Woulda-Shoulda-Buddha

A great metaphor for Hate and never letting go of something that holds you back.  Some people never learn.

Courtesy of my pal Cliff Mann Dip. Clin. Hyp. NLP Coach CMP NLP MBIH  of Time 4 Change  Call him if you want a Firewalk and he will explain what the letters after his name stand for!

www.t4c.org.uk

Two Buddhist Monks were on a journey, one was a senior monk, the other a junior monk. During their journey they approached a raging river and on the river bank stood a young lady. She was clearly concerned about how she would get to the other side of the river without drowning.


The junior monk walked straight past her without giving it a thought and he crossed the river. The senior monk picked up the woman and carried her across the river. He placed her down, they parted ways with the woman and on they went with the journey.

As the journey went on, the senior monk could see some concern on the junior monk's mind, he asked what was wrong. The junior monk replied, "how could you carry her like that? You know we can't touch women, it's against our way of life". The senior monk answered, "I left the woman at the rivers edge a long way back, why are you still carrying her?"

DUCK!

A man used to walk past a jewellery store every morning and he would take out his gold watch and he would look in the window and he would set his watch. And then he‘d be on his way. This went on day after day, week after week, month after month. Every morning for a few years the jeweller saw this man doing this.

Well, one day the jeweller is out in front of the store and he is sweeping the sidewalk and the man stops, takes out his watch and sets it. And the jeweller said, “Pardon me, where do you work?” He said, “I work down at the big factory and it’s important that I have the watch set properly because I blow the whistle at noon telling everybody it’s time to go to lunch.”

The jeweller said, “Isn’t that funny? Because I have been setting that clock by that whistle every day at noon.”
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If it Looks like a Duck, Quacks like a Duck and Walks like a Duck then it has to be a Duck, right?

Not from what I see, not every time anyway...

I run a lot of seminars. Law of Attraction, Persuasion, Sales Training, Inner Game, NLP, Motivation, State Management, Attitudinal Training, Firewalking, Glasswalking....It's a big list.

I have sat in on a lot of personal development seminars run by other 'trainers' in my time. I have even gone undercover at a few just to see what some people are actually saying and doing in front of groups of people, otherwise known as paying Clients/ Customers/ Delegates.

I have also kept a low profile at some Firewalking events up and down the country and I am amazed at what I hear sometimes. Old, out of date, training exercises being rolled out again and again, either through inexperience, lack of training or just plain old laziness. On occasion I have actually feared for the safety of the public on some of these events. I saw an Arrow Bend once which could have ended up on the ten o'clock news.

Some are re-hashing old out of date exercises, or its the new 'expert' that has either read a book or read someone else's notes or even just took a company over or inherited it and decided they know what they are doing.

Some of the messages conveyed to the audiences leave a lot to be desired.

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. That's for sure.

A terrific book has been published about the Self Help movement and I recommend you read it. It is called SHAM and it's available from Amazon (isn't everything?) This really is a book to make you think, even if you are in the profession. It makes you realise what is going on around you, what some people are up to and also, how easy it is to be tarred by the same brush JUST by association.

The challenge you have is 'how do you know the person you are listening to, or the person training you, is the right one to follow.

Are you following the right person? Do they know what they are talking about? Where do they get their information from? How old is it? Does it work?

When I was at college the craze was (and still is if you look at the dumbing down of examinations) to not buy new text books but to read the textbooks others had used and read the writing, the notes made in pen in the margins, and check out the underlined passages. I couldn't figure that one out. The person who had the book before you could have been a mad man!!!

There is a lot that is lost in translation. Things get diluted, distilled and the original message can be lost.

Always check to see what your teachers history is, who they know, who they have worked with.

You see, once you start questioning you realise that sometimes, if it Walks like a Duck, Quacks like a Duck and Looks like a Duck...it could be a cartoon duck and NOT the real thing!

In other words...Not what it is Quacked up to be!

One other thing. There is a Phobia that is very relevant in the Self Help or Personal Development arena. The Phobia is Anatidaephobia ...It is the Fear that somewhere in the world there is a Duck watching you.....There are a lot of ducks in this business. I know who they are and I know they are watching me....Once on a plane I saw this.... 

QUACK!

Chasing Your Dream

I watched a dog yesterday.

It was sitting on the side of the road when a car drove past.

The dog was obviously bored and looking for something to do, waiting for something to come along, when along came an Alfa Romeo.

It drove past the dog, the dog looked at the car, then chased it.  It didn't have to chase the car for long as it stopped only a few hundred yards along the lane. 

I watched the dog.  It stopped when the car stopped and then, after giving the car a quick glance, walked back to where it had been sitting, sat down, and carried on staring across the fields.

Chasing that car seemed like a good idea at the time but the dog had overlooked one vital piece of the equation. 

It had no idea what to do with the car when it caught it!
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What are you like when an opportunity comes your way? 

There you are, minding your own business, or dreaming about running your own business, when....BANG!

No, you haven't been hit by a car.  You have been waiting for something to come along and now you have seen a car appear on the horizon, like an idea or an opportunity.  Then it gets nearer and you start to look at it.  Then you get intrigued by it.  Then you chase your dream.  The car is off down the road and you are chasing it.

But when you catch the car, or the idea, what are you gonna do with it?  Are you going to get in the driving seat and drive it?

Where to?

Dogs chase cars with no idea what they are going to do with them when they catch them.
Conversely, Cats don't chase cars.  They look at the car going by and probably think 'Hmmm, nice car, Alfa Romeo' and carry on relaxing.  They just can't be bothered to seize opportunity.

Don't be a dog and chase things for no reason.  Don't be a cat either, and let opportunity go by.

Be someone who has the end in sight.  Know your destination.  Know your direction, plan your route, know why you are taking the journey and then, when an opportunity comes your way, chase it, get in the driving seat and hit the accelerator!

You-Nique

Do you wonder what makes you different from everyone else? Are you looking for an answer to "What makes me special and unique?" that is more meaningful than just your fingerprints or a spiral of DNA?


Understanding how each of us is unique is an essential part of questioning who we are and why humanity exists. To help you find an answer to this ancient and universal question, we offer a new way of looking at things.

Are you Unique?  Do you go your own way?  Do you follow your own beliefs?

Being unique can make you start to feel awkward about who you are. If you are not like everybody else ... you can feel like you don't fit ... and don't belong.


And that is a horrible way to feel .. especially when you consider that everyone is unique. Everyone, underneath the things that define a generation or a culture, is truly unique and vastly different ... from the things they love -- to what inspires them or makes them laugh.


Do you remember the scene in The Life of Brian when, having been chased and followed by hundreds of people, Brian addresses the crowd from his bedroom window and there is the classic exchange...

Brian: You are all Individuals!
Lone Voice: I'm not!

Being an individual means you are unique.

Do you have any idea just how unique you are?

What makes you unique?
Is it what you do, or how you do what you do?

If you want to Stand Out, you have to be OutStanding. 
It's a simple as that. And Simplicity rules.

Simplicity is harder than you think.  We all have the ability to make things difficult.  We analyse and go over details again and again when in fact what we should be doing is refining and streamlining.

If you want to be unique you have to strip everything down and discover just what sets you apart from everyone else.

Sustained success comes only when you take what's unique about you and figure out how to make it useful.

Whatever it is that you do to make yourself unique you have to decide whether or not it is something that will generate interest, business and raving fans (repeat customers).

What are your strengths?  How do you use those strengths to overcome your competitors, if you consider your competitors?

Remember that there is no one else on this planet like you.  No one else can do what you do, in the way you do it.  If there were then I can guarantee that they wouldn't do what you do for the same reasons you do it.

The same thing applies to businesses and other types of organizations. But in this case, it is called branding and is known as what makes you stand apart and stand out from the crowd ... in both good and bad ways.


Being unique in business may be just what your company needs ... and should shout about. But just being different isn't what you want to focus on. Instead, you want to be distinctive -- in the things your customers and clients value most. And that is what finding your business niche is all about.

That way, you begin to build loyalty to what makes you different ... like Classic Coke or Starbucks' coffeehouse experience that harkens back to Lloyds of London and the bankers that backed the shipping trade.


How To Make Your Business Unique


1. Largest Selection
One way that you can make your product or service stand out is to offer the largest selection of products, services or programs.
Example: Home Depot, E-Bay, Staples, Amazon.co.uk

2. Innovative Product
If you have a new product or a service that others don’t offer, you will have something that no one else can offer.
Example: Windows, Viagra, Value Program

3. Multiple Uses
Once you have a product or service to offer, look for other ways that the customer can use the same product or service.
Example: Baby carrier that has carriage base, electric can opener with knife sharpener, Aspirin can be used as pain reliever and heart attack preventative. Cell phone is a camera too.

4. Superior Customer Service
Keep reminding your customer that you are eager to help them by giving extra-ordinary support on your product or service.
Example: Nordstrom's is known for this. Doctors who make house calls, a mobile lawyer's office, a glass company that comes to your workplace to change the glass in your automobile are other examples.

5. Convenient Location
Make it easy for customers to do business with you by providing them access in exactly the place where they will need your product or service.
Example: Bank in the supermarket, ATM in airport, setting up a stand to sell umbrellas on a busy street corner on a rainy day.

6. Expert Consulting
If you have deep knowledge of your product or service, you can be useful in helping your customers before and after the sale is made.
Example: Computer sales person who understands connectivity issues and can help you integrate your equipment with the new computer. Estate Agent who has huge rolodex and provides referral to other vendors that new home owner would need.

7. Price
If you have a product or service with a high price, you offer prestige. If you offer the lowest price, the thrifty customer will be attracted to your product or service.
Example: High Price - Lexus, Canyon Ranch etc. Low price - Target, Wal-Mart

8. Lasting affect
The product or service you offer have a longer lasting affect than any others.
Example - Extra strength Tylenol, Bike lock that cannot be opened, car battery that lasts 5 years, long lasting car tires.

9. Guarantee
Offer a guarantee with your product or service.
Example: Money back if not satisfied. Free conversion back to previous vendor if not satisfied.

10. Packaging
Offer a package that is different from others. (prettier, stronger, environmentally friendly, easier to open, child-proof)
Example: Packaging material that dissolves in water, free gift wrapping for all purchases, child-proof aspirin bottles, juice drinks with straw.