Sounds dramatic, doesn’t it? But so are the results experienced by myself and others who have put this simple, five-minute practice into action. The practice is called positive visualization. That is right, positive visualization. Some of you may think this sounds too simple, some of you may think this sounds weird, and some of you may be ready to start a simple exercise that has more power to impact your life immediately than almost any other exercise I have come across.
Before we talk about HOW to do this exercise most effectively, let’s talk about what the purpose is and why it works. The purpose behind visualization is to allow your life to be as good and fulfilling Read More...
Has this ever happened to you? You are in someone’s office, or on the phone in your car, and you set up a meeting. By the time you get to your calendar to write it down, you cannot recall the time of the meeting? You have to call the person and look like you either did not really care about your meeting or that you are not very smart. Well, you do care, and you are smart, so how can we stop that from happening?
We will use the Mental File Folder System we teach at our Memory Training Workshop – all you need is a File, an Image and some Glue.
Step Read More...
What does excellence mean to you? Before you continue reading, jot your definition down.
A lot of times I ask that question in the interview process and I am amazed with the answers I get. Many times people think excellence is trying hard, but we can all think of examples where people have tried hard and have fallen far short of excellence. People also mention being the best.
Excellence is one of our Core Values at Freedom Personal Development. We define it as raising the level of what is considered to be as success. It is a high standard to strive for because, when you become successful, it is no Read More...
When a tree faces a windstorm or a snowstorm, it has two options: fall over or withstand the force.
A friend of mine is a landscape architect. He talks about Bradford Pear trees with great disdain because they are such a popular choice in landscaping, and yet they are weak trees. Although they look pretty, due to their poor roots and thin branches, they deteriorate in about 20 years if they do not toppled in a windstorm sooner. Storms do not strengthen the Bradford Pear tree, they destroys it.
However, many other varieties of trees actually strengthen in storms. With hearty trunks and branches that flex in storms, they withstand the strength of the snow or wind and continue to grow stronger. Read More...
Who and what do you focus on? I was reminded of this all-important question as I watched a new instructor teach the Memory Training Workshop last month.
There was a student—THAT student—who seemed confused, asked long, irrelevant, and strange questions, and just kept talking. A good part of the first half of day two was spent dealing with “Sally.”
The instructor’s presentation was rushed and he was uncomfortable. The group seemed quiet and a bit disengaged. During the break, we talked about Sally. I asked the new instructor, “Was she waving her hand to ask questions? Read More...
Many of you are graduates of our memory training workshop.
I remember when I first went through the class; I thought it was great! I also found that there were still some seemingly simple things that I still did not recall, for example, people’s phone extensions, meeting times and directions.
So I came up with a few simple systems that have even farther enhanced the usage of memory training in my life, and I thought I’d share them with you!
Let’s start with my first example of people’s phone extensions. You dial the same people in your office all the time, so why do you need to refer to your Read More...
Today we’re going to talk about developing solutions. Business owners understand that they need to come up with solutions to the challenges that face them and they are confident to do so.
Those acting like employees will come across a challenge and go straight to their boss or to someone else to come up with a solution.
Might I suggest that instead of going to others, act like a business owner and develop a possible solution yourself before you approach someone else?
Think about this: the person that you would like to ask for help is a busy, well-respected businessperson. If that were not true, you wouldn’t be seeking their advice. You have more information about the Read More...
In my coaching experience, I have found these 2 activities the most impactful for your professional and personal development. What are they? Self-talk and visualization!
These activities ARE the most impactful, BUT the easiest to overlook and skip. So don’t skip it! Also, I encourage you to use self-talk and visualization not only as a salesperson or a professional, but in every capacity of your life.
However, for the next few minutes, we’re going to focus on using self-talk and visualization to improving our professional life by treating it more like a business with you as the business owner.
Definition of self-talk: The words you say to Read More...
Instead of taking direct action or changing something specific to act more like a business owner, in this article, I am going to focus on two tips to focus internally to act like a business owner.
You will find that, as a result of doing the last two tips, you WILL change some specific things, but the main exercise is in your mind.
Here are the Steps to Take
- Block off a half-an-hour for this exercise, and here is what you will do: grab a pen and paper, clear your mind, and get comfy.
- Start thinking about the kind of business owner you would be and take some notes. Start with some thoughts about what, in your mind, is the description of a Read More...
As I was planning this article, I read the following quote from an ancient Chinese warrior in one of my client’s offices,
“Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow…they have form but are formless. They are skilled in both planning and adapting.” So although I am not the first to notice the fantastic analogy provided by a running river, I feel the lesson we can all learn is as pertinent today as it was in 100 BC.
We CAN learn from what occurs around us in nature to navigate changes in life, but still get to our desired result.
- Know Your Desired Result
A river Read More...
