When I first started working for Southwestern Consulting, I spent four years on the road touring with our seminar division. We had a big conference that toured the country and every four months that conference would go to a different city and I would move with it. I lived in 12 different cities, and every four months I would start […]
Your attitude is not determined by your situation. It’s determined by you. This is a lesson none of us can learn too young. Many people go through life never learning it. And their attitude shows it. As I was driving down a two-way road talking with my daughter, she commented on how narrow the road was. Then we got distracted […]
I’m going to keep failing my way to success. I’m going to fail my way to success. Who does this? When we are in the thick of it…how do you handle it? Do you give up and just stop? Do you feel sorry for yourself? How do you handle it? We become what we think about. I know this is […]
Have you ever seen or experienced something that strikes you as odd at first, but then, the more you think about it, it really makes sense? That happens to me from time to time. Just this week, as I was driving, I saw a bird on the horizon. Only, it was not sky-high in the air. It was walking with […]
Whenever you’ve gotten to a place in your career where you may not have as much mental structure, where the rejections and every day uphill battles can get to you, you have to look at how you can improve. What you can add, remove, or change about your everyday life will make a positive difference for you professionally and personally. If you […]
“When you feel so mad that you want to roar, take a deep breath and count to four.” Those are the words of a children’s song, sung by Daniel Tiger. He’s the main character in a show produced by the Fred Rogers Corporation. Mr. Rogers believed that if we teach children what to do with their feelings—in other words, how […]
I recently heard a great talk by John Bumpus, the CAO of LifePoint. He walked us through his philosophy of building a great organization. #1 was mission. #2 was vision. #3 was individual goals. #4 was INCREMENTAL IMPROVEMENT! Incremental Improvement is a cornerstone philosophy of all great organizations. These organizations strive daily to build this muscle with their teams. They […]
I recently had the opportunity to address some hard-working college students who were entering their final two weeks of summer sales with Southwestern Advantage. Southwestern has long been a breeding ground for sales and leadership skills for motivated young people. The students participating in running their own business this summer are in the company’s 150th consecutive year of the program. […]
The consistency of joy is an ultimate measure of personal success. Spreading joy and serving mankind is the highest expression of success, but it’s almost impossible to make others joyful if you’re not yourself. Literally any goal somehow comes back to the ability to feel joy and live a fulfilling life. With that in mind, here are eight modifications that […]
Imagine if we all thought like millionaires. Our success and drive would be unparalleled! We would be unstoppable! Never afraid to step outside our “comfort zones.” One thing successful people do consistently is keep their self-talk positive. Sixty to eighty percent of what we say to ourselves is negative or “voiced” in survival mode. Negative things such as: “This is too […]
I was thoughtfully asked what makes for a successful life by a friend while kayaking. I wasn’t really prepared for the question and my answer was, well, lame. For the rest of the day, I paddled with some regret because I felt I should’ve had something better to say – even if off the cuff. With my book, 12 Jars: […]
What is your relationship with fear? Do you face fears or let fears decide for you? How does fear impact you in your daily life? Do you creatively avoid things that you may be fearing only to put it off for later, then later have it never happen? Maybe it’s fear of rejection. Or is it fear of the unknown? […]
How do you start your day? Only moments after waking, your head is already turning, thinking through the long, exhaustive list of to-dos to accomplish that day. Soon after, stress and anxiety begin to set in. How will it all get done? Thoughts about how monotonous life can be creep in before even getting out of bed. Soon after, you […]
Do you believe you have untapped potential? Do you know there’s more in the tank but for some reason, you just can’t access it consistently? Are you aware that you have habits you need to break because they keep you from possible income increases and your ability to serve others? If you said yes, are you ready to do something […]
Have you ever noticed when someone is completely present how attractive, engaging, and enjoyable it makes the interaction? When one has the ability to be present in every moment, it does good things. Concentration is sharpened, and rapport is built much faster. Connections with others is stronger. Being present and engaged with yourself and others reduces stress. It is assumed […]
God made us all capable, but are we really available? We were made to be ambassadors though service to His Kingdom and communication of His message. As such, we are all capable. I wonder though… where are the many who are called but do not answer? To be capable is the ability to achieve. It’s the competency and proficiency […]
Are you running specific contests for your team with incentives attached to them on a regular basis? As a sales manager, we always get what we promote. When you’re creating a contest, you want to think about what sort of activity or behavior do you want to promote? At Southwestern Consulting we teach our clients to structure contests around things […]
Want to learn how to conquer self-doubt? You have to get to know entrepreneur Lewis Howes if you don’t yet. He’s a New York Times best-selling author of a couple of books, The School of Greatness and The Mask of Masculinity, as well as the host of The School Greatness podcast series. All of us struggle at some point in […]
When I visit beautiful places, it inspires me to see God’s beauty. There’s also an element of doubt that shows up. Does that make sense to you? We spend a lot of our lives seeing amazing things – nature, houses, cars, businesses and accomplishments. Part of that is so inspiring, but it can also make you doubt yourself. You might […]
What’s the power of having a good attitude? First, here’s a blast from my past. When I was in college, I worked at Southwestern Advantage. For five summers I sold – and recruited students to come with me to sell – educational children’s books door to door. Here’s the thing: It was always hard for me, even my fifth summer, […]
Most high achievers realize that there’s a connection between their professional performance and physical performance. We know that when we feel healthier and more fit because we exercise, we tend to perform better. We feel more balanced spiritually. That means we have better relationships at work, and with our family and friends. There’s just this interesting connectivity between our physicality and how […]
