Morning Motivator – Decide. Then Attack!

"I think this is a great idea.  Let's start immediately!"
- Anonymous

There is a simple TRIGGER to look for in any good business deal – IMMEDIACY.  If the opportunity you are discussing is a good deal, there should be NO hesitation to implement.

Frequently, people sit, negotiate, discuss, search, ponder and decide something "sounds good," only to say, 'let's huddle up in 3 weeks and get this going."  Admittedly, on occasion, there are CLEARLY DEFINED reasons to delay; yet, the opportunity is still ENACTED in its immediate timeframe.

If it is such a sweet deal or great opportunity, why wait?  Will it be better in three days?  Will it be more valuable?  A Better fit?  WHAT?!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The best OPPORTUNITIES are the ones you know are a good fit from the first discussion.  Sure, there are details that need to be worked through, however, if the opportunity fits the need, then GET OFF YOUR TAIL and get moving!!

Procrastination NEVER proves to be a successful solution.  The longer you wait to do something or take advantage of an opportunity, the less valuable it becomes.

In order to be successful you must be able to IDENTIFY opportunity, ASSESS the total value, and most importantly, TAKE ACTION!!  The saying goes, "First to market wins" and consistently reigns true.

Go get after it… NOW!

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Does It Make Business Sense?

"Why would I sponsor that?  It doesn't help me meet my goals."
- Anonymous

Being a PROFESSIONAL means understanding what other professionals VALUE their business.  It is HELPING them solve their needs and achieve their goals in one tightly crafted package.

How does one go about finding out this information?  Simple.  Do you know?  It is really quite easy.  YOU ASK!

INQUIRING with other professionals that, on the surface, appear to have similar goals, markets, values or business drivers will prove to be the MOST APPROPRIATE starting place for creating connectivity.  ENGAGING these professionals in DISCUSSION regarding their goals, your value as a professional or business that you can deliver and the SYMMETRY between the two businesses will prove to be the CATALYST for making business sense (and transactions).

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Too often, business people chase any and every opportunity to "tell their story."  They are told (by their ineffective management), "It's a numbers game" and that their best success action is to go meet as many people as possible and make sure everyone knows what they do.  

BLAH!  VOMIT!  IDIOCY!  ANNOYING!  (INSERT YOUR DESCRIPTION HERE)

True, it IS a numbers game!  The person that has the most MEANINGFUL discussions with the most APPROPRIATE business partners… WINS!  The person who best UTILIZES their time in meeting with the HIGHEST POTENTIAL clients… WINS!  The person that throws up their stupid sales pitch that in NO WAY matters to my business is an IDIOT (and should be punched)!

Ask yourself, "Does this make business sense for THEM?"  If yes, or mostly yes, ENGAGE.  If no, move on.  Your success is a matter of having BETTER relationships, not having the most!  Does that make sense?

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Beware of Chasing “What Could Be”

"Teams are just simply afraid to look back 10 years from now and regret not taking Cam Newton."
- NFL Network

For those non-football fans, no worries, there is a good point here.  For you football fans, just a reminder that I think the college running quarterback is the biggest waste in the NFL (note: Vince Young).

There is a FUNDAMENTAL problem with being someone that worries about "what could be" – it most OFTEN never happens.  Ninety plus percent of the things we "predict" are never as we thought, often LESS enthralling than could be hoped for.  Rarely, do we get more than we EXPECTED from something.

By OVERINVESTING into something because it has a lot of potential, such as Cam Netwon as your quarterback, you are IMMEDIATELY setting up a disappointment.  This is true is sports as well as in speculative real estate.  Overbuying with your heart and fear of "missing out" will cost you more often than not.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Build your "TEAM" with consistency and reliability.  Sometimes, getting the superstar is not needed for the team to succeed.  Sometimes, getting the latest, greatest gadget is not the 'smart" purchase.  More often than not, having a team full of strong "B Players" is much better than a bunch of "C Players with a few Superstars mixed in."  (See: New England Patriots Football).

If you spend your life CHASING potential and never looking for consistency, quality and reliability as a foundation, then you will find yourself much like a drug addict – captured by the feeling of the really high "highs" while spending the majority of time in the low "lows."

Seems like a bad team – Carolina Panthers/Tennessee Titans – would seek to build a better foundation as opposed to looking for the answer in a single draft pick, eh? 

Build a SOLID foundation, then, seek out the SUPERSTAR addition… not the other way around.

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Act Desperately

"Some of the best solutions are born out of desperation."
- Unknown

Success is found out of a sense of PRIORITY.   Repeatedly, you will hear professionals speak of working with a sense of URGENCY. 

What makes someone work with that DRIVING sense of urgency? 

A sense of DESPERATION is challenging to work with.  Unless you have been forced into a desperate moment, you may not be able to tap into that FEELING and UNDERSTANDING of how to act decisively, with haste and yet withhold the PERCEPTION of desperation to the people you are speaking. 

Can you REMEMBER a desperate moment in your life?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
No one wants to come from a desperate situation.  No one seeks being forced into a life that causes him or her to act in accordance with those feelings.  Yet, the best of the best are able to tap into that sense that they once knew (or have someone become able to relate to),

This is as much a discussion about PROCRASTINATION as it is desperation.  This is TRAINING you to do today what should be done tomorrow and do tomorrow what should be done next week.

So often, we RATIONALIZE that we are to accomplish today's work today, no more, no less, as we would hate to do too much and are fearful to do too little.

What if you acted with DESPERATION to get ahead and worked to get 3 months ahead of your goals?  Would the pain today be tolerable if you knew you could triple your pleasure by summertime?

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Crush the Snooze Bar

"How much of human life is lost in waiting."
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

I had a funny thought when I first awoke this morning.  I pondered how many people are CHALLENGED to rise out of bed and attack their day only to be undermine by the simplicity of pressing one little button… the SNOOZE BAR.

Mine is set for a 4-minute snooze.  4 minutes!!  What quality of rest can one GAIN in 4 minutes?

By choosing to click the snooze bar, two things occur:  (1) I have broken my effective and meaningful sleep pattern with a meager attempt to extend its restful value for 4 minutes (InSaNiTy!) and (2) I have effectively placed the first SUCCESS BARRIER in front of myself, sabotaging my day from the first 30 seconds in which I awoke.

The snooze bar should just go away…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The BIGGER challenge with the snooze bar is the behavioral tolerances it creates for us.  We "believe' that we can continue to put off important tasks, goals or commitments for small periods at a time ("snoozing") and still accomplish them in an effective and timely manner.

How many projects have you SABOTAGED by putting off until later?  How many great projects are still being "SNOOZED?"

Do yourself a favor and STOP using the snooze bar.  Not just in the morning when you are crawling out of hibernation, but EVERYDAY!!  Stop waiting until "later" to do what could be eliminated from your task list today.

The BIGGEST winners are the ones that accomplish the most tasks… if you are waiting 3 hours to start (or do not have a system to start without you), then how do you expect to WIN?

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.