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Don’t make a “Goal” instead make a “Promise”

January 16, 2012 By

This is the time of year that many of us start to think about ‘setting goals’.

I try to pull out my “Goal Plan” (a sheet of paper I wrote them on) to see where I am on their achievement on a regular basis.

I end up ‘hitting’ some and not others.

I started to give this more thought and study this month in anticipation of the New Year (Resolution). I came across a Bill Bateman video on iLG where he was talking about his “10 Step Goal Setting” process. It was all really good information – much that I had already learned, but it was good to revisit. He said ‘one thing’ that completely changed the way I’m looking at my personal and business ‘goal setting’.

He said to replace the word ‘Goal‘ with the word ‘Promise‘ when we go about this task. He offered up a study by Harvard that indicated that people “miss their Goals” 76% of the time – but “achieve their Promises” 98% – and that got me thinking about how my own mind interprets the difference between the two words.

First off, I am rare to make ‘Promises’ – I completely understand on a very “Conscious‘ level what that means and I always remember both Mom and Dad teaching ‘how you never make Promises you can’t keep’. Which explains on my subconscious level how I feel about this same word… It is to be taken very seriously!!!

As to ‘Goals’ – for some reason I seem to have an entirely different internal perspective about that word. I’ve made them most my life and if I did not achieve them I would refine either the goal or the time frame and simply forgive myself – or hit a mulligan (do it over).

This year I intend to do this one simply thing; I intend to create my ‘Promise Plan’ for 2009 and in it I intend to make some real ‘Promises’ on what I ‘will do’ both Personally and Business wise this coming year. So far the list is already much shorter as it forces me to ‘filter’ things better and interestingly it also ended up covering the ‘most’ important things.

Maybe this will help you as well. Best to you and yours in 2009 – I ‘Promise’ :)
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The Golden (Platinum) Rule = The Social Networking Rule

January 15, 2012 By

We speak of it and we try to live by it – “treat others as you would like to be treated.”

To me it’s the main rule one needs to follow within Social Networking.

The Golden Rule was a common principle in ancient Greek philosophy.

A few examples:

“Do not to your neighbor what you would take ill from him.” (Pittacus)

“Avoid doing what you would blame others for doing.” (Thales)

“What you wish your neighbors to be to you, such be also to them.” (Sextus the Pythagorean)

“Do not do to others what would anger you if done to you by others.” (Isocrates)

“What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others.” (Epictetus)

A couple snippets from different world views…

Christianity:

Matthew 7:12
“So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.”

Luke 6:31
“Just as you want others to do for you, do the same for them.”

Judaism:

“That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.”

Buddhism:

“One who, while himself seeking happiness, oppresses with violence other
beings who also desire happiness, will not attain happiness hereafter.”

Confucius:

“Never impose on others what you would not choose for yourself.”

Hinduism:

“That man who regards all creatures as his own self, and behaves towards them as towards his own self, laying aside the rod of chastisement and completely subjugating his wrath, succeeds in attaining to happiness.”

Islam:

“Woe to those . . . who, when they have to receive by measure from men, exact full measure, but when they have to give by measure or weight to men, give less than due”

Taoism:

“Regard your neighbor’s gain as your own gain, and your neighbor’s loss as your own loss.”

The “The Platinum Rule” adds a nice addition to the “Golden Rule”…

“The golden rule is a good standard which is further improved by doing unto others, wherever possible, as they want to be done by.”

You’ll see lot’s of “Top 10 Rules of Social Networking” – pick any of the above and I think you’ll have it covered.
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Would developing power partners in your networking efforts help your business?

January 15, 2012 By

So better late than never!!!!

I have been running at full steam here lately and have neglected this forum. I must say that that was not a good thing to do, and I have to say I may have a schedule down to post on a more regular basis. Oh are you going to be happy now, having my rants in your face.

This post will be about how important it really is right now to focus on developing power partners in your local networking efforts. This concept is not new, but I have to say, I am seeing a lot more activity by local leads or networking groups trying to drum up business and their numbers are steadily growing. Locally in the Willamette Valley we have leads groups popping at the seams. I find irony in the midst of this frantic behavior. Those that would not, could not, or just do not get it, are coming out of the wood work hoping to land some business by joining one or more leads groups. Here is the irony in all this, when things are good and business is booming we don’t think about helping the other guy and developing long lasting beneficial business relationships. If we did we would not have to frantically bust our butts to do it when times are hard.

A great example of someone and an industry hard hit is the Real Estate business. I can not directly offer this persons name in this post, because I have not asked for their permission. But suffice it to say that this person may be seeing some slowing, but she treated her business as a true network business and developed deep seeded power relationships over the course of 20+ years and she still has a business to go to today.

So let’s use this example of Real Estate and list the types of power partners one may develop. Now keep in mind this list may be view somewhat differently by different realtors across the country, and is not in any specific order of importance.

Lender
Title Rep/Company
Escrow
Home Inspector
Home Appraiser
Attorney/Closing Agent
Pest/Insect Control
Financial Advisor
Insurance-Auto/Health/Home
Handy Man Carpenter
Plumper/Electrician/ A/C Heating
Painter
Drywall
Tile Roofer
Window Installation/Cleaning
Flooring Installation/Cleaning
Landscape Design/Maintenance
Arborist/Tree/Trimmer/Gardener
Cement/Mason
Foundation Repair
Deck Installer/Repair
Fence Installer/Repair
Pool Installer/Maintenance
Sprinkler Systems Installer
Snow Removal
Garage Door Installer/Repair
Moving Company
Security Systems
Locksmith
House Keeper
Florist
Caterer
Photographer
Appliance Repair/Rental
Furniture Sales/Rental
Furniture Cleaning/Repair
Drapery Cleaning
Window Covering/Cleaning

So can you see how powerful a networked list of power partners like this, in your specific industry, could help you build, grow, and sustain your business over a long period of time. Can you now see how valuable it would be to begin developing your power partner relationships now and not waiting until dooms day.

Chime in and post a comment and let’s begin dialoging! It is all about make the right connections. Let me help you do that. Until next time!

Be Blessed
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What is your biggest frustration when it comes to working with difficult people?

January 15, 2012 By

As a consultant, specializing in dealing with difficult people, I am always curious what your number 1 peeve is that prevents you from really tapping into other people’s unique skill sets. What gets in your way?

Thanks!
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Will Smith’s Money Types Uncovered

January 14, 2012 By

In my Money Coaching practice, I help clients to identify and understand their “Money Archetypes”.

Money Archetypes are a simple way of understanding individual attributes or behavioral patterns around money.

There are 8 Money Types:

-Innocent
-Victim
-Warrior
-Martyr
-Fool
-Creator/Artist
-Tyrant
-Magician

Of the 8 Money Types, the two most powerful are the Warrior and the Magician. And the intention of my Money Coaching is to help my clients become Money Warrior/Magicians.

So what does all of this have to do with Will Smith?

I thought you’d never ask….

Yesterday a friend of mine forwarded this video of an interview with Will Smith. In the interview, Mr. Smith talks about his relationship to success, and I couldn’t give you a better example of the Warrior/Magician than he personifies here.

Take a look…



I would love to hear your thoughts.

Thanks,

Josh
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6 Daily Spiritual Practices for Achieving Wealth (or anything else)

January 14, 2012 By

The importance of daily spiritual practices for creating wealth cannot be stressed enough.

Many self-help gurus believe that how you spend the first 45 minutes of your day has a profound impact on how the rest of your day will go. And I have found this to be absolutely true.

Think about it. Have you ever woken up “on the wrong side of the bed”?

You wake up grumpy, or stressed. You wander in to the bathroom to get ready for work. You cut yourself shaving. Then you pour yourself a big bowl of cereal, only to find that there is only about a tablespoon of milk in the bottom of the milk carton. You get stuck in traffic on the way to work so you’re late for your morning meeting. And on and on…..

Days like this are not only unproductive, they just plain suck!

So how do you get your day off to a turbo-charged, super abundant, happy-shiny start?

Daily Spiritual Practices

I’ll give you a breakdown of how I start my day. Now, I believe that it’s vitally important to do this FIRST THING IN THE MORNING. If that means waking up a little earlier, then I suggest you do that. There is no more powerful way to start your day.

Feel free to steal any of my morning practices or create some of your own.

Note: I generally do these spiritual practices with my girlfriend Beth. That way our intentions are aligned, which makes them exponentially more powerful. And it helps us to stay really intimately connected.

1. Get Clear Between the Ears

The first step is to “get clear”. This means simply getting the clutter out of your head. You may be worrying about a project that you are working on. Or maybe you are excited about something and can’t think about anything else. Whatever is going on in your head, you’ve got to get it out of there. Write it down, tell your partner, do whatever it takes to get clear between the ears.

2. Meditate/ Get Connected to Source

Once you have cleared your head, take your clarity a step further and do a morning meditation. I personally like to use guided meditations. I have several really great meditations that only take between 5 and 25 minutes to do. I also use this as an opportunity to get “connected to Source”. My preferred method for connecting to Source is to write a letter to God. (I’ll tell you more about that later.) It’s your Source, you get connected in whatever way feels right to you.

3. Create an Intention

Creating an intention for the day is SO powerful. When I say “intention”, what I mean is an intention like a possibility. Something that you are bringing to your day (and to the world). I personally like to choose one of Wayne Dyer’s “Seven Faces of Intention”: creativity, kindness, love, beauty, expansion, abundance, and receptivity. (Click here to read more about the Faces of Intention.) I have a list of the Faces of Intention posted above my desk as a reminder.

4. Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)

Beth and I do this almost every day. It’s SO easy to learn, but it has a profound impact on your ability to produce results if you commit to doing it every day. Do yourself a favor and learn to do it.

5. Plan the Day

If you don’t have a system THAT WORKS for planning your day and keeping things in existence, then make it a priority to get one. I say again, a system that works for YOU. I use my Simpleology Web Cockpit (get it for free here http://www.simpleology.com), combined with my Google Calendar (also free, get it here). I’ll tell you more about Simpleology (The Simple Science of Getting What You Want) later. It’s a fantastic resource. Highly recommended.

6. Coaching Call

I always make sure that I have a powerful coach in my corner. If you aren’t working with a coach, then at least find a very powerful Accountability Partner or a Mastermind Group to work with.

Now, I know what you’re thinking.

I can hear it right now, because it’s the same thing that 99% of my clients say to me when I tell them about my morning practice….

“I don’t have time to do all of that!”

Bullshit!

Seriously.

Do you know how long all of this stuff takes me to do every morning? About 30 minutes.

I’ll break it down for you:

Clearing: If this takes more than 3 minutes, then you’re doing it wrong! If it takes more than 3 minutes, then your intention is to talk ABOUT stuff, not to get clear.

Meditation/Connecting to Source: This is the one exception that may take longer than 30 minutes, but that’s totally up to you. I usually choose a guided meditation that takes less than 5 minutes. I’m not trying to find enlightenment here, I’m just getting my head straight. A letter to God (or prayer) shouldn’t take more than a minute. (Get to the point, say “thank you” and be done.)

Creating an Intention: Once again, if this takes more than a couple of minutes, you’re doing it wrong. Tune in, see what possibility is there for you, and just create it with your word. If you need a reminder, then write your possibility down on a piece of paper.

EFT: Beth and I do one round each. Each round takes about 2 minutes. So that’s less than 5 minutes total.

Coaching Call: Ok, this is another thing that may take longer. But once again, it’s up to you. My morning calls with my coach generally take 15 minutes. Sometimes they will stretch to 30, but that’s rare.

I challenge you…I dare you….I double-dog dare you. Wake up 45 minutes early and do these spiritual practices for a week. If you don’t notice a significant difference in your life, then let me know and I’ll say something appropriately apologetic.
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