Giving one’s word should be a sacred pact between you and another. Others will trust you only if communicate accurately and actually follow through with what you said. Trust once broken is nearly impossible to restore. How many times have people told you...
Someone or something has inspired you at some time in your life. Perhaps it was a rousing speech, a breath-taking piece of art, music, poetry or prose, an act of kindness or heroism, a bonding with the wonder of Mother Nature. Any of it can be inspiring. As long as you are open to and looking for, inspiring things can be found anywhere.
In some form or another each of us has the ability to use his or her imagination. Some are able more than others. Imagination is the ability to create in thought anything, real or not. Using your imagination puts things into your mind without necessarily the use of the five senses. We use imagination every day. We use it in storytelling, the theater, movies, TV, literature, fantasy, radio. In business imagination brings products and...
“Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” ~Abraham Lincoln This post starts with a famous quote for a very good reason. This Lincoln witticism about sums up the whole subject on happiness. How happy are you? How much of the time are you happy? What influences your happiness? The bottom line here, like Lincoln suggests, is that happiness is
We all have habits. Heck, my cats have habits too. But, we’re human and we still can’t help ourselves. We all do things automatically, without thinking about doing them. Some habits are good, like putting on your seatbelt any time you get into a vehicle. Some habits are not so good, like satisfying the urge to text while driving that vehicle.
It doesn’t take much, nor is it hard to find something to be grateful for when you make the time to look. There are abundant opportunities to show your thankfulness, appreciation and gratitude. The world is a wonderful place and all you and I have to do is take a peek.
Forgiveness is such a rich topic. We can forgive at any time we choose, but the paradox is we never forget what we forgave. Why is that so? It seems to be a very hard thing for people to do. It is so freeing to forgive, to let go of past upsets and to move forward. Since stories usually best exemplify what is meant and the lesson to be learned, let me share a...
There are really only two kinds of fear. There is true fear, fear of physical harm, fear for one’s life, like when you lose control of your car or when someone holds a knife at your throat or points a gun at you. That’s gut wrenching fear of the most valid type. It invokes the fight or flight response mechanism built into all biological life forms as a basic survival tool.
Have you ever believed in something so deeply that you just knew it’s going to happen or that it was the absolute truth and yet there was no way to prove it? Then you have had faith about that thing. Faith is as about as intangible as it gets. Faith has no shape or form of its own. You can’t touch it, see it, smell it or hear it. It can’t be bought or sold...
Of all the topics to be included within the lighter side of self-development, discipline and self-discipline didn’t seem to boil right up to the top. So, maybe that’s why writing this piece has taken me longer than expected. I just wasn’t, nor did I want to be, disciplined enough to write it. Not until I willed myself to did it get done. You gotta love the irony.
I really enjoyed this holiday and hope you did too. The time off and away from work was wonderful. It’s not that I wasn’t productive over the past 10 days, I was; I just wasn’t focused on the “job.” Now that the holidays are behind us and the New Year is here I find getting back to work to be a wee bit of a challenge. I’d be willing to bet that there are others...
In the realm of personal development and achievement there are several core subjects none more central than desire. Desire is the foundation of all successes. Without desire, without the need for something - for food, clothing, shelter; love, attention or affection; contribution, fame or fortune - nothing can be acquired.
Have you ever had to face something you didn’t want to? Something full of uncertainty? Something that frightened you, worried you and had you tremble in fear? It’s OK, you’re in good company because it’s a safe bet we all have had to. In fact, you probably have to face something that requires you to be courageous every day. Perhaps you have to be fearless about going to a job you don’t like. Maybe...
If you had to define confidence what would you say it is? How would you describe it? Could you give someone as an example of a confident person? Could you show what confidence looks like? Animals display confidence mostly. Have you ever noticed...
All beings communicate in some fashion, be it chemically through pheromones, non-verbally like smoke signals or verbally as we humans do. You could say that we humans occupy the top spot on the communication food chain capable of complex and varied types of communications.
A chuckle is always a great way to begin a topic, especially one with the over- whelming implication of commitment. So, here goes… Ask yourself what is the difference between “involvement” and “commitment?” Ready? Here it is… When ordering bacon and eggs for breakfast next time think of it this way… the chicken is involved, the pig is committed. Badda-boom!
We choose everything we do, say or think. We choose whether to brush our teeth or not (yuck), we choose to be nice to our significant other or not (hmmm?), we choose what to wear (unless you’re trying to stuff a size 18 body in to a size 10 pair of pants).
How do people see you? Do they know you to be a certain way? How do you want them to see you, to know you? Who we are being starts inside each of us and winds up as an outward expression. The subject is vast, but it boils down to your choice in the moment.
She walked up to our table without a smile or welcome on her face and asked in a dreary manner what we wanted to drink. I could have sworn that she rolled her eyes when I asked to have the lemon for my water placed on the side and not in the glass. I glanced at the others in my party and eyebrows were raised. OK, it wasn’t my imagination.
Ever been in a meeting, or any situation for that matter, when you had a great idea that was going to solve THE problem and get things moving. And, just like Quick Draw McGraw, you shout out the idea and the next thing you know they’ve put you in charge of making it happen. Whoa, there big fella, you just wanted to make the suggestion, not take on the whole darned thing. UGH! You and...
You’ve had an “ah-ha” moment, we all have. It comes like an electrical shock, jolts your eyes open wide and your mouth slack jawed. Maybe it should be an “oh-ho”, rather than an “ah-ha”. One moment there is peace and tranquility, a sense of comfort, the next moment new realms of possibility blossoming all around. It doesn’t take much; just seeing it all from a different perspective, a new context. Those moments are brilliant, empowering,...
We’re here. The cats, the furniture, our belongings, we, and our entire lives have all been transported from Miami to Greenville safely! Whew! Whoo Hoo! Bidding adieu to our home of 13 years and the city of our childhood could have been a very traumatic happening. But, because it was our choice to move it became a positive and transformational experience. The best advice one contemplating a move could be given is to be...
I get my hair cut at my wife’s unisex beauty salon. Been going there for years. Today, in anticipation of the move I went for my final visit with Ivonne, a caring, wonderful lady who happens to own the shop.
Moving is a process. Actually, life is a process and moving can be a chore. I tend to forget the “process” piece as I get caught up in the day-to-day minutia. It seems that as I get deep into a project it’s easy to forget the birds-eye view, the whole picture, the bigger picture. I think we all do.
We flew in from Greenville Saturday night after 4 days of looking, looking, looking for a place to rent. It was our intention and focus to find a place and we found TWO! Now, that in an of itself smells of success and it is. Yet, success can be both sweet and bitter as neither deal is final yet.
Throughout the process leading up to our move out of South Florida Lynn and I have had to use every personal development and transformational tool at our disposal. We have had our ups and downs, and our moments of passing doubt and giddy elation. Hey, we’re human, ya know? We’ve uber focused our intention and magnetically charged our attention. Every plan has to have a definite destination.
An adventure is defined as an exciting or very unusual experience; a bold, usually risky undertaking; hazardous action of uncertain outcome. Some adventures just happen, others are planned. The adventure my wife and I are going through was completely planned.
“They” say (you know “they,” them out there, the unspoken, unwritten tribal consensus) that relationship building is the key to successful marketing. Build a relationship with a solid foundation, be authentic and the world will beat a path to your door. (Oh, was that “build a better mouse trap and the world…” well, anyway, you get the point.)
We humans are social beings. We thrive on being a member, live in clusters and form ourselves into communities and groups, tribes and bands. There is a catch, though. The need to belong can be overpowering and may come with a cost. I know, because I have felt it too. It works the same way in business and on the Internet.
Although Arthur Miller’s play, “Death of a Salesman” is a classic piece of theater, that’s not what this post is about. For years and years I was trained in the techniques of a salesman. Lifelong lessons like ABC, always be closing, leading your prospect to a logical conclusion, being persuasive. I operated out of the 3’ rule… anyone within a stride of you is a prospect. Closing on the first call was the nature...
We have just returned from a whirlwind week on the “road.” Lynn and Rick attended Pamela Bruner’s Transform in Atlanta. We visited family in Asheville, NC. Since we are moving before September 1st of this year, we met with Realtors, house and neighborhood hunted in Greenville, SC, attended two meet-ups and met some wonderful people along the way. We carried with us a philosophy of bringing out the very best in those we met....
Actually, the question is better asked, What is a coach? And, then, What makes up a great coach? Here’s a list of qualities you might consider important when identifying your ideal coach.
Actually, the question is better asked, What is a coach? And, then, What makes up a great coach? Here’s a list of qualities you might consider important when identifying your ideal coach.
It is certainly not an unfamiliar question to any of us and yet it remains the most widely asked question ever. Without an immediate answer our brains begin to squirm. We just can’t accept no answer and to fill in that space we begin to make up reasons and stories to fit the situation to satisfy that need to know “why.”
Every one of us started out wet, scared, hungry and in need of immediate care. No baby comes into this world directing traffic and networking in the nursery. It seems logical that the type of care given, the parental guidance bestowed or withheld, the environmental, cultural and personal experiences, both good and bad, all make up the traits each of us possess.
Network marketers are always on a hunt for people like themselves - business builders, believers, business “engineers,” leaders. Case in point, I had a brief chat with a lady on Facebook and she asked me if I was having any success being a member of a group there. I told her that it was too early to tell and I asked what she was looking for in the group. She responded, without hesitation, – leaders....
Our world is stocked just like that candy store, chocked full of possibilities. The Universe is on call and available to satisfy your bidding 24/7, accessible to satisfy your deepest cravings.
Every once and a while my wife and I catch a couple of minutes of TMZ before turning off the lights. If you are not familiar with the show they bill themselves as Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity News and Entertainment News. Now I don’t give two hoots about...
Whether it makes sense to you or not you are living life on your terms right now. Are these the terms of your greatest potential? Are these the terms of your greatest satisfaction? Check yourself. Are you doing it “Your Way?”
How many people do you know who say they are “stuck in a job?” Are asking “how to start my own business?” Say they want to “be my own boss?” but don’t know how to go about making it happen. How many people do you know who say they are trapped by their circumstances, bound by obligation? I’d be willing to bet none of them are very happy or much fun to be around....
It’s quiet in the house, everyone is asleep, and you are too. Nothing out of the ordinary happens in the quiet to disturb your sleep, but, with an unexpected jolt your eyes pop open, a thought races through your mind and you’re done sleeping.
One of the great business coaches (in our opinion) of our times, David Neagle, says that it is easy to make money. All you have to do is ask for it. With that simple statement, up come the “yeah, buts’”, the counter thoughts, the disbelief, the fears and the doubts. But, David is the one who just had 12 people pay $80,000 each for a 3 day intensive with him, so who are we...
In my last post I made it very clear that many in network marketing who entertain the idea of leaving the business feel a deep inner conflicted. In spite of the fact that their business has not produced the income they had hoped for and envisioned, many continue their network marketing endeavors with less commitment than is required for success. With this sort of internal conflict, it’s little wonder that 95% of network marketers...
I’ve been toying with sharing an idea for probably 9 months now. Gee, that’s long enough to have a baby. But, this thought is more like having Rosemary’s baby as it has to do with being a voice for the other side of network marketing. Maybe it’s not the dark side. Maybe it’s a conversation to liberate those who need a graceful way out of network marketing. Hmmm?
We may never know the effect we have on another. A kind word, allowing someone ahead of you in traffic, a held door or a smile - any one of these may just make a difference in someone’s day, maybe in their life. You just never know. If we’re lucky enough or blessed enough and if the Universe so aligns, we learn that something we did has had a profound impact on another. It...
The weekend was more, much more than just getting the information on how to facilitate The Passion Test. It turned into a fun filled, action packed transformational experience of love and family. The people at The Passion Test, and now we too, are all about Inspiring Transformation Through Love!
There used to be a forum around called the Job Seekers forum. When it was around, I occasionally posted there giving advice about breaking free from the job mentality, a corporate position. The tag line for this forum said it all: “…because life is more than just a job!” It really stuck with me.
Happy 2012! This is the long awaited year in which the Mayan calendar ends amidst much speculation about what the world will look like the morning of December 22nd. It is the Chinese year of the Dragon. The Chinese dragon is seen as a symbol of power, superiority and rule rather than an evil being as we see it in the west. It is a crucial election year in the United States. And, 2012...
Life can turn on a dime, accelerate to warp speed, leaving you wondering what happened. Here’s what I mean. My wife and I have been talking about moving out of...
There is just so much to talk about I don’t know where to begin… or to end. It’s the end of another year so we could talk about evaluating last year’s performance (or lack thereof) or we could get on with setting new goals and resolutions for 2012. Gee, neither are terribly exciting topics.
Without a personal definition of success you would be like a ship sailing aimlessly without a destination not knowing where it was headed. How would you know you had arrived at success; if it were time to bask in the glow of your personal triumph, your personal success? That’s why a personal definition of success is so very important.
Not everyone is a success in every area of their lives. How does that feel? Not so good? But wait! You’re not a success by whose definition? By society’s definition or by yours? Therein lies the crucial truth to the success mandate.
How many times have you wished, after the fact, that you had said or done something different, something bolder? Could you have taken a stand for something but didn't? Where have you slinked away from a situation later to find thoughts of regret coming to you for what you didn’t do or say?
If you take a moment to think back when you were a child you’ll remember that every day was a play day. There were things to be, new realms to discover, worlds to conquer. Your imagination was at full throttle all the time. And, the best part, you didn’t have to venture beyond your own backyard or the backyard of a neighbor kid. It was all there, amusement, entertainment, creativity, the thrill and all...
Getting to the next level implies an improvement of some sort, a raising the bar from one stratum to the next. There is a personal demand on the level jumper to have to do something to get there. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about being a good mother, skateboarding, business negotiating, blog writing, public speaking or social media networking. It applies to just about everything.
Every entrepreneur spreads his or her wings and leaps from the nest with the loftiest of hopes. Will they fly; make their dream a global success? Or flutter helplessly to the ground below? With time, money and effort invested the tale is told of either a glorious flight to success or a humble return to base to chart a new strategy.
Where do you look to to define yourself? You won't find yourself in here. When you don’t know the meaning of a word you use the dictionary to find out what it means. Used to be when you didn’t know about a subject you could look it up in the encyclopedia. Libraries are still chocked full of reference material containing a wealth of knowledge for any task or undertaking you may be considering. And, of...
"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything - all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking...
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It really boils down to just how passionate you are about your passion. Gee, that sounds like it came right from the Department of Redundancy Department, didn’t it? But, it makes sense when you take a closer look at it.
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