Friday, December 18, 2009

Ooops, there goes another year. What did I get done?

I am sure that everyone who reads my blog or articles is really busy, all day, every day. In fact right about now the year starts to turn into one big blur. We forget much of what has happened and have trouble recalling what it was we have actually been doing so frantically for the past ten or so months. It can often feel like we are simply treading water and not really getting ahead.

I think that it is really important to stop every so often and actually acknowledge what it is we have achieved. I do this in a very visual way. I have a white board in my office that serves as my “AG BIZ HIGHLIGHTS FOR 2009″. At the moment it has 12 circles on it with the things I am proud of achieving so far this year. For me these are the milestones like the publication of certain books, a trip to the USA to see publishers, winning new clients, conferences that were special, meeting certain people and so on.

Really it is all of the things that I am really happy about in my business during the year, all staring back at me from my white board. On the days when it feels like I haven’t really been able to achieve much during the year, a quick glance at my highlights board and I can’t help but get a warm fuzzy satisfied feeling.

It makes sense to actually apply this idea to every aspect of our life, but I find that business is one of those areas where it can often feel like we are not getting anywhere. In fact we are moving ahead in giant leaps, but we need to be reminded about what it is we actually achieved – or in other words, we need to be able to measure progress.

Give this a go and see how it makes you feel. Come up with your own BIZ HIGHLIGHTS BOARD FOR 2009 and feel great about what it is that you have achieved. Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it.

I hope that you have a successful 2010.

ADRIAN CARUSO - http://www.tafastrack.com.au/

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Change Your Attitude Toward Problems

In flying, the word "attitude" refers to the angle of flight of your approach relative to the horizon. The way you think about a problem determines your attitude, or approach, as well. You can use three words to change your attitude and your approach to any difficulty you face.

Situation
First of all, change the word "problem" to the word "situation." Whereas "problem" is a negative word that triggers feelings of fear and anxiety, "situation" is neutral. Instead of saying, "We have a problem," you can say, "We have a situation."

Challenge
My personal preference is to change the word "problem" to the word "challenge." Whenever something goes wrong, immediately say, "We have an interesting challenge facing us today." "Challenge" is a positive word. When you think of a challenge, you think of something that you rise to, something that brings out the best in you and others. Challenges are what make life exciting and worth living. By rising to the challenges of day-to-day life, you fulfill more and more of your potential.

Opportunity
Perhaps the best word of all is "opportunity." Instead of saying, "We have a problem," you can say, "We have an unexpected opportunity." Napoleon Hill is famous for saying, "Every problem or difficulty you face contains the seed of an equal or greater advantage or benefit." Your job is to find the benefit, and this way of approaching a problem is determined by your attitude.

Attitude
This attitude of looking for the good in every situation, of looking for the advantage or benefit in any problem or difficulty, is the way that the most successful people think most of the time. Superior people, leaders in all areas, face the inevitable ups and downs of daily life on the way to their destinations by taking complete control of their thinking and their emotions. They do this by choosing the words they use to describe a situation, their tone of voice, and their behavior in dealing with problems.

Action Exercise
A mark of maturity, a vital quality on the road to success, happiness, and balance in life, is expecting problems and difficulties as normal, natural, and unavoidable parts of life. Becoming a superior person requires accepting that when you set off toward a big, exciting goal or destination, you will experience unexpected turbulence.

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