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Are You Setting Yourself Up For Success?

I heard a radio announcer ask an interesting question while listening to a football game. He asked, “Is Oregon playing to win or are they playing not to lose?” What a great question!

In various forms, this same question has come up several times lately in different conversations and different contexts. I think it is good to look at the distinction in our own lives.

How about you? Are you playing to win, or playing not to lose? This can show up in every area of our lives: business, romance, friendship, sports, building wealth, etc. Our focus strongly determines our behavior and – no big surprise – our success (or lack thereof).

Think about your business for a moment. How would your marketing and sales or customer service efforts change if your goal was to be the best? How about if you were in it not to lose? Which approach would bring you greater success?

Take another area of life: […]

2018-11-19T15:19:47-08:00May 16th, 2016|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Focus on What You Want

plant growingA participant in one of my business building workshops shared a great story on a coaching call.

She was at the dentist’s office and while she was laying in the chair she was thinking about asking for referrals – one of the actions she committed to in the short-term marketing plan she created during the kick off seminar. She wasn’t really sure how that could work in this situation, but she was open to whatever came along.

When the dentist came in, he asked if she had given thought to a more expensive procedure they had discussed on a previous visit. She told him she thought it would have to wait until she got her new business off the ground, since cash flow is less than she’s used to. He then asked what she was doing. After she told him, the hygienist (who was also in the room) said she knew a couple of people […]

2018-11-03T21:23:27-07:00April 12th, 2016|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Stop Focusing on Getting More Done

checklistStop focusing on getting more done? You may be thinking, “That’s just craziness! How can I accomplish my goals and increase productivity if I don’t focus on getting more done?” Well, we often spend so much time packing more into our days that the truly important work doesn’t ever get done. So, instead of focusing on getting more done, a more effective strategy is to focus doing the things that lead to success.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? But, in order to focus on getting results that matter, we first have to decide what’s really important.

If you look closely at how you spend your time, you may be surprised to find that a lot of it is spent doing things that don’t really make you money. My experience has been that most people find they only spend about 30 percent of their time on activities that lead to success in business.

So, how do you determine what’s most important? I’m sure […]

2018-11-03T21:23:28-07:00February 23rd, 2016|Tags: , , , |0 Comments

Focus Matters

dogsA young man was talking to his grandfather one day about his dilemma in deciding whether he should continue on his current path of pursuing his dreams even though the future was uncertain. He described his feeling inside as one of two dogs fighting.

When his grandfather asked him to describe this feeling in more detail he told him that it was as if each of the dogs was holding onto an object that represented his dreams. The dogs each had a hold of the object and were pulling hard in opposite directions. One dog represented all of his doubts: the uncertainty about the future, things that got in his way, his fears of being able to pull it off, etc. The other dog represented the possibilities: a fulfilling career path, excitement, making a positive difference, and more.

The young man asked his grandfather how he could know which of the dogs would win, so he […]

2018-11-03T21:23:28-07:00January 9th, 2016|Tags: , |0 Comments

Out with the Old Goals and In with the New

old_newWith the new year rapidly approaching I find that many people are starting to think about New Year’s Resolutions and goals for new year. For some, this is a joyful experience and for others it is a painful one.

Given that, I’m offering some suggestions for making this an enjoyable process of learning and growth that will take you into the new year positively acknowledging the year gone by and looking forward to the coming one.

Begin by reflecting on this past year. Ask yourself:

  1. What am I most proud of?
  2. What have I learned this year?
  3. How have I grown?

Now, take a look at the goals you set for yourself last year.

  1. Acknowledge yourself for progress made and goals accomplished.
  2. Next, look at the things you didn’t do. Are they still important? Or, has your life changed in such a way that it is time to change some of your goals?
  3. If a goal is still […]
2018-11-03T21:23:28-07:00December 15th, 2013|Tags: , |0 Comments

Deliberately Choose Your Path

pathWhen I decided the last month to begin hosting a discussion group at my home on ‘Voluntary Simplicity’, I really didn’t know what I was in for. I naturally tend to lead a pretty simple life. So, I thought that it would be a fun way to spend some quality time with my friends, learn about them on a deeper level, and, as a bonus, I would probably pick up a couple of interesting ideas.

It has turned out to be a far richer experience than I had imagined. The major premise of the material challenges us to live deliberately, thoughtfully, creatively and deeply. This is much more than I had thought of when I first took this on. So, I’ve been pondering the concepts a lot as they relate to all parts of my life. What does it really mean to live deliberately, thoughtfully, creatively and deeply?

It calls into question what really matters for […]

2018-11-03T21:23:29-07:00April 29th, 2013|Tags: , |0 Comments