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"The greatest attitude is gratitude!"
What are you
grateful for? I saw this reader-board next to a local
church the other day while driving in Edmonton. Got me thinking
about what I was grateful for; more so since we celebrated Canadian
Thanksgiving last month and our American friends celebrate theirs
later this month.
You've probably heard
it said, "Your attitude determines your altitude!"
I believe that to be true and constantly encourage my readers
and audiences to push themselves out of their comfort
zone into their winner's zone. I recently told
a group of College level interior design students that their
professionalism starts with an attitude and that 'their' professionalism
was one of the attitudes that would give them a competitive
edge in life and business.
I told them about attending
a kitchen design specialist course in Boston back in the 70's
where I first heard, "Professionalism starts with an
Attitude!" from my soon to be long-time friend, Robert
Oxley, CKD. I learned from my own experience that "Professionalism"
may start with an attitude, but it is proven by our actions.
I believe our 'attitude of gratitude' can differentiate
us from our competition, endear us to our clients and colleagues,
and help us build long-term, mutually supportive and productive
relationships. Being grateful for their patronage is part of
my passion.
So, what are
you grateful for?
I am grateful
for all of these and more:
So, what are you grateful for?
Archives of past issues are available on our www.ideaman.net website.
Irene and I went
to Las Vegas for a "2nd" Honeymoon.
We had a wonderful time
shopping; we found another Italian Men's Wear shop in the Miracle
Mile and visited both Outlet Malls. We took a drive out to Hoover
Dam and generally had a great break having fun
together.
 Vegas has a car rental place called Las Vegas
Dream Cars. I'd mentioned it to Irene, as they would rent you fancy
cars like Mercedes, Ferrari's, and other exotic cars. When we showed
up to pick up our rental... the guy behind the desk said,
"FOCUS". I thought, yes... living your dream
does take focus and proceeded to fill out the paperwork.
Pictured here just above
Hoover Dam in our metallic blue, California licenced Dream Car... a
FORD FOCUS. Hmmmm! Only in my dreams...
We went to shows each of
the 4 nights we were there. The highlight for me had to be the
evening we spent with Cher. Floor seats, only 6 seats from the
stage.... awesome.
 For nearly two
hours, Cher, who is somewhat older than me (into her 60's),
entertained us and amazed us with both her talent and her wardrobe
changes (a different outfit for every number she performed and there
were a lot of them). It was amazing to watch (almost at the
feet of) a master performer at work. Even after 45 years as a
performer, she continues to polish her craft and to give her
audiences her best... actually to give us more than we expected. Got
our picture taken and an autographed one from Cher.
 Hint: Are you doing that with your
clients and careers? Are you giving your best and giving more
than you expect? That, would be a secret of success for
profitability and longevity in your career and
business.We drove out to Hoover
Dam and had a leisurely lunch in Boulder City... nice day trip and a
chance to see how the building had changed the dessert scenery. I
remember one of my first trips to Las Vegas driving out to the dam
through the desert, now fully populated with Henderson and other
urban sprawl.
Irene pictured here above
the dam in a little turn in that gave us a better view of this
amazing building project.
Burn Your Boat
By John BoeI believe that the great NFL Hall of Fame coach,
Vince Lombardi, had it right when he said, "The
quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their
commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of
endeavor."
Sadly, most people fail to achieve their goals, not because they're lazy or lack self-motivation, but because they were never "fully committed" to succeed! I can't think of a single great achievement that has ever been attained without first, a plan of action and then an unshakable commitment to its accomplishment. Walt Disney was arguably one of the most creative dreamers and determined men of the twentieth century. Walt understood the power of commitment and would frequently tell those around him, "When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionably."
In your sales or business career your battles are not fought with weapons on foreign shores, but within the confines of your own mind. A truly committed salesperson does not have the luxury or the time for the self-indulgence of negative thinking. The true underlying motivation for all success is a deep and unwavering commitment to the task at hand. The sales profession is a demanding and challenging career, but it is also personally rewarding and financially lucrative for those who are fully committed to becoming successful. If you are being pushed around mentally by thoughts of fear, anxiety, self-doubt and worry, it's time to "burn your boat" and become fully committed to your career!
© Copyright 2009, John Boe International. John Boe presents a wide variety of motivational and sales-oriented keynotes and seminar programs for sales meetings and conventions. John is a nationally recognized sales trainer and business motivational speaker with an impeccable track record in the meeting industry. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.johnboe.com or call 877 725-3750. Free Newsletter available on website. Riding the Wind... another new experience for Bob Quite a few years ago I did some skydiving
in Penticton, BC during a summer break. My two dives were
filmed and on the video were clips of skydivers doing aerial
acrobatics as well as an indoor
vertical wind tunnel where they practiced their moves. I'd heard
there was one of these indoor skydiving tunnels in Las Vegas,
but had never found it. On this trip we happened to be driving
around and I saw their sign from the corner of my eye. We checked
it out and it was the one I had seen in my video.
 On the Thursday morning we headed over where I
underwent training and video instruction prior to climbing into my
loose body suit. Then I was led into the padded, vertical
wind tunnel with two other 'older' flyers. I admit I was a bit
nervous... ok, perhaps a lot.Each of us took turns
launching from the floor as well as jumping into the wind
and with the help of our trainer took turns riding the
wind. It was an amazing physically and mentally
challenging experience and one I will definitely be repeating on our
next trip. Who needs botox when you have the uplifting power of 120
mph winds buffeting and lifting your face and your
body!
You know me... I tend
to look for the lessons in my life experiences and this event was no
different.
I learned that, with the right
equipment, the right team, and of course the right attitude, and a
bit of lift, you can fly. We face challenges every
day and some of them would tend to make us want to give up. However,
we can choose to 'ride the wind' and rise above the
challenges in our lives.
(Works best with Window Media Player...
runs about 3:20 with titles and credits.)
Late breaking news and views  November 11th is fast approaching and we have
a brief moment of pause to remember those who fought and died
for our freedoms. I
have to admit our fast paced lives tend to insulate us from
the realities our armed forces endure on a daily basis. They
risk life and limb on our behalf and they do it for less than
some of our part time workers get paid to load our groceries.My
dad (pictured here) and my uncle Ralph served with honor in
the Canadian Air force during WWII. Neither of them talked
about their experiences... simply, "we did what we had
to do!"
My
96 year old buddy (he'll be 97 on November 9th) Steve
Bigoray served in the army as well. He served as a mechanic
or fitter through the entire conflict, including the allied
landings in Italy and the occupational forces in Germany following
the surrender of the Nazi regime. He left a wife and a one
year old son behind and went off to fight for his country.
Even at his advanced age he will be standing in remembrance
at the local November 11th event.
This
November will be a bit different than last year when I was
heading off to Iran for 8 days. My speaker friends David
Saxby and George Torok are heading over to work with Sepehr
this year. Trust Sepehr will bring me back again next year.
We've chatted about it a couple of times.
I
actually get to stay closer to home and will be making the
best of my time as Irene and I will be away (Australia) for
most of January. Looks like I can attend both my Edmonton
and Calgary CAPS meetings this month. Lots of work on websites,
blogs, articles to write and place, a new Pocket Wisdom
for Speakers mini-book to finish and publish prior
to our CAPS National Convention in Calgary next month.
Irene is attending for the first time and I am presenting
at Meet the Experts again.
Continuing
my executive coaching work with a client in Edmonton, working
with a couple of other speakers on joint projects, hope to
get into the film studio, and of course promoting a bit in
Australia prior to our trip (perhaps get an engagement), as
well as promoting in Holland for March 2010 for the same reason.
Thanks for
reading...
invite your friends to subscribe to this
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The ancient Greek warriors were both feared and respected
by their enemies. In battle, the Greeks established a well-deserved
reputation for their unsurpassed bravery and unshakable commitment
to victory. The key to their overwhelming success on the battlefield
had far more to do with how the Greek commanders motivated the
warriors than it did with issues of tactics or training. The Greeks
were master motivators who understood how to use a "dramatic
demonstration" to infuse a spirit of commitment into the heart of
every warrior. Once the warriors had been offloaded from their boats
onto their enemy's shore, the Greek commanders would shout out their
first order..."burn the boats!" The sight of
burning boats removed any notion of retreat from their hearts and
any thoughts of surrender from their heads. Imagine the tremendous
psychological impact on the soldiers as they watched their boats
being set to the torch. As the boats turned to ash and slipped
quietly out of sight into the water, each man understood there was
no turning back and the only way home was through victory.
