“There’s no secret to getting started. You simply decide and then take your first step. With each subsequent step, the next one becomes easier…”
-Tom Venuto

Become Addicted to Exercise
Make endorphins your drug of choice. They are a strong analgesic, and provide a sense of happiness. Endorphins are best known to those who exercise a lot, and can trigger what is known as the “runner’s high.” Some people find the rush from endorphins addictive, making exercise easy. These chemicals are natural; they work on your brain in a way that helps relieve stress, promote good moods, while helping you stay happier.

Stay Fit
The “battle of the bulge” becomes tougher as one gets older. Success, jobs, family and other responsibilities can hamper your appearance and physical condition if you allow them to take a higher priority. I find it interesting and motivational that some of the busiest (and successful) people still find the time to exercise regularly, while some of the most complacent are in bad shape.

Do Something - Move More
Dedicate some time to exercise. If you can’t go to go to the gym, don’t like the gym, or just don’t want to go to the gym, do something else. Find some sort of activity that requires the use of your muscles and gets your heart beating faster. It doesn’t have to be intense, but it does have to be regular. Bill Clinton, David Letterman and numerous other busy (and successful) people found the time to exercise regularly after having their heart by-pass surgery. Don’t wait for that motivation; do it now.

Take a Walk
One of the easiest and most effective forms of exercise is walking; and it’s free. There are no gym dues, you can wear pretty much what you want to, and you can do it all alone or with a companion. Get going now! I will too!!!

Secrets of His Success

Forbes Magazine reports Bill Gates as having a net worth of $46.5 billion dollars, making him the richest person of the world.

  He started out as a nerdy looking kid that got into his share of trouble with the police.

 He fell in love with the computer at a very young age and created Microsoft while his friends were still getting into trouble.

Bill Gates was recently asked why he closed his Facebook account and opened a Twitter feed. His reply, “I had too many people that I don’t know wanting to be my ‘friend.’ Facebook is about who you know; Twitter is about what you know.”

It is said that he is a very hardworking and benevolent person. The world has been talking about his secrets of success for many years. When asked what they were, he offered his five-point master formula of success:

1-Passion
2-Intelligence
3-Integrity
4-A Good Team
5-Leadership
  

Take Others Up With You
Regardless of where you are today, always look up to the next rung of the ladder and reach for it. At the same time look down to see who is just beneath you and extend a helping hand to pull them up with you. If the person above you starts to slip down, give him or her a boost back up. The more people you have on the ladder with you, the easier it is for everyone to keep climbing.

It’s a Win-Win Deal
If you are a business owner, help prepare your employees to take over your job someday. If you are a manager, help your staff members get to the same level you are at now. When they do, you will be a noch upward.
And… if you are a salesperson help your customers succeed by buying what you are selling.

Be Your Own Coach

In professional football, we see the best of the best playing. In spite of all of that talent, there are more coaches on the sidelines than there are players on the field. The head coach never misses a down. And this is with pros!

How many people in business go at it without a coach? How many coaches miss a few downs? The answer to both questions is, “Too many.”

One of the most important tools that Success Dynamics brings to the table is the Morning Report. This document makes your goal the boss, and you the coach. When you coach yourself to do whatever it takes to reach your goal you will be more successful; It’s Easy!

Can You See an Important Lesson Here?

In 1986, Mikele Mebembe was on holiday in Kenya after graduating from Northwestern University.
On a hike through the bush, he came across a young bull elephant standing with one leg raised in the air. The elephant seemed distressed, so Mikele approached it very carefully.

He got down on one knee and inspected the elephant’s foot and found a large piece of wood deeply embedded in it. As carefully and as gently as he could, Mikele worked the wood out with his hunting knife, after which the elephant gingerly put down its foot. The elephant turned to face the man, and with a rather curious look on its face, stared at him for several tense moments. Mikele stood frozen, thinking of nothing else but being trampled. Eventually the elephant trumpeted loudly, turned, and walked away. Mikele never forgot that elephant or the events of that day.

Twenty years later, Mikele was walking through the Chicago Zoo with his teenaged son. As they approached the elephant enclosure, one of the creatures turned and walked over to near where Mikele and his son Tapu were standing. The large bull elephant stared at Mikele, lifted its front foot off the ground, and then put it down. The elephant did that several times then trumpeted loudly, all the while staring at the man.

Remembering the encounter in 1986, Mikele couldn’t help wondering if this was the same elephant. Mikele summoned up his courage, climbed over the railing and made his way into the enclosure. He walked right up to the elephant and stared back in wonder. The elephant trumpeted again, wrapped its trunk around one of Mikele’s legs and slammed him against the railing, killing him instantly.

It probably wasn’t the same elephant.

Good or Bad?

Unhappy customers can be bad news for any company, yet properly dealt with can be a huge benefit. It only takes one poorly handled one to ruin your day, and perhaps even your reputation. One handled well can do just the opposite.

The first rule is, “Don’t take it personal”. The customer may not be right, BUT, the customer is ALWAYS right. It could be a “mood thing” on the part of the customer. Never let your mood become a factor. Some customers have unrealistic expectations, while others may have a legitimate gripe. The important thing is for YOU to make things better.

Here are some things that YOU can do to make unhappy customers your ally rather than your enemy.

1. Listen, and do not interrupt customers while they are venting. They need to tell their story and feel that they have been heard.

2. Say, “Thank you”. You do not have to agree to be thankful. You can say, “Thank you for calling this to my attention.”

3. Apologize: Again, you do not have to agree. You can say, “I’m sorry that you feel this way”. Do not attempt to lecture the customer, make excuses, or attempt justify what has happened. Doing so will just make it worse.

4. Seek a Solution: Ask your customer, “What do you think we should do about this?” Oftentimes the customer’s solution is easier than what you might have in mind. Sometimes the venting and apology is enough.

5. Agree: Look for a solution that will satisfy the customer. The cost of the solution is most likely less costly than a tarnished reputation would be.

6. Do It Now: Show a sense of urgency. Your willingness to fix the problem quickly will do more FOR YOU than the problem DID TO the customer.

7. Follow-up: Make sure that what you agreed to do was done, and done right. A lack of follow through can undo all of the good you just did.

Remember; STUFF HAPPENS. It’s how you handle the STUFF that is more important than the STUFF itself.

You CANNOT “Train” People!

I am oftentimes introduced as a “trainer”, or “sales trainer” and I quickly deny that description of what I do.

Some people claim, “People are a part of the animal kingdom, if you can you train one, you should be able to train the other”. I can accept the “should be” part of that statement, but the reality is that there are some major differences between the human animal and the others.

A dolphin can be “taught” and then “trained” through repetition and reward to jump over a bar every time the whistle blows and the little stick is held out. The dolphin (or other animals) will do what they have been “trained” to do, regardless of their mood that day, the weather, or what the other animals are doing.

People can surely be taught to do something, however they may or may not do it depending entirely upon their mood that day, the weather, or what other people are doing.

Head Coach

In the game of football the head coach never misses a down. People need coaching, watching, critiquing, praising and sometimes even reprimanding just to get them to do what they were taught to do.

Why the Rooster?
Many people do not know that the sound the rooster makes in the morning (cock-a-doodle-doo) is called his “Report”. The rooster “reports” early; sometimes too early.

Our Morning Report also arrives early. We say, “Send us your numbers at closing time, and you will have your Morning Report BEFORE the rooster crows in the morning.”

The Lion King musical had a great Morning Report tune in the play. You can see and hear it HERE:

Businesses are famous for reporting monthly numbers after it’s too late to do anything about them.
When you get the Morning Report you will be able to see trends in plenty of time to impact them, well before the month ends. CLICK HERE to see examples of how it works.

It Pays Off
To have greater results in life, have a positive attitude. Your attitude will determine the impact of your experiences. There is a chapter in Success Made Easy entitled STUFF HAPPENS! You cannot control the “stuff” but you can determine the attitude you approach the “stuff” with. A positive attitude creates more positive thoughts and results. Choose to have a positive attitude and you will live extraordinarily - Every Day!

Half Full!
Always see the glass half full. It works for me and it will work for you. You choose your attitude and your attitude shapes your surroundings.