POWER of PROBLEMS

I'd like to show a Videoclip from Tony Robbins getting ready for Date With Destiny
where in the clip he explains the POWER of PROBLEMS.

The TRUTH about a PROBLEM

Our ONLY problem IS
we THINK our problem is THE problem

AND
that we BELIEVE we are NO good at SOLVING problems

AND the 'death-rattle' is
that we BELIEVE we should NOT have problems

Tony Robbins on Prospering in Uncertain Times

Freebie From Tony Robbins

"Here's How You And Your Family Can Prosper
And Profit In The Current Economy"

	Learn how to conquer any crisis you may be facing: financial, emotional, or physical
	Discover why NOW can be the best time of your life financially: how to take advantage of what others are fearful about
	Learn from billionaire Sir John Templeton: how he made all of his money in the darkest and most pessimistic times. An interview with Tony Robbins.

Staying Productive during DownTime

SHARPEN the SAW

There are several productive ways to deal with a slow time... especially when you have not been renewed... and you have not heard from your account manager for a few weeks... and you have begun to put feelers out but nothing biting.. and not even a nibble... and especially when we KNOW that the economy is heading for a cold winter... then we KNOW that a HUGE growth curve is coming.... THEN what do you do?

How important is rest? Remember when the pressure was on, the deadline seemed impossible and you were crying uncle, saying "I cannot keep going on like this. I need a break" and dreaming of your private pacific island hide-away? OK here IS your break. Would now be a good time to take yourself up on that.

How important is it to use this time to sharpen your saw? Remember what caused your resume to get locked out of more and more projects when you let this slip once before.. Would now be a good time to take a closer look.. to see whats up with that? and would it be wise to remember what caused you to falter at the last interview. Would now be a good time to get more proficient at that?

One thing we DO have when we are between Contracts is TIME. Do we spend it growing, increasing, perfecting our fear, our self doubt, locking in further our lack of confidence OR do we choose to spend it more usefully?

SO to what EXTENT is staying productive and sharpening the saw IMPORTANT?

Re-Inventing Yourself

ONE course I highly recommend test driving is Ari Galper's (Unlock The Game).

BOTTOM LINE
if you do NOT include a better way of opening up a conversation, and allowing trust to emerge, and accept each others truth then your path in IT is going to way more turbulent, frustrating, stressful, unrewarding, unempowering, disappointing than need be.

I did his basic course in 2003 and only wish my PARENTS had this when I was 3 years old so I could have GROWN UP with that golden mindset... but they didn't and I am at least grateful I caught it in 2004.. ANYWAY

Heres is something from Ari's blogg VERY relevant for everybody, not just IT Contractors.

"Observations about seeing opportunities ..."

Posted on October 28, 2008 by Ari Galper

I’ve just finished off a fantastic wedding weekend here in San Diego.

It wasn’t mine, but my sister Eydie’s wedding.

After many years of being in the singles scene, she finally found her soul mate, Mark.

My toast at the dinner reception was called “The Perfect Handoff”, which was my way of saying that I can now breathe a sigh of relief knowing that she will now have a loving husband who will be there for her through life’s ups and downs.

I feel a sense of peace knowing she is now in good hands for the rest of her life.

Yesterday, after the festivities ended, I walked across the street from my hotel in downtown San Diego to get a bite to eat.

As I headed towards Horton Plaza, a large shopping mall in the center of downtown, I couldn’t help but notice the large number of people who were homeless on the streets and asking for money.

I grew up here in San Diego, so there were always homeless people in the downtown area, but yesterday I was shocked at how many I saw.

The interesting thing was that as I observed some of them, I could see and hear they were quite articulate and confident in the way they approached people who walked pass them.

Then I was thinking to myself “Gosh, as articulate as some of them were, with a little resourcefulness, they probably could quickly create a better life for themselves.”

I started to look up and down the street thinking about what resources there were within a 5-block radius of where I was standing that could be used to create a consistent stream of income.

To my left was a T-Mobile store.

For less than $50 you can get a prepaid cell phone to make and take phone calls.

Down the road and two streets over was a public library that has Internet access for free.

And in the Horton Plaza mall, there were some stores selling new shirts and pants for $10 to $30.

With these combined resources, a person could be well dressed, get an email address, access leads to call from the Internet and a complete communication system through a pre-paid cell phone.

On a larger scale, with all that’s happening in the economy, I started to think about what is going to separate those who reach new heights of success and to those who end up in a place they never intended to be.

Two words: Resilience and Resourcefulness.

I’ve put together 5 strategies for how you can re-calibrate your mindset to succeed in this new economy:

1. Be open to reinventing yourself

So many people feel “stuck” only because they aren’t able to see themselves in a different place. I have a relative who has been in the same industry his whole working life, was recently laid off and refuses to reinvent himself to become marketable for a different industry that is growing super fast. Even with my continued suggestions to help reinvent himself, his comfort zone continues to remain in the same space that he’s always been.

You’ll need to be completely open to observing new opportunities around you. Stepping out of your comfort zone is EXACTLY what is required to take you to a place were you can succeed with confidence.

2. Hang around with people who think differently

You’ve probably heard of the term “Group Think”, were people make similar decisions based on the people they spend time with.

First thing to ask yourself: “Are the people I spend time with innovators and challengers to the status quo?” If not, and all they do is react to the economic news broadcast by the media, then it’s time for you to align yourself with a group of people who take full responsibility for their own success.

3. Sales ability is one of the most important “must-have” skills in any economy

If you can sell effectively, no matter what industry or profession you’re in, you’ll always have what you need. Selling is a fundamental skill that will always be required in ANY economic conditions. Someone is always looking to solve a problem, and if they can’t solve it themselves, they’ll pay someone who has the solution.

Your ability to find that person and create enough trust to prove that you care about helping them, is what will set you apart from everyone else.

4. Stay present

It’s so easy to be spending our day thinking about what might happen. You know what I mean, the “what if” thoughts that enter your mind that haven’t happened. It’s fruitless to be thinking about anything else but the present moment you are in.

Ironically, if you’re thinking about “what if” thoughts throughout the day, your subconscious will bring you those things you are thinking about.

Every couple of hours, set an alarm on your calendar that says “Where am I now?”. Then look around you, notice things that you see in front of you.

That interruption will help you stay present.

Interrupting your negative thought patterns is one of the most powerful secrets used by highly successful people.

5. You are your most valuable asset

Don’t stop expanding your knowledge base and skills. The last thing you want to be doing at times like these, is nothing.

Ask yourself: “What skills can I sharpen?”, “Who around me is doing interesting and profitable things that I can learn from”, “What’s one or two new things I can learn in the next 30 days that will make me sharper than I am now?”

If you look at the most successful people who continue to thrive, the one common trait they all have is the belief that they have FULL responsibility for their success.

We live in a time with access to amazing technology and a plethora of successful role models.

Start by tapping into your natural abilities and take action towards resilience and resourcefulness.

To your success,

P.S. Not a member of our Unlock The Game Inner Circle?
Join us here

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © Ari Galper. All Rights Reserved. UNLOCK THE GAME is a trademark of Ari Galper.

Oil up tp $110 a Barrel... 76% believe recession already here

Oil has been up to $110 a barrel... 76% of Americans believe already in recession ... your contract is up for renewal... your mind drifts to a time when you were between contracts... you recall your concern... your constant attempts to pull you into distraction.. finding it almost impossible to concentrate on your 'between-contract-survival' plan.

WHEN BETWEEN CONTRACTS... the ONE thing you DO have is TIME and the ONE THING you CANNOT say is you don't have enough time to review you Contracting Vision, Objectives and Plans.

So how important is it for you to use this time you now have?

Contract Recession Survival Kit

One thing you recall you do have between contracts is time.. so could you use that to do a 10 DAY TURNAROUND

1) Define your Strategic Objective.
2) Define the Results You Want
3) Engage in Strategic Work
4) Systemise
5) Quantify Value, Effectiveness, Cost key Behaviours, Habits,
6) Client Acquisition
7) Client Fulfillment
8) Leadership
9) Seek the Truth
10) Listen, Learn, and Innovate Whenever Possible

#1 Define your Strategic Objective..
for your IT Contracting Business? Could day1 be set aside to review your vision for your contracting business and how it must be for it to contribute toward your purpose in life. Your contracting business should serve this vision. What would you have written in your Strategic Objective if that is a statement of what your business will look like when it's done? How powerful is this vision? Is it keeping you focused? Could this be what you would most need to establish on day1?

2) Define the Results You Want
Is it true that in a shrinking economy your intensity of focus must increase? But what to focus on you may ask? Theres so much I hear you say. I get into overwhelm and just shut down or distract into a myriad hatches just to get away. It is true but need to start somewhere so could day2 be used to have some clearly defined results for your vision and purpose to help you keep on track? Would that be a far better use for day2 of your recession experience?

3) Engage in Strategic Work
Leveraging results you want through other people is key. But YOU are the business. How does this apply to you? Well there are many things you can do that speed up the work necessary to ensure your survival. This will require you have access to a strategic network of knowledge and support. Could your day3 be for getting clear on the Strategic Work required, to ensure ongoing survival, even to operate at peak in the most critical times of recession? If not at peak would it still be worth using day3 to get clear on how to utilise this time more efficiently rather than overcome by apprehension, self doubt, fear, and worry?

4) Systemise
You have been advised often to establish and implement systems for every aspect of your business. Could day4 be set aside to look at your systems, especially a system of development that will enable you to make wise decisions and better evaluations regarding contracts to go for, contracts to not go for, contracts that move you forward, contracts that are the beginning of your end. Could day4 be spent reviewing your systems (your habits if you will) that you have in place to ensure you are on track.

5) Quantify Value, Effectiveness, Cost key Behaviours, Habits, Processes
Thoroughly understand the exact, quantified impact that key "reactions", "doubts", "indecisions", "distractions", "hesitations" have if you DON'T let your processes you have conditioned to switch back to clarity, resolve, energy, focus will have on your IT Contracting business. How many new ways to access the right kind of networks, clients do you need? What changes do you need to make to your habits, behaviours, mindset to cover losses? What can you do to trim the shock of the unexpected indeed could we say your variable expenses? Is every habit, behaviour, ritual, viable? Does it have you 'getting-paid'? In short is it an income-producer? Would Day5 be useful to take a little time out to re-evaluate these key aspects in terms of the contribution to the income and value to your client? Could day 5 be spent translating these into Strategic Indicators that are more usefully quantifiable?

6) Client Acquisition
Know exactly who your customers are. Then go out and get them but first need to find the answers to the following questions too, and act upon that information: What is your value in the eyes of your customer? Are your Client Acquisition methods consistently effective on a daily basis? How can you more efficiently communicate your message to more of your Target Market? Where can you strengthen your follow-through with your aftermarket and referral methods? Would day 6 be a good day to look a little more into that aspect?

7) Client Fulfillment
Have you considered how you could be making it difficult for customers to access your real value? Would day 7 be spent wisely if you sat down and removed or found more ways around any barriers preventing your customers from getting what they need. Always keep your promises to your customers in the most cost-effective manner possible.

8) Leadership
How pivotal is your leadership? Would day 8 be worth just dropping everything and considering what you can do as the leader of your company to foster and enhance an awareness of your vision in people who admire, respect you as well as the person next to you, and the person in migrations support, and the account managers in the agency you contract through indeed all the people you rely on on the help deliver your value. Consider setting aside day 8 to evaluate around the value of your leadership in terms of a structured, regular, targeted contact as a means for creating a stable, profitable and cohesive personal networking environment.

9) Seek the Truth
Day 9! What could we do for day9? Perhaps set this day aside to diligently dig down to the truth about your value. Could this 'coming outage', this 'approaching end of contract' be telling you that now more than ever, you must stop and think with more clarity and purpose, and make the necessary adjustments to survive--even thrive--in a challenging contracting environment?

10) Listen, Learn, and Innovate Whenever Possible
Okay its now day 10. Where to from here? Could it be used profitably if we were to resolve how we can better keep our eyes and ears open. We may hate it, disagree with it, get irritated by it but after a while we get that the law-of-attraction is a law that operates by ITS schedule and never by ours. We never know where our next great idea is going to come from. It is important that we don't let the bleak contracting environment hi-jack us from innovating. Innovation is going to happen whether we participate or not. Could day 10 be where we resolve to innovate as it may very well be more crucial now than ever before.