Road to Success Ministries

We Can Do It - Team Hoyt

2007-11-11T08:29:00.000-08:00

The first time I heard the story of Dick and Rick Hoyt and heard Dick speak, I was was utterly amazed and my soul was stirred. Since that time, the power of their lives has not diminished for me. Rick and Dick have a message: Yes You Can!

I would not begin to dispute that, but I would temper it with these words: We Can Do It. Dick, as Rick's father, is not doing all the giving as he pushes Rick's wheelchair in competition. From the Boston Marathon to the Iron Man Competition, Dick and Rick are equal partners.

Dick said, "Rick is my motivator. He inspires me. To me, he's the one out there competing and I just lend him my arms and legs so he can compete."

He continues, "There's just something that gets into me when we're out there."

That something makes Dick want to go faster ... and he does.

"Teamwork makes the dream work," says John Maxwell and others. Team Hoyt is not just one man; it is two. One has a disability but a great heart. The other pushes the chair out of profound love and with strength and agility that most men leave behind in their youth.

Watch the first two videos for the inspiring story, but make sure you watch the next two for celebration and deep encouragement.

I needed a dose of Team Hoyt this morning and I thought I'd share them with you on the off-chance that you needed a dose too.

Team Hoyt can be found at Ironman DVD Site and there are more films on the YouTube site. Keep up with Dick and Rick at Team Hoyt.

Les Brown on The Psychology of Success

2007-08-11T16:55:00.000-07:00

Tom Wood and Les Brown show you how to get your mind ready for massive success. This is the first of 30 daily programs on developing LIFE MASTERY from MasteryTV.com

The Fred Factor

2007-05-19T15:32:00.000-07:00

There is no glory in living up to the level of other people's expectations and stopping at that.

Jesus taught us to exceed the humdrum, legalistic minimalisms of the day, to rise above the ordinary and to live by a higher law of love that taps into inner resources and never settles for "good enough."

The Fred Factor is about applying that sort of attitude to the workpolace.

It is worth a read. I offer this recomendation in that spirit:

The Fred Factor: How Passion in Your Work and Life Can Turn the Ordinary into the Extraordinary

By Mark Sanborn / Random House, Inc

Is your professional commitment wavering? Do you just want to get the job done and go home? Find fresh energy and creativity for your life and work by imitating the example of Sanborn's postman, "Fred." Four
Bible-based principles will help you make a difference every day, excel in your career, and make your daily life extraordinary. 114 pages, hardcover from Waterbrook.

Jim Rohn - 3 Keys To Greatness

2007-04-28T16:51:00.001-07:00

Who Wrote This?

2007-03-17T16:37:00.000-07:00

I would like to give credit where credit is do. This quote is all over the web and it needs to be shared:

The road to success is not straight. There is a curve called Failure, a loop called Confusion, speed bumps called Friends, red lights called Enemies, caution lights called Family. You will have flats called Jobs. But, if you have a spare called Determination, an engine called Perseverance, insurance called Faith, you will make it to a place called Success

Guest Author - on the road to success

2007-03-11T15:16:00.000-07:00

Putting Yourself on the Road to Success

By Gary Simpson

What separates successful people from unsuccessful people, achievers from non-achievers, winners from losers? Are people born that way or do they develop habits as they grow older which determine their stations in life?

It would be fair to say that the answers to these questions are very complex ones. It is a combination of factors which include such things as your country of birth, when you were born, your IQ, your physique, your capacity to remember, your environment, your parents, your friends, your associates, the formal education you receive and the books you read.

Let us look at the things you have no control or little control over and work through to the things that you have absolute control over.

First, you have no say when, where or how you were born or who your parents are. Genetics dictate such things as your IQ, to a large extent your physique and your capacity to remember. However, these things can be improved through training and effort.

As a youngster you also have no control over your environment or the formal education that you receive, but that can also be improved as you grow older and take more control of your life - if you choose.

So, what is left? You might think not much. However, I contend that what is left could very well be the most important determinants of failure versus success. The people you keep company with and the books that you read.

Now, here is the exciting part of it all. They are the two things that you definitely have control over. So I need to ask you two questions:

Are you associating with positive people who are interested in helping you achieve your goals?
Are you educating yourself, on a continuous basis, with appropriate books to improve your knowledge base?

There are books available to suit everybody's taste. For those who have an aversion to reading books might I suggest "Rhinoceros Success" by Scott Alexander (ISBN: 0-937382-00-0). It is one of the most amusing "success" books you will ever find. It also contains cartoons complementing the text. It is quite a masterful production written by a very talented writer.

Scott Alexander has written three "Rhinocerotic" volumes. All are eminently readable.

I first read Scott's books some fifteen years ago and have read them several times since. They are always enjoyable and are just as relevant today as when he wrote them way back in 1980.

You cannot change the conditions of your birth but you can take advantage of those things, which are within your control. You can put yourself on the road to success. Just surround yourself with positive people and read, read, read!

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Gary_Simpson
http://EzineArticles.com/?Putting-Yourself-on-the-Road-to-Success&id=59639

Quotes for Today

2007-03-11T15:04:00.000-07:00

"If you don't know where you are going, you will probably end up somewhere else." - Laurence J. Peter

"A goal properly set is halfway reached." - Zig Ziglar

"Those who cannot tell what they desire or expect, still sigh and struggle with indefinite thoughts and vast wishes." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Obstacles are those frightful things when you take your eyes of your goals." - Hannah Moore

"Picture yourself in your minds eye as having already achieved this goal. See yourself doing the things you'll be doing when you've reached your goal." - Earl Nightingale

Click the Link to Get the Poster

2007-03-11T15:03:00.000-07:00

I liked that very much!

A Bit More on Georgia Griffith - Found on the Web

2007-03-10T18:05:00.000-08:00

Most Memorable Person ..
from Funny the Vlog on May 19, 2006

Most Memorable Person Watch the video The most memorable person I ever met was a woman named Georgia Griffith. She was born blind, supported herself by teaching music. She played 12 different instruments. She was the only Braille proofreader of music for the Library of Congress. She lost her hearing (and sense of balance) at age 38, after which someone gave her a computer and she learned how to use it and ultimately, when I "met" her, ran 7 of the most popular discussion forums on CompuServe (in the late 1980s). She could read 12 languages fluently and a few others "not so fluently." I went with her to Washington, D.C. when she and others, were honored by the Smithsonian Institute for contributions to information technology. (The photo above is Georgia meeting Senator Mike DeWine, who is examining her Smithsonian medallion.) Check here for a more complete bio.

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You Can Do It

2007-03-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

It is a simple saying, but worthy of note and reminder:

You can do it! Giving up is not an option.

Keep on keeping on.

Mike

2007-03-07T17:29:00.000-08:00

Keep Mike Lenhof in prayer as he remains in the hospital. He has ben walking with a walker and enjoys a conversation. He has a long road back. However, he has a lot of courage and that will help.

Pray for Our Founder

2007-02-16T12:39:00.000-08:00

Our founder, Michael Lenhof had a bad choking accident last Sunday and is still in critical care at St. Agnes Hospital in Fresno. At last report, he still needed assistance breathing, but he is able to use the television remote control. Keep him in your prayers. he is expected to fully recover, but it is a long road to success.

Three Links

2007-02-02T13:24:00.000-08:00

These are three of the most powerful links on disabilities on Google. The first is a Wikipedia article. the next two are government help links.

Disability - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many books on disability and disability rights point out that 'disabled' is an ... The Disability rights movement, led by individuals with disabilities, ...

DisabilityInfo.gov: Disability related information and resources ...

One-stop online access to resources, services, and information available throughout the Federal government.

ADA Home Page - ada.gov - Information and Technical Assistance on ...

The ADA Home Page provides access to Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations for businesses and State and local governments, technical assistance ...

Bible Study for Overcomers

2007-02-02T13:19:00.000-08:00

Rosd to Success will soon be launching itse first Bible Study group for people seeking what God's Word has to say about being an overcomer in the world. Mike and Tom will be leading the group and the key word will be: ENCOURAGEMENT!

You Can Be MORE!

2006-07-03T18:48:00.001-07:00

My friend sat across from me in my office during our weekly coaching session. He had received an assignment and was not satisfied with the results. As he reported to me on his activity he said, "I did my best."

"Don't ever say that," I replied, rather shocked at my own bluntness.

"When you say you've done your best, you are telling me that you cannot and will not get any better, that you have reached your highest potential, that you have no room for growth. Say that it was the best you could do at the moment, but never tell me that something was your best. You can always do more.."

You can always do more.

You can always be more.

You can always jump higher, last longer, reach farther, delve deeper, and perform at an increasingly more refined level. We are human - not only human or merely human but human with a capital H, fearfully and wonderfully made, created with uncharted potential and open-ended possibilities.

Fortunately, I did not offend him. He is still coming to me for guidance and encouragement and growing. He is more today than he was that day.

The M in More is for mastery and motivation.

Mastery is what masters us. It is that depth-level commitment to something or someone that centers our thinking and defines our existence. When I am mastered by something greater than myself, I know that I am not alone and I am not floundering for a sense of purpose. Who I am and where I am going is a settled matter. I attach my devotion to the ultimate values that are at the heart of all my commitments and I can begin to master the things that have vied in vain for that position.

We are mastered by so many things: an urgency, tendency, or superficiality until the moment when we submit to that one great center point of life from which flows our lives. Then we can take charge of the things that used to run us and we find that we are motivated.

Motivation is what moves us; gets us up in the morning and gets us going. It is about movement and motor function and it is powerful. It flows from the core of ones being or is of little but temporary value. Real motivation kicks us in the fannies and reminds us that we can always do more and be more.

When your get up and goes gets up and goes the other way, it is the mastery-motivation connection that empowers you to stretch on a reach for the prize.

The O is for opportunity and obligation - and they go hand in hand down the path of potential and growth. Like the shape of the letter, they round us out.

Opportunity is everywhere. We need to move from the place of being obstacle thinkers to opportunity thinkers. There is no obstacle that cannot become a propellant in our quest for more. There is no hardship, tragedy, or struggle that we cannot mount and surmount and ride to a brighter tomorrow.

I saw Danielle recently on a trip to the Bay Area. She's a teenager now, but there was a time when no doctor or other professional would have put a dollar on her surviving that long. She was born with severe spina bifida, mental retardation, blindness, and hearing impairments - and a heart as strong and stubborn as any I've ever seen. Then, she was surrounded by love and a can-do attitude and she has become more than anyone ever expected. She crawls everywhere she goes and pulls herself up to get what she wants. They said she would never talk, but she knows how to ask for her needs to be met. She knows people and calls them by name. She loves and is loved. She and her foster family turned obstacles into opportunities and everyone has grown as a result.

I have been moved forward by having known her.

Then, with great opportunity comes great obligation. Once you know it, you owe it. When you come to realize how vast the possibilities are, you are obligated to make the most of them and share the hope with others. I have a statuette in my office of a frog with a crown on his head. The caption says, "What you are is God's gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God." We are obligated to become all that lies within us to be. We are made for greatness. Anything less is affront to the master design that envisioned our future.

The R is for reverence/respect which enables us to take responsibility.

Reverence is our attitude toward a power greater than ourselves that infuses us with humility and perspective. I know I have not arrived. I know I have not yet done or even imagined my best. I have a long way to go and there is a perfect ideal that holds me in awe. There is a wonder that causes my jaw to drop. When reverence kicks in, we can respect others and we can respect ourselves.

"One of you is the messiah," the old rabbi told the abbot of a dying monastery.

He pondered it and shared it with his brothers. No one understood, but in awe and reverence they took it to heart and started treating each other and even themselves with extraordinary respect. It created such an atmosphere of expectancy and graciousness that people started to visit to experience it for themselves. Soon, young men were seeking to enter the monastic life because of this amazing aura of respect that permeated the place. To think that each of them was potentially destined for greatness gave them permission and hope to become more.

Likewise, it instilled in them a sense of responsibility to handle every person they met, every word they spoke, every deed they did, and every object that passed through their hands with dignity. We have that responsibility as well. We are handling holy things. We are standing on holy ground. Our lives and the lives of the people around us are destined for greatness. As we pass through, let us add value to others and add value to ourselves as well. It is our responsibility.

And that sense of responsibility growing out of reverence and respect teaches us to be responsible for our choices, our actions, and even our thoughts. No one can spoon feed "MORE JUICE" into our experience. We must chose it and move toward it.

The final letter, E, is for effort and energy. Nothing comes to us that enhances our lives without someone's effort - usually our own, often a cooperative effort. We must take initiative to grow; we must be dissatisfied with status quo and eager to reach. It takes effort.

Success is a four letter word: W-O-R-K.

We take baby steps and those baby steps lead to leaps and bounds, but not without perspiration, frustration, aggravation, and agitation. Yes we need inspiration, innovation, and contemplation, but even they are useless without effort/

Buster whined and moaned like only a dog can do. He was sleeping on a pile of nails.

"Why don't he move?" Gus asked Homer.

"I reckon it just don't hurt 'nough," Homer quipped.

How badly does it hurt not to reach your goals, to stay where you are, to be stuck in the rut and stagnant in time and space? What will make a person put out the effort to change? We must pose the question to ourselves. Am I willing? Do I want it? Do I believe I can do and be more?

Faith says yes. Hope says yes. Love says yes. What do you say? The last word is energy and that is what many of us are out of. It has been depleted by disappointments, discouragement, and failure. But our failures are the cobblestones on the path the victory. We must embrace them and return to the basic question of what masters us. Once we know that - so deeply in our lives that we bleed purpose-blood, then we can get the energy from the fountain of possibilities.

You can be more. I can be more. We can be more.

I was driving 10 miles east of Porterville, CA. last week when I started to see some interesting signs. It was success this and success that and I was looking for a place called Success Valley. Then, it suddenly occurred to me that I had been on the road to Success for about 50 miles and never knew it.

Maybe that's the way it is with our lives. When we muster up all we have been given and refocus our attention on the prize. By golly, know it or not; we are on the road to success, the pathway to more.

Our Founder

2006-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

We thought you'd like to meet our founder, Mike Lenhof. Mike has a vision to help people with disabilities like himself become independent, self-reliant, and productive in society.

He is a purpose-driven person who is devoted to Jesus Christ and deeply desires to follow God's call in this ministry. Mike is an entrepreneur who has years of experience in sales. He is married and about to celebrate the first anniversery of his marriage to Dianne, the love of his life.

People love Mike because he inspires them and truly cares about them. As Road to Success Ministries prospers, it will be because of Mike's drive and passion to help others. He is a winner with a winner's attitude and an overcomer who knows the source of his strength.

The World Through Georgia's Eyes

2006-06-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

Why the First Lady of Cyber-Space Has Inspired Thousands

She graduated cum laude from Capital University where she was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. She has been a music teacher, can play 12 instruments knows at least 7 languages. She has been featured in Discover and People, has conversed online with the Vice President, is remembered in the Smithsonian Institution and has been inducted into the Ohio Women’s Hall of Fame. She single-handedly designed the IBM Special Needs Data Base and holds the highest certification as a Braille music proof-reader for the Library of Congress. For eighteen years she has managed some of the busiest and most volatile forums on CompuServe with a membership of thousands. She is a woman of deep personal faith, Indecently, Georgia Griffith has been blind since birth and deaf for over 40 years.

Georgia’s achievements would have been noteworthy for a sighted and hearing person. In fact, most of us who met her in cyberspace would have never suspected that she was “handicapped.” I use the word, “Handicap” because that is Georgia’s word. She detests the term, “disabled.”

“I am not disabled. I’m handicapped—just like in golf,” Georgia has reminded me time and time again. And I have never heard her complain about those handicaps.

Because, for many years, I have been preparing to write her biography, my personal files are filled with newspaper and magazine clippings, letters of congratulations from people in high places, including former President Ronald Reagan, and personal glimpses into the life and achievements of this remarkable woman that I call, “friend.” I have copies of awards, videos, interviews, and e-mails to inform my writing, but I have much more.

My memories are blessed by daily conversations over the past nine years, and two personal visits. No, I did not go to Lancaster, Ohio where Georgia lives alone in the home where she was raised. Georgia came to California with her long-time friend, Bettye Krolick with whom she served on the Board of Directors of the National Braille Association. Georgia loves to travel and she loves to sight-see. I will never forget taking her to the Science and Technology Museum in San Jose . Her curiosity and sense of wonder were active in the wide smile she displayed at we outlined words describing the exhibits in her hand. She touched displays and asked questions and, during breaks, yanked on her friends beards with a girlish giggle.

Georgia loves to eat too. Her mouth was watering in San Jose for a cup of strong, sweet, Vietnamese coffee with a plate of noodles. The stronger and hotter the better. At a banquet, people lined up to shake her hand and tell her how much she had meant to them through the years and how inspired they were by her life. She barely got through her dinner, but had a genuine smile and word of encouragement for each. When honored, she tries to deflect some of that to her friends and assistants. As an example of her humility, I have often received e-mails to this effect:

“Hurry! Write me an acceptance speech—you know, the usual, ‘I’m a nobody, but thanks for this great honor.’”

When Georgia goes out in public, she is in a wheelchair because of balance problems. However, in her home, she shuns that help and pulls herself up on a railing or crawls. Her work schedule is grueling for a young person, much less a newly initiated septuagenarian. She is constantly reading, writing, and thinking using her specially equipped Braille “monitor” on her computer. Instead of tired eyes, Georgia occasionally complains of sore hands—but she keeps going and going and going. In the evenings she reads the Bible and a novel. Retirement is never mentioned.

Every day, Georgia answers hundreds of e-mails and manages online forums with thousands of posted messages, library files, and management duties. She deals with contentious people with grace, humor, and firmness. Everyone is welcome in her forums, but they must comply with the rules and respect other people and their views.

When Georgia reads what is on her computer, she does not scan—a screen or quickly view graphics. She must convert graphical interfaces to text and read one line at a time. Having taught herself several computer languages in 1980, Georgia had to learn to navigate the world of the Worldwide web with all it’s “purty pictures” in the nineties. She did so with determination, grace, and prayer as she has tackled every other task in her life. It takes her longer to read all the material—because of the limitations of Braille technology, but once she has read it, she knows it. Her capacity for learning, digesting, storing, and retrieving information puts most people to shame. A word of advice to the novice: Never challenge Georgia to a battle of wits. You will lose

Georgia has often said, ”to live is to give” and she has lived by that philosophy. Her generosity is celebrated by many, as I can testify. Each of us, sworn to silence, is prevented from widely discussing her kindnesses to us. Therefore, we talk about her keen humor, lively faith, honesty, work ethic, compassion, fairness, and drive. . Mostly, we are grateful for her friendship.

When I first met Georgia in the early nineties, she had recently lost her beloved mother, Toots. We prayed and talked a lot about Heaven and God’s grace. But through the years, I have learned far more about grace from her than I could have ever imparted. I am privileged to call this pioneering woman, my dear friend and sister in Christ.

Postscript: Georgia died in September of 2005 after a brief illness. It took three people to fill her jobs on CompuServe including the author. No one has been able to take her place.

We Are On the Road

2006-03-31T13:30:00.000-08:00

Road to Success Ministries is a dynamic outreach to and by people with disabilities.

It is not that people with disabilities have no abilities. It is just that they have other abilities and must focus on the development of abilities that many people take for granted.

People with disabilities are built for success, created in the image of God, fearfully and wonderfully made for purpose and significance. Our ministry works sie by side and a hand in hand with our partners who are also our clients.

Together, we can build a program that addresses needs while channeling the energies of people with great potential into service as volunteers and business builders in our communities.

- Mike Lenhof, Director
- Tom Sims, Pastoral Consultant