Archive for April, 2005

In the last few days you have seen different examples of the Nabobs of Negativity. These insidious little creatures roost on your shoulders and whisper in your ear. They are so quiet you may not even realize they are there. So what is the solution?

Brush the nabobs off…

Your success depends on it!

Have you ever been around people that are always negative? It seems like everything they say is depressing and they always bring you down. They may be suffering from the Nabob of Negativity. This little guy is the most contagious of all Nabobs. He has millions of relatives and they are really happy to jump on your shoulder at a moments notice. If this nabob is not controlled quickly he will bring his relatives to roost on everyone in an office or group. Gossip will spread these little guys faster than wildfire.

Once they have multiplied they are very hard to eradicate. You must act on this nabob quickly and decisively. If this nabob is on your shoulder along with the nabob of procrastination all hope may be lost. Time is of the essence.

Eradicate this pest as soon as you can… remember success begins today!

This little guy is one of the most dangerous of all Nabobs. He is especially prevalent at Toastmaster meetings. He can keep you from doing just about anything. His fearful whisperings are mostly lies, but he always adds just enough truth to make his rants believable.

Rid yourself of this little monster at your earliest convenience.

The truth will set you free!

Nabob #1: Procrastination

Nabobs are the little guys that sit on your shoulders and whisper in your ears. The nabob of procrastination is especially insidious. He is always whispering… do it tomorrow, or why do it today when you can put it off till next week, or why bother… it’s just work. This little guy is a Slackers best friend. He will always come up with some reason you can’t do it now.

Unfortunately, he never tells you the consequences of putting it off.

Procrastination: Always an excuse….

Tom Swift is cool! When I was growing up I had many of his books and they always stimulated the imagination. In retrospect he was way ahead of his time. Most of the books I had as a kid were written in the late 50’s or early sixties.

While the tomes were always predictable, they were actually based on scientific research. I looked back at some excerpts from ‘Tom Swift and the Triphibian Atomicar” printed in 1963. Sounds a lot like some of the hybrid cars that are being produced only cooler. And his car gets much better mileage.

Excerpt:
…She and Sandy soon forgot the frightening experience the sheer exhilaration of spinning along as quietly as a breeze. The lack of engine noise, Tom explained, was due to the car being driven by four small electric motors, one of them mounted at each wheel.

“And that steering lever does everything?” Phyl asked.

“Practically everything,” Tom said. “Accelerates, slows, stops, turns, or reverses–depending on how you move the stick.”

Passing motorists goggled admiringly at the bronze, bubble-hooded sports car. As Tom drove farther into the country, the highway skirted pleasant green woodland on the left, while off to the right the blue waters of Lake Carlopa sparkled in the June sunshine.

Sounds convincingly like a 2005 Toyota Prius

Steve Pavlina has issued a 30 day challenge on his blog. He is asking his readers to commit to doing a new task for 30 days. I’ve taken up the challenge by promising to post an entry on this blog for a continuous 30 days. I’m on day 5 now and I have some suggestions for those who would like to take up the challenge.

1. Make a game out of it. Set the rules, choose your teammates and set a schedule. Make sure you have some competition. I am really driven by competition and coaching. In the real world of sports it would be almost unthinkable to miss a game as a player. Treat your game the same way. Today is the only time you can do it.

2. Get a picture of what it will be like at the end of the finish line. Take the Body for Life program as an example. They have many before and after pictures of real people who have had success on the weight training program. They have you take a picture of yourself on day one and at certain milestones along the way. If you can see it you can do it.

3. Use the I-Force. Inspiration thru Information, Innovation & Imagination.

1. Get more information on what you are trying to accomplish.
2. Innovate by trying a new twist on your project
3. Use your imagination. Invent new ways of doing things
.
I find these 3 things help me keep going when things get tough.

Small goals do pay off in time. I set a goal over 4 years ago to reach the level of DTM in Toastmasters. This stands for Distinguished Toastmaster and is the highest level you can achieve in the organization. There were many times I wanted to quit. Some of the leadership positions were very demanding. This level required over 45 speeches and 2 years in a leadership position.

It was really exciting to turn in the final paperwork today and finally become a DTM.

Thank you to all of you who have helped me along the way. Your encouragement and coaching have been invaluable.