Contrary to the popular saying “attitude is everything” attittude is not enough. You can have the right attitude and all the motivation in the world and still wind up playing “dead atheist.”

You know, all dressed up and nowhere to go!

The key is that the right attitude must be followed by the right actions. That’s the bottom line of the doing part you mentioned in your question.

Renowned motivational expert Anthony Robbins says that one of the keys to success is to “take action.” In his work with getting people to take action, Robbins speaks often of “massive, intelligent action.”

I’ve taken that concept and expanded on it a bit, and created a concept called “CMICA (pronounced ka-mee-ka). CMICA stands for Consistent, Massive, Intelligent, Creative Action. Let’s look at each of these key factors below.

Consistent - For action to be successful, it has to be consistent. My friends in the health club industry tell me that January is the time of year when the most people will join a health club or gym. A very few will then show up and work out regularly. A few others will show up occassionaly. My friends tell me that most people show up once or twice and then are never seen again.

Seems like that’s how we often approach taking action. “Well, I did it a couple of times and it just didn’t work for me.” Yeah right.

Nothing other than small, consistent, daily actions will bring you the success you desire.

Massive - Massive action simply means to “do all the necessary things” to get you where you want to go. Not a few, not some, not most, but ALL necessary things required to get your goal.

A common question at this point is “what are all the necessary thinngs I need to do?” That’s a goog question, which leads us to……..

Intelligent - The great news here is that the wheel has already been invented. By this I mean that what you what to accomplish has probably already been done. Through the process of modelling, we simply need to find someone who has done or is doing what we want to do and model their keys to success. Rememer, if it’s possible in the world, it’s possible for you.

At the same time, don’t confuse activity with achievement. Make sure you are spending your time and energy on actions that get you closer the to your goal, and are not simply busy work.

Creative - If you want to really have some fun, be creative in your actions. While you are taking intelligent action, also ask the question “How can I do this in ways that have never been done before?”

Here’s a four step process to get your creativity going:

1) Precisely define your goal.

2) Identify efforts that have not worked in the past and drop them.

3) Come up with crazy, silly, bizzare, outlandish ways to achieve your goal, that you would never do, but are fun to think about.

4) Come up with creative ideas that will get you where you want to go. Sometimes the seeds for these creative ideas are in the crazy ideas. Other times, simply laughing at the crazy ideas will boost your creative juices for other solutions.

Action - Consistent, massive, intelligent, creatice ACTION is the path to success.

Remember, trying is not doing. Doing is doing. Oh, and one last thing before I close: get out there and do it!

Visit SecretsofGreatRelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

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Confronting the issues that hold us back is useful in managing time. We all have fears, doubts, failures, inconsistencies, illnesses, accidents, incidents, and so on. There is no way to escape these negative truths in life. Therefore, what can we do to contribute to our time, is manage it accordingly to life’s limitations and inabilities. If you think you are going to walk through life without something happening to you or someone you love, you had better rethink, since you are letting yourself down and wasting time doing it.

Life is REAL! It is not a game of truth and dare, it is a matter of what we face each day, and sometimes we have no clue what we will face. Time is one of the most valuable gifts that we have and we can use it wisely or waste our time relentlessly. No matter what our current situation something is going to happen and we must learn confrontation skills to avoid complete failure. We can look at many examples in our life, or in our past.

Let’s say we had a time management plan and it was working smoothly, but one fatal day a terrorist attacked our neighborhood, or a storm blew our hard work out the door. What are you going to do? Did you calculate in your time management plan a solution for disaster? If you are not getting off the ground in a short time after these disasters hit then the answer is obvious. What do you do when you fall and break your leg? Does you time management scheme have a solution? If it doesn’t you are going in to set back mode which is obviously going to take longer to rebuild. Regardless of the situation, confronting the reality is the main key to surviving the realities of life. In order to confront life, we must look at all angles of realities that may impose themselves in our time management plans.

In order to achieve a healthy level of confrontation is to understand what it really means to confront your problems. Most of us have natural abilities to face what is put in front of us, but when it comes to situations out of our control…this is when we often loose control. Loosing control is obviously a step backwards in our time management plans. Control on the other hand is having the ability to work toward a future and at the same time realizing that the future promises, us nothing and that anything can happen at any given moment in time. This is reality!

Once you face reality, confrontation will come easy.

After studying human beings for the most part of my life, I observed closely as people denied there faults, feared risks and challenges, intimidated by their mistakes, reluctant to stand up and tell another person they were wrong, and failed to allow them self to control their own being. The source I found was FEAR. Fear seems to play a large role in all aspects of human beings. If we are constantly afraid, how can we allow our selves to manage time? We can’t because our time is being wasted on what we may or may not have control of. Therefore, the solution to diverting a good time management scheme is stepping back and looking in.

Confrontation is telling our selves that it is ok to make mistakes. When we make mistakes, we learn and can move ahead. Confrontations is letting us know that we have the right to confront any problem that steps in front of us, and we have a degree of power to change what has happen to us or someone we love. We have the right to tell someone that there influence is provoking our thoughts, and we need them to stand back and take a look at what they are saying to others. We have the right to stand up for our own beliefs and hold firm in our power to resurrect our selves when accidents, incidents, illnesses, failures, or other negative connotations arise. We have the power within us to move forward. There is nothing in life that can stop us from reaching our goals in life, but our selves and God.

For more great free resources on how to manage your time visit Gabae Time Management.

Also for more informative articles on time management visit Gabae Time Management Articles.

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We can settle for the way things are and survive or we can pay conscious attention to making changes and learn how to thrive.

4 steps to making changes

I call this one the 4 Ds of change.

Decide that something has to change. This is when you take the “no matter what this in going to change” approach.

It’s also called reaching the level of enough. You have had enough of living with the way things are, and you will not live that way anymore.

Determine that you are the only one who can get you to change. In this way, you do not have to wait on anyone else to do anything else, it’s up to you.

That is a very powerful place to be. You are in the driver’s seat for making the changes you want in your life.

Do everything, all the necessary things it will take to achieve the change(s) you desire.

No excuses are allowed. Once you set a goal to change, there are two possible outcomes: you either reach the goal or have a list of excuses why you did not reach it.

Distinguish between what is working and what is not working.

If it is working, keep moving ahead.

If it’s not working, be smart enough and flexible enough to find something that does.

Go back to step three and take different approaches and actions until you get the outcome you desire.

Visit The Article Guy for more leading edge tips and tools for writing articles that bring you prospects, publicity and profits. You can also subscribe to our monthly Article Writing & Marketing Tips Newsletter. You are also invited to visit my Express-Start Article Writing Program for more information on the next article writing tele-seminar.

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Do you lack self discipline? Many of us do. Gaining self discipline is a matter of
working at it it. Their are several paths to reach it, I think. One method is
practicing constant self improvement. Check out my story; I have always been
fascinated by the martial arts. Martial arts are the physical self defense disciplines
that were developed in the Far East. The arts include but are not limited to Kung Fu,
Karate, Judo, Aikido, Kempo, Ninjitsu, Tae Kwon Do, Jujitsu and many others. These
were made popular here most famously by Bruce Lee. I believe that my addiction to
these arts and their movies was fed by the Saturday afternoon matinees that the
television stations used to show. As a young prepubescent boy watching Shao Lin
monks leaping through the air as if they were flying, shattering stones with their
bare hands and the speed finesse and skill level that they displayed was mind
blowing to me. That was first hooked me to their culture as I took up the arts
myself I immersed myself in books and magazines about asian culture. While I am
not the first in sharing the riches and wisdom the Buddha, Sun Tzu and Confucius. I
believe that I am the first to share the wisdom of the Samurai on Ezines.

In case you
didn’t know the Samurai were warrior caste in feudal Japan.
The ideal samurai were expected to lead austere, disciplined lives, dedicated to their
lords and the perfection of the martial arts and their character. They were expected
to be capable of bringing the same finesse to the tea ceremony, calligraphy, and
poetry as they would to the removal of an enemy’s head in battle. They gave
complete loyalty to their daimyo (feudal landlord) in his private army, and received
land, position, status, and money in return.
Please read the following and try to absorb the principles of constant self
improvement that the samurai practiced. While it won’t help you in your sword play
the wisdom listed below can help into shaping you into a better person. Mind you
that this list has been adapted from ancient Samurai precepts and thus they have
been adapted to make sense in todays world.

Precepts of the Samurai (samurai no kokoroe), a modern variation on
a historical
philosophy:
Know yourself. (Jiko o shiru koto)
Always follow through on commitments. (Jibun no kimeta koto wa saigo made kikko
suru koto)
Respect everyone. (Ikanaru hito demo sonke suru koto)
Hold strong convictions that cannot be altered by your circumstances. (Kankyo ni
sayu sarenai tsuyoi shinnen o motsu koto)
Don’t make an enemy of yourself. (Mizu kara teki o tsukuranai koto)
Live without regrets. (Koto ni oite kokaisezu)
Be certain to make a good first impression. (Hito to no deai o taisetsu ni suru koto)
Don’t cling to the past. (Miren o motanai koto)
Never break a promise. (Yakusoku o yaburanai koto)
Don’t depend on other people. (Hito ni tayoranai koto)
Don’t speak ill of others. (Hito o onshitsu shinai koto)
Don’t be afraid of anything. (Ikanaku koto ni oite mo osorenai koto)
Respect the opinions of others. (Hito no iken o soncho suru koto)
Have compassion and understanding for everyone. (Hito ni taishite omoiyari o
motsu koto)
Don’t be impetuous. (karuhazumi ni koto o okosanai koto)
Even little things must be attended to. (Chiisa na koto demo taisetsu ni suru koto)
Never forget to be appreciative. (Kansha no kimochi o wasurenai koto)
Make a desperate effort. (Issho kenmei monogoto o suru koto)
Have a plan for your life. (Jinsei no mokuhyo o sadameru koto)
Never lose your “Beginner’s Spirit”. (Shoshin o wasurubekarazaru koto)

Saigo made eizoku suru - persist to the end. This one has special meaning to me I
look at this in this way “to persist is to conquer”

Personally, I try to make an effort to live up to these ideals. They teach the
importance of self reliance and responsibility for ones actions. If you can’t blame
anyone else for your misfortunes you are that more focused on your goals. This is a
constant effort, we are human, there is always room for improvement.

*The Samurai precepts is from http://www.kristenkyle.com/resnotes.html written by
Kristen Kyle.

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206d

We have all experienced that “AHA” moment when we connected an idea we had struggled to understand with an experience that made the idea perfectly clear. This experiential learning process is fundamental to best thinking.

Those who develop best thinking become experts in their fields. They gain increasing esteem from their peers and a confidence level that places them at the top of their profession. Best thinking becomes an attitude of continuous discovery. Best thinkers don’t segment their thinking into periodic events. They make strategic thinking a regular process.

People who take best thinking to its highest level interact with others who have a mutual desire to share knowledge, education, experience and wisdom with one another. A burst of creativity flows from the combined energies and intellects of those who share experiences and build from a combined base.

When this happens, the participants create knowledge greater than the sum of the parts, a case where two plus two can truly become five. Everyone involved raises their personal effectiveness to a higher level than they could achieve by themselves.

In this article I will share the reasons why best thinking is particularly important in today’s business environment and will present ways you can develop your best thinking ability to become a top player in your profession. Sole practitioners, service providers and company executives can all benefit from personal best thinking.

Best Thinking Levels

When we strive to become experts in our field, we build expertise through formal education and practical experience. Over time, experiential learning allows us to effectively apply our knowledge to a wide variety of situations. At this level of best thinking, our educational gaps, innate ability, and personal biases constrict our expertise, keeping our learning one dimensional. We need more knowledge and experience than we possess but often fail to recognize that need.

It comes as a surprise to many people that when they build increased experience and knowledge through interaction with other professionals, they raise their best thinking to a level they never expected to achieve.

This highest level of best thinking happens because group interaction supports expanded creative thinking. We build our expertise on a far wider base of education and experience than we could have attained by ourselves. We rise above our personal limitations and biases. Individual gems of wisdom and experience from many sources combine to form a creative base of practical knowledge.

Historical Perspective

Many of us remember when change in business happened slowly. Executives and professionals could develop best thinking over time through reading and continuing education. Interpersonal interaction, though important, was not critical to increasing our expertise.

Today technology changes faster than ever, creating a business environment in which we find it difficult to keep up with current practices by using only our personal resources. We cannot read books and get practical experience fast enough to maintain the necessary expertise. Interaction with others with complementary experience is now the only way to develop best thinking.

Organizations are an excellent place to develop best thinking because the organizational culture promotes creative interaction within company teams. As professionals, we do not have this luxury because our support groups are not self-contained within a single organizational environment. We must develop our own creative teams.

Effective Attitudes for Best Thinking

To embrace best thinking, professionals need to adjust their attitudes and behaviors.

Best thinking is a continual process, not an event. We must develop an “I’m always learning” mentality. We cannot wait for the annual convention. We must make regular dialogue with others a way of life. When we notice and remember the little gems of wisdom we get from others, experiential learning happens, giving us “AHA” moments and great leaps ahead in our thinking.

When we share with others, we need a strong sense of self and a positive mental attitude, which allows us to interact comfortably with others and to accept them even when they have very different ideas. People with strong self-awareness understand their emotions, strengths, limitations, values and motives at a deep level. They are honest with themselves about themselves. They know the direction they want their life to take and why.

When we ask others to participate with us in a dialog about our projects and concerns, we must share with them. These wide-ranging, in-depth creative discussions must involve true give and take between the two parties for the absolute best thinking to take place.

To develop a strong give and take relationship, become significant in the lives of others. People with significance understand that they contribute to the success of others. They ask, “How can I help you?” They dedicate their time and energy to the success of those who help them achieve their success. When you get others to realize that you truly care about them and have their best interests at heart, you will have created a relationship that fosters best thinking.

In contrast, the self-centered person loses the opportunity to develop the highest level of best thinking because he focuses too much on himself, making it difficult for others to interact with him. He does not have the give and take attitude necessary for interpersonal dialog.

You must be non-judgmental when you interact with others. Accept others for what they can contribute. Don’t force your values and expectations on them. Don’t expect more than they can give. Be open to all contributions.

When you engage in open-ended discussions, use the creative right side of your brain. You will discover that no wrong answers exist and that everything is possible. The more ideas you develop the better. You can later use the left side of your brain to analyze the ideas you have created.

Summary

Best thinking at a wide-ranging interpersonal level is imperative in today’s fast-paced business climate with its ever-changing technology. Thinking only at the personal level is insufficient because high level best thinking never happens in a vacuum. When you communicate with others on a continuous basis, you develop and maintain your status as an expert in your field. You will achieve “AHA” moments by being non-judgmental and remembering that everything is possible. Nurture a mind open to all ideas.

Develop a strong sense of self-awareness and confidence. You will be more genuine and open with others when you have confidence in your own abilities and ideas.

Develop significance in the lives of others. You will foster the highest level of best thinking when others realize that you are giving your time and energy to their success and they can contribute to yours.

Most importantly, best thinking is not an event but a continuous thought process. Ask everyone to contribute their thoughts and experience as you seek the gems of knowledge that will turn into that “AHA” experience.

To quote John Wooden, “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts!”

With more than 30 years in operations management, Tom Northup understands the business complexities faced by today’s busy executives. The former CEO and principal of three successful businesses, Tom is his own success story. Through coaching, consulting, mentoring, and training, he provides real-world, practical experience and thoughtful leadership—all with a focus on sustainable success and results. He may be reached at http://www.lmgsuccess.com.

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“God always takes the simplest way.”
Albert Einstein

Let’s explore leadership in the government sector. Please don’t laugh. I’m serious. There is a method to my madness. Please follow along. With over 15 years managing government projects, I’ve managed large and small contractors in the federal system. I fully understand the federal system with all of its restrictions, limitations, and constraints. In spite of all of these regulations, I’ve seen work get done and major accomplishments. I submit that even though managers aren’t generally allowed to appoint their staff, some organizations make outstanding achievements with their employees. How? Some managers forge relationships and build teams using their position and influence. Successful managers understand group dynamics. Some critics, however, view federal employees as mere slackers. This simply is not true if you critically analyze the federal workforce experience and talent. However, I would suggest that it’s a case of competent people operating in bad circumstances.

Let’s explore this further. Large private organizations have bureaucracies, too. Weber, the founding bureaucrat theorist, favored a bureaucracy to transform a small organization into a large-scale organization. Bureaucracies afford the advantages of standardization and controls. There is also a vital difference in organizational structure because the government changes top leaders every four years. These top appointments are highly political; they use a “top-down” leadership approach because of lack of trust between the new leaders and the “established” workforce. Efforts are, however, underway to improve these top managers and develop this Emergent Workforce (Blunt, 2000).

Therefore, emergent leaders can influence the nature of the federal government system. Don’t be naïve, because all organizations have problems. The federal government is just bigger. Leaders can make a difference in the government life. Start today!

References:

Blunt, R. (2000). Leaders Growing Leaders: Preparing the Next Generation of Public Service Executive. The PricewaterhouseCoopers Endowment for the Business of Government.

Wren, D. (2005). The Evolution of Management Thought. Hooboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green

Daryl D. Green has published over 100 articles in the field of decision-making (personal and organizational), leadership, and organizational behavior. Mr. Green is also the author of two acclaimed books, Awakening the Talents Within and My Cup Runneth Over. He is a columnist, lecturer, professor, and management consultant. Mr. Green has a BS in engineering and a MA in organizational management. Currently, he is a doctoral degree in strategic leadership. For more information,visit his website at http://www.darylgreen.org.

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