Reality, thinking, changing

I've come across some interesting numbers the past few months (you can Google for many references)...

- we receive 20,000 bits of data per day through what we see and hear. That's more in one week than someone in 1900 received in a lifetime.

- we have 60,000 thoughts per day.

- 90% of our thoughts are repetitive.

Whether you ask for it or not, who gives you advice?

Your potential is determined by those closest to you - John Maxwell

We all have an inner circle of people who impact us (good or bad). 

We also have "spheres of influence" and we should be very careful about how we allow them to blend together. 

I've learned to be intentional and mindful of who I let impact me on a continuous basis (inner circle). I'm influenced regularly by things that go on around me, but I want to limit that impact as much as possible. 

How do you look?

When you change the way you look at people, 

the people you look at change - Wayne Dyer

That's an incredible statement "When you change the way you look at people, the people you look at change."

Think about it....I change the way I look at people and they change! Isn't that GREAT.

If I want people to change, I just need to change the way I look at them.

What a great lesson.

To that end....start looking at people differently.

In-the-Box Thinking

The purpose is to stimulate my creativity 

from within, not construct from without 

- Paul Martinelli 

Thinking-in-the-box releases me from thinking I need to come up with new stuff. I believe the ideas, and what-it-takes-to-get-it-done is already inside me. Behavioral scientists say we only use a fraction of our abilities. Yes, maybe I need a bit of the stimulus I get by reading books, listening to speakers, seeking counsel, having good conversations, but I want to reconstruct and build on what God's given me.

I don't want to open that box up in front of St. Peter and find all the things God had in store for me that I didn't receive because I spent so much time piling unnecessary stuff on top of it.

Think-in-the-box and let me know if it frees you up just a bit, if your creativity expands.

To that end....have a great day!

A new generation being "formed"

At 58, I'm a digital immigrant and not a native, 

but I feel like a commuter. 

Thanks to Hurdie Burke for sharing this Google publication

Google's THINK group have declared a new generation: Gen C. 

Repeating myself

I repeat myself over and over again for 3 big reasons: 

I tend to forget things, I think it needs to be repeated 

and sometimes I just like telling the story

As I move farther away from yesterday, I want to remind myself of a few things I said recently -

Daily Ps, The 6th P - Peace, Another P? Number 7

Stay connected to your confusion..

To that end.....Smitty, lead yourself well first and watch those rabbit trails you get led down. Pay attention to what's really going on!

Clutter, and self-image...Raising Lids

You can't outperform you self-image. Maxwell Maltz

Clutter. As I focus on the Ps (plan, pause, pray, patience, purpose, peace, persistence..is that the right Ps?), I'm reminded more and more of the clutter that gets in my way of the big R - RESULTS.

Clutter is not all about what I create for myself, but what others create on my behalf. Or is it what I allow others to create? Either case, I have to deal with it.

And such, it becomes the inability to create. The inability to move forward. Some might say it's a spiritual thing. Maybe so. But, as with a post last November......

Clutter snuck in.

And when that happens, this Choleric/Sanguine (D/I) gets caught up in the reactions.

What am I going to do? I'm Purposefully driving back through my Speed of Trust disciplines and behaviors. I'll Pay attention to my Integrity, Intent, Capabilities and Results as I practice the following 3, of 13 behaviors (can only concentrate on 3) -

Talk Straight, Clarify Expectations, Deliver Results

It's also time for a celebration - looking through the 13 behaviors, I realize how much better I am at practicing all of these than I was 5 years ago. Even a few months ago.

To that end....it's a GREAT DAY!

Educating your client. Is it an acceptable marketing technique?

Is it? Is educating a necessary and/or required marketing technique?

Read more

#RoadToThinkingWell - 2

When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do
- Charles Schwab

 

I'm nine days into 15 days of spending 15 minutes per day on the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth and it has been profound. During this time I've also participated 4 masterminds on the same subject and it has all be good.

My original thought was that by this time I would be stretching. But, more than anything, I'm realizing how much I must

move beyond my self-limiting beliefs.

To that end....

Is it bragging if it's the truth? Yes.

While much of my marketing needs improvement, this measurement speaks loud, clear and well.

To that end...

Points-to-Ponder: How Many Fundamental Principles Do You Have?

I was involved two years ago in a project where 7 of us were reviewing and critiquing the 350 or so principles of a highly successful businessman.

Yes, 350.

Part of the project is to write down our own fundamental principles. Now, I've had my mission statement written for 15 years and have matured it slightly. My values statement has also matured, and expanded over the years. My plan, or vision statement, has changed drastically, much like the vision in my eyes.

But principles? That has always been more difficult. I had another project a few years ago where my management team and I started working on our principles. It was hard, and probably because we, or I, wanted to keep the number of principles to as few as possible; 12 at the most. And we just couldn't get that done.

Then, along came on this project about about this HIGHLY successful millionaire who has 350 principles! Maybe that's why my team and I couldn't get that project done - we were limiting ourselves.

So, how many fundamental principles do you have? I've had many of mine written down and title various ways for years, plus I've been journaling others that come up in day-to-day work.

I'm at 51.

Interesting. How many do you think you have? Do you think there should be a limit? Can you put a limit?

To that end...

Sync Your Lips with Your Feet

What you do speaks so loudly that what you say I cannot hear

- Anonymous

Stephen M.R. Covey states "trust is one thing that changes everything. Trust is common to every individual, team, family, nation and organization." Mr. Covey continues with building an excellent compelling business case for Trust and how it is something you can get better at.

Having become a student of Covey's brand of trust the past 7 years, I've used his teachings in my daily practice of coaching, training and life. The one factor that stands out higher than any other is his 2nd core of credibility -

Read more....

#RoadToThinkingWell - 1

You've got to think about the big things while you're doing 

small things, so that all the small things go in the right direction 

- Alvin Toffler

Beginning yesterday and over the next 15 days I'm spending 15 minutes each morning on the 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth: one-per-day.

My desired purpose is to get a better grip on my practice of these laws/principles/characteristics/disciplines.

Last night I went through all 15 laws, as quickly as possible, and wrote down a question I had about each law.

The law and question that hit me the most was

• The Law of Expansion: Growth always increases your capacity
• Stop thinking more work and start thinking what works?
• Question: what's working?

My thoughts and actions lately have been heavily slanted towards marketing and sales. In the world of MarketSmarterNotHarder, we measure marketing results by profitability. So, as I ponder my growth activities in the marketing area of my mortgage business, I ask

• What's working?
• Where have the profits come from?
• Are they traditional, or is something different?

John Maxwell suggests asking these questions

• What am I required to do?
• What gives the greatest return?
• What gives me the greatest reward?

To that end...testing limits!

Realtors - what do you do about all the different 

languages your websites need to be in?

With my eProperty sites, you have 59 languages,

all on one site - available with a single click!

Click here to read more

#RaisetheLid: use technology to Win the Listing

I don't care who you are, in this day and time, people 

want to see technology. Whether it's ultimately 

used, it aids in the selling process. Period, the end.

#TrainingTips

• Be relevant
• Be Tech Savy (or hire it)
• Be seen as Innovative
• Use Tools that are successful in the Google world

Learn more at #MarketingTrainingTips

Featured Property Widgets

One Word Growth Strategy

The first thing I do when I'm coaching someone
who aspires to stretch, grow, and go higher in
life is have that person select the one word that
best describes him or her - Kevin Hall in Aspire

What one (1) word would you use to describe yourself? Not two, just one. What is it?

Ponder that word over the next few days. Are you living it? Does it continue to resonate? Ask others what one word would they use to describe you to someone else.

Is there a gap?

To that end....

You will never outperform your self-image

Most of us want to move to the next level, become more than we are, want things to change.

What is your current self-image? How do you see yourself? What do you say when you talk to yourself.

You will be same 5 years from today, as you are today, except for
- what you listen to and watch,
- what you read and
- who you associate with.

What are you doing different today to change your self-image, to be better 5 years from today?

To that end...

What is marketing?

Read What is Marketing? at Market-Smarter-Not-Harder

Good doesn't get you business

Good doesn't get you business. You have to be
clear - concise - compelling. You have to engage.
- Ed DeCosta

Ed goes on to say that engaging people is the key to business growth and 96% of your growth comes from engaging people in ongoing conversations.

I love stats when they come from such a high level and respected professional sales professional as Ed.

You have to start a dialog as if someone is listening

- Ed DeCosta

This is another blog post that is as much about marketing as leadership. So, how does this apply to helping leaders lead leaders?

Here it is -

- You're around people everyday, engage.
- You're leading and following other people - every day, engage.
- Start talking like a leaders, engage.
- Start a blog and writing like a leader, engage.
- Tweet, like a leader, engage.
- Post to Facebook and LinkedIn, like a leader, engage.

While you're doing all this, you're talking to yourself. You're engaging with yourself. You're leading yourself and as you learn to lead yourself better, you'll lead others better.

You'll help others lead better.

To that end...

 

Learner - applies to everything

The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who 

cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, 

unlearn, and relearn - Alvin Toffler

This quote (above is from Stephen M.R. Covey's Speed of Trust; chapter on "Behavior #7: Get Better."

Things are changing, we all know it, and we must PURPOSEFULLY learn or we'll grow into something we don't want to be.

Learner is one of the 9 Essential Behaviors of Marketing-Smarter-Not-Harder. I write this under the my leadership blog because leaders must market well.

What did you learn yesterday?

What do you want to learn today?

To that end....

#MarketSmarter's 9 Essential Behaviors

You can't talk yourself out of a problem you've

behaved yourself into. - Stephen R. Covey

 

No, but you can behave yourself out of a problem

you've behaved yourself into...and often faster

than you think. -Stephen M.R. Covey

In our Guerrilla Marketing / Market-Smarter-Not-Harder workshops we focus on Behaviors. Behaviors, as explained by Covey (2), are what flows out of our agenda. Agenda flows from our intent.

The Nine Essential Behaviors to Marketing-Smarter are:

1. Learner
2. Takes Action
3. Creative
4. Evaluates and Corrects
5. Sensitive
6. Strong Ego
7. Generous
8. Aggressive
9. Patient

These behaviors are a combination of character and competence. As we remember that marketing is everything we do before and after getting the check, we want to practice these essential behaviors.

A recommended read on behaviors is Stephen M.R. Covey's The Speed of Trust.

To that end.....market-smarter-not-harder.

Danny

ps..for more marketing info and tips, go to the Market-Smarter blog

pss..pay attention to my social media feed for dates and times on free Webinars