Thought Process 2011

Thought Process 2011:

I absolutely love this quote from Herbert Agar's book, A Time for
Greatness, "The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth
which men prefer not to hear."

How true it is, as if you deny the truth in any area of your life, you will
soon discover that life is a game of undesirable consequences.

True honesty, self-respect, trust, authenticity and character are built on
truth not on perceptions.

The acceptance of truth is a moral obligation, not an option.

The reason is both simple and profound; lies destroy progress, compromise
character, undermine reputations, and ruin relationships with others and
ourselves.

A Blunt Instrument?

Truth is what it is - the truth.a collection of facts!

Your health, wealth, relationships, and peace of mind are what they are.

You choose your behavior, and you also chose the consequences of that
behavior--for better or worse.

If you're not happy with your current results or consequences in your life
right now, than you have only ONE choice to make, choose better behavior.

You either get the message in that last paragraph, or you don't. Behavior
never lies, so be the one who gets the message.

Fact is we Either change our behavior, or pay the consequences of your own
ignorance.

Live Authentically

To live authentically is to live transparently.

People who consistently win have no room in their lives for denial, fantasy
or fiction.

They are self-critical rather than self-deluding, and they hold themselves
to high but realistic standards.

They deal with the truth, since they recognize that nothing else will make
their goals obtainable.

Every decision about your life must be based on truth, as that is the
gateway to authenticity.

Confront truth and reality as it is, not as it was or as you wish it to
be.

If you are committed to making 2011 the best year of your life, you have no
choice but to see the world in the purest, most transparent way possible or
you can't make decisions on a rational basis.

Make a Breakthrough in 2011

What are you pretending not to know?

What truth are you hiding from?

What part of your reality do you find undesirable?

Denial makes us do this.

Refusing to see or acknowledge what is right in front of us - truth, is a
way of coping but in the end you only survive, you do not thrive.

I want you to soar in the New Year and I want you to reach each goal you
set.

However, in order to do that you must accept this critical reality:

You MUST have a plan, and you must choose a new strategy.

There is simply NO OTHER WAY!

If you'll allow me, I'd like to help you make this the best year of your
life.

Your Coach,
Bill

Put The "Extra" In Ordinary

What do you think of when I say the word “ordinary?” These are the words that come to my mind: Common. Usual. Normal. Boring. Average. Something you see everyday.

What about “extraordinary?” I think of: Amazing. Incredible. Uncommon. Unusual. Special. Above average. New.

In the English language, only five little letters separate “ordinary” from “extraordinary:” extra. And while “extra” can be defined as “outside,” in English it also means “just a little bit more.”

The word we use is not as important as the idea: the distance between ordinary and extraordinary is shorter than you think. For too long, people have thought there was a huge gap between normal and special. They’ve assumed that “above average” was far above “average.” Unfortunately, once you believe that, it’s easy to conclude that since you’re “average,” you’ll never be anything else; that there’s no way to claw your way up to “above average.”

I’m here to tell you that you’ve made the gap too wide. Let me illustrate. If you’re an average reader, you’ve taken 2-3 seconds to read this paragraph so far. Two lines of text = one second. How much more would you be able to read in another second? Another line? Not very much, but really, what difference does a second make?
Well, in some areas of life, a second makes all the difference in the world. Have you heard of Usain Bolt? Often referred to as The Fastest Man in the World, Bolt is the current world-record holder for the 100-meter race in track and field. His record for that race is 9.69 seconds. In the Olympics, he won the gold medal racing against seven other men in the finals. What was the time difference between his time and that of the silver medalist, Richard Thompson? Thompson ran the 100 meters that day in 9.89 seconds. The difference between gold and silver was .2 seconds. The “fastest man in the world,” the winner of that race and world-record holder, ran 100 meters in 2/10 of a second less than his nearest competitor. A second – or even a fraction of a second – CAN make a huge difference.

In life, just as in sports, an extraordinary performance is often separated from an ordinary one by the slightest of margins. What if your ordinary life could become extraordinary with only the smallest of changes? Would it be worth trying?
Here are some “extras” that can help you close the gap between ordinary and extraordinary:
A little extra effort. There is a price to be paid for achievement. Sometimes it’s a large price. But sometimes just a little extra effort can yield significant results. What price are you willing to pay for success?
A little extra time. To give something time, we need something other than perseverance. We need patience with the process of growth. I believe that many of us overestimate events and underestimate the process. But we’ve got it all wrong. As I wrote in the Law of Process in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, leaders develop daily, not in a day.

A little extra help. I love this saying: “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had help getting there!” Why do I love it? Because I’m a turtle on a fencepost. I know that I didn’t get to where I am in life on my own. I’m just not that smart, gifted, or fast. The truth is that those who reached “extraordinary” had help getting there. And many types of success can only be achieved with help. If you refuse to ask for – or accept – it, you limit yourself and your work to a lower level of achievement.

Remember that ordinary and extraordinary are not far apart. If you accomplish just one of the above “extras,” your work will begin to be above average in that area.

If Ordinary People …
Gave a Little Extra Effort,
Spent a Little Extra Time,
Sought a Little Extra Help …
They Would Become Extraordinary!

Thanks John Maxwell

Your Coach,
Bill

Just Get Started!

Do you want to be a success?
As you know, many obstacles can keep even a highly-motivated person from succeeding. But today I want to talk about the ONLY obstacle that will ALWAYS keep us from success: Not starting.

Starting is the Great Separator. It separates…

The doers from the do-nots,
The haves from the have-nots,
The winners from the whiners, and
The successful from the unsuccessful.

If a desire were enough, then everyone would be a success. But success is like a book, and starting and finishing are the front and back covers. Until you open that front cover, you can’t experience anything from the pages within.

So how do you get started?

1.Start with Yourself.

If you’ve ever flown on an airplane, you’ve heard the pre-flight instructions about the oxygen masks – which drop down from the ceiling in the case of emergency. If you’re traveling with someone who would need help, who do they always tell you to place the mask on first? Yourself! They want to remind you that you can’t help anyone else get oxygen if you aren’t able to breathe.
Starting with yourself is not a selfish goal – as long as you’re not doing it for your benefit alone. By putting on my oxygen mask, I get the oxygen I need in order to help others get oxygen. As a leader, I obtain what I need in order to help others succeed.

2.Start Early.

I can’t overstate how much you gain from starting early. It’s something you can’t really understand or grasp when you’re young. One creature that understands this principle is the ant. Consider what the Bible says in Proverbs:
“Go to the ant, you sluggard;
Consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
No over seer or ruler,
Yet it stores its provisions in summer
And gathers its food at the harvest.”
-Proverbs 6:6-8
The activity of any individual ant seems to have little impact. After all, it can only carry one seed or leaf or grain of sand. And it’s not clear what any single grain has to do with the big picture of what is being formed. But regardless of how it looks from the outside, the impact is happening, and something is developing.
Whether you are trying to lose weight, build a business, build a marriage, raise a child, overcome a pattern, resolve a depression, or build a business, it is done the same way: one brick at a time. And the earlier you begin, the more bricks (or grains of sand) you can accumulate.

3.Start Small.

Most of us would love to see the entire path from where we are to the top. But life doesn’t work that way. Like a person carrying a lantern, most of us only see the small portion of the path ahead. Our best response is to just take the next step.
Why start small? It encourages you to get started and allows you to prioritize and concentrate. It also provides the necessary step to take the next step.
Like the person carrying the lantern, your path will only be illuminated a short distance ahead. We’ve all walked home in the dark. The lantern we carry may not illuminate the house, but it does show us the path that will take us there.

4.Start with The End in View.

John Wooden, an American basketball coach, was known for his focus on preparation. Every practice kept the goal – the next game – in view. Why? Because, as he said, “It’s too late to prepare when opportunity arrives.”
First, pursue your passion. A passion, a goal that you feel strongly about, gives you energy. Next, let planning give you direction. The beginning of the journey is the place to study the map. You may not always know the entire route, but your planning should always point in the direction of your destination.

5.Start now.

It’s too easy to say, “I’ll start tomorrow.” We promise that tomorrow, we will start a diet, studies, a career, or a relationship. But until we actually begin, a dream remains a dream.
It may be a cliché to say that every journey begins with the first step, yet it is still true.
Successful people don’t wait for everything to be perfect to move forward. They don’t wait for all the problems or obstacles to disappear.
They don’t wait until their fear subsides.
They take initiative. They know a secret that good leaders understand: momentum is their friend.
As soon as they take that first step and start moving forward, things become a little easier. If the momentum gets strong enough, many of the problems take care of themselves and talent can take over.
But it starts only after you’ve taken those first steps.
Your Coach,
Bill

Time Management Truths

Time Management Truths;

Here’s an important announcement: There is no such thing as time management.

Think about it; the term is an oxymoron. Time cannot be managed. It cannot be controlled in any way. Everyone gets the same number of hours and minutes every day. Nobody—no matter how shrewd—can save minutes from one day to spend on another. No scientist—no matter how smart—is capable of creating new minutes. Even with all his wealth, someone like Bill Gates can’t buy additional hours for his day. And even though people talk about trying to “find time,” they need to quit looking. There isn’t any extra lying around. Twenty-four hours is the best any of us is going to get.
You can’t manage your time. So what can you do? Manage yourself! Nothing separates successful people from unsuccessful people more than how they use their time. Successful people understand that time is the most precious commodity on earth. And that we all have an equal amount, packed into identical suitcases. So even though everyone’s suitcase is the same size, they get a higher return on the contents of theirs. Why? They know what to pack.

Essayist Henry David Thoreau wrote, “It is not enough to be busy. The question is, ‘What are we busy about?’”
How do you judge whether something is worthy of your time and attention?
Here is a process to prioritize, use this formula to help you know the importance of a task so that you can manage yourself effectively. It’s a three step process:
1. Rate the task in terms of Importance.
Critical = 5 points
Necessary = 4 points
Important = 3 points
Helpful = 2 points
Marginal = 1 point
2. Determine the task’s urgency.
This month = 5 points
Next month = 4 points
This quarter = 3 points
Next quarter = 2 points
End of year = 1 point
3. Multiply the rate of importance times the rate of urgency.
Example: 5 (critical) x 4 (next month) = 20.

After assigning each task a new number, make a new to-do list. This time list everything from highest to lowest task management score.
THAT’S how you plan your day.
How you spend your time is an important question not only for you but for your team. People tend to take their cues from the leader when it comes to time management—so make sure there’s a match between your actions, your business priorities, and your team’s activities.

Your Coach,
Bill

Doing the Right Thing

Hi Team,
First let me start by saying i truly appreciate all of you for your Friendship and Loyalty to the TEAM!
All Ethics boil down to the "Golden Rule"
Essentially, asking the question, “How would I like to be treated?” is an integrity guideline for ANY situation.
Think about it: How DO we like to be treated?
1. We want to be valued.
Did you know that in the North American marketplace today, 70% of those who leave their jobs do so because they do not feel valued? Don’t you want others to accept you for who you are and show you through their actions that you matter?
Valuing others, not for what they can do but simply because they are human beings, is the foundation of ethics.
2. We want to be appreciated.
Closely related to the need to be valued and loved is the desire to be appreciated for what we can do. Don’t you want to excel and achieve? Knowing that what you do matters builds your self-confidence and self-worth.
How do we express appreciation? Begin by thanking people at every opportunity. Give credit to others. And make a point of praising people in the presence of those close to them, like family members. Broadway producer Billy Rose shrewdly observed, “It’s hard for a fellow to keep a chip on his shoulder if you allow him to take a bow.”
3. We want to be trusted.
George MacDonald said, “To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.” Think about it: Good marriages, business relationships, and friendships all require trust. Without it, you don’t have open and honest communication, and the relationship can be only temporary.
It takes a leap of faith to put your trust in another person, especially someone you don’t know well. But as Henry L. Stinson said, “The only way you can make a man trustworthy is by trusting him; and the surest way to make him untrustworthy is to distrust him and show your distrust.”
4. We want to be respected.
When others trust me, I receive responsibility and authority. When others respect me, it touches something deeper within me. It gives me dignity and builds my confidence. As Arnold Glasow said, “The respect of those you respect is worth more than the applause of the multitude.”
The respect of a leader gives people the freedom to perform at their best and the incentive to work with excellence. I can’t think of a more positive working environment.
5. We want to be understood.
Charles Kettering said, “There is a great difference between knowing and understanding. You can know a lot about something and not really understand it.” Likewise, we can know a lot about a person and still not really understand them or why they do what they do.
But the desire to be understood is so strong that many disagreements can be resolved simply when one party (or both) gets the sense that they’ve been understood.
Understanding others means extending yourself and meeting them where they are. You must put the burden of connecting on yourself, not on them.
6. We don’t want others to take advantage of us.
We can cut through almost all of the ethical and moral dilemmas of life by observing this principle with others. If anyone could interpret what I do as taking advantage of them, then my actions are probably a bad idea.
Your Coach,
Bill

Attitude is Everything

Attitude is Everything;

by Vicki Hitzges

Years ago, I was the public relations director for motivational guru, Zig Ziglar. At the time, he was arguably the best-known, most loved speaker in the world. When audience members heard Zig, they witnessed a man chockfull of energy, vitality and joy. Having worked closely with him and knowing him well, I can tell you that the Zig you saw on stage was the real Zig Ziglar. In fact, I can't remember ever seeing him when he was not happy and upbeat.

The Zig I knew was one carbonated guy.

Every time Zig answered his home phone, he picked up the receiver and said with gusto, "This is Jean Ziglar's happy husband!" And he meant it!

Awhile back one of Zig's closest friends and I were discussing Zig's aura of happiness. "Completely genuine," his friend said. "I have never seen him down." Then he added thoughtfully, but with love, "Hardly what you'd call normal."

"What's Zig's secret?" I asked.

"I think," he said, "it comes down to feeling grateful. Never met a guy more grateful than Zig. Period."

You'd think anyone that grateful must have had an easy life. But that's not so.

Zig started out poor. Dirt poor. His father died when he was six, leaving his mother to raise eleven children alone. The family was virtually penniless. Yet despite their poverty, Mrs. Ziglar instilled a strong work ethic in her children and raised them to believe that both she and God loved them. She also instructed her children to practice saying "please" and "thank you." Those lessons stuck. Her formula of work, love and faith made their difficult lives easier. Gratitude made their lives enjoyable.

Zig once told me, "When we neglect to require our children to say 'thank you' when someone gives them a gift or does something for them, we raise ungrateful children who are highly unlikely to be content. Without gratitude, happiness is rare. With gratitude, the odds for happiness go up dramatically."

Years ago, Zig created the popular phrase, "Have an attitude of gratitude." According to Zig, "The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for."

I know firsthand that giving thanks brings joy. Awhile back, I heard Oprah Winfrey urge viewers to keep a Gratitude Journal. It seemed pretty schmaltzy to me, so I didn't do it. But Oprah was a jackhammer. Day after day, week after week, she kept pounding on that idea. I'd catch her show here and there. Same thing: Keep a Gratitude Journal. A few months later, I was speaking to a government group and staying in a cruddy hotel. I was seated at the hotel's indoor restaurant by a swimming pool reeking with enough chlorine to purify the Love Canal. As I waited impatiently for my meal to arrive, I suddenly remembered Oprah's directive. What the heck? I had a pen and some scrap paper.

I listed my mother who spent time each day praying for me. I wrote down my father who deeply loves me. My kind, funny brother and his family. My job and the opportunity to travel and encourage people. Friends. Laughter. For the fact that I had a place to sleep that was safe. For a private bathroom. (You start listing - you begin to get thankful!) I quickly listed about 30 things and noticed that not only did I have a lot to be thankful for, but suddenly I was in a terrific mood!

Publisher Malcolm Margolin was grateful for something that's right outside our doors, but most of us have never taken the time to experience it. He wrote, "The next time it begins to rain... lie down on your belly, nestle your chin into the grass, and get a frog's-eye view of how raindrops fall... The sight of hundreds of blades of grass bowing down and popping back up like piano keys strikes me as one of the merriest sights in the world."

That might strike you as advice from a person with not nearly enough to do, but personally, I like it. If Margolin can feel joy in soggy clothes looking at wet grass, you and I can find all kinds of things for which we can give thanks!

Try it! Count your blessings. Jot them down. At least stop and think of as many things as you can that you're thankful for right now. It worked for Oprah, Zig, Margolin and me. Give it a shot. If you want to feel happy, try on an attitude of gratitude for a change in your mood, your outlook and you.
Your Coach,
Bill

Leaders Develop Daily, Not In A Day

Leaders Develop Daily, Not In a Day

By John C. Maxwell
A group of American tourists walked through a quaint English village in wonderment. They were enamored by the town's winding cobblestone streets, the beauty of its courtyards and plazas, and the sense of history emanating from its ancient churches. While strolling through the local park, the tourists struck up conversation with an elderly gentleman and found out that he had lived in the town for his entire life. One of the Americas, eager to hear more about the town's history, asked, "Sir, have any great men been born in this village?" "Nope," said the old man, "only babies."
Personal Growth Is a Process
In our twenties, we think ahead to when we'll be ideally situated in our career, positioned to do exactly what we enjoy, and enjoying immense influence in our occupation. Like children on the way to Disneyland, we impatiently await arrival at our destination instead of appreciating the journey there. However, as we age we encounter an uncomfortable truth: growth doesn't happen automatically. We cannot coast through life hoping one day to stumble across our dreams. Unless we set aside time to grow into the person we desire to be, we'll not reach our potential.
Leaders develop daily, not in a day. They commit themselves to the process of growth, and over time they reap the rewards of daily investments in their development. In this lesson, I'd like to share five principles to encourage you to adopt a lifestyle of personal growth.

#1 Growth is the great separator of those who succeed and those who do not.
When I went to college, there was no gap between my peers and me-none at all. We started on the same level. However, at the age of 17, I made a commitment to spend an hour a day on my personal growth. I studied and read, filing the lessons I learned along the way. Now, in most cases, the gap between my former classmates and me is pretty wide. Am I smarter than they are? Absolutely not. Many of them got better grades than I did in college. It's the growth factor-my commitment to the process of personal growth-that has made the difference.

#2 Growth takes time, and only time can teach us some things.
When it comes to personal growth, you cannot substitute for time. Yet, the mere passage of time doesn't make you wise. Experience is not the best teacher; evaluated experience is the best teacher. To gain insights from your experience, you have to engage in reflective thinking. I have a habit of taking ten minutes every evening to look back on the day. As I reflect on what happened, lessons emerge, and I capture them in my notebook so that I can learn from them.

#3 Growth inside fuels growth outside.
The highest reward of our toil is not what we get for it, but who we become by it. At the age of 17, I decided that I would read, file, and begin to prepare lessons. From that simple discipline I accumulated a wealth of content that fueled my speaking and writing. I never set out to be a leadership specialist; I was simply diligent about reading, filing, and studying. With respect to personal growth, take the long view on results. The most important question to ask is not "What am I getting?" from the discipline of personal growth, the most important question is, "Who am I becoming?"

#4 Take responsibility for your own growth.
For 15 to 20 years, the school system holds us responsible for growth. Educational curriculum clearly spells out, "here's what you do next," and "here's the next step." Then we graduate with diplomas and certificates, and we no one longer have anyone to map out the next step for us. If we want to continuing growing, we have to do it ourselves. We have to put together a game plan so that we become students of life who are always expanding our minds and drawing upon our experiences.

#5 Determine the areas of your life in which you need to grow.
You've probably heard someone say, "You can do anything as long as you put your mind to it." Sadly, as nice as that sounds, it simply isn't true. In watching people grow, I have discovered that, on a scale of 1-10, people can only improve about two notches. For instance, I love to sing; that's the good news. The bad news is that I can't carry a tune. Now, let's be generous and say that, as a singer, I'm a "two." If I put lots of money, effort, and energy into developing my voice, perhaps I can grow into a "four." News flash: on a ten-point scale, four is still below average. With regards to my career, it would be foolish for me to focus my personal growth on my voice. At best, I'd only become an average singer, and no one pays for average.

Don't work on your weaknesses. Devote yourself to fine-tuning your strengths. I work exceptionally hard on personal growth in four areas of my life. Why only four? Because I'm only good at four things. I lead, communicate, create, and network. That's it. Outside of those areas, I'm not very valuable. However, within those areas of strength I have incredible potential to make a difference.
Your Coach,
Bill

Perfection Kills Momentum!

True confession: I am a recovering perfectionist.
I say “recovering” because perfectionism is something you never fully overcome. Instead, you learn how to cope with your desire for perfection. At least that’s how it is for me.
Perfectionism is the #1 enemy of momentum.
If I had a dime for every time a new/old business owner fussed and fiddled over every minute detail, stalling their launch for weeks and even months, well…(let’s just say there are a lot more perfectionists out there than you’d think).
A few lessons about perfection…
Okay…if you are a fighter pilot or a neurosurgeon, ignore this Momentum Monday post: perfection is a must for you. Everyone else: ask yourself “what is the purpose, the benefit if you will, of working toward perfection?”
Just a wild guess, but perfectionism is an excellent disguise for self-sabotage. Think about it. You’re nervous about doing something new and the only way to control it is to fiddle and fret over the details. Even details that don’t matter.
“No, no, no,” you say. “I just like things to be perfect. It’s just the way I am.”
Really? That’s your standard? Anything less sucks? Because few things in life are perfect – our children, relationships, family – but we love and accept them just fine.
Coping with perfection and building momentum

#1: Recognize perfectionism – Acknowledge when perfectionism is holding you back, when you use it as a method of coping with fear, when your “higher standard” isn’t serving a purpose except to stall your forward momentum.
#2: Go with “Good is good enough” – That’s right –it’s time to settle for good, instead of perfect. From one recovering perfectionist to another, trust me – your good is everyone else’s perfection.
#3: Just get M-O-V-I-N-G – And THEN fiddle and fuss to your heart’s content. Take a lesson from facebook and just get it out there and change and adapt according to what the market wants, not what you think the market wants. It’s easier to correct course when in motion than to get moving!
#4: Get to the ESSENCE – Meaning focus on the core of what you are trying to accomplish. Start by getting the core functionality right and then add the bells and whistles.
#5: Focus on the BIG PICTURE – Your job is to get the big picture right and let others help you fill in the details. Often perfectionists struggle with letting go and waste enormous amounts of time and momentum trying to figure out every single detail.
Momentum Monday Challenge: Put something out there that isn’t perfect. Maybe it’s a contact/connection a plan something just do it.
Trust me – it’s not as bad as you think it will be and often an honest mistake is a *perfect* conversation starter.
Your Coach,
Bill

Five Ingredients Of Personal Growth

Five Ingredients of Personal Growth

As any farmer knows, the growth of a crop only happens when the right ingredients are present. To harvest plentiful fields, the farmer has to begin by planting the right seed in rich topsoil where sunlight and water can help the seed to sprout, mature, and bear fruit. If any of the ingredients (seeds, topsoil, sunlight, or water) are missing, the crop won't grow.
Growing as a leader also requires the proper ingredients. Unless the right attitudes and actions are cultivated an aspiring leader will sputter and fail rather than growing in influence. Let's look at five basic qualities essential for growth in leadership.

1) Teachability

Arrogance crowds out room for improvement. That's why humility is the starting point for personal growth. As Erwin G. Hall said, "An open mind is the beginning of self-discovery and growth. We can't learn anything new until we can admit that we don't already know everything."
Adopting a beginner's mindset helps you to be teachable. Beginners are aware that they don't know it all, and they proceed accordingly. As a general rule, they're open and humble, noticeably lacking in the rigidity that often accompanies experience and achievement. It's easy enough to have a beginner's mind when you're actually a beginner, but maintaining teachability gets trickier in the long term especially when you've already achieved some degree of success.

2) Sacrifice

Growth as a leader involves temporary loss. It may mean giving up familiar but limiting patterns, safe but unrewarding work, values no longer believed in, or relationships that have lost their meaning. Whatever the case, everything we gain in life comes as a result of sacrificing something else. We must give up to go up.

3) Security

To keep learning throughout life, you have to be willing, no matter what your position is, to say, "I don't know." It can be hard for executives to admit lacking knowledge because they feel as if everyone is looking to them for direction, and they don't want to let people down. However, followers aren't searching for perfection in their leaders. They're looking for an honest, authentic, and courageous leader who, regardless of the obstacles facing the organization, won't rest until the problem is solved.
It took me seven years to hit my stride as a communicator. During those seven years I gave some boring talkes, and I felt discouraged at times. However, I was secure enough to keep taking the stage and honing my communication skills until I could connect with an audience. Had I been insecure, then the negative evaluations of others would have sealed my fate and I never would have excelled in my business.

4) Listening

Listen, learn, and ask questions from somebody successful who has gone on before you. Borrow from their experiences so that you can avoid their mistakes and emulate their triumphs. Solicit feedback and take to heart what you're told. The criticism of friends(that have your best interest in mind) may seem bitter in the short-term but, when heeded, it can save you from falling victim to your blind spots.

5) Application
Knowledge has a limited shelf life. Unless used immediately or carefully preserved, it spoils and becomes worthless. Put the lessons you learn into practice so that your insights mature into understanding.
Your Coach,
Bill
Thanks John Maxwell for your wisdom.

Just Show Up-Momentum Mondays

Momentum Monday – When opportunity knocks…HALF the battle is just plain Showing UP!



It’s true what they say that HALF of the battle is just showing up. That means as soon as you do show up, you are halfway there! Woo-HOO!
That means your job is just that – showing up!
I could tell you numerous stories and events in my life where just showing up has created enormous relationships,connections,not to mention wealth.From seeing the business plan(I did not want to)the countless times i drove to an appointment not feeling at all like i wanted to be there.All activities have generated incredible fruit I WANTED to and felt like cancelling but instead, I showed up.

Winning the First HALF of the Battle
#1: Shift your thinking – Start thinking about what opportunities you can create this month, this week, today. Start talking to people, start connecting. START showing up.
#2 Energize the potential – Don’t be a wallflower. Step up – ask for help, shout “Pick me, pick me!”, make IT happen!
#3 Create space for opportunity – Label an appointment in your calendar “When opportunity knocks” as both a space to fill and a reminder that you are looking for opportunity.
Momentum Monday Challenge: Pick something, anything this week and just show up!
Your Coach,
Bill

Going Gets Tough
Momentum Thoughts: Got Sticking Power? How to Keep Thinking BIG When the Going Gets Tough


Oomph!
If there was a single word to describe the one quality every entrepreneur needs to survive the statistics, it’s Oomph! Oomph being that intangible sticking power that gets you through the tough times.
Because let’s face it – crap happens. Despite your best efforts, sometimes everything goes wrong. The economy changes, the unexpected happens, the supposedly ‘sure thing’ turns into a near miss.
That’s when you need Oomph – the mighty sticking power that gets you over the tough stuff and to the finish line.
Finding your Inner Oomph!
#1: Know that you are in good company – Behind every success story, there is the untold tale of the temporary setbacks, false starts, and yes, flat out failures. One of my favorite movies is Rudy. Watch it and you’ll understand why Oomph is so important.
#2: See the end goal clearly – Stay focused on what you are working toward. It’s easy to get caught up in the drama of minor setbacks and temporary failures so take a moment to reconnect with your purpose.
#3: Learn from it – Not every setback or failure is your fault, but there is still an opportunity to learn from it and prevent it from happening again. Ask yourself: How can I protect myself from this type of risk in the future?
#4: Strength your business model – See the setbacks as an opportunity to find gaps and strengthen your business structure. If you lose a revenue stream due to a downturn, perhaps it’s time to get creative and find new ones.
#5: Ask for help – It’s tempting to go inward and focus on the negative. It’s during these tough times that you need to ask for help – recruit friends and family, seek support and wisdom from peers, and find a mentor to help you find solutions.
#6: Channel your inner 2-year-old – Get stubborn – not just grumpy stubborn, but temper tantrum stubborn (minus the kicking and screaming). Now think about how a 2-year-old would go about getting her way in your situation. Do that!
#7: Keep digging – Remember the wise words from Napolean Hill: “Never give up, you could be 3 feet from gold” meaning that often we quit right before our efforts and energy result in success. Don’t give up too soon.
A final note: It’s important to distinguish between determination and stupidity. Determination is the ability to keep going despite setbacks. Stupidity is ignoring the obvious warning signs that your thought process and work ehic is inherently flawed. If it’s the latter, you need to address your foundation first because no amount of stick-to-it-ness can fix a flawed foundation.

Change The Way You See Fear.

Change the way you see Fear!

When was the last time you took a risk? Not something major and life-threatening, but something that represented a step outside your comfort zone. Can you recall a time recently when you did something that felt uncomfortable for you? If not, get ready to take a major step forward.


Frequently, in business and in life, we get too comfortable. We find solid ground – a place that feels safe – we get comfortable, and we settle in. We’re programmed to do it. It’s how we operate. Look for safety and stay there. But these days, it’s imperative that we act against our programming to truly succeed and find our own greatness.

What’s holding us back? Ultimately, it’s fear. It’s almost always fear. Fear is the number one reason why people stay in their safety zones. It’s why people don’t start new businesses. It’s why people stop looking for love. But what are we afraid of? After studying fear for several years and working with countless clients who were letting fear hold them back, I’ve become convinced that when it comes down to stepping outside one’s comfort zone, there are really two things at work for most people: fear of success and fear of failure.

Fear of Success
Many people say they have a fear of success. What does this mean? It means that when these folks envision their success, they see the ways in which they’ll disappoint people, the ways they won’t be able to handle the success, the ways they’ll mess up their success… ultimately, I actually believe that a fear of success is a fear of failure in disguise. In my experience, most people aren’t actually afraid of success, but rather of failing after the success. They’re afraid they can’t handle it and they’ll fall much farther than if they’d never tried at all. It’s much more painful to fall from, say, a 20-story building, than it is to fall from a sidewalk curb. It’s the fall from the height of success that we fear, not the success itself.

Fear of Failure
Let’s look at fear of failure, since that’s at the core of what’s holding people back. I’ve recently updated my thoughts about fear of failure. I’ve been reading Seth Godin’s book, Tribes, and Godin has some absolutely profound and brilliant thoughts on the fear that keeps us in our comfort zones. In Tribes, Godin says that there’s a common misconception about a fear of failure. He says that the fear of failure isn’t actually fear of failure at all – it’s a fear of criticism. We’re more afraid of being judged for our failures than anything else.

So now that we’ve isolated this fear of criticism, what does one do about it? How do you conquer the one thing that gets in the way more than anything else- more than lack of skills, more than lack of knowledge, more than bad luck or anything else you might think of – how do you conquer fear?

How Do You Conquer Fear?

It would be easy for me to say that you just shouldn’t care what others think about you. What they say doesn’t matter, doesn’t define you, has nothing to do with you. I could easily say that. But the problem is that we’re not just subject to the criticism of others when we fail. We still have to face our harshest critic: ourselves.

But here’s the secret most people don’t know. It’s a secret that most successful people know. You don’t actually have to “conquer” fear. You have to master it. Mark Twain once said, “Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” Successful people aren’t people who conquered fear, they’re people who faced fear. They’re people who were afraid and did it anyway.

For example, one of the most prevalent, persistent fears people have is public speaking. It’s something most of us don’t do very often and it’s something most of us don’t particularly care for. I’m one of the oddities – I actually love speaking to groups. But like many others I know who enjoy public speaking, I get nervous before I go on stage. My palms sweat, I think about how I wish I’d never agreed to do the gig, and I think of all the ways I can get out of doing it. And then I step on stage anyway, and within a few moments, I’m actually having so much fun connecting to the crowd that I forget all the fear and just live in that moment. That’s mastering fear, folks. That’s what it’s all about.

A part of it is doing something over and over and showing yourself that you can do that thing. That builds confidence and confidence is a formidable tool against fear. Usually we’re afraid of the stuff we’re not very good at. What are you afraid of? Think about that for a minute and then when you have the answer, ask yourself how often you do that thing. If you’re not very good at something, you tend to fear it. If you make a decision to face the fear and forge ahead with courage, you’ll eventually make courage a habit- and you’ll master that fear.

So what’s holding you back right now? What are you afraid of, and how can you face that fear with courage? Here’s an exercise I give to myself to help me face my fears:

Take out a piece of paper and a pen and turn the paper on its side so you’re writing across the long side. Make five columns on your paper. In the first column, make a list of the things that scare you the most. Then in the second column, for each of those fears, write down what is the absolute worst thing that could happen if your fears came true. In the third column, write down how likely the worst thing is to happen. Then in the fourth column, write down how that fear is holding you back. In the last column, for at least one of the fears you’ve listed, write down how you are going to face that fear. Make it tangible- give yourself an action to take and a date by which you will take that action. And follow through!

Look, everybody is afraid of something. The most successful people have mastered fear with courage and learned to forge ahead. Today, make a decision to forge ahead with something in your life or in your business. Make a decision to face at least one of your fears. Take a risk and get better at something you’re afraid of. Face a fear with courage and you’ll see payoffs emerging faster than you ever could have imagined.
Your Coach
Bill

Dreams are Everything!

Stir Up Your Dreams



TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

“Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you...”
(2 Timothy 1:6, NKJ)



TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria

Do you need some freshness in your life today? You may simply need to stir up what God has placed on the inside of you. Stir up those gifts, stir up those dreams, stir up those talents inside. Start stretching yourself. You were created to be a dreamer and to pursue the desires God has placed in your heart.

The Scripture tells us that without vision, people perish. If you don’t have a dream or vision for your life, you’re not really going to reach your fullest potential. Maybe at one time you had a dream, but you went through some disappointments or setbacks. Things didn’t turn out the way you planned. But here’s a key: when one dream dies, dream another dream. Just because it didn’t work out the way you had it planned doesn’t mean that God doesn’t have another plan. You cannot allow one disappointment or even a series of disappointments to convince you that your dream is over. It’s time to dig your heals in and hold on to the promises in your heart. Stir up those God-given dreams today and watch Him pour out His favor and blessing upon you and fulfill every desire in your heart!



A PRAYER FOR TODAY

Father in heaven, I come humbly to You. I give You my past, my disappointments, my brokenness. Fill me with Your hope and expectation and give me the dreams and desires that You have in store for my life. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

— Joel & Victoria Osteen
Here Is A Dream A Great Marriage:

10 things you must say to your wife
For many men, it’s too easy to slip out of conversation and into silence - especially when we don’t know exactly what to say. But silence can be deadly to relationships, and if there’s one thing most women agree on it’s this: “I just wish my husband would talk to me.”

We’re not recommending guys turn into the male version of a “Chatty Cathy,” but we are suggesting your marriage is worth the extra effort when it comes to opening up and talking with your wife. There is a lot that we really must say to our wives, and the payoff in terms of relationship is well worth it.

Don’t worry, we’re not proposing you start spouting stuff like, “I’m a big fan of Lifetime Television” or turn into a potential guest on Oprah or Dr. Phil. But we are saying it’s past time to say a few of the following things. Fact is, opening up a little can be a game-changer, if only we give it a little thought.

Here are 10 things you simply must say to your wife:

1.I love you: If you’re looking for an answer to “how often?” there isn’t a number! This is something you can’t say too often or in too many ways. If someone brags, “I don’t have to tell her, she already knows”, don’t listen. It’s a lie even if you hear it from your wife herself.

2.You are beautiful: Words to the wise:

- If you believe it, then it is so.
- There is no such thing as a spouse who is not beautiful.
- A woman who is told she is beautiful actually becomes more beautiful.

3.I’d like to know what you’re thinking? Relationships grow best in terms of communication. Kissing (and all that kind of stuff) is a by-product of relationships that are invested in knowing and being known.

4.Thank you: “Thank you for believing in me,” and “Thank you for loving me,” and “Thank you for being strong for me,” and “Thank you for (dinner, being so beautiful, ironing my shirts, being such a great mom, watching the game with me…)”. You get the picture.

5.Where would you like to go this evening? She wants to – she needs to – know that you care about her opinion. And it doesn’t just apply to dinner out. It’s critically important that she understands this is an equal partnership.

6.I was wrong: Let’s be honest. Sometimes we are wrong. In the great scheme of things, believe us, being right is nowhere close to being as important as being gracious when you are not right.

7.You were right: “You were/are right” takes #6 a step further. Your wife wants to know that you respect her. We’re very sure that it’s critical for a wife to know she is respected by her husband.

8.I’m cooking dinner this week: A lot of you are already liberated, forward-thinking men. If so, then move on to #9. If not, and this doesn’t only apply to cooking, believe us when we tell you that it’s to everyone’s advantage that your wife not feel “expected” to do anything “because she’s a woman.” Don’t just tell her the relationship is equal, show her as well.

9.Would you please read me the instructions for this? That’s right, you heard us! Step off the ego train once in a while and ask for a little help from your Sweetie.

10.Instead of watching the game this afternoon, I’d like to go on a long walk with you and just talk: You must communicate, clearly, to your wife that she massively important, that you want to spend time with her, that there’s nothing on television that could even vaguely compete with the delight of her presence, and that you want to know her – who she is and what she is thinking.

Your Coach,
Bill

Ten Ways To Not Waste Your Life!

Ten Ways to Not Waste Your Life:
First off, understand this: No life is ever wasted, not so long as you have a pulse and the capacity to believe.

That said, it’s also impossible to live without running into difficulty along the way. And it’s too easy to pile regrettable decisions on top of bad choices and be faced with overwhelming despair.

But, this list involves no condemnation, no shaking of fingers in anyone’s face, and no lament of coming ruin. This page will NOT criticize, nor will it pass judgment, and we’re not interested in a catalog of don’ts, shouldn’ts, dire threats or promises of doom.

Instead, the scheme of “not wasting our lives” is all about positive choices. Every road to destruction has an alternative, positive, route that is by nature incompatible with the advent of doom.

AllProDad suggests these 10 Ways - all positive - to “Not Waste Your Life.”

1.Believe: belief is the most powerful, positive life-changer in the arsenal. Believe that you are a valued person with something to contribute, and chances are you will.

2.Know where you’re headed: The cliché goes like this – if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else. Goals, both short term – (“I’m going to spend the evening with my child so he goes to sleep feeling loved”) and long-term (“By Christmas I’ll be able to tell my friends and my family I’ve been losing weight 20lbs over last six-months”), are necessary for purposeful change.

3.Locate a better reference point for success than the culture: Know that our standard for a successful life is found in serving others, being a great dad, loving our spouse – these standards are more conducive to satisfaction than “Beautiful, because I’m worth it”, or “He who dies with the most toys wins.”

4.Value relationships as #1 – “Family First”: This is an extension of #3 – No man is a failure who is loved by a child. That principle extends to our spouse, neighbors, friends and co-workers. To love, eloquently, is the cure for the common life.

5.A dependence on anything external for happiness is unnecessary: When we “need” others – or achievements - to feel worthy, or happy in any way, we’re undermining this great truth: The simple fact of our creation, and that we are valued by the Creator, is sufficient.

6.Live in the moment: “I’ll feel like I’ve achieved something when ‘thus and such’ has happened.” “Just let me get that new garage and I’ll be good.” This kind of thinking ensures we’ll remain dependant on “more” for satisfaction. Repeat after me: “If I have a pulse and the capacity to believe, then my life is not wasted.”

7.Learn to defer short-term thrills in favor of long-term rewards: We often confuse fluff and bling with substance. When we believe we are dependent on externals for genuine satisfaction, then we will sacrifice what is real (relationships, stability, respect, hard work etc.) for what is superficial. Grabbing what we can now and undermining what is lasting amounts to nothing short of self-sabotage.

8.Always continue learning: Life-long learners adopt the ongoing posture of reinvention and redemption. Learners ask questions rather than act as if they know all the answers. It’s difficult to waste your life when you are humble and open to new ideas.

9.Don’t sweat the small stuff: Knowing what we value puts it all into perspective. If we know why our life is not a waste, then we’re not so likely to get fooled by the trivia.

10.Never do anything you wouldn’t be comfortable doing in the presence of your Maker: If in doubt about this, talk it over with God first.
Your Coach,
Bill

Afternoon With Tony Robbins

Thanks To Domenic McKenna;

An afternoon with Tony Robbins
A week and a half ago I spent 4 hours listening to Peak Performance Coach Tony Robbins in Sydney. It was the most inspiring, value adding, motivating and thought provoking talk I have seen. This is a personal recap of the key points covered for all out there in iWorld (note: this is only brief points of what was an information packed session which to get full value, one should attend and experience first hand):

The Smartest people make money and create wealth during an economic winter. In doing so you should prepare yourself with these 3 Leadership Mandates:

1. See it as it is, not worse than it is. The Australian economy will get worse but know that anticipation is power! If you know the road ahead it will dramatically help you. Many people are skeptics, it takes no courage to be skeptical!

2. See it better than it is. ‘Without vision, people perish”. If you dont have a tomorrow, you will go nowhere. Don’t live passively while learning.

3. Make it the way you see it! Get certain about it!

The Psychology of the Entrepreneur: (a) every business must have a system. McDonalds has sold over 245 Billion Burgers due to a systemized approach. (b) you must learn to overcome adversity. If you look at Oprah’s story before she started the Oprah Winfery show, all odds were against her but she overcame her situation.

You need to get Emotional Fitness and develop Psychological Strength! To do this you need to change your psychological mindset. When studying the key reasons why people believe they fail the most common points were a lack of:

(a) Time (b) money (c) energy (d) technology (e) education (p) people

All of the above are resources. These however are not the reason people fail. It is not a lack of resources which cause us to fail but a lack of RESOURCEFULNESS! The ultimate resource is human emotion!

“It is not the season, it is you!” - You need to condition yourself to believe that you will grow through any season!

Many of the biggest companies today were grown in an economic recession. Examples are:

CNN - PIZZA HUT - CHEVRON -EXXON -MICROSOFT -FEDEX -GE -APPLE -HYATT - IBM -DISNEY

Your business will grown when you do!!!

WalMart outgrew all others as its leader, Sam Walton developed a culture to serve its customers better than any other outlet. Walmart is today the biggest retail outlet in the world. You need to create a culture in what you do.

The biggest thing which rules your life is your decisions. Your decisions = your destiny. This is what controls your life.

Tony gives a great analogy of when he began working with Andre Agassi and at the time Andre slipped from no #1 in the world to no #34. After a few sessions with Tony, it was found he was not focusing the way he was when he won Wimbeldon and that his physiology was totally different when approaching other players on the court to what it used to be. Once he began to get his state and physiology right, he went back to winning.

3 DECISIONS:

1. What to focus on? Focus = Feeling. Do not focus on what you cannot control. Most of us are dabblers and never commit. Once you commit and focus your success will follow.

2. What does this mean? Treat people like you did in the beginning always. There is a law of familiarity which says if you are around people or anything for long enough you take it for granted. This is part of the Australian culture which conditions you not to go for the full game. Evident through the notion of tall poppy syndrome.

3. What should I do? What controls your decisions is: (a) your state and (b) your blue print. Your energy is part of your state. Your energy comes from your fuel which is food. A strong state will begin with strong energy. Energy is power.

“Passion is the genesis of genius” - Tony Robbins

Who you spend time with is who you become! Find people who inspire you and create your own seminar of people you want to model!

Emotion is create by motion! (At this moment U2 Plays and 7000 people are dancing…crazy!)

The first way to change your state is your physiology. Then you must change what you focus on. This can be done through anchoring and finding your triggers to get yourself into a peak state.

How is your blue print affecting your happiness in life?

Formula for Happiness: Life Conditions = Blueprint

When your present life conditions match your core expectations, you will experience happiness in this area of your life.

Formula for unhappiness: Pain provides 3 choices!

1. First Choice: Ignore and finally blame (a) events - an event can never jump out and say ‘hey that is crap dont blame me for your lack of success’. (b)others, (c)self, (d) past. Ignorance is not bliss! All of the above are past related

2. Second Choice: Change your life conditions! Present related

3. Third Choice: (a) Change your physiology
(b) Change Your focus
(c) Change your meaning

Blaming will not move you forward. Your income income is directed by your standards of who you hang around.

All decision making must be done from a peak state. Big opportunities have been missed because people were not in the right state.

Change is automatic, it only requires action!

There are 3 Pillars of Progess:

Focused - You must get focused on what you want. Clear- You must get clear on your vision. Compelling - You need to make what you are doing or want to do compelling. Choose what and why questions to make it compelling.
Get the best strategies/mentor/tools/map/coaching for results.

Get into ACTION no success comes without action! Get yourself into a state of certainty about where you are going and take MASSIVE ACTION!

Hope you enjoyed!

Dom (written whilst taking Massive Action!)
Great Stuff Your Coach,
Bill

Big Things Start With Small Talk!!

Big Things Start With Small Talk

As a business coach, I have often witnessed companies withholding promotion from individuals who cannot relate to others on a personal level.



The smart and the savvy know a conversation that starts simply as a comment about the weather can be the beginning of a great friendship, a creative collaboration or a lucrative contract. Those who proudly proclaim, "I don't do small talk," are missing out on a world of opportunity. The true benefit of small talk is that it leads to big talk. Like anything, you first have to commit to investing the time and effort.

.......................................................


If you have you ever found yourself tongue tied at a networking event or new client meeting, join the human race. We've all been there. Here are some techniques to help you establish the rapport that is essential for any type of relationship to begin.



Adopt the likeability factor:
We all want to do business with people we like and we believe like us. However, when we become overly task-focused, we fail to invest the time it takes to get to know someone, which inevitably begins with small talk. Likeability is simply helping others feel good about themselves when they are with you. Try treating others like they are a guest at your party and you are honored to have them attend.



Weather the first five minutes:
Five minutes is a generous estimate of how much time you have to make a connection with someone before they start looking around for the washroom, or even the exit. The mistake many make is trying to tell the other person as much as possible about themselves. Try focusing solely on the other person during the first five minutes of the conversation. Chances are they will reciprocate and become interested in getting to know you as well.



Embrace an attitude of genuine curiosity:
Next time you find yourself in a conversation with a new customer, acquaintance or stranger, try engaging them with a few curious questions - the kind you ask when you genuinely want to get to know a person. Remember, start small. "So, how many times have you been married?" isn't exactly the ice breaker I had in mind. Perhaps, "What interested you in coming to this event tonight?" or, "Where did you first meet our host?" are better places to begin. Then use open ended questions that allows you both to continue the dialogue.



Listen with genuine interest:
Stephen Covey, author of Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, claims that most people listen, not with the intent to understand but with the intent to reply. Sometimes we are so concerned about delivering our own "30 second commercial" about who we are and what we do that we are more waiting for our opportunity to talk (and maybe even practicing what we want to say), than really focusing on the person and what they are saying.



Believe me, the more interested you are in someone, the more interesting you will become to them. Use your eyes to reflect sincere interest; make them steady, sincere and warm.



Use the technique of paraphrasing:
We've all heard of reflective listening, but in truth, very few of us practice it on a regular basis. It is a powerful tool. After you ask that curious question, paraphrase the other person's response back to them. Not only will this ensure you understood them correctly, it shows them that you are truly engaged. In this world of multi-tasking and half-listening, you will have given this person the rare gift of being heard. Repeating, reframing or relating to the content shows you are truly in the present with them.



Find common ground:
The ultimate goal of small talk in any situation is to establish common ground. No matter how different from you anyone seems, there is always a way to connect. An executive I know once built a bridge with a new assistant she was struggling to relate to when they discovered they both had a secret passion for watching "American Idol." That same executive salvaged an acrimonious relationship with a colleague over lunch when they discovered they were both step-parents. Sometimes the tiniest twig of commonality can begin a fruitful relationship because people like people like themselves.



Lend a helping hand:
After you have engaged the other person and discovered their interests, think about whom you know or what information you have access to that could interest or benefit them. When appropriate, you could offer to send along some information or make an introduction. This establishes you as someone who is interested in his or her success. Helping others succeed is one of the fastest routes to your own success.



So, next time you find yourself at a business function where you want to begin a meaningful conversation, here are some easy tips to follow:



1. Relax. Everyone else is as nervous as you are about meeting strangers.



2. Approach people who are standing alone with a warm smile. They will be relieved that you reached out to them. Or, approach a group of at least three people. They will be less likely engaged in a personal conversation than just two people. To break into a conversation, simply say "Excuse me for interrupting, but I wanted to say hello and introduce myself."



3. Be the first to initiate the handshake that says I am a confident person who is happy to meet you. Make it memorable by holding on until you register the color of their eyes. Then let go.



4. Do your homework if you know who you are meeting. The more you invest in research about an internal or external customer, the easier it becomes to establish commonality.



5. Keep yourself current. Make it your business to know what is happening in the scientific and business communities, on major news items, sports stories and popular TV series.



6. Avoid looking like an interrogator for the FBI/RCMP. You will close down most conversations if you start punching out too many questions that begin with "Do you..." or "Are you..." or "Have you..." The goal of initial questions is to start a dialog. Be prepared to answer the same questions you ask.



7. Be authentic. Allow yourself to be open and offer some personal information that would make the other person feel comfortable. I am not referring to details about your "intimate relationships" :) rather, something about your kids, your passions, etc.

So, my friends, I encourage you to get out there, physically, into the world of opportunity. Blackberrys, iPhones and iPads can never replace a handshake, a warm embrace or an inviting smile. They are powerful tools, but they are not a substitute for human conversation over lunch. At least I haven't yet heard my BlackBerry ask to pay my bill.

Your Coach,
Bill

Jump In To Life!

Jump In To Life!

They say that life is for living, but we all know that when the going gets tough it’s hard to keep that enthusiasm and passion going. It takes real guts, determination and confidence to live a full and rich life, but it becomes a whole lot easier if you jump into your life in the right ways.

The very best way to live a rich life that I know of is through what I call ‘Inspired Participation’. A couple of quick definitions for you -

in-spired

1. To stimulate to action; motivate

2. To breathe life into.

3. To be the cause or source of; bring about.


par-tic-i-pa-tion

1. The act of taking part or sharing in something.

2. To share in something.

Participation is an active process of engaging with your own life. Inspiration is doing what you do knowing that’s it’s a positive choice and means something to you. So Inspired Participation is about plugging into everything in your life, finding value in it all and letting yourself do what comes naturally.

Here are 4 big reasons to make inspired participation happen in your own life.

1. Inspired Participation in Your Game
Make a choice about which game you want to play and play it. You can’t play a decent game of golf unless you get a some decent clubs, a glove,some shoes and get yourself onto the course. To play a great game of golf you’ll need to practice, you’ll need to work on your swing and focus on fundamentals and you’ll need to capitalise on your strengths. Even if the game gets hard and you’re not sure when you’ll win your next game, you keep on playing because you value the experience and it means something to you.

Inspired Participation in your game is choosing to engage in something that matters to you, playing it fully and enjoying it . It could be a relationship, an entrepreneurial idea,your business, contributing to your community, a friendship, changing your career or a million other things.

It’s only by making a choice to become a great player in a game that matters that you become a great player and get success that means something.

2. Inspired Participation in Your Feelings
Emotions go up and down and yes, sometimes they’re confusing, unpredictable and downright painful. That’s part of the deal with being human I’m afraid.

But your feelings are where you experience your life and everything in it – they’re your connection with what’s happening in your life and the impact that everything has on you. Cut yourself off from your feelings and you’re cutting yourself off from your own life and you’ll feel disconnected from everything.

Inspired Participation in your own feelings is knowing that your feelings are there to serve a purpose and they’re all equally valid. This is about allowing yourself to feel what you’re feeling, not necessarily doing anything with those feelings.

3. Inspired Participation in the World
No man’s an island, and you can’t live in a vacuum. Everything you do has an impact on the world around you – - friends, family, colleagues, finances, home, relationships, community, health, career, etc. – and nothing can happen in your life without having an impact somewhere.

Inspired Participation in the world is about plugging into what’s around you and being aware of what’s working and what isn’t working. This is about looking at how you can create a congruent environment that contributes to what’s important to you and helps you honour those things.

It’s about being more than just one person.

4. Inspired Participation in Action
I’ll bet that you sometimes get an idea that seems odd, crazy or just plain brilliant, and I’ll also bet that you often filter these thoughts out and take a more established or safer route. Inspired Participation in action is making it okay for you to do out of the ordinary things that somehow feel incredibly right.

This doesn’t necessarily have to involve full-on, life changing, epic events. Not at all. Inspired participation in action can be a lot more subtle or gentle than that, like getting in touch with an old friend, signing up for that fun evening class or finding a quiet sense of comfort with who you are, where you are and what you’re doing.

Inspired participation in action is knowing that you can take the road less traveled.

With these 4 strategies in mind – and the massive benefits that spring from them – life switches from something that you struggle or fight through into something that gives you incomparable richness.

And that’s something we all deserve.

Your Coach,
Bill

Jump In To Life!

They say that life is for living, but we all know that when the going gets tough it’s hard to keep that enthusiasm and passion going. It takes real guts, determination and confidence to live a full and rich life, but it becomes a whole lot easier if you jump into your life in the right ways.

The very best way to live a rich life that I know of is through what I call ‘Inspired Participation’. A couple of quick definitions for you -

in-spired

1. To stimulate to action; motivate

2. To breathe life into.

3. To be the cause or source of; bring about.


par-tic-i-pa-tion

1. The act of taking part or sharing in something.

2. To share in something.

Participation is an active process of engaging with your own life. Inspiration is doing what you do knowing that’s it’s a positive choice and means something to you. So Inspired Participation is about plugging into everything in your life, finding value in it all and letting yourself do what comes naturally.

Here are 4 big reasons to make inspired participation happen in your own life.

1. Inspired Participation in Your Game
Make a choice about which game you want to play and play it. You can’t play a decent game of golf unless you get a some decent clubs, a glove,some shoes and get yourself onto the course. To play a great game of golf you’ll need to practice, you’ll need to work on your swing and focus on fundamentals and you’ll need to capitalise on your strengths. Even if the game gets hard and you’re not sure when you’ll win your next game, you keep on playing because you value the experience and it means something to you.

Inspired Participation in your game is choosing to engage in something that matters to you, playing it fully and enjoying it . It could be a relationship, an entrepreneurial idea,your business, contributing to your community, a friendship, changing your career or a million other things.

It’s only by making a choice to become a great player in a game that matters that you become a great player and get success that means something.

2. Inspired Participation in Your Feelings
Emotions go up and down and yes, sometimes they’re confusing, unpredictable and downright painful. That’s part of the deal with being human I’m afraid.

But your feelings are where you experience your life and everything in it – they’re your connection with what’s happening in your life and the impact that everything has on you. Cut yourself off from your feelings and you’re cutting yourself off from your own life and you’ll feel disconnected from everything.

Inspired Participation in your own feelings is knowing that your feelings are there to serve a purpose and they’re all equally valid. This is about allowing yourself to feel what you’re feeling, not necessarily doing anything with those feelings.

3. Inspired Participation in the World
No man’s an island, and you can’t live in a vacuum. Everything you do has an impact on the world around you – - friends, family, colleagues, finances, home, relationships, community, health, career, etc. – and nothing can happen in your life without having an impact somewhere.

Inspired Participation in the world is about plugging into what’s around you and being aware of what’s working and what isn’t working. This is about looking at how you can create a congruent environment that contributes to what’s important to you and helps you honour those things.

It’s about being more than just one person.

4. Inspired Participation in Action
I’ll bet that you sometimes get an idea that seems odd, crazy or just plain brilliant, and I’ll also bet that you often filter these thoughts out and take a more established or safer route. Inspired Participation in action is making it okay for you to do out of the ordinary things that somehow feel incredibly right.

This doesn’t necessarily have to involve full-on, life changing, epic events. Not at all. Inspired participation in action can be a lot more subtle or gentle than that, like getting in touch with an old friend, signing up for that fun evening class or finding a quiet sense of comfort with who you are, where you are and what you’re doing.

Inspired participation in action is knowing that you can take the road less traveled.

With these 4 strategies in mind – and the massive benefits that spring from them – life switches from something that you struggle or fight through into something that gives you incomparable richness.

And that’s something we all deserve.

Your Coach,
Bill

Set Yourself On Fire!

Set Yourself On Fire!!,

Have you heard of a guy called Fred Shero?

No? . I’m a big sports fan and Fred was a hugely successful Canadian NHL player and coach with a string of many hundreds of wins and numerous awards and accolades to his name. Pretty good going, but it’s not his sports record that I admire.

What I love Fred for is something that he once said:

“Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must first set yourself on fire.”

Reading that sent lightning bolts through my spine, as there have been many times in my life when I’ve been sitting back, subconsciously waiting for the world to bring me the success I thought I wanted. To be completely honest with you, even now I sometimes find myself expecting someone else to ’set fire’ to me, waiting for spontaneous combustion rather setting myself on fire and finding my own success.

I have to catch myself when I slip into that way of thinking before it sets in, because Fred’s absolutely right.

People all too often wait for success to happen to them. “If only it would fall into place…”, “Surely someone will discover who I am and what I can do soon…” or “Just a little while longer and it’ll all come good…” are examples of the things we say while we’re waiting for success to come along.

Of course, the big thing I’ve come to learn is that it doesn’t work that way. Finding success – real success – isn’t a passive thing. It’s not something that happens to you like watching a movie or getting your hair cut. Finding success is something that happens in you.

Here are 4 things for you to think about:

1. What does success look like to you?
What comprises success? How much of it is material? How much of it is emotional? How much of it is spiritual? Get specific about what success does and doesn’t mean to you.

2. Imagine yourself towards the end of your life
Picture yourself towards the end of your life as happy and content as you can be. What is it about that future you that tells you as clear as day that they’re happy and content? Picture yourself walking up to them and asking them what it is that allowed them to reach that point. What single piece of advice can they give you?

3. How focused are you on working on your success?
What are you willing to do to get the kind of success you want? What are you waiting for the world to deliver to you so that you can have that success?

4. Are you driving your success?
How would it be if you were driving that success rather than waiting for it? What changes do you notice in how you do things and how you feel about things?

I’m not suggesting for one minute that you can’t ask others, the world, God or whatever higher power you happen to believe in for help. I’m not even suggesting that you become wholly focused on working towards your success. That’s missing the point.

The point is that we humans tend to be focused on working towards happiness and success and assume that until it comes along we have to spend time being unhappy, suffering or struggling.

You don’t have to struggle…
The truth is that things happen much easier and more readily if we don’t struggle, suffer or assume unhappiness – the assumption that you need to struggle or fight for your success is a false one. Real success comes much easier and becomes more consistent when you operate straight from that place of success instead of assuming it’s out there in the world somewhere.

Go after what’s important to you and get going on all those shiny things you’d love to have, do and be in life, but recognise how much more pleasureable it’s going to be when you’re feeling happy and successful rather than unhappy and unsuccessful.

Fred got it right. Don’t wait for spontaneous combustion or for someone to set light to you. Dive into your own happiness and success, engage with those things and operate from a place where they’re real and present.

Don’t wait, set yourself on fire.

Your Coach,
Bill

Winners Creed!!

You’ve probably heard the expression, “what’s the point of doing anything if you’re not going to do it well? “ This pursuit of excellence is absolutely essential in the life of any successful champion. The sense of accomplishment you get from a job well done can do wonders for your self esteem. But striving for excellence isn’t only about the times you get to succeed and pat yourself on the back. Equally important – in fact, possibly more important – are those times when you miss the mark.

In any life well lived, there really are no mistakes. Unless you count the mistake of not trying. Because every time you reach for something, you push yourself a little bit farther, you grow a little bit stronger, your life becomes that much richer and more fulfilling. And even if you don’t quite reach your goal, you learn so much by pushing yourself beyond where you were before.

It’s all about not shying away from a challenge, but constantly striving to be the best you can be. Will there be days or occasions when you just get by? Of course. But your overall goal should be to keep reaching for more. And then, when you achieve it, to reach for something else. Because the winners responsibility is to never stop changing or growing.

Kerr Business Group "CREED"

Commit Totally
Respect the Process
Engage Fully
Expect Greatness
Daily Habits of Success

Habit Tip:

Your body is strong and healthy and energetic – and that energy is something to celebrate. Every day in your pursuit of success life is a new opportunity to get out there and touch people’s hearts and lives, and to experience pleasure, pride and accomplishment in all the things you do.

But do you feel like taking the world by storm every day? Probably not.

People today are overstressed and overworked, which can leave anyone feeling less than energetic. So what do you do when it takes every ounce of strength you have just to drag yourself out of bed? Believe it or not, it starts in your mind. You and your faith have the power to make yourself feel more alive right there inside your head – you just have to take charge. Drink a cold glass of water with lemon or lime to wake up your taste buds. Take a few deep breaths, or do some light stretching to warm up your muscles. Maybe a walk outside in the morning air will get your blood going.

And if none of that works, use your mind and positive self talk to change the message. Instead of focusing on how tired you feel, remind yourself of how excited you are to be on this incredible journey, and while the work may be hard at times, the best is yet to come.
Your Coach
Bill

Dealing with Negative People.

Dealing With Negative People;

Borrowed Blog not My Personal experience,

Do you have any friends or colleagues who are negative? If so, you’ll know they aren’t the most enjoyable people to be around. Negative people can be real downers in any conversation. No matter what you say, they have a way of spinning things in a negative direction. Some negative people can be so negative that it feels draining just being around them.

I’ve dealt with a fair share of negative people in my life. When I was in junior college, I was basically surrounded by a college population of negative students and teachers. My school wasn’t the best of the lot, so most people inside were disgruntled by virtue of being there. While I was initially taken aback by negativity of the people, I eventually learned to manage it and channel it into conscious action.

Today, I deal with negativity on-and-off in my personal development work, especially if there are readers or coaching clients in distress. Rather than be affected by others’ negative energy, I’m now able to consciously deal with it. Here, I’ll share with you 9 tips to deal with negative people in your life:

1) Don’t get into an argument
One of the most important things I learned is not to debate with a negative person. A negative person likely has very staunch views and isn’t going to change that just because of what you said. Whatever you say, he/she can find 10 different reasons to back up his/her viewpoint. The discussion will just swirl into more negativity, and you pull yourself down in the process. You can give constructive comments, and if the person rebutts with no signs of backing down, don’t engage further.

2) Empathize with them
Have you ever been annoyed by something before, then have someone tell you to “relax”? How did you feel? Did you relax as the person suggested or did you feel even more worked up?

From my experience, people who are negative (or upset for that matter) benefit more from an empathetic ear than suggestions/solutions on what he/she should do. By helping them to address their emotions, the solutions will automatically come to them (it’s always been inside them anyway).

3) Lend a helping hand
Some people complain as a way of crying for help. They may not be conscious of it though, so their comments come across as complaints rather than requests. Take the onus to lend a helping hand. Just a simple “Are you okay?” or “Is there anything I can do to help you?” can do wonders.

4) Stick to light topics
Some negative people are triggered by certain topics. Take for example: One of my friends sinks into a self-victimizing mode whenever we talk about his work. No matter what I say (or don’t say), he’ll keep complaining once we talk about work.

Our 1st instinct with negative people should be to help bring them to a more positive place (i.e. steps #2 and #3). But if it’s apparent the person is stuck in his/her negativity, the unhappiness may be too deeply rooted to address in a one-off conversation, or for you to help him/her unravel it. Bring in a new topic to lighten the mood. Simple things like new movies, daily occurrences, common friends, make for light conversation. Keep it to areas the person feels positive towards.

5) Ignore the negative comments
One way to help the negative person “get it” is to ignore the negative comments. If he/she goes into a negative swirl, ignore or give a simple “I see” or “Ok” reply. On the other hand, when he/she is being positive, reply in affirmation and enthusiasm. Do this often and soon he/she will know positivity pays off. He/she will adjust to be more positive accordingly.

6) Praise the person for the positive things
Negative people aren’t just negative to others. They’re also negative to themselves. If you already feel negative around them, imagine how they must feel all the time. What are the things the person is good at? What do you like about the person? Recognize the positive things and praise him/her for it. He/she will be surprised at first and might reject the compliment, but on the inside he/she will feel positive about it. That’s the first seed of positivity you’re planting in him/her and it’ll bloom in the long-term.

7) Hang out in 3’s or more people
Having someone else in the conversation works wonders in easing the load. In a 1-1 communication, all the negativity will be directed towards you. With someone else in the conversation, you don’t have to bear the full brunt of the negativity. This way you can focus more on doing steps #1 (Empathizing) and #2 (Helping the person).

8) Be responsible for your reaction
Whether the person is negative or not, ultimately you’re the one who is perceiving the person is negative. When you recognize that, actually the negativity is the product of your lens. Take responsibility for your perceptions. For every trait, you can interpret it in a positive and a negative manner. Learn to see the goodness of the person than the negative. It may be tough initially, but once you cultivate the skill, it becomes second nature.

9) Reduce contact with them / Avoid them
If all else fails, reduce contact with them or avoid them altogether. If it’s a good friend, let him/her know of the severity of the issue and work it out where possible. It’s not healthy to spend too much time with people who drain you. Your time is precious, so spend it with people who have positive effects on you.

Your Coach,
Bill

Treating People!!!

R.E.S.P.E.C.T… What does it mean to you?




A few years ago, I read an article about a young man who, at age 23, went to work as the senior pastor of his first church. He found the experience very intimidating because he was to be the spiritual leader of people who had children and grandchildren older than he was.

How did he handle it? By showing his people respect and asking them to treat them in kind. To make his standard clear to everyone, he shared ten rules for respect that he promised to live by, and he asked his people to do the same.

Here are his rules:

1.If you have a problem with me, come to me (privately).
2.If I have a problem with you, I’ll come to you (privately).
3.If someone has a problem with me and comes to you, send them to me. (I’ll do the same for you.)
4.If someone consistently will not come to me, say, “Let’s go see him together.” (I’ll do the same for you.)
5.Be careful how you interpret me. On matters that are unclear, do not feel pressured to interpret my feelings or thoughts. It is easy to misinterpret intentions.
6.I will be careful how I interpret you.
7.If it’s confidential, don’t tell. If anyone comes to me in confidence, I won’t tell unless (a) the person is going to harm him/herself; (b) the person is going to physically harm someone else; (c) a child has been physically or sexually abused. I expect the same from you.
8.I do not read unsigned letters or notes.
9.I do not manipulate; I will not be manipulated. Do not let others manipulate you; do not let others try to manipulate me through you.
10.When in doubt, just say it. If I can answer without misrepresenting something or breaking a confidence, I will.

Thanks John Maxwell
Your Coach,
Bill

Change Your Mindset

Change Your Mindset;

We all want to change our internal reality on some level. The way we think, interpret, react, cope, expect, process, interact and communicate. The way we create our own experiences: good and bad. The way we manage our fears. Or, perhaps, don’t manage them. The way we avoid the big decisions. The way we wait. And wait. And wait. That is, procrastinate.

The way we see ourselves. Talk to ourselves. The way we feel. Our emotions. The way we deal with stressful situations. Or, perhaps, the way we create stress in our world. The way we see the world and us in it. The labels we give things. The meaning we give certain experiences. The way we give away our power. And take it back. The way we look for approval. And acceptance.

The way we beat ourselves up. And make ourselves unhappy. The way we pretend. And act. And deny. The way we continue on with the same unproductive and destructive patterns, habits and behaviours. The way we have the same pointless conversations about the same issues with the same people. And produce the same less-than-desirable results. Forever. The way we do the same things over and over and then curiously wonder why nothing changes. The way we start things we never finish.

Yes, we all want to change on some level. We all want to become a better version of us. To learn, grow, evolve and adapt. That’s why we explore personal development.

So, what is the single quickest way to create internal shift? To change the way we think, feel, interpret, react, cope, expect, process, interact and communicate? Three simple words:

Experience new things.

Do Different to Be Different

When we do things we’ve never done before, there’s an instant and automatic internal shift. Expectations, emotions, attitudes and beliefs (about what’s possible for us) change. The internal shift is simply a byproduct of a new experience. Of doing something we’ve never done before.

Change comes from doing. For the most part, we don’t ‘think’ ourselves different; we ‘do’ ourselves different. So to speak. We need to ‘action’ our way to internal transformation. Which is why the theory of personal development is worthless until it becomes a practical reality. Until the concepts and ideas are turned into behaviours. Some people are theoretical geniuses but practical idiots. They talk a lot but do very little.

Change comes from doing. Which is why an article like this can be transformational or worthless – it all depends on you.

The Runner

For the forty-five year-old woman who runs a half-marathon for the first time in her life, the transformation will be more emotional and psychological (internal), than it will be physical (external). She finishes her event and without focusing on anything other than the physical process, she has gained more confidence, her standards and expectations have changed, she’s less fearful and she’s more excited about her future possibilities. Her new experience has created internal shift.

The Ex-Scaredy Cat

Then there’s the insecure, fearful guy who runs into a burning house and saves a child. In an instant, his default setting is changed forever. He does something that he never thought was possible (for him) and with one brave, selfless action, many of his self-limiting beliefs are smashed. He is empowered. The world is the same but he is different. Therefore, his world is different.

The Graduate

There’s the self-proclaimed dummy who enrolls in university, does the work, develops the study-skills, learns the academic language, passes the exams and gains the degree. She is forever changed. The ability was always there but the confidence wasn’t. Her self-limiting thinking and self-sabotaging behaviours become a thing of the past – as a byproduct of doing something she had never done.

The Traveller

There’s the woe-is-me guy who visits a third world country. He instantly realises that his horrible life in the North America is actually fantastic. And that his lifestyle is actually one of privilege, not disadvantage. He identifies that his self-pitying, negative attitude has always been his problem. Without even looking for it, his experience in another part of the world teaches him to acknowledge, value and appreciate what he has (which is plenty). Nothing changes but everything changes.

The Business Woman

There’s the girl who sets up her own business. She doesn’t think about it, plan for it or talk about it (any more). No, she actually does it. In the first twelve months of owning her own business, she learns and grows more than she has in the last twelve years. The experience changes her.

And Me…

While I am constantly reading and studying, the place I’ve always learned the most, had my biggest breakthroughs and experienced my biggest (internal) shifts was when I stepped out of my over-thinking mind and experienced new things.

If you’re like me (an experiential learner), then perhaps it’s time for you to experience something new? To do something you’ve never done. And no, it doesn’t need to be a major event so don’t talk yourself out of it before you even start. It might be something relatively minor like trying yoga, talking to a stranger, going for a jog, learning an instrument, doing some volunteer work, asking someone out for coffee or even leaving a comment on this site.

Or, maybe you should think about it for a while longer?

Share an experience with me that created a significant internal shift for you.

Your Coach,
Bill

Brighten up Your Day!

Each day includes moments that can be deeply enjoyed or carelessly tossed aside. As I learned to identify and enjoy those moments amid the hustle of regular life, I found more smiles and sunshine than I’d ever thought possible. Try one of the following for best results!

Take 15 – Shut your phone off, close the blinds, rest your eyes and listen to some music. If you like action more than mediation, so be it! Use your 15 minutes in a way that will leave you feeling most revitalized. That’s where the sunshine comes from.
Go for a stroll – The kind of meandering walk that is more about discovering the path than reaching a destination. If I don’t have a camera or pad handy, I like to make a mental list of a few things I discover on every stroll I take. A design element I particularly appreciate, a rabbit hopping down an alley, or a woman singing on her porch; all contribute my perspective and appreciation of the world around me.
Do something nice for a complete stranger – Buy a coffee, pay a toll, give a smile and a “thank you” when none is required. Giving when neither is required will open you up to a world of kindness. It also feels very, very good.
Laugh from your stomach – You know the kind of laugh that shakes your entire body and ends in a half-moan because you’re not sure if you can stop laughing? That kind of laugh. A moment spent in full enjoyment of humor is a great way to release tension and refuel your smile.
Try something not included in your normal diet - Most of us eat from a very short list of foods. Eating something entirely different will do more than expand your palate. It will help keep your sense of adventure alive!
Your Coach
Bill

Stop The Sabotage

Stop the Sabotage;

Come on… admit it. We all have an ability to dwell on “what if” questions. If we really let them, sometimes those “what if” scenarios that we visualize in our minds can even grow into overblown exaggerations of the realistic outcomes in our circumstances. In today’s challenging economy, it’s sometimes easy to ask ourselves, “What if my manager doesn’t think that I’m a strong enough team member in my company to keep on staff?” In our personal life, we might worry, “What if my appearance doesn’t measure up against other women who are more fit than me?” If you’ve been plagued by energy-draining thoughts like these, you are NOT alone… but there is a more fulfilling way of thinking.

How about trying on a new “what if” for size? What if… you took action on what you can control instead of dwelling on what you cannot? What if… you commit to engaging more in thoughts that bring you joy instead of self-consciousness? What if… you shift yourself from worrier to warrior? I believe you can do it!

Take a moment and really examine your own thought life. Be honest. Are you allowing your concerns to direct you towards taking responsible actions for the manageable aspects of your life? Great! Those are healthy concerns. Act on them by staying focused on being productive at work, working out and eating healthy. Then, once you handle those tasks that are within your control, do you allow your mind to let go and trust that you’ve done all you can? If so, you might already be a warrior instead of a worrier.

Alternatively, are your healthy concerns growing unrestrained, like weeds, into unproductive worries that send you spiraling? Watch out! That path will lead to feelings of dissatisfaction and troublesome worry. Take some time to consider which of your thoughts might be troubling you, and wrestle with them. Once you’ve taken action and done everything you can in your situation, practice releasing your worries about the outcome.

My desire for you is that you’ll thrive in life from learning to keep your worries in check. I believe that you have it in you to do it! Just taking the first step toward recognizing your unhealthy concerns will lead towards minimizing worries in your mind. I encourage you to take one step at a time to develop a system that works specifically for you in locking out toxic worries from your thoughts.
Trust me - you’ll feel more inner peace than ever before!
Your Coach,
Bill