March 9th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
There is a wonderful story about the famous escape artist, Harry Houdini that illustrates this theme. As the story goes, the great Houdini often boasted about how he could escape from any confinement or jail cell. One day, he was challenged by the keeper of a new, high tech, high security jail purported to be escape proof.
Houdini accepted the challenge and was given a specific amount of time to complete this seemingly impossible task. Poor Harry tried everything with no success. He attempted to pick and manipulate the lock and every other trick he knew. The lock did not budge.
After many hours, with his body drenched in sweat, he collapsed against the door, which immediately fell open. You see, it had never been locked in the first place.
It was all in his mind! The great Houdini was held prisoner by his own thoughts. His thinking kept him from breaking out of the jail cell. He believed the door was locked, believed it would be difficult to open and, sure enough, it was.
How many of us are held prisoner by our own thoughts? How many times do we create our own “jails” in our minds? How many things have you wanted to do but did not because you thought you would fail?
Are your thoughts and beliefs keepingyou a prisoner in your own mind?
What are some of the things you want to do? Do you want to have a new relationship, lose weight, learn a sport, dance, sing, start a business, travel? What’s stopping you? What would you do if you knew you could not fail?
Why not just go for it and see what happens? Instead of being worried you might fail, why not ask, what if I succeed? Remember the statement made by Henry Ford who said, Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.
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February 26th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
You’re probably asking yourself, “Why would anyone want to push their goals away?” After all, goals represent what we want in our lives, right? It would seem so but in reality, we often set ourselves up to fail every time we think about a goal or something we want to have or do in our lives.
Mary thinks to herself, “I would really like to write my book” (the goal). Then, instead of basking in the good feelings associated with that worthy ideal, the very next thought that comes into her mind is “How will I ever do it? I have to take care of the kids and all. I barely have time to eat much less write a book.”
She has literally pushed the goal away in her mind even before it had a chance to settle in.
Fred thinks, “I’d really like to drop a few pounds and get in better shape” (the goal). Then, before his sub-conscious has a chance to work on attracting the goal to him, he thinks, “That will be hard and will take up even more of my time. I don’t have enough time as it is now.”
The two cases above are typical examples of how we often push our goals away, usually before they even have time to germinate.
You think to yourself, “I’d like a new car.” The very next thought is, “That’s ridiculous! I can’t even afford the car I have now.” If you want to live a magical life, attract your goals to you and have everything you want in life, you must change this reaction.
Whenever the little voice in your head rears its ugly head, tell it to sit down and be quiet. You must silence the negative, limiting thoughts in your mind. Even if your goal is totally outrageous, you must remain open to the possibilities of achieving it if you intend to succeed. There will be plenty of time for a “reality check” later.
Exercise – Goal Attraction
When you have a thought about something you want to have, be or do, write it in your journal, in the form of a question. For example, in the case of writing your book, you might write: “What can I do, right now, to begin working on my book?” or in the case of an exercise program, “What can I do, starting today, to begin to get in better shape, reach my ideal weight and enjoy the process?”
Do It Daily
Invest fifteen or twenty minutes each day thinking about your goal and asking yourself how you might accomplish it. Jot down whatever pops up into your mind. Even if an idea seems absurd, write it down anyway.
This simple technique has been used successfully by some of the greatest achievers throughout history. People like Thomas Edison, Andrew Carnegie and Henry Ford used this simple technique.
They called it, “sitting for ideas.” Whatever you choose to call it, it is well worth the time you spend doing it. You will find that the first couple of days are easy. You come up with al the logical ways to do what it is you want to accomplish. After about the third or fourth day, however, you may begin to run out of ideas.
Don’t Give Up
Don’t quit. Just sit for your allotted time period and let your sub-conscious mind feed you ideas. You may have a thought “pop into” your consciousness. You will surely uncover creative ways to accomplish your goal.
If you do this simple exercise for thirty days, you’ll have an arsenal of creative ideas from which to draw and you’ll be on your way to attracting your most cherished goal.
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February 25th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
It has been said that a person will not reach their full potential unless coached. While this may or may not be entirely true, it does hit on a key benefit to coaching, especially for small and solo business owners.
Typically, a small business owner, particularly a solo practitioner, works in a vacuum. They rarely have someone to share ideas with, much less talk about their fears or concerns. Aside from the few who belong to a mastermind group, most have no objective help to expand their ideas or as a way to gain a different perceptive on their business.
Small business people who are not working with someone in the capacity of a coach are missing out on one of their greatest opportunities for growth. Those savvy people who do engage the services of a coach who specializes in working with small businesses have a distinctive advantage over their competition.
Choosing Your Coach
With some many people entering the field choosing your ideal coach can be a daunting task. The single most important characteristic, in my opinion, is that you and the coach have rapport first as people, then as client and coach. I don’t care how many certifications someone has, if you don’t feel good about working with them, it will never work.
Next, I would suggest that if it’s your business that you want help with you choose a coach who specializes in working with small businesses.
I was once hired to coach a high-level sales executive and when I asked why he chose me out of the several people he interviewed; his reply was “because you’re the only one who actually has had sales experience.”
Personally, I feel that a coach who has business experience will bring more value to the relationship then one who has not.
Conversely, I would not choose a business coach to help me with a fitness or a relationship challenge.
The field of personal coaching has evolved over the years from the “life” coaches who worked with a variety of clients, to more specialized ones who choose to work in a specific niche, typically chosen because of the coaches experience in that niche.
Over the years, coach training schools have focused their programs on niches and offer additional training, beyond the basics, in business, health, and relationship coaching.
A really top coach, however, will get involved in several areas of your business and life. If for example, all your time is spent at work and you’re neglecting your health and family relationships, your coach, hopefully, will work with you to bring that back into balance. There is little point in having a successful business if the rest of your life is falling apart.
It is my heart felt suggestion, based on a decade of coaching small business owners and two decades of being in my own business, that if you really want to reach your full potential, you need a coach who can help you step out of your comfort zone and grow your business or professional practice.
How coaching works
Typically, a coach works one-on-one with clients or in a small group setting. For the most part, coaching is conducted by telephone although some of us like in-person meetings when the situation lends itself and, with the advent of video conferencing services like Skype, it’s possible to combine the two.
Coaching relationships last an average of six months although many continue much longer. If the reason for the relationship is a specific task, like publishing a book for example, the relationship may only last until the project is completed.
What does it cost?
While coaching fees vary widely most coaches are open to creating a program that will fit the needs and budget of the client. If finances are what’s preventing someone from hiring a coach, exploring group programs may be the answer, however, the experience of group coaching, while valuable, is not the same as having your own coach. It’s less personal, your time is shared with others, and it lacks the confidentiality of individual sessions.
Group coaching programs are well suited if everyone in the group is working on a similar task or project. A group geared toward people starting their own business, for example, would be quite valuable since group members can share ideas and knowledge.
Whatever method best suits your present circumstances, hiring your own coach is one of the best investments you can make in the future success of your business and will go a long way toward your realizing your full potential.
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February 13th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
The setting could not have been more romantic. Ernie’s restaurant, one of the premier San Francisco eateries, all decked out for Valentines Day. I had been leading up to proposing for weeks. Our trip to San Francisco was special time for us both and what better day to pop the question than that most romantic of days, February 14th?
Sitting there, my heart thumping, I waited for the perfect moment. The drinks had arrived, the waiter had taken our order and left.
Now was the moment of truth. I mustered all the courage I could. In my first book,
Handbook to a Happier Life, I taught people to know what they want and go for it, so I said in my most seductive voice, “Will you marry me?”
At the very same instant a waiter, carrying a tray containing a huge lobster, walked past our table. Being distracted and not having heard me my lovely lady replied, “Look at the lobster!”
In a weak, trembling voice, I asked if she had heard what I said and what her answer was.
“Oh! I’m sorry, yes, of course. I love you and want to be your wife. But did you see the size of that lobster?” We celebrated out 19th wedding anniversary this past October.
PS. I have not eaten lobster since:-)
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February 4th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Last night, I had the pleasure of sharing my “Best Life Seminar” with the Huntingdon Valley Rotary group. As always, I had a great time, met some terrific people, had a nice meal (always a good thing) and got to share ideas with the group. Here’s what the group had to say:
“Tonight our guest speaker was Jim Donovan who lives in Upper Bucks County and is a best-selling author and inspiring motivational speaker.
Jim spoke about his recent book titled, “Don’t let an Old Person move into Your Body” which shares the recipe for living a long purpose filled life. Jim shared numerous real life people who started new careers while in their 80’s, 90’s and even at 106 years young.
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February 4th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
With the current economic challenges we’re all facing, too many small business owners are finding their business moving in the wrong direction.
In many cases, what were once growing, thriving businesses are now heading into a downward spiral of cutbacks, layoffs, and, in too many cases, bankruptcies. Owners are watching as their customers dwindle and revenues drop.
So, what can a small business owner who is trying to prosper in today’s climate do to turn things around?
While you may not be able to do much about the nation’s economy as a whole, there are proactive steps you can take, regardless of outside circumstances.
Following are three steps you can use to get started turning your business around and moving, once again, in the direction of growth and prosperity:
1. Change Your Focus
Beginning immediately, stop talking about anything that is not working. Stop defending and justifying why you’re not doing better. Stop blaming the economy or whatever else you deem to be the cause of your troubles. If something is not working, continuing to talk about it will cause you to start seeing more things going wrong and continue the downward spiral.
Ask only, “What’s working?” and continue asking every day. Make a list of what is working and have your team do the same, individually and as a group. Change the tone of your meetings. If you understand that you get more of whatever you focus upon, it’s obvious why you’ll want to do this.
2. Mine the Gold That’s Already in Your Business
Every business has “hidden” opportunities which can be mined, usually by either developing new markets for your products, creating new products, leveraging the relationships you’ve built, and joint venturing with colleagues, suppliers, customers and, yes, even competitors.
Ask yourself what new opportunities you could tap into if you expanded your e-commerce offerings and maximized the technology that’s available today. Does your Web site give visitors a compelling reason to subscribe to your mailing list? Are you utilizing email marketing and auto responders to their fullest? What about social media, social bookmarking, video, podcasting, blogging, and other “Web 2.0″ tools?
Your greatest opportunity for business growth, regardless of the economy, are the assets you already have in your business. From personnel, customers – past and present – relationships with colleagues and suppliers, and other “people” assets, to your investment in equipment and technology, the assets you’ve already built represent your greatest opportunity.
And the really good news is they will require the least in either time or money.
Of these “hidden” assets, your customers are the easiest and most obvious place to begin. Do you know who they are and why they do business with you?
This may seem like an obvious question, however, many businesses do not know who is buying from them or why. Once you’ve ascertained this, you’re in a position to explore how else you might serve them.
One of my favorite questions has always been, “is there anything else I can help you with?” This simple question can increase your business tenfold.
A friend of mine is a graphic designer and print broker. One day she asked her client this question to which the client replied, “Yes there is. Can you help us get some of those imprinted jackets with our logo on them?” She happily replied that she could and took the order. (hint: if you own a small business, the answer, within reason, is always, “Yes.” You can figure out later how to deliver.)
Don’t fall into the trap if thinking just because you’ve been around a while that people know everything you do. Often we “ass-u-me” that our customers know what we do.
Leverage
You can grow your business by leveraging your relationships with colleagues, suppliers, distributors and yes, even your competitors.
Several years ago I attended a demonstration at a local copier supplier. It was a huge success as a herd of people roamed throughout the building seeing live demos of the latest in office copiers.
While the local business hosted the event, their supplier provided the factory trained experts on hand to answer people’s questions.
Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Saks have regular “trunk shows” and make-up events to attract customers, again with the expertise provided by the manufacturers.
Faith Popcorn pointed out in her landmark book “The Popcorn Report” that people like entertainment while they shop.
What about your colleagues? Could a carpet or home cleaning company team up with a caterer and offer a holiday special?
Might a lawyer, accountant and banker put together a free event for their business customers? What could you do to leverage your business?
Do you have underused equipment sitting around? Many local newspapers whose presses are only used for a few hours a day, will take on outside printing jobs. Your typical weekly paper is most likely being printed on a daily newspaper’s presses.
Opportunities on the internet.
I’ve saved the best for last. If there is one area that is underutilized by small businesses, it’s your website. Ninety percent or more of local business websites that I’ve visited are nothing more than online brochures. I call them “Tombstones in Cyberspace.”
Contrast this against the sites used by internet marketers. Internet marketers, people whose business profits entirely or in part online, engage the customer with an array of techniques designed to keep them coming back, refer them to friends and leave them wanting more.
The typical offline business gets little if any internet traffic, mainly because their sites have not been setup properly or not even optimized for search engines.
What is even sadder is that if someone does manage to stubble upon their site, they have no way to connect with the visitor and develop an ongoing relationship.
Other than SEO, the easiest thing that you can do is set up some sort of “capture mechanism.” A simple subscription box connected to an auto responder will enable you to begin building a database of your customers and potential customers.
As my friend Vic Johnson, a highly successful Internet marketer who sells personal development information, said, “He who has the biggest list, wins! Or, as every online marketer knows, “the money is in the list.”
The really good part
Once you have put in place your strategy for developing your customer database, you can communicate with them at virtually no cost.
Compare this to the costs of direct mail, display advertising, radio, or TV and the advantages to email and other types of online communication are obvious.
A heating oil company, with a database of 600 prior customers, can blast an offer for a spring special to jump-start sales during their slow season, at practically no cost.
The restaurant owner who’s experiencing a slow Wednesday lunch business, can test offers for specials early that morning by sending to their database. Chances are, they’ll see an increase in business almost immediately. All at little or out of pocket expense.
If you can’t go into your business tomorrow morning at 7:30, create a special offer to jump start sales, and have it out to a list of several hundred or thousand customers by 9:00, you’re missing out on a great opportunity. Go here if you want to learn how you can grow your offline business with online strategies.
3. Develop Systems and Follow Through
Hire a business coach or appoint someone in your organization to be your team’s “accountability partner” to ensure your renewed vision is being carried out and that you are steadily moving in the right direction.
A business coach provides a fresh viewpoint and can often help by not being bogged down in the day-to-day running of the business. They are objective and not invested in the politics if your company. The best business coaches contribute knowledge acquired from a variety of situations in any number of industries and employs specific strategies to help you make quantum leaps beyond what you may have thought possible.
Regardless of the specific actions you take, it is important that you do something proactive. Don’t just sit there complaining about the economy with the rest of the crowd. Above all, don’t wait for it to turn around by itself or, worse yet, expect the government to fix it. You have within you the power to change your life and your business, so go and do it.
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February 1st, 2010 by Jim Donovan
“I have every right to be angry!” How many times have you said this or something similar? You rant on in righteous anger about how so and so or such and such wronged you or how “they” should do something about ___________.
You’ll defend your position no matter what the cost. You’ll tell anyone who will listen your tale of woe, and if you are lucky, you can even get a group of people talking about your issues.
It’s easy. All you have to do is start to complain about some injustice, real or imagined, and before too long, other people will join in. They’ll emphasize with you and may even add their own story to fuel the fire. If you doubt this, just listen to almost any group of people discussing a current issue.
There is one problem with this entire scenario. The injustices that you are talking about; the bad service you received in a restaurant or whatever is the source of your anger, you are in a vibrational match to the negative situation.
You’re vibrating in harmony with something you do not want and from that point of attraction, you can only attract more of it.
But, you argue, I have to talk about it. Maybe, maybe not but, this is important; you do not have to dwell on the situation. While there may not be anything wrong with expressing anger, there is absolutely no value in maintaining this emotional state.
Whenever you are in a heightened emotional state, good or bad, you are attracting the same or similar conditions.
Knowing this, why would you want to keep replaying a negative situation? Acknowledge the situation, maybe even allow yourself to feel angry or upset by it, but then move on. Reach for a thought that feels better than the one you’re thinking. Replaying unpleasant events from the past has absolutely no value in the present moment. All it will do is keep you stuck and recreate more of the same.
Remaining angry at someone was like letting them live “rent free” in your head.
The next time you find yourself in a situation that can set you off, acknowledge it and then let it go. Either find something good in the situation or just replace the thought with a thought of something you do want.
Simply go, in your mind, to some place, real or imagined, that feels good and remain there for about 30 seconds basking in the good feelings. That is usually sufficient to change your emotional state to one that is more productive. Remember the wise suggestion from the Abraham Hicks work; the most important thing is that you feel good.
It’s really that simple. If you are feeling good, everything is flowing and you are attracting your desires. Anything less, and you are shortchanging yourself.
Remember, “As you sow, so shall you reap.” Bible, Galatians VI
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January 28th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
It saddens and frustrates me when I see people in their fifties or sixties moping around talking about how “it’s not easy getting old.” On the other hand, I am inspired when I see an older person, someone in their eighties or nineties, living a vibrant and productive life. It gives me hope and further proves my theory that there is a huge difference between aging and getting old.
So what’s the difference between these two groups of people? Why are some, still in mid-life, seeming to be on their last legs while others, old enough to be the parents of the first group, still going strong?
The answer really boils down to a couple of key differences, as outlined in the “Ageless Living Method” to mak the rest of your life, the best of your life.
1. Challenge the myths of aging
“You’re getting on in years — you’d better slow down,” “At my age, I’d better be careful,” “Act your age,” “We’ll all wind-up in a nursing home sooner or later,” “I’m just having a senior moment.”
All of the above statements are nonsense. There’s no biological connection between age and poor health. If you want to break down these beliefs, find references of older people living vibrant, productive lives. They’re all around us. People like Hulda Crooks who became the oldest person to climb Mt. Fuji in Japan at 91 years of age. Author Phyliss Whitney, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 104, said in an Associated Press interview when she was 85 that “I’ve slowed down in that I only write one book a year. A writer is what I am.”
2. Ignite your passion
Older people who are living vibrantly are passionate about their life. Their outlook is positive and they are motivated by something outside themselves. They have a purpose. They are engaged in life and are pursuing something that matters to them. Whether a career, a hobby, a cause, or something in between, they have dreams and goals and are living life to it fullest.
3. Create your vision
If you were living your ideal life, what would it look like? In your journal, write a vivid description the life you dream of living. For now, don’t be concerned with how you will do this. What are you doing and with whom? Where do you live? Where are you vacationing? What type of work are you engaged in? Who are your friends?
Write your vision in as much detail as possible, making sure to include the feelings you are experiencing and engaging as many senses as possible. Smell the ocean if you’re at the shore. Hear the sounds of the people in the city where you’re visiting, and so on. If it’s a dream home you desire, see each room in vivid detail. What do you see when you look out the windows?
4. Change your beliefs
The only thing stopping you from having whatever you desire is your belief about your ability to achieve it. What beliefs are standing in your way? Do you tell yourself, “I’m too old,” “I don’t have enough education,” “I’m not smart enough,” or some other variation on this theme?
Challenge those beliefs that are not serving you. Find references of someone just like you doing whatever it is you want to do. Override your limiting beliefs with positive affirmations.
5. Reclaim your power
Spiritual Power: A regular practice of prayer and meditation, the former, talking to God and the latter listening, will help you create and maintain a strong connection with your Creator.
Emotional Power: You can strengthen your emotional power by devoting some time each day visualizing your ideal life. Sit quietly, close your eyes (assuming you’re not driving), and create a “mind movie” in which you’re living your ideal life.
Mental Power: You can strengthen your mental power by paying attention to your self-talk and replacing any disempowering thoughts with positive affirmations. Read positive and uplifting information daily to maintain a more productive state of mind.
Physical Power: Of course, without physical power and energy you’re not going very far. It is essential, as we age, to take an active part in maintaining our health. Invest the time to learn about health and nutrition. Of course, exercise is important too. As a society, we do not move enough. Our high-tech lifestyles have enabled most of us to expend the minimal amount of physical energy in our day-to-day life.
How you age is up to you. You can live your life vibrantly and productively, or you can just get old. Decide now to take decisive action to make the rest of your life, the best of your life.
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January 25th, 2010 by Jim Donovan
Do you have an Uncle George? If you read my first book, Handbook to a Happier Life, you may remember a quotation from my Uncle George. He said, If it doesn’t have a heartbeat, it’s not important. I’ve always liked that idea and have used it as a way to keep things in proper perspective.
As much as I like George and consider him to be pretty wise at times, there is also one thing I never liked about him; the fact that he eats whatever he wants and does not gain an ounce. Okay, so I’m jealous that he can do this and I can’t.
Are you like my Uncle George, able to eat whatever you want without concern for weight? Or are you like me, and so many other people, who have to really watch what we eat if we don’t want to put on those extra pounds?
For me to remain at a healthy weight, I need to watch what I eat and limit the things that are likely to add more weight. However, since these also tend to be the foods that I like, I am not willing to stop all together, so I take other steps.
One of the things that I have done recently was that I recommitted to, in addition to following a fitness program, regular nutritional cleansing and drinking a healthy high-protein shake that contains a complete vitamin and mineral supplement.
Since I cannot do much about the toxins entering my body from the environment, food and water supply, pesticides and such, I’ve chosen to detox on a regular basis.
And since I’m working on reducing high carb foods like muffins, bagels and such, drinking the shake in the morning is my assurance that I’m getting a highly nutritious breakfast and a good amount of protein. This is essential in the morning to get our brain chemicals working at optimal levels. This way, even if I succumb to my favorite muffin or bagel, I know I have a good baseline of nutrition to start my day.
Whatever path you choose, maintaining a healthy weight and remaining free of toxins is crucial for a healthy life. If you want to know more about the program that I am personally taking, go here
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January 23rd, 2010 by Jim Donovan
There I was living in a tiny bedroom in my parent’s not-so-large, five room apartment. I had, as they say, “run out of options.” My life was out of control, way out. Had it not been for mom and dad’s willingness to let me stay with them, I would have been homeless living in Central Park or another one of New York City’s fine parks. Years of rampant excess had brought me to my knees.
I would lay awake at night, unable to sleep, pleading with God to help me. I prayed, begged and bargained for my life to change. I would imagine having a nice apartment and girlfriend, spending quiet evenings together.
I just wanted to get my life back on track for it had been years since I lived anything that resembled a “normal” life.
As they say, “We plan and God laughs.” God’s plan for me was quite different from mine.
God’s plan brought me to the detox ward of a local hospital, since He knew where the real problem lay. I remember sitting on the beat-up old couch on the second day, the day when one experiences the physical bottom of the detox and, with my arms stretched out, looking upward saying “Okay God, either take me or help me change.”
To be quite honest, at that moment, it didn’t much matter to me which He chose. That fateful day was many years ago, and my life has never been the same from that moment on.
The hand of God reached directly into my life and changed my course from one of self-loathing and imminent death, to a life that is beyond my wildest dreams.
Today I have a wonderful life, complete with a loving and supportive wife and beautiful home but, more importantly, today my life has purpose.
Today I realize that the hand of God reached into my life so that I could share my message of hope and possibility to help others. Today I have the privilege of touching the lives of people throughout the world with my books and speaking and I am forever grateful that His will, not mine, was done.
Exercise
- Looking back over your own life, at what points did the Hand of God reach in and guide you?
- How did that change the direction of your life?
- Realizing that this guidance is always there for you, if you were God looking at your life right now, what would you change?
- Ask for guidance and follow your intuition.
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There is a wonderful story about the famous escape artist, Harry Houdini that illustrates this theme. As the story goes, the great Houdini often boasted about how he could escape from any confinement or jail cell. One day, he was challenged by the keeper of a new, high tech, high security jail purported to be escape proof.
Tags: beliefs, escape artist, great houdini, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, impossible task, success, Thoughts
