It’s a little speech that people involved in networking are supposed to
have prepared and memorized in answer to the question “And what do
you do?”  It’s called the elevator speech because it is supposed to
be so clear and short that you can say it in less time than the
span of an elevator ride and people will have a good understanding
of what it is that you do, or what services you offer.  This opens
up the next step in the conversation.

If it is a “good” or effective elevator speech, people should be
saying “Tell me more . . .”, or “How do you that?”  And you are off
to engaging in a conversation with someone that may be interested
in getting to know you better - or at least long enough to know if
what you have to offer is of any interest to them.  The purpose of
the elevator speech is to engage the right people in behaviors that
will lead to you getting what you want too - - i.e., setting an
appointment, getting a request to send information, and so forth.

If it is an ineffective “elevator” speech, you will know
immediately because you will see people’s eyes glaze over, or the
response might be a very polite, “oh, that’s nice . . .” dropping
the tonality at the end because they really have no clue about what
you are talking about.  End of conversation.  End of any
possibility that people will be interested in you, let alone what
you have that may be of benefit to them.  End of any further chance
of any of the steps that move both of you along the path to a
win-win deal.

Personal affirmations are like little elevator speeches that you
give to yourself to help you along the path of engaging in the
responses that give you a win in life or in business.   The wrong
self talk can stop you dead in your tracks.  Negative self talk is
like an ineffective elevator speech.   The right self talk however,
or affirmations, will propel you forward.  If having a few
affirmations at the tip of your tongue is not something you are
currently doing, please start now!  The right affirmation at the
right time will push or pull you forward to the actions that bring
you success in your life and in your business.

I’ve just ran across two very powerful affirmations that I want to
share with you.  The first is from Matt Bacak, a young entrepreneur
that has accomplished amazing results in his short 29 years.  Last
year he made nearly $4 million in gross revenues.  He uses this
affirmation when he is learning something new.  In the information
age and with the speed of change, that’s almost every day!  His
affirmation is “It’s easy.  I like it”.  

Now, imagine hitting a learning curve that is so steep it looks
like a brick wall, and now tell yourself - - - “It’s easy.  I like
it”.  Notice your mindset change, your attitude change, the fears
dropping away, your shoulders and jaw relaxing, the added depth to
your breath, and maybe even a little smile coming to your lips.  

Even if you know that what you are learning is difficult and
complicated, your attitude has changed.   Just replacing your self
talk of “it’s just too hard - - -I’m overwhelmed” to your new
affirmation of  ‘It’s easy . . . I like it’ gives you a whole new
way to distinguish, see,  identify, observe, notice, understand,
comprehend, become aware of, or realize and make sense of what was
blocking you just a moment ago.  At the very least, it gives you a
renewed sense of energy or enthusiasm that helps you keep going on
your learning path. How good is that?

Now here is one from Dr. John Demartini.  He got it from his
mentor, Dr. Paul Bragg.  “I am a genius and I apply my wisdom”.  It
totally changed his life, taking him from a school drop out to the
man we know today.  And you can use that same affirmation to pull
you along the path to success.  I truly believe that every single
person has a unique genius that if recognized and applied would
totally change their future.

I use the power of affirmations to sustain the mindset changes that
clients achieve in their very first coaching session.  I have my
clients print out an affirmation uniquely designed just for them
and they agree to read it and memorize it and use it every day
until it becomes a habitual mindset. This has been very rewarding
and powerful.

What affirmations can you use today?  Ask your friends and family
members or coworkers if they use affirmations and what is working
for them.  Look some up on the internet, or use a quote you love.
Then, when you hear that old negative self talk that brings you
down, immediately replace it with something affirming.  When I
catch myself in negative self talk, I playfully slap myself on the
forehead and say “I could have had a V-8!”  You remember the old
commercial.  And I laugh and immediately replace it with an
affirmation that works for me.  Make it fun.  You will be glad you
took the effort.

 
Welcome to 2008. As a Project Manager, the New Year is a challenging time for your project. You have staff away on leave, you may have deliverables from last year that you need to catch up on and the clock is already ticking. So how do you catch up and then give your project the edge you need to get ahead? Here are 5 tips for doing just this…
Tip 1: Playing Catch up
Projects are always ahead in some areas and behind in others. When starting the New Year, make a list of all of the areas that you’re behind in. Then prioritize the list and calculate the amount of effort needed to complete them. Are there any tasks that can be completed by others outside your team? If there are non-critical tasks that you can outsource, then now is the time to consider it. Use whatever resources you can find to complete these tasks as soon as possible. This will allow you to start the new year with a clean slate and a fresh mind, which is critical to motivating your team.
Tip 2: Re-planning
Once you’ve caught up as many tasks from the prior year as possible, revisit your Project Plan. Update every task in the plan and recreate your project schedule for 2008. You need to make your team feel like they’re getting a fresh start, without dragging stresses from the prior year into the New Year. This will boost motivation and enthusiasm for completing the revitalized plan.
Tip 3: The Road Ahead
Now that you have a crystal clear plan for 2008, you’re ready to get the team behind it. Wait until everyone is back from leave, and then take them out for lunch. Walk them through this year’s challenges and the timeframes in which they must be achieved. Try not to talk about last year. Instead, focus on the road ahead and gather their support. If possible, ask a customer to come along, to impress on your staff what it is that they need to deliver. Tell them you’re proud of them and what they’re capable of achieving.
Tip 4: Individualization
The trick now is to make each person feel like they are a critical cog in the wheel. Meet them individually, reward their successes and recognize achievement whenever you see it.
Tip 5: Quick wins
A winning team like to know they are winning right from the start. Focus on delivering a couple of critical tasks early, then shout about the success. Then get more quick winds under your belt and shout again. This creates the feeling of achievement and it creates momentum in the team. Sure, the project may not be finished until you’ve crossed the finishing line, but half the fun should be in getting there.
By taking these 5 tips, you can kick start your projects in the New Year and boost motivation levels to an all time high…

BDV-122478-BDV

I have personalized the list to first person, so repeat after me…

1) I will clearly define what I want my Internet business to look like in one year and set specific attainable goals to make it happen. (You can’t get where you are going without a roadmap, so chart it out)

2) I will follow those who have succeeded, emulate their successes and learn from their mistakes. (We all need mentors. Be sure you are following people who have honestly and ethically found success)

3) I will stay focused and not get distracted by all the “bright shiny objects” (Just because an ebook, course or software product is great, doesn’t mean it is going to help in your specific business. Be discerning!)

4) I will use the product I have purchased before buying anything

else. (Do you have unread ebooks? Read ‘em! Unused software?

Use it! Unwatched DVDs? Put them in the DVD player!)

5) I will prioritize networking relationships with others in my industry, as it is people and not websites that make my business successful. (This is the secret to my success…)

6) I will make every effort to attend at least one Internet marketing live event in 2008. (And this is where I discovered the secret to my success!)

7) I will wisely invest time and money in my business. (If you aren’t willing to make sacrifice, you probably aren’t going to achieve your goals)

I will THINK BIG! (The opportunity is seemingly endless. Don’t be satisfied with small successes… go for it!)

9) I will not give up! (Nothing happens without action. Never stop taking action.)

10) I will pay it forward. (It is more blessed to give than to receive, and I’ve found that when you help others it always comes back to you with good stuff)

Joel Comm

When it comes to success is your vision impaired? That is, do you have blind spots that are holding  you back? " Blind spots are the things we do unconsciously that can negatively influence how other people feel about us"

In her book Blind Spots: Achieve Success by Seeing What You Can’t See Claudia Shelton offers a framework of the five most common blinds pots to guide us when we analyze ourselves.

1. Misused Strengths: Do we over-use or under-use these strengths to a fault?
2. Old Habits: Old habits are the most difficult blind spots to uncover because they are ways of thinking and acting that have become fixed. They are often seen as "who we are" to ourselves.
3. Stress Expressed: This is how we negatively express the stress we feel. Some people may lose their temper, while others hold it inside and become over-controlling.
4. Untuned Radar: This relates to our inability to read other’s nonverbal cues. While some may read too much into people’s cues, others just might not "get it".
5. Disconnect: communication can break down in many ways- do you give others a chance to speak? Do you honestly answer questions or not answer at all?

Using this framework, identify your blind spots by analyzing yourself as if you were another person. Don’t see blind spots as weakness but as behaviors that get in the way of your success.

We can learn from the most important lessons sometimes from places the may seem completely unrelated to our activity of endeavor.

Take physics for example…
What does science have to do with business, let alone success in life?

There are certain laws that govern the way the world operates and business is defiantly a part of the world.

Even the most reticent to learning among us know that E=Mc2 changed the way we view and interact with the world around us. At a basic level it simple states that movement creates energy and energy gives us the results we desire.

On our introductory call Christie explains the 5 simple steps to gaining momentum toward our goals. Taking action is key.

You’ll recall step one is to describe your "Dream Come True Business" and to write it down. Just thinking about it or talking about it may be fun and exciting but it’s not going to move us forward. It’s not quite taking action.

That would be feedback for sure….
If we are not willing to take  out a paper and pen we are defiantly not willing to put forth the effort required to achieve our dreams.   
When we have a habit of not committing to paper it can at first be a challenge.

Just remember, momentum makes progress easier and odds are that once the action taken to put  our dreams are on paper results will occur.

It’s the law.
Review the call, follow step one and report on your results… You are well on your way.

Click here to enter the members area

Most people find themselves in Project Management by chance.
They were offered a role, took it because it looked like fun and
now they’re running on “go-go juice” (pure adrenalin) trying
to coordinate people, time and money to meet the expectations
of the customer. It’s pretty hard to schedule a career around this.

However the Christmas period usually gives people a chance to
reflect on the year to date and plan ahead for the following year.
So use this time wisely, by reflecting on our advice below…

Your dream job

It may be something like “to be a professional baseball player”
or “leading climbers up Mount Everest ” and it may have nothing
to do with project management at all - but by defining your dream
job and what it has to offer, it will set the scene for where you are
in your career now and will paint a clear picture of the road ahead.
It will also help you define where you want to be in 5 years time,
which is critical to setting a clear career path.

The long term goal

How will you ever achieve your long term goal if you don’t know
what it is? Give it a try by thinking about the type of role you
want to be doing in 5 years time and what it would involve. For
instance, do you want to have your own business, be a PM high
flier, an industry expert or to retire? Whatever it is, write down
a detailed description of your 5 year goal and what it is about this
goal that makes it attractive.

Navel Gazing

Now think about where you are and how that matches your
long term goal. How far are you from meeting your goals? List
in detail all of the things that are different between your current
role and your long term goal. Then prioritize those differences,
so you know which is more important to you. For instance, is
taking on more challenging projects more important than
earning more money?

 Decisions

Take a little time to decide how serious you are about achieving
your long term goal and what you are prepared to do about it.
For instance, if it requires more responsibility, a larger team and
more stress, are you really willing to take this on board?
 
Decide on your goal and feel proud about it. Only a fraction of the
workforce actually succeed in setting a long term personal goal.
Tell others about what you have decided. The more you tell others
about what you’re going to achieve, the more you will believe that
you can achieve it. Self-motivation is critical to a promising career.

Action Plan

It’s now time to set out an action plan. Between your current role
and your ideal long term role, which interim roles will you need
to fulfill? Create your own career plan, by defining each of these
roles and how they are going to help you to realize your dream.
Describe what it is that you expect to get out of each role (e.g. what
you will learn or the types of experience gained) and then add
timescales to each role, so you have a plan of attack.

Taking the Plunge

Talk through your plan with your current boss to get their feedback
and support. Bounce it off a mentor, friend or colleague. If you believe
in it yourself and it feels right then stick to it. Constantly look for
opportunities that match your action plan and when you’re ready,
take the plunge. By driving your career yourself, you will feel more
empowered and confident in your abilities. And
you’ll boost your chances of achieving that dream job

.Project management methodology, project management tools, project management templates

An entire Project Management Methodology for Project Managers. Every phase, activity and task within the Project Life cycle is described in depth, helping you to deliver projects faster and more efficiently than before. If you’re a Project Manager, Consultant, Trainer or Student, you can use this methodology to improve your project management success.

Table Of Contents:

Don’t Gamble With Your Future!

Quote-of-the-Month

Joke-of-the-Month

9 Things You Simply MUST Do

Don’t Gamble With Your Future!

There are vital steps to a successful business that cannot

be ignored. If you do ignore them, you are endangering

the health of your business.

Regular:   Planning   Marketing   Evaluating

I hear you saying, “That sounds great, but how do

I find the time for this, when I have a business to run?”

Focus, focus, focus. Focus during work times on the RIGHT things.

Focus on making the RIGHT changes. Focus on eliminating what

doesn’t work and intensifying what does work.

The BEST and fastest way to achieve and maintain this focus, is

having a coach. Working with a great coach is the ultimate success

tool. Constant incremental improvement is most likely to happen

when you have constant incremental coaching sessions to Plan,

Market, and Evaluate your business.

Quote-of-the-Month

The secret of your future is hidden in your daily routine.”

-Mike Murdock

Joke-of-the-Month

A student was doing a final examination that consisted of only

true/false questions. He removed a coin from his pocket and

started tossing it. Heads meant true, tails meant false.Suddenly, during the last few minutes, he began desperately
throwing the coin and sweating profusely.
The moderator, alarmed, approached him and asked what was
going on.
“Well, I finished the exam in 10 minutes,” said the student,
“but I thought I ought to recheck my answers.”

9 Things You Simply MUST Do

Dr. Cloud’s fourth principle is short and to the point: successful
people do something. They initiate, create, and generate.

Successful leaders are proactive as opposed to reactive. “They
do not see themselves as victims of circumstances,” Cloud writes,
“But as active participants who take steps to influence outcomes.
“ Their days and their lives are controlled by internal motivations
rather than external currents.

In a similar vein, successful people take ownership for their
destinations in life. They don’t assign blame; they welcome
responsibility. They refuse to cede their freedom to others and
live dependently. The successful person has done leadership’s
toughest task—mastered the art of self-leadership. The benefit
of leading yourself well is that you don’t have to rely on others to
provide direction for your life. You get to plan the course.

Christie Scott

Certified Business Coach

Advanced Certified Human Behavior Consultant