ScLoHo's Really?: 09/04/11

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Saturday Night Classic Music Video

from 1978:

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

September 22nd is the date for the annual Fort Wayne Museum of Art Trolley Tour.

Every day leading up to the event, I am featuring an organization associated with this years tour.

Get details by going here, and to visit today's site click on pic.

Friday, September 09, 2011

Success?

Earlier this year I was given one of those rubber bracelet type things that are supposed to either be a reminder or show support of a particular cause.

The yellow Lance Armstrong "LiveStrong" bracelets were the first to really take off.

The one I have has a simple reminder that I've heard for years and tried to live, but it's a good reminder. Mine says "Celebrate All Wins".

This applies to the work I do, it applies to the accomplishments of others, no matter how big or small, we need to recognize and appreciate these moments.

And as a Christian, it helps me to be thankful to God for these are not just wins, but blessings.

DLM recently posted a piece on success:

Why Success Is Highly Overrated

Posted: 03 Sep 2011 08:26 AM PDT

‘Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts.’ John Wooden

We hear the word success heralded from the rooftops. We also hear the latest and greatest formulas being thrust at us.

Why?

Because deep down we all want to be successful.

There is a constant surge for success. There is an increased striving towards success. Yet there is so much more that makes up the success story, and that includes its two companions: failure and courage.

So let’s take a closer look at this word that has been highly over-rated.

Success Is Never Final
Mountain peaks are wonderful places from which to get a great view. But the facts are that on the other side of every peak there is a valley. So if you define personal success by a mountaintop experience today, you are setting yourself up for disappointment tomorrow.

This is why I liked what Robert Schuller proposed some years ago when he wrote a book with the title, ‘From Peak to Peek’. It’s so important when you have a ‘success’ moment that you already have your eyes set on the next mountaintop or goal that you are going to pursue. Sure, it’s fine to pause for a moment and celebrate, but I would rather live a successful life than build towards a single successful event.

Success was never meant to be final. Success was designed to become part and parcel of each and every second that you and I live.

I don’t base my success upon my feelings or upon the accolades of others, but rather I choose to live a successful life filled with successful habits, successful actions, successful words, and successful relationships. And if from time to time I have successful peaks, I share the joy of my success with others and position myself to start the journey towards the ascent of my next peak.

Success is never final. It’s simply the sign of greater things to come.

Failure Is Never Fatal
I often talk about one of the staff members in my ‘University of Success’. His name is Professor Failure.

The only thing success has ever taught me is the need for humility. Failure is what has taught me some of my greatest lessons. And the greatest thing it has taught me is this – to ask better questions. One of which is, ‘What can I learn from this?’

By asking better questions I have received better answers that have then positioned me to live a successful life in every area of my life.

To fail is not to be a failure. And it won’t kill you.

If failure is treated with the respect it deserves – as a place of learning – it will in fact breathe fresh life into the fulfillment of your dreams. With each lesson learnt and applied you will be drawn ever closer to the creation of a significant life.

It’s Courage That Counts
Anais Nin writes, ‘Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.’

I know this from personal experience.

It takes courage to write and self publish a book while you have three rejected manuscripts sitting beside you. It takes courage to walk the streets promoting your new web design company when you don’t yet have a web designer on staff. It takes courage to submit your articles to well-established blogs when you’re still the ‘new kid on the block’. It takes courage to ask for interviews of successful individuals when you haven’t yet done your first interview. It takes courage to follow your passion and not the status quo.

Yes, it’s courage that counts.

So what courageous activity are you pursuing today? Share it with us and inspire us.

Motivational Memo: Courage pushes through the fear barrier by applying massive action.

Written on 9/3/2011 by Peter G. James Sinclair . Peter is in in the ‘heart to heart’ resuscitation business and inspires, motivates and equips others to be all that they’ve been created to become. Receive your free copy of his latest eBook Personal Success Blueprint at – http://www.motivationalmemo.com and add him on Twitter @PeterGJSinclair – today!

Photo Credit: kenny barker

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

Thursday, September 08, 2011

Word Pictures

Recently my wife and I attended a poetry reading at the 3 Rivers Food Co-op in Fort Wayne.

This is the second time for us, and we don't do it because we enjoy hearing people read their poems.

It's just to be supportive of a friend who is a published poet and was reading.

But somewhere along the way as my mind was wandering, I noticed the way certain phrases were creating word pictures in my mind.

Take a moment and read each of the following slowly, and pause before you read the next one.

Grassy Knoll

September 11th

Hot Buttered Popcorn

BBQ Ribs

Christmas Eve

Road Trip

I could go on, but what are some phrases in your life that create a vivid word picture in your mind?

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

Wednesday, September 07, 2011

VideoTime: Musical Flash Mob

I saw this video over the weekend. Going to watch it again, join me:

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

Tuesday, September 06, 2011

Labor for Yourself?

Over the past 25+ years I have spoken with hundreds of business owners.

Many had the urge to be their own boss and took the plunge.

I've seen too many fail because they didn't plan properly.

Harvey shared some advice this summer:

Before you start your own business, take this entrepreneur test

By Harvey Mackay

I have never met anyone who left his or her job, whether fired or voluntarily, who started his or her own business -- and regretted it. What these people always regret is not having done it sooner. This includes people who eventually failed and had to go back to work for someone else.

Afraid to try something new? Most of us are. But our regrets will invariably be for what we didn't do rather than for what we did.

So are you ready to be an entrepreneur? Do you have the right stuff? Before you take the plunge and start your own business, take this test:

Do you need a new idea? It isn't the quality of the ideas you have that will determine whether you are successful, it's the qualities you bring to those ideas. New ideas are wonderful if you can come up with them. But your best chance of success is working hard, using established values and ideas if necessary.

Who are your customers? "Everyone" is the wrong answer. If your concept is going to succeed, you have to identify a realistic target audience, big enough to be profitable yet small enough for you to service it thoroughly.

Why should anyone want to buy your product or service? Find an unmet, unanswered need by identifying a market segment that isn't being served or is being served inadequately. For example, take the post office which served everybody, but unprofitably. Then FedEx and UPS jumped in and redefined the industry. They are profitable, while the post office is bleeding red ink.

Who is your competition? If there is a market for your product or service, someone is supplying that market. He may be using another product. Or she may be using a nearly identical product that you can beat on quality, performance or service. Either way, the existence of competition is a mixed blessing. It doesn't really matter how many others are doing something similar. All you have to do is find a way to do it better.

What advantages does your organization have over the competition? Management? People? Product? Service? Financial strength? Reputation? Recognition? Marketing? One is not enough. Sometimes all are not enough. But you can usually beat better-financed competition with superior customer advantages.

Do you have a business plan? If you haven't gotten around to that, make one before you do anything else. It serves several very useful purposes. It forces you to think your way through the startup process and your long-range goals. It's also a document you'll need if you plan on getting outside financing from anyone except your relatives. If it isn't persuasive and effective to an independent outside businessperson, that might tell you something about your real chances for success. Your plan should include a situation analysis; objectives; target audiences; mission statement; objective; strategy and tactics; execution; budget; measurement; and time and action calendar.

What do your banker and lawyer say? Bankers see and evaluate business plans all day long. That's their business. They might even have seen one like yours. And while you're at it, ask if they would lend you money to finance your business. Attorneys can help you avoid pitfalls. They are there to protect you.

What does your mentor say? Find a "tiger," preferably someone who's been around the block. Retired professionals are a marvelous resource for this kind of advice. I can't urge you enough to check out SCORE. They have access to people with every imaginable kind of business experience. They also have the time, patience, skill, wisdom and understanding to help and sometimes, just to listen. They are invaluable at helping you expand your network of contacts.

Have you done an honest self-survey? Do you really want to do this or are you just trying to escape your own problems? Be brutally honest and make sure the problem is not you. If you're going to be an entrepreneur, you have to believe in yourself more than you believe in anything else in the world.

What will you do if you fail? Don't be discouraged if you do fail. Few entrepreneurs make it the first time they try. Failure teaches you not to fear failure because if you can survive it to fight again, you haven't failed. You have only heightened your appreciation of success.

Mackay's Moral: If you're looking for a big opportunity, look for a big challenge.

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

Monday, September 05, 2011

Ending & Keeping Relationships

At this very moment, I am wrapping up a family Labor day gathering.

The details have caused some folks to give me a few curious looks when I shared with them what I would be doing today.

The family party is at my ex-wife's in-laws.

Karen and I divorced in 1995 after 13 years and 3 kids.

It was those three kids that kept us in a relationship.

A different relationship than husband and wife to be sure.

And each of us have remarried and are very much in love with our new spouses.

But we decided to maintain a civil relationship as parents.

I admit we've had our battles over the past 15 years, but we work thru them eventually.

And we have been thru a lot with weddings, college graduations, and now grandkids.

Maybe it helps that we live in separate cities, about an hour apart. Far enough apart to prevent the causal bumping into one another, but close enough to make contact when needed.

One of the reasons Karen and her husband Steve invited my wife Kathy and I over was the gathering of all of our kids and their spouses.

We've had a few in the past several months including holidays and a couple weddings but those were filled with the busy-ness of those events and today is a much more relaxed gathering without any extra agendas.

The relationship dynamics between former spouses can be tricky, and I am blessed to have a wife Kathy who is also a believer in creating new relationships out of broken ones when it is appropriate as I am also friends with her ex-husband and his family.

One of the keys to this is how you end the relationship and with some tips, here's a story from AOM:

Dim & Dash: Breaking Up

When you were a kid, did you ever read the comic “Goofus and Gallant” in Highlights Magazine? Goofus and Gallant were two boys with very different attitudes and temperaments. The comic would show how each boy would respond in the same situation–Goofus always did the wrong thing, while Gallant always did the right thing. What would those boys be like as grown men? We’ve decided to imagine in a new twice-monthly comic series called “Dim and Dash.” Drawn by Ted Slampyak, the comic will be a fun way to present quick reminders on the right way for a man to act. Hope you enjoy!

Fort Wayne Site of the Day-Trolley Tour

Sunday, September 04, 2011

Saying Thanks

Good Stuff from Harvey:

2, 4, 6, 8 - Who do you appreciate?

By Harvey Mackay

A university professor began reflecting on the people who had a positive impact on his life. In particular he remembered a schoolteacher who had gone out of her way to instill in him a love of poetry. He hadn't seen or spoken to her in many years, but he located her address and sent her a letter of thanks. A short time later, he received this reply:

"My dear Willie, I cannot tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely, and, like the last leaf of autumn, lingering behind. You will be interested to know that I taught school for 50 years and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue-cold morning, and it cheered me as nothing has in many years."

The teacher's note brought the professor to tears -- and then he began searching for others who'd shaped his life, just to say thanks.

If only more people held onto gratitude the way they hold a grudge!

None of us got to where we are alone. Whether the assistance we received was obvious or subtle, acknowledging someone's help is a big part of understanding the importance of saying thank you.

It's more than just good manners. Saying thank you -- and meaning it -- is never a bad idea. It appeals to a basic human need to be appreciated. It sets the stage for the next pleasant encounter. And it helps keep in perspective the importance of receiving and giving help.

Retailing giant Sam Walton wrote ten rules for success, and the Walmart founder didn't mince words when it came to being thankful. The fifth of Walton's rules is "Appreciate everything your associates do for the business."

I wish I could convince every business owner and manager to adopt that attitude. If you have hired well and provided the necessary tools that allow your staff to perform their jobs, and they have achieved accordingly, the next logical step is acknowledgment of their efforts.

The cost of praising someone is nil -- but a recent study has found that the payoff can be huge. Employees want to be seen as competent, hardworking members of the team. Good managers want satisfied, motivated, and productive staff members. What better motivator than thanking employees for their contributions to the company's success?

A Personnel Today survey of 350 human resources professionals found that the greatest factor in workplace productivity is a positive environment in which employees feel appreciated. According to the survey, two-thirds of the respondents said they felt a lot more productive when they received recognition for their work, while the remainder said they felt a little more productive.

Just feeling productive can be motivating in itself. When workers don't feel productive, frustration sets in, according to 84 percent of the survey respondents. Here's a startling result: 20 percent said they felt angry or depressed when they weren't able to work as hard as they could.

How to best praise effectively? Try these ideas.

Be sincere. Give praise only where it is due.
Give public praise. The goal is to encourage employees to keep up the good work, while simultaneously encouraging others to put out greater effort. Praising in public raises general morale.
Be specific in your praise. Identify exactly what the employee worked on and what he or she accomplished. Don't just say, "Well done, Maggie." If the employee feels the praise isn't genuine, it could have a negative effect.
Provide some lasting recognition. Consider a letter in the employee's file or a simple celebration for the department that overcame a tough challenge. Appreciation is not a one-shot event. It needs to be ongoing.

A smart manager will establish a culture of gratitude. Expand the appreciative attitude to suppliers, vendors, delivery people, and of course, customers.

All links along the chain are essential to your success. It's so easy to ignore the person who delivers office supplies, the tech who unfroze your computer, or the customer who referred you to a great new account. Big mistake. They all deserve acknowledgment, especially if you want to preserve the relationship.

And while you're at it, don't forget your favorite teacher.

Mackay's Moral: An attitude of gratitude should have wide latitude.