Since I’m all about feeding the brain and learning from others who know what’s going on, I’d like to give everyone a heads up about a really great program coming up April 18th 2008. This year it’s called The Maximum Impact Advance. I attended last year’s session which was called The Maximum Impact Leadership Index. It’s hosted by John C. Maxwell who is a great leadership guru. I have read a number of Maxwell’s books which I thoroughly enjoyed.
So what’s the deal? We’re looking at a full day event with 10 speakers live in Atlanta. The cool thing is, it’s a live simulcast where over 80,000 people will attend in 600 cities in 20 different countries around the world!
Rather than listen to me blab on about who’s going to be there this year, have a look yourself.
Copy and paste - Maximum Impact Advance - in the Google bar above!
Scott Wain
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Monday, February 18, 2008
Millionaire Mindset - How to Develop the Powerful Mindset of Millionaires by Michael Lee
The millionaire mindset is what sets successful people apart. Putting the millionaire mindset to use can ensure that you are applying the tools that most successful people use in order to reach their dreams of becoming millionaires.
The thought process of millionaires is different from those who never even thought about making it rich in their lifetime. It is something that you should be able to follow if you wish to create wealth for yourself in the future. Here are some thinking traits of millionaires that might help you out.
One of the characteristics of most millionaires and successful people in the world is that they think that they are responsible for their fate. To develop the millionaire mindset, you should be able to realize that you have it in you if you wish to change your current situation or life.
Millionaires and successful people do not blame their circumstances or condition to prevent them from doing something in order to get rich and become successful. They think that it is up to them to change everything around them for the better. Successful people think that it is their own responsibility to chart the course towards where they want to go and what they want to achieve in life.
Successful people know how to master their attitude. And in order to master their attitude, they know how to master the way they think. The way a person thinks can affect the way he acts. The millionaire mindset goes by this belief and it has to think "success" in order be successful. The power of positive thinking can work wonders in this aspect. Successful people are those who also think their way to success. They make use of positive boosts instead of making negative thoughts that bring them down.
People with the millionaire mindset also think that building networks is important in their quest for success. Building enriching relationships that support and encourage their dreams and aspirations is just as important as the hard work and effort that they put into their goals. Through a network of friends and colleagues, they are able to acquire valuable mentoring as well as important links to opportunities that can lead them to success.
About the Author
Want to unleash the hidden power of universal laws of attraction and success to dramatically transform your life? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/universal-laws.htm and let Michael Lee show you how.
The thought process of millionaires is different from those who never even thought about making it rich in their lifetime. It is something that you should be able to follow if you wish to create wealth for yourself in the future. Here are some thinking traits of millionaires that might help you out.
One of the characteristics of most millionaires and successful people in the world is that they think that they are responsible for their fate. To develop the millionaire mindset, you should be able to realize that you have it in you if you wish to change your current situation or life.
Millionaires and successful people do not blame their circumstances or condition to prevent them from doing something in order to get rich and become successful. They think that it is up to them to change everything around them for the better. Successful people think that it is their own responsibility to chart the course towards where they want to go and what they want to achieve in life.
Successful people know how to master their attitude. And in order to master their attitude, they know how to master the way they think. The way a person thinks can affect the way he acts. The millionaire mindset goes by this belief and it has to think "success" in order be successful. The power of positive thinking can work wonders in this aspect. Successful people are those who also think their way to success. They make use of positive boosts instead of making negative thoughts that bring them down.
People with the millionaire mindset also think that building networks is important in their quest for success. Building enriching relationships that support and encourage their dreams and aspirations is just as important as the hard work and effort that they put into their goals. Through a network of friends and colleagues, they are able to acquire valuable mentoring as well as important links to opportunities that can lead them to success.
About the Author
Want to unleash the hidden power of universal laws of attraction and success to dramatically transform your life? Go to http://www.20daypersuasion.com/universal-laws.htm and let Michael Lee show you how.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
The Secrets of the Elite Sales Professional
Here is an article I wrote which was published in November of last year. Have a read!
The Secrets of the Elite Sales Professional
By Scott Wain
What is the secret to an elite sales professional? This question can open up a huge debate. Just cruise into any book store such as Chapters and have a look in the business section. There are hundreds of thousands of "how to" sales books. Which one is the right one? With all the choices, how do you decide? Well, if it's on the New York Times best sellers list chances are it has some useful tips. So you find the "right" book and you take it home to read. The next step is to apply the information real time to your daily routine. The trouble with that is to read a book from a successful author and then apply the techniques or strategies is a daunting task. Why? There is simply too much information to absorb all at once. Unfortunately once you start and or finish the book and go back to work, you don't know where to start. We've really bitten off more than we can chew.
Here are some reasons why very few readers have the ability to successfully apply "how to" sales books from print to reality. Chances are you have shared some of what you read with co-workers. We all know they'll have their own opinions. Depending on the culture of your work environment will effect whether or not what you share is accepted and encouraged or tormented and discouraged. There is a strong possibility that it will be tormented and discouraged. We live in a world of many pessimists. Odds are against you before you even get started. Most of the pack drops off here.
So let's say you are strong willed and the naysayers don't slow you down. Great job, you are among a small percentage. Now you've put the negatives behind you and you're ready to move forward. You begin by changing your approach to your customers based on what you have read. However, after days or maybe weeks you find yourself lost and back to the old routine. Again, a number of you are thinking "that's not me at all". So we have narrowed the percentage of individuals who can successfully apply the skills all over again. If this is you then chances are you are a leader within your organization and probably in your respective industry. How do they do it?
A very effective way to learn and apply what you read is to actually take notes while you read the book. This step places you ahead of the pack just by taking the notes alone. Here is where we'll lose a few more. A small cross section of readers who take notes will review them. By getting used to this practice you will start to instill or embed what you have read deep in your subconscious. At this point what you have finally read will start to bear fruit.
Once you decide not to let naysayers slow you down and you take notes and review them you have laid the ground work for the start of some new practices. Before you begin throwing all these techniques at your oblivious clients you may want to slow down for a minute. In order to not look silly in front of your co-workers and or clients you should take the time to learn and perfect one thing at a time.
So, the next time you pick up a book remember you have some more work to do besides reading it before you can apply your new found ambitions! Don't let anyone hold you back. Surround yourself with people who support you. Summarize your readings for reference later. Then spend time perfecting one technique at a time. You are now on your way to lying the brick work to strategically plan and apply the experience of those who are great before us.
Scott Wain
Helping dealerships build elite sales teams one store at a time!
Did you know the average rating a dealership gives their entire sales staff for interview and presentation skills is a 3 out of 10? How much money is being left on the table as a result of poor salesmanship?
http://www.five-paces.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Wain
The Secrets of the Elite Sales Professional
By Scott Wain
What is the secret to an elite sales professional? This question can open up a huge debate. Just cruise into any book store such as Chapters and have a look in the business section. There are hundreds of thousands of "how to" sales books. Which one is the right one? With all the choices, how do you decide? Well, if it's on the New York Times best sellers list chances are it has some useful tips. So you find the "right" book and you take it home to read. The next step is to apply the information real time to your daily routine. The trouble with that is to read a book from a successful author and then apply the techniques or strategies is a daunting task. Why? There is simply too much information to absorb all at once. Unfortunately once you start and or finish the book and go back to work, you don't know where to start. We've really bitten off more than we can chew.
Here are some reasons why very few readers have the ability to successfully apply "how to" sales books from print to reality. Chances are you have shared some of what you read with co-workers. We all know they'll have their own opinions. Depending on the culture of your work environment will effect whether or not what you share is accepted and encouraged or tormented and discouraged. There is a strong possibility that it will be tormented and discouraged. We live in a world of many pessimists. Odds are against you before you even get started. Most of the pack drops off here.
So let's say you are strong willed and the naysayers don't slow you down. Great job, you are among a small percentage. Now you've put the negatives behind you and you're ready to move forward. You begin by changing your approach to your customers based on what you have read. However, after days or maybe weeks you find yourself lost and back to the old routine. Again, a number of you are thinking "that's not me at all". So we have narrowed the percentage of individuals who can successfully apply the skills all over again. If this is you then chances are you are a leader within your organization and probably in your respective industry. How do they do it?
A very effective way to learn and apply what you read is to actually take notes while you read the book. This step places you ahead of the pack just by taking the notes alone. Here is where we'll lose a few more. A small cross section of readers who take notes will review them. By getting used to this practice you will start to instill or embed what you have read deep in your subconscious. At this point what you have finally read will start to bear fruit.
Once you decide not to let naysayers slow you down and you take notes and review them you have laid the ground work for the start of some new practices. Before you begin throwing all these techniques at your oblivious clients you may want to slow down for a minute. In order to not look silly in front of your co-workers and or clients you should take the time to learn and perfect one thing at a time.
So, the next time you pick up a book remember you have some more work to do besides reading it before you can apply your new found ambitions! Don't let anyone hold you back. Surround yourself with people who support you. Summarize your readings for reference later. Then spend time perfecting one technique at a time. You are now on your way to lying the brick work to strategically plan and apply the experience of those who are great before us.
Scott Wain
Helping dealerships build elite sales teams one store at a time!
Did you know the average rating a dealership gives their entire sales staff for interview and presentation skills is a 3 out of 10? How much money is being left on the table as a result of poor salesmanship?
http://www.five-paces.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Wain
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Our Attitude is Contagious!
Do you ever have those days where you’re not quite feeling it? You know, you wake up and you’re in a bad mood and everything is sort of irritating? Well, we could look for all sorts of answers for why we have all had these days. There can be any number of reasons at any given moment to be feeling down in the dumps.
Now, do you let it carry throughout the rest of your day? Or do you nip it in the butt and toss it away? Although, it may not be easy, it’s important we give it a toss. Once we’re in that state of unhappiness it’s contagious. Whether you like to admit it or not, your energy bounces off everyone you come in to contact with. So remember if we’re having a rough day, what right do we have to take someone who is having a great day and pull them into our negativity? On the other hand, the complete opposite is pure gold. When we’re in a good mood the same thing happens. We pass on our energy to others adding value to their day rather than taking away from it.
For the most part, when we’re not quite feeling it, we are focused on what we don’t have, what we’re missing out on and even what we don’t want to do. If we’ve found ourselves stuck in this mindset, we can flick a switch to begin turning our thoughts.
I’m currently reading a few books. One in particular is “The Art of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. M.D. Here is an excerpt from page 25 that relates to today post.
“Researchers have conducted a number of experiments demonstrating that one’s level of life satisfaction can be enhanced simply be shifting one’s perspective and contemplating how things could be worse. In one study, women at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee were shown images of the extremely harsh living conditions in Milwaukee at the turn of the century or were asked to visualize and write about going through personal tragedies such as being burned or disfigured. After completing this exercise, the women were asked to rate the quality of their own lives. The exercise resulted in an increased sense of satisfaction with their lives. In another experiment at the State University of New York at Buffalo, subjects were asked to complete the sentence “I’m glad I’m not a …” After five repetitions of this exercise, the subjects experienced a distinct elevation in their feeling of life satisfaction. Another group of subjects was asked by the experimenters to complete the sentence “I wish I were a …” This time, the experiment left the subjects feeling more dissatisfied with their lives.”
So, the morale of this post and the above excerpt is that, when we are feeling down, we should reflect on the things we do have and be grateful for these things. Once we flick that switch and begin to be thankful for our health, for the roof over our head and the great family and friends we have you can wash away those thoughts that placed you in a bad mood. Let’s face it, we don’t enjoy those moments of self doubt and insecurity. By monitoring our thoughts we can slowly but surely change the way we think and finally be in control of our destiny!
Scott Wain
Now, do you let it carry throughout the rest of your day? Or do you nip it in the butt and toss it away? Although, it may not be easy, it’s important we give it a toss. Once we’re in that state of unhappiness it’s contagious. Whether you like to admit it or not, your energy bounces off everyone you come in to contact with. So remember if we’re having a rough day, what right do we have to take someone who is having a great day and pull them into our negativity? On the other hand, the complete opposite is pure gold. When we’re in a good mood the same thing happens. We pass on our energy to others adding value to their day rather than taking away from it.
For the most part, when we’re not quite feeling it, we are focused on what we don’t have, what we’re missing out on and even what we don’t want to do. If we’ve found ourselves stuck in this mindset, we can flick a switch to begin turning our thoughts.
I’m currently reading a few books. One in particular is “The Art of Happiness” by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Howard C. Cutler. M.D. Here is an excerpt from page 25 that relates to today post.
“Researchers have conducted a number of experiments demonstrating that one’s level of life satisfaction can be enhanced simply be shifting one’s perspective and contemplating how things could be worse. In one study, women at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee were shown images of the extremely harsh living conditions in Milwaukee at the turn of the century or were asked to visualize and write about going through personal tragedies such as being burned or disfigured. After completing this exercise, the women were asked to rate the quality of their own lives. The exercise resulted in an increased sense of satisfaction with their lives. In another experiment at the State University of New York at Buffalo, subjects were asked to complete the sentence “I’m glad I’m not a …” After five repetitions of this exercise, the subjects experienced a distinct elevation in their feeling of life satisfaction. Another group of subjects was asked by the experimenters to complete the sentence “I wish I were a …” This time, the experiment left the subjects feeling more dissatisfied with their lives.”
So, the morale of this post and the above excerpt is that, when we are feeling down, we should reflect on the things we do have and be grateful for these things. Once we flick that switch and begin to be thankful for our health, for the roof over our head and the great family and friends we have you can wash away those thoughts that placed you in a bad mood. Let’s face it, we don’t enjoy those moments of self doubt and insecurity. By monitoring our thoughts we can slowly but surely change the way we think and finally be in control of our destiny!
Scott Wain
Monday, February 11, 2008
Overcoming Adversity
Anyone been watching the Leafs lately? The past week was quite a roller coaster. On Tuesday of last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs got pumped by the Florida Panthers
8 – 0. Not a fun game to watch, let alone play in. Looking forward after game, they had to get ready to meet the red hot Montreal Canadians on Thursday and then on Saturday, the first place overall Detroit Redwings. Uh oh!
Let’s face it, losing 8 – 0 in a hockey game is like losing 56 – 0 in a football game, pretty embarrassing either way. Little did we know, the Leafs would take out the Canadians and the Redwings over their next 2 match up's. Not too many would have thought of such outcomes. The Leafs on the other hand dug deep and bounced back in a way no one would have imagined. Although the Leafs still have an uphill battle to climb their way into the playoffs, I believe the last 2 games have shown some light in the right direction.
So how does one or a team for that matter, bounce back from adversity? Some self reflection is a good start. However, it’s important not to get stuck in that rearview mirror. If you fail to look forward and your eyes are staring behind for too long, you’re bound to crash. With some examination of what could have been done differently and some determination to make the minor adjustments moving forward, you’re on your way.
We have all made the mistake of dwelling on the past. Once we accept that we can’t change it but we can learn from it, the better off we are. It’s not reasonable to believe that we are going to do everything right the first time. It’s how we learn from our adversities and not dwell on them, where we can truly grow.
In the Leafs case, keeping a defenseman in front of their own net, blocking the passing lane through the crease and cleaning up the occasional rebound totally changed their outcome of the 2 games after an embarrassing loss. Think of a time where you’ve made minor adjustments and pushed through a time of pressure or hardship. When you’re done, give yourself a pat on the back!
Scott Wain
8 – 0. Not a fun game to watch, let alone play in. Looking forward after game, they had to get ready to meet the red hot Montreal Canadians on Thursday and then on Saturday, the first place overall Detroit Redwings. Uh oh!
Let’s face it, losing 8 – 0 in a hockey game is like losing 56 – 0 in a football game, pretty embarrassing either way. Little did we know, the Leafs would take out the Canadians and the Redwings over their next 2 match up's. Not too many would have thought of such outcomes. The Leafs on the other hand dug deep and bounced back in a way no one would have imagined. Although the Leafs still have an uphill battle to climb their way into the playoffs, I believe the last 2 games have shown some light in the right direction.
So how does one or a team for that matter, bounce back from adversity? Some self reflection is a good start. However, it’s important not to get stuck in that rearview mirror. If you fail to look forward and your eyes are staring behind for too long, you’re bound to crash. With some examination of what could have been done differently and some determination to make the minor adjustments moving forward, you’re on your way.
We have all made the mistake of dwelling on the past. Once we accept that we can’t change it but we can learn from it, the better off we are. It’s not reasonable to believe that we are going to do everything right the first time. It’s how we learn from our adversities and not dwell on them, where we can truly grow.
In the Leafs case, keeping a defenseman in front of their own net, blocking the passing lane through the crease and cleaning up the occasional rebound totally changed their outcome of the 2 games after an embarrassing loss. Think of a time where you’ve made minor adjustments and pushed through a time of pressure or hardship. When you’re done, give yourself a pat on the back!
Scott Wain
Friday, February 8, 2008
What Drives You?
After reading a comment on the Law of Attraction post earlier in the week about finding your true passion, I’ve had some time to think. It may not be easy to find what it is that truly drives you. So, if you’re working for a company that doesn’t give you fulfillment, how do you make a shift to something that does? First, you can look at what experiences you posses, what value you could bring to another company or an entire different industry for that matter.
One way of going about it is, you can begin to talk with friends and family with different backgrounds. Ask them questions about what they like and dislike in their respective careers. How did they get to where they are today? Did they need any type of qualifications or specific education to work in their field? Is there room for advancement?
Another great way of finding a job that you’re passionate about is to ask yourself, what do I love? If you love to inspire people in any way you can, like I do, learn what types of things you would need to do to become a motivational speaker. Or maybe start writing so you may have an opportunity to write a book some day.
Maybe you love to play video games! So, you could start looking into what types of jobs there are out there to be involved in making video games. Do you know anyone who is connected to the field at all? Most people find jobs because of someone they know. Does anyone you know have any connections in the industry? These are good places to look and find out if you’re qualified and what you may need to do, to become qualified.
If it’s something you love and are passionate about, maybe you could provide some great inspiration to the industry. We have the ability to achieve anything we focus our energy on. It may not happen overnight. But with due diligence and a dream, it’s closer than you may think!
Scott Wain
One way of going about it is, you can begin to talk with friends and family with different backgrounds. Ask them questions about what they like and dislike in their respective careers. How did they get to where they are today? Did they need any type of qualifications or specific education to work in their field? Is there room for advancement?
Another great way of finding a job that you’re passionate about is to ask yourself, what do I love? If you love to inspire people in any way you can, like I do, learn what types of things you would need to do to become a motivational speaker. Or maybe start writing so you may have an opportunity to write a book some day.
Maybe you love to play video games! So, you could start looking into what types of jobs there are out there to be involved in making video games. Do you know anyone who is connected to the field at all? Most people find jobs because of someone they know. Does anyone you know have any connections in the industry? These are good places to look and find out if you’re qualified and what you may need to do, to become qualified.
If it’s something you love and are passionate about, maybe you could provide some great inspiration to the industry. We have the ability to achieve anything we focus our energy on. It may not happen overnight. But with due diligence and a dream, it’s closer than you may think!
Scott Wain
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Proof in the Pudding!
Over the past couple of weeks I have been regularly blogging. In the meantime I’ve had a few people ask me why? So as I was put on the spot, I had to think for a moment. The first thing that came to my mind was I wanted to add value to others. My goal is to inspire people to reach for more. It is far too easy to follow the crowd and let others tell you what you can and can’t do. Everyone has their opinion and most people are glad to let you hear it too! The question to ask yourself is, does their opinion add or take away value? By the way, if anyone is looking for a speaker for an event on any topic, let me know. I’d be glad to help out. I am attending the weekly Forest City Toastmasters meeting this evening to further my experience as a speaker. Practice makes perfect!
Yesterday I wrote about the laws of attraction. I would like to share with you the odd coincidences that I noticed as my day passed by. I posted the blog and went about my day. As I was working away the founder or our company asked me a question about “The Secret”. He has not seen it. He did however, have a brief idea of what it was about. I continued to explain its concept circling around the laws of attraction and quantum physics. I couldn’t help but chuckle and I told him to just go read my blog. Weird how I had just written about it earlier that day.
Doesn’t seem like much eh? However, later that evening when I got home my wife had cooked dinner. As we finished up, she mentioned she had recorded something for me on the PVR earlier. Now I must point out my wife had no prior knowledge of my earlier blog. So as she is about to fire up Oprah on the PVR I go start the dishes. “Honey come watch!” I continue to tell her "I’ll be there when I finish the dishes." She then mentions "it’s all about people who have watched the secret and they're sharing their stories of success that followed after they watched it." So as you can see, my day had a few cases where the laws of attraction came into play. Literally.
At that point the dishes could wait. It was a great episode and the stories were inspiring. For everyone who has seen “The Secret” they’ll know what a vision board is. One story that I thought was pretty cool was about a lady who started a vision board after she had watched “The Secret”. She had plans to remodel her kitchen in the future. So, She printed out a picture of a Wolf stove from the internet for her vision board. Months later she bought a stove for her kitchen.(Not a Wolf) When she had the different brand of stove installed there was an issue with the igniter on the back burner. They replaced the stove with a new one and the same issue was happening. She was upset and called her sales person to talk about her options. She went back to the store and on her way home she realized the stove she ended up with was the exact one she had printed out and placed on her vision board months earlier. Even when she bought a completely different brand of stove, the laws of attraction ended up working its way out anyway.
Now that’s proof in the pudding!
Scott Wain
Yesterday I wrote about the laws of attraction. I would like to share with you the odd coincidences that I noticed as my day passed by. I posted the blog and went about my day. As I was working away the founder or our company asked me a question about “The Secret”. He has not seen it. He did however, have a brief idea of what it was about. I continued to explain its concept circling around the laws of attraction and quantum physics. I couldn’t help but chuckle and I told him to just go read my blog. Weird how I had just written about it earlier that day.
Doesn’t seem like much eh? However, later that evening when I got home my wife had cooked dinner. As we finished up, she mentioned she had recorded something for me on the PVR earlier. Now I must point out my wife had no prior knowledge of my earlier blog. So as she is about to fire up Oprah on the PVR I go start the dishes. “Honey come watch!” I continue to tell her "I’ll be there when I finish the dishes." She then mentions "it’s all about people who have watched the secret and they're sharing their stories of success that followed after they watched it." So as you can see, my day had a few cases where the laws of attraction came into play. Literally.
At that point the dishes could wait. It was a great episode and the stories were inspiring. For everyone who has seen “The Secret” they’ll know what a vision board is. One story that I thought was pretty cool was about a lady who started a vision board after she had watched “The Secret”. She had plans to remodel her kitchen in the future. So, She printed out a picture of a Wolf stove from the internet for her vision board. Months later she bought a stove for her kitchen.(Not a Wolf) When she had the different brand of stove installed there was an issue with the igniter on the back burner. They replaced the stove with a new one and the same issue was happening. She was upset and called her sales person to talk about her options. She went back to the store and on her way home she realized the stove she ended up with was the exact one she had printed out and placed on her vision board months earlier. Even when she bought a completely different brand of stove, the laws of attraction ended up working its way out anyway.
Now that’s proof in the pudding!
Scott Wain
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
The Law of Attraction
Are you truly passionate about what you do? When you wake up in the morning, are you excited to get your day going? Or are you like the people in the Monster.ca commercial where the whole town climbs the hill on the horizon to fight the sun rise on Monday morning? If you answered yes because you’re passionate about what you do, congratulations! If you answered no, then, I’m sorry to hear it. My next question then would be, why?
There can be many different reasons why you don’t follow your dreams and passions. A popular one would be financial security. You took a job and made decent money, then you probably bought a house, a car and you like to go on vacations and you have bills to pay. So, in a way you can’t follow your true dreams because your financial responsibilities, right? So, what to do? You could continue to get up in the morning and walk through the same painful routine as always. In this case you will naturally reassure yourself why, you can’t take a risk and do what you love.
I’d like to reference a great movie “The Secret”. For anyone who hasn’t watched it, I recommend it. You can watch a good chunk of it for free when you search in Google Video. Again, I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t watched it. The law of attraction is the entire concept of the film. Whether we like it or not we attract everything in our lives. It can be a tough pill to swallow for some of us out there. However, the sooner you can finally swallow that pill and face reality that we control our fate, the sooner you can give up that job you can’t stand and begin to live your life to the fullest.
Before I wrap up, I want to make reference to Jack Canfield. Jack Canfield is the author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul collection. He is also going to be in London ON this month too! In The Secret, Jack shares his experiences with the law of attraction. As a struggling author with little money he was facing some very tough times mentally. Finally at one point he decided he was going to make 1 million dollars! This is a huge goal and in most minds a distant dream. So what he did next was very powerful. He took a marker and turned a bill of low denomination into a 1 million dollar bill. Next, he taped the 1 million dollar bill on the ceiling above his bed where he would see it each and every morning as he awoke.
Less than 1 year later Jack had made his 1 million dollars. He actually made much more than that. His first edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul took off. He had taken the power of the laws of attraction and turned it into his dream. If you are thinking this is a scam, good luck to you. I say that for one reason, if you think it is a scam, then you’re telling yourself it could never happen. You’re thinking, yeah right, like I’d ever be able to make a million dollars with a stupid bill taped on my ceiling. You’re right. with that state of mind you’re attracting your results. It’s a simple cause and effect.
Visualize your dreams, talk about them with others and believe you can make them happen. This is the first step in achieving self fulfillment.
Scott Wain
There can be many different reasons why you don’t follow your dreams and passions. A popular one would be financial security. You took a job and made decent money, then you probably bought a house, a car and you like to go on vacations and you have bills to pay. So, in a way you can’t follow your true dreams because your financial responsibilities, right? So, what to do? You could continue to get up in the morning and walk through the same painful routine as always. In this case you will naturally reassure yourself why, you can’t take a risk and do what you love.
I’d like to reference a great movie “The Secret”. For anyone who hasn’t watched it, I recommend it. You can watch a good chunk of it for free when you search in Google Video. Again, I highly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t watched it. The law of attraction is the entire concept of the film. Whether we like it or not we attract everything in our lives. It can be a tough pill to swallow for some of us out there. However, the sooner you can finally swallow that pill and face reality that we control our fate, the sooner you can give up that job you can’t stand and begin to live your life to the fullest.
Before I wrap up, I want to make reference to Jack Canfield. Jack Canfield is the author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul collection. He is also going to be in London ON this month too! In The Secret, Jack shares his experiences with the law of attraction. As a struggling author with little money he was facing some very tough times mentally. Finally at one point he decided he was going to make 1 million dollars! This is a huge goal and in most minds a distant dream. So what he did next was very powerful. He took a marker and turned a bill of low denomination into a 1 million dollar bill. Next, he taped the 1 million dollar bill on the ceiling above his bed where he would see it each and every morning as he awoke.
Less than 1 year later Jack had made his 1 million dollars. He actually made much more than that. His first edition of Chicken Soup for the Soul took off. He had taken the power of the laws of attraction and turned it into his dream. If you are thinking this is a scam, good luck to you. I say that for one reason, if you think it is a scam, then you’re telling yourself it could never happen. You’re thinking, yeah right, like I’d ever be able to make a million dollars with a stupid bill taped on my ceiling. You’re right. with that state of mind you’re attracting your results. It’s a simple cause and effect.
Visualize your dreams, talk about them with others and believe you can make them happen. This is the first step in achieving self fulfillment.
Scott Wain
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
What is NLP?
Today I want to talk about something that some of you may or may not be familiar with. I’m talking about NLP or Neuro-Linguistic Programming. I am not claiming to be a Master Practitioner of NLP by any means. However, I am very intrigued by learning more and more about the subject. So I thought I’d relate some of what I have recently learned to what I actually already knew.
I am currently listening to an audio program where Master Practitioner Chris Howard conducted a training session in Los Angeles California. For those of you who are not familiar with NLP I’ll give you Chris’s description. He says that NLP is the psychology of achievement and interpersonal communication. Now, one of the early creators of NLP is a man named Richard Bandler. He had a little bit different description of what NLP is all about. He says that NLP is the study of subjective experience.
What I find so interesting about the subject of NLP is that we all as individuals live in our own reality. Sadly, it’s not real. I know what you’re thinking. “What do you mean, my reality isn’t real? Of course it is!” I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not. You may have heard the phrase “perception is reality” well this is a very true statement. The reason your reality isn’t a “real” reality is because it is shaped from each of your life’s experiences. As individuals we have all been subjected to individual experiences that shape our internal reality.
An example that Chris makes in his program is the story of two people walking when they see a stick in the road. One of the individuals doesn’t actually see a stick, they see a snake. At that very moment each of their reactions are completely different, even though they are looking at the exact same stick. One keeps walking and doesn’t even think anything, where the other jumps out of their skin and runs for the hills.
Based on the map of “their realities” each person will think or act in certain ways. The cool thing about NLP is that neither one of them are wrong in their own mind. One may be wrong because it’s not actually a snake. But upstairs, they reacted specifically based on all of their previous experiences throughout life.
A Hungarian Biologist Mihaly Csiksczentmihalyi who wrote Flow – The Psychology of optimal experience, said that via our five senses we process about two million bits and pieces of information every second. That’s a whole lot of info. We can only however, process 7 plus or minus 2 at one time. So there are 3 things we do as humans to filter all this information. The first is deletion. This is where we naturally delete information our subconscious doesn’t find important. Next, we distort. This is where we will change how we see or hear something so it makes sense to us in our own mind. The third is generalization.
The images and thoughts in our minds shape how we communicate. So as you speak to someone, they may not see or understand the words in the same way as you saw them, while you visualized your thoughts before you spoke.
So, what’s the point of all this today? Well, the next time you’re having a heated discussion or an argument with your spouse, significant other, friend or co-worker and they just don’t get it. Remember, it’s true. Most people assume that the way in which “I” think, is the same for everyone else. This is untrue. So, slow down, remind yourself that they may not be on the same page because you haven’t communicated effectively. An example of where this can happen , ties in with one of my earlier blog posts on communication on January 31’st. I talked about paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is a way in which you can be responsible for your communication and make sure other parties are “getting it”
Please post any comments or questions that you may have about NLP. The opportunity to answer any of them is great passive learning for me, which moves me one step closer to becoming a Master Practitioner.
Scott Wain
I am currently listening to an audio program where Master Practitioner Chris Howard conducted a training session in Los Angeles California. For those of you who are not familiar with NLP I’ll give you Chris’s description. He says that NLP is the psychology of achievement and interpersonal communication. Now, one of the early creators of NLP is a man named Richard Bandler. He had a little bit different description of what NLP is all about. He says that NLP is the study of subjective experience.
What I find so interesting about the subject of NLP is that we all as individuals live in our own reality. Sadly, it’s not real. I know what you’re thinking. “What do you mean, my reality isn’t real? Of course it is!” I’m sorry to tell you, it’s not. You may have heard the phrase “perception is reality” well this is a very true statement. The reason your reality isn’t a “real” reality is because it is shaped from each of your life’s experiences. As individuals we have all been subjected to individual experiences that shape our internal reality.
An example that Chris makes in his program is the story of two people walking when they see a stick in the road. One of the individuals doesn’t actually see a stick, they see a snake. At that very moment each of their reactions are completely different, even though they are looking at the exact same stick. One keeps walking and doesn’t even think anything, where the other jumps out of their skin and runs for the hills.
Based on the map of “their realities” each person will think or act in certain ways. The cool thing about NLP is that neither one of them are wrong in their own mind. One may be wrong because it’s not actually a snake. But upstairs, they reacted specifically based on all of their previous experiences throughout life.
A Hungarian Biologist Mihaly Csiksczentmihalyi who wrote Flow – The Psychology of optimal experience, said that via our five senses we process about two million bits and pieces of information every second. That’s a whole lot of info. We can only however, process 7 plus or minus 2 at one time. So there are 3 things we do as humans to filter all this information. The first is deletion. This is where we naturally delete information our subconscious doesn’t find important. Next, we distort. This is where we will change how we see or hear something so it makes sense to us in our own mind. The third is generalization.
The images and thoughts in our minds shape how we communicate. So as you speak to someone, they may not see or understand the words in the same way as you saw them, while you visualized your thoughts before you spoke.
So, what’s the point of all this today? Well, the next time you’re having a heated discussion or an argument with your spouse, significant other, friend or co-worker and they just don’t get it. Remember, it’s true. Most people assume that the way in which “I” think, is the same for everyone else. This is untrue. So, slow down, remind yourself that they may not be on the same page because you haven’t communicated effectively. An example of where this can happen , ties in with one of my earlier blog posts on communication on January 31’st. I talked about paraphrasing. Paraphrasing is a way in which you can be responsible for your communication and make sure other parties are “getting it”
Please post any comments or questions that you may have about NLP. The opportunity to answer any of them is great passive learning for me, which moves me one step closer to becoming a Master Practitioner.
Scott Wain
Monday, February 4, 2008
Attitude is Everything - It's a State of Mind
I enjoyed Super Bowl XXLII this weekend. It turned out to be quite the game too. Not too many had given the New York Giants a chance. I mean, they were facing an 18 – 0 New England Patriots team who had been flawless all year. Earlier on Sunday while I was watching some of the pre-game, I heard a story that gave me a funny feeling the Giants were going to win. Way back before game three, the New York Giants season started off 0 – 2. As they got ready to face of the Washington Redskins, Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson gave a 15 minute pep talk to the team and coaching staff.
Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was wounded in Iraq while driving his HMMWV or Hummer (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle). He drove over an explosive device which threw him from the vehicle completely vulnerable losing both of his legs. His “team” risked their lives to get him to safety. The act of his fellow soldiers was completely selfless and came without any hesitation. The new perspective and motivation the Giants team gained from his speech guided them all season long. The old cliché “there is no I in team” cannot ring more true for this Giants team and coaching staff. At one point before and important game Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson surprised the team when he showed up not in his wheel chair, but standing on his own with his new prosthetic legs. It was clear that even when the odds are against you, an individuals’ resiliency and determination can surpass insurmountable odds.
The entire Giants team felt that Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson is a part of their team. Without him, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be the road warriors they became and finally upset the perfect season of the Patriots. During the story many of the team members made it clear that Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was to get his own Super Bowl ring. If he wasn’t to have one, multiple players would be glad to give him their own.
I wanted to share this story because it reminded me of a few of things. First off, we need to place more faith in people. As I’ve talked about before collaboration can achieve amazing feats. Secondly, too often it takes great tragedy or near death for us to open our eyes to see what is before us. Plus, we can all provide more selfless acts without looking for something in return. We have the ability to make the world a better place. One selfless act at a time. Remember, we are in control of our own destiny. If you allow outside pressures to discourage you and keep you down, it’s your own choice. Be resilient, control your thoughts and attitude and great things will happen. Look at Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson. and the New York Giants.
Scott Wain
Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was wounded in Iraq while driving his HMMWV or Hummer (High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle). He drove over an explosive device which threw him from the vehicle completely vulnerable losing both of his legs. His “team” risked their lives to get him to safety. The act of his fellow soldiers was completely selfless and came without any hesitation. The new perspective and motivation the Giants team gained from his speech guided them all season long. The old cliché “there is no I in team” cannot ring more true for this Giants team and coaching staff. At one point before and important game Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson surprised the team when he showed up not in his wheel chair, but standing on his own with his new prosthetic legs. It was clear that even when the odds are against you, an individuals’ resiliency and determination can surpass insurmountable odds.
The entire Giants team felt that Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson is a part of their team. Without him, they wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be the road warriors they became and finally upset the perfect season of the Patriots. During the story many of the team members made it clear that Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson was to get his own Super Bowl ring. If he wasn’t to have one, multiple players would be glad to give him their own.
I wanted to share this story because it reminded me of a few of things. First off, we need to place more faith in people. As I’ve talked about before collaboration can achieve amazing feats. Secondly, too often it takes great tragedy or near death for us to open our eyes to see what is before us. Plus, we can all provide more selfless acts without looking for something in return. We have the ability to make the world a better place. One selfless act at a time. Remember, we are in control of our own destiny. If you allow outside pressures to discourage you and keep you down, it’s your own choice. Be resilient, control your thoughts and attitude and great things will happen. Look at Army Lt. Col. Greg Gadson. and the New York Giants.
Scott Wain
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Are You an Effective Communicator?
What kind of things can we do to communicate more effectively? How can you apply this to your home life or work life? Whether it’s picking out the right furniture with your wife, or just closing the big deal with that tough client, there are some things you can do to help you along the way.
One practice to work on is very simple. You won’t have to read a long book or take a training course to get this underway. You can practice as soon as you’re done reading this post. The simple act of paraphrasing will take you to another level as a communicator. Paraphrasing will help you in a couple of ways.
First and foremost, it shows that you are actually listening to the individual whom you’re speaking with. Secondly, you allow yourself to check and see if what you heard was specifically what you interpreted. Eliminate the guess work. Having worked as a sales manager in the automotive industry, I constantly noticed times where our sales staff would not have all the information I would ask of them in order to coach them in a situation. There was countless times where I would hear things like, “I figured they would like this because…” or “I assumed they would be fine with this since…” Instances like this are classic examples of where communication is unclear and could be more effective.
Try it out. Next time you are having a discussion, look for places where you naturally allow yourself to “fill in the blanks” without clarifying a request or comment. When you paraphrase to confirm your understanding, you’ll begin to notice a few changes. You may land that big client or even pick out the 3 piece leather furniture set with the big screen TV that your wife wasn’t too keen on.
Scott Wain
One practice to work on is very simple. You won’t have to read a long book or take a training course to get this underway. You can practice as soon as you’re done reading this post. The simple act of paraphrasing will take you to another level as a communicator. Paraphrasing will help you in a couple of ways.
First and foremost, it shows that you are actually listening to the individual whom you’re speaking with. Secondly, you allow yourself to check and see if what you heard was specifically what you interpreted. Eliminate the guess work. Having worked as a sales manager in the automotive industry, I constantly noticed times where our sales staff would not have all the information I would ask of them in order to coach them in a situation. There was countless times where I would hear things like, “I figured they would like this because…” or “I assumed they would be fine with this since…” Instances like this are classic examples of where communication is unclear and could be more effective.
Try it out. Next time you are having a discussion, look for places where you naturally allow yourself to “fill in the blanks” without clarifying a request or comment. When you paraphrase to confirm your understanding, you’ll begin to notice a few changes. You may land that big client or even pick out the 3 piece leather furniture set with the big screen TV that your wife wasn’t too keen on.
Scott Wain
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
The Power of Collaboration
I was thinking of how many people have a voice these days? It’s pretty amazing when anyone who is anyone can have their voice heard across the world using the internet. Have any of you heard of Web 2.0? I imagine that some of you have. I have been reading up on it these days and its pretty cool stuff. However, for the most part it is beyond me. That is exactly why I’m trying to read up on it as much as I can.
For those of you who aren’t up to speed on the web 2.0, I’ll give my interpretation of what it’s all about. From what I can see the new web will be all about collaboration. A classic example of where the web is going is Wikipedia. I’m pretty sure anyone who is reading this is aware of what Wikipedia is. Can you imagine all the poor encyclopedia sales people without jobs now? Who in their right mind would buy a collection of encyclopedias in this day in age? Wikipedia is available in many different languages and is updated real time. No need for anything else really.
Massive collaboration spawns infinite creativity. The internet allows individuals who may not normally speak out, to have their voices heard. By eliminating the conventional boundaries of most enterprises in the corporate world and allowing the “voice” of the people to be heard, amazing things can happen.
An example of this is Goldcorp Inc. Former CEO Rob McEwen was facing some tough times with dwindling gold deposits and falling share prices. Instead of hiring more highly priced “experts” to help him find more gold, he went against all conventional wisdom. He published all of the company’s secret geographic data online in hopes to find more gold. With a prize pool of $570,000 he received over 100 submissions. 80% of which were accurate. He turned Goldcorp Inc. from a 100 million company into a 10 billion dollar company virtually overnight.
That’s the power of collaboration! With the tools we have available to us now, if there was a time where anyone can make a difference, I think it's now!
Scott Wain
For those of you who aren’t up to speed on the web 2.0, I’ll give my interpretation of what it’s all about. From what I can see the new web will be all about collaboration. A classic example of where the web is going is Wikipedia. I’m pretty sure anyone who is reading this is aware of what Wikipedia is. Can you imagine all the poor encyclopedia sales people without jobs now? Who in their right mind would buy a collection of encyclopedias in this day in age? Wikipedia is available in many different languages and is updated real time. No need for anything else really.
Massive collaboration spawns infinite creativity. The internet allows individuals who may not normally speak out, to have their voices heard. By eliminating the conventional boundaries of most enterprises in the corporate world and allowing the “voice” of the people to be heard, amazing things can happen.
An example of this is Goldcorp Inc. Former CEO Rob McEwen was facing some tough times with dwindling gold deposits and falling share prices. Instead of hiring more highly priced “experts” to help him find more gold, he went against all conventional wisdom. He published all of the company’s secret geographic data online in hopes to find more gold. With a prize pool of $570,000 he received over 100 submissions. 80% of which were accurate. He turned Goldcorp Inc. from a 100 million company into a 10 billion dollar company virtually overnight.
That’s the power of collaboration! With the tools we have available to us now, if there was a time where anyone can make a difference, I think it's now!
Scott Wain
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Anything is Possible
I want to talk a little bit about goals today. One of the main reasons is that, I have made a goal for myself to immediately adopt a healthier lifestyle. It isn’t a New Year’s resolution, because I’ve only just started going gym. We could call it a longer life resolution, if you like.
How many of you have goals? I’m sure most of you. Now of the individuals who have goals, how many of you have them written down? Of the few who have them written down, how many of you have your main goal broken down into small manageable tasks? Now, of the fewer, which of you truly review them regularly? By monitoring our progress we can allow for adjustments. Certain things may come up overtime that can interfere with the achievement of one of our goals. Don’t stress! We make a minor adjustment and away we go!
The importance of recording your goals is of the utmost. Taking the time to sit down and review your goals is critical. The significance of evaluating the progress of your goals is to measure where you are and how close you are to achieving them. If you don’t break them down into small manageable tasks, the goal can seem daunting. In this case you can easily convince yourself it was an outrageous goal in the first place. We will justify in our minds why we didn’t accomplish something if we don’t protect against it. Think of each task as a small goal on its own. It’s like a check list. Slowly but surely you check them off as you go. When you’ve reach a milestone, reward yourself with something you love. This will give you something tangible to reach for. You see, once you are underway and you are slugging through the hustle and bustle, you may slowly veer off course. This is the time where you look back and ask yourself “what happened?” Or you tell yourself “it wasn’t possible anyway.”
I am guilty of this many times over. Looking back it’s mainly because A) I didn’t actually record a goal. B) If I did record it, I didn’t review it frequently. Or C) I didn’t assign a timeline to it. It is extremely important that you assign a deal line for completion of the goal. If you want to like me, adopt a healthier lifestyle, you have to assign specifics of how you want to adopt it. For example: Attend the gym regularly, plan my meals for the week, not eating after 8pm, drink lots of water, get on the ice for some shinny at least once a week, etc… The mind is easily distracted these days. We have so many things being thrown at us from all angles. Don’t leave it up to your intuition to figure this out all on its own. Be specific, assign a time line and post it where you’ll constantly be reminded of it.
So let’s take a moment to recap our steps in completing and achieving a goal.
- Write your goal down.
- Break your goal down in to small manageable tasks.
- Assign a timeline for achieving your goal.
- Check the tasks off your list as you complete them.
- Reward yourself for reaching certain milestones.
- Review your progress and adjust for changes.
- Tell everyone you are going to accomplish your goal. This one is powerful.
You are on your way to chasing your dreams. I encourage you to put these practices to the test. Please feel free to share any milestones you have met. I love success stories.
The last point in the recap is about intrinsic pressure. A great topic for another day!
Remember, anything is possible!
Scott Wain
How many of you have goals? I’m sure most of you. Now of the individuals who have goals, how many of you have them written down? Of the few who have them written down, how many of you have your main goal broken down into small manageable tasks? Now, of the fewer, which of you truly review them regularly? By monitoring our progress we can allow for adjustments. Certain things may come up overtime that can interfere with the achievement of one of our goals. Don’t stress! We make a minor adjustment and away we go!
The importance of recording your goals is of the utmost. Taking the time to sit down and review your goals is critical. The significance of evaluating the progress of your goals is to measure where you are and how close you are to achieving them. If you don’t break them down into small manageable tasks, the goal can seem daunting. In this case you can easily convince yourself it was an outrageous goal in the first place. We will justify in our minds why we didn’t accomplish something if we don’t protect against it. Think of each task as a small goal on its own. It’s like a check list. Slowly but surely you check them off as you go. When you’ve reach a milestone, reward yourself with something you love. This will give you something tangible to reach for. You see, once you are underway and you are slugging through the hustle and bustle, you may slowly veer off course. This is the time where you look back and ask yourself “what happened?” Or you tell yourself “it wasn’t possible anyway.”
I am guilty of this many times over. Looking back it’s mainly because A) I didn’t actually record a goal. B) If I did record it, I didn’t review it frequently. Or C) I didn’t assign a timeline to it. It is extremely important that you assign a deal line for completion of the goal. If you want to like me, adopt a healthier lifestyle, you have to assign specifics of how you want to adopt it. For example: Attend the gym regularly, plan my meals for the week, not eating after 8pm, drink lots of water, get on the ice for some shinny at least once a week, etc… The mind is easily distracted these days. We have so many things being thrown at us from all angles. Don’t leave it up to your intuition to figure this out all on its own. Be specific, assign a time line and post it where you’ll constantly be reminded of it.
So let’s take a moment to recap our steps in completing and achieving a goal.
- Write your goal down.
- Break your goal down in to small manageable tasks.
- Assign a timeline for achieving your goal.
- Check the tasks off your list as you complete them.
- Reward yourself for reaching certain milestones.
- Review your progress and adjust for changes.
- Tell everyone you are going to accomplish your goal. This one is powerful.
You are on your way to chasing your dreams. I encourage you to put these practices to the test. Please feel free to share any milestones you have met. I love success stories.
The last point in the recap is about intrinsic pressure. A great topic for another day!
Remember, anything is possible!
Scott Wain
Monday, January 28, 2008
Chasing your Dreams
I wanted to thank everyone for their emails and comments on the first few posts I've written. I'm happy to see the positive responses. I've been thinking about these comments and it reminded me of expectations and opinions and again how important the quality of our thoughts truly are.
Here is a great quote from an inspiration of mine and probably anyone who has read any of Robin Sharma’s “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari” books. I owe this reminder to Joe.
“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts”
Keep this in mind as you read this post, actually, write this quote down and put it on the fridge or microwave for a frequent reminder.
It's fair to say that in life we have so many expectations. These are expectations we place on ourselves, and from others. Now, where do you draw the line on what expectations are reasonable and which opinions are of value? An unfortunate practice for most of us is we often place more importance on the expectations and opinions of others.
Over the weekend my wife and I visited some friends of ours and their six month old baby. She is so cute by the way. One of the frustrations our friends have noticed over the last six months is how everyone has their own opinions on how to look after their new baby. Now, all are of good will and mean no harm, however, it’s important not only as parents but as human beings to be able to turn on our internal filter. Are you allowing external pressures from friends and family to influence decisions that don’t line up with your goals or values?
As human beings we long for love and acceptance. Throughout our life this yearning sneaks up on us and places us in positions where we question our goals and values.
Keep in mind, following the crowd can work for you and against you. Which crowd do you wish to follow? The company in which you surround yourself with will often determine the path you are on.
If you wish to have a financial freedom, it’s a good idea to find a way to surround yourself with individuals who are like minded and or have already achieved the status. If you choose to raise a great family, spend time with friends who have raised great kids.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you drop any of your friends who aren’t loaded, I’m merely pointing out that your thoughts will begin to change. When you are accompanied by people on the same wave length and who have achieved what it is you are chasing, amazing things will begin to happen. The quality of your thoughts will change!
I’ve ended my first few posts with a personal quote, “The only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!” I’d like to add to that today. Any goals you may have, regardless of how far or “crazy” they may be, don’t let anyone discourage you. Most people can’t see the big picture, the natural progression, is for them to tell you you’re “crazy”.
Can you picture Thomas Edison back in the day telling his peers he’s going to create a light bulb? I’m sure there were a few naysayers! He failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent light bulb!
Remember, any great discovery or achievement began with a single thought! Tomorrow we'll discuss goals and how to chase them.
Scott Wain
Here is a great quote from an inspiration of mine and probably anyone who has read any of Robin Sharma’s “The Monk Who Sold his Ferrari” books. I owe this reminder to Joe.
“The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your thoughts”
Keep this in mind as you read this post, actually, write this quote down and put it on the fridge or microwave for a frequent reminder.
It's fair to say that in life we have so many expectations. These are expectations we place on ourselves, and from others. Now, where do you draw the line on what expectations are reasonable and which opinions are of value? An unfortunate practice for most of us is we often place more importance on the expectations and opinions of others.
Over the weekend my wife and I visited some friends of ours and their six month old baby. She is so cute by the way. One of the frustrations our friends have noticed over the last six months is how everyone has their own opinions on how to look after their new baby. Now, all are of good will and mean no harm, however, it’s important not only as parents but as human beings to be able to turn on our internal filter. Are you allowing external pressures from friends and family to influence decisions that don’t line up with your goals or values?
As human beings we long for love and acceptance. Throughout our life this yearning sneaks up on us and places us in positions where we question our goals and values.
Keep in mind, following the crowd can work for you and against you. Which crowd do you wish to follow? The company in which you surround yourself with will often determine the path you are on.
If you wish to have a financial freedom, it’s a good idea to find a way to surround yourself with individuals who are like minded and or have already achieved the status. If you choose to raise a great family, spend time with friends who have raised great kids.
Now, I’m not suggesting that you drop any of your friends who aren’t loaded, I’m merely pointing out that your thoughts will begin to change. When you are accompanied by people on the same wave length and who have achieved what it is you are chasing, amazing things will begin to happen. The quality of your thoughts will change!
I’ve ended my first few posts with a personal quote, “The only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!” I’d like to add to that today. Any goals you may have, regardless of how far or “crazy” they may be, don’t let anyone discourage you. Most people can’t see the big picture, the natural progression, is for them to tell you you’re “crazy”.
Can you picture Thomas Edison back in the day telling his peers he’s going to create a light bulb? I’m sure there were a few naysayers! He failed 10,000 times before he perfected the incandescent light bulb!
Remember, any great discovery or achievement began with a single thought! Tomorrow we'll discuss goals and how to chase them.
Scott Wain
Friday, January 25, 2008
Mind over Matter
Do you ever think of how we allow people to change how we feel? You may notice that if we are in a bad mood, it's very hard for us to actually become happy. To change from a negative state of mind to a positive state of mind, just isn't easy. However, you could be having the best day ever and some jerk comes along and says something to you and in an instant you went from having a great day, to having the worst day. It's weird when you think of it like that isn't it.
Are you adding to someone’s day or taking away from it? You don't want to be that jerk that puts someone in a bad mood, do you? It doesn't take much. It doesn't even have to be an exchange of words. Maybe a car horn or someone just flipping you the bird!
Unfortunately, we are all programmed the same way to a certain extent. Growing up over time, we have developed a thought process by each of the millions of interactions we have had throughout our lives. Our self-talk or our conscious if you will, is always working. When you're driving your car or just walking down the street, you're having a conversation with your self.
The way in which you talk to your self can have a profound affect on how you react in any one situation. Good or bad. We can all remember a time where we looked back on a situation and we tell our self "You idiot, why did you say that?" At that very moment you have literally beat your self up inside your own mind. Thoughts that jump into your mind where you’re calling your self an idiot aren't very positive at all. These natural tendencies are some of the reasons why we have such a hard time being positive. Our self-talk is the culprit.
The choice is yours. If you choose to limit your happy times and allow our natural negativity control your days, it's all on you.
Be nice, and remember, the only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!
Scott Wain
Are you adding to someone’s day or taking away from it? You don't want to be that jerk that puts someone in a bad mood, do you? It doesn't take much. It doesn't even have to be an exchange of words. Maybe a car horn or someone just flipping you the bird!
Unfortunately, we are all programmed the same way to a certain extent. Growing up over time, we have developed a thought process by each of the millions of interactions we have had throughout our lives. Our self-talk or our conscious if you will, is always working. When you're driving your car or just walking down the street, you're having a conversation with your self.
The way in which you talk to your self can have a profound affect on how you react in any one situation. Good or bad. We can all remember a time where we looked back on a situation and we tell our self "You idiot, why did you say that?" At that very moment you have literally beat your self up inside your own mind. Thoughts that jump into your mind where you’re calling your self an idiot aren't very positive at all. These natural tendencies are some of the reasons why we have such a hard time being positive. Our self-talk is the culprit.
The choice is yours. If you choose to limit your happy times and allow our natural negativity control your days, it's all on you.
Be nice, and remember, the only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!
Scott Wain
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Understanding Your Market
Today is my first attempt at blogging. I can't believe that I haven't had one sooner.
I picked up a new book yesterday called "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore. I have only read a few chapters so far. What a great book. I plan on having it finished for the weekend so I can pass it on to one of my partners so we can get a little brainstorming going. I love think tank sessions. It is amazing what new ideas and thoughts can come out of an open forum type meeting. You just have to make sure you don't get too carried away. That's happened before. I'm guilty of this myself.
It looks as though "Crossing the Chasm" will become a great marketing tool for many years to come. In one way or another it will probably become a text book of some sort for constant reference.
Right off the hop, it breaks down consumers into psychographics. This is a term that I was not completely familiar with. The thought is very intriguing though.
Each and everyone of us has characteristics that make us unique. How each of us perceive new products or services will determine whether or not we find it of any value. By understanding your target audience and each of their uniquenesses and paying close attention to which psychographic they belong to you can identify when, where and how to position your product or service in the marketplace.
The concept of the book so far focuses on the transitions stages of your product throughout it's Adoption Life Cycle. You must prepare and plan for these transitions stages depending the psychographic's of your market segment.
Sounds easy enough right? Unfortunately, what I have found is most enterprises have thick boundaries or walls of communication between many departments.
When the engineers aren't talking to the designers and the marketing team is left in the dark, each team is less likely to make each others job easier. In fact, each teams productivity can be tremendously affected by lack of communication between each of the respective teams.
Do you notice any of these boundaries in your company or organization?
In what ways have you been able to overcome any communication obstacles?
Often your work environment may limit your opportunity for communication. You can be sure that an open and candid relationship with your co-workers and management will allow you to have an effect of positive change. However, it may not be that easy.
This is another topic I'll cover on another post.
The only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!
Scott Wain
I picked up a new book yesterday called "Crossing the Chasm" by Geoffrey A. Moore. I have only read a few chapters so far. What a great book. I plan on having it finished for the weekend so I can pass it on to one of my partners so we can get a little brainstorming going. I love think tank sessions. It is amazing what new ideas and thoughts can come out of an open forum type meeting. You just have to make sure you don't get too carried away. That's happened before. I'm guilty of this myself.
It looks as though "Crossing the Chasm" will become a great marketing tool for many years to come. In one way or another it will probably become a text book of some sort for constant reference.
Right off the hop, it breaks down consumers into psychographics. This is a term that I was not completely familiar with. The thought is very intriguing though.
Each and everyone of us has characteristics that make us unique. How each of us perceive new products or services will determine whether or not we find it of any value. By understanding your target audience and each of their uniquenesses and paying close attention to which psychographic they belong to you can identify when, where and how to position your product or service in the marketplace.
The concept of the book so far focuses on the transitions stages of your product throughout it's Adoption Life Cycle. You must prepare and plan for these transitions stages depending the psychographic's of your market segment.
Sounds easy enough right? Unfortunately, what I have found is most enterprises have thick boundaries or walls of communication between many departments.
When the engineers aren't talking to the designers and the marketing team is left in the dark, each team is less likely to make each others job easier. In fact, each teams productivity can be tremendously affected by lack of communication between each of the respective teams.
Do you notice any of these boundaries in your company or organization?
In what ways have you been able to overcome any communication obstacles?
Often your work environment may limit your opportunity for communication. You can be sure that an open and candid relationship with your co-workers and management will allow you to have an effect of positive change. However, it may not be that easy.
This is another topic I'll cover on another post.
The only things we truly have control over are our thoughts!
Scott Wain
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