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There’s PRIDE inside.

     Welcome aboard. This is totally terrific. You’re using persistence to go the distance. You could have stopped anywhere along the way but you didn’t. Sure, I know why. Go ahead and say it. I finish what I start because I’m….

     Let’s use this chapter to think some more about PRIDE. Will that work okay for you? I’ll start with the first letter in PRIDE. That’s “P.”

     What does “P” stand for? You’re right. The “P” in PRIDE stands for Practice. Your success depends on Practice, Practice, Practice.

     Practice helps you do things better. Would you like to practice sitting on a cactus? Do you want to get better at cactus sitting? Well, okay. You probably don’t want to do that. What are some things you want to do better?

     Do you want to get better at reading or arithmetic? Would you like to get better at science or playing the piano? Would you like to be a great cook or a champion checker player? What do you want to do better? What do you want to do really well?

     What goes on your “I want to get better at it,” list? Those are the things you need to practice.

     Practice is more than just doing something over and over. Anyone can do that. There’s a secret about practicing that most people don’t know. They just do the same thing over and over. They practice but don’t get better. Why do you think that happens?

     Doing something over and over is not enough. It takes more, if you want to learn to do something really well. Think of something you want to do really well. Here are some ways to get better at it.

!    Pick a time every day to practice. If you practice every day, you’ll get better at most things.

!    Find someone who already knows how to do it really well. Ask them to help you get better at it.

!    Go to the library and find a book about whatever you want to do better. The librarian will be able to help you find some stuff.

!    You need to get better before you can be great. If you keep working at it, you’ll keep getting better at whatever you want to do. Sure, you could even get better at cactus sitting, if that’s what you really want to do.

     The next letter in PRIDE is “R.” Do you remember what the “R” in PRIDE stands for? You’re right. It stands for Responsibility. That’s doing the right things right the first time, on time, every time.

     Responsibility is very complicated. You always want to do the right things. Sometimes you aren’t sure what they are or how to do them.

     You want to do things right the first time. Usually you do but sometimes it doesn’t work out very well. You are learning how to do things and are getting better at doing things right.

     You try to do things on time. You do pretty well with being on time. Usually it works out okay but sometimes you’re late or don’t get stuff done when you’re supposed to do it.

     Getting it right every time is the big problem. You want to get it right every time but it doesn’t always work out.

     I have a secret for you. We haven’t had much rhyme time in this chapter. Maybe I can tuck the secret into a little rhyme. Would that be an okay way to say it? If so, here we go.

     Doing things right the first time isn’t easy for me. Doing things on time is difficult you see. Doing the right things every time is a hard one too. I just try to get better at everything I do. If you want to know my secret, you don’t have to guess. I always say “Yes,” to success.

     Okay, it’s time for Imagination. That’s the “I” in PRIDE.

     Imagination is like a conversation that you have with yourself. You can daydream about stuff. That is pretty interesting sometimes. When you use your imagination, you’re doing some special work in your mind. You’re not just daydreaming. You’re doing imagination work.

     Your imagination work starts with a question. You ask yourself a question and then use your imagination to answer it. Here are some questions you can ask yourself. They can start your imagination work.

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!    “What if?” Think about something you need to do. Ask your self, “What if I do it this way or that way?” Think of ways you could do it and how they would work out. It’s a good way to figure out the best way to do something. You try a few ways out in your imagination and pick the one you think will work out best for you.

!    “What’s next?” You ask yourself, “What should I do next?” You’re working on a project. You want to know what to do next. You use your imagination to try some things. If I do this next, it’ll work out this way. If I do that next, it’ll work out that way. You use your imagination to choose what you do next.

!    What will it be like?” There is something you’re going to do. You make a little movie in your imagination. You imagine yourself doing it. If you are going to stand up at school and talk to your class, you do it in your imagination. If you’re going to play baseball, you imagine how it’ll be to be in the game. You do it first in your imagination. When the big day comes, it’ll be like you’ve done it before. You did it in your imagination.

     It’s time for “D.” That stands for Determination. I’ll give you a little rhyme for Determination, if that’s okay with you. It was written by someone else. I don’t know who but it’s definitely true.

!    If it is to be, it’s up to me.

     That means that your success is up to you. Your success is a big job. Only you can do it. No one else can do it for you. Only you can say “Yes,” to success. Determination is a very important part. You can handle that because you’re….

     We finally made it to “E.” That stands for Effort. It works like this.

     You have many things you need to get done. It takes hard work and that isn’t always fun.

     How much effort will you use to succeed? You’ll use as much effort as you need.

     If you’re working hard and the job still isn’t completed, you’ll just work harder. You won’t be defeated.

     Whenever you have a big job to do, you give it your best until the job is through.

     Wow! You did it. You finished this book. You’re the success train boss. You Focus and TAP the PRIDE inside. You always say “Yes,” to success.

     I have a surprise for you. The boss of a train is called the Engineer. Since you’re the success train boss, you have earned a special title. You are now a Success Engineer. Go ahead. Climb aboard your success train and move on down the success track.

     Thanks for reading this book. You’re a great Success Engineer. What do you think? Do you want one more thing to say? I’ll start it for you. You know how to finish.

     I’m a great Success Engineer because I’m….

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Please send comments or questions to Gary A. Crow, Ph.D. GAC@garycrow.net || and visit www.garycrow.net.