Planning for Success

Planning saves time and money. Planning points us in the right direction, gives us a roadmap, and puts goals and dreams into a tangible framework of steps. Planning gives us an overall perspective of where we are, where we've been, and where we're going.

December is a great season for planning. Not only is it a time of celebration and reflection, but it is also the season for planning and preparing for the future. In January we turn over the calendar to a new year that stretches in front of us full of promise and potential. In all the busy parties and receptions, fundraisers and family dinners, gift-buying and gift-receiving, and the travails of winter storms, make time to sit down and re-evaluate. This year is drawing to a close - what will next year bring for you?

I extend a personal invitation to all of you to join me for our GrowthCLUB session on December 11. It's a unique session geared towards taking some time to evaluate the state of the union in your business. What is the current financial state of affairs? What will your goals be for next year? By this time next year, what would you like your business to look like? What changes would you like to make to your marketing campaigns and systems? How would you like to build your team toward better collaboration and communication? How would you like to improve your sales and bottom line? Join us for an opportunity to sit down with other business owners and discuss ideas, opportunities, and proven tactics that can change your business for the better.

"If I have an idea and give the idea away it is not gone, but I still have it! This experience does not conform to the arithmetic of things.
Let us examine this experience from the point of view of exchange. If I have an apple and you have an apple and we exchange apples -- then you have an apple and I have an apple. But if I have the idea that the apple is red and you have the idea that the apple is small and we exchange ideas, then you have two ideas and I have two ideas. It is quite obvious, therefore, that the laws governing thoughts or ideas are different from the laws governing things. If I have an idea and give it away, I still have it to give again, and if I give the idea away again and again, I still have the idea left."

--Nicolas T., 19 May 2011

Think in Colour

Science has shown that the left and right sides of our brain deal with different aspects of cognitive function. Our left side is our analytical side - we use this part of our brain in reasoning, rationalizing, and thinking objectively. Our right side is emotional, creative, and impulsive in nature.

As we problem-solve challenges in our lives, both sides of our brain work together to evaluate the situation and think through an appropriate solution. Both sides are also active as we learn - if we stimulate both sides of the brain we are better able to internalize concepts, remember them, and actively pursue appropriate practical implementation.

At my seminars, we dispose of traditional pens containing blue or black ink. Instead, participants are required to use coloured markers to take notes and complete worksheets. This simple modification to the learning process encourages the attentive left side and the visual right side of our minds to engage together and focus as much cognitive energy as possible on the concept being presented. The outcome is sometimes startling; participants have experienced an increased ability to comprehend, retain, and capitalize on the material being mastered. Creative thought combines with factual knowledge of business processes, and lively discussions on a variety of issues in the business world surface. Amazing value is added to these seminars as we apply key principles to real-life situations, and it never fails that every participant leaves with new ideas, new ways of considering challenges, and an increased desire to overcome the obstacles that keep them from achieving their goals in business and in life.

If you are unable to make time for my upcoming events, please take the time to change up your writing utensils. Put the plain pens aside and start thinking in colour. See for yourself how seemingly simple changes can bring about amazing results.