Newsletter for October 2005:
The Every-Day Magic of Thinking BIG
Contents:
- This Months Thought
- The Wonderful Magic of Thinking BIG!
- Quotes of the Month
- Strictly Business: Advertising & Promotion vs. Marketing
- Humor: Lessons I’ve Learned
This Months Thought
What's your BIG idea? What excites you? What takes your breath away, keeps you up at night, makes you smile all day long? What's your REALLY BIG – MONSTROUS CRASY IDEA? Sometimes it's "distant and far away", vague or fuzzy, but it's in there! Find it, dust it off, honor it. Pursue it! People will join you and things will unfold in amazing ways. Lift your eyes, dream your dreams, take action! It's what makes life worth the living!
The Wonderful Magic of Thinking Really BIG!
There is something uniquely human, and very important, about looking to the skies. From the beginning of time, wise men and woman have encouraged us to "look to the hills, from whence cometh my strength", and we all know the call of "distant horizons".
Henry Thoreau talked about marching to the beat of our own drum, "no matter how feint or far away". Humans have always wondered what's beyond the horizon, over the hill, or around the bend. We long to see farther, go further and do more, and that is certainly part of what motivated the astronauts aboard the Columbia, and its part of why we call them heroes.
And yet in our daily lives, too often we get bogged down in the trivia of every-day things. Now, of course, life requires that we do our daily work. Taking care of the house, running the errands and paying the bills are not trivial things! They are the routines that make modern life possible. We rely on each other to be dependable and to complete our assigned responsibilities.
But, as the old song asks, "is that all there is?" We know the answer, and it troubles us.
Sometimes, we need to step back and lift our eyes to the hills and beyond. Sometimes we need to ask the big questions, and contemplate the big answers.
In 1959, David Schwartz wrote a book called, "The Magic of Thinking BIG" that has changed thousands of lives. It's written in an "old" style and there's no mystery or drama in it, just the truth that we NEED big dreams. There is something in us that needs a larger destiny, a greater purpose.
There are three very difficult things that all true heroes balanced in their lives:
- They did their work and fulfilled the ordinary responsibilities of life as mature adults.
- They also had the ability to hear and honor a big dream. Amelia Earhart heard the call. John Glenn heard a similar call. Teddy Roosevelt never stopped exploring the great American west. Helen Keller could see more clearly than most.
- They were able to take action in the direction of their dreams. They didn't just look at the horizon and wonder, they got up and went.
I recently shared my big dream with some of my clients and associates to combine my coaching practice with out door adventures. It’s my dream to set up semi-annual adventure trips to the Rockies (Fly Fishing, White Water Rafting, Mountain Hiking, Trail Riding, etc.) during the day, and conduct coaching seminars in the evening.
We responded to President Kennedy's challenge to go to the moon. We LOVE over-coming obstacles, solving problems, making a difference! We enjoy being part of something meaningful and significant. We are creatures who naturally look to the skies, the horizons and ask "what's next?"
What's your BIG idea? What challenges and excites you? What takes your breath away, keeps you up at night, makes you smile all day long? Sometimes it's "distant and far away", vague or fuzzy, but it's in there! Find it, dust it off, honor it. Pursue it! People will join you and things will unfold in amazing ways. Lift your eyes, dream your dreams, take action! It's what makes life worth living!
Quotes of the Month
"Nothing happens unless first a dream." -- Carl Sandburg
"Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance." -- Bruce Barton
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." -- T. S. Eliot
"Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow!" -- Norman Vincent Peale
Strictly Business: Advertising & Promotion vs. Marketing
Are you tired of the glut of advertising coming your way? I am - Spam and junk mail are full of it, television is full of it, even magazines seem to have more.
Businesses cannot "advertise their way to success". Of course there is a time and place for advertising! You have to let people know you exist, and you need to make a splash with new products or new services. Advertising is a good thing. But you probably can't buy enough to build a business on it.
And promotion, particularly self-promotion, has a similar limitation. Obviously, if you believe in a product or service, you MUST tell people about it and invite them to buy. You owe that to yourself as a business person, and to customers who need and want your service. Promotion has its place – but often much of it is done in a way that makes it ineffective.
But in the end, marketing is a different animal. Marketing is about your reputation. It's about customer satisfaction and retention. It's about your relationships. Marketing is about letting people know who you are, what you do and what you offer. (Never keep yourself a secret! There is no advantage in being shy!) Marketing is about YOU more than your product or service. It's about your reputation, your level of responsibility and your follow-through.
In the end, most marketing is "free", in that it comes from being who you are and doing what you do, to the best of your ability.
Many small businesses would be far ahead to scrap their advertising budget entirely and invest the money in ma
Humor: Lessons I've Learned
Some of the following are familiar, but many are new (at least to me) and they all make me smile. Enjoy!
Now that I'm 'older' (but refuse to grow up), here's what I've discovered:
- I started out with nothing, and I still have most of it.
- My wild oats have turned into prunes and All Bran.
- I finally got my head together; now my body is falling apart.
- Funny, I don't remember being absent minded...
- All reports are in; life is now officially unfair.
- If all is not lost, where is it?
- It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
- Some days you're the dog; some days you're the hydrant.
- I wish the buck stopped here; I sure could use a few...
- Kids in the back seat cause accidents.
- Accidents in the back seat cause kids.
- It's hard to make a comeback when you haven't been anywhere.
- The only time the world beats a path to your door is when you're in the bathroom.
- If God wanted me to touch my toes, he would have put them on my knees.
- When I'm finally holding all the cards, why does everyone decide to play chess?
- It's not hard to meet expenses... they're everywhere.
- The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.
- These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter. I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.
- I CAN'T REMEMBER IF I HAVE MAILED THIS TO YOU OR NOT!
- Funny, I don't remember being, . . . absent minded...
Rodger Blaker works with executives, small business owners and professionals who want to grow in 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!