Little Things Matter

It’s no secret that we’re all about the little things that can positively influence and enrich our lives. One of the secrets of success is maintaining balanced health and overall wellness. When we feel better, we do better. Our modern lifestyles can make it difficult to achieve this balance day after day. Most of us … Continue reading What Is CBD and How Can It Positively Influence Your Overall Wellbeing? →

Over the last 30 years I have made a list of more than 1000 little things that influence who we become, what we achieve, and how we are viewed by others.

In reviewing this list I selected what I believe to be the 10 most valuable human attributes. These are the 10 things that can have the greatest impact on your career advancements and earnings and are not listed in any specific order.

To learn more about any of the points, simply click the link to read more.

1. Desire – In his famous book Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill said “Desire is the starting point of all achievement.” For things in your life to get better, you must first have the desire for them to get better. For your income to grow, you must first have the desire for it to grow. But simply desiring a better life or higher level of income is not enough. Your desire must be strong enough that you will do what is required of you.

• Is your desire to grow your income strong enough that you will do what is required of you each day to increase your value to the market?

2. Discipline – Self-discipline is a pattern of behavior where you choose to do what you know you should do, rather than what you want to do. It’s the inner drive that pushes you to get out of bed to exercise rather than sleeping in. Simply put, it’s doing what you know you should do, but don’t feel like doing and often requires that you push yourself outside your comfort zone.

• Are you willing to do what you know you should do every day to increase your income, rather than what you want to do?

3. Accountability – Make no mistake about it: you cannot achieve any worthwhile goal if you don’t hold yourself accountable. The reason is simple. It’s your life! No one is going to hold you accountable to doing what’s required of you to achieve your goals. If you have to be held accountable at work, don’t expect to be promoted or to experience any type of significant career advancement.

• Are you willing to hold yourself accountable every day for your actions, responsibilities, and goals?

4. Integrity – While people without integrity may make it to the top, they seldom stay there. The news is full of examples every day. To me, there is no human quality more important than integrity. You can spend a lifetime building your reputation and destroy it in 5 seconds by crossing the line. Remember, the best way to keep from having someone question your integrity is to make sure your integrity is not questionable.

• Will you make a commitment to build your life on a foundation of integrity and never cross the line?

5. Respect –Unless it’s your job, would you follow someone you don’t respect? Would you promote someone you don’t respect? Would you recommend or endorse someone you don’t respect? Would you want to be friends with someone you don’t respect? Point made! There are hundreds of little things that influence people’s respect for you, but if I were to give you one tip, it would be to always treat others with respect. People won’t respect you if you don’t respect them.

• Are you willing to focus on doing the little things every day that will cause people’s respect for you to grow?

6. Responsibility – My definition of responsibility is doing what is expected of you. When people send you an email, SMS or party initiation, they expect a response in a timely period. When you have appointments, people expect you will be on time. When you have a deadline, people expect you will be done on time. When a person hires you to do a job, they expect you will do the job to the best of your ability.

• Will you commit to doing what is expected of you, even if it’s things you didn’t agree to do in advance (like returning a call, SMS, email, or party invitation), in a timely manner?

7. Humility – What type of attitude quickly wins respect? Humility—a modest view of one’s own importance or rank! It’s about being open to the possibility of improvement. By its very nature, humility is not an attitude we ever...

While you may be reluctant or, even worse, scared to give a presentation in front of a group of people, it is one of life’s greatest personal growth experiences. When you have the opportunity to share your insights with a group, accept the invitation and watch your self-confidence and value to the market grow!

Over the last 25 years I have given more than 1000 presentations to groups as large as 50,000 people. During this time I have become a student of public speaking and hope you can benefit from some of the things I’ve learned when giving your next presentation.

1. Prepare – The more prepared you are, the more comfortable you will be come presentation time. Before I gave my first presentation I scripted out what I wanted to say word-for-word and memorized it. I then practiced in front of my video camera. While you may not need to take your preparation to that extreme, if you want to influence people with your presentation, make sure you are prepared.

2. Dress Appropriately – Just as someone forms an opinion of a website in less than one second, they will also form an opinion of you in less than a second. If you want them to take your message seriously, they need to take you seriously. While I hate wearing suits and ties, when I speak, I almost always wear a suit and tie.

3. Come Early – Arriving early reduces stress, allows you to become familiar with your surroundings, and gives you time to get set up without rushing. If you will be using in microphone, make sure it’s working and has a fresh battery if it’s wireless. If you are using a Keynote or PowerPoint presentation, make sure the remote is working and that your slides are being displayed correctly.

4. Use Visuals – I have found that using visual aids such as a PowerPoint or Keynote presentation helps. Not only do attractive slides help your audience absorb your message, but they also help you stay on track.

5. Make Sure Your Visuals are Readable– Be sure the fonts and images used are large enough that the people in the back of the room can easily see them. Throughout my career I have found that 80% of the people who use visuals don’t take into consideration that people will need to read them in the back of the room. Not only does this reflect poorly on the speaker, but it undermines their ability to connect with their audience.

6. Give the Person Introducing You Instructions – The person introducing you should have a short script or bullet points of what to say when introducing you. The goal is for this person to establish you as an authority on your subject.

7. Open with a Smile – I always open my presentations with a smile and warm welcome. When I do this I see people smiling back and beginning to connect with me. Try it and you will see what I mean.

8. Connect Emotionally – As you open your presentation, be warm and gracious and look for ways to emotionally connect with your audience. Help them feel the need for what you are offering.

9. Be Humble and Authentic – For some reason when people stand up and start speaking their egos grow like Pinocchio’s nose. If you want people to like you, respect you, and connect with you, be authentic and stay humble.

10. Stay on Time – Part of earning people’s respect as a presenter is making sure you are prepared to deliver your message in the time allowed. If you are giving a one-hour presentation, know where you want to be 15, 30, and 45 minutes into your presentation. If you see you are running behind at any of these points, then adjust to get yourself back on track. Rushing to finish makes you look like you weren’t prepared.

11. Make Eye Contact – If you want people to connect with you and your message, they need to feel included. That’s best done by making eye contact. If you are talking to a small group, look at each person for one or two sentences. If you are talking to a large group, look at each section of people for one or two sentences. Try to keep eye contact with each person or section until you complete your sentence, and then transition your eyes to another person or section of the room.

12. Walk Side to Side, But Never Backwards – When you are speaking be sure to walk from one side of the stage or room to the other as you include people from both sides. You should also avoid walking backwards while you are talking or people may feel a disconnection.

13. Be Clear – I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in a room listening to someone and been completely lost or struggling to try to figure out what they are trying to say. Make sure y...

Today is Valentine’s Day, the day set apart to shower the special people in your life with all the love they deserve. If you’re scrambling to find that perfect way to demonstrate your affection beyond the usual heart-shaped cards or box of chocolates, I understand.

Wanting others to know what they mean to you is great, but expressing it can be a challenge.

A few years ago, my wife wrote a lesson in which she detailed the importance of loving people according to what Dr. Gary Chapman referred to as their “primary love language.” In summary, we all give and receive love differently; to one person, a hug is enough to brighten a morning; to another, a surprise home-cooked meal is more meaningful than the shiniest jewelry.

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I decided to add to her wisdom by providing a list of 15 simple and effective ways to love people according to the five love languages. If you are unsure how to identify someone’s primary love language, I encourage you to read Joy’s post—or have your friends and family take the online quiz.

Words of Affirmation

A well-timed compliment often has the power to make a words-of-affirmation person’s day. For them, the more specific, the better. They don’t merely need to know that they are amazing—they need to know why.

1. Scatter loving and encouraging notes across the house, in their car, or in their packed lunch.

2. Compile a list of 15-20 of your favorite things about them, and read it aloud.

3. Observe what they seem insecure about and point your affirmation in that direction.

Acts of Service

Nothing says “I love you” to people who value service like going out of your way to do something you don’t enjoy just because you care about them. Loving these people will vary depending on their circumstances, but here are some timeless ideas.

1. Wash their car. If possible, do so while they’re sleeping or otherwise preoccupied so their clean car will be a surprise.

2. Make their favorite meal when they least expect it.

3. Offer to run an errand for a busy or overwhelmed friend.

Gifts

For these people, a dozen red roses will certainly not suffice. They need to know that you put thought into a gift, and that you were willing to go through the extra effort to pick something out just for them.

1. For a spouse or an old friend, find a gift that is reminiscent of a particularly joyful time in your relationship (i.e. an old record that you listened to as teenagers, a piece of jewelry from where you went on a vacation or honeymoon, etc.).

2. Give little things throughout the day or week and at unexpected times. Many gifts, regardless of cost, are usually more meaningful for gift-oriented people than one large, expensive present.

3. For those who never stop talking about a certain band or TV show, consider buying them fan merchandise (t-shirt, mug, etc.). It will likely result in a good laugh and show that you listen and care about their interests.

Quality Time

This is the love language that can be easily whisked aside when life gets busy. It’s important to recognize that even if you only have 20 minutes to spend with someone, you can make it count.

1. Make a lunch or breakfast “date” with your child or grandparent, and let them choose the place, even if it’s a place you don’t like.

2. Make spending time together a habit. Whether it means having a short coffee break with your husband every afternoon or lunch with your daughter every Thursday, regularly blocking out time is a great way to ensure these people feel loved and appreciated.

3. Give them your full attention when you’re together: ask pointed questions, put your phone down, and listen well.

Physical Touch

Loving these people often requires making simple and conscious choices throughout the day to ensure that they feel connected, even when it doesn’t come naturally for you.

1. Sit close to them when you’re watching a movie or TV show.

2. Give a foot or back massage (when appropriate, of course).

3. Hug them. This may seem simple, but even if you’re not a hugger, make a point to properly embrace those in your life who are.

My Challenge

Healthy relationships are essential to a meaningful life. Don’t let loving others take the back seat to your career and ambitions. Find a balance and a way to not just love, but to love well. I encourage you to discover the love language of those closest to you and start applying these tips.

Do you have any additi...

What are some of the goals you’ve set over the last year? Being 100% honest, are you on track to achieve those goals? As you look over the last five years, what’s your track record for setting and achieving your goals?

My life’s experience tells me that very few people achieve their goals. Whether their goal is to lose weight, reduce debt, increase income, build a side business or accomplish some other challenge, it doesn’t matter. Most people do not achieve their goals.

Do you know the worst part? Each time you set a goal and fail to achieve it, the negative experience damages your self-esteem and self-confidence. After all, how can failing to achieve an important goal not negatively affect you? You can tell yourself it’s no big deal, but deep down inside you know the truth.

When people continually fail to achieve their goals, they stop dreaming and no longer believe they can achieve anything worthwhile. Then, like millions of other people, they aimlessly drift through life until they die.

I firmly believe that you can achieve any goal that is truly important to you. You just need learn the keys of setting and achieving goals and then use your discipline to achieve them.

10 Keys to Setting and Achieving BIG Goals

1. Start by setting small short-term goals – Every time you set and achieve a goal, your confidence and sense of competence increases. Start your journey by setting small achievable goals and then taking the steps necessary to achieve them.

• Lesson: Set some easy goals that you would like to achieve this week. It could be applying for that great job you really want or exercising after work tonight. Every time you achieve a small goal, set a new one. As you build your confidence in achieving small goals, you will believe you can achieve big goals.

2. Set goals that are important to you – Let’s be honest, to achieve any worthwhile goal requires you to do things you would prefer not doing. If your goal is not HIGHLY important to you, you won’t do what’s required of you to achieve it. The obstacles in your path won’t be worth overcoming, because the prize isn’t important enough.

• Lesson: ONLY set goals that are highly important to you.

3. Identify your biggest obstacles – When you look at your goal, ask yourself, “What will be required of me to achieve this goal? What will be the biggest obstacles I will have to overcome?” Make a list of all the things you will need to do and challenges you will likely face.

• Lesson: Be honest with yourself and consider the potential challenges you will face on your journey.

4. Ask, “Am I willing to do what’s required?” – This is the time when you need to be honest and ask yourself one more time, “Is this goal important enough to me that I will make the sacrifices necessary and do what is required of me every day to achieve my goal?”

• Lesson: Unless you are willing to do what’s required of you EVERY DAY to achieve your goal, don’t play games with yourself and think you are going to achieve it.

5. Create milestones – Break your goal down into smaller goals. If your goal is to lose 30 pounds this year, then set the dates when you will be down 5 pounds, 10 pounds, 15 pounds etc. If your goal is to increase your commissions from $60,000 to $100,000 over the next 12 months, then set the dates when you will have earned $10,000, $25,000, $50,000 etc.

• Lesson: Break your big goals down into small goals. This allows you to focus on achieving smaller goals and measuring your progress. If you are falling behind, you can make up ground as you work towards your next milestone.

6. Put together your plan and break it down into daily activities – If you are going to achieve any worthwhile goal you must know what you should be doing each day. When I set a goal in 1989 to make $400,000 selling real estate, I knew exactly how many calls I needed to make every day. If I fell behind one day, I made it up the next day. At the end of the year, I made $401,000.

• Lesson: Put together your plan and then break it down into what you should be doing every day, then set up a daily routine. When I was a Realtor, I prospected EVERY morning (Mon-Sat) starting at 9 AM. Routines create structure and make it easier to work our daily action plans.

7. Work your plan – Once you know the actions you need to take every day, you must use your personal initiative and discipline to do what you know you should do, even when you don’t feel like doing it. This is when your resolve to overcome those obstacles you knew you would face will be tested.

• Lesson: Do what you’ve agreed to do each day. If you fall behind one day, make it up the nex...