Winning Habits are....

Wikipedia defines Habits as routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, tend to occur subconsciously, without directly thinking consciously about them.

Dictionary.com defines Winning, in adjective form as successful or victorious acts, or the noun as the act of a person or thing that wins.

So, Winning Habits would be "subconscious behavior that routinely brings about successful acts without consciously thinking about them."

What Winning is not;

1. Winning is not about IQ, and while talent helps, it is not always necessary

2. Winning is not necessarily about starting out with more money

3. Winning is not about luck

4. Winning is not about education

5. Winning is not about being in the right place at the right time

There is a fine line between success and failure. Whether it is golf, football, or wall street, it is only a few strokes or points that separate the winners from the rest of the field.

Successful people win by developing good habits and disciplines...and never giving up. I said....NEVER GIVING UP.

Ben Franklin, at the age of 19, felt there were 13 virtues important to him and until his death at 76 he worked on improving one each week. His virtues were self-control, silence, order, determination, economy, productivity, truthfulness, justice, moderation, cleanliness, peace, chastity, and humility. For 57 years he worked on developing better habits surrounding these virtues; 228 times he paid specific attention to each of his virtues.

Undoubtedly this focus developed subconscious habits and greatly influenced his success.

What habits and disciplines are influencing your success? What habits do you need to develop "over" others you already have?

To that end....develop good habits and WIN!

Intelligently cultivating thoughts

The workplace is today the most strategic arena

for Christian thinking and influence

- Doug Sherman and

William Hendricks

It's a powerful claim to declare the workplace to be the most strategic arena for Christian thinking and influence. Seriously, if it's true, where's the evidence of this activity? Thinking and influence become two very powerful words when combined with "and."

In his classic As a Man Thinketh James Allen writes "Man's mind may be likened to a garden , which may be intelligently cultivated or allowed to run wild; but whether cultivated or neglected, it must, and will, bring forth. If no useful seeds are put into it, then an abundance of useless weed-seeds will fall therein, and will continues to produce their kind."

I've been challenged this week, from a stage, but also by my own thoughts to

• think
• cultivate
• produce

My prayer today is, in the spirit of Colossians 1:28 and 29, that I'd think about life and purposefully cultivate my thoughts. I pray that I come to really realize the potential God has given me and that I'm able to influence others to dream, think and reach their potential.

To that end

Takeaways...so far

At the John Maxwell Team Certification event in Orlando. Incredible. Here's some take aways...so far -

Surely, there is at least one step you can take right now that will move you in the direction of the star you're shooting for. - Paul Martinelli

Things have to change in you for things to change for you. - Christian Simpson

If you fail to go within, you will fail to go without. - Christian Simpson

Be wise about you read, listen to and watch, as there is a direct correlation between what you put in your head and what comes out your mouth. - Roddy Galbraith

Remember, man does not live on bread alone: sometimes he needs a little buttering up. - John Maxwell

Every day we have the power to choose to be in harmony with what we say we want and who we say we want to be. It's  always a choice. What will you choose. - Melissa Malueg


To that end.....

Anticipation, and hope

Hope is waking a dream

- Aristotle

This weekend went a bit slower than normal. I mentioned to Cathy last night how slow yesterday had gone. My world is usually going so fast at times that I have a hard time paying attention. Not the past few days. Maybe that law about "pausing, reflecting and letting the life catch up works!" !!

It went slower, and yet I've had a lot of anticipation leading into today. I've been planning for today for a long long time. Not that I knew when today would come, or what the day was, but I've been looking forward to it for a long long time; and tomorrow also, and the rest of this week. The anticipation and desire to participate in this week were so strong, and I didn't even know the details nor the actual time it would come about, that I actually quit following Tweets about it two years ago.

I realize the anticipation, the hope, has been based upon a dream that's been developing for a long long time ago. I'm not exactly sure when it started, but it's become clearer and clearer since October 20, 2012.

To that end...........hope for the dream

Proven Behavioral Characteristics of a Good Salesperson

Selling in today’s market requires more than good hair and a firm handshake. It requires an ability to market, sell, and consult all at the same time. The Internet has created droves of highly educated consumers who need direction in choosing the most appropriate products or services, but who do not want to be “sold.”

Do you have empathy? How well do you recover from rejection? Do you communicate well? And how is your confidence?

Experts say that to succeed in sales and marketing, you need to have the right balance of the following characteristics; Empathy, Integrity, Creativeness, Time Management, Self-Esteem, Math/Logic and Dependability.

If you're struggling with your sales and marketing efforts you are likely hampered by being too high or too low in at least one of these areas.

Be sure and sign-up for our newsletter and/or watch our LinkedIn and Twitter postings to receive notice of FREE webinars to learn more about these important behaviors.  

Enlarging tents and strengthening those around you

“Enlarge the place of your tent, stretch your tent curtains wide, 

do not hold back; lengthen your cords, strengthen your stakes."

- Isaiah 54:2

I've read Isaiah a few times but have never really camped-out on this verse before. In a meeting last week with John Robertson, CEO of LeadershipID / Align3Cubed, John (@jrobertsonlead) mentioned Isaiah 54:2 and it's stuck with me.

Colliding with that this morning have been thoughts around The Law of the Inner Circle. I looked up what Maxwell says about applying that law:

1. Who do I seek out for advice, turn to for support and/or rely on to help me get things done? (some are employees, but they are also family members, networking partners, others)

2. Am I doing the following with these inner circle members?

• Spending extra time to mentor and develop relationships?
• If appropriate, giving them extra responsibility and place higher expectations on them?
• Again, if appropriate, giving them credit when things go well and holding them accountable when they don't?

Enlarge my tent, stretch my curtains, lengthen my cords, strengthen my stakes - great application in which to apply The Law of the Inner Circle.

To that end....

Without guidance, a people will fall, but there is

victory with many counselors - Prov 11:14

You can teach an old dog new tricks!

You're never too old to learn and never too young to teach.

- Les Brown

I heard Les say that on a live training call a couple of weeks ago and it has meant so much. Not just that I've learned to learn better, but the young part.

How wise is that!
..never too young to teach!

I'm not "old" yet, but I'm much older than many of the people around me and it's so important to remember I can learn so much from them. Whether they know it or not, I'm asking questions, I'm learning.

Last night, talking to Evan Jenkins with @TiffsTreats and Christine Evans. What a learning experience! They asked good mortgage questions that caused me to dig a bit and then we got into a good conversation about social media and Hootsuite.

Never too old to learn, never too young to teach and never too old to learn from the younger.


To that end.....

Trouble remembering names? Try this...

I didn't say repetition, I said SPACED repetition

- Ken Blanchard,

Paul J. Meyer and

Dick Rube

Do you have trouble putting faces to the business cards you collect on your rounds each day? Or do you just not remember meeting people?

Shameful. You're wasting handshakes.

A good follow-up system will help you remember names.

Over the 2-3 weeks after meeting people -

• find a picture of the person on Internet...remember now what they look like?
• send a thank you for meeting them
• send a note asking for their Twitter, Facebook (yes FB is allowable for business) and LinkedIn names -I know, you can search for the name but that isn't the point...the point is connecting
• connect on Twitter, LinkedIn, FB

Treat this like dating...don't stalk. Give the person time to respond...the key is not repetition, but spaced repetition (see the book Know-Can-Do for a great story on this reasoning).


To that end...stop wasting handshakes

Staying connected to my confusion...it works for good!

Stay connected to your confusion and discover your why. Most

people let confusion lead to frustration and then they quit. Move

from confusion to discovery and curiosity....Explore.

- Paul Martinelli

Last December I wrote about staying connected to my confusion and discovering my why. This came about after hearing Paul Martenelli talk about the difference between confusion and frustration.

At the time I was writing about my marketing strategy, but since I've used this "discipline" in other areas also...

Don't let confusion turn to frustration.

If you do, you'll quit.

 

Stay connected to your confusion

get creative and discover your why.

 

 

I use the word discipline because my friend and coach Scott Carley insists "discipline" takes a lot of energy, and this has. But it's been a good exercise and I'm learning, growing and getting a better grip on at least a couple of "whys." I suppose some new habits will replace old/bad ones and thus...better results.

 

 

To that end..... 

Do right now well

Our grand business is not to see what lies dimly at a

distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand

- Thomas Carlyle

When I can't make a decision about tomorrow; I need to remember to just live for today.  If today's too long; live in this moment.

Do right now well.

If it's a struggle, don't waste it. The struggle could be the prize and missing that prize would be a strategy. Don't stop three feet from gold.

 Father, give me today my daily bread  - Matthew 6:11

To that end

Transform something today. Don't be concerned about tomorrow.

Don't try to make a change for a month, or even this

weekend. Just make it now, for today.

- John Maxwell

To that end.....

Really..you're trying to get it perfect?

I have to find the best way before I start

- the Perfection Gap

 

Gaps prohibit results

Thinking forward or backwards; which is most important? There's an argument for the masses!

 

Successful people pause and reflect on what they have already accomplished and how they are capable of accomplishing their dreams and goals. When gaps are noticed between those capabilities and desires, the successful person grows.

 

Successful people spend twice as much on the backwards evaluating forwards as they do thinking about what must be done.

 

Coach John Wooden said, "Things turn out best, for the people who make the best of the way things turn out."

 

I love what Tim Hetzner with Lutheran Church Charities says - "Pursuing a God-given dream is a bumpy ride, as every leader in the Bible found out. And only those who think right succeed. The greatest gap between successful people and unsuccessful people is the thinking gap. This is especially so when it comes to failure. Successful people see failure as a regular part of success, and they get over it. Jonah Salk, the developer of the polio vaccine, said: 'As I look upon the experience of an experimentalist, everything that you do is, in a sense, succeeding. It's telling you what not to do, as well as what to do. Not infrequently, I go into the laboratory, and people would say something didn't work. And I say, "Great, we've made a great discovery!" If you thought it was going to work, and it didn't work, that tells you as much as if it did. So my attitude is not one of pitfalls; my attitude is one of challenges and "what is nature telling me?'' ' Such persistence only comes from right thinking, and it is the hallmark of all successful people. They keep trying, keep learning, and keep moving forward. They win the battle in their minds, and then it overflows into what they do."

To that end.....

Life is very simple but keeping it that way is very difficult

Life is very simple but keeping
it that way is very difficult

- The Law of Design

I'm reminded this morning of the time I asked Curtis Dickey, my son-in-law...

Do you think of a glass half-full, or half-empty?

He replied..."that depends upon whether I'm filling it or drinking it."

Really! That's awesome. Why do we make things so difficult?

Thanks Curtis...for that and many other things.


To that end....

The four questions that will shape your destiny

There is no personal benefit in believing that there is

a God who cares unless we realize that He cares for us personally.

- Ed Silvoso

I read that statement, skimmed the chapter for the four questions and thought "true." As I then went about some other things, I started thinking "why was I so quick to agree, and who wouldn't?"

The realization that so many people don't know, or don't agree, or don't know enough, haven't searched out enough to agree - well, it's puzzling. And sad. But then, the way I act much of the time...if I really understood how much He cared, would I act that way? Would I have so much uncertainty? Would I be so..............!

Is there a God?

Does God care?

Does God care for me?

Does God care about what we do?

I know a lot of people who believe there's "a" God, but with each question get farther away from the real yes.

Heavenly Father. Give me today my daily bread. I know You are the one and only God, my Father, my Savior. Thank You Lord. I know You care and care for me, and I know you care about what I do.
 
Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for dying for me, for coming to life again and going to prepare a place for me. Thank You for sending Your Spirit to help me through the day, to provide that daily bread.
 
I lift up to You those reading this that don't know you. I pray they would come to know You through Your death on the cross. I pray we all come to know You closer and know how much You care for us.
 
 
To that end.........Amen

The cost of leadership - Are you more interested in rights or responsibilities?

The heart of good leadership is sacrifice

- John Maxwell

 

When a leader "gets" that he/she looses rights as responsibilities increase, the real leader emerges. As I explain that concept, I really watch my audience; some find it curious, others ridiculous.

My experience has shown this is where the true leader begins seperating from the rest of the crowd. Many want to be a leader, consider themselves leaders, but are they willing to give up rights?

I'm thinking right now of some conversations I've had within my organizations and in training classes. As I think back - as I pause and reflect - I remember those who failed to get this important factor.

John explains it well in the Law of Sacrifice / 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, page 223.


To that end....what's more important to you? Rights or Responsibilites?