Monday, October 22, 2012
A Glassful of Attitude
Little things matter big time.
But then, we’ve known that since we were kids. Remember the Little Engine That Could? Attitude made the difference between his getting to the top of the hill and sliding down backward.
Choices are important too, of course. We talked earlier about how following self-imposed disciplines and wisely choosing our proverbial hats can help keep chaos at bay. But our attitude is what directs our choices.
It’s not as cut and dried as the proverbial half-full or half-empty glass. Sometimes we see the glass is half-empty, but know it can be filled again. This is neither blind naiveté nor stormy pessimism. It’s the sort of realism that accepts the facts and takes positive action.
When the level of wine in your life’s glass is sinking, what do you do about it? Do you drain the glass, and then, refreshed, put it in the sink and go your way? Refill it then take it to your desk to sip from as you work? Water a houseplant with the remainder?
What if it slips from your hands and breaks? Do you go to pieces with it, or clean up the mess and look for another glass?
Everyone’s wineglass holds a unique vintage. Only you know how the analogy relates to your situation. Whatever the parallel, it’s a good idea to analyze your circumstances impersonally, as you would a glass of wine. Decide the best course of action based on the opportunities available, and implement that choice as you’re able. Remember, it’s a glass of wine, not whine.
Your realistic attitude can determine whether you live a drama, or a dream.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Life's Circumstances
The disciplines we keep.
Discipline : behavior in accord with rules of conduct;
behavior and order maintained by training and control
We all want our lives to be more balanced. More organized. More 'together'.
Sometimes it is events that are beyond our control that keep us from realizing our goals; this is true in our personal lives, as well as our business lives.
But quite often, if we take a good hard honest look at our lives, our lifestyles, and our habits, we can see that the habits we keep are sabotaging our own good intentions.
Take for instance: My goal is to save money. Oh, lets say I want to buy my dream car in a year, and I want a nice healthy down payment, or want to pay cash. I faithfully deposit money into savings... but three months down the road it just doesn't seem to be adding up fast enough.
Are my habits holding me back? Do I need to develop discipline in this area?
Ok, so I grab a note pad and start keeping track of where my money is going. Hmmm. $4 a day on machalattefrappycoffee..... no big deal, its only $4, right? WRONG. In a week its $28...a month, $117.60 and wow! in a year I'm spending over $1400 on foo-foo coffee!!
This is where discipline comes into play. It is hard to be painfully honest with ourselves. Sometimes making sacrifices is really uncomfortable. But really, it is simple. It is a matter of priorities.
It is easy to endure that discomfort if the reward is greater than the cost.
Examine your lifestyle and more importantly, your habits. Are your disciplines such that you are sabotaging your own success? Are they keeping you from reaching your goals?
Discipline : behavior in accord with rules of conduct;
behavior and order maintained by training and control
We all want our lives to be more balanced. More organized. More 'together'.
Sometimes it is events that are beyond our control that keep us from realizing our goals; this is true in our personal lives, as well as our business lives.
But quite often, if we take a good hard honest look at our lives, our lifestyles, and our habits, we can see that the habits we keep are sabotaging our own good intentions.
Take for instance: My goal is to save money. Oh, lets say I want to buy my dream car in a year, and I want a nice healthy down payment, or want to pay cash. I faithfully deposit money into savings... but three months down the road it just doesn't seem to be adding up fast enough.
Are my habits holding me back? Do I need to develop discipline in this area?
Ok, so I grab a note pad and start keeping track of where my money is going. Hmmm. $4 a day on machalattefrappycoffee..... no big deal, its only $4, right? WRONG. In a week its $28...a month, $117.60 and wow! in a year I'm spending over $1400 on foo-foo coffee!!
This is where discipline comes into play. It is hard to be painfully honest with ourselves. Sometimes making sacrifices is really uncomfortable. But really, it is simple. It is a matter of priorities.
It is easy to endure that discomfort if the reward is greater than the cost.
Examine your lifestyle and more importantly, your habits. Are your disciplines such that you are sabotaging your own success? Are they keeping you from reaching your goals?
Monday, February 21, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Choose Your Hats Wisely
If you are in business for yourself, you wear many hats. OK, many, many hats. Sometimes you wear many different hats all in one day, and often you may find yourself wearing many hats at once! It's not too far-fetched to find yourself at times, wearing the wrong hat for the task at hand. (I hate when that happens!)
It doesn't matter if you are a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker....all businesses have specific tasks that are segmented into their own little 'niche.' A few examples? Client relations, sales, services, administration, marketing, advertising and record keeping.
So what is it about hats? It is not uncommon for business owners to think, "I can do that." Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. Trying to do too much, often leaves you feeling stretched thin, like you are caught in a whirlwind and just can't gain ground. And you can't! Very few can do it all, and do it well!
As a business owner/Entrepreneur you have to decide which niches in the business you can fill.. and fill well. Think hard about which hats you can wear consistently, and which hats would better serve your business if someone else was wearing it!
Which hats are most effective for you, and most productive for your business?
If you need to be with clients or providing services in order for your business to grow and thrive, how is that achieved if you are wearing the administrative office hat? It is easier now to hire others as the resources to handle tasks than it has ever been.
An experienced and savvy marketing pro can put your business right in front of your target market, saving you both time and money in wasted efforts. Nothing is less effective than trying to reach the wrong market!
Think you are going to buy a bookkeeping program and keep your own books? Think again....you still have to have bookkeeping skills and knowledge...or all of the money you've saved will go to pay for someone to make sense of it all come tax time!
For a small fee, a personal assistant or concierge could run your business errands...trips to the print shop, the office supply store, etc. All tasks that need to be done, but they can certainly waste valuable time and leave you drained when instead you could be spending time with clients or prospective clients.
Think about your hats. Decide which hats you can wear, and wear well...and think of the impact it has on your business. Hire someone else to wear some of your hats if you need to. Choose your hats wisely.
It doesn't matter if you are a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick maker....all businesses have specific tasks that are segmented into their own little 'niche.' A few examples? Client relations, sales, services, administration, marketing, advertising and record keeping.
So what is it about hats? It is not uncommon for business owners to think, "I can do that." Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it doesn't. Trying to do too much, often leaves you feeling stretched thin, like you are caught in a whirlwind and just can't gain ground. And you can't! Very few can do it all, and do it well!
As a business owner/Entrepreneur you have to decide which niches in the business you can fill.. and fill well. Think hard about which hats you can wear consistently, and which hats would better serve your business if someone else was wearing it!
Which hats are most effective for you, and most productive for your business?
If you need to be with clients or providing services in order for your business to grow and thrive, how is that achieved if you are wearing the administrative office hat? It is easier now to hire others as the resources to handle tasks than it has ever been.
An experienced and savvy marketing pro can put your business right in front of your target market, saving you both time and money in wasted efforts. Nothing is less effective than trying to reach the wrong market!
Think you are going to buy a bookkeeping program and keep your own books? Think again....you still have to have bookkeeping skills and knowledge...or all of the money you've saved will go to pay for someone to make sense of it all come tax time!
For a small fee, a personal assistant or concierge could run your business errands...trips to the print shop, the office supply store, etc. All tasks that need to be done, but they can certainly waste valuable time and leave you drained when instead you could be spending time with clients or prospective clients.
Think about your hats. Decide which hats you can wear, and wear well...and think of the impact it has on your business. Hire someone else to wear some of your hats if you need to. Choose your hats wisely.
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Friday, February 4, 2011
How's your Vision?
If you want to be in a bigger, better game, you have to "see" or think bigger and better. Given a realistic, reasonable but methodical time frame and specific accountabilities, your dreams can come true.
When is the last time you checked your vision? Just like life in general, business can become routine and stagnant if we are content just to settle in to the same ol' same ol' every day.
When you look at your business, do you see exactly what it is at this moment? Do you see the routine of tasks and chores, or do you see today as a stepping stone on the path to bigger and better things?
In order for your business to grow into something bigger and better, you must have a vision. But just having the vision is not enough to make it happen. According to Loral Langemeier, author of The Millionaire Maker, there are three things you need to go from vision to motion....
~ your vision needs to be exciting enough to energize you
~ your vision should be reasonable, yet doable
~ your vision should never compromise your values
So now, how's your vision?
When is the last time you checked your vision? Just like life in general, business can become routine and stagnant if we are content just to settle in to the same ol' same ol' every day.
When you look at your business, do you see exactly what it is at this moment? Do you see the routine of tasks and chores, or do you see today as a stepping stone on the path to bigger and better things?
In order for your business to grow into something bigger and better, you must have a vision. But just having the vision is not enough to make it happen. According to Loral Langemeier, author of The Millionaire Maker, there are three things you need to go from vision to motion....
~ your vision needs to be exciting enough to energize you
~ your vision should be reasonable, yet doable
~ your vision should never compromise your values
So now, how's your vision?
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