The more joyful you are the more productive you will be

If it is to be,  it is up to me. Some may view this as trite.  However, it is absolutely true. In order to affect the change we seek or achieve the objective we desire,  we must take ownership and responsibility.  We must respond with all of our ability.

In order to move toward what we are looking to achieve we must first ask, “Why do I seek this achievement or change?” Regardless of your response to that question, when you peel back the answer to its core essence it will ultimately have to do with you wanting more joy or happiness in your life.

Any turbulence you experience is simply due to the fact that you have forgotten your joy always exists.

It is typical to imagine,  if I could just have or experience this or that then I would be more happy. We make our happiness conditional. Yet, perhaps we equate our happiness upon the wrong conditions.  If I just made or had this much more money; if my spouse or kids would just behave this certain way;  if my boss or employees were just more supportive then I would be more happy.  Perhaps on a larger scale your mind goes to: If there was less unrest in the world, if there was more fairness, less poverty, if, if, if…

The thinking that if I just achieve this or that  then I’ll be happy is backwards thinking. True, when you win or achieve you may certainly feel joy. However, it is temporary. To make it lasting, you must learn to happily win, happily achieve, joyfully interact, joyfully navigate, negotiate, and demonstrate during the misperceived struggles.

Joy is an inside job and it is our responsibility and no one else’s.

Whatever we perceive as good or bad, what provides or prohibits our joy  all coexists . You can’t have one without the other. No up, no down. So, we must coexist as well. The best part is we get a choice in the matter. The challenge is we may have developed the habit of making the wrong choice as to what we focus on and what we predominantly think. If what we focus on and perpetually think causes us to worry, doubt and fear,  then we have rented out our mind to the heathens.

It may be time to take back you’re your own property and evict the unjoyful.

How does one do that?

1. Create a Smile File: When we are up against the adversity along the way to our goals,  it is easy to forget our worth and become unresourceful. This is the time to re-member, to come back to our resourcefulness. This can be done by reviewing our past accomplishments and triumphs. Make an ongoing list of your blessings, accomplishments and triumphs. Keep the cards, notes and letters that bring you joy as you read and reread them. When the going gets tough, remember go to your Smile File and re-member your resourcefulness.
2. Go to the GYM: Start a new conditioning program and Guard Your Mind from negative thoughts & influences. And Guide Your Mind toward positive thoughts & influences.
3. Realize Success comes from successive failures: Absolutely nobody succeeds at everything every time. All great accomplishments had their share of what many would perceive as stumbling blocks along the way. Those that have the strength to persevere have developed the ability to see the difficulties as stepping stones. Create the thinking habit that any adversity is simply a stepping stone and not a stumbling block.

If you make up your mind to be happy as you  set out on your endeavors, your joyous way will smooth  the way for accomplishments.

The purpose of setting goals is to inspire and motivate  you to work smarter and more resourcefully .  Does goal setting accomplish that purpose? Yes! Goals that are above the line do and the goals below don’t. Simple as that.

So, what do I mean by  “above the line and below the line.” Your goal either passes the  ACID test or it doesn’t. If it passes, it’s above the line. So, what is the ACID test?

I’m going to assume that your goal is SMART (specific, measurable, actionable, relevant/realistic & time-bound). Any article or book about goals espouses the importance of making them SMART and I wanted to be sure to include it again as there is power in repetition.  However, a goal can be SMART and yet not pass the ACID test.

The elements of the ACID test are the following:

Alignment: Your goal must be in Alignment with YOUR values. If your goal is not authentic to who you are and what you are about it is merely a suggestion,  of which you hallucinate , you have bought into. In this instance, it  does get to be all about you.

Capacity: You must have the mental, emotional & physical  Capacity to achieve the goal. Be willing to admit you may not have the skill set or will set to accomplish the objective.  If you are  48 years old, standing 5’7”   and haven’t stepped on a basketball court since high school, you most likely won’t  be the starting power forward for an NBA team anytime soon no matter how SMART you  write the goal.

Inspiring: Your goal must Inspire you to be willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish it. Associating to the achievement of the goal must cause you to feel you can go beyond any upper limits you may have bumped up against to this point.

Determination: You must remain Determined in the face of all adversity.  Published authors suffer scores if not hundreds of rejections before becoming published.  Most success stories experienced massive failures along their way to victory.  The majority of overnight successes will tell you they have been at it their entire life.

Here are the four ACID test questions to see if your goal will do the job of getting you to do the work necessary to make it a reality.

1. Is the goal in alignment with my values?
2. Do I have or can I develop the capacity to accomplish this goal?
3. Am I Inspired to do whatever it takes to achieve this goal?
4. Do I have the Determination to overcome inevitable adversity and setbacks?

If you can honestly answer these four questions in the affirmative you are assured your efforts will pay off.

Make it up, make it up, & make it happen!

Some business owners and sales professionals love to network at these events and others absolutely dread the experience.  Regardless of what camp you are in,  here are 8 simple and fun tactics you should become proficient at performing in order to enjoy your networking experience and build your business.

1. Set a goal for yourself of what you would like to achieve as a result of attending the event.  It might be passing out 10 of your brochures or business cards. It may be collecting 5 cards of other business owners who you might be able to develop a relationship with and market your services.  It may be passing out coupons for your products.
2. Act as if you are the host.  Notice that when you have people to your home or place of business you take on the role of the host. You would be well served to bring that same persona to the events at which you network.  Introduce yourself first. Ask how you might be able to assist them in meeting others.  More people will be attracted to you and more comfortable.
3. Listen more & talk less. You have two ears and one mouth. Use them in that proportion. Come equipped with 4 or 5 provocative questions to get people talking about their favorite subject…themselves.
4. Refer others. When you meet someone ask them who would be a good prospective client for them. This way if you run into somebody that meats that criteria you can make the introduction.
5. Spend no more than 8 minutes with any one person. You and they are there to network not hide out. If you feel you need more time with that person it is a great next step to suggest that you get together at a later date to really establish your relationship.  Allow them and yourself to move on and continue to network.
6. Know your “elevator” talk inside and out so that when someone asks what you do you can convey to them in 45 seconds or less what you do extremely well and how your clients benefit from you doing that.
7. Take notes. As you learn facts about the person you are engaging with write down key information. Don’t rely on your memory to contain the information on all the people you meet at the event. This will pay huge dividends later when you connect again with them
8. Follow through. Most people will never stay in contact with the people they meet at networking events. These are the most cost effective business leads you will ever secure. Call the people you meet within 48 hours and suggest getting together for coffee or lunch to learn and talk “show business”.  They show you their business and you show them yours.

In order for people to buy your products or services they must first know you, then like you, and then trust you enough to do business. The ultimate game is to move through the three gates.  The  8 tactics  above will help you move to that third gate much quicker.  Happy networking.

So, the question becomes, in what form is your energy?  Before I help you with finding the affirmative solution to the questions above, allow me to provide you with a brief physics lesson.  It’s a simple one.  Hang with me.  Here it is…

The lesson is this: Energy is perpetual.  It never starts and it never  ends;  it simply changes form. So, again…what form is your energy? Since it never goes away, and it’s always present in all things, at all times, perhaps what you need to do is not look for more energy, but renew your energy source.

You’ve heard the saying that which is in motion, stays in motion.  The fastest way for you to renew your energy source is to get moving.  Get your blood pumping, your body moving, and your mind working.  I don’t know if you know this but energy is also contagious!  Being around people who are positive, high energy types will absolutely help you to renew your energy source.

Rather than looking for more energy, take an inventory of what you’ve already got.  It never goes away, it simply changes form.

1. Take an honest look at yourself. What are your strengths, weaknesses, skills? How did those influence—positively or negatively—your transition?

2. Step up your self-care. Major changes are physically and emotionally taxing. You need self-care now more than ever.

3. Engage your curiosity. What went wrong, or right? What could you have done better? What worked really well?

4. Find support. Since your transition affects your family as well, it may be better to seek the outside support of friends or professionals.

5. Work on your thoughts. Calm your fears and reinforce your sense of hope and happiness.

6. Focus on what you want, and less on what you don’t want. Keep your eye on the prize.

7. Reassure (or avoid) those who are threatened by, or jealous of, the change.

8. Create your own rite of passage. Ceremony and ritual help with all transitions.

9. Let go of how things were “supposed to be” and accept “how things are.” Appreciate what is.

10. Try on a new perspective. Don’t get stuck. Remember, the only constant is change.

So what can you do to gain back a sense of  certainty and feeling  in control when things around you are not going the way you intended?

Here are 10 suggestions for dealing with those hard times.

1.    Take responsibility. Assume an “I can do something” attitude rather than pointing fingers. You can control your own response to the situation.
2.    Limit the focus. Don’t let the problem become all encompassing. When you compartmentalize the difficulty, you can focus on a workable solution.

3.    Be optimistic. A positive stance, despite hard times, will result in positive actions.
4.    Think creatively. Approach the problem from new and different directions. Trust your creativity.
5.    Have courage. Don’t let fear get in the way of doing what you need to do.
6.   Take action. Handling day-to-day details can keep you from getting bogged down. Determine what can be done, and do it.
7.    Take the long-range view. Take solace from having survived past challenges. You will this time, too.
8.    Maintain a sense of humor. Even in the darkest times, laughter can help ease the pain.
9.    Get support. No need to do it alone. Ask for help.
10.    Don’t quit. Persistence may be the greatest of human qualities that help us overcome adversity.
Here’s  a bonus perspective: realize that your feeling out of control may be due to your current perspective with regards to time and context.  Often times there is just no other way to get to our desired outcome than to go through the messy or awkward stage of the process.
Think about it.  You can’t bake a cake without creating a bit of a mess that needs to be cleaned up.  A surgeon can’t perform surgery without creating some trauma to the body. A home is not built without carting away unused material.  It’s all part of the process.
For your benefit, simply recognize that  when you are feeling out of control, you may just  be in the middle of the process and to accept it as simply that and keep your focus on your desired end result.

While they are all amazing tools of productivity,  I see so many people misusing their gear  and actually creating  whirlpools  of  wasted energy which suck away the actual benefit these tools were intended to provide – efficient use of time.

Here are four simple tips on using your electronic gear more effectively:

Learn to love your [Delete] key.
Most people don’t even know where the [Delete] key is on their keyboard. It seems to be a scatoma for most people.   The reason they don’t see it, even though it’s right in front of them,  is they do not want to use it because they cannot let go of things.   Learn to let go and free up not only your computer’s memory but your psychic RAM as well.

Professionals have a process.
Learn to properly process the information coming at you  each day.  A useful habit is asking the following three questions, “what is this?” ,  “what does it mean to me?”  and “what do I need to do with it?”   In doing so, you will find you can  easily process each item more effectively. When you are missing data around one of those questions is when you go numb to the item and it gets stuck in your in box and things start to pile up.

Create a place to park those items you feel you can not process yet.   If you check that designated holding place at the end of each day you will often find   you  have gained the data  you need to  process that item successfully.

Make your best effort of getting your electronic in basket down to zero at the end of each day. It can be done and you will be glad you did.

Train people how to interact.
All too often people make the mistake of  thinking  they must respond to every item that comes their way. This thinking quickly leads to  getting roped into an electronic game of Ping-Pong.

After they are engaged in this futile match they find they have wasted half a day chasing around something which really has no bearing on their productivity.  If  you can develop the habit of only responding to mission critical emails, texts and voicemails people will soon get the idea that you are not a willing participant to get caught in their busy trap.

Don’t answer the phone.
Probably the biggest time waster is answering the phone every time it rings while you are working on key projects.  Answering the phone pulls you out and away from the flow or zone you are in while getting things done.  The interruption   totally redirects your focus, energy and attention.  Studies show this costly disruption causes you to lose about 15-20 minutes while getting back in to the zone.

Remember phones and voicemail are for your convenience so you can serve your clients more competently.   Let the calls roll to voice mail and then process your voicemail more resourcefully using the method listed in item #2 above.

If you can turn your ringer off while focused on projects do it. If you cannot, consider moving to another area such as a conference room away from the temptation of the drumming  phone.

Business is really no different. There are various gestation periods for different projects.  However, a common mistake many professionals make is expecting things to happen unnaturally fast.

This can be compounded by uncertain economic times.  They would not think of digging up a seed they just planted a week ago because of the lack of sprouts today.  Yet, they do essentially the equivalent in their business all the time.

In business this may look  like placing advertising and not giving it a chance to take effect and pulling out after only a month or two. It may be joining a networking group and expecting to have business rolling in before  people really get to know you and your services.

It could look like setting up a web page and only having a trickle of visits after the first few weeks.  A common blunder is purchasing new equipment and incorrectly anticipating how long it will take to pay for itself and become profitable.  It can be as simple as trying to close a sale before the prospect is ready to buy.

The calamity is that this pattern is repeated over and over and becomes the equivalent of throwing money down a rat hole.  You wouldn’t think of planting a seed and not attending to it and then because there is no visible activity you dig it up and then go plant a whole new seed elsewhere and keep doing that over and over again.

When thinking strategically around building out the projects you are driving it is imperative to understand what a typical gestation period for each project really might be.   Additionally, gain the clarity about what properly attending to and growing the  project looks like.  Get clear of what progress looks like along the way to the harvest.

Avoid the temptation of trying to find a way to rush the process.   The most productive skill you can develop is to find a way to  increase your capacity to operate effectively within the  natural gestation period.

Whether you get things done well in a timely manner or get overwhelmed and out of time,  it all comes down to your GPA.  I’m not talking about your grade point average. I’m referring to  your Goals, Projects and Actions (GPA).

I’ll bet if we checked your list of  “to do’s” or  what you’re doing that isn’t even on your list,  80% doesn’t line up or support your goals.  I’ll make another wager and that is you are not even clear on what your goals are.

The key to getting the important things done and thereby achieving your goals is to limit or eliminate the distractions that suck your time and energy away from your getting the importing things done.  Before you can start the important process of eliminating you must first get your GPA in order.

G: Set clear overriding Goals stating specifically what you want by when.
P: Determine what Projects must be completed in order to realize the goal.
A: Flesh out the individual Actions needed to be executed in order to complete the Projects.

Once you have worked through these three steps you become more aware of what is getting in your way throughout the day preventing you from getting the  best actions completed. It’s not that you are not doing good  work. You are most likely falling in the busy trap of not doing the best things and the right work to move you in the direction of reaching your goals.

Give thought to what is or could get in the way of you carrying out the best actions. Develop a plan to limit or even eliminate those distractions.  This is where you may need to elevate your skill level in the following four  areas:

Setting boundaries: Become clear of what your role or job really is and avoid “role drift.”  Often we make the mistake and take on a lot more commitments than we need.   The false rational is we can do many things fairly well; we want to be seen as a team player; if we don’t do it then it won’t get done.
Saying “No”:  This is really about no longer tolerating negative people, negative environments and negative thoughts about yourself.  These three negative elements, more than anything else, are the root cause for demolish dreams. Notice what else you may be tolerating and introduce it to the “No.”

Delegating work to others: Learn to let go. The reality is there are people far better equipped to do a better job at a lot of what you haven’t been letting go of. There is no logic that can justify not freeing up your time and energy for you to do what you are good at and enjoy doing within your role.
Enrolling people to support you: People really do want to see you succeed. Share with them what you are trying to accomplish and explore how they may be able to help support you and how that perhaps lines up with their goals.