doug smith training

Here's a trick question - when do you give up? It's a trick because maybe you don't give up. When the goal is important enough, you don't give up. And if the goal isn't important enough to persist, why would you even work on it? Choose your goals carefully. Work on what you consider vital to your success. And then act relentlessly on your plan. Persist. There is no substitute for persistence. It will get you through when the world throws all kinds of road blocks your way. And you can depend on that. So persist. -- Doug Smith

Have you ever considered what it must be like to be famous? Maybe you've even gotten a taste of it. Maybe you were on TV, or in a movie, or interviewed by a publication. Maybe your youtube channel has a kazillion views. What if you were famous for your goals? What if people knew you by the goals that you set and achieved? Wouldn't they be worth talking about then? Hey. Listen. They're worth talking about now . -- Doug Smith

It's not just about the goals. It's setting the right goals. Goals that energize you. Goals aligned with your mission. Goals that create a better team, life, and world. Set the right goals and the path becomes easier. Instead of a struggle, the journey is an adventure. Instead of ordeal, the magic is revealed. You'll know it's a "right" goal when you can't wait to get started. What goal are you working on right now? -- Doug Smith

Have you ever held a problem so tight that it couldn't get away? I have. Why would we do that? We get so comfortable with a problem that it's hard to imagine living without it. But what good is that? It's a problem ! Or is it? Maybe we need to see beyond what we keep defining in pain as our problem and embrace whatever is as whatever is. If that sounds like double-speak, forgive me for a second and think about it. The situation is the situation. Calling it a problem does not change what is going on. Agonizing over how much misery it is bringing us, our team, or our organization does not help. Here's what I suggest instead. Set that problem free. Stop calling it a problem. It's the situation. Call it that if you like or don't call it anything at all. Set it free. Set a goal. What is it that you DO want? Whatever is going on now, what environment, situation, action, or relationship do you really want? Go for that. Set a goal. Design a plan. And the...

What happens if you decide to do every goal you could possibly do? You don't do them. Maybe you do some of them. Maybe you get thru a bunch. But I've learned to face it: I can not do everything. When I try, something falls. Some goals are better than others. Do them first. Some goals make more sense and provide more traction, more action, more reaction, and better results. Do them first. Pick too many goals and your constraints will crash in on you. Pick the right goals and your possibilities are endless. Pick the right goals. -- Doug Smith

What do you dream about? For years I dreamed about starting my own training company. I yearned to set my own hours and choose my own topics. So I set a goal to do that. Are your goals pointing you in the direction of your dreams? If you complete all of the goals on your list today, would your dreams come true? Possibly not. That's OK. But, are they moving you in that direction? What do you dream about? What occupies your mind? Given three wishes, what would they be? You know how to turn a wish into results: make it a goal. Set an action word, result, and deadline. And then get busy. You do want your dreams to come true, right? -- Doug Smith Are you interested in how to achieve your goals? Contact me about scheduling or attending our next How To Achieve Your Goals webinar.

Are you paying attention to your goals today? I'm sure you've written them done. And, maybe their even what I call ART goals -- with an action word, a result, and a time frame. Good job on that. And they work best when you pay attention to them. From the first action at the beginning of your day until you stop working: goals provide focus, direction, and useful action. If, like me and many other people I know you are sometimes tempted to waste your time doing things that may be fun but are not productive (not that you can't have fun, just not to the point of wasting too much time) pick up your top five goals and let them move you forward. Work your goals. Drive your tasks on competing your goals. One of the keys to achieving your goals is relentlessly working your plan. How is that playact going today? -- Doug Smith

Do you enjoy initiating phone calls? The phone seems to have lost much of its importance in the office world, but it is still a key tool for communicating. When you know what results you want, sometimes the phone is the best way to interact. Especially in sales. Extra-especially in prospecting. But also in conducting follow-up, in contracting, and getting things done. It's something I must admit I will procrastinate on. I'm not proud of that, I'd prefer it be otherwise, but making that first call in the morning is tough. But you know what?  When I make that first call the rest are easy. Even if my first call is to someone I know well and simply to chat -- not for any business at all. The next call is easier. And the next even easier. It's just a matter of getting started. If it's the same for you, please allow me to encourage you for a moment: make that first call. You may turn into an action focused juggernaut of calling and getting things done. Imagi...

Did you ever get stuck searching for all of the answers? It happens to me sometimes. I feel so certain that I've got to come up with every best possible answer that the best answer hides behind a wall of searching. Yes, we do need lots of answers. Yes, the first answer (or third) is seldom the best. But we also reach a point of diminishing returns. We also reach a time when it's time to do something. Are you there on your biggest problem? Creative problem solvers realize that even the best answer will likely evolve during the solution. Our plans change, our situation complicates, and other people get involved. That's OK. That's no reason to freeze Creative problem solvers don't need all the answers -- just the ones that work. Have you found an answer that works today? -- Doug Smith

Do you find it easy to judge? We are taught in so many ways to judge things, to judge people, to judge circumstances...to judge. From some imaginary position of perfection we assess others as if they were lacking some essential ingredient. Or, in some cases, we let judgment of our own skills keep us from trying something new, from forging new ground, from creating. That's a mistake. We need creativity. We need to try new things. We need to explore territory where we won't be instantly criticized, by ourselves or others. High performance leaders value creativity so much that they suspend their sense of judgment often enough to allow creativity to flourish. How about you? Can you allow creativity to flourish? To grow? To blossom? We are more creative when we are less judgmental. Send your inner judge out for milk and cookies. It will make her happy and you'll be free. -- Doug Smith

Have you ever been blocked from solving a problem by emotions? Anger, sadness, grief, despair, impatience...emotions can make things tough on a problem solver. Staying centered helps. Keeping balance. Drawing on our core strengths of clarity, courage, creativity, and compassion to keep perspective clear and kind. Any problem exists in a field filled with possibilities. Emotions can poison those possibilities if we lose our way. The way is clear. Stay focused. Stay balanced. Stay centered. Breathe. Stretch. See. Stay curious. Relax. Easier said than done? That's why it takes training and practice. -- Doug Smith

What's the good thing about unavoidable problems? You can't ignore them! They stand right there, in your way, waiting to be solved. It's like a flat tire on your car. Ignoring it won't make it go away, so what do you do? You change it. It's like snow on your sidewalk. You could wait until it melts, but people are at risk the whole time, so you shovel it. Centered problem solvers recognize an unavoidable problem as a message to take action. They focus, balance, and engage. Some problems are unavoidably annoying and present. They won't leave you alone. So solve them. -- Doug Smith