Posts Tagged ‘Isolation’
Steps to Success 1: Desire is the starting point
What is it you truly desire to be, do or have in your life?
Success means very different things to different people so the first step in achieving success has to be to decide what this means to you. Knowing where to put your focus and your efforts is crucial and a great help when it comes to making everyday decisions. A great exercise to get some clarity is in the preceding post “How to Create Your Best Year”
Can you complete these sentences?
When I am successful
I am (a state of being) ….
I do (activities) ….
I have (possessions) ….
It is safe to say that if you are not already being, doing and have what you desire, you are going to have to make some changes and this is where many of us run into trouble because we can’t change in isolation. As soon as we start to make changes we affect those around us and our environment and we often hit a brick wall and decide maybe its easier, safer, better to stay as we are. Exit our dreams and desires.
In the 1970’s Dr Clare Graves, expanding on the work of Maslow, developed a table of eight values and thinking systems that affect human existence and development and both cause us to want to change as well as giving us reasons not to.
“At each stage of human existence the adult is off on his quest of his holy grail, the way of life he seeks by which to live. As he sets off on each quest, he believes he will find the answer to his existence. Yet, much to his surprise and much to his dismay, he finds that as he solves one set of human problems he finds a new set in their place. The quest he finds is never ending.”
Dr. Clare W. Graves 1914 – 1986
In the book “101 Days to Make a Change” Roy Leighton and his co-authors suggest that when we want to make changes, we may need to look at each of these levels and rather than ask “Where am I?” ask “Am I open or closed to change at this level?”
1. Survival – Getting the basics right. Are you waving or drowning?
2. Tribal – Who are your people? Do you make a positive impact on those around you?
3. Self – Who are you? What are your non-negotiable values?
4. Order – Are you building a life on solid foundations?
5. Enterprise – Are you moving forward with self knowledge?
6. Community – How can you deepen your relationships and build bonds?
7. Complexity – Do you see the bigger picture or always sweat the small stuff?
8. Holistic – Do you have an existential outlook? Can you see the interconnectedness of everything?
If desire is the starting point of all achievement, self knowledge and the ability to change go hand in hand. Are you part of this never ending quest?
Next: Steps to Success #2. Self Belief is the Key to Success
More details of the The 12 Steps to Success can be found here
If you have any queries about this or the process of making changes please leave a comment below or join the discussion on Linkedin http://lnkd.in/7AR7ex
Posted in 12 Steps to Success | 
Tags: 1914, Achieving Success, Brick Wall, Clare Graves, Clarity, Desire, Different Things, Dismay, Dreams And Desires, Everyday Decisions, Exercise, Holy Grail, Human Existence, Isolation, Leighton, Level 1, Life Success, Negotiable Values, Possessions, Relationships, Self Knowledge, Sentences, Solid Foundations, Survival, Table Of Eight, Way Of Life | 
1 Comment »
Social Media Clowns
Gary Vaynerchuck explains why he said “99.5% of social media experts are clowns” and why I agree with him.
Like Gary I see lots of small business owners hiring people to ‘do’ their social media for them or advise them on how to use Twitter, Facebook etc without having any idea or track record on how to grow a business.
Social media is only a part (an increasingly important part) of how to grow a business and can’t be ‘done’ in isolation. Unfortunately it is the latest bandwaggon for people who can talk the talk but have never walked the walk and it is muddying the waters for the genuine folk who really can help businesses to take advantage of this amazing opportunity.
If you are thinking of hiring someone to help you with social media, please check out their track record in growing businesses, including their own, which should be more than just being a social media advisor.
There is no quick fix and definitely not any ‘one size fits all’ solutions so if you are going to spend money, make sure you hire one of the 0.5% who understand what YOUR business needs. Its not about the technology!
Things to check:
What’s their track record in business (other than being a SoMe Guru)?
What do their own social media accounts show? Are they walking the walk or just talking the talk?
Do they have marketing experience? Social Media is primarily a marketing activity not a sales activity.
Anyone can get huge numbers of followers, connections and ‘likes’ but are they your target audience?
Do they understand PR? Will they make you proud of your on-line presence?
Do they write well? Good grammar and spelling are essential – even in a tweet.
Are they excellent communicators? Social media shows up poor communication fast and to many more people.
Do they understand engagement? Social media is not a broadcast platform.
Do they understand the importance of listening and responding?
Do they understand why automation has more drawbacks than advantages?
There are some excellent people who will give good advice on the best way to use Social Media and lots and lots of really good free advice on line. If you need help, give us a call and we’ll be glad to recommend some.
Posted in Social Media | Tags: Automation, Broadcast Platform, Clowns, Communicators, Followers, Free Advice, Gary Vaynerchuck, Good Advice, Grammar, Guru, Isolation, Line Presence, Marketing Social, Media Accounts, Media Advisor, Media Experts, Media Marketing, Money, Numbers Game, Poor Communication, Small Business Owners, Social Marketing, Social Media, Spelling, Target Audience, Tweet, Walking The Walk | 2 Comments »
Hope and optimism
One of the highlights of my week used to be a video blog called “Optimistic Monday” by my friend Phil Begnett . Phil had a loyal following of people like me who loved the random upbeat messages that he posted on the theme of “every Monday is a fresh start”.
He even entitles one post “CTRL+ALT+DEL” as a way to show that we can escape and start again!
Phil, like many other folk had been badly affected by terrible news of a devastating tsunami in Japan and thought it was inappropriate to goof around on his video blog so he just acknowledged how he was feeling and signed off.
Full marks to Phil for being true to his feelings but it left me feeling slightly let down and pondering the way we deal with terrible news and the role that hope, optimism and especially laughter play in helping us to deal with them.
Hope is THE most important emotion for human beings to have.
Without hope we can’t live for long. Optimism is closely related to hope and I believe that is why Phil’s Optimistic Monday video was so popular.
I don’t want to diminish the awful situation that survivors of tragedies have to cope with but the truth is that many people do more than just cope. It is only because they have hope and optimism that they can move forward and, in many cases, rebuild lives that are even more meaningful than the ones they had before.
Laughter is the currency of hope
Laughter is one of the most powerful healing experiences. It is contagious and relieves isolation and loneliness. It is impossible to laugh and feel afraid at the same time which is why I value people like Phil Begnett who have a natural ability to make people feel good.
We need to feel pity and sympathy for the survivors of tragedies and do everything in our power to help but it is even more important to bring hope, optimism and laughter.
What lifts your spirits and helps you to cope when things look bad?
Posted in Inspiration | Tags: Currency Of Hope, Devastating Tsunami, Emotion, Experiences, Feelings, Fresh Start, Friend Phil, Human Beings, Isolation, Japan, Laughter, Loneliness, Natural Ability, Nbsp, Optimism, Spirits, Survivors, Sympathy, Tragedies, Truth, Tsunami, Tsunami In Japan, Upbeat Messages, Wtv | 4 Comments »
