by Matthew Best
It's been said that beginnings are often disguised at painful endings. Take a look around you at life cycles. The ending of business or personal relationships. The ending of a job or the "failure" of a business. The ending of a sporting event.
These are all endings, but also beginnings - the question is what it is the beginning of? So often we get caught up in the status quo that we struggle to hold on to what we are familiar with. In doing this, we make the ending more painful. We are often left asking ourselves if we could have preventing the ending at all. When we lock ourselves on the familiar we miss the new beginning.
New beginnings are where the opportunities exist. New beginnings challenge us to grow, to do something new, to expand ourselves beyond what we think we know and are comfortable with.
This isn't always a pleasant experience, but it is growth. What are the endings and beginnings in your business? What are you doing today
to embrace a new beginning as an opportunity for growth?
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Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
What’s the Principle?
by Matt Best
I've been doing a great deal of reading lately. I've read books and authors such as Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations published in 1776, David Hume, also a 1700's author, Alexis DeTocqueville's Democracy in America, published in the mid 1800's, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen.
These are all books that I categorize as political philosophy - man's relationship to himself through government.
What is interesting is that each of these books and authors teaches something unique and at the same time they emphasize a common theme or set of principles.
I would not have seen the significance of the principles had I not read these series of books.
The principles are the things that matter - they apply regardless of who utilizes them or where. As I have been telling my clients lately, when we understand the principles and the process, we have clarity and we can accomplish great things.
When we attempt to violate the principles, we suffer the consequences.
What are the principles that govern your business? Are you conflicting with these principles or are you working in conjunction with these principles? Are you even aware of the principles? If not, what will you do about this?
Like what you are reading? Want more? Be sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter - Passport for Success. It is delivered to your e-mail box every Monday morning. Sign-up at www.passportforsuccess.org
I've been doing a great deal of reading lately. I've read books and authors such as Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations published in 1776, David Hume, also a 1700's author, Alexis DeTocqueville's Democracy in America, published in the mid 1800's, Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, and The 5000 Year Leap by W. Cleon Skousen.
These are all books that I categorize as political philosophy - man's relationship to himself through government.
What is interesting is that each of these books and authors teaches something unique and at the same time they emphasize a common theme or set of principles.
I would not have seen the significance of the principles had I not read these series of books.
The principles are the things that matter - they apply regardless of who utilizes them or where. As I have been telling my clients lately, when we understand the principles and the process, we have clarity and we can accomplish great things.
When we attempt to violate the principles, we suffer the consequences.
What are the principles that govern your business? Are you conflicting with these principles or are you working in conjunction with these principles? Are you even aware of the principles? If not, what will you do about this?
Like what you are reading? Want more? Be sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter - Passport for Success. It is delivered to your e-mail box every Monday morning. Sign-up at www.passportforsuccess.org
Friday, April 10, 2009
Recession Proof Attitude
by Matthew Best
Let's do a quick check - how's your attitude? Are you depressed, angry, upset, annoyed, etc? Do you watch the news, read the paper, see articles on the internet, listen to your friends and neighbors complain?
It's pretty easy to let all the negativity get to you, isn't it? We are all inundated with negativity nonstop.
Let me get right to the point - I'm sick of hearing about it! Consider this - more millionaires have been "made" during recessions and depressions than during "good" economic times.
So what is about these people that help them to be so successful?
Here's what I've learned - they can't stop being inundated with all the negativity, but they can choose to either ignore it, blow it off, etc. These people decide that they aren't interested in letting others decide how they are going to feel. They have a plan and a direction, they stay focused on it, and plow ahead.
These people understood that their emotions are there to assist them, not control them. When we act out of anger, fear, etc. we usually end up with less than desirable results. Our emotions are there to assist us in understanding what is going on - but not base our decisions solely on emotion. That's why we have a rational mind.
These people listen. Listening in many different ways. They listen to their emotions, they pay attention to what's going on around them, they see the trends that are coming. In other words, they keep their eyes open to opportunities and dangers.
Here's my final thought - get out there and succeed! You can do it!
Like what you are reading? Want more? Be sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter - Passport for Success. It is delivered to your e-mail box every Monday morning. Sign-up at www.passportforsuccess.org
Let's do a quick check - how's your attitude? Are you depressed, angry, upset, annoyed, etc? Do you watch the news, read the paper, see articles on the internet, listen to your friends and neighbors complain?
It's pretty easy to let all the negativity get to you, isn't it? We are all inundated with negativity nonstop.
Let me get right to the point - I'm sick of hearing about it! Consider this - more millionaires have been "made" during recessions and depressions than during "good" economic times.
So what is about these people that help them to be so successful?
Here's what I've learned - they can't stop being inundated with all the negativity, but they can choose to either ignore it, blow it off, etc. These people decide that they aren't interested in letting others decide how they are going to feel. They have a plan and a direction, they stay focused on it, and plow ahead.
These people understood that their emotions are there to assist them, not control them. When we act out of anger, fear, etc. we usually end up with less than desirable results. Our emotions are there to assist us in understanding what is going on - but not base our decisions solely on emotion. That's why we have a rational mind.
These people listen. Listening in many different ways. They listen to their emotions, they pay attention to what's going on around them, they see the trends that are coming. In other words, they keep their eyes open to opportunities and dangers.
Here's my final thought - get out there and succeed! You can do it!
Like what you are reading? Want more? Be sure to sign up for my free weekly newsletter - Passport for Success. It is delivered to your e-mail box every Monday morning. Sign-up at www.passportforsuccess.org
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