Posts Tagged ‘success plan’

Have you ever known anyone with a faulty thought filter?  Do you know a person who speaks first and thinks about the impact of the words later?  Even worse is the person who speaks without a clue as to the words being uttered or the impact of those words.

A dear friend of mine frequently quips, “You heard the thought at the same time I did.”  In an ideal mental and physical installation, there is a filter between the thought entering the conscious mind and that same thought exiting in audible words.  There are cases on record of both faulty installations and totally absent installations.

July 4, 2011 at 1 pm I had a blind date with a professional golfer.  Having achieved the rank of professional on the PGA circuit, one would expect a certain degree of class and social graces.

His offer of a putting lesson sounded like a good idea. The lesson was certainly needed.  “Yes, I live on the 13^th tee of a professional golf course.  Yes, a golf bag and clubs exist in the dark recesses of the garage; however, they have not even been dusted in 30 years.”

3.57965 minutes into the putting lesson he said. “You have a great body.  How much do you weigh?  125 pounds?”

Guys, be honest.  How many of you even ask your wife what she weighs?  Add insult to shock and volunteer a number and you may be sleeping on the couch for a week.  Plan on taking up permanent residence on the couch if you volunteered a number and you were high.

With a height of five foot one inch and wearing a size zero, obesity is not my issue.  Fortunately, a positive mental attitude exists to ward off the emotional ice water of such thoughtless remarks.

“Ralph, you are wrong, your number is high.”  Mentally, my cleats are dug in to the turf but my mind is racing for the safety of my car.  Totally clueless, he did not even bother to apologize.

A few months later he sent an email,”Do you remember me?”  Remember him?  Oh yes.  Respond to the email. .  .no!

In the interest of not being accused of gender bashing, come with me to a professional Realtor organization.  Keep in mind that my Real Estate Brokers license was issued in 1986; I have utmost respect for the industry.

The new President of the organization came up to me and declared, “Oh Elaine, the day I met you I went home and told my husband that I just met a lady with the most fabulous figure.  She must be in her 70s.”

Social error number two is commenting on a female’s age and volunteering a number over a decade high.

Once again, thank you for a positive mental attitude to see the humor in a potentially insulting situation.  Emotional ice water can be offset with a positive mental attitude.

Once again we have a serious filter installation issue.  Expertise in one area does not mean expertise in all areas.  Both individuals were accomplished professionals in their area of expertise.  Both committed grievous social errors.

Fortunately, maintaining a positive mental attitude provided ego salvation.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net.  Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote speaker or workshop leader for your next event.  Whether you are seeking to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you.  Your success requires a positive mental attitude.

Rich people have 24 hours a day.  Poor people have 24 hours a day.  What makes the difference in the results?

Could it be priorities?  Distractions?  Perhaps it is an overactive “yes” gland.  Yes, I will get the groceries, cook the meals, take the kids to soccer practice, clean the house, volunteer at school, volunteer at church and work a full time job.  Sound familiar?  Looking at my calendar; I am guilty as charged.

Are all of these worthwhile endeavors?  Yes.  Do each of these activities need to be performed?  Yes.  Do they all need to be performed by you every day?  Maybe not.

As a busy executive discovers, some duties can be delegated, some declined and some prioritized.  Look at your “to do” list.  What is the possibility of having someone else in the house cook one meal a week?  How about doing a double batch one night and freezing it for next week?  Anything super easy and fast which would work for one meal a week?  Be creative.

Write a detailed list of everything you do for a week.  Pick one item a day and explore the options available.  Who is available to help with that task or even take it completely?

Carefully examine everything you do.  Caution, take only one item to brainstorm a day.

Your busy brain is now saying, with so many things to do and no time to do them how am I supposed to find time to do this additional task?

Treat yourself to 15 minutes a day just for yourself.  Yes, at first, that may be in the evening or early morning.  How badly do you truly want to recover your sanity and get your time under control?  Is it worth 15 minutes a day?  Your decision.

If you truly desire to take control of your time, it will require designing a success plan.  Design a plan you will actually follow through.  This is not a New Years Resolution which is broken in 3 days or maybe even 3 hours.  Design a success plan of your choosing which you truly believe you can follow through.  Implement the plan a if your life depended on its success.  Make the follow through an unbreakable priority.

Your 24 hours a day slips by whether you are harried, frustrated or organized.  The familiar saying “time is money” is simply not true.  If you lose money, there is always the possibility of making more money.  Once time is gone, it can never be recovered.

Email me with your time and sanity recovery success plan.  Success stories are wonderful!  The present is a great time to start!  Today in fact is the perfect day to start writing your new success plan.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net.  Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote speaker or workshop leader for your next event.  Whether you are seeking to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you.  Your success requires a success plan.

“But that’s not what I said, Matt.” “Maybe it is what I said, but you took it the wrong way.” “What you heard is not what I meant.”

Have you ever said something which was perfectly clear in your mind, but someone else heard an entirely different meaning?

It is perfectly natural to view situations through our own personal experience and knowledge filter. Since we all have a different experience filter, is it any wonder that we see the situation from a different angle and thus receive a different message?

Come with me to a recent speech to 50 young financial professionals. The scent of coffee and chocolate drifts through the air as the group settles in to their seats in the packed conference room. The group of 20 and 30 year olds deal with the public all day in their jobs. My topic was Emotional Ice Water – how to deal with negative behavior in a positive way. Phrased another way; how to remain sane and calm in the middle of an emotional ice storm. The event organizers had encouraged me to distribute my businerss cards. My words to the audience were, “If you prefer to discuss your situation privately rather than to say it aloud in front of your co-workers, call me. You have my card.”

During the debrief a week or so later, Brenda said, “Elaine, place yourself in the mindset of these young financial professionals. Their job is to offer financial advice for a fee. Naturally, their filter says “If you are offering me advice, you plan to charge me a fee.” View my offer to help them through their lens of “If I call her, she will charge me,” the offer becomes a business promotion on my part rather than an offer to help them.

Change the angle of your viewpoint and the meaning changes. “What they heard is not what I meant.”

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.” Wayne Dyer

Miscommunication occurs in all aspects of our daily lives. One of the most frequently cited causes of marital discord are “We just can’t communicate.” Actually, the root problem is not a lack of communication but a lack of connecting. When two people connect, they both understand and receive the same message. Communication occurs when one expresses thoughts verbally or in writing; however, it does not mean that the other party receives the message as the speaker intended. The disconnect is not in communication but connection.

Have you ever experienced miscommunication in a relationship? Guys have you ever asked a woman, “What’s wrong?” “Oh, nothing. . .” You get that “Oh not, knot in your stomach that says “What did I do wrong? What did I say? How can I fix this?” “I dn’t even know what I did wrong.”

In John Gray’s book, Men Are From Mars and Women Are From Venus, he extols the challenges of male and female communication. Do you ever feel as if you are speaking an entirely different language?

What she heard was not what he meant. Lack of communication happens in our personal and professional lives.
Money can be a major stumbling block, especially when it appears to be in short supply. Not only do couples have differing viewpoints of the best use of money, but this stress is transferred to others outside the walls of homes.

With the current economic turmoil, financial professionals are encountering negative reactions far too frequently. Imagine the shock when this group of young financial professionals heard, “The answer to your emotional turmoil is the IRS.” I can hear your brains saying, “What? The IRS is the answer to my emotional turmoil? I don’t think so.”

What do you think of when you hear the acronym IRS? Internal Revenue Service, right? Perfectly natural reaction, and that is one correct answer, but not the only correct answer.

Yes, the answer to emotional turmoil really can be the IRS.

Do a subtle mindset shift. What if the acronym meant something different than Internal Revenue Service. What if IRS meant . . .

Identify your feelings and why you feel as you do.
Release the stress and tension
Seek a solution.

Change the angle of your viewpoint and the meaning changes..

Doing a mindset shift from assuming IRS meant Internal Revenue Service to the new possibility that it meant Identify feelings, Release stress and Seek a solution changes your entire viewpoint.

What other facts do you know which may look different when viewed from a different angle.

Feelings and experiences serve as a filter for our perceptions of events in our life.

Change the angle of your viewpoint and the meaning changes.

Look at all events in your life from different angles and you will create more harmony for yourself and everyone around you. Looking from different viewpoints creates understanding and less hurt feelings. Understanding removes un-necessary tension and opens the door for solutions.

Change the angle of your viewpoint and the meaning changes.

Who knows? The future view of your life could improve from dismal gray to sunshine and gold.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop leader for your next event. Whether you are seeking to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Speak to connect, not just communicate.

“If I would just get out of my own way, there is something so much greater out there for me.” Peter J. Gomes, renowned theologian, paused in mid sermon with his deep baritone voice trembling to confess that “I am tired of my own excuses and of my own small mindedness. I know there is something so much greater for me if I would just get out of my own way.”

Where are you in your life right now? Are you living up to your potential or settling for what is currently at hand? Why settle?

Individuals come to my workshops or speeches every week lamenting the woeful state of their life. When asked “What are you passionate about doing? What is really important to you?” All too frequently, the answer is either “I don’t know” or on the rare occasion that they do know, they are not doing anything even close to their passion. A litany of excuses pours forth about why they can not or are not even toe testing their passion. (Toe testing is when you go to the beach or swimming pool and gently touch your toe to the water to test the temperature.) They do not have a success plan or even know how to create one. Let’s face it; there is virtually zero risk in toe testing. Find your passion, form a success plan and at least start toe testing it.

Have you heard the expression that time is money? Well it isn’t. Time is time and money is money. Have you ever made a mistake and lost some money? Certainly, everyone has lost money on a purchase at one time in life. Was it fatal? No, probably not. If it was a small amount, you worked a few extra hours and made the money back. When money is lost, it can be regained. Yes, even in this economy. You will always be your most productive, most profitable and most emotionally peaceful when you are doing something you love.

Time is another issue. When time is gone, it is gone. Time can not be recovered. How many people do you think have reached the end of their life and said “I wish I had spent more time at the office and away from my family?” Few if any. How many people look back on their life and regret not spending more time at their kids’ school activities or just spending time with their family? That number is undoubtedly much higher. Time is not equal to money. Time, because it is unrecoverable, becomes far more precious.  

How long do you choose to wait to finally begin at least toe testing your passion? Time is slipping away; in some cases, time is rushing away at the speed of light.

Steve Jobs, noted icon of Apple Computers, said it best. “You will spend a great deal of your life at work. The only way to be totally fulfilled is to do really great work. The only way you will do really great work is to do something you love. If you don’t love it, keep looking. Don’t settle.”

I have had more than one very successful career: teaching, Candy Mountain Culinary Creations, Mountain Castles Property Management and financial education. Even though I enjoyed each one and was very successful, it was not until the world of public speaking and coaching burst into my life that I discovered my true passion and purpose in life. Once the realization enveloped me, I immediately formed a success plan and started implementing the plan.

You will know when you fall in to your stride. Suddenly what you are doing comes easily to you and you know you are doing what you are destined to do.

Last Wednesday evening after speaking to a delightful audience, a wave of satisfaction enveloped me. There was such a beautiful feeling of gratitude and accomplishment because the ladies told me I had inspired and empowered them. When the feeling totally settles into your soul and you know you would do that again even if you were not paid, then you know you are in your element.

Reach for your dream, your passion, and your unique niche in life. Time ticks away every day. At the very least, toe test your dream. Everyone has a special talent or niche in life, find yours. Stuff the excuses in a closet. Dust off your dreams and bring them out of the closet. It is all about what you feel and do. If you don’t love what you are doing now, keep looking. Don’t settle. It is your life. Reach for what totally fulfills your soul.

Having questions finding your true passion and niche in life? Let me help. Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote speaker or workshop leader for your next event. Whether you are seeking to improve your career situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Time is slipping away, find your niche and life the life you are destined to live.

Are you connecting with your audience or just communicating?

The “Presentation Skills Quiz” helps clarify your individual presentation style. Are you truly connecting with your audience? Do people respond to your opening statement with a question for you or do they start telling you about their business? If they start telling you about their business, chances are you have not created the connection you desired.

How will your business, bank account and successful image change when you increase the connection with your audience? As a business development coach, many personalities and attitudes reveal themselves to me. Today’s interview with a successful businessman revealed interesting data. “Elaine, out of 652 people I presented to last year, only 25 converted.” “Ralph, that is 3.8% conversion. How did it rank with other managers on your comparable level?” “My boss thought 25 conversions was good.” “Ralph, how do you feel about being good?” “Good feels like average to me and I don’t like thinking of myself as average.”

Ralph is not only wise, but honest. In the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, he details why some make the leap and others do not. Numerous articles have expounded the attitude that good is simply not good enough. Industry icons have never settled for “just good enough to get by.” This ‘settle for the status quo’ attitude is socially polite terminology for “lazy.” Industry leaders and top producers in every field of endeavor stretch themselves to be the best possible.

Research is even beginning to show that people who remain mentally active and are constant learners have less incidents of Alzheimer’s disease. Why? The brain is one of the few organs which actually becomes stronger with use. The more connections you form by continuing to learn, the more connections which are available. If you lose one or two connections through aging, it is far less significant when you have multiple connections still available. Learning increases your quality of life in the short term and the long term.

Whether you are presenting to your board of directors, your potential clients or your kids, you want to be your most effective. This “Presentation Skills Quiz” was created as a module for use as a business development coach program. The quiz is directed more toward business presentations, but the same principles apply to all presentations. The core premise is connecting rather than just communicating.

For your free copy of the “Presentation Skills Quiz” and other helpful information, go to www.Elaine4Success.com. Anyone who completes the quiz and forwards the completed quiz with their contact information (name, email and telephone) will receive a free 30 minute coaching session. How will your business, bank account and success image improve when you increase your rate of connection rather than just communication?

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of your presentations.

Is it enough? Are you enough? Are you living the life you were destined to live?

Today I am speaking on a topic near and dear to my heart, and I hope to your heart as well. “Possibilities” otherwise known as opportunities exist for all of us. Mel Robbins, author, syndicated radio host, and executive producer reminded us in her Success magazine cd interview for September 2011 that over one third of the people in America are dissatisfied with their lives.

Jim Collins echoed this theme in his book, “Good is the Enemy of Great.” It is easier in the short term to make excuses and settle for “what is” at the present time rather than reach for “what can be” in the future.

What gives me the right to encourage you to reach for your dreams?

I’ve experienced enough Emotional Ice Water to cause the second world-wide flood. At age3, my father told me “Neither your mother or I wanted you. We wanted a boy who would be worth something. You’re nothing but a ____ girl.”

He refused to sign my college scholarship for the same reason; “You’re nothing but a ____ girl. You don’t deserve an education.”

The easy path would have been to say, “That is the end of all opportunity for me. Nothing is possible for me in this situation. I just have to accept it.” On the contrary, those incidents were just the start. Have you heard the old expression, ”If it is to be, it is up to me.”

Create your own success plan and work it. Listen for the opportunities. Expect possibilities and then find a way to create positive results. Possibilities exist for everyone. It is a matter of listening for them, sorting out the best and taking action on those opportunities.

It was decision time. Stay in that toxic atmosphere and give up on life or find a rope to climb out. My coach and mentor told me “Get to climbin’ baby.” The next few decades are history and testimony to climbing up to self respect and achievement.

My success plan included a college degree: mission accomplished at age 21 (It costs the same amount for a dorm room with an enrollment of 10 credit hours as it does with an enrollment of 18 credit hours. Food costs about the same per day regardless of enrollment. Studying for 18 credit hours certainly keeps the mind on books rather than booze; not enough time to waste any of it.)

Part two of the success plan was acquiring an excellent job. Graduating earlier meant earning a full time income sooner.

Possibilities exist for the under achiever and the over achiever. The ambitious person earns more rewards and earns them sooner; ambitious people have a success plan. You do not have to be the smartest, the fastest or even the most attractive person. Unless you inherit money or have it given to you in the lottery (or other such non-earned manner), plan on working for your income. FAME AND FORTUNE DO NOT GO TO THE LAZY.

The under achiever may get and perhaps hold a low paying job and squeak by an existence. Is that what you truly want? I don’t think so or you would not be reading this right now.

Look seriously at your life and determine if you are an under achiever or an average person who is getting by but not doing great. Opportunities exist for all of us The ambitious recognize the opportunity and take action. The average person analyzes and thinks about it and does nothing. The under achiever may not even bother to think about the opportunity.

Leadership speaking opportunities flash through our lives frequently. Are your ears tuned to hear, recognize and take action? Have you turned a deaf ear to the voice of opportunity because it is just too much trouble to take action? Do you have a success plan? Are you on track or is the plan in a closet gathering dust?

Possibilities exist for all of us. The difference between the successful and the “just getting by” individuals is who is listening and taking action. Unless you are on target and moving forward, you may not be living the life you are destined to live.

Join me at www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net. Hire Elaine Love as your coach and as the keynote or workshop speaker for your next event. Whether you are seeking to grow as a speaker to improve your employment situation, gain more expertise as a public speaker or be more effective persuading your kids, hiring a coach will assist you. Take control of your possibilities.

Success requires energy. What is your energy plan? What is your success plan? Is time dragging? Are you watching the hands on the clock moving in s-l-o-w m-o-t-i-o-n? Chances are you are probably not working an effective success plan. Do you have the energy to succeed?

When was the last time you completely lost track of time? What words come to mind to describe the emotion you experience when your energy is high and you forget all about time? Focused, enthused, driven, excited, empowered, engrossed and “in the zone” are the descriptive words commonly stated. Athletes such as alpine ski racers frequently envision every bump, twist and turn of the course before the gun ever sounds to commence the run. Writers and painters have also been known to work “in flow.” When you are “in flow” your concentration and energy are high.

When you are not flowing, there are various potential causes. The four major areas affecting our energy are physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindset.

A very successful network marketer once told me, “Elaine, network marketing can make you fat.” With a petite five foot one inch frame, every pound shows. Daily exercise constitutes mental and physical stress reduction for me, not to mention dress size maintenance. In the June 2011 edition of Success magazine, fitness experts Tony Schwartz and Joel Harper detailed how sitting for 3 or more hours per day slows the metabolism. The metabolic rate slows so much that even an hour of exercise per day will not offset the sedentary hours. That lack of activity can be expansive. Back in the 50s and 60s, before many of you were born, we called it “typewriter spread.” Today it is television, computers and video games; however the net result remains the same. Sit for long periods of time without counterbalancing with exercise and your frame will spread.

Walk, jog, stretch, lift weights or even go to the gym. Walk, does not mean a trip to the cookie jar or a stroll to the refrigerator for a sugary soda. Work at the telephone or computer for 90 minutes and then do something active for at least 15 minutes.

Nutrition is critical. Raw carrots, salads, fresh fruit and raw almonds are all preferable to brownies, cheesecake and potato chips. No, you do not have to give up all of your favorite foods. You are either conscious of what goes into your face or you will be conscious of an expanding pant size. What goes into your mouth will have an effect on your waistline and your energy. Imagine filling your automobile with soda pop instead of gasoline and see how long the engine will run. Poor nutrition into your body will diminish your energy.

“Sleep is highly over rated.” This quote was told to me by an extremely successful young man who bragged that he slept less than 3 hours per night. It actually worked for him for a few years until his body collapsed. Brain Rules by Dr. John Medinal declares that your body will be 30% less efficient at burning calories when it is sleep deprived. During my days owning and operating Candy Mountain Bakery, I attempted to work from 11 pm to 5, 6 or 7 pm 7 days a week. That came to a screeching halt when I could no longer keep my eyes open to drive home. It has been stated that less than 3 percent of the population truly functions very long or very well on 6 hours of sleep per night. Some authorities even recommend a 20 minute power nap in the afternoon.

The fourth factor which is frequently overlooked is your mindset, your attitude. An interest deficit can drag your energy down as fast as lack of sleep, poor nutrition or lack of exercise. When the project does not match your talents, expertise or interest, motivation will probably be missing. Placing a social butterfly in a cubicle and telling them to work with detailed accounting projects would be a disaster. When the degree of enthusiasm or mindset toward a project is lacking, the interest deficit can be a total drag. Your attitude influences your energy and your productivity. When your attitude is not in sync with your project, your performance will not be optimal.

The next time you have the yawns, the desire to check your email or do anything other than concentrate on the task at hand, do an energy check. A quick mental check of your recent physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mindset will reveal the issue to be solved.

To achieve your maximum success, energy is essential. Include all four energy areas in your success plan. Some tasks can be delegated to free you for your most productive activities; physical exercise, nutrition and sleep are strictly your responsibility. Your mindset is paramount to achieving your goals. How are you doing on your energy check?

Hire Elaine Love as your next keynote speaker, workshop leader or personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or email Elaine@ElaineSpeaks.com.

Life getting in the way of your goals and dreams?

Email, Skype or text crosses my display screen every day. “I was all ready to start my marketing today and then _______ happened.” “I was determined to focus on my daily method of operation today and get back on track with my time management and then everything hit the fan.” “I really was planning to start my diet today and then my neighbor invited me out to lunch to this special restaurant I have wanted to same for so long.”

There is always tomorrow. Right? How many tomorrows? Little orphan Annie sang about “Tomorrow.” The song from the Broadway show “Send in the Clowns” offered the offhand comment “well, maybe next year.” At some point we cease to have “tomorrow” or “next year.”

Have you heard the lament that someone or something else is to blame for not achieving the business goal, the weight goal or even the physical fitness goal? At some time each of us has to face the fact that WE are responsible for our decisions and thus our results.

Are you where you truly desire to be in your career, your bank account balance and jeans size? No? Most of those “well intentioned” New Years Resolutions lasted hours or days rather than weeks, months and years. April 15 is rapidly approaching when Americans either face the tax deadline or postpone until tomorrow. Here we go again putting off until tomorrow. Sometimes life can seem to be a series of “putting off until tomorrow.”

The fact is that putting off until tomorrow becomes a habit. The good news is that if a habit can be formed then it can also be broken and a new more desirable habit formed.

Questions to ask yourself
1. What is it that you truly want? What do you want badly enough to continue despite the obstacles?
2. Why do you want it? Do you really want it or do you think you should want it to please someone else? Amazingly enough there are actual case studies of people who became doctors or lawyers to please a parent.
3. What are you willing to change in your life to achieve that goal? Giving up an hour or two of television a night may not be difficult once you do it for a day to two. Skipping dessert at dinner for a few days may seem feasible rather than thinking about giving it up for the rest of your life. In order to achieve a new positive result, you will need to make a few changes in your daily habits.
4. Are you willing to write a realistic success plan which you will truly commit to following? The key words were “write” a “realistic success plan” which “you will truly commit to following.”
5. Set a target date to start with a “no excuses permitted” commitment.
6. Establish the goal to be achieved and the date to achieve it.

Once you have written a detailed success plan, committed to the plan and implemented the plan you are well on your way to success. Even more than the start, it is the first speed bump which derails many people. Having a strong “why” can be the boost to push you up and over the speed bump or send you into “tomorrow” mode.

Book Elaine Love to speak to your organization or book Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.Elaine4Success.com or www.ElaineSpeaks.net to enter your request. In order to achieve success, design an effective success plan.

Life is not perfect. Neither are Toastmasters contests. Perhaps, a few are perfect; however, I have not attended one of those yet. Perfection as defined by the organizer and perfection as defined by observers and participants may differ.

Just as Ed Tate, 2000 World Champion, reminded us that speaking requires a “debrief.” Toastmasters contests require a “debrief” as well.

What if:
1. Your chief judge does not arrive. No notice, no excuse, just no show.
2. Your Sergeant of Arms and 3 judges arrive 15 minutes or more late.
3. You have a combined area contest and you have zero paperwork from the contestants in one area.
4. The stand in for one area governor does not arrive until 20 minutes late and does not bring any of the forms with him.
5. There is a protest against one of the speakers and against one of the judges.
6. A car dealership meeting room was selected for the contest. The public address announcements are quite annoying and distracting. Even though the dealership did their best to turn the sound off in the meeting room, it was still quite obvious.

Oh NO. What if all of these things happen in one evening?

Background of preparations before the contest.
1. Toastmaster, table topics, food, timer, vote counters, judges, contest chairs all received multiple emails throughout the weeks preceding the contest with detailed instructions including the contest location and time to arrive.
2. Contestant names were all verified and listed in the program accurately.
3. Certificates of participation were beautifully printed and ready in advance.

Contest day – what went right. . .
1. All contestant paperwork was completed prior to the contest and neatly arranged by area and category.
2. Trophies as well as second and third place certificates were completed and ready for the winners names.
3. The contest room was prepared and arranged in advance in an appropriate manner.
4. Dignitaries were properly acknowledged.
5. The contest team was absolutely amazing about picking up pieces and banding together to assist in making it as smooth and “stress free” as possible for the contestants.
6. Judges, contestants and supporting team roles were all briefed on their duties.
7. Food and beverages all arrived on time and in sufficient quantity.
8. Last second adjustments were made and all roles were filled with qualified personnel.
9. Timing lights and back up cards arrived and were operating.
10. Proper paperwork for judges, counters and timers was available and distributed in advance. Judges certification was verified and documented.
11. Room was filled to capacity and sufficient programs were available.
12. Contestants were not seated by judges and everyone was able to see and hear.

By all logical standards, every possible preparation was completed in advance. So what went wrong? How could the chaos have been prevented?

Instead of emailing the key volunteers, phone calls could have been made until the volunteer was actually spoken to directly a week in advance of the contest. Apparently some people do not open their emails or if they do, they do not read them. Go over the location, arrival time and importance of arriving on time; receive a verbal commitment that the volunteer will in fact arrive on time.

Read the entire rulebook word for word and ask a top district officer if there were any possible questions. Perhaps even hold a face to face meeting with each key volunteer a week prior to the contest. Does this seem like overkill and treating mature adults as children? Perhaps. Who knows where the fine line is drawn on delegation of responsibility. My error was expecting volunteers and contestants to open and read emails and not giving sufficient follow up for confirmation.

All paperwork for the other area could have been requested more insistently in advance and personally physically obtained in advance if necessary.

Extra judges could have been recruited and available on a “just in case” basis. The judge disqualification was handled smoothly prior to the contest without any mention of names or personalities. The contestant disqualification followed the Toastmasters rule book to the letter, thanks to a detailed last minute chief judge.

An additional tip which was received the night of the contest was to prepare clear plastic strips with the names of all contestants pre-printed. The appropriate labels could then be affixed to the certificates for the second and third place winners and affixed to the bottom of the trophies for the winners. Regardless of how attractive the handwriting of the contest chair, area governor or division governor, this would give an attractive professional representation of the winner’s names. The suitability of this suggestion depends on the quality of the pre-printed label.

Good news. The contest appeared much smoother to the audience than it did to the area governor in charge. The contest was completed in its entirety with an equal playing field for the presentations.

Oh yes, it was a learning experience for myself as the presiding area governor. What to do, what not to do and what could have been done differently or better has been duly noted and internalized Learn, grow and do better next time.

What is it that you really desire?

Do you know exactly what you prefer in a mate or even a date? Have you written a list of the exact height, body type, and maybe even hair color? In the case of men, you may have even specified that they do have hair. “Terry, you should call for a date at least 2 days in advance and preferably 4 or 5 days in advance,” “No, it is not flattering to be treated as a last minute Molly.” “Elaine, I don’t always know my schedule in advance. It has to be a last minute call.” Have you ever been a party to a similar discussion?

When it comes to dating or selecting a mate, many of us know the precise physical characteristics and the way we prefer to be treated on a first, second and fifth date.

When we plan our vacations, it is not uncommon to plan the exact route we will travel and probably the transportation method. We may reserve the lodging in advance and perhaps even schedule the sight seeing tours or at least the points of interest.

How many people do you know who plan their career with the same detailed precision? Do you?

Without an organized vacation plan, you might wander around until you discovered you were either out of time or out of money. You could end up stranded miles away from home or discover that you were out of time to do the things you really wanted to do. Without a success plan, you will be extremely unlikely to achieve your goals. The old adage “unless you have a plan to succeed, you are planning to fail.”

Dating follows the same principles. Unless you stay focused on the ideal you may end up settling for someone or something you did not want. Either design a specific success plan and remain focused on the ideal or you seriously diminish your chances for success.

You career objectives require the same detailed success plan. When you were in high school or a young adult, did you have dreams and goals? I did. At that point in life, everything was possible. As the years slipped by, either progress was made toward the goal or you were running in place. Have you taken a job because it seemed like a good idea at the time and found that you stayed even though you were not happy? Why stay if you are unhappy? Was it easier to stay with the known even if you did not like it than to exert the effort to change? Status quo may be easier than reaching for your dream. Ask yourself if you are settling for following your success plan. Oh yes, I have heard all of the reasons, many were cleverly disguised excuses. There were bills to pay and obligations. Where are you in your life right now? Are you truly happy and excited to pop out of bed each morning and engage in your day or are you dragging yourself reluctantly out from under the covers and moping toward the shower?

If you are on your path toward your ideal career, excellent. If you are running in place at a job which is not moving you forward in learning, income or even emotional satisfaction, stop and ask yourself a serious question. “If not now, when?”

Do you even know what your dream is anymore? I challenge you to find it and start pursuing it. Even if the success plan is a paper pursuit at this moment, allow yourself to dream and plan.

“Life is an attitude, choose to have a good one” has always been my motto. What motto are you living right now? Why? Regardless of what you choose to do, I challenge you to find something you are truly passionate able doing and follow your dreams. You may be delightfully surprised at the positive results. Instead of running in place, you may be reaching the first, second or even third mile markers in a short time.

If you need help inspiring yourself, your team or your company, hire Elaine Love to speak at your next event. Hire Elaine Love as your personal coach and mentor. Go to www.ElaineSpeaks.net or www.Elaine4Success.com. See you in the winners circle.