When we get buried in the day to day, we often forget what we’ve accomplished and learned. It can seem like we are standing still, especially when you haven’t achieved one or more of you major goals. This is one reason why it is so important to do periodic reviews. It’s also one of the magical things about heading into New Years, as this holiday tends to make us think back over our previous year and forward to the next.
Looking back, 2009 has been a roller coaster
* New government which has created a ton of strife. New regulations and laws looming that will change the face of this country (I’ll leave it to you to decide if it’s for better or for worse!)
* The economy degraded even further, and any recov...
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People who know me well are familiar with my views on college. I am a huge believer in obtaining your education, and have seen first hand the impact this can have on your career or your business. I’ve earned two bachelors of science degrees working full time with a young family, and my wife has earned her bachelors of science in business while being a full time mother. I’m not bragging, I’m just making it clear how much I believe in college education!
I also am not a big fan of the traditional college experience. When you look at the cost it is hard to justify. This is both for adults going back to school and for our children. If you follow the traditional college path the costs are staggering, and the traditional college ...
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So many of us stumble through life without really taking the time to think. I’m not talking about “should I eat steak or chicken tonight.” I’m talking about looking closely at issues and beliefs, reviewing the facts, possibly using a decision making tool (pro/con list, decision matrix, decision tree, etc), and thinking about all consequences (both good and bad). I’m also talking about events in life. Do you seriously think through the situation or do you just wing it?
In fact, a lot of us live our lives on autopilot. Our beliefs were given to us by parents, teachers, preachers, gurus, etc….How often do we take the time to examine those beliefs.
I’m not saying we throw out our beliefs. Many are good,...
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Frustration
It all boiled over. They were not really mad to each other, but one night it all came to a head.
When I talked to Bob the next day he was exhausted. They had talked – and sometimes shouted – into the wee hours of the morning, but it wasn’t tired due to lack of sleep. He was drained emotionally.
Bob and his wife had spent the last two years trying to start an internet business. They spent a couple hours each day on web design, blogging, etc…They read ebooks and watched videos. They bought books and attended seminars. Month after month they poured their heart and soul into their business, but it was for nothing. They had made no money to date and felt lost.
As we talked he revealed how much it had taken out...
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I met Norman two years ago. When we first started talking it was purely business. He needed good people to represent his company and we were looking for a great deal on equipment. Norman was the regional representative for Ektelon, the top racquetball equipment manufacturer. One of the main ways they promote their product and the sport is to sponsor players. In exchange for a great deal on equipment, the players are loyal to the brand, using only their equipment, wearing clothing with the company emblem, acting as ambassadors, selling equipment to players at the club.
It started out as a business relationship: he gained a team member who was a top salesman and teacher, he gained a top junior player with a ton of potential and a great attitu...
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For months I had been seeing questions about getting a college degree come up on this and other blogs. College for working adults and finishing your degree were becoming hot topics. It was becoming apparent that people wanted to finish their degree but didn’t have the time or money to do it the traditional way.
About the same time my wife had friends ask us how our son (16 years old), and how he was already well on his way to earning his college degree. We thought it was common knowledge, but then one of her friends asked
“Can you teach us how?”
This one question got us thinking…why is no one doing this? It is so much quicker and easier than traditional school. It also costs far less.
In the end we wrote an ebook, ad...
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A couple weeks back I wrote about the need to take responsibility for your life. Though it is a simple concept it has a profound effect on y0u life. In fact, you could say it is the foundation for all personal development.
What I didn’t go into was how it applies to business. Everyone is hit with the same problems, losing a top customer, having your best salesman quit to work for a competitor, watching bad economic conditions hurt our business. What differentiates the top performers is how they respond to stimuli and events.
Why some companies win while others lose
80% of companies refuse to take responsibility for the situation. They tell the board of directors that the economy is hitting everyone just as hard, it isn’t their f...
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Ok, maybe the title was a bit over the top. That doesn’t detract from the truth, it doesn’t make it less valid, and it doesn’t lessen the importance of this basic personal development truth:
You need to take responsibility for your life.
Everything that happens to you, good and bad, can be traced back to your choices.
Sometimes this is obvious. My boss says something I don’t like so I punch him in the face. The result…I get fired (and maybe spend some quality time in the county lockup).
Other times it is more subtle. For example, you have a coworker that is usually late in turning in their part of a project. Do you confront them? Do you (professionally) say anything to them at the beginning of the project? Most...
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Time management is the central skill of success. Your ability to manage your time, to focus and channel your energies on your highest value tasks, will determine your rewards and your level of accomplishment in life more than any other factor. Save Hundreds of Hours and Thousands of Dollars in Personal Advancement Your mind is ...
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Ever since we started writing our book… Maybe it’s my reticular system noticing questions and articles on education. Maybe it’s the law of attraction. Either way readers and friends keep sending me articles and asking me questions. Most recently a friend sent me an article from National Review on inflated college rankings. They wrote a ...
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