THE FIVE BIG PIECES OF HAPPINESS IN 2014

There's an old story about a motivational speaker's
illustration of life's priorities and the quest for
happiness. In front of a large audience, the speaker was
alone on stage with a table covered with a cloth. Promising
to show the audience the secret to success, fulfillment and
a great life, she pulled out an old-fashioned pickle jar,
set it on the table and said that the jar represents your
life.
She then pulled out a bucket with some fairly large rocks
and proceeded to fill the jar, and asked the audience if
the jar was full. Naturally, most responded that it was.
With a sly grin, she then asked if they were sure and
reached for a second bucket that had small pebbles in it.
With care, she managed to get a couple dozen pebbles to
drop down in the spaces between the larger rocks and again
asked if the jar was full. Again, most of the audience
agreed that it was, although with some hesitation.
She then pulled out a bucket of sand and carefully poured
several pounds of sand into the jar. Asked if the jar was
finally full, the audience was doubtful and cautiously
answered, "Probably not." The speaker then pulled out a
bucket of water and slowly poured most of the bucket into
the jar.
Finally, she stepped across the stage and asked what lesson
was to be learned, and a confident young man called out,
"That you can always squeeze more in!" The speaker agreed
that was good, but suggested there was a far more important
point.
She then said something I've never forgotten. "To get the
most out of life, you have to put the big pieces in first."
If you allow your life to be filled with water, sand and
pebbles, you'll never have room for the "big pieces." Never
allow your life to be consumed with the "small things."
Schedule and commit to your "BIG PIECES" in 2014. Put them
on the calendar. Mark them in red. Announce them publically
and let nothing stand in your way!
So, what are the Big Pieces?
Obviously, everyone has their own list, especially when it
comes to the specifics. But I've been saying for years
that, in a general way, there are five universal Big Pieces
that we all need to consider.
1.  Business and Career. What are you doing with your life,
your time, your talents and skills, your energy and your
resources? Are you playing big enough? Are you making a
difference? Aim high in 2014.
2. Money and Finance. At one level, money is one of the
"small pieces" in life. Never trade your life, or your
integrity, for money! But money is also the value the world
pays for your work. Money opens doors and creates
opportunity. And, conveniently, it's easy to track! Money
is a tangible representation of your contributions and your
creativity. Manage and use it wisely.
3.  Relationships and Community. The poet observed, "No man
is an island." Life is to be lived and shared with folks we
love. Family and friends, neighbors and colleagues are
truly the Big Piece that makes life worth living.
4.  Spirituality and Personal Growth. What is the upper
limit of human happiness? How alive could you possibly be?
I love the observation that, "You cannot learn less!" What
skills or talents will you develop in 2014? Who could you
become and what gifts lie just beneath the surface, waiting
for you?
5.  Adventure and Fun. "All work and no play makes Jack
(and everyone else) a dull person." Life is about mischief
and risk, about games and jokes and shared memories. It's
about trying new things, making mistakes and learning from
them. It's about getting outside your comfort zone to see
what else is possible.
As you plan for 2014, start with the Big Pieces. You'll
have your own list of specifics, but be sure to live the
life you truly want. Stretch and try things. Explore and
dare yourself to become the person you know you are meant
to be. There's always room for the small things, but the
Big Pieces depend on you and only you can make sure they
are put in place first.

HOW TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE IN SALES

Personal excellence is perhaps the most important of all invisible and intangible assets that you can acquire. Achieving personal excellence in your business or industry requires lifelong dedication. But once you get into the top 10% of your field, you will be one of the highest paid people in the country. You will enjoy the respect and esteem of the people around you. You will be able to live your life the way you want to live it. You will enjoy high levels of self-esteem, self-respect, and personal pride.

Build Your Intellectual Assets

Each person has or can acquire three forms of intellectual capital. These require an investment of study and hard work, but they pay off in higher income for the rest of your life. The first type of intellectual capital you can acquire consists of your core knowledge, skills, and abilities. These are the result of education, experience, and training. They determine how well you do your job and the value of your contribution to your business.

Build Your Internal Knowledge

The second form of intellectual capital that you posses is your knowledge of how your business operates internally, in comparison to that of your competitors or any other business. Each business develops a series of systems, procedures, methods, techniques, and strategies to market, sell, produce, deliver products and services, and satisfy customers. Each business has internal systems for accounting, administration, and financial controls. These systems take many years to develop and considerable time for a new person to learn. A person who knows and understands these systems intimately has a form of intellectual capital that is difficult for the company to replace.

Build Your Ability to Get Results

The third form of intellectual capital that you possess, and that is perhaps the key determinant of your earning ability, is your knowledge and understanding of how you can get financial results in a competitive market. This includes your knowledge of your products and services and how to sell them.
It includes your knowledge of customers and suppliers and how to deal with them. It embraces your familiarity with bankers, lawyers, accountants, and government officials and how to interact with them effectively. This form of intellectual capital may take years to build, and it is extremely valuable to your organization.
You first responsibility to yourself is to develop your earning ability to a high level. You do this by continually increasing your intellectual capital, by upgrading your ability to do your job, by becoming a valuable part of your organization, and by getting more and better financial results for your organization.

Action Exercise

Take time to get to know every component of your business. Get to know your customers and learn everything there is to know about your products and services.

START SMART: DIRECTION, DISCIPLINE AND DESIRE

Some weeks ago, I wrote about the power of "starting smart."
I think it was Goethe who noted that, "Well begun is half-
done." As we begin a New Year, I want to encourage you to
make it better, richer, more fun and more fulfilling than
ever before--your Best Year Ever! But I also want you to be
smart and effective about it. Remember, the poet suggest
"Well BEGUN is half-done." Let's Start Smart!
Too often we begin a new project, or a New Year, with lots
of enthusiasm but with little thought or organization.
There are actually two unfortunate patterns I see fairly
often. The first are the folks who launch with passion and
excitement but with little or no actual preparation. They
are full of energy and excitement (but little planning),
and they really believe their passion will create the
results they hope for. There's a kind of Pollyanna naivet�
that can be fun to watch. But it rarely lasts and seldom
generates the hoped-for results.
The other strategy are the "wise old owls" who no longer
expect the New Year will really make much difference. They
know that life goes on and the future pretty much, most of
the time, sort of looks like the past. "Nothing really
changes." That's not uncommon, but it is incredibly
pessimistic. (And wrong!)
Life does change! We change! We learn and grow. We get
smarter. In large and small ways, we are new every day!
In the New Year, think of what you can achieve! You could
move or change jobs, get married, or divorced. You could
learn a language, travel the world, volunteer, or hike the
Appalachian Trail! The possibilities are endless. And yet
some folks say, "things never change." For things to
change, only one thing is necessary: YOU MUST CHANGE!
You must change your DIRECTION. This can be a "big deal" or
the smallest of mid-course corrections. But it is entirely
up to you and only you can do it.
You can set a new DIRECTION to start a business, learn a
skill, improve your health or any of the other "big" things
in life. Or you could read a little more, spend less time
online, or do any of the thousands of "little" things that
ultimately change our lives. In the end, we usually "get
where we are going" in life. Choose your DIRECTION
carefully and wisely, and stay on course.
The second necessity to change our lives is to change our
level of SELF-DISCIPLINE. Most folks tend to enjoy comfort
and ease. We enjoy good food, convenience and familiarity.
We are, in short, rather lazy! But that is not the path to
transforming our lives and achieving our goals.
SELF-DISCIPLINE is about doing the right thing, in the
right way, at the right time, whether we feel like it or
not. For some, that means getting up earlier or going to
bed at a more structured time. For some it means eating
less (or differently), or staying later at work, making one
more call or volunteering for the difficult assignment.
Confident SELF-DIRECTION, combined with tons of SELF-
DISCIPLINE, will change everything in 2014!
Add one just more ingredient and miracles happen. When
human beings are clear about what they DESIRE, they become
unstoppable! Ask the teenager who wants a driver's license,
the one who has decided she "must" make the team or get the
part in a school play. Kids go nuts with DESIRE! (If you
doubt this, ask their parents.) Ask the mother who's child
needs medical attention or the father who "absolutely MUST"
solve a problem for his family.
When we are clear about what we passionately DESIRE, things
change!
Intelligent Self-Direction.
Consistent Self-Discipline
Powerful Desire
These are the things that will transform your life in the
next 52 weeks. How you harness and utilize them is, of
course, entirely up to you. You may set goals that amaze
the entire world, or goals that other people may view as
small or even silly. But if they are your goals and if they
reflect your personal Self-Direction, your daily Self-
Discipline and your heart-felt Desire, your life will
change.
"Well begun is half-done." Design your system for success
in 2014. Clarify your goals. Make sure they are your own,
not someone else's, and commit to doing the things that
need to be done. "Inch by inch, anything's a cinch." In 365
days, your can climb any Mt Everest you set for yourself.
Go for it!

THE FRIENDSHIP FACTOR

The ancient Greeks taught that all conversation involved three ingredients: Ethos, or the character of the speaker; Pathos, connecting with the emotions; and Logos. The logos refers to the factual content of a message, the words used. It refers to the argument that you present on behalf of your point of view. (However, we know that the facts themselves, although they are important, are not as powerful or as influential as the emotions are.)

The Selling Process

In selling, we know that there are three parts to the process. These are, first, establishing rapport with the prospective customer, second, identifying the problem or need that the prospective customer has and, third, presenting the solution. These are the ethos, the pathos and the logos of selling to someone.

Build Good Relationships

Your success in every area of life will be based largely on the quality and quantity of relationships that you can initiate and develop over time. In the world of business and sales today, relationships are everything. We often call this the "friendship factor." We have discovered that a person will not do business with you until he or she is convinced that you are his or her friend and are acting in his or her best interest. In other words, you cannot influence someone unless he or she likes you in some way. Of course, it's often possible for you to influence a person if he fears you, but that type of influence lasts only until the person can rearrange his situation and escape from the circumstances that enable you to have control over him.

How to Influence and Persuade Others

The way to influence people, then, is to earn their liking and respect, to appeal to the friendship factor. This requires spending time with him, caring for him and respecting him. The more time that you are willing to spend with the person, the greater will be his tendency to trust you and to feel that you are acting in his best interest. The more obvious it is that you care about the person, about what he really needs, the more likely it is that he will be open to your influence. This is even more important in your personal relationships, with your family and friends. The more that people feel you care about them, the more open they will be to your influence.

7 REASONS WHY YOU ARE NOT A MILLIONAIRE

1. You’re Not Your Own Boss

Although there’s no guarantee that self-employment will earn you a million dollars, it’s really unlikely that working for someone else will get you there either. There are very few jobs that pay million dollar salaries.

Don’t quit your day job tomorrow to launch a business, however. Instead, consider keeping your day job while you start a business on the side. You’ll have the security of your current salary along with an opportunity to create a business where you can earn extra cash.

2. You Avoid Taking Risks

People don’t become millionaires without taking any risks. Taking a risk doesn’t mean you need to invest all your money into a single investment or that you need to gamble earnings foolishly.

However, taking calculated risks is often part of good money management. No one gets rich on the interest they earn from the bank. Instead, millionaires know how to invest their money wisely.

3. You Never Act on Your Good Ideas

It’s one thing to come up with million dollar ideas, but a completely different thing to act on them. If you are more a dreamer who never puts his money where his mouth is, you’ll never get rich. Millionaires don’t sit around and watch others advance in life. They take action to help them reach their goals.

4. You Don’t Manage Your Money Wisely

The average person has the potential to become a millionaire in today’s world. Sound investments, a solid budget, and clear goals can mean that a person who earns an average salary can become a millionaire by retirement.

If you don’t manage your money wisely now, however, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to handle a million dollars with good sense. Establish a budget and create goals for yourself to help you save money now.

5. You Don’t Set Clear Goals for Yourself

People who don’t have clear goals aren’t going to make smart money decisions. You need goals to help you save money and invest wisely.

Create goals, such as getting out of debt or saving up for a vacation home. Creating goals will help you determine whether or not you should spend your money on other things that come up in the meantime. If you’re saving with a specific goal in mind, it’s much easier to say no to tempting opportunities to spend money.

6. You Don’t Put in Enough Time, Effort, and Energy

No one makes a million dollars by watching TV or sleeping 12 hours a night. Unless you’re lucky enough to win the lottery or inherit a windfall, becoming a millionaire takes hard work.

Millionaires consider the time and energy they put into a project to be an investment. They understand they won’t get immediate results but are willing to put in the hard work it takes to see the fruits of their labour. Learn how to manage your time wisely so you can become more productive with your efforts.

7.  You Aren’t Networking with the Right People

You won’t become successful in life if you spend time with lazy people who aren’t interested in managing their money wisely. However, if you surround yourself with energetic, successful people, it will rub off on you.

Develop relationships with successful people in your community. Look for people who can mentor you in your efforts to manage your finances, invest wisely, or build a business. Spending time with others who share your goals can help fuel your passion and efforts to become a successful millionaire.

 

THE GREATEST LESSON OF 2013

We are nearing the end of the year and one of the 
most important (and profitable) investments you can make is 
to review the past few months very, very carefully. 
Humans are creatures of habit. We are great examples of 
Newton's law that, "a body in motion tends to remain in 
motion." We tend to plunge ahead, repeating yesterday's 
mistakes and failing to learn from experience. We take 
great pride in the fact that we "can" learn, but my 
observation is that we rarely do. 
We tend to assume that what worked last year will continue 
to work next year. We know that we should be innovative, 
creative and original, but in our daily work it's easy to 
get trapped in old habits, whether they still work or not. 
When Jack Welch was the head of General Electric, 
he insisted that half the company's profits come from 
products and services that were less than five years old. 
Why? Because he knew that yesterday's methods won’t fit 
tomorrow's world. 
Take time to review the following questions: 
1. What worked best this year? What surprised me, inspired 
me or taught me something new for my work or my life? 
2. What did not work, or is working less and less well? 
What was less profitable or effective than I expected? What 
should I drop in the new year? 
3. What's new in my field? What are my colleagues 
doing that I should apply to my business? 
One of the BEST things any professional, business owner or 
manager can do is invest in seminars and conferences. The 
chance to "see the forest for the trees" is incredibly 
valuable. Conferences generate new perspectives, and new 
ideas create vast new opportunities! Invest in yourself!