Posts Tagged ‘attitude’

Do you believe that you can determine your destiny? A lot hangs in the balance of how you answer that question.

Destiny is a word often associated with fate and inevitability. Destiny is how you face up to that which you cannot control. But it is also your destination, the place where you are destined to go. It is both your lot and your luck,  but how it works out in the end depends on your attitude and focus.

In this series, we have compared the Mandala Chart to a lens. Flexible focus is not just for clarity and perspective, it also applies to concentration and action. A magnifying glass can concentrate sunlight into heat and burn a hole through paper. The Mandala Chart is like a lens that can focus your mental energy to get results.

In fact, it can add a new dimension to the Law of Attraction, one which is practical and action-oriented. Start small to gain focus in getting things done, meeting a deadline, or start a new project. Determining your destiny need not begin on a grand scale. Though your destination might be far away, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Whereas wishful thinking is aversive to action, flexible focus enables you to reach out through the mist and make use of all of the resources you have at hand.

We are far from having explored the limits of the possible. The history of human experience has shown time and again that when the mind can visualize it can materialize. The important thing is to give shape to your thoughts. Write them down, sketch them out, speak your dreams and make them happen.

The attitude for this is known in Japanese as kokorozashi (志),  literally the soul (心) of the samurai (士), and all that it implies in terms of courage, calling, and conviction. The biggest thing that stands between you and your destiny is not something outside of you, but the fear, uncertainty, and doubt in your own mind which saps your energy (迷), literally the loss (辶) of energy (米).

Regardless of how many reasons or resources you have, if you lack the energy to determine your destiny, then everything will come to nothing. Energy is the great multiplier, and the real measure of your strength. You cannot have enough of it. If you have a surplus, then share the wealth. It is one of the good things in life that is contagious.

If your energy is low, there are a number of things you can do to increase it.

• Motivate yourself with music. It keeps your attention, tells a story, taps into memories and emotions, and is ever enjoyable. Here are some great resources you can access online to get you started.
  • Make it Happen, by Mariah Carey (lyrics and video): Mariah moves Madison Square Garden, and she can move you. Read the lyrics too.
  • 40 Motivational Songs for Goal Setting: Incredible playlist of music videos by artists who have rocked the world. Watch them all.
  • Runner’s World’s Music for Motivation Playlists for Runners: Playlists of top world runners which you can download from iTunes. Give them a run.
  • Tap videos from my own favorites at http://blip.fm/willreed: Top artists of Tap will get you grounded and ready in rhythm. Put energy and finesse in your footwork.
• Get your body moving. Once you get on your feet, whether you choose to walk or run, you can gain inspiration from the marathon. The change of pace and environment, the fresh air and sunshine, the sheer momentum of moving your feet will generate enough energy to put the process in motion.
• Eat properly. Food is your basic fuel, providing your body with the ingredients it needs to stay alive and healthy. But eating too much of the wrong kinds of food can not only sap your strength, over time it can kill you. Food can make or break you. Get the facts, find what works best for you, and eat properly.
• Get coaching. Sometimes we need a catalyst to get moving. Whether you are looking for clarity, focus, or motivation, the right coach can be a key partner in your success. Personal chemistry is critical in choosing a coach, but first inform yourself of the many options and approaches, and select the one that fits you best.
• Put life in perspective. When you lack perspective then all of the reasons why turn into reasons why not to take action. Procrastination is the thief of time. After getting the broader picture it is easier to return to the field with conviction on the most important question of all, Why are you here?
• Declare your commitment. The desire for internal consistency is very powerful. No one likes to lie to themselves. If you have a sincere commitment, then declare it to others and watch how this puts positive pressure on you to keep your word. Don’t take your promises lightly, or you may stop believing in them yourself.
• Read for inspiration. Well-selected reading gives you access to a vast library of ideas and approaches that can fire your imagination with inspiration. Read for emotional and practical motivation, for new ideas, and for pleasure. Whether you read books and articles, or dip into the digital world, make sure that your environment supports a pleasurable reading experience. This will encourage you to come back for more.
• Get traction through action. The most powerful and persuasive factor in determining your destiny is taking action. When your actions are in alignment with your destiny, then you carry the torch which will light your way.

Eight ways to increase your energy and determine your destiny. Consider them in combination by downloading the PDF file Mandala Chart DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY.

From the lyrics to the song by R. Kelley, I Believe I can Fly

If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there’s nothing to it

Tagged as: active garage, Art of abundance, attitude, destiny, determine your destiny, energy, Flexible Focus, laws of attraction, mandala charts, manga, music, william reed

Many times in our life, we feel stuck or helpless when we encounter a situation.  We would have encountered this same situation before but when we tried to control it, we couldn’t, so we accepted that it cannot be controlled.  When the situation occurs again we think we are helpless and are resigned about it. This is called “Learned Helplessness” i.e we have learnt to be helpless and we get depressed. As grim this might sound, there is a silver lining to it – Since we have learnt to be helpless we can also unlearn it and come out of it.

Tagged as: active garage, attitude, control, helpless, learned helplessness, learned optimism, learning, martin seligson, mindset, positive, vijay peduru

This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:

See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project

Previous article: Get (very) comfortable with the speed of change

BLOGTASTIC: Watch what you say outside the blog

Your blog is only a part of your life. You don’t want the blog to dictate what you do in the rest of your life. However, what you do offline has a direct bearing (almost all the time) on the way you are perceived via your blog. If you are a total jerk offline but appear to be sophisticated on the blog, then chances are that your true colors will come out at some point. Your offline words and actions will follow you onto the blog.

Since your blog increases the transparency of your life to the external world, the safest strategy is to keep your offline life in order. There are no other tricks that I can offer—except to live your life to the personal and ethical standards that you want others to perceive you.

The world is more connected than ever before. Let me offer a personal example. The conversations I have on the sidelines after a speaking engagement (public or private) have a tendency to travel on e-mail far and wide. People even post them in their own blogs. Sometimes I wonder whether these conversations were for public consumption. Maybe yes, maybe no. Whether I plan it or not, these private conversations sometimes become part of the online conversation.

This example is about an email sent by Angelo Mozilo, then CEO of Countrywide Financial. Angelo replied to a hardship letter from a customer (Dan Bailey) this way:

“This is unbelievable. Most of these letters now have the same wording. Obviously they are being counseled by some other person or by the internet. Disgusting.”

Dan had sent the email using “text” from a help forum called “LoanSafe.Org” to about 20 email addresses in Countrywide Financial and Angelo was one of the recipients. Rather than hitting the “Forward” button, Angelo hit “Reply” and sent the above reply back to Dan.

Dan posted Angelo’s response back at LoanSafe.Org and then all hell broke loose.

Here’s my advice. You have to take care of all your conversations. There are so many contact points out there.

• E-mails you write;
• Newsgroups you participate in;
• Your speaking engagements;
• Your conversations on the sidelines;
• Networking organizations that you belong to;
• What you say in the social networks; and
• Your chat sessions (even if it is in the context of a game).

If that looks like a lot of work, you’re right. It’s hard to manage all of these conversations. However, there is a shortcut. Be a nice person, both on and off the blog.

Competent people who are nice have a much better chance of winning in life—when compared to people who are just competent.

Tagged as: attitude, BLOGTASTIC!, Communication

This is part of the the book BLOGTASTIC! Growing and Making a Difference Through Blogging. You can read the table of contents and follow the book on this page:

See the table of contents for the book here: BLOGTASTIC project

Previous article: Blogging is highly personal

BLOGTASTIC: Your attitude will show up on your blog

You’ve probably heard that “you only get one chance to create a good first impression.” It’s hard to dispute that fact in life. It is especially true on your blog.

With your blog, you are constantly on-stage before the world.

When you publish a blog, you are always creating first impressions. Your blog serves as your entry point into a worldwide networking event that runs 24-7-365. People will constantly have a chance to meet you and form impressions about you.

Your regular readers will know you, but new people may come to your blog at any time. So you need to be ready to make a great first impression with every single post. That’s a high standard to sustain.

Your readers will develop a picture of who you are—based on what you write. Your attitude, therefore, becomes critical. You can’t hide it. Your writings will in one way or the other reveal your real identity.

You want to show a positive, appealing attitude to your readers. What can you do?

Look carefully at your attitude within your writing. Do your words lift other people up and encourage them to think? Do your words show your frustration, anger, greed, or pretentiousness?

Blogging or not, you need to look at your attitude and reshape it for your own good. If you have the right attitude, it’ll show in your blog as well as every other part of your life. No mask will be necessary.

Pretending to be someone else does not work. It doesn’t work in real life, and it certainly won’t work for your blog. Wearing a mask all the time can be costly and risky.

You could pretend to be bigger than who you really are. You might gain some traffic and credibility that way. However, imagine the impact that will occur when people find out the truth.

Drop the mask. It’s really not worth it.

Tagged as: attitude, blogging, first impression

Welcome to the ninth post in this 12-part series on QUALITY, titled #QUALITYtweet – 12 Ideas to Build a Quality Culture.

Here are the first eight posts, in case you would like to go back and take a look:

1. Quality #1: Quality is a long term differentiator
2. Quality #2: Cure Precedes Prevention
3. Quality #3: Great People + Good Processes = Great Quality
4. Quality #4: Simplifying Processes
5. Quality #5: Customers are your “Quality Partners”
6. Quality #6: Knowing what needs improvement
7. Quality #7: Productivity and Quality
8. Quality #8: Best Practices are Contextual

#QUALITYtweet How NOT to deliver total quality:

Focus on quality of product without focusing on

quality of relationship and communication

In an increasingly service oriented business environment, what you sell is not just a product but an experience. People may forget explicit details like specifications or price, but never forget the experience they had when they bought the product.

Experience extended to end-customers largely depends on attitude, values and behaviors of each individual who interacts with a customer. One of the most important challenges is to keep this group of people aligned to organization’s quality system and values.

Communication is the backbone of organization’s success in marketplace. Effective internal and external communication within an organization ensures that:

• Your employees understand your value system
• They understand what is expected out of them
• They are motivated to walk an extra mile to deliver excellent service
• Your customers know your value system
• You build trust-based relationship with your people and customers with consistent communication
• Manage expectations with your people and customers.

How can you motivate your teams to deliver excellent customer experiences through simple communication processes? Here are a few ideas to consider:

Train:

Training your internal team can be your biggest tool for clearly explaining the process of communication and how important it is for the business. Consistently train your people on value systems, leadership, quality management, effective communication, what works in customer management, what not, expectations management and cultural aspects of client’s location. Clients also need training on how best they can use your products. Companies organize client workshops to educate them about different aspects of product/service. Train consistently to streamline communication.

Support:

Once your people are trained, you need to support them in doing right things. Supporting can be a simple act of being there with your people when they talk to customers. Help them improve and share feedback on how are they doing. Some companies may see this activity as an “overhead” but it is an “investment” in your people.

Monitor:

Once you have confidence that your people will be able to do the right communication, monitor them. Take periodic feedback from them. Communicate consistently to ensure that they are motivated enough to continue doing it.

Delivering consistently superior experience to your customers (via quality of products and communication) results in a long-term relationship based on trust. In business, as in life, relationships are crucial. Quality of your relationships is as important as quality of your products, or perhaps, even more.

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Tagged as: attitude, behaviors, business, client, Communication, customer, end customer, experience, marketplace, monitor, motivate, price, product, quality, service, specifications, support, train, Trust, values