September 2008

MARK'S DAILY THOUGHTS: September 2008

2008-09-01 - Commit It to Writing
It is always good to commit our thoughts to writing. When we keep our thoughts and ideas only in our minds, we think about them only in fragments. It is only when we write them down, that we are forced to complete our thoughts and link the fragments. It's like a different version of a famous quote: How do I know what I think until I write it down. Commit it to writing.

2008-09-02 - Action Starts within You
There are often times when people search for the motivation from others to take action. However, our motivation comes from inside us, and others can only trigger what already needs to be there. The best approach is to focus on triggering your own motivation and action, and don't wait for others to do it for you.

2008-09-03 - Foundation for your Sub-Conscious Mind
What you think about creates the foundation from which your sub-conscious mind builds on. Think negative thoughts and it doesn't build a building, but creates a hole. Think positive thoughts and it helps you create the life your want and attract the right help from others. It is all about which foundation your build that enables your sub-conscious mind to help you.

2008-09-04 - Lack of Commitment from Lack of Clarity
Many organisations have people with a lack of commitment, and often this is driven by a lack of clarity on the expectations. Most leaders invest far too little time in defining clear expectations and then making sure their people understand them well. You never get full commitment to an unclear target. Remember to invest the time for clarity.

2008-09-05 - Responsibility Leads to Worthiness
Some people go through life avoiding responsibility every time they can. Also, you notice that these very people are some of the unhappiest people around. They never understood that responsibility leads to worthiness. We all feel more worthy or valued when take on responsibility and deliver, especially in the service of others.

2008-09-06 - Vision of Yourself Beyond Where You Are
There are far too many people who want a better life, but cannot see how to achieve it. They can only see what they are doing now. To break free, these people need to develop a vision of themselves beyond where they are today? Remember, it is your past that created today, and your vision of yourself that creates your future. What's your vision of yourself?

2008-09-07 - Criticise the Behaviour, Not the Person
If you are a leader, you are always going to have some people who are behaving in the wrong ways. Too many times leaders tend to criticise the person, and not the behaviour. Criticise the person, and he or she will then miss the learning. When you discuss the behaviour and why it happened with the person; you now help him or her to grow.

2008-09-08 - Leaving Unsaid the Wrong Thing
One of the best people skills to have does not concern what you say or how you say it. It is the ability to leave unsaid the wrong thing. Become sensitive to what should be said and what should be left unsaid, and you will build stronger professional and personal relationships.

2008-09-09 - Can Others Rely on You?
Commitment is what makes you accomplish things that others thought impossible. However, commitment is also one of the reasons why people either trust you or not. In others words, did you do what you said you would do? Saying it another way: Can others rely on you?

2008-09-10 - Wish or Expect Things to Get Better
A wish and an expectation are two different things. Most people go through life making wishes and not achieving what they wish for. Wishes are just not powerful enough, as the image in our mind is not strong enough to motivate the right level of action. When we expect, we are full of action.

2008-09-11 - No Means "Not Yet"
Ask every successful salesperson and you will her that "No" doesn't necessarily mean no. It means "NOT YET". Also, they often say that selling really begins with the first "No". However, if you really understand your prospect and the value you can deliver, you will get fewer "No's" to start with.

2008-09-12 - Make the First Move
We all encounter difficulties with people we work with from time to time. It is often that something needs to be discussed and talked through, but neither person makes the effort to start the conversation. Remember, it all starts to get better when one makes the first move.

2008-09-13 - Action Predicts the Future
They say that you cannot predict the future, and no one really can. However, there is one thing that greatly influences your future, and in a sort of way, it predicts it. That is ACTION. Nothing gets accomplished without action, and your actions today (and every day) predict your future.

2008-09-14 - Fairness is What is Most Important
There are many factors that help leaders to become successful leaders. However, one of the most important factors for leadership success actually applies to all other factors as well. In everything a leader says or does, it is important to be "Fair". Nothing destroys trust or the motivation in people more than a leader who cannot be fair.

2008-09-15 - Finding the People Who Can Help You
No one achieves success on their own and always needs the help of others. One of the key skills for success is not what you know, but your ability to find the right people to help you. Remember, it is often about how you help others that attracts people to be willing to help you. Focus today on helping others and finding those that can help you.

2008-09-16 - Constraints Can Drive Innovation
This sounds a little odd, but having some constraints placed on you can really drive innovation. When you have some constraints, you often feel challenged to beat those constraints and this drives you to create more innovative ideas and solutions. Therefore, next time you are given some constraints on your work, remember; those very constraints might be helping you to do your most creative work.

2008-09-17 - Problem Solved = Value Delivered
A very good equation to remember is Problem Solved = Value Delivered. All success is based on the value you bring to the marketplace. That being true, to deliver more value, you need to solve more and larger problems. A great goal to have is to be an excellent problem solver, and the better you become at it; the more successful you will become.

2008-09-18 - You Can't Help but Do It
There is tremendous power in listing to positive messages that reinforce the right habits to be successful every time you listen to them. When you listen to them so often, you are kind of wiring your brain that you really need to do those habits. In many ways, you can't help but do it, as now it seems like the only natural thing to do.

2008-09-19 - Always Reinforce the Boundaries
From when we are children to adults, we all are much happier when our lives have the right boundaries (values & principles of behaviour). Look at all misbehaved children or angry adults, and you will notice something in common. They both lack a good understanding of the right boundaries. Boundaries are a parent or leader's most important area to reinforce.

2008-09-20 - Change and Everything Will Change for You
Many people go through life expecting everyone around them to change, basically the world to change for them. These people really have it backwards. Everything will change for them if they change themselves first. The same is true for you. To live a successful and happy life, make sure you are always in the driver's seat. When you change, everything will change for you.

2008-09-21 - Doing What's Necessary
There's one big difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Successful people know that they must always do what's necessary and not just what they would like to do. The drive and discipline to do the necessary is what enables them to accomplish more and achieve their success. Remember to focus on the necessary first.

2008-09-22 - They All Started Somewhere
Whenever we see successful people, we picture them as they are today. However, every one of them started somewhere and many from the very position you might be today. What's important is to take the key learnings from how these successful people got started, and get started yourself as well. Every success has a start.

2008-09-23 - Assumptions Reflecting Reality
Many strategies fail not because the ideas were not good, but because the assumptions were wrong. The assumptions did not reflect reality. The best approach to strategy building is to aggressively challenge your assumptions before generating any ideas. Your assumptions must reflect reality or any ideas you generate will never produce the right results.

2008-09-24 - Compared to What?
Everything in life is based on its comparison. How good something is can be declared "Good" only by comparing it to something else. Your performance every day is based on how you answer the question: Compared to What? The best "what" is to compare your performance to your potential.

2008-09-25 - Establish & Keep your Own Boundaries
Integrity is all about the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable behaviour we set for ourselves. People with low integrity surrender leadership of those boundaries to others. To keep your integrity, make sure your establish and keep your own boundaries.

2008-09-26 - What You Achieve is Built on Character
Whatever you achieve in life is really built on your character. How many times have you seen people achieve success, but only to lose everything because of questionable character? It was like a tall building created on a faulty foundation. Make sure what you achieve is build on a strong foundation (a strong character).

2008-09-27 - The Place to Look is Inside
Whenever something goes wrong, there are always people who are looking around for someone to blame; and it is amazing how many people do not like to take personal responsibility. The most successful people always look inside themselves to change anything in their life. They don't blame others or expect anything of others. They take 100% personal responsibility.

2008-09-28 - What You are Seeking is Seeking You
What you focus on in life and what you are seeking is the major factor of how much success you achieve. There's a great way to describe it: What you are seeking is seeking you. Your focus and actions create the right circumstances around you for others to help you get what you want. When others know what you are seeking, they begin to see how helping you can also help themselves.

2008-09-29 - Attitude is the Difference & You Control It
The power of a great attitude is something everyone understands, and yet often seem to forget. In fact, it is considered such a simple concept, that it is rarely taught in schools; but either powers a person forwards or backwards. Remember, your attitude is something that is 100% in your control. Keep a great attitude and it will power you to a great life.

2008-09-30 - With a Different Set of Circumstances
We sometimes get upset when others responded to us in a way that we would have never responded to them. We expected others to act as we would act. A great way to think about this is that others reacted based on their set of circumstances (what they experienced in their life and what's happening to them right now). Their circumstances were different than ours, and we always need to keep this in mind.

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