Better yet, when was the last time you received a letter from someone? How did it make you feel? Imagine how you would feel today if you received a letter in the mail from someone who really cared.

Former NFL football coach Steve Mariucci once received a special letter from his dad. In his own words:

“My dad, Ray Mariucci, wrote this “open letter” to the local newspaper upon my graduation from high school. He was complimenting me for my accomplishments over the years. More importantly, he was giving me “a reputation to live up to” for the future. I decided then that I would never let him down. This was by far the best graduation present I could have ever asked for!”

Click here to read the letter (see bottom of page).

You can read about the impact this letter had on Steve Mariucci, but can you imagine the impact a letter from you could have on someone you know? That person may someday talk about the letter you wrote them the way Steve Mariucci talks about the letter he received from his dad.

It doesn’t take long to do something that could have a lasting impact on another person.

Write just one letter to someone you know.

Most of us have at one time or another. Whether it was because of a mistake in your checkbook, an oversight, or some other reason, bouncing a check is no fun… and it can be rather embarrassing.

Although I don’t remember the last time I bounced a check, I do recall an incident that was pretty embarrassing, and yet a little funny at the same time.

About 15 years ago I stopped for gas at a local quick stop in my hometown. Of course, this was back in the days when I actually carried a checkbook for all the purchases I use a debit card for today. After filling the tank, I went inside to pay.

Upon receiving my check, the clerk examined it, then looked at me and said, “I’m sorry honey, I can’t accept this check from you.”

Surprised, I quickly asked, “Why?”

That’s when she uttered the words you would never want a clerk to say to you, whether in public or in private. Handing the check back to me, she said:

“Because your name is on the list of people who have written bad checks here.”

As I recovered from my shock, I realized there must be a mistake. So I asked, “Would you mind checking the address on the bad check and comparing it to mine?”

Now she was a little surprised. She took my check, went back into the store office and returned with a startled look on her face.

“You’re right — there must be two of you with the same name.” I quickly responded, “No ma’am, there are three of us.”

In my home town of about 16,000 people, who would have thought there would be three named Tim Enochs?

On that day, I quickly learned the value of a good name — as well as the embarrassment of a bad name.

One of the guiding verses in scripture which has made a difference for many highly respected people — including Truett Cathy, founder of Chick-fil-A — is this:

“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.” (Proverbs 22:1)

What does it mean to have a good name?

How does your reputation, good or bad, impact others around you?

What is the most important thing you can do to establish (or restore) your good name?

A good name truly is better.

Last night, my daughter and I watched one of the most intriguing concerts I have ever seen on television. It was a concert of Elvis Presley, but Elvis wasn’t present on stage. This concert was held 25 years after his death. Elvis died in Memphis in 1977. This concert was held in Memphis in 2002, yet the venue was packed and the crowd was electrified with excitement.

Why would there be a packed venue of concert-goers 25 years after the death of the artist?

Although Elvis wasn’t there, the original TCB band (that’s “Taking Care of Business,” for you non-Elvis fans) was performing. Using cutting edge technology, the producers were able to put Elvis on the screen using footage from his performance at various concerts. They isolated his lead vocals, stripping away the background music, and replaced it with live music and vocals performed by the band and back-up singers.

The end result was an amazing presentation of an Elvis concert…without a live Elvis! I was blown away by the beauty of the presentation.

Then, as the camera was panning the live performance of the current TCB band and back-up singers, there was a clear shot of the stage where Elvis should be standing…but of course, he wasn’t there. It was awkward seeing the empty stage in front of the live performers.

It was at that point I realized we will all leave the stage one day.

Sure, there will be the band and the back-up singers of our life left on that stage, but we won’t be there. Each of us will leave an empty stage with only the memory of who we were and what we did playing in the minds of those who remember us.

My question for you is this: what image will you leave behind?

How will you be remembered when you have “left the building?”

If all goes according to plan, we will film Inspiration (Pop. 2929), a movie based on my book The Street Sweeper, in February. It should be released sometime around September of 2012. There is a new book on the horizon that will go deep into Revelation #1 from The Street Sweeper. Also, I look forward to connecting with you even more through this blog.

I have learned a lot of good lessons during 2011 that I believe will help me to be a better person and coach in 2012. I plan to take the final days of this year to read back over many of my journal notes and begin to put together my plan for the year ahead.

There will be no blog posts during the week of December 26. I look forward to posting again in the new year!

Now would be a great time for you to consider the lessons you learned in 2011 and look forward to the future prospects for your life and business. I encourage you to love like you’ve never loved before, believe like you’ve never believed before, and enjoy your life and loved ones.

If you will do that, 2012 can be a very special year for you, too.

In his book Leading An Inspired Life, Jim Rohn stated:

“Failure is not a cataclysmic event. It is not generally the result of one major incident, but rather of a long list of accumulated little failings. The danger is looking at an undisciplined day and concluding that no great harm has been done… repeating today’s small failures can easily turn your life into a major disaster.”

Planning and execution is paramount to success in life and business.

Frequent review, and adjustment based on your review, is paramount to success in planning and execution.

Here are 5 questions you should ask yourself at the end of each day that can help you become better at planning and execution the following day:

1) Overall, how well did you plan for the day?

2) How did you manage interruptions?

3) How much of what you planned to do got done?

4) How can you improve your planning and execution?

5) What should you do now to prepare for tomorrow?

Your response to these questions can have an amazing impact on your life and business.

Finish each day strong!

Some people call him Superman. He overcame an injury which required surgery and went on to accomplish great things on the field. Many say he took the Baylor team on his back and carried them this season. When they do, RG3 is quick to point out that their success was a team effort and he was only playing a role.

During the Heisman award show, RG3 was asked about his collection of superhero action figures.

Can you imagine being a finalist for the highest award in your field, and on national TV being asked, of all things, about childhood toys? With sophisticated style, and a boyish grin, RG3 answered their questions. No doubt he has always been inspired by superheroes.

During the show, it was also revealed that he is a sock connoisseur. He was then asked to show his socks to the world. When he proudly pulled his pant leg up, RG3 revealed blue, yellow, and red Superman socks — complete with a cape!

For most star athletes, being caught by the media in a pair of novelty socks might be embarrassing, but RG3 wasn’t fazed. The smile on his face said it all. He was proud to be himself.

The Heisman award show revealed three actions which can turn anyone into a superhero:

1) Be yourself. You aren’t called to be anybody but you. Wear your socks proudly.

2) Be inspired. Whether it’s action heroes or teddy bears, hold on to what inspires you. The things that sparked your imagination as a child can still light a fire for you today.

3) Be active. RG3 didn’t just play with action heroes, he became one. He pursued quarterback while others told him he shouldn’t play that position. He fought through an injury which required surgery. And he won the highest honor in college football when others were saying that it was impossible at Baylor University.

Practice these three “be’s,” and you too can become a superhero.

…now where’s that telephone booth?

Have you ever had your thoughts run together?

Ever walked into a room and forget why you were there? (Ok, so I’m 50… it happens.)

With many types of mind-altering drugs and mind control techniques on the market, there is good news. You can take control of your mind by following 3 simple disciplines.

1) Be proactive about what you put into your mind.

Your mind is like the rest of your body: “garbage in, garbage out.” It might be better to say “great in, great out” rather than focusing on garbage. Plant the seed of greatness in your mind, and whatever is planted will certainly grow.

There is absolutely no excuse for not filling your mind with GREAT thoughts!

Blogs can be great resources. Here are some of my favorites:

www.michaelhyatt.com

www.buildingchampions.com/blogs/ (any of the blogs found on this page)

Do you have a favorite blog that you follow? Share in the comments below.

2) Focus on YOUR Vision

Life can be tough, the road can be bumpy, and distractions abound. It’s easy to get off track if you aren’t focused on where you are going. Many automobile accidents have occurred because the driver took his eyes off the road.

Read your Life Plan weekly.

Don’t have a Life Plan?  Watch This

If you are in business, read your Business Vision weekly.

Don’t have a Business Vision?  Listen to This

3) Give

Something good happens inside your mind when you give. Have you ever heard that it is more blessed to give than to receive? This discipline may be OTHERS-focused, but the real winner is you! When your mind is focused on giving, there is less room in there for distractions.

In my employment, I always want to give more than I take, and add more value than my compensation. When this is my focus, work is not work — it’s more like play. My mind is not focused other things — it’s focused on the task at hand.

While you can’t control every thought that enters your mind, by following these three disciplines, you can be free to choose where your mind takes those thoughts…tossing them out, or building upon them.

You have more control over your mind than anyone else on earth. Exert the control you have today. Your mind will reward you for it!

One of the nicest guys I’ve ever met is a guy who attended my home church for years. He was an older gentleman affectionately known as “Brother Bane.” This Thanksgiving, he cooked dinner for his family. On Friday he had a stroke, and on Saturday he was gone. We are only left with his memory.

If you had known him, you would remember that…

…He loved the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. He always knew what was going on with the team, even during the off-season.

…He loved people more than he loved the Cardinals. It never really mattered whether the topic of conversation was the Cardinals, the stock market, or the weather — he connected with everybody. He cared about who he was speaking with, and everyone he encountered walked away with a special feeling that he really cared about them.

Thinking about Brother Bane brings up two questions for me.

1) What will people remember about me after I’m gone?
2) How do people feel about encounters with me today?

I believe the answer to the first question is ALWAYS found in the response to the second.

Wouldn’t you be more blessed if you could give more without it costing you anything? There is something that everyone can give that is completely without cost to you, the giver.

You can give thanks!

With Thanksgiving only a day away (or 11 months if you’re in Canada), many people are preparing meals and planning for Black Friday shopping excursions. Christmas is just around the corner, parties are being planned, and the speed of life is about to get frantic.

Before it does…let’s slow down long enough to give thanks.

Tell someone you are thankful for them.

Find a way to actively demonstrate your gratitude.

Pay forward a kindness that has been shown to you.

Thankfulness is an investment that doesn’t cost, but always pays. It truly is more blessed to give than to receive!

Thank you for being a reader of Irrefutable Success!

The good news is that we can all do something to help smooth out the ride if we follow 3 simple disciplines.

On a recent flight from Atlanta to Orange County, the ride got a little bumpy. Not too bad, but rough enough to realize that things could get uncomfortable quickly. I had a seat over the most stable part of the plane, the wing. I also had a great view of what was going on just outside my window.

The wing was flapping through the bumps!

At first I thought about how I had rather the wing not flap like that — it didn’t look very stable. Then I realized that the wing was doing exactly what it was designed to do. The movement of the wing was adjusting to the movement of the plane, smoothing out the bumps for those of us in the cabin with our seatbelts securely fastened… maybe a little tighter than usual.

When I realized that the movement of the wing in response to the bumps was a good thing, I thought about how that applied to life.

When life gets a little bumpy, as it does sometimes, we need to be flexible enough to make the adjustments necessary to help smooth things out. By following 3 simple disciplines, we can ride out the bumps in life.

Discipline 1: Fasten your seatbelt.

By reading your Life Plan at least weekly, you can remain focused on what is most important. Then you will know what you can let go of for a period of time when minor adjustments are necessary. In that regard, my Life Plan acts as my seatbelt. It keeps me anchored.

Discipline 2: Allow for some flapping of the wings.

From time to time, adjustments (or flapping of the wings) may be necessary. Although this does NOT mean that I will sacrifice a core conviction in my life, it does mean that I can make adjustments for a period of time to allow for the turbulence life throws at me. For example, while my dad was in the hospital last summer, I made some adjustments to my time block to allow for enough time with him.

Discipline 3: Hold on.

Sometimes we just need to ride out the bumps, knowing that “this too shall pass.” If we have done all we can to make a bumpy situation smoother, the only thing left to do is to hold on and have faith that smoother air is just ahead.

What do you do when life gets a little bumpy?