The Windmill of Focusing on Failure

A friend reminded me this week that "GoalsWork for Success." Is it that simple?

Studies show that setting goals improve work, productivity, families, and lives. Setting goals increases success. No hype, just fact. We accomplish more when we set--and write down--our goals. We feel better when we act on our goals. Others help us identify useful action when our reservoir of ideas goes dry. Our success accelerates when we our report our actions to others. We achieve more when we set and work on goals.

We may not achieve all our goals. That is acceptable. Several people focus on the goals they did not achieve. They let the failures pull them down. They feel like failures. They allow despair to shadow their lives. Some vent anger at themselves and those around them. Many become fatalistic and surrender to their feelings.

I call false limitations appearing real windmills. My reference comes from Don Quixote who thought he fought giants, when in reality he fought windmills. All of us face windmills in life. All of us see limitations that don't exist.

Focusing on our failures is one of the windmills that limit our success. I've met people who achieved several goals. They lived better lives. They moved their careers upward and more satisfactory. They took their family to amazing places for vacations. They eliminated debt, increased savings, and grew investments. Yet, for all their successes, they could only see their failures. Their windmill, focusing on their failures, overwhelmed any joy of success.

One method for defeating this windmill is to print each success on strips of bright red paper. Print failures on pale yellow. Put them both on the wall, refrigerator, or tack board. Your eyes will be drawn to the red papers first. You will naturally start seeing your successes. It sounds irrational, but since windmills are irrational, we must defeat them irrationally.

Give of Yourself

Our model teaches that "Others will help you achieve your goals." Recent events emphasize that point. When we give of ourselves, even a little bit, we can make the world a better place to live.

I witness the power that others bring to making GOALSWORK. I would like to share a few for your benefit:

• A mother who sacrificed her own money to pay for her children and their spouses to go to Israel for a week. The preparation and anticipation for the trip bring all of them to Christ and together.
• A woman who invites friends, family, and others to enjoy a retreat at her weekend home. These annual events bless those who attend with peace, happiness, and respite.
• A business owner asks three members of a professional association to help him resolve a conflict with a long-time employee. Their advice helps him find a solution that resolves the problems and strengthens the employees resolve.
• A cousin with skills in business development sits down with another cousin to develop a plan to grow the business to $10 million in four years.
• A professional association sponsors board members from around the world to attend a conference where they learn how to grow their chapters lifting tens of thousands of professionals around the world.
• A neighbor brings enough meals to feed a family for 3-4 evenings when the wife has surgery.
• Colleagues rally together to share ideas, successes, and resolve problems. As a result an additional 3,000 people find jobs, enroll in school, start or improve their business.
• A friend provides a wonderful experience to a man and his son, by taking him sailing at a time that the man needs a lift and to forget unemployment and school challenges.
• Church leaders share their insights, counsel, and witnesses to millions across the globe. Their messages increase giving to others, strong families, personal growth, and service. They inspire, lift, and strengthen their fellow beings.

I could list a score more examples. Yes, others will help you achieve your goals. Remember, however, that you may be the "other" that will help someone else achieve their goals. It doesn't have to be a big task. Just look around you and you will see what you can do.

Act on 2-3 Things Each Month

Action is an important part of the GoalsWork model. A nineteenth century sage once wrote "Behold, he that doeth not anything until he is commanded, and keepeth a commandment with a doubtful heart, and keepeth it with slothfulness. The same is damned." Damned in this context refers not to rotting in hades, but being stopped in one's progression, like a river is stopped by a dam.

I suggest that you plan 2-3 actions that will get you closer to your goal each month. Avoid overwhelming yourself. One lady set a goal to go to school. It terrified her. So, she set a goal one month to read about 3 different school programs on the Internet. The next month she visited the admissions, financial aid, and placement counselors at each of the three schools. The third month she completed the application for one school. Some point out that she could have done all of that in one month, but that was too much for her. It overwhelmed her. She broke it down into small steps spread over three months. It took longer, but she still achieved her dream of going back to school. She found scholarships to pay for all of it too.

You can schedule some actions to occur each day, week, or month. Two business owners each wanted to increase sales. They used Bryan Pope's (architect of The 7 Pillars of Successful Marketing http://www.msicommunity.com/) suggestion 9 at 8. He suggests that you plan how many calls you want to make "9," and set a certain time to make the calls "8am."

One owner decided to call nine current or potential clients each day starting at 8am. That generated 40 sales calls a week and increased his sales by 23% in two months. The other owner chose to call nine current or potential clients at 11am on Friday morning each week. He only wanted two additional sales per month. Both achieved their goals within two months.

An interesting thing happens when you start acting. The forces of the universe begin to act in your behalf. Success comes from your actions--and from other sources because you acted. I believe that our Divine Father opens the heavens to help you achieve your worthy dreams and goals. I join with millions of others, including Napoleon Hill and Earl Nightingale, who have witnessed this phenomena.

Remember, you don't have to do a lot, just select 2-3 new things to do each month. Then, act. Act with belief and excellence.

Do You Elevate Your Thoughts?

I attended two days of great elevation, inspiration, and enlightenment. I listened to messages that opened my understanding. They lifted my vision to see beyond what I usually see in my day-to-day work and toil.

How often do we take the time to elevate our thoughts? Stephen Covey referred to this as sharpening the saw in his master work 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Many of us go about our daily lot. We listen to music. We watch TV, DVDs or cable. We may surf the web to connect with friends, research information, follow sports or news stories, of more. Many seek the onslaught of hate and fear from many of today's talk show hosts.

How many of the things we do, however, lift us or improve us. Try an experiment. Take 15-20 minutes 3-times a week to listen or watch something that elevates your thoughts and lifts your attitude. You may watch some of the excellent lectures on http://www.ted.com/. You can listen to a short lesson through http://www.msicommunity.com/, http://www.getenoch.com/, or http://www.pandora.com/. You can get a free download from www.Nightingale.com. You can listen to religious programs, good music, or more.

My friend Dick Bolles mentioned in his blog that watching classic movies from NetFlicks generated more thoughts and new ideas. So, try watching some great movies. Avoid the shoot em up, curse em up, or depress em down genre. Seek for things that lift and elevate the soul. Try Singing in the Rain or some other uplifting piece.

You choose how you will elevate your thoughts and lift your attitude. Just try doing it at least 3 times a week for about 3 weeks. Then, see how your attitude responds. Please let me know what happens by posting a comment on this blog. I'd like to hear your stories.

The Great Other Who Helps Us Do All Things

The GoalsWork model declares that "others will help you." I would like to focus on the Great Other. He who goes by many names: the light, the way, the living water, the Lamb of God, the great I Am, even Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

I am a man of faith. I believe in Jesus Christ. I believe that He took upon Him the sins of all mankind, of every continent, every world, every race, every gender, and every epoch. He answered the punishment for all of them. He died and resurrected on the third day. He put off His mortal body and took it up again, glorified, perfected, and immortal.

I know that when He broke the bands of death and came forth from the tomb, He broke death's hold over me and every creature that has lived, now lives, and will yet live on this world and numberless others. I cannot, however, deny what I know. I also cannot remain silent on this Easter Sunday from declaring my belief. I know He lives today. I know he continues to love and teach us today.

A father once came to Jesus. His daughter was sick. He asked the Savior to heal her. The Lord taught him, and all of us, a key principle. He said "All things are possible to him that believeth." The man replied "Yeah, Lord, I believe." Then, I can see the Lord's eyes penetrating the man's soul, so that the man added "Help thou, mine unbelief."

I know that the Lord's atonement goes far beyond cleansing us from wrong-doing. It gives us more strength and ability. His atonement provides us with the power to do more than we can do by ourselves. He told modern prophets that "Men (meaning male and female) should be anxiously engaged in a good cause. For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves; and inasmuch as men do good, they shall in nowise lose their reward."

Christ gave us the power to do good. He gave us the choice to use the power. He promises us that if we use the power to do good (like supporting a family, giving to others, improving society, and so much more) that we shall achieve our desire.

So, this Easter Sunday rejoice that He is Risen, that He provided the grace that makes us whole, but also that His atonement allows us to do all things that we righteously desire. I know these things to be true. I hope that you find the same confirmation to know for yourself.

Your Future Remains in Your Control

More than 87% of the American workforce dislike their jobs. Many put themselves into that position because they never set career goals, but expected someone else to do so.

We sponsored an education expo this week. We invited 30+ colleges, trade schools, military, apprenticeship, and other vocational training programs into one room for youth and adults to explore appropriate post-HS training. I talked to more than 50 of the people who attended, asking them "What field do you want when (or if) you decide to grow-up. All but 7 astounded me with "I don't know" or "I'm not sure." What made the answer worse, they literally did not have a clue.

I could understand a 16-19-year old not settling on one choice, but to not even be able to describe anything (I asked deeper questions to truly find out). I also talked to several adults (30-68) who were trying to discover what they would like doing. How sad that people get to middle age or older and still haven't found themselves. Especially when so many free on-line tools exist to help.

I've listed some of the on-line career tools that I like. Try them to see if you discover a new possibility for your life.

The tests and inventories section of Dick Bolles site JobHuntersBible.com
Dick Knowdell's values card sorts offer by Stewart, Cooper, & Coon
Dick Knowdell's motivated skills card sorts offered by Stewart, Cooper, & Coon
The Party Game from Missouri University
Occupational Outlook
Occupational Net
Talk to people who work in occupations that interest you

Remember: Your Future Remains in Your Control

An Apology and an Offer

I apologize for not posting anything for the last four weeks (one month today). I offer no excuses. I worked 60 hours a week for the last four weeks. We held one of our quarterly conferences. I attended three days of training. I worked seven days a week on my job and full Sundays for my Lord (last week I spoke four times in one Sunday).

I was exhausted, fatigued, and drained. I had nothing to give. No ideas. Nothing.

I don't think I am alone. I sense that their are hundreds of thousands of you doing more work with less resources. We know that hundreds of thousands of jobs disappeared. How much of the work being done by those people disappeared? How much of it was assimilated into the lucky few who stayed behind. Most of us who are working are doing jobs that others used to do.

The other half of us face the mind-numbing, dejecting, and humiliating task of find a new job because we lost the old one. The grief for our old life, the grind of looking a new job, and the despair of rejection leave many exhausted, fatigued, and drained.

So, here is my offer. Let's help each other out. Let's help get more people working sharing our loads. Let's help management realize that worn out workers produce less. Let's help others see the wisdom of hiring again. Then, let's connect the great people we know who are out of work, with the managers who need new workers.

I know it sound simplistic, but some simple ideas generate the greatest success. Remember the guy who told Coca-Cola to bottle it. Simple idea. Great idea!