Daily Thought Archives: May 2009

May 1
SEE YOURSELF MAKING A DIFFERENCE
When you think about it, people have a great desire to make a difference, to have their lives have some meaning. However, most people don't really have a clear picture in their minds of what that difference is. Invest time to define the difference you would like to make, and life becomes much more meaningful.

May 2
WHAT IF YOU DECIDED...
There are so many people who are unsure what to do with their lives, and mostly afraid to make decisions. Sometimes it only takes a different approach: Ask yourself, what would happen if I decided? Sometimes seeing the possible results of a decision can help you take action on that decision.

May 3
GET SOME HELP ON YOUR BLIND SPOTS
We all have some problem parts of our personality and ways of communicating that we just can't see - our blind spots. Ask a trusted friend on how you could improve yourself, and often they will point out those blind spots to you. Addressing your blind spots could be the breakthrough for you to achieve even greater success.

May 4
SUCCESS LEAVES TRACKS
Successful people leave tracks that all of us can follow. What are those tracks? They are their key habits and actions that can also be put into our daily lives as well. Follow the tracks of successful people by creating the discipline within yourself to develop those same habits and actions.

May 5
MAKE PRESSURE YOUR FRIEND
If we are totally comfortable, we are not growing. On the converse, if we are under pressure all the time, we tend to not think as clear and react in bad ways towards others. The best approach is to make pressure our friend, and focus ourselves on how we respond (using pressure as a positive motivator).

May 6
JUDGE A TREE BY THE FRUIT IT BEARS
You judge a tree by the fruit it bears. It should be the same with people. Judge others on what they do versus what they say. Early on in relationships, observe how others act and what they commit to do. This will be a strong indicator of who they really are.

May 7
KNOWING HOW TO TURN IT ON
The happiest people in the world have figured out one thing well about themselves. They have found their passion, that is, what turns them on. Focus on finding your passion and then build your life around it, and you will be guaranteed a happy life.

May 8
NOT KNOWING IT CAN'T BE DONE
One of the biggest factors of success in development teams is the feeling that it can be done. Those who don't achieve success are often talking themselves out of something because of too much knowledge. Successful development teams don't know it can't be done (and then do it).

May 9
POSSIBILITIES BEGIN WHEN YOU BEGIN
This has been said and in so many ways. Nothing is achieved until someone begins and takes action. For you, your possibilities begin to reveal themselves when you begin to take action. The best investment during uncertain times is ACTION.

May 10
YOUR RESULTS GROW AS YOU GROW
Everyone is striving to achieve more and get better results. Sometimes people become so focused on the results, and just keep increasing their effort to achieve more. However, that approach never works for the long-term. Successful people know that results grow consistently only when they consistently grow.

May 11
CONSIDER GOING THE OPPOSITE WAY
Think about this one. If you do what everyone else is doing, then you can only have what everyone else has. Success often goes to the people who go the opposite way from everyone else. Why not invest some time on how the opposite way could work for you.

May 12
AMPLIFYING AND ALIGNING
Two of the key focus areas for leaders is to amplify what's important and to align people from across the organisation to make it happen. These are two words to think about as you plan your key actions for each week.

May 13
DIVERSITY OF THOUGHT
Diversity is important in business, and having people from different genders, countries and backgrounds is important. However, to get the best performance from any organisation, there needs to also be diversity of thought. The differences help create better solutions and those solutions are often easier to implement as well.

May 14
REPUTATION FOR ATTRACTING TALENT
Everybody wants to have a good reputation, and one of the best reputations a leader can have is the reputation for attracting talent. Leaders who surround themselves with the best talent create better sustained performance. Become known for having the right people around you.

May 15
MOVE ON TO MOVE UP
You see this so many times in people. Something bad happened to them in a particular position at work and they can't seem to forget it; and now it is impacting their performance. In these situations everyone needs to move on (taking the learning and forget it) in order to move up.

May 16
MONEY MAKES YOU COMFORTABLE, NOT HAPPY
So many people wish for more money because they think it will make them happier. Money cannot make you happy, only more comfortable. The problem is that if you are not happy before money, then money only makes you more comfortable being unhappy and you stay longer that way.

May 17
CULTURE IS REALLY GROUP HABITS
If you want to change a culture, you need to look at the group habits of the organisation. To change an individual, you look at their habits. When changing an organisation, you look at the group habits. By thinking in specific group habits, you address something specific that drives creativity in your thinking about how to change it.

May 18
THE THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN YOU
If you are like others, you sometimes complain about the things that happen to you. It is always someone else's fault. However, it is not about happens to you, but what happens in you. It is what happens in you that will create the world around you that powers your success.

May 19
HELP OTHERS TO HELP THEMSELVES
The very best leaders are not barking orders to their people and always telling them what to do. They are helping their people think and develop their own solutions to the business problems and opportunities. What they are really doing is helping their people help themselves.

May 20
TRADING OF TIME, MONEY AND EFFORT
Everything we accomplish in our lives, whether in our work or private lives, comes down to how we trade time, money and effort. It all starts with where we focus our efforts and how we apply our time to those efforts. If we can buy the help in areas other than our strengths, then we can focus on what we do best and what drives our success.

May 21
IS IT REALLY A SACRIFICE?
There are many people who don't invest the time to develop themselves. They often look at others who develop themselves during their free time as they are sacrificing that free time. But is it really a sacrifice? People who develop themselves accomplish more and gain even greater freedom in the future as to how they can use their time.

May 22
FOCUS ON THE PRIZE VS THE PRICE
There's a huge difference between successful and unsuccessful people. Unsuccessful people focus on the price they have to pay to get what they want, and then don't consider it worth the effort. Successful people focus on the prize, and focus on "Why" it is worth it. Focus on the prize each and every day.

May 23
KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT HAVE POWER UNTIL USED
There are many people who read a great deal and may even have university degrees. You could say that these people had a thirst for knowledge. However, knowledge never brings you power unless it is used. Knowledge left unused is like a Ferrari that always stays parked in the garage.

May 24
THINKING - THE HARDEST TASK
Thinking is probably one of the hardest tasks and is probably why most people avoid doing it. In fact, most people would rather have others do their thinking for them. However, for those who invest some quiet time to think about what they want and how to get it, the possibilities are limitless.

May 25
WHATEVER IT TAKES - IT'S IN YOU
To achieve great success you will always encounter challenges that are just as great. Many people think that when you achieve great success, then everything becomes easier. In fact, the level of challenges is always at the same level of the success. Remember, whatever it takes (the challenges), it's in you.

May 26
GIVE THE FREEDOM TO TAKE RISKS
Ask any leader whose organisation is not growing, and they will probably say that their people are not taking enough risks. However, it is always the leader's responsibility to provide the freedom (accepting some mistakes) in order for the people to feel comfortable taking the necessary risks.

May 27
MANAGING FOCUS AND ENERGY
You could say that the key to getting more done is to manage two key factors: 1) Your focus - It provides the basis for the yes/no choices you make each and every day. 2) Your energy - to be productive you need to keep your energy high by eating right and getting the right rest and relaxation; and a little exercise.

May 28
THE ROAD TO SUCCESS IS THROUGH COMMITMENT
Every person who has achieved great success has had a strong commitment to make it happen. This strong commitment is needed to overcome the challenges that are always in the way to the success you desire. The way through all challenges is commitment, and on the other side is always success.

May 29
DECIDE YOU WANT TO LISTEN
Many people go through life not having made the decision to listen. They are often "hearing" what others are saying, and just waiting for when it is their time to talk. The best communicators are those people who have made the decision to listen first, and not worrying about their chance to talk.

May 30
COMFORTABLE AND YOU MAY BE HEADING FOR TROUBLE
We all grow when we try new things that will often make us uncomfortable at first. As the world is changing at a faster pace each day, we need to be trying new things all the time. That being so, being comfortable means that you may be heading for trouble, as everyone else is changing and moving right past you.

May 31
EXCITING PEOPLE AROUND AN IDEA
You could define leadership as "Exciting people around an idea." Getting people excited about what they do is one of the most powerful goals of leaders. People who are excited will take more action, and also get others around them excited as well.