Hello Friendly Blog Followers...
“It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
“Often the difference between a successful person and a failure is not one has better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on one’s ideas, to take a calculated risk – and to act.”
Maxwell Maltz
What is holding you back from taking action?
Well, here are five action-related mistakes that I have made many times. I (sometimes) still do. Not as much as I did once though. Things are gradually improving.
These are the just some of the ways to hold yourself back in life, stop yourself from taking action and getting what you want. There are more ways of course. But this time I want to focus on the five most essential things that I think has held me back and a bunch of other people as well.
1. Take your thoughts too seriously.
Thinking is often hyped up to be the best thing since sliced bread. In many cases it’s just holding you back. My perceptive is this: I am not my thoughts, I’m the observer of them. This allows me to not get too wrapped up in them. And to avoid thinking that what they are telling me is some kind of absolute truth. Often it’s just stuff that isn’t so useful that is boppin around in my head. And you realize you don’t have to take the thoughts so seriously. You can disregard them if you like.
With this perspective it becomes easier to get some distance to your thoughts and be in control of them instead of being controlled by them. This allows you to take action despite whatever your thoughts may be telling you. Common sense is of course necessary, but I think we often know what thoughts we should listen to and what thoughts that are just negative nonsense.
2. Take your emotions too seriously.
There is a time to listen to your emotions. There are a lot of times when that is not such a good idea. Again, to me, emotions are something that I’m observing. This allows distance to them and enables you to take them less seriously if that is useful for you in a situation.
If you have a negative emotion that is holding you back from taking action, then what can you do besides learning to take it less seriously?
One thing is to just accept that the feeling is there inside of you. Instead of rejecting it and trying to keep it out – thereby feeding more emotional energy into the feeling and making it stronger – let the feeling in and accept it. By just feeling the feeling fully without putting a label on it – you just observe it – you can reduce the power of the negative feeling within a few minutes. And then you can move your focus to taking action without – or with a smaller – feeling of uneasiness in your stomach.
Another way is simply to reframe how you view the situation. If you fill it with dread – via your thoughts – then you won’t feel like taking action. If you change how you look at it though, you can often change the negative emotions into positive ones. A useful way to reframe a situation is to ask yourself: what is awesome about this situation? This way you can start to look at it through a new, more positive set of lenses and at the same time pump up your enthusiasm which makes it easier to get started.
Taking your thoughts and emotions less seriously when needed is like everything else. It’s a habit you build and grow stronger. You are slowly and gradually able to get less and less wrapped up in your thoughts and emotions.
3. Listen too intently to other people’s negative opinions.
I’ve mentioned this several times before. What people say about the world and about you might not be so much about you or the world you live in. It is often just about how the person that said it feels about him/herself and is projecting that on to his or her surroundings. If they are sharing negativity then that is more of reflection of them then of some certain reality.
Of course, there can be valid criticism of you or of some idea you might have. But on the other hand, a lot of negative opinions are based on how the one criticising sees the world, how he or she might want to be right in a conversation, how it is a way to strengthen his or her view of reality and to create a sense of security and feeling that everything is as it has always been.
I think you should listen to the opinions of people. Especially people who have gone where you want to go. But in the end try and make up your own mind as much as you can. And just try things out, experiment and see what works instead of listening too much to other people’s predictions.
4. Not creating enough energy within.
Without a good amount of energy within it becomes harder to take action. If you manage you basics well then you will have more energy to use to transform your ideas into reality. So if you get enough sleep, eat healthy and work out then you are giving yourself an advantage.
To me – I've never been a one to sleep well. I try to eat healthy - as best as I can that is – the most important part is working out regularly. It just makes you feel more energetic and decisive and taking action becomes easier. This is something I really put into action this past December.
5. Overplan, overread, overthink.
Overdoing things tends to not be such a smashing idea. It may sound like an excellent idea, but in my experience it often just devolves into more confusion and fewer things getting done.
Overplanning is one way of doing this. To ensure that everything will work out perfectly, you work on devising the perfect plan. You can certainly make a plan that addresses potential problems that may show up along the way as you are implementing the plan. The thing is just that when you put your plan into action stuff you hadn’t thought about can happen.
A perfect plan will probably be impossible to come up with. So after some planning it’s often better to take action, get to work with implementing the plan and addressing the unexpected stuff along the way when and if it shows up.
Overreading is another way to hold yourself back. You figure that you should read one more book or article and then take action. Maybe tomorrow or next week. Reading too much can also cause quite a bit of confusion as different experts may hand out different advice on how you, for instance, can build you business. So you read more and more to find the best way to build it.
Overthinking is popular way to procrastinate. It can cost you a lot of time as you imagine future, negative scenarios that probably will never materialise in the real world. In my experience, getting stuck in overthinking things only makes them more complicated than they are and can easily pull you down into a negative thought spiral where taking action becomes more and more scary.
So, overdoing things may sound like a good idea, but only if you are putting action into those things. Planning, reading and thinking are three things that are seen as something very good in society - And they are - But you can’t replace taking action.
Another sneaky problem is that all three of these things can make you feel like you are making progress - and that feels good. So, you continue doing them instead of taking action and replacing them with a realistic approach of making progress.
Till Tomorrow...
~b2
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
Does Thinking & Personal Development Decrease Action?
Hello Friendly Blog Followers...
What is stopping people from getting the results they want?
Well, for one I’d say a pretty common and self-imposed roadblock is thinking too much - At least for me.
In fact, one of the best tips for getting things done that I have learned so far is simply to stop thinking and start doing.
I think this problem of over thinking things is nothing that I’m alone with in the personal development community. I think it may be one of the problems that draw people to books and websites on self-help in the first place, and one of the things that still keep them from achieving what they want, even after they have picked up on a lot of helpful advice.
Because after having read five books you think and plan and think a little more. You get lost in thinking. At least that’s what I did. If you’re an over thinker then getting your hands on personal development information becomes just another way to creatively procrastinate. But now you can label it as making progress and get an emotional kick out of it.
Now, I’m not saying that educating yourself or thinking is something bad. But overdoing it won’t help you either.
Here are a couple of good reasons why.
1. Thinking can’t replace action.
I sometimes think there is some kind of wish when over thinking that thinking will somehow replace action. A wish that if you just think enough you can find some easy way out or get what you want without having to actually do something.
Without taking action you’ll most likely not get what you want. Thinking is however seldom as scary or uncertain as taking the leap into the unknown and taking action.
So it can become a place where you hide from taking action and then rationalize to yourself in different ways how all this thinking will help you. Even though you know deep down that what you really want and need is to take action and get going.
2. You may over complicate things.
Are things hard and difficult? Yeah, they might be. But you may also want consider that it’s you that are making them even harder.
By over thinking things you make them more and more complicated in your mind. You can turn something fairly simple into a really complicated and big mess. And so it goes from something you can do with some discomfort and persistence into an epic battle where you keep moving inch by painstaking inch.
A problem here is that when what you are doing is difficult and complicated then you and others think that it must be important. And so you feel important. You derive a sense of importance from making things into big struggles.
Such a thing can form into an identity where you are struggling and keeping on moving forward while you imagine other people lying at home in the sofa lazily watching some TV. It can strengthen you. It can make you feel negatively about other people. It may feel good in a sort of way to feel like an outsider or some kind of misunderstood underdog that’s up against so much. So it has its upsides.
However, you may also want to consider not making things to so hard for yourself. You don’t have to be a rebel that’s going against the world. You can just accept what you choose to do. And that other people choose to do other things.
Upsides such as a feeling of importance or of being the underdog may make it hard to give up the notion that what you are doing may not be that difficult and complicated. But I have found that when I do that then I become more relaxed and things tend to be easier to accomplish.
You can to some degree control how difficult something will be. Much of your struggle is up there in your head. Just try letting go of the notion of how awfully difficult something is and see what happens. You may be relieved. And surprised at how you have been making your life more complicated than it needs to be.
3. You’ll perform worse.
If you over think things you may over complicate them. And so you become nervous and start to second guess yourself all the time. It also becomes harder to focus on doing something when you have a have a habit of thinking a lot. You may often slip into possible future scenarios in your mind instead just focusing on what you are doing right now.
All of this can cripple your performance and produce results that are worse than they could have been.
How to stop thinking so much
So, I used to be a big over thinker. Still am. From time to time. But I have made progress. Here are three things I use to cultivate a habit of not over thinking things.
Be aware of the problem.
The most important thing is to be aware that you tend to over think. And to keep being aware of that in your everyday life. You can for instance do that with post-it notes that say “Don’t over think things. Act!” or something along those lines.
By just being aware of your habit you can often pick up on when you are doing it, stop yourself and do something more helpful instead. Over time it also becomes easier to step out of the loop of thoughts and not get stuck back in it a half an hour later.
Set deadlines for decisions.
Instead of thinking about something for days, tell yourself that you have – for example – 30 minutes to think. Then you will make a decision.
Be present.
Focus on what’s in front of you instead of flying off to the past or Tomorrow-land for long periods of time. A tennis player will for instance not think much while playing. They just trust their own subconscious and stay with the flow. Their body will – after years of practise – know what to do automatically.
The same goes for many things in everyday life. You don’t have to think a lot about everything. You can just stay present and let the right actions naturally arise.
This may sound a bit wonky, but if you just do things while being present you may discover that the results are often better than if you put in a lot of thought. Like the tennis player, you know what the right thing to do is and how to do it well from years of experience and practice. You just have to let go of all that thinking that can cripple you. And have trust in your capabilities.
OK, now let's all stop thinking about this thinking blog and go out and do something...
~b2
What is stopping people from getting the results they want?
Well, for one I’d say a pretty common and self-imposed roadblock is thinking too much - At least for me.In fact, one of the best tips for getting things done that I have learned so far is simply to stop thinking and start doing.
I think this problem of over thinking things is nothing that I’m alone with in the personal development community. I think it may be one of the problems that draw people to books and websites on self-help in the first place, and one of the things that still keep them from achieving what they want, even after they have picked up on a lot of helpful advice.
Because after having read five books you think and plan and think a little more. You get lost in thinking. At least that’s what I did. If you’re an over thinker then getting your hands on personal development information becomes just another way to creatively procrastinate. But now you can label it as making progress and get an emotional kick out of it.
Now, I’m not saying that educating yourself or thinking is something bad. But overdoing it won’t help you either.
Here are a couple of good reasons why.
1. Thinking can’t replace action.
I sometimes think there is some kind of wish when over thinking that thinking will somehow replace action. A wish that if you just think enough you can find some easy way out or get what you want without having to actually do something.
Without taking action you’ll most likely not get what you want. Thinking is however seldom as scary or uncertain as taking the leap into the unknown and taking action.
So it can become a place where you hide from taking action and then rationalize to yourself in different ways how all this thinking will help you. Even though you know deep down that what you really want and need is to take action and get going.
2. You may over complicate things.
Are things hard and difficult? Yeah, they might be. But you may also want consider that it’s you that are making them even harder.
By over thinking things you make them more and more complicated in your mind. You can turn something fairly simple into a really complicated and big mess. And so it goes from something you can do with some discomfort and persistence into an epic battle where you keep moving inch by painstaking inch.
A problem here is that when what you are doing is difficult and complicated then you and others think that it must be important. And so you feel important. You derive a sense of importance from making things into big struggles.
Such a thing can form into an identity where you are struggling and keeping on moving forward while you imagine other people lying at home in the sofa lazily watching some TV. It can strengthen you. It can make you feel negatively about other people. It may feel good in a sort of way to feel like an outsider or some kind of misunderstood underdog that’s up against so much. So it has its upsides.
However, you may also want to consider not making things to so hard for yourself. You don’t have to be a rebel that’s going against the world. You can just accept what you choose to do. And that other people choose to do other things.
Upsides such as a feeling of importance or of being the underdog may make it hard to give up the notion that what you are doing may not be that difficult and complicated. But I have found that when I do that then I become more relaxed and things tend to be easier to accomplish.
You can to some degree control how difficult something will be. Much of your struggle is up there in your head. Just try letting go of the notion of how awfully difficult something is and see what happens. You may be relieved. And surprised at how you have been making your life more complicated than it needs to be.
3. You’ll perform worse.
If you over think things you may over complicate them. And so you become nervous and start to second guess yourself all the time. It also becomes harder to focus on doing something when you have a have a habit of thinking a lot. You may often slip into possible future scenarios in your mind instead just focusing on what you are doing right now.
All of this can cripple your performance and produce results that are worse than they could have been.
How to stop thinking so much
So, I used to be a big over thinker. Still am. From time to time. But I have made progress. Here are three things I use to cultivate a habit of not over thinking things.
Be aware of the problem.
The most important thing is to be aware that you tend to over think. And to keep being aware of that in your everyday life. You can for instance do that with post-it notes that say “Don’t over think things. Act!” or something along those lines.
By just being aware of your habit you can often pick up on when you are doing it, stop yourself and do something more helpful instead. Over time it also becomes easier to step out of the loop of thoughts and not get stuck back in it a half an hour later.
Set deadlines for decisions.
Instead of thinking about something for days, tell yourself that you have – for example – 30 minutes to think. Then you will make a decision.
Be present.
Focus on what’s in front of you instead of flying off to the past or Tomorrow-land for long periods of time. A tennis player will for instance not think much while playing. They just trust their own subconscious and stay with the flow. Their body will – after years of practise – know what to do automatically.
The same goes for many things in everyday life. You don’t have to think a lot about everything. You can just stay present and let the right actions naturally arise.
This may sound a bit wonky, but if you just do things while being present you may discover that the results are often better than if you put in a lot of thought. Like the tennis player, you know what the right thing to do is and how to do it well from years of experience and practice. You just have to let go of all that thinking that can cripple you. And have trust in your capabilities.
OK, now let's all stop thinking about this thinking blog and go out and do something...
~b2
Friday, January 6, 2012
SW SW SW SW N...
Hello Friendly Blog Followers...
Recently came across and read an interesting Sales article, that I decided to re-write, to more appropriately connect with the business I run. I find that when I write, I tend to sort things out in my head, which allows me to focus my business better. It may or may not suit your business. However, I feel than in many respects, what's written below can and help anyone in a business or profession that requires them to approach, communicate & deal with people...
What’s wrong with old-fashioned selling some people ask? ANSWER: It’s pushy, it’s aggressive, it sizes you up immediately either into a sucker or a tire-kicker. In my opinion, it proves the salesperson needs you, more than you need the sales person. The main problem is that everyone hates it.
You hear it when people reference used-car salesmen...They say “He could sell ice to Eskimos,” or compare them to “Insurance salesmen, I don’t trust the lot of ‘em.” But most salespeople are not like that, Think Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman or Danny Devito’s character in the 1987 film Tin Men.
Today's Salespeople are taught that it is a balance between talking and more importantly listening. Then presenting the product and matching to the customers’ wants & needs. They know they have to build trust first, not after the sale.
Remember the old American Express holiday tv commercials in the 80′s? The couple were shopping in a busy store trying to get attention and finally held up their AMEX card to get service. That’s not selling, that’s opportunism; treat them special because you “know they’re going to buy.”
But not everyone you meet will want to buy from you today. Not everyone you think is “just looking,” truly is. And not everyone will want to partner with you, simply because you believe it's right & they should. That’s what led our business to the SW, SW, SW, N formula.
Some Will, Some Won’t, So What? Next!
Today, we can even add in another SW acronym.
Some Will, Some Won't, Some Wait, So What, Next!
In my opinion, it doesn't matter what one does in life for their business or j.o.b. Every single person that works "is" marketing and/or selling a product or service - EVERYONE.
Being in today's workforce (employee or business owner) can be compared to being a basketball player. The more "successful" free-throws you shoot, the more likely you are to duplicate them. The greats know the only way to do better is practice how they approach the shot. In business, it is also a game. The more people you meet, the better your skills become, the more likely you are to achieve whatever it is you set out to achieve; A sale, a partner etc.
But it starts with genuinely wanting to both meet people and move products & services. Without both traits, you can have the nicest guy in the world who never gets around to moving the products and/or services because they talk so much. This irritates owners and customers alike. And if he only looks at you with dollar signs in your eyes, you feel empty and used because they “sold” you something (you tell yourself) you didn’t need.
The only way to build trust these days is to slow down and focus, silence your judgements, open your eyes. Notice there is an "individual" / "person" / "human being" in front of you. They are "not" a guest, client, prospect, or customer. They are a human being just like you and I. The only way we will achieve whatever it is we set out to achieve, is if we afford ourselves the time & luxury of making a "real" connection with the person - Before you try to "close" them.
How do we do that you ask? Simply by asking the right questions and listening. Listen more than you speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should use them proportionately - Meaning "listen" twice as much as we "talk".
Yes you can find out after the fact that their daughter goes to the same school as you. But that’s too late. Yes you can followup with a handwritten thank you note. But if you didn’t establish trust with your attention to them at the beginning, it rings shallow and is a waste of time.
Listen to everything they say - Everything. This will (guaranteed) help you hear something that "they" say, that you will then be able to equate to what ever it is you're selling.
Some Will, Some Won't, Some Wait, So What, Next...
Remember the additional SW - Some Wait...This is extremely important and key in today's economy. More and more I find that people who say no today (or in the past), are in a different place, mindset, employment situation 6 months or a year from now.
We just had some incredible announcements from our company this past week.
My goal this week is to call every single no I've ever received, to 1) check in with them. See how they are, what they're up to, how their personal and professional life is etc., and to let them know 2) how I am, that I am "still" doing what I am doing, that business is great and continues to grow, and 3) to let them know that when I heard of the new announcements our company released this past week, that I thought of them. Tell them you are calling them with one question in mind...
"If I could share with you how you could put yourself in a position to "never" pay for a phone and/or internet bill "ever again", would you want me to show you how?"
If their answer is yes, then I will request 15-20 minutes of their time to show them how.
I think what we will find is that most who said "no" previously, might have meant "not now" - which in our world means, "Some Wait".
Have a great day ladies & gents. Not sure if this made a lot of sense to you, but it helped me personally focus on what it is I have to do moving forward...
~b2
Recently came across and read an interesting Sales article, that I decided to re-write, to more appropriately connect with the business I run. I find that when I write, I tend to sort things out in my head, which allows me to focus my business better. It may or may not suit your business. However, I feel than in many respects, what's written below can and help anyone in a business or profession that requires them to approach, communicate & deal with people...
What’s wrong with old-fashioned selling some people ask? ANSWER: It’s pushy, it’s aggressive, it sizes you up immediately either into a sucker or a tire-kicker. In my opinion, it proves the salesperson needs you, more than you need the sales person. The main problem is that everyone hates it.
You hear it when people reference used-car salesmen...They say “He could sell ice to Eskimos,” or compare them to “Insurance salesmen, I don’t trust the lot of ‘em.” But most salespeople are not like that, Think Willy Loman in Death of a Salesman or Danny Devito’s character in the 1987 film Tin Men.
Today's Salespeople are taught that it is a balance between talking and more importantly listening. Then presenting the product and matching to the customers’ wants & needs. They know they have to build trust first, not after the sale.
Remember the old American Express holiday tv commercials in the 80′s? The couple were shopping in a busy store trying to get attention and finally held up their AMEX card to get service. That’s not selling, that’s opportunism; treat them special because you “know they’re going to buy.”
But not everyone you meet will want to buy from you today. Not everyone you think is “just looking,” truly is. And not everyone will want to partner with you, simply because you believe it's right & they should. That’s what led our business to the SW, SW, SW, N formula.
Some Will, Some Won’t, So What? Next!
Today, we can even add in another SW acronym.
Some Will, Some Won't, Some Wait, So What, Next!
In my opinion, it doesn't matter what one does in life for their business or j.o.b. Every single person that works "is" marketing and/or selling a product or service - EVERYONE.
Being in today's workforce (employee or business owner) can be compared to being a basketball player. The more "successful" free-throws you shoot, the more likely you are to duplicate them. The greats know the only way to do better is practice how they approach the shot. In business, it is also a game. The more people you meet, the better your skills become, the more likely you are to achieve whatever it is you set out to achieve; A sale, a partner etc.
But it starts with genuinely wanting to both meet people and move products & services. Without both traits, you can have the nicest guy in the world who never gets around to moving the products and/or services because they talk so much. This irritates owners and customers alike. And if he only looks at you with dollar signs in your eyes, you feel empty and used because they “sold” you something (you tell yourself) you didn’t need.
The only way to build trust these days is to slow down and focus, silence your judgements, open your eyes. Notice there is an "individual" / "person" / "human being" in front of you. They are "not" a guest, client, prospect, or customer. They are a human being just like you and I. The only way we will achieve whatever it is we set out to achieve, is if we afford ourselves the time & luxury of making a "real" connection with the person - Before you try to "close" them.
How do we do that you ask? Simply by asking the right questions and listening. Listen more than you speak. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. We should use them proportionately - Meaning "listen" twice as much as we "talk".
Yes you can find out after the fact that their daughter goes to the same school as you. But that’s too late. Yes you can followup with a handwritten thank you note. But if you didn’t establish trust with your attention to them at the beginning, it rings shallow and is a waste of time.
Listen to everything they say - Everything. This will (guaranteed) help you hear something that "they" say, that you will then be able to equate to what ever it is you're selling.
Some Will, Some Won't, Some Wait, So What, Next...
Remember the additional SW - Some Wait...This is extremely important and key in today's economy. More and more I find that people who say no today (or in the past), are in a different place, mindset, employment situation 6 months or a year from now.
We just had some incredible announcements from our company this past week.
My goal this week is to call every single no I've ever received, to 1) check in with them. See how they are, what they're up to, how their personal and professional life is etc., and to let them know 2) how I am, that I am "still" doing what I am doing, that business is great and continues to grow, and 3) to let them know that when I heard of the new announcements our company released this past week, that I thought of them. Tell them you are calling them with one question in mind...
"If I could share with you how you could put yourself in a position to "never" pay for a phone and/or internet bill "ever again", would you want me to show you how?"
If their answer is yes, then I will request 15-20 minutes of their time to show them how.
I think what we will find is that most who said "no" previously, might have meant "not now" - which in our world means, "Some Wait".
Have a great day ladies & gents. Not sure if this made a lot of sense to you, but it helped me personally focus on what it is I have to do moving forward...
~b2
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Just Share It...
Good Morning Friendly Blog Followers...
Thanks for the kinds words, texts, emails and comments over the last couple of days/posts...
Yesterday, I received a really nice comment about how my blogs were helping someone in particular build their business. While they were not at the place in business they wanted to be, they said they were committed to getting there which (some say) is half the battle.
(Again, some say), the other half is focusing on the fundamentals.
While I agree that commitment and focusing on the fundamentals are equally important, and should be your primary focus, there is a much more powerful element in order to achieve success - Your Why.
Today's post is entitled, Just Share It...
What I've learned in my life and career (in the music industry) is that if you didn't share your goals and ambitions with the people you knew and loved, then there's a very slim chance of those goals coming to fruition. Even though some of those people may not agree with them, you need to verbalize (over and over again) for you to take action on them.
Getting back to the story I was telling above about the person who "...While they were not at the place in business they wanted to be, they said they were committed to getting there..." She commented that she wasn't doing a particular key fundamental as of yet... My thoughts after the fact was that maybe, just maybe, she hasn't clearly defined Her Why enough; Or maybe Her Why isn't strong enough - And this is what was holding her back from performing that particular fundamental. Just a thought.
Earlier this morning I read an interesting article on Your Why, and the importance of Sharing It...
Hope you like it...
...There is one thing above all else that you need to have firmly positioned inside your heart and mind.
That one thing is your WHY.
To have success into anything in life you need to know your WHY.
Your WHY is the purpose behind your actions and your primary motivation for accomplishing your goals or task at hand.
Define Your Why Factor
Your why must be very clear and well defined before you go anywhere with your business. You need total clarity with your WHY or it will be tough to not fail miserably.
Your ‘Why’ is your reason to stay disciplined and focused on building your business when times are good and when disaster strikes, and disaster will. These current economic times more than ever it is time to focus on the why factor.
I don’t know where you are in your business or career, maybe you just started, or you haven’t started, or maybe you’ve been doing it for years, but there is one thing I can say with complete confidence.
In any business you will be constantly tested and you need to keep focused in order to succeed. Having your WHY defined clearly in your mind will be the foundation to your success.
You need to find out your why. Define this in your mind before anything else.
Having a why is a constant reminder in the back of your mind pushing you when you meet a challenge. You need a why for when you had a trying and testing day. Your why get you back in the game and help you refocus to do it again.
Your Why Will Help You Succeed
Some of the most successful people in business had their most profitable ideas right after their biggest failure. They knew their “why” and had the correct mindset to never quit. They took their ideas and used proper application of their skills to achieve wealth.
The sole reason they were able to achieve success was because they knew why they were doing what they were doing. This why ensured they did not quit when a minor set back or even a major failure came.
I’ve seen too many people in business give up just short of the finish line. It’s painful to see someone defeat themselves. They defeated themselves because they didn’t have a strong enough why to push through the tough times.
It took 300
If you watched the movie 300 based loosely on the real events at PLACE, the Spartans who defended against the Persian invasion. They were able to accomplish this not only because of the skill of their fighting prowess but they had a strong why. In the actual history of this event if the Persians had not been halted briefly at PLACE they would have surely conquered all of Greece. These 300 or so soldiers could not fail, their why was too big.
Your ‘Why’ is what keeps you going when you face rejection over your product, service or opportunity.
Your why keeps you focused when your family or friends aren’t 100% behind you or even worse try to knock you down a notch.
Haven’t we all shared with our family a great idea only to have them not give you 100% support. Worse yet they may even tell you that you never will make it or that you are wasting your time. Having a strong why will make you almost immune to these type of occurrences.
What to do now
It’s time for you to define for yourself your WHY. Really think about it. Write it down. When tough times strike remind yourself that this is the reason why you are going through the ups and downs. Also, like so many things in life today, don’t put this off. This can be the difference between success and failure.
So, when times get tough; Setbacks move their way to the forefront; Your friends, family and/or colleagues question your intentions, Just Share It. Share what it is you want to achieve. Share that Why and they, at least some of them, will understand you better and want to help you. Even if the ones you thought would, don't, Your Why will keep you in the game long enough for you to succeed.
Till tomorrow...
~b2
Thanks for the kinds words, texts, emails and comments over the last couple of days/posts...
Yesterday, I received a really nice comment about how my blogs were helping someone in particular build their business. While they were not at the place in business they wanted to be, they said they were committed to getting there which (some say) is half the battle.
(Again, some say), the other half is focusing on the fundamentals.
While I agree that commitment and focusing on the fundamentals are equally important, and should be your primary focus, there is a much more powerful element in order to achieve success - Your Why.
Today's post is entitled, Just Share It...
What I've learned in my life and career (in the music industry) is that if you didn't share your goals and ambitions with the people you knew and loved, then there's a very slim chance of those goals coming to fruition. Even though some of those people may not agree with them, you need to verbalize (over and over again) for you to take action on them.
Getting back to the story I was telling above about the person who "...While they were not at the place in business they wanted to be, they said they were committed to getting there..." She commented that she wasn't doing a particular key fundamental as of yet... My thoughts after the fact was that maybe, just maybe, she hasn't clearly defined Her Why enough; Or maybe Her Why isn't strong enough - And this is what was holding her back from performing that particular fundamental. Just a thought.
Earlier this morning I read an interesting article on Your Why, and the importance of Sharing It...
Hope you like it...
...There is one thing above all else that you need to have firmly positioned inside your heart and mind.
That one thing is your WHY.
To have success into anything in life you need to know your WHY.
Your WHY is the purpose behind your actions and your primary motivation for accomplishing your goals or task at hand.
Define Your Why Factor
Your why must be very clear and well defined before you go anywhere with your business. You need total clarity with your WHY or it will be tough to not fail miserably.
Your ‘Why’ is your reason to stay disciplined and focused on building your business when times are good and when disaster strikes, and disaster will. These current economic times more than ever it is time to focus on the why factor.
I don’t know where you are in your business or career, maybe you just started, or you haven’t started, or maybe you’ve been doing it for years, but there is one thing I can say with complete confidence.
In any business you will be constantly tested and you need to keep focused in order to succeed. Having your WHY defined clearly in your mind will be the foundation to your success.
You need to find out your why. Define this in your mind before anything else.
Having a why is a constant reminder in the back of your mind pushing you when you meet a challenge. You need a why for when you had a trying and testing day. Your why get you back in the game and help you refocus to do it again.
Your Why Will Help You Succeed
Some of the most successful people in business had their most profitable ideas right after their biggest failure. They knew their “why” and had the correct mindset to never quit. They took their ideas and used proper application of their skills to achieve wealth.
The sole reason they were able to achieve success was because they knew why they were doing what they were doing. This why ensured they did not quit when a minor set back or even a major failure came.
I’ve seen too many people in business give up just short of the finish line. It’s painful to see someone defeat themselves. They defeated themselves because they didn’t have a strong enough why to push through the tough times.
It took 300
If you watched the movie 300 based loosely on the real events at PLACE, the Spartans who defended against the Persian invasion. They were able to accomplish this not only because of the skill of their fighting prowess but they had a strong why. In the actual history of this event if the Persians had not been halted briefly at PLACE they would have surely conquered all of Greece. These 300 or so soldiers could not fail, their why was too big.
Your ‘Why’ is what keeps you going when you face rejection over your product, service or opportunity.
Your why keeps you focused when your family or friends aren’t 100% behind you or even worse try to knock you down a notch.
Haven’t we all shared with our family a great idea only to have them not give you 100% support. Worse yet they may even tell you that you never will make it or that you are wasting your time. Having a strong why will make you almost immune to these type of occurrences.
What to do now
It’s time for you to define for yourself your WHY. Really think about it. Write it down. When tough times strike remind yourself that this is the reason why you are going through the ups and downs. Also, like so many things in life today, don’t put this off. This can be the difference between success and failure.
So, when times get tough; Setbacks move their way to the forefront; Your friends, family and/or colleagues question your intentions, Just Share It. Share what it is you want to achieve. Share that Why and they, at least some of them, will understand you better and want to help you. Even if the ones you thought would, don't, Your Why will keep you in the game long enough for you to succeed.
Till tomorrow...
~b2
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Keeping It Super Simple - Scripting
Part Two of Keeping It Super Simple...Scripting
Thank you to those who felt compelled to share a comment on the blog. It's easy to do and much appreciated.
It's kind of funny...I had new and old entrepreneurs approaching me about yesterday's blog, detailing how they've been struggling with the exact same thoughts, feelings and situations.
Last night at another presentation, I had a mentor of mine, who read the blog and commented, ask me "so how long is it going to be tonight, ha!" I said I am going to "try" to do it in less than 25 minutes, because I really hadn't had the time to "script" it yet.
I spent all last night tossing and turning trying to figure out how I could summarize and close in 8 minutes and 16 seconds - And I think I got it...
Verbal Summary - No Slides...
Who you are and how long you've been doing it (in a sentence or two max)
Detail exactly what it is the company and you do (in a sentence or two max)
Mention any third party documentation (in a sentence or two max)
Mention any endorsers or major players involved (in a sentence or two max)
Close - No Slides...
prior to the presentation you should have met and gotten to know who the attendees are
So,
Equate the pitch to their particular life, business etc...
Create Massive Vision
Ask questions that "require" a "yes" answer from the attendees
Sort...
In my humble opinion, I believe that the above summary & close can easily be done in 8 minutes and 16 seconds.
Or, you could "script" your own summary & close - Which I highly recommend.
Till next time...
~b2
Thank you to those who felt compelled to share a comment on the blog. It's easy to do and much appreciated.
It's kind of funny...I had new and old entrepreneurs approaching me about yesterday's blog, detailing how they've been struggling with the exact same thoughts, feelings and situations.
Last night at another presentation, I had a mentor of mine, who read the blog and commented, ask me "so how long is it going to be tonight, ha!" I said I am going to "try" to do it in less than 25 minutes, because I really hadn't had the time to "script" it yet.
I spent all last night tossing and turning trying to figure out how I could summarize and close in 8 minutes and 16 seconds - And I think I got it...
Verbal Summary - No Slides...
Who you are and how long you've been doing it (in a sentence or two max)
Detail exactly what it is the company and you do (in a sentence or two max)
Mention any third party documentation (in a sentence or two max)
Mention any endorsers or major players involved (in a sentence or two max)
Close - No Slides...
prior to the presentation you should have met and gotten to know who the attendees are
So,
Equate the pitch to their particular life, business etc...
Create Massive Vision
Ask questions that "require" a "yes" answer from the attendees
Sort...
In my humble opinion, I believe that the above summary & close can easily be done in 8 minutes and 16 seconds.
Or, you could "script" your own summary & close - Which I highly recommend.
Till next time...
~b2
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Keeping It Super Simple - Attention Spans
Good Morning My Friendly Blog Followers...
Last night, after completing a 48-minute Business Presentation, I realized that I didn't even remember discussing certain slides within the presentation.
During my drive home, I called a colleague who was in attendance and asked, "Did I discuss x, y & z in the presentation tonight - as I don't even remember talking about them.
Their response was, "of course you did. Actually you nailed all of those points."
Wow !!!
Upon hanging up the phone, I started thinking about this - Actually, obsessing about it.
I started thinking back on my corporate career experience - from a public speaking standpoint - and it reminded me of a few things...
1) The more you do something (over & over & over & over again), you create deep neural pathways in the brain which allows you to become unconsciously competent at doing them (example: tying your shoes, reading etc.) This means you can unconsciously do something, very well, even though you don't particularly remember doing it.
2) The second thing I started obsessing about was the fact that if I didn't remember everything I presented, how on earth would the guests in the room remember everything I said - especially since they were only hearing it for the first time.
From these two simple, yet important observations, I realized that we as entrepreneurial professionals, all need to re-look at our presentation skills on a regular basis. We should record and/or film ourselves regularly so as to get a different perspective of us presenting IE: be the listener instead of the presenter.
Upon arriving home, all I could think about was the presentation, the audience, and their ability to grasp all the information that I shared ~ or their inability.
Was it my fault if they didn't or couldn't grasp everything that was shared? Do I need to shorten, tighten up or modify the presentation? Or continue doing as I've always done.
Well, that lead to a sleepless night. Tossing and turning going over my presentation countless times.
This morning, I decided I was going to go online and do some research on "The Average Human Being's Attention Span".
What I found truly blew my mind.
Obviously there are many, many, many factors involved within this topic, but the overwhelming statistical fact I read was that the average adults attention span is just 20 minutes !!!
Some of the "simple" factors involved are:
~ The font size/family/style & colour used in the PowerPoint
~ The number of bullet points on a slide
~ The amount of time (minutes) spent on each slide etc.
Then there are some more "difficult" factors that the presenter might not be aware of:
~ Is the Adult actually interested in the information being shared?
~ Does the Adult even want to be there?
~ Their current mindset (did they have a relaxing or exhausting/stressful day)
Then, there are medical questions pertaining to the number of undiagnosed cases of ADD within today's Adults - Thus greatly reducing the "average" 20 minute attention span.
All of this research got me thinking about my presentations; the time being spent on them; the audience's grasp and/or understanding of the information; and whether or not I need to re-evaluate how I am presenting.
The answer is an-across-the-board, Yes, I do !!!
In my particular company, our marketing team has generated a variety of incredible tools for presentation purposes. Two corporate videos (a 6 minute & 1 second clip for a brief synopsis of the company, and an 11 minute & 46 second version that can and does the entire presentation for you). The funny thing is, is that most humans (myself included) like to continue the presentation (ego). Adding in specific information they feel is relevant, and/or expanding on certain points. Sometimes we actually re-present everything the video presented, which unknowingly extended the presentation time well past the amount the average person's attention span can handle.
This information really made me think about how I will present moving forward.
Imagine, using the company's 11 minute & 46 second corporate video which truly explains everything quite eloquently, you the presenter, according to statistics, only have 8 minutes and 14 seconds until you (quite possibly) lose your average audience. Wow!!!
Can you summarize and close in 8 minutes and 14 seconds?
Most people, including myself, if answered honestly to that question, will probably say "as of today, no I can't".
Hence, we need to script our summary and close, which will definitely lead me to another sleepless evening tonight.
Ladies & Gents, thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow's topic: Scripting your summary & close in less than 8 minutes & 14 seconds, Ha !!!
~b2
Last night, after completing a 48-minute Business Presentation, I realized that I didn't even remember discussing certain slides within the presentation.
During my drive home, I called a colleague who was in attendance and asked, "Did I discuss x, y & z in the presentation tonight - as I don't even remember talking about them.
Their response was, "of course you did. Actually you nailed all of those points."
Wow !!!
Upon hanging up the phone, I started thinking about this - Actually, obsessing about it.
I started thinking back on my corporate career experience - from a public speaking standpoint - and it reminded me of a few things...
1) The more you do something (over & over & over & over again), you create deep neural pathways in the brain which allows you to become unconsciously competent at doing them (example: tying your shoes, reading etc.) This means you can unconsciously do something, very well, even though you don't particularly remember doing it.
2) The second thing I started obsessing about was the fact that if I didn't remember everything I presented, how on earth would the guests in the room remember everything I said - especially since they were only hearing it for the first time.
From these two simple, yet important observations, I realized that we as entrepreneurial professionals, all need to re-look at our presentation skills on a regular basis. We should record and/or film ourselves regularly so as to get a different perspective of us presenting IE: be the listener instead of the presenter.
Upon arriving home, all I could think about was the presentation, the audience, and their ability to grasp all the information that I shared ~ or their inability.
Was it my fault if they didn't or couldn't grasp everything that was shared? Do I need to shorten, tighten up or modify the presentation? Or continue doing as I've always done.
Well, that lead to a sleepless night. Tossing and turning going over my presentation countless times.
This morning, I decided I was going to go online and do some research on "The Average Human Being's Attention Span".
What I found truly blew my mind.
Obviously there are many, many, many factors involved within this topic, but the overwhelming statistical fact I read was that the average adults attention span is just 20 minutes !!!
Some of the "simple" factors involved are:
~ The font size/family/style & colour used in the PowerPoint
~ The number of bullet points on a slide
~ The amount of time (minutes) spent on each slide etc.
Then there are some more "difficult" factors that the presenter might not be aware of:
~ Is the Adult actually interested in the information being shared?
~ Does the Adult even want to be there?
~ Their current mindset (did they have a relaxing or exhausting/stressful day)
Then, there are medical questions pertaining to the number of undiagnosed cases of ADD within today's Adults - Thus greatly reducing the "average" 20 minute attention span.
All of this research got me thinking about my presentations; the time being spent on them; the audience's grasp and/or understanding of the information; and whether or not I need to re-evaluate how I am presenting.
The answer is an-across-the-board, Yes, I do !!!
In my particular company, our marketing team has generated a variety of incredible tools for presentation purposes. Two corporate videos (a 6 minute & 1 second clip for a brief synopsis of the company, and an 11 minute & 46 second version that can and does the entire presentation for you). The funny thing is, is that most humans (myself included) like to continue the presentation (ego). Adding in specific information they feel is relevant, and/or expanding on certain points. Sometimes we actually re-present everything the video presented, which unknowingly extended the presentation time well past the amount the average person's attention span can handle.
This information really made me think about how I will present moving forward.
Imagine, using the company's 11 minute & 46 second corporate video which truly explains everything quite eloquently, you the presenter, according to statistics, only have 8 minutes and 14 seconds until you (quite possibly) lose your average audience. Wow!!!
Can you summarize and close in 8 minutes and 14 seconds?
Most people, including myself, if answered honestly to that question, will probably say "as of today, no I can't".
Hence, we need to script our summary and close, which will definitely lead me to another sleepless evening tonight.
Ladies & Gents, thanks for stopping by. Tomorrow's topic: Scripting your summary & close in less than 8 minutes & 14 seconds, Ha !!!
~b2
Monday, January 2, 2012
2012 - Pay It Forward
Happy New Year My Friendly Blog Followers...
Today's post has been inspired by three recent events.
The first, It's a New Year. 2012. Michelle and I closed out 2011 on a very strong, positive & personal note: We got engaged!!! Together, we are looking at 2012 to be an incredible year, both personally & professionally - Here's hoping many of you also share this goal.
Secondly, I met and heard from many online friends and colleagues who all subtly commented on how much they enjoyed my blog, and wondered if I planned on continuing with it in the new year. - Answer: yes, I do, and I apologize for not keeping up with it during the final 45 days on 2011.
Finally, during the holidays, I received a very simple, yet powerful gift from Michelle: A DVD. The movie - Pay It Forward.
It was a movie (released in 2000) that I had not seen, nor had never heard of until Michelle shared the trailer for it on Youtube - Apparently, Michelle saw it on Daniel Correia's FB site.
There were a couple of times when I was just about to go to the mall to purchase a copy, but Michelle convinced me not to. Well Surprise Surprise, during the holidays a little package arrived in the mail. That's when we set the night - just the two of us, to watch it.
After watching the movie, I quickly realized that in both our personal & business lives, we "need" to Pay It Forward. Too many of us from the corporate world really have a difficult time with the "help people" approach. It's something that has been engrained on the brain (incredibly strong neuro pathways) - to not worry about your friends, colleagues etc., just take care of yourself. This is mostly true the higher you climb the corporate ladders.
This past year, I heard (a number of times), from some very successful people/mentors of mine, say, "Who can I go out and help today?"
I thought that it was a nice comment for these people to make, but I guess I didn't truly believe it - or maybe it was that I didn't truly understand it.
The more I heard it, the more I became curious. Then, after seeing the trailer for Pay It Forward, I became obsessed about it. So, the movie was put in.
Pay It Forward is a really "nice", "feel good" movie. But as I stripped away all of the conventional and predictable hollywood elements, I/we were left with a very powerful message. One that I want to discuss and share in today's blog. One that many of us entrepreneur's should latch on to and never ever let go.
This message is about taking on the responsibility to "help" someone. We are living in a incredibly difficult time these days. Many of our friends, family, neighbours & colleagues are having a difficult time. The increased-stress at home is because of a collapsing economy; lack of job security - or lack of jobs in general. These are the things that are making it very difficult to live the life that we are all meant to live. So what does it mean to "help" somebody? Well, maybe it starts with "listening":
listening: present participle of lis·ten (Verb)
Verb:
1.Give one's attention to a sound: "sit and listen to the radio".
2.Take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request: "I told her over and over, but she wouldn't listen".
By listening, we can easily get to the root of the problem or issue. My question is, is if we get to the root, is it not easier to find a resolution? I think so.
So, I ask this of you...Are you committed to helping someone every day?
If yes, who are you going to help today?
Today, day two of 2012, I am committed to helping any one I can every day this year...
b2
Today's post has been inspired by three recent events.
The first, It's a New Year. 2012. Michelle and I closed out 2011 on a very strong, positive & personal note: We got engaged!!! Together, we are looking at 2012 to be an incredible year, both personally & professionally - Here's hoping many of you also share this goal.
Secondly, I met and heard from many online friends and colleagues who all subtly commented on how much they enjoyed my blog, and wondered if I planned on continuing with it in the new year. - Answer: yes, I do, and I apologize for not keeping up with it during the final 45 days on 2011.
Finally, during the holidays, I received a very simple, yet powerful gift from Michelle: A DVD. The movie - Pay It Forward.
It was a movie (released in 2000) that I had not seen, nor had never heard of until Michelle shared the trailer for it on Youtube - Apparently, Michelle saw it on Daniel Correia's FB site.
There were a couple of times when I was just about to go to the mall to purchase a copy, but Michelle convinced me not to. Well Surprise Surprise, during the holidays a little package arrived in the mail. That's when we set the night - just the two of us, to watch it.
After watching the movie, I quickly realized that in both our personal & business lives, we "need" to Pay It Forward. Too many of us from the corporate world really have a difficult time with the "help people" approach. It's something that has been engrained on the brain (incredibly strong neuro pathways) - to not worry about your friends, colleagues etc., just take care of yourself. This is mostly true the higher you climb the corporate ladders.
This past year, I heard (a number of times), from some very successful people/mentors of mine, say, "Who can I go out and help today?"
I thought that it was a nice comment for these people to make, but I guess I didn't truly believe it - or maybe it was that I didn't truly understand it.
The more I heard it, the more I became curious. Then, after seeing the trailer for Pay It Forward, I became obsessed about it. So, the movie was put in.
Pay It Forward is a really "nice", "feel good" movie. But as I stripped away all of the conventional and predictable hollywood elements, I/we were left with a very powerful message. One that I want to discuss and share in today's blog. One that many of us entrepreneur's should latch on to and never ever let go.
This message is about taking on the responsibility to "help" someone. We are living in a incredibly difficult time these days. Many of our friends, family, neighbours & colleagues are having a difficult time. The increased-stress at home is because of a collapsing economy; lack of job security - or lack of jobs in general. These are the things that are making it very difficult to live the life that we are all meant to live. So what does it mean to "help" somebody? Well, maybe it starts with "listening":
listening: present participle of lis·ten (Verb)
Verb:
1.Give one's attention to a sound: "sit and listen to the radio".
2.Take notice of and act on what someone says; respond to advice or a request: "I told her over and over, but she wouldn't listen".
By listening, we can easily get to the root of the problem or issue. My question is, is if we get to the root, is it not easier to find a resolution? I think so.
So, I ask this of you...Are you committed to helping someone every day?
If yes, who are you going to help today?
Today, day two of 2012, I am committed to helping any one I can every day this year...
b2
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