I spent some time reading a couple of books, which I do quiteoften. This weekend, I read T. Harv Eker's "Secrets of theMillionaire Mind" and Bob Doyle's "Wealth Beyond Reason". I know, both of these have been out for years. I find that going back over older material from time to time helps me get a fresh perspective on the author's material. I've read some books dozens of times. Anyways, both of these books talk about the power of belief, although Bob Doyle continually slips off that point and insists that it is our thoughts and feelings that manifest our world. I understand his confusion, especially since I also saw the world from that same perspective not so long ago. It was also clear that he had recently gotten involved with material from Ester and Jerry Hicks, aka Abraham, who are very strong in their assersions that our thoughts are the creative influence in our lives.
In my current view, thoughts and beliefs are very different from each other. Getting back to my story, reading both of these books together produced some interesting insights. The first major insight is that while the belief that "I create my reality" is good, it can also produce problems if carried toofar. For instance, by believing that I create my own reality, I've slipped into the belief that everything I have in my life is a direct response to my own actions. The problem here is that I had closed myself off from receiving gifts from the Universe, and other spontaneous blessings. Now that I'm aware of this, I can choose to believe that the Universe will give me everything I desire and I don't have tocreate it myself. Wow! What a relief! I also realized that my beliefs about my own self-worth had gotten too narrow, focusing so much on the work I do and material possessions that I forgot how valuable I am as a person simply because I live. This was something I wrote about in my Keys To Power Prosperity ebook, and while I have never lost sight of that fact, I hadn't really taken it into account when thinking about my financial abundance. Now, rather than thinking "I'm worth about $50,000per year." I have the focus that "My net worth is $100 Million."I certainly look at things a lot differently with thisperspective. Investments that looked HUGE when compared to $50,000 now seem insignificant compared to $100 Million.
Very closely related to both of these is a belief I've known about for some time, wrote about it in both the prosperity ebook and the Choose To Believe book, and always planned to take time 'someday' to deal with it. It's a belief that money is earned through work or the production of value. Value can be produced easily enough. Ideas for improvement, either in business, social situations, family life, artisticexpression, or whatever, are all valuable and don't take a lot oftime to produce. In some respects, this is a positive belief because it provides an excellent way to create abundant prosperity. On the other hand, it also prevents you from attracting gifts and other unexpected blessings. I am now open to receiving gifts from the Universe. As I reached this level of openness, I realized that it's completely possible that someone may be looking for a new place to invest their money, or a place to make a donation to the world. It could be that this person feels that the work I'm doing is worthy of their investment (or donation) so that morepeople can benefit from what I'm doing. This perspective (belief) is already influencing my decisions about how I move forward in my business and my life. It will be very interesting to see where this leads, wouldn't you agree? I hope this has helped you in some way. Perhaps you have similar beliefs about work, value, and being open to receive. My friend, Guy Finley, has a philosophy that the Universe is trying to give us everything we could possibly desire, and the only thing stopping us from receiving it is ourselves.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
YOUR ULTIMATE GUIDE TO HIGHER PRODUCTIVITY
It's rare that I find something that is both "instant" and the "ultimate" guide to anything. In general, I find the important things in life take some time, some effort and a bit of skill, and that while "instant" fixes may be fast, they seldom last.Recently, however, conversations with two of my most productive clients helped me clarify something that is so powerful, I want to share it with you. These clients meet on the phone each week for coaching to re-focus on their most important goals, develop powerful strategies, and get more done. They know that in the end, it's what we achieve or accomplish in life that endures. It's not what we intend, or who we know. In the end, it's what we get done that matters most.So, with that premise, we focused on productivity. Under what conditions do we accomplish things with the least effort and the most fun? What "causes" those special days when everything goes just right? Here are five key steps we sorted out, listed in order from least effective to highest priority:
1. Time Management. This is the most common and typically the least effective way to manage our lives. We're trying to manage something we don't own and that fundamentally cannot be managed or changed. Time management is simply a non-starter and if you aren't managing your priorities, physical space, and personal Eco-System well, other people will certainly try to "help" you, with frustrating results.
2. Activity Management. This at least has the virtue of being "do-able." We can choose our priorities and manage our actions through the day. Practice "single handling." Do one thing at a time and do it well. Avoid dead-end activities at all costs! Use a daily calendar and a weekly planner. Plan your activities and stick to your plan!
3. Energy Management. This is what most people are actually hoping for when they talk about time management. They want to get more done with less effort and have something left for "me" or "we" at the end of the day. Manage your energy. Sleep well, rest often, be efficient. Do your most important work when you are most awake. Put your "best stuff" into your most important priorities and let things of secondary importance get secondary effort. It's not the quickest or easiest path to the good life, but it's a reasonable start.
4. Space Management. Now things get interesting! Manage your environment so it's hard for people and things to interrupt you. Close the door and hide! Eliminate distractions and fix, replace or eliminate anything that annoys or frustrates you. Make your office, car, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom "perfect!" Paint the walls, get new tools or a desk chair that fits! Make everything around you more functional, more comfortable and more inspiring. You'll get more done and have more fun doing it.
5. Eco-System Design™. This is what we're looking for! Who wants to "get by" or "manage" when you can create the life of your dreams! The key is developing systems that effortlessly, automatically and reliably "pull" you toward your most important goals. Why "push" when you can let systems "pull" you forward?
Surround yourself with things and people that inspire you, that make you laugh, that GIVE you energy (rather than drain it) and "lure" you to be your best, most productive and most joyful. Fill your whole life with things and people that pull you forward. No distractions! No annoyances, no break-downs, no crises. Use preventive, pro-active maintenance in every area of life so you live well and can do the work you are called to do!Fortunately, this is not hard! People complain they can't design a perfect eco-system because they can't afford it or don't have time, or their family or friends won't allow it. Nonsense! Living a great life is not hard--living with frustration is "hard"! Creating a perfect life may involve learning some new habits, but living well is not nearly as hard as living with problems!
Quotes of the Week
"People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be."-- Harvey Mackay
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be." -- Abraham Maslow
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
1. Time Management. This is the most common and typically the least effective way to manage our lives. We're trying to manage something we don't own and that fundamentally cannot be managed or changed. Time management is simply a non-starter and if you aren't managing your priorities, physical space, and personal Eco-System well, other people will certainly try to "help" you, with frustrating results.
2. Activity Management. This at least has the virtue of being "do-able." We can choose our priorities and manage our actions through the day. Practice "single handling." Do one thing at a time and do it well. Avoid dead-end activities at all costs! Use a daily calendar and a weekly planner. Plan your activities and stick to your plan!
3. Energy Management. This is what most people are actually hoping for when they talk about time management. They want to get more done with less effort and have something left for "me" or "we" at the end of the day. Manage your energy. Sleep well, rest often, be efficient. Do your most important work when you are most awake. Put your "best stuff" into your most important priorities and let things of secondary importance get secondary effort. It's not the quickest or easiest path to the good life, but it's a reasonable start.
4. Space Management. Now things get interesting! Manage your environment so it's hard for people and things to interrupt you. Close the door and hide! Eliminate distractions and fix, replace or eliminate anything that annoys or frustrates you. Make your office, car, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom "perfect!" Paint the walls, get new tools or a desk chair that fits! Make everything around you more functional, more comfortable and more inspiring. You'll get more done and have more fun doing it.
5. Eco-System Design™. This is what we're looking for! Who wants to "get by" or "manage" when you can create the life of your dreams! The key is developing systems that effortlessly, automatically and reliably "pull" you toward your most important goals. Why "push" when you can let systems "pull" you forward?
Surround yourself with things and people that inspire you, that make you laugh, that GIVE you energy (rather than drain it) and "lure" you to be your best, most productive and most joyful. Fill your whole life with things and people that pull you forward. No distractions! No annoyances, no break-downs, no crises. Use preventive, pro-active maintenance in every area of life so you live well and can do the work you are called to do!Fortunately, this is not hard! People complain they can't design a perfect eco-system because they can't afford it or don't have time, or their family or friends won't allow it. Nonsense! Living a great life is not hard--living with frustration is "hard"! Creating a perfect life may involve learning some new habits, but living well is not nearly as hard as living with problems!
Quotes of the Week
"People begin to become successful the minute they decide to be."-- Harvey Mackay
"The future belongs to those who believe in their dreams." -- Eleanor Roosevelt
"A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write if he is ultimately to be at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be." -- Abraham Maslow
"Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Monday, January 26, 2009
HAPPINESS IS YOURS FOR THE TAKING
Happiness. The pursuit of so many. In fact, the people are known in America as those who live for “Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.’
But so many seem without happiness. Why is this? Is happiness truly elusive or do we simply not know how to take hold of it? It is my contention that happiness is yours for the taking. That is, anyone can be happy if the choose to be… and if they know how to get it.
So what does it take to bring us to a state of happiness? Here are a few thoughts to get you on your way:
Do not try to control circumstances.
One of the biggest “happiness busters” I see is in the frustration people experience (and wallow in) because circumstances have gone awry. This is because their mind-set, whether they know it or not, is that they should be somehow able to control circumstances. But let’s get this straight: You can’t! So the first thing you can do to give yourself happiness is to stop trying to control, or taking responsibility for circumstances that are outside of your control!
Understand that you can only control yourself.
There is only one thing you can control in this world and that is yourself. You can’t control the weather, other drivers, your kids or spouse, or anything for that matter outside of your own beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and actions. Focus all of your attention on developing yourself and doing what is right – controlling yourself while letting what will happen, happen – and you will find happiness opening up within you.
Decide what it is that you want out of life and then stick to it relentlessly.
This is two parts: First, know what you want. Get real clear with yourself. Take a private retreat to be alone if you have to, but come to grips with what you want your life to look like. Secondly, devote yourself to that passion and do not be sidetracked. It is interesting to me how many options we have – good options – that if we pursue them they will actually crush our happiness because they will take us away from what will really make us happy.
Live for a legacy.
We cannot be self-absorbed and live only for ourselves. Yes, we only control ourselves, but we can live for the betterment of others. Live your life in such a way that others are touched and you will find yourself feeling happiness in ways that you could never imagine. For example, I get some of the most touching emails from people I have never met (and probably never will) who tell me how I have helped them. There is little else that brings me such happiness!
Settle your finances.
Whatever your financial goals are, get them! Having poor finances is one of the major causes of unhappiness. Now, some people are completely content on $30,000 a year. Others need $200,000 a year. That is okay. We all have different desires, needs, and goals. But the key is to know what you want your financial life to look like and then do what it takes to get there. Among the major things to do is to eliminate as much debt as possible, if not all!
Surround yourself with good friends.
Good friend are such a blessing! I have some of the most intelligent, capable, successful, and caring friends a person could have. I have three or four people in my life that I completely trust and admire. When friendships are clicking, there is almost nothing that provides more happiness. Take time to develop your friendships. Spend time with them, do fun things with them etc. Even as life gets more and more busy, make time with your friends a priority.
Develop your primary love relationship.
I spoke at a groom’s dinner recently and one of the points I made was that marriage will show you both heaven and hell! Marriage, when it is going well will send you out the door each morning on cloud nine. When it isn’t going well, it affects every area of your life negatively. Do whatever you can – work hard – at developing your primary love relationship. The rewards of happiness you reap will be tremendous!
Happiness is yours for the taking – and hope you will take the time to develop your life in such a way as to be able to experience all of the happiness you can handle!
But so many seem without happiness. Why is this? Is happiness truly elusive or do we simply not know how to take hold of it? It is my contention that happiness is yours for the taking. That is, anyone can be happy if the choose to be… and if they know how to get it.
So what does it take to bring us to a state of happiness? Here are a few thoughts to get you on your way:
Do not try to control circumstances.
One of the biggest “happiness busters” I see is in the frustration people experience (and wallow in) because circumstances have gone awry. This is because their mind-set, whether they know it or not, is that they should be somehow able to control circumstances. But let’s get this straight: You can’t! So the first thing you can do to give yourself happiness is to stop trying to control, or taking responsibility for circumstances that are outside of your control!
Understand that you can only control yourself.
There is only one thing you can control in this world and that is yourself. You can’t control the weather, other drivers, your kids or spouse, or anything for that matter outside of your own beliefs, thoughts, attitudes and actions. Focus all of your attention on developing yourself and doing what is right – controlling yourself while letting what will happen, happen – and you will find happiness opening up within you.
Decide what it is that you want out of life and then stick to it relentlessly.
This is two parts: First, know what you want. Get real clear with yourself. Take a private retreat to be alone if you have to, but come to grips with what you want your life to look like. Secondly, devote yourself to that passion and do not be sidetracked. It is interesting to me how many options we have – good options – that if we pursue them they will actually crush our happiness because they will take us away from what will really make us happy.
Live for a legacy.
We cannot be self-absorbed and live only for ourselves. Yes, we only control ourselves, but we can live for the betterment of others. Live your life in such a way that others are touched and you will find yourself feeling happiness in ways that you could never imagine. For example, I get some of the most touching emails from people I have never met (and probably never will) who tell me how I have helped them. There is little else that brings me such happiness!
Settle your finances.
Whatever your financial goals are, get them! Having poor finances is one of the major causes of unhappiness. Now, some people are completely content on $30,000 a year. Others need $200,000 a year. That is okay. We all have different desires, needs, and goals. But the key is to know what you want your financial life to look like and then do what it takes to get there. Among the major things to do is to eliminate as much debt as possible, if not all!
Surround yourself with good friends.
Good friend are such a blessing! I have some of the most intelligent, capable, successful, and caring friends a person could have. I have three or four people in my life that I completely trust and admire. When friendships are clicking, there is almost nothing that provides more happiness. Take time to develop your friendships. Spend time with them, do fun things with them etc. Even as life gets more and more busy, make time with your friends a priority.
Develop your primary love relationship.
I spoke at a groom’s dinner recently and one of the points I made was that marriage will show you both heaven and hell! Marriage, when it is going well will send you out the door each morning on cloud nine. When it isn’t going well, it affects every area of your life negatively. Do whatever you can – work hard – at developing your primary love relationship. The rewards of happiness you reap will be tremendous!
Happiness is yours for the taking – and hope you will take the time to develop your life in such a way as to be able to experience all of the happiness you can handle!
Friday, January 23, 2009
BE A DOCTOR OF SELLING
Three Keys to Building Relationships
Top sales professionals see themselves as "Doctors of Selling." They see themselves as professionals, well educated, acting in their "patient's" best interest, and bound by a high code of ethics.The medical process is the same everywhere. Whenever you go to any doctor, of any kind, for any condition, he will follow the three part sequence of examination, diagnosis and prescription.
Begin With a Thorough Examination
Just as a medical professional would never think of treating you without following these three steps in order, you as a doctor of selling, would never allow a customer to force you to sell without your going through your three stages as well. This is as applicable to selling magazines door-to-door as it is to selling oil tankers to Exxon.In the examination phase, you ask excellent questions, carefully prepared, in sequence, which are geared to give you a thorough knowledge of the patient's condition, or the customer's situation.
Diagnose the Customer's Need Accurately
The second phase is that of diagnosis. In the diagnosis phase with a customer, you would repeat back the results of your examination and double check to be sure that the symptoms that you had detected were the real symptoms being experienced by the patient. You would ask additional questions to confirm and corroborate. You and the patient would mutually agree that this diagnosis seems to be an accurate description of the condition or problem.
Make the Right Prescription
Once this mutual agreement has been reached, that a treatable condition exists and that you have identified it accurately, you can move on to phase three. This is the prescription phase, where you show the patient (customer) that your product or service is the best available treatment, taking all the factors of the patient's situation into consideration for the ailment that you have diagnosed. You show that, on balance, what you are suggesting is the best of all possible solutions. Professionals who sell in the way that doctors treat patients find that their sales activities proceed far more smoothly and result in better sales in less time.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take the time to do a thorough examination by asking excellent questions and by listening carefully to the answers.
Second, repeat back and check your diagnosis with the customer so that you both agree on the need or problem - before you recommend a solution.
Top sales professionals see themselves as "Doctors of Selling." They see themselves as professionals, well educated, acting in their "patient's" best interest, and bound by a high code of ethics.The medical process is the same everywhere. Whenever you go to any doctor, of any kind, for any condition, he will follow the three part sequence of examination, diagnosis and prescription.
Begin With a Thorough Examination
Just as a medical professional would never think of treating you without following these three steps in order, you as a doctor of selling, would never allow a customer to force you to sell without your going through your three stages as well. This is as applicable to selling magazines door-to-door as it is to selling oil tankers to Exxon.In the examination phase, you ask excellent questions, carefully prepared, in sequence, which are geared to give you a thorough knowledge of the patient's condition, or the customer's situation.
Diagnose the Customer's Need Accurately
The second phase is that of diagnosis. In the diagnosis phase with a customer, you would repeat back the results of your examination and double check to be sure that the symptoms that you had detected were the real symptoms being experienced by the patient. You would ask additional questions to confirm and corroborate. You and the patient would mutually agree that this diagnosis seems to be an accurate description of the condition or problem.
Make the Right Prescription
Once this mutual agreement has been reached, that a treatable condition exists and that you have identified it accurately, you can move on to phase three. This is the prescription phase, where you show the patient (customer) that your product or service is the best available treatment, taking all the factors of the patient's situation into consideration for the ailment that you have diagnosed. You show that, on balance, what you are suggesting is the best of all possible solutions. Professionals who sell in the way that doctors treat patients find that their sales activities proceed far more smoothly and result in better sales in less time.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take the time to do a thorough examination by asking excellent questions and by listening carefully to the answers.
Second, repeat back and check your diagnosis with the customer so that you both agree on the need or problem - before you recommend a solution.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
SYSTEMS BEAT GOALS EVERYTIME!
This is the time of year when almost everyone reviews their dreams and sets goals and targets for the new year, and that is a GOOD thing! Always be clear about where you're going! Always have a destination, an outcome, a "next step" or target in mind. If you don't choose your goals, you are doomed to a life without direction or purpose. Always know "what's next" in life! At the same time, here's an interesting question: Would you rather have goals, or systems that automatically take you where you want to go in life? I think the answer is obvious, but few people seem to really "get it." Goals are wonderful. As I just wrote, goals are good! But systems are better. The problem with goals is that they are always in the future. They are something to be worked on and achieved as soon as possible, but always in the future.
Systems support us and enrich our lives immediately, today, right NOW! Because they are in the future, goals are easier than systems. Goals sound nice, they can be exciting, and there's a certain safety in knowing that we can have goals "down the road" without having to disrupt our lives today. New systems, on the other hand, disrupt our lives--sometimes very dramatically--and can upset important people around us. A goal to start a business "soon" or "this year" is very different than coming home late every night. A goal to start "some day" is very different than spending every weekend launching the new project. A goal to be slim, trim and strong "this year" is very different than adding a daily workout to your already hectic schedule.
Systems (or habits) are the golden path to anything we want in life. Once you establish the system or pattern of exercising every day, fitness is no longer a goal. It becomes the automatic, inevitable result of what you "normally" do every single day. Fitness is a "side effect" of your system!This is true of just about anything you want in life. My bias is that no one should ever set a "goal" to save or invest for the future! What a silly thing to do! Instead, make the decision to start investing immediately, then develop a system to make saving automatic, fool-proof and easy. The "goal" to save will never make you rich, but a system like the payroll savings plan at work just might do the trick.
Similarly, never set a "goal" to improve your marriage! Instead, develop a system that includes some quiet time every single day. Establish a system of weekly dates, daily hugs and lots of laughter. Develop habits (or "systems") for sharing and intimacy that will predictably lead to the results you prefer. Systems beat goals every time! Year after year, I have clients who are eager to set sales "goals," but few who are prepared to change their daily behaviors and develop systems that will guarantee more sales. Systems make success automatic, but can be uncomfortable, even painful, at first.In the end, I recommend focusing on systems. Goals excite the imagination and give us a preview of coming attractions, but systems are the golden path to ultimate success. Systems give us control and empower us immediately. Systems will open doors and give you the life you truly want.
Quotes of the Week
"Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish." -- Jean De La Fontaine.
"You have a calling which exists only for you and which only you can fulfill." -- Dr. Naomi Stephan
"We have much to do together. Let us do it in wisdom and love and joy. Let us make this the human experience." -- Gary Zukav
"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." -- Pope John XXIII
Systems support us and enrich our lives immediately, today, right NOW! Because they are in the future, goals are easier than systems. Goals sound nice, they can be exciting, and there's a certain safety in knowing that we can have goals "down the road" without having to disrupt our lives today. New systems, on the other hand, disrupt our lives--sometimes very dramatically--and can upset important people around us. A goal to start a business "soon" or "this year" is very different than coming home late every night. A goal to start "some day" is very different than spending every weekend launching the new project. A goal to be slim, trim and strong "this year" is very different than adding a daily workout to your already hectic schedule.
Systems (or habits) are the golden path to anything we want in life. Once you establish the system or pattern of exercising every day, fitness is no longer a goal. It becomes the automatic, inevitable result of what you "normally" do every single day. Fitness is a "side effect" of your system!This is true of just about anything you want in life. My bias is that no one should ever set a "goal" to save or invest for the future! What a silly thing to do! Instead, make the decision to start investing immediately, then develop a system to make saving automatic, fool-proof and easy. The "goal" to save will never make you rich, but a system like the payroll savings plan at work just might do the trick.
Similarly, never set a "goal" to improve your marriage! Instead, develop a system that includes some quiet time every single day. Establish a system of weekly dates, daily hugs and lots of laughter. Develop habits (or "systems") for sharing and intimacy that will predictably lead to the results you prefer. Systems beat goals every time! Year after year, I have clients who are eager to set sales "goals," but few who are prepared to change their daily behaviors and develop systems that will guarantee more sales. Systems make success automatic, but can be uncomfortable, even painful, at first.In the end, I recommend focusing on systems. Goals excite the imagination and give us a preview of coming attractions, but systems are the golden path to ultimate success. Systems give us control and empower us immediately. Systems will open doors and give you the life you truly want.
Quotes of the Week
"Man is so made that when anything fires his soul, impossibilities vanish." -- Jean De La Fontaine.
"You have a calling which exists only for you and which only you can fulfill." -- Dr. Naomi Stephan
"We have much to do together. Let us do it in wisdom and love and joy. Let us make this the human experience." -- Gary Zukav
"Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do." -- Pope John XXIII
Monday, January 19, 2009
ENDING PROCRASTINATION
Perseverance is about as important to achievement as gasoline is to driving a car. Sure, there will be times when you feel like you're spinning your wheels, but you'll always get out of the rut with genuine perseverance. Without it, you won't even be able to start your engine.
The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started, although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination.
Ask people why they procrastinate and you'll often hear something like this: "I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and of course I have to be feeling well physically, too. I can't work when I have a headache." The other end of procrastination - being unable to finish - also has a perfectionist explanation: "I'm just never satisfied. I'm my own harshest critic. If all the i's aren't dotted and all the t's aren't crossed, I just can't consider that I'm done. That's just the way I am, and I'll probably never change."
Do you see what's going on here? A fault is being turned into a virtue. The perfectionist is saying that his standards are just too high for this world. This fault-into-virtue syndrome is a common defense when people are called upon to discuss their weaknesses, but in the end it's just a very pious kind of excuse making. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with what's really behind procrastination.
Remember, the basis of procrastination could be fear of failure. That's what perfectionism really is, once you take a hard look at it. What's the difference whether you're afraid of being less than perfect or afraid of anything else? You're still paralyzed by fear. What's the difference whether you never start or never finish? You're still stuck. You're still going nowhere. You're still overwhelmed by whatever task is before you. You’re still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future in which you see yourself being criticized, laughed at, punished, or ridden out of town on a rail. Of course, this negative vision of the future is really a mechanism that allows you to do nothing. It's a very convenient mental tool.
I'm going to tell you how to overcome procrastination. I'm going to show you how to turn procrastination into perseverance, and if you do what I suggest, the process will be virtually painless. It involves using two very powerful principles that foster productivity and perseverance instead of passivity and procrastination.
The first principle is:
1.Break it down.
No matter what you're trying to accomplish, whether it's writing a book, climbing a mountain, or painting a house the key to achievement is your ability to break down the task into manageable pieces and knock them off one at one time. Focus on accomplishing what's right in front of you at this moment. Ignore what's off in the distance someplace. Substitute real-time positive thinking for negative future visualization. That's the first all- important technique for bringing an end to procrastination.
Suppose I were to ask you if you could write a four hundred-page novel. If you're like most people, that would sound like an impossible task. But suppose I ask you a different question. Suppose I ask if you can write a page and a quarter a day for one year. Do you think you could do it? Now the task is starting to seem more manageable. We're breaking down the four-hundred-page book into bite-size pieces. Even so, I suspect many people would still find the prospect intimidating. Do you know why? Writing a page and a quarter may not seem so bad, but you're being asked to look ahead one whole year. When people start to do look that far ahead, many of them automatically go into a negative mode. So let me formulate the idea of writing a book in yet another way. Let me break it down even more.
Suppose I was to ask you: can you fill up a page and a quarter with words-not for a year, not for a month, not even for a week, but just today? Don't look any further ahead than that. I believe most people would confidently declare that they could accomplish that. Of course, these would be the same people who feel totally incapable of writing a whole book.
If I said the same thing to those people tomorrow - if I told them, I don't want you to look back, and I don't want you to look ahead, I just want you to fill up a page and a quarter this very day - do you think they could do it?
One day at a time. We've all heard that phrase. That's what we're doing here. We're breaking down the time required for a major task into one-day segments, and we're breaking down the work involved in writing a four hundred-page book into page-and-a-quarter increments.
Keep this up for one year, and you'll write the book. Discipline yourself to look neither forward nor backward, and you can accomplish things you never thought you could possibly do. And it all begins with those three words: break it down.
My second technique for defeating procrastination is also only three words long. The three words are:
2. Write it down.
We know how important writing is to goal setting. The writing you'll do for beating procrastination is very similar. Instead of focusing on the future, however, you're now going to be writing about the present just as you experience it every day. Instead of describing the things you want to do or the places you want to go, you're going to describe what you actually do with your time, and you're going to keep a written record of the places you actually go.
In other words, you're going to keep a diary of your activities. And you're going to be amazed by the distractions, detours, and downright wastes of time you engage in during the course of a day. All of these get in the way of achieving your goals. For many people, it's almost like they planned it that way, and maybe at some unconscious level they did. The great thing about keeping a time diary is that it brings all this out in the open. It forces you to see what you're actually doing . . . and what you're not doing.
The time diary doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Just buy a little spiral notebook that you can easily carry in your pocket. When you go to lunch, when you drive across town, when you go to the dry cleaners, when you spend some time shooting the breeze at the copying machine, make a quick note of the time you began the activity and the time it ends. Try to make this notation as soon as possible; if it's inconvenient to do it immediately, you can do it later. But you should make an entry in your time diary at least once every thirty minutes, and you should keep this up for at least a week.
Break it down. Write it down. These two techniques are very straightforward. But don't let that fool you: these are powerful and effective productivity techniques. This is how you put an end to procrastination. This is how you get yourself started.
The opposite of perseverance is procrastination. Perseverance means you never quit. Procrastination usually means you never get started, although the inability to finish something is also a form of procrastination.
Ask people why they procrastinate and you'll often hear something like this: "I'm a perfectionist. Everything has to be just right before I can get down to work. No distractions, not too much noise, no telephone calls interrupting me, and of course I have to be feeling well physically, too. I can't work when I have a headache." The other end of procrastination - being unable to finish - also has a perfectionist explanation: "I'm just never satisfied. I'm my own harshest critic. If all the i's aren't dotted and all the t's aren't crossed, I just can't consider that I'm done. That's just the way I am, and I'll probably never change."
Do you see what's going on here? A fault is being turned into a virtue. The perfectionist is saying that his standards are just too high for this world. This fault-into-virtue syndrome is a common defense when people are called upon to discuss their weaknesses, but in the end it's just a very pious kind of excuse making. It certainly doesn't have anything to do with what's really behind procrastination.
Remember, the basis of procrastination could be fear of failure. That's what perfectionism really is, once you take a hard look at it. What's the difference whether you're afraid of being less than perfect or afraid of anything else? You're still paralyzed by fear. What's the difference whether you never start or never finish? You're still stuck. You're still going nowhere. You're still overwhelmed by whatever task is before you. You’re still allowing yourself to be dominated by a negative vision of the future in which you see yourself being criticized, laughed at, punished, or ridden out of town on a rail. Of course, this negative vision of the future is really a mechanism that allows you to do nothing. It's a very convenient mental tool.
I'm going to tell you how to overcome procrastination. I'm going to show you how to turn procrastination into perseverance, and if you do what I suggest, the process will be virtually painless. It involves using two very powerful principles that foster productivity and perseverance instead of passivity and procrastination.
The first principle is:
1.Break it down.
No matter what you're trying to accomplish, whether it's writing a book, climbing a mountain, or painting a house the key to achievement is your ability to break down the task into manageable pieces and knock them off one at one time. Focus on accomplishing what's right in front of you at this moment. Ignore what's off in the distance someplace. Substitute real-time positive thinking for negative future visualization. That's the first all- important technique for bringing an end to procrastination.
Suppose I were to ask you if you could write a four hundred-page novel. If you're like most people, that would sound like an impossible task. But suppose I ask you a different question. Suppose I ask if you can write a page and a quarter a day for one year. Do you think you could do it? Now the task is starting to seem more manageable. We're breaking down the four-hundred-page book into bite-size pieces. Even so, I suspect many people would still find the prospect intimidating. Do you know why? Writing a page and a quarter may not seem so bad, but you're being asked to look ahead one whole year. When people start to do look that far ahead, many of them automatically go into a negative mode. So let me formulate the idea of writing a book in yet another way. Let me break it down even more.
Suppose I was to ask you: can you fill up a page and a quarter with words-not for a year, not for a month, not even for a week, but just today? Don't look any further ahead than that. I believe most people would confidently declare that they could accomplish that. Of course, these would be the same people who feel totally incapable of writing a whole book.
If I said the same thing to those people tomorrow - if I told them, I don't want you to look back, and I don't want you to look ahead, I just want you to fill up a page and a quarter this very day - do you think they could do it?
One day at a time. We've all heard that phrase. That's what we're doing here. We're breaking down the time required for a major task into one-day segments, and we're breaking down the work involved in writing a four hundred-page book into page-and-a-quarter increments.
Keep this up for one year, and you'll write the book. Discipline yourself to look neither forward nor backward, and you can accomplish things you never thought you could possibly do. And it all begins with those three words: break it down.
My second technique for defeating procrastination is also only three words long. The three words are:
2. Write it down.
We know how important writing is to goal setting. The writing you'll do for beating procrastination is very similar. Instead of focusing on the future, however, you're now going to be writing about the present just as you experience it every day. Instead of describing the things you want to do or the places you want to go, you're going to describe what you actually do with your time, and you're going to keep a written record of the places you actually go.
In other words, you're going to keep a diary of your activities. And you're going to be amazed by the distractions, detours, and downright wastes of time you engage in during the course of a day. All of these get in the way of achieving your goals. For many people, it's almost like they planned it that way, and maybe at some unconscious level they did. The great thing about keeping a time diary is that it brings all this out in the open. It forces you to see what you're actually doing . . . and what you're not doing.
The time diary doesn't have to be anything elaborate. Just buy a little spiral notebook that you can easily carry in your pocket. When you go to lunch, when you drive across town, when you go to the dry cleaners, when you spend some time shooting the breeze at the copying machine, make a quick note of the time you began the activity and the time it ends. Try to make this notation as soon as possible; if it's inconvenient to do it immediately, you can do it later. But you should make an entry in your time diary at least once every thirty minutes, and you should keep this up for at least a week.
Break it down. Write it down. These two techniques are very straightforward. But don't let that fool you: these are powerful and effective productivity techniques. This is how you put an end to procrastination. This is how you get yourself started.
Friday, January 16, 2009
THE COMPLEX SALE TODAY
The Sale is More Complex Today
The entire process of selling today is more complex than it has ever been before. It used to be that we would make a single call on a single buyer who would make a single decision on our product or offering. In this simple form of selling, we used the attention/interest/ desire/action (AIDA) model of sales presentation and focused intensely on numerous different ways of closing the sale. Then, once we had made the sale, in many cases we never saw the customer again.
Everything Has Changed
Today, however, everything is different. Today we must make multiple calls, an average of five or six, in order to make the sale. We deal with multiple decision makers in an organization, each of whom can influence the purchase. Much of the sale takes place when we are not present. Sometimes we never even meet the final decision maker who signs the check. And it is not unusual for a sale to be derailed at the last minute by something completely unexpected.
The Competition is Fierce
If that weren't enough, there is more competition than ever before and it is more determined and resolute than it has ever been in the past. Not only must we compete on the basis of price, quality, services, capabilities, financing and warranties with many other vendors of our product or service, but we must also compete with every other vendor of every other product or service who is striving to get the same customer dollar that we are after. Our competitors are extremely determined, driven the same as we are by tight markets and careful customers. They are committed to starting earlier, working harder, and staying up later thinking of ways to take our customers away from us.
Customers Are Overwhelmed
Our prospective customers are beset on all sides by every conceivable sales offering. Because they are drowning in details, options and choices, they are in no hurry to make up their minds. With markets changing and contracting, the amount of discretionary funds they have available has shrunken and they are more careful today than they have ever had to be in the past.
The Key to Profitability
The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer. If a business does this in sufficient quantity and with proper cost controls, it will make a profit. The profit is the result of creating and keeping customers efficiently.
Create and Keep Customers
As the president of your own professional sales corporation, your job is to create and keep customers as well. And just as a company must continually restructure and redesign its product and service offerings to satisfy the changing tastes of a demanding and competitive customer marketplace, you as a salesperson must constantly upgrade the quality and sophistication of your sales procedures and approaches if you are going to create customers in sufficient quantity.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, be prepared to make multiple calls on a customer to close a large or complex sale. Plan your sales work systematically so you always have a new reason for calling back.
Second, think continually about how you have to change and improve your selling and your offering if you want to succeed in a tough market. Work on yourself every day and never stop getting better.
The entire process of selling today is more complex than it has ever been before. It used to be that we would make a single call on a single buyer who would make a single decision on our product or offering. In this simple form of selling, we used the attention/interest/ desire/action (AIDA) model of sales presentation and focused intensely on numerous different ways of closing the sale. Then, once we had made the sale, in many cases we never saw the customer again.
Everything Has Changed
Today, however, everything is different. Today we must make multiple calls, an average of five or six, in order to make the sale. We deal with multiple decision makers in an organization, each of whom can influence the purchase. Much of the sale takes place when we are not present. Sometimes we never even meet the final decision maker who signs the check. And it is not unusual for a sale to be derailed at the last minute by something completely unexpected.
The Competition is Fierce
If that weren't enough, there is more competition than ever before and it is more determined and resolute than it has ever been in the past. Not only must we compete on the basis of price, quality, services, capabilities, financing and warranties with many other vendors of our product or service, but we must also compete with every other vendor of every other product or service who is striving to get the same customer dollar that we are after. Our competitors are extremely determined, driven the same as we are by tight markets and careful customers. They are committed to starting earlier, working harder, and staying up later thinking of ways to take our customers away from us.
Customers Are Overwhelmed
Our prospective customers are beset on all sides by every conceivable sales offering. Because they are drowning in details, options and choices, they are in no hurry to make up their minds. With markets changing and contracting, the amount of discretionary funds they have available has shrunken and they are more careful today than they have ever had to be in the past.
The Key to Profitability
The purpose of a business is to create and keep a customer. If a business does this in sufficient quantity and with proper cost controls, it will make a profit. The profit is the result of creating and keeping customers efficiently.
Create and Keep Customers
As the president of your own professional sales corporation, your job is to create and keep customers as well. And just as a company must continually restructure and redesign its product and service offerings to satisfy the changing tastes of a demanding and competitive customer marketplace, you as a salesperson must constantly upgrade the quality and sophistication of your sales procedures and approaches if you are going to create customers in sufficient quantity.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, be prepared to make multiple calls on a customer to close a large or complex sale. Plan your sales work systematically so you always have a new reason for calling back.
Second, think continually about how you have to change and improve your selling and your offering if you want to succeed in a tough market. Work on yourself every day and never stop getting better.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
SURVIVING THIS SHAKING SEASON
It is not news that the global economic recession hitting many countries may get worse this New Year going by indicators and projections by economistsand financial experts. Where does this leave you as a believer in Christ Jesus? Does it mean that all your faith and prayers will be tried and sacrificed in the furnace of economic crucible? Does this mean that no measure could be strong enough to tackle this impending financial on slaughtagainst both believers and non-believers a like, since great countries have been brought to their knees?
Borrowing from Rick Joyner's words, as we enter more into the times that Hebrews 12 describes, when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, Christians who are not established on the solid foundation are going to be shaken right along with the rest of the world. The Lord shook Egypt to its foundation in order to set His people free. In the Scriptures, Egypt is often used as a metaphor for the world, and the reason why the world is starting to be shaken to its foundation is for the same reason—to set God's people free. Just as God's people were enslaved in Egypt and it took a mighty display of God's power to set them free, we are in the first stages of the same scenario. Many "gave their lives to Christ," but then went on to live for themselves, building their lives more upon the kingdoms of this world than the kingdom of God. Because He loves us, the present shaking is grace and mercy from God to help set us free. I want to believe this is going to be a very interesting year for everyone of us and a great opportunity to show case more than ever before, what wehave - our faith in God - and Whom we believe in – the Almighty God. Many promises have gone forth about perilous times and agonizing situations but He always add that those that believe in Him will enjoy the *"GoshenRide"* in every plague that comes on the land and nations. If we have been called out from darkness, it will be contrary for our God to allow us get tormented by same if we have been obedient and faithful in our obligations to Him. Not that we might not feel the heat but we will not get burnt, that's for real. This period in world history is what the Bible calls a "shaking period" andthose who have not grown in faith will begin to fall away while those strongin it will assist others to come up and fulfill our Lord's mandate and assignment in these end times. Those who are walking in faith, walking in the path of the righteous, will be proactive, experiencing many accomplishments and victories because they will be able to see where they are going with increasing clarity, enabling them to be proactive and decisive.
This is declared in Proverbs 4:18-19, "But the path of therighteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."One important truth is that the world economy is subject to the Kingdom's economy in every believer's life and since we have enrolled in the Kingdom's, we must operate according to its requirements and conditions in order to be free from the infernal economic effect the world is going to experience. Our obligations in the Kingdom must be met in order to make our faith manifest its full effect; if our tithes and offerings are up to date, if our investment strategies were established according to God's leading, if our givings were godly and not on fleshly spree, we stand the assurance of being safe under the economic pavilion of our God, no matter what the stockmarket or other investment indicators are saying. This is the time of the return of those the world has classified as *financialprodigals* simply because they saw us spend our resources on our God's plans and programs. We are no fools in following our Lord's leading in spending on His cause, we are just being wise in investing in schemes that will impact eternity and stand the test of world's financial times. This is the time our God will showcase us in a great way to confound the so-called economic experts and financial gurus; this is the time we will manifest as sons ofGod in the midst of global financial crises laden with uncertainties and confusion. If we follow on to strictly obey our Lord's instruction on how to spend what He has blessed us with, we are assured of staying on top while the world agonize through the hard times. Let your spending now strictly focus on what glorifies God and pleases Him; let your financial planning involve what will gladden the heart of God and make Him open his Hands to showcase you despite the expectations of people that have given up on you.
*Let your prayer life get a re-focus andincrement in intensity; let your Word life receive a fresh breath from thespiritual stress you have experienced lately*. Kingdoms financial principles are not difficult as many think but easy as we follow our Lord's leading. Remember, it is those who hear the Words of the Lord and obey them that build their houses on the rock that will stand against the financial storms. Many complain that the Lord has not spoken to them when their Bibles are sitting on their shelves covered with dust. It is those who seek Him who find Him.The world may shake in despair, the great countries may prophesy terrible financial times, the government may shout about tormenting times ahead, but *we know Whom we have believed*, we know Him that steer the course of nations and destinies, we serve Him that ordains good times and turns history to favour His cause and people without contrary voice challenging Him. He is a referee that will not count us out of the boxing ring; He will not let His beloved whom He has invested so much in go down the path of destruction and perdition simply because *our hearts are fixed, trusting in Him solely*. His reputation rests on us, His chosen ones.
Welcome to your year of astounding showcase.
Borrowing from Rick Joyner's words, as we enter more into the times that Hebrews 12 describes, when everything that can be shaken will be shaken, Christians who are not established on the solid foundation are going to be shaken right along with the rest of the world. The Lord shook Egypt to its foundation in order to set His people free. In the Scriptures, Egypt is often used as a metaphor for the world, and the reason why the world is starting to be shaken to its foundation is for the same reason—to set God's people free. Just as God's people were enslaved in Egypt and it took a mighty display of God's power to set them free, we are in the first stages of the same scenario. Many "gave their lives to Christ," but then went on to live for themselves, building their lives more upon the kingdoms of this world than the kingdom of God. Because He loves us, the present shaking is grace and mercy from God to help set us free. I want to believe this is going to be a very interesting year for everyone of us and a great opportunity to show case more than ever before, what wehave - our faith in God - and Whom we believe in – the Almighty God. Many promises have gone forth about perilous times and agonizing situations but He always add that those that believe in Him will enjoy the *"GoshenRide"* in every plague that comes on the land and nations. If we have been called out from darkness, it will be contrary for our God to allow us get tormented by same if we have been obedient and faithful in our obligations to Him. Not that we might not feel the heat but we will not get burnt, that's for real. This period in world history is what the Bible calls a "shaking period" andthose who have not grown in faith will begin to fall away while those strongin it will assist others to come up and fulfill our Lord's mandate and assignment in these end times. Those who are walking in faith, walking in the path of the righteous, will be proactive, experiencing many accomplishments and victories because they will be able to see where they are going with increasing clarity, enabling them to be proactive and decisive.
This is declared in Proverbs 4:18-19, "But the path of therighteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter and brighter until the full day. The way of the wicked is like darkness; they do not know over what they stumble."One important truth is that the world economy is subject to the Kingdom's economy in every believer's life and since we have enrolled in the Kingdom's, we must operate according to its requirements and conditions in order to be free from the infernal economic effect the world is going to experience. Our obligations in the Kingdom must be met in order to make our faith manifest its full effect; if our tithes and offerings are up to date, if our investment strategies were established according to God's leading, if our givings were godly and not on fleshly spree, we stand the assurance of being safe under the economic pavilion of our God, no matter what the stockmarket or other investment indicators are saying. This is the time of the return of those the world has classified as *financialprodigals* simply because they saw us spend our resources on our God's plans and programs. We are no fools in following our Lord's leading in spending on His cause, we are just being wise in investing in schemes that will impact eternity and stand the test of world's financial times. This is the time our God will showcase us in a great way to confound the so-called economic experts and financial gurus; this is the time we will manifest as sons ofGod in the midst of global financial crises laden with uncertainties and confusion. If we follow on to strictly obey our Lord's instruction on how to spend what He has blessed us with, we are assured of staying on top while the world agonize through the hard times. Let your spending now strictly focus on what glorifies God and pleases Him; let your financial planning involve what will gladden the heart of God and make Him open his Hands to showcase you despite the expectations of people that have given up on you.
*Let your prayer life get a re-focus andincrement in intensity; let your Word life receive a fresh breath from thespiritual stress you have experienced lately*. Kingdoms financial principles are not difficult as many think but easy as we follow our Lord's leading. Remember, it is those who hear the Words of the Lord and obey them that build their houses on the rock that will stand against the financial storms. Many complain that the Lord has not spoken to them when their Bibles are sitting on their shelves covered with dust. It is those who seek Him who find Him.The world may shake in despair, the great countries may prophesy terrible financial times, the government may shout about tormenting times ahead, but *we know Whom we have believed*, we know Him that steer the course of nations and destinies, we serve Him that ordains good times and turns history to favour His cause and people without contrary voice challenging Him. He is a referee that will not count us out of the boxing ring; He will not let His beloved whom He has invested so much in go down the path of destruction and perdition simply because *our hearts are fixed, trusting in Him solely*. His reputation rests on us, His chosen ones.
Welcome to your year of astounding showcase.
Monday, January 12, 2009
DARE TO DREAM
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."Teddy Roosevelt
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait - we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content. Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to themselves, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day.
The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
1. Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
2. Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
3. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
4. Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
- A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
-Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
-Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
-An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
-A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big! I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
Do you remember when you were a child and no dream seemed too big? Some of us thought we would walk on the moon; some dreamed of riding with Roy Rogers; others imagined stepping to the plate in a big-league game. Every one of us, when we were young, had a common trait - we were dreamers. The world hadn't gotten to us yet to show us that we couldn't possibly achieve what our hearts longed for. And we were yet still years from realizing that in some cases we weren't built for achieving our dream (I realized about my junior year of high school that I was too short and to slow to play professional basketball. The dreamer is always the last to know).
Eventually we started to let our dreams die. People began to tell us that we couldn't do the things we wanted. It was impossible. Responsible people don't pursue their dreams. Settle down, get a job, be dependable. Take care of business, live the mundane, be content. Do you know what I say to that? Hooey!
It is time to dream again!
Why? Here are just a few reasons:
Avoiding regret. The facts are in, and someday we will all lie on our deathbed looking back through the history of our lives. We will undoubtedly think about what we wished we had done or accomplished. I for one don't want to regret what could have been, what should have been. So I am deciding today to pursue my dreams.
Making the world a better place. All of the great accomplishments that have ever happened began with a person who had a dream. Somebody rebuffed the nay-sayers and said to themselves, "This can be done, and I am the one who will do it." And in many instances they changed the world for the better. It isn't just the Martin Luther King's and the J.F.K's either. Think of all the people we have never heard of who have started things large and small that help people world-wide every day.
The world needs people like you to dream of something great and then to pursue it will all of your heart. Maybe you belong to a business, school, or organization that started out with good intentions but has settled into the same ol' same ol'. Shake them up and remind them of how they could really help people if only they would dream!
Personal and family fulfillment. One of the things that happens when we stop pursuing our dreams is that a little piece of us dies and we become disheartened, if only in that area of our lives. Stepping up and pursuing your dream rekindles that passion and zeal that everyone has the capacity for and lets us experience fulfillment. Having a purpose puts the zip in our step and the zing in our emotions!
Leaving a legacy. How will your children remember you? As one who sought all that life had to offer, using your gifts and talents to their fullest extent, leading the family with a zest for life, or as an overweight couch potato who could have been? Our children need to see that we dream; that we search for something better. They in turn will do the same!
So where do we start? Here are some ideas:
1. Reconnect with your dream. Set aside some time to let yourself dream. What have you placed on the backburner in order to live the status quo? Settle on one or two dreams that you can and will pursue. Don't come up with too many. That will only deter you further.
2. Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it.
3. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
4. Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
- A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
-Action steps. Point-by-point what you will do and when you will do them.
-Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
-An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
-A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big! I have found that there is no better time than now. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
Friday, January 9, 2009
GIVING PEACE A CHANCE
It reminds me again why I don't spend a lot of time watching or reading the news. If people aren't shooting, stabbing or beating each other, they're in some way back stabbing in efforts to sabotage the reputations and opportunities of others. All's fair, you know. Now I see that Israel is striking back heavy against Palestine, and the talking heads on CNN are reporting on this never-ending circle of revenge attacks.
In one round-robin discussion, one bobble head finally said something that cut right through to the core of it. He quoted a leader of Hamas who said that peace is not possible because Isreal is an affront to God, and they must not exist. Well. That about sums it all up, doesn't it? Peace? Not in 100 lifetimes. It can only end badly for everyone involved. But this is no different than what goes on here and everywhere every day. It's just not as bloody.When disputes are created and continued because one side cannot see or appreciate the other person's side (point ofview)... when you see someone else as wrong, and you believe that they must suffer greatly in some way for their views or actions, then the only thing that can happen is hatred, fighting, injury, revenge, war. And that always ends badly.
Every day, hundreds and thousands of times in every city,town and burg around the world are examples of anger and rage out of control, taken to unnecessary levels. Granted, there are indeed, situations where anger and even rage are appropriate and understandable. But often, in a typical day, it's not. Built from lack of patience, unrealistic expectations, frustration builds quickly and... instantly, decisions are made that show the worst side of a person.
It reminds me of beauty pageants where contestants routinely say that during their "reign," they want to help world peace.Well, that is what I want, too. Someone asked me today if people will ever stop blowing each other up in wars and gang fights, etc. My answer was no, it won't... but that we can help to reduce it one person at a time on an individual level. And like the ripple effect of a single butterfly's wings flapping, the collective effect will be tremendous over time.'Anger Management Now!' is built on quickly changing your moment by moment thoughts, core beliefs and attitudes using the same kind of inner self talk each of us has going on in our heads all our waking and many of our sleeping hours... because when you change the discussion going on in your head, you can change your emotions and your behaviors with little or no effort at all. I've talked with people who have had such an addiction to anger patterns that their entire lives were basically defined by their anger. All gone or greatly diminished in a few weeks or months using Anger Management Now. Highly effective. Because through Lozanov's suggest opedic accelerated learning structure, it alters the ongoing conversation in your mind. This allows people to changeeven life-long belief systems and attitude patterns remarkably fast... even ones that not long before they'd"get up and fight for. "Suddenly not important to them. Some of the many areas of concentration in Anger Management Now are:
- Expressing dissatisfaction without becoming angry
- No more trying to change the unchangeable
- Being sensitive to the feelings of others
- Respecting cultural and religious differences of other
- Settling disputes without even raising your voice
- Seeing all your challenges as within your capabilities
- Disagreeing without becoming angry
- Always staying in control of your emotions
- Forgiving yourself and others for mistakes
- Channeling anger in positive and constructive ways
- Quickly letting go of negative, harmful emotions
In one round-robin discussion, one bobble head finally said something that cut right through to the core of it. He quoted a leader of Hamas who said that peace is not possible because Isreal is an affront to God, and they must not exist. Well. That about sums it all up, doesn't it? Peace? Not in 100 lifetimes. It can only end badly for everyone involved. But this is no different than what goes on here and everywhere every day. It's just not as bloody.When disputes are created and continued because one side cannot see or appreciate the other person's side (point ofview)... when you see someone else as wrong, and you believe that they must suffer greatly in some way for their views or actions, then the only thing that can happen is hatred, fighting, injury, revenge, war. And that always ends badly.
Every day, hundreds and thousands of times in every city,town and burg around the world are examples of anger and rage out of control, taken to unnecessary levels. Granted, there are indeed, situations where anger and even rage are appropriate and understandable. But often, in a typical day, it's not. Built from lack of patience, unrealistic expectations, frustration builds quickly and... instantly, decisions are made that show the worst side of a person.
It reminds me of beauty pageants where contestants routinely say that during their "reign," they want to help world peace.Well, that is what I want, too. Someone asked me today if people will ever stop blowing each other up in wars and gang fights, etc. My answer was no, it won't... but that we can help to reduce it one person at a time on an individual level. And like the ripple effect of a single butterfly's wings flapping, the collective effect will be tremendous over time.'Anger Management Now!' is built on quickly changing your moment by moment thoughts, core beliefs and attitudes using the same kind of inner self talk each of us has going on in our heads all our waking and many of our sleeping hours... because when you change the discussion going on in your head, you can change your emotions and your behaviors with little or no effort at all. I've talked with people who have had such an addiction to anger patterns that their entire lives were basically defined by their anger. All gone or greatly diminished in a few weeks or months using Anger Management Now. Highly effective. Because through Lozanov's suggest opedic accelerated learning structure, it alters the ongoing conversation in your mind. This allows people to changeeven life-long belief systems and attitude patterns remarkably fast... even ones that not long before they'd"get up and fight for. "Suddenly not important to them. Some of the many areas of concentration in Anger Management Now are:
- Expressing dissatisfaction without becoming angry
- No more trying to change the unchangeable
- Being sensitive to the feelings of others
- Respecting cultural and religious differences of other
- Settling disputes without even raising your voice
- Seeing all your challenges as within your capabilities
- Disagreeing without becoming angry
- Always staying in control of your emotions
- Forgiving yourself and others for mistakes
- Channeling anger in positive and constructive ways
- Quickly letting go of negative, harmful emotions
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
THE POWER OF PAUSING
All the top salespeople ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers. One of the most important skills of listening is simply to pause before replying. When the prospect finishes talking, rather than jumping in with the first thing that you can think of, take three to five seconds to pause quietly and wait.Becoming a Master of the PauseAll excellent listeners are masters of the pause. They are comfortable with silences. When the other person finishes speaking, they take a breath, relax and smile before saying anything. They know that the pause is a key part of good communications.
Three Benefits of Pausing
Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the information you need to make the sale.
Carefully Consider What You Just Heard
The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.
Understanding With Greater Efficiency.
The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in relation to your product or service.
The Message You Send
When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it. Pausing allows you to read between the lines.
Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments before you reply.
Three Benefits of Pausing
Pausing before you speak has three specific benefits. The first is that you avoid the risk of interrupting the prospect if he or she has just stopped to gather his or her thoughts. Remember, your primary job in the sales conversation is to build and maintain a high level of trust, and listening builds trust. When you pause for a few seconds, you often find the prospect will continue speaking. He will give you more information and further opportunity to listen, enabling you to gather more of the information you need to make the sale.
Carefully Consider What You Just Heard
The second benefit of pausing is that your silence tells the prospect that you are giving careful consideration to what he or she has just said. By carefully considering the other person's words, you are paying him or her a compliment. You are implicitly saying that you consider what he or she has said to be important and worthy of quiet reflection. You make the prospect feel more valuable with your silence. You raise his self-esteem and make him feel better about himself.
Understanding With Greater Efficiency.
The third benefit of pausing before replying is that you will actually hear and understand the prospect better if you give his or her words a few seconds to soak into your mind. The more time you take to reflect upon what has just been said, the more conscious you will be of the their real meaning. You will be more alert to how his words can connect with other things you know about the prospect in relation to your product or service.
The Message You Send
When you pause, not only do you become a more thoughtful person, but you convey this to the customer. By extension, you become a more valuable person to do business with. And you achieve this by simply pausing for a few seconds before you reply after your prospect or customer has spoken.
Action Exercises
Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, take time to carefully consider what the customer just said and what he might mean by it. Pausing allows you to read between the lines.
Second, show the customer that you really value what he has said by reflecting for a few moments before you reply.
Monday, January 5, 2009
YOU DESERVE 365 GREAT DAYS IN 2009!
The first TIP's of a new year is always special, like the first footprints on the new snow we got this week. I want it to set the tone for everything to follow, the way the first hour of the morning sets the tone for the entire day.As long-time subscribers know, I write TIPS because I'm convinced each of us has the ability--and deserves!--to live an extraordinary life. Each of us is unique and colorful, with our own sense of hope, vision, and possibility, and we are the most intelligent beings on earth. We can go to the moon, make music, invent stuff, and love one another.And yet, too often our days are filled with stress and fatigue. We are so busy we forget to watch the dawn, we fail to smile, we don't laugh enough. Too often, we ignore our need for hugs, and for kindness. I am troubled by Henry Thoreau's observation that "most men live lives of quiet desperation." For myself, I am determined to prove that he was seriously mistaken!As we begin another year, I am re-committing to living a great life. My highest and best goals for this year are to have more fun, to get more hugs, to give more joy, to do what I can to make a positive difference on this small planet. My goal for the year is joy.Your goals and your system for attaining them may be different, but here is the most important thing I can share with you at the start of a new year.If you're ready, here it is:
Have a great day! Annie Dillard noted that, "How we live our days is how we live our lives." To make 2009 a great year, you'll want to collect approximately 365 great days, and most days begin in the morning. So it follows that to have a great year, start with a good breakfast! In all seriousness, how you begin the morning sets the tone for the day, which is the time of your life. This is important stuff! Choose the first hour of your day!
For some people, a great day begins with reading or prayer. Others begin at the gym, while others start by getting the kids dressed and off to school. Some make oatmeal, fruit and coffee; I usually walk the dog and write for a few minutes. Henry Thoreau recommended getting up early to greet the dawn. I think success requires that you start the day in the way that is right for you.
This is your life! You can't wait for "someday" to enjoy it! You can't wait for a big break, for a better economy, warmer weather or until you "feel like it." As someone wisely said, "don't wait for your ship come in, swim out to meet it!"Decide carefully and precisely exactly how you want to start your day each morning. Think carefully about what gets you going, what seems "right" and special. What empowers you, gives you confidence and energy for the day? Be intentional about the morning! Negotiate your schedule, explain to the kids, do whatever it takes, but make it happen. Your life begins fresh and new each morning. Specifically, I suggest you start your morning before going to bed the night before. Set the breakfast table, arrange your wardrobe, do what you need to do. Set the alarm clock, get a good night's sleep, wake up with a plan and activate it immediately.
To make 2009 your best year ever, arrange to have lots of extremely good days! Work hard, play often. Sing and dance, read more, hug and laugh more. Be more daring, take more naps, invent something, take a trip, have brunch with your best friend. Arrange for 365 great days and I promise, the year will take care of itself!
Quotes of the Week
"Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." -- Corita Kent
"Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them. " -- Josie Bisset
"All successful men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose." -- Brian Tracy
"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." -- Emily Dickenson
Have a great day! Annie Dillard noted that, "How we live our days is how we live our lives." To make 2009 a great year, you'll want to collect approximately 365 great days, and most days begin in the morning. So it follows that to have a great year, start with a good breakfast! In all seriousness, how you begin the morning sets the tone for the day, which is the time of your life. This is important stuff! Choose the first hour of your day!
For some people, a great day begins with reading or prayer. Others begin at the gym, while others start by getting the kids dressed and off to school. Some make oatmeal, fruit and coffee; I usually walk the dog and write for a few minutes. Henry Thoreau recommended getting up early to greet the dawn. I think success requires that you start the day in the way that is right for you.
This is your life! You can't wait for "someday" to enjoy it! You can't wait for a big break, for a better economy, warmer weather or until you "feel like it." As someone wisely said, "don't wait for your ship come in, swim out to meet it!"Decide carefully and precisely exactly how you want to start your day each morning. Think carefully about what gets you going, what seems "right" and special. What empowers you, gives you confidence and energy for the day? Be intentional about the morning! Negotiate your schedule, explain to the kids, do whatever it takes, but make it happen. Your life begins fresh and new each morning. Specifically, I suggest you start your morning before going to bed the night before. Set the breakfast table, arrange your wardrobe, do what you need to do. Set the alarm clock, get a good night's sleep, wake up with a plan and activate it immediately.
To make 2009 your best year ever, arrange to have lots of extremely good days! Work hard, play often. Sing and dance, read more, hug and laugh more. Be more daring, take more naps, invent something, take a trip, have brunch with your best friend. Arrange for 365 great days and I promise, the year will take care of itself!
Quotes of the Week
"Love the moment, and the energy of that moment will spread beyond all boundaries." -- Corita Kent
"Dreams come a size too big so that we can grow into them. " -- Josie Bisset
"All successful men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose." -- Brian Tracy
"That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet." -- Emily Dickenson
Friday, January 2, 2009
ELEMENTS OF CHANGE
The key to achieving more than you currently are, no matter which area of your life or work you are focusing in on now, is change. The old saying rings true: If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you’ve already got. If you keep eating and exercising the way you currently are, you will weigh the same a year from now. If you continue to sell to the same people on the same schedule, you will make the same amount of money next year. In order to move forward, we must change.
As I have worked with people, both in a professional setting and on a personal basis, I have found two things to be true about change. One, it is simple. Two, it is not easy. That is, the concept of change is simple to grasp. People or organizations are quick to say, “Oh, I know we need to change.” Simple.
But where the problem starts, and why most people and organizations do not change, is because it is not easy to change. But, I believe, if the process is well thought out, and if we have the guts and determination to carry it out, change can happen, and we can move on to more fulfilled lives. With that said, let me give you what I consider the elements of change.
Discontentment with your current state. The first step in the process of change is to not want to be where you currently are. You must be discontent with it. If you are overweight, you must say, “I will not accept this anymore.” If you are in debt, you must say, “I cannot tolerate this any longer.” If you have broken relationships, you must say, “I will not live with this.” This is a decision to change and not accept the status-quo.
The picture of your preferred outcome. What is it that you want to change to? It absolutely is not enough to say “I need to change.” It must be: “I am going to change to…” This becomes the goal. I would encourage you to get a mental picture of it formulated in your mind. Get a real picture of it if it is that tangible. Perhaps write yourself a short essay, extolling the virtues of what life will be like when you get to the changed state.
New associations with the two states. You must begin to associate your current state you are in with pain, and the state you want to be in with pleasure. Let’s take weight for example. We tend to think of ice cream, mounds of it, with pleasure. I know that I do. Especially chocolate chip mint. Last night we went to some friend’s house and we had some ice cream. Normal portions. I don’t like to eat normal portions. I like huge portions of ice cream. There is an association of pleasure there. But what I did to overcome the urge to eat scoop after scoop was to associate huge portions to being overweight, not the pleasure of the taste. I also associated not eating the ice cream with feeling better about myself. Then when it comes to exercise, I work on associating the exercise and weight-lifting with the pleasure of fitting into my clothes rather than the pain my muscles feel every time I do it. This help me win the battle of the mind.
Develop a plan of short, simple steps. “I am going to lose fifty pounds in two months.” “I will sell 500% more next month.” These are examples of change that are good goals to have long term, but too big for the time allotted – and this is havoc on change! If your goals are too big in too short of time, you will fail and become discouraged. Then you will quit and decide change can’t be accomplished. Instead, you must have short, workable, attainable goals if you are going to see real change happen and stay. “I am going to lose five pounds a month for ten months.” “We are going to sell 6% more each month this year (That would double your business each year)” These are the size steps you need to take. Then you will build victory after victory.
Discipline yourself. Sorry but this is where it is up to you. At the heart of change is the ability to discipline ourselves. I cannot lose your weight. Your mom cannot go out and make sales calls for you. The only real obstacle standing between your current state and your desired outcome is you! So do everything you can to get yourself motivated to change! Force yourself to get out of bed and get to work on your goals! Discipline yourself. Choose to make the right decision.
Reward yourself when you have made the change. That’s right: reward yourself. You have worked hard and exerted a lot of self-discipline to get there! You deserve it!
As I have worked with people, both in a professional setting and on a personal basis, I have found two things to be true about change. One, it is simple. Two, it is not easy. That is, the concept of change is simple to grasp. People or organizations are quick to say, “Oh, I know we need to change.” Simple.
But where the problem starts, and why most people and organizations do not change, is because it is not easy to change. But, I believe, if the process is well thought out, and if we have the guts and determination to carry it out, change can happen, and we can move on to more fulfilled lives. With that said, let me give you what I consider the elements of change.
Discontentment with your current state. The first step in the process of change is to not want to be where you currently are. You must be discontent with it. If you are overweight, you must say, “I will not accept this anymore.” If you are in debt, you must say, “I cannot tolerate this any longer.” If you have broken relationships, you must say, “I will not live with this.” This is a decision to change and not accept the status-quo.
The picture of your preferred outcome. What is it that you want to change to? It absolutely is not enough to say “I need to change.” It must be: “I am going to change to…” This becomes the goal. I would encourage you to get a mental picture of it formulated in your mind. Get a real picture of it if it is that tangible. Perhaps write yourself a short essay, extolling the virtues of what life will be like when you get to the changed state.
New associations with the two states. You must begin to associate your current state you are in with pain, and the state you want to be in with pleasure. Let’s take weight for example. We tend to think of ice cream, mounds of it, with pleasure. I know that I do. Especially chocolate chip mint. Last night we went to some friend’s house and we had some ice cream. Normal portions. I don’t like to eat normal portions. I like huge portions of ice cream. There is an association of pleasure there. But what I did to overcome the urge to eat scoop after scoop was to associate huge portions to being overweight, not the pleasure of the taste. I also associated not eating the ice cream with feeling better about myself. Then when it comes to exercise, I work on associating the exercise and weight-lifting with the pleasure of fitting into my clothes rather than the pain my muscles feel every time I do it. This help me win the battle of the mind.
Develop a plan of short, simple steps. “I am going to lose fifty pounds in two months.” “I will sell 500% more next month.” These are examples of change that are good goals to have long term, but too big for the time allotted – and this is havoc on change! If your goals are too big in too short of time, you will fail and become discouraged. Then you will quit and decide change can’t be accomplished. Instead, you must have short, workable, attainable goals if you are going to see real change happen and stay. “I am going to lose five pounds a month for ten months.” “We are going to sell 6% more each month this year (That would double your business each year)” These are the size steps you need to take. Then you will build victory after victory.
Discipline yourself. Sorry but this is where it is up to you. At the heart of change is the ability to discipline ourselves. I cannot lose your weight. Your mom cannot go out and make sales calls for you. The only real obstacle standing between your current state and your desired outcome is you! So do everything you can to get yourself motivated to change! Force yourself to get out of bed and get to work on your goals! Discipline yourself. Choose to make the right decision.
Reward yourself when you have made the change. That’s right: reward yourself. You have worked hard and exerted a lot of self-discipline to get there! You deserve it!
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