Road Improvements
Do you have Balance?
By Mark Matteson
In the spring of 1992,
I met with a well known Speaker and Business Consultant in
his plush downtown office. It had a sweeping view of Puget
Sound. He was at the height of his fame and influence. His
name was Lou Tice. He started a company called the Pacific
Institute. I had attended one of his seminars (taught by
someone one his young trainers, Bob Moawad) in 1973. As we
sat down, he surprised me by asking two questions which took
me aback.
1. How is your
Spiritual Life?
2. Do You Have Balance?
15 years later, I am in
a very similar kind of business, as a speaker and business
consultant. I now understand the wisdom of those questions.
This time of year, it’s impossible to miss articles in
virtually any magazine or newspaper (or blog) on “New Years
Resolutions.” An article in the New York Times recently
cited 38% of all people that make these empty promises to
themselves quit on them by mid-February. You know the drill;
this year I am going to: lose 30 pounds, organize my garage,
(see my Special Report on organizing my office) or quit
smoking.
Why do we not keep our promises? Why do we fail? Why do we
revert back to old habits? Over the holidays, I asked myself
these questions.
Here are some thoughts, as Rod Serling used to say,
“Submitted for Your Approval.”
-
It’s a Wish, not a
goal. It’s not written down.
-
No timeline. A goal
without a deadline is like a fishing hook without bait.
Good luck catching anything!
-
Our Self-Concept
gets in the way. Like a thermostat setting at 70
degrees, it maintains our comfort zones. Self-Image is
powerful regulator. We must change the setting through
Repetition, Impression and Emotion until....until the
change happens inside. Now we have a new belief, which
regulates our future performance.
-
Lifestyle changes
mean committing to changes in daily behavior and
priorities. I always smile when I hear a middle age man
explain why his broad mind and narrow waist trades
places, “It’s my metabolism.” No, it’s your priorities.
Having six pack abs simply isn’t as important to a 54
year man as it is a 20 year old young man. He has time
and incentive; you have a mortgage and a family to
support.
-
Ben Franklin once
wrote, “The road to wealth is as simple as the road to
market. Augment your means or diminish your wants,
either will do. If we do them simultaneously, we arrive
much sooner.” The same could be said for losing 30
pounds. Diet or exercise. BOTH are better.
-
Accountability. We
make a promise to someone else, a work out partner, a
trainer, a professional organizer, a consultant, a
pastor. We all need someone to hold us to our promises.
Find a mentor, a coach.
-
Lack of awareness.
Read books on the subject. Ask five people who have done
what you want to do and been where you want to go what
books THEY have read on the subject. Read smart.
-
Ask WHAT you want
to achieve and WHY?! Forget the HOW question entirely,
at least at the beginning. (see the Special Report
“Dashboard Decree”) The more reasons you have the
greater your chances for success.
Over the holidays I
wrote down goals in Six Different Areas of my Life.
1. Spiritual
2. Wellness
3. Family
4. Business
5. Long Term Wealth
6. Community
Once I identified WHAT
I wanted and WHY, I wrote a brief paragraph on what that
will look and feel like in the present tense. Then I listed
the specific daily behaviors needed to achieve those goals.
Then I typed them up, laminated them and inserted them into
my planner. (That can work just as well in your I-Phone,
Blackberry, Strawberry, Boysenberry, your fruit of choice).
My intention is to review them daily. By telling you, I am
holding myself accountable. I am searching for mentors in
each area. The books will follow. Will I achieve every goal?
Perhaps. I have a much better chance of achieving than the
fellow who simply made a New Years Resolution...I promise.
How is my Spiritual Life? Maybe that is the topic for
next month. Make it a great year, unless you have other
plans. I wonder if Lou is still around. Maybe I will Google
him...I promise.
*************************************************************
Some Thoughts on the Value of SILENCE
A lot
has been written on the value of silence in a selling
situation and for good reason. There comes a point in any
sales presentation when the other person should be talking
and there is a time when no one should be talking. Silence
keeps you from saying more than you need to, and makes the
other person want to say more than he or she means to.
Knowing when to remain silent can strongly influence the
impression you make on others.
Silence is a void and
people feel an overwhelming need to fill it. Resist the
temptation and watch what happens.
He was a bright, hard working young man. He was out of
money. The wolves were at his door, growling. He had just
quit his good job at Western Union. The year? 1870. It was
the beginning of a post war economic boon, when the 23 year
old was trying to sell his first invention, a machine that
did not exist. It counted votes. After his nervous
presentation, he had planned to say “The cost is $4,000.”
When he tried to speak the words didn’t come. He was
speechless, terrified. The cat had his tongue. After a brief
silence, the prospect said, “Okay, how much?” Again, no
words came. After a longer silence, the prospect declared,
“$40,000 dollars and not a penny more.” The young man nodded
in agreement. Thomas Alva Edison was flush with cash.
All the wolves died that day. Ahh, “The Sounds of
Silence.”
One for
the road
This months best books to consider
How to Become a Rainmaker: The Rules for Getting and Keeping Customers and Clients
by Jeffrey J. Fox
Listening to the CD, it’s clear why this fellow sells so
many books.
It’s solid Advanced Sales information with some excellent
Marketing and Consulting Ideas thrown in for good measure.
Give 'em the Pickle!
by Robert Farrell & Bill Perkins
When I was a kid, Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlors were all the rage.
This book is Mr. Farrell’s story and his philosophy and folksy wisdom
which at first seems almost cliché, then it hit me. These are the
fundamentals, the causes of success for any business that wants to raise
the bar and have your customers say what Mr. Farrell says all the way
through his delightful autobiography, “I’ll Be Back!”
Focus: Using Your Energy to Change The World
by Nancy Burson
This little gem, at 122 pages is the most important book I read in
2007.
I have re-read it three times and will continue to assimilate
its content.
Questions she asks (that I answered in my journal with
profound effects) include:
-
Am I ready to shift the negative
images?
-
Can I let go of these images?
-
Who does this belong to?
-
When do I want to be happy?
-
What am I not seeing?
-
What do I need to do to move on?
-
What did I learn from this experience?
-
What am I here to learn for my whole
life?
-
What is my bigger picture?
Watch "The
Road" Buddy!
Check out my
movie list to
make you Laugh, Cry and Think
Matteson Avenue
has an archive of all the ezines of past.
Launch
new goals this year
Laugh more this year.
Learn more this year by reading a book a month on the
Reading List
Leave a legacy this year -
Freedom From Fear Forever
has a great message!
End Construction
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