Earl Nightingale said, “We become what we think about all day long, whether we want to or not.” This is as true as gravity. When I got into sales back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, I learned early that sales is about relationships and not closing lines. I picked up Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” and devoured it. I didn’t read it, I studied it. Read street signs. Read menus. Study books. And like most people, I often told myself that I had a bad memory. And lo and behold, I did. Reread that Nightingale quote above. So every morning when I got in the shower, I took one of Carnegie’s simple, one-sentence principles and repeated it out loud over and over until I got out of the shower. And then I repeated it while I shaved. And then I repeated it in my car on …
Want More Energy?
Energy is a valuable commodity. Personal energy is even more valuable. Dale Carnegie taught, “Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.” Criticizing, condemning, and complaining deplete your energy. Your personal energy is too valuable to squander. Giving sincere appreciation and expressing gratitude produce energy. And in an amazing bit of universal karma, they also produce energy in the people you appreciate and express gratitude to. This is not rocket science. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain. In your business and personal life, give as much appreciation as you can and express your gratitude at every opportunity. And there’s no lack of opportunities.
Remember the Phone?
As you’re connecting with everyone on Social Media platforms, don’t forget that people are more than their static profile pictures and postings. Part of adding value to people is getting to know them better. As busy as we all are, we choose how to spend our time. Some folks choose to invest their time instead of spending it. We all spend time in our cars. Invest a little bit of time every day calling your Social Media-mates on the phone while you’re cruising down the road. Holy crap – did I say call them on the phone?! Yup, I did. Start the conversation with, “Hi Mary! I only have a quick minute, but I was thinking of you and wanted to call and say hi.” By starting with letting them know that you only have a tiny bit of time, they’ll know that this isn’t going to be a “War …
No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.”
Derek Sivers has written a short masterpiece in his book, “Anything You Want.” He unintentionally started a business and ended up becoming a multi-millionaire by serving people. That’s what successful business do, don’t they? Serving people, that is. One of the things he talks about is the concept of ‘No “yes.” Either “HELL YEAH!” or “no.” This is a great thing to learn especially if you’re over-committed or too scattered. If you’re deciding whether to do something, if you feel anything other than psyched, jazzed and fired up about doing it, don’t. By saying “no” to many things it opens up space for you to pursue the things you love. This may sound over-simplistic. It’s not. The book will take you less than an hour to read. If you’re a small business owner or thinking of starting your own business, or pursuing a passion, this is required reading. There will …
You’re Farther Along Than You Think You Are
A client of mine in Canada recently sent me a news article on the London rioters using Social Media as a way to organize. Most folks have figured out that SM sites enable people to organize. Mubarak knows this. Gaddafi knows this. Charlie Sheen knows this. The interesting thing to me is that police departments and governments are just starting to know this. How long did it take before police departments started using the telephone after it was invented? The fact that you’re reading this post means that you’re probably farther along in terms of communication than many age-old entities such as the Post Office, local police departments, and many other institutions that have been around forever. I bring this up because I meet a lot of people who tell me that they feel like they’re being left behind with all these advances like Social Media, etc. Don’t sweat it. …
You Are A Creator
All kids love to make things. And very quickly we tend to start comparing what we’ve made to what other people have made and most folks determine that they’re not creative and that creativity is some magical ability that only special people are born with. What a crock. You are creating every day whether you realize it or not. If you’re not creating something physically, you’re creating experiences. Don’t poo-poo this. People who create experiences tend to do far better than people who create tangible items. When you get up in the morning, ask yourself, “Self….what shall I create today?” And then seek to make every human interaction with you magical. Pay it forward. Go out of your way to make people feel better about themselves. Under-promise and over-deliver. Show up early and stay late. Here’s the secret that few know: creativity is magical and only for special people. And …
Think Win-Win
Success is based on relationships. People who are truly succeeding know this intuitively. Nothing and no one operates in a vacuum. As you build your life, business, etc, focus on only participating in, building, and enhancing mutually beneficial, win-win relationships. The days of being a Rambo and leaving a bunch of bad relationships in your wake as you strive to “get ahead” are over. What goes around comes around and nowadays it comes around at the speed of light. Literally. If it’s not going to be a win-win situation, walk away. Run to win-win relationships and life is an exciting and profitable adventure.
Travel Light
Baggage is heavy. Physical baggage and mental baggage. Most of us have things in the back of our minds that are nagging and eating at us. Let it go. That may sound overly simplistic. It doesn’t have to be difficult. One saying that has helped me a lot over the years is, “Don’t believe everything you think.” This is radical and heresy to some people, but if you observe your mind the way you observe a cat playing with a ball of yarn, over time you come to the conclusion that you shouldn’t believe everything you think. Just as in traveling, the less you carry, the easier and quicker it is to pick up and go. Keep that thought in mind as it relates to dealing with people. When you meet people, even though you may size them up intentionally or unintentionally, observe your mind checking out how they look, …
Make People Happy
I appreciate the Harvard Business Review, The Wall Street Journal and the other 900 lb gorillas in the world of business credibility. They have a lot of valuable content that can help people with their businesses. But sometimes we get too technical in terms of trying to succeed. An interesting thing happens when you’re in business for a while and you ponder from time to time on what makes people and their companies successful. I sometimes have an annoying habit of reducing things to the absurd. So here’s one of my absurd reductions: successful people and businesses make people happy. At first glance this may sound obvious…but it’s not. Think of some of your recent interactions in stores, online and with people in a position to serve you in some way. Everything they do should be focused on making you as happy as possible. Did they? Making people happy isn’t …
Just Start
I think that one of the unintended consequences of information overload is that we tend to think that we have to get all our ducks in a row, all our “t”s crossed and our “i”s dotted, and every other preparedness cliché in order before we can start something. Don’t buy into it. The people who get things done are the ones who take massive determined action. Massive determined, well thought out action is nice, but not a prerequisite. Goethe said, “Whatever you think you can do or believe you can do, begin it. Action has magic, grace and power in it.” He was right. More than likely, a year from now you’ll wish you had started something. Don’t worry about how to get from A to Z. Head for B and C will reveal itself. Take a small step. One step leads to another and then another. Don’t even worry …