March 2006

MARK'S DAILY THOUGHTS: March 2006

2006-03-01 - People are Inspired Inwardly
Inspiration comes from the inside. Great leaders do something to trigger it in their people, and most of what they do is to create an environment where their people are open to see their own inspiration. Don't wait for others to inspire you. Decide what you want, take action, and you will begin to fill with inspiration.

2006-03-02 - Being "Tentative" has no Power
How many times do we take a "tentative" approach to something? Being "tentative" comes from a position of weakness and not from a position of power. Move away from being "tentative" and take action towards what you want. Action creates inspiration and inspiration creates power.

2006-03-03 - When in Doubt, don't Hire. Keep Looking
We sometimes look at candidates for jobs and ask ourselves the question, "Could I live with that"? Something in the person's behaviour makes us ask that question. If we are asking the question, then we need to think real hard whether this person is the right one for our company. Experience shows us that behaviour issues observed during the interview process are always worse in the real work life. When in doubt, don't hire. Keep looking.

2006-03-04 - Flexibility - A Great Quality for Success
There are many qualities that successful people have. However, one really key one is flexibility. Flexibility means being open to new ideas and understanding that success doesn't always follow a straight path. What's your level of flexibility?

2006-03-05 - It is Easier to Keep Good Health, than to Regain It
Being healthy and in good shape is on everyone's minds these days. Many people's weight goes just like a yo-yo (up and down). We forget that it is always easier to keep good health than to regain it. We only need to put just a few good habits in place and we can then keep that good health forever. What habits could you put in place today?

2006-03-06 - It's What You Make it Mean
In everything you experience in life, you attach a meaning. Negative people look for what's wrong with everything and attach a negative meaning to it. A positive person can have the same experiences, but attach a positive meaning to it. Attach a positive meaning to your experiences and watch your life become more positive as well.

2006-03-07 - Be Responsible and You'll Get More Help
Ever notice that it's the most focused and responsible people who get the most help in life from others. People see the responsibility taken and feel good about lending a hand and helping out. It goes the other way as well. People are always reluctant to help others who never take responsibility. Be responsible and attract the help you need.

2006-03-08 - Never with the Same Thought Twice
Productive people always have something to write with wherever they go. They want to capture and write down the ideas that come to them so that they can make good use of them later. They have a motto of "never with the same thought twice". Capture your ideas down on paper today.

2006-03-09 - Don't Keep Waiting until it Looks Just Right
Many times people don't start something until it looks just right. The most successful people know that the best approach is to get started. That means to take action and then adjust as you get the feedback on what works and what doesn't. Don't keep waiting until it looks just right. Take Action Today.

2006-03-10 - Organisations Grow to the Limits of their Leaders
If you really want to grow your organisation, then concentrate on growing your leaders first. Leaders cannot lift people to higher levels of performance if they are not growing themselves at a faster pace. Therefore, grow your leaders in order to grow your organisation.

2006-03-11 - Feeling Comfortable - Maybe the Last Thing We Need
People always like to feel comfortable. However, is that what we really need? We really need to move out of our comfort zone in order to grow, and doing new things takes us out of our comfort zone until we master them. So, if we really want to grow, feeling comfortable all the time is not the goal we need. We need to try new things and continually drive ourselves to expand our comfort zone (and again, and again).

2006-03-12 - Make Contact, not just Contacts
People often try networking to grow their contacts, but don't really make "Contact". They don't spend the quality time necessary to really get to know each other better. It's only after you get to know each other well, that you see opportunities that are of benefit to each other. So, make "Contact" and not just contacts.

2006-03-13 - Good Thinking Pushes Out Bad Thinking
What you fill your mind with makes a big difference in what you achieve in life. It's important to keep your thoughts as positive as you can all the time. Good thinking then fills your mind, and there is no longer any room for bad thinking. Always remember, "Good thinking pushes out bad thinking."

2006-03-14 - Lead with Questions not Answers
To lead people to take their own initiative, you need to lead with questions and not answers. Ask your people the questions that will help them think through their problems and opportunities. They will begin to see the answers themselves and build their own confidence up so that they can think of the right questions and answers on their own next time. Remember: questions not answers.

2006-03-15 - Protect and Value your Time
Everyone gets the same amount of time in their life, yet some people achieve more with that time than others. They place a high value on their time and protect it for their most important goals in their life. What value do you place on your time? Value your time and you will begin to say "no" to the good, so that you can say "yes" to the best.

2006-03-16 - Think about the "Customer Experience"
Too often we worry only about the end result of our service to our customers. However, customers evaluate us on all of what we do, and form their impressions by the sum total of all their interactions with us (i.e. the Total Customer Experience). Make it a goal of your organisation to make every customer interaction a positive experience.

2006-03-17 - Do What's Right for You
Always do what's right for you. If you settle for what the group always settles for, you will always be like the group (average). By definition, if a group wants something, it must be average. So, it's always best to do what's right for you and be strong enough to be different. You will rise above the pack, and achieve what you really want in life.

2006-03-18 - Integrity - The Quality that Guarantees all the others
Integrity is the most important quality to have. Integrity is the visible way that others can feel confident that you will live up to the rest of your values. Without integrity, other people might have a question on everything you do. Protect your integrity. People will then have more confidence in you, and you will see more people willing to help you along the way.

2006-03-19 - The Greatest Illusion - I Need to be Pump Up
One of the greatest illusions in life is that we need to be pumped up to take action. All successful people don't feel pumped up all the time, but they are always taking action towards their goals. They know that they can't wait to feel pumped up and that inspiration comes only after they take the action. Don't wait to be pumped up, and take action today.

2006-03-20 - Lead by Example
Most people learn more by observing other's behaviours than by listening to what they say. Leaders have a larger influence on others by their actions than their words. As a leader, always think of leading by example and you will generate a much stronger impact on your people. What example do you provide now?

2006-03-21 - You Know it to the Extent you Do it
Some people have a great deal of knowledge on a subject, but haven't really applied it. This means, they understand the subject, but have never "Done It." It's in the "Doing" that you really begin to know something. As you learn new things, always look for opportunities to apply those learnings right away. "Do It" to "Know it."

2006-03-22 - Passive Hope to Active Expectation
Unsuccessful people are always hoping for a better future. They aren't taking any action towards it, so what they have is passive hope. To be successful, you need to believe in yourself and "expect" a better future, and then take the action to make it happen. Build you life based on "Active Expectation" from today.

2006-03-23 - Never Compromise on Picking People
Very often there's a great pressure to add the necessary resources and we compromise on our selection because of the time pressure. Compromises never work in the long run, as we end up having the wrong people on board and difficultly getting rid of them. Never compromise on picking people.

2006-03-24 - Trading Time & Money
Ever notice how we trade time and money. Early in our careers we trade time for money. We work long hours to make as much money as we can (because we started with nothing). As we get older, we trade money for more time. We buy devices or the help of others to make our life easier in order to use our time in different ways. A good question to ask ourselves: Are we trading time and money in the most effective way?

2006-03-25 - Eliminate "If Only"
Too many people use the words "If Only" far too often. They are always looking into the past and wishing things turned out differently. All good things come from taking action in the "present", and are driven by your goals and what you really want. Eliminate "If Only" from your vocabulary and "Act in the Present."

2006-03-26 - You Don't Get Paid for Time
If life, your ultimate pay check is not based on the time you work, but on the value you provide. Those who just "put in the time" do not advance and get the rewards from their time. Successful people focus on creating value and making the most of every minute of time.

2006-03-27 - You begin to Create your Life when you Think it
Your level of thinking and the value of your thinking determines what you accomplish and the life you live. You begin to create the life you want when you think it. That gets the ball rolling and then it's down to taking the "Action" to make it a reality. To improve your life, improve your thinking.

2006-03-28 - If you knew you could not fail
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? Successful people believe they will not fail, because they are determined to work as hard and as long as it takes to achieve what they want. Be determined, and you will feel that you cannot fail.

2006-03-29 - Never Take an Extreme Position
Ever notice people taking an extreme position in an argument. People who take an extreme position usually lack confidence in their knowledge of the subject. Therefore, arguing from an extreme position is always a sign of weakness. Keep this in mind the next time someone takes an extreme position with you. Also, make sure you never take an extreme position yourself.

2006-03-30 - Do it Anyway
Successful people do what unsuccessful people don't like to do. Successful people don't like to do those things as well, but they "Do it Anyway" because doing those things that they don't like to do will help them reach their goals faster. You can separate yourself from the rest of the pack by doing those things you don't like also. Just keep this thought in your mind: "I'm just going to do it anyway."

2006-03-31 - First Impressions
First impressions are so important. People form an initial impression of you in the first 10 seconds of when you meet. Then, they take every interaction with you after that and compare it to that first impression. You can repair a bad first impression, but it takes multiple interactions with the other person before they realise that their initial impression was not the right one. Make sure you make the "Right" first impression.

February 2006 « » April 2006

RSS Feed For Mark's Daily Thought