 |
Archive for category Grease for the Gears
Everything in life – and business – is ultimately about relationships. We have lots and lots of them, some close, some distant, some strong, some tentative, etc, etc.
It’s therefore a huge subject, and not one to be fully explored in a few blogs. I came face to face with an experience last week that made me think of relationship as it relates to building a business. And this brought me to some very interesting observations.
First, a quick summary of the event that spurred this train of thought:
I was invited to join another social networking site by a friend. I get these often, and have made it a practice to focus my efforts on only a few networks, so to get the most from them, without spending my whole day in the process.
For some reason, and a bit reluctantly, I accepted this particular invitation. I signed up. Easy, simple process. So far, so good. The moment I arrived at the front page of the site, I was immediately asked to upgrade…and recommend everyone I know. (They talked about inviting hundreds of people.)
Now, I don’t recommend things I don’t find useful myself, so I started looking around the site, adding some information, seeing what they offer, etc.
Every page I visited shouted at me: UPGRADE!! INVITE PEOPLE!! And, without much searching I discovered that these two things are necessary to access the functions of the site I might be interested in.
After leaving the site (and not planning to return), I started thinking about why I decided in very short order that this is not for me.
Over the course of the next few days, it took me a bit of searching to figure out was behind my negative reaction, and what I could learn from that. (And one of the reasons it kept coming up was the 10 or so emails I received from this site every day!)
I won’t bore you with my process (sometimes I “percolate” things for a long time before the coffee is ready to drink) – just the realizations that came from it:
This company is attempting to create a business relationship with me – they want me to be a client.
Before I enter into a new relationship, I evaluate my new partner:
- What do they have to offer that I value?
- What do they want in return?
- Is it a fair exchange (are the two values roughly equal)?
- Do they seem truly intent on providing value for me, or is it just about them?
This last question is where this new potential relationship fell down. Almost all of their communications center around what I can do for them.
OK, I understand business models, and totally appreciate that the owners of this site are not doing it just for fun. I have to wonder, though, if this is the best way to court a new relationship partner.
All of this led me to a deeper understanding of business relationships – how to start them, how to build them, how to make them strong…and we’ll explore those areas this week in our blog.
Tune in each day this week for some insights and creative ideas you may be able to use.
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Imagination, Perspective, Possibility, Relationship
“Our lives are the sum total of the choices we have made.” - Wayne Dyer
Without going far down the path of “I wonder what would have happened if I’d done (x) instead of (y) — you know this is true. Where and what you are today is because of choices you made in the past.
Granted, some of them may not have felt like choices. Some situations may have seemed like there was only one choice - because of your obligations, or someone else’s expectations.
And at some point you’ve probably said, “I don’t have a choice.” Especially when talking about something you have to do, but don’t really want to.
Can we take just a minute to look one of those scenarios…one where you felt you had no choice?
Is that really true?
Or, is it more accurate to say that you had to make the choice you did in order to get the outcome you wanted?
For example, I had to do laundry today. (I don’t like to do laundry!) So, did I really have to? (Is that true?) Not really. I could have chosen not to. I did laundry, because I wanted clean clothes. So, even though it seemed like a “have to”, it was really a choice I made.
I know this is a somewhat silly example, but it does make the point. We do what we do for specific reasons - not because we have no choice.
How about a little exercise in changing our perspective on what we “have to do” on a daily basis?
Take a piece of paper and write “I HAVE TO…” and list 5 things you have to do this week - and make them things that you don’t particular enjoy. (Go to the dentist, get an oil change, pay bills, etc)
Underneath that, create another heading: “I WANT TO…” and copy the same list, leaving a space after each item. In that space, write down “because…” and list your reasons for doing each of them. (I want clean teeth, I want my car to keep running well, etc.)
Hmmm…does that feel a little better?
One more step: Under that, write “I CHOOSE TO…” and copy your same list (with or without the reasons.)
Got it? You’re making choices - and you have reasons.
HINT: look at your reasons for doing things, and see if they are strong. If not, maybe you can make a different choice without dire consequences.
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Perspective, Preference
“The world is so full of a number of things, I think we should all be as rich as kings.” ~ Robert Louis Stevenson
This world is certainly full of many things – so many that sometimes it takes a conscious effort not to be overwhelmed.
Most of the time, however, we handle all this information overload very efficiently. Our senses provide a filter and classification system that processes most of the input automatically.
We see a tree, and, without conscious thought, file it under “trees.” We know what it is. We have no immediate need for what it has to offer, it presents no immediate concern, so we reserve our conscious thought for something more pertinent.
And, we do this literally millions of times a day. We actually “see” very little of what’s around us.
Want proof? Well, here’s just one example of something we’ve all seen hundreds of times, yet many of us have never seen all that’s there. A FedEx logo.
What do you see? A logo for a shipping company. Nice and neat, recognizable, you instantly know what it represents. What else? Two colors, block letters…
Do you see the arrow? If you have “seen” it before, did you notice it yourself, or did someone show it to you the first time?
(If you’re still having trouble, look at the white space between the “E” and the “x”.)
Interesting, but what does this mean to us?
Most of us are actively looking for things we don’t yet possess, or answers we haven’t yet found.
What if they were right in front of us, and we just hadn’t noticed them yet?
This week we’re going to offer some suggestions on how to expand our awareness of what we already have, as the first step to finding what we’re looking for.
Take a few moments each day, suspend your judgment, and really look around you. You just might be surprised at what you see!
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Awareness
Remember when you knew your life was full of unlimited possibilities?
Any dream could come true…you could be anything, you could go anywhere, do anything.
For many of us, years of increasing responsibility and life experience has narrowed our focus and limited us in what we believe is possible.
Just Imagine That© exists because we know that many of our limitations are self-imposed, and that we actually have many more possibilities than we realize.
This week, our blog is devoted to exercises to help you get in touch with your imagination.
If you’re in need of some new ideas – some innovative solutions, read on…
Change Small Things
We are creatures of habit. All of us. And, in many ways, it serves us well.
It saves us time and energy, as we don’t have to devote brain-time to making the same decisions every day. Many of the things we do on a regular basis, we do on remote control. We usually give no thought to the steps in our morning ritual, maneuvering through traffic, doing laundry, etc., etc.
We have well-defined neural pathways that guide us through the more mundane parts of our lives. This is what allows us to pay attention to a conversation while we’re driving (at least most of the time.)
The flip side is that we can miss many opportunities – and new perspectives – if we over-do it.
Here’s an example from my life: Obviously, I see my house every day. I walk through it and do what I do, without much thought. When I’m expecting guests, however, I really look at my house. I suddenly notice the pile of papers that’s accumulated on the table, and the dust that magically appeared. You get the point.
Without a conscious effort, I overlook things that are right in front of me.
Here’s an exercise to help change your perspective:
Pick one small thing that you normally do in remote control mode, and change it up a bit.
- Take a new route to work (even if it’s longer)
- Do your reading in another room
- Try a new grocery store
- Really pay attention to your next waitress
- Count all the red cars you pass on your next errand
If you do this on a regular basis, you might not come up with the idea of the century immediately, but you will certainly change your mental energy a bit, and you never know where that might lead.
Just Imagine That!
Tags: Possibility Exercise
Some days it seems like it could be. And, no wonder many of us struggle with this . . . no one taught us how to do it efficiently. We’ve had to cobble together our own methods through trial and error over the years
Unless you live a VERY simple life, though, this is one skill that’s crucial to making your life more productive. You’ve probably read a number of books and articles on the subject, in an effort to streamline your days, as have we.
So, this week, we’re going to devote our blogs to some of the techniques that we use most effectively, and some that (we all) need to be reminded of from time to timep>
Here are the topics we’ll cover in concise messages – with suggested (small) actions each day this week:
- Chunk Your Time
- Set Your Intentions Daily
- Limit Access
- Give Yourself a Break
- Schedule Your Life
- Take Time to Celebrate
Take a few minutes each morning this week to read the blog post, consider these ideas, and please let us know how they work for you.
Tags: Priority
Most of us have a pretty good idea of what we want, and where we want to go next – what kind of life we’re working towards.
Likewise, for most of us, it’s not a simple, straightforward, single thing. We’d like to make progress in many areas.
So which priority do we work on first?
How many can we handle at one time?
How do we decide where to focus our efforts?
What will get us there the fastest, with the least effort?
Starting today, with defining and refining what you really want, followed up by 5 practical methods for making the process easier – it’s all coming up this week in our blog.
Take a few moments each morning this week to consider these ideas, and please let us know how they work for you.
Tags: Priority
So many choices. So many possibilities. So many opportunities. What’s the best one? What to do next?
Have you ever found yourself there? It can be a very stressful place. So, how do you make the smart choice?
There’s really only one thing you CAN do – at any time…your best! Think through and feel out the best choice. Take the step that seems like the best choice in the moment, and commit to it!
Know that what you do is really not as important as the spirit in which you do it. Set your intention to move forward. Then take the step – have confidence in your judgement and just do it!
All of life is just a series of steps, with mid-course corrections.
Take the step that’s right in front of you right now and your view will change. From this new place, the next step will come.
One step at a time – always looking forward!
|
|
