Newsletter for October 2008: The Winter of Your Success
Contents:
Strictly Business: Eliminate the Bottlenecks
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For winners, winter is an amazingly time of year. While nature (and most of our competition) is sleeping, winners use the winter to stay focused and achieve greatness. What will you accomplish this coming winter? What magnificent goals will you achieve? Decide to make this your most productive year ever; then get to work. Make it happen. "Git 'er done!"
On this week’s group coach call, I told my fellow coaches that "for some reason" I've been unusually energized, focused and productive. Afterward, I realized there's no mystery. I know exactly why I'm so excited: Fall is here!
Obviously, every season has its strong points, but for me fall and winter have always been connected with "production." I think of winter days spent reading, writing, on the phone with colleagues, and getting stuff done. The crisp, cool mornings energize me, and I love that!
(For any subscribers "down south," I know your summer is coming, and you'll be enjoying all things we'll be missing here in the frozen north! Have a great, and productive, summer!)
But for the majority of “This Months Thought” subscribers, winter is on its way and this is the BEST time to achieve your most important short-term goals.
Since you won't be tempted by the beach, how will you use the time? What projects will you get done this winter?
The possibilities, of course, are unlimited. Some subscribers will write that novel they've been meaning to start. Some investors will be out looking at real estate while interest rates are low and the competition refuses to fight the snow and cold. Some people will go to the gym, while others will be making sales and earning fantastic year-end commissions. How will YOU use the days of winter?
Here's a key point: You aren't likely to hit anything in particular unless you DECIDE in advance and make the COMMITMENT to "git 'er done."
I admit that compared to many coaches, I am slightly suspicious of most "goals." I put "goals" in quotes because far too many of the "goals" I hear about are merely nice-sounding hot air. Too many "goals" are just written descriptions of things we wish or hope or fantasize about, and they become set-ups for frustration.
The reality is that human beings are magnificent goal-achieving creatures, BUT only when we aim at targets we REALLY want to hit. Writing down some nice-sounding phrase because your doctor wants you to lose weight, or because your boss wants you to do more is usually a waste of time.
First, ponder what you really want to achieve this coming winter. What would be fun? What would give you an incredible sense of satisfaction, fulfillment or delight? Is there a 90-day project that would transform your life forever? Write THAT down and mull it over. THAT'S worth going for!
Second, make it measurable and specific. Put some numbers on it. Lose ten pounds, not just "some weight." Increase sales by 18% over last year, or read (and finish) "War and Peace" by your birthday.
Third, develop a reasonable (believable) strategy. A goal without a plan is just a pipe dream, so figure out how you can "win" this time. Will you get up earlier? Will you re-write your website? Will you make more calls, or hire a coach? You need a "recipe" to achieve your goal.
Fourth, tell some people who will cheer you on and hold you accountable. This can be tricky because too many people will claim to "support" you while in fact they raise doubts, criticize or undermine you. So choose carefully, but get some cheerleaders!
Fifth - this is the easy part - get to work. Now that you've got a target, a plan and a support team, DO what you've promised to do. Make the calls. Run the laps. Put the money in savings. Read a few pages each day. Whatever your goal and your strategy for achievement, "git 'er done."
For winners, winter is an amazingly time of year. While nature (and most of our competition) is sleeping, winners use the winter to stay focused and achieve greatness. What will you accomplish this coming winter? What magnificent goals will you achieve? Decide to make this your most productive year ever, then get to work. Make it happen. "Git 'er done!"
"Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal." -- Elbert Hubbard
"Achievement seems to be connected with action. Successful men and women keep moving. They make mistakes, but they don't quit." -- Conrad Hilton
"Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on our own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon." -- Denis Waitley
"Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of." -- Benjamin Franklin
In any process, there is an upper limit to your results, and the limit is always the same: A bottleneck.
In watering your garden, the smallest point in the line limits how much water passes through the hose. The bottleneck may be the valve on the house, the diameter of the hose, the little washer inside the coupling, or the nozzle on the end. Wherever the bottleneck occurs, it limits the flow through the entire hose, and the solution is always the same: increase the flow at that one critical point, and the results are instant and dramatic!
The same thing is true in business and in your career.
No matter how smart or skilled or passionate you are, there is always one critical point that limits you more than all the others combined! Fix it, and like the flow of water through your hose, the results are amazing!
Here are 3 common bottlenecks:
1. Not Acting as a Business. Many professionals and entrepreneurs have a dream, not a business. They work without focus, and without results. For tax purposes, the government makes a distinction between a hobby (no matter how hard you work at it), and a business. Customers can tell the difference, too. The bottleneck is lack of clarity. Work the business!
2. Ineffective Marketing. If you aren't getting enough new customers, the bottleneck is in your marketing process. Find a way to let more people know about your business. Everyone wants great service at a fair price! Help them find you!
3. Inadequate Value Added. To achieve unusual success, you must transform customers into life-long partners. If people are trying your product or service, but don't become repeat customers, something is wrong. It may be a skill problem, a pricing problem, or a delivery problem, but it must be fixed!
What are the bottlenecks that hold you back? Find and fix them. You can not afford to allow one small "pinch" to limit your potential. Eliminate the bottlenecks!
If you are ready for some help, get a coach. An outside perspective and the knowledge of an expert coach can often work miracles! Put your time and effort where they will yield the best results. To get started, just send me an email. We'll talk and we'll get to work. rodger@rodgerblaker.com
I'm a sucker for puns and word games. I'm not very good at them, and maybe that's why I appreciate folks who have a genius for them. The following was past around the hospital and I thought you'd enjoy it. Someone out there must be deadly at Scrabble!
DORMITORY
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM
PRESBYTERIAN
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER
ASTRONOMER
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER
DESPERATION
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT
THE EYES
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE
GEORGE BUSH
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE
THE MORSE CODE
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS
SLOT MACHINES
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME
ANIMOSITY
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY
ELECTION RESULTS
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES -- LET'S RECOUNT
SNOOZE ALARMS
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z'S
A DECIMAL POINT
When you rearrange the letters:
IM A DOT IN PLACE
THE EARTHQUAKES
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE
ELEVEN PLUS TWO
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE
Yep! Someone with waaaaaaaaaaay
too much time on their hands!
Rodger Blaker works with executives, small business owners and professionals who want to grow in their business and create an extraordinary life!
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