Lou Tice

Most people who want to succeed in the world of business know that they have to be good managers. I'd like to suggest to you that it's important to be a good manager, no matter what your field is, if you want to be a success. 

Why do I say that? Well, here's a laundry list of a few things you should be able to manage effectively if you want to lead a productive life: You have to manage ideas, money, time, opportunities, other people, talent, training, energy, risk, decisions, problems and your imagination. 

You see, failure is not the… >>>

How much control do you believe you have over what happens to you in life? Today, let's talk about how our feelings, about who's in control, affect our end-results. 

Some people believe they have very little control over what happens to them. When good things occur, they believe it's mostly a matter of luck or circumstance. They don't set goals or plan very far ahead because they think that how things turn out is beyond their control. 

Their tension and stress levels are generally very high, as you might expect, and they often feel overwhelmed, helpless and hopeless. Strangely enough,… >>>

If you could change one thing about your life, what would it be?

Now, I'm not talking about magic, because some things - such as how tall you are - simply cannot be changed.

But, you know, there really isn't much that you can't alter if you want it badly enough - assuming you know how to go about it, and assuming that you take action as needed. Wanting to badly is a great start, but it won't get you anywhere by itself. Neither will affirmations or visualizations, if that's all you do. 

I you want to get started making… >>>

You know, high achievers are a lot like mountain climbers.

When you think about mountain climbing, maybe your stomach does a little flip-flop, like mine. But, you know, people who are successful in life are really a lot like mountain climbers. They don't start out climbing Mount Everest. Instead, they train and practice on smaller slopes until they build the skills and confidence to move on to bigger challenges. 

When they choose a goal, they map out a plan and, as much as possible, they follow it. They equip themselves as well as they possibly can and they learn from… >>>

Do you know anyone who has a hard time admitting they were wrong? If so, they may be struggling with uncertain self-esteem. 

No one enjoys being wrong or making a mistake, but in spite of what some folks would like you to believe, we all do it. In fact, the more venturesome you are and the less afraid of taking risks, the more likely you are to be wrong from time to time. But then what? How can you salvage your self-esteem when your pride has been shaken by a wrong decision? 

Well, it's not as hard as you might… >>>

You may have noticed that I've been talking about teens this week. As our PX2® program spreads further around the world, I am meeting and talking with more teens than I have since I left high-school teaching. Like adults, they come in all shapes and sizes, with every type of personality on the planet. Today, I have a message for parents who want to make sure their kids become responsible drivers.

If you want to see what mixed feelings look like, watch a parent whose 16 year-old has just brought home a driving learner's permit! Combined with the relief of… >>>

I'd like to build on yesterday's "Talking to Teens." Parents of teenagers often complain that they can't get their kids to communicate. Sometimes there are good reasons why. 

Teenagers really want to be able to talk to their parents. In fact, in some cases, they're dying because they can't. Most teens who commit suicide are those who feel they can't talk to either parent, and their feelings of loneliness, isolation and despair take over. 

Parents, without realizing it, do things that stop their teen-aged children from confiding in them. What sorts of things? Well, they interrupt to give reprimands and… >>>

What should parents do if they want their teenagers to confide in them? Dr. Joyce Vedral, author of several books on the teenager-parent relationship, asked a large number of teens to answer this question, and here is what they said. 

Generally, teenagers tend to feel comfortable talking with those parents with whom they can laugh and joke, parents whose understanding they know can count on. When asked why they would choose one parent over another to confide in, they invariably say they choose the one who stays calm even when they, themselves, are emotional, and who never says things like,… >>>

Do you feel that half the things you do turn out all wrong? If so, take heart, because today I'm going to tell you how to fail successfully. 

After nearly forty years in business, I consider myself highly successful. The company my wife and I started in our basement now does business on six continents, and the seminars I once gave to small groups of teachers and coaches now reach millions of people every year, many of them world leaders and corporate executives. 

But one of the reasons I'm successful is the same reason that Ty Cobb, the greatest baseball… >>>

What do hopelessness, helplessness and stress have to do with rats, astronauts and you? 

Did you know that right after splashdown, one of the most difficult phases of space flight, NASA doctors found significant changes in the Apollo astronauts' immune systems? Researchers have also found that rats, given electric shocks from which they cannot escape, give up and become helpless. 

When placed in a box where they can escape the shocks just by moving to the other side, these rats don't even try. They also develop stomach ulcers and abnormal brain chemistry. And, it's not because of the shocks. Another… >>>