"Me, Myself and I"

We've all been there - what I say isn't heard and what I don't say is misinterpreted.

I have spent to many hours today pondering this. I have mulled it over and over in my head about the best way to address the situation. Do I write a blog post? Do I write a private journal entry? Do I send an email to the person in question? Do I simply ignore it?

My decision is to write a blog post and send one email. You who are reading this may think it is about you. I am sending a link to the one person this is about; if you read something that resonates and you haven't received the email link, then the Infinite Is has determined you need to hear this message. 

I am hurt by the only phone call I have received in three months. I reached out via email three months ago. I asked for help and I didn't receive any. No response to my email, no phone calls, nothing, nada, zip. 

I have been on many conference calls and most times I do not announce myself. I believe that announcing who you are is merely calling attention to yourself. I don't need the attention or recognition that I am on the call. Occasionally I do say I am on the call. I did so this past Monday and I am very sorry I did. Can you relate? Unintentionally calling attention to yourself? Giving someone an opportunity to deflect the attention from themselves because the situation became uncomfortable?

The call leader was very VERY late in attending because they were involved in a self serving situation. The person filling in was grasping at straws, "what do I say next? I know! I will ask a question of someone on the call!" I became that 'someone'. When asked a question on a topic that I do not feel positive about, caught off guard, I told the truth, "It doesn't work for me. After a couple of calls with the same information, I don't get anything from it and I don't call in anymore."

Ah, telling the truth. 

I will never apologize for telling the truth. Guess I will never be a politician either. I will never tell you what you want to hear just because you want to hear it. 

I have a philosophy that I live by and it comes from the American Indian: "Never judge another man until you walk a mile in his moccasins." My fault is expecting others to do the same. I am thankful that I have friends that believe in and subscribe to my philosophy. Friends who always speak the truth even when I don't want to hear it. 

I have goals. I will achieve them.

Perseverance and Persistence

Focus

Perseverance and Persistence

Perseverance by definition is continued effort to do or achieve something despite difficulties, failure or opposition while persistence by definition is the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. The two qualities go hand in hand. Perseverance can only last so long. With persistence, a worthy goal is achievable.

I have a penny framed on my desk. The caption I wrote with it is, "Consistent Persistence Pays". At first glance this may seem simple. The motive for framing the found penny stemmed from the question "Which would you rather have, a million dollars today or a penny doubled every day for thirty days." If you have encountered this question before, you know how much more a penny doubled for thirty days is worth. If not, do the math; the results are intriguing. 

I am an entrepreneur. It is an exciting career path and often a lonely path. I always believed the best motivations are visual and the strongest visual is enhanced with motivational text. The three words that came to me when I framed that penny so many years ago, "Consistent Persistence Pays" are even stronger today and motivate me to achieve my goals. 

Consistent: success cannot be achieved without following a consistent course of action. I write my goals and write the strategies to achieve the goal. Daily, weekly and monthly review of the strategies tells me what is and isn't working. None of this review and analysis is meaningful without consistent effort. 

Persistence: I know that any goal worth achieving is worth working towards. I need to be persistent in my actions. I find it interesting now that I chose persistence and not perseverance. The subconscious mind often comes into play when we need it most. The thing that separates perseverance from persistence boils down to these words; 'continued effort' and 'quality'. In my experience, quality stands the test of time.

Pays: I need a financial reward for my efforts. I need to know that what I am doing has value. I need to know that I am making a difference.

The goal is attainable if I am persistent.
Heights or obstacles beware!

Perseverance and persistence, what are your thoughts? C&C welcome.

Thoughts on the Second Half of 2014

This post is about thoughts and feelings. Nothing specific just thoughts and feelings as we start the second half of 2014.

This year the Fourth of July falls on Friday. It makes for an exciting weekend filled with barbecues or the opportunity to kick back and just relax. Spring planting is done. Now is the time to appreciate where I am, how I got here and where do I want to be six months from now. 

One thought that keeps nagging; time. Everything and everybody seems rushed including me. I feel like there is so much to do and so little time to do it. I know all the quotes about busy people always find the time to get things done. This is true. This comes with a price, anxiety. I feel like there are things that I should have accomplished for the day, the week or the month. Did I enjoy what I did accomplish? Sometimes. Other times the moments passed so quickly they were over before the wonderful feelings settled into my memory. I need memories because they are what help me through the challenging times. 

Challenging times are not always ones that are difficult or negative. Challenging times can simply be the 24 hour day that has 25 hours worth of things that need to be done. Some people manage with lists. My lists are typically the goals I have written and the strategies I will implement to achieve each goal. A daily list of what I need to do for the day overwhelms me. Making the time at the end of each day to record the positive things that happened makes a difference for me. The value of this practice is always evident three to six months down the road. Therefore, why isn't this a daily activity for me? I haven't made this a goal. 

Brody is excited!

A final thought for today; I am going to set a goal to write down the positives that happen each day. I am excited to have these tidbits to read in the months ahead. Excited to see what this does for my business and relationships. Excited to see what decisions I will make so at the end of the day I have positive things to record.

Brody, my nieces dog, is excited too. I hope I meet his expectations!