Doing Better Than Good!
People frequently ask me, “How can I know when I am doing better than good?” I thought about that question and came up with 15 ways to measure yourself. Take a look and see what you think:

You are doing better than good when you clearly understand that failure is an event, not a person; that yesterday ended last night, and today is your brand new day.

You are doing better than good when you have made friends with your past, are focused on the present, and optimistic about your future.

You are doing better than good when you know that success (a win) doesn’t make you, and failure (a loss) doesn’t break you.

You are doing better than good when you are filled with faith, hope and love; and live without anger, greed, guilt, envy or thoughts of revenge.

You are doing better than good when you are mature enough to delay gratification and shift your focus from your rights to your responsibilities.

You are doing better than good when you know that failure to stand for what is morally right is the prelude to being the victim of what is criminally wrong.

You are doing better than good when you are secure in who you are, so you are at peace with God and in fellowship with man.

You are doing better than good when you have made friends of your adversaries, and have gained the love and respect of those who know you best.

You are doing better than good when you understand that others can give you pleasure, but genuine happiness comes when you do things for others.

You are doing better than good when you are pleasant to the grouch, courteous to the rude, and generous to the needy.

You are doing better than good when you love the unlovable, give hope to the hopeless, friendship to the friendless, and encouragement to the discouraged.

You are doing better than good when you can look back in forgiveness, forward in hope, down in compassion, and up with gratitude.

You are doing better than good when you know that “he who would be the greatest among you must become the servant of all.”

You are doing better than good when you recognize, confess, develop and use your God-given physical, mental and spiritual abilities to the glory of God and for the benefit of mankind.

You are doing better than good when you stand in front of the Creator of the universe and He says to you, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Think over each one of these 15 ideas and see how you can incorporate them into your life so that you truly are better than good!

Our active community is growing, and this afternoon, we surpassed 400 active members! congradulations!

Let’s keep the community growing!

Wishing you all the best in your path to success!

Alan

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a book so appropriately named in my life. I’m sure I’ve never seen one embrace its subject with so much passion and conviction. The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS (Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Books) is a colorul, positive, infectious, uplifting, enjoyable, motivating, delightful little book.
Did I like it? I loved it. I loved everything about it.

I had finished reading the stack of books on my desk - some were for reviewing on blogs, others were novels by favorite fiction authors (Dean Koontz, Agatha Christie). Since I always, always, always have to be in the middle of at least one book to feel content, I headed to my husband’s bookshelf, knowing he had gotten a few books lately. Even though his books are mostly about golfing, business, and sales (not the kind of sales I’m interested in), every now and then he’ll have one that matters to me. This gold little book caught my eye right off the bat, as did the tile on the side, “Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude.” It was love at first sight. Colorful? Check. Bold? Check. Stand out in the crowd? Check. Motivationally positive? Check. Check.

I plucked the book out from amongst books that were either in business suits or golf shoes and headed to the couch with my notebook and pen (taken from the husband’s desk…just call me Sticky Fingers). The little gold book and I got along famously and the pen got a real workout.

The book is full of adorable cartoon illustrations that’ll slap a smile on your face, and varying sizes and colors of text that make the entire reading process nothing short of delightful.

Jeffrey Gitomer makes it clear early in the book that we are responsible for our own attitudes. The kind of attitude we have is a choice we make, so if we want a YES! attitude, we have to make the choice to go out there and get it! He then spends the rest of the book telling the reader exactly how to do just that.

It’s your thoughts behind the words you speak that create your attitude. - Jeffrey Gitomer

There’s a fascinating “Attitude Self Test” that I wish everyone in the world could take. Without even looking at the results, the reader could have about 10, “A ha!” moments where they gain a little insight about themselves and their attitude. After the test, you can find out where, on the scale, your attitude rates - you’ll either be in the positive attitude group with the rest of us Jiminey Crickets, in the group that’ll have to work extra hard, or somewhere in between. Wherever you find yourself, you’ll be able to use the rest of the book to move higher and stay higher.

On page 47, the author pointed out something really interesting, “It takes twice as much energy to be negative than to be positive. That’s why, at the end of the argument, you may be tired.” He then went on to say, “Understand that negative energy and negative thoughts BLOCK positive thoughts and creative thoughts from occurring.”

Priceless! How priceless? Worth saying again priceless:

“Understand that negative energy and negative thoughts BLOCK positive thoughts and creative thoughts from occurring.”

Another especially effective part of the book (you know, in addition to the part between the first page and the last page) is a section where he lists the “Real World Attitude Busters.” From The flu (which I happened to be enjoying when I read the book) to losing something, the list hits home for everyone. He points out that Attitude Busters have two elements: Things and People. These elements will, as the book points out, either “…bust you or build you based on the way you react to them.”

Page 76 is one of the most powerful pages of the entire book, as it gives a list of “Positive things and YES! things that BUST attitude busters.” At first I was aghast that Starbucks and shopping weren’t listed, until I saw, “Something that you do with passion” and ”Anything inspirational” - yeah, that’s them. It’s a great list of things that can turn your attitude, mood, day and life around - which, if you ask me, makes it a list worth making copies of and placing randomly throughout your house. One on the refrigerator, one on your desk (definitely one on your desk!), etc.

The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude: How to Find, Build and Keep a YES! Attitude for a Lifetime of SUCCESS (Jeffrey Gitomer’s Little Books)will also show you why it’s important to:

• Put things into writing
• Drain your brain at the end of each day
• Use your environment to your benefit
• Be careful how you view the local news
• Be on guard how you let others affect your attitude
• Be aware of the senses that can affect your attitude
• Use your attitude to improve your business
• Use your attitude to improve your relationships and life
• Realize that a positive attitude is attractive
• Realize that a positive attitude is contagious
• Buy the book!
• Read the book!
• Re-read the book!

“The main reason people rain on my parade is because they have no parade of their own.” - Jeffrey Gitomer

The title of this site is Self Help Daily, right? The goal of this blogger is to help others help themselves. I literally devote each day looking for information, tips, advice, quotes, etc that I can add to the web site that will help others build the life that will bring them the most happiness. My husband says I’m out to save the world. My response? Damn right! One person, one animal, and one tree at a time. I’m a proud hugger of each. Having said all of that, at this moment the number one thing I wish I could do for every human being (Polar Bears and Oaks simply don’t read well enough) is to lock them in a room with this book, one of my husband’s cool pens and a notebook. When I unlocked the door a few hours later, each would emerge a changed person. For the better.

The door wouldn’t be the only thing unlocked. The book would brilliantly, and forever, unlock their….

• Potential
• Self Restraint
• Inner Power
• Chains of negativity
• YES! Attitude

You may also be interested in:

I know what to do, so why don’t I do It?

Do you have any critical issues in your life that you’re NOT taking action on, like losing weight … getting a new job … improving your finances … or changing a relationship?
What about your everyday life? Is inaction a general habit that causes you to do things like:

Leave unfinished projects lying around your house?
Do meaningless chores instead of really important tasks?
Drag your feet on making necessary phone calls or writing
thank-you notes?
Wait until the last minute (or even later) to file your taxes?
Consistently return movies or pay bills late?
Make a to-do list, and then ignore it?
Continue bad habits when you simply know better?

Here’s why I’m asking:
So much information out there is aimed at helping you figure out what you need to do in order to get what you want in life. But for a lot of people — and maybe for you — the question isn’t what to do. They already know that.

It’s actually doing it that’s the problem. Whatever your particular issue may be, if you can identify with the challenge of knowing what to do, but still not doing it, then I’ve got life-changing news for you. The typical excuses for not doing what you know you should — I’m too stressed out … I don’t have the time … I don’t have the energy, etc. — are, in fact, manifestations of a complex, interconnected web of psychological, chemical, and neurological factors.

When activated, these factors can effectively paralyze you — making it virtually impossible for you to take the actions needed to create change in your life. In other words, it isn’t laziness, lack of willpower, and/or low motivation that are to blame for the fact that you aren’t achieving your goals. Even if you’re highly motivated … even if you want something very badly … and even if you know exactly what you need to do to get it … if you’ve got these internal circumstances operating, you AREN’T going to be able to do it.

But while the biochemistry may be complex, the solutions are actually quite simple. These solutions — and the fascinating science behind them — are revealed in a powerful audio system that examines all 10 of the most common excuses for inaction:

Excuse #1: “I’m too stressed out.”
Excuse #2: “I don’t believe I can.”
Excuse #3: “I don’t have the time.”
Excuse #4: “I don’t have the energy.”
Excuse #5: “I’m too emotional.”
Excuse #6: “I’ll always be the way I am.”
Excuse #7: “I’m afraid I’ll make a mistake.”
Excuse #8: “I’m too sick.”
Excuse #9: “I’m too skeptical.”
Excuse #10: “I can’t do it alone.”

… and gives you DOZENS of tips, techniques, and scientifically sound secrets for overcoming each of them. Strategies that address the roots of your excuses and OBLITERATE them right then and there.

What are you NOT doing
that you know you SHOULD do? Eating better? Exercising? Eliminating your debt?
Rethinking your career? Reorganizing your household? Repairing that long-lost friendship?
Just think of all the big and little things you would be able to accomplish if you could break through the excuses that typically hold you back.
Doing just that is so much easier than you’ve been led to believe, and I’d like you to find out.
This series of blogs, “I Know What to Do, So Why Don’t I Do It?” will introduce you to an incredible arsenal of tools that will empower you to achieve any goal you want to — for the rest of your life.
Once you have these tools, any time you feel the old excuses creeping up on you, you will know EXACTLY what to do to overcome them instantly. And when you can do that, NOTHING will be able to stop you from achieving any goal, any plan, any dream you can imagine.

Once you overcome those paradigms, that question that has been nagging you, I know what to do, so why don’t I do it? will seem to have vanished as well.

Thank you,Take care