Newsletter for January 2009: A Recipe For A Great Year
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This Months Thought
Great expectations and great plans are a simple, two-step recipe that has tremendous power. Whether you use it to create a profitable business, a loving relationship or to reach some other personal goal, the key is the simplicity of the system. In life, we usually get what we expect, especially if we have and use a great system to make it come true. Here's to making 2009 a wonderful year!
A Recipe for a Great Year!
There is a great old story that pretty much predicts the kind of year you'll have in 2009.
It's about an older woman in a wheel chair who was moving into a retirement center. Her children had all moved away and her declining health made it impossible for her to live alone any longer. As she sat in the reception area waiting to be wheeled up to see her room for the first time, her daughter called and the nurse handed the woman the phone. As they chatted, the woman told her daughter the room was beautiful, and that she loved the new friends she was meeting.
When she hung up the phone, the nurse expressed surprise, saying she thought the woman had never seen the facility before. The woman replied, "Oh, I've never been in this building before, but I learned a long time ago that most things are about as pleasant and charming as I decide they are in my mind. So why should I wait for you to take me upstairs? I just decided I was going to love it here, and I bet I will."
Isn't that the truth?
In life our expectations, along with our actions, pretty much predict our results.
To make sure 2009 is a wonderful, prosperous and productive year, make sure you go into it with (1) great expectations, and (2) a great plan.
Imagine a year of health, wealth and growth. Affirm that you will achieve your goals and that you'll meet just the right people to help you along the way. Know, in advance that problems will be solved and that you'll have all the resources you may need along the way.
Sure, it may seem a little silly, and imagining a wonderful year may not "guarantee" it will happen, but it can't hurt! If you're going to dream, why not dream the best?
If, for whatever reason, you do want to make yourself anxious or worried, of course you know how to do that. Just focus on a few things that could go wrong, or think about getting sick or failing, and most people can create a "recipe" for worry. But why would anyone expect trouble, when for with the same time and energy they could affirm something wonderful?
Instead, create a recipe for beauty, health, joy and prosperity. It takes no more effort, you'll feel better, and for all we know, it might actually create some sort of "energy field" or "vibrations" that actually will create a better 2009. Give it a try!
Secondly, however, you will need a great system. Dreams, by themselves, are not enough. Get a calendar and plot your strategy. Sit down and explain your "great expectations" to a trusted friend or colleague. There's something magical and extremely powerful about telling your dreams to another person, especially someone who "gets" it and will cheer you on.
Great expectations and great plans are a simple, two-step recipe that has tremendous power. Whether you use it to create a profitable business, a loving relationship or to reach some other personal goal, the key is the simplicity of the system. In life, we usually get what we expect, especially if we have and use a great system to make it come true. Here's to making 2009 a wonderful year!
Quotes of the Month
"A dream is just a dream. A goal is a dream with a plan and a deadline." -- Harvey Mackay
"Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now." -- Goethe
"Don't wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself." -- Sara Henderson
"If you are serious about your goals, drop the conditions. Go directly to your goal. Be your goal! Conditions often disguise strategies for escaping accountability. Why not just take charge and create the experience you are looking for?" -- Eric Allenbaugh
Strictly Business: What Should You Quit This Year?
There are two essential business strategies that go hand in hand. The first is "opportunity cost" and the second is "planned obsolescence". They are not often linked together in business texts, and I think they should be.
Opportunity cost refers to being "too busy" to take on a new project or lacking the time, energy, capital or creativity to see an opportunity when it arrives.
Often, we are so caught up in busy-ness, that we fail to see the "next big thing." We have no time or interest, no energy or capital to engage in research, learn new skills or to welcome opportunity when it knocks.
A solution is to maintain a healthy "margin" of time and energy that are available for innovation, and part of that is to intentionally phase out old programs, old products or old ways of doing things.
I'm told that General Electric earns half its income from products and services that are less than five years old, and they achieved this with a two-pronged approach:
1. Intense commitment to R&D so they always had new revenue sources coming on-line.
2. A plan to phase-out and close-out obsolescent business components.
What should you phase out this year? How much time and energy will you need to seize the opportunities that come your way this year? The cost of working too hard, of spending all your time making money is extremely high. Leave plenty of time around the "margins" for creativity, and never hesitate to stop doing whatever isn't working anymore.
Humor: Classified Ads I Didn't Write!
Every writer has had one or two unfortunate typos. I didn’t write any of these, thankfully. Enjoy and once again, Happy New Year!
Lost: small apricot poodle. Reward. Neutered. Like one of the family.
Dinner Special -- Turkey $2.35; Chicken or Beef $2.25; Children $2.00.
For sale: an antique desk suitable for lady with thick legs and large drawers .
Now is your chance to have your ears pierced and get an extra pair to take home, too.
For Sale -- Eight puppies from a German Shepherd and an Alaskan Hussy.
Great Dames for sale.
Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.
Stock up and save. Limit: one.
Used Cars: Why go elsewhere to be cheated? Come here first!
Modular Sofas. Only $299. For rest or fore play.
Our experienced Mom will care for your child. Fenced yard, meals, and smacks included.
Auto Repair Service. Free pick-up and delivery. Try us once, you'll never go anywhere else again.
Wanted: Preparer of food. Must be dependable, like the food business, and be willing to get hands dirty.
Girl wanted to assist magician in cutting-off-head illusion. Blue Cross and salary.
Semi-Annual after-Christmas Sale.
And now, the Superstore--unequaled in size, unmatched in variety, unrivaled inconvenience.
Rodger Blaker works with executives, professionals and business ownerss who want to grow in their business and create an extraordinary life!
For info on resources for your success, visit: http://www.rodgerblaker.com or call me at 214-485-2238.
Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues! That's how I grow!