IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Joys of Nature
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - One Plus One Equals Three?
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

I can hardly believe the first issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS was published in April 1999! This begins our sixth year! I have all of you to thank for your continued support and encouraging words along the way. KEYS TO SUCCESS would not exist without you. I am truly appreciative!

Our feature article this month provides important lessons we can learn from observing a few of our feathered friends. Nature gives us a grand classroom for learning.

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you.

Any questions about your subscription? Check the end of the newsletter for information to subscribe or unsubscribe.

If you like what you see, will you please help us grow by forwarding the ezine to your colleagues and friends? We truly appreciate your support.
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Joys of Nature

Spring has sprung in our neighborhood. Not only are we enjoying fantastically warm weather, there is a hubbub of activity in our backyard. The birds, squirrels, and a neighbor's cat are entertaining us.

The robins gather around the bird bath for a little drink, the finches and wrens empty the bird feeders on a weekly basis and the doves roam the patio floor looking for seed the finches dropped. The hummers have returned to sip nectar from the humming bird feeders. On rare occasions, we even have a few quail toddling across the lawn. The cat hides under the patio table getting ready to sneak up on the birds. When I open the door with the water spray bottle in hand, he high tails it back home!

Squirrels run up and down the trees playing tag. The other day one was carrying an orange up a tree. The orange was almost bigger than he was! They also try tackling the bird feeders.

Just when everyone seems to be enjoying themselves the blue jays swoop in for their turn. Everyone else disappears while the jays take over the feeders. After filling their tummy they take moss out of the hanging baskets and fly off to build their nests. That's when the other birds and squirrels return. The scenario is replayed over and over from dawn to dusk.

To complete the picture you'll need to imagine the audio portion. There's a whole lot of squawking, cooing, chirping and chattering going on! We hear a wonderful symphony in motion.

So what does this story about birds and squirrels have to do with us? Those little guys are just trying to make a living and survive every day. Isn't that what we are doing? We're trying to make a living and survive. The biggest difference is we have the ability to do more than survive. We can thrive! How can we do that? Here are three things we can learn from watching the birds and squirrels to help us.

First, get focused. Those little creatures know where and how to find food, water and building supplies. We do the same thing. We focus on finding the basic needs of life for our survival. Once that's in place, we can focus our energies on higher levels of achievement so we can begin to thrive.

Second, be persistent. The birds and squirrels keep coming back for replenishment. Living at the whims of nature takes a lot of work. Successful people tell us persistence pays off. If you want to thrive, you have to persist in what you do.

Third, be determined. Even with a cat laying in wait or blue jays sweeping in to take control, the little guys are determined to come back and try again. They do this all day long! We, too, have adverse conditions to contend with. Determination helps you overcome obstacles so you can thrive.

Nature is a wondrous thing to observe. We can learn so much by watching the activities of our furry and feathered friends. Not only do we learn, we are entertained. Ah, the joys of nature!
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WORDS TO INSPIRE

"When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world."
John Muir

"In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous."
Aristotle

"Nature is an endless combination and repetition of a very few laws."
Ralph Waldo Emerson
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GUEST ARTICLE

One Plus One Equals Three?
By Michael Angier

Synergy: It's a word that most of us are familiar with and yet
one not so easy to define. It's more than two or more people
getting along and benefiting one another. It's when the
combination of energies, resources, talents and efforts equals
more than the sum of the parts--when 1+1=3 (or even more).

This story illustrates the concept. In northern Canada, an ox
pull was being held to determine who had the strongest ox. The
winner pulled 9,000 pounds and the runner-up pulled just a few
pounds short of that. The owners and old-timers who had
witnessed the competition started to debate as to how much the
two strongest oxen could pull if they were teamed together.

The wagers went down. Some bet 16,000 pounds. Another
17,000 and still another felt that they should easily pull
double their singular efforts--18,000. When the two oxen were hitched together, they actually pulled over 26,000 pounds!

That's synergy. The whole being greater than the sum of the
parts.

When two or more people, groups or companies come together and
pool their talents and abilities toward a common purpose, the
laws of math go out the window and the laws of synergy prevail.
Far more can be accomplished than the individuals or groups
could ever have achieved independently.

Many marriages are great examples of this concept. Some
companies achieve this as well. The alignment, the joy, the ease
of accomplishment is magical.

It takes work. It takes commitment. It takes an objective bigger
than the participants. And it's worth it.