H is for Hope,Honor, Help....

H

Honor

Help

Hope
Honor yourself and your Dreams. Honor your clients.

Listen to their suggestions – who knows, maybe they see something you don’t?

Help others.

We are not “islands” existing apart from each other. What we say and do has long reaching effects.

Success is a team sport. No one “makes it” alone. If you are manufacturing a product…you are relying on customers to purchase.If you are providing a service ..you are relying on customers to service.

None of us exist in a vacuum.

Provide HOPE.

This is what business is all about.

Think about it.

Isn't Hope the underlying emotion we are all in the business of selling?

Hope to solve a problem with a new product or service. Hope for education or for healing.
Hope for improving another’s life in some way shape or form.

Even in marketing entertainment this applies – they are giving the “hope” of making the customer enthralled, mesmerized – entertained.

Every thriving business exists because somehow, somewhere they are providing their clients with HOPE…hope to somehow enhance or improve their life.

The drug companies sell hope for a cure…

The travel industry hope for relaxation...

The insurance industry…hope for protection against disasters and unforeseen accidents.

The real estate industry..hope for locating the house for their client they will call home.

Hope is like the wind behind the windmill – unseen but powerful beyond comprehension. Hope backed up by action and accompanied by belief, drives entrepreneurs like yourself to find solutions to life's challenges every day. And everyone benefits when hope's seed turns into solutions and cures.

G...is for Gratitude

G

Gratitude.

Gratitude for your Gifts, your clients, your mentors.

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others."~ Cicero


Keep ever grateful for whatever got you this far.

You are alive.

And obviously you are able to read or you wouldn’t be reading this book.

Your literacy already puts you ahead of much of the world. Be grateful for it. Realize it is a gift. Spend a few moments and identify the gifts you have been given. List them. Now spend a few moments each day being grateful for those gifts.

Use those gifts. Incorporate your gifts into your business.

Grateful Hearts do Great Things. Gratitude has the ability to transform.

"You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: the more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you."~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

Find yourself a Gratitude partner and Commit to taking a daily inventory of things to be grateful for.

It will change your life.

How do I know?

About few years ago now I formed such an alliance with a wonderful insurance saleswoman, Kay Barrett, who I met at a business seminar. We didn’t officially plan to become ‘gratitude partners’ but as we shared emails and laughs, the idea suddenly popped into my head. I emailed Kay to see if she would be interested in sharing daily doses of gratitude to keep us on track. She responded with a resounding “yes” and thus began our daily dose of gratitude. At one point our schedules became so hectic and we missed each other for a period slightly longer than a week. In the middle of one those days I stopped and asked myself “Why do I feel like I am in a ‘funk’”? Then I realized how one day had slipped into another and the whole week had past without spending the time to chart gratitudes. I recommitted to myself to the gratitude habit and apologized to Kay for the delay. Come to find out Kay also missed it and we quickly returned to our “Grats” lists.

And so we have continued.

We may never know the full extent of the blessings received from this daily habit but we are very aware of the contribution it makes to our daily joy.

Having Financial Woes?

Be grateful we live in a land where one can start over. Be grateful we live in a land where poverty is NOT the norm.

Fighting with the spouse?

Turn it inside out. Instead of focusing on the struggles between the two of you, take a break for a week force yourself to find something each day to be grateful for in the other. Remember all the people in the world who are presently alone, not by choice but by death or divorce. Be thankful for this person who is interested in your life.

Kids arguing again?

Be grateful for those little bundle whose boundless energy could fire up the world for eternity, if only we could harness it. Tell them how thankful you are that you get to be their parent. See if that doesn’t stop them dead in their tracks.

Let your gratitude for you employees and clients show, also.

Customers and employees who feel appreciated are more likely to be loyal when it counts.

"Every time we remember to say "thank you", we experience nothing less than heaven on earth."~ Sarah Ban Breathnach ~

See you at the gratitude gathering!!!

F...forgivenesss and focusing of forgiving failure and mis-takes

Next… let's Focus on Forgiving Mistakes. Yes…

Forgive Mistakes

Yours, your employees, your clients…mistakes are as much apart of growth as success.

Sometimes we may learn more from a man's errors, than from his virtues. - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1807-1882, American Poet

John Maxwell, best selling author of “Failing Forward Fast” suggests that success is less determined by “failure” than by the person’s ability to quickly pick back up and ask “what can I do now”…a person who holds this attitude about all aspects of his life and all the things he encounters will be successful.

Again we go back to a person’s “attitude” and mindset.


Take for instance Lex Velarde, an ex kickboxing champion turned spirited, young, successful 27 year old entrepreneur. Lex credits much of his entrepreneurial success to the skills he learned while kickboxing. His mentor, Al Labato tells this story of one of his first discussions with Lex when he first came to work with him.

“You see, it is not how many times you are hit while boxing that determines whether or not you will become a champion boxer, because after the 1st 4-5 hits your body is numb – you don’t really feel much of anything.

(He then points to his head) This is where a guy win’s or loses the match.

It is not the hits that gets the boxer, but his mind.

I learned to stand up, to get back up and stand. That is why I was a kickboxing champion.”

And that is why Lex, when he was first introduced to an entrepreneurial opportunity at the young age of 24, already had what it would take to rise to the top 10% of producers nationwide within 2 ½ years of his beginning his entrepreneurial telecommunications business.

Lex knew the power in “standing back up”.

You see, Lex learned this trait well from his mother, Lucy Rivero’s example.

Lucy wasn’t raised with a silver spoon in her mouth. In fact she wasn’t raised in the wealth of the United States at all, but rather sought refuge here after being unable to be granted a divorce from her husband in Mexico for his infidelity.

Although she ran a successful business in Mexico, she came here with little.
Nevertheless, she was determined to make a good living for herself and her 3 boys. She quickly acquired jobs to make ends meet and continued to work diligently. Now she HAS created a good life for her and her kids – now joined Lex in his business and is once again her own boss, owns a great house and now owns her own BMW.

How’s that for standing up?

Stay tuned for another all important building block..one that is essential to ultimate satisfaction and success!

F
Focus, Focus, Focus…

Hmmm.

Can’t really emphasize this enough.

Focus can be the difference between success and failure.

Focus on the End Goal.

Focus on Your Customer’s needs.

Keeping focused on these 2 things will keep you on track when other things clamor for your attention.

Think of the great golfer Tiger Woods. When he is preparing for a swing he is fully and completely focused on 1 thing – driving the ball into the hole.

Think of Shawn Johnson preparing for her floor exercise performance. All her attention is focused on one thing – seeing herself complete the routine perfectly

All outstanding athletes understand the power of the focused mind– today they not only take training to improve their field skills but they spend time training the brain, learning how to filter out unnecessary distractions to peak perform.


They are FOCUSED

Find a way to stay FOCUSED.

Practice meditation.

Take up Yoga.

Master the Martial Arts.

Play Chess.

Take up some discipline which will teach you the art of Focus.

My friend and respected Visualization Expert Sigal Zoldan teaches a simple exercise to help people quickly regain focus when their day has become chaotic. I use this when I become distracted after an interruption while writing.

Try it:

Draw a Big (yes BIG) circle on a blank piece of white paper.

Now…place a dot in the middle, like a target.

Now place the piece of paper on the wall a few feet away.

First take one minute and put your entire focus on the dot in the middle of the circle. Don’t let your gaze go to the outside of the dot. During this time think of the issue with as much gusto as you can, every aspect which is bothering you distracting you from your end goal.

Now take one minute and “notice’ everything other than the dot (in other words use your peripheral vision) and don’t let your mind wander to the problem.

Breathe deeply and evenly during these 2 minutes.

When you are finished, you will once again be centered and focused.

Sigal has successfully used this technique to help numbers of people, some of who even overcame migraine headaches by implementing this simple, yet effective exercise.

Next time you lose focus while working towards your creating your business, TRY IT..It REALLY WORKS!!!

Next up....something not often discussed in a business blog..but VERY important skill to obtain if you are going to get the most of your experience as a entrepreneur....forgiveness.

E - for Encouragement

E is for
Encourgement

“A word of encouragement during a failure is worth more than a hour of praise after success.” Anonymous

Master Sales Coach, Kris Thompson who has been dubbed “most encouraging coach” title by his prospering clients makes encouragement a part of each and every coaching session and sale training.

He is a Master at making “mistakes” into ‘mis – takes’ and moving his people to new action. His gift of balancing just the right amount of encouragement with accountability has enabled him to pull the very best effort out of his clients.

Is it any wonder he has now become a sought after Master Sales Coach?


One of his clients insists she needs her weekly “doses of Kris’s confidence boosting” to keep her at her best. I am sure this woman’s enthusiasm for Kris’s ability to be encouraging has won him numerous referrals. What an excellent way to grow a business!!!

Imagine what little encouragement can do for your business! Think of the internal satisfaction of choosing to bring a flicker of light to another’s life. With headlines full of cynical news day in and day out, people can use a little bit of extra encouragement? And in return they will send business your way. So be sure to be a source of encouragement to your clients and employees and watch your business blossom!

“Flatter me and I may not believe you. Criticize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you. Encourage me, and I will not forget you.” William Arthur Ward

E is for Energy...and Enjoyment..

Energy.

Have it –

Get it –

Keep it.

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” Benjamin Franklin.


Do whatever it takes to reenergize.

Your family, friends and employees will thank you.

If you are energetic and enthusiastic you will more than likely attract employees who also love their work which makes the whole business pleasant, which in turn attracts more clients and so on and so on. It begins with YOU. People like to work for others who like their business and appreciate their employees.

Energy, especially directed energy is priceless.

“The world belongs to the energetic” to once again quote the great Ralph Waldo Emerson.


Your business is bound to be full of flaws and challenges – especially in the beginning.

The ones who seem to set themselves apart and persevere in spite of these obstacles are those whose energy and enthusiasm acts like a magnet to draw people and business in.

Often one business owner’s great enthusiasm for their work can make their flaws disappear.

Charles Cerami expresses this point excellently

“Most great men and women are not perfectly rounded in their personalities, but are instead people whose one driving enthusiasm is so great it makes their faults seem insignificant.
If you don’t have enthusiasm for what you are creating GET OUT.

Find something you can be enthusiastic about – in fact you must

Enjoy Your Work

Yes,enjoy your work. This is of utmost importance if you desire long term success. In my journey I have met a number of successful realtors who despite their financial success eventually reached burnout because they entered the field not because they particularily liked or enjoyed people and real estate but because of the money they could make. This is a one way ticket to heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure or depression. So before you choose your path be sure it is one which brings you joy.


Enjoy your customers; they are essential to your business.

Enjoy you employees and partners ..after all you couldn’t be successful without them.

Join me next for a look at how this next element can not only increase your employees productivity...but add to their loyalty as well.

E - is for...

E

Enthusiasm.
Energy.


“He did it with all his heart, and prospered.” The Bible
-

"Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier” Susan Rabin




“Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success. When you do a thing, do it with all your might.

Put your whole soul into it.

Stamp it with your own personality

Be active, be energetic and faithful, and you will accomplish your object.

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm”
Ralph Waldo Emerson


“Enthusiasm is contagious. Be a carrier” Susan Rabin

The great playwright Tennessee Williams, (Death of a Salesman) believed that “enthusiasm is the most important thing in life.” And Henry Moore agreed “There is nothing greater than enthusiasm.”

It has been said that enthusiasm moves the world

Enthusiasm is essential to success.

Can you imagine an American Idol contestant winning who was not enthusiastic about singing?

Can you take the enthusiasm, the passion out of David Cook’s “The Time of My Life” winning song or his voice and still see him as a success?

The actual word “enthusiasm” comes from the Greek words “enthousiasmos” meaning possession by the presence of god.

Hmm. Now this is worth pondering over a hot steaming cup of Java!!

No wonder Enthusiasm attracts.

How could one not be attracted by a divine presence sensed in another?

People naturally are curious when you are enthusiastic in your work.


Enthusiasm draws people to you whether your business is producing and marketing a product or offering a service, as put by Edward Bulwer-Lytton, “nothing is so contagious as enthusiasm, it moves stones, it charms brutes.”

Whatever your chosen field on entrepreneurship, you are bound to be more effective if you have enthusiasm for your work.

“A man can succeed at almost anything for which he has unlimited enthusiasm.” Charles Schwab.

Now maybe crunching numbers and building a financial business doesn't get your blood pumping, but obviously it did for Mr. Schwab. Just take a look at his success.

Consider this:
Some of the greats even rate enthusiasm above professional skill!

Ever wonder why we love children so much?They are endless examples of enthusiasm. Children set out each day to enjoy every bit of the day. Heed this words of wisdom, " The great man is he who does not lose his childlike heart" Mencius

Maybe you have lost some of your innate enthusiasm during the daily grind of solving issues and putting out fires.

Don’t despair.

No one keeps up his enthusiasm automatically.

Not even the greats like Michelangelo or Albert Einstein.

They tired too.

The difference is they continued.

They nourished their enthusiasm with new actions, new aspirations, new efforts, new visions.

And they showed up.

Day in and day out they showed up to continue to paint, experiment, write – not waiting for enthusiasm to come prior to beginning but instead beginning and knowing that the enthusiasm would again show up as they persevered and looked for “newness”.

To paraphrase a common saying..it is your own fault if your enthusiasm is gone; you have failed to feed it. Hm.mmmm. Is that true for you?

Nurture your enthusiasm.

Feed it with new ideas, new projects, new goals.

For if you don’t you burn out could be waiting around the bend.

Pete Rose, the great baseball player, shared this observation about players, "
When his enthusiasm goes, he's through as a player.".

YIKES...pretty harsh? Maybe, but maybe that is one of the Laws of Life. Maybe, just maybe we are not here so much to stack up accomplishments as we are here to go after this life with enthusiasm, using up every bit of creativity and inspiration we have. Maybe out goal should be to have this phrase on our tombstone "Whatever he did, he did it with all his heart."

Next we will talk about...ENERGY