Start With "Yes!"

A couple of years ago, always when interviewed, the coach for the Swedish National Ice hockey team, started out every sentence on the negative, with the word "no"; even when he had something positive to say. You like to hear the word "yes", don't you? Guess what; so does everyone else, too. Always try to start out on the positive, particularly when you want to influence people. Start out with a "yes!"

Your Own Peace Of Mind

Cyrano de Bergerac, in Edmond Rostand’s play says: “I am what I am because early in life I decided that I would please at least myself in all things.” Some people call it to follow their heart or to follow in their calling. Choose peace of mind as your highest organizing principle and see how that affects your life. I can tell you; great things will happen when you dare to follow the joy of your heart and your peace of mind.

Continue To Learn And Grow

Making excuse is the opposite of taking responsibility. Excuse is a permission slip to stay where you are. When you stay where you are you are not growing. When you are not growing you are not learning. When you are not learning you are not winning. Invest in your continuous learning and growth. And take responsibility for your achievements and your results.

A Little Every Day

Steady progress is made when you work in on something consistently, a little every day. Read a little, exercise a little, call on your customers, work on your projects a little every day. You know the old adage; An apple a day! It is not seven apples at the end of the week or thirty one apples by the end of the month. Make sure your key work habits support your goals, a little every day.

Urgent Versus Important

So many times we get bogged down by what is urgent, such as pressing things from our surrounding environment, instead of prioritizing and focusing on what is truly important to us. Often things that are more important (that is, having higher yield on our end results) don't come with tight deadlines and hence are pushed down in our priority listings. For maximum results, make sure to always find time do the important stuff on a daily basis.

Habit And Deeply Held Beliefs

Strategies and techniques will not solve problems caused by deeply held beliefs often on an unconscious level. That's why behaviors are so difficult to change. We know what we need to do, but sometimes we don't do it. What we know is overruled by our convictions, our deeply held views of ourselves and of the world. To change a habit you first need to change your underlying convictions.

The Science Of An Apology

A proper apology should always include the following elements: a detailed account of the situation followed by an acknowledgement of the hurt or damage done. Assume responsibility for the situation and recognize your role in the event. Then issue a statement of regret and ask for forgiveness. Finally, promise that it won't happen again and include some kind of restitution whenever possible.