December 2006

MARK'S DAILY THOUGHTS: December 2006

2006-12-01 - Happiness: Decide on Ahead of Time
Being happy is never down to what others do for us or from our environment. Others cannot make us happy, as our happiness has to come from within us (it's our choice). A good way to look at it is that happiness is something you decide on ahead of time (it is not dependent on others).

2006-12-02 - Outcome Thinking - Opens up more Possibilities
People who think in outcomes come up with more creative ways to accomplish what they want. In essence, it opens up more possibilities. When you are clear on your outcomes, you always see more ways to get to those outcomes, and you can choose the ways that gets you there the fastest (in the least activities). Remember, outcome thinking opens up more possibilities.

2006-12-03 - What's Great about this Problem?
Too often we view problems as something totally bad. However, it's the problems that stretch our thinking and help us grow faster and stronger. Next time you get a problem, ask yourself: What's great about this problem?" You'll get more energy to solve it and lean more from solving it as well.

2006-12-04 - How Do You Define Success?
One of the least understood things for everyone is how they would define success for themselves. If you don't define it well, then how can you achieve it or even know when you have it. A great thing to do now (if you haven't defined it before) is to take an hour and create a draft of how you would define success.

2006-12-05 - Continue to Replay the "Why"
In every stretch goal we create for ourselves, we will always encounter challenges that are put in our way towards our goal. What will keep you positive in meeting those challenges is to constantly replay the "Why" behind what you want achieve. Remember, a BIG "Why" can take almost any "How".

2006-12-06 - If the Customer is Talking, You are Winning
There's an old saying in sales that if the customer is talking, you are winning. This is because the salesperson is asking open questions and is sincerely interested in the customer's business and how to help him/her make more profit. You can take the same approach to your personal relationships and strive to listen more than you talk.

2006-12-07 - Attach Information to Stories and Examples
If you look at every great speaker, you will also see a great storyteller as well. These speakers know that people engage their emotions and remember more when they hear stories and examples. Attach useful information to these stories and examples, and you have a very powerful learning experience. Use stories and examples in your daily life to share information and influence others.

2006-12-08 - It's Never Too Late
You hear it very often from others: It's too late to change now. It is never too late. No matter how old you are, you can always accomplish more in your life if you commit yourself to taking ACTION. Many successful people achieved their success late in their lives. What action have you been putting off?

2006-12-09 - Life is a Game of Choice, not Chance
There is a huge difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Successful people have a focus that guides the choices they make (from how they use their time, to who is most important to them). Unsuccessful people have little focus and leave everything in their life up to chance. Remember, your focus guides your choices, and your choices create your life.

2006-12-10 - Tenacity comes from Commitment
When you see people showing a great tenacity in their job or in sports, you know that has to come from a commitment they have made to themselves to be the best (or the best they can be). A good question for yourself: What commitments have you made to yourself?

2006-12-11 - Your Goals should both Scare and Excite You
There's a very good way to see if you are setting the right goals. Basically, your goals should both scare and excite you at the same time. Why? Because, the big goals are the ones that challenge us to grow in order to meet them. That scares us, but almost always motivates us to try the impossible.

2006-12-12 - What You Practice, You Become
Some people think they will improve just by thinking about it. Thinking about something improves your focus, but you need to put in the practice to make it part of your normal behaviours and habits. Move from thinking to practice and see the difference in your performance.

2006-12-13 - Evaluated Experience is the Best Teacher
They say that experience is the best teacher. However, it is really evaluated experience that is the best teacher. Unless you spend time to capture the key learnings from your experiences, you don't get to see the change in behaviours you need as clearly as you should.

2006-12-14 - You See What You Believe
You have all heard the expression that you will believe it when you see it. However, it is exactly the opposite when driving your success and seeing the opportunities that will take you there. You first need to believe before you will see those opportunities. The stronger your belief, the more opportunities will come your way.

2006-12-15 - Build your Days around your Highest Priorities
Too many people let their days fill up with activities that are not connected with the highest priorities. They don't think ahead and plan their days, so others steal time from them and often before they even notice it. Remember; build your days in advance (think ahead) with activities connected with your highest priorities.

2006-12-16 - A Clear Consistent Focus
Successful people have one thing in common and something unsuccessful people lack. It is a clear consistent focus. They have clearly determined what it is they want and consider everything else sort of "off their radar screen". It is unbelievable what you can accomplish if you keep a clear consistent focus on what you want.

2006-12-17 - Completely There for Them
Listening and building trust with others is a very powerful way to gain friends, support and help for what you want in life. When you are "completely there" for others, you make them feel special and in return they will help you in any way they can. Remember, it all starts with you being completely there for them.

2006-12-18 - That Little Extra
The difference of success in sports and in life often comes down to that little extra that the winners do that others don't. Many times it is not something big at all, but something little, repeated with discipline, that makes the difference between 1st and 2nd (whether in sports or in life). Remember, everything counts (especially that little extra).

2006-12-19 - Look at Decision Making as a Process
Too many managers look at decision making as an event vs. a process. To be successful in getting decisions that stick, you need to think of decision making as a process and think through how best to capture the buy-in of the right people up front. That way you get decisions that stick.

2006-12-20 - Be Specific with your Compliments
Nothing motivates people more than sincere compliments. In fact, the more specific the compliments, the stronger the impact you will have on both the motivations and behaviours of others. So, be as specific as you can be with your compliments.

2006-12-21 - Stay Ahead of Change
Successful people and companies set themselves up to stay ahead of change. They spend the time to think about the future and how they can be even more successful by changing before others see the need to. Spend the time to think ahead and you too will stay ahead of change.

2006-12-22 - Don't Let Others Steal your Dreams
There are a number of people in the world who are dissatisfied with their lives and are always putting down others who are trying to make their life better. If you meet people like this, don't let them steal your dreams. Anything is possible if you have the desire and the will to discipline yourself to do what's necessary to go get it.

2006-12-23 - Refuse to Consider the Option of Failure
From all of what is written about successful people, the most telling is the way they think about the failure to meet their goals. Successful people simply refuse to consider the option of failure. They know that if they focus and take constant action, they will eventually achieve their goals and the success they desire. So, refuse to consider the option of failure.

2006-12-24 - Turn off the Replay Button
Most people spend too much time thinking about the past and not concentrating their focus and energy on what they can do right now and into the future. It is like they are constantly pressing the replay button. Why not turn the replay button off and focus on what you can do, versus what you would have done differently.

2006-12-25 - Create your Own Sources of Motivation
Too many people expect others to motivate them. It really doesn't work that way and we need to continually find our own sources of motivation. Remember; people who are self-motivated will always be the leaders of those who are not.

2006-12-26 - Capture the Exact Words
When taking notes in meetings, always look to capture the exact words used by others. This allows you to use their exact words back to them in future emails and conversations. People respond better when you use their way of saying things and when you remember exactly what they said.

2006-12-27 - Learn & Apply
A great little phrase to remember is to "Learn & Apply". We are learning something new everyday. However, what we learn stays with us longer when we apply it very soon after the learning. What you learn today and this week, look to apply it as soon as you can.

2006-12-28 - You cannot hit a Target, You do not have
It really sounds obvious, but to many people this just doesn't register in their minds. Too many people are going through life without a target? What is your target? Remember; you cannot hit a target you do not have.

2006-12-29 - Adversity often Produces Opportunities
Look back at all the different times of adversity you have experienced in your life. More times that not, you will also recall that more opportunities came your way after each one. You'll find that more opportunities come from adversity than you would every think.

2006-12-30 - Your Real Wealth is between your Ears
Take any successful person and we could pinpoint the source of their wealth within 5 seconds. It is between their ears, and is shown to the outside world with their attitude and the discipline by which they live their life. To increase your wealth, look at developing yourself (between the ears).

2006-12-31 - Focus on the Reward and not the Risk
With any new initiative, you need to first focus on the reward and not the risk. It is very important to see the full potential in every new initiative before looking at the risks. Then, after looking at the rewards, look at the risks and see what actions you can take to minimise them.

November 2006 « » January 2007

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