Are you using the Curly Principle?

"Any time I have seen someone accomplishing something magnificent, they have been a monomaniac with a mission. A single-minded individual with a passion." --Peter Drucker You may recall the movie City Slickers from a while back starring Billy Crystal and Jack Palance. In it, we observed the story of a man (Crystal) who because of a midlife crisis decides to go out with some buddies and rustle cattle for a week. Curly (Palance), the trail boss to whom they report, really seems to have his head together, and Crystal's character keeps asking him what the secret is. Curly's only reply is to hold up his index finger and say, "One thing." Finally in frustration, Crystal asks, "Well, what is that one thing?" To which Curly replies, "That's what YOU have to figure out... No one can do it for you." This "Curly Principle" teaches us the same lesson that the renowned management consultant Peter Drucker has observed in highly successful people: Monomania. In other words, a single-minded focus and passion for that "one thing." Jesus taught us in Luke 11:34, "When thine eye is single, thy whole body also is full of light." What are you singularly focused on? Frequently, I meet individuals who want to have their dreams and yet aren't willing to give up anything to achieve them. This is self-deception. Choosing to become great in any area means choosing to not be great in another area. There will always be a price to pay. There will always be a sacrifice. You can only ride one horse really well at any one time. Yes, you may be able to ride two, but nowhere NEAR as well as you can ride one. Nowhere near as agile, responsive or quick. Understand the difference? "The secret to success in life is making your vocation your vacation." --Mark Twain Several years ago, I was in LA with some good friends attending an Elton John concert. I was asked what seems to be a frequent question among acquaintances, "What do you do for fun and recreation?" This is always a difficult question for me to answer, because I know there's an unspoken expectation that I come up with a whole list of activities I'm involved in. Bottom line... I am a monomaniac. (And not in the clinical sense of the word either.) My work is my passion as well as my "re-creation" (notice the true meaning of the word). When asked the question, "How is work?" I can honestly answer, "Work is play." I absolutely love what I do, and if you can say that too, then that goes a long way towards creating Harmonic Wealth®. I can think of nothing more fulfilling and re-creating than to meditate, study, read, learn, write, create, help and coach others, talk with you and share insights. Yes, I do hike, workout, ski from time to time, go to movies and I even played golf poorly once. But these are not the things that make life meaningful for me. Many see their work as a "means to an end," but for the monomaniac, their work is an end unto itself. Not just a job... a meaningful, passionate mission. Your work is your passion and your love made manifest through action. Is this the right approach for you? I'm not qualified to answer that question. What I am qualified to do is to check my own observations and experiences and agree with Drucker and Curly. To accomplish anything of consequence, anything magnificent and great, you must be willing to literally trade your life for it. To be so passionately focused and committed that nothing will divert you. Nothing and no one can stop you. My wish is that you find that "one thing" in your life: Your white-hot passion that brings you tremendous meaning and purpose. To your continued wealth and happiness, James Arthur Ray President/CEO James Ray International P.S. Need help applying the Curly Principle to your goals? Success Certain Coaching will take your goal from start to finish in 21 days... And it's on sale through August 29, 2007. Click and save 25% off the retail price. P.P.S. Attention Texas and Arizona: I have free live events in your neck of the woods in the next couple of weeks. Seats are filling up fast, so reserve some for you and your friends today.

Tap into your creative power...

I'm sure you're aware that I love developing programs to help empower you to live the life of your dreams. And every now and then, I run across something that's a perfect addition to any of my material, and that's exactly what I want to share with you today. I want you to check out my friend Karim Hajee's Creating Power System. It's a terrific program designed to help you achieve the life you want, in a simple, easy to understand method. And it's full of practical advice... Karim's taken some of the most powerful and effective personal success secrets and condensed them down into an easy-to-use system that really works. He'll lead you step by step through some profound principles that are going to change your life. Here's just a fraction of what you'll master after completing this program: How to identify your own path to success... How to eliminate the fears that drain your power... How to effortlessly embrace your strengths anytime you need to... A few simple steps to immediately replace your limiting beliefs with empowering beliefs... We all have our own personal power. But take a look around you, and you'll see plenty of people leading rather mediocre lives while others, most of whom have the same level of intelligence and opportunities, seem to flourish. A huge difference between the highly successful and their not so successful counterparts is that they've tapped into their personal power to make it work for them. That's exactly what Karim's Creating Power System will give you the tools to master. Frankly, there's nobody who can explain this remarkable program quite like Karim himself, so I really recommend you learn all about it. It'll only take a moment, and you'll be glad you did. I know that there are amazing things in store for you with this system, and I'm excited for you to check it out for yourself. To your continued wealth and happiness, James Arthur Ray President/CEO James Ray International P.S. When you combine Karim's Creating Power System with any of my programs, you soon become virtually unstoppable when it comes to setting and reaching your goals. Simply go to http://www.creatingpower.com/index-jri.htm to learn all about it.

What's your EQ?

Are you Reflective, Organized, Conceptual or Empathetic? Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is all about learning your own personal behavior style and how it relates to your life, and you have a lot to gain by learning what your style is. For instance, by getting clued into what style you are, you'll gain insights into your emotional abilities and how to access them to be more productive in your personal and career life. Abilities such as self-awareness, knowing your emotions, recognizing your feelings as they occur and discriminating between them... In fact, researchers have concluded that people who manage their own feelings well and deal effectively with others are more likely to live content lives. My very good friend, Dr. Tony Alessandra, offers a simple and effective way to determine your style with his special Emotional Intelligence Assessment. By answering a short set of questions, which literally takes no more than 10 minutes, you'll gain instant access to your own personal report. The assessment is definitely a bargain at its normal price of $24.95... but for a limited time, Tony is offering a full 50% discount for friends of mine! That's right, it's only $12.48 to learn all about your style... It couldn't be easier (or any cheaper)! Visit http://eint.hrdpressonline.com/assessmentorder.asp today and learn all about it.

The Secret of Attracting True Wealth

Join me as I walk you through one of my free, two-hour, live events... Visit jamesray.com for a complete schedule. (I'm bound to be in a city near you!) Click to catch the podcast here.

What’s your biggest goal?

Quick, think of the biggest challenge or most important goal you have right now... get it in your mind... Now, imagine you've met that challenge and achieved that goal...look at how your life has improved. Really, take a moment and feel the difference. Close your eyes and focus on it. It feels good, doesn't it? That's exactly how you'll feel when you use my 21-day Success Certain Coaching system! It's a phenomenal program, and you can learn all the details by simply clicking here. Look. You have goals, and this is the easiest and most effective way to achieve them. In fact, it's so effective that it comes with a 100% money-back guarantee. So, no matter what else you do today, take a moment to check it out for yourself. This program has changed the lives of so many people, and I want it to do the same for you. When you see how quickly, easily, and (with this special offer) inexpensively you can create exactly what you want in your life, you'll be both amazed and excited. All you have to do to get in on this very special offer is click here and get started in the program by August 29th. Listen. You owe it to yourself to at least learn about this system. Then, if you decided you're happy with your life the way it is, fine. But if you have something you want to achieve or a challenge you want to overcome, you've simply got to go here and check out my Success Certain Coaching program. It'll only take a few short minutes, and you have everything to gain. To your continued wealth and happiness, James Arthur Ray President/CEO James Ray International P.S. Remember, I'll be offering you an outrageous deal, but only for a very limited time. Visit http://jamesray.com/products/success-certain-coaching.php right away to find out.