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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Posted on September 9th, 2009 by
Brandt Smith in
Life balance
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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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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Posted on June 24th, 2009 by
Brandt Smith in
Life balance
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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Posted on March 24th, 2009 by
Brandt Smith in
Life balance
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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Posted on March 4th, 2009 by
Brandt Smith in
Life balance
For years my philosophy on change and improvement had two aspects: Continuous improvements and ah ha moments. Continuous (incremental) improvements These are the incremental adjustments we make on a regular basis. If you focus on always getting better and have a vision of how you want to be this can have a profound impact. Just ...
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Posted on February 15th, 2009 by
Brandt Smith in
Life balance
A friend emailed me the other day asking for my opinion on going back to college. He works for a company that places a large emphasis on college degrees. He is in a position where he will not advance unless he finishes his education. He also works in an industry dominated by college educated people. ...
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