The Achiever
Achievers Bill of Rights
Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.
For all achievers, everywhere . . .
The attitudes and actions which are necessary to the achievement of any worthwhile goal, include the ability to dream, the
choice to believe, the willingness to work, the courage to continue, and the determination to succeed. These qualities, and
others with them, are not only essential to all true achievement; each of them is your right. Join together with achievers,
everywhere. Stand up for your future! Stand firm on these rights! Within them lies your success:
1. You Have the Right to Achieve.
You were born to live up to your best. It is your right to dedicate your future to the fulfillment of your highest potential, and
to the attainment of your most honorable achievement. It is your right to achieveand no one has the right to take that right
from you.
2. You Have the Right to Improve Yourself.
It is your right to raise yourself upto work to get better, and to improve yourself in every way you can! People who refuse to
grow do little for themselves, and less for the world around them. People who improve themselves make the world better for
everyone.
3. You Have the Right to Dream.
If you do not dream, you cannot achieve. Without dreams, no culture, no nation, and no individual can flourish. Dreams are
not the lifeless wishes of the lazy, or the idle pastime of the indifferent. Dreams are the blueprints of the architecture of your life
to come. People who do not dream, falter and fail. People who learn how to dream, learn how to live.
4. You Have the Right to Choose Your Future For Yourself.
It is your right to live your life on a path of your own choosing. No one else can live your life for you, and no one else has the right
to try. What you do with your life is your responsibility; what you do with your future is your right.
5. You Have the Right to Set and Reach Worthwhile Goals.
Good goals are the foundation of all achievement, and the action plans to all success. People who set goals and work to reach
them, live each day by choice, rather than by chance. The goals you set are not only your right, they are your personal road map
to the attainment of your own positive future.
6. You Have the Right to Believe.
Your greatest successes will always be determined by your willingness to believe. Never let your faith be diminished by doubt,
and never allow the misgivings of others to steal your faith from you. Dont listen to those who dont know how to believe. Keep
your courage, keep the faith, and never give up your right to believe.
7. You Have the Right to Work for What You Believe In.
It is your right to choose your job or career for yourself, and it is your right to work hard to achieve your success. Achievement
comes to those who are willing to work for something they believe in. Mediocritygoing nowherehas always come from those
who have nothing to believe in, or are unwilling to work.
8. You Have the Right to Try . . . and If You Fail, To Try Again.
You may not succeed every time you try, but you have the right to try. Thats not only your right, that is how all achievement
is won! Ignore the criticism of those who will not try. They only criticize because they lack the courage to try for themselves. Set
your own sights. Listen only to people who believe in you. And never give up.
9. You Have the Right to Be Viewedand Understoodwith Honesty and Truth.
The greatest enemy of achievement is ignorance. Never listen to the opinions of an uninformed manno matter how much he
pretends to know. Never let your dreams be darkened by those who judge without insight, or criticize without knowledge. Small
people live in the shadowed darkness of ignorance; great people live in the refreshing sunlight of truth.
Copyright 1998 Shad Helmstetter. All rights reserved.
[Link]
10. You Have the Right to Be Different.
Never be afraid to walk the exceptional path of personal growth, even when, at times, you have to walk that path alone. Choosing
to be just like everyone else is choosing nothing more than being average. Being average is nothing more than a passive form
of failure. Excellence is never found in the ordinary; excellence lives in the exception.
11. You Have the Right to Live Your Life Based on Positive Values.
Among the guideposts that lead to enduring achievement are the positive values of, Character, Honor, Integrity, Effort,
Perseverence, and Faith. These are the values that form the foundation of lasting success. People who do not live by values
flounder and fail, and are never sure why. People who stand on their right to live by values, live lives of quality and achievement.
12. You Have the Right to Help Others Who Want to Succeed.
The most rewarding of all successes are those which are earned by helping others. When you help other people do better you
add value to their lives and to yours. It is a law that is universal: You will achieve in direct proportion to your service to others.
If you want to improve your life, help other people improve theirs.
13. You Have the Right to Have a Positive, Winning Attitude.
The greatest achievers always have the greatest attitudes. People who are negative, critical, or down on life, never feel the joy
of achievementtheyre too busy being bitter, and going nowhere. People who are up, positive, optimistic, and filled with
enthusiasm, go farther, do better, get healthier, and live happier. To an achiever, a winning attitude isnt an option, its a way
of life.
14. You Have the Right to Succeedto the Highest Level of Your Potential.
If you choose to succeed, follow your plan, take action, and never give upnothing can stand in your way. Your right to succeed
cannot be defeated by ignorance, subdued by indifference, outlawed by intolerance, or diminished by doubt. Neither ignorance,
intolerance, indifference, nor the disbelief of others will ever lessen your right to work hard, do your best, stay with it, and
succeed.
15. You Have the Right to Stand Up for Your Future.
It is your right to never again live your life based on the negative opinions of others. It is your right to set your sights on the best,
to see your future clearly, and to be unwavering in your determination to reach your goal. It is your right to stand your ground
and to let no one stop you, discourage you, or dissuade you. It is your right to let no one harm you, your spirit, or your future in
any way. It is your life. It is your right!
Shad Helmstetter, Ph.D.
A Personal Note from the Author of "The Achiever's Bill of Rights"
I have spent most of my life working to find ways to help people succeed in their lives. When people want to get
ahead, but have to struggle to do so, they are usually being held back by two negative forces:
The first negative force is their own past programming that has convinced them they were born to be average, and
were not born to excel.
The second force that stops people from achieving is the negative input from negative people around them. You can
learn to change your own programs and see yourself differently. But what do you do about the people who criticize you
just because you want to do better?
The achievers who are trying to make something of their lives are questioned or criticized by people who are afraid to
try, lazy, or angry at the world that is passing them by, and they're trying to get ahead by holding other people back. And
while they condemn the dreams of others, they claim that doing so is their right.
For the millions of achievers everywhere, for all of you who would like to build your life without the thoughtless,
harmful, hindrance from the negative bystanders around you, for all of you who would like to know your rights, "The
Achiever's Bill of Rights" is for you.
Copyright 1998 Shad Helmstetter. All rights reserved.
[Link]
