But I Read it on the Internet!

I recently read a study conducted at the University of Connecticut to determine how much people trusted what they read on the Internet. Researchers created a factitious web site about a factitious animal (endangered tree octopus in the Pacific Northwest) and then asked the students to research the animal and waited to see if they found the web site they planted and if they would critically think about what they read or take it as truth.

So what did the students do, well you guessed it, they not only believed the information on the bogus site, they even believed it after they were told it was bogus.

The professor concluded that even though most people say they don’t believe everything they find on the Internet, they really do. He also concluded that we are losing our critical thinking skills because of the prolific use of the Internet as a research tool.

The bottom line is that there is some good information on the web, but don’t throw away your library card just yet, because there is an equal amount of nonsense written by folks with an opinion that is not grounded in fact.

Gordon Crovitz summarized all this in a recent column:
“The Web promotes personalization that can become fragmentation;
creates information abundance that can become information overload; allows for creativity of amateurs while undermining the business models of professionals; and enables the wisdom of crowds
that can result in the stupidity of the lowest common denominator.” (Gordon Crovitz, “Is technology good or bad? Yes.” © WSJ)

With the easy availability of more information than ever before it is vitally important that we all hone our critical thinking skills lest we all be swept away by the “stupidity of the lowest common denominator”. Not only is information easy to access, it is also easy to create. Be careful of the voices you listen to online because that “expert” may simply be self-proclaimed with no credentials other than that he or she is simply online.

I fear that the more we begin to trust online sources the less we will trust our common sense and critical thinking skills. If we cease to question what we read, we lose our own instincts and ability discern truth from fiction and even right from wrong. Learn to look for proof because just as everything you hear is not true, neither is everything you read online.

To read about the study go to http://blog.mysanantonio.com/education/2011/02/tree-octopus-exposes-internet-illiteracy/

Discipline

What do you think of when you hear the word discipline?  Let’s face it, discipline is not that popular a word these days?  It conjures up in us a feeling that there will be work involved and it will be painful.  Discipline is not something we see a lot of around us.  Discipline can also have a connection to punishment, like when we were children our parents would “discipline” us “for our own good”.  So most of us don’t want to think about discipline.

However, discipline is an important part of everyday life.  We actually discipline ourselves quite well in many areas.  For instance, most of us get to work on time every day, we do our jobs in a reasonable manner, we pick the kids up from school, make meals, make our beds (well most of us do), clean our homes and so on.  It seems the disciplines of day-to-day life seem to accepted by most folks.  It is only when discipline stretches us that we tend to rebel a little.

For instance, your doctor tells you that you need to change your diet, lose some weight and start walking to bring down your cholesterol numbers.  Suddenly discipline looks a lot bigger and you can hardly find time to fit in more activities and the daily discipline of changing your diet seems a ridiculous request.  And what for?  To prevent a problem that you may or may not have.  You make a half effort to do a little of what the doctor says, but never really get serious about disciplining yourself out of a potential problem.  Perhaps the stakes are not quite high enough. Maybe you need a heart attack to give you the impetus to make those changes, something more real to make the act of discipline more necessary.  For many people, sadly, the only reason they adopt any disciplines is they fear the dire consequences of not doing so.

If we take a different view of discipline, make it more of a friend, it might come a little easier.  Think of all the things you could accomplish by making discipline your friend.  Better health, better body, more income, more organized, all things that discipline can help you accomplish.  Is there something in your life that you have always wanted to do or attain?  Is the only thing standing between you and “it” the fact that you can’t discipline yourself to do what it takes?

Discipline in life is much like a muscle.  It must be worked in order to get stronger.  Start small in areas of your life that you have always wanted to change.  Think about the steps you would have to do to get there and then keep track of everything you accomplish as you take the first steps toward your goal.  The difference between exceptionally successful people and the rest of us is not usually intellect or money or even connections, it is usually that successful folks have the discipline to get up each day and take the next step toward their goal.  They don’t give up, they just keep moving forward, doing what they know they have to do to reach the goal.  They are disciplined.

So, ask yourself “are you willing to do what you need to do (discipline) in order to have what you really want?”  What stands between you and your goals is usually YOU.

 

Are You a Finisher?

In work and in life it is not always enough just to get started.  The first day of a diet, exercise plan, or resolve to change anything in one’s life is usually pretty easy.  You wake up, and “this is the first day of the rest of your life”, right!  Easy, you can do this, this time it will be different.  “I am in control.”  About mid way through the day, someone throws you a new dead line for a project, you lose a deal, something that you thought was a sure thing – isn’t.  But you are still okay, no need to turn to the old habit, you can handle this.  Life happens, no biggy, right?

After a few days and a few more disappointments, the vigor of the first day starts to wear a little thin.  Let’s face it, you lose, that is what you do, so why continue with the resolve to change.  Slowly you give in to your defeated feelings and by the end of the week it is all over, time to quit.

This same scenario can apply to something you are trying to achieve.  Maybe you are building a business, starting a charity, creating a new life for yourself.  You start strong, and the resolve lasts for a while and then you give up, “this can never work”, “what was I thinking?”  “I can’t achieve big things”.  And so the dream ends.

The difference between you and those that seem to “get lucky” and make it, is not that they are smarter, faster, have more money, or better connections.  The difference is that they just keep trying and ultimately they finish what they start.  Oh it may not look exactly as they thought it would in the beginning, but none-the-less they finish.  When they run into obstacles, they are just as disappointed as you, but instead of stopping, they just get up and go around, or over, or under the obstacle.

So how is such tenacity born?  Tenacity comes from inside of you.  It is learning to believe in what you are trying to accomplish and seeing yourself achieving it.  Tenacity comes from thinking positively and then speaking positively.  It comes from learning how to control your thinking, so that the urge to quit never enters your mind.

No mater what you are trying to accomplish, starting is not enough.  In order to live your dreams you must learn to become a finisher.  Start with the small stuff.  Finish that report, that book, or finish cleaning up the office.  Finish writing your resume, finish those phone calls.  Finishing is just as important as starting, and it feels even better.

New Year, New Passion

The new year has a way of making everyone feel like we have new resolve to accomplish anything.  It lays before us like freshly fallen snow.  Our first step in the year can be in any direction we want, it is still all uncharted, undisturbed and unknown.  It is full of possibilities and we all feel like this will be “our” year.  Our passion is high and our desire is to change our future.

We are happy to say goodbye to the last year.  By now it is bursting with the disappointments, distractions and perhaps even tragedies left over from last year’s passions and possibilities.  It is time to shake off the old year and look to the new year to bring about the changes we wanted the last.

At the beginning of each year is always a good time to not only plan all the things that we want to accomplish with the new year, but to examine how long those plans have been on the list.  We all know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, but we continue to put things on our “to do” list each year that just never get done.  Now is a great time to ask ourselves what we can do differently.

Losing weight and stop smoking were among the top ten new year’s resolutions made by Americans this year.  If one or both of those things have been on your list for the last five years and you continue to fall short, perhaps it is not time to rethink the goal as much as, it is the strategy for accomplishment.  “Cutting back” on food is not working, perhaps its time for a personal trainer or nutritionist to help you step up the game.  If you can’t stop smoking on your own, perhaps a visit to the doctor is in order.  Many people fall short of their goals because they fail to seek the help they need to do so.

The same is true in your work or business.  What kind of goals are you trying to achieve?  Have you exhausted all of the ways to achieve the break through you need?  Probably not, most of us just dig in and keep trying.  The last thing most people resort to is asking for help, but whatever you are trying to do in your work, there is likely someone who has done it, perhaps it is time to ask how?

Nothing refreshes our passion for life and work more than achieving our goals.  When we can see ourselves as winners, we can go on to tackle bigger and better things in life.  Rarely, however, do we let ourselves do so because we just keep doing today, exactly what we did yesterday.  It may not work, but at least we are trying and we look pretty busy.

The phrase “think outside the box” comes from the idea that great achievements and amazing new products come from trying something just a little different, outside of “normal”.  So take a look around your box and decide which walls need to be pushed out.  If you have trouble conceptualizing where to push, get some help.  Talk to a friend or co-worker, read some books, hire a coach, take a class, whatever it takes to look at your problem differently, do it!

Resolve to be looking at completely new goals next year at this time.  Determine to break through and look for new outcomes to old problems.  Don’t keep looking in the same places for answers to old problems, start expanding your thinking and you will be amazed at the outcome.

 

What Would You Do?

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you knew you could not fail? I know that is one of those questions motivative speakers ask you to get you all fired up. But for real, have you ever thought about it.

I ask this question because I just signed up for a boot camp to teach me how to do something that is out of my comfort zone. As I contemplate the next month that I will be working with this guy it makes me think of that question.

Rarely do most people do new things. Most folks are quite content creating a little routine that gets them all they need, but few ever step out to, say, jump out of plane or sign up for an art class.

And why is that? I think mostly because we think we might fail. Failure seems to have a remarkable way of seeming like the very worst thing that could happen to us. So we don’t do a lot of new and uncomfortable things just because we might fail or may not be that good at them.

Anyway, as I start my new adventure, think about something you have always wanted to do and do it. Even failing might be at least a change and may just catapult you to a new place that will make your life even better. Here’s to new adventures. I’ll let you known if I survive bootcamp.

Keeping Your Business Focused in an Unfocused World

I admire folks who have the uncanny ability to “do it all”.  They tirelessly work several several businesses and manage getting kids to school, do some volunteer work, get to a couple networking groups, all while seeming completely in control of everything.  Sadly most of us find it difficult to do many things at a time.

And that is also true if you are trying to build a more than one busines simultaneously.  Trying to build a couple of businesses at a time can really be a challenge for the builder, but it is even more so for those watching the process.  The problem is that even though many people may be able to build a couple of businesses at a time, those watching them find it hard to decide how to think of them.  You see we all like to pigeon-hole people.  We think of our colleagues in terms of what they do.  If our colleagues do too much, we get very unclear as to how to describe them.  This can affect your business because if someone doesn’t know what you really do, they find it hard to connect you to others.

So what is the answer?  Before you start trying to decide what you love to do best, and eliminating everything else, let me offer a thought.  Like many of you out there I am not just one dimensional when it comes to business.  I coach and mentor, run a travel business and work to build networking groups to connect people.  The single thread that I have running through everything I do is “helping people make connections to people and opportunity”.  I try to create my message about who I am around that theme.  Whether I am coaching a business owner, mentoring a team member or developing a new group, I am helping people to meet people to help their businesses grow, or I can even offer them a business opportunity.  I think of myself, at the highest level, as a connector and I believe that one truth is what keeps me focused.  I get great satisfaction from helping people get to where they want to go and I enjoy helping people have fun in their daily lives.

So what is the message?  If you are one of those multi-talented, multi-faceted business owners that seemly does completely unrelated activities in the same day, think about the high level connections of all your activities.  Find a thread of commanality that you can use to brand your activities and help your business friends identify you easily.  Build your 30 second commercial around this common thread, make it part of your everyday language and soon people will see you more clearly and you will see your referrals pick up.

The essence of branding is to create focus.  Sometimes we think it is about spinning truth, for me it is quite the contrary.  It is creating an authentic message about you, your business or both that allows people to have a way of thinking about you that gives them guidance as to how to interact with you and your business.  I am a big believer in branding one’s self because, when you make changes to your job or business, you don’t necessarily have to change your overall message about your brand.  Personal branding for the solopreneur can keep your message consistent and real.  Life happens and changes need to be made, if you can keep people thinking of you and what you do as the brand, there is less to explain in the end.

So how focused are you about what you do?  Get clear on the message you want people hear.  What is your essence?  I believe at my heart I am a connector of people to information, opportunity, growth and other people.  Everything that I do connects people to something.  I love people and I get satisfaction from creating connections.  So what is your essence?

Stop Presenting and Start Listening

We have all had the experience of sitting down with someone to conduct a 1-1 only to have the other person give us the “presentation”.  Personally, I find this happens with folks who are building a multi-level or direct sales business.  In there defense I know they are taught to show their plan “X” number of times per week in order to build a team quickly, however a 1-1 is not a presentation opportunity.  It is an opportunity to look for presentation opportunities. When one moves too fast to present their plan, it serves only to solidify the listeners view of an MLM as pushy and manipulative.

As the leader of several groups, I find the biggest complaint I get from members is that the MLM businesses in these groups assume that everyone in the group needs to sign up for their product and service.  They trick, cojole and ram their business opportunity down the throats of members and then move on to the next group.  Quite frankly their are groups that will not allow MLMs in their membership roles at all to avoid the hassle.

As a person who works an MLM, I find this really sad.  I want to seen as a serious business owner because I believe my MLM is a serious business opportunity.   It is important to me to build relationships first and business partners second.  This makes for a longer sales cycle, but is more effective in the long run.

So if you utilize networking groups to build your business, and you feel everyone needs to hear your presentation, think again.  Try listening more at a 1-1 and perhaps those meetings will lead you more indirectly to your target market.  Get specific about your target audience, both for your business opportunity and for the product itself.  Just as with any other business, not everyone is a potential business partner or customer.  The more you know about people, and the more they get to know about you, the better your position to actually sell becomes.

By not bringing your presentation up at every 1-1 you take the pressure off of people to maintain their guard against you.  It will open their mind to hear what you have to offer if they feel you are not trying to “sell” them something.  Sometimes opening the door just enough for someone to see a small piece of your product, will actually make people more curious about what you do, which in turn opens the door for further meetings.

Just a little patience on your part can actually allow your business to grow faster than getting in the required number of presentations each week.  So how well do you listen?

Sum of our Parts

On our journey through life we wear so many hats and take on so many responsiblities and often it becomes difficult to stay focused on our goals.  We are all pulled in so many directions each day, and I think it is important to take time each day to really focus on what that day is bringing to us.  Choosing to work in 24 hour chunks of time can keep you from becoming overwhelmed with all we have to do each day.

Take a few minutes first thing in the morning, even if you have to get up a few minutes early, and view your day the way you would view the landscape.  Think about all that needs to get done, just that day, not that week or that month, just that day.  Learn to plan the day, so that you don’t become overwhelmed by the many demands that are on you.

Look at each of your roles, spouse, parent, employee, volunteer, business owner, networker, and so on and consider how all these roles work together to create the tapestry of your life and that your goals weave themselves in and out of these roles.  With all of the tools out there to manage time, choose one that allows you to keep your goals in focus each day, and lets you see how each activity of every day builds on the last and puts you one step closer to your goals.

Thinking in smaller blocks of time, makes even the most aggressive goals seem manageable.  I want to talk to 25 people about my business each month.  However if I break that number into  parts I want to talk to 6 or 7 people per week and only one per day, that seems doable.

I know you have heard this before, but if your still not doing it, perhaps today is the day to start.  Start your day with a plan and finish it with satisfaction.

Do Your Goals Stretch You?

I was listening to Matt Morris of the Unemployed Millionaire Blog talk about goals.  He was talking about big goals and how our goals should scare us a little.  He says we should set what he calls BHAG (big, hairy audacious goals) that stretch our thinking and our ability to achieve them.

I do have agree, that some of our goals should really stretch us.  So what what does that actually mean “stretch us”.  Let’s examine that word for a minute, if you think of an elastic band stretching, think about how we can stretch and stretch and stretch it, and it won’t break.  It just gets longer and bigger.  Now sometimes we can stretch them so far that they will break, so we want to make sure those goals don’t break us.  Another principle to keep in mind, is that we should not had a lot of “stretch goals”, just one or maybe two at a time.  That elastic band breaks under too much pressure, and you don’t want to break under the pressure of too many stretch goals.

So my challenge to everyone today is to pick a goal for yourself that will stretch you.  Something that you can hardly dare to think about, let alone attempt doing.  Something you don’t even want to talk about because it is that big.  Set a reasonable time frame for achievement and watch what happens.

The next principle that is important with the BHAG is to keep that goal in front of you all the time.  Read it over every single day, several times a day.  Put it on the mirror, the dashboard of the car, on your computer, anywhere you are for any period of time.  Make it front and center.

And one final thing about your BHAG, what if you don’t quite make it?  Well think about this.  Before it was a goal, it was a doubt or a dream you only dreamed in silent moments.  When you turned it into a goal you got closer to achieving it than ever before, so if you don’t quite make it, try again.  Make it next month’s BHAG and get a little further with it.  You will get there, trust me.

Hard Work and Dedication

I have spent the last several days watching the Olympics.  Of course being a transplanted Canadian living in Texas, with an American citizenship, it is just a little difficult to figure out who to cheer for at times, but I have my favorites on both teams.  I was excited to see Bilodeau win the first gold medal on Canadian soil and equally excited to see Apollo Ono win silver.  I love the Olympics because it brings out the best and the brightest in all the world to compete for gold and make their dreams come true.

They all have one thing in common.  They worked extraordinarily hard to get to the games.  Whether they win a medal or not, they spent the last four years perfecting, planning, practicing, dreaming, doing, sacrificing and rehearsing until they are at the top of their sport.  They are the best they can be at this point.  They are ready to compete.  We all understand that.  We are astounded at the dedication these people have to their dream.  We hang on, and cry over, every personal story of the athletes as they tell us what it took to get to these Olympics.  And what it took was lots and lots of hard work and dedication.  The kind of hard work and dedication that many of us will never have to put forth in our lives.  The kind of hard work and dedication that it takes to be extraordinary.

So why is it that, while we fully acknowledge that hard work and dedication bring about great reward, most of us still think that there is a quick and easy way to get to the top and make lots of money.  Why do so many of us think that some internet scheme or affiliate program is going to make us millions.  Why, because most of us want to take a short cut to success.  We don’t want to believe that the people that make the money and have successful businesses, had to work hard at all.  We don’t want to believe that we have to sacrifice and work hard, we want it to be easy.

We all need to take a page out of the Olympian play book and realize that whatever we chose to do in this life will have its obstacles.  There will be days when we soar and other days when we are sore!  But through it all, if we keep our goals in front of us and keep working our plan, we will make it to whatever podium we are dreaming about.   The trick is to stay focused and not get distracted by all those people who want us to take an easier road.  Because in the end, all of life requires hard work and dedication to finish well.  Do you want to finish well?  Don’t be afraid of the work, it will make the podium seem even sweeter!