Newsletter for August 2005:
Steps To "Positive" Success
Contents:
- This Months Thought
- Steps To “Positive” Success
- Quotes of the Month
- Strictly Business: The Care and Keeping of Customers
- Humor: Only in America!
This Months Thought
The steps to success begin by surrounding ourselves with the things we WISH to see. Read great books! Talk with smart people! Hang with positive, energetic, talented, creative people! If you see sadness and trouble every day, you will be influenced by it! If you see opportunity and optimism, determination and courage and hope, you will inevitably be shaped by these things, as well.
Steps To “Positive” Success
I attended a teleclass event recently and one of the tools used jumped out at me. I understand that the tool has helped many people reach their goals and I want to share just one of the many KEY pieces that impressed me.
During the call, I was reminded that success is based on a simple 3-step process:
>>> First -- What We See
I'm told that the average American sees over 3000 marketing messages every day. They are everywhere! Fortunately, we have learned to ignore the vast majority of them.
In the same way, at this very moment you are breathing, you are sitting on a chair, and a there are a thousand things going on that your brain automatically filters out to let you concentrate. Our ability to "filter" allows us to survive! If we couldn't do that, we would be over-whelmed and unable to function.
BUT...out of all that "data" around us, we select a few things to notice and care about. We respond to a baby's cry. We answer a ringing telephone. We focus on our bank statement, our bills, a lover's touch and so forth, and this is important - high achievers focus on ("see") things differently than failures!
High achievers literally do not "see" the television programs others find captivating! High achievers "see" opportunities others miss. They "see" solutions others ignore.
What you "see" or focus on determines your destiny.
>>> Second -- How We Interpret What We See
Shakespeare observed that nothing is "good or bad, but thinking makes it so." Most people know the story about the glass that is either "half-full" or "half-empty." We interpret everything we see and the difference is that the winners in life constantly interpret life in ways that work to their advantage.
Where one person interprets a slumping economy as threatening their business, another finds an opportunity for growth. There one person sees a problem, another seizes opportunity.
Winners view things differently. They grasp solutions, seize opportunities and find reasons for optimism.
>>> Third -- What We DO About What We See
Everything comes down to action. Peak performers actually DO get up a bit earlier, they DO stay a bit later, they DO work harder (and smarter) than other people. In the end, our lives are not created by our intentions but by the results of our daily activities.
Now, it is true that our actions are shaped by many things! Of course painful experiences and mis-fortune and bad luck play a part. Let's not kid ourselves.
But the most important influences on our daily actions are (1) what we see, (2) how we interpret what we see, and (3) how we respond.
The steps to success begin by surrounding ourselves with the things we WISH to see. Read great books! Talk with smart people! Hang with positive, energetic, talented, creative people! If you see stress and trouble every day, you will be influenced by it! If you see opportunity and optimism, if you see determination and courage and hope, you will inevitably be shaped by these things.
Here are four practical applications of these truths:
I no longer subscribe to a daily newspaper or watch most TV News. For many years I was addicted to both, but then I noticed that starting my day by reading about trouble and controversy or watching the same thing in the evenings on TV was not creating the life I wanted. So I took action, canceled my subscription and now I read something more useful and I watch less TV.
Every week, I work with a personal coach who reminds me of my values and goals.
I try attend at least two personal development seminars every year.
I attend local network groups that are full of positive, energetic, talented, creative people that are committed to supporting one another.
In other words, I hang out where the GOOD stuff and the GREAT people are!
Invest in your future. Go where the GOOD stuff is!
Quotes of the Month
"Start a huge, foolish project, like Noah. It makes absolutely no difference what people think of you." -- Rumi
"You don't have to be great to get started but you have to get started to be great." -- Les Brown
"I have always had a dread of becoming a passenger in life." Queen Margret II of Denmark
"I don't worry about the storms, I am learning to sail my own ship." -- Louisa May Alcott
Strictly Business: The Care and Keeping of Customers
The first question of any business is to understand WHAT business you are in.
Most people think McDonald's is in the restaurant or hamburger business, but many analysts through the years have observed that they are actually in a variety of businesses. They are in the real estate development business. They are in the entertainment business. And most of all, they are in the customer service business.
Every business is first, last, and always in the business of providing superior service to its customers.
It costs a fortune to attract a new customer. The time, money, energy, anxiety and effort to get a new first-time customer in the door is a huge expense. No business has the resources to attract and serve only new customers. The key to profits is in keeping and serving the customers you already have.
Some studies show that it costs up to 85 times more money to get a new customer than to make an additional sale to an existing customer.
No matter what other business you are in, your first business is in keeping and serving and partnering with your customers. It's called customer retention. Sometimes it's called "up-selling". It goes by many names, but the principle is the same: Nurture and keep your customers!
Customer service is about reliability and it's about relationship. It's about trust. It's about the quality of your product, but even more, it's about the quality of your service before, during and long after the sale.
Humor: Only in America!
My daughter Rebekah sends me humorous stuff like the following all the time and I decided it’s time to put one of her gems in my news letter. Keep them coming sweety – love you and to the rest of you enjoy!
What's Your "Southern" Sign? Some of us (especially Southerners) are pretty skeptical of horoscopes, and it has become obvious that what we need are "Southern" symbols:
OKRA (Dec 22 - Jan 20): Although you appear crude, you are actually very slick on the inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. Stay away from Moon Pies.
CHITLIN (Jan 21 - Feb 19): Chitlins come from humble backgrounds. A chitlin, however, can make something of himself if he's motivated and has lots of seasoning. In dealing with Chitlins, be careful. They can erupt like Vesuvius. Chitlins are best with Catfish and Okra
BOLL WEEVIL (Feb 20 - Mar 20): You have an overwhelming curiosity. You're unsatisfied with the surface of things, and you feel the need to bore deep into the interior of everything. Needless to say, you are very intense and driven as if you had some inner hunger. Nobody in their right mind is going to marry you, so don't worry about it.
MOON PIE (Mar 21 - Apr 20): You're the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. It's a cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. It's not going to be easy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Or maybe not.
POSSUM (Apr 21 - May 21): When confronted with life's difficulties, possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a don't-bother-me-about-it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you're dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy, but seems to work for you. One day, however, it won't work and you may find your problems actually running you over.
CRAWFISH (May 22 - June 21): Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office, you're always hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to the mountains, the pool to the golf course, the bathtub to the living room. You tend to be not particularly attractive physically, but you have very, very good heads.
COLLARDS (June 22 - July 23): Collards have a genius for communication. They love to get in the "melting pot" of life and share their essence with the essence of those round them. Collards make good social workers, psychologists, and baseball managers. As far as your personal life goes, if you are Collards, stay away from Moon Pies. It just won't work. Save yourself a lot of heartache.
CATFISH (July 24 - Aug 23): Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, although one's whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You catfish are never easy people to understand. You prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies.
GRITS (Aug 24 - Sept 23): Your highest aim is to be with others like yourself. You like to huddle together with a big crowd of other Grits. You love to travel though, so maybe you should think about joining a club. Where do you like to go? Anywhere they have cheese or gravy or bacon or butter or eggs. If you can go somewhere where they have all these things that serves you well.
BOILED PEANUTS (Sept 24 - Oct 23): You have a passionate desire to help your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best - your friends and loved ones - may find that your personality is much too salty, and their criticism will probably affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure that people will always pull over and stop for you.
BUTTER BEAN (Oct 24 - Nov 22): Always invite a Butter Bean because Butter Beans get along well with everybody. You, as a Butter Bean, should be proud. You've grown on the vine of life and you feel at home no matter what the setting. You can sit next to anybody. However, you, too, shouldn't have anything to do with Moon Pies.
ARMADILLO (Nov 23 - Dec 21): You have a tendency to develop a tough exterior, but you are actually quite gentle. A good evening for you? Old friends, a fire, some roots, fruit, worms and insects. You are a throwback. You're not concerned with today's fashions and trends. You're not concerned with anything about today. You're really almost prehistoric in your interests and behavior patterns. You probably want to marry another Armadillo, but Possum is another somewhat kinky, mating possibility.
Rodger Blaker works with small business owners and professionals who want to grow their business and create an extraordinary life! For info on resources for your success, visit: http://www.rodgerblaker.com
GIVE A GIFT TO A FRIEND! Please forward this copy to your friends and colleagues! That's how I grow!