Putting Your Success Together One Piece at a Time

These pages contain the complete revised text of Building Yourself, public speaking trainer Elliot Essman's guide to living the successful life. The published volume is also available on Amazon.com.

Elliot Essman Public Speaking Training

Building Yourself is an unusual and effective guide to getting the most out of a successful life. A truly fresh approach to success, careers, and leadership.

• INTRODUCTION

1. SAVVY

   1.00 Think for Yourself - 1.01 Autonomy - 1.02 Critical Thinking - 1.03 Recognize Major Obstacles - 1.04 Question Authority - 1.05 Vector to Opportunity - 1.06 Accept and Manage Luck - 1.07 Deal with the Real World - 1.08 Come to Terms with Risk - 1.09 Develop Stature - 1.10 Find the Proper Self

2. SWEAT

   2.00 Achievement Never Comes Easy - 2.01 One Step at a Time - 2.02 Let the Market Decide - 2.03 Do it Yourself - 2.04 The Magic Word—“Ask” - 2.05 Use Time to Your Advantage - 2.06 It's Not Just a Good Idea - 2.07 The Critical Importance of Selling - 2.08 Perspective vs. Perfection - 2.09 Entrepreneuring - 2.10 Ten Percent Innovation

3. SKILLS

   3.00 Ammunition for a Powerful Life - 3.01 Educate Yourself - 3.02 Language Skills - 3.03 Numbers - 3.04 Computer Literacy - 3.05 Public Speaking - 3.06 The Written Word - 3.07 Listening Skills - 3.08 Negotiation - 3.09 Information Gathering - 3.10 Leadership

4. SOURCES

   4.00 Cash Is King - 4.01 Simple Arithmetic - 4.02 Ask for What You're Worth - 4.03 Expect the Unexpected - 4.04 Create Flexibility - 4.05 Do Your Homework - 4.06 Set Priorities - 4.07 Diversify Your Income - 4.08 Respect Money - 4.09 You Can Never Be Too... Rich or Thin - 4.10 Divorce Your Parents

5. SAVE

   5.00 Cash Is Still King - 5.01 Life Is a Business - 5.02 Who Would You Rather Have Dinner With? - 5.03 Compound Your Income - 5.04 Credit Is Power - 5.05 Opportunity Cost - 5.06 Take Risks...but Don't Gamble - 5.07 Take Full Responsibility - 5.08 Keep Informed - 5.09 Shoot for Steady Growth - 5.10 Always Take Your Profits Too Soon

6. SPOUSE

   6.00 Read this Chapter Twice - 6.01 The High Cost of Experience - 6.02 There Are No Rules - 6.03 What Being Careful Means - 6.04 Team with Someone Who Contributes - 6.05 Don't Rush Into It - 6.06 There's a Place for Children - 6.07 People Change - 6.08 The Joy of Knowing Nothing - 6.09 A Note on Romance - 6.10 Aren't Weddings Nice?

7. SOCIETY

   7.00 Questions to Resolve Early - 7.01 Society Is an Abstraction - 7.02 You Make Society - 7.03 Society Looks to the Average - 7.04 Society Conditions Thought - 7.05 Diplomacy - 7.06 Personal Morality - 7.07 Bureaucrats and Clerks - 7.08 Morality Manipulators - 7.09 Proving Your Point - 7.10 Dealing with Crooks

8. STRANGE

   8.00 Strange Is Perspective - 8.01 Value Personal Differences - 8.02 Turn the Camera - 8.03 Hear Both Sides - 8.04 Admit the Possibility of Error - 8.05 Welcome Change - 8.06 Think International - 8.07 Be Eclectic - 8.08 Be Prepared to Shift Gears - 8.09 The Outsider - 8.10 Accepting an Imperfect World

9. STRENGTH

   9.00 Successful Body/Successful Mind - 9.01 The Problem of Youth - 9.02 Threats to Physical Health - 9.03 Wellness Orientation - 9.04 Empty Addictives - 9.05 Holistic Approach to Health - 9.06 The Challenge of Stress - 9.07 Emotional Traps - 9.08 Physical and Emotional Releases - 9.09 Pleasure - 9.10 Reaching the Higher Self

10. SELECT

    10.00 It's Who You Know - 10.01 Gravitate Toward People with Integrity - 10.02 A Friend in Need - 10.03 People Who Aren't All There - 10.04 The Mentor Relationship - 10.05 Manipulation - 10.06 Beware the Helpless - 10.07 Competition - 10.08 Envy - 10.09 Long Term Alliances - 10.10 Leaders and Followers