Mariah Burton Nelson: Two Points Comments on the Success Newsletter from Satisfied Readers

Author/Athlete/Professional Speaker

"Think of yourself as an athlete. I guarantee you it will change the way you walk, the way you work, and the decisions you make about leadership, teamwork, and success."- MBN

Two Points
"...Because Success Happens One Basket at a Time"
a monthly e-newsletter by Mariah Burton Nelson

These original stories and ideas are designed to help you succeed at your own "game," whether your arena is a workplace, school, home, or athletic field. Join the thousands of people who are currently enjoying, and benefiting from, these brief monthly messages, and enhance your commitment to everday excellence.

Comments from loyal Two Points readers:

Some one questioned why your posting is called two points rather than three. Your response has helped inspire me to keep practicing those little things every day, and helped bring a sense of accomplishment in my daily activities. Thank you! -- Tina M. Aldrich

Thanks for the reminder to take vacations!
-- Jean Angell

Mariah, This is great. I am always impressed with the broad and enlightened way you have of applying one truth to all fields.
-- Kimberly Carter

This is great!!! Will forward to coaching folks!!! You are the best!
-- Helen Carroll

This is wonderful! I don't normally like e newsletters but this one is so clean and simple - and if one wants to stay and learn more the links are great for drilling down.
-- Bonnie Dailey

Mariah, nice layout, very cleverly done.
-- Jeff Davidson, author, Breathing Space

Hi Mariah - thanks for sending me this email. I'm always pushing what I think of as that "growing edge" in myself - it's exciting, a challenge, and fun,, most of the time. Just came back from an 8-day silent retreat - unbelievable and so restorative. Take care of yourself.
-- Alice DeNormandie

Good stuff, Mariah! Love the way you've elevated the dialogue around
Annika et al. Sports/society needs this . . .Best,
-- Joel Drucker

I love your newsletter. Your message about consistent, disciplined hard work is right on time.
-- Konyka Dunson

I enjoyed the story and I am sending it on to my players.
-- Bill Finney, basketball coach, Marymount University

Wow, what an awesome newsletter!! I love it. Curiosity and Courage...this will inspire me.
-- Anne Flannery

This one really hit home. It brought up a very good point up. This is a thought I can keep in mind as I move forward on a project in which I am currently involved.
-- Kathy Fox

I have enjoyed getting Two Points. In fact I have passed it on to Zach's swim team coach, Tim Boyd.
-- Ayne Furman, runner and rower

I have loved your newsletter and your books and therefore: I did think of myself as an athlete. I signed up for the NYC Triathlon. Swim the Hudson, Bike the Henry Hudson, Run Central Park. And raise 2500 bucks for the Leukemia Society. And despite heel strain and (sob) cancellation of the swim in the Hudson, I managed to complete 2 of the three amended legs of the New York Biathlon: a 5K run, and a 24.8 mile bike. (I skipped the final 10K because my heel is still…well, healing.) I came late to healthy jockitude. I was fat. I was anorexic. I was self-hating. I was never good enough. Was. Now: I am 45 years old. I am…um…an Athena. A big-hipped woman who floats well in the water. Who wants to be doing this when she’s 100. (I’ll get you next year, Hudson!) Thanks again. I’m on to my next big fun thing: the MS ride around Manhattan next month.
– Martha Garvey

Your messages are inspirational, motivational and full of helpful reminders that we can be winners when we set ourselves up for success. It encourages new thought to existing challenges that we each share. Congratulations! Keep it coming.
-- Debra Gassoway

I really enjoyed your online newsletter "Two Points." I read during my lunch hour and felt a lift, a spark of inspiration to be better at everything I touch....all that I am. Thanks for including me on the email list. I look forward to more issues.
– Lorraine Gordon, Sr. Communications Manager, Fannie Mae

Great job you're doing w/ Two Points, Mariah!
-- Kate Hays

You BET I use music to psyche me ... "Don't Bring Me Down" by ELO was my University of Dayton Women's tennis team song!! Now I go from Yanni to get mellow to Avril Lavigne to get myself through the Gold's Gym elliptical trainer (eeeek).
-- Jane Hess

Well -- to use a sports metaphor -- you have really hit your stride. This is an EXCELLENT newsletter. The piece about your golf with Georgetown golfers is tight, interesting writing that says a lot in a little. We can picture you "swimming" on the 5th hole -- we can picture the college students striding purposefully to each shot with their heavy bags on their strong shoulders. Kudo's!
-- Sam Horn, Author, Take the Bully by the Horns and Tongue Fu!

Thanks so much for sending me Two Points! You evoked the college psyche-up scene so well my adrenaline is still interfering with my breathing ten minutes later!
-- Anna Huntington, Olympic rower

Mariah: This is very cool.
-- Yolanda Jackson, Women's Sports Foundation

Just wanted to let you know that getting this email periodically is one of the best things that happens in cyberspace. Well done!!!
-- Darlene Kluka, Ph. D., Coordinator, Kinesiology and Sport Studies, Grambling State University of Louisiana

Great newsletter! Love the curiosity theme.
-- Linda Liebold

Great content today. Thanks for helping me understand my own curiosity.
-- Marsha Marinich, Performance Interventions, Inc.

Your newsletter looks great. I love the hoop graphic as well.
-- Rick Maurer

Thanks for this new newsletter - it's an inspiration.
-- Elinor Nauen

I got the newsletter and it's great, good work!
- Lolma Olson, President, Sage Consulting

Mariah, GREAT stuff! Keep it up.
-- Michael O'Harro "Photo King of eBay"

Thanks for my first Two Points e-mail. I enjoyed reading it. In fact, your
timing was perfect because I had a conversation today about "receiving passes in the workplace" with two people preparing for a presentation (although we didn't conceptualize it quite as well as you did). I
wish I had read Two Points this morning. I have already forwarded it on.
-- Brian Osler

I loved your Two Points today. I so agree that great music helps gear up for big stuff. My swim team liked "We Are the Champions" to get ready for meets.
-- Heather Owens

First, I hope it's not too late for me to respond to the Two Points quiz!
Since this was mentioned in MY chapter of We Are All Athletes, I was excited to have the answer without going to the Internet. The answer is ... Frances Willard. I love it that she called her bike Gladys.

Second - I want to thank you for sending the Two Points Newsletter to me. I enjoy reading it. The last edition was especially fun. I always listen to my favorite music, especially before I have to make a presentation. It feels good to listen to the music really loud and sing at the top of my lungs. I can only do this of course driving in my car to an event. My coworkers would fire me if I did this at the office. I can't sing worth beans. But this process does PSYCHE me up.

I was elected to the position of President Elect of the Human Resources
Association of Greater Detroit for the 2003/04 season. So that means beginning in July 2004, I will serve as the President for the organization! Wow, what a great challenge I'm undertaking. I will have to continuously remind myself to think of myself as an athlete. This thought gives me confidence to get me through the challenges that I face. I am still very grateful to you for accepting our invitation to speak at one of our meetings. You were such a hit!

I look forward to receiving future editions of Two Points.
-- Cathy Podvin, Fifth Third Bank

Thank you Mariah! The Two Points that you stated will help point out
things about my life daily. By the way you have a cool website.
-- Ade Shamonda, GSA

Thanks for your newsletter. Keep up the good work. Great words for us and our daughters. :-))
-- Lynn Sherick, SDF Strategy & ebusiness

Hey Mariah, Your e-newsletter is absolutely wonderful, the best I've ever received: short enough to read (and enjoy, appreciate) the whole thing in a couple of minutes, offers simple solid self-improvement suggestions that are immediately actionable, offers some soul-feeding big picture/ big think philosophical points for consideration, uses a current, topical new item to which most anyone can relate to deliver your message, has super graphic layout; is visually interesting and yet clean and direct enough to quickly sort through, and finally, it's just very fun and intelligent! Great job!
-- Doretta Shull

As usual you have developed another outstanding edition of Two Points. You hit another "birdie" on this issue. I loved the golfing example. And I really enjoy reading your stories.
-- Neil Skidmore, Communications Director, Office of the Chief People Officer, General Services Administration

I loved your article in Tuesday's Post, I love Two Points, and I think you're terrific. It's been almost 2 years since you spoke here at the Office of Justice Programs, and I must say, there hasn't been a better speaker since. I bought "We Are All Athletes" and have found it highly motivating on the stationary bike. That was before I figured out I pedal faster to music than to words... Do you think you could SING the book to a snappy disco beat? Seriously, great book. I love your work and the humor with which you go about it.
-- Meg Stephens

Thoroughly enjoyed all your comments and found them most interesting and informative!!! Thanx.
-- Carol Stone

I like your newsletter. Thank you for sharing. It is OK if I "pass" it along to my management team? FYI in reading your book, one of the most helpful messages for me was to learn to welcome competition. Challenges that used to drain me now I find energizing. I used to waste a lot of energy taking things personally and bemoaning the fact that I couldn't win someone over to my side. One particular CEO challenged the business case for my department soon after he came to Sutter. I tried to avoid any budget meetings with the two of us in the same room so I wouldn't have to justify expenses. Then I decided I needed to be prepared and worked on improving my business plan development and writing skills. That helped, but it was when I started to view him as "competition" that could only improve my game, it actually got fun. Thanks for sharing your insights!

P.S. Although I've only lost 5 lbs toward my 50 lb goal, I'm exercising
regularly for the first time in years, eating lots better and feeling
healthier. Since I find the scales rather demotivating, I've decided to
change my goal to dress size 10 - 12. :)
-- Linda Van Allen, Sutter Nurse Executive.

I really liked this issue of your ezine!
-- Kelly J. Watkins, President, Expressive Concepts

Very nice!!!! The different color backgrounds make this so easy to read.
-- Lynne Waymon, author, Contacts Count

Hi MBN--I really like this short, morale-boosting e-pub. A quick boost in the middle of a chaotic day.
-- Ellen Wessel, president, Moving Comfort

Thank you, Mariah, for putting me on your list! I enjoyed Two Points very much. Well done! (no surprise). Good to hear from you. Best,
-- Pippa White

Darn good, Mariah!!!!!!
-- Karin Winegar
P.S. Your talk at the U of M last fall was first rate and such a delight. Hope to hear you again soon somewhere. I will bring all my friends along, too.
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I love Two Points like I love everything you write! But to be specific I think it has a lot of energy. That's what struck me all along. And it was a charming shock to find out just what you meant by "Two Points." It is wonderful how you can take a problem area in your own life, such as having trouble asking for help, and turn it into a vital and interesting subject to write about for the benefit and learning process for others. You are so creative!
-- anon

NEW BOOK about leadership, teamwork, life lessons from sports:
We Are All Athletes

Mariah Burton Nelson is an author, athlete, and professional speaker who uses sports stories to show people how to lead and succeed with courage, compassion, commitment, and confidence. For reprint permission contact the author; info below.

To contact Mariah, call 703/276-8323 or write to her at Mariah@MariahBurtonNelson.com

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