Become a Rhino: Charge Down Success



Becoming a Rhino

Based on Rhinoceros Success by Scott Alexander

Presented by Phillip Mullis

“Every person must decide whether they want the safety and security of the pasture or the risk and rewards that come from charging full speed towards success.” Mr. Mullis

Introduction

Far into the deepest parts of the jungle, where few people venture, lies a rare and much sought after animal called success. Few people even attempt to track it down because it is a risky and dangerous pursuit. Even fewer actually capture it. It’s a long hunt with a multitude of hardships along the way. The jungle is full of biting bugs, poisonous snakes, crocodiles, and other ferocious animals that threaten your safety. During the day, the sun will burn your skin. At night, the temperature falls so low that you’ll long for the hot sun that once blistered you.

You’ll be exhausted, weak, and even want to give up at times. You may even believe that success is an imaginary animal, incapable of being captured. However, you can’t give up. You’re too deep into the jungle to turn back now. You’re too close to the prize you so desperately have to have. That prize is success!

Days, months, even years may go by without a sign of success. It is a clever and allusive animal that eludes its capture, but you must continue the hunt. No other animal like success is so unique and challenging. You’ve just got to have it.

“As rare as this animal is, rarer are the men and women who set up their own expedition in search of success. You are part of that group who must have success. The rewards are great. You know that. You also know that the hunt is difficult, at best. You know the odds may be against you. You know that many have failed, and few will even attempt this expedition. Nevertheless, you know that you’re up for the challenge.

However, success is hard to catch. But that doesn’t mean you should shy away from the pursuit. Recognize that this lifelong hunt requires great skill, patience, perseverance, desire, and quick thinking from you the hunter.

This course of study will be a survival guide for your expedition---your greatest hunt ever. Listen, read carefully, pay attention, and you will succeed beyond your wildest imagination. No matter what you set out to accomplish this year, you’ll have the time of your life charging through the jungle in a constant pursuit of success.

The Art Of Charging

The real secret to success for anyone is, of course, to figuratively become a rhino. You need to wake up tomorrow morning as a romping, stomping, full-grown, six thousand pound rhinoceros. Can you imagine the look on your family’s faces when they see you coming into the kitchen for breakfast? It is so much fun being a rhino that you’ll want to get up early every morning (weekends included), just so you can get a head start on everyone else. The quicker you get up and get going, the sooner you can begin to achieve. When your “opportunity clock” goes off at 7:30 am, get out of bed like a rhino. Take a shower, brush your rhino horns, put on your school uniform and get ready for a wonderful day of charging.

Get Charging Mad

In order to start charging, you have to have something to charge at. These are called goals. They add purpose to your life as a rhino. If you aren’t 100% completely satisfied with your life, then get mad and do something about it. Charge!!! You should say to yourself, “I will not be a lazy cow grazing in the pasture day after day! I won’t be one of those students who does nothing, sees nothing, accomplishes nothing and worse off----settles for just doing O.K. I woke up this morning as a rhinoceros! I am going to sacrifice the security and complacency of the pasture and live a rhinoceros life of excitement and adventure in the jungle…” (Alexander, p.14). Everyone has from time to time unintentionally drifted into the cow pasture, so don’t act like you’ve never been there. Make a promise to never go back to the again. Leave your lazy cow buddies behind. Meet some new rhino friends. Besides, when you get mad enough to change your life, who will be foolish enough to argue with a irritated three-ton beast with a huge a horn on its head?

Always Charge Massively

If you always charge massively, it will result in massive success. How else would a rhino charge anyway, but massively? Have you ever seen a rhino tiptoe? Never. Did Michael Phelps set a goal to just make the U.S. swimming team? Did he dream about winning a bronze or silver medal? In his wildest imagination, do you think he dreamed of winning one gold medal? No, no, and no. He charged massively towards his goal of breaking every world record possible and winning a gold medal in every Olympic swimming he entered. There is no reason you can’t do the same when you set your mind to it and begin charging. You face every challenge without the fear of failure clouding your vision. Negative thoughts lead to negative actions. “You put everything you’ve got into everything you do, (Alexander p.15). Full blast ahead!

Two-Inch Thick Skin

Fortunately, you have two-inch thick rhino skin. At times, people will fire a torpedo or two your way, but don’t worry. With your armor-like skin, you’ll hardly feel it. Even if your breath gets knocked out, you’ll just get up, knock off the dust, and get ready to charge again! The adversity you face will only make you stronger and better fit for other challenging opportunities. Be ready for it. A great wide receiver knows he’s going to get crushed by a huge linebacker as soon as he catches a pass in the middle of the field. If the receiver is a rhino, he’ll catch the pass, be alert and ready for the hit, and might even lay a good hit on the tackler. The more successful you become, the bigger the torpedoes are. Romney and Obama all endured a variety of personal attacks in their run for the presidency, but their two-inch thick skin kept them giving up their quest. Let the naysayers run out of torpedoes before you give up and choose the life of a complacent cow.

Charge With Singleness of Purpose

The reason why rhinos are so successful and even dangerous to some, is that once they set their mind to something and start charging, they don’t give up, and don’t let anything distract them. They keep their eyes on the prize. They have what’s called singleness of purpose. This means they don’t focus on too many goals at once. If you do, you risk not reaching any of your goals. Try to take on just a few goals at a time. Once you check one off your list, move on to another one.

You know how a magnifying glass can start a fire if you hold it long enough between the sun and a combustible object? It takes intense focus, concentration, and patience. If you instead, move the magnifying glass around too much, you’ll never get warmed up, much less start a raging fire. The glass is like your spirit---keep at it and you never know when the fire might start. Once it does, move on to your next blaze.

Be Alert For Opportunities

You have to be alert in the jungle. That’s why you survive in the toughest conditions and why cows and sheep could never make it in the jungle. You’ve got something special. You see, hear, feel, and smell for approaching opportunities. Once you see one---CHARGE!

Be Really Alert For Opportunities

“Wait! What is that smell? Your great body grows tense, ready to spring into action. You slowly turn your massive head toward the direction of the scent. Your eyes watch for any sign of a real opportunity. Your ears pick up a rustling in the bushes! An unfamiliar scent drifts by your nostrils! You are ready to explode! Is it an opportunity or a torpedo? Your eyes stare unblinking, straight ahead. Your head is spinning with excitement and your leg muscles twitch with energy.

Suddenly, you see it! An opportunity! It sees you and like a shot, you are both off through the jungle. You’re three tons of snorting rhinoceros charging full speed at that opportunity, mowing down all obstacles in your way. Trees and vegetation poke at your skin, but you don’t even feel it. Your opportunity is in sight now and you are gaining on it. It is a good opportunity, and the chase is long and hard. You start to tire. Is it getting away from you? “Darn it!” you scream. “I am a rhinoceros!”

Your second wind comes and your rhinoceros eyes turn fiery red as the breath from your nostrils turns to steam against the cool morning, jungle air. Through jungle, river, and mountain, you pour it on, never letting up for a second.

Then all of a sudden, you’ve got it! Your opportunity tired and you have run it down. You make the kill and then rest a moment; your great lungs heaving, your legs ready to collapse, your skin torn, bruised and bloodied and you bask in the thrill of your victory” (Alexander, p.18-19).

Rhino Fuel

What separates a rhino spirit from that of a cow? What causes a rhino to be so motivated, day after day? The answer is different for every rhino. It depends on you. If you truly want to make an A in Mr. Mullis’s class, then you’ll be driven to achieve it. If you want to be an electrical engineer after graduating from college, then you’ll make the necessary sacrifices to achieve that dream. Still, why don’t the cows witness your success and decide to copy you and enjoy the good life? The answer is simple. You believe in success. Cows and sheep are afraid to be successful because there’s always a chance of failure. Therefore, they rarely even try, and if they do, they may not put everything they’ve got into everything they do.

Rhinos Believe In Success

Rhinos believe they will succeed every time or at least most of the time, so they go for it. They don’t believe in luck, they make their own “luck.” When a rhino is unhappy with some outcome in their life, they don’t immediately blame someone else. They look inward, make necessary changes, and try again. On the other hand, cows are pessimistic and lazy. They believe they’ll fail at difficult tasks---and they do. Cows believe in wasting money on lottery tickets in order to be rich and “successful.” Therefore, cows don’t even attempt to charge. They believe that the lucky rhinos get all the lucky breaks. They just don’t get it. They’re rationalizing their failure when they say, “We can’t change and there’s no use trying.”

Success Is Yours

Success is available for anyone who will get off his or her lazy bottom and charge it down. This much is clear by now. That’s why you are rhino (or at least quickly becoming one). You believe that you actually get something if you set your mind to it. You know if you believe in yourself, have a goal, set a course of action---you’ll achieve anything and everything. Your belief runs your motor. It gives you enthusiasm to charge. Your belief fuels your enthusiasm, and that causes you to get out of bed every morning with a smile on your face. It’s no wonder why rhinos are so much fun to hang around with. They’re “livewires.” Others feed off of you and love to have you as a friend.

Rhinos Are Naturally High

You will not find true rhinos with drug or alcohol problems. Altering your brain with illegal substances only keeps you from reaching your full potential. Besides, being a rhino gives you the best and most natural high known to mankind. Being successful (or the pursuit of success) makes your brain secrete a substance called endorphins. This substance depresses pain and expands our awareness of pleasure. Endorphins are basically natural anti-depressants. Jogging and other endurance sports bring about a rush of endorphins. It’s no wonder why rhinos are always happy.

Keep believing in yourself. Keep charging at opportunities. Imagine what life will be like once you reach your goals. You can do this because you’re a rhino in training right now. Just charge, charge, and charge!!! If you start to give up and begin acting like a cow in the pasture, just remind yourself of your beliefs and your armored two-inch skin. If you believe it, you can achieve it!

Rhinoceros Training

Now it is time to talk about the habits and exercises that are proven to help you maintain a great rhino spirit. You may not have been born a rhino, so it might be hard to remain one in a cow and sheep world. You don’t want to be a rhino for just a day or two. You want to be a rhino for life!

The key element for all rhinos is their attitude. It is easier said than done, but it’s your attitude that determines your altitude in life.

As you read this you should have already felt your skin growing thicker and tougher. Your ability to focus has become keener. Do you imagine yourself with a horn protruding from your head? Has your breath taken on a strong hot odor? Do you have a strong desire to charge at something full speed?

You are becoming a bundle of energy. All of your muscles are twitching as you think about the things that you want to charge after. You know if you don’t hurry up and start charging, you might explode from all of this pent up energy, power, and enthusiasm.

You have built up energy equivalent to the water falling over Niagara Falls. With the power in your body, you could easily light up downtown Winston-Salem. You are an atomic bomb waiting to be dropped. Your biggest decision is what to drop it on. Don’t waste your energy on trivial matters that can only distract you from your goals. Don’t let anybody or anything drain your energy either. Think big! Make sure you are going after something worth your time. “Rhinoceroses do not charge at jackrabbits. Atomic bombs are not used for the Fourth of July, and Niagara Falls is not used for taking a shower.” (Alexander, p.26)

Choose goals that are equal to your potential. Don’t underestimate your own value and ability. Dr. Robert Schuller has said, “It is better to attempt something great and fail, than to attempt nothing and succeed.” Why not aim for the best? Do you want A’s or B’s in your classes this year? Do you want to just learn to play an instrument, or master it? When you get older, do want to marry someone who is brilliant, beautiful, energetic, fun, and good-hearted, or someone who is dull, unattractive, lazy, boring, and cruel? Do want a career that is safe and unfulfilling, or one that is full of challenges and unbelievable rewards?

Writing Down Your Goals and Keeping Track of Your Progress

According to Dave Kohl, professor emeritus at Virginia Tech:

1. People who regularly write down their goals earn nine times as much over their lifetimes as people who don't.

2. 80% of Americans say they don't have goals.

3. 16% do have goals but don't write them down.

4. Less than 4% write down their goals and fewer than 1% review them on an ongoing basis.

5. Pause for a moment and let this information sink in.

Neatly write the following statement on your first index card:

“I AM A RHINO! I HAVE A NEVER GIVE UP SPIRIT! I AM FULL OF ENERGY AND I CAN’T WAIT TO MAKE STRAIGHT A’S AND CHALLENGE MYSELF TO DO BETTER THAN I’VE EVER DONE BEFORE. THIS YEAR AT TABOR WILL BE THE BEST!”

Now, on your second index card, write a sentence announcing the fact that you have reached one of the really big goals that you’ve been charging after, and also write down the date it becomes a reality. Like this:

“IT’S APRIL 22nd, 2017 AND I WAS ACCEPTED TO WAKE FOREST UNIVERSITY WITH A FULL ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIP!”

As you come up with your own sentence, make sure you state it as if it has already happened. Now, tape these two cards near the head of your bed. Every night before you go to sleep, you must read your cards to yourself. Every morning after you wake up, read them out loud again. Read them with gusto. Believe it. Mean it. Make it a daily habit, even if you don’t feel like it or somebody in your house laughs at you (little torpedoes). Just do it! After reading your cards every morning and night for 21 straight days, you will be a rhino!

Taking Action

However, just saying you’re a rhino is not enough. If you’re going to talk the talk, you’ve got to walk the walk. Put some action behind your words. Get in the practice of taking actions towards your goals, aspirations, opportunities and life-long dreams.

Your homework for tonight is to read your rhino cards before going to bed, then again when you wake up. And don’t forget to LEAP out of bed ready to CHARGE!!!

Also, try to find some pictures of real or figurative rhinos to hang in your room. You may already have some and not realize it. Look out Tabor, here comes some Rhinos down the 200 hallway.

Keep Your Head Up When Others Want to Knock You Down

You will soon notice that it is hard to maintain your positive outlook on life when others bombard you with negativity. Don’t let outside forces dampen your enthusiasm. You can control, to a large degree, what you hear and see. Don’t let the negative in! Just remember that you have two-inch thick skin and you’re too busy charging down opportunities to be sidelined or slowed down. Rhinos don’t campout in front of the TV for hours on end. Be productive with your time. Let the cows and sheep go brain dead from overexposure to cable TV, video games, Facebook, Twitter, cell phones, etc. Instead, read books that are uplifting or about successful people. Humans are basically the product of four things: whom we associate with, what we listen to, what we watch, and what we choose to read.

To Whom You Associate, So You Become

“Charge with the rhinoceroses, fly with the eagles, run with the cheetahs and eat with the lions. Don’t hang around with the cows or the sheep. They will pull you down. You’re a rhinoceros! Associate with the doers, the achievers, the positive, the livewires and you will stay a fully charged rhinoceros. Associate with sleeping cows, sloths or sheep and you will become a loser” (Alexander, p.30).

You Are What You Read

If you are what you eat, then you naturally become what you feed your mind. If you read garbage, then you’ll have a brain full of garbage and a spirit that reflects the same. If your reading consists primarily of text messages about shopping at Hanes Mall, or who has a crush on the new kid, then slap yourself in the face and immediately get out of the pasture! Sometimes, you have to ask yourself, “will reading this help me reach my goals, or will it sidetrack me?” This doesn’t mean you can’t diversify your reading. Throw in a little Diary of a Wimpy Kid for laughs, but don’t let your reading diet consist entirely of light reading.

You should read positive rhino books that lift your spirit. There is no end to the number of books in this school about rich and famous rhinos. Read their books and you can learn their secrets, or at least be inspired by their stories. Lazy cows refuse to read rhino books. They watch fake reality shows and other brain-numbing drivel. Is it any wonder they remain in the pasture?

Plan Now To Be A Prosperous Rhino

If you want to live the “good life” from this day forward, then you’ve got to start planning on being a prosperous rhino. There’s no better way to start than to get a first class education at Mount Tabor! You’ll be setting yourself up for future success in college and beyond. Your teachers are here to help you attain your goals. And please, don’t fall into one of the biggest cow traps---viewing teachers as the enemy. Everyone can remember peers who saw their teachers as their enemies. Because of their viewpoint, the students closed their minds to learning. What a terrible loss. Tabor teachers want their students to be successful more than anything else in the world, and not for completely unselfish reasons. You’ll be the ones who lead the country when we’re retired. We don’t want cows and sheep in control. We want rhinos in positions of power and influence for the betterment of our country and others.

Remember that if you plan for it, it is much more likely to be realized. If you plan for success, you’ll be successful. If you plan for nothing then you will surely get a big stinking lump of nothing. So start planning!!!

Dreams don’t always come true. However, if you make a great plan to reach your dream, you stand a better chance of making it come true. Don’t wait for luck, the government, or your fairy godmother to make it happen. You have to plan for it to happen. Wealth, happiness, and success don’t happen by accident. It’s not a mystery. Rich people don’t get rich because they’re lucky or “get all the breaks.” They plan on being rich, and then they attack their plan. There’s no reason you can’t do the same.

ASSIGNMENT:

Fill out the Rhino Success Plan and turn back in. Be thoughtful and seriously think about your future goals.

Plans Do Change

Let’s be honest---your plans will not always develop exactly like you plan. Don’t worry. You are a resourceful, patient, and intelligent rhino. Just modify your plans and keep your eyes on the prize. Don’t give up. Don’t be dissuaded. Just keep charging ahead and remember your two-inch thick skin.

You Have To Give To Get

Some people mistakenly think that being a rhino is akin to Darwin’s theory about the survival of the fittest, that getting ahead requires stepping on or hurting others. Nothing could be further from the truth.

In our society, you have to give in order to get. You reap what you sow. It’s just that simple. If you give love to your parents, you’ll get love back. If you give praise to your friends, you’ll get praise back. If you volunteer for the sick, poor, or needy, then you know that somehow you will be rewarded for your good deeds. It’s because you chose to give.

There are two vital types of giving: effort and humanitarian (love). Without sufficient effort, you’ll never get your desired results. Humanitarian giving is like volunteering at church or in your community. You give selflessly of yourself (love) for the benefit of others.

Why are there so many cows in the world? The cows don’t know that they have to give to get. They are capable of doing a lot of getting, but fail to give effort or love. They don’t realize that the more effort and/or love you put into something, the more you will get out of it. Think for a minute about a time in your life when you experienced great satisfaction and pride because you gave a whole lot of effort, time, compassion, or love. Be prepared to share your story with the class.

Market Yourself

You may not know it, but you are your own product. Some people sell cars. Others sell insurance or cell phones. Your job is to market and sell yourself. When you get into your 20’s or 30’s, to win over the perfect guy or girl, to be your soul mate for life is going to require some masterful selling on your part, so get used to selling yourself at a young age. Modesty and humbleness are very desirable traits, but don’t let them keep you from achieving your goals. Look people in the eyes when you meet them. Give them a strong handshake. And when you announce your name, say it like you are a big V.I.P.

Take Care of Yourself

“Just because you are a rhinoceros doesn’t mean you have to smell like one. Who wants an odor like that around? Make sure you take care of yourself. Your body is your business and you only have an inventory of one.” (Alexander, p.37-38) If you don’t put cheap gas in your Rolls Royce, then don’t put a bunch of junk in your body. Eat healthy and exercise regularly. You will feel better, think faster, look better, live longer, and be able to enjoy the good life as a rhino well into your golden years.

Discipline Yourself

Discipline makes great rhinos. Lack of discipline makes cows and sheep. Discipline is having to do something you know you need to do, but would rather not do. Who really wants to do homework every night, practice scales on their instrument, do chores at home, etc.? If you like doing your homework, then AWESOME! You already have rhino blood coursing through your veins. One thing that separates rhinos from cows is that rhinos can make themselves do things that they would otherwise not want to do. Cows take the easy route and give up. Cows don’t have the discipline to make the honor roll. That would mean doing work. You see---discipline is good, and self-discipline is even better.

It is easy for someone to discipline others. Teachers do it to students. Parents do it to their children. You might have to do it to a younger sibling. Exercising self-control in your life is much more difficult. Just remember that cows remain cows because they cannot control the habits that make them cows. If they had self-discipline, they would be on their way to where you’re going---being a happy and successful rhino!

Do you know of any spoiled brats who get no discipline at home, but instead, get everything they want? Don’t be envious of them. They usually grow up to be unhappy cows that believe the world owes them something.

Once you have self-discipline working for you, you can develop new habits like charging, being persistence, and having an audacious spirit. Make a list of any habits you have that are destructive, and then begin eliminating them. Here are just a few examples: worrying, complaining, excessive TV, poor diet, lack of regular exercise, dishonesty, laziness, lack of respect (for self and others).

You Are In Charge

If you are selling yourself to others, then you must be the president and CEO of “YOU, INC.” You don’t have to run a huge business; just your own six thousand pound rhino body. Take your mind and body and create the absolute best “you” that you can create. Make the rest of the world stand up and take notice, for it is YOU!!!! Get started. You have 24 hours a day to make it happen, and because you are a rhino and believe in yourself, you can do it! Have high expectations for yourself. You are your own boss. You’re in control. You run the show. Don’t let yourself down.

Elephants Never Forget, and Rhinos Shouldn’t Either

Now that you are well on your way to becoming a rhino, never forget who you are---a rhino. Don’t fall back in with the lazy cows that stand around eating grass, waiting to be taken to the slaughterhouse. Whenever you are in a situation that requires work, risk, energy, and action, think like a rhino. The rest will take care of itself. When you wake up in the morning, remind yourself that you will charge massively at opportunities, associate with other rhinos, not worry about the jealously that will come your way.

How to Be the World’s Happiest Rhino

Are you happy yet? Are you starting to feel better than you did when you started your rhino training? If not, quickly re-read pages one though six. You can’t afford to not get on board this train, because we’re charging down the tracks towards a happier life. Be happy dog gone it. Be happy living an adventurous life. Cows are happy just lying in front of a TV for three or more hours without doing anything productive. But don’t feel too sorry for the cows. Somebody has to take on the cow lifestyle. The sad truth is that not everyone can be a rhino. Tabor teachers want to make sure you have a rhino spirit. It gives you something extra. We do this because we care and only want what’s best for you.

You Have a Choice to Be Happy

You have much more power in your brain than you realize. You can actually choose to be happy, just like you can choose to be sad, angry, depressed, worried, fearful, envious, jealous, or vengeful.

Stephen Covey writes about a “pause button” that only humans have. The pause button lies between when you first receive a stimulus, and when you respond to it. For example, if someone accidentally bumped into you while walking down the hallway, your brain receives stimuli (you got bumped). The split second before you respond is where your pause button lies. At this point, you can choose a negative response or a positive one. If you call the person who bumped into you a “big, goofy, stupid, blankety-blank,” you might end up in a fight. If, however, you use your pause button effectively, you can choose to be understanding, kind, and gracious.

Do you see? You really can choose to be happy. Just simply love everyone and everything. Think about what a better world we would live in if more people realized they had a built-in pause button and chose to use it.

It Feels Good Being Happy

When you feel good about yourself, you will be happy. If you look in the mirror in the morning and like what you see, then you’ll be a happy rhino going into your day. If getting a manicure for your horns make you feel good about yourself. Get it. Treat yo’self! If having a fresh haircut or new hairstyle improves your self-image, go visit your barber/hairstylist. If losing a few pounds will make you feel better, then eat less and exercise more. “Decide right now to be a joyous, cheerful, exuberant, friendly, loving, smiling, charging rhinoceros. The minute you decide to be, you are! CONGRATULATIONS” (Alexander, p.47).

Expect a Couple of Rotten Days

Let’s face it---you’re going to have a bad day now and again. Some days you just wake up feeling lower than worm poop. Don’t worry about it. Expect it. But don’t dwell on it. Immediately try to make some lemonade out of lemons or ride out the storm the best you. Soon you’ll be back to your good old rhino ways in a day or two.

Have a Sense of Humor

Learning to laugh at yourself can make the rotten days more bearable. Laugh at your simple mistakes and goof ups. Laugh out loud, and then plan to do better next time.

Things Always Work Out For the Best

You have to believe that all things happen for a reason. Everything will work out for the best. As someone once said, “What does not kill me will only make me stronger.” Don’t get discouraged by adversity, hardship, or misfortune. Every setback is only setup for comeback. Every rhino knows this to be true. The worlds most well know rhino said, “If you can believe, all things are possible to he who believes.” It all comes back to belief---the fuel that drives a rhino.

Be an Audacious Rhino

What separates you from the cows is your audacity. You are adventurous, daring, bold, and have backbone. You are not afraid of success or failure. You have true grit (guts). You charge through the jungle happily achieving. You laugh as cows and sheep try to knock you down.

Go For the Gold

In the Olympics, athletes receive a bronze medal for third place, a silver medal for second place, or a gold medal for first place. Go for the gold. Don’t settle for any other kind of medal. Just go for it! Don’t be afraid to fail. Short of dying (which happens to everyone eventually) you can bounce back from just about any kind of adversity. Writer Jack London said it best when he wrote:

“I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark would burn

out in a brilliant blaze than be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb

meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.”

Audacity Is Essential

Remember how you have a choice to be happy? You can also choose to be audacious. Do things that take risk and nerves of steel. Don’t be an obnoxious pain-in-the-behind. No one likes that. “Every goal, every dream, every great project requires some audacity. If success were easy, if it did not involve some risk or the danger of failing, there would be no unsuccessful cows, sheep or sloths. Success takes nerve. Rhinos have that nerve. You are daring enough to charge down your dreams. Be aggressive! Not in a violent manner, but be aggressive in your driving, forceful energy to get whatever you are after. Aggressive, audacious, charging rhinoceroses succeed! No one is going to argue with you! Charge! (Alexander, p.57)

Don’t Give Yourself Anymore Excuses

There is no excuse for not charging through life every day. Why sit on your butt and blame someone else for your failure when you could be moving towards your goals? There is no good reason for not doing what it takes to live a good rhino life. So what if you’re too fat, too short, too tall, one skin color, or another. It doesn’t matter. Don’t let petty excuses keep you from your goals. As I like to say, “Don’t sabotage your own success.” Repeat after me:

“There is nothing keeping me from reaching my goals.

There is no reason why I can’t make my dreams a reality.

The only person holding me back is me. I refuse to do this

any longer. I will not sabotage my own success. I am a

rhinoceros and I can do anything I choose to accomplish!”

Use Your Time Wisely

There are 24 short precious hours in every day. You can use them or lose them. You definitely want to get a good 8-10 hours of sleep every night, but no more. As you shower, dress, eat, and brush you horns in the morning, think about what you want to accomplish during the remainder of the day.

Time is precious. Every second leads to a minute. Every minute leads to an hour. Before you know it, the day is over and you have to assess what you accomplished during that day. Is it something you’re proud of? Those days turn into months. Months turn into years. Years turn into a lifetime. If you waste enough minutes, it turns into a wasted lifetime. You don’t want that. Every minute lived is a minute that cannot be relived or repeated, so live every minute to the fullest!

Get Excited

Get excited about the rest of your life. Now that you’re reading your two index cards every morning and every night, you can see that it’s up to you to make the most out of life. You’re currently somewhere between points A and B in your life. Everyone was born and everyone will die. Don’t wait for some magical point in your life to really begin living, excelling, and achieving. That moment should be right now, and from this day forward.

Everyone secretly wants to be a rhino, even the cows. They just don’t have the belief system you have. It takes responsibility to be a rhino, but you’ll get used to it. Let everyone know that you are open for business. You will not settle for anything less than the best. Charge!

Develop a Rhino’s Persistence

Persistence means never giving up. You can also call it tenacity. It lives in every cell within your body. That’s why you will not be denied success. You have a strong will to succeed at whatever you put your mind to. Your persistence allows you to storm through the jungle. You either go under, above, around, or through life’s obstacles. Giving up should be your absolute last option and should be weighed carefully.

Never Give Up - How to Be A Rhino In All Aspects Of Your Life

True rhinoceros success comes from being a rhino all the time. You have to be a full-time rhino. Not just at school, or in athletic competition, but all the time! It’s a 24/7 job. You can’t go back and forth between a cow and a rhino. It won’t work. When opportunity knocks---open the door you audacious rhino! This won’t happen if you’re taking on a cow posture. You can do it if you remember your rhino training. Tie a string around your finger to remember if you have to.

There are seven areas of your life where you have to remain a rhino. They are family, work, social, education, physical, financial, and spiritual. Let’s look at them one at a time.

Family

Your family should be the most important thing in your world. No one loves you more, or does more for you than your family. Don’t forget them. Keep your life balance. Too much of any one of these seven areas can throw your life out of balance and cause you to neglect the other six. If you spend too much time doing schoolwork, you’ll lose valuable time with your family, friends, and loved ones. Keep life balanced to remain healthy. Do fun things with family members. Go on rhino vacations together. Play together. Enjoy the uniqueness of one another. You’ve only got one family---love them with all your heart. If your parents or siblings are not rhinos, tell them why they should be. After this course, you will be able talk a cow into being a rhino. When you’re ready to marry and have kids, you’ll be considered a great catch. A lot of people will want to marry you. You are a success. Just make sure the person you marry is a high quality rhino like yourself. Work

Luckily for you, you don’t have full-time jobs and careers yet. First, you need to finish your high caliber education all the way through college. When you get out of college, businesses will hunt you down and offer you big bucks to work for them. Remember that you’re in demand because you’re a rhino. Once you are hired, or better yet, once you start your own business, don’t even consider what you are doing as work. Work is boring, dull, uninteresting, and uninspiring. Who would want to do that? A cow would---of course. If you don’t love a job get one that you do love. Tabor teachers love teaching young people. We rise to the challenge of helping you prepare for the exciting challenges and opportunities that await you.

You can’t charge out of bed every morning if you don’t love your work. Your work right now is your education. Love it. Desire it. Thrive on it. Learning is fun. Getting smarter means you are getting closer to your goals. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you won’t become a super successful adult overnight, without first getting the most out of your free public education. If cow and sheep students call you stupid for caring about your education and your future, you know you’re on the right track. Keep charging! If a lion or an eagle tell you that you’re stupid. Proceed with caution. If another rhino tells you that you’re stupid, then you’ve probably slipped back into the cow pasture. Get re-focused and start charging again.

Have you ever gone into a fast food restaurant and the people working there seemed to be in agony. I mean they were really unhappy. They act like they’re the walking dead just waiting to die. Sometimes they don’t even say “How are you?” or “Thank you, have a nice day.” That would be too difficult for a cow. How depressing. Make work fun. It spreads to everyone eventually. Be a rhino. Show your happy smile. Put some joy and enthusiasm behind the words you speak. You will help create a more productive, friendlier, and loving work environment.

As a rhino, you are going to make the cows look bad. You will embarrass them because of your presence. The better you do, the worse they look. They should learn from your example, but some won’t. Don’t let this stop you. Keep charging! Cows are lazy and will try to pull you down to their level. It makes them feel better about their life of misery and failure. Don’t fall for it. Be a good example for them. One charging livewire of a rhino can change a whole classroom of cows into a jungle full of rhinos. You might have to be that person. Get ready to see good things happen!

Social

We already talked about how important it is to associate with the right animals. Here are some great quotes that drive this point.

“Tell me thy company and I will tell thee what thou art.”---Cervantes

“Chance makes our parents, but choice makes our friends.”---Delille

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise,”---Proverbs 13:20

“If you always live with those who are lame, you will yourself learn to limp.”---Latin Proverb

And of course my favorite is from my seventh-grade teacher, Mrs. Romanchuck, who always told me that, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Make sure you choose the right friends. Don’t surround yourself with cows and sheep. You are a friendly rhino. Other rhinos will be naturally drawn to you.

Education

You have only one shot at your education, so make the most of it. You have only one 9th grade year in your whole life (unless you decide to fail and have to repeat). The value of your education is not determined as much by the school you attend or the teachers you have, but by the decision you make to get the most out of it. History is full of stories of successful people who attended one-room schoolhouses where one lone teacher taught a class full of students from age six to eighteen. President Abraham Lincoln taught himself with only a handful of books by the light of a fireplace. Look at all he achieved. You have an unlimited number of books to read. You have a first rate school to learn in, highly qualified teachers, and a great support system at home. What you do with the next four years of free public education is entirely up to you!

Physical

If you were a NASCAR driver, you would make sure your car was in tip-top condition. Make sure your body is equally fine tuned for peak performance. You may not have a healthy body right now, but if you set your mind to it, you can eventually get in great shape. You can’t charge like a rhino for very long if you don’t have stamina. Once you get in peak physical condition, you will feel awesome. You will believe in yourself like never before. You have two-inch thick skin, not two-inch thick fat. Exercise, eat healthy, don’t be a couch potato, and try drinking water instead of all of those sugar-filled sodas.

Financial

Do you and your family have enough money? Most of us don’t, so make a plan to get more of it. The most important thing you can do in your young life is to achieve in school. This will almost guarantee you more money as you become an older rhino. College graduates make a lot more money than high school graduates. That’s all you need to know. Don’t let someone tell you that money is not important. Without money, you can’t pay your bills. You could even starve to death. You need money. It is not the “root of all evil.” It is the LOVE of money that is the “root of all evil.” Money CAN buy happiness, but LOVE of money will only buy misery in the long run. You can’t make money your god, or you’ll live a lonely life and die morally broke. Learn to use money wisely.

Look at how Bill and Melinda Gates are using their hundreds of millions of dollars. You see, money can be used for a lot of good. If you give money to your church or to a non-profit agency, it goes to help those less fortunate than yourself. Look at making money as a hobby. All rhinos do this. It is a lot more profitable than collecting stamps, rocks, or baseball cards. Start collecting some money today. Then put it in the bank to earn interest, or ask your parents to help you invest it. Don’t be afraid to loose money. Most millionaires have lost their entire fortunes several times over. But because of their rhino spirit, they successfully bounced back. Spiritual

Religion is a very personal subject, and I won’t tell you who or what you should believe in. You might want to look into believing in something bigger and more powerful than yourself. All decent human beings can tell the difference between right and wrong. Choose to do what is right and things will go your way more often than not. If you choose to do what you know in your heart is wrong, your wrongs will someday catch up with you. Don’t let peer pressure or immediate gratification steer you down the wrong path in life. Just believe that doing what is right will pay off!

Rhino Games

When you arrive at school tomorrow, greet everyone with a beautiful smile. Without your warm greeting, some people would just look sad and lifeless like they were getting ready for a funeral. Brighten their day and you brighten your own! For the fun of it, just stare at someone with a smile on your face until they give you one back in return. Make a game out of it.

When you go through the lunch line, ask the cafeteria worker how she is doing. Make sure to say “thank you.” Maintain the same positive attitude throughout the day with everyone you meet.

Cows and sheep do the same thing every day when they get home from school. You’re different. Try to do something different from time to time. Make a game of it. Experience something you’ve never done before. Turn to a radio station you’ve never listened to before. Watch an educational program about animals that you might otherwise flip past. Go out for a brisk walk or jog. Just do something different. You’ll have an interesting story the next day at school and will have broadened your horizons in the process!

Make a game out of finding other rhinos as well. When you go to your encore classes today, try to find the other rhinos in the room. You can usually spot them because of their positive attitudes. Like you, they stand out in a crowd. Next, introduce yourself. Make a new friend. Rhinos love good rhino friends!

Be Prepared For Rhino Problems

Some people will become extremely jealous of you for becoming a rhino. You’ve got something they want, and they might say or do mean things to hurt you. Ignore them, pity them, pray for them, but don’t give in to them. You are the crab trying to escape from the fisherman’s bucket while the other crabs try to pull you down and prevent your escape to freedom. Don’t let it happen!

Become A Rhinoceros Today!

I don’t want you to become a full-time charging rhino for my gain. After all that we have discussed, you may want to choose the life of contentment as a cow. That is your prerogative. However, just think about how much more fun school will be if you go rhino. You will set yourself up for future success in all aspects of your life and succeed to your maximum potential. So come on---it’s really an easy choice isn’t it?

Are you undecided? Don’t be. Sheep suffer from the disease of indecision, not rhinos. We love challenges and realize that tough decisions have to be made everyday. The old saying says, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained,” so go ahead and decide to be a rhino. A life of memorable adventures awaits you. And always remember that things will turn out for the best.

You know there will be students and friends who denounce the rhino lifestyle because they want to convince you that, with exactly saying it, being a sheep is where it’s at. Would you really rather be a loser who looked cool, or a winner who stayed focused? We’ve all seen men and women on the side of the road who live sad and pathetic lives filled with sickness, poverty, addiction, and unhappiness. Some of them suffer from no fault of their own, but I’ll guarantee you that a great many were the same types of students who chose to follow a herd of cows rather than charging like a rhino. When they unknowingly chose to be sheep and cows, they in affect doomed their lives.

You probably have a cow friend. If they’re truly a friend, then you can’t in good consciousness let them wallow in the muck of a cow and sheep lifestyle. Share your newfound knowledge with them. That’s what friends are for.

Don’t be a pessimist. A pessimist is one who is always complaining, whining, and claiming that life is unfair. Those who suffer from pessimism always see the worst in everything. You know people like this don’t you? You might even live with one or more. Counter their pessimism with optimism and you might just make a positive difference in their life. Fight the temptation to speak negative words from your mouth, feel them in your heart, or think them in your mind, but don’t speak them.

O.K. If you are 100% decided on becoming a rhino, then congratulations! Others may wonder where you got that special twinkle in your eyes. It’s just the fact that you know you will now live a longer, happier, more successful, and more prosperous life. So, think like a rhino, act like a rhino, and get charging. Talking like a rhino is not enough. You have to start charging at your goals and opportunities right now!

................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download