Thank You to FEARLESS, the musical [www.fearlessthemusical.com] for the last three words and some of the clout of this post!

While some political leaders may doubt that FEARLESS Strategic Planning (FSP) is what the U.S. Government needs to be doing more of right now, it is certainly what every professional salesperson needs to be focused on at least once a week—and more likely, every morning!

FSP is partly back to that old adage for success that we can only ever get to where we’re going when we have a map or, as present day technology dictates, a GPS or mobile map app. But the difference is in the name. It must be a FEARLESS map and we must follow it fearlessly.

Sales professionals have a tendency toward squeamishness, avoidance, nay-saying, and self-doubt when they head off into what constitutes new or uncultivated territory . . . or when they need to circle around and come back to the doorstep they once left feeling inadequate, defeated or threatened.

The solution to these mental roadblocks is to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, take a deep breath, smile like you mean it, and get back on the horse that threw you (or whose clomping, stomping, snorting, glaring, and big teeth have kept you jittering at a cautious distance).

First off, no customer or prospect knows more about you, or your product or service or concept . . . than you! Secondly, anyone (or group) putting out defensive arm-folding or “I think I know more than you” pyramiding of fingers, is simply afraid of making a bad buying decision, so take these as signals that your job is to help them feel more secure about where you’re leading them. Back out of your pitch long enough to break down some of these resistant postures. Tasteful humor helps.

Thirdly, and most important: you got to where you are because you have a gift for knowing the right things to say in any sales situation. Rely on that. Trust yourself. Reach inside and appreciate what the real you is all about. Then, put it to work. Being FEARLESS means being authentic.

When you plan your weekly and daily strategies, plan them with a positive attitude and an air of authenticity. When you dig into your areas of strength and build energy and genuineness (vs. boredom and phoniness) into your words and actions, you are being authentic . . . FEARLESS!

How to get to that point? Work at it. Stop giving up on yourself. Cultivate everything you can think of that builds and rebuilds your sense of determination, gumption, fire. Never stop learning. Every problem is an opportunity. Strategize from your mind, but act and speak fearlessly from your heart!

Every day you begin with FEARLESS Strategic Planning will bring you increased health and happiness and success. Your words and behaviors are always your choice. Choose to be FEARLESS. Choose to make it easy!

 # # #

Hal@Businessworks.US          931.854.0474

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and make today a GREAT day for someone!

“Pretty good job… for a woman!“

“Thanks for nothing” types of “mixed” messages pervade today’s society– in meetings, phone calls, emails, texting, even music! “Don’t smoke, don’t drink, and don’t curse,” he warns his new employee. Then the boss frantically pats down his pockets and exclaims with frustration: “Sh*t! I must have left my pipe at the bar!”

“All the world’s a stage…” proclaimed Shakespeare. At one time or another, we all play roles and mask ourselves in some way. If we become aware of ourselves when we are putting on a performance, that awareness gives us the freedom to reject unproductive (unless you’re “on stage”) playacting in favor of authenticity.

And (yes, apples are great, but) certainly, A is for AUTHENTICITY too! It is Authenticity, after all, that is the overriding human quality which serves us best in both life and work

. . . yet, short of hiring someone to monitor or videotape our daily words and actions, it can be difficult at best to be aware of when we are “putting on airs” or undermining someone else or sabotaging current circumstances. Why? Because playacting is often an unconscious knee- jerk reaction to another person or situation.

So what are we to do to begin eliminating or at least minimizing phoney images and communications?

Awareness of life/career damages from disingenuous behavior is the beginning. So, you’ve already started. Next comes making a conscious effort to strengthen your resistance to assume or take on these self-destruct roles. You need to “catch yourself” by keeping your mind and body in better balance with the real you:  the deep-inside you.

Accept from the outset that–unless you’re another Mother Theresa–you may be unlikely to ever achieve 100% authenticity. But know that even slight improvements will enhance your personal respectability and community standing, and will dramatically increase others’ acceptance of your ideas and trust.

Once you are aware of this thinking and accept that “being more genuine” will rocket-boost your life, work, and play pursuits, begin to take more deep breaths. That alone will help you ground yourself in times of trouble and, ultimately, clarify your here-and-now focus in ways that win you more intrinsic happiness and more extrinsic rewards.

Being more aware paves your path to greater control and spotlights that everything you say and do is a choice that you make or the result of some choice you have made at some point in life. Simply by being more “Choice-Conscious,” you will find yourself better able to illuminate your strengths and free up your uniqueness . . . bring your real self, your authenticity, to the surface in more of what you think and say and do.

 # # #

Hal@Businessworks.US          931.854.0474

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

You’re 40-something and trapped!

You’re 40-something and you’re sandwiched in between aging parents and young children. trying to build a career. Even the weekends are starting to suck. The family dog (or cat) is beginning to be your BFF.

What’s next? STEP BACK, that’s what! Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing (except driving, holding a baby, operating heavy equipment, or standing with your back to a cliff or stairway), take one physical step back away from the gum-biting clamor, pinch yourself in the butt and take three deep breaths. Just three, but don’t fake it. Three. Deep. Now. Before reading more. Go ahead. I’ll wait.

Now pay attention to this: No job is worth losing because your mind gets too busy racing in and out of your neighbors’, relatives’, co-workers’ issues and shortsightedness. They don’t understand your upsets. They never have. They’re not inside YOUR brain and you don’t need them to survive your circumstances. You need your SELF to make adjustments for your SELF — NOT to please others!

You need to “rattle your own cage” and that doesn’t mean a zoo or prison vacation. It means doing some honest soul-searching about who you really are, what you really want out of life, and how you think you’re going to get there.

Rule One: Take Charge of Your SELF! Only YOU know what YOU need to do. Listening to what others have to say is a good thing. Doing what others think you should do is not. So listen all you want, but ACT on your own behalf.

For every idea you have (after the three deep breaths!) about how you need to proceed with your “sandwiched” life, write it down: each idea at the top of its own page (yes, with a real pen or pencil on real paper . . . trust me you’ll get more authentic results than keyboarding it!). Put a minus- sign at the top left and a plus+ sign at the top right, with a vertical line top to bottom down the middle of the page.

Then identify the negative and positive points related to each idea in the appropriate column. Step back again. Yes, and three more deep ones. Then analyze your ideas based on comparing the two columns and on what you honestly feel inside your gut about each point, and each idea.

Maybe you’ve been being too patient and are filled with anxiety? Maybe you’ve not been patient enough and are filled with annoyance or are simply adding fuel to the fire? Where’s the right balance?

What are you doing right this minute to achieve the right balance? You think this is an easy exercise? It’s not if you’re doing it honestly. But is it worth it? Of course it is. YOU’re worth it, aren’t you? Then work at it.

Here’s a Broadway-bound musical: www.FearlessTheMusical.com filled with love, anxiety, humor, annoyance, and resolution to inspire. It’s all about finding balance — Try some of the “song previews” and remember: You’re never alone when you seek balance. Sing. Dance. Hum. Breathe. Think. And along the way, enjoy–and TRUST your SELF! Be FEARLESS! You’ll get through it. You can do it!

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US   931.854.0474

Open  Minds  Open  Doors

Many thanks for your visit and God Bless You.

Make today a GREAT day for someone!

YOU’RE 60-70 YEARS OLD?

There goes your past. Here comes your future. But
it’s only this very minute —this very split second
as you read this sentence— that counts!

Popular observations about your age:

YOU’RE 60-70 YEARS OLD
Ah, now you’re cookin’, Baby! True smartness sets in and you learn to appreciate the idea that life is too short to be hanging around with time-wasting junk. That includes other people who are hell-bent on draining your brain and emotional storage bank with their tales of physical ailments, surgical procedures, and drug regimens.

Business life begins at 60! Go get busy! Invent something! Write a book! Play senior softball! Coach something. Find a local youth organization you can work with. And there’s nothing like moving to or visiting a college town to keep you feeling young! Pull up stakes and git outta Dodge! If you’re married, do another honeymoon. If you’re single, and still searching for love in all the wrong places (like bars!), gussy yourself up and check out stuff like www.NeedTaGetMeARedHotSeniorLover.com (Just kidding. Sorry, it’s not a real site!)

One good thing that’s predictable once you hit into the 60-70 age group: You say “screw it!” more.

Oh, and—after trying endless formulas, products, and treatments to no avail—you let your hair and wrinkles grow wherever the hell they want to. You look lovingly at grandchildren, but have a keenly developed zero-tolerance for temper tantrums and the soiled diapers that you once handled with aplomb, finesse, dedication and necessity.

Reluctantly, you look for the bright side of facing the eventual need to downsize your living quarters and aspirations. Your kids talk with you like they think you’re seven years old. You are either attending church services more or less. You are paying too much attention to politics, the news, and nail fungus!

Here’s the whole enchilada: Be thankful to be who you are and to be headed forward on your path. You’ve made it this far and you ain’t gonna quit nohow!

REALITY IN LIFE AND BUSINESS:
Now is the only time!
How thankful are you to be who you are,
headed where you’re headed?

WATCH THIS BLOG NEXT WEDNESDAY

FOR HAL’s 70+ AGE COMMENTARY

# # #

Hal@BusinessWorks.US  or 931.854.0474 or comment below

OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

YOU’RE 50-60 YEARS OLD?

There goes your past. Here comes your future. But
it’s only this very minute —this very split second
as you read this sentence— that counts!

Popular observations about your age:

YOU’RE 50-60 YEARS OLD

Congratulations! You’ve finally learned some stuff. You know better, for example, than to think you’re so omnipotently brilliant and untouchable—not weak by any means (you did after all get this far!)—you’ve simply become more realistic.

Realistic is good. More realistic is even better. At 50-60, you start going to church more than just weddings, funerals, Christmas and Passover, and you’ve given up worrying about your hair.

Your business enterprise is shaky but working (after learning from a handful of failures) as usual — and you live for your annual vacation, your spouse, and your offspring. Your new puppy just chewed up your tax returns, but that truck you always wanted is now in your driveway . . . and who knows? Ray Kroc was 57 years-old when he launched McDonald’s! Makes you think of trading in those daily nuts and healthy fruit for a drippy fat burger and those fries (Ah yes, the fries!) . . . am I right?

Yup! And, at long last, you’ve come to the point of accepting the reality that you may actually be a bit on the stupid side when it comes to home and car repairs, budgeting and bank account management, or selling yourself to get customers. You’ve no doubt figured out how to apply all the gems you learned in your school studies of Tree-Hugging, Trigonometry, and Global Warming to market your line of new improved toilet plungers.

Oh, and this is not even to mention your half-century (whoops! Sorry to mention that) of accumulated street-smarts that have prompted you to realize that you can be easily clobbered by a 20-something who cuts you off in traffic and that your best defense is to keep your middle finger in your pocket. Your love affair dreams have narrowed to a handful of gorgeous TV superstars and a neighbor with 9 children and 17 grandchildren swarming over the house, porch, yard and driveway 24/7. Oh, well . . .

REALITY IN LIFE AND BUSINESS:
Now is the only time!
How thankful are you to be who you are,
headed where you’re headed?

WATCH THIS BLOG NEXT WEEK FOR MORE
  AGE COMMENTARY~~~~ NEXT WEEK: 60-70
# # #
Hal@BusinessWorks.US or 931.854.0474 or comment below

OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

YOU’RE 40-50 YEARS OLD?

There goes your past. Here comes your future. But
it’s only this minute—this very split second as you
read this sentence—that counts!

Popular observations about your age:

YOU’RE 40-50 YEARS’ OLD

Now you’re getting serious about life. You cut your hair and consider the economies of a wig vs. hair transplants vs. shaving your head. You buy your first wrinkle cream and think about Botox. It doesn’t take more than a backache or two to realize you’re no longer the superwoman / superman you thought you were, but you will no doubt continue trying to prove otherwise—switching perhaps to “softer athletics” like pinball, slot machine pulls, darts, bathtub backstroke, and computer solitaire.

You’re still haunted by being covered with lettuce, smothered in mayonnaise and stuck like a pickle in the middle of the parents/kids sandwich . . . trying to break through the crust and please the whole world as you get chewed first on one side and then on the other. You probably thought you were over the hill when you were thirty, but now, well, “It’s the real thing!” . . . You worry more.

When you lose a close friend or family member, it gives you cause to pause. You rethink your job, church, life, love, yourself as well as where the hell you’re going, and how long it’s taking to get there. Retirement planning? Nah! That’s a long way off.

Earning a decent living has turned out to be harder than you ever imagined. Maybe you should do that year-with-a-yogi-mountaintop-meditation deal? Marriage or roommate relations get rocky. Your own or parent health issues command the stage center spotlight.  Healthcare insurance options suck! You sleep less. You start eating more yogurt and granola, but struggle with the booze, coffee, anything chocolate, bread and butter. Sometimes you feel like you’re playing football on a chess board. Try answering this: “What Sport Is Your Business?”

Having your own small business is looking more attractive. You decide to test the waters with a weekend garage-based product business or bedroom-based consulting service. The startup costs are staggering. You consider seeking investors or a rich partner. Somewhere you learn that when two partners agree on everything, one is not needed. Two investors you speak with want 65% of your business. No way! Way! No way! Way! No way! You go it alone and sweat it out. Welcome to entrepreneurship! Are you spontaneous enough?

REALITY IN LIFE AND BUSINESS:
Now is the only time!
How thankful are you to be who you are,
headed where you’re headed?

WATCH THIS BLOG  FOR THE NEXT 3 WEEKS
FOR YOUR AGE COMMENTARY~~~ NEXT WEEK: 50-60
# # #

Hal@BusinessWorks.US   or 931.854.0474 or comment below

OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

YOU’RE 30-40 YEARS’ OLD?

There goes your past. Here comes your future. But
it’s only this minute—this very split second as you
read this sentence—that counts!

Popular observations about your age:

YOU’RE 30-40 YEARS’ OLD

It’s inconceivable that those under 30 consider you older than dirt, so you do everything mentally and physically possible to prove yourself otherwise. You get a little achy-breaky once in awhile, but–after all–you still feel invincible enough to beat yourself to a pulp on the athletic field, go cliff-climbing, hang-gliding, whitewater rafting, buy a horse, and race jet skis. Maybe you’re a late bloomer, but you fall in and out of love 15 more times, then soul-mate with one of your original 25, from when you were (aaaaah!) in your twenties.

You gloat at being able to buy your first house, then quickly realize—as nasty things go wrong that require hiring contractors—that you’re in over your head. But now, for the first time, you at least have your own neighbors and your own on-the-job friends (and a soul-mate) to commiserate with. You try a couple of churches. You drink a lot of fancy-brand beer.

If you weren’t having young children and old parents when you were 20-30, you’ve probably got both now, and you feel like you’re in the middle of a sandwich, ready to be eaten up by stress and time pressures, especially with so fewer opportunities for self-indulgence. Getting your fingers burned and knuckles rapped as you learn the politics of career pursuit, you think about starting your own business. You Google a lot.

Approaching 40, you own up to the fact that maybe you don’t actually know as much as you thought you did when you were ten years younger. You trade your Camaro for a minivan to get the kids to baseball, soccer, dance lessons, Cub Scouts, Brownies, fast-food spots. You love your spouse, but the minivan . . . Your smartphone keeps you connected to the world, but you somehow still feel disconnected. The kids anchor you to living in the present. These years are all about making and spending money, getting promoted, researching startups.

In your heart, you know there’s hope for you yet. It’s true. Just choose it. Oh, and hang in there, Kiddo! Time Heals.

Business Life Reality: Now is the only time!
How thankful are you to be who you are,
headed where you’re headed?

# # #

WATCH THIS BLOG THE NEXT 4 WEDNESDAYS FOR

YOUR AGE COMMENTARY~~~ NEXT WEEK: 40-50
# # #

Hal@BusinessWorks.US or 931.854.0474 or comment below

OPEN MINDS OPEN DOORS

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

FAKE Entrepreneurs

Listen to all the politicians toss the “E” word around, and it will be transparently clear that they haven’t the foggiest idea of what Entrepreneurship is all about. How do YOU stack up? Here are some solid clues and checkpoints:

FAKE Entrepreneurs indulge in constant chatter about how great their business ventures have been, and will be, instead of being focused on the present “here and now” moment, as real entrepreneurs tend to be most of the time.

FAKE Entrepreneurs waste time, energy, and opportunities by whining and complaining about what didn’t “go right.” They instead need to follow real entrepreneurial thinking which calls for learning from the process and adjusting it, then moving on to make their ideas work.

[We’ve all heard the famous comment from Thomas Edison in response to questions about his 10,00 attempts to invent the light bulb, and how he felt at having failed 10,000 times, that he said he instead learned 10,000 ways to not make a light bulb!]

FAKE Entrepreneurs talk nonstop in convoluted terms about big money deals they have made and will soon be negotiating, instead of real entrepreneurs who pay tenacious attention to their current cash flow.

FAKE Entrepreneurs react instead of respond and blame others (predecessors, parents, partners, competition, the economy, climate change, and childhood) for costly business errors and decisions, instead of accepting—as real entrepreneurs—that the upsets are the result of a conscious or unconscious choice that they made now or in the past, and getting on with life.

FAKE Entrepreneurs consistently “take entrepreneurial risks” without remembering to put the word “REASONABLE” in front of “risks.” Real entrepreneurs don’t bet the farm. Real entrepreneurs take more risks than corporate and government managers, but the risks they take are always reasonable and realistic.

FAKE Entrepreneurs refuse to set goals because they fear failure, and refuse to learn proven goal-setting criteria which include “flexibility” as a key determinant. Real entrepreneurs set goals and routinely change them as they go forward because A) Nothing is in concrete, and B) times, people, and circumstances often change at the proverbial drop of a hat.

[Reality dictates moving or adjusting the goalpost or the terms initially determined for getting into the end-zone. Real entrepreneurs know they don’t need to stay on someone else’s measured field or inside someone else’s stadium in order to score a touchdown!]

FAKE Entrepreneurs mask what they’re doing behind closed doors or armies of hungry lawyers, out of fear someone will steal their idea and beat them to the punch (and that, by the way, can happen easily while ego-feeding with those few, well-disguised, bad-news investor and business lawyer vulture-types!).

Real entrepreneurs understand that seeking trustworthiness in associates is paramount among desirable qualifications, and that proprietary rights, copyrights, patents, trademarks are important, but that the time and energy of appropriate types of attorneys must be carefully shopped for and firmly (and appropriately) channeled.

[With cautious judgment, real entrepreneurs will usually embrace competitive overtures (and sometimes offer some). Many businesses maximize success for themselves by clustering, or joining forces with, or bartering with other like-minded entities… often a mainstay of retailing to stimulate consumer shopping and even realize cost savings with co-op advertising and promotion events.]

 How do YOU stack up?

# # #

Hal@BusinessWorks.US      or 931.854.0474

OPEN  MINDS  OPEN  DOORS

Thanks for visiting. Go for your goals! God Bless You!

Make today a GREAT Day for someone!

Is Your Star Falling?

Even once you accept and get past the awareness of every behavior being a choice, self-doubt doesn’t simply float away off into the ozone. And similarly, pats on the back, “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” coaching, and double booze drinks can feel like gasoline drips flaring up out of your emotional bed of glowing embers.

Even when you know that every circumstance—regardless of intent or time period involved—is the result of a conscious or unconscious choice, you will not necessarily feel reassured about your own sense of stability. You’re more likely to hibernate, or beat yourself up, or do or say something stupid.

Your concept of yourself as a leader or as a mover and shaker, or as The Wizard of Oz, is bound to crumble to some degree at some point (or points) in your life. You are, after all, human. And emotions, after all, are not logical.

So, did this post’s four-word question headline catch you in time, or have people around you already been suggesting vacation destinations and urging you to “chill,” “get out more,” or “get out of Dodge”?

How can you turn this around?

• First, stop whining, bitching, complaining, blaming, punching walls, and—if you’re a thrower—you may want to consider a temporary switch from glassware and your fine china, to Styrofoam.

• Second, question your intents and motives. Ask yourself what’s at stake? Your survival? Your health? Your ego? Your relationship? Your business? Your career? Your family? All the money you have in the world? (Hint: If any of these were probable, you wouldn’t be reading this now.) How about “HAPPINESS”?

• Third, accept the fact that, considering the odds, it’s not likely your upsets are permanent, never-ending, all-inclusive, irreversible, or literally Earth-shattering. It’s probably just that your brains are scrambled eggs and your musculoskeletal system is JELLO. So, think substance!

Pretend your flight is overbooked and over-cargo’d and you need to toss your baggage off the plane in order to get where you’re going. Go ahead. Toss it! If it’s not life or death, just let go. You’ll be surprised at how liberating that can feel.

Next, decide the three most important things to you in your life and list them in order of importance. Then add the next seven items. There you have it . . . your “TOP 10.” This list alone warrants a brief time-out celebration (Uh, sorry, no shots or drugs — just a few whoop-de-do’s will be fine!)

Now, unless you’re on the edge of a cliff, racetrack, or a quicksand pit, take a step back! Look at where you’ve been these past two minutes. Think about where you need to go and what three different ways there are to get there. Take one. GO! If it doesn’t work, you still have two shots left! And one will work!

Congratulations on catching your falling star and for coming a long way (Baby!) from this blog post headline. You may want to consider one last thought:

“A word to the wise is sufficient.”

(Origin unknown . . . but if you are, it is!)