Friday, August 12, 2011
Survive or Thrive in times of Economic Uncertainty
Posted on August 12, 2011 by
Dr. Edward F. Knab
It doesn’t matter if they call it a recession, depression or something else, the world economies are on the brink of a double dip recession. Consumer confidence is is now at its lowest level in 50 years and companies must develop effective strategies in order to survive these challenging times.
While there is little wrong with prudent cutting costs, the companies who emerge from economic downturns quickest and gain the most market share are those who applied innovation during the downturn to add value to their business and their customers. It is during these challenging times that companies often separate themselves from mediocrity by integrating high degrees of innovation.
Generally, in time of economic uncertainty, the concept of innovation is not even up for discussion, whereas it should be the basis for all ‘going forward’ decisions. Traditional supply chain issues such using innovative means to get products people want to buy to them faster and cheaper is the foundation for improving the value equation we bring to the table. Our focus should be on adding value to the customer rather than cutting costs. All of our focus as innovators should be directed at “added value”; even the act of cutting cost is in reality adding value.
Supply Chain innovators provide value to their customers by improving systems which result in improving profits. The great majority of all improvements are of an incremental nature rather than a single “big bang”, they are a result of constant and never ending improvements (CANI). Companies that can integrate some simple philosophic approaches into the customer relationships can create greater value for their customers and themselves, and will gain competitive advantage in the marketplace, especially as the economy improves.
Listen to your Customers.
Get to really know them, live with them, understand their opportunities and support them. Most companies will tell you they know their customers but it reality they know the statistics of what and when they buy but do not know what their customers’ problems and challenges are. Often, the answer is Supply Chain related, businesses need to be asking their customers; what worked? what didn’t? and what next? and often the result is technology-assisted collaboration which creates a foundation for a new and improved relationship. It starts with demand signals – knowing what quantities and mix of products are selling in each store or region for you, your customer, or your customer’s customer. Supply chain integration and visibility applications can be the conduit making channel collaboration possible.
Reduce Transportation Time and Cost
Fluctuating energy cost are an underlying cause of our current economic turbulence, with supply chains lengthening and fuel costs on a roller coaster ride, transportation costs and risks are areas that must be stabilized first. Some of the strategies that can help in the long term are network design, near-shoring, and local production and distribution. In the short term Transportation Management Systems can help reduce cost and optimize efficiency. The concept of shippers co-operatives are gaining new traction as volumes decrease and in stock inventory is a mandate. Eliminating empty miles through arranging back-hauls and continuous moves, automating yard movements and appointment scheduling, and providing portals for carrier and customer communication can significantly improve efficiency.
Optimize Working Capital and Reduce Cost
The economic challenges should result in a good long look in how we are leveraging out capital and help us identify area where we may improve our utilization. Cost reduction programs that mandate cost cutting percentages across all departments only reward those who ran too fat in the first place. More importantly, they are not geared to adding value to the customer. In fact, the opposite is usually true. The right way to reduce cost is to start with customer demand signals. Follow the demand signal up through the demand chain to manufacturing and suppliers, then down through distribution to the customer or the store shelf. Examine each point along this journey to see what adds value and what doesn’t. Cut everything that does not add value. That is the principle of lean supply chains.
Streamline Processes
Innovation requires improving processes by leveraging best practices and technology to create better flows of product, people and information. Look at order management, manufacturing and procurement, distribution and transportation. There are significant new developments in technology supporting these areas. For example, using a single system to track raw materials and purchased components, sequence them into and through production, and then tracking the combined output through distribution improves manufacturing and distribution efficiency, and has huge traceability benefits in case of recall.
Make Good Decisions based on Good Data:
Often ERP systems have failed to live up to their promise of integrated and assessable supply chain data and management has been hard pressed to make good decisions. Management needs real-time access to accurate, meaningful information which was supposed to be the promise of ERP. However, the batch nature of ERP and its lack of supply chain detail have shown the reality to be less than optimal. What are needed are business intelligence tools that link, sort and analyze data from all the supply chain systems and trading partners to present meaningful, personalized information to executives in real-time. This information is displayed on graphic dashboards that are easy to comprehend and act upon, yet can be used to drill down to get to the root cause of problems. The good news is these business intelligence systems are available today. They give supply chain management the tools they need to respond with agility to the ever-increasing variability of demand and take advantage of new market opportunities before the competition.
After years of down-sizing, right-sizing and lean, most companies are already running full out. Cutting heads may cut costs, but it also cuts customer service while raising overtime expense and blood pressures. Go from survival mode to competitive advantage by empowering your employees through a performance-focused culture. Look to innovate, everywhere! It won’t all work but your organization will learn from it, they will learn that controlled failure is acceptable providing there is a plan with predefined outcomes and a method of coordination. Promote learning to insure your organization is in tune with the latest supply chain innovation in the market. Challenge the organization to get closer to the customer at every touch point; senior management, buyer/seller, AP/AR, SCM/Customer Service and others.
If your company is attempting to cope with turbulence in your supply chain the Supply Chain Experts can help you design a program that satisfies the requirements of your customers while insuring the optimal data flows to accurately control your global supply chain.
Dr. Edward F. Knab
Productivity Constructs, Inc.
800 660 8718 office
949 413 7333 mobile
ed@edwardknab.com
www.productivityconstructs.com
More Supply Chain Experts Blogs
edwardknab.com
Dr. Knab is an academic practitioner and seasoned supply chain expert whose company, Productivity Constructs, Inc., is focused improving global leadership and thereby creating more effective organizations and higher levels of job satisfaction. Dr. Knab can be contacted for speaking engagements, coaching, or consultation at ed@productivityconstructs.com, ed@ewardknab.com or www.edwardknab.com.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Leaders look at yourself:
http://www.inc.com/resources/leadership/articles/20071001/musselwhite.html
Productivity - 5 Tips For Increasing Your Productivity
This was sent to me by Cindy Spivack ; she is full of wonderful information to make you more productive in commercial real estate.
5 Tips For Increasing Your Productivity
Most recently clients and prospective clients have been asking me if I can help them manage their time and productivity better. Let's be honest, we are all thrilled that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we need help to break some bad habits we developed during the past few years.
Last year I ran this article because professionals were scratching their heads wondering what they should be doing. Well NO MORE! If you want to stay ahead of the competition you have to stay on your "A" game at all times. So, I'm rerunning a favorite article from last year that many of you said gave you that little push you needed to GET GOING! Keep Going!
1. Have a Plan
What do you want? 2 new tenant rep assignments? A fabulous building to sell? How about your dream landlord listing? Are you getting the picture? You have to be clear with what you want and then create a plan for getting it.
For example if you're after a new tenant rep assignment make a list of every single possibility within your market, collect contact information for those possibilities and decide how you will introduce yourself to them.
Will you call, email, snail mail, drop by, ask for an introduction, what? The best plan will include more then one of these ideas - a multi-step plan.
2. Work Your Plan
OK, you have a plan, congratulations. Now, set time aside in your schedule for taking the actions you decided upon. The plan won't carry itself out - it needs you.
Additionally, decide which action steps can be delegated and then delegate them. And don't forget to do the rest yourself.
3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
What does this mean? It means you must make an agreement with yourself that you will do what it takes to accomplish your goals even if it's hard! And if you can't get yourself to do it, you will find someone who can.
Additionally, if you feel like you are intruding on someone to send what you believe is intrusive by email and yet it's professional and adds value, let the recipient tell you not to send anything else. So often it's us who decides without ever letting the prospect do the deciding!
In fact, my clients are telling me prospects want to hear from them at the moment - timing today is perfect to be "prospecting"!
4. Expect Results
Simply put, have expectations. If you have a list of 100 prospects how many new clients do you intend to land? One, two, five - how about ten!
Be clear with this step - it makes a difference.
5. Keep Moving Forward
"Money Likes Speed". Keep going no matter what - build momentum. Take action continuously no matter what and you can't help but to achieve your plan.
Start with number 1 above and keep going without looking back. It will make a difference, I promise!
RESOURCE:
FLYERTALK.COM - You have to check this out if you ever go anywhere. Here's what they say and I checked it out and it's cool.
FlyerTalk features discussions and chat boards that covers the most up-to-date traveler information. An interactive community dedicated to your favorite topic: frequent flyer miles! That's right: all miles, all the time. The FlyerTalk forums are open for business 24 hours, 7 days a week. Even better, all travelers -- from vacation travelers to mileage junkies -- are welcome in the community. Just enroll and you can get to the business at hand: conversing about programs, how to make the most of your miles and points, general travel, airports, destination and dining information.
5 Tips For Increasing Your Productivity
Most recently clients and prospective clients have been asking me if I can help them manage their time and productivity better. Let's be honest, we are all thrilled that we are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, but we need help to break some bad habits we developed during the past few years.
Last year I ran this article because professionals were scratching their heads wondering what they should be doing. Well NO MORE! If you want to stay ahead of the competition you have to stay on your "A" game at all times. So, I'm rerunning a favorite article from last year that many of you said gave you that little push you needed to GET GOING! Keep Going!
1. Have a Plan
What do you want? 2 new tenant rep assignments? A fabulous building to sell? How about your dream landlord listing? Are you getting the picture? You have to be clear with what you want and then create a plan for getting it.
For example if you're after a new tenant rep assignment make a list of every single possibility within your market, collect contact information for those possibilities and decide how you will introduce yourself to them.
Will you call, email, snail mail, drop by, ask for an introduction, what? The best plan will include more then one of these ideas - a multi-step plan.
2. Work Your Plan
OK, you have a plan, congratulations. Now, set time aside in your schedule for taking the actions you decided upon. The plan won't carry itself out - it needs you.
Additionally, decide which action steps can be delegated and then delegate them. And don't forget to do the rest yourself.
3. Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
What does this mean? It means you must make an agreement with yourself that you will do what it takes to accomplish your goals even if it's hard! And if you can't get yourself to do it, you will find someone who can.
Additionally, if you feel like you are intruding on someone to send what you believe is intrusive by email and yet it's professional and adds value, let the recipient tell you not to send anything else. So often it's us who decides without ever letting the prospect do the deciding!
In fact, my clients are telling me prospects want to hear from them at the moment - timing today is perfect to be "prospecting"!
4. Expect Results
Simply put, have expectations. If you have a list of 100 prospects how many new clients do you intend to land? One, two, five - how about ten!
Be clear with this step - it makes a difference.
5. Keep Moving Forward
"Money Likes Speed". Keep going no matter what - build momentum. Take action continuously no matter what and you can't help but to achieve your plan.
Start with number 1 above and keep going without looking back. It will make a difference, I promise!
RESOURCE:
FLYERTALK.COM - You have to check this out if you ever go anywhere. Here's what they say and I checked it out and it's cool.
FlyerTalk features discussions and chat boards that covers the most up-to-date traveler information. An interactive community dedicated to your favorite topic: frequent flyer miles! That's right: all miles, all the time. The FlyerTalk forums are open for business 24 hours, 7 days a week. Even better, all travelers -- from vacation travelers to mileage junkies -- are welcome in the community. Just enroll and you can get to the business at hand: conversing about programs, how to make the most of your miles and points, general travel, airports, destination and dining information.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Doing more with less
ttention & Focus: The Keys To Success Or Failure In Your Life
by ASOKA SELVARAJAH on AUGUST 18, 2010
One thing that is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve in our modern world is focusing on what really matters to us in life and making consistent progress towards it. Multi-tasking seems to rule the day and appears ever more indispensable as the complexity of our lives increases.
As we then try to do ever more within the same amount of time, things begin to unravel and it becomes ever harder to complete projects as we open more and more loops and fail to close the ones that we have already opened. Before we know it, even our most cherished projects and goals become never-ending ordeals that never quite seem to happen.
Marketer Rich Schefren coined the phrase “Attention Age” to signify that, as in the Information Age when information was the key commodity, today’s scarce resource is actually our attention, and what we give it to. We have only so much of it and there is ever-increasing competition to win it over to someone else’s agenda.
I find this challenge to my attention ever-present. Back in 1986, I completed a Ph.D. thesis in Nuclear Physics. In 2001/2, I wrote my ebook The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing The Higher Self. However, these days I admit that even I struggle with keeping my mind on a project and persisting to the finishing line. It seems as though I, along with an increasingly large number of previously normal people, struggle with some form of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).
It’s not just email, Facebook, Twitter, your mobile phone or a myriad other distractions that have grown up in recent years (Thankfully, I’m largely immune to Web 2.0 sites and don’t possess a mobile phone of any kind). With the rise of the Internet, there has even been an exponential growth in the number of opportunities available to everyone. In other words, unlike our grandparents whose choices might have been very limited, we suffer from having way too many opportunities to choose from. In regards to this issue, the book The Paradox Of Choice is an excellent one, wherein the author discusses how too many options in any scenario actually leads to sub-optimal performance and often failure.
In other words, we are back to that old adage that “Less Is More”. Herein, lies the beginning of the solution and the way out of the agony of overwhelm and opportunity cost. Every opportunity has with it an associated cost because it takes something out of you in terms of either time, money or resources to engage in it in preference to some other opportunity that you might be pursuing instead. Also, because every great enterprise takes a lot of time as well as energy to mature and bear fruit, we are also faced with the agony of frustration, i.e. “What if I had done X instead of what I am doing now (Y)?” And so on.
So the solution to overcoming this attention deficit that we all increasingly face is to realize that Less Is More. DO less, achieve MORE. Be very careful which project you decide to take on, but once you have decided on it, make sure that you continue with that project until it is finally DONE.
Note the use of the singular “project” as opposed to plural “projectS”. The more projects we take on simultaneously, the less likely that any of them are to ever finish. Hence, a key factor to getting what you really cherish in life done and manifested in your reality is to choose extremely carefully which project to do in the first place. Once you have decided upon it, make sure you focus on THAT project, putting aside all distractions, until you get it done. THEN, and only then, you entertain the next project.
So, when great ideas come up that could throw you off the project you are working on, put them in a little book to review at some later date. That way, you do not negate what your creativity is giving you, but you don’t let it throw you off focus either. Remember: the project you are NOT doing is always more appealing and potentially easier than the one you ARE doing; that is, until you start work on it!
Above all, if you have not been aware of this before, develop and maintain your awareness that your attention is your primary resource in this modern world of ours. It is where you place that attention, and how long you keep it there, that will determine the results you get in life for good or ill.
Copyright 2010. Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved.
RELATED ARTICLES BY ZEMANTA
Self-Help for Adult ADD / ADHD: Tips for Managing Symptoms and Getting Focused (helpguide.org)
Distraction: A Serious Problem of Modern Life (beliefnet.com)
How to Reclaim Your Attention | zen habits (zenhabits.net)
Why “Am I a Success or a Failure?” Is The Wrong Question (psychologytoday.com)
5 more fresh articles...
by ASOKA SELVARAJAH on AUGUST 18, 2010
One thing that is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve in our modern world is focusing on what really matters to us in life and making consistent progress towards it. Multi-tasking seems to rule the day and appears ever more indispensable as the complexity of our lives increases.
As we then try to do ever more within the same amount of time, things begin to unravel and it becomes ever harder to complete projects as we open more and more loops and fail to close the ones that we have already opened. Before we know it, even our most cherished projects and goals become never-ending ordeals that never quite seem to happen.
Marketer Rich Schefren coined the phrase “Attention Age” to signify that, as in the Information Age when information was the key commodity, today’s scarce resource is actually our attention, and what we give it to. We have only so much of it and there is ever-increasing competition to win it over to someone else’s agenda.
I find this challenge to my attention ever-present. Back in 1986, I completed a Ph.D. thesis in Nuclear Physics. In 2001/2, I wrote my ebook The 7 Golden Secrets To Knowing The Higher Self. However, these days I admit that even I struggle with keeping my mind on a project and persisting to the finishing line. It seems as though I, along with an increasingly large number of previously normal people, struggle with some form of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder).
It’s not just email, Facebook, Twitter, your mobile phone or a myriad other distractions that have grown up in recent years (Thankfully, I’m largely immune to Web 2.0 sites and don’t possess a mobile phone of any kind). With the rise of the Internet, there has even been an exponential growth in the number of opportunities available to everyone. In other words, unlike our grandparents whose choices might have been very limited, we suffer from having way too many opportunities to choose from. In regards to this issue, the book The Paradox Of Choice is an excellent one, wherein the author discusses how too many options in any scenario actually leads to sub-optimal performance and often failure.
In other words, we are back to that old adage that “Less Is More”. Herein, lies the beginning of the solution and the way out of the agony of overwhelm and opportunity cost. Every opportunity has with it an associated cost because it takes something out of you in terms of either time, money or resources to engage in it in preference to some other opportunity that you might be pursuing instead. Also, because every great enterprise takes a lot of time as well as energy to mature and bear fruit, we are also faced with the agony of frustration, i.e. “What if I had done X instead of what I am doing now (Y)?” And so on.
So the solution to overcoming this attention deficit that we all increasingly face is to realize that Less Is More. DO less, achieve MORE. Be very careful which project you decide to take on, but once you have decided on it, make sure that you continue with that project until it is finally DONE.
Note the use of the singular “project” as opposed to plural “projectS”. The more projects we take on simultaneously, the less likely that any of them are to ever finish. Hence, a key factor to getting what you really cherish in life done and manifested in your reality is to choose extremely carefully which project to do in the first place. Once you have decided upon it, make sure you focus on THAT project, putting aside all distractions, until you get it done. THEN, and only then, you entertain the next project.
So, when great ideas come up that could throw you off the project you are working on, put them in a little book to review at some later date. That way, you do not negate what your creativity is giving you, but you don’t let it throw you off focus either. Remember: the project you are NOT doing is always more appealing and potentially easier than the one you ARE doing; that is, until you start work on it!
Above all, if you have not been aware of this before, develop and maintain your awareness that your attention is your primary resource in this modern world of ours. It is where you place that attention, and how long you keep it there, that will determine the results you get in life for good or ill.
Copyright 2010. Asoka Selvarajah. All Rights Reserved.
RELATED ARTICLES BY ZEMANTA
Self-Help for Adult ADD / ADHD: Tips for Managing Symptoms and Getting Focused (helpguide.org)
Distraction: A Serious Problem of Modern Life (beliefnet.com)
How to Reclaim Your Attention | zen habits (zenhabits.net)
Why “Am I a Success or a Failure?” Is The Wrong Question (psychologytoday.com)
5 more fresh articles...
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
To do List
Everyone is familiar with a to-do list, but most people don’t really understand the importance of having a list of the things you want to accomplish. Creating a to-do list is creating a list of goals. The list tells you what you need to do to achieve some larger outcome in your life. The power isn’t so much in the list itself, but in the overall goal it helps you to achieve.
A list is a way to break down your life goals into easy manageable steps that you can complete in a specific amount of time. In this sense, your list becomes a guide showing you how to succeed in life. The way most people start off creating to-do lists, isn’t particularly effective. It is easy to end up with many items that aren’t important, that you don’t want to do, and that don’t contribute to your overall goals.
Developing a talent in creating your lists is very beneficial First, you need to see your list as a sacred place. It is there to help you achieve your life goals. It represents items on which you plan to spend part of your valuable and limited time. This doesn’t mean you can’t put smaller items on the list–like getting groceries. It does mean that you need to make sure you only use your list for things that are actually valuable to you.
A list is a way to break down your life goals into easy manageable steps that you can complete in a specific amount of time. In this sense, your list becomes a guide showing you how to succeed in life. The way most people start off creating to-do lists, isn’t particularly effective. It is easy to end up with many items that aren’t important, that you don’t want to do, and that don’t contribute to your overall goals.
Developing a talent in creating your lists is very beneficial First, you need to see your list as a sacred place. It is there to help you achieve your life goals. It represents items on which you plan to spend part of your valuable and limited time. This doesn’t mean you can’t put smaller items on the list–like getting groceries. It does mean that you need to make sure you only use your list for things that are actually valuable to you.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Getting more done
Here are 7 tips to help you focus and concentrate on getting the
important things done!
1. Do What You Love.
Concentration arises chiefly from being deeply interested or vested
in an activity. So many people overlook this truth: No one can
become deeply interested in work that they don't like. Many people
struggle upstream all their lives because they are in a job that
doesn't fit them. They do not experience doing their best--and the
fulfillment that flows from this--because they do not like what they
are doing and lose their own self-respect. If this is true for you,
changing this is your starting point.
2. One Thing at a Time
Concentration is the art of continuous and intense application to a
task. To cultivate concentration you must have focus. As you're
growing this skill, it's a good thing to think and do only one
thing at a time. There's nothing wrong with writing a book and
doing home improvements in the same month. There is everything
wrong with starting projects and not finishing them. Creating bad
habits like procrastination and not finishing projects destroys
even the grandest dreams.
3. The Little Things Matter
In order to cultivate focus, you must bring your will to bear
strongly upon your work and your life. As Napoleon Hill said,
"Thoughts mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a
burning desire are powerful things." Begin to develop your focus
skills today in little things. Cultivate intense focus in whatever
you do. Say to yourself: "I am striving for excellence and will do
this well until it is done." Period. Even the most difficult tasks
yield to the power of focus and uninterrupted effort.
4. Nice and Steady
Vacillation is the enemy of focus. If you are erratic in your
habits and shift constantly from one thing to another, you may
appear to be busy but accomplish nothing substantial. To achieve
greatness, you must focus on one course of action and stay the
course. Your ability to dig in, to stay focused, to get up one more
time than you fall, to practice when you don't want to, and to put
temporary pleasures aside will allow you to more quickly achieve
your biggest goals.
5. Revel in your passion
Self-consciousness undermines focus. Greatness requires boldness.
Take a stand and live out loud. I wish I could deliver a big shot
of passion that would keep you focused and moving forward.
Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Only you can name and claim
your Why. What is the one thing that drives you, the one thing that
matters more than anything else? It has to be real and it has to
engage you. When you own your passions and how they make a
difference in the world, you will accomplish incredible things.
6. Feel it, Baby!
It is easiest to improve focus and change behavior in general when
you integrate an emotional component. This means that you can
reduce the need to white knuckle your way to high achievement
through sheer determination and hard work. You can go beyond a
logical connection to your effort and feel the emotion of why you
are doing what you do. When the emotional component of missing your
goal becomes more engaging than the temporary pleasure of not doing
whatever is required to enhance your skill or mastery, stopping
isn't an option.
7. The Bigger Picture
One of the payoffs of increased concentration is an improved
ability to make more money and better manage it. Yet, the need for
concentrated effort goes beyond business. You want to increase your
ability to concentrate in non-income producing activities, too.
Apply intense focus to everything you do. Why? Because the power of
concentrated effort will help you cultivate many other valuable
traits like organization, punctuality, thoroughness, an improved
memory, self-respect, and self-reliance.
Obstacles abound. Without concentrated focus, you will be unable to
persevere in the face of difficulty. Continue to grow your
concentrated effort to fuel you through obstacles, allowing you to
use them as stepping-stones to higher things.
important things done!
1. Do What You Love.
Concentration arises chiefly from being deeply interested or vested
in an activity. So many people overlook this truth: No one can
become deeply interested in work that they don't like. Many people
struggle upstream all their lives because they are in a job that
doesn't fit them. They do not experience doing their best--and the
fulfillment that flows from this--because they do not like what they
are doing and lose their own self-respect. If this is true for you,
changing this is your starting point.
2. One Thing at a Time
Concentration is the art of continuous and intense application to a
task. To cultivate concentration you must have focus. As you're
growing this skill, it's a good thing to think and do only one
thing at a time. There's nothing wrong with writing a book and
doing home improvements in the same month. There is everything
wrong with starting projects and not finishing them. Creating bad
habits like procrastination and not finishing projects destroys
even the grandest dreams.
3. The Little Things Matter
In order to cultivate focus, you must bring your will to bear
strongly upon your work and your life. As Napoleon Hill said,
"Thoughts mixed with definiteness of purpose, persistence, and a
burning desire are powerful things." Begin to develop your focus
skills today in little things. Cultivate intense focus in whatever
you do. Say to yourself: "I am striving for excellence and will do
this well until it is done." Period. Even the most difficult tasks
yield to the power of focus and uninterrupted effort.
4. Nice and Steady
Vacillation is the enemy of focus. If you are erratic in your
habits and shift constantly from one thing to another, you may
appear to be busy but accomplish nothing substantial. To achieve
greatness, you must focus on one course of action and stay the
course. Your ability to dig in, to stay focused, to get up one more
time than you fall, to practice when you don't want to, and to put
temporary pleasures aside will allow you to more quickly achieve
your biggest goals.
5. Revel in your passion
Self-consciousness undermines focus. Greatness requires boldness.
Take a stand and live out loud. I wish I could deliver a big shot
of passion that would keep you focused and moving forward.
Unfortunately, that's not how it works. Only you can name and claim
your Why. What is the one thing that drives you, the one thing that
matters more than anything else? It has to be real and it has to
engage you. When you own your passions and how they make a
difference in the world, you will accomplish incredible things.
6. Feel it, Baby!
It is easiest to improve focus and change behavior in general when
you integrate an emotional component. This means that you can
reduce the need to white knuckle your way to high achievement
through sheer determination and hard work. You can go beyond a
logical connection to your effort and feel the emotion of why you
are doing what you do. When the emotional component of missing your
goal becomes more engaging than the temporary pleasure of not doing
whatever is required to enhance your skill or mastery, stopping
isn't an option.
7. The Bigger Picture
One of the payoffs of increased concentration is an improved
ability to make more money and better manage it. Yet, the need for
concentrated effort goes beyond business. You want to increase your
ability to concentrate in non-income producing activities, too.
Apply intense focus to everything you do. Why? Because the power of
concentrated effort will help you cultivate many other valuable
traits like organization, punctuality, thoroughness, an improved
memory, self-respect, and self-reliance.
Obstacles abound. Without concentrated focus, you will be unable to
persevere in the face of difficulty. Continue to grow your
concentrated effort to fuel you through obstacles, allowing you to
use them as stepping-stones to higher things.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
10 Life Lessons You Should Unlearn
6. It matters what people think of me. "But if I fail," you may protest, "people will think badly of me!" This dreaded fate causes despair, suicide, homicide. I realized this when I read blatant lies about myself on the Internet. When I bewailed this to a friend, she said, "Wow, you have some painful fantasies about other people's fantasies about you." Yup, my anguish came from my hypothesis that other people's hypothetical hypotheses about me mattered. Ridiculous! Right now, imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.
7. We should think rationally about our decisions. Your rational capacities are far newer and more error-prone than your deeper, "animal" brain. Often complex problems are best solved by thinking like an animal. Consider a choice you have to make—anything from which movie to see to which house to buy. Instead of weighing pros and cons intellectually, notice your physical response to each option. Pay attention to when your body tenses or relaxes. And speaking of bodies...
8. The pretty girls get all the good stuff. Oh, God. So not true. I unlearned this after years of coaching beautiful clients. Yes, these lovelies get preferential treatment in most life scenarios, but there's a catch: While everyone's looking at them, virtually no one sees them. Almost every gorgeous client had a husband who'd married her breasts and jawline without ever noticing her soul.
9. If all my wishes came true right now, life would be perfect. Check it out: People who have what you want are all over rehab clinics, divorce courts, and jails. That's because good fortune has side effects, just like medications advertised on TV. Basically, any external thing we depend on to make us feel good has the power to make us feel bad. Weirdly, when you've stopped depending on tangible rewards, they often materialize. To attract something you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you. The joy, not the thing, is the point.
10. Loss is terrible. Ten years ago I still feared loss enough to abandon myself in order to keep things stable. I'd smile when I was sad, pretend to like people who appalled me. What I now know is that losses aren't cataclysmic if they teach the heart and soul their natural cycle of breaking and healing. A real tragedy? That's the loss of the heart and soul themselves. If you've abandoned yourself in the effort to keep anyone or anything else, unlearn that pattern. Live your truth, losses be damned. Just like that, your heart and soul will return home.
In the past 10 years, I’ve realized that our culture is rife with ideas that actually inhibit joy. Here are some of the things I’m most grateful to have unlearned:
1. Problems are bad. You spent your school years solving arbitrary problems imposed by boring authority figures. You learned that problems—comment se dit?—suck. But people without real problems go mad and invent things like base jumping and wedding planning. Real problems are wonderful, each carrying the seeds of its own solution. Job burnout? It’s steering you toward your perfect career. An awful relationship? It’s teaching you what love means. Confusing tax forms? They’re suggesting you hire an accountant, so you can focus on more interesting tasks, such as flossing. Finding the solution to each problem is what gives life its gusto.
2. It’s important to stay happy. Solving a knotty problem can help us be happy, but we don’t have to be happy to feel good. If that sounds crazy, try this: Focus on something that makes you miserable. Then think, “I must stay happy!” Stressful, isn’t it? Now say, “It’s okay to be as sad as I need to be.” This kind of permission to feel as we feel—not continuous happiness—is the foundation of well-being.
3. I’m irreparably damaged by my past. Painful events leave scars, true, but it turns out they’re largely erasable. Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuroanatomist who had a stroke that obliterated her memory, described the event as losing “37 years of emotional baggage.” Taylor rebuilt her own brain, minus the drama. Now it appears we can all effect a similar shift, without having to endure a brain hemorrhage. The very thing you’re doing at this moment—questioning habitual thoughts—is enough to begin off-loading old patterns. For example, take an issue that’s been worrying you (“I’ve got to work harder!”) and think of three reasons that belief may be wrong. Your brain will begin to let it go. Taylor found this thought-loss euphoric. You will, too.
4. Working hard leads to success. Baby mammals, including humans, learn by playing, which is why "the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." Boys who'd spent years strategizing for fun gained instinctive skills to handle real-world situations. So play as you did in childhood, with all-out absorption. Watch for ways your childhood playing skills can solve a problem (see #1). Play, not work, is the key to success. While we're on the subject...
5. Success is the opposite of failure. Fact: From quitting smoking to skiing, we succeed to the degree we try, fail, and learn. Studies show that people who worry about mistakes shut down, but those who are relaxed about doing badly soon learn to do well. Success is built on failure.
6. It matters what people think of me. "But if I fail," you may protest, "people will think badly of me!" This dreaded fate causes despair, suicide, homicide. I realized this when I read blatant lies about myself on the Internet. When I bewailed this to a friend, she said, "Wow, you have some painful fantasies about other people's fantasies about you." Yup, my anguish came from my hypothesis that other people's hypothetical hypotheses about me mattered. Ridiculous! Right now, imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.
7. We should think rationally about our decisions. Your rational capacities are far newer and more error-prone than your deeper, "animal" brain. Often complex problems are best solved by thinking like an animal. Consider a choice you have to make—anything from which movie to see to which house to buy. Instead of weighing pros and cons intellectually, notice your physical response to each option. Pay attention to when your body tenses or relaxes. And speaking of bodies...
8. The pretty girls get all the good stuff. Oh, God. So not true. I unlearned this after years of coaching beautiful clients. Yes, these lovelies get preferential treatment in most life scenarios, but there's a catch: While everyone's looking at them, virtually no one sees them. Almost every gorgeous client had a husband who'd married her breasts and jawline without ever noticing her soul.
9. If all my wishes came true right now, life would be perfect. Check it out: People who have what you want are all over rehab clinics, divorce courts, and jails. That's because good fortune has side effects, just like medications advertised on TV. Basically, any external thing we depend on to make us feel good has the power to make us feel bad. Weirdly, when you've stopped depending on tangible rewards, they often materialize. To attract something you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you. The joy, not the thing, is the point.
10. Loss is terrible. Ten years ago I still feared loss enough to abandon myself in order to keep things stable. I'd smile when I was sad, pretend to like people who appalled me. What I now know is that losses aren't cataclysmic if they teach the heart and soul their natural cycle of breaking and healing. A real tragedy? That's the loss of the heart and soul themselves. If you've abandoned yourself in the effort to keep anyone or anything else, unlearn that pattern. Live your truth, losses be damned. Just like that, your heart and soul will return home.
7. We should think rationally about our decisions. Your rational capacities are far newer and more error-prone than your deeper, "animal" brain. Often complex problems are best solved by thinking like an animal. Consider a choice you have to make—anything from which movie to see to which house to buy. Instead of weighing pros and cons intellectually, notice your physical response to each option. Pay attention to when your body tenses or relaxes. And speaking of bodies...
8. The pretty girls get all the good stuff. Oh, God. So not true. I unlearned this after years of coaching beautiful clients. Yes, these lovelies get preferential treatment in most life scenarios, but there's a catch: While everyone's looking at them, virtually no one sees them. Almost every gorgeous client had a husband who'd married her breasts and jawline without ever noticing her soul.
9. If all my wishes came true right now, life would be perfect. Check it out: People who have what you want are all over rehab clinics, divorce courts, and jails. That's because good fortune has side effects, just like medications advertised on TV. Basically, any external thing we depend on to make us feel good has the power to make us feel bad. Weirdly, when you've stopped depending on tangible rewards, they often materialize. To attract something you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you. The joy, not the thing, is the point.
10. Loss is terrible. Ten years ago I still feared loss enough to abandon myself in order to keep things stable. I'd smile when I was sad, pretend to like people who appalled me. What I now know is that losses aren't cataclysmic if they teach the heart and soul their natural cycle of breaking and healing. A real tragedy? That's the loss of the heart and soul themselves. If you've abandoned yourself in the effort to keep anyone or anything else, unlearn that pattern. Live your truth, losses be damned. Just like that, your heart and soul will return home.
In the past 10 years, I’ve realized that our culture is rife with ideas that actually inhibit joy. Here are some of the things I’m most grateful to have unlearned:
1. Problems are bad. You spent your school years solving arbitrary problems imposed by boring authority figures. You learned that problems—comment se dit?—suck. But people without real problems go mad and invent things like base jumping and wedding planning. Real problems are wonderful, each carrying the seeds of its own solution. Job burnout? It’s steering you toward your perfect career. An awful relationship? It’s teaching you what love means. Confusing tax forms? They’re suggesting you hire an accountant, so you can focus on more interesting tasks, such as flossing. Finding the solution to each problem is what gives life its gusto.
2. It’s important to stay happy. Solving a knotty problem can help us be happy, but we don’t have to be happy to feel good. If that sounds crazy, try this: Focus on something that makes you miserable. Then think, “I must stay happy!” Stressful, isn’t it? Now say, “It’s okay to be as sad as I need to be.” This kind of permission to feel as we feel—not continuous happiness—is the foundation of well-being.
3. I’m irreparably damaged by my past. Painful events leave scars, true, but it turns out they’re largely erasable. Jill Bolte Taylor, the neuroanatomist who had a stroke that obliterated her memory, described the event as losing “37 years of emotional baggage.” Taylor rebuilt her own brain, minus the drama. Now it appears we can all effect a similar shift, without having to endure a brain hemorrhage. The very thing you’re doing at this moment—questioning habitual thoughts—is enough to begin off-loading old patterns. For example, take an issue that’s been worrying you (“I’ve got to work harder!”) and think of three reasons that belief may be wrong. Your brain will begin to let it go. Taylor found this thought-loss euphoric. You will, too.
4. Working hard leads to success. Baby mammals, including humans, learn by playing, which is why "the battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton." Boys who'd spent years strategizing for fun gained instinctive skills to handle real-world situations. So play as you did in childhood, with all-out absorption. Watch for ways your childhood playing skills can solve a problem (see #1). Play, not work, is the key to success. While we're on the subject...
5. Success is the opposite of failure. Fact: From quitting smoking to skiing, we succeed to the degree we try, fail, and learn. Studies show that people who worry about mistakes shut down, but those who are relaxed about doing badly soon learn to do well. Success is built on failure.
6. It matters what people think of me. "But if I fail," you may protest, "people will think badly of me!" This dreaded fate causes despair, suicide, homicide. I realized this when I read blatant lies about myself on the Internet. When I bewailed this to a friend, she said, "Wow, you have some painful fantasies about other people's fantasies about you." Yup, my anguish came from my hypothesis that other people's hypothetical hypotheses about me mattered. Ridiculous! Right now, imagine what you'd do if it absolutely didn't matter what people thought of you. Got it? Good. Never go back.
7. We should think rationally about our decisions. Your rational capacities are far newer and more error-prone than your deeper, "animal" brain. Often complex problems are best solved by thinking like an animal. Consider a choice you have to make—anything from which movie to see to which house to buy. Instead of weighing pros and cons intellectually, notice your physical response to each option. Pay attention to when your body tenses or relaxes. And speaking of bodies...
8. The pretty girls get all the good stuff. Oh, God. So not true. I unlearned this after years of coaching beautiful clients. Yes, these lovelies get preferential treatment in most life scenarios, but there's a catch: While everyone's looking at them, virtually no one sees them. Almost every gorgeous client had a husband who'd married her breasts and jawline without ever noticing her soul.
9. If all my wishes came true right now, life would be perfect. Check it out: People who have what you want are all over rehab clinics, divorce courts, and jails. That's because good fortune has side effects, just like medications advertised on TV. Basically, any external thing we depend on to make us feel good has the power to make us feel bad. Weirdly, when you've stopped depending on tangible rewards, they often materialize. To attract something you want, become as joyful as you think that thing would make you. The joy, not the thing, is the point.
10. Loss is terrible. Ten years ago I still feared loss enough to abandon myself in order to keep things stable. I'd smile when I was sad, pretend to like people who appalled me. What I now know is that losses aren't cataclysmic if they teach the heart and soul their natural cycle of breaking and healing. A real tragedy? That's the loss of the heart and soul themselves. If you've abandoned yourself in the effort to keep anyone or anything else, unlearn that pattern. Live your truth, losses be damned. Just like that, your heart and soul will return home.
Wanna Win, Be a Winner!
1. I am in charge of my destiny.
If you spend your entire career waiting for something exciting to come to you, you will be waiting a long time. Successful professionals go out and make good things happen. So commit yourself to thinking about your career in an entirely different way. You will make it to the top, and you are in charge of making it happen.
2. Anything is possible.
Think that there is no way you will ever be at the vice-president level? Then you definitely won't. Remember: If you think you can't, you probably won't. Adopt the attitude of The Little Engine That Could -- "I think I can."
3. No task is too small to do well.
You never know when you are going to be noticed. That is one reason to take pride in your work -- all of it. One public relations executive in Chicago said that her first task in the PR department of a ballet company was reorganizing the supply closet. She tackled the project with gusto and was immediately noticed for her hard work and attention to detail. Remember this the next time you feel like slacking because you are working on a menial task.
4. Everyone is a potential key contact.
While you do need to be aggressive in the workplace, you can also go far by being nice to those around you. Do you think it's unimportant to establish a good rapport with your boss's secretary? Well, just try getting your meeting squeezed onto the schedule when you really need it. Be courteous to those around you -- you never know when your past contacts will play a role in your future.
5. I was made to do this job... and the one above me.
If you spend your days feeling like you are not cut out to do the work you are responsible for, your performance will suffer. Your job may not be the perfect fit, but successful workers act like they are in their dream job, no matter where they are.
6. It's not just what I know, but who I know.
Successful workers understand the importance of networking, both in and out of the office. You need to proactively establish professional contacts. Invite a colleague out to lunch. Go to the after-work happy hour. Join your professional association. Do your part to establish a networking path for your future.
7. What else can I do?
Since you are in charge of your destiny, it's your job to look for ways to improve your professional self. Volunteer to take on an extra project. Learn a new skill that will make you more marketable. Stay late to help your co-workers. Successful workers don't just complete the job and sign out -- they look for additional ways to make their mark.
8. Failure will help pave the way to my success.
While it seems like some people never experience setbacks, the truth is everyone fails from time to time. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is how they deal with failure. Those who find success are the ones who learn from mistakes and move on.
9. I am my own biggest fan.
Have you been waiting for someone in the office to recognize your talents and efforts? Maybe it's time you start tooting your own horn. Step up and talk about your accomplishments and what you have done for the company. Successful workers know how to point out their achievements without sounding boastful.
10. My opportunity monitor is never turned off.
Yes, there will be days when you will want to just be happy with the status quo. But remember that successful workers are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve. Keep your eyes, ears and your mind open to new opportunities -- you never know when you will discover the one that will change the course of your career!
If you spend your entire career waiting for something exciting to come to you, you will be waiting a long time. Successful professionals go out and make good things happen. So commit yourself to thinking about your career in an entirely different way. You will make it to the top, and you are in charge of making it happen.
2. Anything is possible.
Think that there is no way you will ever be at the vice-president level? Then you definitely won't. Remember: If you think you can't, you probably won't. Adopt the attitude of The Little Engine That Could -- "I think I can."
3. No task is too small to do well.
You never know when you are going to be noticed. That is one reason to take pride in your work -- all of it. One public relations executive in Chicago said that her first task in the PR department of a ballet company was reorganizing the supply closet. She tackled the project with gusto and was immediately noticed for her hard work and attention to detail. Remember this the next time you feel like slacking because you are working on a menial task.
4. Everyone is a potential key contact.
While you do need to be aggressive in the workplace, you can also go far by being nice to those around you. Do you think it's unimportant to establish a good rapport with your boss's secretary? Well, just try getting your meeting squeezed onto the schedule when you really need it. Be courteous to those around you -- you never know when your past contacts will play a role in your future.
5. I was made to do this job... and the one above me.
If you spend your days feeling like you are not cut out to do the work you are responsible for, your performance will suffer. Your job may not be the perfect fit, but successful workers act like they are in their dream job, no matter where they are.
6. It's not just what I know, but who I know.
Successful workers understand the importance of networking, both in and out of the office. You need to proactively establish professional contacts. Invite a colleague out to lunch. Go to the after-work happy hour. Join your professional association. Do your part to establish a networking path for your future.
7. What else can I do?
Since you are in charge of your destiny, it's your job to look for ways to improve your professional self. Volunteer to take on an extra project. Learn a new skill that will make you more marketable. Stay late to help your co-workers. Successful workers don't just complete the job and sign out -- they look for additional ways to make their mark.
8. Failure will help pave the way to my success.
While it seems like some people never experience setbacks, the truth is everyone fails from time to time. The difference between successful and unsuccessful people is how they deal with failure. Those who find success are the ones who learn from mistakes and move on.
9. I am my own biggest fan.
Have you been waiting for someone in the office to recognize your talents and efforts? Maybe it's time you start tooting your own horn. Step up and talk about your accomplishments and what you have done for the company. Successful workers know how to point out their achievements without sounding boastful.
10. My opportunity monitor is never turned off.
Yes, there will be days when you will want to just be happy with the status quo. But remember that successful workers are always on the lookout for opportunities to improve. Keep your eyes, ears and your mind open to new opportunities -- you never know when you will discover the one that will change the course of your career!
Monday, June 14, 2010
I was influenced deeply by the teachings of Coach Wooden. In this spirit here are 7 lessons I learned from him.
1. Success Is All About the Little Things - On the first day of practice Coach Wooden didn't discuss basketball strategy. Believe it or not, he taught his players the proper way to put on their socks and shoes so they didn't get blisters.
2. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome - Coach Wooden didn't focus on winning. He focused on the character of his team, key fundamentals, daily improvement, effort, potential and selfless teamwork. As a result he won...a lot.
3. There's No Such Thing as an Overnight Success - Wooden was at UCLA 16 years before they won their first national title. Today we live in a world where people expect instant results. If a coach doesn't win a title in a few years he or she is fired. Wooden is a testament that greatness takes time.
4. Selfless Teamwork is Great Teamwork - Wooden said, "A player who makes a team great is much more valuable than a great player."
5. There's Power in Humility - Norman Vincent Peale said that humble people don't think less of themselves. They just think of themselves less. Wooden made his life about coaching, leading and developing others and in doing so exhibited true power.
6. Faith Matters - In our politically correct world where people are afraid to mention God, even though it says it on our dollar bill, I find it interesting how in all the media reports about Wooden they talk positively about how his faith guided his life, principles and actions. There is power in faith. More importantly there is enormous power when your faith moves you to love, serve, inspire, coach and make a difference.
7. Your Legacy Matters - The most important thing you will leave behind when you die is your legacy. And the greatest legacy you can leave is your life, your principles and the lives you touch. Wooden didn't spend his life amassing wealth and trying to make a fortune. He invested in others. And while buildings will fall, jewelry will tarnish and money will get spent, his legacy will live on in those who carry his teachings in their heart.
1. Success Is All About the Little Things - On the first day of practice Coach Wooden didn't discuss basketball strategy. Believe it or not, he taught his players the proper way to put on their socks and shoes so they didn't get blisters.
2. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome - Coach Wooden didn't focus on winning. He focused on the character of his team, key fundamentals, daily improvement, effort, potential and selfless teamwork. As a result he won...a lot.
3. There's No Such Thing as an Overnight Success - Wooden was at UCLA 16 years before they won their first national title. Today we live in a world where people expect instant results. If a coach doesn't win a title in a few years he or she is fired. Wooden is a testament that greatness takes time.
4. Selfless Teamwork is Great Teamwork - Wooden said, "A player who makes a team great is much more valuable than a great player."
5. There's Power in Humility - Norman Vincent Peale said that humble people don't think less of themselves. They just think of themselves less. Wooden made his life about coaching, leading and developing others and in doing so exhibited true power.
6. Faith Matters - In our politically correct world where people are afraid to mention God, even though it says it on our dollar bill, I find it interesting how in all the media reports about Wooden they talk positively about how his faith guided his life, principles and actions. There is power in faith. More importantly there is enormous power when your faith moves you to love, serve, inspire, coach and make a difference.
7. Your Legacy Matters - The most important thing you will leave behind when you die is your legacy. And the greatest legacy you can leave is your life, your principles and the lives you touch. Wooden didn't spend his life amassing wealth and trying to make a fortune. He invested in others. And while buildings will fall, jewelry will tarnish and money will get spent, his legacy will live on in those who carry his teachings in their heart.
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Are you ready
Great Supply Chain Information: http://www.clresearch.com/research/detail.cfm?guid=9801F362-3048-79ED-99FA-A314BF2ED54C
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Butterflies
Butterflies are often used as symbols of transformation. Observing
their life cycle is amazing. I remember watching a caterpillar create
a crystalis and then later seeing a beautiful butterfly emerge!
Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles. We too can transform
our limiting beliefs into opportunities to experience our limitless
nature and we don't have to migrate to do it!
Butterflies are free and you can be too. Imagine yourself spinning a
crystalis out of your limiting beliefs and watch a life filled with
magic and miracles emerge.
their life cycle is amazing. I remember watching a caterpillar create
a crystalis and then later seeing a beautiful butterfly emerge!
Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles. We too can transform
our limiting beliefs into opportunities to experience our limitless
nature and we don't have to migrate to do it!
Butterflies are free and you can be too. Imagine yourself spinning a
crystalis out of your limiting beliefs and watch a life filled with
magic and miracles emerge.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Persistence
“The majority of people are ready to throw their aims and purposes overboard, and give up at the first sign of opposition or misfortune. A few carry on despite all opposition, until they attain their goal. There may be no heroic connotation to the word “persistence,” but the quality is to the character of man what carbon is to steel.”
~ Napoleon Hill from Think and Grow Rich
~ Napoleon Hill from Think and Grow Rich
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Living Life Complete
Your mind controls your thoughts, your thoughts control your actions, your actions create your reality. Take control of your mind.
Dr. Edward F. Knab
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Dr. Edward F. Knab
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Bloomington,United States
Health
This is the first day of summer, I am going swimming.
Dr. Edward F. Knab
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Dr. Edward F. Knab
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Action
Decisive action is the key to any success program, or any other. The more often you put these ideas into action, the faster you'll adopt them and make them your own.
You're the director -- call for action and roll the camera!
Immediately Apply New Ideas and Practice Until Mastered.
Choose to be EAGER! Which key point from this program can you put into action in your life right now?
Choose to be AUDACIOUS! What one idea from this program do you really wish you could adopt? Whats to stop you?
Choose to be CONFIDENT! What one action can you take right now that will move you closer to a new and improved habit?
You waste all the time you spend learning new ideas when you never use them. You have to implement great ideas or they will never make a difference. If you want to change an old habit, you need to replace it with a new one. If you want to become more skillful, you have to practice the skill. The more often you put new ideas into action, the more adept you'll become at making them your own.
"Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and regular top up's." ~ Peter Davies
You're the director -- call for action and roll the camera!
Immediately Apply New Ideas and Practice Until Mastered.
Choose to be EAGER! Which key point from this program can you put into action in your life right now?
Choose to be AUDACIOUS! What one idea from this program do you really wish you could adopt? Whats to stop you?
Choose to be CONFIDENT! What one action can you take right now that will move you closer to a new and improved habit?
You waste all the time you spend learning new ideas when you never use them. You have to implement great ideas or they will never make a difference. If you want to change an old habit, you need to replace it with a new one. If you want to become more skillful, you have to practice the skill. The more often you put new ideas into action, the more adept you'll become at making them your own.
"Motivation is like food for the brain. You cannot get enough in one sitting. It needs continual and regular top up's." ~ Peter Davies
Monday, May 17, 2010
Possibilities
Lately I've been talking a lot about the power of allowing for the possibility. If we don't think something will ever happen, chances are it won't.
Whatever we focus our attention on we get more of. So if we focus our thoughts on saying yes to all the good opportunities, guess what? Lots of good stuff will happen!
Allow for the possibility you can create heaven on earth and you will!
Whatever we focus our attention on we get more of. So if we focus our thoughts on saying yes to all the good opportunities, guess what? Lots of good stuff will happen!
Allow for the possibility you can create heaven on earth and you will!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Self-Discipline: Paying Yourself Forward!
For many, the word "discipline" sounds like
punishment. Who would guess that such a word,
when applied to one's self, actually creates
unlimited rewards and freedom?
Self-discipline is the regulation one's Self.
It is a way of investing in your future - and
it is a key factor in helping you achieve all
you want in life.
Once upon a time, Americans were all about
self-discipline. George Washington made it a
personal challenge to rise before the sun did.
Benjamin Franklin said, "The person who has
self-discipline is very powerful." Countless
colonists read and followed the precepts published
in Poor Richard's Almanac, which was loaded with
advice related to the value of self-discipline
and which Franklin published every year between
1732 and 1758 (now that's self-discipline!).
Immigrants who came to and strengthened the fabric
of this great country were highly self-disciplined,
persevering through immense trials and tribulations.
So what happened since? Maybe things got a little
too easy for us and we settled into choosing comfort
over discipline. The good news is that I am seeing
resurgence in a desire to better oneself and
positively impact our world. Now more than ever
people want to serve others and leave a strong
legacy, and they realize that they need
self-discipline to do this.
Self-discipline is a habit anyone can acquire
with a little practice. Go easy on yourself as
you're building this success skill.
Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Self discipline can be best summed up in a
single word: UNTIL. You simply do whatever "it"
is until it is done.
2. You can BEHAVE your way to success. The key
is to focus on one area of improvement at a time.
Pick one target behavior, like getting up one-half
hour earlier than you do now to go for a walk or
write that book you say you'll write "some day."
Then do it every day until it becomes second
nature - a habit.
3. If you happen to be human, you will mess up.
Build this into your expectations. Don't buy into
all-or-nothing thinking, which leads to throwing
in the towel. Forgive yourself and start over. Go
back to item 1 and begin again.
4. Break down your goals. If you set a single
goal of completing a marathon and you only fit
in one-half hour of walking each day, you will
quickly get discouraged. If you set an initial
goal of walking for one-half hour each day, mixed
with running for one minute every 10 minutes, you
can steadily work up to this level and quickly see
results. Stop going for the home run and start
working your way around the bases.
5. Stay vigilant. When you find yourself beginning
to succeed, you also may find yourself saying,
"I wonder if I really need to ..." If so, STOP.
Recommit. Affirm your new habit with emotion.
Say it aloud! "Exercising each day makes me
feel great. Off I go!"
Most importantly, don't quit. You and your
dreams are worth fighting for. Keep going and
you'll quickly find that the temporary pain of
self-discipline will be more than offset by the
pride and pleasure of achieving your long-term goals
Being alive means we have and will have problems.
Being alive means we have and will have problems.
And if we're going to be confronted with problems the rest of our lives, then becoming good at facing and solving problems seems to be a worthy endeavor.
Before I jump into my list, allow me to share a few of my thoughts ABOUT problems.
I believe there is almost always more than one solution to any problem. And if you think there's only one, you will be significantly limiting yourself.
I also think that in business, you don't really have problems, you have expenses. This assumes that every problem in business can be solved. It's just going to cost time, energy and/or money to solve it. Not so with all personal problems. Many of them cannot be solved with money alone.
Our attitude toward problems and problem-solving is probably as important, if not more important, than our skills or knowledge in solving them. How we approach our problems is critical.
If we're angry about having the problem, it's going to be a lot harder to solve. Complaining about why we have the problem takes time andenergy away from SOLVING the problem. What we resist tends to persist.
And remember that problems can be, and often are, good things. We learn from them. We create or discover opportunities that wouldn't be realized without working through them. If there were no problems to solve, we would not be necessary.
That said, here are my Top Ten Ways to Solve Problems:
Define or re-define the problem. Charles Kettering said, "A problem clearly stated is a problem half-solved." The way we define the problem has a lot to do with how we approach the solution. Many times a re-definition will work wonders on opening the possibilities.
Focus on the SOLUTION, not the problem. Otherwise, we may just be worrying and making the problem bigger than it really is. Believe that it can be solved and stay centered upon the way to solve it.
Detach from the problem. Many times we are too close and too emotionally involved to a problem to have a good perspective. Try looking at it like it was someone else's problem. Take a larger view and you will likely find more possibilities.
Ask an expert or someone with experience. Very few problems we face are brand new. Usually they have been solved by someone else, so don’t underestimate the value of someone with the right expertise and knowledge.
Access the knowledge and the skills necessary. Determine what you need to know and the skills that need to be harnessed to get the job done. And if you don’t know what they are, find out.
Brainstorm. Practice green light thinking with your mastermind team. Generate as many ideas as you can.
Use IWWCW. That stands for "In What Ways Can We". And it implies there is more than one tactic, strategy or action you can take. It will expand your thinking and that of others involved.
Don’t try to solve the problem without the knowledge, skills and information you need. If you can delay decisions and actions until these things are determined and acquired, that's usually the best thing to do. It also helps to sleep on it. Our subconscious mind often solves problems in our sleep. Just be sure you are tactically delaying things and not procrastinating or avoiding.
Look for ways to simplify the challenge and the potential solutions. Often we complicate things more than we need. And many times the simplest solution is the best.
When possible, solve problems before they happen. It's much easier than dealing with it in crisis. Have contingency plans. Think about things that could happen and what action you will take if it does. This is not negative thinking. If you live in an earthquake zone or tornado area, what precautions can you take to be well prepared?
The more we accept our problems and the better we get at solving them, the more confidence we develop. In doing so, we increase our value in the marketplace because we are known for having a cool, thoughtful and logical approach to understanding and solving problems
And if we're going to be confronted with problems the rest of our lives, then becoming good at facing and solving problems seems to be a worthy endeavor.
Before I jump into my list, allow me to share a few of my thoughts ABOUT problems.
I believe there is almost always more than one solution to any problem. And if you think there's only one, you will be significantly limiting yourself.
I also think that in business, you don't really have problems, you have expenses. This assumes that every problem in business can be solved. It's just going to cost time, energy and/or money to solve it. Not so with all personal problems. Many of them cannot be solved with money alone.
Our attitude toward problems and problem-solving is probably as important, if not more important, than our skills or knowledge in solving them. How we approach our problems is critical.
If we're angry about having the problem, it's going to be a lot harder to solve. Complaining about why we have the problem takes time andenergy away from SOLVING the problem. What we resist tends to persist.
And remember that problems can be, and often are, good things. We learn from them. We create or discover opportunities that wouldn't be realized without working through them. If there were no problems to solve, we would not be necessary.
That said, here are my Top Ten Ways to Solve Problems:
Define or re-define the problem. Charles Kettering said, "A problem clearly stated is a problem half-solved." The way we define the problem has a lot to do with how we approach the solution. Many times a re-definition will work wonders on opening the possibilities.
Focus on the SOLUTION, not the problem. Otherwise, we may just be worrying and making the problem bigger than it really is. Believe that it can be solved and stay centered upon the way to solve it.
Detach from the problem. Many times we are too close and too emotionally involved to a problem to have a good perspective. Try looking at it like it was someone else's problem. Take a larger view and you will likely find more possibilities.
Ask an expert or someone with experience. Very few problems we face are brand new. Usually they have been solved by someone else, so don’t underestimate the value of someone with the right expertise and knowledge.
Access the knowledge and the skills necessary. Determine what you need to know and the skills that need to be harnessed to get the job done. And if you don’t know what they are, find out.
Brainstorm. Practice green light thinking with your mastermind team. Generate as many ideas as you can.
Use IWWCW. That stands for "In What Ways Can We". And it implies there is more than one tactic, strategy or action you can take. It will expand your thinking and that of others involved.
Don’t try to solve the problem without the knowledge, skills and information you need. If you can delay decisions and actions until these things are determined and acquired, that's usually the best thing to do. It also helps to sleep on it. Our subconscious mind often solves problems in our sleep. Just be sure you are tactically delaying things and not procrastinating or avoiding.
Look for ways to simplify the challenge and the potential solutions. Often we complicate things more than we need. And many times the simplest solution is the best.
When possible, solve problems before they happen. It's much easier than dealing with it in crisis. Have contingency plans. Think about things that could happen and what action you will take if it does. This is not negative thinking. If you live in an earthquake zone or tornado area, what precautions can you take to be well prepared?
The more we accept our problems and the better we get at solving them, the more confidence we develop. In doing so, we increase our value in the marketplace because we are known for having a cool, thoughtful and logical approach to understanding and solving problems
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)