The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - part 3

Habit 3: Put First Things First

To live a more balanced existence, you have to recognize that not doing everything that comes along is okay. There's no need to overextend yourself. All it takes is realizing that it's all right to say no when necessary and then focus on your highest priorities.

Habit 1 says, "You're in charge. You're the creator." Being proactive is about choice. Habit 2 is the first, or mental, creation. Beginning with the End in Mind is about vision. Habit 3 is the second creation, the physical creation. This habit is where Habits 1 and 2 come together. It happens day in and day out, moment-by-moment. It deals with many of the questions addressed in the field of time management. But that's not all it's about. Habit 3 is about life management as well--your purpose, values, roles, and priorities. What are "first things?" First things are those things you, personally, find of most worth. If you put first things first, you are organizing and managing time and events according to the personal priorities you established in Habit 2.

by Stephen Covey

Toolbox Tuesday - Window Display

15. Make a Window Display

If you are lucky enough to have an office with a window frontage and heavy foot traffic, make sure you use the space to promote what you do. If you’re like most non-profits and lack that luxury, approach local retailers and ask if you could use their window as a showcase from time-to-time. (You’ll get the most Yes’s from businesses who share the same target market as your organisation.)

When creating your display, keep in mind the one key message you are trying to get across and keep it simple.  Are you looking for volunteers, promoting a new programme, trying to sell tickets to an event, or something else?  Remember, when it comes to displays, often less is more.

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - part 2

Habit 2: Begin with the End in Mind

So, what do you want to be when you grow up? That question may appear a little trite, but think about it for a moment. Are you--right now--who you want to be, what you dreamed you'd be, doing what you always wanted to do? Be honest. Sometimes people find themselves achieving victories that are empty--successes that have come at the expense of things that were far more valuable to them. If your ladder is not leaning against the right wall, every step you take gets you to the wrong place faster.

Habit 2 is based on imagination--the ability to envision in your mind what you cannot at present see with your eyes. It is based on the principle that all things are created twice. There is a mental (first) creation, and a physical (second) creation. The physical creation follows the mental, just as a building follows a blueprint. If you don't make a conscious effort to visualize who you are and what you want in life, then you empower other people and circumstances to shape you and your life by default. It's about connecting again with your own uniqueness and then defining the personal, moral, and ethical guidelines within which you can most happily express and fulfill yourself. Begin with the End in Mind means to begin each day, task, or project with a clear vision of your desired direction and destination, and then continue by flexing your proactive muscles to make things happen.

One of the best ways to incorporate Habit 2 into your life is to develop a Personal Mission Statement. It focuses on what you want to be and do. It is your plan for success. It reaffirms who you are, puts your goals in focus, and moves your ideas into the real world. Your mission statement makes you the leader of your own life. You create your own destiny and secure the future you envision.

by Stephen Covey

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People - part 1

Habit 1 : Be Proactive

Habit 1 : Be Proactive Your life doesn't just "happen." Whether you know it or not, it is carefully designed by you. The choices, after all, are yours. You choose happiness. You choose sadness. You choose decisiveness. You choose ambivalence. You choose success. You choose failure. You choose courage. You choose fear. Just remember that every moment, every situation, provides a new choice. And in doing so, it gives you a perfect opportunity to do things differently to produce more positive results.

Habit 1: Be Proactive is about taking responsibility for your life. You can't keep blaming everything on your parents or grandparents. Proactive people recognize that they are "response-able." They don't blame genetics, circumstances, conditions, or conditioning for their behavior. They know they choose their behavior. Reactive people, on the other hand, are often affected by their physical environment. They find external sources to blame for their behavior. If the weather is good, they feel good. If it isn't, it affects their attitude and performance, and they blame the weather. All of these external forces act as stimuli that we respond to. Between the stimulus and the response is your greatest power--you have the freedom to choose your response. One of the most important things you choose is what you say. Your language is a good indicator of how you see yourself. A proactive person uses proactive language--I can, I will, I prefer, etc. A reactive person uses reactive language--I can't, I have to, if only. Reactive people believe they are not responsible for what they say and do--they have no choice.

Instead of reacting to or worrying about conditions over which they have little or no control, proactive people focus their time and energy on things they can control. The problems, challenges, and opportunities we face fall into two areas--Circle of Concern and Circle of Influence.

Proactive people focus their efforts on their Circle of Influence. They work on the things they can do something about: health, children, problems at work. Reactive people focus their efforts in the Circle of Concern--things over which they have little or no control: the national debt, terrorism, the weather. Gaining an awareness of the areas in which we expend our energies in is a giant step in becoming proactive.

by Stephen Covey

Wedesdays Word of the Week - Acknowledge His Presence

Do you desire power for your life? It'll come as Romans 12:18 instructs: 'As you do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible.'

It'll also come as you pray!

For ten days Jesus' disciples prayed. Ten days of prayer plus a few minutes of preaching led to three thousand saved souls.

We're prone to pray for a few minutes and then preach for ten days! Not the apostles. They lingered in Jesus' presence. They never left the place of prayer.

Sound burdensome? Are you wondering, my business needs attention, my children need dinner, my bills need paying. How can I stay in one place of prayer?

Do this. Change your definition of prayer. Think of it less as an activity for God and more as an awareness of God.

Acknowledge His presence everywhere you go!

From 'Come Thirsty' by Max Lucado

Toolbox Tuesday - Blog

14. Blog

A blog is like an online journal and gives people a chance to see the human side of your organisation. You don’t have to write pages about what you had for breakfast, (although some people do), it is more an opportunity to share knowledge and resources, promote upcoming programmes or events, comment on social issues and find out how others view your organisation. The more informative and interesting your blog is, the more people will check back to see what you’re up to.

You can add a blog page to your own website, or use any one of the blogging sites on the net. I recommend www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com

Wednesdays Word of the Week - One Scary Place

Here's a test. How far do you have to go to hear the reminder, 'Be afraid'

How near is your next; You're in trouble memo. A flip of the newspaper page? A turn of the radio dial? A glance at the Internet? According to the media the world is one scary place!

There's a stampede of fear out there. Let's not get caught in it. Let's be among those who stay calm. Acknowledge threats but refuse to be defined by them. Let's be numbered among those who hear a difference voice: God's!

Courage doesn't panic, it prays. Courage doesn't bemoan, it believes. Courage listens to the voice of God calling through Scripture, 'When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don't panic.'

Let not your heart be troubled.

Trust these and other words from God.

Trust God and fear less!

From 'Fearless' by Max Lucado

Toolbox Tuesday - Sponsors Newsletter

13. Use Your Sponsors Newsletter

If your sponsor has a regular newsletter which they send out to clients or customers, ask if you can have a regular column or advertisement to promote what you do. Let’s face it, if they have been willing to write you out a cheque, chances are they will be willing to give you a little space in their newsletter. This lets you reach people you wouldn’t ordinarily have contact with, and makes your sponsor look extra community focussed.

Motivation Monday - You are a Leader

I received this in my inbox in this morning and had to send it out, have a great week everyone.

 

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

John Quincy Adams, 1767-1848

 

 

Wednesdays Word of the Week - Life Stinks

Yes, life stinks. But it won't forever!

As one of my friends likes to say 'Everything will work out in the end. If it's not working out, it's not the end.'

In the meantime, don't over-react! Psalm 37:7 reminds us, 'Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for Him to act. Don't worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.'

Avoid Pollyanna optimism. But neither do we join the Chicken Little chorus of gloom and doom. 'The sky is falling.' 'The sky is falling!'

Somewhere between Pollyanna and Chicken Little, between denial and blatant panic, stands the follower of Christ.

Psalm 27:3 says, 'My heart shall not fear, though war arise against me, yes, I will be confident!?'

Confident in Him.

Max Lucado