Week 8: The Journey Continues- Halfway There!

It is hard to believe we are half way done with the Master Key Experience (MKE). On the one hand look at how fast the time went bye. One the other hand, look at how far we have come and all that we have learned. As an example, I never would have thought about having a blog before MKE. I know you are probably saying, “yah, we guessed that.”

Although I have attempted to change my negative thoughts in the past, doing it on my own had mixed results. Coming off a stressful job experience a few years ago, I was consciously trying to remain positive during a job hunt. I would stop when I would get negative and tell myself I was wrong (I know, negative) and that things weren’t going in the wrong direction. They were going to be better. A non-response or a “thank you, but” message did not have the same impact on me as it had because I would say, “that was just the wrong job for me” and “there is something better out there for me.”

It is a bit different when one is trying to make a positive, permanent change. When things change in your situation, you can’t go back to old ways later. You don’t get to be negative because your new coworkers or associates or friends or even family members are negative.

Don’t do it to fit in. Be positive and stand out!

Speaking of which.
Diet report: I did a bit better this week. Definitely made it past Sunday, this time. Made it to Wednesday afternoon, before I hit a rough spot. Then I had several restarts before I was back on track. I guess I still have a problem with doing things I don’t want to do.

The good new is that some family members have changed their attitudes, too, without knowing it. If (when), I was thinking negatively and was around others, I would catch myself, and then apologize to those with me. I also made sure they knew I was not speaking about them. It calmed down my daughter before she had a chance to fired up. I also tried to compliment others more often, instead of criticizing. Right know this is still a conscious effort, but the goal is to be more genuine and automatic about it.

I hope you are seeing improvement as well! Don’t forget to celebrate your successes. It is easy to forget it and not reinforce the good things going on.

Are you spending any time thinking about what champions do and don’t do? I know that I don’t practice enough. I need to do more fundamentals. It took me a long time to understand what that even meant in real life.

If you have your own business and someone tell you about all the free throws Kobe Bryant would shoot after losing a game, it doesn’t translate until you can break your business down and see what you must do daily to be successful.

Did you make calls? Do you practice what to say?

Are you prospecting? Do you practice what to say and how to say it? Are you enthusiastic?

Do you practice handling objections, practice closes? Are you seeking out the champions in your business and asking them questions to help your game?

I heard this week that successful people have libraries and the rest of the people have big screen TVs. Although I did not actually cut any electrical cords this week, I also did not watch much TV at all.

I don’t know about you, but I could really relate to the time vampires and the need to stay focused. I’ll admit it. I am easily distracted. Squirrel!

I was already aware of and battling several time vampires. This week I felt more empowered in my battle and even when they grabbed ahold of me, I was better prepared for the fight. How did you do?

I really liked the idea that you can’t manage time, only manage yourself. Do you remember a show called Heroes that was on for 2-3 years. This was just before all the superheroes and mutants came on the scene. There was a character who could slow down or stop time. He was unaffected by time. Isn’t that what we have been seeking for ourselves in the past.

Look at how many calendars, planners and date timers are available at the nearest Staples store? There is a whole industry full of consultants and gurus who, for a fee, will train you, your team or your company to better use time. With that in mind, how much more exciting and freeing is it to consider that this is all a hoax and that we should instead manage ourselves. Wow! Its like the battle has gone from multiple fronts to just one foe on one front. Ok, why is it that we always turn out to be our own worst enemy? Well at least we now know who we are fighting and we are more aware of our enemies’ tactics and weaknesses.

I am also very excited to have heard a definition of success that I can actually work with. Be the best you that you can be! Outstanding! I had heard something years ago about seeking to be a peak performer. Basically striving to be your best and to do it all or most of the time. That seems to have been replaced by Take Massive Action, or 10x your efforts or copying practices of the highly successful. Isn’t it liberating to see that I only have to max out my own skills and abilities? Be the best you that you can be! Isn’t that clear? Like Popeye said, “I am what I am and that’s all that I am”. He had it all the time. Forget Rocky and Bullwinkle (although I do love them). Popeye is the man. Stay out of fights, eat your spinach and do some good out there.

Until next week, don’t just be good, be great!
Kurt Schmidt