5 steps to start the new year right
Here's a New Year's resolution article from ChronicBabe.com editor Jenny Prokopy that focuses on a few important areas, including one that many authors and publishers have to deal with: PILES OF STUFF on our desks. "Speaking from personal experience, there's nothing more intimidating than a big pile of to-do's sitting on my desk (or my coffee table, or my dining room table, or the kitchen counter...). With only the best intentions, I often set things aside so I can do them when I have more time, and then the pile just gets bigger and bigger until I'm afraid to dive in. "For your sake and that of everyone around you, it's time to dig out from under any piles you have in your home of professional life. They could be physical piles of stuff (like laundry, dishes, or bills) or mental piles (the running list you keep in your head of all the things you "should" be doing). "Piles are guilt-inducing. Piles are scary. Piles can often hide time-sensitive stuff that can cause you harm if you ignore (like mortgage payments or doctor appointment reminders). "One: Identify your piles Take a look around your environment and make a short list of your piles. The stack of stuff you keep meaning to get tailored, or the eight borrowed books you keep meaning to read. "Two: Set aside some time to start tackling your piles Maybe it's just 10 minutes a day, or maybe you want to take a whole Saturday...it's up to you. But schedule that time in your calendar like you would any other appointment. "Three: Get digging Honor those appointments with yourself and start tackling your piles. It might feel impossible at first, or frustrating or even boring, but do it. After a little while you'll feel a sense of relief that you're getting this stuff done. And eventually, as the piles are whittled away, you'll feel a sense of freedom. Enjoy it! "Four: Celebrate! You're pile-free. Yay! Give yourself a treat. "Five: Keep the piles from re-forming You know that time you scheduled to get rid of the piles? Keep that regular appointment in your calendar FOREVER. That's your anti-pile time, and doing it regularly will keep your piles from re-forming. Rinse and repeat." Read the entire article at ChronicBabe.com
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The Uncomfort Zone
This Month: The Buck Starts Here
Recently I participated in a Murder Mystery weekend at a bed and breakfast lodge. Every guest was a given a role to play. There were eight suspects; each of whom had one or more of the following: Means, Opportunity and Motive. Having the Means and Opportunity was very important, but having the right Motivation was the key to solving the puzzle. We interviewed the suspects, collected clues, then presented who we thought was the killer and why. It was great fun, but I failed to figure out who done it. I was very logical and surmised that a suspect with a monetary motive was the one. But, it turned out to be one with the emotional motive of anger and revenge.Never-the-less, money is a powerful motivator. It is the original carrot dangling from the stick.
My friend Bill, the computer wizard, told me years ago, “I always follow the money.” Meaning that he would learn those computer skills that paid the best. I did the same thing in my early years as a writer. I found journalism fun, but that advertising paid better. Subsequently, I pursued advertising work and honed my skills in motivating people to buy.
The exciting thing about money, or more specifically: prosperity, is that it is a great equalizer. Prosperity has a way of eliminating envy, hatred and bigotry. Increased wealth makes people more tolerant and giving. The formula for prosperity is simple: economic freedom plus property rights. In other words, minimal regulation and the right to keep what you earn.
Clearly we all know that money is a reliable method for motivating people. But, if you ever want to discover the motivation behind an action that appears to be random, backtracking the money trail is frequently a good way to find it. For example, have you ever noticed one of your favorite products disappearing from the store where you buy it? It probably means that there were not enough customers for it and the store quit carrying it. If, however, you can’t find it anywhere, then the lack of users is widespread and the manufacturer discontinued it.
Sometimes, however, the money trail is even longer, and more convoluted. I recall a hot summer day, back in the late 1980s, when, after mowing the lawn, I popped open an ice cold soda pop and drained it in one long gulp. Moments later I was on the floor with a painful spasm in my back. It lasted nearly half an hour, and when it was over I made an appointment with my doctor. It turned out that I was allergic to the corn syrup in the soda.
“How could that be?” I asked. I’d drank thousands of sodas without having that reaction. What I learned was that up until that can of soda all the ones I’d drank before were made with sugar. So, I asked, “Why would they switch to corn syrup?” The answer was that the cost of sugar had gone up; and they did not want to raise the price. “Why was sugar more expensive?” Because Congress placed a tariff on imported sugar. “Why did Congress do that?” Sugar growers in Florida asked them to because they did not want to compete with low-cost Caribbean sugar. “Why would Congress comply when it would raise prices on all products made with sugar?” Because the sugar growers donated lots of campaign money to a majority of the members of Congress. The trail ends, and the puzzle is solved.
It turns out that my favorite soda pop is still made with sugar in every country on the planet except the United States. One day, I’m going to get a craving and drive a thousand miles to Mexico. Talk about motivation!
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Robert Evans Wilson, Jr. is a motivational speaker and humorist. He works with companies that want to be more competitive and with people who want to think like innovators. For more information on Robert's programs please visit www.jumpstartyourmeeting.com.
P.S. Please Connect With Me:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/graffitiguy
http://www.facebook.com/robevanswilson
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Read the 2009 editions of The Uncomfort Zone:
Keeping the Ball Rolling
The Secret for People Who Don’t Believe in Voodoo