Resolutions Worth Making...And Keeping

Parts of this Monday Morning appeared in January 2005. But it is worth repeating.

How are you greeting the first week of 2010?
Is it— Well, the holidays are over and its time to get back to the old grindstone, same old people and same old everything—when’s my next three day week-end?

Or is it—I’m off and running on the first week of the exciting 52 week program I’ve designed for myself that will lead to bigger and better things!

The progress we make toward greater success depends in large part in the momentum we generate at the beginning. If I were advising you on some New Year’s Resolutions, the first would be to Begin Every Week With Momentum, not only will it help get you off to a good start, but when you run into difficulties (which are inevitable) your momentum will help carry you through.

If the first resolution I would recommend to you for 2010 is Begin Every Week With Momentum, the second resolution would be Keep Your Momentum Going. Once you get started your momentum will carry you a long way, but unless you periodically renew your momentum the bumps along the way can slow and eventually stall your progress. How do you keep your momentum going? Many people blame loss of momentum on running into an unexpected obstacle or difficult individual. In examining my own experiences I have discovered that 99% of the time, I lost momentum not because of an unexpected problem but because of the way I responded to it. Don’t let events, people or setbacks get into your head because they sap your mental energies—deal with problem people and situations quickly, regain your focus and move forward.

Here are a few other resolutions you might want to consider for 2010.

Be Nice To Everyone. George G. Gellert, Chairman of Atalanta Corporation (a multinational food importer specializing in meat, cheese, groceries, fruit juice concentrates and fish products from around the world) found that this paid big dividends. Arriving in Taiwan on a business trip, he was met by a man who introduced himself as his driver for the day. This man looked and acted like a chauffeur. In route to the hotel, he drove Gellert around town and pointed out things of interests. Gellert, who makes it a point to be nice to everyone, enjoyed his time with the chauffeur and took a conversational interest in him during the trip. That evening, Gellert discovered that his chauffeur was actually the owner of the company he wanted to do business with. So, when you meet somebody, always be nice to them—you never really know who they are or who they may know.

Don’t Waste “Earning Time”. I have some very good friends that I enjoy spending time with, but I don’t do it during what I call “earning time”. Earning time is those hours when you should be taking care of business, advancing your agenda or moving projects forward. Many people waste the first half hour at the office because they focus on personal conversations rather than getting things in motion for a productive day. They do the same with the last half hour of the day, rather than putting the finishing touches on their plan for tomorrow, they are busy setting up meetings for drinks or dinner after work. Others linger too long over lunch, or spend earning time doing things that don’t produce a return for them or their company. You may survive doing this, but you’ll never really thrive or realize your full potential until you stop wasting your own (and other peoples) earning time.
Stay Focused. Start each day with a set of priorities that you want to either accomplish or move to the next level. When distractions arise, don’t let them make you loose focus on those things you deem most important—deal with distractions, delay them or delegate them.

Follow Your Instincts In Business Dealings. This doesn’t mean you should not seek advice or disregard the opinions of other people. Nor does it mean that you shouldn’t take time to do your research. What it means is that once you feel you’ve gather all the pertinent information and weighed the options don’t be afraid to listen to that little voice in your head. That little voice, your instinct is your education and training guided by experience promoting your self interest.

Fire Yourself Every Morning! No one would think about going into an important meeting without some preparation, but too many of us rush into the day without preparing our minds. Instead of rushing into the office (or to that first appointment) at the last minute, get up a little earlier and get prepared. Let me tell you how I “fire myself”. My day usually begins between 4:30 and 5 AM, I have quiet time, review my schedule and pray for God’s guidance to do my best, I also put in a word on behalf of those I know I’ll be seeing that day (God knows they’ll need patience to deal with me). I usually watch the Bloomberg Business and Financial Report on television (it helps focus my mind on business), if time permits I read something motivational. I always select my “Quote For The Day”, an inspirational quote for the day which I write on a card and carry with me. By the time I’m out the door, I’m focused and have the fires of enthusiasm, confidence and momentum burning.

Dream About The Future, Work In The Present. I once heard a wise man say, “Every business man should have two businesses. The one he plans to head someday and the one he runs today. By working like the dickens at the one he has today, he’ll wind up head of the dream business someday.” The same can be said of every sales person, manager or employee. Don’t be afraid to dream (not daydream) but remember that it is by staying focused on today’s tasks that you will eventually make tomorrows dream a reality.

Don’t Make Excuses. Excuses come in all types and sizes, and we’ve all used them at one time or another. But in most cases the old saying about an excuse being nothing but “a lie wrapped in the skin of reason” proves to be true. In truth, there are times when we all miscalculate, misunderstand or fail to perform as we should. When we are called on it, it is much better to take responsibility, admit our error, state what we have done to correct it and explain (sans smoke and mirrors) how we won’t let it happen again (the last two things very important!).

Don’t Be A Whiner! Whining is a form of self-pity and shows a lack of maturity in dealing with situations and differences with other people or their mistakes. Whining disrupts an organization, distracts people from important matters and is often an attempt to create an “us against them” mentality among coworkers. Even it you have a valid complaint, it’s better to present ideas to strengthen the organization by fixing the real problem than to just complain about it.

Set New Standards Of Excellence For Everything You Do. A favorite quote of mine that I often use in speeches comes from Pat Riley, the great NBA coach, “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to be better.” Raise the bar of excellence everyday and by the time you complete your 52 week program for greater success, you’ll be amazed at your results.
Have A GREAT and profitable week!
Robert Hidde
bob@confidentliving.com