The director in the Billing Department passed through the office and noticed that the font office staff answered the phone with one word: “Billing.”

Well, this drove her nuts. She went to her Office Manager and asked if maybe they couls make a small change to the greeting, like maybe, “Billing department, how can I help you?” And maybe say their name?

Can’t do it,” the manager said. “Takes too much time.”

Well, the director finally got her way, and now that office gets more compliments for customer services than the entire rest of the company.

For six words and a name.

How can you make your greeting more friendly?

There is absolutely nothing that can stop you if you don’t want it to. The only thing that can stop you is your decision to stop.

If they laugh at you…don’t stop
If they tell you it won’t work…don’t stop
If you’re afraid it won’t work…don’t stop
If they tell you you’re not smart enough…don’t stop
If you’re afraid you’re not smart enough…don’t stop

Go Get It…It’s Yours
———————–
Jack Wallis
tgwallis@thewallisgroup.com

It’s a question I have asked myself so many times until I’m tired of hearing it. We prevent ourselves from doing so many things because we are afraid. Afraid of what people will say, afraid that we will fail, afraid that we won’t like the result, whatever. The bottom line is that YOU DON’T KNOW UNTIL YOU DO IT.

Most people, me included, spend so much time worrying about “what if.” My wife came up with a saying recently that I think is very appropriate: “Don’t focus on ‘what if’, only on ‘what is’”. What that means is, if you don’t know the answer, you don’t have enough information to be afraid. So many people are certain that they will fail. No matter what it is that you want to do, you don’t know until you try. And most of the time, it will cost you nothing to try. And you just might succeed.

As a wise person once told me, you have absolutely no right to have an opinion on any subject until you have actually lived it yourself. Don’t ask people who haven’t done it. In fact, don’t ask anybody. Most people can only give you their opinion through their own filter of experience, which may be completely different than yours. How do you know? You have to live it yourself!

YES, you can learn from other’s experiences, as long as they don’t scare you out of having your own. Stop worrying about failure; worry about what you’re missing when you try too few times.

And what if you fail? Sure, your pride might get hurt a little, you may even be out some money. But in the long run, even of you do fail, you will have learned a valuable lesson which you will know not to repeat.

Think: It won’t kill you (if it would, you probably shouldn’t be doing it in the first place). Now go out there, stop worrying and START LIVING!

————————————————————————————————–
T.G. Wallis is a speaker and trainer specializing in time management, productivity and personal development. He is founder and CEO of The Wallis Group, a productivity firm located in California. Contact him at tgwallis@thewallisgroup.com.

Found this interesting link on the “Motivate Me” blog site. How many times have you quit too soon?

One thing to keep in mind: email is not instant communication; email is instant ONE WAY communication. Have you ever had a colleague who sent you an email, then called you to make sure you got the email? How likely are you to want to help this person?

I’m going to suggest something really radical: check your email once a day.

Seriously.

If you are like most people and check your email every few minutes, or have some sort of alert system to tell you when you have a new email, stop it. You are splitting your focus and becoming inefficient.

Now, of course, if you are waiting for an answer about some urgent issue that you need to know right now, that’s a totally different subject. But most of us do not have that problem. We have just created email as a sort of instant messenger, in that we expect people to immediately jump and answer
our questions, just as if they had called us on the phone. (You don’t answer the phone every time it rings, do you?)

–Rob

By Will Newman

To-do lists are effective time-management tools - but only if they’re easy to use. Here are six strategies for making your to-do lists work hard for you.

1. Keep it simple.

Whether you use a computer-based to-do list or a paper tablet, it must be simple. If it’s too complex, you won’t use it… guaranteed. I keep my to-do lists on a 5″ x 7″ paper tablet. I list “major” tasks to be accomplished, with big sub-steps underneath each one. For example, “Edit The Golden Thread e-letter for AWAI” is a major task of mine. “Write main article,” “write Quick Tip,” and “write Introduction” are big sub-steps.

Note: A major task is not necessarily one that takes a long time.

2. Limit yourself.

Small paper tablets work well, because there’s a limit to how much you can write on a page. I stick to a maximum of 10 tasks, all of which can be accomplished within a week of when I list them.

3. Set a due date - and stick to it.

Due dates help prioritize what you do and when. Do not work on tasks in the order in which you write them down. Jot down the due date beside each one, and do them in the order of their deadlines.

4. Use a dark marker to reinforce your feeling of accomplishment.

Cross off sub-steps as you complete them with a regular pen. Use a dark marker to cross off the major tasks. Boy, does it feel good!

5. Redo the list every workday.

Do it every evening. This gives you a clear idea of what you have to do before the end of the next day.

6. Add “pop-ups” to your list.

When something pops up during the day that has to be attended to (such as an important phone call), add it to your to-do list - even if you’ve already done it. Then cross it off. To-do lists not only tell you what you have to do, they can tell you if you’re using your time well.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

“It costs virtually nothing to act successful. But you have to give yourself permission.”

See today’s profound post here

By James Arthur Ray

In his best-selling book Automatic Wealth, Michael Masterson devoted an entire chapter to the importance of developing wealthy habits. One of the things he said: “There is no one way to become rich. But there are a number of habits that some people develop that give them an almost supernatural ability to earn money and build wealth.” He then went on to discuss eight things that successful wealth builders do - eight habits that they have in common.

You’ve probably observed that people who are highly successful at any skill - not only wealth building - achieve their results by doing “certain things in a certain way.” Add to this the scientific fact that “like causes produce like effects” - and one thing becomes clear: If you and I consistently employ the same thought processes and actions as these highly successful individuals, we will produce similar results.

This is why success is an absolute science. If you apply the principles (thoughts and actions) of peak performers, you will accelerate your results far beyond your current level of achievement. Put it to the test.

In his book Psychocybernetics, Dr. Maxwell Maltz talks about our daily actions being a direct result of our habits. Since your actions are the cause of your results, it is fair to assume that your habits are what ultimately create the results you obtain. Habits are the things you and I do naturally and automatically, without thinking. Most of these habits were formed at a very early age and are now collected in your unconscious mind. According to Maltz, if you want to change your results, you must begin to form new habits.

Your current thinking regarding your abilities, your product, and your industry is habitual. It is buried in your unconscious mind, and it drives your behavior on a daily basis. Many times, this mindset is limiting, because it has as its foundation things said by a parent, teacher, coach, etc. that were intended to protect us from disappointment … but are actually disempowering. Things like: “Be realistic,” “Don’t expect too much,” and “Life is hard.”

To reverse this negative mindset and build the habits of a top performer, start by taking these four first steps:

1. Set a clear and measurable goal.

Make it a goal that you are excited about accomplishing. The human spirit will not invest itself in mediocrity - so if you want to succeed in overcoming limiting habits, your goal must create passion in you!

When you set your goal, keep two other important things in mind: It must be specific … and it must be measurable. Instead of “I want to make more money,” write, “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” This way, you will know exactly when you have accomplished the goal.

2. Write your goal in the present tense.

Notice that in the above example, the goal is in the present tense: “I am earning a minimum of $70,000 per year.” There’s a reason for doing this. It will cause you to fully associate with the achievement of your goal. Your unconscious mind is totally deductive, and, therefore it accepts anything that your conscious mind gives it without question. Consequently, correct phrasing is imperative. Instead of “I want to earn $70,000 per year,” write your goal as if you have already achieved it.

3. Write your goal every single day, carry it with you everywhere you go, and read it as often as possible.

Remember, you are developing habits of the highly successful - ways of thinking and acting that are new to you. So don’t think that this step is redundant. Realize that it has taken years to develop your current limiting mindset - and it will take concentrated effort to replace it.

4. Take action and make daily decisions with your goal in mind.

For example, you might ask yourself the question: “What decision would I make right now or what action would I take right now as a $70,000 income earner?” Answer the question - and act! If you act based upon your current status, you will continue to create your current results.

Any time you experience frustration with these action steps, realize that it is caused by your old mental “programming” trying to push you back into old behaviors. Don’t give in! The mark of a master achiever is a person who has the ability to give himself a command - and follow it.

[Ed. Note: James Arthur Ray, a leading expert on the psychology of success, has devoted his life to helping ordinary people lead extraordinary lives. Recently, James put together an enormous package titled "Focusing on the Science of Success." If you are ready to transform your life, here's how you can try out this program for 30 days.

This article appears courtesy of Early To Rise, the Internet’s most popular health, wealth, and success e-zine. For a complimentary subscription, visit http://www.earlytorise.com.

Much is made in marketing about your target market, demographics, which media to use, et cetera. The simple fact is, these are the least of your worries. When you begin to design a marketing campaign, you need to think about what stories you will tell.

The research, and yes, the results, show that the ads that bring in the most dollars always tell a story. Whether it’s Tom Bodett telling of the simplicity of Motel 6, to any number of “on the road” ads, storytelling is the way to get people’s attention and keep it. “They all laughed when I sat down at the piano.” Well, they may have, but that campaign from many years ago brought in many thousands.

What stories do your ads tell?
How can you use your product to tell a story?

Tig Wallis helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their marketing, technology, and customer service processes. He is founder of The Wallis Group, a business and marketing consulting firm located in California.

Contact Tig at tigwallis@thewallisgroup.com

Thought I would share a song I just wrote today about persistence:

One More Step

it’s a crazy world, there’s no doubt
where you become what you think about
seems like sometimes this life’s so rough
i just feel like giving up

that’s when i take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

one day i met the luckiest man
asked him what’s your secret do you have a plan
he said, i don’t know but on this i can bet
the harder i work the luckier i get

and i always take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step

you gotta be in the right place at the right time
so be in a lot of places

and don’t forget to take
one more step
got no time to stop and
catch my breath
whenever i feel like there’s
nothing left
that’s when i get up and take
one more step
(c) 2008 Tig Wallis