Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Summertime Fun It’s that time of the year when we create games to make those long road trips a little less painful, especially when traveling with children.  Here is a fun one that will not only make you feel good but lift those around you as well. Start with the letter A and work your way through the entire alphabet, giving the person next to you a compliment using the next letter in the alphabet. Such as, “You are Amazing! You are Beautiful! You are Creative!” You must always use a word that will make that person feel good. (Sometimes you will need to get a little creative.) The book, Miracles in Water by Dr. Emoto teaches us that words are powerful and have the ability to impact us in a positive way, or a negative way, based on how they are used. If you need another game to keep you occupied, you can go through the alphabet again using words that describe someone or something that you could be. Such as, “You would be an amazing Actor. You would be a beautiful Ballerina”, etc.  These games inspire young children to feel good about themselves and to dream of what they can achieve. It sounds like a good game for adults too! Enjoy! Something to Think About It’s been scientifically proven that mean words hurt us, and kind words make us feel good. When you are angry, it’s sometimes hard to say something nice, but perhaps the first step for all of us is to not say something mean. What a wonderful world that would be! Weekly Activity:  Go out of your way to spread kindness through words this week. Reach out to at least five friends and five clients with a call or note using words of gratitude and affirmation. You’ll lift their worth and you’ll feel inspired as well. Words of Wisdom Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much. Blaise Pascal Kind words not only lift our spirits in the moment they are given, but they can linger with us over the years. Joseph B. Wirthlin Kind words produce happiness. How often have we ourselves been made happy by kind words, in a manner and to an extent which we are unable to explain! Frederick William Faber Kind words are a creative force, a power that concurs in the building up of all that is good, and energy that showers blessings upon the world. Lawrence G. Lovasik Imagine what our real neighbors would be like if each of us offered, as a matter of course, just one kind word to another person. Sometimes, all it takes is one kind word to nourish another person. Think of the ripple effect that can be created when we nourish someone. One kind empathetic word has a wonderful way of turning into many. Fred Rogers

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Dance with Change This might sound silly, but why do you change the style of your clothes?  Why do you eat different foods at different times and places? Why do you enjoy the company of some people some days, and other people on other days? How do you explain that sometimes you want to be left alone and other times you want to be with others? It all boils down to an inner need that all of us have.  We want to have a sense of control over our lives and to make our choices freely, when we want to make them. Something that we can’t control is change. Change happens all the time. It is inevitable; it’s a fact of life.  We are all different, and change affects all of us differently. But there is also a universal desire within everyone. That desire is to experience life to its fullest. Change allows us that opportunity. So, when change comes knocking at your door, if you are packed and ready, then Bon Voyage and enjoy the journey! But if you are still contemplating where you want to go or what you want to do, answer the door slowly and invite change in while you get ready! Something to Think About If you’d like to change, if you’d like to be different, if you would like to try new things, then dance with change when given the chance. Weekly Activity If change comes knocking this week, swing open the door and welcome it in! Take a new route to work. Try something you’ve always wanted to try. Do something spontaneous – even if it’s out of your comfort zone. In fact – especially if it’s out of your comfort zone. That’s where we learn the most! You may even want to challenge yourself to prospect outside your comfort zone by walking your neighborhood farm, creating five business connections, or increasing your prospecting calls. Words of Wisdom Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me. Carol Burnett Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay. Simone de Beauvoir If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Maya Angelou Change your thoughts and you change your world. Norman Vincent Peale Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Are you talking to yourself?  Some of the best conversations I have ever had were the ones I had with myself.  Not a verbal conversation, but more of a running commentary in my mind about things going on in my life, or major decisions that I needed to make.  All of us talk to ourselves with ongoing dialogs of emotions and interpretations of what we really think and feel about things. But are we listening for answers, or just rambling? Research shows that our minds are amazing. They are taking in emotions, facts, visuals, and info 24/7. You actually know more than you think you know most of the time. Here’s a great example. When you are playing a game that requires you to come up with an answer or even taking a test, how often to you choose an answer, and then change your mind, only to discover that your first response was the correct one? How often does that happen and why?  It’s because we have absorbed so many small details and info over our lifetime that we can’t remember it all, but it’s all stored in our memory banks, which means that the answers to many of your questions are right there in front of you. You just need to listen to that inner voice, or as some say -- your gut. The answers to many of your questions are right there inside your own head. Something to Think About:  Too often we second guess our decisions and actions. You are smarter than you think! Weekly Activity: This week, when you have a decision to make, any decision, go with your first answer or impulse and see what happens! Words of Wisdom Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy. Guillaume Apollinaire Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness. Frank Tyger There is more to life than increasing its speed. Mahatma Gandhi Life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. Lou Holtz True happiness arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one’s self. Joseph Addison

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

What’s the Rush?! This week we celebrate the analytical individuals of the world. These are amazing people, with a gift for detail. They are the thinkers of the world. When you have a project, this person can look at the entire project and spot areas that might be a problem. They are patient, almost to a fault. They love research and rarely move forward with a decision until they have completed their research. They prefer to be organized and when they are working on a project, please allow them time to complete what they are working on before giving them additional things to do.  Are you analytical? Do you live with someone analytical? Embrace their talent for research. If you are planning to buy a new car next year, let them start the research now. Does your office need to be organized? They love organizing projects. This person has a gift that most of us do not, but don’t rush them. Rome was not built in a day, but it was one of the most beautiful cities in the world when it was completed. Something to Think About It is very challenging for this personality to multi-task. They live in a world where technology makes multi-tasking the norm for most, but they still embrace their alone time and prefer to stay focused on the task at hand. If you have this person in your life, honor that need. Weekly Activity If you are analytical, you live in a world that is more predictable than most. It’s well planned out and researched. This week allow that “fly by the seat of your pants” person in your world to take charge and make plans. Just go along with the plan and enjoy the ride! If you live with this person, let them complete whatever project they are working on this week, before giving them another task. They will appreciate it. Words of Wisdom First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality. The beginning, as you will observe, is in your imagination. - Napoleon Hill The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail. - Charles R. Swindoll To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail. - Giorgio Armani In the successful organization, no detail is too small to escape close attention. - Lou Holtz Getting organized in the normal routines of life and finishing little projects you've started is an important first step toward realizing larger goals. If you can't get a handle on the small things, how will you ever get it together to focus on the big things? - Joyce Meyer

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

The World Is a Better Place When We Work Together This week we celebrate the Amiable, or S personality in the DISC test. S represents steady. This is the personality that we all love and wish we were more like! They are happy when those they care about are happy. They are more cautious when making decisions and often rely on the advice of those they trust before making a decision. They are great listeners, and very observant. They are always well dressed, and their cars and homes are usually well kept and clean.  Do you know someone who always responds, with “Whatever everyone else wants to do it fine with me”? That person is probably amiable, and they really are fine with whatever the majority wants to do. When they get together with friends, or family, it’s the experience that is most important to them. Not the food. In their ideal world, everyone would get along together and not fight. They are uncomfortable with conflict.  They are very loyal and will be your friend for life, unless you betray them. Fairness is very important to them, and they will always strive to be fair and honest.  They might put off making decisions, which sometimes frustrates those who are more impulsive.  They embrace stability and security, and resist changes. Is this you? Is it someone that you know, or perhaps live with? This personality enjoys their quiet time to reflect and plan. Something to Think About Understanding is the key to tolerance. When you take a few minutes to put yourself in their shoes, it allows you to enjoy the moment and the person that you are with. Weekly Challenge If you are the S personality, or very Amiable, get out of your comfort zone this week. Take charge of an event or activity and don’t worry about what everyone will think, or if everyone else is happy. Plan it the way you want it to be and let the others enjoy it. Trust me, they will love it! If you are not the amiable personality, who is that person in your life that is? They value family time and relationships above all else, so call them up and plan a spontaneous visit. Words of Wisdom Solitude is very different from a 'time-out' from our busy lives. Solitude is the very ground from which community grows. Whenever we pray alone, study, read, write, or simply spend quiet time away from the places where we interact with each other directly, we are potentially opened for a deeper intimacy with each other. -Henri Nouwen We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly - spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. -Susan L. Taylor Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you. - H. Jackson Brown, Jr. Though force can protect in emergency, only justice, fairness, consideration and cooperation can finally lead men to the dawn of eternal peace. - Dwight D. Eisenhower I love that quiet time when nobody's up and the animals are all happy to see me. - Olivia Newton-John

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Work Energizes Me! This week we celebrate the Driver personality or the D personality. Sometimes they are referred to as a Type A personality. This person is the risk taker. They move at a fast pace and are very focused. They are probably the most misunderstood of the four personalities. We sometimes misread them or make assumptions that are not true. Drivers are very ambitious and work really hard. They consider anything that distracts them away from work, a waste of time. Therefore, they are not likely to be standing around chit-chatting with others.  They can be direct, and sometimes very blunt.  You might say they don’t have a filter, but that’s only because they move and think at such a fast pace, that sometimes their words come out too fast to stop. This person is the natural leader. They are good at building companies and creating security for those around them. They think of their role as taking care of those in their trust, which can be at home or work. When this person misses family engagements, it’s usually because of work. They think of earning money as being important to those who depend on them, even though their family members might prefer to have them at home or the event. Is this you? Do you live with this personality? This person loves to build things, to manage things and embraces new opportunities. But once it’s built, or mastered, they get bored and look for a new project. Something to Think About The driver personality values those in their life, personally and professionally, who take care of the details behind the scenes. Every minute of the day, they want to be face to face with someone who they can do business with. They are the leaders and builders of the world, and they are very valuable to those around them. Weekly Activity If you are the driver personality, take some time this week to spend with your family or those you care about. Be present in their conversations. Turn off your cell phone for an hour or put a message on your voicemail that says you are unavailable and will return their call tomorrow, then turn it off for the day! Those who value your services will wait until you can call them back. If you live with the driver, remember that they do what they do, as much as they do it because they care about those entrusted to their care. Words of Wisdom A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination, and hard work. - Colin Powell The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. - Vince Lombardi The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it's possible to achieve the American dream. - Tommy Hilfiger Focused, hard work is the real key to success. Keep your eyes on the goal, and just keep taking the next step towards completing it. If you aren't sure which way to do something, do it both ways and see which works better. - John Carmack Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do. - Pele

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Understanding Others Viewpoint How many times this past week did someone do or say something that you disagreed with? Was it at work? At home? Did you find yourself thinking, “I can’t believe that they said that or did that!” There is a good chance that person has a behavior pattern that is different from yours.  There are four different behavior patterns, and each one responds, acts and makes decisions using different criteria. For the next several weeks, we are going to talk about each of the four behavior patterns, one at a time. There is no right or wrong: only different.  When you understand why people make the decisions that they make, or how they make their decisions, it reduces your stress and the stress of those around you. If you have taken a DISC test, you are familiar with the four basic personalities. If you have not taken a DISC test, I would recommend it. Or you can take any test that determines your behavior pattern. Today let’s talk about the I personality, or as I like to refer to it -- the expressive personality. They move at a fast pace and they are really friendly! They talk a lot and they are impulsive. This personality lives in the moment much of the time. They are comfortable in social settings and quickly make new friends. They love to entertain others in their home and enjoy going out with friends. Fun and food are a big part of their life. They are an emotional decision maker, which means that they rely on emotions to make their decisions, more so than facts. They might buy a car, on an impulse, because it felt good at the moment. They will buy from a salesperson that they like, versus a salesperson they don’t like. Is this your personality?  Or do you live with this personality? Their life and their decisions are based on “how they feel” about that situation. They leave jobs and relationships that don’t feel good. They will always pursue their dreams and encourage others to do the same. They recharge at the end of a long day by getting together with friends for food, fun, and laughter. This is a fun person to be around, if they are happy and content! Something to Think About If you are a logical person, can it be challenging to be with someone who is your exact opposite? Absolutely! However, just remember that for you, you think facts and stability are important. It’s hard for you to imagine decisions made on a whim, or just because it feels good. They feel just as strongly about how they make their decisions.  For them, they think they are right. Remember, there’s no right and no wrong; only different ways of looking at the same situation. Weekly Activity Get out of your comfort zone this week. If you are the expressive personality, make plans with someone who is very logical. Talk about their interests and how they arrive at a decision. If you are not the expressive personality, make plans with your most outgoing, emotional friend, and just go with the flow. No matter what happens, look at the world through their eyes. Words of Wisdom Looking back, of course, it was irresponsible, mad, forlorn, idiotic, but if you don't take chances then you'll never have a winning hand, and I've no regrets. - Bernard Cornwell I do not think I am successful just because I have money. I'm successful because I love who I am, and I have no regrets, and I'm successful because I have a great heart and I have compassion and I care and I would be happy with or without money. - Suze Orman I'm not paralyzed with fear, but I realize it is important to live as if there's no tomorrow, always trying to maintain your integrity and have no regrets. - Sissy Spacek I was raised by my mom, and she just had this very non-judgmental, having no shame about yourself, no regrets, just trusting your gut and your instinct, and treating yourself with respect. - Lily Collins Don't waste a minute not being happy. If one window closes, run to the next window- or break down a door. - Brooke Shields

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Good Friends Friends are friends, not because they are identical and always like the same things, or because they always think the same way, but because there is an understanding between two friends that exists at all times. There is a silent bond of respect and admiration and a strong sense of love that doesn’t go unspoken. Friends tell each other what they are thinking and how they are feeling. Friends allow each other to find their own space. They are ready to give comfort and to be a gentle guiding force when we are experiencing challenging moments. A true friend is someone who doesn’t try to change you but allows you to change yourself, so you can discover your talents and pursue your dreams. A good friendship promotes your happiness and delights in seeing you happy. They make you smile, even when they are not there. A friend is one of life’s most valued treasures. Something to Think About It’s said that most people can count the number of “true friends” on one hand, but if you have at least one true good friend, you are a fortunate person. Weekly Activity Call your “true friend” and tell me how much you appreciate their friendship and set up a time to get together with them this week. Have clients that have become friends? Reach out to them as well. Words of Wisdom The purpose of our lives is to be happy. - Dalai Lama Sometimes you’ll never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory. - Unknown If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude. - Maya Angelou Being happy doesn’t mean that everything is perfect. It means that you’ve decided to look beyond the imperfections. - Unknown Dance like the photo’s not being tagged. Love like you’ve never been unfriended. Sing like nobody’s following. Share like you care. And do it all like it won’t end up on YouTube! - Unknown

Monday Morning Wake Up Call

Monday Morning Wake Up Call: Your Motivation, Inspiration, & Direction for the Week Ahead

Life’s Magic Moments The truly magical moments in life are those that seem to happen when we least expect it but need it the most.  Some call it destiny, others call it luck or fate. I call it life. Life is filled with zigs and zags, doors to be opened and doors to be closed, but you must be open to those special moments that are waiting to be discovered.  I had a friend who said she was never getting involved in a relationship again, only to have the perfect person show up in her life.  At first, she resisted, thinking of all the reasons why it would probably not work, with an attitude of “why spend the time and energy on something that won’t work out in the long run?” Fortunately, she got some great advice and decided to give it a chance. Four years later, it’s still perfect and they are planning their wedding. Life’s magic is everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and take a closer look at the world around you.  Don’t worry about where you have been. Give your smile away to the people you meet and watch your new future unfold. Something to Think About There’s a saying that has been around for a long time. It’s one of my personal favorites. Think you can, think you can’t, either way you are right! That’s powerful. Weekly Activity Spend more time smiling at those around you this week. Write five notes to amazing clients just to tell them thank you and that you are thinking of them. Words of Wisdom If you have only one smile in you give it to the people you love. - Maya Angelou Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody's heart. -Anthony J. D'Angelo Smile in the mirror. Do that every morning and you'll start to see a big difference in your life. - Yoko Ono Your smile will give you a positive countenance that will make people feel comfortable around you. - Les Brown Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. - Leo Buscaglia