Yesterday I was talking with one of my good friends about risk…
My dictionary tells me that to risk is “to expose oneself to the chance of loss.” I suppose that is true. Another piece of literature I was once given (author unknown) suggests that:
To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
You may avoid suffering and sorrow if you don’t risk, but you simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing and has nothing. Only a person who risks is free.
What causes individuals to shy away from taking a risk, even if it is a low risk and will give them something they really want? Well, certainly high on most people’s list would be fear of loss, failure and perceived humiliation if the loss were to occur. Why would we automatically think that we would fail at something? Why wouldn’t we first try and see, and then if we did fail, learn from that experience and move on? What causes us to have these thoughts of inferiority?
Well, I believe it dates back to our little life. And, since risk-taking, to my knowledge, is not a subject that is taught in school, it would lead me to believe that a person’s fear of taking risks might stem back from before they can even remember. When you were a child taking your very first steps, it wasn’t uncommon to hear one of your parents or guardians say, “Be careful, you might fall.” Or, “Don’t do that, you’ll ….” Though some of this is rhetoric and you don’t really pay much attention to it, for some, it begins the pattern of playing it safe.
Think of how much better equipped we would be to face life’s challenges and succeed, if we had repetitively heard, “Take a chance and don’t worry about falling, because you’re going to fall…probably quite often. Falling is an important part of learning.” Many of the greatest lessons you’ll receive in life are going to come from falling … from your failures.
Failing will never make you a failure unless you quit. Unfortunately, very few people heard that when they were small. The vast majority of our population have been mentally programmed to play it safe.
In my seminars I have often said that a little baby is a natural born risk taker. The baby never considers the consequences of falling when it is learning to walk. Falling is acknowledged as a natural consequence to learning to walk. I guess you could call it a calculated gamble; it’s a prerequisite to mastering a myriad of motor skills required to get you on your feet and moving. It’s a natural progression in movement. Why then, wouldn’t we stop to consider that any movement into uncharted territory should be viewed with the same consideration? What happens to us?
Why is it that we do not see the process of reaching our goals as having steps similar to the ones the baby must take in order to learn to walk? There will be some stumbling and falling in the learning process, but success can only be reached when we are prepared to take those steps, all of them, even the ones where we may fall down. The real win is the confidence and experience we acquire which translates into new opportunities for growth, enjoyment and expansion in all areas of our life.
When I was a youngster in school, I participated in track and field. Pole-vaulting was my specialty; it was the one event I seemed to excel at. I clearly remember knocking that bar flying more often than I cleared it. I also remember I was not very enthusiastic when that happened. Knocking the bar off left me with a feeling that because I had failed, I was a failure. I had failed and as I remember, no one advised me of anything different. In retrospect, it would have been an excellent opportunity for one of my teachers to help me understand one of life’s greatest lessons. But, it never happened and it would be many years before I learned the truth, the hard way.
While we’re still on the topic of children, I’ll throw up another caution flag. There’s a four letter word that most parents use around their children so frequently, that the children pick it up and before too long it is buried in the treasury of their subconscious mind. That four letter word is can’t. This word has done more damage than a lot of other frowned-upon four letter words put together. I know of some forward-thinking parents who have literally banned that word from their children’s vocabulary!
Can’t is a word that paralyzes any constructive progress. It switches your mind into a negative frequency. It is a four letter word that will open your mind to a never ending flow of logical, practical reasons which will enable you to justify why you are not able to do something you sincerely want to accomplish.
The only alternative to that four-letter word is its polar opposite – I can. I can is far more important than IQ. You don’t necessarily have to be very smart to win … but you must be willing. Reaching the goal is not success; success is moving toward the goal. When I was knocking down the cross bar, I was attempting to reach the goal. I was stretching, giving it everything I had. That could hardly be considered failing. Every time I tried to clear the bar, I was risking being ridiculed by the other kids. I risked having them laugh at me when I missed … and they did laugh.
However, every time I ran down the field and lowered the pole into the box, attempting to vault myself over the bar, I was challenging myself. Taking risks is essential when you want to reach a goal and the purpose of goals is growth. When you challenge yourself, you bring more of yourself to the surface. If you knock the bar flying today, at least you will know you are challenging yourself; you’re a success!
If you dream of living your life in a really big way, you must accept risk-taking as a very real part of the apprenticeship you must serve. Make a decision right now to change. Decide this very moment there will be no more playing it safe … no more “saving it for a rainy day” type thinking in your life. When people get caught up in the habit of saving for a rainy day, that is generally what they get … a rainy day.
I clearly remember the first time I heard Earl Nightingale. Earl was telling a story about a farmer who was out walking in a field. He looked down and saw a tiny pumpkin growing on a vine. Nearby, he spotted a small glass jar. The farmer reached down and placed the tiny pumpkin inside the small jar. The pumpkin continued to grow until it filled the inside of the jar. Beyond which it could not grow.
There are a number of people like that tiny pumpkin. They limit themselves and refuse to take a risk. They never truly test the strength of their abilities. You will never get to second base if you keep one foot on first. Too many people go through their entire lives playing their cards close to their chest. They never step out and bet on the surest thing in the world … themselves. If you hope to accumulate great wealth or achieve high goals, history records that the first few steps have a high degree of risk. You must turn your back on safety and security. To make it big, you must take big risks. You will very likely have to put yourself in a highly vulnerable position. It is also worth remembering you cannot almost take a risk.
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face.” Follow her advice and liberate yourself from the crippling emotional state of fear and enter into a world of freedom.
To your success,
Bob Proctor
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Making the Ball Bounce Your Way
Many times I use the phrase, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you handle what happens to you, that’s going to make the difference.”
Initially, the ball appeared not to have bounced Celeste Baker’s way, but that was just initially. She has a disease in her left leg called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which causes her a considerable amount of pain.
The way Celeste handled her challenge was such an encouragement to her classmates at Baldwin Jr./Sr. High School in Baldwin, Florida, that she was given the “I CAN” Award one school year. The next example helps explain why.
One day, Celeste called her mother to come to the school. Assuming she wanted to go home because she was in pain, Officer Keith M. Jowers, the School Resource Officer, in an effort to encourage her said, “Well, at least you get to leave school early.”
Celeste immediately responded, “Oh, no, Officer Jowers, I just want her to bring me my crutches, so I can walk.” She refused to miss the rest of school that day.
Celeste really does have a “can-do” attitude. She played volleyball and was on the swim team. She even used swim competitions as therapy. Some of the things her teachers said about her were, “She’s a very creative and delightful student,” and “Celeste has been a delight to teach.” “Celeste is a dedicated and hardworking student that is a joy to have in my class.”
Yes, in many ways she epitomizes the “I CAN” attitude. Certainly her approach to life is the best one. Like we say, it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it that will make the difference. Buy that idea, adopt the “I CAN” attitude, and I will see you at the top!
By Zig Ziglar
Initially, the ball appeared not to have bounced Celeste Baker’s way, but that was just initially. She has a disease in her left leg called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy which causes her a considerable amount of pain.
The way Celeste handled her challenge was such an encouragement to her classmates at Baldwin Jr./Sr. High School in Baldwin, Florida, that she was given the “I CAN” Award one school year. The next example helps explain why.
One day, Celeste called her mother to come to the school. Assuming she wanted to go home because she was in pain, Officer Keith M. Jowers, the School Resource Officer, in an effort to encourage her said, “Well, at least you get to leave school early.”
Celeste immediately responded, “Oh, no, Officer Jowers, I just want her to bring me my crutches, so I can walk.” She refused to miss the rest of school that day.
Celeste really does have a “can-do” attitude. She played volleyball and was on the swim team. She even used swim competitions as therapy. Some of the things her teachers said about her were, “She’s a very creative and delightful student,” and “Celeste has been a delight to teach.” “Celeste is a dedicated and hardworking student that is a joy to have in my class.”
Yes, in many ways she epitomizes the “I CAN” attitude. Certainly her approach to life is the best one. Like we say, it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it that will make the difference. Buy that idea, adopt the “I CAN” attitude, and I will see you at the top!
By Zig Ziglar
Overcoming the “Shiny Object” Syndrome
Variety is the spice of life. But if you – like me – view the world as an exciting buffet of opportunities to learn, try and create new things, you know that variety can be dangerous.
The problem is that it’s easy to get distracted from the goals and commitments you’ve already made. Rather than seeing things through to completion, you abandon the goals and projects you’ve already started to chase after whatever new thing has just caught your eye.
I call this “shiny object” syndrome, and it has derailed the success of many people who could be very successful – if they only could maintain their focus long enough to complete a goal.
If you frequently abandon commitments in favor of new interests and projects, here are five techniques I’ve found helpful in evaluating new opportunities.
* Postpone Your Decision. It’s easy to get swept away with excitement when you stumble across something new and exciting. Try waiting a few days before making a final decision about whether or not to commit to the new opportunity. During this self-imposed cooling-off period, you’ll probably find that your enthusiasm wanes and you’re better able to evaluate whether this new opportunity will move you closer to your goal.
During your waiting period, make a list of all things you could possibly do with your time, including both the new opportunity and your existing commitments. Ask yourself where you would schedule time for the new activity or project. You’ll quickly see that there’s not enough time for everything you want to achieve, and you’ll see exactly what you would have to give up to squeeze the new opportunity into your schedule.
* Use Review Board. I’m constantly coming up with new projects that I want to do, as well as fielding exciting joint venture proposals from colleagues. Rather than making the executive decision to take on a new project and then delegating the work to my staff, I now seek my team’s buy-in first. If they say that taking on a potential new project would require sacrificing a more important existing goal, the idea is put on hold.
If you don’t have a staff or co-workers, create your own review board. Ask people you trust and who understand your goals for input before you commit to taking on any new projects or work.
* Inner Board of Advisors. Create an imaginary group of mentors that you can turn to for advice. Simply create some quiet time, close your eyes and ask your board for advice about the opportunity you are considering. Your inner board of advisors can include anyone – alive or deceased, famous or not, people you’ve met and people you’ve only read about. Mine includes author and activist Helen Keller, as well as President John F. Kennedy. Although both are deceased, I get very distinct guidance when I ask for their help and open up to their wisdom.
* Forced Choice Technique. Write a list of all of the things you want to do. Then prioritize your list using a forced comparison. With this technique, you compare items one at a time, from the top of the list to the bottom. Start by asking which you would rather do – item 1 or item 2. Take the winner and compare it to the next item on the list. Then compare that winner – let’s say it is item 3 – and compare it to item 4. Once you’ve done a forced comparison with all items on the list, you’ll have identified your number-one priority.
Now go back to remaining items on your list, and start the forced comparison process again with the first two items. Repeat the entire process until you have prioritized the entire list of activities. This will help you gauge the importance of the new activity or project you are considering in comparison with everything else you have already committed to.
Finally, ask yourself the following two questions: “What is the most effective use of my time now?” and “What’s the most important thing to do today?” This will help you maintain focus in a sea of choices.
* Muscle Testing. Your body never lies. So when in doubt about your enthusiasm for the fun opportunity you just discovered, simply ask your body for its input. The easiest way is to use the standing body lean. With this process, you stand and ask your body to show you a “yes.”
After a few seconds, your body will start to lean forward or backward. Then ask your body to show you a “no,” at which point it should lean the opposite direction. Once you’ve calibrated yourself, ask your body whether you should act on the opportunity. The answer you receive in the form of a simple lean will reveal what truly is in your best interest.
Maintaining the focus you need to complete goals can be difficult when the world offers so many exciting things to learn, do and experience. Use these 5 tips to ensure that any new opportunities you choose to pursue will support, rather than detract, from your existing commitments. By resisting the adrenaline rush that comes from starting something new, you’ll find it easier to complete more of what you start – delivering a sense of accomplishment that’s hard to beat
By Jack Canfield
The problem is that it’s easy to get distracted from the goals and commitments you’ve already made. Rather than seeing things through to completion, you abandon the goals and projects you’ve already started to chase after whatever new thing has just caught your eye.
I call this “shiny object” syndrome, and it has derailed the success of many people who could be very successful – if they only could maintain their focus long enough to complete a goal.
If you frequently abandon commitments in favor of new interests and projects, here are five techniques I’ve found helpful in evaluating new opportunities.
* Postpone Your Decision. It’s easy to get swept away with excitement when you stumble across something new and exciting. Try waiting a few days before making a final decision about whether or not to commit to the new opportunity. During this self-imposed cooling-off period, you’ll probably find that your enthusiasm wanes and you’re better able to evaluate whether this new opportunity will move you closer to your goal.
During your waiting period, make a list of all things you could possibly do with your time, including both the new opportunity and your existing commitments. Ask yourself where you would schedule time for the new activity or project. You’ll quickly see that there’s not enough time for everything you want to achieve, and you’ll see exactly what you would have to give up to squeeze the new opportunity into your schedule.
* Use Review Board. I’m constantly coming up with new projects that I want to do, as well as fielding exciting joint venture proposals from colleagues. Rather than making the executive decision to take on a new project and then delegating the work to my staff, I now seek my team’s buy-in first. If they say that taking on a potential new project would require sacrificing a more important existing goal, the idea is put on hold.
If you don’t have a staff or co-workers, create your own review board. Ask people you trust and who understand your goals for input before you commit to taking on any new projects or work.
* Inner Board of Advisors. Create an imaginary group of mentors that you can turn to for advice. Simply create some quiet time, close your eyes and ask your board for advice about the opportunity you are considering. Your inner board of advisors can include anyone – alive or deceased, famous or not, people you’ve met and people you’ve only read about. Mine includes author and activist Helen Keller, as well as President John F. Kennedy. Although both are deceased, I get very distinct guidance when I ask for their help and open up to their wisdom.
* Forced Choice Technique. Write a list of all of the things you want to do. Then prioritize your list using a forced comparison. With this technique, you compare items one at a time, from the top of the list to the bottom. Start by asking which you would rather do – item 1 or item 2. Take the winner and compare it to the next item on the list. Then compare that winner – let’s say it is item 3 – and compare it to item 4. Once you’ve done a forced comparison with all items on the list, you’ll have identified your number-one priority.
Now go back to remaining items on your list, and start the forced comparison process again with the first two items. Repeat the entire process until you have prioritized the entire list of activities. This will help you gauge the importance of the new activity or project you are considering in comparison with everything else you have already committed to.
Finally, ask yourself the following two questions: “What is the most effective use of my time now?” and “What’s the most important thing to do today?” This will help you maintain focus in a sea of choices.
* Muscle Testing. Your body never lies. So when in doubt about your enthusiasm for the fun opportunity you just discovered, simply ask your body for its input. The easiest way is to use the standing body lean. With this process, you stand and ask your body to show you a “yes.”
After a few seconds, your body will start to lean forward or backward. Then ask your body to show you a “no,” at which point it should lean the opposite direction. Once you’ve calibrated yourself, ask your body whether you should act on the opportunity. The answer you receive in the form of a simple lean will reveal what truly is in your best interest.
Maintaining the focus you need to complete goals can be difficult when the world offers so many exciting things to learn, do and experience. Use these 5 tips to ensure that any new opportunities you choose to pursue will support, rather than detract, from your existing commitments. By resisting the adrenaline rush that comes from starting something new, you’ll find it easier to complete more of what you start – delivering a sense of accomplishment that’s hard to beat
By Jack Canfield
What Do You Want To Do In the Next Phase of Your Life?
by Lynne
The good news is that we’re all generally living longer, in better health than our parents. The good news is that many of us have more financial and personal resources than our parents had after the age of fifty. The great challenge is how to use this extra time and energy in ways that truly enhance our lives.
I know of a man who owned a manufacturing plant for many years. The work was demanding and so, although he was very successful, he was happy to retire when he turned 65. At first he and his wife traveled and played golf all over the world.
But after a couple of years he turned to her and said, “Is this all there is?” He still had tremendous drive, but nowhere to channel it. Through coaching he began to explore the question: what did he want to do–not with the whole rest of his life but with, say, the next 5 years?
He had grown up at a time when people did the same work for most of their lives. While they might change jobs, they didn’t often change professions or trades or businesses. So it took some effort for him to wrap his mind around the idea, for example, that even doctors today might very well decide to turn their backs on medicine in mid-career and become investment consultants or musicians, just because they want a different kind of life. In other words, changing course is now considered a normal option, not just a sign of failure.
When he became willing to look at his current life from the broadest possible perspective, he saw that there were aspects of it he had never developed because they weren’t “practical.” He was introduced to current research about the major elements that contribute most to human happiness over the long haul. All this stimulated him to experiment with a variety of activities he had never thought about doing before. Just trying them out energized him, he found, and encouraged him to expand beyond old self-imposed limitations. His goal became to learn to do new things without feeling that he had to stick with any one of them–very different from his original mindset.
At different points in life, it is natural and right to set different goals. In fact, I would say doing so demonstrates health and the ability to grow. I think of a friend in his mid 70′s who spent years running his own business as a medical writer. When he retired from that in his late 60′s, he decided to earn a captain’s license. Now he moves boats up and down the East Coast for their owners–when he chooses to. He has trouble saying no because he enjoys doing it so much.
The idea that life proceeds in growth stages which don’t end with middle adulthood, but continue until either our bodies or minds give out completely, is relatively new. Even in extreme old age, with the proper interventions, functioning can improve. I see this with a relative in her late eighties who has severe dementia. As a dementia specialist works with her, her eyes are becoming more focused and she is more responsive to us. Others see a positive change in her too.
What is the message here? That we can keep growing. That we must keep growing if we want to retain our powers for as long as possible. That we should review our lives periodically and ask ourselves what skills and interests and parts of our inner life we might want to develop. Those kinds of questions can best help us decide what we should do next: that is, what specific directions to explore that will be new to us or that will challenge us in new ways.
It’s an exciting way to view your future, yes? That’s the way it can be to live it, too.
Sunday, October 09, 2011
Steve Jobs: Apple Employees Say What They Think About Him
Steve Jobs is a very well-respected man in the business world, and it appears that his employees carry a great deal of respect for him as well. Glassdoor, a jobs and company reviews site, has shared some commentary from employees, following Jobs’ resignation as CEO of Apple.
“According to nearly 1,000 Apple employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor…they’ll be sad to see him go ,” a spokesperson for Glassdoor tells WebProNews. “Apple employees give Jobs a 97% approval rating (one of the highest rated CEOs) and thanks to his leadership give the company a 3.7 (satisfied) rating (ratings based on a 5-point scale).”
She shared the following quotes from Apple employees.
“Apple takes care of its employees. Full time workers receive health benefits, all employees are offered stock options and very good prices on previous generation apple products.” – Apple Mac Specialist (location n/a)
“Long term — it’s not clear what will happen when Steve Jobs leaves. It seems unlikely he will continue to lead Apple for another two decades. It’s possible the “magic” will go when he does.” – Apple Employee
“Everything depends on the next hit product and of Steve Jobs staying ahead of the competition.” – Apple Marketing Manager
“Steve Jobs is revered at the company.” – Apple Employee
“Watching Apple grow in the Steve 2.0 era has been nothing short of astonishing.” – Apple Network Engineer
“ I am proud to say that I work for Apple. The products speak for themselves and it is great to be able to use them.” - Apple Project Manager (Austin, TX)
“Management is transparent and very friend, great colleagues, pleasant work environment in which you encouraged to be who you are.- Apple Employee (location n/a)
“Great products and phenomenal co-workers! An awesome work environment that cultivated creativity and competition. I woke up every day and could not wait to get to work!” – Apple Account Executive (Atlanta, GA)
“Apple is an amazing company with a very successful management. Innovation is at the heart of all decisions. Successful organization. And great products.” – Apple Employee (location n/a)
“Apple is an amazing company, with cutting edge products, unparalleled customer service focus and a place that cultivates a family atmosphere. Very enjoyable working environment.” – Apple Employee (location n/a)
Apple is an amazing place to work. There are so many opportunities to grow and learn. “- Apple Employee (Cupertino, CA)
“Long term — it’s not clear what will happen when Steve Jobs leaves. It seems unlikely he will continue to lead Apple for another two decades. It’s possible the “magic” will go when he does.” – Apple Employee
“Everything depends on the next hit product and of Steve Jobs staying ahead of the competition.” – Apple Marketing Manager
“Steve Jobs is revered at the company.” – Apple Employee
“Watching Apple grow in the Steve 2.0 era has been nothing short of astonishing.” – Apple Network Engineer
“ I am proud to say that I work for Apple. The products speak for themselves and it is great to be able to use them.” - Apple Project Manager (Austin, TX)
“Management is transparent and very friend, great colleagues, pleasant work environment in which you encouraged to be who you are.- Apple Employee (location n/a)
“Great products and phenomenal co-workers! An awesome work environment that cultivated creativity and competition. I woke up every day and could not wait to get to work!” – Apple Account Executive (Atlanta, GA)
“Apple is an amazing company with a very successful management. Innovation is at the heart of all decisions. Successful organization. And great products.” – Apple Employee (location n/a)
“Apple is an amazing company, with cutting edge products, unparalleled customer service focus and a place that cultivates a family atmosphere. Very enjoyable working environment.” – Apple Employee (location n/a)
Apple is an amazing place to work. There are so many opportunities to grow and learn. “- Apple Employee (Cupertino, CA)
written by Chris Crum
HOW ONE CAN MAKE A LITTLE ROLE SO IMPORTANT
A top business leader who made waves in the Information Technology industry was on a business trip to Tokyo. He was always very humble and shared all his success with his employees. After all his meetings, he went to a shopping mall to buy chocolates and gifts to his employees back in his country.
As he entered the mall a little lady gave a warm smile and welcomed him, he was very touched, felt good, and was not able to forget the warmth in her smile. He was noticing her as he was shopping; she was giving the same smile to all the customers who walked into the mall.
The business leader started wondering if she was every fed up doing the same thing again and again, he walked up to her and asked, "My dear lady, are you not tried of doing this job, and how long have you been doing this?"
The lady smiled and said, " No sir, I am working here from the last 10 years and I like my job."
The business leader was shocked and asked, " Why you have been doing this for 10 years, and why do you like your job?"
The lady smiled again and said, " Sir, because I am serving my country."
This was a little amusing for the business leader. He said," You are serving your country by smiling?"
The little lady said, "Yes sir, I smile and all the customers coming to the mall fell happy and relaxed. They shop more, my boss is happy, and pays me more. Since I am paid more, I can take care of my family. Since I can take care if my family, they are happy. As all the customers buy from us, the demand for goods is more and since the demand is more, there are many factories. Since there are many factories there are many jobs. Since there are jobs, people in the country are happy.
As most of our customers are foreigners, there is foreign exchange. Since there is foreign exchange, our country has lot of money and is richer every day. And people like you who are happy with our service visit our country more often and some time you will tell your family and friends too. My country gets more visitors, more money, more jobs and has more happy people. That's how I serve my country."
Amazed with her attitude, the business leader thanked her and came back to his country. He worked hard to incorporate the same attitude among his employees, and today his company is one of the best companies in the world.
Written by Kavitha Reddy
As he entered the mall a little lady gave a warm smile and welcomed him, he was very touched, felt good, and was not able to forget the warmth in her smile. He was noticing her as he was shopping; she was giving the same smile to all the customers who walked into the mall.
The business leader started wondering if she was every fed up doing the same thing again and again, he walked up to her and asked, "My dear lady, are you not tried of doing this job, and how long have you been doing this?"
The lady smiled and said, " No sir, I am working here from the last 10 years and I like my job."
The business leader was shocked and asked, " Why you have been doing this for 10 years, and why do you like your job?"
The lady smiled again and said, " Sir, because I am serving my country."
This was a little amusing for the business leader. He said," You are serving your country by smiling?"
The little lady said, "Yes sir, I smile and all the customers coming to the mall fell happy and relaxed. They shop more, my boss is happy, and pays me more. Since I am paid more, I can take care of my family. Since I can take care if my family, they are happy. As all the customers buy from us, the demand for goods is more and since the demand is more, there are many factories. Since there are many factories there are many jobs. Since there are jobs, people in the country are happy.
As most of our customers are foreigners, there is foreign exchange. Since there is foreign exchange, our country has lot of money and is richer every day. And people like you who are happy with our service visit our country more often and some time you will tell your family and friends too. My country gets more visitors, more money, more jobs and has more happy people. That's how I serve my country."
Amazed with her attitude, the business leader thanked her and came back to his country. He worked hard to incorporate the same attitude among his employees, and today his company is one of the best companies in the world.
Written by Kavitha Reddy
Give Feedback, Get Performance
We have all seen the Olympic gymnasts, American Idol contestants or other competitors anxiously wait for the scores from the judges. We watch our parents’ faces when we stand on elementary school stages or at recitals. We look for information returned from customer satisfaction surveys. Feedback – we watch for it, we want it. Whether it is good or bad, we always want information about how we are doing. We use this information to determine how to respond or what to do next. Feedback is one of the most powerful tools a manager has to influence performance.
Employees are now have a greater role in developing strong customer relationships that inspire loyalty and performance. Therefore, employees need to have the best skills, use sound judgment and feel competent in their job. To do this, they must always be learning, thinking and improving. They need information about the quality of their decision, and to know if they are making good decisions. That means managers must be watching to catch employees doing great things and then provide positive feedback to sustain the performance. They also must watch to catch problems as they occur, to use the teachable moment to help the employee improve and develop stronger skills in order to respond better next time. Feedback is the way to guide, coach and educate employees to improve or sustain performance.
Effective performance feedback has rules to ensure its effectiveness because, done poorly, it can do damage to the manager/employee relationship. Employees don’t want to be told what to do or to be scolded. They want meaningful information to help them improve. Following the feedback process below guarantees all feedback (for both great and problem events) will focus on behaviors and performance. Review the following five steps:
Step 1: Start with a “COOKIE” (a positive comment) – no one likes to hear about something that needs improving with a strong statement. Feedback is about people, behaviors and emotions. So start each performance feedback with a positive comment, something that shows respect and understanding of who the person is and wins the employee into the discussion.
Step 2: Describe the current behaviors and situations (give great details) – describe what is currently happening, the behavior that you want to reinforce or redirect and the specific situations where you observed the behavior needing feedback. Be specific, brief and direct. Remember, the goal is to change behavior that needs changing or encourage good behavior to continue.
Step 3: Describe impact and consequences (find the “hook” or the “attention-getter” for the feedback recipient) – describe the impact and consequences of the current behavior, noting the effect the behavior had on results, customers or employees. Be specific and quantify details. The more detailed and accurate the information, the more meaningful the feedback will be. Realize that no adult changes his behavior unless he sees a personal reason to change. The impact in this case should not only deal with the organization, but should also be a personal hook for the employee (or feedback recipient).
Step 4: Create a plan to continue great behaviors or change negative behaviors (let them have a voice in the response) – work with the employee to suggest options that would improve a negative event or keep a good event going; be sure that the employee has a voice in the process; the more the employee invents their responses, the more they own the results.
Step 5: End with a “COOKIE” (positive comment) – regardless of the nature of the performance feedback (positive or negative), employees will process the message better when the performance feedback event both starts and ends on a positive and personal tone. Be sure to reassure the employee of the value of the discussion in the feedback. It sets the stage for an open and honest relationship and dialog about performance.
The best way to see the impact of this process is to see an example. Let’s say your employee Jean was not very helpful to a customer on the phone. You heard the event and now must provide feedback for Jean to improve her understanding, confidence and performance:
Step 1: Cookie – Jean, you have some of the best customer service skills in the industry. Our customers are always very impressed with our service levels when they deal with you.
Step 2: Describe the current behaviors and situations - Jean, I heard you on the phone with Stanton Company. You were short with them, told them to call back when they knew the part numbers they wanted and hung up without saying thank you. Did I hear this correctly? (Give Jean an opportunity to respond).
Step 3: Describe the impact and consequences – Jean, Stanton is one of our largest and best customers. They continually send other customers to us and if we do not treat them with our best and most supportive service, they will not refer others to us. They were critical in helping us achieve our profit targets, which resulted in bonuses for everyone on the team – including yours. Our relationship with them is critical to our success.
Step 4: Identify alternative behaviors – Jean, what do you think you should do with Stanton right now? (Allow Jean to offer ideas and to own the solution). Great Jean, I like that idea, please get right on it. Mostly remember how important the relationship is with each of our customers. They call us because we know what we are doing and we treat them better than anyone else … it is how we do business.
Step 5: Cookie – Jean, you are an important part of the great service this team gives our customers. Thanks for making the difference that you do; please keep doing your best to help us be the best in the industry. Thanks.
Feedback is not a process for the manager to vent. Feedback is a learning event that focuses on particular behaviors that need to be sustained or improved. Though this approach is more “human,” it does not coddle employees. It defines expectations and holds employees accountable. This process insures that the employee is treated fairly, learns and is responsible for her actions.
Feedback is one of the most significant tools that managers have to help guide, coach and instruct employees to continually grow, make extra effort and improve performance. Managers catch employees doing great things and applaud them. Managers catch employee performance problems and use them to improve performance and win employees back. Employees want feedback; be sure to provide the right kind of feedback that builds their skills, confidence and commitment to perform at their best.
By Jay Forte
Motivating and Inspiring Your People
These days, if you’re a leader of any type, you can’t simply order people around and expect them to do what you want. They may follow your directions, if you are watching, but once they’re left on their own they’ll go back to doing what they think is important.
Leaders today, more than ever before, have to win people’s cooperation. And there are two main ways of doing so: motivation and inspiration. Although the two words are often used interchangeably, they actually mean quite different things – depending on what you want to achieve.
Motivation is about moving people to act in a way that achieves a specific and immediate goal. When you’re motivating people to do something they may not necessarily want to do, you have to offer them something they want in return.
When coaches give their teams a pep talk during halftime, they are using motivation. They want their players to charge back onto the field or the court with renewed energy and focus, even though they may be too tired or disheartened to try. Their reward? Victory.
To motivate your people:
- Tell people exactly what you want them to do. Motivation is all about getting people to take action, so don’t be vague. Avoid generalities like, “I want everyone to do their best.” Say, instead, “I need you to come in over the weekend so we can get this project done on time.”
- Limit the amount of time or effort that you’re asking for. It’s easier to ask people to work late work one night or even every night for a week than to expect them to work late indefinitely. Set an end date.
- Share in the sacrifice. Leaders don’t ask people to do what they themselves aren’t willing to do. Don’t tell your people to work over the weekend if you’ve got plans for a spa day. Roll up your sleeves and share the load.
- Appeal to their emotions. Fear focuses people’s attention and can be an effective motivator. (“If we don’t get this done right now, we’ll all lose our jobs.”) But if you keep resorting to fear, you’ll end up de-motivating people. People are also motivated by—and prefer to be motivated by—positive emotions like excitement, pride, a sense of belonging, and the thrill of achievement.
- Give people multiple reasons for doing what you want them to do. You can give your own reason or the organization’s reason for requesting the action. “If we don’t get this project completed on schedule, we’ll lose the contract.” But the best reason of all is always personal. It would be nice if you could give your people extra days off or even a bonus. Or you may talk about something as intangible as the camaraderie that comes from having achieved something important together. But things being what they are these days, the best you may be able to offer is the hope that no one will lose a job.
Inspiration, on the other hand, involves changing the way people think and feel about themselves so that they want to take positive actions. It taps into people’s values and desires.
Commencement speakers—the best ones, at least—inspire their audiences. They talk about the challenges the graduates will face, either personally or collectively, and the possibilities of making a difference. Inspiration appeals to the best aspirations of people, and its underlying, often unspoken message is “You can become what you want to be.” No reward is promised, other than the reward that comes from within: the sense of personal satisfaction.
As a leader anytime you talk about values, about identity (either the corporate identity or each person’s identity), and about long-term goals, your intent—whether you know it or not—is to inspire.
To inspire your people:
- Be the change you want to inspire. Your reputation, your character, your behavior will inspire people more than anything else. The only way to call the best out of others is to expect the best from yourself.
- Tell a story. Stories don’t tell people what to do. They engage people’s imaginations and emotions. They show people what they’re capable of becoming or of doing.
- Appeal to people’s value system. Ask them to act in a way that is consistent with the values they themselves profess.
- Trust people. When you’re inspiring people, you’re not telling them exactly what to do or giving them precise directions. You’re empowering them to be their best, trusting that they will then do the right thing. And the right thing they do may not be what you were expecting; it may be something beyond your wildest expectations.
- Challenge them. People aren’t inspired by doing the ordinary or by meeting expectations. They’re inspired by the exertion, creativity, and sacrifice needed to exceed what they themselves thought possible.
Motivation and inspiration aren’t the sole province of professional speakers and preachers. They’re tools leaders use all the time—in one-on-one conversations, in meetings, and in formal presentations—to bring out the best in their people. It’s just a matter of knowing the right time and the right situation.
When there’s an immediate, short-term, and specific goal that you want your people to achieve, you need to motivate them. When you want to shape people’s identity and their long-term aspirations and commitments, you need to inspire them.
Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, the French aviator and author of The Little Prince, wrote, “If you want to build a ship, don't drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.” Sometimes you need to do both. You need to enlist and organize people to do a specific task—to build a ship according to specs, on time and on budget—and sometimes you need to activate people’s desires and stand aside. Who knows, you may be surprised by what they do.
By Chris Witt
The Power of Encouragement
If you've invested in the stock market or real estate, the slumping economy has probably led you to take up new hobbies like screaming, crying, or tearing your hair out. Everyone is looking for safe investments that offer the best ROI. For businesspeople, the surefire winners are your employees. Specifically, investing encouragement and support into the people that you work with.
Every time a business makes a deposit of encouragement into an employee, there's an opportunity for instant return, whether it's an up tick in their morale and/or their performance. As a bonus, there's the possibility for encouragement to build and create long-term return. You will have an employee that enjoys their job and regularly goes above and beyond their job description. Naturally, a supportive work environment supports better work.
A good way to look at these managerial efforts is to call them "creating joy on the job." The key to being a good administrator is recognizing where you are strong, but also recognizing your weaknesses. Surround yourself with people who can fill those weak points. Build them up in those areas so that they'll enjoy what they're doing and do a better job.
It's often not easy to get your staff to enjoy their jobs. There are many tools with which you can encourage your employees, here are the top five. They may seem obvious, but it is important not to overcomplicate things and overlook the simple ideas. The top five tools to encourage your employees are:
1. A kind countenance: This is a fancy way to tell you to smile. Your coworkers will reflect what they see in you. Be a master of making eye contact and giving a smile that communicates, "I really care about you. I'm interested in you." It is an effective non-verbal way of telling your co-workers they are important to the organization and are making a difference.
2. A timely word: This involves being sensitive to when an employee needs a word of encouragement. They may have had a difficult day, in personal or work matters, and it would mean a lot for their supervisor to acknowledge it. It involves a good sense of timing: saying the right thing at the right time.
3. An appropriate touch: In a society where the threat of sexual harassment seems to inhabit every cross-gender interaction, lost is the thoughtful art of physical contact with each other. Psychological counselors claim that people are deprived of physical contact with the incredible fear of "Will it be misunderstood?"
For example, take an amateur boxer. Boxing allows the participant to engage in rigorous mental and physical training, expend pent-up energy, and sharpen focus. Even after the manly, testosterone-saturated event, more hugging happens than at Woodstock, especially for the victor. In addition to celebrating with hugs, boxers show respect by touching gloves with their opponent before trying to knock his head off. In sports, physical contact like this is acceptable.
In the workplace, a handshake, a pat on back, or a pat on arm is usually appropriate, and it makes a difference. Obviously, use common sense. Understand your individual relationships with your employees and how your action will be perceived by the employee and by others.
4. A well-crafted note: Whether it be via email, text message, or the classic Post-It note, tell your employees how good of a job they're doing. Be creative in letting them know in printed word that you appreciate them - both who they are and their good performance. You never want to hear this kind of complaint in your office, "I never knew if they appreciated what I was doing. I didn't know if I was doing good or bad."
Don't let your employees wonder the same thoughts. Tell them simply when and what they're doing well. You can likely expect to see even better work from them in the near future.
5. Consistency: You can't just make a bank deposit once and expect that savings account to grow. You have to continually invest into it. In the same way, one gesture of encouragement is a good start, but that boost will fade away as the rigors and routines of the job pile up. You have to keep at it.
Also, it would be a bad idea to turn your money over to a financial planner and expect everything to be in order when you retire. You have to be involved. In the same way, encouragement has to come from you – an authentic, personal, and consistent effort from the encourager.
The key to maintaining consistency is looking beyond your own needs and concerns and really knowing your staff. See your employees as more than people who have tasks to do. You should know them and be sensitive to how they communicate, both verbally (comments of frustration, pleas for help) and non-verbally (facial expressions, body language). Do you know when an employee is having a rough day? Can you tell if their behavior is different from other days?
In the end, all of this encouragement not only builds up your employees, but molds you into a better leader. Don’t be a “boss” who throws out an expectation, sits back and waits for it to be met; Develop a coach’s mentality to help your employees reach the goal.
Good coaches drive for the goal, whether it is a boxing match or the bottom line. They also know that encouragement is the key ingredient to getting the most out of their athletes because of the trust that is created when an athlete receives the recognition and the validation for all their work. Your employees will allow you to challenge them to reach greater heights if you take the time to build a relationship where encouragement and acknowledgement play a big role. Don’t forget to celebrate the successes with your employees; teach and encourage them through the hard times and watch your work environment evolve
By Ben Glenn
Ways to Foster Employee Motivation - Today
Employee motivation is a continuing challenge at work. Particularly in work environments that don’t emphasize employee satisfaction1 as part of an embraced and supported overall business strategy, supervisors and managers walk a tough road.
On the one hand, they recognize their power in drawing forth the best employees have to offer; on the other, they feel unsupported, rewarded or recognized themselves for their work to develop motivated, contributing employees.
My word to managers? Get over it. No work environment will ever perfectly support your efforts to help employees choose motivated behaviors at work. Even the most supportive workplaces provide daily challenges and often appear to operate at cross purposes with your goals and efforts to encourage employee motivation.
The worst workplaces for employees? Let’s not even go there. They struggle to engage a fraction of their employees’ motivation and desire to contribute. They never obtain their employees’ discretionary energy2.
No matter what climate your organization provides to support employee motivation, you can, within the perimeters of your areas of responsibility, and even beyond, if you choose to extend your reach, create an environment that fosters and calls forth employee motivation.
Additionally, in determining the areas in which to provide employee motivation tips, here are key ideas from readers about how to increase employee motivation5 and employee job satisfaction6.
Four of the five most important considerations in employee motivation: job security, benefits7 (especially health care) with the importance of retirement benefits rising with age of the employee, compensation/pay8, and safety in the work environment are discussed in an article that addresses issues that are company-wide and rarely in the hands of an individual manager or supervisor.
Communicate responsibly and effectively any information employees need to perform their jobs most effectively. Employees want to be members of the in-crowd, people who know what is happening at work as soon as other employees know. They want the information necessary to do their jobs. They need enough information so that they make good decisions about their work.
On the one hand, they recognize their power in drawing forth the best employees have to offer; on the other, they feel unsupported, rewarded or recognized themselves for their work to develop motivated, contributing employees.
My word to managers? Get over it. No work environment will ever perfectly support your efforts to help employees choose motivated behaviors at work. Even the most supportive workplaces provide daily challenges and often appear to operate at cross purposes with your goals and efforts to encourage employee motivation.
The worst workplaces for employees? Let’s not even go there. They struggle to engage a fraction of their employees’ motivation and desire to contribute. They never obtain their employees’ discretionary energy2.
No matter what climate your organization provides to support employee motivation, you can, within the perimeters of your areas of responsibility, and even beyond, if you choose to extend your reach, create an environment that fosters and calls forth employee motivation.
Seven Opportunities to Influence Employee Motivation
You can, daily, take actions that will increase employee satisfaction3. Recommended are actions that employees say, in a recent Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM)4 survey, are important to their job satisfaction. Management actions in these areas will create a work environment conducive to employee motivation.Additionally, in determining the areas in which to provide employee motivation tips, here are key ideas from readers about how to increase employee motivation5 and employee job satisfaction6.
Four of the five most important considerations in employee motivation: job security, benefits7 (especially health care) with the importance of retirement benefits rising with age of the employee, compensation/pay8, and safety in the work environment are discussed in an article that addresses issues that are company-wide and rarely in the hands of an individual manager or supervisor.
Specific Actions to Increase Employee Motivation
These are seven consequential ways in which a manager or supervisor can create a work environment that will foster and influence increases in employee motivation - quickly.Communicate responsibly and effectively any information employees need to perform their jobs most effectively. Employees want to be members of the in-crowd, people who know what is happening at work as soon as other employees know. They want the information necessary to do their jobs. They need enough information so that they make good decisions about their work.
- Meet with employees following management staff meetings to update them about any company information that may impact their work. Changing due dates, customer feedback, product improvements, training opportunities, and updates on new departmental reporting or interaction structures are all important to employees. Communicate more than you think is necessary.
- Stop by the work area of employees who are particularly affected by a change to communicate more. Make sure the employee is clear about what the change means for their job, goals, time allocation, and decisions.
- Communicate daily with every employee who reports to you. Even a pleasant “good morning” enables the employee to engage with you.
- Hold a weekly one-on-one meeting with each employee who reports to you. They like to know that they will have this time every week. Encourage employees to come prepared with questions, requests for support, troubleshooting ideas for their work, and information that will keep you from being blindsided or disappointed by a failure to produce on schedule or as committed.
- Communicate openly, honestly and frequently. Hold whole staff meetings periodically, attend department meetings regularly, and communicate by wandering around work areas engaging staff and demonstrating interest in their work.
- Implement an open door policy10 for staff members to talk, share ideas, and discuss concerns. Make sure that managers understand the problems that they can and should solve will be directed back to them, but it is the executive’s job to listen.
- Congratulate staff on life events such as new babies, inquire about vacation trips, and ask about how both personal and company events turned out. Care enough to stay tuned into these kinds of employee life events and activities.
Sunday, October 02, 2011
Changing Your Paradigms Makes All The Difference
No more effort or energy is required in order to aim high in life, to demand abundance and prosperity, than is required to accept misery and poverty. The difference between the two lies in your level of awareness.
The information I’m about to share with you is extremely powerful and, in many cases, could set you free from the constraints that keep you from realizing your full potential and release you into the freedom and all of the good you desire. Yet you cannot be free until you know exactly what it is that governs, shapes, and directs your behavior and ultimately, your results. If you’re not careful, your thinking and results can be controlled by your paradigms.
Everything I teach is based on the premise that thoughts are things. Your thoughts create your life. And, for many people, paradigms can be the foundation upon which your thoughts are created.
Paradigms are your mindsets. Your ideas, the little habits that your brain has developed over the years. The “operating system” on which your mental processes run. Your paradigms create the prism through which most people view and make sense of the world around them. Information is presented to your mind in one-way or another. Your mind runs through all of the things it already knows about that piece of information and figures out where it fits in with the bigger picture. Then your mind makes a determination whether the information is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, possible or not — all of which can be influenced by your existing paradigms.
Like most things, paradigms in and of themselves are neutral. If your paradigms are positive, you will have a happy, growth-oriented life, a healthy self-image, and the ability to adapt successfully to changes, upsets, and unforeseen events. Conversely, negative paradigms can keep you stuck in old ways of thinking that can be very limiting. Negative paradigms keep you as imprisoned as does a cell and a set of iron bars. Maybe even more so, since it imprisons you in the place where all true freedom resides: the mind.
It follows, then, that if you want to create change in your life and start getting new and different results–you’ve got to change your paradigms.
How do you go about that?
Step One: Write down one thing – that goal, that dream, that challenge that you have not yet resolved in your life. The subconscious mind thrives on detail so describe it to yourself as vividly as you can.
Step Two: Write down every association that you connect to this thing; everything you think about it, good and bad, everything that the thought of it brings to your mind.
One approach I have found extremely effective is to “map” it in much the same way that writers come up with plot concepts.
Draw a circle around the words or sentence you came up with in Step One. Then, in the space around that circle, write down your associations as they come to you, encircling each one and connecting it with a line to the original encircled goal. When you feel like you’ve come up with a substantial number of associations, take a good look at what your mind has shown you. You’re looking at your paradigms.
Step Three: It’s time to address your paradigms and ask “why?” I suggest that you zero in on a few of the most powerful paradigms, the ones that have the biggest negative impact.
Ask yourself, “Why do I think this? Where does it come from? Where did I get such an idea?” Keep on digging until you’ve exhausted every possible scenario.
And finally, now that you know what your paradigm is on any given topic, create an affirmation that will assist you in re-programming your mind, something that is the
opposite of your paradigm.
For example, if your paradigm is you’ll never earn a lot of money, your affirmation might be:
I am so happy and grateful now that money comes to me on a continual basis through multiple sources of income. I am a magnet to money; I now have all that I want.
Write your affirmation on a 3X5 card and repeat it daily, as many times as possible. In time, you’ll begin to notice yourself thinking and acting in a different way. And, just when you think you’ve got it, it will be time to work on another paradigm!
To your success,
Bob Proctor
The information I’m about to share with you is extremely powerful and, in many cases, could set you free from the constraints that keep you from realizing your full potential and release you into the freedom and all of the good you desire. Yet you cannot be free until you know exactly what it is that governs, shapes, and directs your behavior and ultimately, your results. If you’re not careful, your thinking and results can be controlled by your paradigms.
Everything I teach is based on the premise that thoughts are things. Your thoughts create your life. And, for many people, paradigms can be the foundation upon which your thoughts are created.
Paradigms are your mindsets. Your ideas, the little habits that your brain has developed over the years. The “operating system” on which your mental processes run. Your paradigms create the prism through which most people view and make sense of the world around them. Information is presented to your mind in one-way or another. Your mind runs through all of the things it already knows about that piece of information and figures out where it fits in with the bigger picture. Then your mind makes a determination whether the information is good or bad, desirable or undesirable, possible or not — all of which can be influenced by your existing paradigms.
Like most things, paradigms in and of themselves are neutral. If your paradigms are positive, you will have a happy, growth-oriented life, a healthy self-image, and the ability to adapt successfully to changes, upsets, and unforeseen events. Conversely, negative paradigms can keep you stuck in old ways of thinking that can be very limiting. Negative paradigms keep you as imprisoned as does a cell and a set of iron bars. Maybe even more so, since it imprisons you in the place where all true freedom resides: the mind.
It follows, then, that if you want to create change in your life and start getting new and different results–you’ve got to change your paradigms.
How do you go about that?
Step One: Write down one thing – that goal, that dream, that challenge that you have not yet resolved in your life. The subconscious mind thrives on detail so describe it to yourself as vividly as you can.
Step Two: Write down every association that you connect to this thing; everything you think about it, good and bad, everything that the thought of it brings to your mind.
One approach I have found extremely effective is to “map” it in much the same way that writers come up with plot concepts.
Draw a circle around the words or sentence you came up with in Step One. Then, in the space around that circle, write down your associations as they come to you, encircling each one and connecting it with a line to the original encircled goal. When you feel like you’ve come up with a substantial number of associations, take a good look at what your mind has shown you. You’re looking at your paradigms.
Step Three: It’s time to address your paradigms and ask “why?” I suggest that you zero in on a few of the most powerful paradigms, the ones that have the biggest negative impact.
Ask yourself, “Why do I think this? Where does it come from? Where did I get such an idea?” Keep on digging until you’ve exhausted every possible scenario.
And finally, now that you know what your paradigm is on any given topic, create an affirmation that will assist you in re-programming your mind, something that is the
opposite of your paradigm.
For example, if your paradigm is you’ll never earn a lot of money, your affirmation might be:
I am so happy and grateful now that money comes to me on a continual basis through multiple sources of income. I am a magnet to money; I now have all that I want.
Write your affirmation on a 3X5 card and repeat it daily, as many times as possible. In time, you’ll begin to notice yourself thinking and acting in a different way. And, just when you think you’ve got it, it will be time to work on another paradigm!
To your success,
Bob Proctor
What to Do When Success is Slow
Pop Quiz: Can success be sped up? Is there an antidote to slow outcomes despite arduous planning and actions taken? What’s the secret for seeing huge results right now?!
I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey – despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.
Let’s get one thing straight…
When we admire someone’s success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.
The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core – your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.
If you focus on what’s not working, guess what: You’re likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong.
You may even have negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” “It will never work,” or “Something must be wrong with me.”
What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings. And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There’s not much success in that.
The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.
Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.
Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.
Spend time each day in quiet contemplation, prayer or meditation.
Meditation can be powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later. The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over.
This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want. (Don’t know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you this practice. It’s easier than you think. )
Let’s say you’re doing ALL these things, but you still aren’t happy with your results…
I’ll ask you then, are you taking real action?
You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you’ve already done, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. It’s a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.
Remember the Rule of 5.
Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you’re off course.
Lastly, I want to remind you about patience.
It’s natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists. You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That’s a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.
So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you’ll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.
Remember… be grateful, reflect on what IS working and continue to take action!
To your success,
Jack Canfield
_______________
Jack Canfield, is the founder and co-creator of book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance.
I get versions of these questions frequently from people who feel frustrated at sluggish progress in their success journey – despite all the know-how and principles they rigorously employ.
Let’s get one thing straight…
When we admire someone’s success, or even our own, we often focus on the end result and not so much on the effort (and time) that it took to get there. This can cultivate unrealistic expectations, especially the idea that overnight success can happen through careful strategy and an execution of sound advice.
The truth be told, success typically follows a series of little events and achievements that can seem to take an eternity, that include a few disappointments along the way, and that challenge everything about you to the core – your stamina, courage, integrity, and even your willingness to keep going.
If you focus on what’s not working, guess what: You’re likely coming from a place of aggravation as your mind wraps around all that is wrong.
You may even have negative thoughts like “I’m not good enough,” “It will never work,” or “Something must be wrong with me.”
What this mentally does is engender more of these counter-productive feelings. And given what we know about the Law of Attraction, you attract what you are feeling. So negative experiences, people, and results will beget more negative experience, people, and results. There’s not much success in that.
The key, then, is to focus on what IS working. To do so, I recommend two simple practices: journaling and meditation.
Maintaining a journal (I call it an Evidence Log, Results Journal, or Gratitude Journal) is a great way to steer your attention to the positive and continually renew your vision for yourself.
Start each day with reflections on what you are grateful for in your life (list them out!) and end each day with notes on what went right (again, write them down), however small they may seem.
Spend time each day in quiet contemplation, prayer or meditation.
Meditation can be powerful tool for arriving at solutions to problems and shifting your attitude so you can attract success sooner rather than later. The magic of meditation is its ability to essentially shut down the outer layer of your judgmental, highly-critical brain and allow your unconscious mind to take over.
This is where you enter a deeper state of inner peace and joy, tapping into a higher level of creativity that will help usher in the results you want. (Don’t know how to meditate? Lots of books and materials are available to guide you this practice. It’s easier than you think. )
Let’s say you’re doing ALL these things, but you still aren’t happy with your results…
I’ll ask you then, are you taking real action?
You may be taking the actions you are used to taking. But if you keep doing what you’ve already done, then you’ll keep getting what you’ve always gotten. It’s a matter of practicing some new behaviors. Shake things up a bit and see if you can take new actions or modify existing ones.
Remember the Rule of 5.
Every day do five specific things that take you toward your goal. Change up the five actions regularly and be open to feedback so you know when you’re off course.
Lastly, I want to remind you about patience.
It’s natural to underestimate how long a certain goal can take, especially a profound one. When I set a goal to become a millionaire the year was 1983. How long did it take? Eleven years. It took time for Chicken Soup for the Soul to hit the bestseller lists. You could say our tenure on the New York Times list was more than a decade in the making. That’s a lot of patience for someone who initially wanted overnight success.
So, yes, patience is a virtue. But keep at it, and in no time, you’ll be only one week, or one day away from your ultimate success.
Remember… be grateful, reflect on what IS working and continue to take action!
To your success,
Jack Canfield
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Jack Canfield, is the founder and co-creator of book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance.
The Key to Long-Term Success
Successful people have been studied in depth for more than 100 years. They have been interviewed extensively to determine what it is they do and how they think that enables them to accomplish so much more than the average person.
In this article we’ll discuss one of the most important single factor of long-term success and how you can build it into your personality and your attitude. You learn how to virtually guarantee yourself a great future.
The Harvard Discovery on Success
In 1970, sociologist Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University wrote a book entitled The Unheavenly City. He described one of the most profound studies on success and priority setting ever conducted.
Banfield’s goal was to find out how and why some people became financially independent during the course of their working lifetimes. He started off convinced that the answer to this question would be found in factors such as family background, education, intelligence, influential contacts, or some other concrete factor. What he finally discovered was that the major reason for success in life was a particular attitude of mind.
Develop Long Time Perspective
Banfield called this attitude “long time perspective.” He said that men and women who were the most successful in life and the most likely to move up economically were those who took the future into consideration with every decision they made in the present. He found that the longer the period of time a person took into consideration while planning and acting, the more likely it was that he would achieve greatly during his career.
For example, one of the reasons your family doctor is among the most respected people in America is because he or she has invested many years of hard work and study to finally earn the right to practice medicine. After university courses, internship, residency and practical training, a doctor may be more than 30 years old before he or she is capable of earning a good living. But from that point onward, these men and women are some of the most respected and most successful professional people in any society. They had long time perspectives.
Measure the Potential Future Impact
The key to success in setting priorities is having a long time perspective. You can tell how important something is today by measuring its potential future impact on your life.
For example, if you come home from work at night and choose to play with your children or spend time with your spouse, rather than watch TV or read the paper, you have a long time perspective. You know that investing time in the health and happiness of your children and your spouse is a very valuable, high-priority use of time. The potential future impact of quality time with your family is very high.
If you take additional courses in the evening to upgrade your skills and make yourself more valuable to your employer, you’re acting with a long time perspective. Learning something practical and useful can have a long-term effect on your career.
Practice Delayed Gratification
Economists say that the inability to delay gratification-that is, the natural tendency of individuals to spend everything they earn plus a little bit more, and the mind-set of doing what is fun, easy and enjoyable-is the primary cause of economic and personal failure in life. On the other hand, disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.
The long term comes soon enough, and every sacrifice that you make today will be rewarded with compound interest in the great future that lies ahead for you.
Action Exercises:
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, think long-term. Sit down today and write out a description of your ideal life ten and twenty years into the future. This automatically develops longer-time perspective.
Second, look at everything you do in terms of its long-term potential impact on your life. Do more things that have greater long-term value to you.
Third, develop the habit of delaying gratification in small things, small expenditures, small pleasures, so that you can enjoy greater rewards and greater satisfaction in the future.
____________
Brian Tracy is one of the world’s leading authorities on personal and business success.
In this article we’ll discuss one of the most important single factor of long-term success and how you can build it into your personality and your attitude. You learn how to virtually guarantee yourself a great future.
The Harvard Discovery on Success
In 1970, sociologist Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard University wrote a book entitled The Unheavenly City. He described one of the most profound studies on success and priority setting ever conducted.
Banfield’s goal was to find out how and why some people became financially independent during the course of their working lifetimes. He started off convinced that the answer to this question would be found in factors such as family background, education, intelligence, influential contacts, or some other concrete factor. What he finally discovered was that the major reason for success in life was a particular attitude of mind.
Develop Long Time Perspective
Banfield called this attitude “long time perspective.” He said that men and women who were the most successful in life and the most likely to move up economically were those who took the future into consideration with every decision they made in the present. He found that the longer the period of time a person took into consideration while planning and acting, the more likely it was that he would achieve greatly during his career.
For example, one of the reasons your family doctor is among the most respected people in America is because he or she has invested many years of hard work and study to finally earn the right to practice medicine. After university courses, internship, residency and practical training, a doctor may be more than 30 years old before he or she is capable of earning a good living. But from that point onward, these men and women are some of the most respected and most successful professional people in any society. They had long time perspectives.
Measure the Potential Future Impact
The key to success in setting priorities is having a long time perspective. You can tell how important something is today by measuring its potential future impact on your life.
For example, if you come home from work at night and choose to play with your children or spend time with your spouse, rather than watch TV or read the paper, you have a long time perspective. You know that investing time in the health and happiness of your children and your spouse is a very valuable, high-priority use of time. The potential future impact of quality time with your family is very high.
If you take additional courses in the evening to upgrade your skills and make yourself more valuable to your employer, you’re acting with a long time perspective. Learning something practical and useful can have a long-term effect on your career.
Practice Delayed Gratification
Economists say that the inability to delay gratification-that is, the natural tendency of individuals to spend everything they earn plus a little bit more, and the mind-set of doing what is fun, easy and enjoyable-is the primary cause of economic and personal failure in life. On the other hand, disciplining yourself to do what you know is right and important, although difficult, is the highroad to pride, self-esteem and personal satisfaction.
The long term comes soon enough, and every sacrifice that you make today will be rewarded with compound interest in the great future that lies ahead for you.
Action Exercises:
Here are three steps you can take immediately to put these ideas into action.
First, think long-term. Sit down today and write out a description of your ideal life ten and twenty years into the future. This automatically develops longer-time perspective.
Second, look at everything you do in terms of its long-term potential impact on your life. Do more things that have greater long-term value to you.
Third, develop the habit of delaying gratification in small things, small expenditures, small pleasures, so that you can enjoy greater rewards and greater satisfaction in the future.
____________
Brian Tracy is one of the world’s leading authorities on personal and business success.
Influence Comes Down To The Three C’s By Ty Bennett
Have you ever wondered what makes someone influential? Why did people follow Gandhi? Or Martin Luther King Jr.?
What makes leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians or salespeople influential?
These are the questions I have asked myself for years. In my career I have had a chance to work with and share the stage with some of the greatest influencers in the world and I’ve studied them. I’ve watched their way of being, their interactions, the way they treat people and I’ve tried to understand this elusive quality we call influence.
The great thing that I’ve discovered about influence is that it comes down to just three things. More importantly though, these are things that we control.
So if you want to be more influential, then work on improving the three C’s.
- Character
- Competence
- Communication
1st C – Character
Billionaire John Huntsman once said, "There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business – or life. There are, basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character."
Influence is based on trust and people first need to have confidence in your character to trust you. Character is who you are. The word originally meant something that was engraved – on wood, on medal, or on one’s soul. During the time of Shakespeare the word began to be used for a part that an actor played. Characters acted out roles, wearing masks to hide their true identity.
The unfortunate truth is that many people treat their character today like they did in Shakespeare’s time. They try to compartmentalize their life, being one person in public, while they are someone totally different in private. Or they try to put on a show. The truth is, your true character always shows itself.
Your character is who you are in totality. Are you trustworthy? Are you a good person? Do you care about others?
When I think of the people who have had the most influence on me, their influence isn’t based in what they have; it comes from who they are.
We follow people because of their character.
Action Item:
To build your character, focus on your integrity. Be a person that people can trust and count on. Make a commitment today to follow through. Do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it, the way you said you would do it. When you follow through, people will gain confidence in who you are.
2nd C – Competence
Once people buy into who you are (character) they need to know that you have something to offer. Whether that is knowledge or skill (or both) – competence is essential for you to be influential.
Why would someone follow an incompetent person? Well it’s obvious, they wouldn’t.
In the book, Influencer the authors point out need for both character and competence. "People, including children, pay attention to individuals who possess two important qualities. First, these people are viewed as knowledgeable about the issue at hand. They tend to stay connected to their area of expertise, often through a variety of sources.
Second, opinion leaders are viewed as trustworthy. They don’t merely know a great deal about a certain area, but they also have other people’s best interest in mind. This means that they aren’t seen as using their knowledge to manipulate or harm, but rather to help. If others believe that you’re missing either of these two qualities, you won’t be very influential."
Competence is a requisite to influence, and those who are influential understand that the more they more competent they become, the more influence they carry.
Action Item:
It is not sufficient just to be competent enough to get by. You need to be viewed as an opinion leader or an expert. To do that, I started early in my career taking at least 30 minutes everyday to study my profession. I wanted to know more than other people knew and be able to share that knowledge when needed. I didn’t always need to share what I knew but it added confidence because I was always ready.
3rd C – Communication
As an influencer, you have a message. Being able to communicate that message in a concise, engaging, compelling fashion is influence in action.
In communication there are so many areas to focus. Do you turn your presentations into conversations by engaging the audience? Is your message understandable? Is it memorable? Are you engaging emotion that causes people to take action? How is your eye contact? Tone of voice? Body language?
Those are all important but I think we often miss the point of communication.
John Maxwell wrote a great book titled, "Everyone Communicates, But Very Few Connect." I love that title because it is true. And I think that when it comes to communication most people focus on perfection, but the true focus should be on connection. It is human connection that makes a difference in our message.
The fact is that we are all in the people business, and as our ability to communicate and connect improves, we will excel in the people business.
Anthony Robbins was right when he said, "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives."
Action Item:
The best way that I have found to better my communication to record myself and play it back. When you record yourself and listen to what you say – it is extremely eye opening. You will know if you use filler words, if you sound confident, if you are clear and concise and if you are engaging. Would you buy from you? Would you take action on your message? Great communicators are born that way; they are constantly working on it. Make it a habit to record your self and play it back.
_____________
Ty Bennett is the author of The Power of Influence
What makes leaders, entrepreneurs, politicians or salespeople influential?
These are the questions I have asked myself for years. In my career I have had a chance to work with and share the stage with some of the greatest influencers in the world and I’ve studied them. I’ve watched their way of being, their interactions, the way they treat people and I’ve tried to understand this elusive quality we call influence.
The great thing that I’ve discovered about influence is that it comes down to just three things. More importantly though, these are things that we control.
So if you want to be more influential, then work on improving the three C’s.
- Character
- Competence
- Communication
1st C – Character
Billionaire John Huntsman once said, "There are no moral shortcuts in the game of business – or life. There are, basically, three kinds of people: the unsuccessful, the temporarily successful, and those who become and remain successful. The difference is character."
Influence is based on trust and people first need to have confidence in your character to trust you. Character is who you are. The word originally meant something that was engraved – on wood, on medal, or on one’s soul. During the time of Shakespeare the word began to be used for a part that an actor played. Characters acted out roles, wearing masks to hide their true identity.
The unfortunate truth is that many people treat their character today like they did in Shakespeare’s time. They try to compartmentalize their life, being one person in public, while they are someone totally different in private. Or they try to put on a show. The truth is, your true character always shows itself.
Your character is who you are in totality. Are you trustworthy? Are you a good person? Do you care about others?
When I think of the people who have had the most influence on me, their influence isn’t based in what they have; it comes from who they are.
We follow people because of their character.
Action Item:
To build your character, focus on your integrity. Be a person that people can trust and count on. Make a commitment today to follow through. Do what you said you would do, when you said you would do it, the way you said you would do it. When you follow through, people will gain confidence in who you are.
2nd C – Competence
Once people buy into who you are (character) they need to know that you have something to offer. Whether that is knowledge or skill (or both) – competence is essential for you to be influential.
Why would someone follow an incompetent person? Well it’s obvious, they wouldn’t.
In the book, Influencer the authors point out need for both character and competence. "People, including children, pay attention to individuals who possess two important qualities. First, these people are viewed as knowledgeable about the issue at hand. They tend to stay connected to their area of expertise, often through a variety of sources.
Second, opinion leaders are viewed as trustworthy. They don’t merely know a great deal about a certain area, but they also have other people’s best interest in mind. This means that they aren’t seen as using their knowledge to manipulate or harm, but rather to help. If others believe that you’re missing either of these two qualities, you won’t be very influential."
Competence is a requisite to influence, and those who are influential understand that the more they more competent they become, the more influence they carry.
Action Item:
It is not sufficient just to be competent enough to get by. You need to be viewed as an opinion leader or an expert. To do that, I started early in my career taking at least 30 minutes everyday to study my profession. I wanted to know more than other people knew and be able to share that knowledge when needed. I didn’t always need to share what I knew but it added confidence because I was always ready.
3rd C – Communication
As an influencer, you have a message. Being able to communicate that message in a concise, engaging, compelling fashion is influence in action.
In communication there are so many areas to focus. Do you turn your presentations into conversations by engaging the audience? Is your message understandable? Is it memorable? Are you engaging emotion that causes people to take action? How is your eye contact? Tone of voice? Body language?
Those are all important but I think we often miss the point of communication.
John Maxwell wrote a great book titled, "Everyone Communicates, But Very Few Connect." I love that title because it is true. And I think that when it comes to communication most people focus on perfection, but the true focus should be on connection. It is human connection that makes a difference in our message.
The fact is that we are all in the people business, and as our ability to communicate and connect improves, we will excel in the people business.
Anthony Robbins was right when he said, "The way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately determines the quality of our lives."
Action Item:
The best way that I have found to better my communication to record myself and play it back. When you record yourself and listen to what you say – it is extremely eye opening. You will know if you use filler words, if you sound confident, if you are clear and concise and if you are engaging. Would you buy from you? Would you take action on your message? Great communicators are born that way; they are constantly working on it. Make it a habit to record your self and play it back.
_____________
Ty Bennett is the author of The Power of Influence
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