August 2006

MARK'S DAILY THOUGHTS: August 2006

2006-08-01 - Don't Break a Habit, Replace It
Habits are the hardest to create, and even harder to break. When trying to change your behaviour (your habits), try focusing on replacing them with new habits versus breaking old habits. It is a much more positive approach to replace a bad habit, than to just try and eliminate it, which is a negative approach. Try replacing habits from now on.

2006-08-02 - Look for Personal Commitment
In looking at any new initiative, always look for the personal commitment from the people you will be dealing with. Success for any initiative comes down to the level of personal commitment from everyone, and if the personal commitment is low, the results will be the same.

2006-08-03 - The more you Think, the less the Struggle
Take any area in your life that is a struggle right now. Chances are that you have been avoiding thinking about that area and it is not getting any better or even getting worse. You are avoiding the very thing that will help. The more thinking time you apply to that area, the more ideas will come to you on how to make things better.

2006-08-04 - Take Command of your Emotions by Talking to Them
Whenever people get down and depressed, it is usually because they are listening to their own negative thoughts and actually building problems larger than they really are. Change from listening to talking to yourself. Talk to yourself that "Yes, I have a problem (s), but let's begin thinking about what I can do about it." Begin talking versus listening.

2006-08-05 - The Harder you Work, the more Luck you have
Hard work produces luck. We have all heard this, but have we really understood why? Hard work means that we have done the thinking & preparation. Therefore, when luck (the opportunity) comes our way, we are in the position to take advantage of it. Are you in the position to take advantage of luck (the opportunity) today?

2006-08-06 - Don't do the Small Tasks First
We have all done this. We chose to get some small tasks done and out of the way before doing that larger more important task. We are fooling ourselves thinking that we will be more focused if we clear away the small stuff, but actually we end up doing only the small stuff, and the more important larger tasks remain undone. Focus on your most important tasks first.

2006-08-07 - Magnify your Blessings as much as your Disappointments
We all tend to exaggerate our disappointments and spend little time thinking about our blessings. This creates an image of our lives being much worse than they really are. Magnify your blessings and you will have a much more balanced and positive image of your life.

2006-08-08 - Stay Future Focused, but 'Be Present'
We all need to have goals and be focused on the future, as well as have a picture in our minds of achieving that future. However, it is the action we take in the 'present' that creates the future we want. 'Be Present' and take action now (today). If you delay, you are delaying the future you want.

2006-08-09 - Look Beyond the Obvious
Successful people have a key behaviour that the unsuccessful don't have. They look at their problems and opportunities beyond the obvious, and challenge themselves to look for ideas that can give them a unique approach. Also, they know that the obvious really equals average, because the majority of people will stop at the obvious.

2006-08-10 - Do Things Consistent with your Purpose
People who get things done and with less stress are always doing things that are consistent with their purpose. They know what they want (their purpose) and pack their days with activities and actions that are consistent with that purpose. When you align all your actions to your purpose, you create what you want faster than you ever thought possible.

2006-08-11 - Your Life is really a Now Experience
Many people go through life saying, "I will be happy when...." or "I am going to....". They are always thinking in the future, but doing nothing in the present to create that future. Your life is really a Now Experience. It is what you do NOW that is your life and taking action NOW makes your life get better each and every day.

2006-08-12 - Planning- Provides the Ability to Refocus
Very productive people plan their week in advance. They look at their key focus areas then outline the actions and meetings they want to do in the coming week. Having thought out the key actions up front, they now only have to refocus from one action to the next as they go through their week. Of course, there are always surprises, but defining the actions up front provides a strong focus and foundation to your week and to understand any surprises impact.

2006-08-13 - You Get the Behaviours You Reinforce
As a leader, it is always important to follow-up on the commitments of your people. If you follow-up, you reinforce the good behaviours of keeping commitments, and if you don't follow-up, you reinforce something else. Remember, you get the behaviours you reinforce.

2006-08-14 - What would you Attempt if you knew you could not Fail?
What would you attempt in your life, if you knew you could not fail. Probably much more than you are doing now. Very often, failure is just part of the learning process and helps us grow. Remember, there is never a straight line to our success, and everyone experiences a few failures along the way. It is the successful people who always treat any failure as a learning and just keep driving towards the goals and what they want in life.

2006-08-15 - Don't Take It Personal
Too often people get into situations with others and treat the comments from others in a very personal way (many times in a negative way). They expect others to act in a certain way, and when others don't, they get disappointed (taking it personally). Everyone will not act in the exact way we would want or expect. When we realise this, we can accept the different behaviours of others and not take it in a personal way.

2006-08-16 - Be Clear on What you want and Why
Clarity should be a very key word for everyone, as we all need to be clear on what want. However, this is not enough. We also need to understand why we can it A strong why provides the drive and energy to have us do whatever it takes to get what we want. Take the time to be clear and the what and the why, and it will not be long until to get what you want.

2006-08-17 - See People in Terms of their Potential
Great leaders do not see their people as they are, but rather in terms of their potential. Seeing their people in terms of their potential drives the leader to provide work that challenges them to use that potential to the fullest. Remember, how you see a person makes a big difference in the way you will interact with them.

2006-08-18 - Build You to Build the Check
Many people look for more money, but don't think to look to themselves first. You can't build the check until you build YOU. Work on yourself. Develop your skills and the relationships that are key to your success, and you will build the check as well. Take an action today on Building YOU.

2006-08-19 - Difficulty = your Resistance to Change
We all struggle with new things at first and often we don't like change. We think it is too hard, too difficult. However, did you ever realise that we are the ones that are making things difficult? Our level of resistance to change either makes the task easy or difficult. Accept change as a given, and everything will become easier for you.

2006-08-20 - Why is this a Must for Me?
The people who reach their goals in life make them a MUST (something that they absolutely must have or achieve). To make your goals a must, ask yourself the question: "Why is this a MUST for me?" A powerful MUST (the why!) will give you the energy to make things happen and achieve your goals.

2006-08-21 - Self-Belief is Built upon Decisions & Actions
Self-Belief does not just come by your thinking, but by your discipline in taking decisions and actions. If your self-belief is low, why not focus on taking decisions or actions in areas of your life where you might not be as confident. Low self-belief is driven by inaction, and high self-belief is driven by action. Therefore, make a decision and take action today.

2006-08-22 - Don't Judge Yourself on your Intentions
Too many people judge themselves on what they intend to do, and not what they actually do. Intentions told to yourself everyday will not create the success you want. Only actions will! If you have any intentions in your life, turn them into actions today.

2006-08-23 - In Times of Change, the Learners Get Ahead
When many things are changing, it is the people who are constantly learning and developing themselves who adapt more easily to change. By adapting, they take advantage of change well before others do. Be a learner and Get Ahead (and Stay Ahead).

2006-08-24 - Be Worthy of your own Approval
For most people, the only person who really holds them back is themselves. They don't think they are worthy of success. How about you? Strive to be worthy of your own approval (i.e. develop yourself) and you will accomplish anything you set your mind to do.

2006-08-25 - Persistence = Evidence of Faith in your Goals
There is a great way to look at persistence. When you have persistence, you are showing others the faith you have in your goals and the focus in your life. Therefore, you own persistence shows the faith you have that you will achieve those goals. What do you show persistence on?

2006-08-26 - Leaders need to Grow at a Faster Pace
The word leader has the meaning of someone who is out in front, and that is where successful leaders are. Successful leaders know they need to be growing at a faster pace than their people in order to coach and grow them. When a leader stops growing, the whole organisation stops growing as well.

2006-08-27 - Success is a Consistent Execution of the Fundamentals
If you look at successful people, they don't seem to be doing anything that others cannot do. However, what they do is to execute the fundamentals in a very consistent way (day in and day out). Unsuccessful people get bored with the fundamentals and they never achieve the success that could be theirs.

2006-08-28 - Deliver What You Promise
The one habit that wins friends and influences others the most is to always deliver what you promise (i.e. do what you say). People who deliver what they promise gain the respect and support of everyone they interact with. Why don't you make your #1 habit to deliver what you promise?

2006-08-29 - People who know their Purpose remain Calm
Have you ever noticed that people who have a strong direction and purpose for their life never really get angry? They know where they are going and expect a few problems will come along the way. They remain calm and see problems as challenges that will help them grow.

2006-08-30 - Charisma is not a Genetic Thing
Too many people think that charisma is a genetic thing. In fact, charisma is gained by having a vision and passion around a specific purpose. That passion is like a magnet that attracts others to you. If you think you lack charisma, you really lack passion.

2006-08-31 - Your Thoughts attract the Life you have
What you think drives what you do, and what you do attracts the people and opportunities that help create the life you have. Therefore, if you really want a different life, you have to start thinking differently - from today. Start thinking more about what you want versus just what you currently have. A change in thinking will create a change in what you do and who you will attract to help you.

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