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Volume 1, Number 9 September 18, 2001
Publisher: GoalMinds, Inc.
E-mail::condrill@goalminds.com http://www.goalminds.com
Copyright 2001 Jo Condrill All rights reserved
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"As is our confidence, so is our capacity."
--William Hazlitt
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FREE TELESEMINAR -- LET'S TALK
Our Role in The Fight Against Terrorism

Getting Past Grief -- Dr. Jo Ann Pina
Other topics: Leadership at Home and Action Plans

September 25, 2001 6:00 p.m. Pacific -- 9:00 pm Eastern
Register now: mailto:condrill@goalminds.com
FREE BUT YOU MUST REGISTER by Sept. 24. A TeleSeminar is a telephone conversation where you learn in the comfort of your home or office. No traffic hassle; no parking fees! Just a long distance call. Further instructions will be provided upon registration. Please feel free to forward this information.
EMail Condrill@goalminds.com
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IN THIS ISSUE
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1. Doing Whatever It Takes
2. What If?
3. PMA--The Power of the Positive
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Please FORWARD this newsletter to anyone you know that is interested in self- development, making money writing or speaking, or just hanging out with interesting folks.
PRIVACY STATEMENT: We will not distribute your address to anyone. Period.

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1. Doing Whatever It Takes
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Thanks to all of you who wrote a note of encouragement during this past week. The people with whom I worked in the Pentagon all survived, as did my friend in the World Trade Center. However, some of our Toastmasters in both locations perished. To all of you who may have suffered a personal loss, we offer our sincere condolences and prayers. As Andrew Young, former Mayor of Atlanta, said, "Everybody knows somebody…we're all in this together."

And we have banded together. "USA! USA! USA!" In North Hollywood Friday night, nearly every street corner had at least one person holding a lighted candle. Some were singing, some just talking with others on the corner. Drivers passing by honked and waved. Many had an American flag flying from their vehicle. A group of comedians painted an American flag 50 yards long on the side of a building and then resumed performances Saturday night. Television personalities collected donations for the Red Cross in the Rose Bowl; this may have been the only drive-by donation drop in the country! A long line of taxi drivers snaked through the line as the news team recorded the event.

While volunteers continue to sift through the rubble, we are moving on--back to business, thwarting the second aim of terrorists--to immobilize us through fear. Life has changed in some way for all of us. Even those of us who did not lose a loved one will feel the economic impact of the disaster, the inconvenient disruption of air travel, the calling up of the reserve forces. We may even see direct action. "There are no rear lines; there are only front lines" in the war on terrorism William Cohen, former Secretary of Defense and Senator, warned. What if the enemy again brought the war to us? How can we best prepare to react in such a crisis?

First, resolve that the terrorists shall not win--no matter what. "Whatever the president wants of me, I'm prepared to do it. Show me the line and I'll be in it," said one young citizen. Mayor Rudolph Giuliani put out the call for 6,000 body bags last week, for civilians. Americans have been said to weaken at the first sign of body bags coming home in times of conflict. We are stronger now. And with strength must come discipline, the commitment to stay the course and to "do the right thing." We may be in for a long struggle. Northern Ireland and the Middle East have been living with terrorism many years. Our resolve will be tested.

Second, we must be clear thinking and focused. This advice from a friend of a friend in Israel may help us be prepared:
1. Keep cool - you lose your head in such a situation, you lose your life.
2. Every member of the family must have a cellular phone all the time. (I'd suggest four quarters in your pocket, too.)
3. Make a habit of knowing where everyone is.
4. Have a week's worth of mineral water (6 liter day/person), canned food, flour, sugar, flashlight, and batteries. (This is similar to preparations for a hurricane or other natural disaster. In California, we prepare for earthquakes!)
5. It is not personal; this is business; do not get offended.

Third, be vigilant. When your gut tells you something is wrong, listen to it. Check out or report suspicious activities. We cannot afford to take a "Let George do it" attitude. War has come to us and we need to take some responsibility for our own safety and that of our families. We must be prudent, not paranoid. We'll soon find a balance.

The day after the disaster, Dick Strong, of Strong Investments, sent an email reassuring investors. He added, "Americans have a natural desire to move ahead. Never, ever underestimate the average American’s commitment to our basic values. We have prevailed before and will again."

God bless America.
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There's a great new book out, "Small Business is Like a Bunch of Bananas," written by my good friend, Jim Blasingame, with a Foreword by Steve Forbes. The book is packed with wit and wisdom that sound like his daily radio broadcasts. Everyone who is, or aspires to become, their own boss should read this book. Jim's fabulous website is http://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com
If any of the links in this newsletter do not work for you, please copy and paste them into the URL or email. Note: "mailto" is not part of the email address to be pasted. Thanks.

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2. What If?
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In business, we have contingency management, "con-man." For the Army we wrote and exercised contingency plans. In our personal lives, we should also consider in advance those times when life throws us a curve, when things don't go the way we planned it.


One very useful technique is to do mental "what if" drills in order to anticipate obstacles. Use your "over the horizon" radar to look into the future. Then run different scenarios of future events through your mind. Large companies hire people to gather information, "look into the future," and think up plausible scenarios of challenges and opportunities the company may face in the future. The company is then able to do contingency planning. You can benefit from those techniques, too.

Think up several scenarios that are plausible for you. Let's say it is now ten years into the future. You have gotten your Masters Degree in Business Administration (MBA). It took a lot of sacrifices. You delayed marriage, vacations, and the car of your dreams. Now, the student loans are paid off, you have a spouse, and you have decided to buy a very nice house in the country. You are starting a family and what if:

--Your parents suddenly become your dependents.
--You hate your job and want to quit.
--One of your major investments goes sour just when you need the money for the house.

Contemplate these obstacles and brainstorm some possible solutions with a trusted friend. Anticipating obstacles and thinking of possible solutions prepares you to deal with the situation more decisively when problems occur. Develop some mental contingency plans. If . . . Then . . . If this happens, then here is how I will get around it. If that happens, here is my course of action.

Emergency Planning
We are all a bit nervous following the recent events in New York and Washington, D.C. Why not apply a "what if" drill to a few scenarios for yourself and your family just in case you are ever caught up in terrorist activity--or just an ordinary emergency situation. In the Army Operations Center, we did recall drills. We had a recall plan where within a very short time everyone could be called back to work. It works like a chain reaction. The person at the top of the list calls two or three people, and each of those call two or three people, and quickly any number of people can be contacted. Other groups have also used this technique.

Think of your personal and professional responsibilities. Does your business have an emergency response plan? Who needs to know your whereabouts in an emergency? Spouse, children, parents, siblings, boss, coworker? How many telephone numbers do you know off the top of your head? Do you have them written down so others can make the contact if you are unable to? Should you establish a notification chain so that with one completed phone call, everyone who needs to know can be notified? What if the phone lines are down? Is e-mail available? If you can only reach a coworker, will that person know whom else to contact? This is a very practical "what if" drill you can conduct immediately. What if you were caught up in an emergency situation tomorrow? Would you be better prepared than you were yesterday?

"What if" drills can boost your confidence. Even if the challenging events you encounter in "real life" are not the precise scenario you thought up, you will have practice in creative problem solving. "Stuff happens." Looking "over the horizon," anticipating, and doing "what if" drills will ensure you that you are prepared.

From: Take Charge of Your Life http://www.goalminds.com/

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3. PMA --The Power of the Positive
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Positive Mental Attitude has been overworked a lot. For many it has become synonymous with euphoria. Realists reign and cynics make life more interesting. While listening to "The Science of Personal Achievement: The 17 Universal Principles of Success," a Nightingale Conant tape set, I was surprised by a story Napoleon Hill told in his own words. As you know, Hill wrote the classic, "Think and Grow Rich."

In this series Hill talks of personal power and rising above mediocrity. He also relates that during the first term of the Presidency of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, he was involved in building for the president a Master Mind Alliance to "stop the stampede of fear." At that time, confidence in the economic system had eroded to the point that there was a run on the banks. The Master Mind Alliance embarked on a mission to mold public opinion and shore up the public's confidence. While not spreading falsehoods, they were committed to presenting the most positive outlook possible. They had a plan to get 1) the leaders of both political parties to back the president, 2) both houses of Congress working in harmony, 3) newspaper publishers to talk about recovery rather than depression, 4) radio stations to present the news in a positive light. (They even wrote the script for some stories.) and 5) ministers to preach from a positive point of view, giving people hope.

There has been overwhelming support for the President Bush's message in recent days. We've seen Congress working in harmony. For some, it was the first time! What can we do? Rather than anticipate and talk about a stock market crash, a failing economy, doom and gloom, shouldn't we look for the good and speak with optimism? The message from one investment company president was clear and timely: "Rest assured that your securities are accounted for. All of Strong’s systems and facilities are fully functional, and all records and account information are secure. We are available to answer any of your questions." We need steadying forces at this time.

You are achievers faced with a new reality. You are leaders; people respect you and will follow your lead. Make it strong. Make it hope-filled. Do whatever it takes to look for the positive in the chaos; find the threads of hope and hold them out to others; and nurture your inner being with moments of silence and prayer.

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