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Motivational Tip Of The Day

Aesop possessed the uncanny ability to communicate powerful life messages through his fables. The simplicity, elegance, and neatness of his literary genius are matched only by the instructive and challenging points.

Take, for example, the fable about the goose and the golden egg. It is the story of a poor farmer who one day visits the nest of the goose and finds at her side a glittering yellow egg. Convinced this must be a trick, he is about to throw it away but on second thought, takes it home - where he discovers to his delight that the egg is pure gold. The farmer becomes fabulously rich by daily gathering one golden egg from the nest of his special goose. As he grows rich, he becomes greedy and impatient. Hoping to secure all the gold at once, he kills the goose and opens her, only to find nothing.

Nice story but irrelevant to us, right? Wrong. Growth is a daily grind composed of successes, failures, lost opportunities, progress, and change. Thinking it can be attained in one fell swoop is deceptive and results in losing a fortune of daily activities that compromise the process of growth.

- Excerpt from Speaker's Sourcebook II by Glenn Van Ekeren 

Motivational Tip Of The Day

Moments

If I had my life to live over,

I would try to make more mistakes next time,

I would relax,

I would lighten up,

I would be sillier than I have ever been,

I would take more things less seriously,

I would be crazier,

I would take more chances,

I would take more trips,

I would climb more mountains,

Swim more rivers,

And watch more sunsets.

I would have more real problems

And very few imaginary ones.

I have had my moments,

And if I had to do it over again,

I'd have more of them.

In fact, I'd have nothing else ...

Just moments, one after another

Instead of living so many years ahead of each day.

I would go places and do things

And travel lighter than I have.

I would stand barefoot earlier in the spring,

And stay that way later in the Fall.

I would pick more daisies,

I would ride on more merry-go-rounds,

I would gather more clowns in my life,

I would hug more people, and hold more hands.

I would meet you sooner and know you longer

And, I would love you better.

- Anonymous

Motivational Tip Of The Day

LOOSEN UP

Abe Lincoln laughed at himself, and especially at his appearance. He once shared this story about himself:

"Sometimes I feel like ugly man who met an old woman traveling through a forest.

The old woman said, 'You're the ugliest man I ever saw.'

'I can't help it,' the ugly man said.

'No I guess not,' the woman admitted, 'but the least you could do is stay at home.' "

Whenever I begin taking myself or life too seriously, I reflect on Abraham Lincoln's ability to laugh at himself. I'm convinced if more people could loosen up and laugh at themselves, life wouldn't seem so difficult.

Try it ... You might like it.

- Excerpt from Speaker's Sourcebook II by Glenn Van Ekeren 

Motivational Tip Of The Day

Many people get into the habit of saying no to new experiences, preferring to be locked into a comfort zone that restricts their growth. Life becomes habitual rather than experiential.

John Stuart Mill said, "The perpetual obstacle to human advancement is custom." To the degree we're living our lives based on "that's the way I've always done it," our comfort zone has more control of us than we have of ourselves.

Existing in a world governed by habit leads to mediocrity and dullness. If we refrain from pushing out the walls of our comfortableness, they will contract to  restrict any fresh ideas, exciting opportunities, or possibilities from entering. 

Life is a smorgasbord, a variety of tasty, delicious choices. People locked into a comfort-zone approach pass over any entries that may be foreign to them.  Their selection is based on familiarity. As a result, many delicious choices are passed over.

- Excerpt from Speaker's Sourcebook II by Glenn Van Ekeren

Motivational Tip Of The Day

Know Where You're Going

    A man driving through the Black Hills near Mount Rushmore ran into a snowstorm and lost all sense of direction. Then he peered out his side window and saw a snowplow. Relieved, he kept as close to the vehicle as he could while it removed snow from the pavement. At times the heavy snowfall made it difficult to follow the machine.

    After a while the plow stopped and the operator got out and walked over to the car. "Mister, where are you headed?" the driver asked.

    "I'm on my way to Montana," the man responded.

    "Well, you'll never get there following me. I'm plowing out this parking lot!"

    If you're not getting anywhere fast, maybe it's time to decide exactly where you want to go and exactly what you want to achieve. Blindly following someone else may be a dead-end trip.

-Anonymous

Motivational Tip Of The Day

Failure is the foundation for success when you learn from and build on your experiences.

What failures have you experienced lately?

How well are you dealing with them?

Are you caught up in a self-pity party?

What new beginnings are possible as a result of this failure?

Have you tightened your determination and persistence belt?

How do you plan to build on what you've learned?

The next time failure knocks at your door, remember the encouragement of Confucius that, "Our greatest glory is not in never falling but in rising every time we fall."

Motivational Tip Of The Day

It's Up to You

If you really want to be a great success

It's up to you

Or, if you choose to do less than your best

It's up to you

Whether you'll be flying high or only getting by

It's up to you

Im just here to clarify

It's really up to you.

If you're to overcome your problems, there's no doubt

It's up to you

Or, if you decide not to even work them out ...

It's up to you

Whether you'll enjoy great fame or end up in the hall of shame

You'll have no one else to blame because

It's clearly up to you.

When the heat is on, you ask what can I say ...

It's up to you

Are you willing to pay the price you have to pay?

It's up to you

Do you have the guts. The will to follow through?

Whether you'll do something great or just procrastinate

Yes I'm concerned about your fate ... but

It's positively up to you.

There's absolutely no limit to what you can do, but

It's up to you

Whether your fire gets lit or whether you decide to quit

Worrying about it won't help me one bit ... because

It's really up to you.

Just how far will you really go ... Who knows?

It's up to you

Whether the crop you've planted grows and grows

It's up to you

Whether you score with the ball, fumble it, or worse yet ...

Miss the call, I don't want to see you fall but

It's clearly up to you.

Oh, you can have all that life can give, but can't you see

It's up to you

If you're fed up with your lifestyle, don't look at me

It's up to you

Whether you succeed or fail, get to heaven or burn in hell

How long will I have to yell

It's positively up to you!

Oh yes! It's really, clearly, positively, undeniably,

Absolutely, inescapably up to you.

- Anonymous

12 Steps to Becoming A Better Manager Part 2

Get Employees To Connect On An Emotional Level – The one cry that I hear repeatedly from managers is “These people are being paid, so why won’t they do their jobs”. My heart goes out to the manager who believes that a paycheck will inspire and motivate people to “do their jobs”. The problem is it’s just a job and unless employees connect on an emotion level with that job, they will NEVER give you their best. Your job is to give them a reason to become emotionally involved. You’ve got to find a way to make them care. Remember adults need to understand the ‘Why’ in everything. Show them the relevance of their contribution. Point out how their contribution makes an impact not only to the bottom-line, but also in the lives of your customers. Answer the number one question on employee’s minds (“What’s in it for me?”) because regardless of what you are asking them to do, or paying them to do, people will always be motivated to fulfill their personal interest first. So take the time to sit with employees and discover what truly motivates them. When you get the buy-in from employees you will have a better chance of achieving top performance.

Face The Reality – Employees are mere mortals “A boss fixes blame, a manager fixes mistakes” - Anonymous   Do you remember the old Chinese adage that says, “Tell me and I’ll remember for an hour; show me and I’ll remember for a day; but let me do it and I’ll remember forever.” Well managers hate this saying, because one of the consequences of “letting me do it so that I’ll remember forever” is that I will makes mistakes. The first time around could be a disaster or not performed to your satisfaction and now your stuck with having to clean up the “mess”. News flash, if employees are to progress sometimes they will have to make a mess. Your job is to anticipate that there will be a spill on aisle three, and to stand by with a mop behind your back ready to clean up.   Remind yourself that this is a teaching process. According to Weston H. Agor, Intuitive Management “Making mistakes simply means you are learning”. So after each spill please, don’t rake the employee over the coals.  Substitute praise for the ten pound words that will try to jump  out of your mouth and try not to let them see you mopping up the mess or pulling out your hair.

Know When To Cut The Dead Wood– This may sound like a contradiction to point number 3, but the truth is as a manager there are only so many spills that you are allowed to clean up, before people start to question your judgment. The reality is “No one can whistle in a symphony. It takes an orchestra to play it.” H. E. Luccock, Christian Preacher  -  As a manager you’re tuned into your orchestra (team). You listen but they just don’t sound right – someone is out of tune, off key or playing a totally different song. Who is it? My goodness it’s the keyboard player! So what do you do? “Oh I know.” Says the orchestra leader  “Lets send him for training.” So the keyboard player goes to training, comes back and is still off key. An assessment reveals that he is really tone deaf and shouldn’t be in the orchestra in the first place. Now what do you do? Well, you can do nothing and let it slide, and hope that nobody notices. But don’t kid yourself! Of course people will notice because the entire orchestra is now flat and out of tune. Furthermore patrons are upset and want their money back and to make matter worst they‘ve lost all confidence in the orchestra leader (that’s you) and are demanding that you are fired the theatre. After all how talented can you be if you can’t hear that the entire orchestra is flat and out of tune because of the keyboard player! For the good of the entire orchestra, don’t be afraid to fire the keyboard player. He may not be a good fit for your orchestra, but it doesn’t mean he can’t play in another band somewhere else. 

Show Some Respect -  People spend more time in the office that they do anyplace else.  If they are not happy trust me it will show in the quality of their work, in the way they treat each other, in the way they treat the customers and definitely in the way they handle you as their manager. Will it kill you to be polite? To say “Good morning, how are you?” Of course not! Trust me subordinates won’t think that you are weak and try to take advantage of you if you are polite, show respect for them and extend common courtesies daily. Remember the old rules don’t work anymore. In this new arena you will not be able to use fear, intimidation and power over people to get the job done. It might surprise you, but sometimes to get the job done all you have to do is ask nicely. Was it you who said “Our people are your greatest assets?” If that statement is  true then treat them right and show them some respect regardless of their rank.

Learn To Recognize When You’re Stress Out -  No matter how hard you try, some level of workplace stress is inevitable. Unfortunately when you get to the place where you are popping seven different kinds of medication for high blood pressure, anxiety, indigestion, headache, backaches etc. you are on the verge of burnout! Learn how o recognize the signs that your stress levels are increasing. To help others you must learn to help yourself first. Symptoms of stress include:

• Headaches
• Hostility
• Aggression
• Sleep disorders
• Defensiveness
• Poor Judgment
• Ulcers
• High Blood Pressure
• Fatigue
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Inability To Concentrate
• Mood Swings
• Nervousness

How many symptoms are you experiencing from this list? Maybe it’s time to learn how to say no. It may also be a good idea to take all of your vacation this year and leave your blackberry in your desk draw. Remember it’s not worth it if it kills you!

Go Home So That You Can Refresh Yourself And Prepare To Fight Another Day.

“Many managers follow the notion of busy fools and confuse hard work with long hours. They think because they work 15-hour days and forget their children’s names, they must be bloody good managers. The best sales manager I worked with never once worked beyond 5:30 p.m.” Caspian Woods, How To Build Your Business From Scratch.

    

Motivational Tip Of The Day

Papillon was condemned to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. His meaningful existence was further frustrated by a recurring nightmare. Repeatedly, he would see himself standing before a harsh tribunal.

"You are charged," the leader would shout, "with a wasted life. How do you plead?"

"Guilty," was the only right answer. "I must plead guilty."

The prisoner Papillon knew the meaning of wasted life. Yet, many people have created their own self-imposed prisons. Failure to capitalize on our freedoms leaves us wasted and unfulfilled. So, prisoner or free, the decision to grow is ours.

- Excerpt from Speaker's Sourcebook II by Glenn Van Ekeren