DON'T BE AFRAID TO BE WRONG

It is so easy to fear being wrong.  However as always if we look at people who have been before us, we have lots to learn.
The early life of Einstein gives us some clues to the great man that he would become. He was never one to dominant conversation to prove his intellect. Even as a child he didn't talk much. It has been said that he didn't talk until 3 -- there are conflicting accounts on this. However, what is not conflicting is that it took him a little longer to talk than the average child. But, we must remember that Albert Einstein was far from average.

Einstein's parents hardly coddled their first born. They gave him tremendous freedom to roam and grow. This no doubt had a positive outcome on his development. When he was just four years old, he was allowed to roam the neighborhood alone. Believe it or not his parents even encouraged him to cross the street on his own at this young age. They watched behind the first few times to ensure that he looked both ways, but soon he was on his own doing this.

Now, keep in mind when he was crossing the street he wasn't dodging Fords, Chevrolets, Mercedes or cars with a lot of horse power -- he was dodging only horsepower. In other words, he was dodging horse drawn carriages. But, it was still very dangerous for this young child. In our world today, I would not encourage my four year old to roam the neighborhood alone or even allow him near the street. With that said, the principles of self-reliance and risk that Einstein's parents implemented in his life are ones that we can perhaps model on a smaller scale. Einstein certainly modeled this behavior with his own son on a smaller scale.

In his late twenties, Einstein moved to Zurich with his first wife, Mileva, and their son. Friedrich Adler was living near Einstein and they became great friends. They would often get together to share ideas. Often times their sons would get rowdy and it would be hard for them to talk. Many parents would barge in and tell their sons to be quiet, that they are having a meeting. Not Adler and Einstein, these great thinkers would climb into the attic to carry on their conversation. They allowed their boys to grow and explore even if it was noisy.

His freedom as a child and the freedom he gave his son was in part due to his attitude on failure. He was not afraid to fail. After all, he tackled some of the most perplexing questions of our universe. Many would have shied away from tackling these questions simply because the rate of failure seemed extraordinarily high. However, it is evident that Einstein was not afraid to be wrong or to fail. 

When Einstein was 50 years old, reporters were hounding Einstein for an interview during which he was working on a unified field theory. Putting the "unified field theory" into layman’s terms, this meant he was working on a theory that would put the entire universe into a mathematical equation, and he had the attention of the world. Reporters parked outside his home in hopes of an interview. Many kept all night vigils waiting for the story. As a rule, Einstein did not chase the spotlight and dodged the requests often. It was the same in this instance as well. He did, however, allow an interview with one reporter from the New York Times. You see the New York Times was edited by Carr Van Anda, and Van Anda had found an error in a previous Einstein's equation. Image that! The editor of the New York Times finding an error in the math of Einstein! Don’t you think that Einstein must have been irate that the editor would point this out? He must have been insulted. Actually, on the contrary, Einstein was impressed and that is the reason he allowed an interview with this reporter from the New York Times. You see Einstein was not afraid to be wrong, and when corrected he was not insulted.

At Princeton, Albert Einstein was more like a kindly uncle. When he arrived in 1935, and was asked what he would require for his study, he replied, "A desk, some pads and a pencil, and a large wastebasket - to hold all of my mistakes."

Albert Einstein spent his last two decades trying to reconcile quantum physics with relativity. His holy grail -- a so-called "Unified Field Theory" -- eluded him. He once casually mentioned to a colleague that he was on the verge of his "greatest discovery ever," before admitting that "it didn't pan out" just two weeks later.

One day in his twilight years, he received a letter from a 15-year-old girl asking for help with a homework assignment. She soon received a curious reply: a page full of unintelligible diagrams, along with an attempt at consolation: "Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics," Einstein told her, "I can assure you that mine are much greater!"

The man who was the greatest success at mathematics also failed a lot at them. But that didn't stop him from moving forward. 

Not only was he willing to risk at math, he also risked when he gambled. While attending a physics symposium in Las Vegas one year, Albert Einstein, to the astonishment of many of his sober-minded colleagues, spent a fair amount of time at the craps and roulette tables. 

"Einstein is gambling as if there were no tomorrow," an eminent physicist remarked one day. "What troubles me," another replied, "is that he may know something!"

Too often in life, we attempt to spend all our energy demonstrating how we are right instead of accepting constructive criticism and getting better. This is not true of Einstein. Not only was he not afraid of being wrong, he was not afraid of being corrected. Inquire of yourself, ask yourself honestly: How do you respond when you are corrected? Do you lash out or are you grateful?

If you want to develop the mind of Einstein. You must not be afraid to fail and allow yourself the opportunity to fail. Herman Melville put it this way, "He who has never failed somewhere, that man can not be great." 

Thomas Edison when he was constructing the light bulb built 1,000 prototypes that did not work before he successfully built the one that we still use today and will forever. A reporter asked Edison how it felt to fail 1,000 times. Edison replied, "You misunderstand. I did not fail 1,000 times. I successfully found 1,000 ways that the light build would not work." Edison like Einstein did not view failure the way so many do. They viewed it as acceptable and a way to learn and grow.

The fear of failure could have paralyzed Einstein and Edison, yet it did not. What about you? Are you so paralyzed with fear that you have settled for mediocrity? Don't allow that to happen. Embrace risk and failure. Learn that it is okay to be wrong, and run headlong into the rewards of risk as Einstein did.

What can you learn from your mistake this week?

Igniting the fire within.

www.fraserstirling.co.nz

WHERE DO I FIND WHAT TO DO?

Opportunity never sneaks up on those who straddle the fence of indecision.

Successful people are decisive people. When opportunities come their way, they evaluate them carefully, make a decision, and take appropriate action. They know that indecision wastes time that could be spent on more productive tasks. They also avoid unnecessary risks by implementing their decisions gradually. They don’t attempt to make every decision at the beginning. Each action is contingent upon the success of the one that preceded it. Benjamin Franklin, one of America’s wisest men, is said to have used a simple method to make difficult decisions. He drew a line down the center of a sheet of paper, and on one side he listed the “pros” of the decision; on the other, he listed the “cons.” In addition to simplifying the decision-making process, the list also served as a graphic illustration of the advantages and disadvantages of any decision, regardless of its complexity. The impact of the decision could then be quickly and easily assessed. What have you been putting off?  Make the choice today to pursue your passions and inner desire. 


Igniting the fire within


www.fraserstirling.co.nz

Wondering how to start gaining momentum?

Sometimes we wonder why we are just treading water...

Here is a great article by Napoleon Hill

Things you give to others, through expression, are the only things you are able to retain, remember, or keep for yourself. Any gems of thought or wisdom which you are anxious to remember, you must repeatedly give to others, or they will elude your grasp at the critical moment. Here is a simple way to test the truth of what has been said. Listen to a good story someone tells you, one worth remembering, one you would like to tell others. Do you know that if you do not tell it to someone right away you will forget it yourself? And do you know that if you do tell it, not only to one person, but to many persons, you will never forget it?

You have heard of the saying, It's better to give than to receive. Here is one place where this is literally and particularly true, because in order to retain the understanding of this or any other subject you are studying, you must give it away to someone else. That is, share it, explain it, pass it along to another person. If you try to hoard it to yourself, you will forget some of the subtle points which may be important at a certain place in your career. Share these principles with others, not the details of your purpose or plan. These details you are cautioned to share only with the greatest discretion and to keep strictly to yourself at certain times.

Giving is a form of expression and giving is living. Let us read a story which perfectly illustrates this point. The story has been adapted from a book by Bruce Barton.

There are two seas in Palestine. One, the Sea of Galilee, is fresh and fish live in it. Trees spread their branches over it and stretch out their thirsty roots to sip of its nourishing water. Christ loved this spot. He looked out across its silver surface when He spoke. And on a rolling plain not far away, He fed 5,000 on loaves and fish from this very sea. The river Jordan fills this sea with sparkling water from the hills and then flows on south into another sea. Here is no splash of fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of bird, no children's laughter. Travelers choose another route unless they are on urgent business. The air hangs heavy above its waters, and neither man nor beast nor fowl will drink of them.

What makes this mighty difference in these neighboring seas? Not the river Jordan. It empties the same good water into both. Not the soil on which they lie; nor the country about. No, none of these; but there is a difference. The Sea of Galilee receives, but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it, another drop flows out. The giving and receiving are in equal measure. The other sea is selfish, hoarding its income jealously. Every drop it gets, it keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. The Dead Sea gives nothing. It is indeed dead. There are two kinds of people in this world – just as there are two seas in Palestine.

In this business of becoming successful, you will find you will need both hands. One hand will be stretched upward, to receive the blessing of Infinite Intelligence, with the other extended down and outward, sharing and giving to others who are helping you in the climb. No one ever achieved outstanding success without the cooperation of others; and you realize, of course, that you must give something in return for this cooperation.

Same old same old?

The new year seems an age ago and I guess many of you you are thinking already same old same old.
Unless we do something different we will end up with the same result...therefore we must change and be and do what we want.

"We generate our own environment. We get exactly what we deserve. How can we resent a life we've created ourselves? Who's to blame, who's to credit but us? Who can change it, anytime we wish, but us?"
— Richard Bach

Every one of us lives in two Environments— our Outer Environment and our Inner Environment. Your Outer Environment consists of your Home and Work lives; your Inner Environment consists of your Emotional and Spiritual lives.
Your Quality of Life

Your Outer Environment is the physical environment you can see and touch. You can’t see your Inner Environment directly; you can only see the effects of it.

The only two things that determine your quality of life are: the quality of your communication with the world outside of you, and the quality of your communication with the world inside of you.

We live in two worlds. We experience our Outer Environment, but who’s the experiencer? You. You experience the Outer through the Inner: with your emotions, spirit, soul and mind.
Break Out of Your Familiar Zone

During my live seminars, I ask people: "How many people feel that CLUTTER is a problem in your life?" About 75% of the hands go up.

Why do we have such a problem with clutter? While I could give you a lot of surface answers, it always comes down to fear.

Fear keeps us in our Familiar Zone. You've heard a million times that you need to "get out of your comfort zone". But consider this:

Let’s say you're driving down the road of life with one foot on the brake. You're aware that you're holding yourself back, and you don't like it. You wouldn't be reading this right now if that weren't true.

So here's my question to you: Is the feeling of going down the road of life with your foot on the brake comfortable?

You and I both know that it isn't comfortable at all. In fact, it's decidedly UNcomfortable. It is, however, familiar.

When you look at that word "familiar", what does that word look like to you?

Right—family.

Family is the root of the word familiar. Some people in my seminars say "family-liar!" The point is:

You don't need to break out of your "comfort zone" – because your "comfort zone" doesn’t exist.

What you need is to break out of your FAMILIAR Zone.

You may be familiar with clutter.

You may be familiar with holding yourself back from the success you're capable of.

You may be familiar with stopping yourself from success.

Most people are.

But you're probably not comfortable with it, let alone happy about it.

Exercise: Break Out of Your Familiar Zone

Answer these questions:

1. What parts of my life am I familiar with, that I am tired of?

2. What would I like to change about my life?

3. What would I like to change about my business?

4. Who can help me make these changes?

5. How will I benefit from making these changes?

6. What will I have to GIVE UP to make these changes?

7. Am I willing to give up something in order to have what I really want?