Ranger Surprises His Dog Upon Return From Iraq

Here's an awesome video of a Ranger home from Iraq. He surprises his dog after his father throws the ball for him to fetch, and then the soldier greets him upon his return with the ball. Very cool...

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The Only Way To Succeed Is Through Self-Discipline

Do you daydream a lot? Unfortunately, daydreaming is something that I have always battled with my whole life. Fortunately, every time I catch myself daydreaming or "goofing off" when I should be doing something constructive, I remember these words from Brian Tracy, "Successful people engage in activities that are goal-achieving." This thought is taken from the article below by Mr. Tracy.

I urge you to take a little time to read it. I make it a practice to read this article at least once a week to keep me on track for success. If you need a little bigger push than just an article, maybe you should get Brian's The Miracle of Self-Discipline CD or MP3. It really will change your outlook on life.

Good luck and make it a great day!

Self-Discipline for Success

by Brian Tracy

There is one special quality that you can develop that will guarantee you greater success, accomplishment and happiness in life. Of a thousand principles for success developed over the ages, this one quality or practice will do more to assure that you accomplish wonderful things with your life than anything else. This quality is so important that, if you don’t develop it to a high degree, it is impossible for you to ever achieve what you are truly capable of achieving.

The quality that I am talking about is the quality of self-discipline. It is a habit, a practice, a philosophy and a way of living. All successful men and women are highly disciplined in the important work that they do. All unsuccessful men and women are undisciplined and unable to control their behaviors and their appetites. And when you develop the same levels of high, personal discipline possessed by the most successful people in our society, you will very soon begin to achieve the same results that they do.

All great success in life is preceded by long, sustained periods of focused effort on a single goal, the most important goal, with the determination to stay with it until it is complete. Throughout history, we find that every man or woman who achieved anything lasting and worthwhile, had engaged in long, often unappreciated hours, weeks, months and even years of concentrated, disciplined work, in a particular direction.

Fortunately the quality of self-discipline is something that you can learn by continuous practice, over and over, until you master it. Once you have mastered the ability to delay gratification, the ability to discipline yourself to keep your attention focused on the most important task in front of you, there is virtually no goal that you cannot accomplish and no task that you cannot complete.

Successful people engage in activities that are goal-achieving. Unsuccessful people engage in activities that are tension-reliving. Successful people discipline themselves to have dinner before dessert. Unsuccessful people prefer to have dessert most of the time.

Successful people plan their work, and work their plan. They take the time to think through their responsibilities before they begin. They make clear decisions which they then implement immediately. They get a lot more done in a shorter period of time than the average person. And it all has to do with their disciplines.

Perhaps the most important benefit of self-discipline is the personal benefit that you receive. Every act of self-discipline increases your self-esteem. It gives you a feeling of personal power and accomplishment. Each time you discipline yourself to persist in the face of distractions, diversions, and disappointments, you feel better about yourself. As you continue to discipline yourself, you achieve more and more in life. As you achieve more things, you feel more like a winner. Your self-confidence goes up. You feel happier about yourself. You get more done and you have more energy. You earn the respect and esteem of the people around you. You get more rapid promotions and are paid more money. You live in a nicer house, drive a nicer car, and wear nicer clothes. You get a natural high from the thrill of achievement. And the more things that you achieve as the result of employing your personal habits of effectiveness and productivity, the more eager you are to achieve even higher and better tasks. Your life gets onto an upward spiral of success and happiness. You feel great about yourself most of the time.

Every act of self-discipline strengthens every other discipline in your life. Every weakness of self-discipline weakens your other disciplines as well. When you make a habit of disciplining yourself in little things, like flossing your teeth every night, you’ll soon become able to discipline yourself to accomplish even larger things, like working long, long hours to bring a major task to completion.

Your entire life is an on-going battle between the forces of doing what is right and necessary on the one hand and doing what is fun and easy on the other hand. It is a battle between the forces of discipline and the forces of ease or expediency. And when you develop the strength of character that gives you complete self-mastery, self-control and self-discipline, you feel wonderful about yourself. You develop a deep inner sense of strength and confidence. You replace positive thinking with positive knowing. You reach the point inside where you absolutely know that you can do whatever it takes to achieve any goal that you can set for yourself.

Self-discipline is its own reward. Not only does it pay off in terms of greater self-esteem and a more positive mental attitude, but it pays off throughout your life in terms of the goals that you achieve and the success that you attain in everything you do.

Self-discipline is a skill and a habit that can be learned by practice. Every time you practice a little self-discipline, you become stronger and stronger. Bit by bit, you become more capable of even greater disciplines. As you become a totally self-disciplined individual, your entire future opens up in front of you like a broad highway. Everything becomes possible for you and your future becomes unlimited.

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Who Is The Real Phil Mickelson?

Back in 2007, I featured the article below after Phil Mickelson won the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. After Phil's win yesterday at The Masters, I think it's fitting to re-publish this article.

With all the attention that Tiger's negative lifestyle has garnered over the last six months, I think it's time to celebrate someone like Phil who has always put his wife and family first. If you watched The Masters yesterday, and saw Phil and Amy's hug after the tournament, you know what I'm talking about. It was an awesome sight to see...

--Re-Published from February 12, 2007--

First, I want to congratulate Phil for winning the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Phil blew away the field shooting a final round 66 to win the tournament by five shots. This is Phil's 30th career victory, which puts him in select company as he now has more career wins at age 36 than Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller and Ben Crenshaw had in their entire careers.

I have been a fan of Phil Mickelson's for a very long time. He's one of those golfers that I've pulled for for years and have always assumed he was a a nice guy considering how polite and nice he seems on television. Back in 2004, I was at the Masters on Sunday when he won his first Masters title. My wife and I were positioned to the left of the tee on #10, and after Phil teed off, he walked down the left side of the fairway passing directly by us. We both smiled and gave him a "Go Phil", and he did something that many professional athletes don't do, he smiled, tipped his hat and said, "Thank you and thanks for coming out." That may not sound like much, but try that same scenario with many other professional athletes while they're in the heat of the battle, and you're more likely to get ignored, glared at, or at best, a quick nod.

But, one nice "thank you" does not necessarily mean that the real Phil Mickelson is a nice guy. It means he's polite and respects the fact that the fans are as much a part of a golf tournament as he is.

What does make him a nice guy is a story I just read in this week's Golf World. The title of the article is, "Conrad Dobler's Favorite Golfer." Unless you are a die-hard historian of professional football, you probably have never heard of Dobler... Neither had I until I read this article. Conrad was once called the "dirtiest player in the NFL".

Because NFL players of the distant past did not make that much money, and the NFL's disability plan doesn't amount to much, Conrad lives a nice, but not too extravagant lifestyle considering he's had numerous surgeries on both knees. But, Conrad's entire life changed back on July 4, 2001. He and his wife Joy and their six children were relaxing while waiting for friends to come over for the holiday. His wife Joy was in their hammock and accidentally fell out of the hammock and couldn't feel anything. She's been a quadriplegic ever since. After numerous surgeries, doctor visits, etc., Conrad has had to downsize and sell almost all of his assets to keep the family afloat while paying for Joy's rehabilitation.

Enter Phil Mickelson. Phil's lawyer, Glenn Cohen, called Conrad up one day and told him that Phil had become aware of his situation and wanted to pay for his daughter Holli's college education. Conrad couldn't believe it because he had never met Phil and still hasn't to this day. Conrad asked Cohen why Phil was doing this, and his response was, "Because he can."

Phil does stay in touch with Holli who is now a sophomore at Miami of Ohio. She waits tables and has a heavy load of classes and currently has a 3.8 GPA. The first year, Phil sent $20,000, and he has promised cost of living increases every year promising $22,000 and then $24,000.

This random act of kindness by Phil has changed the lives of more than just Holli. It has made Conrad a better person, and it's given Joy the will to walk again. She's already made great strides and hopes to one day get out of the wheelchair for good. Phil has invited the entire family to the Memorial Tournament in May, and the family can't wait to meet him in person. As Joy says, "If there's anything he's missing in his life, it's a set of wings. He's an angel. And if I can when I see him for the first time, I'm going to go up and give him a big hug."

BECAUSE HE CAN! That is the real Phil Mickelson.

To me, this story embodies what it means to be successful. Being successful means having the ability to help others "because you can." There are so many people who could help others, but they choose not to. I'd like to challenge you to look for areas in your everyday life where you can perform a random act of kindness. You'll be surprised how many situations come up where you can help....

If you'd like to share your random acts of kindness with our readers, drop us a note on the comments page.

Good luck today and make it a great one!

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Sgt. John Gebhardt Comforting An Injured Iraqi Baby - A True American Soldier

I received the following story via email the other day, and I verified it's authenticity via Snopes.com.

Got a tough, but heartwarming story and a picture of John Gebhardt in Iraq. For those that did not know John, he was our former Med Group Chief, Dave Nordel replaced him. Anyway, his wife talked with mine last evening and sent this picture. Mindy related that this little girl's entire family was executed.

They intended to execute her also and shot her in the head but they failed to kill her. She was cared for by John's hospital and healing up, but has been crying and moaning. The nurses said John is the only one she seems to calm down with, so John has spent the last four nights holding her while they both sleep in that chair. The girl is coming along with her healing.

He is a real Star of the war and is representative of what America is trying to do.

For more about Sgt. Gebhardt and the background on this photo, go to this page on Snopes.com.

Make it a great day!

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Did You Know That Obese People Have A Greater Risk Of Going Blind?

I found the following article today, and while it's short, it's message packs a big punch. Studies now show that if you're overweight, you have a greater risk of losing your vision than normal weight individuals. I don't know about you, but I think I'd rather be able to see than eat another piece of cheesecake... Here's the article:

If You're Overweight, Now You Have Something Else to Worry About
By Jason Holland

As if heart disease, cancer, stroke, and diabetes weren't bad enough...

A study shows obese people have a greater risk of losing their vision.

Harvard researchers studied 261 patients for an average of 4 1/2 years. They found that the bigger your waistline, the more likely you are to have vision loss due to age-related macular degeneration.

The Positive News ==> All the news isn't bad. They also found that exercising a few times a week cuts your risk by 25 percent.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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What Is Wealth? Special Report From ETR's Info-Marketing Bootcamp

Bootcamp Dispatch

By Jason Holland

What do you really need to start building a life-changing amount of wealth?

Your 401(k) ain't gonna do it. Neither is your day job.

The 200 aspiring Internet entrepreneurs at Bootcamp know. It was the subject of Michael Masterson's keynote speech: The Special Theory of Automatic Wealth.

It all starts with the true nature of wealth.

"What is wealth?" asked Michael.

First, let's consider what wealth is not. Wealth is not income. Even having a huge income is not wealth. Wealth is not a lifestyle with fancy cars and a huge house. Or investing in hot stocks. Anything rented, borrowed, or mortgaged - anything that can be taken away from you – is not wealth. Those are the trappings of wealth.

Wealth is stored, unencumbered value. That means retained income, savings, tangible investments, and financially-valuable and timeless skills. Anything with true value.

So how do you get this wealth?

Why is it that some people, no matter how privileged or how much income they have, are unable to really accumulate long-lasting wealth and others can?

It all boils down to the decisions you make.

Every conscious moment is an opportunity to become richer or poorer. Whether you'll work on a project now... or later. Whether you'll act on what you learn at a seminar... or get too busy and put it aside. Whether you'll spend your "off" time gaining new skills... or watching game shows.

A person with a rich mind understands this concept. He is aware of these enriching opportunities. He can assess their value instantly. And he has the internal, emotional capacity to act on this information.

A person with a poor mind think the world is unfair. He believes in luck. He thinks there is a limited amount of wealth in the world – and he wants his cut. He feels powerless over his fate. He uses his energy criticizing, complaining, and condemning. This is someone who will never become wealthy.

Not all the decisions we make have to make us richer, said Michael. But when you make enough of these little decisions you start getting momentum. All these little decisions build and accumulate. Once you start making enriching decisions they will come easier and easier. And you will find more opportunities, accumulate more assets. Eventually, you'll discover you're very confident that you can build as much wealth as you want.

Here's what it boils down to: Every situation is an opportunity. Every person you meet... every conversation... every book you read... every speech you hear... every meal you eat... every spending decision... every chance you are given... every problem you face... is a chance to become richer or poorer.

And if you have a poor mind... or are just skeptical... or find it hard to "take action" all is not lost. You can change and develop your own rich mind in eight simple steps:

1. Forgive yourself for being imperfect

2. Educate yourself out of ignorance

3. Practice yourself out of incompetence.

4. Develop rich skills:

• Think well (have capacity to ask questions, gain an ability to trust your gut instinct)
• Speak well (speak from the heart and with enthusiasm, have purpose in your conversation, learn the art of persuasion)
• Write well (a combination of being persuasive and being able to identify great ideas)

5. Recognize opportunity in everything

6. Take action (start right away)

7. Take profits and save them (don't spend more than you have. As your income increases, keep your spending reasonable. When you make money, pay yourself first – always put money in savings.)

8. Continue to learn. Be an avid learner, be interested in everything.

Michael continues to develop his Special Theory of Automatic Wealth. And you'll see his thoughts in future issues of ETR. But this is the core idea – and what you can take away today:

Every conscious moment we all have the capacity to make these decisions. This gives all of us enormous potential power. You have this capacity if you just allow yourself to be aware of these opportunities, recognize their value, and take action.

As Michael said, "Right here, right now is your opportunity."

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, a free newsletter dedicated to making money, improving health and secrets to success. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

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Toby Keith's Moving Tribute To Basketball Legend Wayman Tisdale

Post courtesy of TodaysCountryMusicVideos.com:

In my opinion, Wayman Tisdale was the greatest collegiate basketball player to ever play for the University of Oklahoma. He was the first player ever be named to the All-American team by the A.P. in his freshman, sophomore and junior years. He also had a very successful 12-year professional career. In addition to basketball, Wayman was an accomplished jazz bass player who recorded eight albums, with the 2001 release Face to Face going all the way to No. 1 on Billboard's contemporary jazz chart.

Unfortunately, Tisdale was diagnosed with cancer in his knee and it was eventually amputated, but he never let the loss of his leg get him down. He was fitted with a prosthesis, and it only took him about one month to be acclimated to the leg. (It normally takes up to six months for normal amputees to become acclimated.)

Tragically, when it appeared he was going to make a full recovery, his life was cut way too short this past May at the tender age of 44. His friend Toby Keith dedicated his latest album American Ride in his honor, and wrote the song Cryin' For Me (Wayman's Song) as a tribute to Tisdale. The video below features the song, and the official music video will go live here on Monday morning, November 2, 2009. Please bookmark this page and return on Monday to watch this moving video. Enjoy!

P.S. For more about this incredible man, visit WaymanTisdale.com, and if you'd like to download the MP3, you can get it here.

"Cryin' for Me (Wayman's Song)"

Toby Keith | Toby Keith Videos | New Country Songs

If you missed yesterday's videos, here's what you missed:

A look back at Alan Jackson's Where Were You When The World Stopped Turning
Video of Montgomery Gentry Being Inducted Into The Grand Ole Opry

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Amazing Video Of The Quickest Way To Get Down A Sand Dune

Wow. That's all I can say. This guy is amazing!

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Red Skelton's Pledge of Allegiance

This is from 1969. So, where are we today?

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Saturday Feel Good Video - Alan Jackson's I Still Like Bologna

If you'd like to watch something that will put a smile on your face, check out country singer Alan Jackson's new video for his latest single called I Still Like Bologna. If you like kids, you'll love this one. Have a great day today!



Alan Jackson MP3's

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