer for you . at home, on the job, and in your relationships.

(PS: Register now and save $400.)

There's so much more you need to know about these 12 incredibly powerful keys if you're going to move up to the next level, personally and professionally.

And I can assure you that the Journey program will be the best investment you will make in 2020, and it may be one of the best investments you will ever make.

At the end of the two-day Journey program, you''ll be soaring. You''ll be refueled and recharged. You''ll know exactly how to achieve more than you ever thought possible. You will dramatically improve your effectiveness, no matter what job you hold or role you play.

All you have to do is make a decision. Decide if you (and possibly some of your friends, family members and colleagues) are worth the investment of attending my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program.

Your absolute satisfaction is promised! So register now.

It's even possible that your entire tuition and expenses are tax deductible as educational expenses.

Finally, here's.

YOUR FREE GIFT

Over the years I've compiled Dr. Z's Tips For An Exceptional Life. Thousands have people have requested a copy, and now it's yours when you click here. Enjoy!

Hi Joshua,

That''s right. Stress makes you old. And we now have the evidence to prove it.

A new study from medical researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) reveals that constant stress causes your telomeres to shorten and die. (You probably didn''t even know you had them.)

In essence, telomeres are tiny caps on your cells'' chromosomes that govern cell regeneration. Under great stress, however, your telomeres stop dividing and regenerating and die instead.

And today, we're under more stress than any time in the last seventy years. We simply cannot go on living this way.

By contrast, I've learned that people who have The Champion Edge working for them thrive no matter what is going on around them. They have mastered 6 practices that keep them confident, purpose-driven, goal achieving, attitude empowered, and work-life balanced.

I invite you to join my next offering of The Champion Edge Master Class starting in September. It will be 5 weeks of live, engaged, powerful, practical, virtual learning in a small-group environment designed for your success, on and off the job. That''s right. Stress makes you old. And we now have the evidence to prove it.

A new study from medical researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) reveals that constant stress causes your telomeres to shorten and die. (You probably didn''t even know you had them.)

In essence, telomeres are tiny caps on your cells'' chromosomes that govern cell regeneration. Under great stress, however, your telomeres stop dividing and regenerating and die instead.

And today, we're under more stress than any time in the last seventy years. We simply cannot go on living this way.

By contrast, I've learned that people who have The Champion Edge working for them thrive no matter what is going on around them. They have mastered 6 practices that keep them confident, purpose-driven, goal achieving, attitude empowered, and work-life balanced.

I invite you to join my next offering of The Champion Edge Master Class starting in September. It will be 5 weeks of live, engaged, powerful, practical, virtual learning in a small-group environment designed for your success, on and off the job.

Register now and save $100.

I promise The Champion Edge Master Class will be an investment in yourself and your future that you will never regret.

PS: Just in case you've got too much stress in your life right now, I wanted to give you one strategy that works for many people . putting your situation in the hands of your Higher Power. Imagine getting this letter in your email.

TO: You

DATE: Today

FROM: The Boss

SUBJECT: Your life

I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold on to it.

• If you find yourself stuck in traffic, don''t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard privilege.
• Should you have a bad day at work, think of the man who has been out of work for years.
• Should you despair over a relationship gone bad, think of the person who has never known what it''s like to love and be loved in return.
• Should you grieve the passing of another weekend, think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.
• Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance, think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.
• Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror, think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.
• Should you find yourself at a loss, pondering what life is all about, asking what your purpose is, be thankful. There are those who didn''t live long enough to even get the chance to think about it.
• Should you find yourself the victim of other people''s bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities, remember things could be worse. You could be one of those people!

Joshua,

Every day we hear about another tragic incident that is filled with evil, anger, rage, blame, shame, wrongdoing and revenge.

To make matters worse, very few people in these incidents are showing any remorse, asking for restraint, taking responsibility for their actions, asking for forgiveness, or making amends.

In situations like these . whether they happen at home with your spouse . or at work with your boss . or on the streets with hundreds of others . there is one skill that is desperately needed to move forward. And that is the Emotional and Social Intelligence skill of forgiveness.

Of course, I realize the very concept of "forgiveness" is a controversial term. Many people would rather "get even" or "get back" at someone rather than "get through" the controversy and "get on to" a better way of doing things.

However, I would contend that forgiveness is a key component in settling extremely difficult situations. So how do you do that?

? 1. Choose an attitude of forgiveness.

Forgiveness is an attitude you choose or a behavior you adopt. It is not an emotion that you necessarily feel.

And that's not easy. You have to work at making forgiveness a part of who you are. That's why Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Forgiveness is not an occasional act; it is a permanent attitude."

Dr. King knew that it was all too easy to let bitterness and revenge take up residence in your mind. So he emphasized the importance of making forgiveness a part of your character.

Unfortunately, some people equate forgiveness with weakness, becoming nothing more than a passive doormat or a pitiful victim.

Well, Dr. King was anything but passive or pitiful. He was a champion. He was a warrior. And he was wronged over and over again. But he didn''t let the wrongs get in the way of his work. He learned to write his hurts in the sand.

It''s like the story of the two friends walking through the desert. During some point in the journey, they had an argument, and one friend slapped the other one in the face. The one who got slapped was hurt, but without saying anything, he wrote in the sand, "Today my best friend slapped me in the face."

They kept on walking, until they found an oasis, where they decided to take a bath. The one who had been slapped got stuck in the mire and started drowning, but his friend saved him. After he recovered from the near drowning, he wrote on a stone, "Today my best friend saved my life."

The friend, who had slapped and saved his best friend, asked him, "After I hurt you, you wrote in the sand, and now you write on a stone. Why?"

The other friend replied, "When someone hurts us, we should write it down in sand, where the winds of forgiveness can erase it away. But when someone does something good for us, we must engrave it in stone where no wind can erase it."

When you write your hurts in the sand and carve your blessings in stone, you have chosen an attitude of forgiveness.

But people will challenge me and say, "How can I possibly forgive that person for what he did? How can I let him off the hook that easily?"

They don't understand that forgiveness is NOT about letting the other person off the hook.

? 2. Forgiveness is about letting YOURSELF off the hook.

Forgiveness is letting go of the negative feelings about the other person or your unfair situation that are destroying your own life.

Forgiveness is NOT saying that what the other person did was right. Not at all. Wrong is wrong.

Forgiveness is simply a gift you give yourself. As Paul Boese so aptly said, "Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." It enlarges your future so you can get past all the negative feelings that are holding you back or tripping you up.

And sooner or later, you must learn the art of forgiveness or sacrifice your own mental, emotional and physical health.

? 3. Understand the cost of unforgiveness.

When you refuse to forgive someone, you''re in trouble. More often than not, you hurt yourself more than the person who wronged you.

Captain Ahab, in Herman Melville''s book Moby Dick, had to learn that the hard way. He was permanently injured by a great white whale, but instead of forgiving the whale, he spent the rest of his life seeking revenge. It drove him crazy, until nothing else mattered except killing the whale that hurt him. In the end, his hatred cost him his soul and his life.

When you refuse to forgive, you may become the rattlesnake that bites himself. As E. Stanley Jones said: "A rattlesnake, if cornered, will sometimes become so angry it will bite itself. That is exactly what the harboring of hate and resentment against others is--a biting of oneself. We think that we are harming others by holding these spites and hates, but the deeper harm is to ourselves."

Steven Arterburn, director of the New Life Clinics, says 85% of those who come into the clinic are sick in lots of ways, but the one thing they all tend to have in common is the fact they're suffering from unforgiveness. They have some deep hatred or resentment towards someone. And because they refuse to forgive, he says, they remain the victim of the person who victimized them.

Have you ever done that? Have you ever gotten bitter because of what someone else said or did to you? Probably so.

In that case, I would tell you the same thing I tell my coaching clients. Get over it. Not because the other person deserves your forgiveness. YOU DO. You cannot afford the luxury of a negative attitude. Bitterness will decimate your physical, emotional, and mental health.

Finally, during extremely difficult times in your relationships, you need to remember that there will always be a need to practice forgiveness, even in the most intimate of relationships, because.

? 3. Love and pain go together.

As C. S. Lewis wrote, "To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will certainly be broken." Many people don't understand that.

A lady in one of my workshops said, "I''m taking steps never to get hurt again."

I replied, "In other words, you''re taking steps to never love again."

She said, "No. That''s not what I said. I don''t want some guy to hurt me again."

I pushed, "So you don''t want some guy to love you."

She got a little frustrated with me and said, "Look. I don''t want pain in my life."

Unfortunately, there''s no such thing as painless love. The closer a person gets to you, the more they can hurt you. And the more you will need to perfect your practice of forgiveness.

Final Thought: Unforgiveness is like drinking a poison and hoping the other will die.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1046- The poison of unforgiveness, the promise of forgiveness

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

Did you notice the Subject Line or the title of today's Tuesday Tip? How to build unstoppable self-esteem that takes you to the top.

I chose those words quite intentionally because . whether by design or accident . most of the news about the elections, the candidates, the economy, the pandemic, the street unrest, the school chaos and everything else can easily take you to the bottom. The bottom of your patience, hope, energy, motivation, and confidence.

One of your best weapons to keep yourself out of the bottom is your self-esteem or self-confidence. And you can actually build that into a formidable weapon of defense.

Last week I gave you three strategies for doing exactly that. Here are three more strategies. Pick at least one of them and decide to use it now.

? 1. Don't look back for too long.

I learned this strategy a few years ago on the beautiful tropical island of Jamaica -- where my stepsister lives.

I could see why she chose it as her second home as it is a place lush with vegetation, mountains, and turquoise waters.

Nonetheless, as I was walking through a hotel lobby, I saw an old map hanging in the hallway. Across a remote, uninhabited part of the island I saw some faint lettering going across that part of the map.

I struggled to make out the words. I eventually did. It read, "The Land of Look Behind."

Intrigued, I asked the hotel owner what that meant. He said in the days of slavery, the runaways from the sugar plantations sometimes escaped into that lonely barren territory. They were often pursued by slave owners with guns and dogs. He said the fugitive slaves, who were always on the run, kept looking over their shoulders. So that''s where the term, "The Land of Look Behind," came from.

I never forgot that phrase... because it describes so many people today. They live so much of their lives in their own private land of look-behind. They keep dwelling on the mistakes they have made or the bad things that have happened or are happening to them.

That's not smart. The past can only serve two purposes: hurting or helping.

If you keep looking behind at the bad things in your world and in your past, and if that's all you do with those memories, it's hurting you. It's hurting the very self-esteem and self-confidence you need to move ahead.

If, however, when you look back and look for a lesson in that experience, it's helping you. You are building the self-esteem you need to defeat the stresses that are trying to take you down.

So stop looking at your past and start learning from your land of look behind!

? 2. Change your language from "I want" to "I will."

It's a sign of maturity and responsibility. Immature people will often say, "I want this and I want that." Mature people move away from merely talking about what they want; they move on to talking about they will do to get what they want.

Sarah came up to me during a break in a seminar I was conducting. She said, "Dr. Zimmerman, I really WANT to move up in my job, but I just can''t."

I asked about her personal development plan and about all the things she was doing to move up in her job. She admitted that she avoided the various training programs that her company offered -- as much as possible. When she did go, she didn''t listen that carefully to the speaker or follow through on what she learned. And she never invested any of her own money into training programs outside the company. I knew immediately why she wasn''t moving up in her job.

Sarah went on to say, "I also WANT to be respected by my coworkers, but I don''t think they like or respect me."

So I asked about the way she interacted with her coworkers. She mentioned how they seemed to enjoy her comments, especially the witty way in which she put others down -- behind their backs. After all, they laughed at her comments. But at lunch time no one wanted to eat with her. Once again I knew why she wasn't getting what she wanted.

Her comments were filled with, "I WANT... I WANT... I WANT." Never once did I hear her say, "I will." She didn't mention one single thing she was willing to do get what she wanted.

Sarah was a WANNA-BE. She wanted a better job, but she was doing just enough to get by. She wasn''t doing anything to get better. She wanted more respect, but she would never get it by showing disrespect for others.

So I gave Sarah a brief, on-the-spot coaching session. I said her problems could be traced to her lack of self-esteem. In fact, she would not move up at work until she believed enough in herself to keep on upgrading herself. And she would not get the respect of others until she respected herself.

Of course, Sarah wanted to know how she could change all that in three minutes. Well I''m good... but not that good. That''s why I do one-on-one coaching with people and that's why I deliver my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program.

My next and last Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program for 2020 will be November 12th and 13th in St. Louis. And whether you want to attend live onsite or virtually at home, don't miss this opportunity.

My advice to you on Point #2 today? Stop talking about all the things you want and start talking about what you will do to get what you want. That's how you build your self-esteem.

? 3. Talk away your fear.

For most of us, there are two separate and conflicting entities inside our minds: the "brave me" and the "fearful me." Many times the "fearful me" paralyzes and frustrates the "brave me." To build greater self-esteem, you've got to talk away the "fearful me".

At the beginning of his opera career, the famous Italian tenor, Enrico Caruso, was unsure of his talent. On an opening night, Caruso stood in the wings waiting to go on stage when he was seized by an overwhelming attack of fear. He actually shook with fear. Nearby, astonished stagehands heard him whisper the command, "Out! You miserable ''little me.'' Get out of the way! Out! Out!"

Caruso was changing the way he viewed himself through self-talk. He told the fearful element inside him that his "brave me" would prevail. In the face of this fierce counter-attack, the "little me" shrank-away and Caruso went on stage and sang with beauty and power.

Maybe it sounds crazy, but this technique really works. Tell yourself, over and over, that you are capable of accomplishing the things you fear. Tell yourself you can do it, that you''ve got what it takes, and that you''re equal to the task. Your fear will die and your self-esteem will grow.

Concluding Thought: One of my good friends is magician Rob Peck. He uses a line in his show that I love. He says, "You don''t have to believe in magic -- because the real magic is in believing." Absolutely. Believe in yourself!

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1057- How to build unstoppable self-esteem that takes you to the TOP (Part 2)

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Just needed to get that off my chest.

I'm SICK of all the lies, Name.

And I'm not talking about politics right now. There's plenty going on there that will make your stomach turn.

I'm talking about all the lies being spread about what it takes to get ahead or make your dreams come true, personally and professionally.

Lie #1: If you simply get more and more degrees, and acquire more and more information, you'll have the ticket to success.

That''s not true at all! That's a lie!

The REAL problem is.

Too. Much. Information.

In fact, I'm certain that you've left some classes with your head spinning, filled with information, but all that information never made you any more money, or pushed you up the ladder at work, or dramatically improved your relationships, or made your overall life so much more successful, effective, and balanced.

Truth #1: You don't need any more information. You need DIRECTION - clear step-by-step guidance . that has proven to work . and will absolutely work for you.

Mona Parekh, a laboratory manager from Clarke County Hospital, can testify to that. She says, "Thank you for sharing your methodology of success. It works! I used your techniques and accomplished the goal I set at your Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program. I took my last 4 exams for certification and passed them all! And now the 6 of us who attended your Journey program from our hospital are teaching your techniques to our employees. They really enjoy it, and it''s working for them."

And that's what my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience (coming to St. Louis in person, or virtually in your own location, on November 12-13, 2020) gives you. Stronger self-esteem. A clear purpose in life. An easy system for achieving all your goals. A more positive attitude. Work-life balance. Greater teamwork. Respectful, trust-filled relationships. Conflict resolution. Motivation that brings out the best in yourself and others.

Lie #2: Success: It's all about who you know.

People that spout off this lie tend to attribute their lack of certain achievements to certain inside deals, internal politics, or not having the right connections. In other words, if they can blame their problems on someone or something else, they don't have to do exert any effort at getting ahead.

Of course, those unfair things do happen and do get in the way of your career or your family life on occasion.

However, highly effective people follow .

Truth #2: Success: It's all about the relationships you build.

Great leaders don't have necessarily have better genes. Great teams don't just magically appear on the scene at work. Great marriages aren't all about finding your perfect soulmate.

In every case, their success came from knowing how to build strong, healthy, cooperative relationships with the people around them, on and off the job.

Teri Rokusek, the First Vice President at Lincoln Savings Bank, says: "Dr. Z''s Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience was a life-changing experience for me! I give this Journey credit for saving my marriage, enhancing my relationship with my son, getting me back to church, bringing exercise into my life on a regular basis, getting me to a financial planner, and assisting with my latest promotion and salary raise as I''ve spread Dr. Z''s approach throughout our leadership trainings. I just can''t say enough about the ripple effect of my attendance at this workshop. I would be happy to talk to anyone who might be considering attending!"

I believe you would love the same results in your life, work, and relationships, and I will teach you exactly how to do that at my next Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program coming to St. Louis on April 23-24, 2020. You can attend in person or virtually, whatever you choose.

The TRUTH AND DIRECTION YOU'RE GOING TO GET AT THE JOURNEY Here's a small sample of what you'll take away from the Journey:

• 5 Reasons People Refuse to Go Along with You
• #1 Way to Get People to Go Along with Your Ideas and Happily Do What You Want Them to Do
• 6 Strategies That Inspire Your Team to Accomplish Even the Most Demanding Goals
• 2 Listening Systems That Ensure Accurate Understanding and Improved Relationships on And Off the Job
• 17 Informal, Inexpensive Recognition Strategies That Motivate Others to Do Their Very Best
• 5 Coworker/Customer/Relationship Needs You've Got to Meet If You Want True Teamwork
• A Script for The Difficult Discussion with Someone Who Is Not Holding Up Their End of The Bargain
• 6 Ways to Ask for What You Want . So Others Say "Yes"
• 8 Approaches to Building A Workplace and A Family Filled with Contagious Enthusiasm
• 8 Brave Questions That Will Earn the Respect of the People in Your Life, at Home or Work

Of course, you're also wondering .

DOES THE JOURNEY REALLY WORK? AND WILL IT WORK FOR YOU?

Of course I'm going to say "yes." This is my baby. I created it and I've been perfecting it for more than 20 years. So I believe, I truly believe in the power and effectiveness of my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program.

Just read what a few of my past participants have to say.

William D. Scott, a supervising engineer in the U.S. Air Force wrote, "This was the most rewarding learning experience I''ve obtained in over 20 years working as a USAF professional engineer and leader. Truly the best of the best!"

Cindy Boudreaux, Senior Finance Manager at DHL Worldwide Express, says, "Alan, you have an incredible gift to teach and share so effectively. You''re a master! YOU''RE THE BEST IN THE BUSINESS. Everything was applicable and valuable."

Hank Hauge, Technical Sales Representative at Master Builders, says, "I expected to be introduced to communication techniques that would enhance my professional performance. Those expectations were more than met. I was also introduced to materials that are VALUABLE FOR MY WHOLE BEING."

In the spirit of giving you more than you pay for, I have several gifts for you when you register for my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program coming live in-person to St. Louis on November 12-13, 2020 . or virtually at your location.

YOUR FIRST GIFT . SAVINGS

Your first gift is a $400 savings on your Journey tuition, if you register in the next 10 days

YOUR SECOND GIFT . BONUSES

Your second gift is a whole set of bonuses that come with your registration that retail for more than $1500. But they're all free to you . there's no extra charge . but it's my way of making sure you really get and apply everything you learn at the Journey. You will get:

• A 30-minute pre-Journey telephone consultation with me, to discuss any questions you might have, to make sure you get the very most out of the Journey. This is optional. It's your choice whether or not you want to take advantage of this. ($240 value)

• Journey-to-the-Extraordinary Manual. You will receive a spiral-bound manual of almost 200 pages of hard-hitting material that will be used extensively throughout the Journey, to make sure you capture every point, lesson, tip, skill, and strategy taught by Dr. Zimmerman at the Journey. It truly is the best of his best, and people have been asking for years if they can purchase a copy of this manual. The answer is "no". Only Journey participants can get a copy of this manual, and chances are you will use it for years to come. ($179 value)

• 15-Week Reinforcement Program. After the Journey, you will receive 2 emails each week for 15 weeks, giving you reminders, reinforcements, and mini-assignments to make sure you apply everything you learned at the Journey. This bonus is HUGE and something that is missing from almost any other program out there. ($227 value)

• 10 Sure-Fire Ways to Become A More Positive Person. Dr. Zimmerman's exclusive mp3 audio recording of his transformation webinar designed to reinforce what you learned at the Journey as well as keep you motivated and achieving. This is something you will want to listen to over and over again. ($59 value)

• One-on-One One-Hour Coaching. After your Journey experience, as you continue to grow your life, your career, and your relationships, you may have specific questions you wish to discuss with Dr. Zimmerman. He gives you one hour of coaching to be used at any time in the future, when it best fits for you. Again, this is a bonus, and not a requirement, to maximize your learning and achievement. ($649 value)

I look forward to seeing you in St. Louis or virtually on your computer for my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program on November 12-13, 2020

Hi Joshua,

I work with many people on a one-to-one basis as their coach. Last week I told one of my clients, "Be very careful of what you tell yourself! You're speaking and thinking in ways that are going to kill your business, or your relationships, and even your life."

Champions know that their success or failure is largely determined by the thoughts they hold and the words they use. After all, words turn into actions, and actions turn into outcomes.

So let me ask you: What's going on inside your head? Are you thinking thoughts that empower or defeat you? Are you speaking words that increase your chances of success or failure?

With 2020 being such a horrendous year in so many ways, it would be easy to lean towards the dark side and become more negative.

From working with thousands of people, I know . I absolutely know . that you will never outperform your own self-talk. If you ever tell yourself things like "I'll never get ahead . I can't seem to save any money . I can't remember names . I can't lose weight . I can't change . That's just the way I am . or . I've got too much work to do," that's where you will be stuck, perhaps forever.

But when you change the way you think and talk, you take control of your behavior, results, and achievements.

That's a big part of having The Champion Edge working in your life and career.

Bob Wernimont from Syngenta says, "For many years I've heard that you need to write down your goals and say affirmations, but I didn't know how to do it. So I never did it . until I came to your class. Using the practices you taught us, my confidence, listening, conversing, motivation, energy, enthusiasm have all improved dramatically. The practices remind me of my goals and push me toward the accomplishment of those goals. It really is quite awesome!"

You can have that power working for you as well. I'll show you how at The Champion Edge Master Class. We'll start on January 14th and run through February 11th, from 6:00 to 7:30 pm Eastern Time each Thursday (5 Central, 4 Mountain, 3 Pacific).

As you will notice on the model, Champions master 6 unique, empowering practices that make all the difference in their lives and their work. In The Champion Edge Master Class, you will learn how to make each of these practices come alive for you in a very real, tangible, engaging, skill-oriented way.

Register now. As an early-bird November registrant, you save $200 savings on your tuition and receive a host of other learning bonuses free of charge . including my books, audio courses, email reinforcements, and one-on-one coaching.

See you in January.

Hi Joshua,

Two questions have bugged me all my life.

First, why do some people accomplish so much more than others?

Second, how do some people accomplish so much more than others . so much more quickly?

There is nothing in the research that accounts for this. It cannot be explained by age, gender, birth order, education, race, religion, ethnic identity, nationality, sexual orientation, political philosophy, socio-economic class, or any other known factor.

However, it is clear that those people who accomplish the most, even in the midst of a crazy stressful world like we have today, have adopted 6 practices that have made all the difference in their lives. I call those 6 practices The Champion Edge, and I'm eager to share them with you at The Champion Edge Master Class starting this Thursday, September 3rd.

In essence, we'll meet live and virtual from 5:00 to 6:30 pm Eastern Time (4 CT, 3 MT, 2 PT) every Thursday between September 3rd and October 8th.

What Will Your Learn at The Champion Edge Master Class?

Among lots of other things, you're going to master.

• 7 strategies for Steadfast Confidence so stress and fear no longer hold you back
• How to discover and/or clarify your Compelling Purpose so your life and work are focused and meaningful
• How to eradicate the blocks to the use of your full potential so you have The Champion Edge working for you, rather than let stress and distractions get the upper hand in your life
• How to use Positive Change as a force that brings the improvements you want to see in your life, work and relationships
• 8 skills for an Unwavering Attitude so you have the staying power to get through any challenge or accomplish any goal
• How to use a 5-step process that ensures the accomplishment of your Defined Goals

That's just the beginning.

The other question you're probably wondering about is .

HOW WILL THE CHAMPION EDGE MASTER CLASS WORK?

In this Master Class, there will be a relentless focus on results. I'm in your corner. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you succeed.

To be more precise, the Master Class includes:

• 5 Weekly 90-Minute Zoom Meetings between September 3-October 8, 2020. (And don't worry if you miss a session. I'll record everything for you.)
• 129-page manual that covers every point, skill, strategy, tip, and tactic taught in The Champion Edge Master Class, so you won't every forget anything you learn.
• "Never-stuck" email and telephone access to me
• 5 weeks of post-master-class email reinforcements to keep you on track
• Audio recording of every session and a copy of all the slides

YOUR INVESTMENT?

Everything for only $497 per person.

That includes all the live training sessions, all of the materials mentioned above, AND more than $1000 of learning bonuses at no additional charge.

Better yet, when 2 of you register together, your tuition drops to $447 per person. And 3 or more of you can register together for only $397 per person.

NO-RISK GUARANTEE

There's no need to worry about your investment. You see, All the Risk is on Me.

You're totally safe! I've got your back. With an unconditional, 100% of your money-back guarantee.

If for any reason . and I do mean any reason . you decide this Master Class is not for you . just let me know during the first two weeks. I will promptly refund every penny of your entire registration fee.

NO HASSLES, NO HARD FEELINGS.

Go ahead and register. You will receive a confirmation of your registration . if the Master Class is not already sold out. I keep the class low in numbers so we have more time for your questions and interaction

Once you register, you will be given the link to join our first session on September 3, 2020 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time.

Even before that, I will send you several pages of handouts to get you up and ready for the class.

Should you have any more questions I have not answered, feel free to email me . Alan@DrZimmerman.com . or call me . 1-800-621-7881.

Register now. You'll be delighted with your decision and the difference THE CHAMPION EDGE MASTER CLASS will make in your life and your work

Hi Joshua,

Do you know the 5 words that will rob your peace of mind and block your success?

I've asked thousands of people in my audiences where I've been speaking over the years that exact question. And by far the #1 answer is . "I wish I would have..."

Then they go on to finish the sentence with a variety of answers, but all their answers have something to do with wishing they had achieved certain goals. But they never took the time to think about their goals or had any idea how to achieve those goals. Somehow, life just got away from them.

Kind of sad when you think about, because there are no do-overs in life. The past has passed. That time is gone forever.

The super good news is you have a great deal of control over the future you want to create once you understand and deploy the goal setting and achieving process.

And that's exactly why I created my five-week virtual Champion Edge Master Class . the next one starting on January 14, 2021. It's a fantastic way to start a new year, knowing exactly how to set and achieve all your goals, personally and professionally.

Just listen to what some previous attendees are saying.

WHAT PREVIOUS ATTENDEES ARE SAYING

E. Laverne Perry, who works in Strategic Business Development at a major manufacturer, says, "The Champion Edge Master Class was absolutely excellent!! I learned so much about myself, and I picked up the exact tools I needed to improve my personal and work relationships. What a great investment. It continues to pay big dividends."

Jeffrey Gruschow, who works in the home improvement industry, says, "What a blessing to have been in your master class. It truly is life-altering. The only thing I wish I would have done is take this class years ago."

Judy Crompton, who works in the defense industry, says, "I attended your program and found it to be the best course I ever attended in the 36 years I've worked for the federal government."

WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO LEARN

Countless others have also found The Champion Edge Master Class to be amazingly effective and empowering. And so will you. Because this class gives you the tools you need to:

• Build Steadfast Confidence
• Discover Compelling Purpose
• Implement Defined Goals
• Ensure Unwavering Attitude
• Create Positive Change, and
• Maintain Thriving Balance

Now it's your turn to get your wish. Instead of uttering the 5 words (I wish I would have.) that will rob your peace of mind and block your success in 2021, you can say the 2 most inspiring words . I achieved! You can and will be able to say those words as a graduate of The Champion Edge Master Class.

CLASS LOGISTICS

The next Champion Edge Master Class starts on January 14, 2021 and runs for 90 minutes, between 6 and 7:30 pm Eastern Time (5 CT, 4 MT, 3 PT). We'll meet every Thursday at that time, finishing on February 11th. And don't worry about missing a session because I'll record everything and send you a copy of each recording.

To make sure you get more than your money's worth, I'm going to add several things to your package . free of charge . when you register, including.

• A 125+ page manual,
• More than 10 books and audio recorded seminars I've put together for you,
• One-on-one telephone or virtual coaching with me, should you choose to use it,
• Several weeks of email reinforcements after the class is finished,
• An extra, in-depth bonus webinar on goal setting, and
• A $100 savings on your tuition when you register in December. ($497 this month, $597 when you register in January)

I don't want to be too bold or presumptuous, but I do think this offer is too good to pass by. You don't want to find yourself ever saying, "I wish I would have."

So let me wish you a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year.

And I'll see you in the new year when you register for my next Champion Edge Master Class.

PS: Should you want to register several people for this program, give me a call to receive some extra special pricing. Call 1-800-621-7881 or email me at Alan@DrZimmerman.com.

NO-RISK GUARANTEE

There's no need to worry about your investment. You see, All the Risk is on Me.

You're totally safe! I've got your back. With an unconditional, 100% of your money-back guarantee.

If for any reason . and I do mean any reason . you decide this Master Class is not for you . just let me know during the first two weeks. I will promptly refund every penny of your entire registration fee. NO HASSLES, NO HARD FEELINGS.

REGISTER NOW!

Go ahead and register. You will receive a confirmation of your registration . if the Master Class is not already sold out. I keep the class low in numbers so we have more time for your questions and interaction

Once you register, you will be given the link to join our first session on January 14, 2021 at 6:00 pm Eastern Time.

Even before that, I will send you several pages of handouts to get you up and ready for the class.

Should you have any more questions I have not answered, feel free to email me . Alan@DrZimmerman.com . or call me . 1-800-621-7881.

Register now. You'll be delighted with your decision and the difference THE CHAMPION EDGE MASTER CLASS will make in your life and your work.

Dr. Alan Zimmerman

Hi Joshua,

A large portion of your success depends on the quality of your relationships. At work and at home. If you know HOW to build strong, positive, engaged, trusting, and cooperative relationships, you are well on your way to a great life and a great career.

Most people, however, receive little of no training in how to build relationships.

When it comes to work, most training is focused on product knowledge or technical competency, even though it''s the relationship that counts the most. And when it comes to your personal life, you probably spent more time studying for your driver's license than your marriage license.

It all seems rather silly to me.

So I invite you to invest a few minutes and a few dollars into a webinar that turns you into an effective, proactive relationship builder instead of simply being a passive "I'll-see-what-happens-in-my-relationships" kind of person.

I invite you to join me on tomorrow's webinar on Relationship Turbocharging: How To Build Better Relationships. That's August 6, 2020, from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2 Central, 1 Mountain, 12 noon Pacific).

Click here to register!

During that hour together, you will learn:

• How to build (or rebuild) trust,
• How to draw people towards you rather than push them away,
• How to motivate others to do their best (rather than just enough to get by),
• How to use the power of a promise to get more of what you want,
• How to give meaningful (and inexpensive) recognition,
• How to show appropriate respect, even if you disagree with someone.
• Plus so much more.

When Sally Peddy, a part of the BIM Service Management Team at Shell Oil Company, attended this webinar, she was delighted with what she learned. She said, "Your webinar was personally and professionally helpful, especially the information on Rapport where you showed me how to use the skills of caring, trust, and attitude. It has already generated a ton of positive response from my team members. It was an extremely valuable hour for me !!"

And Joanne Morrison, who works in the Research Finance Team at the world's number one medical clinic, said: "Rapport, respect and recognition ... three very simple yet very powerful words when dealing with friends, family and co-workers. I found myself smiling and nodding my head as I listened during the webinar. The moment the webinar concluded I began putting into practice some of the key points you shared. Thank you, Dr. Zimmerman, for another WONDERFUL webinar! I learned so much!"

When you join me on August 6, 2020, from 3:00-4:00 p.m. Eastern Time for my latest webinar on Relationship Turbocharging: How To Build Better Relationships, you''ll get the tools you need to really build your relationships at work and at home. Whether it''s a coworker, customer, or family member, you''ll get powerful insights and practical skills that will start making an immediate difference.

Your tuition is only $57, and I'll give you four bonus items to reinforce learning (valued at $109) as a freebie.

Remember:

Webinar: Relationship Turbocharging: How To Build Better Relationships

Date: August 6, 2020

Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Central, 1:00 p.m. Mountain, 12:00 noon Pacific)

Presenter: Dr. Alan Zimmerman, live

I look forward to having you join me tomorrow.

P.S. Group Discounts are available if you''re signing up 3 or more people.

P.P.S. An MP4 recording of the webinar, (which includes all the Power Points slides, plus the audio recording, and the handout), is also available.

Click here to register!

Hi Joshua,

It doesn''t matter if you''re a leader or a follower, a manager, supervisor, employee, spouse, parent, or friend, you want the people around you to be positive, pleasant, and productive. You want them to be engaged, motivated, and cooperative.

The question is ... do you know HOW to get all those things from the people in your life and at work?

Most people don''t. They try their best, with good intentions, but sometimes people just don''t respond the way they would like them to.

Does that sound anything like you?

Then I''ve got some truly great news for you . my upcoming webinar on Relationship Turbocharging: How to Build Better Relationships . being offered on August 6, 2020 from 3-4:00 pm Eastern Time (2 pm Central, 1 pm Mountain, 12 noon Pacific).

Click here to register!

The last time I offered this webinar, this is what Donna Hadjikhani, a Manager for Warner Home Video, had to say: "Your webinar on ''A Relationship Turbocharge'' was above all, the greatest Dr. Zimmerman seminar I have listened to. I now not only know how to build and improve my relationships, but can also recognize when I am in an unsuccessful relationship, in my professional and personal life. This webinar was not only eye-opening but also life-changing for me. I have told many of my friends and colleagues about it and Dr. Zimmerman. Thank you very much."

During the webinar, I will show you how all relationships (good and healthy relationships, that is) go through 3 stages: Rapport, Respect, and Recognition. And I will show how to move your relationships from one stage to the next.

I will also give you more than a dozen communication strategies that will instantly get someone''s attention as well as his or her full and willing cooperation. These are strategies that will make your work life and home life so much easier. In fact, you''ll wish you would have known these strategies years ago.

When you register for this webinar, you are in for an educational transformational treat. The tuition is only $57, AND you're going to receive more than $100 in additional relationship learning tools as a bonus.

The Details:

Webinar: Relationship Turbocharging: How To Build Better Relationships

Date: August 6, 2020

Time: 3:00 p.m. Eastern Time (2:00 p.m. Central, 1:00 p.m. Mountain, 12:00 noon Pacific)

Presenter: Dr. Alan Zimmerman, live

I look forward to having you join me in this webinar on August 6th.

P.S. Group Discounts are available if you''re signing up 3 or more people.

P.P.S. An MP4 recording of the webinar, (which includes all the Power Points slides, plus the audio recording, and the handout), is also available.

Click here to register!

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

Some years ago, one of my siblings was convicted and sent to prison where he served two years' time. I went to visit him frequently, but I have to tell you ... nothing you see on TV or in the movies can prepare you for what it''s really like in there. And even though I got to talk to my brother ... on the telephone ... with a glass wall separating us ... I experienced a tremendous sense of separation, depression, and helplessness.

Today there are millions of people in this country and around the world experiencing the same feelings. Whether it's the COVID pandemic, the economic fallout, the rising rate of crime, or the increased mental illnesses at home, fear and stress have got lots of people locked up in the prison of fear and stress.

They've lost their confidence. And that's very dangerous. As lexicographer Pierre-Claude-Victor Boiste (1765-1824) wrote, "He who has lost confidence can lose nothing else." In other words, you've hit bottom. You've lost it all.

To win the battle for your mind, this is what you need to do.

? 1. Recognize the power of Steadfast Confidence.

Psychologist Dr. Denis Waitley wrote in his book, The Seeds of Greatness, "If you believe you can, you probably can. Belief is the ignition switch that gets you off the launching pad."

And Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian Nationalist leader, freed his entire country because he understood the power of confidence. He said, "If I shall have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it, even if I may not have it at the beginning."

Of course, you may agree with the super power of confidence but aren't sure how to get it. One option is to join my live, virtual, 5-week class, The Champion Edge Master Class starting on September 3.

? 2. Act with confidence.

One of the most basic, reliable facts in psychology is the act-as-if principle. If you start to act a certain way, you will begin to feel and be that way.

Coach Barbara Pachter says, "If you act confidently, others will perceive you that way (even if that''s not how you feel on the inside). Eventually you will feel more confident and the inside will match the outside."

So begin to walk and talk with confidence, whether or not you feel like it.

Just to be clear. I''m not suggesting that you try to be somebody else. That would be a put down on yourself. As entertainer Aida Overton Walker (1880-1914) pointed out, "Unless we learn the lesson of self-appreciation and practice it, we shall spend our lives imitating other people and deprecating ourselves."

All I'm saying is that you need to behave as though you have the confidence you desire. Eventually, that's who you will become . a confident human being.

? 3. Think more confident thoughts.

These are tough times. No question about it. But some people are losing the battle for their minds because they're constantly thinking such things as "I'm so stressed out . I can't take much more of this . I don't know what I'm going to do . What if I get COVID . What if I lose my job . What if a certain candidate wins the election" and so on.

If that sounds like you, STOP IT! Fear and stress are taking over. You're losing the battle for your mind. Every one of those thoughts destroys another piece of your confidence.

Instead, start thinking more of these thoughts. "I am confident . I can handle this . I've gotten through tough times in the past and I can get through this ." and so forth. They will help you build the confidence you need to keep on keeping on.

Dr. Walter Doyle Staples, a human potential expert, explained the process this way:

• When you change your thinking,
• You change your beliefs.

• When you change your beliefs,
• You change your expectations

• When you change your expectations,
• You change your attitude.

• When you change your attitude,
• You change your behavior.

• When you change your behavior,
• You change your performance.

• When you change your performance,
• You change your life!

? 4. Look for and document the positive.

Otherwise, you can feel like the comedy writer Robert Orben who said, "Sometimes I get the feeling the whole world is against me, but deep down I know that''s not true. Some of the smaller countries are neutral."

That's why you may need to look for and document the positive things that can fortify your confidence in the midst of this battle for your mind.

One of my students, Jill Weston from the Mayo Clinic took my technique to heart, with wonderful results. She wrote, "There was such negativity and ungratefulness in my home that I knew I had to do something different or else die trying. I decided to start a gratitude journal with my children. Each night I asked each one of my kids to spend two minutes with me and fill out a piece of paper that asked them to list at least one thing they were good at ... or liked doing ... or one thing they did to help someone else that day ... and then list one thing they were grateful for. It was amazing what happened."

"After a few weeks," Jill continued, "self-esteem sky rocketed because my children were seeing and affirming the goodness that each one of them possessed. The contention in the home lessened and we all felt more thankful for the blessings in our lives which brought more peace and happiness to our home and our lives."

Final Thought: There's a battle going on for your mind. Fear and stress are trying to take control, but you win when your mind is filled with Steadfast Confidence.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1053- Fear, Stress, Confidence and the Battle for Your Mind

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

As a high school kid, Mike McKinley had a small garbage business. Sometimes his father would drive him from house to house as Mike picked up the garbage.

On one of those occasions, his Dad yelled at him, "Pick up that garbage out in the yard."

Mike yelled back, "They don''t pay me to pick up garbage in the yard."

His Dad bolted out of the truck and with his nose six inches from Mike''s, he said, "Sometimes you don''t get paid for what you do at the time you do it. Now get out there and pick up that garbage."

Customer service is a lot like that. You do some things for the customer because it''s the right thing to do -- whether or not you get an immediate payback.

Mike said he was surprised sometime later when the owner of the garbage-strewn yard looked him up. He gave Mike a nice tip and a hearty "Thank you" for cleaning up his yard.

Customer service is also a lot like that. When you do more than you said you were going to do, the customer tends to remember. And the customer tends to reward you in some way or other. He may continue to do business with you, talk about you in the most complimentary way, or any number of other activities.

It's called customer enthusiasm, which is far superior to plain old customer satisfaction, which also, by the way, is not enough to keep you alive or competitive in today's world.

In last week's Tuesday Tip, I gave you three strategies for creating customer enthusiasm. Here are three more. Just remember, you can adapt these strategies to use at home as well, with equally wonderful results.

? 4. Surprise your customers

One of my clients, whose name I will keep private because of our confidential coaching relationship, used this strategy to turn his little out-of-the-way Italian restaurant into a national chain. He knew that Monday and Tuesday nights were the slowest nights in the restaurant business, now, as well as pre-COVID days. In fact they were often profit-losing nights.

So once a month, on a randomly chosen Monday or Tuesday night, the customers get a letter instead of a bill.

His letter says it's the restaurant's mission to make people feel like guests, so it seemed awkward to charge guests for having a good time. Their meal is on the house.

What are the results? By giving away one free night of meals each month, he reduced his revenue by 3.3%. But he has a full house on the eight nights of the month his place was normally empty.

Of course, word-of-mouth testimonials are the best advertisements you can get. In a short time, my client had hundreds of people saying, "You can''t believe what happened to me last night."

What are you doing to surprise your customers? And it doesn't matter if they are your internal or external customers, or even the folks at home. Go out there and surprise your customers.

? 5. Remove your customers' frustrations.

Everyone has been stressed out for a long time. But now with the increased riots, looting, crime, COVID lockdowns, economic strain, school closures, and political hatred, stress is off the charts. So this is not the time you would ever want to do anything that might add to your customers' already overstressed life.

Better yet, this is the perfect time to ask what you can do to help remove some of your customers' frustrations. There is a two-step process you can follow.

First, list all the things that bug you when you''re a customer.

Personally, I hate it when I can''t find a clerk when I need one. I hate it when I ask to see a manager and no one knows where they are or when they'll be back. I hate it when I call a place of business and I get three different people who don''t know the answer to my question. Or I get three different answers to the same question. And I hate it when I wait on the telephone "helpline" for thirty minutes.

You get the point. So go ahead and make up your own list of frustrations in the world of customer service.

Second, ask yourself if any of those frustrations happen in your organization. Are you guilty of doing any of the things you hate? Be honest.

One of my clients in the healthcare industry had to admit they were putting too much emphasis on "processing" patients quickly and too little emphasis on "connecting" with their patients personally. They were treating their customers more like numbers than people. So they sent their management team to my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience to learn more about building relationships

Their results were remarkable. Everyone got on board, from the executives to the part-timers. And they knew they were on track when one family, whose father had passed away in their hospital, kept on praising the entire hospital staff for its extraordinary personal touch. For example, the family noted the actions of the cleaning lady who worked the midnight shift. As she cleaned their father's room, she would stop for a moment, pat his hand, and say, "It''s not so bad. It''ll be okay." Indeed, the last few days of their father's life, he kept talking about the comfort and peace it gave him.

How are you going to identify your customers' frustrations and then remove those frustrations?

F.Y.I. Here is what a few customers had to say after attending my Journey-to-the-Extraordinary experience.

Mark Bering, marketing director at DTK Gas Storage, said, "My only regret is that I didn't come here 10 years earlier. Outstanding! Great material that changed every aspect of my life for the better."

Ben Long, President of Long View International Technology Solutions, said, "I found the Journey experience to be transforming, inspiring, and life changing."

Rebecca Arnold, program coordinator at Columbus State Community College, said, "I learned things that helped me in all areas of life. I immediately started practicing what I learned at the Journey and noticed an immediate difference."

? 6. Learn from the best.

In other words, find out which organizations have mastered customer enthusiasm. Take a look at what they''re doing. And see if you can adopt any of their practices or adapt some of their approaches to fit your situation.

Take Disney, for example. On many surveys, they''re ranked as one of the best when it comes to customer enthusiasm. When you dig a little deeper, when you look for the reason why, you''ll see that customers continually comment on the "clean and friendly" atmosphere at Disney.

Now that''s not rocket science. You''d think any business could adopt a similar "clean and friendly" approach. But very few have.

Of course, you might think, what''s the big deal about being "friendly." You might think you''re plenty "friendly" with the customers. But are you really?

Look at what Disney does to perfect their friendliness. For one thing, they preach customer courtesy all the time. They have weekly staff meetings on just that topic. Very few companies bother to do that.

They also refer to their customers as "guests." They even spell the word "guest" with a capital "G" to remind them who''s most important and who''s paying the bills. Somehow the concept of "guest" brings out a deeper level of respect and friendliness than the word "customer."

What lessons from great customer service providers can you adopt today?

Final Thought: In a world where your customer has lots of choices, you must be better or different than the competition.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1059- 6 Ways to Turn Your Customers into Your Ambassadors (Part 2)

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour

Joshua,

Need virtual or remote presentations? I am providing live, high-energy, content-rich, results-producing virtual presentations to all my clients. Plus one-on-one coaching.

We're at the boiling point in many families, many companies, and in many nations. There has never been a time in history when there has been MORE communication but LESS connection.

And if you've watched any TV news, listened to any talk radio, or read any social media posts lately, you're probably shocked by the rudeness, ignorance, disrespect, hypocrisy, threats, putdowns, and name-calling that has almost become the norm rather than the exception.

We've arrived at the very time American poet Carl Sandburg predicted. He said:

"If the facts are against you, argue the law.

If the law is against you, argue the facts.

If the law and the facts are against you, pound the table and yell like hell"

If you're around difficult people or are getting sick of their communication style and behavior, here are a few things you can do to keep your cool.

? 1. Use more "we" and "us" language.

Words make a huge difference. When you talk about "we" and "us," you''re encouraging cooperation and reinforcing inclusion. You''re saying, in effect, "We''re connected. We''re in this together."

Just the opposite happens if you have too many "I''s" and "you''s" in your conversation. Your communication focuses on your differences. It focuses on areas of disagreement, dissent, and disapproval.

And from my point of view, public discourse has fallen into this destructive pit. Instead of referring to Americans as Americans, the media pits us against one another. As Lee Iaccoca, the former chairman of the Chrysler Corporation, noted, "We are no longer Republicans and Democrats. We are what the media calls ''special interests''."

And the same criticism can be and should be leveled at Congress. As Iaccoca went on to ask, "Ever notice that the members of Congress call those who agree with them ''constituents'' and all those who disagree with them ''special interests''?" It''s outrageous, and it''s destructive."

The same goes for your communication at work or at home. Whenever you use or overuse "I" and "you" language, you create a disconnect. Start using more "we" and "us" to connect with other people.

Just as important as the words that come out of your mouth are the words you say in your head . because you will never rise above your own self-talk. It's one the practices you will learn at my live, virtual Champion Edge Master Class starting on September 3rd. Register now for one of the few remaining seats.

? 2. Find some common ground.

Robert Anderson says in his book, Solitaire and Double Solitaire, "In every marriage more than a week old, there are grounds for divorce. The trick is to find, and continue to find, grounds for your marriage."

The same "trick" is to find grounds for continuing your friendships, your team, and even our country. Remind yourself that it's more important to have a working relationship than demand you have everything your way and a non-existent relationship.

? 3. Understand rather than judge those who think they're always right.

I'm sure you know some people who always think they're right. You even see them on the news every night. But you need to realize one thing: A person who never changes his mind is either stubborn or stupid.

You need to understand what's driving them. You may think that a person who stubbornly refuses to change his mind must be a mighty strong person. Not so. Stubbornness is often a sign of insecurity.

A secure person, on the other hand, knows he doesn''t know everything. He knows there is always more to learn and there is always two ways of seeing things. That insight gives him the strength to change his mind when new information suggests a change of mind would be appropriate.

It''s like the two monks on a journey. As they approached a river, they saw a woman standing at the river''s edge, unable to cross. Despite the fact they had taken vows never to touch a woman, one of the monks put the woman on his shoulder and carried her across the river.

When they reached the other side and continued their journey, the critical monk lashed out at the other for breaking his vows. He went on and on, criticizing his travel companion, until finally the helpful monk said, "Brother, I set her down at the river''s edge. You''re still carrying her." One monk had let go, but the other had not.

? 4. Don't spend too much time responding to habitual critics.

That doesn''t mean you should shut out all negative feedback. If you did that you would never grow. If a critic has the right intentions, by all means listen to what he or she has to say. Abraham Lincoln said, "He has a right to criticize who has a heart to help."

Just don''t spend too much time and energy on the habitual critics. I learned that when I first started to write these Tuesday Tips.

Even though these Tips are read by more than 50,000 people across the world every week, and even though the positive feedback has been overwhelming, I''ll never forget one habitual critic. He sent me several long, highly negative e-mails.

I sat down at my computer to reply to one of his many critical letters. I really worked on my reply. I wrote and rewrote my comments. For more than an hour I carefully reworked my letter to give the kindest, most professional response I could. And I still wasn''t satisfied with my response.

Then it dawned on me. I never spent an entire hour writing a letter to my parents, two of the most important people in the world to me. They sacrificed everything they had in life to make sure I had upright values, a solid education, and a chance to be more successful than they were. They never went to fancy restaurants, bought new cars, or shopped at the expensive stores. They always put my needs ahead of their wants.

It hit me. I had not spent that much time writing to two of the dearest people I know. And here I was sweating over how to respond to a habitual critic. I realized I was a fool. I threw away the letter and went on to some higher priorities.

Dr. Zimmerman's Tuesday Tip, Issue 1054- How to keep your cool around rude and ignorant people

About the Author:

Dr. Alan Zimmerman has taught the 12 keys to Personal Peak Performance and Positive Productive Relationships to more than one million people. For a FREE guided tour of the 12 keys in this life-changing Journey-to-the-Extraordinary program, go to https://www.drzimmerman.com/tour