There's no such thing as an urgent email

It’s time we put email in its place. It’s not urgent. When is the last time you received an email saying “Your child is stuck in an elevator between floors at the TD Centre Tower? Please come immediately.” Or “Honey, my plane arrived early. Please pick me up right away at Terminal one.” In those cases and others I’m sure you would receive a telephone call instead.

Let’s face it. Email is simply another communications tool, like memos or voice mail or faxes. Rarely would one use it to communicate something truly urgent that required instant attention. We have been exaggerating its importance and urgency for so long we are becoming its slave. I have talked to clients who check their email continuously throughout the day in the event their boss may request something. I have talked to one executive who prides himself in the fact that he can email any of his managers on the weekend and get an almost immediate response. Some people check their email before they get dressed in the morning and before they retire at night. At least one woman I read about takes her BlackBerry to bed with her.

Hardcopy mail is delivered only once per day. You can easily receive electronic mail two or three times a day. But checking it twenty or thirty times a day is a huge timewaster. And a habit you want to avoid.

 

According to Gallagher and Ventura, the most important words of personal responsibility are as follows:

• The 10 most important words:
  I won't wait for others to take the first step.
• The 9 most important words:
  If it is to be, it's up to me.
• The 8 most important words:
  If not me, who? If not now, when?
• The 7 most important words:
  Let me take a shot at it.
• The 6 most important words:
  I will not pass the buck.
• The 5 most important words:
  You can count on me.
• The 4 most important words:
  It IS my job!
• The 3 most important words:
  Just do it!
• The 2 most important words:
  I will.
• The most important word:
  Me

 

tecH's hiGhest paid young CEO's

Topping the list of highest paid CEOs is 43-year-old Nabeel Gareeb of Pakistani origin, CEO of chipmaker MEMC Electronic Materials since April 2002 with a total compensation package of $79.6 million.

Gareeb joined MEMC as CEO in April 2002. Gareeb's appointment came after Texas Pacific Group purchased the company from its German owners in 2001 and recapitalised the business.

Prior to joining MEMC, Gareeb was the Chief Operating Officer of International Rectifier Corporation, a leading supplier of power semiconductors, where he was responsible for worldwide operations, research and development and marketing.

He joined International Rectifier in 1992 as Vice President of Manufacturing and subsequently held other senior management positions. Gareeb immigrated to US from Pakistan more than 25 years ago. He holds an MSc in engineering management, and a Bachelors in electrical and electronic engineering.

Jen-Hsun Huang, Nvidia

Second on the list is Nvidia Corporation co founder Jen-Hsun Huang. Huang founded graphic chip maker in April 1993 today commands a pay packet of $45.9 million. He has being President, Chief Executive Officer, and a member on Nvidia's Board since its inception.

Under his leadership, Nvidia emerged as a leading name in programmable graphics processing technologies and one of the semiconductor industry's largest fabless companies.

Huang also serves on the Rand Corporation's Board of Trustees and is a member of the Committee of 100, an organisation that addresses issues concerning the Chinese-American community and US-China relations.

Prior to founding Nvidia, Huang held engineering, marketing and general management positions at LSI Logic, and was a microprocessor designer at Advanced Micro Devices.

Huang holds a BSEE degree from Oregon State University and an MSEE degree from Stanford University.

Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystems

Jonathan Schwartz, chief executive officer and president of Sun Microsystems is the third highest-paid young tech CEO with an annual package of $13.5 million. A member of Sun's board of directors, Schwartz became company's CEO in 2006, succeeding the Sun's co-founder and current chairman of the board, Scott McNealy.

Schwartz was promoted to president and chief operating officer in 2004, and managed all operational functions at Sun -- from product development and marketing, to global sales and service.

A leader behind many of Sun's open source and standard setting initiatives, Jonathan's been an outspoken advocate for the network as a utility with more than just value for the computing industry -- but as a tool for driving economic, social and political progress.

Prior to his position as COO, Schwartz served as Sun's executive vice president for software, its Chief Strategy Officer, and held a variety of leadership positions across product and corporate development.

He joined Sun in 1996 after the company acquired Lighthouse Design, where he was CEO and co-founder. Prior to that, Schwartz was with McKinsey & Co. Schwartz received degrees in economics and mathematics from Wesleyan University.

Shantanu Narayen, Adobe Systems

Forty-four-year old electronics engineer from Hyderabad, Shantanu Narayen, became Adobe's CEO last year. His annual compensation is at $12 million.

Narayen joined Adobe in January 1998 as Vice President and General Manager of Adobe's engineering technology group. In January 1999, he was promoted to Senior Vice President, Worldwide Products and in March 2001 he was promoted to Executive Vice President, Worldwide Product Marketing and Development.

In January 2005, Narayen was promoted to President and Chief Operating Officer of Adobe. Prior to joining Adobe, Narayen co-founded Pictra Inc in 1996.

Together with the ex-CEO Bruce Chizen, Narayen spearheaded the $3.4 billion acquisition of Macromedia Inc in 2005, expanding Adobe's software platform and solutions and strengthening the company's presence in key markets ranging from enterprise and vertical industries to mobile devices and multimedia publishing.

Narayen is a frequent speaker at industry and academic events. He serves on the Advisory Board of the Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley.

Narayen holds a bachelor's degree in electronics engineering from Osmania University in India, a master's degree in computer science from Bowling Green State University, and a master's degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business.

Dara Khosrowshahi, Expedia

At no. five is CEO of Expedia Dara Khosrowshahi with a total compensation package of is $4.9 million.

Founded as a division of Microsoft in October 1996, Expedia was spun off in 1999. The company was later purchased by USA Networks in 2001.

The 39-year-old Khosrowshahi became CEO of Expedia when it spun off from IAC/InterActiveCorp (IAC) in August 2005. He joined IAC in 1998 as vice president of strategic planning. Prior to this he worked at Allen & Company LLC from 1991 to 1998, where he served as vice president from 1995 to 1998.

Khosrowshahi received a BA in engineering from Brown University in 1991

Francisco D'Souza, Cognizant

At no. six is thiry-nine-year old Francisco D'Souza, president and chief executive officer of Cognizant. D'Souza who has been the company's President and CEO since January 2007 has an annual compensation package of $3.7 million.

Prior to this he was the Chief Operating Officer for Cognizant's global delivery, marketing and sales, business development and client services operations. He has also led the company's North American and European operations.

Earlier, Francisco held key positions at The Dun & Bradstreet Corporation in marketing, strategic planning and new business development in Germany, US and India.

Born in Kenya, he has Bachelors degree from the University of East Asia. He has also done MBA from Carnegie-Mellon University.

101 Ways To Motivate, Energize And Inspire Your Team

Here is a long list of effective and simple incentives for your team.

At the conclusion of an incentive program, it is important to assess how successful it was. Did you get the results you wanted? One of the best ways to judge the program’s effectiveness, besides considering your own observations, is to get feedback from the reps and administrators involved. You want to be sure that your directions were communicated clearly and at the right intervals, that the rewards were appealing and sparked interest and drive, that your team members felt supported and prepared to take on the challenges being presented, that the program boosted morale, team effort, energy and creativity,etc.

What were the weaknesses, if any? Did the program meet or fall short of participants’ expectations? And of course, you must consider the bottom line impact on sales. Another important thing that cannot be overlooked is whether there may have been any outside influence that you did not have any control over. For example, has the industry experienced an increase in pricing? Was the product or service new, or has there been longstanding consumer awareness and recognition of it? Have there been any fluctuations in the company’s marketing campaigns? All of these questions can basically be broken down into different areas, such as goals, budget or administration. In each area, identify what worked and what didn’t so you have concrete information to help you develop your next incentive program.

I have outlined a list of different activities and they have been categorized for your convenience.

Group Building

1. Movie day—bring popcorn
2. Water-skiing/Lake trip
3. Join the city softball team
4. Go watch a professional team sport
5. Miniature golf
6. Volunteer opportunities
7. Cold-calling contest
8. Work-at-home week
9. Have the CEO address the sales staff
10. Racecar contest
11. Bring in a comedian for sales training
12. Fun, harmless practical jokes
13. Joke of the day to start a meeting
14. Bring in take-out for reps staying late
15. Laser tag
16. Ropes course
17. Bowling
18. Free lunch for the first sale of the day
19. VM broadcast about someone’s personal success
20. Company Olympics

Company Socials

21. Luau
22. Fiesta
23. Ice cream social
24. Barbeque
25. Pizza party
26. Customer appreciation day
27. Four-day weekend
28. Bring in donuts
29. Company newsletter about the success of the week
30. Dress up like Santa and hand out gifts
31. Thanksgiving or other holiday party

Esteem Building/Awards

32. Best phone demeanor
33. Best dresser
34. Most creative close
35. Best sales week
36. Most improved
37. Best team player
38. Most cold calls
39. Most new clients
40. Best customer service
41. Top attitude
42. Special note or email
43. Telegram
44. FedEx special note
45. Thank-you card
46. Personal pat on back
47. Lead part of a training meeting
48. Personal goal-setting meeting
49. Suggestion box
50. Personal call from CEO

Simple compliments like…

51. You’re incredible.
52. You’re a good…
53. I believe in you.
54. Great job!
55. You made my day.
56. Hug.
57. Thank you for …
58. I’m proud of you.
59. Perfect.
60. You’re awesome!
61. Well Done.
62. Great!
63. Excellent!
64. I knew you could do it.
65. I trust you.
66. Spectacular!
67. Outstanding!
68. I’m your biggest fan.

Friendly gestures like…

69. Smile
70. Warm handshake
71. Pat on the back

Individual Building

72. Daily contact with praise
73. Let them off to take their children to school on the first day
74. Free calls on company cell phones
75. Motivational plaque
76. Health club membership
77. Lotto wheel
78. Drive CEO’s car for the week
79. Shirt/Hat with logo
80. Special parking spot
81. Photo with CEO
82. Remodel office
83. Disneyland trip
84. Porsche for weekend

Personal Development

85. Books
- As a Man Thinketh
- The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
- Swim With the Sharks
- How to Win Friends and Influence People
- Maximum Influence
- The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
- Think and Grow Rich
- Psycho-Cybernetics
- The Magic of Thinking Big
- Learned Optimism

86. Videos
Remember the Titans
Miracle
Rocky
Chariots of Fire
Apollo 13
Field of Dreams
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Seabiscuit
The Right Stuff
The Rookie

87. Audios
- The Secrets to Manifesting Your Destiny
- Lead the Field
- Unleash the Power Within
- The Psychology of Selling
- Magnetic Persuasion
- Present with Power
- The Strangest Secret
- Exponential Success
- The Science of Personal Achievement
- The Psychology of Winning

88. Travel Incentives
- Hawaii
- Upgrade to first class
- Local hotel with dinner
- Limo to airport
- Las Vegas
- Bermuda
- Cancun
- Caribbean cruise
- Free miles to fly
- Tahiti
- Hotel suite upgrade
- Australia

Monetary Rewards

89. Large-screen TV
90. Computer
91. DVD player
92. $100 bill
93. Lottery tickets
94. Restaurant gift certificates
95. Cashews
96. Take the rep’s family to dinner
97. Department store gift certificate
98. Movie rental gift certificate
99. Costco certificate
100. Bookstore gift certificate
101. New suit

Leadership - The Test Of A Clear Vision

An informative article about vision. Indeed, one of the important qualities of a leader is to be able to put forth the vision clearly to the whole organisation and moving everyone in an unified direction towards the vision.

Many leaders assume that everyone understands their vision. Often there is a big gap between their vision and what the people they lead see as the vision. Unfortunately many leaders don’t take the time to actually find out how well they have expressed their vision to their team.

When the vision is uncertain, people tend to default to doing whatever vision seems best to them. In a medium sized organization I heard one of the vice presidents gave his opinion on a branding issue and then casually mentioned how it aligned with the vision. However, the vision he articulated was very different from the CEO’s vision. In fact the vice presidents view of the CEO's vision was 180 degrees from what the CEO had articulated as his vision. This was not the vice president's fault. I’m sure the CEO thought he had communicated the vision clearly, but the test of a well-communicated vision is whether or not the people responsible for implementing the vision correctly understand it.

A very simple way to test your organization’s vision alignment is ask people to write down the vision anonymously on a piece of paper in a short paragraph. Keeping the process anonymous helps people concentrate more on articulating the vision and less on worrying about getting it wrong or any repercussions from an incorrect answer . Once you get the feedback read over each and every vision statement.

If everyone comes back and states the vision exactly as you feel you’ve communicated it, consider yourself fortunate. Most of the time this will not be the case. You will probably discover that what people see as the vision, is not what you thought you communicated. By taking this information and attempting to discover the sources of the miscommunication you can prepare yourself to better communicate your vision in the future.

A Clever Dog

A very interesting analogy which brings out one very important point of Human - contentment. Should we be contented with our life and what we have or should we continue to strive for excellent? I think there should be a balance. We must be grateful for what we already have and yet at the same time to strive to be a better person. It also touches on some important qualities of a leader, someone who must be willing to serve others and who must know when to give appreciation to his team members.

A butcher watching over his shop is really surprised when he saw a dog coming inside the shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back again.

So, he goes over to the dog and notices he has a note in his mouth. He takes the note and it reads "Can I have 12 sausages and a leg of lamb, please. The dog has money in his mouth, as well."

The butcher looks inside and, lo and behold, there is a ten dollar Note there. So he takes the money and puts the sausages and lamb in a bag, placing it in the dog's mouth. The butcher is so impressed, and since it's about closing time, he decides to shut up shop and follow the dog.

So off he goes. The dog is walking down the street when he comes To a level crossing.

The dog puts down the bag, jumps up and presses the button. Then he waits patiently, bag in mouth, for the lights to turn. They do, and he walks across the road, with the butcher following him all the way.

The dog then comes to a bus stop, and starts looking at the timetable.

The butcher is in awe at this stage. The dog checks out the times, and then sits on one of the seats provided. Along comes a bus. The dog walks around to the front, looks at the number, and goes back to his seat.

Another bus comes. Again the dog goes and looks at the number, notices it's the right bus, and climbs on. The butcher, by now, open-mouthed, follows him onto the bus.

The bus travels through the town and out into the suburbs, the dog Looking at the scenery. Eventually he gets up, and moves to the front of the bus. He stands on 2 back paws and pushes the button to stop the bus. Then he gets off, his groceries still in his mouth.

Well, dog and butcher are walking along the road, and then the dog turns into a house. He walks up the path, and drops the groceries on the step.

Then he walks back down the path, takes a big run, and throws himself against the door. He goes back down the path, runs up to the door and again, it throws himself against it. There's no answer at the house, so the dog goes back down the path, jumps up on a narrow wall, and walks along the perimeter of the garden.

He gets to the window, and beats his head against it several times, walks back, jumps off, and waits at the door.

The butcher watches as a big guy opens the door, and starts abusing the dog, kicking him and punching him, and swearing at him. The butcher runs up, and stops the guy. "What in heaven's name are You doing? The dog is a genius. He could be on TV, for the life of me!" to which the guy responds: "You call this clever? This is the second time this week that this stupid dog's forgotten his key."

Reflection:
Some people will never be satisfied with what they've got.

Lesson from The Story :

When it comes to the work place, Employers do not know how to appreciate their people who have served them loyally through the years. I've seen companies lose good people for the simple fact their leaders failed to show appreciation.

Employers with big egos enjoy the fact that they have more power and authority than others. They show, in the way they give orders and directions, that they think they are superior.

They get a kick out of displaying this superiority. People who do this are fools, and everyone but them knows it.

They are never satisfied because they could not be satisfied even if their people perform well.

They don't listen to the opinion and ideas of their subordinates.

Why? Because of their pride and insecurity. People of this kind will never be satisfied. Why? Because they are so busy wrapped up in themselves and, fact is, the self can never be satisfied.

Happy and productive people are always those who are "others-centered" rather than "self- centered."

The greatest idea of leadership is not someone who throws his weight around. Rather, he is a servant.

 

How To Use Goals As A Time Management Tool

You’ve heard the saying, “If you do not know where you are going, how will you know when you get there.” Imagine the aggravation of traveling by automobile to another state for a conference, meeting or preferably a vacation, without a map as a guide, the convenience of map quest or have the privilege to have On Star in your automobile to determine the best route to take to get to your destination. You would travel unnecessary routes, waste time and increase your stress level 100 percent. Why would you do this to yourself?

Well, you do it to yourself in your business if you do not have clearly defined goals which pave a way to your desired destination or outcome. Let’s explore three simple ways to use goals as a time management tool.

Define Goals

The Webster Dictionary defines goals as a purpose; objective. I define goals as a route, plan or series of steps to get to a desired destination or outcome. You must have clear goals stating what you would like to accomplish in your business. What are your goals? What would you like to accomplish within the next three, six or twelve months? If you do not have a least five concise, clear goals written down you must do it now. Define your short term and long term goals. Without a direction or plan you will spend your days and time aimlessly without being productive. Don’t get stuck working in your business, work on your business.

Know The End Before You Began

Upon completion of defining your goals, it is best to know the end before you began. What will be the desired result of your goal? For example, one of my goals was to have a monthly e-zine, the monthly e-zine is the desired result, the end. In order to reach that result, I had to brainstorm on the necessary steps needed to get to the end. I studied other e-zines publications, auto responders, researched topics and wrote articles, created and included an opt-in box on my web page for subscribers. Those steps became my road map, my atlas to get to my desired outcome. It also broke my goal down to smaller reachable tasks that I could include in my daily schedule. How do you eat an elephant? One piece at a time!

Take Daily Action Steps

You must commit to completing daily tasks towards your goals until successful completion. You’ve defined your goal, mapped out the steps, now get out your planner and block time everyday to work on your tasks. Do not add the tasks to your “to do list”, actually put it in your schedule so that you are expected to work on it no matter what else is going on. If I schedule writing articles from 9:00 am – 10:00 am, I will not do anything else during this time, I will not answer the telephone or check email messages. Time blocked on your schedule should be uninterrupted time avoiding all time wasters. Develop a habit to plan your next day’s schedule at the end of your current work day, this will keep you organize, monitor your time and increase your productivity.

Motivation Equation And Orientation

A good article on motivation; whether it is externel or internal. Motivation can be either a push or pull factor. Find out which can be more lasting and use it to motivate your team.

When we break motivation down to its most fundamental level, it’s either inspiration-oriented or desperation-oriented. Whatever action we take, we are moving either toward something we favor or away from something we disfavor.

The majority of the world uses desperation as a motivator. Desperation is like a cattle prod forcing you to move forward and take action. You can motivate anyone on your team with desperation. The problem is that motivation spurred by desperation does not last. When desperation is the motivator, sales reps are in an “away from” mentality.

This kind of motivation is fleeting, arising only when threat, fear or discomfort is present. If you want motivation to last, you need to rely on inspiration. When your team is motivated by inspiration, they’re moving of their own initiative because they want to and are excited to, rather than because they are being forced to. Motivation becomes long term when it taps into a person’s inner recesses.

While the inspiration approach is certainly the more appealing of the two motivational methods, sometimes there has to be an element of “desperation.” I don’t mean that you want to cause your team members to feel despair, but sometimes things that push us away have to be present just as much as things that draw us near. The main reason for this recommendation is that if inspiration isn’t quite enough, your prospects may just simply fall into inactivity. That is, they fall into a comfort zone.

I’ve developed a grid that maps out the different motivators, their varying degrees and the effects they have on others. Draw a horizontal and an intersecting vertical axis on your paper. On the left of the horizontal axis, write “Desperation.” On the right of the horizontal axis, write “Inspiration.” At the top of the vertical axis, write “Internal” and at the bottom of the vertical axis, write “External.” In the Internal Inspiration quadrant, write the letter “A.” In the External Inspiration quadrant, write the letter “B.” In the Internal Desperation quadrant, write the letter “C.” In your last quadrant, External Desperation, write the letter “D.”

The central region is the comfort zone, where we experience complacency. How do you get someone on your team to move outside the middle? Let’s start with the short-term, easy form of motivation, quadrant D, where we find external desperation. You apply an external pressure to force someone into action. In other words, your team members must do what you say or they’re fired. “Hit these numbers or pack your bags.” Sure, it will work temporarily, but long-term consequences will result.

The next area of the Motivation Equation is quadrant C, where we find internal desperation. Desperation motivation can be made internal if you can use your prospects’ sense of duty or obligation to get them to move. Internal motivation works something like this: “I’m getting paid, so I guess I have to do this. If I don’t do this, the team will miss its quota.” You can see that in both of these examples, the person is acting of her/his own initiative but only out of obligation or to avoid a worse consequence.

So, is there a place for either of these latter two motivational approaches? Yes, but use them sparingly. Most teams will not put up with this treatment unless they know it is tough love. Every once in a while, when other things have failed, you can use these types of motivation. You have to let your team know not only that there are positive consequences for their actions, but if they don’t perform, there may be negative consequences as well. There has to be a baseline or a standard from which to evaluate the situation. Your team members can’t think that no matter what they will always have a job. Let’s face it—sometimes we all need a kick in the pants.

When we do resort to this approach, it’s usually a negative circumstance based on desperation. Just don’t go overboard or take it to the extreme. Make sure before you use any negative reinforcement that your sales rep has the tools s/he needs to get the job done. Does s/he need more training? Does s/he know exactly what you expect and how to do it?

The next quadrant is quadrant B, where we find external inspiration. Here, it is still external factors that influence you, but this time in a positive way. You are inspired and energized rather than acting simply to avoid pain. External inspiration is getting on the right motivational track because it can grow into internal inspiration. Sometimes, this quadrant is referred to as “borrowed light.” It’s OK to be guided and inspired by borrowed light until you’ve lit your own flame. At least this kind of motivation keeps you progressing in a positive way. Even with external influences, this type of motivation can produce long-term effects because it is inspiring and thus begins to tap into your inner emotions.

The best type of motivation is internal motivation, as shown in quadrant A. This quadrant is what we call passion. There’s no stopping the person who has found inspiration that is purely internally driven. You can wind her/him up and s/he’ll go on forever.

Hopefully, this chapter has given you lots of ideas on how to help individual team members as well as your team as a whole feel more motivated. As I said earlier, this material will apply to certain people in certain situations and will help them learn to find the right tools. The point is, you possess the knowledge and are equipped to take on any situation. Review this chapter anytime you need to give your team a boost, or even just to keep current momentum going. Of course, any of these suggestions may be adapted to suit your team’s specific needs.

Questions

1. Why is the mindset of your sales force the foundation of your success?

2. What are three ways in which you can praise and recognize your team? How will you implement these strategies?

3. Gallup Consulting Group has spent more than two decades interviewing hundreds of thousands of salespeople in an effort to help corporate clients form and develop their sales teams. Its findings suggest that the top four qualities of top-tier producers are: 1) solid closing skills; 2) self-motivation; 3) strong work ethic and 4) excellent people and relationship skills. How can you implement these four qualities into your sales team?

A-B-C Method of Managing Attitudes

As an airport skycap checked through a customer at curbside, he accidentally knocked over the man's luggage. He quickly collected the fallen bags and apologized for the mishap. Unappeased, the traveler burst into an angry tirade, raging and swearing at the skycap for his clumsiness. Throughout the traveler's rant, the baggage handler simply apologized and smiled. The angry man continued to berate the skycap, until he finally headed off to catch his plane. Even then the baggage handler remained calm and passively smiled.

The next customer in line witnessed the incident and marveled at the skycap's professionalism and control. "I have never seen such restraint and humility," he said. "How do you keep your cool when somebody is attacking you so viciously?"

"It's easy," the skycap answered. "He's going to Denver, but his bags are going to Detroit."

That is certainly ONE way of managing attitudes, but here is a more constructive approach.

Have you heard of the A-B-C method of managing your attitude? It's simple and effective.

"A" stands for the "Activating Event." Let's say you get stuck in traffic. The traffic jam is the activating event.

"B" stands for your "Belief System." You believe that traffic is only getting worse and you'll have more and more days like this ahead.

"C" stands for the "Consequence of the Event." You become angry. You want to honk your horn. Your stomach is tied in knots and you bang the dashboard with your fist.

The problem is...most people jump directly from "A" to "C." They get stuck in traffic and become angry. They think the traffic jam made them upset. They don't realize that they didn't HAVE to get angry. They skipped an important step!

Let's try it again:

"A" - you get stuck in traffic.

"B" - you believe that you were given some unexpected and extra time to spend in solitude, to listen to a great tape or to plan your day.

"C" - the consequence is that you feel gratitude for the gift of time.

I have a friend who is fond of saying, "A traffic jam has no power to make us angry. It just stops our car." He is aware that between the activating event and the consequence is something that we control: our beliefs about what is happening.

The next time you have a problem -- at home or at work, big or small -- decide to manage your attitude toward it. Practice the A-B-C method. You probably can't change "A," the activating event. But try changing "B," your beliefs about the problem. When you change your beliefs, you also change "C," the consequences of the situation.

It's as simple as A-B-C. Manage your beliefs, and you'll manage to be a lot happier!

Don't Hunt IDEAS - Be an Idea Magnet

Ideas Get Things Going

 

The question that professional writers are asked most is: Where do you get your ideas? The answer they always give is Ideas are everywhere.

 

It is true that ideas are everywhere, but . . . that is not much consolation when you look everywhere, and you seem to find nothing.

 

Yet ideas are the stuff from which quality content is crafted, and quality content is what builds relevance. Relevance draws people to read us, to add to the conversation, and to share our ideas with others. Quality content packed with relevance also leads search engines to show us off in their rankings. So solid ideas are critical to blogs, websites, and all online businesses.

 

Ideas are what get the whole process going. But...

 

Sometimes the very idea of getting an idea can be intimidating.

 

Be an Idea Magnet

Looking for ideas can be a lot like looking for a white shirt in the Mall of America. If you do not have anything to narrow your search the task can be overwhelming. Too many kinds of white shirts to choose from and soon they all seem to have the same value–none at all. Ideas work in much the same way as that. Without some sort of criteria to sort them you can look all day and not find a single one.

 

Ideas really are everywhere. The art is in training your mind to see the ideas and pull them in before your thoughts pass by them–to make your mind into an idea magnet of sorts.

 

Many Ideas At Once

Sometimes I am asked to write a book of ideas for teaching some skill set or group of strategies. You might be surprised to find out how I go about such tasks. I identify pages of ideas before I start writing. One idea at a time is just too much work and too painful for me. I approach the task as I approach-doing dishes. Wash all of the dishes first. Then dry them all.

 

Attracting Writeable Ideas

When I write for my blogs, I figure if I am going to find one idea, I might as well find many. That way I am set for a while. With a pile of ideas, I can switch my brain over to concentrate on the writing and editing–that is work enough for me.

 

Whether you are looking for one idea or many, or trying to find a spin on a topic that is too big to write about, the process for getting to a solid idea is basically same.

 

Here is how to get your brain to open up to 4-5 ideas at once.

 

1. Gather resources with a yes or no look. (60-90 minutes max)

• Limit research time–the more ideas the less time spent per idea.
• Use a variety of resources online, magazines, newspapers, and books.
• Check only headlines and take only a quick look.
• If what you see does not grab you. Move on.
• If it catches your interest, print it or tag it to come back to.

 

It is important not to read at this point. Just let the headlines soak in. The variety of resources offers a visual change that helps to keep your mind fresh and tends to bring in a wider variety of points of view. You might find yourself seeing connections between one piece and another. That is good.

 

2. Read with a highlighter, a pencil, and a pad of paper. (30-60 minutes)

• Highlight keywords.
• Jot key points in the margin using 3-4 words you might say if you were restating the point to a friend.
• If you get article ideas, mark them on the piece that inspired them.
• When you notice connections between pieces you’ve chosen write them on the pad of paper.

 

Do these things quickly to let your mind capture and collect information without filtering it. You will start to make further connections to your personal experiences. Note those on the writing pad too. What you are doing is guided brainstorming. (I made that term up.) Feel free to throw out any resources you know just will not work.

 

3. Sort your resources into like piles by topic. (5-15 minutes)

• Give each pile a working title.
• Add to each pile a bulleted list of events, thoughts, or leanings from your experience that fit with that idea.
• Choose the idea that you find most useful to your readers and put the rest in a folder.

 

Also do this quickly as a “brain dumping” exercise. Write what comes to mind and keep going until you have a list–however long or short—for each pile you made. Now you have some solid ideas. Keep them all, even the ones that seem thin or uninteresting. After a day or so you might find uses for those that you don’t like right now.

 

The Benefits of Working Out Once a Week

This workout shows results immediately. In just that much time, I have ideas I can write about. I do this “workout” about once a week when I am not under pressure to write something. The workout takes away the rush and tumble of having to push through my feeds with deadlines hanging over me. Even when I want to cover breaking news. I have ideas ready to go if I want to post a quick article before I start researching.

 

The relief that comes from knowing I have many ideas in the hopper makes writing exponentially easier. When I sit down to write, I can concentrate on what I am writing about. I know it is a fully vetted idea that will work, rather than one I have to hope will work out. I can use the time I might have spent looking for an idea and use it to check my work.

 

Writing is more fun when your brain is free of that voice that keeps saying, “I need to get this done. I need to get this done. My readers are waiting for me.”

 

A brain is a writer’s instrument in the same way as a voice is a singer’s instrument. Why should not writers train just as vocalists do?

 

Power writing is a very cool thing.

 

Try it and let me know how it goes. I am here to help any way that I might.

 

After all, I am the nice one. :)

 

Power of positive talk

--Power of Positive Talk I remember my dad teaching me the power of language at a very young age. Not only did my dad understand that specific words affect our mental pictures, but he understood words are a powerful programming factor in lifelong success. One particularly interesting event occurred when I was eight. As a kid, I was always climbing trees, poles, and literally hanging around upside down from the rafters of our lake house. So, it came to no surprise for my dad to find me at the top of a 30-foot tree swinging back and forth. My little eight-year-old brain didn't realize the tree could break or I could get hurt. I just thought it was fun to be up so high. My older cousin, Tammy, was also in the same tree. She was hanging on the first big limb, about ten feet below me. Tammy's mother also noticed us at the exact time my dad did. About that time a huge gust of wind came over the tree. I could hear the leaves start to rattle and the tree begin to sway. I remember my dad's voice over the wind yell, 'Bart, Hold on tightly.' So I did. The next thing I know, I heard Tammy screaming at the top of her lungs, laying flat on the ground. She had fallen out of the tree. I scampered down the tree to safety. My dad later told me why she fell and I did not. Apparently, when Tammy's mother felt the gust of wind, she yelled out, 'Tammy, don't fall!' And Tammy did... fall. My dad then explained to me that the mind has a very difficult time processing a negative image.In fact, people who rely on internal pictures cannot see a negative at all. In order for Tammy to process the command of not falling, her nine-year-old brain had to first imagine falling, then try to tell the brain not to do what it just imagined. Whereas, my eight-year-old brain instantly had an internal image of me hanging on tightly. This concept is especially useful when you are attempting to break a habit or set a goal. You can't visualize not doing something. The only way to properly visualize not doing something is to actually find a word for what you want to do and visualize that.For example, when I was thirteen years old, I played for my junior high school football team. I tried so hard to be good, but I just couldn't get it together at that age. I remember hearing the words run through my head as I was running out for a pass, 'Don't drop it!' Naturally, I dropped the ball. My coaches were not skilled enough to teach us proper 'self-talk.' They just thought some kids could catch and others couldn't. I'll never make it pro, but I'm now a pretty good Sunday afternoon football player, because all my internal dialogue is positive and encourages me to win. I wish my dad had coached me playing football instead of just climbing trees. I might have had a longer football career. Here is a very easy demonstration to teach your kids and your friends the power of a toxic vocabulary. Ask them to hold a pen or pencil. Hand it to them. Now, follow my instructions carefully. Say to them, 'Okay, try to drop the pencil.' Observe what they do. Most people release their hands and watch the pencil hit the floor. You respond, 'You weren't paying attention. I said TRY to drop the pencil. Now please do it again.' Most people then pick up the pencil and pretend to be in excruciating pain while their hand tries but fails to drop the pencil. The point is made. If you tell your brain you will 'give it a try,' you are actually telling your brain to fail. I have a 'no try' rule in my house and with everyone I interact with. Either people will do it or they won't. Either they will be at the party or they won't. I'm brutal when people attempt to lie to me by using the word try. Do they think I don't know they are really telegraphing to the world they have no intention of doing it but they want me to give them brownie points for pretended effort? You will never hear the words 'I'll try' come out of my mouth unless I'm teaching this concept in a seminar. If you 'try' and do something, your unconscious mind has permission not to succeed. If I truly can't make a decision I will tell the truth. 'Sorry John. I'm not sure if I will be at your party or not. I've got an outstanding commitment. If that falls through, I will be here. Otherwise, I will not. Thanks for the invite.' People respect honesty. So remove the word 'try' from your vocabulary. My dad also told me that psychologists claim it takes seventeen positive statements to offset one negative statement. I have no idea if it is true, but the logic holds true. It might take up to seventeen compliments to offset the emotional damage of one harsh criticism. These are concepts that are especially useful when raising children. Ask yourself how many compliments you give yourself daily versus how many criticisms. Heck, I know you are talking to yourself all day long. We all have internal voices that give us direction. So, are you giving yourself the 17:1 ratio or are you shortchanging yourself with toxic self-talk like, ' I'm fat. Nobody will like me. I'll try this diet. I'm not good enough. I'm so stupid. I'm broke, etc. etc.' If our parents can set a lifetime of programming with one wrong statement, imagine the kind of programming you are doing on a daily basis with your own internal dialogue. Here is a list of Toxic Vocabulary words. Notice when you or other people use them. Ø But: Negates any words that are stated before it. Ø Try: Presupposes failure. Ø If: Presupposes that you may not. Ø Might: It does nothing definite. It leaves options for your listener. Ø Would Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen. Ø Should Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen (and implies guilt.) Ø Could Have: Past tense that draws attention to things that didn't actually happen but the person tries to take credit as if it did happen. Ø Can't/Don't: These words force the listener to focus on exactly the opposite of what you want. This is a classic mistake that parents and coaches make without knowing the damage of this linguistic error. Examples: Toxic phrase: 'Don't drop the ball!' Likely result: Drops the ball Better language: 'Catch the ball!' Toxic phrase: 'You shouldn't watch so much television.' Likely result: Watches more television. Better language: 'I read too much television makes people stupid. You might find yourself turning that TV off and picking up one of those books more often!' Exercise:Take a moment to write down all the phrases you use on a daily basis or any Toxic self-talk that you have noticed yourself using. Write these phrases down so you will begin to catch yourself as they occur and change them. ForwardSourcThink eID:NT000091C2     ForwardSourceID:NT00009

 Think Positive Please

 

The 13 Characteristics of Successful People

I've spent many years studying successful people and have identified the skills, talents, and characteristics that enable them to succeed. As you look at and study these skills, talents, and characteristics, you'll realize that you possess many of them yourself. Some of these skills and talents are more dominant than others and will play a greater part in your being, or becoming, a success in the business of life. These are the things you do well. The things you do easily and effortlessly. These are your strengths. When you find you need a skill or talent you don't have, just go out and look for a person or group of people with the skills, talents, and training you need. Skills and talents that complement your own. These people will become your teammates, colleagues, co-workers, professional advisors, and friends. With these combined skills and talents organizations grow, prosper, and become successful.

These are the five things you'll find every successful person has in common:

1. They have a dream.
2. They have a plan.
3. They have specific knowledge or training.
4. They're willing to work hard.
5. They don't take no for an answer.

Remember: Success begins with a state of mind. You must believe you'll be successful in order to become a success.

The following is a list of the skills, talents, and characteristics you'll find in successful people:

1. Successful People Have a Dream. They have a well-defined purpose. They have a definite goal. They know what they want. They aren't easily influenced by the thoughts and opinions of others. They have willpower. They have ideas. Their strong desire brings strong results. They go out and do things that others say can't be done.

Remember: It only takes one sound idea to achieve success.
Remember: People who excel in life are those who produce results, not excuses. Anybody can come up with excuses and explanations for why he hasn't made it. Those who want to succeed badly enough don't make excuses.

2. Successful People Have Ambition. They want to accomplish something. They have enthusiasm, commitment, and pride. They have self-discipline. They're willing to work hard and to go the extra mile. They have a burning desire to succeed. They're willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Remember: With hard work come results. The joy in life comes with working for and achieving something.

3. Successful People Are Strongly Motivated Toward Achievement. They take great satisfaction in accomplishing a task.

4. Successful People Are Focused. They concentrate on their main goals and objectives. They don't get sidetracked. They don't procrastinate. They work on the projects that are important, and don't allow those projects to sit until the last minute. They're productive, not just busy.

5. Successful People Learn How to Get Things Done. They use their skills, talents, energies, and knowledge to the fullest extent possible. They do the things that need to be done, not just the things they like to do. They are willing to work hard and to commit themselves to getting the job done.

Remember: Happiness is found in doing and accomplishing, not in owning and possessing.

Anecdote: Many years ago I was asked: "Jeff, do you like pleasing habits or pleasing results?" As I pondered that probing question, and squirmed in my chair like a worm at the end of a hook, I felt as if I had painted myself into a corner. A few moments later I answered: "I like pleasing results." From that moment on my life changed. I began to do the things that were difficult, because they enabled me to achieve my goals.

6. Successful People Take Responsibility for Their Actions. They don't make excuses. They don't blame others. They don't whine and complain.

7. Successful People Look for Solutions to Problems. They're opportunity minded. When they see opportunities they take advantage of them.

8. Successful People Make Decisions. They think about the issues and relevant facts, give them adequate deliberation and consideration, and make a decision. Decisions aren't put off or delayed, they're made now!

SuccessTip: Spend more time thinking and planning before you make your decision, and you'll make better decisions.

SuccessTip: When you don't get the expected results from the decision you've made, change your course of action. Decisions should never be carved in stone.

9. Successful People Have the Courage to Admit They've Made a Mistake. When you make a mistake, admit it, fix it, and move on. Don't waste a lot of time, energy, money, and/or other resources trying to defend a mistake or a bad decision.

Remember: When people are wrong, they may admit it to themselves. If they are handled gently and tactfully, they may admit it to others and even take pride in their frankness and broad-mindedness. But people become very defensive and angry when others try to cram their mistakes down their throats.

10. Successful People Are Self-Reliant. They have the skills, talents, and training that are needed in order to be successful.

11. Successful People Have Specific Knowledge, Training, and/or Skills and Talents. They know the things they need to know to be successful. And when they need information, knowledge, or skills and talents that they don't possess, they find someone who does possess them.

12. Successful People Work with and Cooperate with Other People. They have positive, outgoing personalities. They surround themselves with people who offer them help, support, and encouragement. They are leaders.

13. Successful People Are Enthusiastic. They're excited by what they're doing, and that excitement is contagious. They draw people to them because these people want to work with them, do business with them, and be with them.

 

A Simple Recipe For Success - Never Accept Limitation

A great article! This article reminds me of Morris Goodman, "The Miracle Man." At the peak of his life, when he took his new airplane for a test flight, his airplane crashed due to an accident. With his neck broken at C1 and C2, his spinal cord crushed, and every major muscle in his body destroyed, Morris was no longer able to perform any bodily function except to blink his eyes. His injuries were too severe for him to survive. Not only did he survive the crush, rebuilt his body but also his mind and outlook on life. Today, Morris is a highly sought after speaker. He truly demonstrated the power of faith, courage and determination against his 'limitation'.

Beethoven composed some of the world’s best music. His handicap? He was deaf. One of the world’s greatest leaders was US President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His handicap? He served from a wheelchair.

Wilma Rudolph was born into a poor home in Tennessee. At age four, a double pneumonia and scarlet fever left her paralyzed with polo. She had to wear a brace and the doctors said she would never walk again. But her mother encouraged her; she told Wilma that with God-given ability, persistence and faith, she could do anything she wanted. Wilma said, “I want to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth.” At age nine, against the doctors’ advice, she removed the brace and took the first step the doctors said she never would. At age 13, she entered her first race and came out last. She entered the second race and third and fourth, she kept coming out last until one day, she came out first.

At the age of 15, she went to Tennessee State University and met a coach names Ed Temple. She told him “I want to be the fastest woman on the track on this earth.” Temple said, “With your spirit, nobody can stop you and besides, I will help you.”

The day came. She was at the Olympics where you are matched with the best of the very best. Wilma was matched against Jutta Heine who had never been beaten. The first event was the 100meter race. Wilma beat Jutta and won her first Olympic gold medal. The second event was the 200meter race and for the second time, Wilma beat Jutta to claim the second gold medal. The third event was the 400meter relay and she was again racing against Jutta. In the relay, the fastest person always ran the last lap and they both anchored their teams. The first three people ran and changed baton easily. When it was Wilma’s turn, she dropped the baton. But Wilma saw Jutta shooting off; she picked up the baton, ran like a machine, beat Jutta again and for the third time, claimed the gold medal.

History was made. A paralytic woman became the world’s fastest woman on the earth at the 1960 Olympics.

One of the greatest injustice anyone can do to his destiny is to have a fatalistic approach to destiny and to accept the forces of limitation. Great men realize that to become achievers, one has to become a master at the act of turning scars into stars. Henry David Thoreau said; “What a man thinks of himself; that is what determines, or rather indicates, his fate.”

Never accept limitation. That is a recipe for achievers that never fail to hit the mark.

Stepping Out Of Your Comfort Zones

Let's face it, there will always be things we fear in life. Some of us fear the obvious "biggies" like heights, spiders, fires or flying. However, many of us develop fears around things that shouldn't hinder us, but often do. Do you fear rejection? Taking risks? Failure? Success?

All of us have the tendency to form "comfort zones" around ourselves: boundaries between what makes us feel comfortable, and uncomfortable. Comfort zones are not always bad. Sometimes they can prevent us from doing something stupid or reckless. Most often, however, our comfort zones are built on a belief that may or may not be true. If you've experienced a particularly painful rejection in the past, you might create a comfort zone that will prevent you from "sticking your neck out there" and being rejected again. In this case, the comfort zone itself isn't the problem. The underlying belief that you will be rejected again is the problem.

Just because you've been rejected in the past does not mean you will be rejected again in the future. That particular comfort zone will cause you to act in ways that are counterproductive to your own success in life. You will dread meeting new people, getting involved in relationships or even applying for new jobs. Deep inside, part of you will be expecting to be rejected again, and you will do whatever you can to limit the possibility of that happening. Pain isn't fun to experience, and it's amazing how our minds will avoid it at all costs!

Maybe you're not even aware of most of your comfort zones. Take a look at your life as it is right now. Are you making as much money as you'd like? Are you happy with your job? Do you love meeting new people and getting to know them? Are you able to set new goals for yourself and achieve them? If you answered yes to these questions, you probably aren't being hindered in any way by your comfort zones. If you answered no to any of these questions, you might have some issues to work through.

Here is a simple way to discover if your fears are holding you back: make a list of the worst possible things you can imagine happening. What are your deepest fears? What aspects of your life don't you enjoy? And why? If you don't enjoy meeting new people, ask yourself why that is. What is the worst thing you can imagine happening regarding meeting someone new? Be honest with yourself. You don't have to show this list to anyone.

Once you know what you are truly afraid of, ask yourself what the consequences would be if your worst fear were to be realized. And could you live with those consequences? Using the rejection example again, what would be the consequences of being rejected again? Would you be able to live with that? I think you'll be surprised at how small most of the consequences are, and how easily we could live with them if we had to.

Fear has a way of making itself much bigger in our minds than it is in reality! We work ourselves into a sweat, terrified of the "what ifs" -- when in fact, the outcome would be no big deal really. As with most other things, we'd simply pick ourselves up and continue on our way.

Once you know what your fears are, and you understand and accept the consequences, immediately do the thing you fear most. Yes, that's right, I'm encouraging you to step out of your comfort zones! Refuse to let fear control you. Tell your fear, "Thanks for trying to protect me, but I'm going to do it anyway." And then just do it. Then do it again. And again. The first few times you step out of your comfort zones, you WILL be uncomfortable. Expect that and accept it. Fear won't vanish overnight. But it will go away after your mind understands that the fear is groundless.

Now, just because you conquer your fears and expand your comfort zones doesn't mean you should become reckless either. There is a big difference between blindly leaping into the unknown, and taking a calculated risk. Before acting, take a few minutes to think about the action you want to take, consider the consequences, and ask if you're willing to accept them. If you are, go for it. If you're not, that's all right! Don't feel like you have to push yourself beyond what you'd be willing to accept. You can put the issue on the back burner for awhile and reconsider it later.

The point is to stop letting fear make your decisions, and start making them yourself. It will take some time to get used to this new way of thinking, but before long you'll automatically begin questioning your fear and stop letting it control you. Once that happens, there is no telling the levels of success and happiness you can reach!

7 Ways To Stay Motivated

You know what it’s like. You set yourself a goal, something you want to achieve. You are excited and ready to take on the world, and then a few months later you can’t even be bothered to spend 10 minutes working towards achieving it. Well welcome to being human! It is so easy to go from excitement to complete apathy but there are things you can do to ensure you stay motivated towards your goal and following are seven great ones!

1. Is Your Reason WHY Large Enough?

When I wanted to lose weight setting a goal to look great in clothes was not big enough, what didn’t help was the fact that I loved who I was and what I looked like, but my health had begun to show signs of being affected by my excess weight and this is the WHY I used to ensure I stayed on track. I started with 6 weeks of no diary, no wheat and red meat only once a week. Do you think I needed a big why to stay committed to such a regime??!! I knew that health is my true wealth. Having been unwell for 6 months and hardly able to walk had taught me that without my health my goals were useless. So maintaining a healthy body that would allow me to enjoy the fulfillment of my goals was the big WHY that kept me on track.

Stop and think about your reason WHY? What reason is big enough to keep you motivated at times when you want to give up and/or give in?

2. Create a visual and emotional image of what you want

Writing your goals down is an essential tool but not always enough to keep focused. Writing your goals down and having a visual image of you completing that goal adds fuel to the motivational fire. Writing goals down, having a visual image of your completed goal AND connecting this image with your emotions is the power of 3 that will ensure your motivation remains high. At any point during the day, or at any time when you are feeling in need of encouragement, you can simply stop, close your eyes, see your goal and evoke all the emotions achieving that goal holds for you. Nothing is more powerful!

3. Questions to ask before, during and after!

It is important to know not only why you are doing something but also WHAT. What achieving this goal will provide for yourself and your family. It is easy to believe that what you want is to make a million, but for many it is the lifestyle and the time freedom that this money has the potential to provide that will be the real motivation.

Spend time asking yourself questions that will help you identify what achieving your goal will provide. Questions such as:

•What will it bring me?

•What will it do for me, my family, and/or friends?

•What kind of lifestyle will I be able to have?

•What sacrifices will I need to make?

•What will be the impact on my current routine?

•What will be the impact on my family?

•What outcome do I want to achieve?

•What contributions will I be able to make

Motivation and staying motivated is easy when you know what the achievement of your goal will provide for you and we only really lose motivation when we lose sight of our goal or end result.

4. Creating a visual representation of what you want

Keep the motivational fires burning by creating a collage with the family of what your end result will look like, or paint a picture, write a poem, sing a song, or whatever creative endeavor excites you enough to complete it.

Whatever you create keep it in a place where you can see it constantly, I remember listening to someone talk about sticking a poster of making their first 100,000 on their ceiling so that as they woke up it was the first thing they saw each morning, and the last image in their mind before falling asleep.

Leave yourself reminders on your fridge door, on your bathroom mirror, in your car. The more places you are able to leave yourself little notes and reminders about what you want to achieve the better. Doing this will help your unconscious mind bring you the results you desire, whilst also supporting you in staying focused and motivated towards achieving your goal.

5.Get Support from people around you

Support from family and friends is important but also consider what other support is available to you. Books, mentoring, work colleagues, life coaching, forums – these are all things that can support you as you work towards achieving your goal. Also think about WHO can support you in staying motivated, can you buddy up with someone, do you have a boss or lecturer who will be happy to help you keep accountable.

One thing I recommend is that you tell as many people as you know about what you want to achieve, this has the effect of keeping you motivated to complete your goal because you have told so many people. However, a word of caution is needed here because it is easy for people to trample your dreams and fail to support you. You must first pick and choose carefully those people you know will want to support you, but also you must gain enough inner personal strength to be able to continue no matter what negative comments may come your way.

6.Develop Inner Personal Strength

Ultimately, the person who will determine whether you stay motivated and achieve your goal will be you. Your thoughts will determine your behavior which determines your results. Developing a strong inner personal strength about your ability to achieve and your ability to motivate yourself when you are in an unproductive state of mind is essential. Being able to see setbacks and failures as opportunities for continued growth and upset and emotional turmoil as opportunities to discover what you want and need, will determine how you view life. One of the best ways to inner personal strength is to read and listen to audios that inspire and motivate you. Continued learning is an essential part of being able to stay motivated.

7. Support from Continued Learning

If you are going to need to learn new skills to ensure you complete your goal then you it is a good idea to identify what learning you will need to undertake as early as possible. If you have planned out how you will achieve your outcome then you will already be aware of any areas where you need to strengthen your skills or out source to others who will be able to fulfill what you need.

There is nothing worse than getting halfway towards the completion of a goal and to be stopped because you are not able to complete something because of lack of knowledge and/or skills. This is a surefire way of dampening your excitement and your motivation.

Make a list of what you can and can’t do and who might be able to help you. Knowing this in advance can help you avoid getting frustrated because things aren’t getting done. If you are serious about developing your personal and professional life then I recommend getting yourself a Mentor or Life Coach, to ensure you stay on track.

You should also look at continued learning as it relates to your own personal development, continuing with your own personal development will ensure you are able to work through set backs quickly and stay motivated.

Staying motivated when you are looking to achieve your goals is essential for ultimate success. I have provided you with seven practical ways to achieve continued motivation and I recommend you use them all. Some of them such as creating a collage will be activities you perform occasionally, but others, such as continuing your personal development will be a continuous learning process. There is not one single thing that will determine your success in staying motivated but a combination of many, finding the combination that is right for you will change from goal to goal and will be an ongoing (fun filled) exploration.

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