Category Archives: Personal Success

Mar 24 2014
3 Comments
Leadership, Personal Success

The $25,000 Idea!

Want an idea that will significantly boost your productivity on and off the job, that a man was once paid $25,000 for? And, an approach that can help create balance in your life so you can enjoy dinner with your family “most” evenings?

What is amazing about this (true) story is the fact that it originates from the early 1900’s! So, in today’s terms this $25k idea is worth SO MUCH MORE! Yet, it is just as applicable now as it was back then.

As described in previous posts, we can make excellent use of our time by converting our vehicle into a University on Wheels. One of my favorite authors to listen to is Earl Nightingale, who presents this $25k idea in several of his programs.

In a nutshell, the $25k idea is this:

Write down the six most important things you have to do. Then number them in the order of their importance. And tomorrow morning, go to work on number one. Stay with it till it’s successfully completed, and then move on to number two, and so on. When you’ve finished with all six, get another piece of paper and repeat the process. You’ll be astonished and delighted at the order it brings into your life and at the rate of speed with which you’ll be able to accomplish the things that need doing in the order of their importance. This simple but tremendously effective method will take all the confusion out of your life. You’ll never find yourself running around in circles wondering what to do next. ~ Earl Nightingale

Quite a simple method that we ALL can apply and benefit from. Yes, “life happens” and things may not always be that simple. The original / complete text of this story provides additional details and nuances on this method. If you’d like to learn more feel free to click here (more free info!).

We all have experienced the feeling (called stress) that we have “way more to do” in a day than there is available time. I have found that when I spend a few moments at the beginning of each day applying the above method I am able to get the “most important” things done towards the accomplishment of my goals and objectives. And, I have time left over (most days) to spend precious time with family and friends.

Another relevant quote from a contemporary personal effectiveness coach is:

“Every minute you spend in planning, saves 10 minutes in execution.” ~ Brian Tracy

That is a 10-fold return on our time!!!

If you feel you need to continue putting in an increasing number of hours every day, just to keep up, stop what you are doing RIGHT NOW and give this method a try. The alternative: burn-out.

Hope you find the $25k idea as effective for you as it has been for me!

Mar 21 2014
1 Comment
Personal Success, Successful Kids

Employability and the First Impression

In a prior post I wrote about being secure in our “employability” vs. the notion of job security (which simply doesn’t exist). After reading this, one of my long time business associates encouraged me to write on the topic of today’s post…So, blame him 🙂

We all have to start our working career somewhere. For many of us this involves a service-oriented job. These jobs happen to provide EXCELLENT experience by working with the public and interacting with a diverse set of people (even an occasional whack-o 🙂 ). All of which prepares us for the future.

These jobs could be in retail (bagging groceries, stocking shelves, serving customers). Or, we may perform as a mason’s helper (mixing cement and lugging cinder blocks as we traipse in and out of the customer’s house). That was my start, at least…

Now, let’s put ourselves in the hiring manager’s / business owner’s position. We are looking for someone to best represent us in our business, to our customers. We have 2 candidates sitting in front of us. Both seem to be healthy, highly capable individuals. One is “fairly” clean cut and smiling. The other sports a grimace, face piercing(s) and/or (visible) tattoos.

First, to be clear, we have experienced all of the above in my own family. I love them each dearly, and always will. And, this isn’t a conversation about someone’s worth to humanity. The 2nd person in our example may very well may be the nicest and hardest working person on the planet!

The unfortunate reality is, people DO judge a book by its cover. And, first impressions matter!

“You never get a second chance to make a good first impression.” ~ Will Rogers

The goal of this topic is to improve the odds for our employability (now and in the future).

Yes, the second person in our example will be able to get a job. But, for the typical job (read, the most frequently available positions) it may be a “little” harder to do so for him/her than the first person in our example. And, it may be harder for them to excel in their future career. This would be an example of “self-imposing” a glass ceiling.

Don’t we want the odds stacked in our favor? As such, when considering “permanently” changing one’s body it is important to think beyond the “coolness of today” and consider life 10-20 years down the road assuming we’d like the odds in our favor to be hugely successful and financially secure. This doesn’t mean we can’t get a tattoo. What we can do is be discrete. For example, a “sleeve” tattoo can be covered (if/when necessary) by wearing a long sleeve shirt.

Yes, it is possible to achieve great things despite the odds. And, I will always encourage this (going for it, regardless of the odds). The question to ask ourselves is: Am I making it easier to attract opportunities, or am I setting up obstacles that may slow me down both now and in my important future?

If you’d like to learn more about creating a great first impression, check-out the following book.

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Yeah, I just may get that tattoo one day. You just won’t be able to see it unless you catch me on the beach, somewhere in the world…

If you have an idea or suggestion for future topics to be covered, feel free to reply or leave a comment on this post.

Mar 19 2014
3 Comments
Personal Success

Job Security?

The first thing to realize about job security: there is no such thing!

No company owes anyone a job. The only thing owed are the wages we agreed to for the work we “previously performed.” It is our responsibility, not a company (or government, a previous post) to ensure our income remains stable and grows over time.

Since there is no such thing as job security what we can do is strive for security in our “employability.” And, if/when we realize our current role / job isn’t cutting it (now and/or for the long term) we can either move up or move out! That is, we have options.

When the dot-com bubble burst companies in this space were forced to downsize (some of which vanished from the economic scene). The company I worked for was an example of this. We were in the painful position of having to slash headcount (repeatedly, month-over-month). In fact, the company no longer exists. One day in which layoffs were occurring I entered the elevator, joining another gentleman on his ride to the next floor. He asked: “Are the layoffs over?” I replied: “As far as I know.” His response, as he wiped his brow: “Phew. I NEVER make it through layoffs.”

Now, I really do have a heart. And, I absolutely HATE layoffs. Hopefully, this guy has looked in the mirror and realized he is the common denominator. It is no company’s fault that he “never makes it through layoffs.”

If a ship is sinking, what is thrown overboard? Any and all cargo not absolutely essential to the safety of the crew and passage of the vessel. And, as the ship continues to sink the captain must dig deeper and deeper for cargo to toss.

In business when there is a downturn requiring the unfortunate situation of performing layoffs, a common approach taken by management is the ranking of employees into categories:

  • A – An absolute high performer / keeper until the very last
  • B – A reasonable performer / keeper for this round
  • C – Persons the firm can get along without

Our goal, if we want a stable and growing income, is to be an “A” or at least a “B” player. If we fall into the “C” category then we can expect to be jettisoned first, during a downturn…

Yes, there may be examples of dirt-bag managers, favoritism, even scandalous situations. I’m in no way condoning or making excuses for these “exceptions.”

As individuals, what we can do is improve (take full ownership of) our own situation. It simply takes hard work, ongoing growth, self-discipline, maintaining a positive attitude, doing the best job possible regardless of pay and determination. And, if the current company or department within the company we work for doesn’t offer more promising prospects we can move up or move out.

To continuously secure our “employability” (with our current company and/or to become highly attractive to would-be employers) we can put ourselves through / remain in our own continuous improvement process.

It starts with a decision.

“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

And, for those considering the decision to seek new frontiers (job hunting and/or career change), the following book offers outstanding insight, guidance and advice.

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By taking action we can enjoy the process and security of “employability!”

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