Tuesday, April 29, 2014

UNLEASHING PROSPERITY IN TODAY'S ECONOMY...

Is the Economy Holding You Hostage...?


"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do."
-John Wooden, Legendary UCLA Basketball Coach


Over the last seven years, many explanations have been offered as to why the economy is "in the tank".  Taxes are going up, government regulations are on the increase, investors are going overseas with their money, the big corporations are down-sizing, consumers are cutting back on spending, and so it goes...

While all these factors and many others are a matter of record, are you "allowing" them to determine your present and future prosperity?  Are you letting circumstances determine your outcomes?  Are you being "held hostage" by economic circumstances?

Amid this turmoil, there are a number who are prospering.  What are they doing? Taking a closer look you will find they focus on three things:  change, principles, and choice.

With that in mind, consider three things you "can do" right now (and in the coming weeks, months, and years) to make sure "the economy" doesn't hold you hostage.

1) Learn how to become more agile; increase your capacity to tolerate uncertainty in a rapidly changing world and then act appropriately.  Change is with us round-the-clock; without it life would become rather boring and useless.  The more you embrace change the greater will become your ability to respond effectively to it and prosper in so doing.

What can you do now to respond to the changes in the world that affect your prosperity?

2) Discover and hold fast to universal, timeless principles.  The law of cause & effect is ever present.  As you learn, apply, and master the principles upon which your prosperity is based, your power to make choices that benefit you and others increases.  In a rapidly changing world, you are able to navigate a course that frees you from being held hostage by any circumstances.

What timeless principles are involved and how can you apply them now to maintain and enhance your prosperity?

3) Understand and believe that you "always" have a choice.  Certainly, the overall economy has been "in the tank" in the recent past and many have experienced financial setbacks; we must confront reality. However, you can always choose your response.  When you choose to "act", you increase the control you have over your outcomes; instead of circumstances determining them, your choices do.

What can you "choose" to do now to maintain or increase your prosperity, financial or otherwise?

Remember:  Focus on what is changing, the principles involved, and make your choices accordingly.



Next Post

We will resume: Finding The Resources You Need (Step Two of Three)


What Do You Think?

As always, your constructive comments are welcomed.

******

The Silver Creek Economy 2014 blog is sponsored by Partnering Technologies, an Arizona-based Learning & Development Company.  Their focus is helping individuals and organizations learn, consistently apply, and master a skill-set that is always in high demand, always highly valued, and always highly paid.  Its founder is Jim Sanderson.

Visit their website at www.partneringtechnologies.blogspot.com and find out what they are doing to build a more prosperous economy for our community in 2014.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Finding The Resources You Need (Step One of Three)



The following post is part one of three. Taken in order these three steps will help you get the resources you need to accomplish what's important to you... even making our local economy more resilient and prosperous.


Step One: Believe that You Can Do It!


"[Luke:] I can't believe it.  [Yoda:] That is why you fail"


Question for Consideration:  How important is the power of belief to strengthening our local economy?

It’s been said that faith or belief is the moving cause of all action. Indeed, it is the very foundation of all achievement. Very seldom, if at all, do we attempt anything we don’t genuinely believe we can accomplish.  When we undertake to accomplish a goal or objective our belief is “I can do this”.  As we work towards the completion of our objective we encounter obstacles that require us to find ways to remove or overcome them.  As we deal with each obstacle we consciously or unconsciously decide if we are able.  At each of these junctures we make the choice whether or not to “keep going” or to “give up”.  If our habitual mindset has been to give up at the first sign of opposition, we will more than likely “give up”.  If our mindset has been “I can”, we will more than likely find a way to accomplish our objective.  The choice is ours; either we can or we can’t!  What we think matters; what we believe is very powerful and determines whether we will act or not.



Many examples of this principle could be given, but the following three provide adequate evidence how the belief that “we can” makes a significant difference.  


Consideration #1
On May 6, 1954, Roger Bannister ran the first sub 4 minute mile in recorded history.  Up to that time only a handful of people considered this humanly possible.  The overwhelming belief of “it’s impossibile” was the limiting factor.  Yet despite this generally accepted mindset of “impossible”, Bannister and the handful who believed refused to be buried by the opinions of the numerous nay-sayers.  In reflecting on the event some 50 years later, Bannister commented that the obstacle to running the sub 4 minute mile was more or less a matter of believing "it couldn't be done".  Until he and others believed it possible and took action to accomplish this objective, the “belief” that it was impossible made it so.  Once it was believed possible and acted upon, the barrier vanished and the sub 4 minute mile became a reality and soon a benchmark for others.  The ‘thinking” or power of belief and acting on that belief made the difference.


Consideration #2
The Middle East has long been a region of unrest between the Arab and Jewish peoples.  The prevailing belief is it is impossible for these two peoples to live together in peace.  However, Stef Wertheimer, self-made industrialist and billionaire, brought together a significant number of these two peoples through his businesses and entrepreneurial efforts.  The mainstream media would have us believe this is an “impossibility”, but Stef Wertheimer made it a reality.  Arabs and Jews working together to accomplish a common purpose... successful businesses and prosperity for their families.  Wertheimer’s belief that “I can” bring peace to a troubled region through my business ventures was confirmed when he acted on that belief. (http://www.roberttercek.com/2010/11/meetings-with-remarkable-people-my-conversation-with-stef-wertheimer-in-tel-aviv/)



Consideration #3
One of my favorite poets is Edgar Guest.  He had the rare gift of being able to express the basic wisdom of life in simple, easy to understand verse.  The following poem, It Couldn’t Be Done, reflects how the power of belief and acting on it is vital to winning against overwhelming odds.


It Couldn’t Be Done
by Edgar Guest


Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That “maybe it couldn’t,” but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face.  If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!


Somebody scoffed, “Oh, you’ll never do that;
At least no one has ever done it;”
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he’d begun it.
With the lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done, and he did it!


There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That “cannot be done,” and you’ll do it.


Belief is incredibly powerful, whether it limits what we can accomplish or unleashes our potential. The following quote by Mahatma Gandi communicates this fundamental truth:


"Men often become what they believe themselves to be.  If I believe I cannot do something, it makes me incapable of doing it.  But when I believe I can, then I acquire the ability to do it even if I didn't have it in the beginning."



Questions

As you consider the importance of the power of belief, what are some of the ways we can apply it to strengthen our local economy within the next 12 months?
 
How can it increase the focus of our efforts?
 
In what ways does it help us engage and overcome the obstacles we encounter as we work toward this important goal?


Next Post

Finding The Resources You Need (Step Two of Three)


What Do You Think?

As always, your constructive comments are welcomed.

******

The Silver Creek Economy 2014 blog is sponsored by Partnering Technologies, an Arizona-based Learning & Development Company.  Their focus is helping individuals and organizations learn, consistently apply, and master a skill-set that is always in high demand, always highly valued, and always highly paid.  Its founder is Jim Sanderson.

Visit their website at www.partneringtechnologies.blogspot.com and find out what they are doing to build a more prosperous economy for our community in 2014.



Tuesday, April 1, 2014

How To Create Power Questions That Get Results!

"Ask, and it shall be given you..."


The following suggests a number of power questions that can help you build a more resilient and prosperous local economy.  Whether you are a business owner, an employee, manage an organization, lead a group, or just want to make a difference, these questions can help you create power questions of your own to get the results you want!

Exercise Initiative
Accept responsibility to make good things happen.  Accepting responsibility for producing a desired outcome gives you the power to decide a course of action and account for the results.  In terms of our local economy, some good questions might include:

1) Why is it important for me to accept responsibility for building a more resilient and prosperous local economy?
2) What contributions of time and effort can I make to building our local economy?
3) Who can help me take action today to strengthen our local economy?
4) How will my accepting personal responsibility for strengthening our local economy make a positive difference?
5) Where can I find the resources to make a positive difference in our local economy?
6) When have you been at your best in taking initiative to accomplish what's important to you?

Know Your Outcomes
Identifying the specific results you want gives direction to your efforts.  When you know where you are going, it's easier to come up with effective ways to get there.  You are able to measure your progress and that feedback makes it possible for you to fine-tune your efforts.  Some possible power questions might include:

1) What are three ways you want our local economy to improve and prosper?
2) Whose help will you need to produce those results?
3) Why will those results make a positive difference in our local economy?
4) How will my actions today contribute to achieving those results?
5) When have clarifying my outcomes made it easier to measure my progress?
6) Where can my efforts be most effective in producing those improvements?

Begin Now

Knowing what to do first is important.  It saves time, money, and effort.  Often it will be obvious where to begin.  At other times, a clear pathway of priorities will be less evident.  In either case, the most important thing to do now is act.  If you act and do not make the progress you want, at least you will have some feedback to make a course correction early on and try again; that is why clarifying your outcome is so important.  Power questions that may help in knowing where to begin are:

1) Where should I begin.
2) How will doing this make progress toward my desired outcomes (a more prosperous economy)?
3) Who can help me decide on what to do first?
4) When has making a decision and then acting on that decision made it easier to accomplish my outcomes?
5) What can I do today to move closer to my desired results?
6) Why will starting today give me an advantage?

Create Mutual Benefit

When you create compelling value for everyone involved in your project, you insure cooperation for its success.  Whether it's a customer, employer, employee, a supervisor, etc., a win/win approach always helps produce the results you want.  The following power questions can be helpful in creating mutual benefit for our local economy:

1) Who are the people who will benefit from my efforts?
2) How will they benefit?
3) Where will the see the effects of these benefits?
4) What can I do to communicate these benefits to them?
5) Why are these benefits important to them?
6) When have you created mutual benefit for others that has resulted in greater cooperation from them?

Listen to Understand

Who do you want to benefit from building a more prosperous local economy?  Whoever it is, getting a clear picture off what's important to them is vital to satisfying their needs.  Being on the same page with those you want to serve and influence is key to satisfying their needs and solving their problems.  If they feel that you understand their situation they will be more inclined to consider you solutions and ideas.
These power questions can help you better understand people and their needs and wants:

1) What pressing needs do individuals/organizations have and are looking for ways to satisfy them?
2) Who are these individuals/organizations?
3) Where can I go to find these individuals?
4) How can seeking out and listening to individuals help me better understand them and what they want?
5) Why is listening to these individuals important to building a more resilient local economy?
6) When did my listening to others help me better understand what's important to them?

Multiply Your Options

Systematically and regularly seeking out innovative ways to get the results you want helps you become more productive with your time, money, and energy.  By developing this habit you become a person who creates compelling value for others.  Because you have developed this habit others seek you out and pay you well for your efforts.
Examples of power questions that help you multiply your options are:

1) What should I do to use my time, money, and energy more effectively in building a more prosperous local economy?
2) Who can help me become more productive with my time, money, and energy?
3) How can I systematically and regularly seek out innovative ways to become more productive and help others do the same?
4) When am I most effective in thinking of better ways if doing things?
5) Where can I find good ideas to help build a more resilient local economy?
6) Why will seeking out ways to become more productive help build a more prosperous local economy, now and in the future?

Sharpen Your Skills

Learning, consistently applying, and mastering skills that complement you strengths leverages your time, money, and energy.  When you focus your efforts on your strengths you get more done in less time, with less money, and less energy.  Here are some power questions that will help you master skills that complement your strengths:

1) What are three skills that will complement your strengths and build a more resilient local economy?
2) Who can help you learn, consistently apply, and master these three skills?
3) Why are these skills essential to you being more productive?
4) Where can you apply these skills to get the results you want?
5) When will you learn, consistently apply, and master these three skills?
6) How will you learn, consistently apply, and master these skills?

Getting Results

Asking power questions guides our thinking and thinking leads to learning those things that produce the results we want.  It's a powerful process that can be applied over and over again.  With each application your mastery of the process increases as well as your ability to get desired results in less time.  Whether you're building a more resilient and prosperous local economy or accomplishing any worthwhile purpose, power questions leverage your efforts.  They get results!

Question

Why not ask yourself one power question each day that will help you and others take action to build a more resilient and prosperous local economy in 2014?

Next Post

"Where To Find Resources You Need."

What Do You Think?
As always your constructive comments are welcome and appreciated.

*********

The Silver Creek Economy 2014 blog is sponsored by Partnering Technologies, an Arizona-based Learning & Development Company.  Their focus is helping individuals and organizations learn, consistently apply, and master a skill-set that is always in high demand, always highly valued, and always highly paid.  Its founder is Jim Sanderson.

Visit their website at www.partneringtechnologies.blogspot.com and find out what they are doing to build a more prosperous economy for our community in 2014.