Robert Wilson's Un-Comfort Zone is offered as special content for ACC members only.
The Secret for People Who Don’t Believe in VooDoo
The latest fad in motivation is the Law of Attraction or more popularly The Secret after the motion picture and book by Rhonda Byrne. The idea being that if you use the power of The Secret you will attract health, wealth and friends to you in abundance.
The Secret takes an old idea and repackages it for our today’s society. The core idea is that your thoughts control the world around you. If you have positive thoughts, good things come your way. If you have negative thoughts then bad things come your way. In other words, if you wish hard enough for the things you want -- you will get them. Simple. Or is it? If it were simple, then countless people throughout history would have figured it out over and over, and it would not be much of a secret. Perhaps it takes a little more effort than suggested – or perhaps it is just a pipe dream.
We, as modern educated people, need more proof. In order to make it palatable to the skeptic in us, The Secret adds an element of science. We are told that quantum physics has identified that all things at the sub-atomic level exist as both particles and as waves – constantly shifting between being solid matter and being pure energy. It is then proposed that our thoughts create brain waves which in turn influence the sub-atomic waves of the entire universe. The Secret claims that the more intent you are in your wish the faster the universe will act upon it. Is it real, or is it VooDoo.science?
If real, it sounds wonderful! Now, if I understand correctly, if I wish real hard I can become a concert pianist and play to a sold out audience in Carnegie Hall? I only see one hitch: I’ve never had a piano lesson in my life.
The Secret also presents the Law of Attraction as if it had been intentionally kept hidden for centuries. That it was suppressed and held by a few conspirators so that they could control all the wealth of the world. Unfortunately, that notion is nothing other than a marketing ploy to generate interest in the book. It also contradicts the concept of Law of Attraction. The idea that a select group of people have kept it away from the masses intentionally preys on the destructively negative emotion of envy.
To the contrary, people who have understood the Law of Attraction have made numerous attempts at sharing it with the world at large. The best example is Andrew Carnegie, who was one of the most successful so-called “Robber Barons” of the Industrial Age. Carnegie hired Napoleon Hill to research the most successful people in the world, how they got that way, and then record his findings in a book. The book is Think and Grow Rich and was published in 1937.
The best thing about Think and Grow Rich is that it takes the mysticism out of the Law of Attraction. So, for those of you who find wishing on a star a bit difficult to swallow as a method for acquiring wealth, here is the real secret:
Identify your goal. Make a written plan to acquire that goal. Work your plan persistently. Give it your time, attention and energy. The more time and effort you give, the quicker you will achieve it. Visualize it coming to fruition. Draw it, illustrate it, photograph it, then keep it in front of you. Revise your plan as your knowledge grows. Be open-minded to opportunities that arise that may deviate from your plan, but still move you toward your goal.
The world’s most successful people were extremely focused on achieving one goal. They focused to the exclusion of everything else including family, friends, lovers, recreation, entertainment, vacations and hobbies.
Next, tell everyone you know about your goal. Spread the word, so that people who can assist you are aware of your intentions. I truly believe that positive minded people attract more opportunities to themselves because they are so pleasant to deal with.
The formula is simple, but most of us compromise our goals because we want to enjoy a full balanced life. A life filled with friends, family and good times. We focus on our goals when time allows, and in turn, our goals take much longer to achieve. The true secret is staying focused on your goal.
Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
American Coal Council
Committees 2009
The American Coal Council (ACC) has established the following Committees to support the marketplace and advocacy needs of the coal industry. Each Committee has specific objectives and seeks to coordinate its efforts with other industry trade associations and/or government entities with complimentary goals.
New Coal Generation Support Group
Objective: The ACC’s New Coal Generation Support Group works to promote and advance the development of new coal-based generation in the U.S. in recognition that:
New coal generation will be needed to meet increasing demand for baseload electric power.
Coal is an economic fuel source that can provide U.S. citizens and businesses with affordable electric power.
Coal is an abundant domestic resource that can provide U.S. citizens and businesses with secure, reliable electric power today and for hundreds of years to come.
Coal is an environmentally sound energy resource that can be utilized in an increasingly clean manner to meet U.S. environmental stewardship objectives.
Activities:
Develop targeted educational materials that provide citizens, community decision makers and public policy makers with timely, accurate information on the benefits of and need for new coal generation.
Develop a database of permitted, proposed and announced coal power plants, defining a “community” of key projects and contacts for development of a resource clearinghouse of information, organizations and materials that can assist utilities and industry advocates looking to develop new coal generation.
Document benchmarks, best practices and success/failure experiences that can be used to support utility coal plant development activities and define support opportunities from “complimentary” coal chain industries, i.e., suppliers, railroads, ports and terminals.
Conduct seminars and workshops on topics designed to educate and support advocates and utilities seeking to develop new coal generation facilities.
Tomorrow’s Leadership Council
Objective: “A majority of the U.S. energy sector workforce, including skilled scientists and engineers, is eligible to retire within the next decade. The workforce must be replenished and retrained.” National Petroleum Council Report on Facing the Hard Truths About Energy – September 2008.
The ACC’s Tomorrow’s Leadership Council is designed to advance and vest young executive talent in the coal industry – especially the coal supply, consumption and transportation sectors. The Committee provides a meaningful opportunity for up and coming executives to enhance their industry knowledge and networks through projects and activities that advance industry wide objectives as well as professional development goals.
The ACC invites you to invest in your new executives – have them sign up to participate in this initiative.
Click here for an overview of the Tomorrow's Leadership Council program (download a document in Word format).
Click here for a list of the Tomorrow's Leadership Council 2009 activities (download a document in Word format).
Pre-Combustion Innovations Alliance
Objective: The ACC’s Pre-Combustion Alliance is focused on advancing the development and utilization of pre-combustion and coal preparation technologies through enhancing awareness of their environmental and efficiency performance benefits.
Activities:
Development of fact sheets.
Agenda participation in ACC and other industry conference programs.
Development of new ACC-hosted conference programs, seminar and/or webinars devoted to pre-combustion and coal preparation technology utilization.
Establishment of an information clearinghouse on the ACC web site of relevant reports and studies. Development of a distinct web site devoted to pre-combustion and coal preparation technologies linked and branded as an ACC adjunct site.
Development of original data and/or reports as deemed necessary and appropriate.
Promotion of the environmental and efficiency benefits of pre-combustion and coal preparation technologies through various communications and advocacy channels, including but not limited to:
UCG Interest Group – Underground Coal Gasification
Objective: Working in cooperation with the UK-based UCG Partnership (www.ucgp.com), this ACC Interest Group is designed to promote and increase awareness of UCG to a broad audience through conferences/workshops, newsletters, websites, informational materials and presentations. The Interest Group provides an opportunity for industry associates to learn more about UCG and its prospective role vis-à-vis their respective business interests.
ACC Conference Program Development Committees
Objective: The ACC produces a number of educational conferences each year. The Program Development Committees for these events are responsible for determining conference topics and identifying prospective speakers. ACC members are invited to participate in one or more of the following Program Development Committees:
Spring Coal Forum or Coal Market Strategies Conference
These two annual strategic issues conferences for senior executives examine marketplace and public policy issues of critical importance to the coal supply, consumption and transportation industries.
Fuel Flexibility Conference
This event is designed to help utility and industrial coal consumers address the overwhelming marketplace, public policy and operational/maintenance factors they face and their decisions regarding fuel choice and procurement, technology and equipment choices and business operations.
Coal Trading Conference
This event is designed to enhance executives’ understanding of coal trading issues in the context of marketplace and public policy issues impacting the coal industry.
ACC Membership Committee
Objective: This Committee is tasked with ACC membership recruitment and retention activities and is chaired by a member of the ACC Board.
Download this document -- with registration form (in Word format). Then fill it out and email, fax (732.231.6581), or mail it in to the ACC.
American Coal Council
1101 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Ste. 600
Washington, DC 20004
From the Beltway & Beyond
Janet Gellici, CAE – Chief Executive Officer – American Coal Council
August 2008
Welcome to the second installment of “From the Beltway & Beyond.” As I noted in my first article in June, I’ll be using this space in the ACC’s Members’ Update to report to you on recent noteworthy activities in which I’m participating.
Summer
no longer equates with “down time” for those of us in the coal
industry. The past two months I’ve been busy working to advance
the ACC’s two core
objectives to:
Enhance the business, marketing & management capabilities of our members.
Advocate for coal as an economic, abundant/secure & environmentally sound fuel source.
