Touch Points

Good Ole Vess

One of the most interesting characters you’re ever likely to meet at Wizard Academy in Austin Texas is Vess Barnes. He was the one who once drove his old Corvette from his home in Amarillo Texas to Austin for a class and encountered a few problems on the drive down, so on a break from class Vess disappears for a couple of hours. He shows up later with a brand new ‘Vette, kind of a spur of the moment thing. He later told me that within two months he had to replace all the tires due to excessive wear. He likes to go fast, very fast! Vess Barnes says hello.

What's My Fork?

Baby Crying Behind You on a Jet? Turn a Negative into a Positive
I like this fellow’s choice of attitude. S.R. Written by David J. Pollay   The plane was full. My seat was 22C. To my surprise there was no one beside me and no one behind me. I felt like I had won the lottery of seating charts. You know the feeling. You can spread out. You can recline without bothering anyone. You can even use two tray tables! I was flying to Chicago to run a workshop. I needed to concentrate on editing my presentation. The peace and quiet would be great. The flight attendants were getting ready to close the doors when I started working. And then it happened. I heard a flight attendant say, “You’re in 23C.” And just as I looked up I heard the increasingly loud sound of a baby crying. An upset baby girl and her mother were coming my way. Right behind me was the seat 23C. Five minutes later the baby’s cry turned into a wail and her little legs were kicking my seat. I couldn't work with such distraction. There were no answers to my questions: “Why does the little girl have to kick my seat? Isn’t there a way to stop the baby from crying? And why of all places on the plane do they have to sit right behind me!?” I started searching for what I could say, or what I should do. There was nowhere for me to go. When Your Road Turns Negative Create a Fork in the Path Then I smiled. I realized I actually had a choice. I could either see the situation as a dead-end negative, or I could see the situation in another way. I could find another road out and take it. And I did. In that moment I found another way to look at the situation. I now call it “my fork.” I thought of my own children. I started laughing thinking that Eliana, 4, and Ariela, 3, had done their share of crying and seat kicking in airplanes, as hard as we tried to stop it! So I turned the baby’s crying and seat-kicking into a reminder that I have two wonderful little girls of my own. Each time the little girl cried or kicked my seat, I felt grateful for my two girls. Sure I would have preferred the flight to be quieter, but guess what? I was able to work because I became quieter inside. I replaced the negative emotion I was feeling with gratitude for my own children. Psychologist Barbara Frederickson at the University of North Carolina observed how inducing positive emotions in people following a negative experience loosens the vice grip that the negative event holds psychologically. She also found that people bounced back faster physiologically — their cardiovascular activity slowed. When we landed in Chicago I stood up and turned to look at the mother and her child. She smiled a little nervously at me and started to apologize for her daughter’s crying. I stopped her. I pulled my wallet out of my pocket, opened it, and handed it to her. I pointed to the picture of my two little red-headed daughters. I said, “These are my little girls. They’re wonderful. And they cry too. Your daughter is beautiful. Congratulations.” She smiled and said thank you. I smiled and left the plane feeling good (something I wouldn't have thought possible after the crying began). So the next time a situation seems to be a frustrating dead-end, ask yourself, “What’s my fork?” There’s almost always another road you can take.   David J. Pollay is an internationally sought-after speaker and teacher, a syndicated columnist, and is the founder and president of The Momentum Project. Mr. Pollay holds a Master’s Degree in Applied Positive Psychology from the University of Pennsylvania, and an Economics Degree from Yale University. E-mail him your thoughts and stories at david@themomentumproject.com.

Indifference- The Killer of Business

From the book “How To Talk To Customers,” according to a study conducted by the Rockefeller Corporation of Pittsburgh . They asked 450 business executives to identify the most common reasons why a customer stopped doing business with them. -            Death    - 1 percent -            A move or relocation - 2 percent -            A relationship with a salesperson - 4 percent -            Price and other relevant costs - 11 percent -            Dissatisfaction with the product - 14 percent -            Attitude of indifference from someone representing the company - 68 percent Does that attitude of indifference ever creep into your workplace? If it does, you’re losing customers because of it. I was gobsmacked when I saw that figure. Almost 70 percent of business is lost because of a lack of interest being exhibited by someone. Wow! Time to do something about it. Immediately! How To Talk To Customers by Dianne Berenbaum and Tom Larkin presents a systematic approach to dealing with customers with empathy, honesty and integrity. If everyone used their system, this world would be a much more pleasant place.

5 Ways to Expand Your Horizons

1. Break free from routine. If you have performed a task for any length of time, it is bound to become stale. Find a different way to do it. For example, if you drive to work the same route every day, vary it and make a list of 5 new things you don’t see on your usual trek.

2. Read more good books. If you usually read mysteries, then change genres and read biographies, or if you usually read non-fiction then switch to historical fiction. Allow your imagination to be taken to new places with great books.

3. Smash the comfort zone. Putting yourself in uncomfortable situations that stretch your thinking will help you grow. If you usually go to movies for entertainment, take in an opera and if you find it uncomfortable, analyze why you feel that way and what others enjoy about it.

4. Volunteer to help someone less fortunate than you. Whether you help out at a soup kitchen, knit woollen mittens or join a service club, helping others will pay you back in countless ways.

5. Challenge stereotypes. Stereotypical prejudices form in all of us whether we like it or not. What stereotype has developed in your life that you can challenge? Is there a person you deal with on a regular basis who you have not given the benefit of your broadened perspective to? Re-evaluate all of your personal interactions to see where you can understand more of what they live with.

Cheers

Steve

No Whiners Allowed, How to enjoy a healthier, more positive workplace

Nutzwerk GmbH a German IT firm based in Leipzig has banned whining and complaining from the workplace. After moving to brand new spacious facilities a few years ago, head of the company, Ramona Wonneberger witnessed the downward spiral of moral and energy when the Telecom company was slow hooking up their new telephones and computer lines.

The complaining about the Telecom took root among staff and spread into further complaints about neighbours and spouses like a virus, sapping the positive energy of the move to new premises. So she banned complaining in the workplace. She writes, "When anger arises, there are three questions one can ask:

Do I want to change it?

Can I change it?

Is it worth the effort?

If these questions are answered with yes, then change it!

A Break From Winter Blues

In many parts of the country, the long cold stretch between the winter holidays and spring can really get people down. That's when it's time for a quick, fun morale booster. But what to do?

Service Starter #1 - Motivation is Going to the Dogs

Our editors suggest that you look to reps' daily activities and interests for timely and fun activities.

For example, many of us already participate in Super Bowl Pools, March Madness Basketball Pools, and World Series Pools, but there's more. Douglas Publications recently had a pool for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Because the names of the contestants in this event aren't well known, all the staff did was pick the winning breed in each category and a Best in Show winner. Correct category picks were worth 10 points apiece and the Best in Show winner was worth 25 points.

Opportunities abound for pools, from sporting events, to reality TV shows, to when the roadway construction project in front of your office will finally be finished, to how many inches of snow you'll get this winter. The key is to keep the pool relevant and have fun no matter what you choose.

Service Starter #2 - More Motivation Ideas...

MMM for June 13, 2005 from Roy H. Williams

Unhappy People

Have you ever noticed how unhappy people always want to share their unhappiness with you? It may come in the form of a whine, a complaint, a rant, or sanctimonious "constructive criticism," but come it most certainly will.

The thing to remember when an unhappy person begins spraying unhappiness is this: It's not really about you. It's about them. And the wounds they carry. So try not to internalize it.

Do you remember the Jewish father played by Roberto Benigni in Life is Beautiful? He illustrated the idea that happiness can be chosen in spite of unhappy circumstances; you are not a product of your environment. You are a product of your choices.

Even weirder than unhappy people wanting to share their unhappiness with you is the fact that happy people generally keep their happiness to themselves. Why are we like this?

I have a theory about leaving tips on tables at restaurants: the size of the tip isn't really an expression of your judgment regarding the quality of service you've received. It's an expression of your generosity, the bigness of your heart. It's not really about the waiter or waitress. It's about you.

This idea can be especially fun when you receive truly abominable service. That's when you can leave a tip that's totally over the top and then smile all the way to your car as you contemplate all the different ways the story might end:

1. The waiter, recognizing the tip as a gesture of love, pulls himself together and has a much-improved day, giving everyone exceptional service. Your ray of sunshine touches 276 lives before it fades into the memory of yesterday.
2. The waiter, misinterpreting the tip as proof that it doesn't really matter whether or not he does a good job, continues his slacker attitude and reaps the life of mediocrity he deserves. But sometimes, late at night, he is haunted by the memory of the strange day he received a 20 dollar tip for serving a 7 dollar sandwich. What was that all about?
3. The waiter, shamed by the monster tip he knows he didn't deserve, assumes it must have been meant for the cook. Your gift has now triggered a crisis of conscience. Will the waiter pass the tip along to the cook and grow as a human being? Or will he "steal" it and forever know himself to be a thief?
4. The waiter, desperately needing the extra cash, accepts the tip as a gift from God. Congratulations, you are now an angel, God's messenger, a finger of His divine hand.
5. The waiter, truly stupid, believes he deserves the tip and pockets it with bravado. Let him have his sad moment of glory. There won't be many like it in his life.

The bottom line is this: People need love. Especially when they do not deserve it. And in the words of Iome Sylvarresta, "Love isn't something you feel. It's something you give."

Do something good today for a person who has done nothing to deserve it. Better yet, do something good for someone you don't even like.

I promise you'll have a better day.

Roy H. Williams

PS - Peter Nevland and Paul Finley have a new flash animated video. Check it out.

MMM for Monday May 2, 2005 by Roy H. Williams

The Power of Purpose

"…And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?'" – from the 1st book of Kings, chapter 19

When Elijah focused on his own strength, his knees got weak, his hand began to tremble and his heart melted away. But as long as he kept his vision focused on his mission, he was filled with vitality and confidence and did miraculous things.

Where is your vision focused?

I have endured much questioning about The Quixote Collection at Tuscan Hall. People say, "Wasn't Don Quixote a delusional madman and a laughingstock? Why would you be taken with such a one?"

Here is my answer. As long as Don Quixote's heart was filled with Dulcinea he overcame impossible odds. It was only after his friends convinced him Dulcinea did not exist that his heart shriveled within him.

Each of us needs Dulcinea, a sense of mission and purpose. For without it, there can be no adventure.

An itinerant preacher from Nazareth said, "If your vision is focused, your whole body will be full of light. But if your vision is unfocused, the light that is in you will be darkness. And if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!" One of the ways Mathew 6:22 can be interpreted is this: "If a mission consumes you, your life will be filled with optimism, creativity and stamina. But if no purpose fills your heart, the echo of its emptiness will fill your mind with a mournful song."

I believe that millions flounder and whine and are depressed because they refuse to sell their lives to something bigger than they are. They are sad because they have no purpose. Stephen Crane spoke of the power of purpose this way:

A man saw a ball of gold in the sky;
He climbed for it,
And eventually he achieved it --
It was clay.
Now this is the strange part:
When the man went to the earth
And looked again,
Lo, there was the ball of gold.
Now this is the strange part:
It was a ball of gold.
Aye, by the heavens, it was a ball of gold.

- passage 35 from The Black Riders and Other Lines (1895)

Your heart, my friend, is the size of a stadium. If you try to fill it with small things – a new car, a vacation, a promotion at work, a bigger home, a stock portfolio – a mournful echo will fill your life. But if you fill your stadium with all of humanity and search for ways to make their lives better each day, you will find yourself in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing in the right way. Serendipity will come to stay.

Do you have a purpose outside yourself?

Are you climbing for a ball of gold?

Roy H. Williams

"One man, scorned and covered with scars, still strove with his last ounce of courage to reach the unreachable stars; and the world was better for this." - Don Quixote

An article from Wayne Ens

That’s A Lot Of Poop!

Thomas Szaky shocked his parents a few years ago when he decided to drop out of Princeton University to start a business making organic plant food. To their dismay, he explained that the product came from worm poop and would be packaged in recycled pop bottles.

But today the 23-year-old Canadian is having the last laugh. His fledgling firm has landed the Wal-Mart account, one of the most prized in retailing, and expects to do more than $15 million in sales next year.

Each week, thousands of inventors and sales people try unsuccessfully to get their products stocked on Wal-Mart shelves.

So how did a young Mr. Szaky nab the business at mighty Wal-Mart? ...

The Hovermeister

Michele Miller wrote this, but these could be my exact words. The point is: Thomas is a genius (and he's always game for a couple of Dos Equis and some great music in Austin)

I travel to Austin on a regular basis for Wizard of Ads business.  It might be for client meetings, partner think tanks, or the Wizard Academy.  More often than not, one of the participants is partner Thomas Tucker - webmaster for the Wizard of Ads sites and owner of Hover Studios web design firm.  He can usually be found at the back of the room, quietly (and deceptively) absorbing all that is going on.  Just when you've forgotten he's back there, he'll pop up with a comment or solution to a problem that leaves you smiling and shaking your head in wonder.

Thomas announced today that he's taking the Wizard of Ads philosophy -- give away your expertise and it will reward you tenfold -- and applying it to Hover Studios.  If you're interested in getting a free website, check this out.

As Thomas puts it:

Desperately need a new start to your online presence but can't foot the bill? That's ok with us!

Starting in 2005, Hover Studios will be giving away a free standard website development, built off of our one-of-a-kind Control Panel technology, to a random Newsletter recipient, every other moth.That's six chances to win per year! January's winner has been chosen! Are you registered for the March giveaway?

Sign up, read some great advice, and get a free site worth more than $7.000.00. What all does this site include? Check out our winner for January, Mr. Matt Jones at  TwinMountainAutoSpa.com! Matthew wanted a design that looked similar to our Hover Studios site, and we were happy to oblige. Congratulations on your new site, Matthew!

Thomas knows that planting the seeds of wisdom and knowledge for others is the first step toward building relationships with customers.  He considers it an honor each time someone asks his advice and he genuinely wants to help those who are just getting started.  After all... once those people grow a little, have money to spend, and need more expertise, who are they gonna call?

Thomas says, "Massive respect will come with time, and then will come massive money.  For now, let us be teachers of men and good friends to each other."

I say, Isn't this the guy you want building your website?