Yawn!!!

As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in his best-selling book "The Tipping Point", a yawn is one of the most contagious things on this planet. Seeing someone yawn... hearing someone yawn... reading the word "yawn"... or even just thinking about a yawn... will prompt most people to yawn. (Have you yawned yet since starting this paragraph?)

There are other actions & behaviors that are equally contagious (good and bad). We have all had our spirits raised by the positive attitudes of others. Unfortunately, we have also experienced people cause the opposite effect.

What type of attitude do you want to spread (with your words, mindset and behavior)?

Optimism... happiness... confidence... respect...? You have the ability to improve the lives of family, friends, strangers, co-workers, customers, etc. simply by the way you behave... or you can just as easily drag them down. The choice is yours.

Stop... Start! - Part 2

Stop passing the time... Start living!

Stop following the rules... Start making the rules!

Stop reading your to-do list... Start doing your to-do list!

Stop praising yourself... Start praising others!

Stop blaming others... Start accepting responsibility!

Stop paying... Start investing!

Stop recruiting talent... Start attracting talent!

Stop being black or white... Start being purple! (Thanks Seth)

Stop wasting... Start conserving!

Stop taking... Start giving!

Stop being ordinary... Start being exceptional!

Stop asking for permission... Start asking for forgiveness!

Stop going thru life... Start learning thru life!

What Day Are You On?

It is a common belief that it takes at least 21 consecutive days of doing something (good or bad) for it to have a chance of becoming a habit.  My definition of a habit is "a behavior that is done consistently and automatically without thought or provocation".  What habits are you striving to develop?  

Whether they are personal, professional or spiritual... there are certain behaviors that we want to have... or need to have... and the only thing usually standing in our way... is CHOICE.

More importantly, what day are you on?  How many consecutive days have you done what you decided to do?  Exercising... Eating properly... Spending time with your family... Calling new prospects...  Practicing...  Reading... Praying...  Not drinking... Not smoking...  Not getting angry...

Of course, it will probably take more than 21 days for something to become a habit.  But, it will never become a habit if you can't make it to 21.  One day at a time... one decision at a time... we choose whether or not to take another step toward the first checkpoint on our journey to creating a habit: Day 21.

What day are you on?

My Headline

Early this morning, while I waited for the rest of my family to wake up, I searched for the meaning of Christmas... (on the internet, of course!)  The following mini-headline caught my eye: 

"Recession Resulting in Crappiest Presents Ever"

I immediately thought to myself, "Well, that's one way of looking at it..."  My view of the situation is completely opposite...  Later today, I will be surrounded by family (and extended family) celebrating and appreciating another blessing of being together.  Here's my headline:

"Recession Helping The World Appreciate What's Really Important In Life"

What is your headline?

Thank Everybody - Part 1

When was the last time that you contacted every one of your customers... for the sole purpose of thanking them for their support and patronage?

I have asked that question to countless sales professionals all over the world, and almost 100% of the time the answer I hear is either "Never" or "I don't know" (which translates to "never"). Before the avalanche of excuses starts to fall ("That's impossible"... "I have too many accounts"... "I'm too busy!"... etc.), answer this question:

If you could earn a $100,000 Customer Satisfaction Bonus (tax free) for thanking every one of your accounts within a 30-day period, would you get paid at the end of the month?

Of course, you would! So, never again say or even think that it's not possible... Most sales professionals don't even know how many accounts they have. Do you? Imagine that you have 150 'active' accounts (a number much higher than average). You could still interact with every one of them within 22 business days by contacting seven customers per day. You could send four e-mails in the morning, and leave three voice messages in the afternoon. Estimated total time required per day: 15 minutes.

Here's a radical idea: Thank your customers if you truly appreciate their business. (Please note: If you think that I am suggesting that you send out mass generic e-mail blasts... or "Dear Loyal Customer..." junk mail... go back to sleep!)

Who Can We Blame???

I hear and see it every single day... people, organizations & countries... frustrated with their current situation... and desperate to assign the blame.  They express themselves with different words and actions, but all of it translates into something like this:

People

• "My life sucks!... Who can I blame?"
  
• "My marriage sucks!... Who can I blame?"
  
• "My personal finances suck!... Who can I blame?"
• "My attitude sucks!... Who can I blame?"
• "My job sucks!... Who can I blame?"
• "My company sucks!... Who can I blame?"
  
• "My boss sucks!... Who can I blame?"
  
• "My staff sucks!... Who can I blame?"
  
• "My co-workers suck!... Who can I blame?"

Organizations

• "Our revenue sucks!... Who can we blame?"
• "Our profitability sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our pipeline sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our customer service sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our sales force sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our value proposition sucks!... Who can we blame?"
• "Our industry sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  

Countries

• "Our government sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our economy sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our educational system sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our health care system sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our infrastructure sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  
• "Our environment sucks!... Who can we blame?"
  

There is no disputing the value of holding other people accountable for what they are supposed to do.  Is it more productive to spend our time, resources and focus on blaming others or is it better to accept our share of the responsibility... and Make Things Better?

60 Seconds

What would you do if you only had 60 seconds to make your point?

That happenned to me the other day... I was among a group of speakers at a meeting where a very important decision was to be made. However, due to the number of speakers and time available, we were each given a total of 60 seconds to make our points. I easily had ten minutes of comments that I thought I 'needed' to make.

I am accustomed to conducting training workshops that typically last between one and five days. When I give keynote addresses, I usually have up to an hour... But, 60 seconds??? How much can be said in that amount of time? You might be surprised... as I was.

That situation forced me to filter out every piece of unnecessary information possible... all of the excess... all of the elaboration... all of the fluff... so that I could accomplish my goal without going over time. Despite only having 60 seconds, I gave an introduction... involved the audience... made my main point... and concluded with a strong call to action. A friend once gave me the following advice:

"Make it as long as necessary, but not a word longer."

The next time that you have a point to make, think about all of the things you would cut out if you had to fit everything into one minute. And, then decide if you really need as much time (and as many words) as you originally thought. Sixty seconds can be a 'lifetime'.