Great Questions Lead to Great Opportunities

Many companies were started because someone asked an innocent question. The invention of the Polaroid Instamatic Camera was triggered by a question. The three-year-old daughter of the inventor, Edwin H. Land, asked her father after he took her photo, “Why do we have to wait for the picture, Daddy?”

Pay Attention to “7”

The number “7” is used, referenced and associated with a lot of things. There are the 7 wonders of the ancient world, 7 continents, 7 seas, 7 colors of the rainbow, 7 notes on the diatonic musical scale, Snow White had 7 dwarfs, three 7’s is a winning hand (Blackjack), three 7’s on a slot machine hits the jackpot, and there is the 7th inning stretch in baseball. You also have the 7-year itch in marriage, 7 letters in the Roman Numeral system, and 7 deadly sins: greed, gluttony, pride, lust, sloth, envy, and wrath

Why Experience the Pain

Life is too short to learn and experience it ALL yourself. Success comes to those who seek knowledge/ADVICE and apply it. For you advice givers out there, remember this: 1) a good example has more value than advice. 2) never give another person advice that you wouldn’t be willing to take.

The "USE" of Knowledge is POWER

The phrase "scientia potentia est” is a Latin aphorism meaning "knowledge is power". I believe you need to expand that phrase with three additional words to make it universally correct: The “USE” of knowledge is POWER. There are a lot of smart people in this world, with incredible “knowledge”, but they fail to fully reach their potential because they are unable to “USE” that knowledge to their advantage. Knowing what to do and having the courage to do it are entirely two different things. Novelist, statesman and scientist von Goethe said it this way: “Knowing is not enough. We must apply. Willing is not enough. We must do.”

 Focus Matters Most

The great film director George Lucas once said, “Your focus determines your reality.” Psychologists have estimated that we have between 50,000 - 70,000 thoughts a day. With all that going on in our heads, no wonder it is no small task to get ourselves to focus on key issues. But, in order to achieve success, we need to learn how to focus these thoughts on WHAT MATTERS MOST. If we let our attention jump from one thing to another, we will have a busy, but most likely, an unproductive day. Simple example: If you chase two rabbits, both will escape; when your focus is scattered, your effectiveness is diminished.

Leadership is Lacking

James O'Toole, a professor and leadership expert once said, "95% of American managers today say the right thing … 5% actually do it." On every front, poor LEADERSHIP is destroying companies. Unnecessary turnover of employees and disengaged employees, costs companies billions of dollars each year. People don’t leave companies, they leave bosses. 46% of employees leave their job because they did not feel appreciated. 75% of employees listed their immediate boss as the most stressful part of their job. But, the reverse of this … smart, shrewd, wise, astute, GREAT LEADERS have found that happy employees are 31% more productive and 56% better at sales.