| June 1, 2005 In this issue... A BE NICE Story People Profile Monthly Audio Message Corporate Corner Do Something! Quote of the Month And on BeNiceOrElse.com: Featured Article No Regrets Past Newsletters May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 Send this newsletter to everyone you know or mean people will track you down! Listen to Finalist — "A famous swami once told me years ago that someone who’s nice always gains... Winn Claybaugh is a remarkable guy and one of the best motivational speakers in the country. In this terrific work, he brings you easy-to-use concepts that could bring interesting rewards." |
NO EXCUSES Hi Everyone,It’s amazing the excuses we can come up with as to why things aren’t up to standards, why the company isn’t successful, and why we can’t find happiness. I heard it once said: If you’re good at coming up with excuses, you’ll never be good at anything else. Years ago, I learned an amazing mantra. I was taught by a mentor to chant, “I am responsible” whenever I felt challenged by life’s curveballs. Any time something difficult happens, and before I make a move or a decision about how to handle it, I say to myself, “I am responsible. I AM RESPONSE-ABLE,” meaning I am able to choose the response and the outcome I want. That mantra reminds me that I am not a victim, and I do not give excuses. In this issue, you’ll meet an amazing man whose very existence serves as a reminder that there’s no excuse for not being and doing your very best, no matter what life throws your way. I hope you’ll be as inspired by him as I am. Thanks again for helping me live my fantasy of spreading this BE NICE message and giving nice people a voice. XOXO, Winn A BE NICE Story Prior to one of my recent seminars at a beauty academy, I was approached by one of the instructors. She said, “Winn, watch out because there’s a real tough student here who read your book, and she’s waiting to challenge you on many of the things you wrote about.” To make a long story short, the student challenged me over and over again, in front of a very large audience. The final outcome is in the letter she wrote to me.  Dear Winn,I was raised by my stay-at-home mother and older sister. When my dad was home, most of the time I feared him, and the rest of the time I was grounded in my room for acting up. I grew up never feeling loved by him. I was overweight compared to the girls in my class, but having my outgoing personality, I made friends fast. Inside my heart, I was still lost without my father’s love. I recently had an awful day, until I came to school that evening. It was the night you were a guest speaker. You’ve been the only person in the last 24 years to break me down and still make me feel loved, wanted, and special. After your motivational speech, I stayed and gave you the list of things you challenged us to get done in just one week. You actually took time to call me and make sure I apologized to my father, which I realize has been an issue in my life affecting my weight, relationships, and most of all, sometimes being negative. I told my dad I was sorry for everything I have done wrong, and I asked him to help me by accepting my apology and hugging me. We have managed in the last three months to keep the love. He is more supportive about school and tells me he is proud, which I have always wanted to hear. Being nice is hard, but following a day-by-day plan can make life much easier. I love all my mentors, but I love you, Winn, for helping me gain back the most important relationship I lost. Thank you, Dawn Marie Rivieccio People Profile  Canadian-born Andrew Reid spent his early years playing baseball and hockey, snowboarding, and competing nationally in full-contact Tae Kwon Do as a member of the Ottawa Tae Kwon Do Team. After graduating from college, he moved to Austin, Texas to pursue careers in both software development and music. Andrew wasn’t in Austin seven months when a short trip to San Diego for his first American Thanksgiving changed his life forever. While surfing, he felt a pop in his back. Less than two hours later, he was paralyzed. Overnight, he went from kickboxing and rock climbing to driving a wheelchair. However, it didn’t take him long to find his groove and pursue his dreams. Within one year, Andrew became the Canadian National Hand Cycling Champion. When I interviewed him, he was leading a life that few could keep up with, riding his bike, speaking and inspiring groups, and writing and performing with his band, White Colla. I don’t know about you, but when I witness someone like Andrew who accomplishes so much, all from a wheelchair, it empowers me to give up my excuses and fulfill my potential. Thanks, Andrew! Monthly Audio Message  Interviewing Andrew Reid was an amazing experience. We spent a couple of hours together before I turned on the recording equipment, and Andrew’s enthusiasm and passion for life was a very sweet thing to experience. Andrew described the pivotal moment when he realized he’d have to rely on a wheelchair: “You can learn to do anything. You have to put the time in and you have to decide for yourself if you’re going to make it happen or you’re going to have people do things for you the rest of your life.” I don’t know about you, but I can easily come up with little tiny excuses for not going to the gym, or for not putting my full energy into a project. After listening to Andrew describe his incredible journey, I’m sure you’ll feel as I do—that there’s just no excuse for not giving your all. CLICK HERE to listen to Andrew’s inspiring interview. If you enjoyed this month’s audio message, you’ll love our MASTERS Audio Club. CLICK HERE for more information. Corporate Corner How to Defuse People I once had one of those awful flying experiences where flight after flight was delayed, and none of the delays were weather related. What should have been a three-hour flight turned into a fifteen-hour, multiple-city, exhausting nightmare, causing me to miss meetings in my intended city. At 3 A.M., by the time I was finally within thirty minutes of landing at my destination airport, I suddenly smelled something wonderful. The flight attendants were baking chocolate chip cookies! That sweet, comforting aroma filled the airline cabin, and our small group of twenty passengers waited with anticipation as the flight attendants made their way down the aisle, handing each of us a warm cookie. I instantly abandoned my plans for an enraged letter-writing campaign against the airline and was effortlessly defused of all my anger and exhaustion—all by one soft, freshly baked cookie. In business, the best and easiest way to defuse a complaining, irate customer is not to make excuses or to place blame for the circumstances that made the customer upset. Even if there was an excuse, and even if you could place blame, angry customers rarely care about the reasons. The best thing to do is to let them vent, let them get it all out. Once they’ve done that, you need only say, “I’m so sorry you were inconvenienced. What wonderful thing could I do to make you happy?” Do Something! Bottom line, NO EXCUSES is about taking action. Victims do nothing. As you go out into the world with your BE NICE revolution, please remember this simple formula: Knowledge + Action = Power This month’s DO SOMETHING is simple: Reward Nice People Quote of the Month “There aren’t nearly enough crutches in the world for all the lame excuses.” —Anonymous
Winn Claybaugh’s Be Nice (Or Else!) The Newsletter! |
