Reactions vs. Creating

"Successful people are simply those with successful habits."      

- Brian Tracy



Does the following describe you and/or your employees?

The no-problem problem (from Seth Godin)

An organization that's run on emergencies and reaction to incoming doesn't know what to do when there are no problems.

Instead of seeking out new ways to delight or fix the Things causing the emergencies, they run around looking for new emergencies, and if they look hard enough, of course they'll find them. (Two reasons for this: emergencies concentrate the mind (provide a focus) and allow things to get done (execution), not to mention it is a habit). But are they the Right Things that get done?

Missed opportunities vs. poor execution (from Seth Godin)

When you think back to the last ten years of your career or your company's history, how much of what you haven't achieved is due to missed opportunities (the product you didn't launch, the service you didn't choose to do, the effort you didn't extend, or the stock you didn't buy) and how much is the result of doing the Right Things, the Rocks, the Actions (the things that will grow your business and make it better) poorly or not at all?

____ % missed   vs. ____ % lack of follow through and execution of the Right Things.  

Now, compare those percentages to where you spend your time, your focus and your anxiety today.

 
People, it is all a decision, a choice you make every day. Keep the status quo, keep reacting, keep looking for emergencies and fires to put out OR chose to create new Habits and focus some time every day on the Right Things.Creating new habits requires you to shift your mind.   

"Shifting in the mind is like shifting in the Porsche. It's a rolling motion in the wrist. Not some huge effort. It brings freedom to glide and flow, not out of control, but simply less encumbered, with less drag.  Your car tells when you are too long in one gear. So does your life." - Steve  Chandler 

 

The easiest way to get people to do what you want them to do...is to start with people who want what you want.

All the best,
Rick Wallace 

Doing Things Right Is Not Enough

"Doing things right is not enough, we must be focused
on doing the right things."   

 

- Rick Wallace


Hard Work on the Right Things from Seth Godin:  

"I don't think winners beat the competition because they work harder. And it's not even clear that they win because they have more creativity. The secret, I think, is in understanding what matters.

 

It's not obvious, and it changes. It changes by culture, by buyer, by product and even by the day of the week. But those that manage to capture the imagination, make sales and grow are doing it by perfecting the things that matter and ignoring the rest.

Both parts are difficult, particularly when you are surrounded by people who insist on fretting about and working on the stuff that makes no difference at all."

All the best,

Rick Wallace 

Compound Effect and Habits

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."  

- Jim Rohn



Have you ever noticed how little actions stack up and build on each other?  

A couple of weeks ago, I started taking a fish oil pill every day.

...Then I started just eating ONE extra piece of fruit and one extra vegetable a day.

...The week after, I started doing some simple exercises to stretch and firm.

...Then I started the day with Chinese Feng Chu

(Don't get me wrong - these are all TINY steps - but steps in the right direction.)

AND YESTERDAY, I DID THE UNTHINKABLE:

I started walking a mile everyday with the dog.

But it just seemed like the logical next step. Easy, and kinda fun. Next thing I know I'm "booked in everyday this week on my calendar." I made a commitment to him, I'm accountable to him!

IT'S CALLED THE LAW OF PROGRESSIVE COMMITMENT.

I tell you all this because I know the next 6 months can be BIG for you. Deep down, you know it's possible, too.  

So right now, I've got a simple invitation for you: What new business habit do you want to master? Managing your time? Building a process to execute your ideas? Developing a better Marketing Plan? Getting more referrals? Recruiting a virtual bench of 'A' Players? Increasing your profitability?

What's the next big project, a Rock for you? Perfect. Now - What's a TINY step you can take every day this week? Something small and barely perceptible. Easy to do, and if you followed it might stack & take you in the right direction.

What's the first baby step you could implement this week? It is all about Habits, you can't break your bad ones easily but you can develop new ones that will get you where you want to go!  

All the best,

Rick Wallace 

Testimony: The Death of Fear

"If we did all the things we are capable of doing,
we would literally ASTONISH ourselves."  

- Thomas A. Edison



Last week I posted a piece on Fear and it's devastating effect on our lives and careers. (If you missed it, read it here). Kathy Smith the Marketing Manager of a company in Alberta, Canada who I have worked with for the last couple of years, stunned me with a testimonial about her life and how she "did the thing she feared and how it killed the fear" and turned her life around:

"Rick, I can certainly attest to the liberation of conquering fear. As a single mother of 4 boys and an insane ex-husband who was threatening to kill me (I went through 3 criminal trials with him), I had to figure out a way to earn an income from home so I could protect my children. I decided to launch my own publication but was absolutely terrified of failure. I remember like it was yesterday: writing my script and making the first sales call with sweaty palms and a racing heart. But I pushed myself past the fear and made the first call and the second and the 300 after that. Long story short, I produced my publication for 5 years and then sold it for 5-figures. My "Message from the Publisher" blurb became inadvertently responsible for launching my writing career where I became a published author and wrote my own newspaper column for a year. That spun off to me being the media spokesperson for an association assisting women in domestic abuse situations where I shared my story with many people.

All that because I conquered fear!!"

Kathy Smith

Marketing Manager 

Fear can be a big thing or something as small as making a cold call on a prospect, but by doing it, the fear melts away.

All the best,

Rick Wallace

The Death of Fear

"Do the thing you fear, and the death of fear is certain."  

- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poet

  
Michael Neill a former coaching classmate of mine wrote this recently:  

"Whatever it is you're trying to achieve, ask yourself what you would do if you weren't afraid. Don't worry about whether or not you actually are or aren't afraid - just notice your answers, and notice which ones you want to act on."

As I have written elsewhere, there is a tremendous difference between feeling the fear and doing it anyway, and the freedom which comes from finding that space in yourself which is beyond fear. And the more time you spend living beyond fear, the sooner the answer to 'What would I do if I wasn't afraid?' will become 'Exactly what I'm doing now.'"

Thank you Michael. 

All the best,

Rick Wallace