Daily Thought Archives: August 2009

August 1
CREATING THE ACTION HABIT
If you think about life, you get out of it depending on how you live it - your actions. If you don't like the life and the results you are getting, then you have to look at taking some different actions. For most people, it is about creating the action habit, and not putting off action on their ideas. How about you?

August 2
STRATEGY WITHOUT LEADERSHIP
Two things that need to go together in business is strategy & leadership. Many companies are developing winning strategies (at least they think so), but lack the leadership to execute them. Strategy without leadership is like building blocks without form.

August 3
LEARNING HOW TO ARTICULATE IT
Influence is all about being able to communicate clearly. It is important to always share and discuss your ideas with trusted friends in order to (practice) learn how to articulate your thoughts well. Then, you will be able to influence others more effectively when it really counts the most.

August 4
WHAT ACTIVITIES SETS UP YOUR CREATIVITY?
We all have times when we are more creative. Also, we have certain activities that put us in the best frame of mind to be creative. Think about what activities set up your creativity, and include them in schedule each week. Success comes faster when you use your creativity and act upon it.

August 5
TO GAIN RESPECT OF...EDUCATE YOURSELF
Too many people dismiss others opinions too quickly. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, and we sometimes need to gain respect of others by educating ourselves more on their background and interests. How well we interact with others is based on how open we are to understanding their thinking and experiences.

August 6
DOING SOMETHING YOU NEVER DONE BEFORE
A great approach to life would be to always try doing something you never did before. If you were to make this a goal for every week of your life, what would you end up doing, and accomplishing? Try it beginning this week.

August 7
SET YOUR OWN EXPECTATIONS
Many people go through life trying to deliver the expectations set for them by others. In fact, a lot of people like this, as they don't need to feel as much responsibility for expectations set by others. However, not setting your own expectations is like giving the responsibility for the direction of your life to others. Set your own direction.

August 8
WHO CAN I ADD VALUE TO TODAY?
Basically, we all achieve success and our self worth by the value we add to others. That being true, a great question to ask ourselves is "Who can I add value to today?" Next time you read something interesting, why not send it along to someone you think could benefit from it. It's a great way to add value to others.

August 9
AMBITIOUS GOALS REQUIRES A TEAM
Whenever you go after the big goals in your life, you can be sure that you will need the help of others. It's important to get others to share your same enthusiasm about those goals, and want to help you make it happen. Remember, when you help others (be on their team), they will help you (be on your team).

August 10
BELIEFS ARE A "SENSE OF CERTAINTY"
Whether we accomplish something or not is often not based on our abilities, but on our beliefs in whether we can actually accomplish it. Beliefs really are a "sense of certainty". It means that whatever happens (challenges, problems, etc), we will overcome them and accomplish it. The start of all accomplishment is the belief.

August 11
DO YOUR HOMEWORK
It's amazing, but most important reason why people don't accomplish what they want to is because they don't do their homework. Another way to say that is preparation. In business today, success often goes to the team and organisation that does the preparation (their homework).

August 12
YOUR REALITY IS CREATED BY COMPARISONS
Everything we experience "just is" until we compare it to something else, and what you compare it to makes all the difference. Successful people focus on one major comparison: "Is what I am doing taking me closer or further away from my goals". It really is the "best" comparison we can make.

August 13
CREATING, SUSTAINING AND THEN IMPROVING
If you think about it, everything we do is covered by first creating it, then being able to sustain it, and finally improving it. We often see leaders who are good at one or two of these, but rarely all three. That's why the very best leaders surround themselves with people who are great in the areas they aren't.

August 14
WHY DON'T YOU DO IT YOURSELF
Everyone loves to give advice to others. However, have you ever noticed that we often give advice to others that we haven't really made a habit to do in our own lives. Therefore, the next time we give advice to others, why don't we give the same advice to ourselves, and then do it.

August 15
USING THE MOST OF YOUR POTENTIAL
There are so many ways that people define success. However, there's one that covers it best, and personalises it in the right way. Success is really measured by how much you use of the potential that is inside you. Why not set goals that will drive you to use as much of your potential that you can.

August 16
THE PAST GETS IN YOUR WAY
While we are always thinking about what we want in the future, we often evaluate the future based on the past. We ask ourselves, "can I really do based on my past experiences". A new future is always built on the accumulation of the present (today, and every day after). Focus on your "todays', and you don't let your past get in your way.

August 17
SUSPENDING JUDGMENT
We get into more trouble in our daily lives when we rush to judgment. As we all struggle with our listening, we often think we understand situations before hearing the whole story (the background). We will all get is less trouble if we suspend judgment and focus on our understanding first.

August 18
PEOPLE QUIT THEIR BOSSES
In all the surveys about people leaving their jobs, the number one issue is often not the company, but the boss. This means that leadership ability is one of the key ingredients for retaining good people. It's important to grow to be the boss people want to work with.

August 19
CONNECTED AND VALUED
People look for two main things with respect to being satisfied in their job. One, do they feel connected to the vision and others who will help make it a reality. And two, do they feel that their management values their contribution. Leaders who focus on these two words (connected & valued) will have higher performing organisations.

August 20
BELIEFS ARE FRAMED BY OUR SELF TALK
Our beliefs are the foundation of what can accomplish, and they have been created over time. If we want to create a new belief, we need to make sure that what we tell ourselves is consistent with that new belief. Remember, our new beliefs are always framed by our Self Talk. So, be careful what you tell yourself.

August 21
COURAGE TO TEST YOUR TALENT
Most people have gone through life in sort of a "cruise" mode. They have found an approach to use their abilities in an easy way to get the job done, and have left their potential inside them. It's really because they have lacked the courage to test their talent. If this sounds like you, why not find a way to test your talent this week.

August 22
ANGER MOBILISES THE ANGER OTHERS
You see this all the time. Anger in one person acts like a match that suddenly brings the anger out in others. People with great self control will always focus on constructive dialogue about what triggered the anger, versus just letting the anger out. Let's not be the "match" for others.

August 23
AVOID PROVING YOU ARE SMART
Have you ever noticed that the people who are smart never need to tell you? There are too many people who feel they need to show you how much they know, and in doing so, they are really "pushing" you away. It's important to avoid trying to prove you are smart to others, and focus on proving others smart to you.

August 24
EVERY MIND IS A MAGNET
What we think about tends to show up in our lives. That can be good things or bad things, and it depends on what we are thinking. Therefore, you mind is really a magnet, and it either has a negative or positive power depending on what you fill it with. Focus on filling your mind with the positive and attract the right things into your life.

August 25
WHEN THE ODDS DON'T MATTER
Successful people have accomplished some great things in their lives, and often things that didn't seem doable. Their key was dedication, and for them, the odds didn't matter. They had the dedication, generated by the belief in themselves, that drove them to succeed.

August 26
INTEGRITY WITH YOURSELF FIRST
People with integrity attract both the respect and the support from others in everything they do. That integrity didn't show up on the outside, until it showed up on the inside. Our integrity needs to be with ourselves first, before others will see it in us.

August 27
CHIP AWAY WHAT IS NOT IMPORTANT
A sculptor will chisel the final shape of his art from a block of marble. In order to reach the finished piece, he has to chip away everything that is not what he wants. It is the same with our lives, we need to constantly chip away those activities that are not helping us achieve our potential.

August 28
LOOK BEHIND THEIR POSITION
We often encounter people taking a particular position on an issue, and we don't really understand why. Rather than continually questioning their position, why not look behind it, and to the possible experiences that might have shaped the reasons for their position.

August 29
YOU EARN YOUR REPUTATION EVERY DAY
Our reputation is something that is based on both who we are and what we do. Therefore, we can either gain or lose our reputation on what we do each and every day. Those with great reputations think about earning it every day.

August 30
COMPLEX DECISIONS REQUIRE CRITERIA
When you need to make complex decisions, there are always a great number of factors to consider; and it is often the right balance of those factors which drive a good decision. Leaders & teams always make better decisions when they have developed a criteria for a good decision, and use this criteria to guide their discussions.

August 31
DISAGREE, BUT COME WITH A SOLUTION
Successful leaders encourage their people to debate the issues and disagree with them. However, what leaders really dislike is their people disagreeing with a direction, but not coming forward with their own ideas for an alternative solution. A great behaviour is to never disagree with others unless you have your own ideas thought through first.