5 Steps To Getting It Done

How many times have you come up with what you believe to be an exceptionally good idea, only to have little to nothing substantial come out of it? How often do you feel somewhat overwhelmed or under - prepared, even though your intentions, mindset and even your attitude is truly positive. In my over three decades of identifying, qualifying, training and consulting to well over a thousand individuals in actual or potential positions of leadership, as well as having conducted hundreds of personal development seminars, training courses, and personal one - to - one consultations, I have come to realize that rarely is it either one's intent or mindset that keeps things from happening, but rather it is our failure or inability to use the right methodology or approach to "get it done."
Therefore, for many years, I have taught and focused upon the following five steps to getting it done.

1) Focus is where it must begin! Too many people try to be the proverbial all things to all people, and thus satisfy few, especially themselves or their needs/ aspirations. When we begin with a clearcut picture of what we are trying to achieve, we maximize our potential, and become more efficient and effective.

2) Nothing happens on its own, and thus, you must start/ begin in a proactive, directed and fulfilling way. All the greatest planning will go to naught until and unless you begin to do something in your own behalf.

3) Be certain that you are going after what most motivates you, and you feel to be most important or essential. Be objective and introspective, honestly evaluating your personal goals and priorities. Be as specific and detailed as you can be, because only when you feel strongly enough, will you put forth your best efforts.

4) Plan thoroughly, taking into considerations your priorities, as well as planning for those contingencies that inevitably will cross your path. Without delay, develop an action plan that you will commit to, that will address your finest goals, priorities and aspirations.

5) Many individuals have committed to and even put into place these previous four steps, but unless and until, you truly implement your plan, and consistently do what you need to, in order to get it done, you will never achieve your stated objectives.

Obviously, you do not have to follow these five steps, unless you truly strive to be the best you can be, regardless of what that means to you personally. However, commit to this program, and you will exponentially enhance your potential.

7 METRICS For Success

Although there seems to be a somewhat inordinate amount of time, concentration and effort spent reviewing the many aspects impacting success, this concept is invariably one of the most difficult and challenging to fully understand because of the many challenges and interpretations of what goes into becoming a success. Since I have spent four decades identifying, training, qualifying and consulting to over a thousand individuals in positions of leadership, as well as conducting many seminars and individual training programs in the areas of personal development, I have thus created a mnemonic way to use 7 METRICS for Success. 

1. The process begins with identifying and considering those measurable markers that directly relate to purposeful goals and priorities. How can anyone consider anything to be in any way truly successful unless they are really meaningful because their implementation significantly matters in a way that determines whether you get it done. 

2. Those who want to become real and respected leaders must consistently proceed with a large degree of genuine empathy. Ask yourself whether your actions and plans pursue enhancing the situation, by consistently enriching the experience of those that your actions impact.

3. Everything you observe or do must be viewed and used as a teachable moment! When you predict and address trends in a timely manner, and focus directly on the proverbial taking care of business, you enhance your probability of becoming successful in your pursuits.

4. Taking care of business means very little unless it is relevant in terms of needs and priorities. Only when one simultaneously is rational in his approach, while also being reasonable (both in actuality as well as the way he is perceived by others), he risks appearing as if he is behaving in a less than responsible manner. How can you be a success if what you do is not either actually or perceived as being responsive to what others, as well as a group you serve, truly need?

5. Make sure that your ideas always align with meaningful and significant ideologies, and that you pursue them with absolute integrity.

6. In order to achieve what you aim for, you must be able to connect with stakeholders,in a genuine manner. That requires you to be able, willing and ready to make needed choices, and to create something better than presently exists.

7. This process only comes to fruition when one creates and develops a sustainable system that strengthens the group, thus propelling it forward in a positive manner.

Many claim they seek success, yet few actually achieve what they aim for. Using these 7 METRICS for Success potentiates ones possibilities.

How To Make Affirmations Work For You?

Many wise men have made similar statements about the power of positive thinking in terms of getting things accomplished. In fact, the unifying thought of all of these statements is basically that one can either think they can do something, or think they cannot, and either way they will almost always prove themselves correct. Every year, many millions of dollars are spent by individuals who wish to improve either themselves or their "lot in life," and take various versions of positive thinking courses and seminars. While positive thinking undoubtedly improves success rates and efficiency, one of the greatest techniques for enhancing one's positive attitude, and thus their success, is using Positive Affirmations.

Affirmations are positive statements that have special meaning to the individual. They are described as affirmations because unlike other statements, these statements should be made all from a positive point of view, using entirely positive wording. So, for example, if someone wanted to break their smoking habit, they would not say, "I'm not going to smoke anymore." Rather, their Affirmation might be worded, instead, "Since I am smoking- free, I breathe clean, refreshing area, and have more positive energy." As you might notice, there is no mention of the intent to stop smoking cigarettes. Rather, the affirmation is stated from the point of view that the action to stop has already occurred, and the affirmation sees and discusses the benefits. This is done to create a positive vision that motivates the speaker to take definitive action.

To understand further how affirmations can assist one in taking action to improve or encourage a specific action or course of action, or to get someone to expand his "comfort zone," let's assume that an individual is very uncomfortable speaking in public. The usual self talk that people use would be "I want to be a better speaker," or "I am going to be a better public speaker." However, when using Affirmations, a suggested statement might be something like, "I enjoy the excitement of getting in front of a group, addressing them, and motivating that group to listen to me and my point of view, and then take action." Do you see the very important difference in the way these statements are structured?

Many individuals have told me prior to one of my seminars that they can't do affirmations because it seems too strange, odd or phony to them. I tell them to try the following exercise for a week, and see the changes it will make in their life. Think about ten things you'd like to do better. Write down ten Positive Affirmations. Commit to read these Affirmations at least three to five different times during the day and night, and each time repeat each affirmation at least five time. Read these in front of a mirror. Be sure that the Affirmations are items that are truly important to you at this time. Observe the changes in the way you view things, go about things, approach things and do certain things.

Those who commit to Affirmations will see numerous life changing improvements, simply because they commit to them fully, and believe they can.

How You Can, Versus, Why You Can't!

How do you face the inevitable obstacles that we each face every day? Is your initial reaction to adopt the negative perspective of focusing on the reasons that you might fail and what might go wrong, or do you take the positive path of seeking what you need to do to assure that you can? This difference in approach often impacts our results as well as our effectiveness, because one methodology propels us forward and enhances our potential, while the other one is self - defeating, demoralizing, and a sort of self fulfilling negative prophesy.

1. Do you perceive obstacles as problems or as challenges? This perception often is the most significant precursor in determing our inevitable results, because merely focusing on something as a problem conjures up an unpleasant image that makes most of us want to avoid and escape from. On the other hand, when we conceive of things as challenges, it helps us to expend our energies expeditiously and efficiently. The visualization of a challenge is productive because it creates a positive mindset, and challenges are often viewed as an adventure, while problems are considered a sort of disaster.

2. Why you can philosophy uses our energies in a productive and proactive manner, while the why you can't approach generally produces worry and anxiety! We must realize that worrying about things and having anxiety never solves anything. All these behaviors do is bring on additional stress, which, for those who ponder on the negative, is counter - productive and self - defeating.

3. Do you learn from your stress, or do you let stresses control and manipulate you? Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Hans Selye describe the two types of stress as positive stress (he labelled it as, eustress) and negative stress. While eustress is valuable and enriching, negative stress is debilitating and destructive. It is how we react to stressful circumstances that determines our end result! Stress used productively moves us to greater heights, because it teaches us how to do things better and more effectively. On the other hand, when stress is permitted to control us, we achieve less, and attempt less, often giving up and giving in to obstacles that we face.

Each of us control our destinies to the degree that our mindsets place in either the position to succeed or to not only fail, but to contribute to that failure. Only an absolute commitment to a can - do philosophy and performance enhances us!

5 Components of Marketing Yourself

Most would agree that marketing is perhaps the most, if not one of the most essential ingredients for success in nearly every field of endeavor. Why do you think that the largest and most successful corporations spend so much time, effort and resources on marketing themselves, and attempting to create a specific and unique brand, that creates an attractive niche and compelling story? Since all of us, regardless of what we do, are involved in some sort of selling, it is important to understand what is needed to successfully market ourselves. Whether someone is a doctor, lawyer, salesperson, teacher, or stay - at - home mom, success requires selling every day. We either sell a product, a service, or ourselves, but we do sell! Since the advent and increased popularity of the internet, however, many people have abandoned the previous fundamentals of marketing, and begun to rely exclusively on the Web. However, success means using a broad - based, multi - media campaign, where we maintain a common focus throughout, in order to distinguish ourselves, thus creating a niche that develops our personal, quality, respected brand. While there are many possible components, those who seek to effectively market themselves should both understand and utilize these five components listed below.

1. Don't abandon direct mail and snail mail. There are still many individuals who prefer being contacted that way, and effective mailing pieces that enhance our brand, are key. However, cost containment requires doing this wisely, so make sure that you study the best and most effective way to use this, including your mailing list, types of piece, etc.

2. Use email and texts judicially and wisely. Under - utilization will have no impact, and overuse will strike many as a form of spam. Make sure that you use these forms when appropriate, but don't become overly reliant on them.

3. While a strong Social Media presence is wise and needed, don't fall into the trap of assuming that because you posted something here, there is widespread communication going on. The most effective usage is generally having links to compelling information, so that others will be interested. Don't either over or underpost, and remember that you must use these in coordination with the overall brand you wish to create and develop.

4. What is the feeling someone gets when they look at your Website? How easy is it to locate, and what does it say about you? Does it enhance your brand? Does the message being sent say what you are trying to communicate? Have you looked into SEO (Search Engine Optimization)?

5. Far too many individuals today build artificial walls by relying too heavily on these methods, while ignoring or nearly ignoring the all - essential methods of professionally using the telephone, and getting out and being face - to - face, with your potential constituents, stakeholders or desired audience. Therefore, it is very important to become professional in these methodologies.

Don't use one of these components, while overlooking others. Those that want to market themselves to their fullest potential, and thus get the best results, need to use the discipline to use all of these.

Just Because It's New, Doesn't Necessarily Mean, It's Better!!

With all the new technology and technological advances, many people seem to believe that because it is newer, it must therefore be better, or more enhanced. While that is true when it comes to certain technologies, there are still certain examples when newer is not better. Examples mostly include industries where technology and service are either combined, or need to go hand in hand, such as telephone service and airline travel. While there certainly have been significant technological advances in both of these circumstances, it can be argued that the overall experience has not been improved significantly, if at all. In addition, if you are in a service - industry, such as Real Estate, financial services; health services; etc, while you need to employ the newest, best technologies, it is essential, to never forget to provide the highest personal, customer/ client services!
 
1. Once upon a time, we had one telephone company which supplied our telephone equipment, maintained our internal and external wiring, and provided generally reliable service. Those classic black phones may not have been terribly stylish, but few of us even remember one of them not functioning. If we had any difficulty, we made one call to one company, and the problem was soon resolved. Today, land line telephone service is outnumbered by voice over internet services (VOIP), as well as by wireless/ cellular service. Our telephone equipment rarely lasts too many years, and it is next to impossible to find anyone to service it, and it is generally cost prohibitive to repair, so we simply purchase another telephone. It seems to me that there are far more dropped calls today, or some other static, interference, or trouble with our lines. Many people have abandoned land lines completely, depending entirely on their cell phone, but we all have experienced cell phone dead zones at one time or another. Relatively speaking, it is true that this competition and the enhancements has brought about lower pricing, but at what sacrifice. And, have you tried to get through to your telephone provider? How much of our time is wasted simply waiting to be connected with a real human being? With all the sophistications and enhancements, have you noticed better customer service, because I have certainly not?

2. In the latter part of the 1970's, the airline industry was deregulated, with the expressed intent of trying to provide more competition, and thus, lower pricing for the consumer. While pricing was immediately lowered, have you flown recently? Spirit Air actually charges for carry on bags, while almost all domestic carriers have some sort of fee for checking bags. Meals on a domestic flight, forget about it! Legroom on most carriers is almost non existent. Customer service seems almost an anachronism! Most remarkably, with all the technology, it actually takes longer on many routes today than it used to.

While technological enhancements are nice, they are not always that essential. Yes, many smart phones have lots of applications, but many of those come at some cost, either for the app itself, the data used, the type of phone needed, etc. And, no matter what cell phone or computer or tablet you have today, chances are it will be either outmoded or run of the mill pretty soon! Let's celebrate technology, but put these advancements into perspective! NEVER FORGET TO CHERISH THE CUSTOMER!!

 

6 Basics To Giving A Winning Presentation

Whether you are focused on being the most impactful and effective leader, or are involved in sales (whether you are selling a product, a service, or yourself), there will be several occasions where you need to make some sort of presentation to others. Many individuals have some sort of fear, or phobia, regarding speaking in public, and there is a need for these individuals to first address these areas, in order to permit them to overcome their fears, and step forth and transmit the needed, necessary, or required message. However, there is the need to not merely give some sort of presentation, but rather to have both the willingness and ability to give a truly winning presentation.You can use these guidelines, whether you are presenting to an individual or couple, a smaller group, or a large group. Therefore, these tips should be valuable to most people, especially those in service areas, such as Real Estate, investments, medicine, dentistry, etc, as well as anyone in sales. Here are 6 Basics to Give a Winning Presentation.

1. Before even starting to prepare to present, it is essential to learn about and know the group that you are presenting to. This will permit you to optimally relate to, and tailor your presentation to what your audience deems most relevant.

2. Do your homework, and be prepared! Go far beyond a merely surface understanding of either your audience or the subject matter. Learn thoroughly, plan comprehensively, and become completely comfortable with the subject matter (in - depth). Remember that your audience may be in a different place than you are, and so avoid assuming that they have your grasp or passion for the subject area.

3. Explain upfront (at the beginning) what you are about to present. Most listeners will better grasp what your point is when they better see what you are hoping to explain, and the logic behind your presentation. It is imperative for a speaker to get others to buy into your perspective in a manner that grabs their attention in a meaningful manner.

4. Be thorough, prepared, interesting, insightful and compelling. Avoid appearing unprepared, detached, or simply going through the motions! Break the presentation into short intervals that relate to the agenda, stay on track, avoid digressing, and attempt to make the presentation as proactive as possible, especially by eliciting and inviting participation and involvement of audience members. Always include and leave time for Questions and Answers, so that you can best serve and relate to the group and their needs/ priorities. Remember to practice and prepare for this perhaps - most important segment/ component.

5. Tell them something new (or in a different way). Very little is as destructive to the quality or effectiveness of a presentation than being perceived as wasting their time.

6. Sum up (bring the pieces together), and make them leave satisfied! Avoid making the presentation either too short or too long! End with a call to action that compels the audience to get more involved, or to want to serve in a meaningful manner. Remember that your purpose as a speaker (presenter) should be to get those leaving the presentation to feel their time was well spent.

For many people, giving a presentation is challenging, and often even problematic. Hopefully, by following these six basic suggestions/ guidelines, the process becomes a somewhat easier and less stressful one.