Some of my personal observations.

• My life changes when I do, and if I don’t change…Life doesn’t change.
• If I want better answers, I need to ask better questions…Learning to ask great questions is a skill worth working on!         
• If I don’t apply structure to my time, someone or something else will! Especially if you are a person who gets things done…you will never run out of meetings to go to.

• I need to Focus on the big picture, then fine tune the details. And check back with the big picture…understanding strategy and tactics will keep me moving forward without getting bogged down.
• The only investment I can control is my own personal interest rate. How valuable am I? What kind of problems do I solve? What am I doing daily to become more valuable to myself and others?    
• I will never be successful at owning what is not my responsibility to own.  The line between help and support and reinforcing negative tendencies is very narrow.
• I can not control or change anyone.  I can only choose how I respond to situations and circumstances. What someone does with my response is their choice.   
• Just because I can…doesn’t mean I should. Learning to say no may be more important than YES.
• If not me, then who?  I am a part of a community that grows and thrives based on the contributions or lack of contributions from its members.
• Everyone has something to contribute. Intelligence is not determined by your IQ and neither is personal value. It is worth the investment of time to discover those contributions and draw them out so that they can flourish.
• I have an inherent responsibility to become my best; to faithfully steward the potential I have been given and encourage others in the same.

As I consider the list of things I have learned on this journey called my life…the list continues to grow. I am also reminded of those who have shared a part of this journey to date and am thankful for their contributions to whom I am and who I am becoming. What have you learned? Have you thought about it lately?

Not everyone can ride a wave...

If your business only runs well during normal, you are looking at a brief 7-8 weeks before Halloween gets here and then Thanksgiving. After Thanksgiving everyone will be waiting to make decisions at the start of the New Year. In the beginning of the year it will take a couple weeks for everyone to get back in the swing of things after a long break. Then again, there will be a brief 7-8 weeks before Spring Break and Easter Holidays disrupt normal business.  Somewhere after Spring Break we have another 7 weeks or so before graduations, weddings and summer vacations kick in again.

21 weeks of normal sounds ridiculous! Yet we didn’t count tradeshows, CEU’s, national holidays or all the other things that business works around. We didn’t even consider the fact that many businesses don’t even get ready for those 21 weeks during their “off times”, but wait until everything is back to normal to get ready to do business as normal.

“So what do I do about this,” you wonder?

“I have enough challenges from recent economic turbulence to only have 105-120 normal working days.”

 Moving past normal takes an understanding of seasons. A season in business is much like surfing. If you wait until the wave is here to get ready to ride…You are too late! In between waves, when things are little slower is when you paddle out to be ready. Days when there are NO waves are days for servicing your board, or possibly cross-training to master other skills that might be beneficial to your success.

Consider moving past normal and getting ready to catch the wave!

Although it is still HOT, and it is still Rainy and not everyone is in their office everyday; consider being strangely different. Consider moving past normal and getting ready to catch the wave!

Check out growing your Business!

Looks Beautiful!

A number of years ago we built a new house on a wooded lot, a heavily wooded, previously un-cleared or ever mowed au-natural lot. This gave us a head start on that Florida landscape, that Sunken Gardens’ look that I love. It also gave us some interesting plants…like potato vine. If you are unsure what this is, think of driving on I-75 and those beautiful vines that fill the wooded sides of the road. That is what the back third of our lot looked like, with some beautiful native plants that we wanted to keep and some palmettos and palms…so we cleared this by hand.

This week working in my backyard, I realized that it is just like some of the other areas of my life. I may have been eating well, exercising, and taking my supplements or maybe I have been pursuing personal development by reading or maybe I have made a commitment to manage my finances more diligently and have been more careful in my spending. However, maintaining these habits is more than 21 days to a different life.  21 days is a start, but real lifelong development of behavior means periodically checking in to make sure that there are no little pieces of that old weedy behavior trying to rear its ugly head.

I am still clearing by hand! Now it isn’t what it was. But I still have to be diligent, I still have to get out there and rescue the palmettos from this lovely, encroaching, invasive vine that would take over the world if there were not people like me. Although this vine has less of a hold on my yard year after year, like my life and the things that are important to me…auto pilot is not an option.  Have you checked in lately to see how your garden is doing?

In the last couple years there has been some controversy about whether Florida should have drilling for oil off of our shores. The debate about the impacts on our economy and some of the challenges this could present have been quite heated. For those who have been for drilling, considering the impact from the Louisiana mishap on our Florida economy might be helpful. Even before any tar balls hit the white sands of Pensacola cancelations were affecting an economy already struggling to recover.

Note, if we do not want this right off our coast we will have to let people know. Even with the current disaster and the public outcry about responsibility, the Federal government has just issued a permit for more drilling off the Louisianna coastline. Go Figure!

When you are a kid and someone asks you what you want to be, few people answer, “When I grow up I want to be a salesman.” It just doesn’t seem to be on the top of the list along side ballerina, football player, and founder of Facebook.

 So I know this isn’t going to be pleasant. I know you don’t want to hear this.

However, everyone is in sales.

Yes, whether you like it or not, you too are in sales; and the sooner you recognize it, the more productive you will be. Because when it comes down to it, a sale is about influence.

If you have children who don’t throw their food on the floor at dinner time, you have made a sale. If your friends ever visit a restaurant you recommend, you made a sale. Making a sale, or having someone buy into a belief that you have shared with them happens all the time. Although this type of sale usually happens without an exchange of money, it is still a sale.

Now, who doesn’t want to be a person of influence when they grow up?

A number of years ago they bought, what they call the least expensive house in a really nice neighborhood. Both of them being pretty handy, somewhat disciplined and motivated for change began a list of remodel projects. They started by knocking down walls and remodeling the first floor to create an incredible kitchen/family room area that any good Better Homes and Gardens reader could envy.

Each year accomplishing, and YES completing several projects: including new wood floors, all new AC system with beautiful attic storage facilities, removing popcorn texture throughout the entire house to replace with a plaster-type finish, attic dorm, and little by little the list goes on. Yet, through in a couple of kids graduating and you can multiply results exponentially. Last year included a new pool and an outdoor recreation area. This year it is a new pavilion and outdoor shower.

What makes them successful at getting things done?

They have a vision.

They have created a plan.

Their plan is connected to time.

They set goals for themselves that they fully plan on honoring these goals.

They use impending events and circumstances as leverage.

They fully enjoy everything they do, so that they don’t resent upcoming projects.

They invite others to enjoy their projects for positive reinforcement.

Whether you are looking at some big household projects, or at redoing your marketing plan…try these tips from Bill and Stacy. I’ll let you know how the latest projects have turned out after the party!

It felt good getting off to a great start, and then January came. Would we let a little cold Florida weather discourage us? Absolutely not! WE bundled up with many lighter layers and included hats, scarves and gloves. Each time challenges were presented to discourage us, we simply developed plans that to keep us moving forward.

However February was different. Not only was it cold, but upper respiratory challenges made riding impossible.

March brought us “wet” and two trips to Reale Bikes in Venice for tires and tubes. (Great Service!)

AND isn’t that the way it seems so often. You start out with a great initiative. You have well outlined goals, a plan to implement and you get off to a terrific start. Then things begin to happen, circumstances beyond your control. Yet you continue on, but so does the opposition. Sometimes you can feel like you are so far off track…

However, April arrived. It’s a new month and each day is new. The weather is warm, the bikes have been serviced, and we are both feeling better. Monday was a 10 mile ride for us.

My daughter said several times…”Don’t you feel empowered Mom?”

The answer is YES! We chose to not let time that we weren’t moving forward to keep us from continuing although it would have been very easy to have been discouraged and to have given up.

If you have gotten off track, if your recent actions have not fully corresponded to your initial intentions for this year…I want to encourage you that although staying on target is good; that getting back on your bike is incredibly rewarding.

With today’s emphasis on generating relevant content in a fairly scheduled manner, how does anyone continue to turn out quality? The truth is, very few people hit home runs every time.

However here are a few tips.

Keep a list of potential titles or topics.  It doesn’t mean that you have to write on that title, but it does mean that you will never have to face a completely blank page. I try to keep about 50 suggestions on my list. I heard Mark Victor Hanson of Chicken Soup Fame suggest for going for over 100 potential starters for his list.

Go with the flow. Some days (or nights) you are going to be inspired. You will have so many ideas and things will just seem to flow. That’s a great time to knock out a couple drafts, or at least start a couple drafts. Keep writing until the muse leaves and then put them in a file for a rainy day, or a vacation…

Have a few interesting friends? Ask Kim “A.K.A. diligently working” from WQMag if she is glad she doesn’t have to write all of the great content you will find on WQ. Consider approaching a friend to contribute periodically to your blog/column/whatever…for a different voice.

Repost: Found some great content that you love? You won’t be recognized as a great writer, but you will be recognized as someone with a discerning eye for value. Just make sure that you make sure all the relevant recognition is given to the source.

Repurpose: Use an idea more than once. So you have a subject that just really speaks to you, and although you have written before on this, it still seems to be right in your face. Who says you can’t continue to write on it? Look at it from different angles and explore different aspects of the topic. You might not be the only one with more than a cursory interest.

Repurpose: Continue to use that idea. Whether we are talking about clothing or fragrances, most people understand the concept of layering. Try layering your content. Use the same idea, but put it out there in a variety of formats: blog, whitepaper, audio download…

Change it up. If you usually write at your desk, try sitting outside. If you usually write at your computer, try longhand or mind mapping.

These are a few tips I use to continue to avoid that place called “stuck”, and if all else fails, happy hour or ice cream work wonders as a distraction.

They are unified to continue the work that has been started to increase the quality of education in Sarasota County.  They are committed to economic development and understand that the type of enterprise we attract and grow is connected to our commitment to education.

However this election looks like a case study for the effectiveness of social media. There is a contingent from the Republican Party that dissents on this upcoming school referendum and they are good. They are wordsmiths prolifically contributing to the blogosphere. Try and find great content from other than the school board and you have to dig for it, though it is worth the effort.

This means more than ever, that supporters need to not only vote, but to speak up.  We can’t take for granted that enough people will do the right thing.

AND voting is easy. You don’t have to count on your day going great on the 16th. You have two weeks to get out there and vote and to encourage others to join you in renewing Sarasota County’s commitment to education and economic development.  

Early voting will take place from March 1-14, 2010, at the Supervisor of Elections offices in Sarasota, Venice and North Port. The office will be open for early voting from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. 

                                                                         Click here for street map

In 2002 Sarasota County made a commitment to upgrading our education system.

Did we need it? Desperately! At that time we had almost 2000 people a day moving into our state and ranked close to the bottom of the 50 in quality of education. We needed to make some changes, and we have.  Sarasota County’s educational system has moved forward significantly. Our schools come back with well above average grades across the county, and have even received some recognition on a national level…although our state, as a whole still has a long way to go.

There has never been a time as important as now, to continue to move forward with our commitment to increasing the quality of education for our students. Sound, sustainable economic development requires several things, including a commitment to investing in education. Our previous economic model was built primarily on tourism, construction and agriculture. The amount of education and the skill sets necessary to support that model are not the same as those necessary to support the future economic growth of Sarasota County.

In his book Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida states that people used to move to where companies were, and now companies are moving to where people want to live. If we are to capitalize on the natural resources that come with living in this beautiful area, to tap into the intellectual capital available, and to build an economic model that embraces innovative enterprises; investing in an emerging workforce that has the capacity to participate actively in this endeavor is crucial.

The Referendum on March 16^th isn’t about raising taxes. It isn’t even about having all the answers or even getting it all right. It is simply about continuing forward with the commitment that we have already made and voting YES to renew what we have already started.