Not Technology But Trust

"Trust, not technology, is the issue of the decade." ~Tom Peters

In our microwave society, we are being brought back to issues that were relevant 20-30 years ago that some people thought went out of relevancy. They were wrong. Technology is not the be all end all that many people think and want it to be.

Businesses, now more than in the last 30 years, is realizing that Trust is the key element. Think of all the challenges that we have faced over the last few years. What do they have in common? A lack or an abuse of Trust.  All of the Enrons and Bernie Madoffs and the politicians say "What does it matter?"  What matters is that Character and Trust is more important now than ever!

We do business with people we know, like and trust. I would say that out of those things, trust is the most important because you can not like someone, but if you trust them, still do business with them. You can not know the salesman but if you trust his company, they can get the business.

Start working on your trust level. Is it lacking? Part of being trustworthy is trusting others. How's your trust level? I find most people do have a hard time trusting others. Here's the challenge...Trust people. Sure, some will let you down, but most people will honor that trust.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Trust, not technology, is the issue of the decade."

Danger And Opportunity Are Inseperable

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

Danger/Opportunity. Two side of the same coin. the question is, "Do you concentrate on the danger or the opportunity?" Well, which one rules your mind? Unfortunately, most people allow their fears and the PERCEIVED danger to rule their lives. I hope that's not you, because the opportunity is out there for everyone...not just the "lucky few."

Norman Vincent Peale said that "We tend to get what we expect." Are you expecting danger or opportunity? Really?  Your brain is not your friend.  It was designed to keep you safe, not to make the best decisions.  That's why most people tend to expect danger rather than opportunity.  To expect opportunity, you must retrain your brain to expect opportunity!

Opportunities surround us all the time. The key is to be looking for them and not the danger. When your mind is present, where you are, you will start to see opportunities everywhere. Be present. NOW. Challenge your brain to see the opportunities!

Don't allow fear and danger to rule your mind. Become an opportunian. I just made that word up but it means that your mind is open and looking for opportunities all around you.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

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

Do You Think You Have No Choices?

"You create opportunities for yourself. The greatest tragedy in your life is to think you have no choices. Your future choices expand as you choose to be more, do more and live more."~Mark Victor Hansen

Do you realize that? That you create opportunities for yourself? Really or do you need to be constantly reminded of that fact?? How are you going about creating opportunities? Are you trying to find them or are you creating them?

Most people think that they have no choices. Is that you? I hope not. You always have choices...some are good and some are not as good, but you always have choices. "Your future choices expand as you choose to be more, do more and live more." Do you see your choices expanding? If not, then you need to be more, do more and live more. NOW!

Realize that you have choices and then choose the one that works best for you. Don't fall into the trap of believing that you don't have any choices!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"You create opportunities for yourself. The greatest tragedy in your life is to think you have no choices. Your future choices expand as you choose to be more, do more and live more."

Develop Your Belief In Yourself!

"Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn't based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never sell yourself short."~ David J. Schwartz

Too often we beat ourselves up or let other beat us down. STOP IT!! You need to be reminding yourself that you are better than you think you are. The next time you feel unworthy, think of all the things that you have to be grateful for...and that will change your thinking.

Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves. Have you developed that belief in yourself? Why not? It's your choice to believe what you want to believe.  Believe that you are better than you think you are.  Believe in YOU!

Don't let your mind talk you down. When that voice tells you that you aren't worthy, tell it to be quiet. Here's a proven way to quiet that voice.  Simply say, "thanks for sharing, cancel!"  You are worthy, but you have to claim it. No one else can claim it for you!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. Successful people are not superhuman. Success does not require a super-intellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn't based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never sell yourself short."

The Future: Infinite Possibility

"The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility." ~ Leland Kaiser

YES. YOUR future is infinite possibility waiting to happen!!! It really is, you just need to embrace that. What you've embraced so far isn't infinite possibility, but more likely just finite probability. Things that you've just accepted as your future rather than things that you've created for your future.

What are you waiting on? Use your imagination! Remember when you were a kid and the world seemed like  endless possibilities were everywhere? Then people started tearing your dreams and possibilities down. "You can't do that." "Nobody in our family has done that." "Be realistic, you have no chance of doing that."

Are you still listening to those negative voices?  Or maybe you are thinking that you need to "be realistic?"  Well, I've found that realists are usually pessimists in disguise!  Don't listen to them!!

Stop living out of your past and history and start living out of your imagination! NOW! Seize your infinite possibilities today!  What are you waiting for??

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility."

Impose Your Own Terms On Life

"If you haven't the strength to impose your own terms upon life, you must accept the terms it offers you." ~T.S. Eliot

Wow...how many people are going through life simply accepting what life offers them??? I know a lot of people that are stuck in that place. It's a real shame, because our life is what WE MAKE OF IT, not what is presented to us.

So, what's a person to do? Gain or create the personal strength to impose your own terms on life! I know, I can hear you now..."But David, the economy, my 401 now 201k, all this stuff that's happening to me." Do you hear the excuses? It's not the stuff that happens to us...it's how we deal with the stuff that happens to us. WE are in control of our responses. Be in control of your responses and forget about reactions.

Realize TODAY, that you are in control of everything that happens to you. You can react or respond to those things. Work on RESPONDING rather than reacting. And impose your terms on life!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"If you haven't the strength to impose your own terms upon life, you must accept the terms it offers you."

Entrenched Assumptions And Mindsets

“Routinely seek opinions from people who ‘know nothing’ on a subject. These can be the most refreshing sources of new information, since they are not entrenched in assumptions and mindsets.”~Jim Canterucci

Are you dealing with people who are entrenched in assumptions and mindsets? Are you that person? Most of us have our assumptions and mindsets but are yours really working for you? I mean really??  Or are they working against you?

If you are doing what everyone else is doing, how are you different? How do people know that you are different, because you say you are?? Doesn't work, you need to show them you are different. Too many people and businesses try the "me too" style of business. They copy what the leaders are doing and say, "look at us, we do it the same way."

Be authentic. Be who you are, not who you think you have to be!

Today, when you are doing a regular part of your business, check and see if you can do it differently. See if there is a better way. Don't do it the same way because "we've always done it that way."

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

“Routinely seek opinions from people who ‘know nothing’ on a subject. These can be the most refreshing sources of new information, since they are not entrenched in assumptions and mindsets.”

Are You An Imitator Of Another?

"Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for."~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Are you yourself or a base imitator of another? Really? In a world that is constantly trying to homogenize everyone, are you who you really are down deep? Or are you playing a role that you've been assigned?

Listen to that inner voice and obey that. Listen to yourself. You can take input from others, but you need to decide who you are...and be that person. Too often we allow others to majorly influence who we are. Sometimes that works for us, sometimes it doesn't.

Do the things that you are great at, not the things for which you were never made for. Ever thought about that? The things you aren't made for? That may clear up some questions about what you should be doing. It's never too late to be who you were meant to be, not just an imitation of someone else.

Don't be an imitator, be yourself. Listen to your inner voice. do the things that you are great at.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"Be yourself; no base imitator of another, but your best self. There is something which you can do better than another. Listen to the inward voice and bravely obey that. Do the things at which you are great, not what you were never made for."

Do You Believe In Yourself?

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success." ~Norman Vincent Peale

Do you believe in yourself? Really?? Not just the normal "I believe in myself," but the real "I BELIEVE IN MYSELF!!!" Take a look deep inside your mind and heart and ask yourself the question again...Do you believe in yourself?  See, you can believe in yourself in your conscious mind however do you really believe yourself in your subconscious mind?  Remember that your subconscious mind runs about 96% of what you do each day.

Most people pay lip service to believing in themselves, but when you examine them down deep, there is fear and loathing, not belief! If this is you, it's never to late to start over with your beliefs. It's never too late to be who you were meant to be! Start right now, examine your beliefs and work towards the goals that they line up with!

Challenge your unbelief. Challenge your beliefs to see how strong they are. Build on that strength so that your belief is unassailable!!!

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"People become really quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves they have the first secret of success."

I've Got A Secret...

"The secret is…there are no real secrets. Just information you don’t have."

THERE ARE NO SECRETS. THERE ARE NO SECRETS. THERE ARE NO SECRETS. Just information that you don't or didn't have...

Wow, kinda puts everything in perspective, doesn't it.

I have information that you don't have and I'm willing to share it with you so that you will have it for the rest of your life. Are you interested?? It's information about creating Raving Fans for your business.  I know what you are saying, "I already know all about that..." The four most destructive words ever put in a sentence. "I already know that."
http://www.mentoringyoursuccess.com/create-raving-fans/

When you say that, learning stops and you remain stuck where you are at. No chance for growth, no chance to change your situation...all because you "already know that."

Action:
If you are ready to learn some things that will change your business and life, stop saying and thinking "I already know that" and join us Thursday June 26th in Scottsdale.

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference!

"The secret is…there are no real secrets. Just information you don’t have."

Who's In Control, Your Comfort Zone Or You?

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” ~Denis Waitley

How often are you out of your comfort zone? Really? Think about it because I would bet that you are in it more than you think. What is your creative vision for your life? Does your creative vision allow you to feel comfortable outside of your comfort zone? If you are stuck in your comfort zone then you aren't growing. And if you aren't growing, you are shrinking. 

There is no middle ground, no status quo, no staying the same.

Here's another thing about our "Comfort Zone." It really ISN'T a "comfort zone." It is a FAMILIAR ZONE, because we are familiar with the pain. And the pain that we know is always less than the pain of something new, so we stay in our Familiar Zone.

Peter McWilliams said “To the degree we're not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves.” Has your comfort zone taken over your dreams and your life? Too often we don't even realize it until it's too late. Well, it's not too late! GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT/FAMILIAR ZONE!! START LIVING YOUR DREAMS! 
NOW! What are you waiting for?

Know. Be Known. Make A Difference

“A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown.” 

Absurd Excuses and Earthquakes #1600

“One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly, until he knows that every day is Doomsday.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Reading the Phoenix Business Journal the other day and there was this article about the year's most absurd excuses used when calling in sick.  As I'm writing this, we just had a minor earthquake here in Phoenix.  It was just a jolt, I'm guessing about a 2.9 or a 3.0 on the Richter scale,(it was actually a 4.1 about 35 miles away from Phoenix) not the rolling kind and it reminded me about Emerson's quote about knowing that every day is Doomsday.  After living through hundreds of earthquakes in California it was sharp reminder!

Back to the absurd excuses, here are my favorites:
Employee claimed his grandmother poisoned him with ham.
Employee was stuck under the bed.
Employee said his wife put all his underwear in the washer.
Employee said he hurt his eye sleeping wrong on it.

Are you under the illusions that the present hour is not critical? We have a twisted sense of time and sometimes we really value time and sometimes we just waste our time, causally and without thought. Be present!!

Do you view every hour as critical? Why not? Tomorrow is promised to no one, so we need to view every hour as critical...to us. How often do you just blow off an hour or two and use the excuse that you needed to veg. I know that I have. The challenge is to continue to be productive!

This is my 1600th blog post and boy have things changed in the time that has past from start to now!
The earthquakes haven't though...

Know.  Be Known.  Make A Difference!

“One of the illusions of life is that the present hour is not the critical, decisive hour. Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. No man has learned anything rightly, until he knows that every day is Doomsday.”