Monday, January 31, 2011

Focus...to say No!

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas." ~Steve Jobs

Wow!! Do you get the wisdom in that? As small business owners, it seems that we are always looking for the next whiz-bang thing that can take our company to greater heights...SQUIRREL!!! But Jobs is telling us to let them go. He is telling you to stop chasing the squirrel.

Did you know that Apple had the IPad ready for production 5 years ago? But Jobs kept it on the shelf until the IPhone was solid and all the apps built for it would then work on the IPad. Talk about saying no to a good idea. It really wasn't a no, but a not yet. Let go of the hundred good ideas and concentrate on only a few.

When Michelangelo was asked about his sculpture of "David" he said "He was there already, I just had to take away everything that didn't belong there." Think about your business. Have you taken away everything that doesn't belong there or do you have some chiseling to do? I would bet that you have some chiseling to do. What are you waiting for? Get chiseling!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas."

Friday, January 28, 2011

What Are Your Dreams?

"The moment of enlightenment is when a person's dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities"~Vic Braden

What are your dreams? Do you allow them to grow or do you stomp them down so you don't really have to think about them? Do you think about them hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly? Do you do more than think about them? Do you take action that brings them one step closer to probability?

Most people will say, "Sure, I have dreams. They are over there, in the 3rd drawer of my desk." That's not having a dream, that's really not even having a wish, because you aren't working towards it at all. That's just having one to say that you have one...

What is keeping you from going after your dream? Fear? Money? Family? Why are you not going after your dream? If you think about all the reasons you are not going after your dream, are any of those excuses valid, true? You may be convincing yourself that that they are valid but isn't that just another story you're telling yourself...so that you don't have to really reach for them???

Forget 'enlightenment.' When your dreams of possibilities become images of possibilities, how do you feel? I'm sure you've felt that way before. It feels GREAT! It makes you feel that you can do anything. Remember that feeling. And keep chasing your dreams!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The moment of enlightenment is when a person's dreams of possibilities become images of probabilities"

Thursday, January 27, 2011

What's the Secret to Your Future?

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."~Mike Murdoch

How does your routine change? Or does it always go a certain way and you are just hoping for different results? Einstein called that insanity.

If our future is hidden in our daily routine, how would you change yours? What would you stop doing and what would you do instead? Why? Oh, you realize that what you're doing isn't working, but just haven't changed it yet...hmmm. Why?

You know that you want to achieve more but you just can't put your finger on what to do...

Start with analyzing your daily routine. See what you are doing that no longer serves any purpose for you and replace it with something that does serve you. The more things you do that serve you, the better chance you will have of creating the future that you want.

Maybe it's something as simple as making coffee at home instead of paying $5 bucks for Starbucks, or maybe it something as difficult as getting up an hour earlier to work out or take a walk. Maybe it's something as difficult as not eating those donuts or maybe it's something as easy as spending an hour reading more about how to improve your networking...(maybe those should be turned around...).

Analyze your daily routine and make sure that everything you do is serving you. Not anyone else, but you.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine."

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Have You Learned Optimism?

“Learned optimism is not a rediscovery of the ‘power of positive thinking.’...Changing the destructive thing you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill of optimism.”~Martin Seligman

Have you learned optimism or are you just faking it. Learned optimism is the best thing that you could do for yourself and your self-talk. It is not just the power of positive thinking, it is much deeper than that.

Would you like to change the destructive things you say to yourself? Would you hang around a friend/person who talked to you the way you talk to yourself? Think about that for a minute...Would you? I used to until I realized that I didn't need that kind of self talk and I could change my habits of thinking.

The central skill of optimism (not polly-anna ish thoughts) is changing the destructive things we say to ourselves when things go wrong. Try it sometime and see the difference that it makes.

You can change the habit of your thinking, right now. Do it.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Learned optimism is not a rediscovery of the ‘power of positive thinking.’...Changing the destructive thing you say to yourself when you experience the setbacks that life deals all of us is the central skill of optimism.”

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Choice and Passion

“The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice and passion.” ~ Nadia Boulange

The essential conditions of everything you do must be...choice. Do you realize that you are now where you are because of your choices? No one elses, no outside interference, no other reason that your choices. Here's the great news though, you can right now choose to make new choices, better choices, the ones that will bring you to where you want to be!

The essential conditions of everything you do must be...passion. Mason Cooley said “Passion crashes into obstacles; Reason peers around them.” Are you so passionate about what you do that you crash into obstacles as opposed to avoiding them? I wish I was that passionate. Some people are that passionate. It comes down to "How you do anything will be how you do everything." Will you do the little things with as much passion as the big things? The great thing is that right now, I can choose to be more passionate. I can start to crash into obstacles...and so can you. Are you ready to join me???

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“The essential conditions of everything you do must be choice and passion.”

Monday, January 24, 2011

Developing the Human Spirit

"You can view (running a business) as not just a job but as an honorable livelihood where you can, by using your imagination, develop the human spirit."~ Anita Roddick

How do you view what you do for business? Is it just a way to "pay the bills?" Is it just something that you fell into and stayed there? Is it what someone told you that you would be good at so you did it? Or do you view it as a way to "develop the human spirit?" What a great way to look at the work that you do. Keep on developing the human spirit.

Sir Richard Steele said "People spend their lives in the service of their passions instead of employing their passions in the service of their lives." Think about that...spending your life in service to your passions as opposed to employing those passion in the service of others. In any business, if you are not serving your customers, they won't be staying around.

What is your passion and how do you use it in the service of others?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You can view (running a business) as not just a job but as an honorable livelihood where you can, by using your imagination, develop the human spirit."

Friday, January 21, 2011

Choices,Choices

"You may not be able to control the events that occur during the day, especially those events that are unexpected and challenging. But, you definitely have a choice whether you are going to allow these events to ruin your day, and how you are going to face these challenges." ~Barry Gottlieb

Do you ever get up "on the wrong side of the bed?" Ever had a "bad hair day?" How do you handle them? Do you let them ruin your day or do you change your mindset before leaving the house? You do have a choice in how you respond to those events. Be sure to exercise that choice. Don't stay stuck in that negativity.

Stephen Covey said "If you start to think the problem is 'out there,' stop yourself. That thought is the problem." Too often we get caught up in thinking the problem is 'out there' when it is really with us. Realize that you are in control of your life, no one else is. It will be your choice to either react or respond. Reaction is without thought. Response requires thought. Always respond, never react.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You may not be able to control the events that occur during the day, especially those events that are unexpected and challenging. But, you definitely have a choice whether you are going to allow these events to ruin your day, and how you are going to face these challenges."

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Create, Think and Pursue

"Embrace fully your capacity to create, to think in unlimited ways, and to pursue everything that you have been wanting. Be flexible, open and willing to let the new come to you. "This can be the most prosperous, and creative time of your life." -- Sanaya Roman and Duane Packer

Have you embraced your capacity to CREATE? Have you learned to think in UNLIMITED ways? Are you pursuing EVERYTHING you have been wanting? Why not??? You have an unlimited capacity to create (even though that art teacher in 7th grade said you couldn't). How many people believed the teacher that said something like that about your creativity? Don't believe it! We ALL have the ability to create.

Are you pursuing everything you have been wanting? Too many people put off what they truly want, thinking that they need to wait for good the good things they want. Now is the time to go after what you want. There's no need to wait. Go for it NOW!

Have you learned to think in unlimited ways? Really?? Many people have learned one way to think and that's the only way they think. Don't get stuck in that trap. There are many ways to think, you just need to get out of your own brain. Learn to think differently. Challenge you thinking. Expand your mind.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Embrace fully your capacity to create, to think in unlimited ways, and to pursue everything that you have been wanting. Be flexible, open and willing to let the new come to you. "This can be the most prosperous, and creative time of your life."

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Opportunity vs. Danger

"Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity. Wherever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable. They go together."~Earl Nightingale

Are you stuck looking at the danger instead of the opportunity? Or do you only see opportunity and not the danger?

It all depends on your perceptions. Because "the reality of life is that your perceptions - right or wrong - influence everything else you do." Do you realize that? Your perceptions influence everything else that you do...So what are your perceptions? When was the last time that you examined your perceptions?

Have you ever examined them or do you just go about your day having them and reacting to them? If you have examined them, how often to you go back and examine them again? This needs to be a constant examination, but most of us prefer to just live life without thought or examination.

I can hear you saying, 'An examination was something we had to take in school, I'm done with that stuff.' If that's the case, then there will be no growth, no stretching beyond where you are now. You'll get to stay in your comfort zone and simply react to life rather than responding to life.

Take another look at your perceptions and make sure that they work for you rather than against you.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Wherever there is danger, there lurks opportunity. Wherever there is opportunity, there lurks danger. The two are inseparable. They go together."

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Your Greatest Power is Being Present

"What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over,of being unhappy now just because you were then." ~Seneca

Your greatest power is always in the present moment. When you re-live past misery in the present you are committing an act of violence against yourself. When misery from the past enters your consciousness you have the power to choose how to view it. What choice do you make?

Here are a couple of self confronting questions to bring you into the present: "What am I trying to accomplish today?" "What one thing am I not doing --that if I did do, would greatly improve my life six months from now? Think ahead, not behind.

Take some time and answer those questions. I know that the answers will give you the direction and power to make it happen.

Finally, two thoughts to take with you today. Your greatest power is ALWAYS in the present moment and the choice is YOURS to make.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"What's the good of dragging up sufferings which are over,of being unhappy now just because you were then."

Monday, January 17, 2011

Are You Dealing in the Negative?

“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong... Why not see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?”~Thich Nhat Hanh

Is that you? Dealing too much in the negative? Most people like to think that they are positive people but think about it. How much time do you spend thinking about what you have or can do versus thinking about what you DON'T have and what you CAN"T DO???

Our brains naturally go to the negative and it is a trained mind that can flip that switch from the negative to the positive. Is your mind trained? I hope so. Here's the thing...it's kind of like golf, you can never master it and you need to constantly work on it. Are you constantly working on your positive thinking?

One way to do that is through gratitude. The more you are grateful, the more things you see to be grateful for? Melody Beattie said "Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more." Wow, how powerful is that?!? It turns what we have into enough, and more!! It is the Law of Attraction at work. The more we focus on gratitude, the more things we have to be grateful for. What are you grateful for today?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“People deal too much with the negative, with what is wrong... Why not see positive things, to just touch those things and make them bloom?”

Friday, January 14, 2011

Do You "Already Know That?"

"It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning." ~ Claude Bernard

I hear people all the time that say "I already know that." Those are the worst words ever put together if you are interested in growing and learning. What happens in your brain is that when you say that or even think that, learning stops. Your brain actually limits learning from taking place because of your thoughts. That is the worst thing that can happen to anyone, they stop learning.

What have you learned this week? Anything? Most people stop learning as soon as they get out of school. Sure, they learn how to do a job, but once in that job, learning stops. If you are interested in growing your business, spend 30 minutes a day learning more about your industry, who you sell to, why they buy from you and what makes you different from all the other people that do the same thing you do.

Keep learning new things. Keep stretching your horizons and getting out of your comfort zone. It is there that real growth and learning takes place.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning."

Thursday, January 13, 2011

No Little Plans

“Make no little plans. They have no Magic to stir Men's blood.”~ Daniel H. Burnham

How big are your plans? Are they real big or are they just normal size? Why? I work with clients and ask them to come up with a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal) and usually, without fail, they come up with a goal that is reachable with a little more effort, but not one that would require too much work to achieve.

Average plans will not cause you to do whatever you need to do to accomplish it. You will quit on average plans because your reason for doing it doesn't stir your soul...oh, sure, it stirs your soul you say...right. Be honest with yourself.

The world is waiting for you to play big, not small. Your average plans will keep you right where you are...average. I suppose that you could say that in being mediocre, you are always at your best...but that's a backhanded compliment that's not worthy of you. Do you realize that you are worthy of playing big? Yes, YOU are worthy to play big, so show the world what you are here to show the world. Don't hide behind anything, step out and claim your greatness!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179604115385717

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bring the Future into the Present

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now”~Alan Lakein

Do you have your plan for success for 2011? Is it written down? Really?? Only 3% of people have their plans written down. Only 3%!! There are a lot of reasons that people won't write their goals down but it's my belief that the main reason is that people don't want to have to take responsibility for the plans that they make. Why? Fear of failure, of letting themselves down, fear of success, change. Take your pick. Which one is it for you?

Most people don't plan,they just react. Is your life and business organized or is it scattered? Have you planned for your success or do you just think that it will happen? When you make a plan, you cultivate optimism. You'll feel that you are growing in a meaningful direction which will help you rise above day-to-day setbacks and deal with all those reasons why you haven't planned.

If you haven't Created Your Success Plan for 2011, it's not too late. Join us this Friday.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=179604115385717

“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now”

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Planning, Planning

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.”~Jim Rohn

How true is that statement? If you don't have a plan for your life, someone else will, and guess what? They really don't care about you!!

Most people spend more time planning their vacations than planning their work and personal life. Jim also said "You should never start your day until you've finished it on paper." I'm sure that he would allow for PDA's or mobile tech stuff as well. But the question is, 'How often to you start your day with no idea of what is in store for you?

I started planning my day the night before a long time ago and it's amazing how during sleep, answers and thoughts leading to issues that were to be faced that day would come to me. I don't know how it works, I just know that it works.

If you haven't started planning your days, what are you waiting for? Permission? I GIVE YOU PERMISSION!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change.”

Monday, January 10, 2011

Do You Live or Exist?

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, and that is all."~ Oscar Wilde

Are you just existing? With the recent tragedy in Tucson, now is a good time to take a look at your life...because most of us are just existing. Here's the part that most of us miss, tomorrow is promised to no one. Yet we live our lives like we will never die and that we have all the time in the world to do what we are here to do! Is that you? I hope not and if it is, now is the time to realize that you can change those thoughts. NOW!!

Walter Hagen said "You're only here for a short visit. Don't hurry. Don't worry. And be sure to smell the flowers along the way." Don't hurry. We have become a society that needs immediate actions and answers. Don't worry. We have become a society where stress and worry have become an epidemic. Start enjoying your life now. Stop complaining, bitching and moaning. "You are only here for a short time."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, and that is all."

Friday, January 7, 2011

Your Success Plan?

"When plans are laid in advance, it is surprising how often the circumstances fit in with them."~Sir William Osler

Have you created your Success Plan for 2011? Really? Is it written down? Only 3% of all people have a plan that is written down. So, are you part of the 3% or part of the 97%?

It shouldn't be surprising how often the circumstances fit in with the plans you make (and write down). We create what we think about, so it only makes sense that when we have planned, the circumstances fit like they were meant to. A lot of people tell me that they don't have to write down their plans, because they have them in their mind. The problem with that is that sometimes you don't remember things. When you have your plan written down and in a place where you can see it, it reminds you of what you want as opposed to thinking about what you don't want, which is what most of us do.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "To map out a course and follow it to some end requires courage." It does require courage because when you make a plan, you then become accountable to working on the plan. Most people are not willing to become accountable...even to their own goals and plans.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"When plans are laid in advance, it is surprising how often the circumstances fit in with them."

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Every Single Thing You Do Matters

How far forward would we need to go in your life to show the difference you make? There are generations yet unborn whose very lives will be shifted and shaped by the moves you make and the actions you take today. And tomorrow. And the next day. And the next.

EVERY SINGLE THING YOU DO MATTERS.

You have been created as one of a kind. On the planet Earth, there has never been one like you…and there never will be again. Your spirit, your thoughts and feelings, you ability to reason and act all exist in no one else. The rarities that make you special are no mere accident or quirk of fate.

YOU HAVE BEEN CREATED IN ORDER THAT YOU MIGHT MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

YOU HAVE WITHIN YOU THE POWER TO CHANGE THE WORLD.

Know that your actions cannot be hoarded, saved for later, or selectively used.

By your hand, millions – billions – of lives will be altered, caught up in a chain of events begun by you this day.

The very beating of your heart has meaning and purpose.
Your actions have value far greater than silver or gold.

Your life…And what you do with it todayMATTERS FOREVER.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

Thank you Andy Anderson.

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Your Mission In Life?

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity.”~Viktor Frankl

Are you fulfilling your mission in life? Stop and think about that for a minute. Not are you doing what you are doing but are you fulfilling your mission in life? Do you know what you mission in life is? I would say that most of us really don't. There are a few people who were born for certain things but the rest of us need to find what our mission is.

"Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity.” You do realize that your specific opportunity will not get done unless YOU do it. No one else can bring to the world what you have to bring to the world. Your uniqueness will never be duplicated and cannot be copied!

C.S. Lewis said "You are never too old to set a new goal or dream a new dream." To that I would add, find their mission. You are never too old to find your mission so start now! Take a look at what you are doing. Is it your mission? I hope so.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Everyone has his own specific vocation or mission in life; everyone must carry out a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment. Therein he cannot be replaced, nor can his life be repeated, thus, everyone's task is unique as his specific opportunity.”

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Self-Confronting Questions

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?' "~ George A. Ford

If you ask these questions of yourself, they can be intimidating, scary and challenging. Here's part of the key in answering them...you must have total clarity of what you want and where you want to be. See, must of us have a general idea of what we want, but not a crystal-clear vision of what we want. “If you are clear about what you want, the world responds with clarity."

"What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be?" Ask and ANSWER that question now. Oh, you can think about it, but until you seriously ask yourself that question, you will never be able to get to where you want to be. It takes steps. Figure out what steps you need to take to get you started towards where you want to be. You don't have to see the whole path, just get started.

George Bernard Shaw said "Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself." Start creating the life that you want, NOW. Remember, it's your choice, no one elses. Stop looking and start creating. It all starts with your thoughts!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Some self-confronting questions: 'Where do I want to be at any given time? What do I have to do to get myself from where I am to where I want to be? What's the first, small step I can take to get moving?' "

Monday, January 3, 2011

What Are You Emphasizing?

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." ~Carlos Castaneda

What are you emphasizing? Are you spending your time on things that matter or things that don't matter? Most people start out working on the things that matter and then are distracted and end up emphasizing the wrong stuff. Then we end up miserable because we don't understand that we are concentrating on things that don't matter. What is it that you are emphasizing?

Susyn Reeve said "When you focus your attention on the people, places, things and activities that you bring you pleasure - pleasure is what you experience." This is part of the reason that we need to doing something that gives us pleasure for our jobs. 75% of workers today HATE their jobs! Is that you? I hope not, because it is a choice. Your choice!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The trick is in what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same."