I was at a dinner party the other night when someone posed this question: Who has influenced your life the most? I thought for a moment and said what no one else said, “My mother.”
As I reflect back on my life, most of what I am today I learned from a tough as nails woman who went to work and busted her tail to get me ready for life. I realize now how many success principles she displayed while living out her life. The following success principles, though they can be and should be applied by all of us, are dedicated to all of those single moms out there. You are doing a tough job. Keep plugging away, be tenacious, and love your kids. They’ll see your life and turn out all right.
Don’t whine during tough times. You know, my mom got a bad deal, but as I look back on it, I cannot ever remember her complaining about her lot in life. That spoke volumes to me and has been a lesson ever since. Two people working, one whines, the other makes the most of the situation and works harder – who do you root for? Successful people don’t whine, they work harder and beat the odds.
Be creative. My mom immediately went to selling. She would hire the workers to help sell for her.I moved a lot, but you do what you have to when your back is against the wall. Successful people get creative when it comes to solving problems.
Sacrifice for others. I know we didn’t have much growing up but my mom always found ways to give me the extras. We would cut back here and there so that we could take the mandatory trip to father ChristmaS Grottos. Finding purpose by sacrificing for others is one of the highest calling in success. Successful people live not only for themselves but for those around them as well.
Be independent. My mom didn’t cut corners or get a leg up in anything. She worked hard for what she got. And she taught me to do the same. I can remember being taught to do things on my own that other parents were doing for their kids. Many of those kids still need their parents to get the job done. Successful people don’t rely on others to do for them what they can do themselves.
Believe in yourself. When I would say I wanted to do something but didn’t think I could, my mom would ask me, “Has anybody else ever done it?” I would say “Of course, lots of people.” Her reply? “Then you can too. You are smarter than them!” Well, I probably wasn’t smarter than them, but point well taken. If someone else has proven it can be done, then you have a chance! Successful people believe that they can do it!
Have a dream and pursue it – even if it takes years. My mom kept a dream alive and pursued it on the side as I grew up. The year I graduated from high school, my mom went for training. She kept her dream alive and worked at it bit by bit and finally it happened! Successful people dream big dreams and then complete them no matter how long it takes.
Stretch yourself. I can remember my mom taking me to business seminars when I was a twelve-year-old kid. Not because she couldn’t find babysitting, but because she wanted me to learn something! Most parents wouldn’t even think that their twelve- year-old could learn something there. Mine did. And I did learn a thing or two. Successful people stretch themselves.
Experience is the greatest teacher.My mom used to pull me out of school all the time and take me on these wild trips and journeys. I would say, “Uh, mom, shouldn’t I be in school.” She would always answer the same way, “Chris, we can’t let school get in the way of your education!” Successful people understand that going to school can get you some knowledge and a degree, but nothing beats actually doing it.
Some things are worth more than money. One of the greatest sacrifices my mother made for me was when I began high school. I did well in sports and played in the evenings, so my mom quit selling, which takes up a lot of evenings, and took a lower paying job as a Front desk slaes person at a supermarket. Successful people realize there are some things money can’t buy.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
HOW HARD SHOULD YOU WORK?
For years, there's been a drum-beat on the internet and among coaches that we "should" work less and make more. The theory is that by being smarter and more efficient, we should make more sales, and have more profit for every hour we work.I like the theory. I'm not sure it's that simple.The reality is that the those who work hardest often seem to make the most money. Beyond that, it seems to me that the world actually prefers LOW prices, and that Sam Walton (founder of Walmart) did alright by lowering prices and making a bit LESS on every sale.Now, obviously, we all want to be efficient, and we all think we're just a bit smarter than the next competitor.
We are all looking for an "edge" to get ahead, and I suspect that will never change. But I also think there is an obvious edge we tend to over-look.Customers actually LIKE businesses that go the extra mile! They PREFER companies that answer their phone. They do business with people who give SUPERIOR service, and who seem to care about customer satisfaction - actually, I like companies that refuse to "satisfy" me and seem determined to AMAZE me! And all of that requires hard, hard work.
Here's an old "law" of business: focus on the life-time value of a fanatically loyal customer. Focus on the value of a customer who sees him- or herself as your partner, rather than as just a "shopper." When your customers refuse to deal with anyone but you, your fortune is assured. How hard should you work? About that hard.
We are all looking for an "edge" to get ahead, and I suspect that will never change. But I also think there is an obvious edge we tend to over-look.Customers actually LIKE businesses that go the extra mile! They PREFER companies that answer their phone. They do business with people who give SUPERIOR service, and who seem to care about customer satisfaction - actually, I like companies that refuse to "satisfy" me and seem determined to AMAZE me! And all of that requires hard, hard work.
Here's an old "law" of business: focus on the life-time value of a fanatically loyal customer. Focus on the value of a customer who sees him- or herself as your partner, rather than as just a "shopper." When your customers refuse to deal with anyone but you, your fortune is assured. How hard should you work? About that hard.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
IT'S THE LITTLE THINGS
What are the keys to success? How do we explain the fact that two equally talented people sometimes produce dramatically different results? Why is that? Some people believe success is a matter of luck. Others believe it is the result of talent or education, or "being in the right place at the right time." Some of us think it has to do with "who you know," or (let's be honest) that luck maybe does play a part.Well. I don't think "luck" has anything to do with it, except in the sense that some people have a knack for doing the right things, in the right way, at the right time, and attracting the things they want in life. If that's "luck", I want all I can get! And that kind of luck is not magical or supernatural. I think it's more accurate to describe success as a habit, as a set of behaviors and attitudes that are repeated every day until they become automatic.A few years ago, I read that the top sales people in a large insurance company earned 54 times more than the "average" salesperson made in commissions. Think of that--some people earned 54 times more than their colleagues who were selling the same products for the same company, with the same training. How could that be?
Were the top people 54 times smarter or 54 times more talented? Would you argue they were 54 times luckier? Of course not! It turns out, the differences in income were almost entirely the result of "small differences that made all the difference."Now, the top sales people did make a few more calls per day--but not 54 times more calls! The top people did return calls more promptly and had slightly better phone skills. The top people read more, and had a better understanding of their products, and were perhaps better at communicating with prospects.The essential piece, however, is that the top people were only slightly better, and the things that mattered were the ordinary, routine skills that everyone has to master. It was the "little things" that made all the difference!
If you watch the "March Madness" basketball tournament this week, you'll see this principle played out in every game. The winners are not necessarily more talented, younger, stronger or richer. Often the difference between winning and losing is a moment's lost concentration, or a small extra effort. The winners are not 54 times better, or even twice as good. I can safely predict that even in the national championships, the difference between winning and losing will be a tiny difference that makes all the difference!Winners practice for perfection. They pay more attention, they read more, they get up earlier and stay a bit later. They don't necessarily work harder, and the things they emphasize are not always big or dramatic, but they do work smarter! They focus on quality, on performance, on the "winning edge." So can you!The keys to success are not talent or wealth or luck or education. Someone once told me that winners are "ordinary people, doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well." I keep that truth visible on my desk every day. Today, do the ordinary tasks and routines of your life with extraordinary precision, with extraordinary energy, humor, warmth and passion. Those are the keys to long-term success!
Quotes of the Week
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." -- Mother Teresa
"We are what we repeatedly do." -- Aristotle
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things." -- Amelia Earhart
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." -- Dorothy Nevill
Were the top people 54 times smarter or 54 times more talented? Would you argue they were 54 times luckier? Of course not! It turns out, the differences in income were almost entirely the result of "small differences that made all the difference."Now, the top sales people did make a few more calls per day--but not 54 times more calls! The top people did return calls more promptly and had slightly better phone skills. The top people read more, and had a better understanding of their products, and were perhaps better at communicating with prospects.The essential piece, however, is that the top people were only slightly better, and the things that mattered were the ordinary, routine skills that everyone has to master. It was the "little things" that made all the difference!
If you watch the "March Madness" basketball tournament this week, you'll see this principle played out in every game. The winners are not necessarily more talented, younger, stronger or richer. Often the difference between winning and losing is a moment's lost concentration, or a small extra effort. The winners are not 54 times better, or even twice as good. I can safely predict that even in the national championships, the difference between winning and losing will be a tiny difference that makes all the difference!Winners practice for perfection. They pay more attention, they read more, they get up earlier and stay a bit later. They don't necessarily work harder, and the things they emphasize are not always big or dramatic, but they do work smarter! They focus on quality, on performance, on the "winning edge." So can you!The keys to success are not talent or wealth or luck or education. Someone once told me that winners are "ordinary people, doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well." I keep that truth visible on my desk every day. Today, do the ordinary tasks and routines of your life with extraordinary precision, with extraordinary energy, humor, warmth and passion. Those are the keys to long-term success!
Quotes of the Week
"Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies." -- Mother Teresa
"We are what we repeatedly do." -- Aristotle
"Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things." -- Amelia Earhart
"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right place but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment." -- Dorothy Nevill
Monday, March 23, 2009
TAKE A TURN AT TENACIOUS!
"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'press on' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race." Calvin Coolidge
I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.
What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. You wouldn’t believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear to on “top of the heap.” Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn’t handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven’t been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven’t persevered and been tenacious. When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.
If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who “has it made,” I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol’ work hard!
So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!
Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." William Feather
I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, “One more week. Just give it one more week.” Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go.
It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Franklin Roosevelt
I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?
Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?
So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn’t my last trial? That’s okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner’s Circle.
Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.
"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Malcolm Forbes
If coal wasn’t an inanimate object it would certainly scream, “Stop! I want out!” But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth’s most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.
Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that dream of!
Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.
Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.
My advice? Take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger, and you will end up living the life you dream of!
I have worked with many successful people; people who have achieved the kinds of lives they have dreamed about. I have also worked with many people who are not anywhere near where they want to be in life. Many times those who are not successful resent those who are and believe that somehow success was handed to those who have achieved much.
What I have found however is that actually the reverse is true. Those who have achieved much have worked much HARDER than those who are not successful. You wouldn’t believe the stories of struggle that I hear from those who now appear to on “top of the heap.” Yes, they are successful, but no, it wasn’t handed to them! And I find that most of the unsuccessful people who come to me actually haven’t been tenacious at all. I find that with many of the people I speak to who complain about their lack of success simply haven’t persevered and been tenacious. When I ask them questions I usually get excuses. Yes, there are exceptions on both sides, but I find this to be almost universally true.
If you are one who finds yourself dreaming of a better life, or looking at someone who “has it made,” I would ask you to take a long, deep look inward and at your life to find whether or not you have actually been tenacious in pursuit of your dreams. How long have you gone for it? Many people who achieve much go for YEARS before they achieve what their hearts long for? How hard have you gone for it? Most people who achieve much have given up much. They have sacrificed much. They strive valiantly for what it is that resides deep in their dreams. They just plain ol’ work hard!
So what are the principles of tenacity? What do you need to know in order to take your turn at the tenacious? Here are some thoughts to start your fire and get you going!
Sometimes you just have to outlast the others.
"Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go." William Feather
I have found that many people start on their dreams but most never finish. Then those who stop resent those who make it. The truth is that most people who become successful have simply mastered the art of keeping on keeping on! I myself can remember early on in my career when I would get discouraged and I literally said to myself, “One more week. Just give it one more week.” Quite frankly, this is what got me through a couple of years of my work early on. I hung on as others let go.
It is easy to get disheartened. Ask those who have achieved success if they ever got disheartened and you will find some of the most amazing stories you have ever heard. Give it a try: Go to the most successful person you know and ask them if they ever thought about quitting. Ask them how they kept on going. You will be amazed at what you hear.
Sometimes you just have to hold on at the end.
"When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." Franklin Roosevelt
I wonder how many people have quit just as they would have begun their entrance into success? Sure there are many who quit at the first sign of hard work, but what about those who, after the tenth time of trial then give up, just as fate would have seen them go through one last hurdle and then into the promised land? How many people were on their last hurdle and decided not to jump? How many people had just one more mountain pass to go? Or just one more river to cross?
Of course we will never know, but certainly some of the people who quit are doing so on what would have been their last trial, right?
So what does this mean for you? For me it means I do not quit because I would hate to find out later that all I needed was just one last effort and I would have achieved my goal. What if it isn’t my last trial? That’s okay because as long as I keep going, eventually I will get to my last trial, I will overcome it, and I will enter the Winner’s Circle.
Sometimes the most beautiful results come from dull things under pressure.
"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs." Malcolm Forbes
If coal wasn’t an inanimate object it would certainly scream, “Stop! I want out!” But that coal, when facing incredible pressure, is turned into one of earth’s most precious possessions. Ugly, dirty old coal is transformed into beautiful diamonds.
Instead of looking at pressure and trials as the reason to quit, get tenacious and see them as the very thing that will make your life the beautiful thing that you desire it to be. See it as your opportunity to learn, to grow, and to be transformed. See these trials as the very things that will enable you to have the life that dream of!
Trials will surely come. Life will get hard. You will want to quit.
Then you will have a choice: Will you give up? Or will you take your turn at tenacious. The choice you make will determine much of the rest of your life.
My advice? Take your turn at tenacious. You will become stronger, and you will end up living the life you dream of!
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