To Tell the Truth

You succeed with you operate with honesty.

For example:

you exaggerate a customer's problem so you can charge him more. This increases your income, but causes you problems. The customer can sense the lie, no matter how sincere you act. If you are caught, the penalties are painful.

On the other hand, if you understate the customer's problem, you are selling out what you know to be true. You prevent your customer from making the proper decisions. You feel like a wimp. The only solution is to look your customer in the eye, without hesitation, and tell the truth. The customer can then act accordingly. You do your job, even if you don't make as much money and even if the person doesn't like the truth.

When you have the courage to call the truth the truth you become a powerful force. It is easy to hold a position on an honest fact.

For example,

your software adds numbers incorrectly. You call the software technician who looks it over. He says, "the problem is the user; the software is fine." You pull out a calculator and prove the computer's answer is wrong. Because you know the truth, you refuse to agree with the technician. No matter how smart the expert is, or how inexperienced the user is, you KNOW the figures do not add up. You have personal integrity.

The same idea applies to your family, spouse and friends. You agree or disagree based on what you know to be true, not on what THEY want you to say or believe.

Integrity

Integrity means you are honest, complete, honorable.

It means you hold to your personal code of conduct.

You stick to what you decide is right and wrong.

When you live with integrity, you succeed.

You are open and honest.

Your life is uncomplicated and less stressful.

When you have good integrity you do not lie.

You can look at yourself in the mirror.

You have nothing to hide.

The Best Code of Conduct for You

So what is right and ethical for you?

How do you work out your own code of conduct?

"WHAT IS TRUE FOR YOU is what you have observed yourself "And when you lose that you have lost everything."

"What is personal integrity?

"Personal integrity is knowing what you know-- "What you know is what you know-- "And to have the courage to know and say what you have observed. "And that is integrity "And there is no other integrity." -- L. Ron Hubbard No one needs to tell you what is right or wrong. You can see and decide for yourself.

For example,

Doug may decide it is perfectly fine to drink wine with dinner. Wally may observe the same issue and decide it is wrong to drink wine. Both individuals made their own decisions. Both are operating with integrity.

Maggie may decide spending money on vacations is a crime while Joyce may decide skipping a vacation is a crime. Both make their own decisions about what is right and wrong.

Like most people, you have probably decided it is wrong to not support your family, abandon a friend, steal from your company, cheat on your marriage, shoplift, abuse drugs and so on.

You probably believe it is good to work hard, be kind to your parents, have fun, pay your bills, tell the truth, return things you borrow and so on. You know the truth when you see it.

You stick to your guns and build personal pride. When you deceive your partner, you both lose a little. If you lie to your spouse, you weaken your marriage. Whenever you abandon what you know to be true, you lose. Nothing makes you more miserable than "selling out" and failing to stick to your integrity.

10 Benefits of Living with Integrity

1. When you decide what is right or wrong for you, and act accordingly, you do not regret anything you do.

2. People follow your example and act more honestly.

3. Your powers of observation are more accurate. You can see the truth about others more easily.

4. No need to keep your stories straight as your stories are facts. Less mental work is required.

5. You handle rejection and criticism more easily. For example, you are not bothered if someone says, "Your fees are too high!" As you have no doubt that your fees are fair, you know the other person has the problem.

6. You have fewer personality conflicts with others, even when you are aggressive.

7. You fight crimes against you with more ferocity when you have nothing to hide.

8. When you make a mistake, it is easier to find the truth, accept responsibility and move forward.

9. You earn a reputation as a person with integrity.

For example, employees brag about honest bosses. "He might be more honest about your work than you might want to hear, but he's fair and doesn't lie."

10. Your odds of being sued, fined or convicted of a crime go way down.

How to Laugh about Anything

If you cannot laugh, you are in trouble. Life is not fun for you.

You take things too seriously and build stress.

If you cannot laugh, you set a negative example for others.

People tend to dislike you. No one wants to help you get ahead.

If you cannot laugh, you may not sleep well. You need drugs or alcohol to feel good. You have health problems.

Fortunately, you can learn to laugh.

Benefits of Laughter


* Laughter strengthens the Immune System. According to Dr. Lee S. Berk from Loma Linda University, California, USA, laughter helps increase the count of white-blood cells and antibody levels.

* Laughter stimulates heart and blood circulation better than other aerobic exercises. Per Dr. William Fry of Stanford University, one minute of laughter is equal to 10 minutes on the rowing machine.

* Laughing provides a good massage to internal organs. It enhances blood supply and organ efficiency, especially with intestines. Experiments also show your blood-pressure decreases after 10 minutes of laughter.

* Laughter increases the levels of the pain killer endorphin. In Norman Cousins' book "Anatomy of an Illness," he explains how laughter relieved the intense pain of his spinal disease when no painkiller would help.

* Younger appearance. Laughter tones facial muscles and improves facial expressions. When you laugh, your face becomes red due to an increase in blood supply. Laughing people look more cheerful and attractive.

An average four-year-old laughs 400 times per day while "solid-citizen" adults average 15 laughs per day. Ideally, you laugh every five minutes (200 times per day).

Another way to find joy and laughter in life is to make your problems MORE serious!

"The mechanism* is to make it more and more and more serious until it becomes utterly and completely ridiculous and the person will explode the whole thing off in laughter." -- L. Ron Hubbard (*mechanism: system or process)

You exaggerate your troubles or expand your complaints to such hilarious levels that you and others end up laughing.

Comics get laughs when they make things extra serious. Remember Saturday Night Live television shows where John Belushi would express his opinion with such force, he would turn red, scream with anger and flop back and forth until he fell off his chair? He was so overly serious, the audience would scream with laughter.

For example,

you go into a bank to cash a check.The bank teller looks at you suspiciously and says, "May I see two forms of ID please?" You say, "Sure. Here's my driver's license and my credit card."

The bank teller clerk examines your cards without comment. She seems unhappy and very serious.

So you pull out more cards and say, "And here's my library card, BlockBuster video rental card, Star Trek Junior Cadet Club card and my Yo-Yo Association card. My name is on all of them."

The teller tries, but can't stop laughing.

A serious waitress brings your food and says, "Be careful. The plate is very hot." So you grab the plate, jerk your hand back and say, "Oh Man! I burned myself!!" The waitress realizes you are exaggerating and laughs.

More Ways to Make Things More Serious If you are having a pity party, write or say to yourself, "Oh, oh, oh! Woe is me! I suffer so much. POOR MEEEE!!! My life is a complete mess! I'm devastated! I will never be happy ever!"

Do all you can to be a poor victim.

Feel really sorry for yourself.

Boost your feelings of self-pity to new levels.

Make yourself sob, even cry.

Be as serious as possible until you feel ridiculous.

If you aren't laughing, bawl as loud as you can, just like Lucy Ricardo on her television show, I Love Lucy.

Repeat each time you start to feel sorry for yourself.

If you feel serious and stressed, act EXTREMELY stressed out.

Pretend to have a heart attack. Fall on the floor. Give an Academy Award performance.

If someone gives you some alarming news, grab your collar or tie, stick out your tongue and pretend to hang yourself. Pretend the world has come to an end until you and the other person laugh.

If you are a manager or parent, do this with serious employees and serious kids. "Man, if sane, is a child of laughter." -- L. Ron Hubbard

Self-criticism Does Not Help You Succeed

"You are treating yourself in present time much as you were treated by others in the past.

And you punish yourself far more than anyone would ever punish you." -- L. Ron Hubbard

How have people treated you in the past?

Have you ever noticed that you treat yourself the same way?

Unless everyone has always treated you with respect and kindness, you might criticize yourself from time to time. And self-criticism or self-invalidation, ruins your success.

False Ideas At some point, you may have accepted these ideas to be true.

"If I cut myself down before anyone else cuts me down, I win!" "I respect Joe's opinion. Joe thinks I'm an idiot. So I must be an idiot."

"If I punish myself, maybe others will leave me alone."

"I've heard it's sinful to like myself, so I'd better hate myself."

"No one knows my deep, dark secret:

I'm actually a bad person."

Of course, all of these ideas are nonsense.

True Ideas

To succeed, you need to treat yourself with respect and admiration.

To succeed, you need a high opinion of yourself.

You need to remember that you are a good person.

"Actually you are a giant tied down with cotton lint.

You tied the knots and furnished the string and said where you'd lie."

"The cold, basic truth is that you are a vital and necessary part of this world." -- L. Ron Hubbard

Three Tips for Improving Your Success

1. Every time you criticize yourself about something, add a solution. Decide on a way to fix the weakness. Focus on improvement instead of problems.

For example:

"I'm so stupid! Why didn't I ask him about his other company when I had the chance? No wonder I'm such a loser . . . wait, how can I fix this? From now on, I'm taking five minutes before each important meeting and writing a list of things to do so I don't mess up again. Great idea!"

2. Write down things about yourself of which you are proud. If necessary, start with small things, such as good personal habits.

3. Keep writing until you improve your opinion.

For example:

"I might be fat, but I brush my teeth regularly. I'm eating more vegetables these days. I haven't gotten angry at my kids for a month. I'm earning more money this year. I'm helping Joe with his drinking problem . . . ."

How to Form a Relationship with Anyone

You can only succeed with the help, interest and support of others, and this requires the ability to form business and personal relationships.

A powerful tool you can use to break the ice and form new relationships comes from the book, The Problems of Work: "The way to talk to a man, then, would be to find something to like about him and to discuss something with which he can agree." -- L. Ron Hubbard You can use this simple two-part system to talk to anyone!

For example, you want to form a relationship with a neighbor.Where do you start?

1. Find something to like about the neighbor. You look him over and decide he has a nice smile and good looking boots. This step is done. You don't have to say anything unless you feel like it.

2. Discuss something with which he can agree. You have to ask some questions to determine this.

What has he been doing lately?

How's his family? What do they do for fun?

For example,

he talks about a fantastic vacation he and his family just enjoyed in Florida. You love Florida, too. You discuss and agree on Florida's fun spots.

As another example, you are waiting for your flight to Chicago at an airport. You decide to establish a relationship with the business woman sitting next to you. First you find something you like about her. You like her red-leather briefcase. So you say,

"Nice briefcase!" She smiles and nods. You then find something with which she can agree.

"Are you from Chicago?" She starts to communicate. You find you both agree that Chicago weather is too cold. You then find other things of which you both agree.

A car salesman is very successful because he knows how to use this technique. He establishes relationships within seconds of meeting people. People in elevators, workers in restaurants, clerks in stores, even people on sidewalks. He instantly finds something he likes about each person and then finds something the other person can agree on. He never lacks new customers. Everyone likes being around him.

Forming relationships is priceless when climbing the ladder to success. You establish valuable contacts wherever you can. Parties, work, church, business events, conventions, anywhere.

Simply walk up to someone, find something you like about the person, then discover and discuss a point of agreement. Just keep asking questions.

"What do you like best about these meetings?"

"What is your opinion about _____(the meeting topic)_____?"

"What business are you in?"

You can use these two steps to form relation">ships with anyone.

For example,

you get on a train and sit next to a body-pierced, tattooed, pimply-faced teenager with hamburger breath.

You follow the formula and find something to like about him:

he has a beautiful sunset picture on his shirt.

You feel better about the fellow and start to find something with which he can agree.

"Where did you get that great shirt?" Before long, you actually enjoy the relationship.