Making your life better.

You may be spending a lot of time and trouble trying to get a better life. A more productive approach is to make the life you have, better.

Some decisions are smarter than others...

Assuming a car costs $25,000, in the first year of depreciation you will see the value drop between $6,000 and $7,000 – assuming a buyer can be found at all on a one year old vehicle.

Many people selling after just one year experience a higher percentage loss, as they are selling into a market in which the buyer has many financing offers from car companies on the brand new models.

Buying a car second hand is often smarter, more satisfying and way cheaper in the long and short run.

The Fear Of Failure.

Many people are afraid of failure. Yet failure holds no fear for many others.

While living in Africa I learned to fly small planes. I have an enduring love of flight. As disturbing as it might sound, even the smell of aviation fuel sets my heart racing. I spent many happy hours flying over the highveldt in South Africa.

Of all the thrills one can derive from life, no moment can possibly compare to the first time you land an aircraft alone. There is no room for error. It’s a wonderful experience. And the idea of failure is frightening. And yet, it is worth it. At this point in my life I can barely remember the fear I experienced at the time, but I will never forget the rush of the airfield coming into view, the way the plane was lined up and the steady and safe descent. The elation of that landing will remain with me forever.

Failure has no power when you realize the risks of failure are far outweighed by the joys of success.

Three simple ways to get your work life under control.

My clients often tell me that they work so hard they have no time for themselves. I hear it all the time.

Here’s three simple tricks that will free up a lot of time.

1. Remember voicemail? That’s right, so does everyone else. It’s fine to let the majority of calls go to voicemail, people know what it does. Work through your messages in the mid morning and mid afternoon.

2. Focus your energies on what works. Remember the 80/20 rule. Eighty percent of your revenue comes from twenty percent of your clients. Identify the twenty percent and focus your energy there. What do they have in common? What’s the easiest means to reach them? You just rebuilt your marketing plan.

3. Keep focused! Delegate the tasks that don’t need your attention. Automate what you can, so you can keep your eye on the ball.

When a client is too busy to go to yoga, the chances are they need to go to yoga more than ever before.

Defining Success.

Many people find themselves struggling to meet tragets which they associate with 'success'. However, measures of success are rarely defined or even agreed upon.

Success is sometimes defined best as a composite of three aspects of ones life:

1. Family and relationships.
2. Career and security.
3. Your 'Self' (including physical and psychological health).

Any measure of success that overlooks one of the sections above probably isn't helping the situation.

Before giving yourself a hard time about your achievements and success, it might be a good idea to look at those three aspects of your life in concert.

The importance of listening - and how to do it!

There are times when you can’t help.

When someone around you needs your help and you reach out to support them, you are doing a noble thing. However, there are two questions that have to be asked before you can have any hope of success. The first is, can you actually help? In many instances, be it through practical application or moral support, the answer is yes.

The more difficult of the two questions is the second. Do they really want your help? As hard as it is to understand, there are some people who either wish to embrace their problems and allow them to overwhelm them, or who are just not ready for help. In extreme situations, such as drug abuse, this is obvious. However, it is also there in many lesser challenges. What motivates someone to turn away help, be it pride or arrogance, or just plain ignorance, is likely to be a tough thing to overcome.

When there’s no helping someone, it’s time to conserve your own strength and let them find their own way.