The Accountability Minute:Business Acceleration|Productivity

Today we are talking about tip #3 to help you live your life with no regrets, which is to c hase your goals and aspirations.   One of the number one regrets of individuals who are on their deathbed was that they did not chase their dreams, goals, and aspirations. Being an already successful businessperson, you have probably already done quite a bit of dream chasing… and this is NOT a time to stop....

Today we are talking about tip #2 to help you live your life with no regrets, which is to b e a positive person.   Going through life as a grumpy, negative, nasty individual is not going to make you feel very good as you reach the end. Positive people have a way of making others feel good about themselves. They help people around them to see the good within themselves in all situations. Being this...

Today we are talking about tip #1 to help you live your life with no regrets, which is to h ave a BIG goal and work towards it.   Not having a big goal in mind can really cause you to move slowly along to some final undermined outcome. If you don’t have a real, concise goal in mind, you might go through life feeling like you have no purpose. When you look back years later, you might think to yours...

If you really think about it, life is pretty short. You are born, you go to school, you move out… then comes a career, you sell the business, and then you are into the retirement years. Pretty soon, you are reminiscing about the beginning and the journey that followed… but what will you say? Will you be happy with your decisions through life, or will you feel like you missed the boat on what you c...

Effective Meeting Agenda & Action Item Worksheet Free Template Can you believe how many people dive into meetings without a clear agenda? And then they wonder why meetings drag on and on. Your time is incredibly valuable, and you need to use it wisely. That’s why I’ve created a powerful tool to help you run your meetings with laser-focused efficiency.   Introducing the Agenda & Action Item...

Today we are talking about Tip #10 of the 10 tips to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Maintain Your Focus.   Bad habits can take years to develop into subconscious behaviors. So, it’s unrealistic to expect that after one or two months of altering your behavioral pattern, those bad habits will be eliminated altogether.   Be aware that it’s easy to re-establish old, practiced forms of behavior...

Today we are talking about Tip #9 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Acknowledge and Reward Yourself.   Daily or weekly achievements are an acknowledgment of your success. Take the time to stop, think, and give yourself a pat on the back in acknowledgment of how far you’ve come.   Reward yourself. Let’s say you’ve gone an entire month without eating one junk food meal; so, it’s time to cong...

Today we are talking about Tip #8 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is  Falling Off the Wagon.   Failure only turns into reality when you stop trying. Don’t allow one small slip up to be reason enough for failure. Accept that your action plan had a slight “bump” and then get straight back on the wagon and continue the journey.  I call this, allowing yourself to have a little “pitty party”, howev...

Today we are talking about Tip #7 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to  Set Up a Support Structure.   Keeping your action plan to yourself is a great excuse if you fail. You figure: “Nobody knows about what you I’m aiming to achieve, therefore, nobody will know when I fail.”   Tell your friends, colleagues, and family about what you are proposing to do and enlist their support and encourageme...

Today we are talking about Tip #6 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Maintain Motivation.   After the initial novelty of making a life altering change begins, boredom can set in. Continually challenge yourself to stay on target, and focus on the good things you will achieve once you’ve broken the back of your bad habit. This will also help you from falling back on to your bad habit you are...

Today we are talking about Tip #5 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Plot your Progress.   Take note of your daily/weekly/monthly progress in your diary or on a calendar in full view. Nothing is as inspirational as seeing how far you’ve come and what it would cost if you had to begin the process all over again.   As you may or may not know (but could probably guess by listening to me for a...

Today we are talking about Tip #4 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is No Excuses!   Provide yourself with a safe haven in which to activate your plan for change. As an example, if you decide to give up smoking, get rid of any leftover cigarette packets, remove ashtrays, lighters, matches or anything else that reminds you of smoking.    Bad habits are often triggered by stressful situations, so...

Today we are talking about Tip #3 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to  Take Action.    The time to start your new behavioral pattern is NOW. The right opportunity is NOT going to present itself in a few days or at the start of a new week.    Once you have resolved to change the bad habit, put your action plan into top gear straight away. Don’t let that nasty procrastination hold you back fro...

Today we are talking about Tip #2 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Focus on the Benefits.   Make a list of all the positive changes that will occur once you have broken a bad habit. Include the improved health factors, the opportunity to improve your personal relationships, or the emotional benefits, and even improve the outcomes of your business. Continue to add to the list as you think...

Today we are talking about Tip #1 to Help You Break Bad Habits, which is to Affirm Your Conviction.   If you don’t consider the price you pay for repeating the bad habit worthwhile, then it’s likely you won’t break the habit.   Be honest with yourself and take into account not only how the habit impacts on your life, but also how it impacts all those around you (people at work, your family, and yo...

The most critical exercise in beginning the process of breaking a bad habit is looking at what is the payoff and what is the cost?   Let’s look at alcohol abuse: ask yourself “what do I gain by having 5 or 6 drinks every night when I get home from work?” Of course, the answer is easy.   For you it might be, “A drink or two relaxes me”, “I have time to think about the day’s events”, or “I can forge...

Bad habits can be difficult to break. Bad habits are a repetitive form of behavior that becomes so enmeshed in your psyche, they quickly become instinctual and involuntary.   Each year people spend thousands of hours and dollars attempting to break free of a pattern of bad behavior, but the majority fails.   Why?   Because there is no magical solution, Yeah, sorry to burst your bubble…. Breaking a...

Today we are talking about tip #3 to help you get things done when you might be afraid of failure, which is to, Sleep On It.   When you are really worried about something, it is often a good idea to take a step back and to give yourself time to refocus. When you are so involved in your business that you have not had the opportunity to think about anything else all day long, it can become very easy...

Today we are talking about tip #2 to help you get things done when you might be afraid of failure, which is to, Look to a Mentor, Mastermind Group, or a Coach for Advice.   When you are especially afraid of failure, looking to a mentor, a mastermind group, or a coach might be the best thing that you can possibly do for yourself. Having someone who can sit down with you and listen to you about your...

If you are a person who avoids picking up the phone even though it is necessary for client acquisition and revenue generation efforts, ask yourself, ‘What’s the worst thing that can happen?’  Picking up the phone probably won’t kill you.  Now, in contrast, try asking yourself, ‘What’s the best thing that could happen?’  THIS is the mindset that you should embody as you make your calls.    You are...

Amazingly enough, I’ve worked with clients were afraid to ask for referrals.  I have seen and heard of studies where when people were asked if they had been asked for referrals from a business professional they hired, the majority said no.  When asked if they would provide referrals if they were asked, 94 out of 100 clients said they would; however only 11 out of 100 clients are ever asked.    Mos...

Today we are talking about tip #1 to help you get things done when you might be afraid of failure, which is to, Think “What’s the Worst That Can Happen”?   Fear is a natural response, but try to identify what it is that you really are afraid of anyway.  Fear is usually the result of our mind creating hypothetical dramas that have no basis in reality.  If you find yourself fearful of the outcome of...

3 Ways to Get Things Done When You Are Afraid of Failure    Sometimes, the danger associated with the risks that you take as an entrepreneur seems VERY real. If you have ever been afraid that everything was going to end up in ruin, then you know exactly what I am talking about. How can you continue to keep going and getting things done when you feel this way? How can you be sure that you won’t fai...

Being a successful business owner is not always easy, to say the least. There are no doubt days when you probably envy those working underneath you. They make good wages, they work for a great boss who has blazed the trail for them, they go home at a decent hour and don’t take work with them, and they get to reap the benefits of your hard work without the risk that you take on every day. They don’...

Effective Goal Setting Needs to Focus on Work Life Balance  Because I believe in work life balance, consider asking yourself some questions related to effectively setting your goals. Questions like:    ·          What are your life goals? If you want to hit those goals, you need to discipline your time and energy so you are heading in the direction that will actually make those goals a reality. · ...