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June 2006

Wanted !

  • More to improve and fewer to disapprove.
  • More doers and fewer talkers.
  • More to say "It can be done" and fewer to say "It's impossible".
  • More to inspire others and fewer to throw cold water on them.
  • More to get into the thick of things and fewer to sit on the sidelines.
  • More to point out what's right and fewer to show what's wrong.
  • More to light a candle and fewer to curse the darkness.

Don'ts : Decision Making

Don't focus on doing more tasks, but on doing fewer tasks well.

Don't accept impossible deadlines-factor in extra "pad" time.

Don't leave decisions hanging-decide immediately on a course of action each time you can.

Don't let the desires of others dictate how you spend your time.

Don't assume the "emergencies" of others are your emergencies.

Don't say yes when you should say no.

-June Hunt ("Healing the Hurting Heart")


The true measure of Success

  • To be able to carry money without spending it;
  • To be able to bear an injustice without retaliating;
  • To be able to do one's duty when critical eyes watch;
  • To be able to keep at a job until the work is finished;
  • To be able to do the work and let others receive the recognition;
  • To be able to accept criticism without letting it whip you;
  • To like those who push you down;
  • To love when hate is all about you;
  • To follow God when others put detour signs in your path;
  • To have a peace of heart and mind because you have given God your best;

This is the true measure of success.


Your self-image

What you believe yourself to be, you are. What you believe you can be in the future, you can become.

If you believe that you can do something, you can do it. You must believe in it one hundred percent.

Your self image prescribes the limits for the accomplishment of your goals.It prescribes the "area of the possible" for you.

If you want to be successful, start thinking of yourself as successful.
The feelings must come first from within you.

Self esteem is the strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness.
Believe you can do it.
Believe you deserve it.
Believe you will get it.

It's all in your mind.
What you see is what you get.


Quotable Quotes for today

"There are only two ways to live your life: One is as though nothing is a miracle, The other is as though everything is a miracle. I believe in the latter."

-- Albert Einstein

“We live in a world of theophanies. Holiness comes wrapped in the ordinary. There are burning bushes all around you. Every tree is full of angels. Hidden beauty is waiting in every crumb. Life wants to lead you from crumbs to angels, but this can happen only if you are willing to unwrap the ordinary by staying with it long enough to harvest its treasure.”

-- Macrina Wiederkehr


How badly you want to win?

Success is connected with continuous action. It's largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.

You're not finished when you're defeated, you're only finished when you quit.
In fact, there's only one way you can fail, and that's to stop trying.

Continuous effort, persistence and determination will be necessary for you to succeed. The odds are in your favor if you keep trying.

You can have a fresh start any time you choose, for "failure" is not in the falling down, but in the staying down. It's not over until it's over.

If you've got the courage to stick it out, you'll attain your goal. Winning isn't everything, but wanting to, is.

If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again.


Take responsibility for your actions

The mold for your success and fortune is in your hands. You cannot do everything, but you can do something.

You choose your thoughts and actions.Only you can find success.

Nobody can do it for you. Nobody will do it for you. You have to make it happen.

There is something you can do to change your situation. The people that really succeed in the world
are the people who look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them.

Your life will always be to a large extent what you make of it.


Sell greatly

by Robin Sharma

I just had an encounter with a salesperson I'll never see again. He wasn't rude. He wasn't incompetent. He wasn't uncaring. He was okay on every front. But in a world with a dazzling array of choices as to who we can give our business to, I opt for dealing with salespeople and organizations who are great.

Here's what happened. Looking for a new laptop. I walk in and find the first person I see. He's plugging away on his computer. Says “hi”, without looking up (I'm serious). I try and engage him. He eventually tears himself away from the screen to look at the human being standing in front of him. He answers some of my questions. Begrudgingly. Shows me some of his wares. And essentially struggles to do what he's paid to get done, while giving a monologue on why I should buy what he’s selling. I'm going to his competitor across the street. They treated me beautifully. They get it (and got my business).

I've worked with a lot of sales teams over the years as a speaker and as a leadership coach. Some quick observations from the best:

Use people's names

Look at them in the eye and show them you care

Say please and thank you

Listen a thousand times more than you speak (only a slight exaggeration)

Be on-time

Keep your promises

Be more concerned about helping than selling (people can sniff sincerity a mile away)

Be passionate about your products and services so that passion gets transferred (the first sales person had all the passion of an old shoe box)

Be better than anyone else in your field at what you do (so read up on the product, learn daily, develop yourself/skills and always be improving)

Treat your customers like they are visiting royalty.

Simple strategies. But remember: what separates the best from the rest is their consistent adherence to a few simple best practices that over time evolve into spectacular results. And also remember, everyone is selling something


Visualize your future

Study your present situation thoroughly. Go over in your imagination the various courses of action possible to you. Visualize the consequences which can follow from each course. Pick out the course which gives you the most promise and go ahead.

Many successful people use this skill of mental visualization. They mentally run through important events before they happen.

Picture yourself in your mind's eye as already having achieved your goal. See yourself doing the things you'll be doing when you've reached your goal. You can put your subconscious to work toward making your mental pictures come true. Go over your day in your imagination before you begin it. You can begin acting successfully at any moment.

See the things you want as already yours. Think of them as yours, as already in your possession.
You can live your dreams if you pursue them.


What's important?

"Where you are headed is more important than how fast you are going. Rather than always focusing on what's urgent, learn to focus on what is really important."

-- Stephen Covey

Time management is all about making decisions. At each step of the way, we want to choose activities that best support what we want to do with our lives. To do this, we need to be clear about our short and long-term goals.

Here’s a general question to ask yourself often: "Is this the best use of my time in terms of meeting my goals?" Sometimes, of course, we don't have any choice. But ask yourself honestly, "Could I take more control if I really wanted to?" Often, we play the victim because we don't want to make the effort to change our behaviour.

"Time is a created thing. To say 'I don't have time,' is like saying, 'I don't want to.'"

-- Lao-Tzu


Freedom=Responsibility

If you wish to be free yourself from enslavement, you must choose freedom and the responsibility it entails. There's a price for every freedom, something to be given up for every liberty. It's up to you to weigh the price you must pay for each of your freedoms. Everything you want has a price. There's a price you'll pay for changing things and a price you'll pay for leaving things as they are. Freedom is the opportunity to make decisions. It's the capacity to take a hand in your own development. Freedom is the right to choose. It's the right to create for yourself the alternatives of choice. No one is free who is not master of himself. You are free to do whatever you like. You need only face the consequences of your actions.


Empowering people

Appreciate People For Everything They Do
There are three keys to getting the best out of others, and the first of these is appreciation. Every time you thank another person, you cause that person to like themselves better. You raise their self-esteem and improve their self-image. You cause them to feel more important. You make them feel that what they did was valuable and worthwhile. You empower them.

Build Your Own Self-Esteem
And the wonderful thing about thanking other people is that, every time you say the words “thank you,” you like yourself better as well. You feel better inside. You feel happier and more content with yourself and life. You feel more fully integrated and positive about what you are doing. When you develop an attitude of gratitude that flows forth from you in all of your interactions with others, you will be amazed at how popular you will become and how eager others will be to help you in whatever you are doing.

Praise and Approve Others Continually
The second way to make people feel important, to raise their self-esteem and give them a sense of power and energy, is by the generous use of praise and approval. Psychological tests show that, when children are praised by the people that they look up to, their energy levels rise, their heart rates and respiratory rates increase and they feel happier about themselves overall.

Make People Feel Important
Perhaps the most valuable lesson in Ken Blanchard’s book The One Minute Manager is his recommendation to be giving “one-minute praising” at every opportunity. If you go around your home and through your social relationships praising and giving genuine and honest approval to people for their accomplishments, large and small, you will be amazed at how much more people like you and how much more willing they are to help you achieve your goals.

Practice the Law of Reciprocity
There is a psychological law of reciprocity that says, “If you make me feel good about myself, I will find a way to make you feel good about yourself.” In other words, people will always look for ways to reciprocate your kindnesses toward them. When you look for every opportunity to do and say things that make other people feel good about themselves, you will be astonished at not only how good you feel, but at the wonderful things that begin to happen all around you.

Pay Attention When They Talk
The third way to empower others, to build their self-esteem and make them feel important is simply to pay close attention to them when they talk. The great majority of people are so busy trying to be heard that they become impatient when others are talking. But this is not for you. Remember, the most important single activity that takes place over time is listening intently to the other person when he or she is talking and expressing himself or herself.

Take Every Opportunity to Build People Up
Again, the three general rules for empowering the people around you, which apply to everyone you meet, are appreciation, approval, and attention. Voice your thanks and gratitude to others on every occasion. Praise them for every accomplishment. And pay close attention to them when they talk and want to interact with you. These three behaviors alone will make you a master of human interaction and will greatly empower the people around you.

Implementation

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, make people feel important. Look for ways to express praise and approval at every opportunity.

Second, practice the special art of listening to people when they want to talk. It makes people feel special and appreciated.