Strategy for Personal Success

Rich Horwath is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-selling author on strategy. As the CEO of the Strategic Thinking Institute, he leads executive teams through the strategy process and he has trained more than 50,000 managers around the world to develop their strategic thinking skills. Rich and his work have appeared on CNBC, CNN, CBS, NBC and FOX TV. As a former chief strategy officer and professor of strategy, he brings both real-world experience and practical expertise to help groups build their strategy skills.
http://www.strategyskills.com/

Rich has developed a very interesting Five Step Plan to help you develop a Strategy for Personal Success ...

In its simplest form, strategy is a bridge for getting from where you are today to where you want to go.

Whether in business or in your personal life, strategy is how you plan to get from your current
position to your desired goals. There’s a good chance you have a strategy for your business—
whether it’s effective or not will determine how long you’ll be around. But tell me—do you have
a plan for your life?

If you answered “no,” you’re not alone. In a study I conducted with Harris Interactive, I found
that while 82 percent of business executives have a written strategy for their business, a mere 22 percent have a written strategy for their lives. The research involved more than three hundred Fortune 1000 business executives, consisting of chief executives, presidents, executive directors, general managers, and vice presidents representing more than twenty-five industries across the United States. These dismal numbers showed that the practice of developing a strategic plan for our businesses is not being carried over into our personal lives.

Without a strategy, we have no clear way to get to where we want to go. Without a strategy,
we risk falling into the gaps and being held back by the barriers. Without a strategy, we
are powerless to create the life we want. But with a strategy, there are no limits to how far our
bridge can take us. We can build a bridge to the greatest days of our lives.

The Five-Step Plan ... My work as a business strategist is to help managers develop
the strategies that will, in essence, create the bridge to their greatest business performance.
During the past ten years working as a chief strategy officer and founder of the Strategic
Thinking Institute, I developed tools and frameworks to help multi-million and even multi-billion dollar organizations identify their business goals and the strategies for reaching them. I had never helped people apply these business strategy principles for success in their individual lives … until now.

I’ve created a five-step plan for creating a bridge to the life you want. This framework takes the
foundational principles of business strategy and helps you apply them to your life. The result
is a simple plan you can follow to become effective, successful, and happy at work and at home.
The five-step plan includes the following elements:

1 } Discover — Selecting Your Bridge’s Location. Just as you can’t build a bridge without
first determining the starting and finishing points, you can’t build a strategy for your life
without understanding where you’re starting from and where you want to go. The Discover
step is the process of uncovering your purpose—what you want and why. Purpose takes the
form of a mission, a vision, goals, and objectives.

2 } Differentiate — Imagining Your Bridge’s Style. Bridges come in all shapes and sizes,
from small, wooden covered structures to shiny, sweeping waves of metal. Their differences
begin in the mind of the designer. The Differentiate step requires you to identify the unique
characteristics of your personal bridge. These elements include your individual combination
of strengths, weaknesses, background, and abilities that set you apart from the pack. To
differentiate means to deviate from the norm in ways that people value.

3 } Decide — Choosing Your Bridge’s Materials. Before a bridge can be built, the designer
must decide which materials to use, based on functional needs, the size of the span to be
crossed, and desired aesthetics. All these choices require trade-offs. The Decide step involves
the process of allocating your resources—time, talent, and money—to achieve your goals.
The act of deciding requires you to make trade-offs, choosing what to do and what not to do.

4 } Design — Building Your Bridge. It’s one thing to think about a bridge. It’s another to
actually build that bridge. While natural bridges like logs over streams exist, the majority
of functional bridges are man-made. The Design step asks you to develop an action plan that
will help you reach the goals you’ve set, using the appropriate resources. Just as a designer
creates a blueprint for a bridge, we can design a Strategy Print for life.

5 } Drive — Crossing Your Bridge. Once the bridge has been designed and built, the true
test begins. Can you move across this bridge, from one side to the other? A bridge that looks
good but crumbles when used is of little value. The Drive step guides your actions and moves
you forward on a daily basis according to the strategy you have designed. It includes the
ability to execute your plan without becoming distracted and taken off task by “urgent” but
unimportant things that eat away at your time.

You can read the rest of the manifesto at the following link:

http://changethis.com/manifesto/download/91.04.StrategyForYou

Enjoy …

The Power of Thinking Like You are "Superman" ...

I want you to start thinking like you are Superman.

Sound Crazy?

Sound a little nutty?

It's powerful.

It's based in quantum physics science.

It will change your life.

Read on …If there was any person real or fictional person whose qualities you could instantly possess, who would that person be?

I would like to put forth the proposition that "Superman" would be the perfect person.

Now you are probably thinking I have lost my mind right?

Read on, I think you will like what you are about to hear.

Superman is a fictional Action comic book superhero widely considered to be one of the most famous and popular of such characters and an American cultural icon.

He is indestructible, the man of steel, he can stop a freight train in its tracks....great powers to have in this day and age, wouldn't you say?

OK, this is sounding crazier by the minute, how is it based in science, and how can it change my life?

This is where it gets fun.

(For all my female subscribers don't worry we have not left you out. There is also a female version of Superman named Superwoman she has the same powers that Superman has, you will refer to her as you do this mental exercise.)

This is where you will learn about the scientific marvels of the human body.

First let's look at the qualities that Superman possesses, that you want to make yours.

1. Superman is powerful.

2. Superman is virtually indestructible.

3. Superman has amazing self esteem.

4. Superman has supernatural powers.

5. Superman can stop a speeding freight train.

6. Superman jumps into immediate action when troubles arise.

OK, we know that Superman has incredible supernatural powers, how can that help us?

What good will it do us to simply think we are Superman?

Here is where science comes in ... this is the part where you will be AMAZED when you learn about the supernatural powers "YOU" already possess!

Best-Selling author and M.D. Dr. Deepak Chopra tells us that our brains make certain chemicals called Neuro Peptides. These are literally the molecules of emotion. (Fear, Joy, Love, Etc.)

These molecules of emotion are not contained in your brain only, they actually circulate throughout your entire body.

Your immune cells which are protecting you from diseases like infection and cancer, and many other illnesses are also contained throughout your body.

Deepak tells us that the amazing part about of these cells of emotion and immune system support is that they are intelligent cells.

They are thinking cells!

He also tells us that these immune cells which are protecting you from disease are constantly eavesdropping on the conversation that you are having with yourself.

Your self-talk.

They listen in and adjust their behavior based on what they hear from you....their master.

So imagine what would happen if you started to think like Superman.

Here are some of the thoughts you might have during the day:

"I am indestructible"

"The challenges I face day to day are easily overcome, after all I am Superman/Supergirl"

"I have supernatural powers."

"I have incredible strength."

"Nothing can stop me.....nothing."

The billions of thinking cells in your body listen.Their mission is to complete the picture of you they see when they hear yourself talk.

They must obey.

Since you are "Superman" you cannot get sick. Your immune system cells are now fortifying themselves to make sure of that.

They are making you stronger everyday!

You have the ability to fight off all attacks, physical, disease, illness....after all you are Superman.

Superman is confident, your cells of emotion relating to confidence will now create more Neuro Peptide chemicals that promote feelings of power.

Superman is fearless, your cells of the emotion relating to fear will now create more Neuro Peptide chemicals that promote feelings of well being.

A feeling that you fear nothing …

Go for it!! by Dan Robey

Formula for 2012 Personal Success ...

Think you can,
Build up a head of steam,
Ask for help,
Give it all you've got,
And be humble & grateful when you make it up the hill.

I love this, it's simple and achieveable !!

Happy New Year ...

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible, Customer Satisfaction is Worthless Customer Loyalty is Priceless, The Little Red Book of Selling, The Little Red Book of Sales Answers, The Little Black Book of Connections, The Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude, The Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, The Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching, The Little Teal Book of Trust, The Little Book of Leadership, and Social BOOM! His website, www.gitomer.com, will lead you to more information about training and seminars, or you can email him personally at salesman@gitomer.com.

The Secret to Life in Two Words ...

Happy New Year !!!

Merry Christmas ...

The Difference Between a Man and a Gentleman ...

I was reading a magazine the other day, when I came across an an advertisement for Gentlemen Jack - Rare Tennessee Wiskey [a product of Jack Daniels] that was entitled "The Difference Between a Man and a Gentleman" ... I thought it sumed things up nicely.

A man tries to make his mark ... A gentleman strives to leave his mark.

A man accepts a favour ... A gentleman returns the favour.

A man gives orders ... A gentleman inspires.

A man fits the mold ... A gentleman tries to break the mold.

The differences are many, but it all comes down to this … A man takes the necessary amount of steps. A Gentleman takes the extra step.

Everyday I strive to be a Gentleman ...