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!

Have you ever gotten “stuck” in the “stinking thinking” mindset that where you are right now is where we’ll always be?

I have…

And the truth is…it’s not true!

Using extremes like, “I’ll never get out of this mess…” or asking dis-empowering questions like, “will this ever end?…” aren’t going move you to the place you really want to be.

Instead, take a lesson from the seasons. When you stop to notice that after winter must come spring, you realize that no matter what “season” your business or life is in right now, a new season is coming….welcome it – wait for it!

You may have heard the expression, “turn lemons into lemonade” a few times on your journey through life, well that’s exactly the thought behind the phrase “turning my mess into my message,” which a mentor of mine suggested to me years ago.

I’ve made my share of mistakes in business and in life, and when I’m open to it, each one has the potential to be an opportunity for growth and advancement.

My interview with Jonathan Gunson of TrafficCafe.TV reminded me of that, watch and enjoy, there are lots of “nuggets” inside!