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Ideas@Work! - Strategies for Success

May 2, 2006

In this issue...
Point to Ponder
May Memories
Keeping Your Mind Tuned for Success
Add these to your success library
Last minute thoughts and notes
Thanks for reading this issue...

Point to Ponder

Change is a conscious 'mental' choice

by Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey

Sometimes in life, we have pivotal points where we have the opportunity thrust upon us to make changes. A death, a major illness, a sudden storm or typhoon, or a major economic upheaval can force us to take stock of our lives at that point and make needed changes. Isn't it better to seize the opportunities to change and grow as a positive, self-directed choice? Taking control of your life and making positive changes can be both liberating and productive, too. 

It is better to be someone who is open to learn, to stretch, and to push yourself past your comfort zone into the winner's zone. Jack Welsh, former CEO of GE led his company through some amazing changes for increased profitability and productivity. He said, "Change before you have to."

This change is a choice! Life is a series of changes and choices; why not control the direction and pace? Like sailing where you are making a series of changes and adjustments to take full advantage of the wind to reach your destination.

"Searching for the peak performer within yourself has one basic meaning: You recognize yourself as a person who was born, not as a peak performer but as a learner. With the capacity to grow, change, and reach for the highest possibilities of human nature, you regard yourself as a person in process. Not perfect, but a person who keeps asking: What more can I be? What else can I achieve that will benefit me and my company? That will contribute to my family and my community?" Charles Garfield, Peak Performers

Ask yourself a few questions and allow your honest reactions to reflect the changes in your attitudes and actions that need to be addressed to maximize your life and career.

  • What do I really want to accomplish in my life? My family life? My career? My business? My community involvement?
  • What is my biggest dream? What would be the most fantastic experience?
  • What am I afraid of?
  • What is stopping me?
  • What do I need to change to make it work?
  • When will I commit to start making these changes?

Will you have the courage to change? Will you commit to being the best you can be and all that God intended you to become? Remember the words of J.C. Penney: "No one need live a minute longer as he/she is because the creator endowed us with the ability to change ourselves." The choice is yours!

Success can be as simple as making up your mind to do something or change something and then acting on that change.

© Copyright 2006 Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey

 

May Memories

Welcome to this May 2006 issue of Ideas At Work! - We are now entering our second year in providing you "Strategies for Success" in this format. Wow!

I frequently tell my leadership clients and audiences, "Once people fully understand the 'Why?' (purpose) the 'How's?' (processes or procedures) generally tend to take care of themselves." Simple little idea, isn't it?

W. Clement Stone, who built a billion dollar sales organization from the depths of the great depression (early 1900's) wrote a key idea for sucess back in the 1970's. He also worked with Napoleon Hill who authored, Think and Grow Rich; along with Hill, co-authored "Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude"; published Success Magazine; and hired and mentored Og Mandino, who authored motivational classic, The Greatest Salesman in the World. These little connections made big differences for those of us who read and acted on any of these publicatons.

Stone wrote, "Little hinges swing big doors."

Somewhere in this Ideas @ Work! e-zine or the one last month or perhaps next month, might be a "little hinge" just right for you at this point. A little hinge to unlock or swing open a "big door" in your career or life that might have remained stubbornly stuck until now. Perhaps something that will help you refocus or change your mind about something you need to do, which will unleash your potential or help you complete a major project.

I'm just completing a book on leadership and customer service for a client, for distribution to their 7000 team members across Canada. Finished the draft yesterday and we are doing the layout and creative art work this month. Publication is scheduled for June. The idea started with a little 16 page pocket sized edition which has grown to be a hardcover edition with some pretty wide-ranging potential to assist their team. It will also be a focal point in new signage and promotion within their whole chain over the summer.

Entrepreneurial leaders constantly search and are open to finding the next "slight edge", the next profitable idea, or 'little hinge". I know I do!

"It's the little things that make the big things possible. Only close attention to the fine details of any operation makes the operation first class," offers J. Willard Marriott

Have a great month. make May your best month ever! The little things or choices you make this month might just be the hinge that unlocks great opportunities or success.

Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey, The accidental author

*****

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Keeping Your Mind Tuned for Success

by Chris Widener

Absolutely no one can underestimate the power of the mind and its role in our success! It is imperative to keep our minds right and on the right track if we are to achieve balanced success in our career, finances, health, emotions, relationships and spiritual lives.

The analogy I would like to use here is one of a radio station. For example, there may be a "Success" station. But the only way you can hear a radio station is to be tuned into it. Even a little off and you can't get the full effect.

The same is true with our mind and success. If our minds and our thoughts get sidetracked, our success will get sidetracked. As our minds stay tuned to "success" our bodies will then carry out our success and we will begin to experience abundance!

So here are some ways to keep tuned into success!

Use your innate ability to decide and choose.
One of the things that separates us from the animals is that we live not by instinct, but by choice. Constantly flexing that muscle of choice builds it up and keeps us on track for success. It is like working out. They more we do, the stronger we get. The more "fit" we get. Want to keep your mind tuned for success? Keep it healthy by making good choices and decisions on a regular basis. For example, do you have a bad habit? Then flex your mind muscle and choose to change - today. If you choose to stay the same way (and those are the only two alternatives) you will have just chosen to tune your mind to a different station than "success."

Put good stuff into your brain.
There are lots of things that want to work their way into our minds (and eventually work themselves out again in our actions). There will be lots that we just get from walking around all day. But what about what we put in on purpose? We can choose to put good stuff in on a regular basis. Do you take time each day to put good things into your mind, to tune into success? Here are two things to consider when you are choosing what to put into your mind: First, is it positive? Will it build you up or tear you down? Will it make you a better person, or lesser? Will you grow from it or not? Will it tune you to success or not? Secondly, Will it move you toward your goals in the areas of your life that you want to see success and abundance in?

Keep the junk out.
Like I mentioned above, there will always be junk floating around, like a fellow employee who gripes all the time. But what surprises me is how many people who want success, actually willfully choose to put junk into their minds and then expect to be tuned into success. Here are some thoughts on this: First, evaluate everything that you put into your mind. Evaluate what you read, listen to and watch. We live in a fast-paced world and we have little time. Why then would we spend our precious time putting junk into our minds? Does what you read, listen to and watch move you toward your goals or away from them? It is a simple question, really. At least most of the time. And here is my soapbox. Eleven years ago, my wife suggested we give away our television. I was shocked to say the least, but decided to give it a try. Now I am the anti-tv fanatic in our house! I have more time than anyone I know and I don't have to spend a lot of energy filtering my mind to tune it to success. Just a thought. Just a thought.

Eat right and exercise.
That's right. The way we eat and the amount of exercise we get goes a long way toward our mind's ability to tune into success. Put the right foods into your body and the brain responds. Exercise on a regular basis and the body releases chemicals that literally ignite your brain for success!

Hope these thoughts help you to get going and keep your mind tuned into success. Put them into practice and soon you'll be dialed into success and abundance.

Chris Widener is a popular speaker and writer as well as the President of 'Made for Success' and 'Extraordinary Leaders', two companies helping individuals and organizations turn their potential into performance, succeed in every area of their lives and achieve their dreams. Join subscribers in over 100 countries around the world! Get Chris' FREE weekly Made for Success E-zine by sending a blank email to success-on@mail-list.com. Visit his websites at http://www.madeforsuccess.com and http://www.extraordinaryleaders.com. Copyright 2006 Made for Success. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

Add these to your success library

Each month I recommend 3 or more books I feel would be helpful to you in ehancing your career, leading your team or generally adding to the success you desire. Here are some you might like...

A Whole New Mind by Daniel H. Pink

Power Mentoring by Ellen Ensher & Susan Murphy

John F. Kennedy on Leadership by by John Barnes

Success Through A Positive Mental Attitude by Napoleon Hill and W. Clement Stone

Add these to your success library, but more importantly glean something you can put into practice from each one. Leverage your ability to win by learning from the wisdom of others.

 

Last minute thoughts and notes

"If you want to succeed, strike out on new paths rather than travel the worn paths of accepted success." John D. Rockefeller

April sure flew fast... guess when you are busy advancing things go quicker. Finished the draft for the book yesterday. I now go to work with the creative department on layouts and artwork, as well as the rewrites to make it fit our new slimmer size. Taxes are in... good to do my part to support the government. :o)

May

On the road again: Heading out to Sioux City, Iowa on Thursday (May 4th) to spend the weekend with D19 Toastmasters. I'll be doing a morning educational session on the Accredited Speaker along with a few tips on how to add a bit of pizazz and professionalism to your presentation. I am doing the conference closing keynote later that afternoon. Have something interesting in mind for my keynote opening. I'll let you know how it turned out. I love visiting with my Toastmasters friends and family. I got my start as a speaker, which opened into this business ,with the support and foundations learned over the years. Getting a chance to pay back is great! Plus, they are great positive and fun-loving people.

May 5th (Friday) I have the pleasure of visiting a couple of local schools in Sioux City, and sharing some ideas with some young speakers who are in the Toastmasters Youth Leadership Program. a few of them will be speaking that night as part of the opening session for the conference. This is a great program for young people. I am really looking forward to this day!

May 26th will find me back at the University of Lethbridge where I've been invited to facilitate a vision retreat for the Faculty of Management and staff. With plans for a new building in the mix this should be an action packed and creative day.

June

Thursday June 1st I'll be joining lots of great speakers at the 'Today... It's all about you!" Edmonton Employee Development Conference at the Mayfield Inn here in Edmonton.

If you happen to be, or know some one who is an administrative assistant or clerical employee, outside worker or technical person, or someone who is employeed in any other non-management field you might want to check out this conference. Registration will be capped at 950 and past sessions have sold out. Visit: www.edmonton.ca and click on visitors tab and then on 2006 Employee Development Conference. There are some great speakers booked, many of them are CAPS members. Each of us is doing two sessions, so you'll have lots to pick from...

That weekend (3 & 4th) I'll be in Red Deer for my 4th year as part of the Toastmasters D42 leadership and Division Governor training retreat. Part of the leadership retreat each year is the Sat. afternoon adventure training which, last year,  had me on the top of a 40 foot pole. I'd been looking for a new post, but this was too literal...lol

Have a great month. Make some amazing memories for yourself and those you impact in May.

 

Thanks for reading this issue...

"We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. WE already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, and callings."Abraham Maslow

Thank you for reading this issue of 'Ideas@Work! - Strategies for Success'. We know your time is valuable and our commitment is to make sure each issue has some solid value for you and your team. We are committed to helping you and your team profitably move to the next level.

Bob 'Idea Man' Hooey would be pleased to be a part of your success team and to work with you for your conference, meeting or training event. For more information about customized keynotes, professional/personal leadership training and coaching, seminars/retreats, please visit www.ideaman.net or call our Creative Office at: (780) 736-0009

Ask about a customized conference, coaching or training package to suit your specific career, company or organizational needs.

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