This interview with Mark Pincus, founder and chief executive of Zynga, a provider of online social games, was conducted and condensed by Adam Bryant.
Q. What are the most important leadership lessons you’ve learned?
A. If I was going all the way back, it would be playing on my school’s soccer team, because we were on the same team together, most of us for eight or nine years, and we were at a really little school in Chicago that had no chance of really fielding any great athletes. But we ended up doing really well as a team, and we made it to the state quarterfinals, and it was all because of teamwork.
And the one thing I learned from that was that I actually could tell what someone would be like in business, based on how they played on the soccer field.
So even today when I play in Sunday-morning soccer games, I can literally spot the people who’d probably be good managers and good people to hire.
Q. Based on what?
A. One is reliability, the sense that they’re not going to let the team down, that they’re going to hold up their end of the bargain. And in soccer, especially if you play seven on seven, it’s more about whether you have seven guys or women who can pull their own weight rather than whether you have any stars.
So I’d rather be on a team that has no bad people than a team with stars. There are certain people who you just know are not going to make a mistake, even if the other guy’s faster than them, or whatever. They’re just reliable.
And are you a playmaker? There are people who don’t want to screw up, and so they just pass the ball right away. Then there are the ones who have this kind of intelligence, and they can make these great plays. These people seem to have high emotional intelligence. It’s not that they’re a star player, but they have decent skills, and they will get you the ball and then be where you’d expect to put it back to them. It’s like their head is really in the game.
Q. How has your leadership style evolved, given your experience running several companies?
A. You can manage 50 people through the strength of your personality and lack of sleep. You can touch them all in a week and make sure they’re all pointed in the right direction. By 150, it’s clear that that’s not going to scale, and you’ve got to find some way to keep everybody going in productive directions when you’re not in the room.
And that, to me, is a huge amount of what it means to manage. But I went to Harvard Business School and that never occurred to me the whole time. And I’d started a bunch of companies and never gotten to that understanding, even with one company I had that I did take up to over 200 people.
Q. So give me an example of what you did to change that.
A. I’d turn people into C.E.O.’s. One thing I did at my second company was to put white sticky sheets on the wall, and I put everyone’s name on one of the sheets, and I said, “By the end of the week, everybody needs to write what you’re C.E.O. of, and it needs to be something really meaningful.” And that way, everyone knows who’s C.E.O. of what and they know whom to ask instead of me. And it was really effective. People liked it. And there was nowhere to hide.
Q. So who were some of your new C.E.O.’s?
A. We had this really motivated, smart receptionist. She was young. We kept outgrowing our phone systems, and she kept coming back and saying, “Mark, we’ve got to buy a whole new phone system.” And I said: “I don’t want to hear about it. Just buy it. Go figure it out.” She spent a week or two meeting every vendor and figuring it out. She was so motivated by that.
I think that was a big lesson for me because what I realized was that if you give people really big jobs to the point that they’re scared, they have way more fun and they improve their game much faster. She ended up running our whole office.
Q. Did everybody want to be C.E.O. of something?
A. There are people who want the comfort and structure of a job where they’re given tasks and told what to do. I think it’s actually a minority of people. The majority of people don’t want that, but I’d say that the companies I’ve built are full of people with something to prove.
Q. But don’t most people have something to prove?
A. Some more than others. I keep my eye out for someone who has achieved a lot, so they’ve been a great athlete or on a great team, but then something didn’t go quite right, and they’re still very hungry and want to be C.E.O. of something. I like to bet on people, especially those who have taken risks and failed in some way, because they have more real-world experience. And they’re humble.
I also like to hire people into one position below where they ought to be, because only a certain kind of person will do that — somebody who is pretty humble and somebody who’s very confident.
This is another thing I really, really value: being a true meritocracy. The only way people will have the trust to give their all to their job is if they feel like their contribution is recognized and valued. And if they see somebody else higher above them just because of a good résumé, or they see somebody else promoted who they don’t think deserves it, you’re done.
My approach is that you have to earn the respect of people you work with. And so, if you come in and you start bossing people around and they don’t want to work with you, they won’t. In our company, if you want to switch teams, you can. In hiring, it’s also a sign of a great manager when you tell me that there’s all these people who want to come with you, or when you join us and we find other people are all sending us their résumés because you’re here.
Q. What else is unusual about how you run the company?
A. John Doerr [the venture capitalist] sold me on this idea of O.K.R.’s, which stands for objectives and key results. It was developed at Intel and used at Google, and the idea is that the whole company and every group has one objective and three measurable key results, and if you achieve two of the three, you achieve your overall objective, and if you achieve all three, you’ve really killed it.
We put the whole company on that, so everyone knows their O.K.R.’s. And that is a good, simple organizing principle that keeps people focused on the three things that matter — not the 10.
Then I ask everybody to write down on Sunday night or Monday morning what are your three priorities for the week, and then on Friday see how you did against them. It’s the only way people can stay focused and not burn out. And if I look at your road map and you have 10 priorities for you and your team, you probably don’t know which of the three matter, and probably none of the 10 are right.
I can look at everyone’s piece of paper, and their road map shows every item you were going to do and your predicted results and actual results, and then the results are in red if you missed them, yellow if they’re close and green if you passed them. I think road maps are a great principle just for managing your life. It keeps everybody focused, and it lets me know what trains are on or off the tracks.
Q. What has surprised you most after you really started focusing on leadership and management?
A. The most general thing is it surprised me how rewarding it is to focus on management and being a C.E.O. And how much you get back from places where you weren’t expecting it. I’m surprised how much people at the far reaches of the organization are touched by it, and that touches me. I’ve been surprised how much they can achieve without me being involved. That’s been awesome.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Ducks Quack, Eagles Soar - Wayne Dyer
No one can make you serve customers well. That's because great service is a choice.
Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.
He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .
He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'
Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'
And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.
Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day.
He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.
He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It.
Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''
'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally.
'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I
decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I
did more.'
'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said. 'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it.
You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with
it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.
How about us?
Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.....The ball is in our hands!
Harvey Mackay, tells a wonderful story about a cab driver that proved this point.
He was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing Harvey noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for Harvey .
He handed my friend a laminated card and said: 'I'm Wally, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.' Taken aback, Harvey read the card. It said: Wally's Mission Statement:
To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.
This blew Harvey away. Especially when he noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean! As he slid behind the wheel, Wally said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.' My friend said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.' Wally smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, water and orange juice.' Almost stuttering, Harvey said, 'I'll take a Diet Coke.'
Handing him his drink, Wally said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Wall Street Journal, Time, Sports Illustrated and USA Today.'
As they were pulling away, Wally handed my friend another laminated card. 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'
And as if that weren't enough, Wally told Harvey that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for him.
Then he advised Harvey of the best route to his destination for that time of day.
He also let him know that he'd be happy to chat and tell him about some of the sights or, if Harvey preferred, to leave him with his own thoughts.
'Tell me, Wally,' my amazed friend asked the driver, 'have you always served customers like this?' Wally smiled into the rear view mirror. 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard the personal growth guru, Wayne Dyer, on the radio one day.
He had just written a book called You'll See It When You Believe It.
Dyer said that if you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. He said, 'Stop complaining! Differentiate yourself from your competition. Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.''
'That hit me right between the eyes,' said Wally.
'Dyer was really talking about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I
decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I
did more.'
'I take it that has paid off for you,' Harvey said. 'It sure has,' Wally replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it.
You were lucky to get me today. I don't sit at cabstands anymore. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on my answering machine. If I can't pick them up myself, I get a reliable cabbie friend to do it and I take a piece of the action.'
Wally was phenomenal. He was running a limo service out of a Yellow Cab. I've probably told that story to more than fifty cab drivers over the years, and only two took the idea and ran with
it. Whenever I go to their cities, I give them a call. The rest of the drivers quacked like ducks and told me all the reasons they couldn't do any of what I was suggesting.
Wally the Cab Driver made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.
How about us?
Smile, and the whole world smiles with you.....The ball is in our hands!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Did I Marry the Right Person.. (pls spend some time to read it..not only for married person)
This is a very good article. read it.
Those who are still single may learn something from here....
Those who are already married may take it as a guideline to improve your marriage....
DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?
During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question.
She said, 'How do I know if I married the right person?' I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said,'It depends. Is that your husband?' In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'
Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.
Here's the answer.
EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.
Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience.
You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called 'falling' in love...
Because it's happening TO YOU.
People in love sometimes say, 'I was swept of my feet.' Think about the imagery of that _expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.
Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience.
But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.
The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.
At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.
Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work,a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.
But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage.
It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.
And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):
THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.
SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression 'the labor of love.'
Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.
Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.
Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable...you can 'make' love.
Love in marriage is indeed a 'decision'... Not just a feeling.
Remember this always:
'God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'
Those who are still single may learn something from here....
Those who are already married may take it as a guideline to improve your marriage....
DID I MARRY THE RIGHT PERSON?
During one of our seminars, a woman asked a common question.
She said, 'How do I know if I married the right person?' I noticed that there was a large man sitting next to her so I said,'It depends. Is that your husband?' In all seriousness, she answered 'How do you know?'
Let me answer this question because the chances are good that it's weighing on your mind.
Here's the answer.
EVERY relationship has a cycle. In the beginning, you fell in love with your spouse. You anticipated their call, wanted their touch, and liked their idiosyncrasies.
Falling in love with your spouse wasn't hard. In fact, it was a completely natural and spontaneous experience.
You didn't have to DO anything. That's why it's called 'falling' in love...
Because it's happening TO YOU.
People in love sometimes say, 'I was swept of my feet.' Think about the imagery of that _expression. It implies that you were just standing there; doing nothing, and then something came along and happened TO YOU.
Falling in love is easy. It's a passive and spontaneous experience.
But after a few years of marriage, the euphoria of love fades. It's the natural cycle of EVERY relationship. Slowly but surely, phone calls become a bother (if they come at all), touch is not always welcome (when it happens), and your spouse's idiosyncrasies, instead of being cute, drive you nuts.
The symptoms of this stage vary with every relationship, but if you think about your marriage, you will notice a dramatic difference between the initial stage when you were in love and a much duller or even angry subsequent stage.
At this point, you and/or your spouse might start asking, 'Did I marry the right person?' And as you and your spouse reflect on the euphoria of the love you once had, you may begin to desire that experience with someone else. This is when marriages breakdown. People blame their spouse for their unhappiness and look outside their marriage for fulfillment.
Extramarital fulfillment comes in all shapes and sizes. Infidelity is the most obvious. But sometimes people turn to work,a hobby, a friendship, excessive TV, or abusive substances.
But the answer to this dilemma does NOT lie outside your marriage.
It lies within it. I'm not saying that you couldn't fall in love with someone else. You could.
And TEMPORARILY you'd feel better. But you'd be in the same situation a few years later. Because (listen carefully to this):
THE KEY TO SUCCEEDING IN MARRIAGE IS NOT FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON; IT'S LEARNING TO LOVE THE PERSON YOU FOUND.
SUSTAINING love is not a passive or spontaneous experience. It'll NEVER just happen to you. You can't 'find' LASTING love. You have to 'make' it day in and day out. That's why we have the expression 'the labor of love.'
Because it takes time, effort, and energy. And most importantly, it takes WISDOM. You have to know WHAT TO DO to make your marriage work.
Make no mistake about it. Love is NOT a mystery. There are specific things you can do (with or without your spouse) to succeed with your marriage.
Just as there are physical laws of the universe (such as gravity), there are also laws for relationships. Just as the right diet and exercise program makes you physically stronger, certain habits in your relationship WILL make your marriage stronger. It's a direct cause and effect. If you know and apply the laws, the results are predictable...you can 'make' love.
Love in marriage is indeed a 'decision'... Not just a feeling.
Remember this always:
'God determines who walks into your life. It is up to you to decide who you let walk away, who you let stay, and who you refuse to let go.'
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
The Power of Words by Takara
How many times have we set goals, visualized our desired outcome,created and repeated positive affirmations, and yet still not achievedwhat we had hoped? There are numerous potential causes for this.Sometimes its simply a matter of WORDS.
Every sound we utter sends out an energy wave that aids in creatingour world. With every sentence we speak we are improving or destroyingour health, relationships, finances, etc.
The most powerful example I've ever heard was a story told to medirectly by the woman who had the experience. This woman had developedan incurable disease of the eyes. She was quickly going blind. Herphysicians said there was NOTHING they could do. Being very determined and not liking what she heard, she turned to alternative therapies fora possible cure - something she never would have done had she not beenin this desperate situation. A friend recommended she see someone thatdid crystal healing. She thought that sounded ridiculous but decided to give it a try. During her appointment, the crystal healing therapist asked her to describe herself, her life, etc. and she lether talk for about 10 minutes. Suddenly, the therapist stopped her and said "Did you know that in the last 10 minutes you said the words 'Ihate to see' 15 times?" The woman was shocked. She used the words "I hate to see" before many things. "I hate to see the way the world is going." "I hate to see how they are treating the children in schools."On and on she made reference to "I hate to see" this or that. This was literally an eye opening experience. She switched her words and now years later has perfect vision.
HOW MANY WORDS DO WE USE THAT DESTROY OUR DESIRES?
NEVER NEVER NEVER say "I'm Sorry." Two of the most powerful words int he English language are the words I AM. These words tell every partof you - your personality, your subconscious, your ego, your spirit -who you are. They define WHO YOU ARE. Be very careful what you place behind those words. When you say "I'm sorry," you are saying that WHOYOU ARE is a sorry individual. Replace the words "I'm sorry" with "I apologize." Anyone who eliminates the words "I'm sorry" from theirvocabulary will increase their self esteem almost immediately! Thesame goes for "I'm sick." "I'm tired." "I'm stupid." - you get theidea. Replace those with "I feel ___" and eliminate the stupid comment altogether.
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH GOAL ACHIEVEMENT?
Another very important aspect of conscious language is the LAW OF FOCUS. What ever we place our attention on is what we create. It'simportant to focus on the positive thing we desire rather than the negative thing we want to avoid. For example, never focus on NOTAGING. Focusing on not aging ensures that you will age and quickly.Instead focus on being healthy, vibrant, and youthful.
An interesting and often overlooked part of all this is the need toavoid words that are negating a negative. What the heck do I mean by that? A word like LIMITLESS is actually drawing the subconscious mind to focus on LIMITS. This is NOT what we want. So saying something likeLIMITLESS ABUNDANCE is placing limits on the abundance.
An example from my own life is the word EFFORTLESS. In the past when Imade affirmations, I would typically end them with the words "easy,effortless, and fun." An example might be "Having a wonderfulrelationship is easy, effortless, and fun." This was actually drawingEFFORT into my life. Since I have eliminated that word and now only use "easy and fun" EVERYTHING has shifted. We sold our house in 2weeks because it was "easy and fun." - and there was no EFFORT involved. Doug's immigration process to the U.S. was taken care of inless than 2 months. There are many, many other examples of how thishas made things move very quickly and easily for us.
Review your own affirmations and the words you say out loud or just to yourself and see how POSITIVE you are actually being. It does make a difference!
Every sound we utter sends out an energy wave that aids in creatingour world. With every sentence we speak we are improving or destroyingour health, relationships, finances, etc.
The most powerful example I've ever heard was a story told to medirectly by the woman who had the experience. This woman had developedan incurable disease of the eyes. She was quickly going blind. Herphysicians said there was NOTHING they could do. Being very determined and not liking what she heard, she turned to alternative therapies fora possible cure - something she never would have done had she not beenin this desperate situation. A friend recommended she see someone thatdid crystal healing. She thought that sounded ridiculous but decided to give it a try. During her appointment, the crystal healing therapist asked her to describe herself, her life, etc. and she lether talk for about 10 minutes. Suddenly, the therapist stopped her and said "Did you know that in the last 10 minutes you said the words 'Ihate to see' 15 times?" The woman was shocked. She used the words "I hate to see" before many things. "I hate to see the way the world is going." "I hate to see how they are treating the children in schools."On and on she made reference to "I hate to see" this or that. This was literally an eye opening experience. She switched her words and now years later has perfect vision.
HOW MANY WORDS DO WE USE THAT DESTROY OUR DESIRES?
NEVER NEVER NEVER say "I'm Sorry." Two of the most powerful words int he English language are the words I AM. These words tell every partof you - your personality, your subconscious, your ego, your spirit -who you are. They define WHO YOU ARE. Be very careful what you place behind those words. When you say "I'm sorry," you are saying that WHOYOU ARE is a sorry individual. Replace the words "I'm sorry" with "I apologize." Anyone who eliminates the words "I'm sorry" from theirvocabulary will increase their self esteem almost immediately! Thesame goes for "I'm sick." "I'm tired." "I'm stupid." - you get theidea. Replace those with "I feel ___" and eliminate the stupid comment altogether.
SO WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH GOAL ACHIEVEMENT?
Another very important aspect of conscious language is the LAW OF FOCUS. What ever we place our attention on is what we create. It'simportant to focus on the positive thing we desire rather than the negative thing we want to avoid. For example, never focus on NOTAGING. Focusing on not aging ensures that you will age and quickly.Instead focus on being healthy, vibrant, and youthful.
An interesting and often overlooked part of all this is the need toavoid words that are negating a negative. What the heck do I mean by that? A word like LIMITLESS is actually drawing the subconscious mind to focus on LIMITS. This is NOT what we want. So saying something likeLIMITLESS ABUNDANCE is placing limits on the abundance.
An example from my own life is the word EFFORTLESS. In the past when Imade affirmations, I would typically end them with the words "easy,effortless, and fun." An example might be "Having a wonderfulrelationship is easy, effortless, and fun." This was actually drawingEFFORT into my life. Since I have eliminated that word and now only use "easy and fun" EVERYTHING has shifted. We sold our house in 2weeks because it was "easy and fun." - and there was no EFFORT involved. Doug's immigration process to the U.S. was taken care of inless than 2 months. There are many, many other examples of how thishas made things move very quickly and easily for us.
Review your own affirmations and the words you say out loud or just to yourself and see how POSITIVE you are actually being. It does make a difference!
HOW DO YOU ATTRACT OPPORTUNITY INTO YOUR LIFE?by Jim Rohn
Someone recently asked me the question: "How can I have more opportunities come into my life?" Good question, but I think my answer surprised them a bit.
I by passed the obvious (and necessary) points about hard work,persistence and preparation. They actually were very hard workers. Andthey had the great attribute of being seekers, they were on theoutlook. But I felt maybe they were missing this next and most valuable point - attraction.
I always thought opportunities and success were something you went after, then I found out that I needed to turn it around. Opportunities and success are not something you go after necessarily, but something you attract - by becoming an attractive person.
That's why I teach development of skills. If you can develop yourskills, keep refining all the parts of your character and yourself,your health, your relationships, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity. Opportunity will probably seek you out. Your reputation will probably precede youand someone will want to do business with you. All of thepossibilities are there by working on the philosophy that success issomething you attract.
The key is to continue making yourself a more attractive person by the skills you have, the disciplines you have, the personality you'veacquired, the character and reputation you have established, thelanguage and speech you use - all of that refinement makes you more attractive to the marketplace.
Personal development - the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn is considered to be America's Foremost Business Philosopher.
I by passed the obvious (and necessary) points about hard work,persistence and preparation. They actually were very hard workers. Andthey had the great attribute of being seekers, they were on theoutlook. But I felt maybe they were missing this next and most valuable point - attraction.
I always thought opportunities and success were something you went after, then I found out that I needed to turn it around. Opportunities and success are not something you go after necessarily, but something you attract - by becoming an attractive person.
That's why I teach development of skills. If you can develop yourskills, keep refining all the parts of your character and yourself,your health, your relationships, etc. so that you become an attractive person to the marketplace - you'll attract opportunity. Opportunity will probably seek you out. Your reputation will probably precede youand someone will want to do business with you. All of thepossibilities are there by working on the philosophy that success issomething you attract.
The key is to continue making yourself a more attractive person by the skills you have, the disciplines you have, the personality you'veacquired, the character and reputation you have established, thelanguage and speech you use - all of that refinement makes you more attractive to the marketplace.
Personal development - the never-ending chance to improve not only yourself, but also to attract opportunities and affect others.
To Your Success,
Jim Rohn
Jim Rohn is considered to be America's Foremost Business Philosopher.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Your Dream Can Be Your Future by Chris Widener
Here is a basic truth you must accept and believe if you are to achieve your dream...
Your dream can be a reality! That's right, your future can actually see you living your dream. It doesn't just have to be a big wish!
When we are young we are dreamers. Nothing seems too big for us to accomplish. Nothing seems too outrageous. The world is ours on a string as the old song goes. Until... "Reality" hits. Reality is what others want to box you in with:
"You can't do that."
"Nobody has ever done that before."
"It will never work."
"You've gone off the deep end now!"
All dreamers (who eventually become accomplishers) have heard these things. Yet they overcome them. They refuse to accept someone else's "reality" for their own life. They let the average people live their average lives, bound by fear, while they pursue their chosen future – their dream! So don't believe the people who tell you that you can't or won't. Believe your dream. Believe that it can be your future!
Once you have determined that you can actually live your dream, I want you to memorize this acronym. I've shared it before, but I found that it is tremendously helpful for reminding and motivating us toward our dreams.
D is for Dare (dare to dream while others don't)
R is for Relentless (relentlessly pursue your dream no matter what)
E is for Excellence (strive for excellence in all you do)
A is for Abandon (abandon any other alternative plans)
M is for Measure (constantly measure where you are in your dream journey)
Okay, that's great and motivating, but what about the practical stuff? Well, there is certainly practical stuff. No matter how lofty your dream, no matter how spectacular, you will live most of your life in the mundane. Richard Nixon said of the presidency that you "campaign with poetry, but govern with prose." The vision is beautiful, the actual is mundane (not bad but "everyday" so to speak).
If you are to achieve your dream, you need to plan and work and work and plan. Here are my thoughts on how to go about reaching your dream and securing it as your future: Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point, what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now to start making your dream a reality. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
Your dream can be a reality! That's right, your future can actually see you living your dream. It doesn't just have to be a big wish!
When we are young we are dreamers. Nothing seems too big for us to accomplish. Nothing seems too outrageous. The world is ours on a string as the old song goes. Until... "Reality" hits. Reality is what others want to box you in with:
"You can't do that."
"Nobody has ever done that before."
"It will never work."
"You've gone off the deep end now!"
All dreamers (who eventually become accomplishers) have heard these things. Yet they overcome them. They refuse to accept someone else's "reality" for their own life. They let the average people live their average lives, bound by fear, while they pursue their chosen future – their dream! So don't believe the people who tell you that you can't or won't. Believe your dream. Believe that it can be your future!
Once you have determined that you can actually live your dream, I want you to memorize this acronym. I've shared it before, but I found that it is tremendously helpful for reminding and motivating us toward our dreams.
D is for Dare (dare to dream while others don't)
R is for Relentless (relentlessly pursue your dream no matter what)
E is for Excellence (strive for excellence in all you do)
A is for Abandon (abandon any other alternative plans)
M is for Measure (constantly measure where you are in your dream journey)
Okay, that's great and motivating, but what about the practical stuff? Well, there is certainly practical stuff. No matter how lofty your dream, no matter how spectacular, you will live most of your life in the mundane. Richard Nixon said of the presidency that you "campaign with poetry, but govern with prose." The vision is beautiful, the actual is mundane (not bad but "everyday" so to speak).
If you are to achieve your dream, you need to plan and work and work and plan. Here are my thoughts on how to go about reaching your dream and securing it as your future: Decide that you will do it. This may seem elementary but many people never decide and commit fully to their dream. They simply keep "thinking" about it. Tell others that you are going to do it. This puts you on the record as to what you are dreaming about. It makes you accountable. It will help you do it if for no other reason than to avoid embarrassment!
Develop a step-by-step plan. This is absolutely essential. You must sit down and write out a few things:
1. A timeline. How long will it take to the end?
2. Action steps. Point-by-point, what you will do and when you will do them.
3. Resources you will need to draw from. What will it take? Who will need to be involved for help or advice?
4. An evaluation tool. You need to evaluate from time to time whether you are progressing or not.
5. A celebration. Yep, when you are done you should already have planned what you will do to celebrate. Make it big!
I have found that there is no better time than now to start making your dream a reality. So, set aside some time today to get started on your dream. Follow the action plan and set your sights for the top of the mountain! You will be glad you did!
The Law of Forced Efficiency By: Brian Tracy
This law says that, "There is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important thing."
You Always Find The Time When you run out of time and the consequences for non-completion of a key task or project can be really serious, you always seem to find the time to get it done, often at the very last minute. You start early, you stay late and you drive yourself to complete the job rather than to face the negative consequences that would follow if you didn't get it completed within the time limit. Rule: "There will never be enough time to do everything you have to do."
You Are Already Overwhelmed The fact is that the average person today is working at 110% to 130% of capacity. And the jobs and responsibilities just keep piling up. Everyone has stacks of reading material they still have to go through. One study concluded recently that the average executive has 300-400 hours of reading and projects backlogged at home and at the office. What this means is that you will never be caught up. Get that out of your mind. All you can hope for is to be on top of your most important responsibilities. The others will just have to wait.
The Key Question You Should Ask The key question you can ask is "What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?" This is the core question of time management. This is the key to overcoming procrastination and becoming a highly productive person. Every hour of every day, there is an answer to this question. Your job is to ask yourself the question, over and over again, and to always be working on the answer to it, whatever it is. Do first things first and second things not at all. As Goethe said, "The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least." The more accurate your answers to this question, the easier it will be for you to set clear priorities, to overcome procrastination and to get started on that one activity that represents the most valuable use of your time.
Action Exercises Take a few minutes each day and sit quietly where you cannot be disturbed. During this time, let your mind relax and just think about your work and activities, without stress or pressure. In almost every case, during this time of solitude, you will receive wonderful insights and ideas that will save you enormous amounts of time when you apply them back on the job. Often you will experience breakthroughs that will change the direction of your life and work.
You Always Find The Time When you run out of time and the consequences for non-completion of a key task or project can be really serious, you always seem to find the time to get it done, often at the very last minute. You start early, you stay late and you drive yourself to complete the job rather than to face the negative consequences that would follow if you didn't get it completed within the time limit. Rule: "There will never be enough time to do everything you have to do."
You Are Already Overwhelmed The fact is that the average person today is working at 110% to 130% of capacity. And the jobs and responsibilities just keep piling up. Everyone has stacks of reading material they still have to go through. One study concluded recently that the average executive has 300-400 hours of reading and projects backlogged at home and at the office. What this means is that you will never be caught up. Get that out of your mind. All you can hope for is to be on top of your most important responsibilities. The others will just have to wait.
The Key Question You Should Ask The key question you can ask is "What is the most valuable use of my time, right now?" This is the core question of time management. This is the key to overcoming procrastination and becoming a highly productive person. Every hour of every day, there is an answer to this question. Your job is to ask yourself the question, over and over again, and to always be working on the answer to it, whatever it is. Do first things first and second things not at all. As Goethe said, "The things that matter most must never be at the mercy of the things that matter least." The more accurate your answers to this question, the easier it will be for you to set clear priorities, to overcome procrastination and to get started on that one activity that represents the most valuable use of your time.
Action Exercises Take a few minutes each day and sit quietly where you cannot be disturbed. During this time, let your mind relax and just think about your work and activities, without stress or pressure. In almost every case, during this time of solitude, you will receive wonderful insights and ideas that will save you enormous amounts of time when you apply them back on the job. Often you will experience breakthroughs that will change the direction of your life and work.
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