Success

After going through a lengthy project that may take several days, I find that the project required so much attention and had such a long list of things to get done, that I get away from preparing a schedule for the day’s activities. This morning was one of those days for me.  What happens on…

Medium is a community website that publishes articles from writers who collaborate to help each other create better material before publication. The website is a great place for business people to get stimulating ideas from outside their community to refresh their business, career, and home life perspectives.  The theme of writers helping writers create better material…

Everyone has days or even jobs in which they may not be able to do everything that needs to be done. Additionally there are times when the obvious choices of what to do are not always the best choices. So how do you select the best things to do for that day? A good approach…

Performance takes energy. Peak performance takes knowing the pace for the race to use energy most effectively. I ran a 10K run in which I was wildly excited to get started. I came out and set my pace as closely as I could to the runners who appeared to be the best runners in the…

Creating a list of things that I love about my work is a great way to enjoy the things I do every day.  Here are four of the things I love about my job. FUN I have a lot of fun working in the recruiting industry.  The requirements of the job are simple yet fast…

THE FEELINGS OF SUCCESS How you feel about yourself and your world will have a great deal to do with how well you interact with other people.  These feelings also will have a great deal to do with how other people interact with you. SMILE I talked to a guy one time who said that…

I know that using the word “rehearse” to describe the word “spontaneous” create a bit of an oxymoron. However, I find it helpful to have a pocketful full of little phrases to use when I am in a discussion that may involve disagreement or tension. For a couple of reasons, I need at least to…

When you don’t like what you are saying to yourself, change the subject. I learned some time back that the quality of my thinking is related to my moods.  My moods may go up after I eat or listen to music or get some rest or get some good news.  My moods may go down…

There are times when the boss needs to know.  Extraordinary people know when they should call the boss. At sea as a Navy officer I stood watches which included the safe navigation (piloting) of the ship.  As a new ensign in the Navy, I served on an aircraft carrier and never expected to see the…

I once heard a guy say that he got the humility button, but he had to give it back because he wore it. So humility can not be worn like a badge.  When I forget that point, I pay a price in relationships and income. In an earlier article titled “Be Extraordinary:  Be Wrong,” I discussed how…

For me, green vegetables are the best weight-loss food and the best way to bypass the cookie jar. Greens are interesting too! Greens are fun and nutritious.  Check it out! Celery burns more calories than it contains.   Check it out!  Just slap that sentence in your favorite search engine, and check it out! Broccoli…

I am more successful when I start with simple steps. For me, motivation is not the key.  Consciously in the present moment, doing one thing at a time is the key. I do not require myself to get motivated to go for a walk.  I just agree to put on my shoes. I put them…

When writing for your job or your career, you can become a powerful writer.  The principles of great business writing are simple. State your subject in the first sentence.  A sales manager once told me that Procter & Gamble sent him to Cincinnati for a two-year assignment to teach him how to write. I thought…

Do employers hire you for who are you or for what you know? Obviously, most employers are looking for both traits. So when you go into that interview, be prepared to show how you can serve and benefit the company and how you can be someone people will want to have around the office. Two…

It is about this time of year that I have forgotten about New Year’s resolutions or given up on them and feel guilty that I was not able to fulfill those resolutions I made just four short weeks ago. Why have always found that these resolutions were not going to work long-term and were just…

It seems as though all my life I have held to the idea that I was right.  It is not so much that I had to know everything.  Often when I do not know something, I can just say that I do not know.  When I do know something, I have trouble seeing that what…

Today I am going to do one thing at a time.  I will start the day by going over my plan for the day. Then I will work with one computer program until the project is finished. When I have finished that one project, I am going to take a break and do some crunches….

Last July, I wrote an article on getting back to the home gym by following the methods used in the movie “Karate Kid.”  That is, by washing my car and doing other things that I had turned over to public commercial services. Now with the beginning of the New Year, the most effective home gym…

Every day at 8:00 AM, I go over my plans for the day. I establish the status of my business with existing customers and what needs to be done to further my business with these customers. I review developing business and set priorities for turning those prospects into customers. I establish how I will proceed…

I love fruitcake.  Like everything else, fruitcake has people who love it and people who do not.  Nearly two million fruitcakes are sold each year.  I doubt that many people eat an entire fruitcake, since most fruitcakes have a very dense texture and are about a foot in diameter and four inches high less that…

I am going to be extraordinary today by appreciating that I have the present moment to be effective at my job, love my friends and my family, and experience life.  For those things and many other things I am grateful. My wife went through the experience last night of buying a gift for a friend…

Today to be extraordinary, I am going to take breaks.  I know when I need a break.  There are signals. When I dial the correct phone number and get the wrong phone, that is a signal to take a break. When I enter the correct password and the password does not work, that is a signal…

William Shakespeare wrote 37 plays and 154 sonnets. At the same time he was running a theater, where he also acted.  Shakespeare, as the result of years of very hard work, became a wealthy man.  He is also the greatest English writer in history. Thomas Edison executed 1093 successful patents.  Thomas Edison, along with Michelangelo,…

I get a ton of email.  By clicking the reply button, I can reply to that email. However, some of this email is confusing as to who sent it. For example, if you use some clever name like Soccer Chief for your email name or just your first name and your email address is 5552541@me.com,…

Rub Some Dirt on It and Get Back in the Game A high school football coach viewed being hurt and being injured as the two categories for handling medical issues on the field.   If a person was hurt, the person continued to play.  If the person was injured, the player left the field to…

I have  heard that it is impossible to smile and be sad.  I can never remember to test the idea when I am sad. Motivational speakers often emphasize the importance of thinking positive thoughts.  I have heard the expression “fake until you make it.”  I take this to mean act successful and happy and you…

Going through a career change or any life change can bring feelings of uncertainty, inadequacy, and uselessness. You may also feel that have less energy and less interest in life in general. Home projects during these periods can be hard to start. All the feelings and loss of energy during challenging life changes can reduce…