April 2006

Success Starts with a Can Do Attitude: Three Secrets to Creating More Success in Your Business, Career, and Life

Recently, I was watching a women's professional tennis match on TV. One of the players, Nadia Petrova, was having a spectacular tennis season, either winning or playing for the championship in several tournaments in recent months.

The TV interviewer interviewed Nadia's new coach and mentioned that Nadia, who was rated in the top twenty players in past years, was fast becoming one of the top five players in the world. The interviewer asked Nadia's coach about this, and the coach said, "In the past, Nadia had people around her that concentrated on what she 'can't do.' So Nadia would concentrate on what she couldn't do, especially in challenging situations on the court, and it would frustrate her. I am concentrating on what she 'can do, and she is a much better, confident player and is mentally much happier."

So I ask you, do you concentrate on the "can't dos" or the "can dos?" The following are three secrets to creating a "can do" attitude that produces positive results and more success in your life, business, and career:

1. Set Can Do Goals
   Set goals that move you toward successful results. People fail because they don't know what they want or what they don't want. Ask a friend, family member, or associate what they want in life. In most cases, they will pause and really think about what they want. Sometimes they can't come up with an answer. Sometimes they may come up with a weak response. However, ask the following question, "What don't you want in life?" and, in most situations, you will receive multiple, clear, and quick answers to your question. That's because we concentrate on what we don't want to happen instead of what we want to happen. In life, as in sports, we concentrate on "not losing" instead of concentrating how to "in."
   
   Set S-M-A-R-T-E-R (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely, Encouraging, Rewarding) goals that create a crystal clear roadmap for your success, and work to achieve these goals everyday.

2. Take Care of Your N-E-T-S
   N-E-T-S stands for Network with Everyone Today for Success. Fill your NETS with positive people that will support your positive "can do" attitude. These people, while supporting your goals, will also help you pass roadblocks to achieve your goals. You will also make your NETS stronger by supporting their goals to create a mutually supportive situation.
   
   Joy Fisher-Sykes always says, "Clean your NETS of people who have a "can't do," negative attitude, and who don't support your quest to achieve your goals." The more junk (negative people) in your NETS, the less room you have for more treasure (positive people). Take a close look at "friends," family and co-workers and ask, "Do they support me and my "can do" attitude?" If they don't, remove them from your NET. Keep your NET strong with positive people.

3. Concentrate on the Positive
   Recent research shows that 75-80% of daily communication is negative. This would include negative self-talk, conversations with others, or the media (TV, radio, the internet, etc.).
   
   Take back control of your mind and be responsible for your "can do" attitude. You can start with the following:
   
   
   • Concentrate on self-talk with positive solutions
     Start your mornings with meditation. Concentrate on positive thoughts with positive results. Visualize, involving as many senses as possible, to intensify the visualization and make it real for you. Ask, "What does your success feel, look, sound, and taste like?" Be aware of negative self-talk, and replace it with positive self-talk.
   
   
   • Control the Communication
     If it is a conversation, reframe the negative conversation into a more positive conversation. If someone is complaining endlessly, say, "Mike, I hear what you are saying. What solutions to you see to this problem?"
     
     If the media is negative, tune it out or turn it off.
     
     You can always walk away. You have that right.
   
   
   • Walk the Talk
     Be consistent in your behavior, and act on your "can do" attitude.
   
   
   • Fake It Till You Make It
     Act like you are already achieving your goals, and you will rise to a higher level. Others will also see you as achieving your goals and interact with you accordingly.

Follow these "can do" techniques and you will also achieve more success in your life. I know Nadia does. As of this writing, she has won two additional tournaments, with no end in sight. She has a "can do" attitude that creates success, and you can, too.

Enjoy International Time Out Day!

April 17th is International Time Out Day.

Remember when you were a child and your parent(s) asked you to take a "time out?" Your parent was really asking you to think about the consequences of your actions and come up with better actions.

As an adult we need to take a time out. We race from one activity to another caught up in the "rat race." Sometime we may have a difficult time finding the answers we need to solve a problem.

Maybe we find ourselves cutting our conversations with others short while multitasking with two cell phones, the laptop, and the blackberry. Because of this our relationships at work and home suffer.

Take a Time Out!

Climb off the rat race for a few minutes and invest in you. You will find greater peace of mind, you will find better solutions to your challenges, and you will develop better relationships.

Do the following for ten to fifteen minutes:

1. Go to or create (turn off your radio, TV, cell phone, etc.) a quiet place. Get away from distractions.

1. Close your eyes.

2. Slow your breathing.

3. Think of something you would enjoy doing. This could be a hobby, take a vacation, play sports, interact with friends or family, etc.

4. Concentrate on the positive feelings and confidence you receive from these thoughts.

5. Think about a challenge you need solved and let the answer come to you.

6. Open you eyes and you will be better prepared to handle your world.

Happy Time Out Day!

Coaching: How to Succeed in Half the Time Using a Personal Coach

I love watching the top sports individuals and teams; especially, the ones who consistently year in and year out maintain the highest level of excellence. What is the common factor of these successful individuals and teams? Great coaching! Great coaches analyze the talent they presently have and work to maximize the athlete's strengths, while minimizing or eliminating the athlete's weaknesses. This makes the individual and team better at what they do; while, at the same time, it identifies obstacles or challenges and helps the athlete and team overcome these challenges.

What do top business professionals such as Donald Trump and Bill Gates (especially in their early days) have in common with these top notch athletes? They realize that to accomplish their goals faster, they enlist the help of coaches. Whether it is presentation coaching, success coaching, or executive coaching, the coach assists the professionals realize their full potential, maximize their assets, minimize and eliminate their weaknesses, and helps them realize their opportunities in career, business, and life.

What are the qualities of a great coach? It's the same qualities you see in the great coaches in the athletic arena everyday. The following are some of the qualities to seek when enlisting the services of an effective coach:

1. Positive Communication
   When communicating with you, the coach will use communication that shows ownership and empowerment. Instead of saying, "I think...," "I hope...," "we kinda...," "maybe we could...," "I like to...," the coach will use words and phrases such as "we can...," "we will...," and "we need to...." These words and phrases convey a sense of ownership, empowerment, and expectancy of positive change.

2. Clear Goal-Setting
   Your coach will ask variations of these questions, "Where are you now?" and "Where do you want to be in one year, five years, 10 years, etc.?" The coach will work with you to develop a personalized plan or proven system that is flexible and fits your special needs. The coach will hold you accountable for achieving the plan and help you find ways to accomplish the plan.

3. Motivational Ability
   Your coach will find the motivating factors that are important to you and keep you focused on your goals based on these factors. Having established a close relationship with you, your coach will know when and how much to motivate you.

4. Honest Feedback
   Your coach will give you constructive, honest feedback so that you can take the steps to go to the next level in your career, business, and life. Many times when I coach individuals in organizations, the number one concern employees have is one or more of the following: "I never receive feedback on my performance," "I only receive negative feedback," or "I only receive feedback during my once-a-year performance review." Feedback is important for improvement.
   
   Could you imagine a basketball coach never giving his team any feedback during the basketball game or season? Or even worse...only negative feedback? How would the individuals on the team know what areas to improve upon to succeed? Your coach's feedback will keep you on track to be more successful.
   
   Another important benefit of coaching is that it is confidential in nature. Just you and your coach will know what your goals are for success. Often the reason individuals don't ask for help or guidance is because they don't want others to know their weaknesses. Your coaching sessions are confidential and all feedback is kept between the participants.

5. Making the Future Now
   Your coach will help you see your future opportunities today and jumpstart you to take action immediately. Many times we will see our future opportunities but don't know how to get there. The coach provides a "bridge" to help you move toward your opportunities and goals. Like the old saying goes, "If you can conceive it and believe it, you can achieve it." The coach helps you achieve it by seeing the future now and having you act on it.
   
   Enjoy the benefits of successful individuals and organizations if you are serious about creating success in your business, career, and life. Do what successful people do and find a coach that meets your unique needs and helps you accomplish your goals quickly. You will be amazed at the results.

THIS IS OUR LAST ENTRY!

Thank you to all our loyal readers. This is our last posting. We are joining the S-L-O-W group and giving up all forms of technology so that we can improve our lives. We are also selling our home and moving to a piece of property in Montana so we can farm off the earth.

You will be able to contact us by the United States Postal Service when we figure out the address. Goodbye to all!

Only kidding, how would I watch March Madness and tennis?