"I always skate to where the puck is going, not where it's been." -Wayne Gretsky
I always try to follow my own advice. If you see something that is working, do more of that. In your money making endeavors, you will find a lot of things that just don't work. You will find a few things that sort of work and even fewer things that work really well. You would be smart to continue to do the things that make money and if you are capable, you will do more of those things.
Of the things that are sort of working, you will want to adjust what you are doing and try to make them work better. You want to make those ideas make money for you. If you can't figure out why they are only making a little bit or just breaking even, maybe it is time to set that idea aside and skate towards something else that might have a higher return.
Ideas are a dime a dozen. I heard somewhere that the average person has at least three new ideas per day. The problem is that we don't act on them. We need to find a way to determine the profitability on those ideas and act on the ones that look like they will make money.
Do you have a pocket notebook? You should have one in your pocket at all times. Whenever you have an idea, you should write it down. I find if I don't write the ideas I have down, I forget them within an hour. For some reason, our ideas create themselves in our short term memory and most of them never make it to our long term memory.
A couple of times per week, during your slow time, take the time to look through your ideas and figure out which ideas you can act upon. This will lead you to more creative ideas.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
Saturday, March 24, 2012
Find Your Inner Way
"Once you have the Inner Way, the Outer Way will Follow" ~Wayne Dyer
If you think about it, Whatever it is, it will usually find a way to happen. I have always liked the philosophy that you become whatever it is you think about. If you set up the thought pattern in your mind that something bad is going to happen, something bad usually finds a way to happen. On the other side of the coin, If you set it in your mind that only good things are going to happen, then you will find awesome things happening to you all the time.
The trick is to find ways to make you think about positive things.For some reason, we a human beings are trained to think negatively. We don't trust anyone or anything. We feel like we have to do things by ourselves when in reality to be good at any one thing, you need a group who also is interested in that one thing. That is why there are writing groups, magician clubs and coupon cutting parties.
Here are some ways you can keep yourself thinking positively:
If you think about it, Whatever it is, it will usually find a way to happen. I have always liked the philosophy that you become whatever it is you think about. If you set up the thought pattern in your mind that something bad is going to happen, something bad usually finds a way to happen. On the other side of the coin, If you set it in your mind that only good things are going to happen, then you will find awesome things happening to you all the time.
The trick is to find ways to make you think about positive things.For some reason, we a human beings are trained to think negatively. We don't trust anyone or anything. We feel like we have to do things by ourselves when in reality to be good at any one thing, you need a group who also is interested in that one thing. That is why there are writing groups, magician clubs and coupon cutting parties.
Here are some ways you can keep yourself thinking positively:
- Find a partner who wants the same thing you do. Together you can build each other up and route each other on to make it to the finish line. I am sure you can do it all by yourself, but it will be a whole lot more fun if you had someone to share the success with.
- Carry a reminder. If you can keep something in your pocket or around your wrist to remind you to think positively then you will have a trigger to pull you back into the positive side of that line.
- Laugh out loud for no apparent reason. If you find yourself thinking badly, stop what you are doing and just start laughing. Soon you will find that you are laughing at yourself laughing for no reason. Laughing feels good and will lift you out of your negativity.
- Write good things in your journal. Sit down and just start a list of the things that are good right at that moment. If you can see your surroundings in a different way, then you will be able to be positive.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Let's Make a Point
"Tact is the art of making a point without making an enemy" ~Sir Isaac Newton
How many times do we speak before we think, then in turn lose a good friend or at least lose their respect. This is something that happens on a regular basis. All you have to do is look around and watch the relationships between the people around you.
That Old Wife's Saying, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." is a good lesson to live by. I find that if I hold my tongue instead of speaking what is on my mind at the time I was thinking it, I am better off. If I give my mind some time to think about what I want to say and how to say it with more than just my emotions running the thought, then what I have to say will be more constructive than destructive.
Usually when you want to say something negative, you are more interested in putting the other person down or causing them the same kind of pain you are feeling when you want to make the comment. If you can keep your mouth shut, you will be able to allow the emotions of the moment subside. You will be able to think about the comment you want to make. I think more often than not, you will find the comment unnecessary.
If you feel the point still needs to be made. If someone has wronged you in some sort of way, giving the moment the time it needs to calm itself may be what you need to keep it from turning into something that will tear the relationship apart.
Think about what you want to say. Try to find a way to make the solution benefit both yourself and the person you are angry with. If you can make them an active participant instead of an enemy, then you will be more likely to keep them as a friendly relationship.
How many times do we speak before we think, then in turn lose a good friend or at least lose their respect. This is something that happens on a regular basis. All you have to do is look around and watch the relationships between the people around you.
That Old Wife's Saying, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." is a good lesson to live by. I find that if I hold my tongue instead of speaking what is on my mind at the time I was thinking it, I am better off. If I give my mind some time to think about what I want to say and how to say it with more than just my emotions running the thought, then what I have to say will be more constructive than destructive.
Usually when you want to say something negative, you are more interested in putting the other person down or causing them the same kind of pain you are feeling when you want to make the comment. If you can keep your mouth shut, you will be able to allow the emotions of the moment subside. You will be able to think about the comment you want to make. I think more often than not, you will find the comment unnecessary.
If you feel the point still needs to be made. If someone has wronged you in some sort of way, giving the moment the time it needs to calm itself may be what you need to keep it from turning into something that will tear the relationship apart.
Think about what you want to say. Try to find a way to make the solution benefit both yourself and the person you are angry with. If you can make them an active participant instead of an enemy, then you will be more likely to keep them as a friendly relationship.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Contribute to the Success of Others
"Our own success, to be real, must contribute to the success of others." ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Have you ever noticed when you are trying to do things for yourself, you feel either the stress of failure or the desire to procrastinate, but when you are doing something for someone else, something without expecting anything in return, you have a greater desire to finish what You have started.
I like the idea of helping others. Many of the most successful people made their riches by helping other people get what they want. You can read about people like Henry Ford who wanted to help people get around faster without relying on a living creature. Horses get tired, but the automobile does not.
You can read about Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison who both were inventors who made things for people who needed glasses or light bulbs or pot belly stoves or a way to listen to the recorded voice. When you make a product or provide a service for a large group of people who need or want it, there will be a fortune waiting for you.
Zig Ziglar Always says "If you help enough people get what they want, You will get what you want." You could treat this statement almost like a law of life. It happens every time I see it put into use. The goal is not to think about the money. Spend your time thinking about how you can implement the idea. If the idea is valuable to people, the money will find it's way to you.
Have you ever noticed when you are trying to do things for yourself, you feel either the stress of failure or the desire to procrastinate, but when you are doing something for someone else, something without expecting anything in return, you have a greater desire to finish what You have started.
I like the idea of helping others. Many of the most successful people made their riches by helping other people get what they want. You can read about people like Henry Ford who wanted to help people get around faster without relying on a living creature. Horses get tired, but the automobile does not.
You can read about Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Edison who both were inventors who made things for people who needed glasses or light bulbs or pot belly stoves or a way to listen to the recorded voice. When you make a product or provide a service for a large group of people who need or want it, there will be a fortune waiting for you.
Zig Ziglar Always says "If you help enough people get what they want, You will get what you want." You could treat this statement almost like a law of life. It happens every time I see it put into use. The goal is not to think about the money. Spend your time thinking about how you can implement the idea. If the idea is valuable to people, the money will find it's way to you.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Explain it to a Six Year Old
"If you can't explain it to a six year old, you don't understand it yourself" ~Albert Einstein
This makes perfect sense. Have you ever sat down with a child and tried to explain something to them. You think you can explain it to anyone, but then you find that you can't find the words to make it understandable to someone who doesn't have an extended vocabulary.
I think this is how most self help gurus write their books. You should try this with something you know a lot about. Sit down and start writing. Split what you are trying to teach into sections. You want something that is separated into bite sized chunks. You want your six year old to be able to go away everyday with a small part of what you are teaching.
Now start writing each section as if you are trying to explain it to a child. Use small words. Don't try to expand on anything in exhaustive detail. Try to remember that the people you are trying to teach probably don't have any experience in what you know about. That means the parts you take for granted, they know nothing about.
When you are done, try your teaching on someone else. They don't have to be six years old. They just have to know very little about what you are teaching. When you do this, you will find out some of the things you left out. You will notice their face when you say something that does not make sense to them. Those are you ques to make changes to your teaching.
The interesting thing about putting together this teaching, you will learn so much more about what you are trying to teach. You will be surprised at what you have learned yourself.
This makes perfect sense. Have you ever sat down with a child and tried to explain something to them. You think you can explain it to anyone, but then you find that you can't find the words to make it understandable to someone who doesn't have an extended vocabulary.
I think this is how most self help gurus write their books. You should try this with something you know a lot about. Sit down and start writing. Split what you are trying to teach into sections. You want something that is separated into bite sized chunks. You want your six year old to be able to go away everyday with a small part of what you are teaching.
Now start writing each section as if you are trying to explain it to a child. Use small words. Don't try to expand on anything in exhaustive detail. Try to remember that the people you are trying to teach probably don't have any experience in what you know about. That means the parts you take for granted, they know nothing about.
When you are done, try your teaching on someone else. They don't have to be six years old. They just have to know very little about what you are teaching. When you do this, you will find out some of the things you left out. You will notice their face when you say something that does not make sense to them. Those are you ques to make changes to your teaching.
The interesting thing about putting together this teaching, you will learn so much more about what you are trying to teach. You will be surprised at what you have learned yourself.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Time or Money
"Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time." -Jim Rohn
This is something that we often forget. Then we wonder where the time went when we have wasted it watching TV or surfing the internet or whatever other pointless activities we do in life. Time is something that is finite. We only have so much of it. The problem is, we have no idea how much of it we will have.
I am a strong believer in making your time count. Make sure you know what you want to do in your life. Make sure you know who you want to spend that time with. Then when you get to the end of your life, you won't be sad to find that you have wasted the time you have been give.
Do you know what you want to do with your life? Even if you do or you don't, take a few moments to sit down and make a list of all the things you want to accomplish in your life.I like the website called 43things.com. The site allows you to make goals. Then it helps you accomplish those goals.
After you know what you want to do, take a few minutes to plan out the upcoming month, to figure out how you can get certain steps accomplished to get closer to those large goals. Then the only thing you will have to do to make those goals happen is to get out there and do them.
This is something that we often forget. Then we wonder where the time went when we have wasted it watching TV or surfing the internet or whatever other pointless activities we do in life. Time is something that is finite. We only have so much of it. The problem is, we have no idea how much of it we will have.
I am a strong believer in making your time count. Make sure you know what you want to do in your life. Make sure you know who you want to spend that time with. Then when you get to the end of your life, you won't be sad to find that you have wasted the time you have been give.
Do you know what you want to do with your life? Even if you do or you don't, take a few moments to sit down and make a list of all the things you want to accomplish in your life.I like the website called 43things.com. The site allows you to make goals. Then it helps you accomplish those goals.
After you know what you want to do, take a few minutes to plan out the upcoming month, to figure out how you can get certain steps accomplished to get closer to those large goals. Then the only thing you will have to do to make those goals happen is to get out there and do them.
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Promises are like Crying Babies
Promises are like crying babies in a theater, they should be carried out at once. - Norman Vincent Peale
If you make a promise, you must follow through with that promise. It will define your character whether you carry out what you've said you would do or not. If you don't follow through, then people will have a hard time trusting you with anything. They will not take you seriously. If you do follow through with your promise, then you will be admired, counted on, and the amount of responsibility given to you will grow.
It says something about you as a person when you keep your promises. You say that you are a person who is going somewhere. It says that you should be someone that people can follow and not worry about being left behind. Keeping your promises will make you a better leader, and ultimately more successful in life.
Think about it. If we had a politician who could keep every promise they ever made, they would be someone worth getting behind. We would have someone who might just be in office for 8 years and who might be worth getting the law changed to give him (or her) a third term. That would be just awesome.
So how do you keep your promises? Don't promise something you can not deliver on. Remember to think about what you are promising before you make the commitment. If you know you can't do something, don't say you can do it. If you are not sure if something is possible, then don't promise you can do it. As for help and do it together. Then you will know if it is something you can do.
If you make a promise, you must follow through with that promise. It will define your character whether you carry out what you've said you would do or not. If you don't follow through, then people will have a hard time trusting you with anything. They will not take you seriously. If you do follow through with your promise, then you will be admired, counted on, and the amount of responsibility given to you will grow.
It says something about you as a person when you keep your promises. You say that you are a person who is going somewhere. It says that you should be someone that people can follow and not worry about being left behind. Keeping your promises will make you a better leader, and ultimately more successful in life.
Think about it. If we had a politician who could keep every promise they ever made, they would be someone worth getting behind. We would have someone who might just be in office for 8 years and who might be worth getting the law changed to give him (or her) a third term. That would be just awesome.
So how do you keep your promises? Don't promise something you can not deliver on. Remember to think about what you are promising before you make the commitment. If you know you can't do something, don't say you can do it. If you are not sure if something is possible, then don't promise you can do it. As for help and do it together. Then you will know if it is something you can do.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
You Are a Success
Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success."
~Dr. Joyce Brothers
This is a simple concept, but I think most people fail to live it. If you want something, you need to focus on it. If you don't focus on it, then your mind will not be aware of the things you want when they pass near you. If you are focusing on those things, then you will notice them when they approach. Then you can take action on those opportunities.
You can only do things if you believe you can do things. That includes being a success. If you don't believe you can, then what chance do you have to actually become that success. You have to know it is possible, and the more present tense you can make that belief, the sooner you will feel that success come to your reality.
I think you have to be ready to make something happen. If your mind is not ready, then it will be hard for your body to make it happen. The nice thing is that you can choose to be ready whenever you want to be. Once you make that choice then there is nothing outside your grasp. You just have to believe.
This is a simple concept, but I think most people fail to live it. If you want something, you need to focus on it. If you don't focus on it, then your mind will not be aware of the things you want when they pass near you. If you are focusing on those things, then you will notice them when they approach. Then you can take action on those opportunities.
You can only do things if you believe you can do things. That includes being a success. If you don't believe you can, then what chance do you have to actually become that success. You have to know it is possible, and the more present tense you can make that belief, the sooner you will feel that success come to your reality.
I think you have to be ready to make something happen. If your mind is not ready, then it will be hard for your body to make it happen. The nice thing is that you can choose to be ready whenever you want to be. Once you make that choice then there is nothing outside your grasp. You just have to believe.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Make Others Become Great
"Really great people make you feel that you, too, can become great" ~Mark Twain
This is an interesting quote to think about. It is true if you think about it. Who in you life do you feel is a great person. It might be a teacher or a boss or someone else who you think does amazing work. Why do you think they are great? Usually it is because they have made you feel like you yourself might be great as well. That teacher prods you to do well on a test or compliments something you have written. The boss tells you that you have been doing a good job and instructs you in ways that will make you a better boss.
One of my favorite examples is when we read authors. We think they are great. They don't know us. They have never spoken to us. They may never speak to us. Somehow, though, they are able to make us feel like we are someone great. I don't know what it is. Maybe because we get the opportunity to read something in their world, become part of that world. We get to see a small part of what is inside them.
We all strive to be great in some way. We all strive to be like those who we admire. The ones who, in our eyes, are already great. In that way we try to me more like them, making even the slightest bit of greatness. What we don't always see is that those we see as great once saw someone before them as great, someone who made them want to be better, to be great themselves. Soon you will have people looking at you wanting a little bit of your greatness to rub off on them. All you can do is be as great as you can be.
This is an interesting quote to think about. It is true if you think about it. Who in you life do you feel is a great person. It might be a teacher or a boss or someone else who you think does amazing work. Why do you think they are great? Usually it is because they have made you feel like you yourself might be great as well. That teacher prods you to do well on a test or compliments something you have written. The boss tells you that you have been doing a good job and instructs you in ways that will make you a better boss.
One of my favorite examples is when we read authors. We think they are great. They don't know us. They have never spoken to us. They may never speak to us. Somehow, though, they are able to make us feel like we are someone great. I don't know what it is. Maybe because we get the opportunity to read something in their world, become part of that world. We get to see a small part of what is inside them.
We all strive to be great in some way. We all strive to be like those who we admire. The ones who, in our eyes, are already great. In that way we try to me more like them, making even the slightest bit of greatness. What we don't always see is that those we see as great once saw someone before them as great, someone who made them want to be better, to be great themselves. Soon you will have people looking at you wanting a little bit of your greatness to rub off on them. All you can do is be as great as you can be.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Ignore Your Limits
"Know your limits, then ignore them" ~John Mason
Sometimes it is good to not know how far you can go. Then you will surprise yourself by how far you can go. Lets say that you are invited to run a marathon. You say yes knowing you have never run that kind of distance before. You get on the starting line and start running when you hear the signal. You will be pleasantly surprised how far you can run without stopping. Then you will be surprised that you are able to walk the rest without stopping. Then you will be able to tell everyone that you have completed a marathon. It may take you 6-8 hours to complete the marathon but that is OK. You did it, and that is all that matters.
Now that you have an idea of what it is like to run a marathon, you know what your limits are. You will know what it takes to get yourself to the next level. Now all you have to do is train yourself to get past those limits. You start running everyday. You start to rat better, making sure you eat things that will give your muscles the nutrients they need to take the punishment you intend to put on them.
Instead of waiting for someone to invite you to run that next marathon, you start searching for the next one you want to run. You make plans to be at that marathon, and you set goals to get you to the point to run that race. When the day comes you start running, and are amazed when you pass the 5 mile mark without feeling too much strain. You keep running till you can't run anymore. Then you walk the rest of the way. When you finish, you find you have shaved off two hours off you last marathon. Now you know what your new limits are and you can plan for the next one.
Sometimes it is good to not know how far you can go. Then you will surprise yourself by how far you can go. Lets say that you are invited to run a marathon. You say yes knowing you have never run that kind of distance before. You get on the starting line and start running when you hear the signal. You will be pleasantly surprised how far you can run without stopping. Then you will be surprised that you are able to walk the rest without stopping. Then you will be able to tell everyone that you have completed a marathon. It may take you 6-8 hours to complete the marathon but that is OK. You did it, and that is all that matters.
Now that you have an idea of what it is like to run a marathon, you know what your limits are. You will know what it takes to get yourself to the next level. Now all you have to do is train yourself to get past those limits. You start running everyday. You start to rat better, making sure you eat things that will give your muscles the nutrients they need to take the punishment you intend to put on them.
Instead of waiting for someone to invite you to run that next marathon, you start searching for the next one you want to run. You make plans to be at that marathon, and you set goals to get you to the point to run that race. When the day comes you start running, and are amazed when you pass the 5 mile mark without feeling too much strain. You keep running till you can't run anymore. Then you walk the rest of the way. When you finish, you find you have shaved off two hours off you last marathon. Now you know what your new limits are and you can plan for the next one.
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