The Seed of Adaptability

Most people play up how awful things are today as an excuse to why they don't achieve. This current economic downturn (one of the worst in history) is a time when being adaptable can really come in handy. Waitley teaches that stumbling blocks are actually stepping stones to the stars. Not sure who said this, but I found it in some old notes: 

"I am adaptable, flexible, versatile, and ambitious. I am confident that I can do it all. Just give me a chance and you will see."

Crisis = opportunity.

1. Self Esteem
2. Creativity
3. Responsibility
4. Wisdom 

5. Purpose
6. Communication
7. Faith

8. Adaptability

The Seed of Faith

Fly with the eagles

Moving on in our study of Denis Waitley's Seeds of Greatness, we have our sixth seed, faith. Waitley describes faith as the realization of the things hoped for and unseen. He says that the mind can not distinguish between what is real and what is imagined.

Here are some action steps to more optimism and faith:

1. fly with the eagles;
2. hang out with kids;
3. listen to upbeat music; and
4. change your vocabulary. 

What the mind harbors, the body manifest. In scientific terms, I believe positive thoughts and actions produce endorphins - much like a good workout can give you that feeling referred to as a "runners high".

1. Self-esteem
2. Creativity
3. Responsibility
4. Wisdom
5. Purpose
6. Communication
7. Faith

The Seed of Communication

Continuing with Denis Waitley's Seeds of Greatness, the sixth seed is communication. There is much to be said on this topic, but today I want to focus on the word kindness, as in the often quoted Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13:4 – Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud. Here are some nice thoughts on kindness from Mark Roberts, who writes a daily devotional for The High Calling.

Waitley gives these five simple tips on being kind when communicating with others: (1) get in touch with strangers, (2) extend your hand first, (3) eye contact, (4) smile, and (5) volunteer your name first.

He also provides a list of words to strive to eliminate from our vocabulary, followed by the suggested replacement word or phrase:

• I can't – I can
• I'll try – I will
• I have to – I want to
• should have – will do
• could have – my goal
• someday – today
• if only – next time
• Yes, but – I understand
• problem – opportunity
• difficult – challenging
• stressed – motivated
• worried – interested
• impossible – possible
• hate – love

Happy Birthday America and let us be kind to all we encounter this holiday weekend.

The Seed of Purpose

D.J. Gregory:

Continuing with my summary of Denis Waitley's classic book, Seeds of Greatness, subtitled The Ten Best-Kept Secrets of Total Success, let's take a look at seed number five. The fifth seed is purpose. Waitley's chapter on purpose is all about goal setting. He says, "The reason so few people achieve their goals in life is they never really set them in the first place." 

There is a power within all of us that moves us towards our dominant thoughts. Waitley encourages you to know where you are going and to live life with a purpose. I love the expression, 'He/She walks with a purpose!' You can just tell who the people are who move through life with places to be and people to see. 

How about D.J. Gregory, who walked every round of the PGA Tour in the year 2008 despite battling the crippling disease cerebral palsy? D.J. walked every hole in every round of 37 tournaments, covering over 800 miles. He had a purpose!

1. Self-esteem
2. Creativity
3. Responsibility
4. Wisdom
5. Purpose

The Seed of Wisdom

The fourth seed of greatness that Denis Waitley teaches in his classic book, Seeds of Greatness, is wisdom. He describes wisdom as honest knowledge in action. It is one thing to know something well or to be good at a specific talent. But when we use our knowledge and our talents to do good in the world, we are practicing wisdom. I like this quote from Thomas Wolfe:

"If we have a talent and do not use it - we have failed. If we have a talent and use only half of it - we have partially failed. If we have a talent and somehow learn to use all of it - we have gloriously succeeded and won a satisfaction and triumph that only few individuals ever know."

Some great questions to ask about your Wisdom (p. 113):

• Are you honest with yourself and others?
• Do others trust you completely?
• Are you going where you want to go, doing what you want to do, and becoming who you want to become?
• Are you making the best of your real talents in your profession?

1. Self-esteem
2. Creativity
3. Responsibility
4. Wisdom 

The Seed of Responsibility

The third seed of greatness from Denis Waitley's book of the same name is responsibility. Last week, we looked at creativity and the week prior was self-esteem. This week, it's responsibility and Waitley focuses on using our self-control to live responsible and productive lives. Here are Waitley's seven C's of self-control:

• We control the clock
• We control our concepts
• We control our contacts
• We control our communication
• We control our commitments
• We control our causes
• We control our concerns

Next, let's check in on The Dan Plan, and see how our friend Dan is doing with his commitment to perfect his golf game through 10,000 hours of practice.

The Seed of Creativity

From Denis Waitley's famous book, Seeds of Greatness, we look this week at the second seed – creativity. Waitley teaches the importance of healthy role models and positive value education, by choosing to spend time with people who inspire us and only watching or reading things that are positive. He says, "If a sixty second commercial can sell us on a product, can't a sixty minute soap opera sell us on a lifestyle?" (Sorry all of you soap opera fans, I agree.)

Our value systems are formed in our subconscious through repeated viewing. The body does not know the difference in what is real and what is imagined. When it comes to self image, who you see in your imagination will rule your life. Concentrate on reinforcing positive healthy experiences from the past and also simulate successful projects or lifestyles, as if they were actually happening in the present.

From page 71 in the book, here are a few characteristics of creative individuals. How many of these fit your personality?

• Optimistic about the future
• Constructive discontent with status quo
• Highly curious and observant
• Open to alternatives
• Daydreamer, projecting into future
• Adventurous, with multiple interests
• Ability to recognize and break bad habits
• Independent thinker
• Whole-brain thinker (innovative ideas into practical solutions)

Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi:

This week, we looked at Denis Waitley's first seed, in his famous book Seeds of Greatness – Self Esteem. Over the next nine weeks, we will focus on each of the other seeds, for a total of ten: Self Esteem, Creativity, Responsibility, Wisdom, Purpose, Communication, Faith, Adaptability, Perseverance, and Perspective.

My daughter gave me a copy of Andre Agassi's autobiography, 'Open' for a Christmas gift and it has now made it to the top of the reading pile. I can't put it down. Sports Illustrated said the same thing: "The writing here is exceptional. It is can't-put-down good." "Bracingly devoid of triumphalist homily, Aggassi's is one of the most pasionately anti-sports books ever written by a superstar athlete," says The New York Times. And Entertainment Weekly says, "Not only has Agassi bared his soul like few professional athletes ever have, he's done it with a flair and force that most professional writers can't even pull off."

The book is a fascinating insight into the psyche of one of the most unique individuals you will ever encounter. And it rings true to this weeks topic of self-esteem, as Agassi ("Image is Everything") explains how he battled self-esteem demons throughout his career. Self-esteem demons that we all battle, whether or not we have the best return in all of tennis. My wife and I remember sitting in a Nike Town in Atlanta, GA one Saturday morning in 1988 listening to Andre speak to a small group of fans. This was the long-haired, teen-age, rebel Andre and before he had won his first Grand Slam. We both walked away thinking, this guy has a heart as big as Atlanta, GA. There was something special about him that you couldn't quite put your finger on. Make this book a summer read!

The Seed of Self Esteem

The first seed, from Denis Waitley's best selling book Seeds of Greatness is Self Esteem. Did you know that one's self esteem can often be traced back to early childhood and how much positive or negative 'affirming' one received as a child? Of course, regardless of our childhood experiences, at some point we must take responsibility for ourselves and choose our own feeling of internal value. Waitley says, "Successful people always believe in their own worth, even when they have nothing but a dream to hang on to!" It is easy to feel good about yourself when everything is going well. But in times of trouble, that is when it is so important to see yourself as a worthwhile, changing, imperfect, growing individual. When you realize that you are always growing and learning, times of trouble take on a completely different meaning.

Here are ten action steps to building self-esteem from Waitley's book:

1. Always greet people with a smile. When introducing yourself take the initiative to volunteer your name first and extend your hand first, looking the person in the eyes when you speak.
2. In telephone communications, answer the phone pleasantly and immediately give your name to the caller.
3. When in the car, listen to inspirational radio or recordings.
4. Invest in your own knowledge.
5. Always say 'thank you' when you are paid a complement, by anyone, for any reason.
6. Don't brag!
7. Don't tell your problems to people, unless they are directly involved with the solutions. And don't make excuses.
8. Find successful role models that you can pattern yourself after.
9. When you make a mistake or get ridiculed or rejected, look at the situation as a learning experience.
10. Spend one day a week doing exactly what you want to do!

Seeds of Greatness

Westlake captures 2011 State Title:

Congratulations Coach Chuck Nowland, Asst. Coach Lane Grigg, and our Westlake Chaps Girls Golf Team for winning their second consecutive 5A UIL State Championship. Texas has the best high school golf in the nation, and this was a super accomplishment.

In that vein, I recently went back through some notes I made in the early 80s, when I was just out of college. One group of notes was from Denis Waitley's famous book, Seeds of Greatness (Simon & Schuster, 1983). In this book, Waitley outlines what he believes to be ten attributes, or seeds, that can lead to a fulfilling life.

Let's take a look at each of these over the next ten posts:

1. The seed of self-esteem
2. The seed of creativity
3. The seed of responsibility
4. The seed of wisdom
5. The seed of purpose
6. The seed of communication
7. The seed of faith
8. The seed of adaptability
9. The seed of perseverance
10. The seed of perspective