Your best just got better

Press Pause and Connect (latest article published in the "Kim and Jason" magazine

I met Kim and Jason for the first time a few years ago in Orlando. I attended the NSA (National Speaker's Association) annual convention for the first time, and during lunch one day I set next to Kim and started talking along the lines of..."what do you do..."

I immediately knew these were two people I would stay connected to as we both build our businesses, learn about our worlds, and meet new people. Now, they've featured one of the articles I wrote specifically for their new magazine.


I hope you'll take a moment, visit their site, and download your own issue (for free!). My article is on pages 18 and 19. Please feel free to share this with your colleagues, family and friends!



Thanks...

An Ojai sunset from the BackYard...

Pathways, trails and byways

Sitting at a local coffee shop in Long Beach before the big drive back to Ojai...

In my notebook, I wrote: "What does it look like, the path that leads you to where you are not?"

I'm reading (listening to, to be exact) "E-Myth Mastery," and the piece on working ON your business versus working IN your business is outstanding.

For a little while today, consider writing down some ways you work ON your life, and the ways you work IN it.
As always, comments very welcome...I would like to hear YOUR ideas.

Perspective - what's it worth to you?

I have a vivid memory of my first visit ever to "the Big Apple." It was January, of 1997, and I went to visit a friend who was working for an IB on Wall Street. I was a high school teacher at a time, and this trip took all the time I got for vacation that year (not to mention how much it cost this non-tenured teacher!). It was challenging...

Now, some 10 years later, going to New York regularly is something I expect and accept completely. I'll be in NY in February, March, April, May, July and September this year! Here is a picture I got last year after completing the New York Triathlon.

Now, you can see what an interesting view/vantage point this picture offers...kinda reminds me of the work I was doing this week with the US Military here near Los Angeles, CA.

I worked with a senior management/leadership team for three days (Friday-Tuesday) as a large group starts to manage a "mission-rolldown" project. One of the significant factors: How do we mentor people moving into new responsibilities?

We discussed three points in our brief today:

Achievement
Believe
Challenge

The three D's of (re)engagement

Well, January is going by quickly for us, how about you?

So far, I've traveled to Denver, Boulder, New York, London, Los Angeles and Seal Beach...and, I've experienced a few more "Life Lessons."

During the drive to Long Beach this afternoon, I listened to a few chapters of "E-Myth Mastery." Somewhere around track #14, I pressed pause on the CD player to call www.Jott.com. The message I left myself:

"There are three D's to engagement: Direction, Destination, Decision."

Direction:
Where am I headed? What do anticipate I'll see/hear/experience along the way? How does this process compare to what I've done before? Who can I meet/talk to/have lunch with who has been down this road before?

Destination:
What is the ultimate goal? What do I hope to achieve? How will I know I'm there?

Decision:
Anything to do in the next 24 hours about this? Who am I waiting for, or who do I need to talk to get some more information? What's next?

This week, I'm dealing with a few "biggies;" projects that are consuming my time, energy, and focus. What's getting me through from here to there??? Focusing in on The Three D's of (re)Engagement.

How do you deal with stress during the day?

Weekend, week day, early morning, late afternoon...sometimes it just doesn't matter WHAT day or time it is: Stressors get the best of us.

The past 9 days have been challenging for me - personally, and professionally. The one constant throughout the entire time: my levels of stress have gone up, and have gone down.

I wanted to write about a few of the things I do when the going gets tough (because, as we all know, even if we're stressed out, we still need to get things done!)

1) Give myself plenty of time. When a client asks me for a proposal, or I promise to get information to someone, I usually add 24-72 hours to the time-frame I offer. So, when someone asks for a proposal "next week," I usually promise to have it in their e-mail inbox by Thursday. (In my mind, I know I want to send it over Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning). This gives me the time I "might" need in case something else shows up.

2) Ask for assistance. A few jobs ago, I found myself working over time (and over budget) because I thought I had to go at it all alone. I have since learned that in almost every endeavor I engage in, there is SOMEone nearby who has walked that path, experienced those lessons, or succeeded over time in those efforts. These are the people I invite to lunch (or coffee) and learn what I can.

Does anyone use "spell check" on their Blackberry?

I was working for a client group in London last week, and one of the seminar participants asked if I knew of a "spell check" application for the Blackberry. I don't use one myself; however, does anyone reading this know of something out there that works really well?

If so, would you leave a comment below? Thank you!

Who can you help next?

I carry a small card in my wallet, and make a point to read it EVERY time I use my credit card. (Traveling 100,000 air miles a year, I actually look at that card a LOT!)

Here is what it says:

It is the greatest of all mistakes to do nothing because you can only do a little. Do what you can.
- Sydney Smith

I admit I my eyes teared up as I saw this short movie... another Simple Truth...

Is the "writing on the wall" for bloggers/blogging?

While in London last week, I picked up a copy of the GQ magazine and read an interesting article on pages 27-28 (February 2008 issue). Author Johnny Davis reports that "analysts predict blogging will reach saturation point this year."

I'm not sure exactly what he means by that, although I can imagine I'll be adding to this medium for some time to come. I enjoy the blogging world; I learn a lot about other people, other ways of live, other places...and more.

I would be interested, however, in hearing what readers thing: Is the writing on the wall for bloggers and blogging?

In your quest to get things done, what do YOU measure?

Sitting down at the end of a day last weekend, I wrote this question in my journal:

What's better to measure? Activity or Results?

I'm sure everyone reading this blog entry (as well as the guy writing it!) has had a "busy day." A day that just flew by, where one thing led to the next, and before we knew it the sun had set on another day.

Whether a weekend with the family, a day in the office, or an off-site meeting with the team; how do you measure your productivity?

I can make the case (as I am sure you can too) for measuring both Activities and Results. However, I'm curious to know what you think: If you're trying to find out if you're getting the right things done, what do YOU measure...and, how do you do it?