Month: February 2017

We all make mistakes.
Making mistakes is part
of business building.

Often the difference
between
success
and
failure
isn’t how many mistakes
we make.

It is how we RECOVER
from these mistakes.

Assigning blame
for mistakes
doesn’t accomplish this.
It usually does the opposite.
It distracts people
from the work
of recovering from the mistake.

Yes, it is important
to figure out how the mistake happened
and try to prevent
that same mistake from happening
again
but do this
AFTER you have recovered
from the mistake.

And assigning blame
usually helps no one.
Spend your time
on more beneficial tasks.

We ALL make mistakes.
I make at least one mistake
every damn day.

If someone says
they never make mistakes,
that simply means
they’re not intelligent enough
to recognize their mistakes.

And that’s dangerous
because recognizing your mistakes
is the only way
to survive your mistakes.

The most common sign
you’ve made a mistake
is the immediate reaction
isn’t the one you expected.

You expect the crowd
to laugh at your joke.
There’s silence.

You expect the prospect
to take your product
for a test drive.
She walks away.

You expect your phone
to ring
after the promotion.
Nothing happens.

If the reaction
isn’t what you expected,
ask yourself
‘Did I make a mistake?’

If you’re not certain,
ask a trusted colleague.

I have two money making activities
in my romance novel business
– writing
and
– marketing.

Everything else is busy work.
Yes, it might have to be completed
but it doesn’t increase my income.
It doesn’t pay for things.
It’s overhead.

A loved one is a salesperson.
What truly matters
to his employer
is the sales he brings in.
All of the rest
is merely busy work.

Laura Stack,
founder of
The Productivity Pro,
shares

“Busyness doesn’t necessarily
equal productivity,
no matter how you slice it.

No one really cares
how many hours
you were in the building
or if you finished your to-do list.

People only care about
what you’re able to produce
and the value of those results.”

Complete your income-producing tasks
first.
THEN complete the other items
on your to-do list.

One of my early book reviews,
received as an unpublished writer
from a contest judge,
was
“Watching grass grow
is more exciting
than reading your story.”

It was harsh
but this review shaped my career.
When I craft a story,
I always ask myself
if I can make it more exciting.

As a result…
Readers might love my stories.
They might hate my stories.
But they are never bored.

*Meg Graham,
principal at
superkül,
shares

“To paraphrase Madonna,
I am driven
by a horrible fear
of being mediocre.
I am constantly looking
to push the envelope
on what we do,
what I do.”

No one ever
changed the world
by being mediocre.

Push the envelope.

*University Of Waterloo
Magazine,
Fall 2016

The world is
a very stressful place
right now.
There has been a lot of change
and change is not easy
to deal with.

For many doers,
such as myself,
stress comes from
the feeling that
we don’t have control
over a situation.

The best way,
I find,
for me to alleviate stress
is to take action,
to do something,
anything
to try to make the situation better.

Talking about it
on social media
isn’t enough.

Do something.
Make a change in the world.

The reason Deadpool,
one of the highest earning movies
of last year,
was made
was because a test reel was leaked
to the public.

*Ryan Reynolds
shares

“When the leaked footage
got around the internet,
it created this enormous groundswell.
I credit Twitter users,
Facebook users, and
Instagram users
for getting this movie made.”

I use hints
about upcoming books
to help test storylines.

I might post something like
“I have a great idea
for an unusual shifter story.”
and then I’ll listen to the feedback.

If no comments are posted,
I know there’s no interest.

If readers react positively,
there might be a market.

The key is to be specific enough
to test the idea
but vague enough
to prevent competitors from stealing it.

Consider using
social media to test ideas.

*January 3
Variety

Science is a collaborative profession.
It is very difficult
to have a scientific breakthrough
working on your own.
It is your knowledge
combined with the knowledge of others
that leads to success.

As Seth Godin
shares

“An idea shared
is worth more
than one kept hidden.
Opportunities passed
from one to another
create connections
which lead to
more opportunities.
Opened doors lead to
forward motion.

Winning doesn’t usually involve
demolishing the opposition.
Instead, for most of us,
it’s about weaving.
A scientist without peers
won’t find a breakthrough
anytime soon.”

So the US decision
about not freely sharing
scientific information
has a HUGE impact.

Scientists now face a choice
– defy the government,
share information,
risk their jobs
and possibly better the world
or
obey the government decree,
keep their findings to themselves,
maintain their jobs
but not make a difference
in the world.

It is bizarre
that they have to make
this choice
but they do.

And some day,
you might have to make
a similar decision.

Decide NOW
what your most important goal is.
If it isn’t income
(that’s not my most important goal),
you might wish
to set aside savings
so you can stay true
to that goal.