Occasionally–okay, every chance I get–I use this space to promote reading, lifelong learning, investing in numero uno. I believe trite little phrases like ?I’m the CEO of Me Incorporated.? I believe that regardless of how we earn our living, all of us are in sales. We are all selling ourselves all the time.

I’ve invested a lot of time, energy, and money in buying resources and attending live presentations. I take as many detailed notes as I possibly can. I mark up my books with underlining, flags, highlighting. Regrettably, I haven’t listened to my tape programs as often or as recently as I should have. But that is changing.

The phenomenon called The Secret has got me rediscovering some of the great stuff in my own library. I came across some notes I took in August 2002. I attended a daylong seminar in Edmonton called ?Get Motivated.? On the bill were Krish Dhanam, Tim Timmons, Dr. Earl Mindell, Peter Lowe, Salé and Pelletier, and legendary Zig Ziglar. Unfortunately, not all the notes are legible or coherent. (Memo to self: rewrite notes that night while the thoughts are fresh and there’s time for neater penmanship.)

As a review for me and perhaps news for you, I’d like to hit some of the high points of one presentation. It’s interesting to note that all this good stuff is timeless. It’s also not new. We just forget.

Zig Ziglar was 75 years old that day in Edmonton. We can only hope we all have the same energy level and faculties when we hit that age. Ziglar reminded us that we can do something in the next three weeks to either make our lives better or worse. The choice is ours. We can take what we already know and the experiences we’ve already had and refine them and put them to work.

He said the business of success begins between the ears. As important as money is, it will only buy a house, not a home; a companion but not a friend; a bed but not a good night’s sleep. There are moral absolutes like honesty and fidelity. Long-term relationships are built on trust.

We can make radical changes in our lives by taking minute bites. Termites can do more damage than tornadoes–bite by bite.

Ziglar asked us to picture a $5 million racehorse staying up all night, drinking booze, smoking cigarettes, and eating junk food. He asked us to consider what we’re putting into ourselves and encouraged us to start putting good stuff in: tapes, CDs, books. Does this mean I have to give up spider solitaire or decorating shows? God, I hope not.

On the subject of relationships he suggested we do little things for our loved one that they can do for themselves because if they can’t, It’s a duty, not a loving gesture.

Be aware of the power of self-talk. It can build you up or tear you down. Like most things in life, the choice is ours, from where I sit.