by Helena Escalante | Goals, Leadership, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Planning, Productivity, Resources, Time, Tools, Willpower
Links to other parts of this miniseries:
How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 2
How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 3
How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 4
How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 5
How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 6
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 44 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to find 5 extra hours per week – Part 1
— From Learning to Lead: Bringing Out the Best in People by Fred Smith (1915-2007)
How do you spend time? “Most people spend time like they do money,” says leadership guru Fred Smith in his book Learning to Lead. “They spend until suddenly they run short; then they seek a way to compensate.”
Most books and philosophies teach a disciplined approach to time and money as the best path to prevent either one from slipping away. Yet sometimes life happens and we find ourselves in a crunch trying to find time desperately to complete whatever project we’ve (over)committed to… In Smith’s experience, when he asks his worn-out coachees how much time it would take for them to catch up they say, “If I only had five more hours a week!”
What to do?!
Smith put together a checklist to conduct an emergency plan “as a way to pick up five [or more] hours from any week you choose. It provides immediate and effective relief for those who are swamped.” However, he warns, “This is for emergency use only. As in dieting or spending money, the long-range answer is a better lifestyle that doesn’t require temporary bailouts.” He goes on to say that “this is a battle plan, not a war plan. You shouldn’t continue this emergency plan for longer than, say, four to six weeks.”
Smith suggests announcing our emergency plan to the people around us with a statement of this sort: “Folks, you are not going to see as much of me for the next six weeks as you have. I’ve gotten behind in some very important things I should be doing, because I’ve been doing other things that were needful. I’m going to need your understanding for the next month while I catch up.”
You can also announce it to the world via email with an autoresponder, just as Greg McKeown did when he went into monk mode to write his wonderful book Essentialism: “Dear Friends, I am currently working on a new book which has put enormous burdens on my time. Unfortunately, I am unable to respond in the manner I would like. For this, I apologize.”
People are generally understanding and cooperative. Just make sure that you are indeed working on what you need to accomplish, as opposed to playing golf for hours on end. Smith says, “When you declare an emergency, it’s got to be legitimate.”
“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.” – William Penn
Come back tomorrow, as we’ll get started with Smith’s 20-point checklist for finding a minimum of 5 extra hours per week.
ACTION
TODAY: Are you in a time crunch and could use a period of four to six weeks to catch up? If so, block off the time in your calendar so that, as of tomorrow, you will start implementing the techniques that Fred Smith shares in his checklist to put in place an emergency plan.
FUTURE: As you go through the next six weeks implementing the points we are going to see in this miniseries, jot down the lessons learned as you come across them. You will find many ways to improve your time management and effectiveness so that you don’t fall into emergency mode again.
Know someone who could use an additional 5 hours per week to catch up? Please share this post. Email, Facebook or Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Mindset, Opportunity, Resources, Tools, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 59 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: How to get rid of unfounded fears
— From The Success Principles™: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
For our human ancestors millions of years ago, fear was a helpful sign that alerted them to possible danger. A saber-tooth tiger was indeed a life or death situation back then. Nowadays, thankfully, our situations are rarely life-threatening.
While fear is a valid and helpful response when it’s real, “[We’ve] evolved to the stage where almost all our fears are now self-created,” says Jack Canfield in The Success Principles. Thus, as it pertains to unfounded fears, Canfield points out that, “We frighten ourselves by fantasizing negative outcomes to any activity we might pursue. Luckily, because we are the ones doing the fantasizing, we are also the ones that can stop the fear by facing the actual facts, rather than giving into our imaginations. We can choose to be sensible.”
This is welcome news, especially once we learn the acronym for fear that psychologists like to use:
F = Fantasized
E = Experiences
A = Appearing
R = Real
Canfield offers a simple—yet very effective—method to get rid of our unfounded fears. It starts with better understanding how we bring those fears into our lives.
Step 1 is to make a list of the things you are afraid to do. “This is not a list of things you are afraid of, such as being afraid of spiders, but things you’re afraid to do, such as being afraid to pick up a spider.” Canfield gives some examples so that you can see what this looks like in different areas:
I am afraid to:
- Ask my boss for a raise
- Ask Sally for a date
- Go skydiving
- Leave my kids home alone with a sitter
- Leave this job that I hate
- Ask my friends to look at my new business opportunity
- Delegate any part of my job to others
Step 2 is to restate each fear using the following sentence:
I want to ________________, and I scare myself by imagining ________________.
Canfield points out that the key words are I scare myself by imagining. And he offers the following examples, based on the previous list, so that we can see how it is, indeed, that we are the ones that create our fears.
- I want to ask my boss for a raise, and I scare myself by imagining he would say no and be angry with me for asking.
- I want to ask Sally for a date, and I scare myself by imagining that she would say no and I would feel embarrassed.
- I want to leave this job I hate in order to pursue my dream, and I scare myself by imagining I would go bankrupt and lose my house.
- I want to and ask my friends to look at my new network marketing business opportunity, I scare myself by imagining they will think I am only interested in making money off them.
- I want to delegate parts of my work to others, and I scare myself by imagining that they won’t do it as well as I would.
Step 3 is to “actually disappear your fear [by asking] yourself what you’re imagining that is scary to you and then [replacing] that image with its positive opposite.” So, taking an example from the above list:
I want to ask my boss for a raise, and I scare myself by imagining he would say no and be angry with me for asking, would be replaced with the image of you talking to your boss, who is receptive to your idea, and then seeing yourself in that new position creating value for your company. This doesn’t mean that you will indeed get the raise, but you will lose the fear of asking for it. And by asking for it, you then have a chance of getting your raise, vs. not getting it by not even asking for it. Remember the quote from Wayne Gretzky:
“You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
As you can see, the minute we realize that we are the ones creating our fears, they become much smaller and even disappear by knowing that we are the ones that generate those scary thoughts. Once we replace those thoughts with a positive opposite, we strengthen our desire to do what once scared us and we can move forward with our goals.
ACTION
TODAY: Make the list of things you’re afraid to do and then restate it with I scare myself by imagining. Visualize the positive opposite and say goodbye to your unfounded fears as you open up the opportunity to move closer to your goals.
FUTURE: Make it a habit of getting rid of your unfounded fears this way. Every time you realize you are afraid of something and it doesn’t make sense, use this method. It works very well!
Know someone who could benefit from getting rid of unfounded fears? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Mindset, Networking, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 9 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The MENTOR Model
— From One Minute Mentoring: How to Find and Work With a Mentor—and Why You’ll Benefit from Being One by Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz-Ortiz
I really like the One Minute series of books by Ken Blanchard. In this particular instance, he co-wrote with Claire Diaz-Ortiz—his mentee—a fictional parable about mentorship filled with insights and helpful tips. The story shows both sides of the mentor/mentee equation, and what it takes to become or find one. It’s a short book, a quick read, and the story is very relatable, whether you’ve been a mentor, a mentee, or both. I won’t say more in case you’d like to read it!
What I want to highlight is the MENTOR Model that the authors created, drawing from the most important points and main lessons about mentoring. Since many of you have asked about mentorship, I thought I’d share this as a way to help you find or become a mentor.
The MENTOR Model is an acronym. Let’s look at each of the letters.
M = Mission. It’s important that both mentor and mentee share key values and key intentions. Once this has been done, then both (together preferably) can “create a vision and purpose for the future mentoring partnership.” Remember that mentoring adds value to both sides of the equation.
E = Engagement. Agree and set the parameters for engagement in a way that adapts to both persons’ activities, personalities, and schedules. Will there be face-to-face meetings? How often? Will there be scheduled calls? How about impromptu ones? Is text messaging ok? How about email? “Mentoring partnerships require both the flexibility to engage in digital communication and the power of in-person meetings when possible.” The authors recommend making a commitment to regular meetings, even if they have to be virtual.
N = Networking. “Cultivating productive relationships is a major key to success.” By virtue of the connection with your mentor/mentee, you can expand your network as well. However, tread carefully and very respectfully on the other’s networking contacts and always ask for permission to reach out or, even better, introductions.
T = Trust.. “Building trust takes time—and it can be destroyed in an instant. […] Build and maintain trust with your mentoring partner by telling the truth, staying connected, and being dependable.” As the relationship progresses, trust will deepen, yet always remember that honesty and clear communication are key to this (and any other) relationship.
O = Opportunity. “A mentoring partnership is a two-way street—both partners have opportunities to bring to the table. […] As a mentoring partner, you’ll have access to personal and business opportunities that simply aren’t available to non-mentors and non-mentees.” Being in a mentoring relationship brings wonderful opportunities for both to grow. Purposefully create opportunities for your mentor/mentee to further help out with the mission and purpose that you stated at the beginning.
R = Review and Renewal. “Schedule a regular time to review progress and renew your mentoring partnership.” Doing this, say, once a year (or perhaps more often) will keep both of you on track. Make sure to add them to your calendar when you create your mission statement. And also determine at the time what “success” for each review will look like. That way you will know whether you achieved your goal or you need to figure out other strategies to do so.
ACTION
TODAY: Are you looking for a mentor? Are you looking to mentor someone? Either way, reach out to your network and start looking! You will build a wonderful relationship and open up great opportunities for you and your mentoring partner in many ways.
FUTURE: Having a mentor or being one is a rich, rewarding, and enlightening experience. Remember to pay it forward.
Know someone who is looking for a mentor or who wants to become one? Please share this post! Email, Facebook, Twitter.
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Resources, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Become better today
— From Self-Improvement 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States said, “By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.”
So, how do we avoid standing still?
In his book Self-Improvement 101, leadership guru John C. Maxwell answers that question: “[We become better tomorrow] by becoming better today. The secret of your success can be found in your daily agenda.”
To keep growing and leading up, Maxwell suggests the following three steps:
1. Learn your craft today. “There is no time like the present to become an expert at your craft. Maybe you wish you had started earlier… or had found a better teacher or mentor years ago… Looking back and lamenting will not help you move forward.” Don’t dwell on the past and ignore any sunk costs. “You may not be where you’re supposed to be. You may not be what you want to be. You don’t have to be what you used to be. And you don’t have to ever arrive. You just need to learn to be the best person you can be right now.”
“The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today.” – Chinese proverb
2. Talk your craft today. “Once you reach a degree of proficiency in your craft, then one of the best things you can do for yourself is talk your craft with others on the same and higher levels than you. […] Talking to peers is wonderful, but if you don’t also make an effort to strategically talk your craft with those ahead of you in experience and skill, then you’re really missing learning opportunities.” Maxwell emphasizes the listening aspect of the dialogue, as he points out that it is the bridge that leads you to learn about them.
3. Practice your craft today. “The only way to improve is to practice your craft until you know it inside and out. At first, you do what you know to do. The more you practice your craft, the more you know. But as you do more, you will also discover more about what you ought to do differently… The only way you improve is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.”
“You can’t change where you started, but you can change the direction you are going. It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.” – Napoleon Hill
ACTION
TODAY: Learn (more of) or talk or practice your craft—or preferably all!
FUTURE: Keep learning and talking and practicing your craft. Never stop growing. Sometimes it may not be easy and sometimes you’ll make mistakes. The corollary to Benjamin Franklin’s opening quote is “Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you.” That way you will have a valuable lesson that will make you wiser and let you move forward.
Help someone become better today by sharing this post that person! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you.
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 21 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Believe you can succeed and you will – Part 2
— From The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. (Read an excerpt here.)
Yesterday we started talking about the importance of having a deeply rooted belief in our capacity to make our goals happen. Yet when we think of that, it’s natural for our lizard brain to pay a visit and remind us of our disbelief and all those times when we have failed.
Schwartz also talks about disbelief: “The ‘okay-I’ll-give-it-a-try-but-I-don’t-think-it-will-work’ attitude produces failures. Disbelief is negative power. When the mind disbelieves or doubts, the mind [comes up with] ‘reasons’ to support that disbelief. Doubt, disbelief, the subconscious will to fail, the not really wanting to succeed, is responsible for most failures.”
“Think doubt and fail. Think victory and succeed.”
Mankind has been to the moon and back. Mankind has built a tunnel under the English Channel. Mankind has built the Great Wall of China. Mankind has been able to connect all of us via the Internet. Mankind has developed nanotechnology. And the best part is that mankind is made up of normal people, just like you and I, who deeply believed they could achieve their goals.
Ok, so we’re at a point where we want to believe or, at least, we’re willing to give it a try, right? Schwartz gives us the following three steps to develop the power of belief:
1. Think success, don’t think failure. “At work, in your home, substitute success thinking for failure thinking. When you face a difficult situation, think, ‘I’ll win,’ not ‘I’ll probably lose.’ When you compete with someone else, think ‘I’m equal to the best,’ not ‘I’m outclassed.’ When opportunity appears, think ‘I can do it,’ never ‘I can’t.’ Let the master thought ‘I will succeed’ dominate your thinking process. Thinking success conditions your mind to create plans that produce success. Thinking failure does the exact opposite.”
2. Remind yourself regularly that you are better than you think you are. “Successful people are not supermen. Success does not require a superintellect. Nor is there anything mystical about success. And success isn’t based on luck. Successful people are just ordinary folks who have developed belief in themselves and what they do. Never—yes, never—sell yourself short.”
3. Believe big. “The size of your success is determined by the size of your belief. Think little goals and expect little achievements. Think big goals and win big success. Remember this too! Big ideas and big plans are often easier—certainly no more difficult—than small ideas and small plans.”
In closing, I’ll leave you with a quote from one of my favorite success authors and sales guru, Zig Ziglar:
“I believe success is achieved by ordinary people with extraordinary determination.”
ACTION
TODAY: Think about your goals today, and determine what is stopping you from achieving them. Fear? Resistance? Disbelief? Doubt? Bring to mind the memory evoked yesterday about a time when you attained a goal because you firmly believed you would. The goal could be finishing school, finding a job, getting married, turning in a project on time, taking your niece to the circus, flossing… big or small, we’ve all committed to something in the past because there was no doubt on our minds that we would do it, and we did.
With that memory in mind, firmly commit to believe in yourself as of this moment, and figure out what you will tell your lizard brain when disbelief and doubt show up (they will, but you can tame them and make them go away: thank them for wanting to participate and tell them there is no room for them). Here’s a great post by Seth Godin on Quieting the Lizard Brain.
FUTURE: Whenever you’re hesitating, remember that you have everything within you to succeed. Your belief and your determination will help you find the ways to achieve whatever you need to reach your goals. It may not be easy, but your belief will bring about the resolve and find the resources to make it happen.
Know someone who could benefit from reading this post? Please share! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you.
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Mindset, Miniseries, Opportunity, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 22 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Believe you can succeed and you will – Part 1
— From The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. (Read an excerpt here.)
The dedication of The Magic of Thinking Big is one of the most beautiful ones I’ve ever read: it tells the story of David J. Schwartz’s son, Davey, feeling “mighty big” when he graduated from kindergarten. Schwartz asked Davey what he wanted to be when he grew up, and he responded, “I want to be a professor.” When Schwartz asked what kind of professor Davey wanted to be, he responded, “a professor of happiness.” And so the author dedicated his book to “a fine boy with a grand goal.”
And the reason why this is relevant to today’s idea is because we’ve previously talked about quitting (here, here, and here), but we haven’t talked much about the mindset of success itself and the importance of setting of grand goals.
Success means different things to different people, yet they’re all good, wonderful, and positive things. “Every human being wants success. Everybody wants the best this life can deliver. Nobody enjoys crawling, living in mediocrity. No one likes feeling second-class and feeling forced to go that way.”
Schwartz goes back to the old adage that says that faith can move mountains. “Believe, really believe, you can move a mountain, and you can.” Not many people believe in themselves and in their grand goals, and thus, not many are able to move their mountains.
The author is quick to point out that some people will think, “It’s nonsense to think you can make a mountain move away by just saying ‘Mountain, move away.’ It’s simply impossible.’ People who think this way have belief confused with wishful thinking. And true enough, you can’t wish away a mountain. You can’t wish yourself into an executive suite. Nor can you wish yourself into a five-bedroom, three-bath house or the high-income brackets. You can’t wish yourself into a position of leadership.”
But, Schwartz says, “You can move a mountain with belief. You can win success by believing you can succeed. There is nothing magical or mystical about the power of belief.”
The belief—the deeply entrenched belief—that Schwartz is talking about is the “I’m-positive-I-can attitude [that] generates the power, skill and energy needed to do. When you believe I-can-do-it, the how-to-do-it develops.”
Let’s remember the quote by Goethe that says, “Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too.” That act of definitive committing is nothing but the belief that we can do it. And we’ve all experienced—in major or minor ways—how providence moves with the opportunities, coincidences, chance encounters, ideas and the myriad resources that present themselves to help us forge a path towards achieving our goals once we’re fully committed.
“Belief in great results is the driving force, the power behind all great books, plays, scientific discoveries. Belief in success is behind every successful business, church, and political organization. Belief in success is the one basic, absolutely essential ingredient of successful people. Believe, really believe, you can succeed, and you will.”
Stay tuned: tomorrow’s Part 2 will share three steps to develop the power of belief.
ACTION
TODAY: Think of a few times in the past when you’ve fully committed to something (big or small) and made it happen. Do you remember the deeply-entrenched belief you had in yourself to complete your goal? There was zero hesitation as to whether you’d complete it — it was a given that you would. That is what we’re aiming for here. If that belief is not readily available to you now, take a walk down memory lane and dig it up, it’s inside you, believe me. Keep that memory handy, as you will revert back to it when you need to evoke this feeling.
TOMORROW: Come back to read Part 2 of this miniseries.
Please share this post! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
