Excuses are like....

Excerpts from Jim Collins' small booklet Good to Great and The Social Sectors...page 28-29

The # 1 best-performing investment in the universe of American public companies (according to Money Magazine) over a 30 year period, 1972 to 2002 was Southwest Airlines. A $10,000 investment in 1972 would have returned more that $10 million in 2007.

Yet, the airline industry remained one of the worst imaginable....Airline executives have habitually blamed industry circumstances.

What if the people at Southwest had said, "Hey, we can't do anything great until we fix the systemic constraints facing the airline industry."?

Think about that...

- the airline industry was thought to be in shambles

- Southwest Airlines literally SOARED during the same period.

Why?

The executives at Southwest had different thoughts.

That's it.

To that end..........


Danny
512-773-6528
www.ImpactInnerCircleMastermind.com

What drives me to be more productive?

Michael Hyatt asked that question on his blog this morning. 

Great question....What drives me to be more productive?

- promises. I've committed to getting something done. 

- deadlines. 

- desires, wants, dreams (I'm barely tempted to say goals....which might be another ponder - why don't goals drive me?)

- innate drive to just do something, even if it's wrong. Mostly start something.

At 59 years old, I'm more aware of finishing and that this starting thing can be a distraction, but not always. 

Michael also asked.....Did you start this week running toward the goal or away from the wolf? 

As I've become more dependent on God, not so much the wolf these days. And, that's something I'm praying, studying and thinking into....to get out of the way and depend on Him. 

To that end.....

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Taking small bites

My "focus choice" this week has been #13 - "to take small bites."

- stay engaged in the 6 things

- look for small things to do

- be quick, be bright, be gone

- sweat the small stuff

- think into the results in ways that matter RIGHT NOW

Reflecting back into the week and it's all good. I'm surprised how calm and relaxed I was (am) considering the way some things played out. 

That's not to say that a bit of choice #3, evaluation & correction, won't show some needs, but this was a week I'm glad I wasn't trying some really big things. 

To that end..... 

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Everything needs a platform

A good study of marketing will bring about the use of "platforms" in your processes.

The best, the very best, platform is a blog. When people come into your internet world, it's your blog they eventually land on. When someone clicks on your profile in Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest or any other social media, they should land on your very purposeful thought-out platform - your BLOG.

Click to continue reading....

5 years from today

I've mentioned this Ziglar quotes hundreds of times....

"You'll be the same 5 years from today, as you are today, except for what you listen to - who you associate with - what you read."

I don't care who you are....we're all growing in some direction. 

Looking back, I can tell I'm growing well because of where and with whom I'm spending my time. 

With who and what are you spending your time? 

It matters. 

Danny L. Smith

512-773-6528

"Continuously successful people choose to build themselves ahead of their business."

Margins for problems

Margins are the space needed to stay sane.

Sometimes it's not enough to just not add something else to your plate. Sometimes what's already there grows and you have to stop doing something you're already doing.

Confusion, frustration and quit will set in otherwise. Margins. Evaluation. Correction.

Seize the DAY! Go-get-it. PERIOD

You might never fail on the scale I did, but some level of failure is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failure unless you live so cautiously that you might not have lived at all. It which case you've failed by default.

- Best selling author of "Harry Potter" Mrs. J.K. Rowling


...what is most important is that you have to dig deep down, deep deep down, and decide who you want to be. Not what, but WHO.

- Arnold Schwarzenegger

What's my purpose of using a CRM?

The people in my SOI (sphere of influence) is my BIGGEST asset. Thus, the PURPOSE of my CRM is manage my biggest asset.

To clarify....a CRM is a Contact Management System and I personally don't like the term CRM, but it is the most common term for a Contract Relationship Management "system." Maybe I need to coin the term CRMS, or CMS.....I do like to start things.

God's Concern

Two great thoughts shared with me the past few days -

"I contend George Washington's greatest leadership moment was the time he spent on his knees praying." - shared by John P Griffin in his speech at CBLG last week. 

"The key to Jesus' leadership was the relationship he had with his Father." - Blackaby, in his book "Spiritual Leadership"

Two fantastic thoughts, and then I come to this....

"God's concern is not to advance leaders' dreams and goals or to build their kingdoms." page 30, Spiritual Leadership

repost from Practicing Christianity blog

Thinking In The Box