Derek C. Speck

“There is real, authentic confidence. There is fake, ginned-up, empty confidence. My friend Nido Qubein, now president of High Point University, and a highly polished but still “killer” platform sales pro, says, “Motivation without foundation only produces frustration.” The neuro-linquistic programming idea of “putting yourself in a state” is only valid if there is a solid foundation of competence underneath the mind play. If you take ginned-up confidence into a gunfight, with no gun, or absent the will to pull the trigger mercilessly, you die. As Glenn W. Turner said, “You want to be the bullfighter with steak sauce on his sword—but that’s best if you are also an extremely competent bullfighter.”
― Dan Kennedy, Speak To Sell: Persuade, Influence, And Establish Authority & Promote Your Products, Services, Practice, Business, or Cause

“There is a link between respect for others’ time and respect for others’ opinions, property, rights, other kinds of agreements, and contracts. A person reveals a great deal about himself by his punctuality or lack of punctuality. So, as a general rule of thumb, I use this as a means of determining whether or not I want to do business with someone, and when I violate this, as I occasionally foolishly do, I always get burned.”
― Dan S. Kennedy, No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Guide to Time Productivity and Sanity

“Losers are wealthy with excuses, moth-eaten, empty wallets, heads full of excuses. This is not an enviable wealth. An abundance of excuses guarantees a paucity of money. If excuses roll willingly from a person’s tongue, it’s certain money does not flow easily into his pockets. I’ve often said I can estimate a person’s bank balance if he’ll tell me about the books he reads and the people he hangs out with. But it’s even easier to accurately estimate his bank balance if I hear the excuses he makes. The habit of excuse making is the worst of all habits.”
― Dan S. Kennedy, No B.S. Wealth Attraction In The New Economy

“Naturally, people don’t like to (and, frankly, don’t want to) forgive. We want to hold on to bitterness because we think, If I forgive the people who have hurt me, then I’m condoning their actions. I’m saying what they did is okay. But that is not true at all. God is the judge, and He will judge appropriately. Bitterness, lack of forgiveness, and grudges often harm the one holding on to them the most. However, when we forgive, we essentially say, You can’t destroy me, end me, or hinder me any longer, because my God heals. He is better than bitterness. It also shows the world that we truly understand how much God has forgiven us. It’s a hard question to ask yourself: Is this going to make me bitter, or is it going to make me better? And the answer is, “It can’t be both.”
― Shane Pruitt, 9 Common Lies Christians Believe: And Why God's Truth Is Infinitely Better