Bret Michaels on Season 8, The Apprentice

I don’t watch very much TV, but I do enjoy a few shows, one of them is The Apprentice with Donald Trump.

He’s a bit over the top at times and not everyone likes him but what I respect about him is that he’s clear on who he is and what he wants to accomplish.

This season he’s assembled 16 celebrities who are working to raise money for their favorite charities. These people are highly focused and driven and showed a serious determination to win for their cause.

The men’s team name “ROCK SOLID” (thanks in part to Rocker Bret Michaels) and the women’s is “TENACITY” – great names, huh?

As I watched them maneuver through the task they were assigned (running a diner during lunch) I observed how they handled the obstacles and attitudes, delays and disappointments they were faced with.

It reminded me of my business (and yours) in SO many ways!

When I am clear about my Plan and my Purpose then inevitable obstacles are not nearly as overwhelming as when I’m uncertain of my Path.

In your business, until you are ROCK SOLID certain WHY you are pursuing your goals and dreams; then every obstacle will seem impossible to overcome. Every roadblock will make  you
question your commitment. Every bump in the road will shake your confidence.

When you have clarity on the WHAT and WHY (i.e. generating a set amount per month passively, homeschooling your kids, becoming a full-time entrepreneur) then obstacles, attitudes, delays
and disappointments cannot get between you and your dreams.

• Get Clear.
• Develop the Cou-rage.
• Have the Confidence.
• Make the Commitment.

You will be unstoppable.

Make This Your Best Year Yet!
Sanyika

If you’re getting wound up as the year winds down, chill out and change your approach before the clock strikes midnight.

My end of year goal to plan my ENTIRE 2010 calender was inspired by my fantastically supportive husband, cheerleader, and friend Darrell.

He challenged me to treat 2010 like an important assignment or a big project, rather than an event (which comes and goes, and is often less exciting than you’d imagined)

Time and money are “measuring sticks” worthy of being acknowledged and respected, however as the calendar turns I encourage you to embrace the New Year more practically than emotionally

Break it down into manageable pieces (HINT: Post It Notes help…)

Long lists of things-to-do scribbled out on large legal pads are a sure recipe for stress. Assigning each goal, task, idea it’s own “space” (i.e. Post It Note) allows you to see things as they are, rather than how you’d ideally like them to be.

This exercise has helped me to do 2 things (I hope it’ll do the same for you):

1) It forces me to “discover the truth” about how much I can really expect to effectively and efficiently get done even with advance planning, and in the best case scenario a team to support me.

It’s a completely humbling experience to see ALL your New Year’s goals written out INDIVIDUALLY as you realize you’d have to work 18 hour days and try to squeeze whatever is left of your life in the remaining 6 hours in order to complete every task.

BUT, it’s much better to know this UPFRONT and manage your expectations than to get to the end of yet ANOTHER YEAR and wonder what in the heck happened?!

2) Empowers me to create real results rather than wishful resolutions, by actively addressing the things  I need to focus on rather than getting distracted by “bright shiny objects” I get predictable outcomes and start to see progress throughout the year.

It might seem easier said than done, but you already know the alternative – at least I do…

You have a choice.

You can either…

a) Get hopped up on hope that 2010 is going to be different/better and continue to list out ALL the things that are left over from 2009 that you’ll tackle in 2010 – which probably won’t get done.

OR

b) Individually list your desired goals (I chose different color Post It’s for each category) then determine what REALLY needs to happen to bring that goal to life.

The best way to do this is to:

1. Identify the type of goal it is (i.e. business or personal is a good barometer)

2. Determine the specific steps that need to be taken to achieve the goal (i.e. do you need to learn a new skill, will you hire someone to do it for you)

3. Estimate how long each step will take to complete (i.e. while you can write a book in 17 days -  you have to get clear about what amount of time do you need allocate for the cover designer, editor and printer!)

It’ll probably take more than a day to do this (it took me several), but don’t be governed by clocks and calendars, remember this is a practical approach to planning for a true win in 2010.

What you’re likely to discover is many of the things will fall away simply because you will see that they are either not that important, or have more parts and pieces than you are prepared to coordinate.

Don’t wimp out, be sure to choose goals that will stretch you. But also be honest with yourself and be OK with moving things from your “someday” list to the “never gonna happen” file (aka the trash)

Once you’ve chosen the goals you are committed to completing and are clear on the actions you need to take – you can approach every opportunity, offer, or obstacle that comes your way with the question, “Is this getting me closer to or further away from what I want to be?”

Knowing immediately whether something will support you in reaching your goals or serve as a distraction will allow you to resist the “bright shiny objects” syndrome that sidelines you from success.

That’s how to get a true win in 2010.

Finish strong!
Sanyika

Every year a group of Crickets gather under my
office window to “sing their song.”

If you’ve ever had the “pleasure” of listening to the
prolonged chirp…chirp…chirp… of a Cricket you
will undoubtedly question you sanity.

Especially if you can’t seem to find the source of
the noise – only hear it.

Today I have a full plate of coaching calls, things-to-do
and goals to meet so when the familiar sound started
first slowly and then reached it’s fever pitch I was
annoyed.

Then I paused myself and asked a different question,
what if there was something to learn from these creatures…

Watch this quick video and see what we can all learn from
the 3 core characteristics of a Cricket…

May you continue be be like the Cricket as you strive to be:

C – CONSISTENT

R – RELENTLESS

I – INSISTENT

Finish strong!

My morning was spent at New Broadcast Network in NY where
I completed 7 radio interviews in 3 hours to bring awareness to
consumers about the new Sears and K’Mart “Christmas Club Card.”

One of the radio hosts asked me why would anyone be thinking
about holiday shopping so soon, I said, “…you’ve got to plan now
so you don’t panic later.”

It was one of those great “in the moment” kind of comments, but
later as I thought about it. I realized that planning for major
milestones in your life, your business and your finances can mean
the difference in being a success or feeling like a failure.

The reality is, if you haven’t planned for IT (whatever that IT is)
you’re probably going to panic and that’s never a good thing.

That got me thinking about the importance of planning (even if
it’s something that most of us – including me – procrastinate about)
and how to do it efficiently, effectively (aka EASILY).

Watch this quick video for some of my insights and some good
information you can use to plan for what you want – right now.

When you “begin with the end in mind,” like Stephen Covey suggests you
have a much better chance of reaching your goals and desired destinations.

Michael Hyatt’s blog post on “Creating a Life Plan” that I mentioned by in
the video can me found here:

http://budurl.com/scblifeplan

You can also follow him on Twitter @michaelhyatt

Questions are the food that the mind chews on and just as certain
foods are good for us adding nourishment to our bodies and providing
us energy and stamina.

There’s also “junk food” that has the total opposite effect, it generally
makes up sluggish and bloated and feel yucky.

The same is true with the questions we ask. Watch this video to
find out why and what types of questions you should be “feeding”
your mind instead.

Unconscious or not your thoughts are simply a series of questions
that you ask when you are seeking to find solutions, answers, clarity
and direction in any area of your life.

The questions you must be mindful about are those that are disempowering,
they are the questions like:

* “Why does this always happen to me?”
* “Why can’t I seem to ever get things right?”
* “Am I really that dumb?”
* “When is this ever going to turn around?”
* “What’s wrong with me?”
* “Why does so-and-so seem to have a better business
than mine…I’m better at ____ than they are…”

You get where I’m going here right?

Well the truth is that asking yourself these questions will actually ensure
that you’re going nowhere.

Not only will your mind seek to find answers to them, but it’ll actually
give you reasons why all these things are “wrong” in your world.

These questions are the equivalent of mental “junk food”and they’re
keeping you from reaching your full potential, from moving to the
next level of your life.

The best way to get out out the continuous loop of negativity,
sluggishness, bogged-down-by-life feeling is to ask better questions!

Empowering questions like:

* “How can I add more value to the people I serve and support?”

* “What is the lesson that I can learn from this experience to grow
my business and improve myself?”

* “Who do I know that has had success in this area that I can model?”

* “What must happen in order for me to make this goal reality?”

* “What must I do to improve this situation?”

* “How can I be a better me today”

WOW…can you see the difference?

Your mind will start to find the answers you need to take the steps
necessary to have the things that are important to you.

And better yet, asking empowering questions will provide the
answers you need to move forward with focus, clarity and
momentum towards the life you want.

Ask a better quality question, get a better quality answer, LIVE
a higher quality life!