And so recently, when I had the opportunity to meet him, at a reception celebrating his new book, Be Great, hosted by good friends, Vince and Michelle Poscente,  I jumped at the chance. Based on his reputation, I expected a giant of a man, and in fact he is, but in demeanor only. He exudes compassion and integrity. When Peter spoke about his new work, Be Great, he did so with a quiet humility that grabbed one. I stayed up later that night, reading his book from cover to cover.

Real estate magnate that he is, he reminds us, “…like (the) skyscraper, before you can reach the sky, you must be prepared to dig deep and make your foundations strong.” He said, “the most important place to start building is on your values… what you value, you become.” He told us of his first Young President’s Organization meeting in Hawaii, where he signed up for a workshop, and was led to the beach with the rest of the participants. The speaker asked the group, ” Are you living lives that honor your values?” The speaker asked each one to write down their values, and then on a separate sheet of paper, all of their daily activities and then check their activities against their values.

Surprise! When he compared them, Peter realized that the activities he spent his time on were not related to any of his values. He shared with us,  “I had an epiphany; it was like being hit over the head with a universal two by four.” He knew major changes were in order.   That epiphany led to his starting Century 21, and changing his life. He reminded us that “when we focus on our values life is easier, we are more focused, you spend less time wondering what you should do, how you should act, what’s right and what’s wrong.” He asked us to consider our happiness or lack of it, “Is there a gap between the way I’m living and what I believe in?” He said, if yes, maybe we need to change, either what we actually value or what we spend our time on. Peter believes, “It’s easier to change what you’re doing than to give away your values.” He reminds us, ” Computers and toasters come with manuals. Human beings don’t… With no operating manual to guide us, it’s not surprising that so many of us wind up feeling off-balance, unfulfilled or just plain lost.”

And so I too ask you- what are your values? Are you living them, day in, day out? Or  are you a tad lost? As Peter points out in his book, “Aristotle said, we are what we repeatedly do.” Thanks Peter. So I took out my sheet of paper that night and started writing- my values and the  time I spend on  daily activities. And while not the epiphany Peter had all those years ago- change is a coming. Thanks Peter for being a two by four.  Be Great is a must read. It builds giants. Humble ones.

Shortly after Jack Canfield’s latest book, The Success Principles, came out, I had the pleasure of interviewing him about the principles he discusses.  Jack, well known for his Chicken Soup for the Soul series, co-authored with Mark Victor Hansen, embodies   and lives the very principles he talks about in his new work. While there are 64 of them and Jack doesn’t hold any one to be more critical, we focused on a few key principles; self esteem, success, joy and living on purpose, and how we can achieve our dreams.

Jack, a success coach, speaker and author, is an expert on self-esteem. He started on this quest when he taught high school, “I realized two things were missing, the students were not motivated, at all, and they had low self esteem. They were afraid to take a risk. So I began building their self esteem and helping them feel better about themselves… I believe we  all born with self-esteem but we’re educated out of it. Buckminster Fuller said, “There’s no such thing as a genius, some people are just damaged less.”  Jack says, “If you don’t have healthy self esteem you withdraw. You are shy; you may not use your gifts. Or you over compensate- you become a braggart. So nothing outside yourself can be fulfilled.”

“Self-esteem means that you feel lovable and capable.  A lot of people don’t feel capable. If I don’t feel capable I can’t make my dreams come true. Self esteem mean  you’re worthy of love and can produce results so you can take care of yourself. It’s about doing whatever you need to do to get what you need. Self -esteem and success, you need the former to be the latter. Imagine you and I go to Las Vegas. We’re playing poker and I have 100 chips, you have 10. Well I can bet more hands, you’re going to play more cautiously. Self esteem; it’s like those  poker chips.  I don’t have enough poker chips so I don’t  take risks. It gets in the way of everything. The more confidence I have the more risks I’m willing to take… If you want to get from where you are to where you want to be, of course you’re going to have to take that risk.”

I asked what success meant to him,” It’s what I want, what drives me. You have to create a plan. As Tony Robbins says, “Success leaves clues.” We need to take action and be willing to go through the awkward stage. Most people are not willing to not do it well. We need to take baby steps and get stronger. Don’t stop yourself, take action. Persevere.  Olympic athlete Rubin Gonzales told me, “I’m not a big shot; I’m just a little shot who kept shooting.” “None of us are really big shots. I’ve been willing to dream big and believe it’s possible. Surround yourself with successful people, ask people who’ve already done it, and never take no for an answer.”

“If you learn the principles, assimilate them, and apply them with discipline every day, they will transform your life beyond your wildest dreams. So decide what you want, believe you deserve it, practice the principles and put them into action.” So, I asked, “What can one do to believe in oneself?” “It’s an act of faith”, he said. “It’s a choice to believe in yourself. Successful people expect to win… If you want to be successful, you have to take 100% responsibility for everything you experience in your life- everything. This is not easy, you give up blaming…  You have to be willing to pay the price- everyday. It takes commitment… If you’re experiencing joy, you’re on purpose. If you’re not joyful, take a look inside and ask yourself what you can do to make yourself joyful.”

“Jack, your book, The Success Principles, is a chart, a way of life, excellent work . If there were just one principle, just one of the 64, more than any other, which would you isolate as the key one?” “Well they’re all important, that’s why there are 64 of them. One thing really helps, one, once you know what you want, you never give up- never. One hundred and forty four publishers rejected Chicken Soup for the Soul!!!! You have a dream, a vision of what’s possible. If you persist, every obstacle is a learning experience.”

Thank you Jack Canfield, a man, a teacher,  with true grit and integrity, inside and out.

In recognition of the anniversary, Councilman Rick Stopfer of Irving presented a proclamation on behalf of the City of Irving’s Office of the Mayor, which declared Thursday, September 17 as “Cooksey Communications Day.” To celebrate 15 years in business, Cooksey Communications announced that the firm made a donation of $5,000 to the SPCA of Texas, for which Gail Cooksey serves as a member of the board of directors.

“I am thrilled to have achieved this milestone,” said Gail Cooksey. “None of this would be possible without the support of our wonderful and loyal clients and employees. I am grateful to everyone who has made our first 15 years so successful.” Over the last 15 years, Cooksey Communications has served and strengthened the local, regional and statewide business community as the strategic communications partner for hundreds of prestigious companies and organizations.

Niki McCuistion who attended the festivities said, “We are thrilled to have their assistance. Their client roster reads like Who’s Who. Lucky us for all they do, they are generous to a fault. Congratulations Gail and team. We wish you at least another 15 years plus of success.”