America's Success Coach

The 4:8 Principle—Amazon AND Barnes & Noble Best-Seller!

tommynewberry — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 20:06:34 +0000

Thanks to everyone who participated in last week’s explosive launch campaign for The 4:8 Principle: The Secret to a Joy-Filled Life! Because of your efforts, The 4:8 Principle achieved both Amazon and Barnes & Noble Best-Seller status simultaneously! I believe this is just the beginning of what I am calling “The 4:8 Movement.” This goal of this movement is to equip millions of individuals, couples, families, and organizations with the thinking tools to reach their full potential and at the same time enjoy every moment along the way. I am especially passionate about the biblical roots of The 4:8 Principle. It is incredibly exciting to me personally that a book that honors God and teaches the REAL SECRET can make such a splash in the general bookseller’s marketplace. Thanks to you, this happened last week and is continuing today. When you, your family, and your friends practice the 4:8 principle, great things can happen!

Please help spread the word! Order an extra copy today for your most important relationships or ask for it at your local bookstore! If you are an entrepreneur, business leader, mom, dad or student, you can benefit from the life-changing power of The 4:8 Principle today. Your Joy Blesses Others!

Coach

What are you feeding your mind?

tommynewberry — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 22:15:10 +0000

In The 1% Club, Positive Mental Nutrition refers to an ultra-healthy mental diet. A healthy mind, like a healthy body, must be continuously fed a diet rich in positive friendships, positive ideas and positive goals. Your mind is the software of your life and is constantly being programmed by what you read, watch, listen to, say and with whom you associate. How are you doing in this area? How are your kids doing in this area? What’s your plan for mental nutrition over the next week? What will you listen to while you drive? What will you watch or read before going to sleep? What will you listen to while you are exercising? What conversations will you entertain both with yourself and with others? As a family, what exposures do you allow into your environment? Remember, whatever you put in will ultimately come out in some shape, form or fashion. It’s worth thinking about…

Whatever happened to real boys?

tommynewberry — Fri, 15 Jun 2007 20:45:37 +0000

“Whatever happened to real boys?” That’s a question a friend and client asked me recently. Not knowing the answer, I replied with “what’s a real boy?” It’s a question that a lot of folks are trying to answer these days. John Eldridge raised a similar question in his bestseller Wild At Heart and Bill Perkins raises it in his new book Six Rules Every Man Must Break. It does seem that it’s more difficult for boys to be boys these days. What do you think? Boys can be disruptive and obnoxious and a royal pain in the rear. I know, I’ve been and continue to be in that category at times. I overheard a teacher a couple of months ago comment to another teacher at a school event…She said, “wouldn’t be great if they all acted like that, as she pointed to a group of girls neatly and calmly playing and interacting with each other. Admittedly, the boys nearby were shoving each other, being loud and rambunctious and generally having a great time…But I couldn’t get this teacher’s comment out of my mind…”Wouldn’t it be great if they all acted like that?” And a 1% member, Jeff DeHart, forwarded this article to me this morning. If you have boys or have ever known any, this is worth reading.

Here’s a brief excerpt. “The trick is not to squash the essence of boys, but to channel their natural wildness into manliness. And this is what keeps me awake at night, because it’s going to take a miracle for someone like me, who grew up without meaningful male influence, who would be an embarrassment to Teddy Roosevelt, to raise three men. Along with learning what makes a good father, I face an added dilemma: How do I raise my sons to be better than their father?” Complete Article form Wall Street Journal online editorial page.

Happy Father’s Day!

It Spreads Like A Wildfire!

tommynewberry — Wed, 13 Jun 2007 15:19:20 +0000

It’s easy to resist the downside of human nature when all is well. When we’re reaching our goals, life can be great. And the very fact that life is great tends to beget even more greatness. Riding the natural high of success readies our mind for even more success. When we feel like we’re on a roll, that very feeling seems to attract even more of what we want into our life. Success breeds success. Indeed, success does snowball. It is a bit more difficult to rise above our lower self when we are mired in adversity of some kind.

The negative feelings of self-pity, anxiety, and blame can take over our emotional life and spread out of control like the recent drought-fueled wild fires. Negativity breeds more negativity. Indeed, failure can act much like the snowball of success but in the opposite direction.

The person in the negative spiral hardly every accepts full and unqualified responsibility for his role in the situation and this lack of ownership stalls future progress and often damages important relationships. In my experience, at least two thirds of adversity is self-inflicted. Of course, we all make mistakes and all mistakes produce consequences. Accepting responsibility, not just in word, but in deed, also means accepting the repercussions of one’s own choices. Until this is done, there is no freedom to focus on creating a future worth believing in.

Even the presence of just one chronic negative emotion is enough to hold you back and beneath the greatness God has planned for you. In my upcoming book, The 4:8 Principle, I reveal the most common negative thinking patterns and what you can do to counteract them.

The Stanger

tommynewberry — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:59:53 +0000

The piece below was sent to me from 1% member Palmer Bayless. We could not determine the source but thought everyone with a 1% mentality would appreciate it. It is called “The Stranger”

The Stranger…
A few years after I was born, my Dad met a stranger who was new to our small Texas town. From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family. The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.
As I grew up, I never questioned his place in my family. In my young mind, he had a special niche. My parents were complementary instructors:
Mom taught me good from evil, and Dad taught me to obey. But the stranger…he was our storyteller. He would keep us spellbound for hours on end with adventures, mysteries and comedies.
If I wanted to know anything about politics, history or science, he always knew the answers about the past, understood the present and even seemed able to predict the future! He took my family to the first major league ball game. He made me laugh, and he made me cry. The stranger never stopped talking, but Dad didn’t seem to mind.
Sometimes, Mom would get up quietly while the rest of us were shushing each other to listen to what he had to say, and she would go to the kitchen for peace and quiet. (I wonder now if she ever prayed for the stranger to leave.)
Dad ruled our household with certain moral convictions, but the stranger never felt obligated to honor them. Profanity, for example, was not allowed in our home… Not from us, our friends or any visitors. Our longtime visitor, however, got away with four-letter words that burned my ears and made my dad squirm and my mother blush.

My Dad didn’t permit the liberal use of alcohol. But the stranger encouraged us to try it on a regular basis. He made cigarettes look cool, cigars manly and pipes distinguished. He talked freely (much too freely!) about sex. His comments were sometimes blatant, sometimes suggestive, and generally embarrassing.
I now know that my early concepts about relationships were influenced strongly by the stranger. Time after time, he opposed the values of my parents, yet he was seldom rebuked… And NEVER asked to leave.

More than fifty years have passed since the stranger moved in with our family. He has blended right in and is not nearly as fascinating as he was at first.

Still, if you could walk into my parents’ den today, you would still find him sitting over in his corner, waiting for someone to listen to him talk and watch him draw his pictures (continue…for the rest of the story)

His name?….
We just call him, “TV.”
He has a wife now….We call her “Computer.”

Goals Call Your Bluff!

tommynewberry — Wed, 30 May 2007 15:09:29 +0000

In each of my last three SuperFOCUS sessions in The 1% Club, I have emphasized the power of goals with a succinct sound bite that distills the importance of establishing and then focusing on a clear specific outcome. Last November, I said that “goals tell your brain what to notice and pay attention to.” Without precise, written goals, your brain simply notices too much. People who neglect to put their goals on paper inevitably become spectators who passively watch as others nearby take action and achieve their dreams. With too many goals at one time, a similar dynamic occurs. Your brain power becomes diluted as your mind is overwhelmed with competing and conflicting demands. Nothing shrinks your potential quite as fast as pursuing too many virtuous things at once. I say virtuous because few people will ever fall into the trap of pursuing too many negative things at one time. Be alert. This is the garden sprinkler versus the fire hose picture. How would those closest to you describe you? Are you more of a sprinkler or a fire hose? What is your brain currently noticing? In February, I said that “goals call your bluff and reveal your character.” This means that talk is cheap, cheaper than dirt in fact. If you are serious about a particular objective, then put it in writing where it will fall under the warm spotlight of accountability. Then your character can honestly be tested. Are you protecting your past accomplishments by refusing to risk something far greater for the future? What do your current goals say about your character? What is the boldest goal you are now pursuing? Is it in writing? Who else knows about it? Is it one component of your sprinkler or is it your FIRE HOSE? How exactly will your future be bigger than your past? Earlier in May, I said that “goals highlight your values.” By reviewing your goals, I can tell what you are all about. I can understand what is most important to you right now and down the road as well. Do your current goals highlight the right values? Do your goals exploit your natural Genius? Remember, your goals, like your true values are revealed by what you do, not what you say or what you intend to do. How about on the family side…Do your current marriage and family goals sufficiently highlight the values that you hold dearest?How are your goals predicting your future? It is worth considering!

Drink, drink, drink

tommynewberry — Wed, 30 May 2007 13:03:42 +0000

Now there is one more reason to stay away from soft drinks, or at least minimize their prominence in your diet. A new health scare erupted over soft drinks last week as evidence surfaced that a popular preservative in most fizzy drinks may cause serious cell damage. Research from a British university suggests this preservative found in drinks such as Fanta and Pepsi Max has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA. The offending substance is the preservative “sodium benzoate” used for decades to prevent mold from growing in sodas and other packaged liquid drinks and sauces. Take a look at the ingredients in the next Coke or other soda that you pick up. Then take 30 seconds to write down the ingredients that contribute to your health, energy and longevity. It may not even take 30 seconds…Aside from the sugar syrup jolt, caffeine buzz or artificial sweetener side effects, what else is there to most sodas? How many do you drink each week? If it is less than 5 cans, then you have little to be concerned about. How many do your kids drink? Remember, it takes far less soda to adversely affect your child than it does you, especially from a blood sugar standpoint. Incidentally, did you hear that The Coca-Cola Company just agreed to purchase Vitamin Water maker Glaceau (developer of “Smart Water”)in a cash deal valued at $4.1 billion.

Put The Cooper Clinic On Your Goal List

tommynewberry — Tue, 29 May 2007 21:05:02 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I made a return visit to The Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas. This is a world class operation! If you are serious about living your life to the max, then it is important to make sure your body is healthy both inside and out. No matter how many life time goals you have or how compelling they may be, they will rapidly become insignificant if you lose your health! When was the last time you experienced a “presidential” physical from a doctor that specializes in preventative medicine? Here’s how it works…Get started around 8:00AM and get your results by 2 or 3PM. From hydrostatic body fat testing to a treadmill ekg to extensive blood work to an upper body CT scan, The Cooper Clinic lets you know what’s really going on with your body. What a great gift to give yourself and an even better gift for your spouse and family. Before you leave, you’ll get all your questions answered by a physician who looks lean and healthy, like he practices what he preaches. How long do you intend to live a healthy and productive life? When is your next physical scheduled? It’s worth thinking about!

Can You Hear That?

tommynewberry — Fri, 11 May 2007 19:04:37 +0000

Can you hear yourself think? Can you hear God speaking to you? Sometimes, in this day and age, it can be hard to silence the noise around us long enough to hear God’s voice? I was driving home yesterday and saw 6 people walking independent of each other down the sidewalk. The first 5 women were all holding mobile phones to their ear as they walked. The last person, a man, appeared to be listening to his ipod with a set of headphones. Not a single person walking was simply enjoying the act of walking without some sort of outside stimulation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking on the phone while you walk or listening to music while you exercise. Possibly these 6 people had spent all day in deep solitude or reflection and were just now engaging with other people on the phone or listening to music for the first time. It just got me thinking… Silence can be rejuvenating, invigorating and even therapeutic. But it can also be lonely and intimidating. It can be lonely because we are so used to noise and activity that any break from that hustle and bustle seems strange or even awkward. Silence can be intimidating because our thoughts bubble up from within instead of being generated by our environment, both the people and the media that surround us. It can be enlightening just to sit and think and contemplate our life, this week, or even this particular day. In these moments of stillness, we get to know ourselves for better or for worse and maybe that is why so many avoid it. I know some people who never experience silence at all. Do you know anyone like this? They are always on the phone, listening to something or watching TV. I even know of people who turn several TV’s on throughout their house so as they walk from room to room, they don’t miss anything. What about you? Do you have enough time away from noise and busyness to hear yourself think… or much more importantly, to hear God speaking to you and through you? How much quiet time do you need to reach your full potential? How much quiet time do you have scheduled for the next week? I encourage you to make this a priority. What do you think?

Terminal Stupid?

tommynewberry — Mon, 07 May 2007 21:21:03 +0000

Do you need a terminal diagnosis from a doctor to spur you into action, to prod you into living life to the fullest? Imagine you only had 6 months to live, what would you do differently with how you spend your time? What if you only had 30 days to live? Think about it for a quick moment…How long do you have to live? A story out of London, picked up today by the Associated Press, reports that John Brandrick spent his entire life savings after being told he was surely to die from pancreatic cancer. Woops, the doctors recently revised their diagnosis and Mr. Brandrick’s pancreatitis (a non-fatal ailment) will now be effectively treated.

Maybe there is more to “living life to the fullest” than simply spending all your money. I think there is a lesson in this story although I am not quite sure what it is. What do you think? Read this story and decide for yourself.