I recently wrote a book called Why People Fail.
It examines the 16 biggest obstacles to success and how we can overcome them. Many readers asked me whether I had similar theories about why businesses fail. Of course, there are a myriad of reasons that cause corporate failure, but here are six of the biggest:
NO CLEAR MARKETING FUNNEL.
People usually don’t just discover great products. Contrary to the famous saying, if you build a better mouse trap the world will not beat a path to your door.
You need to develop a way to efficiently attract leads, then convert some of them. This seems so basic, but hundreds of thousands of busineses start with no clear marketing funnel and then have to rely on luck or referrals to get customers in through the door.
What’s your marketing funnel? Will you start with print ads? Google ads? A free offer? Direct mail? Unless you develop a system for marketing, your chances of making money consistently are minuscule.
NO FOLLOW UP OF CUSTOMERS.
Once you’ve got an enquiry from a potential customer, you have to stay in contact with them.
For how long? Well as the great marketer Dan Kennedy likes to say, “Until they buy or die.”
So many business owners are unaware of the importance of this. They get hundreds of phone enquiries or street walk ins, then let them leave without leaving any follow up details. Crazy.
Give them a reason to leave you their email address (a free report, a discount, a newsletter) then keep reminding them that you exist and that you sell some good stuff. You’d be amazed how well this works. This doesn’t just work for potential customers it works just as nicely for people who’ve already bought from you. Just stay in touch and many will buy from you again.
NO BUSINESS SYSTEM.
There are two types of businesses you can run. A talent based business and a systems based business.
A talent based business relies on the talents of a few key people. It can make money, but it’s precarious, because that talent may decide to leave. Or ask for too much money. Or get sick for a few months. Far better is a systems based biz.
It doesn’t just rely on talented people, it’s also got clear, organised systems and rules that staff have to follow. Creating a systems based business can be a bit of a hassle initially. But when you do the place will run much more smoothly and definitely more profitably.
NO PERSISTENCE.
Some people just give up too easily. They encounter a year of obstacles and just lose hope that things can change. Believe me, the corporate world is full of examples of companies doing it tough, then emerging triumphant.
In the early days Boeing was so strapped for cash they started producing furniture! True story.
The Marriott hotel chain started as a root beer stand.
Good companies take time. Sometimes lots of time. But so many entrepreneurs get depressed that they haven’t made a hundred million in their first three years. And give up soon after.
Don’t make this mistake. Extend your timelines, commit yourself to your company for the long term. It makes a world of difference to your results.
NO SELF BELIEF.
Closely allied to persistence, self belief is vitally important to the success of a business. When you have strong self belief you think better, sell better and lead better.
Potential clients sense it and are attracted to people who possess it. Almost every area of a Chief Executive’s performance lifts when they believe in themselves. Yet so few corporate leaders work on their beliefs. It seems a bit too touchy feely, too intangible, compared to say working on next quarter’s figures.
Yet focusing daily on your self talk, choosing empowering beliefs, refusing to give negativity substantial time in your head, will help you make more progress than working on almost any traditional business skill.
You tend to become what you think, so for goodness sake be careful what you think. As Henry Ford put it, “Whether you think you can or can’t, you’re right.”
NO MARGIN FOR ERROR.
The final reason businesses fail is simply that they sail too close to the wind. All they need is a little bit of bad luck- a tough six months, a key client who pulls their account, a senior staff member who leaves for a rival firm, and they find that they simply don’t have enough cash to survive.
This year alone I’ve mentored two CEO’s of online businesses who had fabulous sales, but just didn’t have enough cash in reserve. The result? They went under.
Warren Buffett likes to call this ‘Margin Of Safety’. When he invests in a business he makes sure the deal makes sense even if the company performs well below expectations. He doesn’t just depend on things going right, he builds in the chance that things will go very wrong. We all need to do the same.
A guy I know said that the most common phrase Richard Branson used when they were talking was ‘protect the downside’.
So take a look at these six causes of business failure. Ask yourself whether any of them apply to you. If you’re weak in even one of these areas your entire business could be in peril.
Make a plan today to fix that weakness and set a deadline by which you’ll do it. None are hard to fix, but all could become a nightmare if they are allowed to grow.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Marketing Lessons from Obama’s Victory -- Siimon Reynolds
Most of us enjoyed watching the spectacle of the Romney/Obama war from a human and political point of view. But there are also some important marketing lessons that can be learned by analysing their battle.
1. ENTHUSIASM MATTERS.
When Obama turned up at the first debate as a seemingly unenthusiastic, quiet, taciturn leader he endangered his chances of staying President.
The next day the polls showed a substantial shift in public sentiment against him.
Why? It wasn’t the brilliance of Romney’s suggestions for the country’s future that damaged Obama, it was that nobody likes a leader without passion, energy and verve. Many were shocked by Obama’s unspirited performance and began to wonder if he was the right man to lead in these dire economic times. His lack of emotional energy cost him plenty.
The same is true when you’re trying to sell your product or service.
People buy enthusiasm, as much as they buy the product itself. If customers don’t feel that you’re totally comitted to and excited by what you sell, why should they be?
Are you showing total enthusiasm in your presentations? Or only going through the motions? The difference can be worth a fortune.
2. DETAILS AREN’T REMEMBERED.
I assert that the average voter found the endless statistics and facts of both part leaders totally befuddling. They not only didn’t understand the ramifications of much of the data proffered by Romney and Obama, but had very little memory of it anyway soon afterward.
It’s the same with your brand. Unless you keep your message really, really simple (then endlessly repeat it) then it’s unlikely you’ll make a memorable dent in your audience’s consciousness.
Most of us do the opposite. We say too many things about our company, so few are remembered.We list endless features of our products rather than talk in depth about the one or two that really matter .
As a result our brand doesn’t stand out amongst the countless other competitors who are all doing the same. There’s money in simplicity.
3. COMMUNITY IS PRICELESS.
Anyone who was on Obama’s email list couldn’t help but marvel at the deep sense of community his team created with it. Several times a day for months, emails were sent asking for donations, keeping supporters in touch with the latest news and taking every opportunity to make those on the list feel like they were playing a major role in the re-election of the President.
I remember that even on the election day itself, an email went out asking for 750 volunteers in my state (California) to leave what they were doing and lend a hand down at the polling booths. (I assume every state got their own email with this extraordinary request.)
Because millions of people were brought into Obama’s ‘inner circle’ by these emails, they not only helped him raise over a billion dollars, they felt a deepening sense of comradeship and loyalty to his cause.
Which inevitably led to increased votes.
What about you? Have you developed a community of customers that believe in what you’re doing, what you’re selling and what you stand for?
Do they feel that you are about more than making the sale? The more powerfully you make a stand for something the more customers will get behind you.
To his audience, Richard Branson isn’t about selling airline seats. He’s about making flying fun.
Steve Jobs didn’t strive to be number one in computer or music sales, he stood for an intense drive for product excellence.
Ralph Lauren doesn’t get up in the morning purely to make more money, he’s inspired to create a more beautiful life for his customers.
As a result, in all three cases these people created a community of millions of people who believed in them- and therefore the products they sold.
In your own way, you can do the same.
4. THE MESSAGE MUST BE CONSISTENT.
One of the key differences between Obama and Romney was their consistency of message.
One month out from election day Romney fundamentally changed many of his positions on important issues .
So much so, that Obama mocked him by saying there was a new disease of forgetfulness, known as ‘Romnesia’.
In contrast, Obama stuck with his core campaign tenets right throughout the election campaign. Yes, he adapted what he said about them, in response to Romney’s attacks, but he did not change his stance in any significant way.
It was tough to do, but was a crucial component of his ultimate victory.
How consistent are you?
With your company’s message and brand positioning? Your standards of service? Your follow through? Your operational systems? It’s not what you do or say occasionally, it’s what you deliver and how you come across day after day, year after year, that creates your reputation and engenders deep loyalty amongst your customers.
Consistency builds trust. Trust creates long term customers.Long term customers are the crucial element in building business wealth. In summary, while politics may seem a long way from business, it’s easy to see that many of the same elements generate success:
Enthusiastic delivery of message. Not getting too complex with the details. Building a community of followers. Maintaining consistency.
It pays to focus on them.
Whether you want to become President.
Or the President of your company.
1. ENTHUSIASM MATTERS.
When Obama turned up at the first debate as a seemingly unenthusiastic, quiet, taciturn leader he endangered his chances of staying President.
The next day the polls showed a substantial shift in public sentiment against him.
Why? It wasn’t the brilliance of Romney’s suggestions for the country’s future that damaged Obama, it was that nobody likes a leader without passion, energy and verve. Many were shocked by Obama’s unspirited performance and began to wonder if he was the right man to lead in these dire economic times. His lack of emotional energy cost him plenty.
The same is true when you’re trying to sell your product or service.
People buy enthusiasm, as much as they buy the product itself. If customers don’t feel that you’re totally comitted to and excited by what you sell, why should they be?
Are you showing total enthusiasm in your presentations? Or only going through the motions? The difference can be worth a fortune.
2. DETAILS AREN’T REMEMBERED.
I assert that the average voter found the endless statistics and facts of both part leaders totally befuddling. They not only didn’t understand the ramifications of much of the data proffered by Romney and Obama, but had very little memory of it anyway soon afterward.
It’s the same with your brand. Unless you keep your message really, really simple (then endlessly repeat it) then it’s unlikely you’ll make a memorable dent in your audience’s consciousness.
Most of us do the opposite. We say too many things about our company, so few are remembered.We list endless features of our products rather than talk in depth about the one or two that really matter .
As a result our brand doesn’t stand out amongst the countless other competitors who are all doing the same. There’s money in simplicity.
3. COMMUNITY IS PRICELESS.
Anyone who was on Obama’s email list couldn’t help but marvel at the deep sense of community his team created with it. Several times a day for months, emails were sent asking for donations, keeping supporters in touch with the latest news and taking every opportunity to make those on the list feel like they were playing a major role in the re-election of the President.
I remember that even on the election day itself, an email went out asking for 750 volunteers in my state (California) to leave what they were doing and lend a hand down at the polling booths. (I assume every state got their own email with this extraordinary request.)
Because millions of people were brought into Obama’s ‘inner circle’ by these emails, they not only helped him raise over a billion dollars, they felt a deepening sense of comradeship and loyalty to his cause.
Which inevitably led to increased votes.
What about you? Have you developed a community of customers that believe in what you’re doing, what you’re selling and what you stand for?
Do they feel that you are about more than making the sale? The more powerfully you make a stand for something the more customers will get behind you.
To his audience, Richard Branson isn’t about selling airline seats. He’s about making flying fun.
Steve Jobs didn’t strive to be number one in computer or music sales, he stood for an intense drive for product excellence.
Ralph Lauren doesn’t get up in the morning purely to make more money, he’s inspired to create a more beautiful life for his customers.
As a result, in all three cases these people created a community of millions of people who believed in them- and therefore the products they sold.
In your own way, you can do the same.
4. THE MESSAGE MUST BE CONSISTENT.
One of the key differences between Obama and Romney was their consistency of message.
One month out from election day Romney fundamentally changed many of his positions on important issues .
So much so, that Obama mocked him by saying there was a new disease of forgetfulness, known as ‘Romnesia’.
In contrast, Obama stuck with his core campaign tenets right throughout the election campaign. Yes, he adapted what he said about them, in response to Romney’s attacks, but he did not change his stance in any significant way.
It was tough to do, but was a crucial component of his ultimate victory.
How consistent are you?
With your company’s message and brand positioning? Your standards of service? Your follow through? Your operational systems? It’s not what you do or say occasionally, it’s what you deliver and how you come across day after day, year after year, that creates your reputation and engenders deep loyalty amongst your customers.
Consistency builds trust. Trust creates long term customers.Long term customers are the crucial element in building business wealth. In summary, while politics may seem a long way from business, it’s easy to see that many of the same elements generate success:
Enthusiastic delivery of message. Not getting too complex with the details. Building a community of followers. Maintaining consistency.
It pays to focus on them.
Whether you want to become President.
Or the President of your company.
Ways to Stay Motivated - Siimon Reynolds
Other than war, it’s hard to think of an occupation tougher than business. Anyone aiming high in the corporate arena is almost incessantly hit by obstacles, disappointments and failures. It can be hard on the mind.
In the future, I believe that every executive will work on their mental fitness every bit as much as their physical fitness.
After all, we all know that when our mind is sharp, focused and motivated our performance is usually superb.
With that in mind I’d like to present you with 3 ways to uplift your motivation. If you’re feeling a little depleted or defeated, use these techniques to lift your mood and your inspiration.
1. REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM.
Ambitious people all seem to have the same problem: they only think of where they’re going, not where they’ve come from. While this keeps them moving forward it often makes them also feel they have not achieved much- there’s always so much more to be done.
So take a moment every evening to look back on what you’ve achieved during the day. It’s almost always more than you thought. Then spend a minute remembering how far you’ve come in your career – what you’ve learn’t, how much wiser you’ve become, and all the progress you’ve made financially since you left school.
Just reminding yourself of your achievements lifts your morale and your self image, two critical components of high performance. Giving yourself a little pat on the back won’t make you soft, it will make you strong. You’ll feel ready to take on the world again.
2. THINK ABOUT YOUR BIGGER VISION.
It’s easy to get immersed and bogged down in the endless deadlines we all have each day. But concentrating on the immediate and urgent in our lives all the
time can be disheartening. Not to mention exhausting.
Yes we need to address the here and now, but we also must balance short term action with long term visioning. If you feel inundated with life’s activities the answer is almost always to take a step back and re-focus on your vision for your life.
What kind of person do you aspire to being? What kind of life do you want to have lived? What do you want your legacy to be?
Thinking about these big picture issues re-plants your mind in solid ground. It centers you, relaxes you, increases your confidence and sense of self. Each and every day we should devote at least a few minutes to remembering and clarifying our ultimate life vision.
It’s one of the most motivating exercises you can do.
3. SHORTEN YOUR DEADLINES.
If you’re feeling unmotivated, it’s usually because you feel you’re not making enough progress on your key goals.
Yes, you’re working hard, who isn’t, but the results aren’t coming as fast as you’d like.
When I’m coaching executives in situations like this I urge them to make the deadlines on all their tasks much shorter.
Instead of taking an hour to do something, aim to do it in 20 minutes. Instead of taking 5 days to finish that report, see if you can knock it over in one. As esteemed Harvard professor John Kotter has clearly showed, a lack of urgency is often at the heart of low achievement. Reducing the time you have to work on jobs engenders that urgency – you quickly break any feelings of lethargy. Short deadlines energise, inspire, captivate and get you back to working at your full capacity.
Pretty soon you start to see momentum and tangible results, which motivates you even further. Try it today. Cut the time you allocate to every task at least in half.
You’ll be surprised what an effect just this one technique has on your life.
Each of these techniques is easy to do, but can make a real difference to your motivation.
Together they can improve both how you feel and how you perform. If you do them once you’ll feel a bit better, but if you make them into a daily ritual you’ll find your confidence and effectiveness sky rocket.
In the future, I believe that every executive will work on their mental fitness every bit as much as their physical fitness.
After all, we all know that when our mind is sharp, focused and motivated our performance is usually superb.
With that in mind I’d like to present you with 3 ways to uplift your motivation. If you’re feeling a little depleted or defeated, use these techniques to lift your mood and your inspiration.
1. REMEMBER WHERE YOU CAME FROM.
Ambitious people all seem to have the same problem: they only think of where they’re going, not where they’ve come from. While this keeps them moving forward it often makes them also feel they have not achieved much- there’s always so much more to be done.
So take a moment every evening to look back on what you’ve achieved during the day. It’s almost always more than you thought. Then spend a minute remembering how far you’ve come in your career – what you’ve learn’t, how much wiser you’ve become, and all the progress you’ve made financially since you left school.
Just reminding yourself of your achievements lifts your morale and your self image, two critical components of high performance. Giving yourself a little pat on the back won’t make you soft, it will make you strong. You’ll feel ready to take on the world again.
2. THINK ABOUT YOUR BIGGER VISION.
It’s easy to get immersed and bogged down in the endless deadlines we all have each day. But concentrating on the immediate and urgent in our lives all the
time can be disheartening. Not to mention exhausting.
Yes we need to address the here and now, but we also must balance short term action with long term visioning. If you feel inundated with life’s activities the answer is almost always to take a step back and re-focus on your vision for your life.
What kind of person do you aspire to being? What kind of life do you want to have lived? What do you want your legacy to be?
Thinking about these big picture issues re-plants your mind in solid ground. It centers you, relaxes you, increases your confidence and sense of self. Each and every day we should devote at least a few minutes to remembering and clarifying our ultimate life vision.
It’s one of the most motivating exercises you can do.
3. SHORTEN YOUR DEADLINES.
If you’re feeling unmotivated, it’s usually because you feel you’re not making enough progress on your key goals.
Yes, you’re working hard, who isn’t, but the results aren’t coming as fast as you’d like.
When I’m coaching executives in situations like this I urge them to make the deadlines on all their tasks much shorter.
Instead of taking an hour to do something, aim to do it in 20 minutes. Instead of taking 5 days to finish that report, see if you can knock it over in one. As esteemed Harvard professor John Kotter has clearly showed, a lack of urgency is often at the heart of low achievement. Reducing the time you have to work on jobs engenders that urgency – you quickly break any feelings of lethargy. Short deadlines energise, inspire, captivate and get you back to working at your full capacity.
Pretty soon you start to see momentum and tangible results, which motivates you even further. Try it today. Cut the time you allocate to every task at least in half.
You’ll be surprised what an effect just this one technique has on your life.
Each of these techniques is easy to do, but can make a real difference to your motivation.
Together they can improve both how you feel and how you perform. If you do them once you’ll feel a bit better, but if you make them into a daily ritual you’ll find your confidence and effectiveness sky rocket.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
The Importance of Desire - Siimon Reynolds
In a world that has become bafflingly complex, it’s easy to forget that some secrets to business success are incredibly simple.
But their very simplicity can be deceiving, causing many entrepreneurs to ignore them, instead turning to the latest shiny objects and complex new fashions of business.
One such simple but vital element of business success is good old fashioned desire.
Take this 30 second test. I want you to think about the level of desire you have to be outstanding in business and rank it out of 10. With 1 out of 10 being complete apathy about your company and 10 out of 10 indicating a full on electrifying level of lust for business greatness.
Think about that now.
Most people, if they’re honest, will put their desire at around a 6.
And there lies their number one obstacle to achieving their corporate dreams.
Because the cold, hard truth is, no matter how much you learn about marketing, the internet, management or finance, if you do not have at least 8 out of 10 desire your chances of achieving anything outstanding in business are slim.
There are several reasons why.
Business is hard. Often boring. Always challenging. And frequently exhausting.
If you don’t have intense desire to achieve then after awhile it all just becomes a little too tough. Soon you start settling for survival rather than superlatives, a consistent profit rather than riches.
At first, business life seems easier with this more sedate attitude, but because there is so much darn competition out there, soon hungrier companies start taking your customers. And the hardships begin their inexorable increase.
The other reason white hot desire is imperative for business success is a little more controversial.
I believe that human desire is a magnet. I believe that God created humans with the ability to attract many of the things they need for their business and their life by mentally focusing on them with intensity and consistency. If we really, truly , deeply desire for our business to be successful, then after awhile we begin to attract better luck and more opportunities.
You may scoff at this, but very few billionaires do. In their quiet hours most will agree that their own piercing desire helped bring in all manner of lucky breaks that helped take them to the commercial stratosphere. Most believe in the power of desire to improve both their luck and consequently their circumstances.
If you scored yourself lowly on the desire ranking, then all is not lost.
Desire can be generated. By simply choosing to desire your goals more strongly, soon your level of desire will rise. You can assist this by both thinking more often about what you want to achieve in business and thinking more longingly about the spoils of corporate excellence.
The more you think in this way the more your desire will intensify. The more it intensifies the more action you’ll take towards your dreams. The more action you take the more you’ll refine your strategy. The more you refine your strategy the quicker you develop an effective formula for sustainable profits.
Try this simple exercise over the next week:
Before you start your business day, sit and think about your business until you lift your desire up to at least an 8 out of 10 .
Then and only then start work.
Desire works. It clarifies. It eliminates. It elevates.
For many it’s the missing ingredient in business success
But their very simplicity can be deceiving, causing many entrepreneurs to ignore them, instead turning to the latest shiny objects and complex new fashions of business.
One such simple but vital element of business success is good old fashioned desire.
Take this 30 second test. I want you to think about the level of desire you have to be outstanding in business and rank it out of 10. With 1 out of 10 being complete apathy about your company and 10 out of 10 indicating a full on electrifying level of lust for business greatness.
Think about that now.
Most people, if they’re honest, will put their desire at around a 6.
And there lies their number one obstacle to achieving their corporate dreams.
Because the cold, hard truth is, no matter how much you learn about marketing, the internet, management or finance, if you do not have at least 8 out of 10 desire your chances of achieving anything outstanding in business are slim.
There are several reasons why.
Business is hard. Often boring. Always challenging. And frequently exhausting.
If you don’t have intense desire to achieve then after awhile it all just becomes a little too tough. Soon you start settling for survival rather than superlatives, a consistent profit rather than riches.
At first, business life seems easier with this more sedate attitude, but because there is so much darn competition out there, soon hungrier companies start taking your customers. And the hardships begin their inexorable increase.
The other reason white hot desire is imperative for business success is a little more controversial.
I believe that human desire is a magnet. I believe that God created humans with the ability to attract many of the things they need for their business and their life by mentally focusing on them with intensity and consistency. If we really, truly , deeply desire for our business to be successful, then after awhile we begin to attract better luck and more opportunities.
You may scoff at this, but very few billionaires do. In their quiet hours most will agree that their own piercing desire helped bring in all manner of lucky breaks that helped take them to the commercial stratosphere. Most believe in the power of desire to improve both their luck and consequently their circumstances.
If you scored yourself lowly on the desire ranking, then all is not lost.
Desire can be generated. By simply choosing to desire your goals more strongly, soon your level of desire will rise. You can assist this by both thinking more often about what you want to achieve in business and thinking more longingly about the spoils of corporate excellence.
The more you think in this way the more your desire will intensify. The more it intensifies the more action you’ll take towards your dreams. The more action you take the more you’ll refine your strategy. The more you refine your strategy the quicker you develop an effective formula for sustainable profits.
Try this simple exercise over the next week:
Before you start your business day, sit and think about your business until you lift your desire up to at least an 8 out of 10 .
Then and only then start work.
Desire works. It clarifies. It eliminates. It elevates.
For many it’s the missing ingredient in business success
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
3 Reasons People Don’t Succeed in Business - Siimon Reynolds
Are you struggling to reach your goals in business? Most people are. The fact is the vast majority of business owners fall well short of their own goals. Try as they may, they just can’t seem to get the sales they need to grow their business.
The question is why.
Of course, there are a myriad of little reasons that entrepreneurs don’t succeed, but I believe there are 3 fundamental, over arching reasons for business failure. As you read them please take a moment to rank yourself a score out of ten in each of the 3 critical areas.
1. CLARITY.
Most people aren’t crystal clear about what they want from their business. Oh sure, they know they want to make more money, but very few are completely clear about precisely where they want to take their business, in how long, and in what ways. For example they are not clear on:
So, how do you rank in the area of Clarity? Now what’s one thing you could do today to improve that?
2. SELF BELIEF.
In 1960 a plastic surgeon by the name of Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered an amazing thing. Even after Dr. Maltz had performed plastic surgery on patients who believed they had a physical flaw, many of his patients still thought they were ugly.
Maltz realised that plastic surgery was useless unless the patient also worked on their self identity and developed their feelings of self worth. He concluded that what was really needed was plastic surgery for the mind. In other words, unless we believe in ourselves, our performance in any field (and our self respect) will be low. Since then countless studies have been done that corroborate Dr Maltz’s findings.
Running a business is tough. The obstacles are never ending and escalating, the pressures immense, the challenges to our self esteem virtually continuous. In this environment it is crucial that we continually boost our self-belief so that we feel confident enough to tackle this onslaught.
Yet I know of almost no executives or entrepreneurs who do this. It only takes a few minutes a day too. If we can create a daily morning ritual of coming up with reasons why we’ll succeed, seeing ourselves succeed in our mind’s eye, and talking to ourselves in a supportive, positive manner, then our self belief will indeed strengthen.
But I believe we must do this daily. Without consistency in our mental conditioning we will drift between believing in ourselves one day and doubting ourselves the next – the mental state of most executives today.
How do you rank yourself out of ten with Self Belief? What’s one thing you could do right now to improve that score?
3. PRODUCTIVITY.
Never before in history has the business world had such time shortages and job complexity. Endless meetings, tsunami’s of emails, To Do Lists as high as Kilimanjaro – it literally never stops. But that’s only half the problem. The other half is that we were never trained at school or university for this kind of world- we simply haven’t learnt enough productivity tools to excel in this environment.
So we are both overwhelmed by the enormity of our work tasks, and feel
Ill equipped with viable strategies to tackle them. There’s only one solution of course: start devoting more time to learning how to be productive. I’m suggesting serious study in this area, not just lightly reading a tip or two on the Internet. Only a total dedication to productivity mastery will defend us from the ever-increasing deluge of data and tasks that rise even as you read this.
Set yourself a goal of not only reading about productivity, but developing a collection of 10 time management techniques that you use every day – a quiver of productivity weapons that become central to your working life. Put them on a piece of paper and laminate it, keeping it clearly in view on your desk all day long. Soon it will become a part of you.
Unless we elevate personal productivity in our lives, we risk becoming mentally and physically exhausted by the sheer quantum of what our work life throws at us. Productivity skills are a must have, not a should have.
So thinking about this, what score would you give yourself in this area? What’s one thing you could do today to lift that score up? Ok, now take a moment to evaluate all of your scores. If you scored 7 or higher, congratulations, it’s likely you’re on top of the game of work. If you’re below 7 in any area, I urge you to start designing a system today to rectify it. Pronto.
Your success in business will directly stem from your excellence in these three arenas. Focus on them. Monitor them. Act on them. And victory will be yours.
The question is why.
Of course, there are a myriad of little reasons that entrepreneurs don’t succeed, but I believe there are 3 fundamental, over arching reasons for business failure. As you read them please take a moment to rank yourself a score out of ten in each of the 3 critical areas.
1. CLARITY.
Most people aren’t crystal clear about what they want from their business. Oh sure, they know they want to make more money, but very few are completely clear about precisely where they want to take their business, in how long, and in what ways. For example they are not clear on:
- What they want their revenues to be in per month, in 12 months and in 3 years.
- What skills they need to develop to get those results.
- What lead generation systems work best for them.
- What the best competitors are doing in their industry.
- What are the 3 best uses of their time are.
- And so on…
So, how do you rank in the area of Clarity? Now what’s one thing you could do today to improve that?
2. SELF BELIEF.
In 1960 a plastic surgeon by the name of Dr. Maxwell Maltz discovered an amazing thing. Even after Dr. Maltz had performed plastic surgery on patients who believed they had a physical flaw, many of his patients still thought they were ugly.
Maltz realised that plastic surgery was useless unless the patient also worked on their self identity and developed their feelings of self worth. He concluded that what was really needed was plastic surgery for the mind. In other words, unless we believe in ourselves, our performance in any field (and our self respect) will be low. Since then countless studies have been done that corroborate Dr Maltz’s findings.
Running a business is tough. The obstacles are never ending and escalating, the pressures immense, the challenges to our self esteem virtually continuous. In this environment it is crucial that we continually boost our self-belief so that we feel confident enough to tackle this onslaught.
Yet I know of almost no executives or entrepreneurs who do this. It only takes a few minutes a day too. If we can create a daily morning ritual of coming up with reasons why we’ll succeed, seeing ourselves succeed in our mind’s eye, and talking to ourselves in a supportive, positive manner, then our self belief will indeed strengthen.
But I believe we must do this daily. Without consistency in our mental conditioning we will drift between believing in ourselves one day and doubting ourselves the next – the mental state of most executives today.
How do you rank yourself out of ten with Self Belief? What’s one thing you could do right now to improve that score?
3. PRODUCTIVITY.
Never before in history has the business world had such time shortages and job complexity. Endless meetings, tsunami’s of emails, To Do Lists as high as Kilimanjaro – it literally never stops. But that’s only half the problem. The other half is that we were never trained at school or university for this kind of world- we simply haven’t learnt enough productivity tools to excel in this environment.
So we are both overwhelmed by the enormity of our work tasks, and feel
Ill equipped with viable strategies to tackle them. There’s only one solution of course: start devoting more time to learning how to be productive. I’m suggesting serious study in this area, not just lightly reading a tip or two on the Internet. Only a total dedication to productivity mastery will defend us from the ever-increasing deluge of data and tasks that rise even as you read this.
Set yourself a goal of not only reading about productivity, but developing a collection of 10 time management techniques that you use every day – a quiver of productivity weapons that become central to your working life. Put them on a piece of paper and laminate it, keeping it clearly in view on your desk all day long. Soon it will become a part of you.
Unless we elevate personal productivity in our lives, we risk becoming mentally and physically exhausted by the sheer quantum of what our work life throws at us. Productivity skills are a must have, not a should have.
So thinking about this, what score would you give yourself in this area? What’s one thing you could do today to lift that score up? Ok, now take a moment to evaluate all of your scores. If you scored 7 or higher, congratulations, it’s likely you’re on top of the game of work. If you’re below 7 in any area, I urge you to start designing a system today to rectify it. Pronto.
Your success in business will directly stem from your excellence in these three arenas. Focus on them. Monitor them. Act on them. And victory will be yours.
Relationship Matters
Our relationships with one another, although rich with potential, can often be the most misunderstood areas of life. Effective relationships happen when we communicate with others according to their priorities and values. This skill can be applied to every aspect of your life including your business, family and personal life.
If you've ever been in business or in love with someone beyond the initial period of infatuation, you already know that relationships don't make you happy. Instead, sometimes you perceive yourself to be feeling better, and sometimes you don't - the same as when you're on your own. Instead of imagining your life with the so-called perfect kids, lover, spouse, boss, employees, parents, friends and so on, learn to appreciate each of the people in your life for what they bring to you, and get to know their values. Effective relationships happen when each person seeks to understand and honour the other just as he or she is - 360 degrees. In this situation, people's principles are honoured, affirmed and fulfilled.
You, like every other human, focus on what's important to you. Whatever's the highest in your values hierarchy will also have the most order (that is, steady, concentrated focus and "attention surplus order".) Chaos increases as you go down the list (that is, unsteady, scattered focus, approaching "attention deficit disorder"). The master is the person who knows and applies the art of linking someone else's values to his or her own and can communicate in anyone's ideals.
Discerning what other people's values (and yours) are, is easy. Simply ask yourself, what do they fill their space and time with, and what do they spend their energy and money on? Where are they most organised and disciplined? What do they think, talk and visualise the most? What do they speak about most to others? What do they react to and what are their goals? You can learn how to do this with anyone.
Connecting your values with others is not limited to business partnerships but can also be applied to families, friends and relationships. Once mastered, you'll find it is one of the most important skills you'll ever apply in building, maintaining and enriching personal ties. The more you do this, the easier it is to talk with others, to work out perceived differences and problems, and to enrich your relationships with an even deeper sense of intimacy and connectedness. One way to know when your values are not linked to each others are when you encounter one-sided conversations, or alternating monologues, when a person speaking about what's meaningful to him or her, while the others' mind is wandering away to his or her own concerns. Either link your values, shift the conversation, or move on, because monologues are almost a sure stop for disappointing or dissatisfying relationships. Interestingly sales and relationship building are incredibly similar.
Consider the commonsense sequence of selling, which follows the same pattern as being caring (honouring someone's values), in an intimate relationship. To develop quality connections with others, you'll be required to master the art of conveying your values in terms of someone else's. Indeed, connections with your customers, employees, co-workers, or vendors may become vulnerable if you don't attend to their values. If people don't perceive their values as being honoured, then they'll naturally gravitate to new situations. You're kidding yourself if you think that their loyalty will win out; the minute the relationship stops satisfying their needs, they'll hit the road. The same applies to personal relationships.
Exercise to Communicate Effectively to Build Relationships
List your top five values on one side of a piece of paper, and write someone else's top five on the other side; ideally someone who is significant to you, such as your mate or partner - someone you'd love to communicate with more effectively and appreciate more. Now think of at least five ways in which the other person's top five values helps you fulfill your first priority. Next, list at least five ways in which your top value helps the other person fulfill theirs.
Then go down the list; write down five ways in which each of the other person's values supports your highest value and each item on your list contributes to their number one value. Continue this process for the four remaining items for each person, giving ways in which each one of your values is beneficial for every one of the other person's, and vice versa. When this is done, a new door for communication and (if desired) intimacy is opened.
If you can't see how someone else getting what they'd love gives you what you desire, then you'll naturally try to change them to your way, or you'll be compelled to find someone new. You can try to convince yourself to live and let live, but until you can see how to love and link love, you'll be drawn to something different.
Be mindful, however, that peoples' values may change. Certainly, milestones can cause priorities to shift. A life threatening illness, a midlife crisis, or the birth of a child - anything that triggers people to reassess and rethink what's important to them - so it's crucial that you continue to talk about your values with those whom you care about.
To the truth of duality.
Love and Wisdom
Dr John Demartini
If you've ever been in business or in love with someone beyond the initial period of infatuation, you already know that relationships don't make you happy. Instead, sometimes you perceive yourself to be feeling better, and sometimes you don't - the same as when you're on your own. Instead of imagining your life with the so-called perfect kids, lover, spouse, boss, employees, parents, friends and so on, learn to appreciate each of the people in your life for what they bring to you, and get to know their values. Effective relationships happen when each person seeks to understand and honour the other just as he or she is - 360 degrees. In this situation, people's principles are honoured, affirmed and fulfilled.
You, like every other human, focus on what's important to you. Whatever's the highest in your values hierarchy will also have the most order (that is, steady, concentrated focus and "attention surplus order".) Chaos increases as you go down the list (that is, unsteady, scattered focus, approaching "attention deficit disorder"). The master is the person who knows and applies the art of linking someone else's values to his or her own and can communicate in anyone's ideals.
Discerning what other people's values (and yours) are, is easy. Simply ask yourself, what do they fill their space and time with, and what do they spend their energy and money on? Where are they most organised and disciplined? What do they think, talk and visualise the most? What do they speak about most to others? What do they react to and what are their goals? You can learn how to do this with anyone.
Connecting your values with others is not limited to business partnerships but can also be applied to families, friends and relationships. Once mastered, you'll find it is one of the most important skills you'll ever apply in building, maintaining and enriching personal ties. The more you do this, the easier it is to talk with others, to work out perceived differences and problems, and to enrich your relationships with an even deeper sense of intimacy and connectedness. One way to know when your values are not linked to each others are when you encounter one-sided conversations, or alternating monologues, when a person speaking about what's meaningful to him or her, while the others' mind is wandering away to his or her own concerns. Either link your values, shift the conversation, or move on, because monologues are almost a sure stop for disappointing or dissatisfying relationships. Interestingly sales and relationship building are incredibly similar.
Consider the commonsense sequence of selling, which follows the same pattern as being caring (honouring someone's values), in an intimate relationship. To develop quality connections with others, you'll be required to master the art of conveying your values in terms of someone else's. Indeed, connections with your customers, employees, co-workers, or vendors may become vulnerable if you don't attend to their values. If people don't perceive their values as being honoured, then they'll naturally gravitate to new situations. You're kidding yourself if you think that their loyalty will win out; the minute the relationship stops satisfying their needs, they'll hit the road. The same applies to personal relationships.
Exercise to Communicate Effectively to Build Relationships
List your top five values on one side of a piece of paper, and write someone else's top five on the other side; ideally someone who is significant to you, such as your mate or partner - someone you'd love to communicate with more effectively and appreciate more. Now think of at least five ways in which the other person's top five values helps you fulfill your first priority. Next, list at least five ways in which your top value helps the other person fulfill theirs.
Then go down the list; write down five ways in which each of the other person's values supports your highest value and each item on your list contributes to their number one value. Continue this process for the four remaining items for each person, giving ways in which each one of your values is beneficial for every one of the other person's, and vice versa. When this is done, a new door for communication and (if desired) intimacy is opened.
If you can't see how someone else getting what they'd love gives you what you desire, then you'll naturally try to change them to your way, or you'll be compelled to find someone new. You can try to convince yourself to live and let live, but until you can see how to love and link love, you'll be drawn to something different.
Be mindful, however, that peoples' values may change. Certainly, milestones can cause priorities to shift. A life threatening illness, a midlife crisis, or the birth of a child - anything that triggers people to reassess and rethink what's important to them - so it's crucial that you continue to talk about your values with those whom you care about.
To the truth of duality.
Love and Wisdom
Dr John Demartini
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Why Building a Great Business Takes Time
With the lightning fast rise of companies like
Facebook and Instagram, it’s easy to feel disheartened about the growth of your
own business.
Many entrepreneurs feel that compared to the sky
rocketing internet companies featured on the covers of business magazines that
they are failures.
But the statistics show otherwise.
The reality is that most successful companies are
built over time. A long time.
Take Walmart for example.
Today Walmart is of course the world’s biggest
retailer, with 8500 stores. It is the third most valuable company in the world.
It employs over 2.1 million people.
But things weren’t always so rosy.
When Sam Walton started Walmart in 1945 business
was slow. In fact it was 7 years before he even built his second store. His
period of hyper growth didn’t even begin until 1970, 25 years later!
It’s important to remember that in business slow
growth at first is the norm, not the exception.
It takes time to work out what customers want. What
your brand positioning should be. How to train staff to maximise sales. How to
market effectively.
And it’s only when you get each of these elements
fine tuned that you can ever hope to build a fast growth company. You hardly
ever get them right first, second or even third time.
The problem is that the media loves to herald the
comparatively rare super growth companies,thereby giving the impression that
this is normal and even expected for businesses.
But the best way to describe the process by which a
business usually grows is ‘Failing forward’. A ton of mistakes, then a little
progress.
It’s not pretty, it’s often not even enjoyable, but
you get there in the end.
Now when I emphasise the need for a re-set of
expectations, I’m not suggesting you work in a slow, leisurely manner. Not at
all.
Harvard professor John Kotter has shown the
absolute importance of a business leader working with urgency and I
wholeheartedly agree with him.
Here’s the paradox; you have to work intensely,
trying to make things happen fast, yet simultaneously remember that true
business success usually takes a long time.
You must be in a rush in the short term, but only
expect to achieve greatness in the long term.
As the first Roman emperor, Augustus Caesar put it,
“Hasten slowly.”
-- Siimon Reynolds
Sunday, August 26, 2012
A Brilliant Way To Create Demand For Your Products
I was at a pool party on the weekend and heard a fascinating story.
I was speaking to a highly successful Beverly Hills property developer and he was telling me about a startling experience he had in Paris.
He loves watches and decided to visit the main store of Patek Phillipe, the eminent watch maker. As you’d expect, there was a extensive array of watches, most priced around the five to ten grand mark.
Then suddenly he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.
There, glistening in a glass case was a watch with a price tag of one million dollars.I kid you not, they sell a million dollar watch.
But even more amazing was this: he said in order to buy this watch you must write to the CEO of Patek Phillipe and tell him why you deserve it!
Can you believe that? They have the gall to charge a million for a watch and then you have to pass a test to see if you you are worthy of it? Amazing.
And brilliant marketing.
By making you apply to buy the watch they change their position in the sales relationship. They move from someone hoping for a sale to someone in charge. They also make the watch seem even more desirable – it is for for those who are exemplary in not one but two ways:
They are extremely financially successful and also a true connoisseur of time pieces.
They also dramatically reduce the chances of the buyer asking for a discount. The buyer is just hoping to be accepted.
Furthermore, and very importantly, even if they never sell this watch, they have positioned ALL of the other watches in the store as good value by comparison. And positioned Patek Phillipe even more strongly at the top of the brand exclusivity ladder.
Wow. That is truly great marketing.
Now I’m not of course suggesting that you charge a million dollars for your product (unless you feel you can get away with it of course).
But I do ask you to have a think about how you could do something similar.
Consider how you could both create a premium priced product and make people fill out an application to buy it.
Make them prove they are worthy of your product, make it seem only for a select few, the deserving handful who appreciate it’s extraordinary value.
It may seem paradoxical, but making it hard to buy a product very often increases the customer’s desire for it.
We all want what we can’t have.
Conversely, if you look too eager to sell something, the customer usually doesn’t want to buy it.
Masters of business are very aware of this conundrum and therefore think very carefully about both their pricing and the availability of their goods.
They don’t just sell. They make people want to buy.
- Siimon Reynolds
I was speaking to a highly successful Beverly Hills property developer and he was telling me about a startling experience he had in Paris.
He loves watches and decided to visit the main store of Patek Phillipe, the eminent watch maker. As you’d expect, there was a extensive array of watches, most priced around the five to ten grand mark.
Then suddenly he saw something that stopped him in his tracks.
There, glistening in a glass case was a watch with a price tag of one million dollars.I kid you not, they sell a million dollar watch.
But even more amazing was this: he said in order to buy this watch you must write to the CEO of Patek Phillipe and tell him why you deserve it!
Can you believe that? They have the gall to charge a million for a watch and then you have to pass a test to see if you you are worthy of it? Amazing.
And brilliant marketing.
By making you apply to buy the watch they change their position in the sales relationship. They move from someone hoping for a sale to someone in charge. They also make the watch seem even more desirable – it is for for those who are exemplary in not one but two ways:
They are extremely financially successful and also a true connoisseur of time pieces.
They also dramatically reduce the chances of the buyer asking for a discount. The buyer is just hoping to be accepted.
Furthermore, and very importantly, even if they never sell this watch, they have positioned ALL of the other watches in the store as good value by comparison. And positioned Patek Phillipe even more strongly at the top of the brand exclusivity ladder.
Wow. That is truly great marketing.
Now I’m not of course suggesting that you charge a million dollars for your product (unless you feel you can get away with it of course).
But I do ask you to have a think about how you could do something similar.
Consider how you could both create a premium priced product and make people fill out an application to buy it.
Make them prove they are worthy of your product, make it seem only for a select few, the deserving handful who appreciate it’s extraordinary value.
It may seem paradoxical, but making it hard to buy a product very often increases the customer’s desire for it.
We all want what we can’t have.
Conversely, if you look too eager to sell something, the customer usually doesn’t want to buy it.
Masters of business are very aware of this conundrum and therefore think very carefully about both their pricing and the availability of their goods.
They don’t just sell. They make people want to buy.
- Siimon Reynolds
Saturday, June 30, 2012
The Centered Entrepreneur - Siimon Reynolds
Never before in history has life been so busy.
We have reached the point where no matter how efficient we are there is simply no way to get everything on our To Do list done. As a result of this chronic busyness, workplace stress is at an all time high. (No doubt as a business leader/ entrepreneur you are feeling it).
And it’s not going to end anytime soon. If anything the speed of business life is only going to increase. So how can you combat this rising tide of stress and overwhelm?
Well certainly one strategy is to become an expert at productivity. But another less considered option is to get better at being centered. When you are truly centered (calm, focused and clear) you are in an extremely powerful state. Your workload may be huge, but you handle it with ease and the height of efficiency.
I’m sure that you’ve known times when you’ve been like this and it feels good. You are in control, you are the master of your domain. If being centered is so important, how can we ensure we remain in this precious state of high productivity more often?
Here are some ways:
* Before you begin work, take a minute to calm yourself. (so few people ever do). Take 3 deep slow breaths and let the stress flow out of you.
* Talk to your self quietly – say positive focusing statements like, “I am in control. I am calm and focused. I am an master of my field. I am centered. I am happy.” These simple words said with conviction gather the mind into a point of power.
* Write out your goals for the day, week, month and year. Do this and in just 10 minutes you will have risen above your incessant short deadlines and remembered your higher mission.
* Close the door, switch off your incoming email and cell phone and experience some quality silence. Your mind will soon get sharper when the whirlwind of sensory input subsides.
* Put the word “Centered” on a Post It note and stick it next to your computer. The more you see that note the more you’ll remember to return to the centered condition. Eventually being centered will be your usual mode.
These elementary techniques will dramatically increase the amount of time each day you feel centered- and the results will astound you. You’ll solve business problems faster. You’ll interact with other people more smoothly. You’ll find work easier and far more satisfying. You’ll be performing at a significantly higher level.
Nobody talks about the importance of being centered at work, but you and I both know that when you’re in that state nothing can stop you. So from now on, make being supremely centered a high priority. And watch the magic begin.
We have reached the point where no matter how efficient we are there is simply no way to get everything on our To Do list done. As a result of this chronic busyness, workplace stress is at an all time high. (No doubt as a business leader/ entrepreneur you are feeling it).
And it’s not going to end anytime soon. If anything the speed of business life is only going to increase. So how can you combat this rising tide of stress and overwhelm?
Well certainly one strategy is to become an expert at productivity. But another less considered option is to get better at being centered. When you are truly centered (calm, focused and clear) you are in an extremely powerful state. Your workload may be huge, but you handle it with ease and the height of efficiency.
I’m sure that you’ve known times when you’ve been like this and it feels good. You are in control, you are the master of your domain. If being centered is so important, how can we ensure we remain in this precious state of high productivity more often?
Here are some ways:
* Before you begin work, take a minute to calm yourself. (so few people ever do). Take 3 deep slow breaths and let the stress flow out of you.
* Talk to your self quietly – say positive focusing statements like, “I am in control. I am calm and focused. I am an master of my field. I am centered. I am happy.” These simple words said with conviction gather the mind into a point of power.
* Write out your goals for the day, week, month and year. Do this and in just 10 minutes you will have risen above your incessant short deadlines and remembered your higher mission.
* Close the door, switch off your incoming email and cell phone and experience some quality silence. Your mind will soon get sharper when the whirlwind of sensory input subsides.
* Put the word “Centered” on a Post It note and stick it next to your computer. The more you see that note the more you’ll remember to return to the centered condition. Eventually being centered will be your usual mode.
These elementary techniques will dramatically increase the amount of time each day you feel centered- and the results will astound you. You’ll solve business problems faster. You’ll interact with other people more smoothly. You’ll find work easier and far more satisfying. You’ll be performing at a significantly higher level.
Nobody talks about the importance of being centered at work, but you and I both know that when you’re in that state nothing can stop you. So from now on, make being supremely centered a high priority. And watch the magic begin.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
How to achieve everything you plan - Dr John Demartini
At the beginning of every year many people ask me how they can more effectively stay focused on their goals. It is possible that my answer to their question could also serve you. So I'd like to share with you some of my insights into human behavior and some of my reasons why you will either achieve or not achieve the goals you may set.
You have one or more areas of your life that you value and desire to have more fulfilment in. And you desire to fulfil that which is most meaningful, most important in your life. When you are very young that may be fulfilling the mastery of a video game. When you are a teenager, it may be looking as attractive as you can because you want to get attention. In your 20's it may be your relationships, in your 30s your job or a career and in your 40s vitality and wealth.
You and everyone else have voids that want to be filled. The word 'fulfillment' means to filling full the mind that is perceiving this void. So anything that you think is not filled, or that you perceive is incomplete or not whole, you want to fill. If you don't have money, you search for money. If you don't have a relationship, you search for a relationship. Whatever it is you are looking for, whatever you think is missing most; you are unconsciously or consciously moving towards and taking actions towards and making decisions to get your void filled. Your fulfilment in life is directly proportionate to how well you fulfil your voids and values. If you feel you are, you feel grateful for life. If you feel you are not, you feel ungrateful.
Any time you minimize yourself and subordinate yourself to other people, you will tend to inject their set of values into your life and take them on as if they were your own values. You will then in turn sacrifice what is truly important to you according to your own higher values and attempt to be somebody you are not. Your true higher values then go unconscious and the injected 'new' values that you will now try to live by become your conscious values. Whenever there is a conflict between the conscious and the unconscious, the unconscious wins which means that although consciously you think your values are 'x', you still live according to your true unconscious values because that is what determines how you see the world, make decisions in the world and act upon the world. So you now end up with a moral dilemma with an internal conflict striving to be the way you think you are supposed to be but still making decisions and living according to your own higher values. Then you wonder why it is that you can't stay focused on the things you think you are supposed to be doing and you will hear yourself saying "I should do this", "I ought to be like that".
When you have an expectation to fulfil an outcome that doesn't match your true higher values, you will end up with anger, aggression, blame, feelings of betrayal, criticism and challenge towards yourself. These ABC's of negativity towards yourself occurs when you have unrealistic expectations and you set goals that don't match your true higher values. For example, if you say you want to exercise and you find out that physical empowerment is right at the bottom of your hierarchy of values, then you are basically setting a goal that doesn't match who you are. It is a fantasy and a delusion and it is guaranteed to create a self-sabotaging feeling inside of you because although you will consciously say that you want to exercise, you will unconsciously keep going back to what is truly more important to you. It is not fun to hear the truth sometimes because you may like the dopamine fix of living in the unrealistic expectation or fantasy.
Every time you set a goal that doesn't match your higher values you will need outside motivation to keep you working towards it. And if you don't have that motivation from the outside you will probably stop doing it and go back to your real true higher values. If you expect yourself to fulfil the goal and you keep not doing it then you are not going to feel great about yourself. You are going to feel like you are not a master of your destiny.
When you think you're a failure, what's actually going on is that you're being tested to see if you're setting goals that are congruent with your higher values. If you're not really committed to a goal due to incongruency you'll let the perception of failure stop you from going forward. Labels called "failure," and for that matter, "success", are nothing but feedback systems to make sure that you're authentic with your objectives and that they're congruent with your highest values. It makes sure that you're not exaggerating or minimizing your goals and that you get clear on your true objectives.
You will most likely achieve your goals once you set goals that are congruent with your true higher values. When you do greater achievement occurs. Nobody has to get you up in the morning to achieve when you do. So take the time to see what is truly highest on your list of values and start setting your goal to match this. When you do you will endure the many pains and pleasures in your pursuit of it because it is something you can't wait to do. And if you can't wait to get up in the morning and achieve your goal, then you won't let any obstacle in the way, stop you from it.
Because you are unique, you are only truly in competition with others when you are not being true to yourself. The moment you are your true self, you will feel as if there is no true competition and you will shine. May 2012 be your best year yet and may you achieve your many goals and dreams!
You have one or more areas of your life that you value and desire to have more fulfilment in. And you desire to fulfil that which is most meaningful, most important in your life. When you are very young that may be fulfilling the mastery of a video game. When you are a teenager, it may be looking as attractive as you can because you want to get attention. In your 20's it may be your relationships, in your 30s your job or a career and in your 40s vitality and wealth.
You and everyone else have voids that want to be filled. The word 'fulfillment' means to filling full the mind that is perceiving this void. So anything that you think is not filled, or that you perceive is incomplete or not whole, you want to fill. If you don't have money, you search for money. If you don't have a relationship, you search for a relationship. Whatever it is you are looking for, whatever you think is missing most; you are unconsciously or consciously moving towards and taking actions towards and making decisions to get your void filled. Your fulfilment in life is directly proportionate to how well you fulfil your voids and values. If you feel you are, you feel grateful for life. If you feel you are not, you feel ungrateful.
Any time you minimize yourself and subordinate yourself to other people, you will tend to inject their set of values into your life and take them on as if they were your own values. You will then in turn sacrifice what is truly important to you according to your own higher values and attempt to be somebody you are not. Your true higher values then go unconscious and the injected 'new' values that you will now try to live by become your conscious values. Whenever there is a conflict between the conscious and the unconscious, the unconscious wins which means that although consciously you think your values are 'x', you still live according to your true unconscious values because that is what determines how you see the world, make decisions in the world and act upon the world. So you now end up with a moral dilemma with an internal conflict striving to be the way you think you are supposed to be but still making decisions and living according to your own higher values. Then you wonder why it is that you can't stay focused on the things you think you are supposed to be doing and you will hear yourself saying "I should do this", "I ought to be like that".
When you have an expectation to fulfil an outcome that doesn't match your true higher values, you will end up with anger, aggression, blame, feelings of betrayal, criticism and challenge towards yourself. These ABC's of negativity towards yourself occurs when you have unrealistic expectations and you set goals that don't match your true higher values. For example, if you say you want to exercise and you find out that physical empowerment is right at the bottom of your hierarchy of values, then you are basically setting a goal that doesn't match who you are. It is a fantasy and a delusion and it is guaranteed to create a self-sabotaging feeling inside of you because although you will consciously say that you want to exercise, you will unconsciously keep going back to what is truly more important to you. It is not fun to hear the truth sometimes because you may like the dopamine fix of living in the unrealistic expectation or fantasy.
Every time you set a goal that doesn't match your higher values you will need outside motivation to keep you working towards it. And if you don't have that motivation from the outside you will probably stop doing it and go back to your real true higher values. If you expect yourself to fulfil the goal and you keep not doing it then you are not going to feel great about yourself. You are going to feel like you are not a master of your destiny.
When you think you're a failure, what's actually going on is that you're being tested to see if you're setting goals that are congruent with your higher values. If you're not really committed to a goal due to incongruency you'll let the perception of failure stop you from going forward. Labels called "failure," and for that matter, "success", are nothing but feedback systems to make sure that you're authentic with your objectives and that they're congruent with your highest values. It makes sure that you're not exaggerating or minimizing your goals and that you get clear on your true objectives.
You will most likely achieve your goals once you set goals that are congruent with your true higher values. When you do greater achievement occurs. Nobody has to get you up in the morning to achieve when you do. So take the time to see what is truly highest on your list of values and start setting your goal to match this. When you do you will endure the many pains and pleasures in your pursuit of it because it is something you can't wait to do. And if you can't wait to get up in the morning and achieve your goal, then you won't let any obstacle in the way, stop you from it.
Because you are unique, you are only truly in competition with others when you are not being true to yourself. The moment you are your true self, you will feel as if there is no true competition and you will shine. May 2012 be your best year yet and may you achieve your many goals and dreams!
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Questions for a Great 2012! - Siimon Reynolds
By now you are back from holidays and getting stuck into the new year.
You are now faced with a turning point.
You can run your year like last year - and probably get similar results.
Or you can push yourself to ask daring questions, which can often lead to radically better results.
Truly, it's the questions we ask ourselves regularly that determine which direction we end up going in.
Ask small, timid questions and you get small, timid outcomes.
Ask game changing questions and you open up the possibility for huge shifts in your life and your business.
In my book, 'Why People Fail', just released in the USA, I recommend you ask the following questions. Treat them seriously and they can transform your business.
1. HOW CAN I MAKE TEN TIMES MORE MONEY?
Too many entrepreneurs are content with shooting for a 10 to 15 % increase in profits each year.
While that rise is 'realistic', it too often shuts down your thinking, keeping you from considering genuinely radical steps that could revolutionise your business.
Asking the 10X question jolts you out of your comfort zone and forces you to think completely differently about what your business could do and how you could pull it off. Life changes when you think 10X.
2. SHOULD I EVEN BE INVOLVED WITH THIS?
We usually start projects with a burst of optimism and the very best of intentions.
Then as time goes on and our progress slows, we can all be guilty of continuing at half speed, with little real comittment or even interest in the results. If we're not careful we can muddle along like this for years- making just enough progress to feel okay about it, but not enough to create real momentum and feel the joy of mega achievement.
With this in mind, it's worth asking: Knowing what you now know, would you even get involved with this business/project /person/industry in the first place?
If the answer is a clear No, maybe it's time for you to eject out of there asap.
3. WHAT WOULD 'X' DO?
Sometimes it pays to pretend you are not you.
It gets you out of your thinking ruts and makes you consider all kinds of directions you may not normally be open to. Imagine you are Steve Jobs and ask what he would do if he became CEO of your company today. What would Thomas Edison do if placed in the same position? Or your mum? Or the person you most admire?
Trying on the mindset of someobody great and then applying it to your business, or indeed your life, can yield some extraordinary ideas and strategies. It feels funny at first, downright weird sometimes, but it's a brilliant technique for breaking the shackles of your own traditional thinking.
So for a huge 2012, take ten minutes today to sit down and ask these three powerful questions. Or any of the others I feature in my book 'Why People Fail. They take virtually no time to do, but can yield fantastic results.
And remember, when it comes to making breakthroughs, questions are the answer.
You are now faced with a turning point.
You can run your year like last year - and probably get similar results.
Or you can push yourself to ask daring questions, which can often lead to radically better results.
Truly, it's the questions we ask ourselves regularly that determine which direction we end up going in.
Ask small, timid questions and you get small, timid outcomes.
Ask game changing questions and you open up the possibility for huge shifts in your life and your business.
In my book, 'Why People Fail', just released in the USA, I recommend you ask the following questions. Treat them seriously and they can transform your business.
1. HOW CAN I MAKE TEN TIMES MORE MONEY?
Too many entrepreneurs are content with shooting for a 10 to 15 % increase in profits each year.
While that rise is 'realistic', it too often shuts down your thinking, keeping you from considering genuinely radical steps that could revolutionise your business.
Asking the 10X question jolts you out of your comfort zone and forces you to think completely differently about what your business could do and how you could pull it off. Life changes when you think 10X.
2. SHOULD I EVEN BE INVOLVED WITH THIS?
We usually start projects with a burst of optimism and the very best of intentions.
Then as time goes on and our progress slows, we can all be guilty of continuing at half speed, with little real comittment or even interest in the results. If we're not careful we can muddle along like this for years- making just enough progress to feel okay about it, but not enough to create real momentum and feel the joy of mega achievement.
With this in mind, it's worth asking: Knowing what you now know, would you even get involved with this business/project /person/industry in the first place?
If the answer is a clear No, maybe it's time for you to eject out of there asap.
3. WHAT WOULD 'X' DO?
Sometimes it pays to pretend you are not you.
It gets you out of your thinking ruts and makes you consider all kinds of directions you may not normally be open to. Imagine you are Steve Jobs and ask what he would do if he became CEO of your company today. What would Thomas Edison do if placed in the same position? Or your mum? Or the person you most admire?
Trying on the mindset of someobody great and then applying it to your business, or indeed your life, can yield some extraordinary ideas and strategies. It feels funny at first, downright weird sometimes, but it's a brilliant technique for breaking the shackles of your own traditional thinking.
So for a huge 2012, take ten minutes today to sit down and ask these three powerful questions. Or any of the others I feature in my book 'Why People Fail. They take virtually no time to do, but can yield fantastic results.
And remember, when it comes to making breakthroughs, questions are the answer.
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