Contents. Introduction...

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2 Contents Introduction... ix Chapter 1: Commitment...1 Chapter 2: Personal Responsibility...21 Chapter 3: Contribution...43 Chapter 4: Focus Chapter 5: Honesty...81 Chapter 6: Honor...99 Chapter 7: Trust Chapter 8: Abundance Chapter 9: Boldness Chapter 10: Knowledge Chapter 11: Finishing Strong Acknowledgments Recommended Reading About the Author...245

3 Chapter One Commitment Commitment means that it is possible for a man to yield the nerve center of his consent to a purpose or cause, a movement or an ideal, which may be more important to him than whether he lives or dies. Howard Thurman, Disciplines of the Spirit 1963 Talking about commitment usually evokes various responses. The compassionate samurai believes that it means doing what he says he s going to do. The average person believes in this concept... some of the time. He believes that he should do what he says he s going to when conditions are optimal or conducive for keeping his word. But honestly, commitment doesn t have conditions. A compassionate samurai follows through whether it feels good or not; average people do what they feel like doing. The historical samurai kept their commitments even if it cost them their lives. It isn t that they didn t value themselves; it s just that they treasured keeping their word and principles more. Samurai were committed to uphold the tradition of honor, one of the ten traits I mentioned earlier. If one was killed because he upheld a principle such as keeping his word, then his death was honorable. 1

4 the compassionate samur ai To a compassionate samurai, death isn t the worst thing that could happen. The greatest tragedy is to live either an unfulfilled life or one that lacks principles. The historical samurai would rather die than dishonor his name and the name of his calling. Times have changed. For the most part, the average person today doesn t follow this line of thought. We live in a society that travels in practically the opposite direction. My goal and that of this book and our Klemmer & Associates seminars is to change the prevailing mind-set of our day. The average person doesn t care about keeping his commitments, and the value of his word has become so cheap that he breaks it almost every day. Average salespeople promise things they can t deliver just to make a sale; average parents promise their children that they ll tuck them in or take them to the park, yet feel no remorse when they fail to follow through. Too many home-based entrepreneurs make unrealistic promises just to get clients and as a result, the reputation of the whole industry suffers. When average people are late for an appointment, they don t consider their tardiness to be a broken commitment. Divorce rates are extremely high. Corporate scandals are front-page news, long-standing friendships dissolve, personal debt forces many into bankruptcy, trust is lost forever, and people are afraid to do business with those who solicit them all because of broken commitments. This list could go on for the rest of the chapter, but I think you ve gotten the point: Commitment is the basis for trust, which is the foundation of all relationships. Therefore, breaking it equates to destroying trust. 2

5 Commitment When trust is broken, relationships inevitably become shaky. More than that, when commitments aren t valued and honored, the healthy process of both personal and business interactions and connections is turned upside down. When a person doesn t keep his promises, others don t want to do business with him or engage in personal relationships with him and the commitment breaker becomes isolated. This costs huge amounts of money and time, destroying friendships, health, and pretty much anything else that really matters. Quit Making Excuses Just Say It and Do It Many people make ridiculous excuses for why they don t want to commit. They are the John Average Man and the Marianne Mediocre of life. In a nutshell, commitment is doing what we say we re going to do. It s that simple. However, maybe we re getting ahead of ourselves. The average person doesn t have a problem doing what he says he s going to do because he never says anything! He never commits himself. Just think about the number of people you know who never make New Year s resolutions. Why do they shy away from it? It s because they re already invested in looking good by not breaking any promises. They re leading lives of convenience. However, the high price they pay is that they re never going to accomplish much of anything. They re giving up all their power because nothing happens without agreement. Unfortunately, there are a lot of individuals who enjoy this arrangement. 3

6 the compassionate samur ai Do you want to be a compassionate samurai? If you do, you must make large agreements and keep your word. Life seems to work in proportion to the size of the promises we make and our ability to make good on them. If you re thinking about how you re going to follow through and be able to keep your word, bear with me; we ll get to that momentarily. First, you ve got to say what you re going to do. Declare it without fear or doubt or say it with fear and doubt, but make the statement anyway. Now there are millions of people who resolve every New Year s Eve to lose weight, begin a new relationship, or even land a better-paying job. The majority of these well-wishers who wind up failing themselves aren t compassionate samurai. Those who are compassionate samurai get results and continue to stay motivated. Instead, discouragement settles in for the average people who fail to keep their New Year s resolutions. Say what you re going to do. Declare it without fear or doubt or say it with fear and doubt, but make the statement anyway. Bb When they don t lose weight, find that special someone, or get their promotion or raise, they throw in the towel. Instead of honestly reviewing the reason why they didn t achieve the goal (which is what a compassionate samurai would do), they trade in their positive confession and commitment for trite excuses. You ve heard the 4

7 Commitment average folks lists of excuses exempting themselves from the possibility of winning in life. Maybe you ve even used some of them a time or two. I don t really need all that. I m not into having a lot of things. People who want the finest things in life are simply materialistic. The key to happiness is to have no desires. It s just God s will. You can t be spiritual and have success. Rich folks are greedy and don t have a heart of compassion for anyone. The bottom line is that these are all excuses for not being where you want to be in life, not going to the places you were destined to go, and abandoning your responsibility to society. Mediocrity is the height of selfishness, and excuses are simply another way of being dishonest. Think about it: Yes, maybe there was traffic. But you could have gotten up earlier, or you could have told your mother that you didn t have time to talk with her at that moment because you had a commitment. Perhaps the truth wouldn t fly too well with the boss (or with yourself, really), so you make up an excuse. Mediocrity is the height of selfishness. Bb 5