Why Extraordinary Success Depends on What You Believe

Michael Hyatt wrote a great blog post commemorating this Martin Luther King, Jr day.  Some great thoughts ...

http://michaelhyatt.com/mlk-better-world.html#more-28362

Kindness - Uncommon or Everyday?

I love it when my daily reading brings me a truly inspirational and amazing story in everyday life.  

I don't know about you, but with me it seems that my best opportunity for a gesture of kindness seems to come in hindsight.  I am embarrassed to say that, but it is a fact.  I should have helped her, or said something to him etc.  You have got to read the article that I have a link to here.  It speaks for itself.  Here are my 2 comments:

1. This is not an isolated incident for this man.  Read the comments, this is everyday kindness.
2. He didn't do it for exposure.  He did it because he is kind and has a heart full of love.  With this day of social media, it seems that some people perform acts of kindness and then pollute them a little by saying look at me on their social media page.  As this guy did... just let me say ... let someone else toot your horn!  

Enjoy ... you will be blessed!

Click here for an Everyday Act of Kindness Article

Expect to Win!

--Jim

1st National Championship in a New Era

As a dedicated and crazy football fan, I am very excited about tonight's 1st National Championship game under the new playoff system.  

We have an Oregon team that is very exciting and dominating on offense.  The Ducks have a very talented and refreshingly humble quarterback in Marcus Mariota.  They are playing Ohio State.  It feels like lots of people have been rooting against the Buckeyes.  They have lost 2 quarterbacks this year and by the way both were heisman trophy candidates when they went down.  The current quarterback, Cardale Jones,  has not only won the Big Ten Championship game but also the playoff semifinals and finds himself in the National Championship game.  

Everyone in the sports world are focused on Dallas, TX tonight and Oregon vs Ohio State.  Here is hoping for a great game that lives up to the hype.

My prediction ... Oregon 42 Ohio State 24

Expect to Win!

--Jim

I dedicate myself to ...

Accomplishing a goal or succeeding in an endeavor depends on the amount of passion we have towards that goal or endeavor. That passion creates the dedication to the cause which produces the attitude to never quit. Wow that was an easy recipe for success. The greatest challenge in many cases is the dedication. It is the piece that puts the passion into action, that drives the attitude when it waivers.

Definition of DEDICATION

: an act or rite of dedicating to a divine being or to a sacred use

: a devoting or setting aside for a particular purpose

: self-sacrificing devotion

The definition of dedication is daunting. From the reference to divine & sacred to the use of the words self sacrificing devotion.

• Noah was dedicated to pleasing God & saving his family

• Jesus dedicated himself to all of God's children by giving the ultimate self sacrifice. 
• Could Stephen have saved himself from the fatal stoning he endured? His dedication to God wouldn't allow him to do anything contrary to that devotion. 
• Gandhi's remarkable dedication to peace has been an inspiration worldwide. 
• Nelson Mandela's dedication to justice for his people led to the strength to endure many years of prison and the courage to lead in the face of adversity. 
• Martin Luther King's dedication to God and that we are all created equally and children of God, gave him the courage to persevere through criticism and persecution. 
• Michael Jordan practiced his craft of basketball longer than any of his peers because of his dedication to be the best, fueled by the passion created when he was told he wasn't good enough as a teenager. 
• Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, pioneers of our computer era, had very tough times to begin. But, their dedication to the pursuit of their dreams was paramount in their success. 
• One of my very favorite movies, the Pursuit of Happyness, tells the story of Chris Gardner. A tremendous story of dedication and action. 

• Thousands of salespeople succeed daily because of their dedication to their families and their clients. 
• Thousands of ministers through out the world inspire and serve daily because of their dedication to their God and to their neighbor 

I could go on and on with examples of dedication in our world. Historic, present day, Christian or in business the examples are powerful and show us the importance of dedication.

To test your dedication today, do these 3 things:

1. Look at your calendar or schedule. What is on it? Is it full or blank? If it is full, what is it full with? If it is blank, why? This examination will tell you what in your life you are dedicated to. 
2. Look at your check book and/or bank account. What are you spending your money on? What does your budget look like? Do you stick to a budget? This examination will further tell you what in your life your are dedicated to. 
3. Over the last 30 days, make a list of: People you spent time with, books you read, websites you spent time on, videos you watched. How much time with each? Work related or family? Church related? This examination will tell you what you are dedicated to? 

Our time, our priorities and our money. Those 3 things are what we have control over. We control them based on what we are passionate about, dedicated to and take action on. If you are passionate about your family and their well being; that will be shown, in your schedule, your checkbook and the people, books, websites, videos you spend time with. This can be a gut wrenching exercise, but a very productive one if you do it honestly. After you do this exercise then compare it to what you feel you should be achieving and you may be able to diagnose a problem with some course corrections in the area of dedication and action. We have such great examples of dedication in our history in our lives. Look for them and be one of those examples of dedication for others.

Expect to Win!

--Jim

Is your 2015 Plan Done?

How you start something has a lot to do with the degree of success you will have in that endeavor. I have always found that if I start my day, my week, my month or year with a plan and then hit the ground running that my chances of succeeding at a very high level is very good. You can certainly expect to win! However, you much prepare ... I did mention starting with a plan. That plan includes a target or goal. The challenge of achievement is that winning is never guaranteed. However, I can assure you that you will not win without preparation.

• How much time did you spend preparing and planning for success in 2015? 
• Did you spend more time complaining about a family member or co-worker? 
• Did you spend more time planning your holiday travel than you did planning for 2015? 

I think it would be a good thing for us to take a couple of minutes and consider what kind of planning we have done for a successful and prosperous 2015. If you have planned well and the goals and targets are in place ... then what are you waiting for ... get going!

However, if you have done little or no planning and are just going to wing it ... again! It is not to late. Spend some time to intentionally plan your 2015. Think about what you want to achieve in your personal and business life. Reflect on 2014 and determine how much better you want to do in 2015, and what it will take to make those improvements and then set the goals and the steps to get there.

Write these goals down! Write these steps to achievement down!

Now share them with those that you are close to. Then... what are you waiting for... get going!!

Now ... you can Expect to Win! Hit the Bullseye!

--Jim

New Beginnings!

Yesterday, I launched a formal business. Bullseye Strategies, LLC.

The reason I say formal businss, is that I have worked, directly and indirectly, doing what this new business is doing for over 25 years. The goal of Bullseye Strategies is to make an impact on groups, businesses, entrepreneurs, salespeople and individuals through public speaking engagements, consulting and coaching. The main area of impact is helping people to establish the "Bullseye for Achievement" in their lives and businesses, then designing the strategy to hit it. We all know that setting the goal or target is relatively easy compared to the work and preparation it takes to hit it. You might say that we will be working with our clients on the follow through. The time that is spent on setting goals is wasted unless a well thought out, intentional strategy is devised and committed to to hit the bullseye, the goal. This is a fact whether you are a multi-million dollar company or a salesperson struggling to build a business.

I have spent 30 years working on achievement in my life and studying the achievement of thousands of others. With the experience that comes from earning the top honor in a multi-billion dollar insurance company(2 times) to achieving the life goal of becoming the Managing Partner / General Manager of a multi-franchise automobile dealership, I have the practical knowledge to speak about and teach the how tos. Also, in the midst of the ups and achievements have been struggles and failures. Huge failures, ones that have rocked me to my core. Overcoming is a huge part of Bullseye Strategies' coaching.

I am excited for where this endeavour will take us. I know God has blessed me my entire life. I have felt his tug in my life, all of my life, to pour into others from the experiences I have had and with the skills he has blessed me with.

Expect to Win! --Jim

What do you do?

If I ask you what you do, will I regret it?  Can you tell me in a concise, direct and clear way?  And by concise I mean 30 seconds.

3 Principles That Lead To An Effective Initial Contact 

1)  Clearly understand how important a 1st impression is to this process.

2)  Create a strong and effective 30 second introduction of you and your product.

3)  You must have an expert knowledge of your product and how it benefits your customers.

When you think about what you do, what service you provide or product you sell, what excites you?  

Make a list of the things that excite your customers about the products and services you offer.  What are the major benefits to your customers? Don't think about this in term of features, but what are the benefits of those features.  How do these products and services improve and change lives?

With The Webb Group, an insurance firm, we provide insurance protection of all types to families and businesses.  If my answer to your question about what I do is that, you will do the gagging move with the finger down your throat.  But, if I say "we work with families and businesses to improve their quality of life by providing security and peace of mind using an intuitive and thoughtful process".  That is less than 30 seconds but brings some curiosity because everyone wants security and peace of mind and would love to do that in a instinctive and thoughtful way.  

You can do this and you must if you really want to improve your initial contact and make it as effective as possible.

Expect to Win!