Okay we have officially begun a new decade. Ten years ago we were all worried about Y2K and convinced the world would come crashing to an end. And here we are – ten years later. Yes, some things in the world of technology have changed – but what about in your world? I hope your world has changed as well. If it hasn’t, make 2010 the year where you initiate change. How do you want your life to be better?
In this week’s podcast I interview Joanne about knowing when to quit or when to persist. You’ll enjoy her fresh insights on how to accomplish meaningful goals.
Speaking of Goals. Last week the link for my Goal Setting form was incorrect in this newsletter. That's the bad news - the good news is that hundreds of you wrote to us asking for the corrent link. That let's me know you are serious about deciding what 2010 will look like for you. The Power of Goals
*********************** "There are two kinds of success. One is the very rare kind that comes to the man who has the power to do what no one else has the power to do. That is genius. But the average man who wins what we call success is not a genius. He is a man who has merely the ordinary qualities that he shares with his fellows, but who has developed those ordinary qualities to a more than ordinary degree." ~THEODORE ROOSEVELT
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Goals for 2010. Last week the link for my Goal Setting form was incorrect in this newsletter. The good and bad is - hundreds of you wrote to ask for the correct link. That's the good news too - at least it let me know lots of you are going to decide what 2010 is going to hold for you. The Power of Goals - 2010.
This addresses the most pervasive and recurring question I receive daily – How can I trust my dreams and passions?
Tom, a sharp 27-yr-old presented himself in my office, wanting confirmation that he was on the right track. He had recently graduated from college (having taken the 7-year plan) and had taken a position with a company selling office equipment. Each morning he put on his suit and began making his calls. The company loved him, however, he was bored beyond belief. I asked him why he had taken this route and his reply relayed a common perception. Tom said that he had a great time in college; he traveled, went snowboarding, attended ball games, and spent time with his friends. Now that he had graduated he felt it was time to “grow up” and become part of the “real world.” He assumed that meant getting a job that he hated but that would prove his responsibility.
I laughed and asked who had sold him that bill of goods. We looked carefully at his skills, personality traits, values, dreams and passions. Today, Tom is co-owner of a snowboard shop in Breckenridge, Colorado. On a moonlight night you might catch him coming down a hill at 3:00 AM, testing one of his new designs.
What is it that you find naturally enjoyable? If money were not important, what would you spend your time doing? When do you find the time just flying by? What are those recurring themes that keep coming up in your thinking? What did you enjoy as a child but perhaps have been told was unrealistic or impractical to focus on as a career?
This is a tough area for most people. There is a subtle spiritual myth that following our dreams is likely to be selfish, egotistical, and something God would frown on. That kind of thinking implies that God is totally outside of ourselves; we are simply physical robots separated from His mind and heart. However, we are created in God’s image and as such are co-creators with Him. Why would God have created us to think imaginatively and to have vivid dreams only to then squelch those dreams for practicality? Consider the possibility that your dreams and desires are the voice of your soul, God’s voice within you, longing for expression through your faith and action. And as you move toward your values, dreams, and passions, you will move toward being more spiritual and more fully what God created you to be.
Ever wonder why some people get the cool jobs – even if you have better experience and credentials? Here’s an example of a guy using creativity to snag a great opportunities.
HeadBlade President Todd Greene was looking for someone that could handle social media for the company. He said he was looking for someone like himself, someone who was passionate about the product. He posted the job on Craigslist and got tons of resumes. But one stood out above them all, by far. Eric Romer was himself a "headblader," and had been using the product and even blogging about it on his own. Within a day of the Craigslist entry going public, Eric put up the following web page: HireMeHeadBlade. Now that's a creative way to get the attention of an employer!
Want to guess who, out of the hundreds of correctly submitted resumes got the job? Yeah – it worked. Eric now has a new site up: HeadBladeHiredMe where he’s continuing to tell the story.
So what can you do to stand out from the crowd? I’m hearing of people sending resumes wrapped around an ear of corn, on a business card DVD, delivered with a dozen roses, or by standing in the boss’ parking spot at 6:40 AM. Now is the time to be creative – pull out all the stops and let potential employers know why you are someone they won’t want to miss.
Thanks to reader Brian O’Keefe for alerting me to this story.
Welcome to 48 Days radio where each week I look through the submitted questions and then blast through as many as possible right here to give you the unique tools for your own success.
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In this podcast I interviewed my wife, Joanne, about the process of writing and publishing her first book. We began by discussing persistence. Is it true that “Winners never quit and quitters never win?”
When you “decided” it should be book, what did you do?
What were your goals in actually making this a book?
What were your first steps in making it a book?
What lessons have you learned about what it takes to bring an idea to life?
Did you ever think about just quitting?
How important was it to have a supportive family and team around you – cheering you on? Could you have done it without that?
For an entrepreneurial project to be completed there must be a blending of passion, purpose and plan. None of those is enough in and of itself.
*********************** If you have a question, just email me at askdan@48Days.com and you can ask about starting your own business, getting a better job, or finding your purpose in life.
And you can click the link below to listen to this week’s broadcast immediately – no downloading – no wait.
Coaching with Dan
Many of you ask if I still coach people individually. Yes, I do. Feel like you've taken too much time to get to the success you want? Is fear holding you back? These are common issues with the hundreds of people that contact us each month looking for a new start. Give us some brief information and I'll recommend one of my coaching packages or recommend one of the other coaches in our 48 Days network to launch you into the next successful season of your life: Coaching with Dan
*********************** Ready for 2010?
You can create the future you want – or you can just wait and see what happens. Are you ready for 2010? Have you decided what will happen for you this year? Make sure you can describe the success you want – in all areas of your life. Click on this for my free goal setting form: 2010 -- The Power of Goals.doc
*********************** 48 Days Affiliate Program
If you have a website or an email list that reaches a lot of people, you may be interested in being a 48 Days Affiliate. The banners we provide can be put on your website and everyone who clicks through to our site and makes a purchase, will be tagged with your name. At the end of the month, we’ll cut a check to you! Check out the details here: 48 Days Affiliate
*********************** Want to be a 48 Days Coach?
Lots of people ask about being included in the list of the 48 Days Coaches here. We have a list of coaches and also identify those who are endorsed 48 Days Coaches. If you’re a coach and would like to join others who are building their coaching businesses, check out the details here: 48 Days Coach
*********************** 48Days.net
At 48Days.net you’ll see over 4600 other excited people who have ideas – and plans to make 2010 their best year ever. If you want your life to be different in 2010, get involved with people who are on the same path. There is no cost – just lots of people who are committed to helping each other succeed.
*********************** Are you using your best skills?
Don't put your time in an area that doesn't even "fit" you.
The most popular resource we have continues to be the 48 Days Career Profile. With your unique strengths, what kind of work should you be doing?" You can find out here.
"An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves." ~Bill Vaughan
"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man." ~Benjamin Franklin
"Every man should be born again on the first day of January. Start with a fresh page. Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past." ~Henry Ward Beecher
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day." ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce
"We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." ~Ellen Goodman
Don't put your time in an area that doesn't even "fit" you.
