WHY NOT EXPECT THE BEST IN 2020

We have all heard that "we become what we think about
most", and that in the long run, we usually do get what we
expect in life.
We know that these familiar sayings are true and that they
make a powerful difference in achieving our goals. We know
that when a child focuses on a new toy, talks about it all
the time, shows their parents pictures of it, points it out
at the store and writes a letter to Santa Claus about it,
the chances that they will eventually get the toy expand
dramatically. Every kid knows this.
So why don't adults follow the same principles?
Consider that this week, IMPACT readers will spend hours
planning and organizing their Thanksgiving holiday. We
will be on the phone with relatives. We'll debate the menu
and decide who brings the deserts and who will slice the
turkey. We'll shop and clean house, we'll make travel
arrangements and coordinate schedules so dinner won't
interrupt a critical football game. Thanksgiving is
important, and we plan accordingly.
Then, right after Thanksgiving, we'll do it all over again
for Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and New Year's. We'll
debate whether to fly or drive to the Grandparents, we'll
budget for gifts and plan parties. In a few short weeks,
IMPACT readers will invest close to a million
hours planning holidays that arrive every year, on schedule
and without surprise.
In comparison, how many hours do you spend designing the
life you really want?
We all know that successful people set goals, develop
plans, then follow their plans to success. We know this.
No one thinks Olympic athletes win medals by accident. No
one believes politicians get nominated and elected by
coincidence, and no one believes Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey
or Steven Spielberg got where they are by "luck". We know
better than that!
This week, take time to consider where you're going in
life. Over the holidays, take some time off, find a
library, beach, coffee shop or kitchen table and do the
hard work of deciding what you really want next year.
Here are some specifics:
1. Get a year at a large 2020 calendar. Make sure it's
big enough to write on. You'll need it to set priorities
and make realistic plans.
2. Get a notebook. Any schoolbook will do, but use paper
and pen, jot notes and think on paper.
3. List at least 100 things you want to do, see, have,
achieve or become in the new year. List it ALL - from
saving money to losing weight to starting a business and
planning your vacations. Write it all down.
4. Ask the important people in your life to review the
list and help you sort it out.
5. Pick your top 10 priorities and create a written plan
to achieve them. Schedule dates and budget time and money.
Put them on the calendar and make them happen.
Your life is at least as important as a holiday party, so
put time and effort into designing the life you really
want. Your life is work of art, it's the thing you get to
develop with all your heart and soul and talent and skill,
so do it right. Put some thought into it. Develop a
written plan, then work your plan. Make 2020 your best
year ever!

SEVEN BUSINESS MISTAKES TO AVOID

No one is immune to making mistakes. It happens to the best of us--a business owner, a parent, a college student, an entrepreneur--it happens to all of us at one time or another. 
As entrepreneurs and business owners, it's impossible to avoid all the potential business-killing mistakes until it's too late. Today's business cycles have been changed forever by recent economic conditions and you simply can't afford to repeat the mistakes of the past.
With the first quarter of a new year fast approaching, you are already a step behind your competition if you haven't planned out most of 2020.
Businesses are dropping like flies. But it won't happen to you if you know how to avoid these 7 deadly business mistakes. So what are some of these mistakes? And how can you sidestep them on your way to success? 

1. "My customers will be loyal to me." By all means provide better service than your competitors, but don't count on that to save you, you should also offer the lowest prices around and keep your costs even lower.

2. "If I offer people what they need, they'll buy it." Amazingly, people don't always buy what they need, even if they know they need it, even when they tell you they need it.

3. "I really don't have to market, because if I do a good job, the word will get around." While your reputation is certainly important, it doesn't get new clients or customers to the room. In any business or profession, you have to get into people's faces and constantly communicate what you do, how you do it and why you are better than the competition, in a way that doesn't turn people off.

4. "My business has no competition." If you think this, it's because you gave the market place a quick look, and saw nobody doing exactly the same thing as you. Not all competitors are obvious to the naked to the eyes, though. Some times your competition isn't a person or company but rather a "thing". Book publishers, for example, compete with not only other book publishers, but with the internet.
5. "I don't have partners or employees, so I must do everything my self." Just because you are legally the sole owner of the business doesn't mean you have to do everything yourself. Sooner or later, in any business you learn that there are a handful of things, five or six at the most, that must be done well in other for a business to succeed. They vary from business to business, and sometimes take a while to figure out, but they are there, and you must learn them.
6. "If I make enough and sell enough, and there's money in the checking account, I'm successful." You won't believe how many entrepreneurs who truly believe you can ignore profits if enough people are buying your stuff. Every business owner has to agonize over what his products and services truly cost. It seems sometimes that every day you stumble across a "hidden cost" you didn't know you had.
7. "I can't really afford a lawyer, so am going to do my own contracts." Every business involves some form of legal agreement. They can be as simple as an invoice form or purchase order, or as complex as a 50-page property lease. 

PSYCHOLOGY OF LEADERSHIP

The primary role of the leader is to elicit extraordinary performance from ordinary men and women.

The most effective way to accomplish this is by getting people emotionally involved with the company, the department, and the individual job. The relationship between the leader and the subordinate is the critical regulator of motivation, enthusiasm, commitment and performance.

This is where our efforts must be focused.

Individual performance is directly related to self-concept. How much a person likes himself, accepts himself, and feels himself/herself to be confident, valuable and praiseworthy determines how well he performs.

The ability of the leader to create an environment where people feel good about themselves and their work determines his success or failure.

Individuals require clear goals and responsibilities, sufficient autonomy to think and act creatively toward accomplishing them, and regular feedback on their progress.

They need to feel respected, to be praised and encouraged, to be listened to, to be informed, to participate in decisions affecting them, and to feel that they are growing toward the realization of their individual potentials.

This is the real challenge of leadership.

TELLING STORIES MAKE YOU A BETTER LEADER

Why is it important to express your ideas in the form of a story, rather than just as bullet points in a memo? Crafting compelling stories will help you get ideas across in a way that will motivate people to action. They aid in decision-making by appealing to both sides of the brain. They are timeless and work with all demographics. They make your ideas more memorable, more likely to be shared and more inspirational. In short, telling stories helps make you a better leader. So, how do you know what stories you need to tell?

Here are 3 story prompts to help you get started:

1. Where do we came from? - Nobody ever quit their job and started a company for a boring reason. Find that reason for your company’s founder and tell that story. It will infect everyone with the same sense of purpose and passion.

2. Why can’t we stay here? – Human beings are creatures of habit. Change is an unwelcome visitor. This story provides the rationale for why change is needed and a real human reason to care.

3. Where are we going? – A vision is a picture of the future so compelling, people want to go there with you. And the best way to paint that picture is with a story about what that future will look like when you achieve it.

Start crafting your own compelling stories!

DO YOUR CUSTOMERS LOVE YOU?

Here's a question: Would you rather have 100,000 customers
buy your products once, or 500 customers who were raving
fans? I hope the answer is obvious!
Advertising and marketing make it possible to sell your
products around the world, and getting customers to try your
service once is a relatively well-defined science. You can
hire experts on marketing and branding, and consultants to
"target" your niche and refine your message.
What you cannot buy is customer loyalty. At least, you can't
buy it in the same way. You buy customer loyalty and repeat
business with extraordinary customer care – not customer
"service", but honest, extreme, personal caring for your
customers. Fortunately, this is not difficult or expensive.
Caring for your customers means working with them to solve
their problems and achieve their goals. It means listening
to them, and responding. It means the old boundaries between
"seller" and "buyer" break down and we work as a team to
achieve win-win results that enrich us both.
Recently, a friend and I compared notes about two local
businesses. Bob talked angrily about a company that refused
to provide service, a refund or credit when it's product
failed to meet his needs. Then we talked about another local
vendor who has a reputation for always going the "extra
mile". Guess who we'll do business with next time?
A few dozen customers, well taken care of, can make you
rich. Never, never, never forget that!

YOU HAVE A CHOICE, CHOOSE WISELY

I’m writing this on a cold, wet evening. The cloud has hidden the setting sun and it’s dreary, damp, and dark. I can see some colored Christmas lights across the way, but right now, the cold, dark cloud feels like the very definition of "winter."
For many of us, 2019 has been a difficult year and this afternoon seems like a metaphor of that. In business, the recession has taken a toll and new regulations, new taxes and new health care legislation (in the U.S.) create anxiety and uncertainty. In our personal lives, many are anxious about their investments and their retirement. Millions have lost their homes this year (that still seems incredible!) and millions more are unemployed.
It becomes easy to see this as a dark, cold, dreary time. Intellectually, we know the Solstice has come and in the Northern Hemisphere, the days will soon get longer, sunnier and warmer. We know that spring is scheduled in a few months. But today is dark. Depression threatens.
The contrast between the hope of our religious festivals and the anxiety when we consider our balance sheets, our bank accounts or our checkbooks is palpable. Today, even more than most days, we have to make a choice, and the choice is very clear.
We can look at what “is” and worry. There are powerful, reasonable arguments to be afraid (be very afraid!) and to hunker down. From global warming to political uncertainty to economic difficulty, smart people all over the world are on the defensive. When the “best and the brightest” among us see doom and gloom and uncertainty, who wouldn’t worry? It’s a reasonable thing to do and I can’t blame anyone for focusing on the difficulties ahead.
But others see the coming of spring. Others see the start of a New Year with its endless possibilities. Our language is full of clichés that remind us it’s “always darkest before the dawn.” We know that the most successful investors have always been contrarians who sell when everyone else is euphoric at the top of the bubble, and buy when the world is full of pessimists, doom and gloom.
Real estate investors buying real estate all year long, and they are no dummy. At fire-sale prices, they figure the future hold great promise. They remind me of one of my favorite stories about investing. J. Paul Getty, once the richest man in the world, said that the way to get rich was to “be real nice. When people want to sell, be a gentleman and take it off their hands. When they’re desperate to buy, be real nice and sell it to them!”
In the days and weeks ahead, you have a choice to make. You can believe your eyes and ears, and be worried. You can read the papers and listen to the news of gloom and doom. You can look outside and see only darkness and fog, and respond accordingly. That’s what most people do, and it makes sense. As I said, I can’t blame anyone for that.
But, you can also believe that after the darkness, the sun comes up almost every morning. You can believe that after the winter, spring arrives every April or May. You can choose to believe the fog will lift and things will be brighter in the morning.
My own suggestion is that this is a good time to buy sunglasses and stock up on sunscreen. My own preference is put on the snow tires, and buy skies and a warm jacket to enjoy the winter, while it lasts. Then, when warm weather and optimism return, I’ll be the first one on the beach!
The choice is yours. Believe your eyes and ears and hunker down. Or, as the song said, you can be a “cockeyed optimist” and prepare for spring. For myself, and from where I sit, “all the world’s a beach.” Choose wisely. Be prepared. Make 2020 a GREAT year!

THE TOP 10 QUESTIONS TO ASK YOURSELF AND WHY

Self-knowledge is the KEY to having the life you want. 

Start by asking yourself some specific questions.

Keep a record of your answers in a notebook or journal. 

Here are 10 questions to begin your journey and remember, YOU will always be a WORK IN PROGRESS.

1. If you could do anything you want to tomorrow, what would it be?

The answer should not be something that is an escape from what you ordinarily would be doing but in more positive terms of a true dream.

2. What are your core values?

Core values became yours in childhood and you would not be you if you did not respect those. Make a list and then pare it down to the 5 that speaks to you most strongly.

3. What are your special talents?

4. What do you do better than most people you know?

5. What were your dreams as a child?

If you have trouble remembering, go back and look at early photographs. Notice details to jog your memory.

6. What is the thing you are most proud of accomplishing in your life so far?

If you are tempted to answer "getting into college" or "passing the bar," ask yourself something more personal and unique. For example, ask yourself if "getting into college" would have been the choice you made if it hadn't been expected of you. Would you have preferred to learn a trade had it been an acceptable choice? What moments of triumph did you have as a child?

7. What will you regret not doing in your life if you continue as you are now?

8. What do you want people to say about you after you are no longer living? What is your legacy?

9. What do you want to do when you retire?

10. Outside of parents who influenced your life more than anyone else; who had an impact on your life and what was it about that person that meant something to you?

The next step is to put self-knowledge into action. That means you begin planning your life based on what you know about yourself. You notice if WHAT you do, act, behave, work, and make choices are in sync with WHO you are. It is complex because we are all influenced by the outside world to make the choices we do. 

In the immortal words of Joseph Campbell, "Follow your bliss." 

When you know yourself and act in accordance, the path becomes clear. 

 

- Dorene Lehavi

A SUCCESSFUL 2019 AND A GREAT LIFE!

People set goals in January and are determined to achieve
them THIS YEAR! They have decided that 2019 will be
their best year, ever! And I'm very proud of them!

November is the eleventh month. We are 90% of the
way through the year and for many
goals -- from annual income and sales, to fitness and any
other goal that has a relatively linear progression -- you
should be 90% of the way there! So, how are you doing?

Are you 90% of the way to your most important goals for the
year? Have you lost weight or enjoyed time with the family
like you promised? Have you earned the income, made the
sales, read the books or attended the workshops you put on
"the list" back in January? I hope so!

My point is to encourage you to CELEBRATE, if you are on-
track! Staying true to your plan and keeping your
commitments in the dreary weeks of winter is not easy. If
you are on-time and on-budget and on-course, you deserve a
huge pat on the back! Here's to you!

Unfortunately, most people are behind schedule, off-track
and many have abandoned the goals they set in January. Time
has passed. They've been busy. Stuff happens. We get
interrupted, reality sets in and old patterns persist.
Whatever the cause, our goals are not achieved, and life does
not change.

I'm not trying to be pessimistic and I'm certainly not
judging anyone! This is simply how life is much of the time.
The key is to acknowledge it, look it in the face and do
something about it.

As a coach, part of my job is to observe WHAT happens,
understand WHY it happens, and find SOLUTIONS so we can
change our "usual" results and achieve something
extraordinary. Here are a few of the themes I observe:

1. "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, while
expecting a different result." This old saying contains
tremendous truth. Many people set goals but don't design and
institute new patterns in order to get new results. They
have goals--many are passionate about them--but they are
unable or unwilling or have simply never considered changing
their lifestyle, their schedule, or their environment to
make new results possible.

2. Habits are powerful. The human brain loves patterns. We
tend to live our lives in familiar ways. This is a good
thing! It helps us make sense of a complex world! But, it
also limits us. Until we change our thinking, our behavior
and our relationships, the odds of achieving our goals are
very slim. To achieve your goals, you must think
differently! You must behave -- do things, use your time --
differently. Create and use powerful, positive new habits.

3. Human beings can do amazing things! Inside each of us is
enormous untapped potential. Climbing mountains, building
great enterprises, running for office or creating great art
is not (primarily) the result of rare, unusual talent. More
often, it is the result of a passionate commitment to
achievement. If others have done it, so can you.

4. Get around and learn from winners. This is absolutely
essential! We tend to live like our "reference population,"
our friends and co-workers. We do what they do. We spend our
money, use our time, and solve our problems the way our
friends do. This is "normal." The key is to CHANGE YOUR
REFERENCE POPULATION! Get around and learn from people who
don't live the way you currently do, but who, instead, live
the way you desire to live. Trust me, it'll "rub off on
you."

SOCIAL MEDIA BUSINESS

Social media takes time. There’s no way around it,

but when you’ve got it covered and you’re posting consistently, there are so many opportunities.

Just think about this...

For a business who is either just getting started or who have not spent the time they know they should in order to grow their audience, it’ll look something like this...

Let’s say that you have 200 LinkedIn connections in your market, 200 Facebook fans, and 200 Twitter followers.

And let’s say you post daily…

That’s 600 opportunities to reach your audience every day. The total for a full month, worst case, that’s actually 18,000 potential touchpoints just with your current audience every single month.

Remember, it takes an average of 10 touch points before your prospects will even remember who you are. You have to stay in front of them over and over again to get them to take action.

Now what if you already have an audience, say with about 600 followers, or 10,000 followers on each of those three platforms?

You can see how your visibility, your reach, and your influence increases exponentially! Like a smart financial investment, it actually compounds over time… because of the larger your following, the more potential you have.

I mean, think about it…

Before social media, this type of top-of-mind exposure was just not possible.

We now have channels to stay in front of our prospects every single day. You just need to decide whether or not you’re going to take advantage of it.