Deadly Sins Which Will Devastate a Positive Attitude

We are all very aware of the impact of positive thinking ideas on our success in life. But how to avoid deadly sins is another matter, isn’t it? How have you ever used checklists to improve your productivity … or perhaps your positive mental thinking? How well did they work for you?

Be positive ...
Work on attitude.

We often use checklists to achieve our goal to create positive thinking that can see opportunity in every difficulty.

After college, I spent almost 2 years training as a naval aviator. An important element of that training was the use of checklists in the learning and refresher process. Checklist utilization remains an important part of my business life. It is always a good idea to have a helpful checklist for reminders of improvements for your business or your personal life.

You will perhaps have heard this very old story illustrating the difference between positive thinking and negative thinking:

Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.

The first salesman reported back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

The second salesman reported back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”

This simple short story provides one of the best examples of how a single situation may be viewed in two quite different ways – negatively or positively.

I keep a stack of 10 or so checklists that I rotate and update occasionally. I pull out one checklist to read and contemplate for five minutes as a way to start each day. I find it puts my thinking in the right frame of mind. Here is one checklist example of simple reminders to improve the odds of success in any task that I or my team may be doing:

Savor life’s joys

Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to soak up the positives all around you.

Be forgiving

Harboring feelings of hate and meanness is horrible for your well-being.

Authority

Avoid social comparisons

Comparing yourself to someone else can be a poison to your positive thinking.

Express gratitude

When you appreciate what you love, what you love appreciates in value. If you aren’t thankful for what you already have, you will have a hard time ever being positive.

Nurture your relationships

The most positive people we know are the ones who make friends easily and work to build deep, meaningful relationships.

Develop coping strategies

It always helps to have healthy ways to cope in your arsenal.

Increase flow experiences

We define flow as a state in which it feels as if time is standing still. It occurs when you are so focused on what you are doing that you become one with the task. In this state, nothing competes for your attention.

Become an optimist

People who think as an optimist see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in tougher times.

Practice acts of kindness

Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to create a positive attitude.

Commit to your goals

Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to do whatever it takes to achieve our objectives.

If you are in a business where you deal with people on a regular basis, like we are, your motivation and positive thinking need to be in ‘top gear’ (as it will usually impact most issues of the day).  By spending 5-10 minute reading and thinking about the items on the checklist, you will be better prepared for the events of the day.

Do you consider your company a social commerce business? While there has been considerable hype about social commerce in the last few years, we don’t consider it new … it has been around as long as commerce. These days there are just more channels to engage customers and be social. Positive thinking is everything in this regard.

We like to discuss the importance of positive thinking tips on the success of any business, particularly those that engage with the public to a great extent. Here is a story about a nursery in our region. It is a story we like to tell because it contains some simple secrets for connecting positive thinking to employee and customer engagement.

A nursery gardener ran a business that had been in the family for two generations. The staff was happy, and customers loved to visit the store, or to have the staff work on their gardens or make deliveries – anything from bedding plants to young trees.

For as long as anyone could remember, the current and previous owners were extremely positive-thinking people.

Most folks assumed it was because they ran a successful business. In fact, it was the other way around…

A tradition in the business was that the owner always wore a big lapel badge, saying Business Is Great!

The business was indeed generally great, although it went through tough times like any other company. What never changed however was the owner’s positive thinking and attitude, and the badge saying Business Is Great!

Everyone who saw the badge for the first time invariably asked, “What’s so great about business?” Sometimes people would also comment that their own business was miserable, or even that they personally were miserable or stressed.

Anyhow, the Business Is Great! badge always tended to start a conversation, which typically involved the owner talking about lots of positive aspects of business and work, for example:

The pleasure of meeting and talking with different people every day

Reward that comes from helping staff take on new challenges and experiences

Fun and laughter in a relaxed and healthy work environment

Fascination in the work itself, and in the other people’s work and businesses

Great feeling when you finish a job and do it to the best of your capabilities

New things you learn every day – even without looking to do so

The thought is that everyone in business is blessed – because there are many millions of people who would swap their own situation to have the same opportunities of doing a productive meaningful job, in a civilized well-fed country, where we have no real worries.

And so the list went on. And no matter how miserable a person was, they’d usually end up feeling a lot happier after just a couple of minutes of listening to all this infectious enthusiasm and positivity.

It is impossible to quantify or measure attitude like this, but to one extent or another it’s probably a self-fulfilling prophecy, on which point if asked about the badge in a quiet moment, the business owner would confide:

The badge came first. Great business followed.

Key Takeaways from this story

Remember, this is the time to create remarkable experiences in order to create lasting relationships with customers. Lead with initiative … own the moment. Remember attitude is everything.

Want to see some additional tips on how to build customer relationships?

Being social with great positive thinking and attitude isn’t a new way of marketing; it’s a way of doing business.

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?

Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

More reading on continuous learning from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

10 Ways Personal Development Can Improve Long-Term Success

Creative Ideas to Build Collaborative Teams in Organizations

The Story and Zen of Getting Things Done

How to Take Charge of Your Peace of Mind

Successful Career: 18 Effective Steps To Supercharge Yours

I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that I may learn how to do it. Good idea Pablo Picasso. I spent 38 + years in my career in management and leadership of employees very interested in a successful career.
This included coaching, mentoring, and assisting in employee development plans.  My ultimate goal was to build future leaders who could take over my job. And replacing me did happen on many occasions over those years.

successful career
Desire a successful career?

Check out our thoughts on team leverage.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, a famous French writer, once said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”
Achieving career success requires more than luck, more than hard work — it requires a plan. And the great part is that your plan doesn’t have to be difficult to create or complex.
Here is my (simple) advice for creating your very own career development plan:
When it comes to improving career success, here are my 18 ways to build the best opportunities for success in a corporate career.
 

‘Stand for’ principles

Stand for something that has significant meaning for you and use it as your growth mantra. Grow but don’t waiver in it.

Successful career … belief relevance

Make sure what you stand for is relevant to what’s going on right now and will be relevant in the future as well. Keep it in your headlights consistently.

continuous learning
Employ continuous learning.

Continuous learning

Know what your skills are and what they are not. Keep adding to it all the time – with both your own development and surrounding yourself with others who complement your talents.
Remember to focus on your strengths and set your weaknesses aside.
Related post: 10 Extraordinary Ways for Learning to Learn

Successful career planning … know lessons learned

Become recognized as a corporate historian, remembering what’s been done, what’s worked and hasn’t and why, where ALL the bodies are buried, and who was responsible for putting the bodies where they were buried.
Avoid relearning old mistakes.

Be low maintenance

Make sure you are low maintenance and represent minimal overhead. Know what tasks to take on and which ones to avoid.
This will create more value to be freed up and let you do more valuable things.

Successful career … have a vision

Invest time to imagine what the future is going to look like and how you’ll need to adapt to fit into it. Remember though, vision without action is a daydream.
No matter how big your plans and dreams, they’ll never become reality until you act on them.

Positive attitude
A positive attitude is critical.

 

Maintain a positive attitude

Learn what attitude is, what aspects of your life are controlled or directed by your attitude, and how to determine your attitude at any given moment.
Know what specific strategies make a positive attitude a permanent habit in your life.

Use initiative

Always be on the lookout for actions that have been overlooked and show initiative to get them done.

Strong relationships

Build beneficial relationships with many people. Networking and making friends is the name of the game.

Focus on results

Deliver objectively unmistakable value that transcends opinion.
This should be your number one priority.

Know when to change

Always know where a door is and what situations will make you want or need to use it.

 

Develop lots of self-confidence

Understand the nature of human potential through a simple process of identifying your personal talents and abilities.
Remember to develop strengths and personal interests to create fulfillment and economic opportunities for your future.

 

Build solid habits

Understand the process of how habits are created.
Learn to identify and remove self-defeating habits and create habits that will make all aspects of your life easier and more successful.

 

 Try one new thing at least weekly

 Your life will be in constant change mode, and that is a good thing if you lead change in direction of your success goals.
To do that most successfully, you should try lots of new things continually.
For things you like, get very good at them from lots of practice. But keep trying new activities.

  

Practice new skills

 One of my most favorite quotations about aim and goals is one from Michelangelo:
  The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
 Michelangelo knew a thing or two about high aim and goals didn’t he?
Need we say anything more?

  

Successful career … set goals

Recognize the difference between a wish and a goal.
Make a commitment, plan and take action, and recognize completion.

 

Put creative imagination to work

Extend your physical ability to accelerate creative problem solving and goal achievement in all areas of your life.

 

Be persistent

Develop the focus and determination required to succeed.
Create an attitude of gratitude as the access to fulfilling your dreams.
Those are eighteen career success principles I tried to follow in my career development and use with my employees.
Not all apply in every situation, but if followed, they will not lead you astray.

  

Key takeaways

 As you progress in your continuous learning and development, keep in mind growth is a long-term, not a short-term endeavor.
In reality, it should never end. It should be pursued consistently throughout your career, day by day.
Don’t settle for less than you know you can achieve.
And remember; keep your happiness and a balance of work and life at the top of your list. Everything will pivot around them.

  

Digital Spark Marketing
Digital Spark Marketing’s Firestorm Blog

Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff ’s teamwork, collaboration, and learning? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a teamwork or continuous learning workshop?
 
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.  
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
Are you devoting enough energy to continually improving your continuous learning?
Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+Twitter, and LinkedIn.  

More reading on learning from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

 

Learn the Leadership Skills That Are Essential for the Future

It may be hard to think about the future when the present is so challenging, but in times of great change and uncertainty, it’s more important than ever to stay several steps ahead in your preparation. This is especially true with leadership skills.

That’s the funny thing about the future.  It’s never as fantastic as we hope nor as horrible as we fear.  The one thing that’s for sure is that times will change and we will have to adapt. While there is no way of knowing exactly how that change will play out, we can identify trends, make common sense judgments about where they lead, and prepare for them.

These are the skills you should be cultivating now to be successful as a leader for the future.

The building of transparency and trust

Leaders of the future will need to be fully authentic and transparent. Even when the news is bad, people want to know what’s really happening. In an era when the trust will be crucial, leaders who are consistently open and genuine, regardless of the circumstances, will engender that trust.

Positive attitude toward change

Leaders of the future will need to be optimistic by nature and positive about change because everything around us is likely to remain uncertain and complex for some time to come. Leaders won’t have the luxury of allowing themselves to become overwhelmed or immobilized; they must maintain an optimistic mindset as things around them remain unsure.

The flexibility that embraces ambiguity

Leaders of the future will need to be agile and flexible—able to create quickly, risk passionately, pivot immediately, and move on from failures, taking in the lessons of each experience in order to keep moving forward. The future will bring ambiguity, and the best teachers will be creation, risk, failure, and experience.

Communication for clarity around the complexity

Leaders of the future will need to cultivate the ability to see through complexity and complications, to make sense of messy situations filled with contradictions, to cut through superficial concerns, and communicate the essence of the issue at hand. Their clarity will help them lead people to better things that most people can’t yet perceive.

Appreciation of diversity

Diversity counts.

Leaders of the future will need to genuinely appreciate diversity and embrace its value at every level. In a time of uncertainty, constructive engagement happens best when leaders bring together people with different backgrounds, expertise, and knowledge.

Seeing the good within the bad

Leaders of the future will need to develop the skill of learning how to turn crises and challenges into opportunities. Preparation and nimble thinking will keep teams and organizations out in front of events, so they’re ready to offer solutions at the moment.

Ability to undertake massive disruption

Leaders of the future need to access their inner determination to achieve and their willingness to make massive changes in their teams, their organizations, their industries—even themselves.

It is difficult to know what lies ahead. But whatever form the future takes, successful leaders will be those who know how to act with courage and clear intent in an authentic and engaging way that will create trust among their people—those with the imagination, integrity, and agile intelligence to make truly great things happen.

The future holds both challenges and opportunities. Are you listening to the signals today and developing the skills you’ll need to lead in the times ahead?

The Best Ever Solutions for Morning Daily Activities

Over my many years in business, I have always made it a priority to closely observe others for what I might learn. One of the more valuable topics I paid particular attention to was their best morning daily activities.

morning daily activities
morning daily activities
To give you some quick context, they’ve worked at companies like IBM, Lockheed Martin, Loral, and Northrup Grumman, or they’ve started their companies. Not bad, yes?

Be happy: Happiness Habits: The Best Laws of I’ve Ever Received

They’re also mostly funny, caring, smart and thoughtful. So I would consider them to be well-balanced.

Here are 16 0f my best morning habits and routines:

Keep moving forward

Here a quote from Sam about Walt Disney:

“Around here…we don’t look backward for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things.”

Sam said he was able to get through difficult times by always having something in the future to look forward to, even if it was just a small thing like a new comic book or a football game.

“This mentality includes staying in a forward-thinking state of mind. I try hard not to waste energy feeling badly about myself, Sam said, because when I do, I get stuck in a paradox where there is no room for happiness or any other emotion.”

Be OK with what you can’t do

There is so much you CAN do. Sam said he is very much aware of the things he can’t do, like ride a roller coaster, but instead of focusing on that he instead focuses on the things he can do, and the things he is passionate about.

Sam said you could put somethings that were impossible or out of reach before in the “can-do category” by making adjustments. To illustrate this point with an example, he plays a clip of himself with the marching band, the story he opened with, which further illuminates his theme or his core message.

Staying power

Be persistent and don’t expect results to happen on your timetable. Being good takes a lot of work and time.

Live in the present

Limit your dwelling on the past. Put the focus on the present and living each day at a time.

Expand your horizons: Habits of Highly Successful People: Learn These Useful Traits

Best morning daily activities … know when to move on

Don’t spend any time or energy feeling sorry for yourself. Never mope around!

Pay attention to events that signal it may be time to move on.

morning habits and routines
Morning habits and routines.

15 minutes of no screen time 

Besides turning off an alarm that might be on your phone, resist the urge to check your email or social media. It sets you up for a day of being enslaved to technology, and your morning time should be reserved just for you.

This might mean disabling notifications on your home screen, so you’re not tempted by that Facebook update or mounting emails.

Daily activities … one simple question

In a commencement address he gave at Stanford back in 2005, Steve Jobs revealed the motivational tactic that he used to start each and every day.

For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Expand your presence

Presence is far more intricate and rewarding an art than productivity. Ours is a culture that measures our worth as human beings by our efficiency, our earnings, our ability to perform this or that.

The cult of productivity has its place, but worshipping at its altar daily robs us of the very capacity for joy and wonder that makes life worth living – for, as Annie Dillard memorably put it, how we spend our mornings is, of course, how we spend our lives.

Goals and review

You want to make sure you set your goals and outcomes for the day as part of your morning ritual. You can do this in your task management system, or in a journal entry, or however, you like. There is the assumption that you have longer-term goals written out already (go ahead and write them if you don’t).

To do this, you want to reference:

  • Your goals.
  • Your schedule for the day.
  • Your task management system.

It may also be worth creating a small outline for what your day is going to look like. Think ahead!

Crushing it on commutes

daily morning routine
Daily morning routine.
While everyone else is taking a nap on the train or twiddling their thumbs, they’re crushing it on their laptop and changing the world, one letter at a time. They also don’t make excuses.

For example: “Nelson, how could I do this? I have to drive to work; I can’t create something while I’m driving!” Sure, that’s true, but you could be learning with audiobooks.

Create motivation by asking  “Why”

Ask yourself the hard questions like “Why am I doing this?” or  “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”

And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.” By the way, that last quote was from Steve Jobs.

Demonstrate a positive attitude

Build and maintain a positive mental attitude. Do things to let it be seen and felt by others.

It’s often easier to give in to cynicism, but those who choose to be positive set themselves up for success and have better reputations.

Maintain patience

The proper timing of your words and acts will give you a big advantage over people who are impatient. Take advantage when you can.

For example: Don’t click send on the email right away — breathe and reread it. The classic example would be getting irate and sending something with hostility.

Much of real happiness is a matter of being aware of what you’re doing while you’re doing it — and enraged people aren’t typically conscious of their actions.

Embrace change

Watch trends in the changing environment around you. Develop your abilities at consistent adaptation. It is an important key to remaining mentally strong.

Focus on being happy

Avoid complaining and negative thoughts at all costs. This is essential for your well-being. Don’t waste energy on things you cannot control.

Don’t procrastinate

Procrastination communicates to people that you’re hesitant to take action. This demonstrates the worst form of fear.

The bottom line

These are things that we already know, of course. They are not rocket science and shouldn’t be.

This list of little things simply reminds us of what we have forgotten. Then it is up to us to put these lessons (or reminders) into daily use through persistence and practice.

Remember … your experience and learning trumps all!

All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that fight gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.

When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step.

Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.

Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?

Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?

Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way.

More reading on mentoring from Digital Spark Marketing’s Library:

Remarkable Lessons in Motivation Steve Jobs Taught Me

The Story and Zen of Getting Things Done

10 Positive Thinking Ideas from Peers and Mentors

Mike Schoultz is a digital marketing and customer service expert. With 48 years of business experience, he consults on and writes about topics to help improve the performance of small business. Find him on Facebook, Twitter, Digital Spark Marketing, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.

Positive Attitude: Is It Priority 1 for Your Customer Engagement?

The two most powerful things in existence: a kind word and a thoughtful gesture. A powerful quote from Ken Langone, isn’t it? The value of a positive attitude toward customer engagement and relationship building?  Priceless.

Positive attitude
A positive attitude is critical.

Check out our thoughts on customer focus.
Related post: Complaint Management … Tips for Small Business Success
You perhaps have heard this timeworn story illustrating the difference between positive thinking and negative thinking:
Many years ago two salesmen were sent by a British shoe manufacturer to Africa to investigate and report back on market potential.
The first salesperson said back, “There is no potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
The second salesperson said back, “There is massive potential here – nobody wears shoes.”
This simple short story provides one of the best examples of how a single situation may be viewed in two entirely different ways – negatively or positively.
We could explain this also regarding seeing a situation’s problems and disadvantages, instead of its opportunities and benefits.
When telling this story, its impact is increased by using the same form of words (e.g., “nobody wears shoes”) in each salesperson’s report. This emphasizes that two entirely different interpretations are made of a single situation.
Related: Influence Consumer Behavior Through Personalization Strategies
If you are in a business where you deal with people on a regular basis, like we are, your motivation and attitude need to be in ‘top gear’ (as it will usually impact most issues of the day).
By spending 5-10 minute at the beginning of each work day reading and thinking of the items in the following simple checklist, we help our employees be the best they can be for the day’s activities:

helping people
Helping people yields a positive attitude.

Helping people

 You can only help people who want to be helped.

 

Become an optimist

 Individuals who think as an optimist see the world as a place packed with endless opportunities, especially in the tougher times.

  

Respect differences

Appreciate and respect differences in others.

 

Increase flow experiences

 We define flow as a state in which it feels as if time is standing still. It occurs when you are so focused on what you are doing that you become one with the task. In this state, nothing competes for your attention.

 

listen up
Always listen up.

Listen up

Listen before speaking and listen more than you talk.

 

Nurture relationships

 The most active people we know are the ones who make friends quickly and work to build deep, meaningful relationships.

 

 Conserve energy

Don’t waste your energy on negative people or situations. You can’t fix everything or everybody.

 

 The future

You can’t predict the future so why think that you can?

 

Practice acts of kindness

 Selflessly helping someone is a super powerful way to create a positive attitude.

  

Being Liked

Not everyone you meet is going to like you. Not something to worry about, is it?

 

Express gratitude

When you appreciate what you love, what you love appreciates in value. If you aren’t thankful for what you already have, you will have a hard time ever being positive.

  

Only you

Only YOU can control your destiny. Take initiative on your behalf.

  

Strangers

View strangers as friends in waiting. Seize these opportunities.

 

Savor life’s joys

 Deep happiness cannot exist without slowing down to soak up the positives all around you.

 

Be forgiving for a positive attitude

 The harboring feeling of hate and meanness is horrible for your mood and well-being.

 

Commit to your goals

 Magical things start happening when we commit ourselves to do whatever it takes to achieve our objectives.

Avoid social comparisons

 Comparing yourself to someone else can be a poison to your positive thinking.

 

Develop coping strategies

It always helps to have healthy ways to deal in your arsenal.
Related post: Influence Consumer Behavior by These 9 Personalization Strategies
Do you consider your company a social commerce business? While there has been considerable hype about social business in the last few years, we don’t consider it new … it has been around as long as commerce. These days there are just more channels to engage customers and be social. Positive thinking is everything in this regard.

Key takeaways

Remember, this is the time to create remarkable experiences to build lasting relationships with customers.  Lead with initiative … own the moment. Remember attitude is everything.
content writer
 
The pessimist sees a difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. By focusing on a daily positive attitude we are much more inclined to be the optimist and find the opportunity, aren’t we?
Being social with a great positive thinking and attitude isn’t a new way of marketing; it’s a way of doing business.
 
What do you do to get yourself and those around you in the right frame of reference for top performance?  
  
Do you have an experience on employees’ positive attitude to share with this community?
 
 Need some help in capturing more improvements for your staff’s leadership, teamwork, and collaboration? Creative ideas in running or facilitating a team or leadership workshop?
 
 Call today for a FREE consultation or a FREE quote. Learn about some options to scope your job.
Call Mike at 607-725-8240.
All you get is what you bring to the fight. And that struggle gets better every day you learn and apply new ideas.
When things are not what you want them to be, what’s most important is your next step. Call today.
 
Test. Learn. Improve. Repeat.
 
Are you devoting enough energy continually improving your continuous learning?
 
Do you have a lesson about making your learning better you can share with this community? Have any questions or comments to add in the section below?
 
 Mike Schoultz is the founder of Digital Spark Marketing, a digital marketing and customer service agency. With 40 years of business experience, he blogs on topics that relate to improving the performance of your business. Find them on G+Twitter, and LinkedIn.  
 
Digital Spark Marketing will stretch your thinking and your ability to adapt to change.  We also provide some fun and inspiration along the way. Call us for a free quote today. You will be amazed at how reasonable we will be.
  
More reading on customer engagement from our library:
Customer Loyalty …10 Ways to Gain, Build, and Retain It
Complaint Handling … 14 Effective Business Relationship Recommendations
Employee Engagement Activities …13 Mistakes that Destroy Engagement
Client Engagement … 4 Actions To Improve Engagement
 
Like this short blog? Follow Digital Spark Marketing on LinkedIn or add us to your circles for 3-4 short, interesting blogs, stories per week.