One facet mentioned was – Lead By Example.

We all know that we only listen and retain a certain percentage of [...]]]>

The first article on ‘Strong Leadership Will Make You Money’, which was based on a list found in Napoleon Hill’s ‘Think and Grow Rich’, proved so popular that I decided to delve further into this topic.

One facet mentioned was – Lead By Example.

We all know that we only listen and retain a certain percentage of what we hear, however we do learn by modeling behavior.  Much of this happens sub-consciously such as taking on the habits, either positive or negative, of our parents or adult role models from childhood.

How can we choose who to model from?

Study successful people.  However firstly we need to decide for ourselves ‘what is success?’ Success means different things to different people, however in general the wants of us all fall loosely into the following categories:

Love, peace, joy, hope, financial freedom, good health, and living a purposeful life.

So look around at the people you see as successful, then just for fun give them a report card on these various aspects of their lives using the following legend:

A doing great, B doing pretty good, C – average, D – needs work, F – requires a major overhaul.

Examples

Love

A = has close family and friends, supportive peers, generally well liked and respected

C = Most family is close knit, few close friends with others being more like acquaintances, needs work on people skills

Hope

A = optimistic.  If having a bad day they will choose to feel the emotion, then choose to turn it around into a positive such as swimming laps to work through the anger, or listen to a motivational audio on the way to work to change the attitude.

F = pessimist, does not see a future, does not believe there is a God or any reason to live

Living a Purposeful Life:

A = heads an expanding company with a great team of motivated managers and staff.  Volunteers on weekends as his son’s assistant football coach.

B = Has an okay job, earns good money and is writing articles on the side in preparation for a career change to then work in his passion of writing for the national newspaper.

D = Unhappy in his job, doesn’t earn much and is not using his skills, however volunteers on the audio visual team at church which has an international television program. [so minimal changes are required to radically improve this area]

So successful people are not those who have achieved the highest in their field or earn the most money or have the biggest toys – although they could also have these!!  Success is living a balanced life.

If you plot this report card on a wheel, the ideal is balanced.  The person can have all C’s so there is room for expansion. However if the person has AAA then an F in love or purposeful life, the wheel will cause the vehicle to spin violently out of control and crash.  Even little bumps can cause unbalanced wheels to derail over time.

So the goal here is two-fold.  Aim to change your life to be one of balance and also choose to follow balanced people.  This could be as a coach or mentor (remembering that all successful people have others in their lives, who hold these types of roles, either formal or informal).

Stay tuned for the next post on how to live a balanced life and stay in control.

For further information on this topic, go to the tag cloud on the left hand side or do a search on this blog.  A great search is ‘Zig Ziglar success’.

Is it possible to have a number of goals at the same time?

Many peak performers and motivational speakers such as Anthony Robbins believe that to have [...]]]>

We all intellectually understand that to achieve success in any area we need to focus on a goal and have a plan to get there from the real starting point.

Is it possible to have a number of goals at the same time?

Many peak performers and motivational speakers such as Anthony Robbins believe that to have one goal to focus on at a time is optimal and preferable.

In our complicated lives especially for those of us with more ‘loose’ employment or contract work where we are unsure even in which continent we will be working in, how can we also achieve our goals?

I honestly believe that just as the overall employment market has changed drastically over the last fifteen years, with current trends including outsourcing and even direct employees are on short term contracts, that our goal setting must also become more flexible.

However some things do not change – there are still only 24 hours in a day.

If you do not have a goals program. I strongly suggest you research the one that suits you and then work on your own. I highly recommend the one outlined in Zig Ziglar’s book, ‘Over the Top’.  Alternatively most business mentors and coaches have their own.  If you would like to create one but don’t know where to start or you would prefer to have someone do it with you, contact us.  This is definitely one of our own services.

In this new year and new decade, I have a checklist however my next step is to really make my goals program more detailed. I do like whiteboards!!! In this way the goals and measuring progress toward those goals is visible and indirectly helps us to be more accountable. Just as we may have multiple projects on at work, we can monitor various goals in different aspects of our lives.

If you would like some suggestions or further information, please post a comment here or drop me a line at admin@onlinebusinessconsultingservices.com

See here for Steve Job’s inspiring address to graduating students from one of the world’s top universities. From Apple to Pixar – you cannot keep a good man down.

As it is [...]]]>

Who would have thought that being sacked from a multi-billion dollar company that you owned was in fact the biggest blessing in your life?

See here for Steve Job’s inspiring address to graduating students from one of the world’s top universities. From Apple to Pixar – you cannot keep a good man down.

As it is put so succinctly in Zig Ziglar’s book “Over The Top” – Your Choice:  Boom Attitude or Depression Attitude.  What I personally love about being around motivational people who know the value of inputting good stuff into your brain is that we can choose at any moment how we feel and our attitudes to things.

For example, over the last couple of years there has been a world-wide recession.  Most of the world has been glued to the television or stock exchange to see how their superannuation or stocks are faring.  Yes, many people did lose money.  However many did not.  What do I mean here?  Well if you chose to leave your money in the stock market for example and did not take it out when the market was down, that same stock may already been going up again.  Many are.  Please do not misunderstand me, to lose money especially at retirement is terrifying for many people.  Others however no matter their age, see the opportunities.  Some see the bust as a time to buy more shares at a lower price so when prices go up they can make money.  Of course, due diligence needs to be practiced and I do not recommend gambling on the stock exchange but rather minimising your risks by becoming educated in matters of financial management, whether on a personal or business level.

Even not-for-profit organisations receive funding that is to be used over a certain time period, say a year or two.  Why not check out the best rates for different types of accounts at various banks.  Obviously a not-for-profit would need to be more conservative with grant monies and I do not recommend putting this money in high risk ventures.

Back to Zig’s advice – what separates the successful people out is not only their attitude but also their momentum – maintainance.  Others call this stickability – the ability to stick with things.  ‘Positive Thinking + Positive Training = Positive Results’

Zig Ziglar, the world class motivational speaker, is an amazingly passionate man, who continues to inspires millions many decades on. He has researched and come up with a list of 8 things that everyone wants and what constitutes success: 1. Happy 2. Healthy 3. Reasonably Prosperous 4. Financially Secure 5. Friends 6. Peace of mind 7. Good family relationships 8. Hope

So this is where we can agree that [...]]]>

Are you successful?

Zig Ziglar, the world class motivational speaker, is an amazingly passionate man, who continues to inspires millions many decades on. He has researched and come up with a list of 8 things that everyone wants and what constitutes success:
1. Happy
2. Healthy
3. Reasonably Prosperous
4. Financially Secure
5. Friends
6. Peace of mind
7. Good family relationships
8. Hope

So this is where we can agree that this is the goal. Obviously the next step is how do we get there?
One way that most people think they can get there is by emulating their role models.
In Western society, heroes are often sporting champions, rich and famous actors or even socialites. As a high school teacher ,it was enlightening to see how much youth revere their chosen idols. In 2008, a class project involved students researching and writing a paper on their hero. Some of the more well known idols were Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan for the girls and usually with the boys sporting heroes such as Ben Cousins and Chris Judd, both now former West Coast Eagles stars in Australian Rules Football. Aside from Chris Judd, the commonality for the other four are that they live very high profile, glamourous lives of the rich and famous AND they are all well known as being out of control with addictive behaviours to various substances, usually illicit drugs and alcohol. Perhaps it is in one sense a reflection of how we may view ourselves that we too are far from perfect and as one student explained, how would we cope with all that attention in our personal lives? From feedback over the time it seemed that the students wanted to be given more chances to redeem themselves whether it be at home, school or with friends.
Who are your heroes?

So as Zig Ziglar suggests, I challenge you to hold up your heroes, mentors or boss to the above list.
Are they happy? If they always seem stressed then give them a big X.
Are they healthy? Tick or cross
Are they reasonably prosperous? It seems that most heroes now have a tick on this one. This is due to the world’s reliance on money and personal wealth as outward sign of achievement.
Financially Secure – Is this possible? We have all heard of extremely wealthy people who have gone bankrupt later. Most of us have had ups and downs financially with volatility in stock and property markets and even the job market where short and medium term contracts have become more widespread. However of course, by executing such basic principles as receiving income for your activities or ideas, saving and investing, we have the best chance of accumulating wealth and minimising the risks of future loss.
Friends – does your idol have many? Often if you look closer perhaps the so called friends are more business associates with not much depth to the friendship.
Peace of mind – If people are continually stressed usually this is a sign that they are unable to quieten their mind.
Family relationships – Is the person happily married or they undergoing a divorce proceedings or have never allowed anyone close enough and so are perpetually single? What kind of relationships do they have with their children?
Hope – do you think the person is hopeful about their present and future?
Now give them a score out of 8. Do you still want to emulate them?
None of these by the way are saying that the person is good or bad. It is a reflection of how they are inside and where they are at in a particular point in time.
How do you rate? Interestingly sometimes when we feel that we are not so successful , then consider this list again – perhaps our own lives are not so bad.

Wishing you success!