Power, speed and performance – those are the three major traits of a muscle car. When first produced, muscle cars were just pretty darn amazing because they combined the efficiency of a lightweight, mid-sized body with the performance of a high- power V8 engine and special design features that further increased the cars? acceleration capabilities. Because muscle cars topped all other vehicles in terms of power, speed and performance, they were ideal for racing.

Muscle cars were produced from the mid-1960s into the early 1970s, but the production of such beasts fell drastically due to a number of factors. First was the controversy over whether it was wise and responsible to make such powerful vehicles available to the general public, primarily due to road racing. Because muscle cars were often used irresponsibly, liability relating to them was pretty high which forced insurance companies to increase rates for insuring muscle cars. Emission control requirements intended to curb pollution also played into the picture making it near impossible for automakers to produce muscle cars that met the standards they had to adhere to.

Needless to say, the muscle car industry changed quickly due to these influences. Demand decreased because many ?would-be? buyers of muscle cars couldn?t fathom paying the enormous insurance rates for a high-power vehicle and automakers had to meet the challenges presented by pollution control standards.

Since muscle cars were produced for a limited number of years, they are valuable items for collectors and are still highly desirable to those who enjoy racing or desire a quick, powerful, mid-sized car. Since the decline in the production of muscle cars, some automakers have attempted to bring the muscle car era back to life by producing powerful vehicles that resemble the legendary muscle cars, but in my opinion, they don?t hold a candle to classic muscle cars like the GTO, the Road Runner or the Chevelle SS.

It will be interesting to see how the history of muscle cars plays out. Will present day automakers renew production of true muscle cars that are fast and powerful? Will there be enough demand to make muscle car production worth it to them? Or, will muscle cars continue to be limited to those classic models that were produced in the 60s and 70s?

Classic muscle cars are pretty amazing pieces of machinery. One that is restored and in cherry condition is really worth a lot of money. As time goes on, there are fewer muscle cars available which makes them even more valuable to classic car collectors and muscle car enthusiasts.

What Do You Value Most? Part 1
Garry Zancanaro
Have you ever really thought about the importance of your values to your success and to self improvement, or even considered what your values really are, or what they really mean to you and your life?

Our values are at the very centre of what we are as people. Our values determine our beliefs about the world and even more importantly, about ourselves. Our beliefs determine our attitude to life in general and everything that happens to us, and determine our expectations. Our values are pretty much our personal philosophy of life.

It is your values that ultimately determine your actions and the decisions you make in every area of your life. If you're not sure what your values are, one of the best ways to find out is to look at your behaviour and your actions, particularly when you're faced with a number of options, or under pressure. If you look at the way you have behaved in the past, the choices you have made will give you a pretty accurate indication of your values, as you will always act according to what is most important to you at any time.

Most people have many different values with varying degrees of importance. Their order of priority may change in varying circumstances, but generally there will be some that have the strongest influence over most of our behaviour. The reason you should be aware of your values and know and understand yourself, before setting your goals, is that it's important that your goals are compatible to your values.

For example, if Dave spends an extra 2 or 3 hours a day on top of his full time job working on opportunities that will help to create a better future for himself and his family, he has decided that this is the most valuable use of his time. He is expressing his most important values. If Jim decides that this time is better spent watching TV or socialising with friends, he is also expressing his most important values.

If you set a goal for yourself to be financially independent and to retire at the age of 50, it's easy to see which of the above behaviours is most likely to bring about that result. Therefore, there's little point for anyone who consistently finds themselves behaving more like Jim than Dave setting such a goal for themselves.

This is an example of how values, goals and actions are interconnected.

If your goals are not compatible with your values and overall philosophy on life, you are likely to or spend a lot of time going backwards and forwards, or around in circles, achieving little. You are also likely to create inner conflict and imbalance, and to become frustrated and disillusioned with the whole idea of setting goals.

“Just as your car runs more smoothly and requires less energy to go faster and farther when the wheels are in perfect alignment, you perform better when your thoughts, feelings, emotions, goals, and values are in balance. – Brian Tracy

About The Author: Garry Zancanaro is the founder of http://www.SelfImprovementDirectory.com a website dedicated to all aspects of Personal Development, and to helping people live more successful and fulfilling lives. Visit to claim a FREE copy of Napoleon Hill's classic THINK AND GROW RICH.

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