Sunday, December 18, 2011

Quote for the week

“In your hands you hold the seeds of failure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable, but they must be used and for the right things to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining. The choice is yours.” - Zig Ziglar

Monday, December 12, 2011

Quote for the Week

“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” -Colin Powell

Monday, December 5, 2011

Quote for the Week

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Quote for the Week

Visualizing your desire as already accomplished and enjoying the feelings of accomplishment, awaken in you energies that drive you to do whatever it takes to make your desire come true. Remez Sasson

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Quote for the Week

“Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.” - Arthur Ashe

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Quote for the Week

“Success means doing the best we can with what we have. Success is the doing, not the getting; in the trying, not the triumph. Success is a personal standard, reaching for the highest that is in us, becoming all that we can be.” - Zig Ziglar

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Quote for the Week

“In order to accomplish your goals you need to replace hope with faith. Stop hoping they will happen; have faith in your abilities and make it so.”

Monday, September 26, 2011

Quote for the Week

The success of a man has nothing to do with the model of car he drives, the thickness of his wallet or the square footage of his home. The success of a man has everything to do with the size of his heart and the love and laughter he shares with family and friends.

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Quote for the Week

“Commit to taking total responsibility for everything that happens to you. This one change in thinking has the power to launch you to the world-class level faster than any other single idea.” - Steve Siebold

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Personal Integrity - Success Link

Achieving success in any endeavor requires vision, commitment, planning and follow through. Let’s focus on follow through, or what can also be called personal integrity.

Will you hold yourself accountable? Will you do what you say you will do? Most people do not and that is what separates the truly successful from the dreamers and schemers. One of the best methods I have found to help you hit your targets is to voice them out loud – let people know what you are going to do. That raises the stakes quite a bit. If you keep your plans and goals locked in your head no one knows if you stopped trying or missed your mark. BUT – if you announce to family, co-workers and friends you now have your integrity on the line. You told them you were going to do it. You’ll look pretty foolish if you stop trying after stating the plan out load.

You also benefit from telling others about your plans because you now have a cheering section. Your friends and family will want you to succeed (if they do not have your best interests in mind that’s a whole different issue to deal with). They naturally inquire as to what is going on and how you are progressing. This puts pressure (a good pressure) on you to keep moving forward and having something to tell/show them. You need to keep moving down the path you set out or you are going to feel a bit embarrassed.

When I decided to run my first marathon I told everyone I knew about it. I knew I needed the pressure to make sure I put in the miles and other training every day. I knew if I skipped day I would quite possibly skip another and then another (life has a way of getting in the way if you do not prioritize and stick to a plan). By announcing my plan I put my personal integrity on the line, I followed the training schedule and I completed the race five months later.

Let people know your BHAGs (Big Hairy Audacious Goals). Establish your goals and get moving. Success does not happen without a little sweat and a little pressure. Set yourself up for a win by putting your integrity on the line. You never know what you can accomplish if you do not try, and you’ll find that you can accomplish quite a lot more than you think possible.

Sunday, September 11, 2011

Quote for the Week

“It's up to us to determine our happiness. No one else is in charge. No one else is to blame. No one else gets the credit. Our happiness is tied to our willingness to be responsible for our own moods. That’s a certainty — one of few in this life.” - Karen Casey

Monday, August 29, 2011

Quote for the week

The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little "extra" – Jimmy Johnson

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Quote for the week

"There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living." - Nelson Mandela

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Find True Success through Creationism

True success comes to the innovator, to the creator. You need to harness your creativity, your drive and your resources in order to chart your own course. You must “create” your own success and you do this by developing a focused plan and then working your plan.

Embrace the idea of creationism. What sort of life do you want to create for yourself and for those around you? Think big. What can you do to help the most people achieve their dreams? Through helping others your dreams will be achieved as well. Look at your hobbies and the activities you enjoy. What are you passionate about? These are the areas you need to drill into and create opportunity from. If you have a natural interest you will find it much easier to push forward when the going gets tough.

It has been said many times that if you love what you do you’ll never work a day in your life. That gets to the essence of creating your success. You can only find true success if you have real connection and passion about what you are doing. Stop thinking income level and start thinking creative stimulation. What really gets your juices flowing? What gets you pumped up? If you focus on the things that get you excited you will ultimately achieve a higher level of success in all five areas than you currently think possible.

You have a choice. You can spend your time each day reacting to the world around you, or you can spend your day creating the life you want to live. It’s really that simple. Keep your mouth shut, keep your head down and follow the crowd; or take the time to plan out the rest of your life, chart out a course of action and then (to borrow from our friends at Nike) JUST DO IT.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Quote for the Week

We are all here for some special reason. Stop being a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future." - Robin Sharma

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Quote for the Week

“If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down but the staying down.” - Mary Pickford

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Quote of the Week

“You are your greatest asset. Put your time, effort and money into training, grooming, and encouraging your greatest asset.” – Tom Hopkins

Monday, July 4, 2011

Quote of the week

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” - John F. Kennedy

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Quote of the Week

“Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they’re really not. They’re companions – the hero and the sidekick.” - Laurence Shames

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Fail your way to Success

We achieve success in all areas of our life by trying something new and learning from our mistakes. This starts during childhood and continues through our entire lives. When you learned to walk you failed many times. You fell down repeatedly until you learned to balance and built up the leg strength to hold yourself upright. When you learned to ride a bike you likely fell and scraped your hands or knees. But it was through trial, error and practice that you learned to ride. You have used this “learn-by-doing” approach your entire life. It has worked in the past and will certainly continue to work going forward.

If you never fail, if you never make mistakes you are not trying anything new, you are not pushing into new territory and you are not growing as a person, manager or leader. Failure is okay. Failure is necessary. As long as you learn from your mistakes and do not repeat the same mistakes over and over you are moving forward. So go ahead - own your mistakes and your failures. Examine what happened, what you expected to happen and what you could have done differently. It’s the “differently” that you can use the next time.

Just think how your life would be if you had the “golden touch”; if you never made mistakes and were successful in absolutely every endeavor you undertook. At first thought this might sound fantastic. You could be rich and you could be stress free. But in reality I say you would get very bored and would be very boring. What really fires our imagination and stirs our soul is the challenge of discovery and the quest for success. What makes people interesting are the stories about their challenges and the process they went through to overcome obstacles and ultimately find success.

I was coaching a staff member the other day and after helping her work up a plan of action to overcome a problem she looked up and asked “What if this doesn’t work?” I told her that she would then move onto plan B and if that did not go as expected than plan C etc, etc. If your current plan is not yielding the results you are looking for than simply make a change. Don’t get hung up on the fact that your original plan did not work. Learn from it, adjust and move forward. The more you learn the farther you will go and the more successful you will become. Mistakes and failures are going to happen. Embrace them as the learning opportunities that they are and then regroup and push onward.

“Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again more intelligently.” – Henry Ford

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Quote of the Week

“It’s not what you are that holds you back, it’s what you think you are not” – Denis Waitley

Monday, June 6, 2011

Quote for the Week

“Don’t let someone else create your world, for when they do they will always create it too small.” – Ed Cole

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Relax, Recharge, Succeed

We live in a world of 24/7 connectivity. Add the fact that we have been going through the worst economic crisis in decades and it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that you have to keep pushing and pushing to get ahead. (Nothing like putting a little pressure on yourself)

We all have responsibilities. Responsibilities to our business, our employees, our employer, our family and to our community. But let’s make sure we do not forget the most important person on that list. You have responsibilities to yourself. You cannot possibly live up to your responsibilities if you do not take care of yourself.
Stress robs you of energy and of good health. You need to plan into your schedule some time to relax, renew and recharge your body and spirit. You have to give your brain some down time – you have to occasionally unplug from the 24/7 chatter and simply relax and enjoy your surroundings.

On a recent vacation I walked into the restroom just off the hotel pool deck and noticed a man talking quietly on his cell phone. He appeared very relieved that I was not a family member and he had not been “caught” on the phone. He was talking to the office and looked very guilty in the process. What a shame I thought. He is so tied to work that he cannot even relax while on vacation in sunny Florida. He had to hide the fact that he had his phone with him. What kind of vacation (and life for that matter) was this man having? How could he relax and recharge when he was both worried about staying in touch with the office and worried about being caught with his phone. What a sad situation.

I am not saying that it is wrong to check in occasionally while away from the office but if you have to hide that fact, or simply feel lost if not connected, you have a problem. My premise has always been that true success involves your head, heart, health, wealth and world. If you do not step away from the hustle and bustle of life to simply enjoy your family, friends and the world around you, you will never achieve true success. You will not enjoy a happy balance between the five elements of success.

It is not only okay but it is essential that you plan some down time (day off, long weekend, extended vacation, etc) into your schedule. Your overall performance can only stay at a top level if you give yourself the time to recharge. How often have you said to yourself “I really needed this vacation”, or “I waited too long to take this break”. It is only through the process of recharging that you can achieve the highest levels of success in all areas of your life. So right now – before you get distracted – plan your next break. Write down when, where and what you are going to do. Get it scheduled and enjoy both the countdown to and the break itself. You’ll be glad you did.

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Quote for the week

“Continuous improvement, not strength or intelligence, is the key to unlocking your potential” – Winston Churchill

Monday, May 9, 2011

Quote for the week

"It marks a big step in your development when you come to realize that other people can help you do a better job than you could do alone." - Andrew Carnegie

Achieving True Success is a Marathon, not a sprint.

You might think that running a marathon is a solo endeavor but I can assure you that your thinking is incorrect. While the actual performance on race day is between you and the course it is only with the assistance of a whole host of people that you will arrive prepared and ready to go on race morning.

Finding success in your life is much the same. Yes, it is your life but you cannot do it alone. Without the help from and interaction with other individuals, groups and organizations you will never achieve the levels of success you are capable of.

I recently ran my first marathon race. Had I trained on my own I would have failed miserably. I assumed that to train you just ran a little farther each day until you could run the distance. The reality of training is much different and it was only through working with my team coaches that I was able to go from not being able to run a mile to completing a 26.2 mile run in just 7 months. Training consisted of runs at various lengths (including backing off for recovery) as well as learning about proper hydration and nutrition before, during and after training runs. Proper shoes and running gear were additional subjects to become familiar with. It just isn’t enough to lace up your old tennis shoes and hit the road.

It’s just not enough to head into life in search of success. You need the advice of those who have done it before and can help you avoid making costly mistakes. Mistakes that might cost you both money and/or time. It’s great to think about blazing a trail, but you do not want to burn out in the process. Enlisting the help of other s will prove invaluable in more ways than you will ever know.

No one, even the so called overnight sensations, simply sprint to success. It takes discipline. It takes commitment. It takes planning. It takes vision. And most importantly it takes a team. Asking others for help is a sign of strength, confidence and intelligence. Realizing that the assistance of others will help you achieve your dreams more quickly is a vital part of the process.

Achieving true success is indeed a marathon. You have to keep putting one foot in front of the other – but as long as you keep moving forward you will eventually find yourself pushing past the “finish line” and into levels of success you had not even thought possible.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Quote for the week

“For you to be the very best, you cannot allow yourself to become complacent in your comfort zone. You need to be reaching for improvement.” - David Cottrell

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Success comes through change

If you expect your life to change you must change.

People are often not happy with where they are in life. They are not happy with their job, they are not happy with what they make, not happy with where they live, and not happy with what they drive. But few ask the tough questions. They want their life to change and they want answers but the answers only come if you are brave enough to ask the right questions. Because the change that has to happen is the change within. The outside world is not the problem. The problem is internal. The problem is not feeling worthy enough to expect more, to get more out of life. The problem is not being brave enough to ask the questions, to do the homework and truly look at that person in the mirror. To think about and analyze the choices and decisions made in the past and how they have affected and led to today and then on top of that the choices and changes that can be made today that will affect the future. Nothing changes overnight, but everything changes.

In many ways personal development is really an act of bravery. Having the bravery, the strength, the personal fortitude to look squarely at that person in the mirror and ask the hard questions. To do the hard analysis and talk to those in your life about what is going on, honestly with where you are at, and about the changes you are trying to make. You have to be brave enough to share; to not be embarrassed about where you are at, what you are thinking, what your dreams are, what your desires are. Find individuals that are interested in making changes in their lives as well. Hold each other accountable. Help each other find the answers. Share with each other. Doug Blanchard stated many times “None of us is as smart as all of us “. That statement applies to personal development just as much as to operating a business. You need other people’s input to help you see the true reality of yourself. You look in the mirror but you do not always see what is there. And you need someone else to make say “no, no, that is what is in the mirror”, even if it is something you do not want to see, you need someone to help point it out so you can make the changes you need to make. Those same people can let you know when your changes worked. And then you get that rush; that feeling of success, that feeling of change and incrementally you move the needle.

And that is what it is all about. Moving the needle.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

Quote for the Week

"One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." - Henry Ford

Pushing through for Success

When a pilot wants to take off he turns his plane directly into the wind. If you are not familiar with Bernoulli’s principle (I will skip the physics lesson) it may seem counter-productive to fly into wind but the reality is that the plane will not take flight without pushing forward against the resistance of the moving air.

Finding true success requires the same act. You are the pilot and in control of your life and if you ever want to soar you have to turn into areas of resistance. Pushing into and ultimately through these areas is the only way to grow and prove to yourself just what you are made of and just what you can accomplish.

We all face challenges on a regular basis. The difference between those living a successful life on all levels and those who are not is the approach to these challenges. Those who view challenges as a regular part of life, who embrace them as learning opportunities, and who take on each and every one ultimately find more success. If you are in fear of having challenges pop up or if you try to avoid and/or shrink away from the twists and turns life takes you will not grow, you will not gain confidence, and you will not find the success you really want.

Facing a challenge can be tough. But you are an intelligent, resourceful and I daresay awesome human being. You have everything you need within your mind and body to overcome whatever obstacle you find in your way. Don’t shy away from the life’s challenges – face them straight on and push through.

You are the pilot of your life. Head into the wind, take flight and enjoy all the wonders that life has to offer.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Quote of the week

“The moment you think you know enough is the exact moment you start losing ground” – Paul Kamm

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Quote for the Week

"Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile." - Gary Ryan Blair

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Quote for the week

“Your future depends upon what you do in the present.” – Mahatma Gandhi

Monday, February 21, 2011

Happiness is Your Responsibilty

Who is ultimately responsible for your happiness? Is it your family, your boss, your co-workers, your friends or the world at large? Not at all. The only person responsible for your happiness is YOU.

You have the control on this one. It is not what happens to you or around you that influences your happiness – it is how you choose to react to these events that make the difference. “Bad” things happen to everyone. But if you let them drag you mood and attitude down where do you end up? You end up unhappy and frustrated. You end up having a “long and tiring” day.

I would bet a dollar to a donut that you do not get up each day hoping it will be “long and tiring.” What you really want is a day that leaves you energized and better off at the end than at the beginning. You want to feel that you have really accomplished something each day. That only happens when you are happy.

I recently viewed a CD presentation by Herman Cain (former CEO of Godfather’s pizza) about happy customers in which he credits his minister for defining happiness. In order to be happy you have to have something to love, something to do and something to hope for. You cannot be happy without love in your life, without a purpose in your life and without a dream for your future. It is the interplay of these three things that give value and meaning to our lives, and in which we find happiness.

If you are missing one or more of these three happiness elements you have some serious work to do. You have to determine 1) why they are missing and 2) what you are going to do to add it back into your life. Only you can decide what is or is not important to you. And only you can make sustainable changes to your life in order to bring/keep balance and happiness front and center.

Is it work? – yes. Is it worth it? – hell yes!

Quote for the week

"Definition of happiness: The full use of your powers along lines of excellence." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Quote for the Week

“We cannot become what we need to be by remaining what we are.” - Max DePree

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Quote for the week

“If you ask better questions you will get better answers.
Stop asking yourself "why can't I...?" and start asking "how can I...?" Your subconscious mind always works on finding answers - put it to work finding answers that will lead you where you want to go.” - Paul Kamm

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Quote for the week

"Definition of happiness: The full use of your powers along lines of excellence." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Reality of Change

Let’s talk about the reality of making changes.

1)For most people change only occurs when the pain of change is less than the pain of staying the same.

2)Most people perceive the pain of change to be much greater than it will actually be.

These two factors have a tremendous hold on people; keeping them from making the changes they may need or want to make. It’s that old fear of the unknown. The funny thing, at least for me, is that when I do push through any fear and make a change I find the pain was not near what I thought and I always end up asking myself what took me so long.

Another fact about change is that there is an easy, quick part and a harder, longer part. Making a decision to change is easy and quick. BAM – I tell myself I am going to change. I may even spend a little time and put together a plan of action. It’s always easy to write down a plan. The slower and harder part becomes implementing the plan and getting results.

Let’s use “improving my physical condition” as an example. I can easily make the decision to get up 30 minutes early to exercise on a daily basis. That’s the easy and quick part of the change process. The harder and longer part of the process are the weeks of getting up, working out, and waiting to see and feel noticeable results. Sticking with your original commitment and developing a routine is the real pain of change. The results are well worth it but sometimes it’s hard to convince yourself of that when you are lying in a warm bed and just want to sleep a little longer. The real payoff comes a few months down the road when your daily energy levels are higher, your muscle tone is better and your overall physical health has improved.

Change is “scary” only if you tell yourself it is. Think about it as an exciting adventure. Start small and see how many little changes you can accomplish. Build up to larger and larger changes until you have designed and are living the life that you want.

Quote for the Week

"When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at begin to change." - Wayne Dyer

Sunday, January 9, 2011

True Success requires change

According to Einstein the definition of insanity is “doing the same things over and over but expecting different results”. He could not be any more accurate.

Now that we have started a new year it’s time to step back, reflect on the past year, and make plans for the coming year. What kind of year do you want, what are the results you are looking for and where do you want to be at the end of 2011? These are serious questions that you need to answer for each of the five Success Elements (Head, Heart, Health, Wealth and World).

How can you possibly expect your results to change if your thoughts and your behavior do not? Understanding where you want to end up is one of two keys to making this your most successful year yet. The second, and most important key, is making changes. And we all need to make changes- some small and some large. To paraphrase Einstein’s definition – your life will not change if you do not first change.

What might you need to change? That is a question that only you can answer but let me see if I can help stimulate your thinking by mentioning a few broad categories.

Time is a valuable resource for everyone. How are you spending your? Could you cut back on the TV watching/video game playing? Could you invest some more one on one time with your spouse or children? What about a class or seminar to help educate yourself on investing and money management?

Are your friends supporting your goals and dreams or standing in the way? Do your friends have the same interests and goals as you have? These are tough questions and you may not like the answers. Only you can decide but supportive friends that want to help you on your success journey are invaluable.

Are your actions in harmony with your goals? Almost everyone will tell you that their families are one of the most important factors in their lives. But are you giving them your focus and attention on a regular (I.E – daily) basis. Show your family how important they are in actions, not just in words.

Make this your best year yet. Decide now where you want to be at the end of the year. Determine this month what changes will make the most impact on the quality of your live and those most dear to you. And finally, take a deep breath and make the changes. Change is only scary before you make it; after wards you end up asking yourself what took you so long.

I wish you all a fabulous 2011!

Quote for the Week

“If you want to make a substantial change to the quality of your life, you must first make a substantial change in the quality of your attitude”