Success

Consider the following definition: Success is a progressive realization of worthwhile personal goals.

This definition is critical to your end goal because it says some rather spectacular things. It says:

1. Success is a journey and not a destination. This means in its simplest terms you cannot fail as long as you do not quit.

2. It also says that goals must be worthwhile and personal. They cannot be someone else’s goals like those of your boss, parents, or even your spouse. They must be yours and they must be of value to you.

Close scrutiny of this definition also leads to the conclusion that success is a developing attitude of achieving goals.

But what is an attitude? An attitude is the way we think or feel about a subject, which then causes us to act in a certain way about it. Therefore, we act and react in relation to our thought patterns that we have developed about the subject. So an attitude is caused when we think about something the same way over and over until it becomes automatic. The resulting action in response to the thought also becomes automatic. Change the habit of thought and you change the attitude. Change the attitude and you change the resulting action.

Specific Steps Of The Process

But how do you change the attitude, habit of thought and resulting action? That’s where goal setting comes into play. Here is the greatest 5 step system I have ever seen geared towards changing habits.

1. Write down specifically what you are trying to do and by when. The subconscious cannot act on some nebulous “someday” anymore than it can work on an unrealistic objective it knows it can’t achieve. Therefore, it must have a concrete time frame, it must be written down, and it must be specific and realistic. For example, wanting “more money ” is not the same as “10% increase over last year by October first.”

2. What are the obstacles? List everything that is stopping you. What are your inadequacies? What do you need to get there that you don’t already have? What is it that’s blocking you? Why aren’t you already there?

3. Write a plan to overcome each obstacle. List your action steps 1… 2… 3… etc. for each obstacle from above. Be as specific as possible. What will it take to get you past the obstacle that is blocking you from what you want?

4. List the benefits to you. There is no such thing as something for nothing. You must replace a thought process and resulting action with a new thought process that will produce a desired result. There must be a benefit derived of sufficient value and meaning to you alone to be worth the effort necessary to do this and to overcome the resistance to change. Please Note: There is a truth about human nature that we often do not like to face up to. Because something is meaningful to our spouse, child, boss, or anyone else regardless of his or her importance, it is normally insufficient to move us to action. It must, in fact, be important within the self. When this importance is discovered or developed, change occurs and it can be dramatic.

5. Is it worth it? This question must be answered very carefully and honestly. If the answer is yes, do it and DO IT NOW! However, if the answer is no, if the benefit derived cannot muster the desire to overcome the obstacle, you have three choices:

a. Change the goal thereby reducing the obstacle;

b. and/or increase the benefit to make it more meaningful.

c. Drop the entire issue and get on with your life without feeling guilty. The amount of time we waste feeling guilty is a tragedy of human existence. Get on with your life with other goals and don’t look back.

If you stumble or fall off your goal, that’s okay. Remember: Success is an ongoing journey, not a destination. The only time you fail is when you quit or never get up after falling down.

Affirmations

Nothing can propel your efforts as much or guarantee the outcome of your efforts as well as the two concepts Affirmations and Visualization.

Affirmations are positive statements of fact as you intend them to be. Because affirmations are “statements of fact”, affirmations must be written in the present tense. The subconscious can only operate in the present, never the future. Affirmations must be repeated over and over until they are internalized and become fact. Write affirmations down! Post them everywhere! Most importantly read your affirmations many many times per day until they are internalized.

Some affirmation examples are:

1. I am debt free.

2. I operate on a cash only basis.

3. If I can’t afford to pay for it in cash, I can’t afford it.

[Note - The last statement above borders on a negative statement. Be very cautious before using negative reinforcement.]

If you doubt the power of this process, ask yourself how many times you have successfully employed negative affirmations. When was the last time you heard or maybe even said, “This will never work”. Then when it didn’t work, you heard or said “See, I told you.” The point had become fact. Hate and prejudice are great examples of negative affirmation.

1. Why are elephants tied with a lightweight chain that they could easily break? Its simple. As a baby, they had a very heavy chain on their foot from which they could not break loose. As they grew older, they did not forget. What were we taught as children with repeated exposure? What do we teach our children?

2. A barracuda in a water tank was separated from minnows by clear plastic. The barracuda initially kept crashing into the clear plastic. Scientists learned, however, that after repeated failures the clear plastic could be removed and the barracuda kept swimming in its own area. It had limitations implanted to the point of ignoring its basic nature. What limits do we put on ourselves or allow others to do for us?

How many times do you have to repeat an affirmation? Whatever it takes to get the job done. If it takes 10 billion times, what difference does it make if it’s important. And if it is not important enough, why are you considering it?

Visualization

Visualization is seeing the object of your desire with your mind’s eye. But visualizations is more than that if you want it to be. The more detailed and focused your visualization, the faster the transformation will occur.

1. What color is it? How does it feel to the touch or within yourself when you are in possession? Can you smell it, can you taste it, and can you hear it?

2. Proper visualization involves as many senses as possible… do it with fervor. Imagine every detail and possibility. The more the detail, the greater the focus, the more fervent you are, the more often you apply visualization. These will determine how fast it will occur.

3. There is a second benefit to visualization. By detailed visualization you can often foresee a flaw to be corrected or a way to plan for a shortcoming that you may well have never seen until it was too late. This simple benefit can pay perhaps the biggest dividend of all.

Now act on it!

OUR BUSY lives and schedules create a rush, rush mentality to our days, and our health and wellness is placed second or even third on our priorities and our first inclination is to give up breakfast, and it is true what they have been saying for years…breakfast is one the most important meals of the day.

Also, what we have for breakfast is very important. A good meal on the go is a homemade smoothie with wholesome fresh organic foods in it, my daily smoothie consists of ground flax seeds, filtered water, fresh blueberries, banana, flax and borage oil, acai berry powder, energy vitamin c powder, rice protein powder and ice, then blend this until completed blended and you have a perfect start to your day.

I HAVE found for my health and wellness I like to eat my dinner and/or main meal at lunch as then I have all day to actively process it, and I love to “snack” in the evening, so I fix my snack foods for the evening. These usually consist of organic fresh fruit, raw unsalted nuts, hummus with rice crackers, or avocado with rice crackers, this makes me think I am snacking rather than eating a meal, find whatever makes you feel good so you stick with it and don’t get the urge to eat unhealthy…that which feeds your mind, body, soul.

CHOCOLATE is very healthy for your health and wellness, there is a catch though, it needs to be at least 70% cocoa and dark chocolate which comes with very limited sugar in it, and I find I takes care of my sweet tooth and my cravings for dessert/chocolate. I always say it isn’t dessert unless it is chocolate. Of course this is eaten I moderation, one to two little squares soothes my dessert need.

ANOTHER important health and wellness tip is water, it is so important to drink lots of water and keep the body flushed out of all the toxins we take in, just by living and being out in the world.

Thought for the Day: “Fear less, hope more; eat less, chew more; whine less, breathe more; talk less, say more; hate less, love more; and all good things are yours. “ -Swedish Proverb.

“Work place bullying and mobbing” is a little known phenomenon in some countries but is well known and attended to on many levels in several other countries, primarily The United Kingdom. Although most people in the United States are unfamiliar with the terms “work place bullying and mobbing” many of work places are fully entrenched in a culture that permits,and even encourages these behaviors. Workplace bullying is defined by the Workplace Bullying Institute as “repeated, health-harming mistreatment in the form of verbal abuse, threats, intimidation, humiliation, and work sabotage that undermines legitimate business and services. This not only affects the targeted worker, but also prevents the employer from conducting business as usual. Employers have no legal recourse to address the bully perpetrator employee either”.

Work place bullies use many tactics to emotionally abuse their targets. Isolation being a bully’s Most Harmful Weapon of all. Targets are often chosen by their bullies because of their better than average work performance. Bullies often feel threatened by good performers, because it increases their own feelings of inadequacy and shame. While mentally healthy people applaud and enjoy working and learning from those who excel, bullies can’t stand to see someone other then themselves shine.

Those whose good performance wins the attention of a bully, suddenly finds their successes minimized. Their once valued opinion is no longer asked. Their responsibility for unimportant matters often increases, while their authority is taken from them, often replaced by a bully’s friend. Targets are no longer asked to participate in planning meetings, special projects, or even social events. Important information is no longer communicated to them, as they are intentionally “taken out of the loop”, causing embarrassment and/or some kind of failure due to their lack of what coworkers perceive to be common knowledge. The bully begins a campaign of nitpicking, criticism, and personal insults usually done behind closed doors and in subtle ways. The bully often targets one person at a time, making it hard for coworkers to believe the abuse is real as reported by the target. Often, only the target and the bully themselves, know the true nature of the bully.

The target begins to react emotionally to these abusive changes, which they don’t understand, because there is no real reason other than the bully’s whim, even amusement at the targets distress. Targets often become obsessed by the bully searching for the reason for the abuse, that doesn’t exist. The bully points out the targets emotional distress to coworkers, often feigning concern, along with rumors, gossip and half or twisted truths about the target, in order to manipulate others into questioning the target’s competency and mental health..

Most colleagues believe the bully, not understanding that the target is displaying symptoms of an emotional injury, perpetrated by the bully, rather than mental illness as often alleged by the bully. Coworkers then unwittingly participate in the bullying, which is called mobbing. The few coworkers, who may know the truth, usually won’t stick up for the target, to avoid becoming a target themselves.

Isolation is the most emotionally painful experience a mentally healthy person can endure. That is why isolation is a primary tactic used to punish or torture. It is the bully’s most harmful weapon. I remember a Nun teaching in grade school that no one knows what Hell is like. We can only be sure of one thing. If you go to Hell, you will be ALONE.

The pervasiveness of work place bullying and mobbing in the United States is made evident by our common knowledge of the term “going postal” the most devastating affect of work place bullying of all. Adult suicides being the second most devastating affect. It is an important public health message that all working Americans learn about work place bullying and mobbing to literally save lives. It’s my mission to educate others about this menace in our work places, the largest hidden expense in business today. Let’s recognize it, name it, and end work place bullying and mobbing together.

Communication means have changed radically over the years, with the introduction of modern telecommunications such as faxes and email, but still the most widely used communication tool is the telephone. The telephone is a very powerful tool, especially when used within a business environment and many people underestimate its importance and more importantly, the importance of the person using it.

When a potential client phones a company, their first impression of that company is created by the person who answers the phone. In order to ensure that the caller develops a positive image within their mind, the person answering the call must be efficient, confident and capable of inspiring confidence in the caller. It is a very big responsibility but by examining existing skills and practicing new ones this challenge can be met, and the standards maintained.

Professional Telephone Techniques

When answering the telephone always remember:

• You are aiming to make the caller pleased that they chose to call your company

• You are aiming to impress the caller with your courtesy and helpfulness

• Answer the telephone with identification

While on the call:

• Remember to ensure your opening greeting identity’s you and your organisation clearly, by speaking into the mouthpiece. Always ask for the caller’s name and use it, it gives the impression of friendly familiarity. Speaking in a warm, interested tone will add to this.

• If you have to ask the caller to wait - explain why. In this situation, service your call on hold every 30 seconds and thank the caller for waiting. Make the caller feel that you are anxious and willing to help; if you agree to call back at a specific time, call - even if you have been as yet unable to attend to the query or request.

• Attend to a query immediately or you may forget. If there are other priorities, write down the query. Let your caller hang up first and say “Thank you for calling”

As with any form of communication, when speaking on the telephone, there are certain elements which will effect the ease with which you communicate and also the understanding of the message that you are trying to get across. Comparing the use of the telephone to such methods as letter writing or face to face meetings, it is easy to see that the telephone has a lot of limitations. There is no written word to read; therefore retention of what you have said is difficult. There is no body language, just your voice to make that important impression. Using the voice correctly involves paying special attention to three areas. These are.

A - Speed

B - Clarity

C – Tone

A - Speed

Speaking too fast automatically creates barriers, and confusion. The caller will find it difficult to grasp what you are trying to say. When making outgoing calls you are prepared and [hopefully] know what the call is about. The person at the other end of the line was probably not expecting the call and almost certainly was involved in something completely unrelated at the time.

When answering calls, slow down, think before you answer any queries or questions.

B - Clarity

Avoid mumbling. Speak clearly and distinctly but avoid compensating for this by shouting.

C - Tone

Speed and Clarity may be fine but this means nothing without a positive tone. No matter how bad your mood is, don’t let it show in your voice. Sound friendly and cheerful, even if it is killing you.

Listen!

Another important communication skill essential while on the telephone is listening. Listening to customers is perhaps one of the most important things that anybody can do. Ask questions and then step back. Try not to prompt too much. Allow them to have their say.

Good, professional telephone skills are chief for a company’s reputation. It is the first impression a potential customer has of the company and sets the standard for future business.