This issue is made up of the following sections:

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
2. Questions for Growth
3. Reality Check

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
1. Get on top of your emails today. Just as we tend to do with household mail, we allow our email inbox to become stuffed to the seams with emails requiring response, deletion, thought, or other action. Deal with every email once-either delete it, read it and respond immediately, or take whatever action it recommends (a reminder to pay your credit card bill before it's due date next week, etc). Your email box should have no more than three to five emails sitting in it at the end of each day, if that.

2. Learn to enjoy being assertive. There are countless times in your life, I'm guessing, where you wish you had been more assertive in defending yourself from unnecessary rudeness or ignorance on the part of others. Whether it is someone making a scene at the local grocer, or a neighbor engaging in one-upmanship during casual conversation, there is nothing wrong with calling someone on their rude behavior. Do it in two steps: First, name their behavior aloud (it might help them to understand how they come across to others when you verbalize it) and then make certain you let them know that you disapprove of the behavior. You may not change their behavior, but you will certainly make them think twice, as most people do nothing of the sort when in the company of such obnoxiousness. Behavior that is reinforced through lack of punishment will continue unabated. Break the chain! You'll feel better, too. Healthy outbursts are certainly medicine for the soul.

3. Remember that each day is about progress rather than perfection. Humans are flawed creatures, myself included. We screw up on a daily basis-we say dumb things, we forget important events and people's names, we decide to do nothing except watch daytime television on the couch. Telling yourself that you have to get everything done on your daily "to do" list sets you up for almost certain failure. Instead, work to become a little bit better in any area of your life. Do a little bit more today than yesterday. Forget about being perfect, because you aren't. If you were, nobody would want to hang out with you anyway!

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The Readers Speak: Comments from Personal Bests Subscribers

"I wanted to comment on your newsletter since I like it so much. In my busy life it allows me to take a small look at my daily activities and gives me reminders to change things one step at a time. It's short enough to keep my interest, and long enough to give me enough to analyze...it's not a big bang to the ego either. I really enjoy it."
-Noemi Hites, California

"Just wanted to take a second to let you know that your newsletters are awesome! They are always so helpful-no fluff, no wasted words. Keep them coming!"
-Darren Powell, Canada

"I just want to say THANKS!!!!! Your newsletters have been inspiring and relative to my personal and professional life. Thanks for keeping in touch in a way that is a gift to me."
-Jerry Colley, Maryland

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2. Questions for Growth
1. What one aspect/area of your life can you benefit greatly from with regards to paying better attention to details?

2. What value have you added INTENTIONALLY, and without expectation of payback, to the life of another person in the past week?

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3. Reality Check

July's Reality Check coincides with the annual bike race known as the Tour De Lance, er, France. Each year, hundreds of the world's best bike racers gather for an almost 2,000 mile race across France. Each of the past six years, one person has won it: Lance Armstrong.

While listening to NPR recently, I learned an interesting fact about bike racing. It seems that bikers are more obsessive about their weight than any other athletes in the world, in large part due to the amount of wind resistance that any extra weight poses. Apparently, for each ounce of body weight (yes, ounce), riders add one second to their times during climbing, uphill events. Therefore, a pound here and there, much less five, can result in an extreme amount of drag on a racer, and can determine the difference between winning and losing. In fact, last year, there were only approximately seven minutes (420 seconds) between Lance and the second place finisher. The seconds add up.

What does this have to do with your life? Much. First, life is in the details. Whether we want to admit that (I sometimes have a hard time with it, to be honest) or not, it is the details that can mean the difference between success and failure, between understanding and not "getting it," between winning and losing. Most of success comes down to really taking care of all that we know we need to take care of, or doing what we know needs to be done bring about change.

This idea that attention to detail is a key component to success in your everyday life is not new, though it still brings profound truth. For me, attention to detail means understanding that how I describe an experience to myself is more important than the experience itself; that what I do on a daily basis determines what I have and enjoy tomorrow; that those with whom I choose to spend my time determine in large part my value system. That doing something ninety-five percent toward completion is good, but not great. In the end, it means that the more I understand the importance of the "little aspects" of life, the better the big picture will be. The little things certainly do add up, and fast.

What does it mean in your life?

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