The Power of Choice

by Bo Bennett, DTM

Where we are today is a result of choices we have made in our past. Choices as minor as what to have for breakfast to choosing what we want to do for a living. Each of us was born with the gift of free will and we have the right to choose our destiny by a series of lifelong decisions. Accept responsibility for who you are and where you are today and understand that with the exception of some external forces, you are where you are because of the choices you have made.

What about choices like going to work? You may be saying, "I have a family to support and I cannot choose to skip work. If I skip work, I get fired." The fact is, you choose not to skip work and keep your job. The choice of skipping work is yours and you must accept the consequences of each of your decisions. Even in the extreme situation that someone has a gun to your head, you have the choice to do what they request, or get shot. Choice is always present and always yours.

What about the person who gets hit by a bus? He obviously did not choose to get hit by a bus, but providing he is still alive, he can certainly choose how he responds to the situation. He can spend the rest of his days focusing on "why me?" and how unfortunate he is, or make millions writing the best seller "Life After Being Hit by a Bus" and help others who happened to get whacked by a Greyhound while picking up a penny on the highway. Although we cannot always choose what happens to us or around us, we can choose how we deal with it.

A successful person understands this concept well and understands that her choices make her who she is today. She does not use the negative statement "I HAVE to" but rather "I WANT to". Having to do something makes you subconsciously believe that you have no choice in the situation, which is rarely ever true. Once you truly understand that you choose to do something rather than have to do it, your attitude becomes positive and you see the benefits rather than focusing on the negative.

Other people will respect you for your candor when being more truthful with a statement such as, "I prefer to". The words "I have to" are often used as a defense mechanism and used as an excuse not to do something. Understand that you have a choice in the matter and be savvy enough to avoid the words "I have to". Those with whom you communicate will respect you more for it.

Believe in Yourself

by Bo Bennett, DTM

I have a great idea for a reality TV show. We begin with 10 people who are successful in their fields, but not famous or even well-known. Dress them up in clothing a homeless person would wear, give them a new identity and a history of nothing more than a grade school formal education and a series of odd jobs, then drop each one of our "participants" off in a major US city. The goal is to a) stay in the game and not quit and b) to acquire as much wealth as possible by the end of the season (about 3 months). The rules are that the participants cannot reveal their true identity and they cannot accept help from anyone they know in their real lives. What an awesome show that would be. We would witness the human spirit in action as well as characteristics and qualities of truly successful individuals. How would you do as a participant on that show?

There are so many people who appear to be successful and happy, who are financially well off, yet live in a constant state of fear. This is the fear of financial loss, which is almost universal to all those who are new to wealth. What if I lose my job? What if the market crashes? What if my business fails? All of these "what ifs" conjure up unpleasant thoughts for just about everybody; but those who believe in themselves, in their abilities, talents, and determination, do not fear these potential unfortunate events. A common characteristic among successful people is their knowing that if they lost everything financially, in time they would get it all back and more.

Unless you are a lottery winner or an heir/heiress to a fortune, you have earned what you now have. You must believe that your success is not due to random luck, but is a result of the circumstances that you have created, or at least influenced in the past. Those who fall down and don't get back up are the ones who lack the self-confidence and belief that they are the reason for their success, and if needed, can do it all again.

Donald Trump is a man who proved that success is not in what you have, but in who you are. Here is a man with enough belief in himself to come back from being $900 million dollars in debt to net worth of over a billion dollars in a relatively short period of time. When disaster struck Donald, he did not resign himself to flipping burgers to "make ends meet". His strong self-image and belief in himself allowed him to get right back on top.

Fortunately, very few of us will ever be put to the test of such drastic misfortune. Your belief in yourself is like a no-cost insurance policy that will keep you from fear of financial loss and allow to you enjoy what you have earned. Your talent, abilities, determination, and your other characteristics have gotten you where you are today. Believe in yourself and enjoy success.

Time Mgt - Insight into Hard Work & Smart Work

Here is a small incident, a must read.

There were 4 professors of Psychology, waiting for a train to come. Just then the train arrived and all the 4 professors rushed inside, only to realize that the train will depart after an hour. While wait at the railway platform, sipping the cup of tea, they started a discussion and did not realize the time.

One of the professors realized that the train has started moving and he ran and he caught the train. Seeing this, the second professor too caught the train. Seeing the second professor catch the train, the third one somehow managed to catch the pole of the last compartment and was able to catch the running train.

And the train, left the station. The fourth professor was left high and dry and the train departed. He started crying vehemently, “I missed my train, I missed my train.” One passerby asked him why he was crying so loud and reassured him that after 20 minutes, one more train would come and go to the same destination where he had to go. And this professor said, “It was me who had to travel in that train, the three professors who had caught the train had actually come to see me off.”

Friends although the three professors were successful in catching the running train, they all caught the wrong train. Just because you are you catch a running train does not mean you have caught the RIGHT train and it also does not mean that you are successful in reaching your destination.

In my career as a Time Management Trainer, I have observed a lot of what WE CAN DO and SHOULD NOT DO to increase our daily results. Time management is not necessarily working "HARDER", but rather, "SMARTER” and "SHARPER".

To achieve something significantly more in our day, we need not increase our efforts or the numbers of hours we put in. What is required is the right setting of Goals and managing our priorities.

Just look at somebody winning an Olympic Race. The person who wins the race gets a Gold Medal and the runner up gets a Silver Medal. The Gold Medalist wins the gold medal not because he ran twice as fast or twice as far then the Silver Medalist, but, it was just a “nose ahead”.

Friends, this is what we need to do with our daily lives. We need not run twice as fast or put in twice the effort to significantly increase our daily success. We only need to be a "nose ahead" of where we already are.

We are all productive in our days. We would not survive the demands of this world if we were not. The real challenge is how much more productive can we become? A lot of our Time Management has to do more with what we are not doing rather than what we are doing.

So, now is the Right Time to do The Right Thing, sit for a while and find out what are you not doing now that you should or you must be doing, and start doing that. Ask yourself one question, “Are you working HARD, in the RIGHT Direction or are you just working Hard.”

www.LeaderWorkshop.5u.com

Inspiration from Henry Ford

by Bo Bennett, DTM

Henry Ford (1863 - 1947) was the founder, vice-president, and chief engineer of the Ford Motor Company.

Success is age independent. Henry Ford constructed his first steam engine at the age of 15.

Success is not formal education. Ford's formal education was limited to what is rumored to be about three years.

Success is fueled by failure. After two unsuccessful attempts to establish a company to manufacture automobiles, the Ford Motor Company was incorporated in 1903 with Henry Ford as vice-president and chief engineer.

Success is problem solving. By early 1914, Ford's innovative assembly line had resulted in a monthly labor turnover of 40 to 60 percent in his factory, largely because of the unpleasant monotony of assembly-line work and repeated increases in the production quotas assigned to workers. Ford met this difficulty by doubling the daily wage to $5 and shaving one hour off the workday.

Success is overcoming competition. In 1905, there were 50 start-up companies a year trying to get into the auto business, and Ford succeeded.

Success is doing what you feel in your gut is right, despite public opinion. The Wall Street Journal called Ford's daily wage increase plan "an economic crime," and critics everywhere heaped "Fordism" with equal scorn.

Success is seeking out those who can help you with your goals. In 1903, Ford found twelve people willing to invest a total of $28,000 in another motor company. Ford was then able to begin production of the Model A car. The car sold well and the company flourished and by 1907 the profits reached $1,100,000. In 1909, Ford made the decision to manufacture only one type of car, the Model T, which changed automotive history forever.

[Sources: http://www.hfmgv.org, http://www.biography.com]

# 1 Skill Employers Are Looking For

What Is The Number One Skill Employers Are Looking For?

just finished reading Alan Greenspan's book: The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World. It is an exceptional read and is really two books in one. The first part of the book is about his life from humble beginnings up to his retirement as the Fed Chairman in 2006. The second part of the book is about his thoughts on the economies of the world and where they are potentially headed and why.

Alan Greenspan is a strong believer in the capitalistic system rather than central planning (ex. the old Russia system). This is because with hard work, proper study and focus, people can be prosperous in a capitalistic system.

The final chapter of the book was extremely enjoyable to read. It is called the Delphic Future and projects possible futures for the US and the world in general. One enlightening paragraph says:

Quote: A dysfunctional U.S. elementary and secondary education system has failed to prepare our students sufficiently rapidly to prevent a shortage of skilled workers and a surfeit of lesser-skilled ones, expanding the pay gap between the two groups. Unless Americas education system can raise skill levels as quickly as technology requires, skilled workers will continue to earn greater wage increases, leading to ever more disturbing extremes of income concentration. End of quote.

On the other side of the coin Greenspan says:

Quote: It is not accident that human beings persevere and advance in the face of adversity. Adaptation is in our nature, a fact that leads me to be deeply optimistic about our future.

What do we take away from this? The simple answer is that each of us must choose our own future and that future will affect our collective future!

To create a great future we need a clear path to travel. The difficulty of choosing that path is increased because of ever expanding options in everything we do. In a highly stimulating environment it is too easy to spin our wheels. How do we choose a path that improves our life both individually and collectively? Fortunately there is hope.

The message is clear. Those who will succeed and prosper in the coming years will have the following skills and backgrounds:

These skills can be boiled down to one skill. It is a major skill that we all need to be successful in whatever career we choose. That skill is also: The #1 Skill Employers are Looking for.

• Decision making
• Knowledge
• Schooling
• Experience
• Reasoning
• Intuition
• Common Sense
• Confidence

The skill is powerful, transferable to any field, and has made countless people enormously successful and prosperous through the ages. If you learn to use it well you can become extremely successful in your professional and personal life.

My next series of Blogs (They will posted in the next month. If you cant wait, please go to my website: chuckclayton.com) will provide you with the name of that skill, why it is our most powerful strength and what learning it can do for you. It will also teach you some of the key elements of that skill!

There is nothing more uncommon than common sense!

~ Frank Lloyd Wright

Greenspan, Alan. The Age of Turbulence Adventures in a New World (New York: The Penguin Press 2007)

Copyright © 2008, Chuck Clayton, All Rights Reserved<

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Chuck_Clayton

Recognize the Dead End

Recognize the Dead End
by Bo Bennett, DTM

Imagine yourself exactly where you are today ten years from now. You are in the same job or business and making the same pay. You know no more than you did ten years ago, since your experience has been limited to the same year of experience repeated ten times. The only things you have to show for the last ten years are perhaps a few extra pounds around the mid-section and some more gray hair. Although some people may see this as great job security, those who are focused on success and personal growth see this as ten years of wasted time. One of the best things you can do for yourself is to ensure, on a regular basis, that you are making progress in your life by recognizing the "dead end".

Before we can do something about a dead end, we must learn to recognize one. Whether you are a business owner, employee, independent contractor, or unemployed (either voluntarily or involuntarily), you run the risk of being stuck at a dead end. Although every business and job has a future, it may not be the future you had in mind for yourself. A dead end is not characterized by income potential alone, it is also about personal growth (learning, experience, etc.), happiness, and contributions to society. For example, teaching in an elementary school, although income potential is certainly limited, can bring one tremendous wealth in the form of personal fulfillment and would not be considered a dead end. Conversely, working at a job you despise, with little chance of promotion and no personal satisfaction would be seen as a dead end.

Those who fail to recognize a dead end can spend years “stuck” at the dead end, only to one day look back and ask, “What happened?” One of the worst forms of regret is a wasted life.

It is equally important not to falsely label your current situation as a dead end, as it is to recognize a dead end. Those who change vocations or directions in life solely for the pursuit of money, end up worsening their situation more times than not. Likewise, those who are impatient and determine a dead end by a “slow month” or a denial of a raise, end up making poor decisions based on their temporary situation.

So the question is, how does one recognize a dead end? Here are some suggestions.

• Analyze the market. Is your market expanding? Is demand increasing or decreasing? Is your organization getting an increasing or decreasing share? What do you think the future holds for the market? Where there are growing markets, there are usually increasing opportunities.
• Analyze the competition. Are more people entering the market? How does this affect market share? Does this appear to be a trend? "Flooded" markets are those with too much product and not enough demand, and usually a sign of a dead end.
• Analyze technology. Do you see technology rendering your business or your position obsolete? If so, it may be best to get out before you are forced out.
• What is your attitude? Are you burnt or burning out? Or do you remain motivated and positive in what you do? If you find yourself in a situation where you feel you cannot stay motivated and positive, get out.
• Visualize your future based on your beliefs, not on your hopes or wishes. Are you selling yourself a dream or is your prediction of your future based on your goals and actions? If you do not truly believe that you are on the right path to success, then you are at a dead end.

You can never really recognize a dead end unless you make a conscious effort. While there are millions of people who claim to be in "dead end jobs", the majority of them do nothing about their situation except complain. If you are one of these people, ask yourself, "Is this really a dead end?" and consider the non-monetary benefits. If you do find yourself at a dead end, then take a leap of faith and do something about it. Remember that dreamers only dream and successful people take action.