January 2007

The Brighter Side

A very old lady looked in the mirror and saw she had three remaining hairs on her head. Being a positive soul, she said, "I think I'll braid my hair today." So she braided her three hairs and had a great day.

Some days later, she noticed she had only two hairs remaining. "Hmm, two hairs…I fancy a center part today." She duly parted her two hairs and again had a great day.

A week or so later, she saw she had just one hair on her head. "One hair," she mused, "I know! A pony-tail will be perfect."

The next morning she was completely bald. "I'm bald…," she said to herself, "How wonderful! I won't have to waste time doing my hair any more."

Recognize the opportunities in each situation and live with enthusiasm!


Act Enthusiastic

After firing him for laziness, Frank Bettger's first boss told him, "Whatever you do after you leave here, for heaven's sake, wake yourself up, and put some life and enthusiasm into your work."

The next job he had paid only $25 a month. Bettger writes, "I couldn't feel very enthusiastic on that kind of money, but I began to act enthusiastic…. I made up my mind to establish the reputation of being the most enthusiastic [person] they'd ever seen."

His enthusiasm helped him perform better, and others noticed and caught his enthusiasm. He went home from work energized. After ten days, he received a 700% raise!

Even if your work doesn't inspire you, put your whole heart into each task. Become better at what you do than anyone else, and watch how you begin to feel enthusiastic.

Taken from How I Raised Myself From Failure to Success in Selling by Frank Bettger (Published by Simon & Schuster, New York)


Start the New Year Right

January is a great time to focus on character-building. The entire year lies before you. Review the 49 character qualities, and choose three that would benefit you this year. Encourage family members to pick three qualities as well, and put them all on one list such as the following:

Patience
Self-Control
Attentiveness
Compassion
Availability
Enthusiasm

Diligence
Forgiveness
Flexibility
Orderliness
Initiative
Responsibility

Joyfulness
Generosity
Thriftiness
Truthfulness
Obedience

Use the Achieving True Success book or a Character Bulletin to help you learn what each quality means and to make practical applications. Post reminders on your refrigerator, steering wheel, workstation, school books, and other prominent locations. Make time each week to discuss the character qualities. Encourage one another by praising small improvements.

Start a new tradition of character in your family this year!


Character Councils of Alaska Wins Federal Grant

The Character Councils of Alaska, Inc. won a capacity-building federal grant to promote community development in Anchorage.

The grant will allow the Character Councils of Alaska to be more effective in their character initiatives. Sandy Holladay from the Council expressed gratitude for the Institute for Youth Development's (IYD) grant-writing seminar. "I highly recommend other Character Councils take advantage of the excellent resources." For more information, visit: http://www.youthdevelopment.org/articles/pr060706.html.

In May 2006, the International Association of Character Cities (IACC) director, Steve Menzel, visited Anchorage to help Holladay and the local character council establish a plan of action for their city. Menzel plans to return to Anchorage in 2007 to conduct additional seminars and Character First! presentations.

If you are interested in grant-writing opportunities or information on how Anchorage won this grant, please contact IACC. www.charactercities.org.