Archive for February, 2008

Here is a simple exercise.

Take a piece of paper and write down the following phrase…

“What Great Thing Would I do If I Knew I Could Not Fail?”

Underneath the phrase write down five to ten things that would fit the description.

Look at the items and imagine in your mind that you could accomplish them in the next 24 hours.

What one thing sticks out on the list that would have the most impact?

Circle this one thing.

Here is the start of a long term goal.

It is written down. Now ask yourself one question.

Are you are willing to take the first step to accomplish it?

If you are… why not take the first step?

Today…

In our last post we looked at buried treasure, those personal talents that may be hidden or suppressed in our lives. The first step to find our treasure is to find out who we are.

To find out the “who” we can look at three areas.

1. We need to take a look at our strengths and our personality
2. We need to look at our mission field. Who we can help, train, or mentor. Who are our customers, clients, or students?
3. We need to look at our mentors. People that can help us grow and succeed.

In number one above, there are tests that can help us get a picture of who we are. The first one I would suggest is the Strengths 2.0 test by the Gallup organization.

Currently the best way to take this test is to purchase the book, Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tom Rath. This book includes a membership card in the back that allows you to login to their web site and take the test. The test takes under 30 minutes and will highlight your top five strengths.

This test is highly informative and each of the strengths is outlined in the book. The book will give you a good starting point to build on your strong areas.

It’s also a good idea to take a personality test of some type. I like the Meyers-Briggs test, but there are many to choose from. Many of these tests can be done online for little or no charge. The most complete way to do this is to pick up a book such as What Type Am I by Renee Baron, which includes the Meyers-Briggs test and informative follow-up material.

Once you have taken the tests it great to write down the results on paper. Make a list of your top five strengths and your four quadrant personality type.

In number two it’s nice to make a list of people that you know, clients that you have, and create a comprehensive database list. A good exercise is to take your strengths list and look how you would be able to help or teach the people on this form. Web sites such as LinkedIn and others provide a good way to keep track of these acquaintances and track their talents and strengths.

In number three above, it can be helpful to identify mentors in different strength areas of your life. According to the strengths finder book, it is easier to improve your skills by focusing on your strengths than your weaknesses. If you identify people who share your strengths, you can easily collaborate and grow by sharing information.

As you explore the different areas of your personal talents, it is helpful to keep a journal and track your progress. We’ll dig a little deeper in the chest tomorrow…

In the book of Matthew in the Bible, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a man going on a journey. This man entrusts his servants with “talents” before he leaves.

1. To the first servant he gives five talents
2. To the second servant he gives two talents
3. To the third servant he gives one talent

A talent in those days was a considerable sum of money, worth thousands of dollars in today’s economy.

In Matthew 25- Jesus relates their actions…

The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more.  So also, the one with the two talents gained two more.  But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

After a long time, the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. It is interesting to note the rewards of their actions…

The man who had received the five talents brought the other five.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents.  See, I have gained five more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

The man with the two talents also came.  “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”

His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant!  You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness!”

Then the man who had received the one talent came.  “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed.  So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground.  See, here is what belongs to you.”

His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant!  So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?  Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.  Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 25:14-30 (NIV)

While there is great significance in this parable from a spiritual and moral sense, it is interesting to view this in the concept of our personal talents. We all have talents, but like the third servant, many of them may be covered up or buried deep in the ground.

From a personal development viewpoint, we may have considerable buried treasure in our lives, just waiting to be dug up and opened. As in the parable above…

• If we uncover our talents and invest them wisely, there will be a considerable reward.
• If we do nothing with them, one day we may be called to account for them and find that difficult consequences await.

This parable hits home with me in various ways. From a career standpoint, I have found that there are many talents that are needed for today’s modern workplace. One simple example comes back to me almost everyday.

I took Microsoft Word, Excel, and Powerpoint classes back in the late 1990’s. I didn’t realize the importance of the classes at the time, but they have been incredibly helpful over the years.

Just knowing how to setup a graph in Excel or create an outline in Word, have been very useful on my job. I use them almost every day.

I can’t tell you how many people that I work with struggle with Powerpoint presentations. I am often called in at the last moment to get a presentation going or to get the computer to communicate with the projector.

Using our talents can have a profound effect on our lives. Instead of just letting our lives move aimlessly along, if we develop our talents, we can move ahead in a successful and deliberate manner. We can turn these individual talents into an incredible treasure.

For many of us this personal treasure can be explored by looking into seven different areas… and asking some direct questions…

Who
1. Who am I and what are my strengths?
2. Who are my customers/clients?
3. Who are my mentors?

What
1. What great thing would I do if I knew I could not fail?
2. What small things can I learn that will help me along the way?

Where
1. Where do I work?
2. Where is my mission field?
3. Where am I going?

When
1. When will I start?
2. When will I finish?
3. When is success?

How
1. How will I get there?
2. 12 month, One Year, and Three Year Goals

Why
1. Why am I doing this?
2. What is my purpose?

Risk
1. What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
2. What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
3. What is the best thing that can happen if I don’t do this?
4. What is the worst thing that can happen if I don’t do this?

Answering these questions can take some doing. First we have to find and dig up our treasure chest. Then we have to unlock it and discover the hidden talents. Then comes the fun part… once the talents have been cleaned up and polished, we get to spend our treasure. With our new found talents it might be a business, a new job, or a mission trip to a far off land. The possibilities are endless.

Are you ready to find your treasure?

I have used Powerpoint for years and the interface has stayed mostly the same. With each new version, Microsoft has added new features but the menus and interface have had a consistent layout.

With the advent of Powerpoint 2007, the interface has changed dramatically. The usual menu bars have been replaced with what Microsoft calls The Ribbon.

Powerpoint 2007: Quick Access Toolbar

Over the next few days, I would like to take you on a tour of some of the new features in the 07 version and explore the new ribbon interface.

In our first look at the program I would like to introduce you to the Quick Access Toolbar. If you are new to the 2007 version you may not have noticed this bar at all. This fully customizable toolbar will allow you to group your favorite Powerpoint commands in one convenient place.

For new users this can be a real help to find your favorite commands while learning the new ribbon interface. Take a look at the video above to see just how easy it is to setup.

The default drop down box for the quick access Toolbar offers a few popular options, but by choosing the more commands button in the pull down, a window opens up that allows you to add icons for over 50 different commands.

This is a quick way to get things setup just the way you like it. Watch the video above and take a few minutes today and add your favorite commands.

Back in the late 90’s housing prices started to rise at a significant rate here in the United States. From California to Maine prices were going up at a steady clip. Housing had finally climbed out of a long recession and the future looked bright.

As we came into the new millennium, prices kept going, fueled this time by ever lower interest rates. Suddenly we were seeing home prices go through the roof. The previous year’s $200,000 dollar house was now over $300,000.

As prices rose, lenders were in a frenzy to keep up. Suddenly the average Joe wasn’t able to qualify anymore. Something had to happen to keep this incredible momentum going.

Lenders came out with all sorts of programs, from interest only loans to adjustable loans with a teaser introductory rate. The housing market continued its rapid climb. As the average price climbed over $400,000 in some of the hotter markets there was suddenly some additional problems getting people qualified.

Enter the interest only, subprime adjustable loan with a teaser introductory rate. This baby had it all! Almost anyone could qualify for this 1% introductory rate. In most cases this rate would last at least 6 months or a year… enough time for housing prices to rise again.

The lenders didn’t mind that most of their borrowers could not possibly qualify for this loan amount with a standard 30 year loan… hey prices were going up like a rocket. With the skyrocketing prices, if the customer couldn’t pay, they would just foreclose and make even more money.

Unfortunately the bubble burst in 2005-2006 as interest rates started to climb and previous buyers were starting to have problems paying back their loans.

Home buyers had bought a payment, and now that payment was going through the roof. Unfortunately for the buyers, that house with the $2000/month payment was now a house with a $3000/month payment. That $500,000 dollar house didn’t look so good anymore and was almost impossible to sell.

The buyers market dried up quickly and home prices started a steady decline. This started a snowball effect that rippled through the stock market as the subprime lenders found themselves with a mass of defaulting loans. Stock prices on companies that had provided these loans dropped like a rock.

But the pain didn’t stop there. Local and state governments that were used to the property tax windfalls that these high home prices had produced, were now seeing their coffers beginning to empty. New homes weren’t selling and local school districts were not getting their developer fees.

The snowball continues to roll with state governors (such as Arnold Schwarzenegger) announcing 10% or higher cuts in the state budget for education and needed services.

It’s interesting that allowing such unrealistic loans caused so much pain. Should we ban such loans in the future or will they come back again as the economy improves? Will we continue to sacrifice long term stability for short term profit?

We saw what happened in the late 1990’s with the herd mentality and the IPO’s of one Internet company after the other driving up stock prices. This time around it was the herd driving housing prices through the roof.

An interesting book on the subject is The Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki. The crowd mentality in this case surely comes into question, as buyers were led into an unforeseen situation where costs went up and equity prices came down.

Unfortunately many people will lose their homes and others will be out of jobs because of this phenomenon. It really brings up the question… should you follow the crowd?

Blogging is an interesting endeavor. You put a blog up, customize your template, and start writing about stuff. At first it is fun, and the ideas come quickly. But soon the realization hits that to be a blogger means posting on a regular basis.

I’ve seen so many blogs pop up and then slowly fade away as writing becomes a chore and the writers lose interest.

Set Godin has an interesting post today about Have To vs Get To. He was asked if blogging everyday is intimidating or a chore, he replied…

I view it as something I get to do. I spend most of my blogging time deciding what not to post.

The best work, at least for me, is the stuff you get to do. If you are really good at that, you’re lucky enough to have very little of the have to stuff left.

When blogging becomes a Have To pastime, it’s not to long until the posting stops, and the blog is one of the millions in a frozen state of attrition.

As I near my three year mark in this phenomenon of online journalism, I am thankful that like Seth, I get to blog today.

I had an experience earlier in the week, where my web host had a network problem all day. I couldn’t login and my blog was offline for hours. It’s funny how you take things for granted until they don’t work.

I am thankful to be back online and to be able to write again. There are so many things to explore, people to communicate with, and ideas to share.

Thanks for joining in this thing we call blogging!