Principle # 10

"Paul Hrvey"

Remember-the

"free" cheese is

in a mousetrap.

Years ago Paul Harvey described how Eskimos in the frozen North kill wolves.They take a razor-sharp knife, dip it in blood and freeze it. Next, They bury the handle of the frozen tundra with the blade sticking up. Wolves, attracted to the scent of blood, come to lick the blade. The cold numbs the wolf's tongue and by the time he reaches the blade he's unaware he is licking a sharp edge. As he begins to bleed, he licks even faster until ultimately he bleeds to death.

In many ways Paul Harvey was describing the way young people are lured into drug and alcohol traps. Early on, some drugs and alcohol make a person feel good and they enjoy the feeling. After a few "trips" on those drugs and alcohol, however, they begin to lose their sense of perspective and the drugs have less and less effect. This leads them to indulge in stronger, more potent drugs-and he or she is "hooked."

Interestingly enough, the wolf and the drug addict have another thing in common. Each wanted the same thing-namely, to give little or nothing and get a lot. A more successful formula is to give a lot, and you'll get a lot in return.

For even when we were

with you, we gave you this

rule: "If a man will not

work, he shall not eat."

2 Thessalonians 3:10

Principle # 9

The profile of

a wealthy person

is this: hard work

perseverance,

and most of all,

self-discipline.

The Louis Harris poll of people who earned more than 142,000 a year and had a net worth of over a half a million dollars, not including their homes, described these successful people as being unexciting, middle-aged, and cautious. They emphasized family values and the work ethic. Eight-percent of them were married. Ninety-six percent of them acquired their net worth through hard work, which means they denied themselves immediate gratification so they could have what they really wanted later. Eighty percent were politically conservative or middle-ofthe-road, and they were relatively non-materialistic.

In other words, their goals went beyond money. Eighty five percent said that their major objective was to provide for their family (that's an attitude of responsibility ). Only 11 percent rated owning an expensive car as being very high on their want list. The badges of success didn't matter to them nearly so much as family,education, and their business or job-not much excitement but, infinitely more important, they had an excellent quality of life. Persistence, consistency, discipline, and hard work (all of which are learned skills) made the difference. Their lives seemed to in balance.

Do you know a hard-

working man? He shall be

successful and stand

before Kings!

Proverbs 22:29 TLB

Principle # 8

Love is not the basis

for marriage;marriage

is the basis for love.

Being loved is the

second-best thing in

the world;loving

someone is the best

The True Love Daily Checklist

1. Did I speak words of love to my mate today?
2. Did I act with love toward my mate today?
3. Was i patient with my mate today?
4. Was I kind to my mate today?
5. Was I jealous or envious of my mate today?
6. Was I proud or boast to may mate today?
7. Was I selfish with or rude to my mate today?
8. Did I demand my own way with my mate today?
9. Was I irritable or "touchy" with my mate today?
10. Did I hold on to grudges against my mate today?
11. Was I glad when truth triumphed with my mate today?
12. Was I loyal to my mate today?
13. Did I believe in and expect the best from my mate today?
14. Did I use my strengths for my mate today?
15. Did I keep the faith with my mate today?
16. Did I find hope with my mate today?
17. Did I Love my mate today?
18. Do I understand that the greatest strength is love?

Love... does not hold

grudges and will hardly

even notice when others

do it wrong.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5 TLB

Principle #7

These ten little

two-letter words-

if it is to be, it is up

to me-are absolutely

valid.The solution is

to do it now.

One reason people do not develop and use their talent is denial. Many people find it comfortable to deny talent . After all, if they deny their talents, then perhaps they can persuade others that they really don't have anything to offer.

A second reason people don't use their talents is procrastination. They're going to use them in the nonexistent future on someday Isle ("someday I'll"), which is nonexistent island. Tomorrow is the greatest labor-saving device ever brought to light.

I believe fear (which is faith in reverse) is the third reason for not using our talents. Many people don't understand that failure is an event and not a person, so they decide to "play it safe" and not do anything at all.

The fourth reason people do not use their talents is irresponsibility. They find it more comfortable to blame other things and other people for their failures.

Some of the saddest words you'll ever hear are "what might have been." Speaker Vicki Hitzges puts it in a unique and different way when she asks, "Will you look back on life and say, 'I wish I had' or 'I'm glad I did'?" You do have a choice

For the gifts and calling

of God are without

repentance.

Romans 11:29 KJV

Principle #6

Neil Rudenstein

Where you start is

not as important as

where you finish.

Just in case you have even of a trace of PLOM ("poor little old me") disease and are saying,"But,G, you don't understand about my past," I've got a better idea for you. Instead of explaining why it won't work for you, let me tell you how it worked for others.

A study of three hundred world-class leaders, including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Sir Winston Churchill, Clara Barton, Helen Keller, Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, Dr. Albert Schweitzger, and Martin Luther king, Jr., revealed that 25 percent of them had serious physical disabilities and an additional 50 percent had been abused as children or were raised in poverty.

The world-class leaders responded (positive) instead of reacted (negative) to what happened to them. Remember, it's not what happens to you; it's how you handle what happens to you that's going to make a difference in your life.

Neil Rudenstein's father was a prison guard and his mother a part-time waitress. Today , Dr. Neil Rudenstein is president of Harvard University. He says he learned very early in life that there is a direct correlation between performance and reward.Rudenstein and the three hundred world-class leaders personally learned that it's not where you start- its where you finish- that counts.

In all things God works for

the good of those who love

him, who have been called

according to his purpose.

Romans 8:28

Principle #5

Make failure

your teacher, not

your undertaker

Sometimes little irritations, mistakes, and failures come our way that are not earth-shattering or life-changing, but they cause a momentary stop in our progress. Sometimes we permit the little incidents to linger entirely too long and give us problems far beyond their significance. Let's say that you are caught in one of these situations, and at the moment you're not depressed, but you're not exactly on cloud nine either. As a result, you know that you are not as friendly or as productive as you would like to be, so you want to snap out of it.

What do you do?

Step no.1: acknowledge that you're in a funky mood; you got the "blahs".

Step no.2: recognize that your momentary switch from positive thinking to "stinkin' thinkin" is neither permanent nor even life threatening, so it won't be fatal. It's eventually going to end, so instead of waiting for a change in circumstances to bring an end to "blahs," make a conscious decision to end them yourself! Which means you have once again accepted responsibility, you circumstances will change and you will have turned a small tragedy into a big triumph.

Don't you know that this

good man, though you

trip him up seven times,

will each time rise again?

proverbs 24:16 TLB

Principle #4

Men of genius are

admired.Men of

wealth are envied.

Men of power are

feared, but only

men of character

are trusted

-Arthur Friedman

Several years ago I was speaking at a trade school, with several hundred students in attendance. Early on, approximately 1/3 of the students were attentively listening. The other two-thirds were either reading or pretending to be asleep.

The local television station had gotten word that I was to be speaking at the school and sent a camera crew to get some shots. They walked in down the left -hand aisle, came up on stage, got behind me, and started filming the entire student body as they listened to the presentation

In many ways the spotlight is always on all of us, as far as our morals, ethics, and responsibilities are concerned.Let's not get caught unaware.By conducting our lives as if the camera is on and the mike is open, we will be living with integrity.The picture we have of ourselves will be character based and non-hypocritical. We won't have to apologize for or explain tomorrow what we did today.

More thou shalt provide

out of all the people able

men, such as fear God, men

of truth, hating covetousness

...to be rulers.

Exodus18:21 KJV

Principle #3

When you

turn to God

you discover

He has been facing

you all the time.

A recent survey revealed that 96% of Americans believe in God, 90% say they pray, and 41% say they attend religious services at least once a week or almost every week.These figures are nearly identical to a survey conducted in 1947, with the only exception being that the percentage of those who believe in God has gone up one percent.

Translation: 105 million Americans are in worship services every week.That's more than attend all of the major league baseball games, plus all NFL football games, all NBA basketball games -all year long.Need I remind you that virtually every paper devotes an entire section to what's going on in the world of athletics? By contrast, last year there were only 287 stories of significance in the national media about what was going on in the lives of people of faith.

Please don't misunderstand. I am an avid sports fan, but how many spectators have had their lives changed because they were at a game-versus how many people's lives were changed at a religious service?

I wonder what would happen if every person who goes to religious services each week were to write the editor of their newspaper a letter, suggesting they give more coverage to our faith .

For the eyes of the Lord

are on the righteous,

and His ears are open

to their prayers.

1 peter 3:12NKIV

Principle #2

Maintaining

the right attitude

is easier than

regaining the

right attitude.

Let's look at five life attitudes.first is self-esteem. thats the way you feel about yourself.That feeling of your own worth influences every facet of your life.

The second attitude is love, which is your attitude towards others.Love-real love-always thinks in terms of what is best for the other person.

The third attitude is faith.Faith is your attitude towards God.It will influence your attitudes towards you fellow man and members of your family.

The fourth attitude is hope, which is your attitude towards your future.Alfred Adler, the psychiatrist, said "Hope is the foundational quality of all change, and its the great activator.It gets people moving towards an objective.Hope is the realistic expectation that something good is going to happen."

The fifth attitude is forgiveness, which deals with you past. Your ability to forgive others from any wrong-doing will have tremendous bearing on your future. The person who damaged your past is negatively impacting your present, and will negatively influence your future unless you forgive him or her.Forgiveness is the wisest choice.

Maintain these five attitudes in your life, and you will be well on your way to the top!

Never be lacking zeal,

but keep your spiritual fervor,

serving the Lord

Be joyful in hope,patient in affliction,

faithful in prayer

Romans 12:11-12

Principle #1

When we do

more than we are

paid to do,eventually

we will be paid more

for what we do.

As a youngster working in a grocery store, I knew the young boy who worked in the store across the street . In those depression years, most stores, of financial necessity, carried a very limited inventory. Of course this frequently led to shortages, and in these cases the merchants simply borrowed from one another.

Norman Keith was the "runner" for the store across the street. I recall countless instances when Norman would hit our front door at a dead run and sing out to the owner of our store "Mr. Anderson, I need to borrow six cans of tomatoes!" Mr. Anderson always replied, "Well go get 'em, Norman.You know where they are". Norman would dash back to the shelf,grab the items he was borrowing, quickly deposit them on the counter, scribble his name on the slip showing what he had gotten, and race off.

One day, I asked Mr. Anderson why Norman Keith always ran everywhere he went. He replied that Norman Keith was working for a raise, and he was going to get one. I then asked him how he knew Norman was going to get a raise, and Mr. Anderson replied that if a man he was working for didn't give him one, he would!

"Work hard and cheerfully at all you do, just as though you were working for the Lord and not merely for your masters."

Colossians 3:23 TLB