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The Shocking Truth About Goal Setting and What To Do About It.

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I’ve written about goal setting for years. I’ve tried many different goal setting techniques and have provided a number of goal setting tools. I’ve created a goal worksheet and other printables. Here are some of the things I’ve found over time.

goal worksheet

1. SMART Goals were obviously written by some controlling corporate type, who wanted to get his workers to produce more without causing trouble or costing him money. I mean, just look at the words used…

  • Specific: Do what I say. I need to know specifically what you are going to do. I can just see your boss micro-managing this one. I told you to do 1A-step c, not 1B-step d…
  • Manageable: Don’t ask me to help you with this or provide resources. This probably came from the board room. We don’t want to spend any money on this. We need the numbers without spending a dime.
  • Achievable: Make sure somebody actually has done this before. This probably came down from the left brained CFO bean counter. We don’t want any creativity here. Just do the damn boring work the way we say it has to be done!

Realistic: I’m sure this was added by the middle management team as a scapegoat. Don’t expect miracles here people. Hey, we got to add in coffee breaks, long lunches, and traffic. Certainly don’t ask for more than a 5% improvement.

  • Timely: This obviously was added by the H.R. department. You know we can’t have these guys working overtime and we need to make sure we figure in vacations, mandatory meetings, and of course, the annual retreat. Better bump the deadline back a month or two.

Hmmm… something seems to be missing. [Read more…] about The Shocking Truth About Goal Setting and What To Do About It.

Why Technology May Not Be The Answer To Greater Productivity

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I have a confession to make. I’m a gadget geek. I love new technology and all the things it provides. I can now communicate faster and in more ways than ever. I can make a phone call, send a text message, leave a videogram, forward an email, blast a tweet, like a Facebook Page, and even just drop by your office for a friendly chat.

networks

Yet, I’ve noticed something profound lately. It’s actually harder to get a hold of people now than ever before. I’ve got all this technology, but I can’t get a hold of you about the meeting tomorrow. Why is that?

The growing problem is technology fatigue. We have so many things vying for our attention, that our mind just tunes them out. It tunes them out, that is, until they interrupt us with a flash of the screen, a beep, or a ringing in our ears.

Then our conscious mind must stop what it is doing and send it’s very limited focus unto this source of interruption.

Constantly throughout the day, the interruptions come.

Our mind deals with them in one of two ways.

We either focus on the source of the problem, or we try to ignore them.

But our course of thought is always challenged.

And our productivity suffers.

I suggest a better way.

Why not plan out your week, prioritize your day, and focus your time – on paper.

Then turn off all of the distractions for a while and focus on one productive thing and get it done.

That’s the premise of my new Kindle eBook, Get a Life.

Unlike technology, paper doesn’t constantly interrupt us.

It sits there waiting for our attention.

It gives us control.

It helps us get things done.

My new book comes with 9 template downloads.

Weekly planners, daily planners, & time management sheets.

Free downloads, that can help you get more done, on time, with less stress.

For greater productivity, get a copy today and… Get A Life!

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How To Change The World

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As a kid, I used to dream about different cool inventions and imagined how I would use them. Since my imagination allowed me free reign, I had race cars, moon rockets, and of course my own private jet that I could fly in. Since I was in control, I created my own world. Unfortunately, mom or dad would call, and all of the cool things got put aside for awhile. However, the next day they were back. Dreams were BIG for me as a child.

boy dreams of being a pilot

As an adult, most of those dreams were put by the wayside. I went to work, did my job, and really lived in someone else’s world. For many years, I didn’t feel like I had much control at all. Reality was way too strong.

It all changed for me in 2003, when speaker Sarano Kelley, asked me a for word question: What Time Is It?

Those four little words got me to thinking. I was wasting my life away with someday maybes, and putting my dreams on hold… until tomorrow…which never came.

Sarano taught me a simple lesson. You can only do something today, and you can only take action now.

Those four little words changed my life. At the end of that conference I set some 90 day goals, and saw a real change almost immediately. In three months I lost over 26 pounds, took on a leadership position, and started to dream again.

From that simple beginning, I developed a love of learning. I started reading personal development books and listening to them on audio. Each one gave me new insights. New possibilities.

In 2005, I started to blog and in 2008, I started writing fiction.

This craft of writing gave me an outlet for my dreams.

The more I wrote, the more they came true.

I know one thing for certain…

You have dreams too.

But now what…

How do you make them real?

How can you take a dream and make it reality?

That is truly the secret of reading, writing, and creating.

When you take your knowledge and add to it the collective wisdom of others in your field, and then mix it with your dreams, you have a recipe to truly change the world. To do this takes passion and a whole bunch of courage. People will tell you it can’t be done. Obstacles will come, and defeats will happen. But if you persevere, things will change. Your ideas will spread. The world will be a different place.

All because you took the first step. You set a goal, read a book, wrote a plan… and you took some action.

Action… to make your dream come true!

What time is it? The time is now.

Happy dreaming!

Does Your Brain Make You Fat?

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Have you ever considered that the three pounds of grey matter in your skull might be the reason you’re gaining weight? After all, your brain controls your actions, your emotions, and your lustful thoughts of Apple Pie. So consider this; If your brain is making you fat, wouldn’t it be reasonable that your brain could make you skinny just as well?

Thinks of meal

Let’s break it down. So if our brain is the culprit, and the brain is made up of many components, which part of the brain is actually affecting our waistlines?

This is the million dollar question that brain scientist Dr. Daniel Amen asks in his insightful book, Change Your Brain, Change Your Body. In it, he lists the six types of overeating personalities that he has witnesses in his years of working with patients and what part of the brain is contributing to the problem. Here they are…

1.Compulsive OvereaterACG: Anterior Cingulate Gyrus
2.Impulsive OvereaterPFC: Pre Frontal Cortex
3.Impulsive-Compulsive OvereaterLow PFC High ACG
4.SAD or Emotional OvereaterDeep Limbic Area  Low PFC
5.Anxious OvereaterBasal Ganglia
6.Adrenaline Overload-AnorexicOverall Increased Brain Activity

The book goes into extensive detail about each type and offers action steps to help solve the problem. I found the book to be very insightful and it offers some unique solutions you may not find anywhere else. Dr. Amen explains how the individual parts of the brain work, and how supplements, exercise and a better diet may offer a workable solution for many people.

The book also offers a 70 question test, where you can zero in on your particular brain activities. The book is a fast read, and may help you find answers to the weight gain conundrum that many of us face. If nothing else, you’ll learn a lot about your brain, and how each section affects your daily life.

change-your-brain

Question: Have you read any of Dr. Amen’s books?

Creating a Successful Ebook Training System

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Years ago I did some training at a computer center in San Diego. It consisted of some basic MS Word and Excel classes as well as PowerPoint and Photoshop. While the basic instruction was good when following along with the trainer, I soon found myself wanting more. I found I really liked Photoshop, and I wanted to go past the basic lessons. I picked up an Adobe Training Manual in the bookstore, and set out to follow along with the built in lessons.

Training

The training center had open lab time on certain days and I was able to sit down with my book and go through the lessons. At first I made good progress, but soon I would come to a section that would stop me cold. Usually it was an icon or menu selection that I couldn’t find. With some patience, I usually was able to do some experimenting, and find the hidden gem. While slowing me down, I quickly learned how the sub menus worked in Photoshop, and was able to move on.

My next challenge was to get the instructions right. Many times the text would give me a certain size to draw a box or circle. It was a relative term, like make a box that fills half of the screen. Sometimes I would get it right, but other times my results didn’t look anything like the pictures in the book. I would get frustrated, but luckily I had the patience to start over when the project went bad. With some trial and error I was usually able to move on.

Most of the project to in the book were about four to five pages long, with photos and descriptions of how the project should look when it was completed. After a few days working my way through some of the simpler projects, I understood how the projects worked, and would really focus on comprehending the exact meaning of the instructions. This made a big difference. With a long project it was really easy to get stuck.

However, there were projects that I just couldn’t complete because my version of Photoshop was slightly different or my preferences were set wrong. There was nothing more frustrating than spending hours on a project only to get stuck on one section and not be able to move forward. What I soon realized was that the book itself had errors in some of the lessons. This was extremely frustrating, as it wouldn’t work no matter what I did.

On certain days, there was an instructor in the lab that could help. My regular Photoshop teacher was usually able to get me past the offending error in the training manual and help me move on. This saved hours of frustration. Without her, I would have to stop and go on to the next lesson. The real problem was, many times I didn’t know if it was just me, or if there was really a problem with the text. After a couple of months of lab time, I completed the manual. I learned a lot, but I was also frustrated much of the time.

The step by step instructions were at times hard to understand, and when they didn’t work, it would make me want to give up altogether. Thankfully, with my instructors help, I was able to complete the book. The real problem with the Adobe book was that the lessons were way too long and had way too many steps. Get stuck on just one of them and you were stopped cold. In most cases you couldn’t go on until you figured out that one agonizing step.

This is the exact problem I’ve had trying to put together a training manual for eBooks. The lessons get long and complicated and when I have others try them out, they get frustrated quickly. I’ve added screen shots, video clips and the like, but the bottom line is that the more steps a tutorial has, the more chances of failure the student will encounter. Many times, it’s because the user’s screen looks different than mine. They may have a different screen resolution or operating system and things just don’t work the same.

After weeks of trail and error, I’ve actually come up with a system that is easy to use, has very few steps and allows a user to get their projects completed in a minimum amount of time. Instead of having to learn a new software interface they just copy in their text, add a title, and cover graphic, and push one button that compiles their work into a formatted and complete eBook. They can email it to themselves and open it in a Kindle app in just seconds. The look on their face when they see their professionally created cover, title and text is priceless.

That’s why I’ve decided to finish up this Kindle Publishing series with a promise rather than a long tutorial. Over the next few months, we plan to release a low cost product that will help you get published quickly and easily. If you live in the Southern California area, we will have hands-on classes to get you published fast and help you develop a marketing strategy to get your book to the top of its Kindle category. We’ve taken the frustration out and put the utility back in with a simple eBook Training System. Now you’ll be able to concentrate on writing instead of converting, modifying, and sourcing out your work. I’ll post more information soon as we get nearer the launch. In the meantime put together a goal for yourself, like writing a 1,000 words per day. Make it a habit and you’ll find that your eBook comes together quickly.

Realistic Ebook Publishing

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Over the past month I’ve been looking at ways for the average person to create and publish an eBook. I looked into publishing with MS Word, but was frustrated with the output options. I tried Scrivener, which appeared to be the holy grail of eBook creating, but was frustrated with the learning curve and setup. I talked with members of my writers group that attended a half day training seminar on Scrivener only to find that many were still struggling to understand the software.

overcomin-failure-in-life

I sat down at my computer and started doing screen shots of the book creation process with Scrivener, but was dismayed to see it got overly complicated rather quickly. When you have 30 to 40 steps and tweaks involved, most people will get stuck somewhere along the way. Not good.

While the basic text and formatting of an eBook can be daunting, the cover creation is even more difficult. Most people who have written about eBook publishing recommend that you hire a professional and spend hundreds of dollars on a basic cover. Most books say that You Should Not Try This At Home. As a long time Photoshop user, I realize how difficult it would be for the average person to create a nice cover with the software.

This last weekend, I tried a whole new tack and used my wife as a test. My goal was to create a product that she could easily edit and publish with. I wanted both the book and the cover process to be quick and painless. Creating an eBook shouldn’t be any more difficult than creating a long document in MS Word. At first I was very frustrated. The instructions and interface got in the way.  Too many steps. My wife got stuck numerous times and soon got tired of the whole process. I had to rethink it.

I simplified and took out numerous options that were confusing and very rarely used. What I did was to do an 80/20 evaluation. I took out 80% of the steps and just left the 20% that were truly necessary. Now I was getting somewhere. After another day of tweaking, I had my wife try again. She had her text ready to go in MS Word and had a basic idea of what her title and cover should look like. With under 10 steps each, she had the book formatted and the hi rez cover created in about 30 minutes. With a push of a button, her formatted Kindle book was now ready. She emailed it to her iPad and phone and was immediately able to open them with the installed Kindle apps. The cover looked great and the table of contents, cover page and foreword all formatted correctly and looked very professional.

With the process simplified, she was able to create her finished book quickly and easily. She didn’t have to learn any complicated software, or become a graphic artist. She just picked her design, replaced the text with her own, and clicked publish. The instruction sheet was straightforward and the finished product was viewable in her Kindle without conversion.

The good news is, we’ll be putting this system together in the near future for you to download and use. The cost will be low, and you’ll finally be able to realize your dream of becoming a published author in a simple and straight forward manner.