| Q. |
What is SMARTER Success about?
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| A. |
While there are other books on success, goals, and self-improvement, this is the first
book to offer an animal’s perspective of success. It is simple, logical advice for living a fulfilling and
prosperous life.
It is interesting to look at animals and see how they live their lives. By paying attention to simple creatures, we
can see that our complex lives are different, yet similar in many ways. Animal stories help relate how we can
improve our own lives provided we value the natural beauty that surrounds us.
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| Q. |
Why do we need goals?
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| A. |
You really don’t need goals, unless you want to influence your own future. Setting
goals is not something that you have to do, but rather, something that you should want to do from the heart.
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| Q. |
What is it about the SMARTER Success system that makes it different from all the
other goal setting techniques?
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| A. |
Some people suggest you establish a goal as a destination that you want to reach. This
new technique encourages you to simply establish a direction in which you travel. You don’t need to reach an
end point to attain SMARTER Success.
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| Q. |
What is different about your way of setting goals?
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| A. |
Most of the goal-setting programs I have studied focus on obtaining things. One
technique uses the word SMART to remember the points to use if you set a goal to have something. It really works
great. The unique SMARTER system I have developed works better if you set a goal to be something. If you want to be
happy, to be healthy, or to be anything, the SMARTER system is more appropriate.
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| Q. |
What do the letters stand for?
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| A. |
The letters in the word SMARTER stand for seven characteristics of a goal set to be
something: Simple, Meaningful, Altruistic, Reasonably balanced, Timeless, Emotionally stabilizing, and Relationship
building. The book has a chapter for each of these characteristics that explains the importance of each.
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| Q. |
Did you really learn about success from animals?
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| A. |
Indeed I did. Any cat, canary, or cockroach will tell you that success is about being,
not about having. You can’t have success, you must simply think of yourself as being successful. Whether or
not you are successful depends entirely on your personal way of thinking.
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| Q. |
How will anyone benefit from reading the book?
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| A. |
If knowledge were power, libraries would rule the world. The benefit anyone gains from
new knowledge is totally dependent upon what the individual does with the information. Knowledge can create
informed action and that action can influence the changes that are inevitable in your life. Learning to control
thoughts that lead into actions can make a profound difference in anyone’s life.
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| Q. |
What is the return on investment?
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| A. |
The greatest rewards you will gain from reading this book cannot be measured with money.
However, if an individual eliminates one visit to the doctor or therapist, he or she will have paid for the book.
By accepting responsibility for your own success and health, you can eliminate the need for many medicines,
surgeries, and psychoanalysis sessions.
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| Q. |
What makes you an expert on success?
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| A. |
I don’t claim to know anything more about success than anyone else does. I still
regard myself as a student with much more to learn. But I do know a considerable amount and I continue to seek new
ideas.
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| Q. |
Upon what do you base your ideas in SMARTER Success?
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| A. |
The wisdom in the book comes from studying thousands of animals and hundreds of humans.
The information I share is supported by scores of quotations from classic and modern philosophers-some famous and
a few no one has heard of before.
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| Q. |
How long did it take you to write SMARTER Success?
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| A. |
The actual writing took about five years. It was written at night, in the early
mornings, and between surgeries and examinations of pets. The research started over thirty years ago.
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| Q. |
Is there really a right way to set goals for a successful life?
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| A. |
SMARTER Success is about finding a path to follow through life that is right for you. It
is about creating peace and prosperity in your own life. What works to fulfill one life might not be appropriate
for another. This book simply offers ideas to help you develop and maintain health and happiness for yourself and
those you love.
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