Let's Talk About Motivation

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Friday, January 20, 2006

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The Wonder Of Your Work


Have you ever seen a child's eyes the first time they look down the main street of Disneyland? That's the wonderment of imagination. Parents are more likely to look down that same street and imagine long line-ups and eternal waiting for everything.

I was reminded recently that all children have this readiness to wonder no matter how poor and destitute. I was raised on the edge of the Sahara Desert where my parents were missionaries.

This past Christmas I had their 50-year-old 8mm missionary movies transferred to video for them. In one scene they were giving out T-shirts and shorts to the native kids in a leprosy village who had never seen, never mind owned, anything so wonderful. They had the same look. The look that says, "What do these wonders-mean?"

This is the heart of life - coming to understand what the wonders of our existence - and of our work - mean. All that is possible is wrapped up in the divine gift of imagination which is why it is, at once, the most freeing and imprisoning force known to us - depending, of course, on how we use it.

The world, our own unique personal world, is full of wonders, each of which is connected to our richly imagined future. Very few people see wonders in their workplace. That is a little strange and a lot sad because we can see them elsewhere in our lives.

An executive who appears so uncaring and tough at work actually managed to attend his daughter's grade four play, "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed." Melissa was Mrs. Johnny Appleseed in the play and she insisted that her dad and mom sit in the second row (the first one being "Reserved") right near the center aisle.

They could see her white bonnet as she peered through the curtains to be sure they were still there and ready for the wonders they were about to see. And wonders there were! It went the way grade four plays are supposed to go with kids forgetting their lines or not saying them loud enough or saying them too loud.

The teacher's constant prompts from backstage, the miscued curtains. Each one a wonder. And then the wonder of all wonders - Melissa's only line rehearsed a thousand times at dinner, in the bathtub and the last thing before sleep. "Oh my dear husband (that part always made the other kids laugh and it did this time too) do not be discouraged, for people around the world will eat from the orchards you have planted."

I do not even want to meet the parent whose eyes are not filled with tears of wonder in such a situation. Heck, mine are and I'm just making this up. Work is one of the wonders of our lives!

When we can't see the wonders, we are doomed to meander through life without ever finding our intention. When we can't see the wonders we can't make the choices that will lead us to the spiritual wealth that most of us desire.

First we must learn to see the wonders and then we learn to make positive and wise choices in response to those wonders.
This is how the richly imagined future becomes present in our lives now.

There are wonders all around us, in every common circumstance. The more we recognize them, the richer we become. May your life - and your work - be wonders-full!

(excerpted from Ian Percy's book The 7 Secrets to a Life of Meaning.)
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Copyright The Ian Percy Corporation. Ian Percy is one of North America's most inspirational speakers. Mr. Percy is an international speaker and consultant and can be reached at http://www.ianpercy.com/

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Teamwork


I suspect that all of us in the world of business, athletics, music, etc., recognize the importance of teamwork. Old cliches come to mind, like, "Individuals score points, but teams win games."

In the business world the concept of teamwork is particularly important, but according to Ed Petry, executive director of the Ethics Officer Association, there is one dilemma that regularly confronts teams working in a business together.

The dilemma is one of ethics or integrity. Mr. Petry points out in a February 17, 1998, article in USA Today that when you work in a team and become close to the other members, it often happens that some unethical conduct takes place on the part of an individual, whether it's taking money or revealing trade secrets.

The question is, do you tell the boss? He points out that if you tell it will make it harder to work in a small group and, according to Graham Phaup, at the Institute for Global Ethics, "It's truth vs. loyalty. Is it right to tell the truth and lose friendships?"

Those who do report problems, he says, risk being shunned by others on their team if word gets out. Managers say they strive to let workers know they should tell if something is amiss.

Yes, it really is a dilemma and this is the point where the integrity of management is critical in solving the problem. If the workers know they can talk with complete confidence to management and that their trust will never be betrayed, they are far more likely to report a situation which could potentially be job-threatening for all of them. That's integrity and that's a quality we all need to develop every day.
___________
Zig Ziglar offers a weekly newsletter filled with more of his inspiring stories as well as practical ideas to help you in the areas of sales, marketing, customer service, and related topics. You can subscribe to the Zig ZiglarNewsletter at http://www.zigziglar.com/

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Master the Spares and The Strikes Will Come by Themselves

The fundamentals are always the key to success in any area, whether baking a cake, building a business, playing a sport or.... Winning Without Intimidation.

While "out-of-the-box" thinking, creative ideas and smartly spoken words and phrases can often be the difference betweengood and great, consistent success is typically based on doing "the little things right" time after time, again and again and again.

Coach Vince Lombardi's dynastic Green Bay Packer football teams of the 1960's mastered blocking and tackling, the most fundamental aspects of football. They used to run a very basic play called the "Power Sweep."

The defense pretty much always knew when they were going to run it. It didn't matter. "The Pack" ran it so well, it was practically unstoppable.

On the other hand, there are master chefs who can create gastronomical masterpieces bound to tantalize most anyone's culinary desires (what's with the fancy words today?) :-) yet, you can be sure they base their expertise on knowing, understanding and applying the most fundamental aspects of their craft.

My friend, Thom Scott, creates long-copy sales ads and marketing campaigns that absolutely floor me, yet when I go through them I notice they veer not one single bit from the basic premises he has learned and now teaches regarding the "fundamental" elements that are foundational for successful advertisements and campaigns.

And, it's the same with "Winning Without Intimidation" or mastering the art of positive persuasion. The fanciest, mosteffective "lines, words and phrases" that will cause people to do for you those things they will rarely do for most others simply will not work... if not based on the fundamentals of the craft.

And, what are those fundamentals? There are five that I see.
Very briefly, they are:

#1 Attitude - The mindset that the universe is friendly to your desires and that people are generally good people who want to be helpful, if just given the chance to deal with a nice person such as yourself who has (and this is where the next one comes in)...

#2 Positive Expectancy - You expect that the other person is going to go out of their way to help you; to be "solution-oriented."

Doing this is not naive. It's understanding that with this type of expectation, you're not changing this person; you are changing yourself, you are changing your mindset. Thus,you are looking at this person in a much different way. As such, he or she will now respond differently to you than they otherwise would have.

#3 Politeness - It's separating yourself from 95 percent of the others who approach the person with an "entitlement" mentality that he or she "owes" you their help.

Well, whether they do or not, they are not necessarily playing the game correctly. It's up to you to approach them in a way that elicits their wanting; their desiring to help you. Politeness is definitely a fine start.

#4 Patience - The understanding that, since most people are not used to "living in the solution" it might take a while (even "minutes" qualifies as "a while" when you want what you want "right now") to re-teach this person. That's okay.

#5 Persistence - Or, as Zig Ziglar would say, "courteous persistence." This is a mindset you have where you retain your great attitude and positive expectancy of this person and their motives, remaining polite and patient, while you still demonstrate that you're willing to stay with this situation until you get the right results."

Any fancy words and phrases you utilize, such as what I call "The Eight Key Words That Will Instantly Move A Person to Your Side of The Issue Practically Every Time" (these words are, "If you can't do it, I'll definitely understand") will only work if first set up correctly by your utilizing the basics, the fundamentals we just discussed.

After all, imagine just walking up to someone and coldly spewing out those words without there being any context for this person to relate. There's very little chance it's going to get you the results you want.

On the other hand, if you'll master the five fundamentals we discussed, you'll find good things and great results happening more often, and more quickly, than you can ever imagine.

I remember, as a young kid, watching an older boy (probably 16 or 17) bowling. He was excellent, nailing strike after strike after strike. I said, "Greg you must love getting so many strikes." He replied, "I sure do."

I then said, "In fact, you must really practice mastering those strikes." His reply was, "Not at all; I never practice mastering the strikes. I practice mastering the spares."

Sensing my confusion, he then added a sage piece of wisdom I've taken with me since that time. He said, "When you master the spares, the strikes will come by themselves."

Wow!

So, master those spares, perfect the basics. Often quick - and genuinely long-lasting - results will come your way in abundance.

Bob Burg
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Bob Burg is author of "Endless Referrals" and "Winning Without Intimidation: How to Master the Art of Positive Persuasion in Today's Real World". Visit Bob at http://www.burg.com

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

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Tell Your Story!

My wife and I recently took the kids to a place called Woodloch Pines, www.woodloch.com in Pennsylvania. We experienced the best vacation we've ever had. Woodloch is that special kind of place where families come together and memories are made.

While there, we participated in the family Olympics, rode go-carts, paddled and rowed our way around lake Teedyuskung, drenched each other in the bumper boats, and spent the evenings watching jugglers, magicians, and Broadway style shows. By the time we left I had become a raving Woodloch fan.

As someone who studies successful companies and people, I couldn't help but think about what made Woodloch so different. For one, they are committed to helping their guests create amazing experiences and thus an emotional connection to their resort.

Second, guest satisfaction is their number one priority. One of their employees said to me, "You know that motto that the customer is always right... well we mean it." How refreshing.

And most of all they have decided to tell their own story in every aspect of their business. They don't try to be like Disney World. They don't try to be like Universal. In fact, they don't try to be like any one else.

Instead they have carved out their own niche based on interactive family fun. Instead of waiting in line for an hour to get on a roller coaster ride, I was having oatmeal poured on my head as part of the Double Dare Olympics. This is real fun folks!

And Woodloch doesn't just tell any kind of story. They certainly don't tell a sad drama. They tell a success story.
In every room is a book about the founders, Harry and Mary Kiesendahl and how they fell in love with Lake Teedyuskung and fell in love with each other.

They talk about how each generation of the Kiesendahl family is still involved in running the business. They tell the story of their employees who have been with them for 5, 10, even 20 years.

They tell one success story after another. In turn they keep on creating more success and more joy for their visitors.

As you think about your life and the success you wish to create, I encourage you to learn from Woodloch and tell YOUR story. If you have your own business or are in sales determine what makes you and your offering unique. Then tell that story.

Don't try to be like anyone else. Carve out your niche and tell your story in a way that no one else can. Instead of trying to win the race by following the leader and the rules, create a different race, create new rules and become the leader.

This is how Southwest Airlines, Dell and Woodloch have achieved success and this is how you can too.

And whatever story you decide to tell, make sure it's a success story. If you constantly talk about the drama in your life, you will live a drama. I know because I use to do this.

If you complain a lot you will have more to complain about. And if you focus on the negative you will experience more negativity. On the other hand if you talk about your successes in an appreciative way you will experience more success.

If you focus on gratitude you will have more to be grateful for. The story we tell others and ourselves each day becomes the life we create. So ask yourself right now what story are you telling, and if it needs changing know that you have the power to change it.

Sending Positive Energy Your Way,
- Jon
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Energy Tips by Jon Gordon, The Energy Addict. For additional tips, visit http://www.energyaddict.com -- Jon is also the author of "Becoming An Energy Addict".

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Four Steps to Success!

Let me pass on to you these four simple steps to success:

Number one is good ideas. Be a collector of good ideas. My mentor taught me to keep a journal when I was twenty five years old. I've been doing it now all these years. They will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren.

If you hear a good health idea, capture it, write it down. Don't trust your memory. Then on a cold wintry evening, go back through your journal, the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that saved your marriage, the ideas that bailed you out of bankruptcy, the ideas that helped you become successful, the ideas that made you millions.

What a good review. Going back over the collection of ideas that you gathered over the years. So be a collector of good ideas for your business, for your relationships, for your future.

The next step to success is to have good plans. A good plan for the day, a good plan for the future, a good health plan, a good plan for your marriage. Building anything is like building a house, you need to have a plan.

Now here is a good time management question: When should you start the day? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It is like building a house, building a life. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody asks, "What are you building?"

And you say, "I have no idea." See they would come and take you away to a safe place. So, don't start the house until you finish it. Now, is it possible to finish the house before you start it? Yes, but it would be foolish to start before you had it finished. Not a bad time management idea.

Don't start the day until it is pretty well finished -- at least the outline of the day. Leave some room to improvise. Leave some room for extra strategies, but finish it before you start it.

And here is the next piece that is a little more challenging: Do not start the week until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, then put it to work.
Then the next one is a little tougher yet; do not start the month until you have it finished.

And finally the big one, don't start the year until it is finished on paper. It's not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your family for the family structure plans, sit down in your business for the business plans, sit down with your financial advisor for your investments and map out the year... properties to buy, properties to sell, places to go with your family, lay out the year.

I finally learned to do that. It was also helpful for my family to show them where they appeared on my calendar. You know I used to have my business things on there and I used to have my lectures and my seminars all laid out on my calendar, and guess what the children said, "Where are we on the game plan, please show us our names on the game plan."

So you need to do it for your children, for your spouse, for your friends.

Now, here is the third step to success, and it can be really challenging. Learning to handle the passing of time. It takes time to build a career, it takes time to make changes, so give your project time, give your people time.

If you're working with people, give them time to learn, grow, change, develop, produce. And here is the big one, give yourself time. It takes time to master something new.
It takes time to make altered changes and refinement in philosophy as well as activity.

Give yourself time to learn, time to get it, time to start some momentum, time to finally achieve. It is easy to be impatient with yourself. I remember when I first tried to learn to tie my shoes. The shoe strings, it seemed like it would take me forever.

Finally I got it and it didn't take forever, but it seemed like for a while I'd never learn, I'd get it backwards; the bow goes up and down instead of across. How do I straighten that out? Finally I got it, it just took time.

Mama taught me a little bit about playing the piano. "Here is the left hand scale", she'd say. I got that, it was easy.
Then she said, "Here is the right hand scale." I got that, that was easy.

Now she said, "We are going to play both hands at the same time." I said, "Well, how can you do that?" Now one at a time was easy... but at the same time? Looking at this hand and looking at that hand, finally I got it. Finally I got where I could play the scales with both hands.

Then I remember the day she said, "Now we are going to read the music and play with both hands." I thought, "You can't do all that." But you know, sure enough I'm looking at the music, looking at each hand, a little confused at first, but finally I mastered it.

It took a little time to read the music and play with both hands. Then I remember the day she said, "Now we are going to watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands. I thought, "Now that is going too far!" How could you possibly do that?

But see adding them one at a time and giving myself time to master one before we went to the next one; sure enough I got to where I could watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands.

So the lesson here is: Give yourself time, you can become a better pro, you can better master the art of parenting, you can better master the art of managing time, conserving resources, working together as a partner. Give yourself time.

And here's the last one; learning to solve problems.
Business problems, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems, etc. -- challenges for us all. Here's the best way to treat a problem: As an opportunity to grow.
Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn't working well for a new one.

The best phrase my mentor ever gave me was when he said, "Mr. Rohn if you will change, everything will change for you." Wow, I took that to heart, and sure enough the more I changed the more everything changed for me.

So learn to master good ideas, have good plans, handle the passing of time and solve problems, and you will be on your way to more success than you could ever imagine!

To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
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Announcing a Very Special Invitation - The Jim Rohn One-Year Success Plan! One of the most comprehensive resource andsuccess plans ever created for you to reach all of your goals in the next 12 months! For details go to http://www.getmotivation.com/qk.cgi/jr-successplan

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How Do You Manage to Manage Your Time?

Which Rolling Stones song do YOU wake up singing every morning? "Time is on my side, yes it is!" OR "Time waits for no one, and it won't wait for me."

With apologies to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, your answer to this question reveals your mindset about time management. It's just like Henry Ford's famous quote - "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, you're right!"

Successful time management, like every other aspect of success, is first of all a mindset. Then there are some simple guidelines that, if followed consistently, will lead you to becoming a master of your time rather than a slave toit.

"I don't have time!" Let's take a look at how your mind is programmed about time. The majority of people are convinced they don't have enough time and walk around constantly saying, "I don't have time! I don't have time!" to themselves, almost as their mantra. And they also talk to others about how busy and stressed out they are, as if this were some badge of honor.

Yet if I were to stop and ask them, "Can you think of someone who's more successful than you?"

The response would be, "Of course!"

Then I'd ask if they had the same 24 hours in a day, to which I usually get a dumfounded look and, "Well, yeah, I guess so ..." So the real issue is not having enough time, it's how they are managing (or, in most cases, NOT managing) their time.

A simple time management formula. The truth is, most people don't manage their time at all ... they let other people and situations manage it - and that's called "normal."

These just happen to be the same people who don't have a mission statement and don't write down their goals. (Interesting coincidence, isn't it?) So here's a simple formula for you to begin to take control of your time:

1. Create a Mission Statement for your career. A Mission Statement is a paragraph that describes who you are and where you're going. In my definition, a Mission Statement also describes your major goals and a deadline, typically one year out. To easily create a Mission Statement, go to www.nightingale.com/mission.

2. Write down your yearly goals based upon your Mission Statement in all areas of your life: mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual.

Mental goals relate to your career and your financial well-being. Physical goals are for the shape of your body and what you put in it. Emotional goals are for your relationships in life, both personal and professional. And spiritual goals are for the things you do to get you more intouch with your spirit, whatever that means to you.

3. Divide out your goals in these four areas. First, divide by 4 to get your quarterly goals. Then divide by 3 to getyour monthly goals. Finally divide by 4 again to get your weekly goals.
For example, if your Mission Statement goal was to make $120,000 in commissions and bonus by December 31, 2004, you would know your quarterly goal is $30,000, your monthly goal is $10,000 and your weekly goal is $2,500.

As a producer, you may not be able to attain this weekly or even monthly amount. BUT - you may know that your average commission for one new client is $15,000. So you would need 8 new clients per year, 2 per quarter, one every 6 weeks.
Then you would calculate how many face-to-face sales meetings it takes for you to add a new client (let's say 12), and then you know you'd need to schedule 96 appointments per year, 32 per quarter, 8 per month, and 2 per week.

4. Get out your weekly planner and write in the exact time you will be engaging in these goals. From the example above,if you needed 2 face-to-face meetings, you'd schedule in time for prospecting calls to get these on the books.

You should view ALL the items you've written as APPOINTMENTS, so you don't get off track by the variousinconsequential interruptions that happen throughout the course of a day.

5. As a habit, review your goals and planner DAILY to ensureyou stay on track. I share with my clients a technique I call "The most important appointment of the week." It happens on the weekend, and it's with YOU. So you can pick a Saturday or Sunday morning right after coffee or a workout, or perhaps Sunday evening just before the coming work week.

After letting your spouse and kids know you need some "space," sit down and set up your weekly schedule just as described above.

I suggest you enter this weekend appointment in your planner initially to get the discipline of doing your scheduling. I guarantee you'll sleep better knowing your upcoming week is on track with your monthly, quarterly, and yearly goals.

___________
Jim Rohrbach, Success Skills Coach Phone: 1-800-572-2770, extension 1-2633
Email: coach@SuccessSkills.com
Web site: http://www.SuccessSkills.com

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Discipline and Loyalty Are Tremendous

We live in a world where these two great words -- discipline and loyalty are becoming meaningless. Does this mean thatthey are worthless?

On the contrary, they are becoming priceless qualitiesbecause they are so hard to develop in the first place. Andshould you be one of the fortunate few who by God's gracehas caught the vision. Your battle has just begun becausethe greatest battle is to keep what you've learned through these two priceless qualities.

Discipline is that great quality few people use that enables them to be constructively busy all the time. Even indiscouragement and defeat, discipline will rescue you andusher you to a new place to keep constructively busy while you forget about doubt, worry and self-pity.

Oh, that more in this day would realize the absolute necessity of discipline and the degree of growth and happiness to be attained from it.

Most people think that loyalty is to a thing or to a person when actually it is really to one's own self. Some think that it is to a goal or an objective, but again it is to one's own convictions.
If loyalty has to be earned then it is deserved and is hardy, more than devoted emotion based on a temporary feeling. No, loyalty is the character of a person who has given himself the task before him and he will always realize that out of a loyal heart will spring all the other virtues that make life one of depth and growth.

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Written by Charlie "Tremendous" Jones. In addition to breaking many sales records in the Insurance Industry throughout his career, Mr. Jones is the founder and CEO of Executive Books. For more information on Charlie "T" Jones and Executive books go to http://www.executivebooks.com

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Mastering the Art of Getting Great Ideas

Selling is a business that requires a great deal of creativity. As with any other area of expertise, it requiresattention and dedication in order to stay fresh.
How do you practice the art of getting great ideas? Some people do it naturally. They've made selling their hobby and are always on the look out for ideas they come across in lifein general that might apply to a selling situation.

If you haven't given much thought to keeping your creativity level high, here are a few ideas for getting those rusty gears in action.

There are six requirements for great ideas: want and need,exactness, preparation, belief, and execution.

Want And Need...

You won't get ideas unless you somehow tell your subconscious mind that you both need and really want ideas.The key word here is want. It's far more important to wantideas than to merely need them.

Understanding this distinction is crucial. All constant losers, compulsive gamblers, and confirmed alcoholicsdesperately need new ideas to change their direction beforeit's too late.
Since positive ideas are everywhere, why don't these people jump on some of them? Because they don't want to stop doing what's hurting them; they don't want to pay the price ofsuccess; they don't want to face realities of living; theydon't want to change.

Exactness...

You have to know the specific kind of solutions you want. Consistently successful writers, such as John Grisham think of exciting scenes when he needs them because he knows exactly what he wants - ideas for great suspense stories.

We all want ideas that will make us millions. Unfortunately,that's not specific enough to let the subconscious mind do its work. You can't pull important and specific ideas out of your subconscious mind until you've posed important andspecific challenges to it.

Preparation...

Nothing is free. Profitable innovation and effective imagination are no exception to this rule. Inventiveness and creativity aren't gifts that a lucky few use effortlessly -that notion is false.
After you've paid the price, your imagination will soar andinnovative ideas will flow from your brain. The price forthat result has to be paid with study, with experience-gaining work, and with alert thought.

You create ideas by becoming specific in your thinking and thorough with your study of a subject that excites you.Success-building ideas come only to those who look for them vigorously and intelligently.

Belief...

Your subconscious mind wants to be used; it wants to be controlled intelligently; it wants to help you grow and win and be happy. So it will go along with self-instructionsthat aren't true today in order to help you make them true tomorrow.

But it won't allow you to fool it forever. In the laborious process of creating ideas, your subconscious mind has toknow that some of them will be used. Not necessarily all of them - or even most of them. But a few of them must be used.

Otherwise the flow will eventually be choked off. The morei deas you use and benefit from, the more ideas you'll have and the better they'll be.

Execution...

The profit of great ideas comes when you turn them intoreality. Get rid of the delusion that you can have a great idea and then get someone else to work out the details.

The details are the invention. Unless you work out the details in a practical way, you can't control the profit that can be made from your great idea.

Pick a limited field to specialize in. Learn everything that's already known about that subject. Work in that field by taking the best job you can find in it rather than abetter one elsewhere. Then start thinking every hour ofevery day about what can be done to improve performance in your specialty.

When you've done all these things, valuable ideas will start flowing out of your mind. Success is doing, not wishing.

__________

Tom Hopkins International
7531 E. 2nd St., Scottsdale, AZ 85251
Tel: (480) 949-0786 or 800/528-0446
Fax: (480) 949-1590