A TIME FOR NEW BEGINNINGS

This is the time when almost everyone celebrates. Some of
us celebrate Hanukkah, others Kwanzaa or Christmas or one
of the other traditions, and almost everyone celebrates the
New Year - at least for business purposes. (Many people
around the world traditionally use other calendars.)
Whatever tradition you follow, this is a time for
reflection, renewal, affirmation and joy.
Personally, I don't think it's any coincidence that in the
Northern Hemisphere this week is also our Winter Solstice
which brings longer days, more light and the rebirth of
spring. No, I'm not advocating nature worship, but I am
saying that it's dark when I get up in the morning, and
it's dark when I quit in the afternoon, and I'm really
looking forward to warmer days and more light! My hunch is
that our ancestors felt pretty much the same way.
I understand that on his deathbed, the writer and
philosopher, Goethe's last words were, "More light!" and
on these dark winter mornings, I agree!
The combination of our traditional celebrations and the
start of a New Year make this a natural time to review the
past and preview the future. After all, even the sun is
coming back! (My apologies to our thousands of IMPACT readers
in the Southern Hemisphere - your time will come in June,
and until then please bear with my desire for "more light"!)
Through the year, we work hard. We are busy and we have so
much "stuff" to do that it is easy to lose our way, to take
loved ones for granted and neglect our values in the rush
to pay our bills and get through the day. We need the
holidays to "make" us slow down, decorate our homes, share
time with loved ones, and remember our roots.
We need time to renew and to remember and to re-align with
our most important values.
Sometimes, we get down on ourselves for getting caught up
in life and we use terms like "failure" just because we are
so busy with daily life that we fall short of our goals.
That sort of self-judgment is not only a waste of time, it
can become a way to avoid starting again and moving in the
direction you truly want to go.
I'm no sailor or pilot, but I LOVE the reality that ships
and planes are off-course almost the entire time they are
traveling to their destination. Wind and currents and
human failures and the thousands of "little things"
constantly toss them off-course.
Isn't that how life really is? We have a destination, of
course. We have values and desires, and we know our
ultimate goals, but much of the time we are tossed by the
winds and current of life. We happen to be swamped with a
project at work, or an illness at home. We get caught up
in a hobby or forget to say "I love you" as much as we
should. That's not "good", of course, but I think it is
real life. We are simply ships and planes, doing the best
we can and being tossed around a bit.
The difference is that sailors and pilots are never
surprised or discouraged or "lost" because a gust of wind
knocks them off-course. They simply adjust and keep right
on going and (this is important) almost EVERY ship and
plane does eventually find the right harbor or land at the
right airport. We should learn from that.
This holiday season, take time to review and affirm your
course in life. Take time to shop and do all the "stuff"
you have to do - that part is important - but in the midst
of the hoopla, sit down with a pen and paper to review and
remember your roots, your loved ones and your values.
Take a moment to review and re-affirm your goals and chart
a new course. If you've wandered a bit off-course, so
what? If you've been tossed and blown away from your major
goals, note that fact, plot a new course and get back to
work. A New Year is about to begin, and the sun is coming
back! Start over, start again. Even nature says it's a
time for new beginnings.

BECOME MORE IN 2019!

There is an old observation that achievement is a
combination of having more, doing more and becoming more,
and the challenge is to get those three in the right order.
Traditionally, most people assume that if they had more,
they would achieve more, and of course, they would then
become more. Unfortunately, it rarely works that way. We
almost never get "more." Certainly, we never get "more"
time since time just "is" and goes by, day by day.
Sometimes a venture capitalist will invest in our ideas or
we discover a skill we never knew we had, but those things
are rare and hard to predict in advance.
The major opportunity available to each of us is to "become
more." Indeed my mentor, Jim Rohn has said that
"to have more, we must first become more," and I believe he
is correct.
So the question becomes, how do we "become more"?
As I prepare to lead my 10-week class, "Alive, Awake and
Aware" in January, I've been focused on the idea that ALL
achievement begins with personal development. A child
develops her abilities by learning to walk, to talk, to tie
her shoes and put away her toys. Later, in adolescence, a
young man learns to drive, do algebra or get his first job.
As young adults, we learn to pay our bills, buy a home or
pursue a career.
All of these milestones represent our ability to "become
more" than we were previously.
Philosophers may argue about the details, but as a
practical matter, to do more and have more, we must first
BECOME MORE. I think that is an essential piece and we
must get clear about it.
If you have goals for 2019, the first fundamental question
is, "Who must you become to achieve those things?"
We all know that temporary changes can be made by brute
force and sheer will-power. Anyone can lose a couple of
pounds by following the latest fad diet for a few days.
Anyone can stay on a budget for a day, perhaps even a week
or two. We know we can make TEMPORARY changes by setting
external goals, getting instruction or increasing our self-
discipline. But unfortunately, we also know what usually
happens after that first blush of enthusiasm.
The truth is that PERMANENT change happens when WE change.
When that kid learns to drive, he "becomes" a driver!
The first step to growth, achievement and joy in 2019 is to
set your targets and define exactly what you want to
achieve in the new year. But the primary key to actually
GETTING those things is to focus on personal development.
As you become more in 2019, the "doing" that leads to
"having" becomes easy.
Unfortunately, too many people never figure this out. They
set goals. They dream and perhaps they attend the
workshops, read the books or follow the latest guru, and
they achieve some success. They reach some of their goals
and hit some of their targets, and that is wonderful!
But the key to lasting success, joy, fulfillment and true
achievement begins with personal development. As you
"become more in 2019", your life will inevitably expand.
You will do more. You'll meet new people. You'll learn
new skills, get more done, and end up having more of the
life you always wanted.
To have and do more, we must first become more. If you
first set that as your theme for the new year, everything
else will be much, much easier. To reach your goals,
"Become more in 2019!"

HOW TO UNLOCK CREATIVITY IN 2019

Did you know that there are two major things that can stimulate creative thinking? 

The first is intensely desired goals, and the second is pressing problems. Your creative capacities need something to hone in on and your job is to provide it.

A Continual Stimulus for Ideas

Intensely desired goals, clearly defined with detailed plans for their accomplishment act as a continual stimulus for ideas to achieve them.

To trigger your imagination, write out a clear description of your ideal end result or goal. Be clear about the goal, be flexible about the process. Think about it, visualize it as realized over and over. Project your mind forward to the picture of the realized goal and then look back to the present.

Think on paper. Make a plan and then work on the plan, updating it, changing it, adding to it as you think of new ways to work toward the goal. The more clearly defined and keenly desired your goals, the more of your natural creativity will be released for goal attainment.

The Proper Approach to Problems

The second stimulant to creativity is pressing problems. The key to idea generation when you face a problem is to approach the problem confidently, expectantly, with the attitude that there exists a logical, practical solution just waiting to be found.

The most creative people have a relaxed attitude of confident expectancy that causes their minds to function in original and imaginative ways.

Define your problems clearly in writing. Accurate diagnosis is half the cure. Sometimes you will find that you are dealing with a "cluster problem," one that is made up of several smaller problems. Your job is to sort them out and then go to work on each one separately.

In many cluster problems, there is a core issue surrounded by a lot of symptoms. Creative thinking requires that you separate the core issue, and then focus on resolving that before worrying about the smaller problems.

A CHRISTMAS GREETING

First, Merry Christmas!

Second, to the thousands of IMPACT readers who don't celebrate Christmas, my very best wishes for peace, joy, health, happiness and abundance in the months ahead! If you celebrate a different holiday, celebrate it with joy! And, if you would, please light a candle or send good thoughts on my behalf.
I've never sent a special holiday IMPACT before, but this year it seems like the right thing to do. So, here we go! (Sometimes you just gotta play a hunch and see what happens!)
The world seems especially cranky this year. I don't know why, exactly. And, maybe I'm just getting old and cranky myself, and rather than admit that it's just me, I'd rather blame "the world" for being irritable and easily upset. If it's just me, please send prayers and all the positive energy you can! I obviously need it!
But if our world does seem more anxious, more stressed and more divided, I hope you'll join me in pausing for a moment. Let's all take a deep breath, shake out the tension and perhaps share a smile with someone. (Oh, heck, be daring! Why not go all-in and actually offer a hug to someone! What can it hurt???)
I don't pretend to have answers for the dozens of wars around the world. Sometimes I'm not even sure I have suggestions. Not to mention the "political" wars that are less bloody, but seem almost as divisive and certainly as noisy. And then there are all the folks with real worries about their family, their jobs, their homes and their health. When you add it up, our small planet is carrying quite a load!
As I say, I don't pretend to have the answers, but I do celebrate Christmas. And I do it partly for selfish reasons—I love the fellowship, the traditions, the food, the family, the lights and of course, the music. But, I also celebrate this holiday for more important reasons.
There's a wonderful story about some Americans and Germans stumbling across each other during the Battle of the Bulge, on Christmas Eve, 1944. In one of the most ferocious battles of the war, they found a way to share a warm hut, enjoy some food and good music, and not kill each other. What a thought!
So here's my request. (Actually I have two of them.) Over the next few days, look for a way to do something kind or nice or friendly for someone, for no particular reason. Let someone else have the parking spot, or put a coin in someone's expired parking meter. Open a door for someone. Help someone with their packages or shovel someone's side-walk. Send a check to your favorite charity. Whatever feels right and makes sense, have fun with it.
My second request is similar, but more selfish. Do something kind or nice for yourself, for no particular reason. You carry enough stress! You do for others, now do something selfish and wonderful for yourself. Take a nap. Rent a good movie and watch it with a friend. Buy flowers for yourself. Or, here's a good one, bake cookies and eat the first few while they're warm and before anyone else gets home!
There are many reasons to celebrate Christmas, but this year, in particular, I'd like to see our celebrations include a few moments of kindness and generosity toward ourselves and toward others. Wouldn't it be interesting if by just being nice and having a little fun, we could actually create a bit of "peace on earth, goodwill toward all?" I think that would be pretty cool!
Blessings to each of you!

LEARN: SELLING LIKE A .....DOCTOR

Did you know that 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.

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 you 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.

Stage One
The first stage is examination. 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.

Stage Two
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.

Stage Three
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 Steps
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.

HOW TO THINK BIGGER, AIM HIGHER, GO FURTHER IN 2019

This is the time when successful people define their goals for the year ahead. Millions of people will review their numbers for 2018, evaluate their results and make adjustments for 2019. That's the way organizations, large corporations and even most individuals do it.
And there's nothing wrong with it. Except it always seems so small, so safe, so “normal.” For many of us, "raising the bar" is not what we truly want. It's not enough.
Too many of us set our goals by merely adding 10% to what we've done before. The major exception is our weight, where we promise that we'll finally lose the ten pounds we've been trying to lose all year. Now, there's nothing wrong with that. Institutions do that all the time. But who wants to live like an institution?
This is your LIFE we're talking about! If a few adjustments are all you really need, go for it! If a minor tweak will do, then don’t make a fuss. Adjust your budget, set your goal, and be done with it.
But I challenge you to think bigger and aim higher.
As you look to 2019 and beyond, what do you really WANT for your life? What's the REAL story? What's your DREAM? What are you doing with your life? That's the question I hope you'll consider as you plan the year ahead.
In those areas where a small step is all you need, that's fine. Buy a new car, lose the weight, make a little more and spend a bit less. These are the small adjustments that make life easier and I support them.
But what’s the really BIG picture? What would you love to do if only you knew how, had the courage, the time, the resources or whatever you think you need? In the secret places of your heart, in those quiet moments, what’s the REAL story? I invite you to think carefully and clearly about that. And be daring!
Unfortunately, the small adjustments that are so logical can be the very things that keep us trapped. As we hit our goals and increase our income, these small victories become the "golden handcuffs" that trap us in our routine. They keep us "playing small" so that while we're winning the battles, we end up frustrated or confused because our lives don't have the joy we deserve.
This holiday season, dream bigger. Ask the fundamental questions about who you are, what you want, and how you want to live. Where are you going? What's the point? This year, think bigger, aim higher, insist on going further. You may not get "there" in one year, perhaps not in a lifetime, but make sure you're headed in the right direction. Make sure you're on a path that is worthy of you.

REALITY NEVER LIES

I recently listened to a tape of coach and author, Laura Berman Fortgang’s speech to the International Coach Federation in Chicago a couple years ago. In her presentation, she talked about the fact that reality never lies.
While her focus was on coaching, I immediately connected her words to the fact that in business, our sales, productivity, profits and customer satisfaction are ALWAYS precisely accurate measures of the service we provide.
From the dawn of history, human beings have searched for bargains. We love great products, at bargain prices. We love getting the goods or services we need, at a fair price, delivered on time, and hopefully, with an extra “bonus.” In the words of the old saying, “build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”
Because of this, your bank account is an accurate reflection of the value the world places on your products and services. The facts and numbers do not lie. They may contain a message you don’t like, or one with which you disagree, but they do not lie.
To increase your sales and profits, you must increase the value of your services. Advertising may help in the short-run. Laying employees off, or hiring “better” people may help briefly. Cutting costs or raising prices may give the illusion that things are “better,” but illusions never last.
The key to the growth of your enterprise is providing more value, at a lower price. Fortunately, this is not difficult. “Value” can be many things, from faster delivery, to larger quantities, to more pleasing colors. The opportunity to innovate, add value, and increase sales is endless.
Reality does not lie. Study the numbers, notice where you can increase value to your customer, and adjust accordingly. Your financial future depends upon it.

THE 3 ELEMENTS OF COMMUNICATION

Did you know that your ability to communicate effectively with others will do more to make you successful than any other skill that you can develop?

Nearly 85% of what you accomplish in your career and in your personal life will be determined by how well you can get your message across, how capable you are of inspiring other people to take action on your ideas and recommendations.

Once you’re able to master the skill of powerful communication, you’ll be living a life full of unlimited happiness. Imagine being able to express yourself openly and honestly to the degree in which others are influenced to do something because of what you have to say and HOW you say it.

Even if you are limited in education, experience or intelligence, being able to communicate effectively with others is the most powerful, un-limiting success tool you could ever have.

Nearly 99% of all of the difficulties between human beings, and within organizations are caused by breakdowns in the communication process. Either people do not say what they mean clearly enough, or other people do not receive the message that was sent in the form in which it was intended.

The good news is that effective communication is a learned skill.

THE 3 ELEMENTS OF DIRECT COMMUNICATION

According to Albert Mehrabian of UCLA, there are 3 elements in any direct, face-to-face communication. They are the elements of words, tone of voice, and body language.

1. The Elements of Words
   Words only account for 7% of any message. For an effective communication to take place, of course, all three parts of the message must be congruent and consistent with each other. If there isn’t any congruency, the receiver will be confused and will have a tendency to accept the predominant form of communication rather than the literal meaning or words.
    
2. Emphasis and Tone
   
   The emphasis and tone have the power to completely change the message that is being communicated. Often, you will say something to a person and they may become offended. When you express that the words you used were intended to be inoffensive, the other person will tell you that it was your tone of voice that was the issue.
    
3. Body Language
   
   You can dramatically increase the effect of your communication by leaning toward the speaker or shifting your weight forward onto the balls of your feet. If you can face the person directly and give them direct eye contact, combined with fully-focused attention, you double the impact of what you’re saying.

The more you can coordinate all 3 of these ingredients, the more impactful your message will be and the greater likelihood that the other person both understands and reacts the way you want them to.

The most important part of good communication is clarity. When you ask or say something clearly and then wait calmly and patiently for a complete answer, you will be amazed at how much more quickly the process of sending and receiving takes place.

The very best communicators are those who are the very best at asking for the things they want.

They ask questions to uncover the real needs and concerns of the other person. They ask questions to illuminate objections and problems that the other person might have with what they’re suggesting.

When you seek first to understand, by asking questions and listening carefully to the answers, and by presenting your viewpoint and your requests in such a way that they are consistent with the interests of the other person, you’ll become much more effective in getting the other person to act in a way that will be beneficial to both of you.

Once you can master the skill of effective communication, not only do you achieve incredible clarity in what you think, say and do, but you’ll also become known as a respected communicator everywhere you go.

GRATITUDE, GREED, ATTRACTION & ABUNDANCE

Last month, the U.S. celebrates Thanksgiving Day. Canada celebrated a few weeks ago, and other countries have their own days but my friends and colleagues, and the news media, are focused on American holiday last month. The conversation is about gratitude and being thankful especially as the year is running out.
But since I’m a contrary sort of guy, along with gratitude, I’ve been pondering our ambition to have even more. I suspect thanksgiving for what we have and the desire for more actually go together, like opposite sides of the same coin.
Clearly, gratitude is necessary to know joy and abundance. Without gratitude, we tend to focus on what we lack or think we “need,” and we close up. We get “tight” and it’s very hard to see or seize opportunity. When we focus on what we lack, there’s a poverty of spirit, a grasping or fear that makes us small. Gratitude sets us free to laugh and sing and celebrate!
At the same time, there is something wonderfully human about optimism and a desire for “more.” We are ambitious people. Growth and expansion and the desire for riches are part of the human experience. It’s natural to desire and work for a better, richer life.
Remember the Oliver Stone movie, Wallstreet, and Michael Douglas’ famous exclamation that, “Greed is good!”? He argued that greed leads to investment, to study, preparation, hard work and risk-taking. Greed motivates us.
Now obviously, the standard definition of greed is ugly. Usually, we think of greed as a voracious desire to take from others, no matter what the cost or moral consequences. I want no part of that, although like most of us, I admit I see its ugly presence in my life once in a while.
Is there, however, a positive aspect to greed? I suspect so.
Once in a while, we see people who are so caught-up in giving to others that they are unable to receive. While generalities are always dangerous, I’ve seen it most often in women who are so focused on caring for others that they fail to adequately care for themselves. Obviously, this is not gender-specific, but some people even have a hard time graciously accepting praise or a compliment. They feel awkward receiving a prize or accepting a gift.
I often wonder how that holds us back and limits us.
I think of Life trying to give us abundance, trying to offer us wealth and opportunity while we’re so focused on not being “greedy” that we close our hands and refuse the gift. I see that as a false humility, an insult to God and Life. We live in an abundant, beautiful world. We live in a time of unlimited opportunity and endless variety, and yet sometimes in trying to be “grateful” we think small and refuse the richness around us.
Just to be contrary and daring, this Thanksgiving, I encourage you to be grateful for all you have, and to also think in terms of how you will use your wealth to create and contribute even more! As you pause to give thanks, take a moment to review your goals for 2019. Think about what you will DO with all you have! Imagine what’s possible!
This week, pause to give thanks for life, for health and wealth, for loved ones and education and all that surrounds us, but also imagine yourself as a “steward” of these things. Imagine yourself taking care of them, cherishing them, and investing your riches to increase them in 2019 Gratitude is good, but so is “greed”—in the healthy sense of using what we have to create even more for ourselves and others in the future.
We have much to be thankful for. Gratitude is good and right and necessary. But so is the ancient blessing: “May you and your tribe increase in the year ahead!”

YOUR PERSONAL STANDARD OF CARE

Years ago when I was studying Psychology, one of the
key ethical principles was that every patient received a
high "standard of care."
The medical, legal and many other professions, all require
that the client receive the highest "standard of care."
Since you are in charge of your life, what standards of
care do you set for yourself?
This is a vital question. In fact, I'm convinced that one
of the easiest and most reliable ways to take your life to
the "next level" of success, happiness and personal
fulfillment is to change your "standard of care."
We all have standards for every area of our lives. We have
a standard for how we take care of ourselves, what we'll
eat, how much we exercise and how we dress. We know when a
spot on a shirt violates our standards of appearance. We
know when the house is unusually messy or when our
standards are violated in a restaurant.
But how about your standards for success? What are your
minimum standards for personal development, for achievement
and pursuit of your most important goals? What are your
absolute standards in personal relationships, in
spirituality or for your savings account? If you raise your
standards, you transform your life.
I love Donald Trump because he makes an easy example. Have
you ever seen his hair messed up? How about a spot on his
tie? Have you ever seen him out of control, distracted or
confused? I'm sure all of these things happen to him
occasionally, but his standards in these areas are very
high and we all know it.
What do you think Bill Gates' standards are for his office?
How about Martha Stewarts' standards for marketing and
sales?
Here's a very small example that has become a symbol in our
house. We have a standard that the kitchen is spotless when
we go to bed every night. We don't always meet that
standard, especially after a party or whatever, but when I
get up to make coffee in the morning, that clean counter
and empty sink tell me I'm "good to go." The day begins
with a clean slate, and a fresh start. It's a small
standard, but gives an example of how a small change in
standards has made a huge difference in our energy and
focus as we start the day.
Examine your standards. You have them, even if you haven't
thought about them before. Are you happy with your
standards for dress, for health, for income? Your standards
in relationships? How about your minimum standard for
personal growth? Or your standard for success and
achievement? Raise your standards. Even a small change in
just one area - clean your kitchen at night - can change
your day, and lots of good days will change your whole
life!

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES

There have never been so many opportunities to start and build a successful business than there is today. Have you ever thought about how many individuals other than you might share similar dreams of starting a new business?

You’re right. There are countless individuals and in fact, there are over one million new enterprises being launched each year, and that rate is accelerating. The opportunities for finding or developing a new business idea are all around you, and with proper preparation, the possibilities for your success are enormous.

No Better Time Than Today

As many as 80% of all the products and services in common use today at home, in business and in organizations large and small, will be obsolete in a few years. They'll be replaced by new and better products and services. The rapid development of new technology and the desire of people for new or better or cheaper products or services means that you can start your fortune easier today than at any other time in history.

Avoiding Failure, Assuring Success

However, we know that 80 to 90 percent of new businesses fail in the first three years due to a variety of factors. One of those factors is managerial incompetence. It is an inability to sell the product or an inability to control costs or both.

Another major reason for failure is offering the wrong product at the wrong price to the wrong market at the wrong time, or any combination of these. In which case, even the best marketing efforts and cost controls won't help you.

Determine the Need

The first principle with regard to selecting any new product or service is to determine that it fills a genuine, existing need, that it solves a problem of some kind for the customer, or that it makes the life or work of the customer better in some way. You must be very clear about this.

Sell a Quality Product or Service

The second principle for success with a new product or service is that it must be of good quality at a fair price. And if it is in competition with other similar products or services, it must have what is called a unique selling proposition. It must have some beneficial feature or attraction that makes it different from and superior to its competitors.

Your Area of Uniqueness

We call this difference its area of uniqueness. And it is central to success in business. No product or service can succeed unless it is somehow unique and superior to any other product or service like it. There is seldom any real opportunity in what is called a "me too" product - one that is just the same as all the others.

At the same time, the safest business strategy is to start off with an accepted product that you can improve. In other words, instead of trying to invent a whole new business or industry, start off with something that people are already doing, people are already buying and using, and find some way to improve it.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action:

First, determine exactly what is different and special about your product or service that will cause people to buy it in competition with similar products or services. Build your entire sales and marketing around this unique selling proposition.

Second, investigate before you invest. Be prepared to look at a variety of different business opportunities until you find one that really excites you before you make a decision to get started.