Written By Ed Kainz
I mentioned in my last article entitled, "Activate Your Dream," that I would share with you how to make your dream become a reality. Well, believe it or not, it’s not that hard if you make sure you do a few important things. The first necessary component is having a dream. Contact Ed Kainz: edkainz@wowway.com
Achieving Our “Maximum” Potential
When I started thinking about how each of us can achieve our maximum potential, two very successful and inspiring people came to mind. One is Zig Ziglar and the other is Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. Zig Ziglar has stayed on top of the field of Motivational Speaking for over 35 years now. So what’s his secret? Zig Ziglar says that three characteristics are present in every successful person he meets. They separate the people who find success from those who fail. Those three characteristics are passion, peak performance and purpose.
Zig Ziglar reminds us that with passion you can overcome even your biggest obstacles and achieve your peak performance. He says that “almost every day you’re going to encounter a good, solid, logical reason why you ought to give up. And without passion, you just might.” He goes on to say that one of the biggest obstacles you’ll find is the person who you see every morning in the mirror when you wake up. This is the person who can best hold us back from achieving our full potential. Ingrained in all of us are thoughts that keep us from reaching our upper limits. We’ve all been told by others that we can’t succeed at something. He says, “So many times our own thoughts keep us from reaching our upper limits.”
Zig Ziglar tells this story: “I had a friend who used to play major league baseball for our team here in Dallas. He liked to help out in prisons. While visiting one of those prisons, he was asked how he got to be a major leaguer. He said, ‘Well, when I was a youngster growing up and starting to play ball, my Dad would play catch with me. When I’d throw a ball, he’d tell me that that was the sort of thing that would lead me to the major leagues. When I’d start catching, he’d tell me sometimes that I’d just made a major league move. He told me that one day I’d be in the majors, and that’s exactly where I am. Well, a prisoner who was listening intently and sitting nearby said that when he was growing up, his daddy said that he was no good and would one day end up in jail. And that’s where he was.”
Watch out for self-fulfilling prophesies. Just because someone influential to you says something about you, that doesn’t mean it has to come to pass. “We” ourselves, not someone else, have control over our destiny. The great Motivational Speaker Les Brown said, “Don’t let someone’s opinion of you become your reality.”
Remember that what we tell ourselves about ourselves is “extremely powerful.”
Who amongst us however hasn’t experienced failure and disappointment in our lives? We must not live in the past, but rather live in the present with a constant eye to the future. The great progenitor (Forefather) of the theory of “positive thinking,” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, has the best advise to those who have lost their confidence or are filled with self-blame and self-pity.
His five point formula for success is the following:
1. Stop running yourself down. Empty your mind of your mistakes and failures.
2. Eliminate self-pity. Think of what you have left instead of what you have lost.
3. Quit thinking only of yourself. Start thinking of ways to help others.
4. Have a goal and put a timetable on it.
5. Every morning speak these words out loud to yourself: “I can do all things
through Christ who strengthens me.”**
** If you have difficulty using the term Christ, substitute another term or simply affirm yourself by saying, “I am capable and confident, and today can do anything that I put my mind to.”
If we each adopt this mental “toughness,” we can indeed pursue our true passion in life with vigor, discover our true purpose in life, and each achieve peak performance in our lives. If you choose to incorporate into your life Zig Ziglar’s three characteristics of success and Dr. Norman Vincent Peale’s 5 point formula for success, you will undoubtedly live a more fulfilling and rewarding life.
…just remember these wise words of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale.
“What you see and believe in, you can achieve.”
- Norman Vincent Peale
Ed Kainz
Please email me at edkainz@wowway.com with your comments. I’d love to hear from you.
Things To Be Truly Grateful For
Lauren in her last newsletter talked about being grateful for the blessings we receive in our lives. This is so true. I myself had a chance to experience this with my family just a couple of weeks ago. You see, a few weeks ago over a December weekend, my wife, Mary and my sons Matthew and Michael made a weekend trip to Chicago. We live in Detroit, Michigan, but have always enjoyed spending a “weekend in Chicago” shortly before Christmas to experience the festive atmosphere and always beautifully decorated city for the Christmas holiday season.
This year was no exception, and we looked forward to this year’s trip with great anticipation and excitement. Unfortunately, mother nature had another idea in mind for us. We left Detroit early Friday morning, and arrived at the Chicago city limits only to experience what was to be a pretty good size winter storm that was taking hold of a large portion of this country’s Midwest section. We literally just checked into our hotel, and headed out to the Navy Pier, when we were abruptly greeted by an ice storm that literally forced us to immediately turn around and take shelter back at our hotel for the remainder of the evening. The next day brought an unending “all day” rain that we were forced to endure. This included our visit to the famous “Christkindlmarket” with umbrellas in hand to sip hot chocolate and listen to an authentic German choir “heartily” singing authentic German Christmas songs in a steady rain. As luck would have it, we left for home the next day amongst a clear blue sky and steady sunshine as if only teasing us as we headed home.
We couldn’t help but share amongst us in the car our disappointment in having not been able to skate outside Millennium Park on the outdoor rink, and citing the constant rain and ice storm as having taken away from the beauty of the experience. But it was in that 5 hour drive home that I actually realized that the whole purpose of this trip was for us to spend time as a family, which we were actually able to do in full. The first night when we were forced to stay in because of the ice storm, we ordered room service; stayed in our room, and actually have to admit really enjoyed ourselves and the beauty of the hotel. It may have rained the next day, but we did spend the entire day together as a family, which is a much too rare occasion in our now much too hectic lives. So I realized that our vacation to Chicago had not only been an enjoyable trip after all, but one I shall truly indeed cherish. Sometimes we need to be reminded, regardless the season, what truly are the important things in life. Time shared with family and loved ones is truly the greatest gift of all!
Ed Kainz
I always welcome your comments at edkainz@wowway.com
Make Your Dream Become A Reality
The next vital component is to have "A Power of Expectation." Joel Osteen, the author of the best selling book, "Your Best Life Now," says, "Friend, you have to envision good things happening to you before they ever will." This is so true! Here’s an example:
Perhaps you might remember the elusive four-minute mile. For thousands of years it was thought to be physically impossible for a human being to run a mile in under four minutes. It was believed that our bone structure was all wrong; wind resistance was too great; and we had inadequate lung power and capacity. Then one single human being named Roger Bannister proved everyone wrong by breaking the four-minute mile. Most interesting is that the year after he did it, thirty-seven (37) other runners broke the four-minute mile, and the year after that, over three hundred (300) runners broke the four-minute mile barrier.
So what happened here? There were no great breakthroughs in training, and certainly no change occurred in the human bone structure. What did change was one man’s expectation. His "power of expectation" enabled him to realize and achieve what others thought was impossible.
This "Power of Expectation" was also evidenced by Herb Brooks, the coach of the Men’s 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. His power of expectation that the U.S. Men’s Hockey Team would win the Gold Medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics held in Lake Placid, New York was nothing short of a Miracle. It resulted in what many feel was the greatest moment in sports history, and was the story behind the movie, "Miracle." The U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey Team was able to beat the Russian Hockey Team who was considered at that time to be the "Best hockey team in the World." After all, they had already won 21 straight Olympic contests and had not lost receiving the gold medal since 1960.
The U.S. hockey team on the other hand consisted of 20 amateur hockey players. Most played for college hockey teams and only had the opportunity to practice together for a few months before going to the Olympic Games. They were up against a seasoned Soviet Hockey Team composed of players some having already played together for 15 years. Clearly unmatched with talent, they still went on to beat them, and then Finland to win the gold medal. If you want to see a truly inspirational movie, and see for yourself the "Power of Expectation" in action, I encourage you to watch the movie "Miracle."
In my next article, I will share with you that one quality all successful people seem to possess and which enables them to "tie it all together" and "make it happen!" So, stay tuned and check out my next article. As always, you can email me any comments at
