Simple Strategies To Increase Workplace Productivity

 

workplace productivity

#GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness 

Life Area: Professional

Topic: Workplace Productivity

Simple Strategies To Increase Workplace Productivity

 

Workplace productivity is top of mind for both business owners and employees/contractors. My business coaching clients know that the more efficient they can run their operations the more profitable the business will be. Employees and Independent Contractors know that the best measure of their value are their results. These two objectives merge at the sweet spot of workplace productivity with a win/win outcome. To encourage a more productive workday I offer to both business owners and employees four workplace productivity strategies:

 

MAKE YOUR WORKDAY SYNC WITH YOUR ENERGY  We are most productive in the first four and a half hours of the day, so arrange to tackle you most challenging or important task during this time. Don’t look at emails, answer phone calls or multitask. “One of the saddest mistakes in time management is the propensity of people to spend the most productive hours of their day on things that don’t require high cognitive capacity, like social media,” behavioral scientist Dan Ariely has said. “If we could salvage those precious hours, most of us would be much more successful in accomplishing what we truly want to.” As my friend, Brian Tracy says: “Eat that frog first!”

 

RECHARGE YOUR BRAIN  If you try to concentrate on one piece of work without taking a break, your mind will wander. “The brain cycles from highest attention to lowest attention approximately every 90 minutes,” Jeff Stibel, brain scientist and author of Wired For Thought, has said. “You should hit the reset button about that often.” Going for a quick walk around the block will boost it. If you can’t get out or it’s raining, it helps to just take a break from your screen and sit in a different location, like a conference room to read printed material or make a phone call. I recommend using the pomodoro method of concentrated work for 50 minute stints then a 10 minute break and so on. Check out the app Pomodoro Time Pro to keep you on track.

 

 

When I’m conceptualizing a workshop or speech presentation slide deck, I edit out the obvious, the irrelevant and any repetition.

 

 

USE LESS WORDS  The world-famous TED Talks are limited to 18 minutes, and there’s a good reason why. Research shows that too much information prevents the successful transmission of ideas. In presentations, nobody wants death by PowerPoint! A picture can speak volumes. Also, don’t expect your audience to read your slides while listening to you. When I’m conceptualizing a workshop or speech presentation slide deck, I edit out the obvious, the irrelevant and any repetition. Whatever the task, I try to find the shortest route to convey my message.

 

HAVE FEWER MEETINGS  How many real decisions are made in meetings? They’re usually made beforehand and the meetings simple sign off on them. The ratio of time versus value for a typical meeting is rarely justified. Remember, less is more. If you’re running the meeting, include as few people as possible. Set a clear, short agenda and a time limit – and stick to it! If a problem must be solved, deal with it first. If you’re an attendee, ask for the agenda in advance. If other issues arise that threaten to get in the way of decision-making, suggest firmly but politely that they be dealt with at a later date. And, speaking of TED Talks, check out this 6-minute TED Talk by David Grady entitled “How To Save The World (or at least yourself) From Bad Meetings”.

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

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Talk with Tom: Episode #30 | Creating Successful Relationships

 

On today’s episode of Talk with Tom, we continue with our February theme of “Relationships” with a discussion of Part IV (Create Successful Relationships) of Jack Canfield’s best selling book The Success Principles.

You will hear best practices for team and family communications to gain better clarity, make win/win agreements and optimize your listening skills.

Every month Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Relationship Series #3: 10 Tips For Having More Meaningful Relationships

 

#GrowYourLife 

Life Area: Relational

Topic: Relationship Tips

10 Tips For Having More Meaningful Relationships

In this last of my February Relationship Series, I give you 10 tips for having meaningful relationships. The term “relationship” encompasses many forms: clients and customers, work colleagues, one’s significant love, parents, children, even acquaintances and strangers to a certain extent. All of these “relationships” can have a positive or a negative influence on our lives. The condition of our relationships, and most certainly our most significant relationships, have an impact on our successes in each of the 7 life areas.

Want to know how to achieve more meaningful relationships with those around you? Start with these 10 simple tips:

1. Take inventory of the relationships you have.

Some relationships are meant to last for a long time, others serve a short-term purpose or life lesson. Take an inventory of the relationships you have and see which ones you would like to keep and which you should let go. Letting go of unnecessary or toxic relationships make room for new ones to show up.

2. Be happy with yourself.

As I described in my blog post A Simple 3 Step Process to Self-Acceptance found [here], your most important relationship is your relationship with yourself. Be happy with yourself…always.

3. Be positive.

Here’s a quick question. Would you rather spend time with someone who is a downer or someone who is upbeat?  Barbara Frederickson, a psychologist at the University of North Carolina, backs up the obvious by writing in Psychology Today, that positive emotions help us “broaden and build” relationships.

Would you rather spend time with someone who is a downer or someone who is upbeat?

4. Don’t be someone else.

Be yourself. Be authentic. As Adrian Savage puts it in LifeHack, “If you can’t trust yourself, why should others trust you?”

Continue reading →

Relationship Series #2: 8 Equivalents of Functional Teams & Functional Families

 

functional families

#GrowYourLife 

Life Area: Relational

Topic: Functional Families

8 Equivalents of Functional Teams & Functional Families

Continuing my blog theme of “Relationships” for this month of Valentine’s Day, I identify today 8 habits that crossover from functional teams at work to functional families at home. It was an article in Real Simple magazine by author Patrick Lencioni (The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team) that prompts this post translating organizational dynamics to a family setting:

 

Identify your core values. Companies define their core values because they provide a great framework for making all kinds of decisions. To apply this idea to your family, think about what common traits drive each family member.

 

Establish a single top priority.  If everything is important, nothing is. Too many companies fail because they spread their time and energies too thin. Answer this question as it relates to your family: “If we accomplish one big thing as a family in the next few months, what should it be?”, and then work on it.

 

If we accomplish one big thing as a family in the next few months,

what should it be?

 

Keep your values and top priority visible.  You don’t need an engraved plaque stating your vision and mission, but write it down and stick it on the refrigerator where everyone will see it everyday.

 

Don’t make snap decisions.  Companies (and families) tend to take on commitments out of peer pressure or guilt, before they understand what’s involved. Gather information and then make a decision.

Continue reading →

Talk with Tom: Episode #29 | TwT Motivational Minute: Your Most Important Relationship – Your Relationship with Yourself

 

TwT MM Self Acceptance

It’s February and “relationships” is my blog theme for this month of Valentine’s Day. Let’s begin our deep dive into the Relational Life Area, with your most important relationship: your relationship with yourself. Specifically, accepting yourself unconditionally.

  1. Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that YOU “think” other people have toward you.
  2. Stop being troubled by things that may have happened in your past.
  3. Arrive at self-acceptance.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Relationship Series #1: A Simple 3 Step Process To Self-Acceptance

 

#GrowYourLife 

Life Area: Relational

Topic: Accepting Yourself

 

A Simple 3 Step Process To Self-Acceptance

It’s February and ”relationships” is my blog theme for this month of Valentine’s Day. Let’s begin our deep dive into the Relational life area, with your most important relationship: your relationship with yourself. Specifically, accepting yourself unconditionally.

The other day in a coaching session it became apparent to me that my client hadn’t yet fully accepted herself.  Now, I admit we all on-goingly struggle with this to a certain extent, but she hadn’t even begun the process and this was standing in the way of a major breakthrough for her so I walked her through the following simple 3 step process:

Step 1:               Your attitude toward yourself is determined largely by the attitudes that YOU “think” other people have toward you. When you believe that other people think highly of you, your level of self-acceptance goes up and vice versa.

Step 2:               For you to truly understand yourself, or to stop being troubled by things that may have happened in your past, you have to be able to get those things off your chest. When you can disclose what you’re truly thinking and feeling to someone else, you can become aware of those thoughts and emotions yourself. If the other person simply listens to you without commenting or criticizing, you have the opportunity to become more aware of the person you are and why you do the things you do. You begin to develop perspective, or what some call “detachment.”

When you can stand back and look at yourself honestly, and candidly admit to others that you’re not perfect, then you can start to enjoy a heightened sense of self-acceptance.

Step 3:               After doing those things, you arrive at self-acceptance. You accept yourself for who you are: the good and the bad, your strengths and your weaknesses. When you can stand back and look at yourself honestly, and candidly admit to others that you’re not perfect, then you can start to enjoy a heightened sense of self-acceptance.

YOUR ACTION STEP

A valuable exercise for developing higher levels of self-acceptance is to take an inventory of your unique talents and abilities and your past successes in both your personal and professional life. Think about how those things will serve you in the future and the possibilities that may come from them and soon you will determine that you WILL have what you want to have, do what you want to do, and be who you want to be. You can then set goals and move toward them.

Remember, there are no obstacles to what you can accomplish except the obstacles that you create in your own mind…so keep your monkey-mind in check!

 

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Talk with Tom: Episode #28 | 5 Cash Flow Goals Every Small Business Should Have

 

business cash flow

On today’s episode of Talk with Tom, we continue with our January theme of goal setting but this time we turn it from personal goals to business goals…from Growing Your Life to Building Your Business. Today’s topic is the 5 Cash Flow Goals Every Small Business Should Have:

  1. Pay attention to margins
  2. Pay yourself a salary
  3. Have finances in reserve
  4. Avoid debt
  5. Save for growth

Be realistic about your goals. Aiming for super high margins, an unrealistic salary, or endless cash reserves can be detrimental to your business. Think about each of the above steps and prioritize each based on what’s realistic and achievable for your industry, fiscal state, and wider business goals. Start by revisiting your business plan, talking to your accountant, and then go from there.

Every month Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Goals Series #3: Three Ways To Stay Motivated To Reach Your Goals

 

#GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

Topic: Goals Achievement

When I was engaged by yoga and athletic apparel company Lululemon to train their Denver area sales people on Goals Achievement I was asked multiple times from the workshop participants, “How can I stay motivated to reach my goals?”  We’re all capable of improving, regardless of what natural abilities we were born with or without. It’s important then to acknowledge our successes or failures and remind ourselves that they are a direct result of our own effort or lack thereof, not of factors outside our control.

It’s the difference between having a “fixed mindset” or a “growth mindset”. Download this FREE infographic – Growth Mindset vs Fixed Mindset – from my FREE Resources page on my website to learn more.

growth mindset vs fixed mindsetA “fixed mindset” assumes that our abilities can’t be changed in any meaningful way, and success or failure is the reinforcement of the traits we were “born” with. On the other hand, when we have a “growth mindset,” we see obstacles and challenges as opportunities for growth beyond our existing abilities.

These two mindsets spur a great deal of our behavior so it’s essential to recognize if you tend toward a fixed mindset and try to shift your thinking toward a growth mindset.

A growth mindset will keep you trying when you hit obstacles.

When we are hungry, cold, or feel in danger, we have no trouble finding the “motivation” to eat, stay warm, or get somewhere safe. But when comes to everyday situations that don’t hold a life or death outcome, we suddenly find ourselves searching for the “motivation” to make it happen. This happens all too often when it comes to setting and achieving our goals.

Here is this third of a three-part blog Goals Series, I offer up 3 ways to stay motivated to reach your goals:

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

 

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs as devised by Abraham Maslow, once basic needs such as food, water, and safety are satisfied, humans are naturally motivated to embark on an ongoing quest to reach our full potential.

So is it really the problem of lack of motivation? Or are we just having trouble following through?

Often the problem is our misguided concept of motivation itself. Read on to learn three ways to think about motivation differently in order to achieve your goals >>>

Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK! I describe it in detail in this Talk with Tom podcast episode on the subject [here].

What if you could radically and positively transform your life in EVERY ONE of the 7 Life Areas (Personal, Physical, Professional, Financial, Relational, Spiritual, and Philanthropical)?

That’s right, your relationships, your health, your career, your finances, your fun and leisure, and even your level of contribution to the world? My FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge will help you determine where you are, where you want to be, and what you want, to create the life you want, IN ONLY A WEEK! Download it for FREE [here].

Continue reading →

Success Series Affirmations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #Affirmations  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

Find more of these Success Series Affirmations on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

Goals Series #2: How To Reach Your Goals

 

How To Reach Your Goals in 2018#GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

Topic: Goal Achievement

Do you want to make this year your best year ever? Keep reading and I will give you 4 key tips for how to do it.

One of your most valuable financial assets is your earning power. They call it your human capital. To earn more you have to constantly increase your value. The only way you can create more value for yourself this year is to learn and apply new skills that allow you to get better results.

Imagine climbing a mountain. Base camp is when you first start your career. Perhaps you’ve just graduated college and you’re now going out into the world seeking a first job that best fits your newly acquired education with your passion and desires. When you start at the bottom of mountain (Base Camp), most people have no earning ability, but after 10 or 20 years some are earning 20 to 50 times more than others! Even though they started out in the same place.

What’s Their Secret?

 

The difference is that the top performers, continually learn new skills as they go through their careers —  be it corporate America, musician, or entrepreneur. Like climbing a mountain, every new skill brings you to Camp 2 then Camp 3, another step closer to the summit. As you scale the mountain, you increase the value of your contribution. This, in turn, increases your ability to earn more money. If one of your goals is to earn more money this year, then create more value. It’s as simple as that.

Focus on these 4 skills to continue your trek up the mountain and make this year your best year ever:

 

Tip 1:    Write Better Goals

 

how to reach your goals in 2018Some people don’t know where to start and wonder how to write goals. Ask yourself this question:

“Where do I want to be in 12 months?”

Write down one major goal for each of your 7 Life Areas (Physical, Financial, Professional, Spiritual, Relational, Personal, and Philanthropical) that you want to accomplish in the next 12 months using the SMART goals definition. Look at your goals that you have written down and think to yourself, “If I could wave a magic wand, which one goal would have the greatest impact on my life … would most move the needle?”  As Gary Keller puts it in his bestselling book The One Thing,

 

“What’s the One Thing I can do such that by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”

 

For most of us, it’s a financial goal. For some of us it might be a fitness goal, a relationship goal, or a business goal, but for most of us it is a financial goal. You can still use these tips on any goal.

 

Tip 2:   Focus On One Skill At a Time

 

 Write down that One Thing very clearly and set a date for its attainment. Then make a list of everything that you can do to achieve this goal using my friend and mentor Brian Tracy’s ABC Method. Then, the next question you want to ask yourself is:

 

“What one skill will help me the most to achieve this goal?”

 

Think about all of the skills that you have and if you determine you don’t have the skill(s) that it would take to achieve that goal then focus on learning one skill that can help you achieve that most important goal.

This formula is the reason why people go from the bottom to the top of the mountain. The most successful people are very clear on where they are and where they want to be.

You must have very clear goals. Then you must be very clear about the skills you must acquire that will get you to each result/outcome you desire. When you acquire new skills, it helps you climb the mountain, every step (skill) increases your value. When you increase your value, you open up new opportunities for yourself. Keep adding new skills and keep growing to achieve your goals.

Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK! I describe it in detail in this Talk with Tom podcast episode on the subject [here].

What if you could radically and positively transform your life in EVERY ONE of the 7 Life Areas (Personal, Physical, Professional, Financial, Relational, Spiritual, and Philanthropical)?

That’s right, your relationships, your health, your career, your finances, your fun and leisure, and even your level of contribution to the world? My FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge will help you determine where you are, where you want to be, and what you want, to create the life you want, IN ONLY A WEEK! Download it for FREE [here].

 

Continue reading →

Talk with Tom: Episode #27 | TwT Motivational Minute: Acquiring Wealth

 

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom shares the 3 most important steps to acquiring the wealthy lifestyle you want to lead.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Goals Series #1: 5 Cash Flow Goals Every Small Business Should Have

 

5 small business cash flow goals#BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Professional

Maintaining cash flow positive is something that many small businesses struggle with. After all, it only takes one or two late net 90 clients and you may find yourself among the 90 percent of small businesses who fail every year due to cash flow problems.

Setting goals for cash flow management can help make sure you have a profitable business and enough cash to offset your monthly expenses. Here are five cash flow goals that every small business should aim for:

 

5 Small Business Cash Flow Goals

 

1) Pay attention to margins

By “margins”, I mean both gross margin and net profit. Gross profits are what are left over once you subtract the cost of goods sold. Margins vary by industry, but there are some things you can do to ensure yours are healthy. That includes controlling the cost of materials, labor, and setting the right price point.

Don’t forget your net profit margins (before taxes are paid). This is what’s left from your gross margins after your expenses have been paid. If your net margins are below 10 percent, you should reassess all the above. A good goal is a minimum 10-20 percent. Grocery stores run 3-4%, home builders 8-10%, and suppliers can run as much as 25-50%, so be sure to compare yours to the relevance of your industry.

 

2) Pay yourself a salary

It’s not uncommon for new business owners to work uncompensated. However, many continue doing so even when they start turning a profit. It’s believed that as many as 90 percent of small business owners underpay themselves.

Continue reading →

FREE 2018 Success Planner

 

2018 success planner

#GrowYourLife #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

I hope that you’re having a terrific holiday season with your family, friends, and loved ones. Now that 2018 is here, I’d like to know, how are you planning your year ahead?

What big goals are you planning to achieve in 2018? Take a moment to think about it, because we’ll come back to this in a second.

As for me today, New Year’s Day, I will get out my goals list and Master Calendar for the year ahead and finalize them, especially as it relates to the first quarter. I suggest you do the same today or sometime over the week ahead. Plan out what it is you really want to accomplish in 2018 and translate its milestones to your Master Calendar. What gets calendared, gets done.

Set a New Year’s goal with a specific date attached to it. Ask yourself “How much, by when?” and be sure your goal is specific, measurable, actionable, and has a deadline attached to it. Read on to receive my FREE holiday gift for you >>>

Continue reading →

FREE Resource – Year End Assessment Tool

 

#GrowYourLife #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

 

FREE Resource – Year End Assessment Tool

 

I just wanted to send you a quick boost of encouragement and motivation as we head into 2018. You and I both know that these last few days of the year present a major opportunity. There’s no better time than now to take a look at your life and work and assess some areas that are ripe for improvement. Invest your time away from the office in personal growth.

I suggest taking a hard look at the last year and asking yourself a few very important questions:

  • What is a goal you set this year that you haven’t yet achieved?
  • What did you make more important than achieving that goal?
  • Who helped you the most, and how can you be a greater resource to them?
  • What’s still important to achieve?

Take time for yourself to do YOUR Annual Review. Download my FREE Year End Assessment Tool to help you through those and other questions which will springboard you into 2018.

tom hart success series year end assessment Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here]. As you look to the new year, it’s important to step back and take a look at the year just finished – to take inventory, add it all up and see how you did. What were your successes, and where did you come up short? What worked? What didn’t? Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here] to help you do just that. My FREE Year-End Assessment Tool is a guide to help you assess the progress you made toward achieving your goals this past year and set you up for success in 2018. Download this valuable FREE resource [here] and get started today!

Please share this FREE Resource with your family and friends.

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Talk with Tom: Episode #26 | My Ultimate Goal Setting System

 

ultimate goal setting system

It’s that stereotypical time of year when we all set our goals for the coming year and on today’s episode of Talk with Tom, Tom will be giving us his Ultimate Goal Setting System. Tom will walk us through his step-by-step goal setting system to guide you from your Grand Vision to your daily action steps.

tom hart success series year end assessment Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here]. As you look to the new year, it’s important to step back and take a look at the year just finished – to take inventory, add it all up and see how you did. What were your successes, and where did you come up short? What worked? What didn’t? Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here] to help you do just that. My FREE Year-End Assessment Tool is a guide to help you assess the progress you made toward achieving your goals this past year and set you up for success in 2018. Download this valuable FREE resource [here] and get started today!

Every month Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Success Series Affirmations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #Affirmations  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

Find more of these Success Series Affirmations on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

4 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Business Coach

 

#BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Professional

So, you made the leap from being an employee to owning a business. Congratulations! You’ll soon realize that you can only take yourself so far before you need to raise capital, form a team and yes … find someone who has gone down this road before you. Enter the business coach.

4 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Business Coach

 

There isn’t anything else that you receive 100 percent dedicated attention to you. A business coach is somebody who helps you move from where you are to where you want to be, and does so by solely focusing on your goals.

If you are not clear on your vision, then every single opportunity will distract you and impede your progress. After all, you’ll never really know what you’re capable of until there’s someone to push you outside your comfort zone. Just ask any professional athlete.

If a business coach is something you’ve thought about recently but aren’t quite sold on getting one yet, here are four reasons why you should:

1. To brainstorm brilliance

There’s a common saying that goes, “nobody is smarter than all of us.” In other words, the collective power of many is far superior to the single power of one, which speaks to the value a coach brings in brainstorming new ideas. However, doing so is both an art and a science.

Anybody can go online and find brainstorming software for free with the goal to generate genius — that’s the science part. The “art” part, however, is excavating personal values and beliefs that you never knew existed and linking them to your desires and intentions. Sometimes it takes a new perspective to see an existing connection.

2. To bounce ideas off

Nowhere else can you find somebody solely dedicated to acting as your own personal sounding board. A coach — well, a good coach — asks powerful questions that unearth deeply rooted values otherwise firmly planted, with zero judgment. Unlike the local rumor mill in your neighborhood or office, it’s not a coach’s responsibility to opine about your position, but rather to suspend judgment in such a way that guides you toward your own goals.

3. To be accountable

Isn’t it strange how easy it is to break the promises we make to ourselves, but less so when we involve other people? A coach serves as an accountability partner who challenges you to strategize and develop your goals while aligning your efforts toward achieving them.

tom hart success series year end assessment Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here]. As you look to the new year, it’s important to step back and take a look at the year just finished – to take inventory, add it all up and see how you did. What were your successes, and where did you come up short? What worked? What didn’t? Download my FREE Year-End Assessment Tool [here] to help you do just that. My FREE Year-End Assessment Tool is a guide to help you assess the progress you made toward achieving your goals this past year and set you up for success in 2018. Download this valuable FREE resource [here] and get started today!

Continue reading →

Happy Holidays from Tom and the Success Series Team

 

Happy Holidays from Tom and the Success Series Team

 

Happy Holidays!

 

This time of year, the hustle and bustle of the holiday season can seem stressful, overwhelming, and sometimes downright exhausting…

 

But it’s important to remember why we’re doing these things.

 

Let’s all pause for a moment to think about the abundance and joy that surround our lives and daily activities. Showing gratitude for the people and things in our life will bring us even more love and happiness.

 

When you’re with your family and friends, do your best to remain present. Enjoying your time and nourishing your relationships can help you feel grounded, inspired, and supported as you get ready to take on new opportunities in 2018.

 

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Why Having Gratitude Helps You Achieve Your Goals

 

why gratitude helps achieve goals#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Personal

You’ll recall when I and my team sent you are Thanksgiving greeting that I recommended keeping a daily or weekly Gratitude Journal. I mentioned its many benefits and wanted to add one more benefit to the mix with this blog post as we approach the stereotypical goal setting time of the year:

Why Having Gratitude Helps You Achieve Your Goals

 

One of the challenges in reaching our long-term goals is getting derailed by short-term gains. These are decisions that look good in the moment—instant gratification usually does. But they actually prevent us from making progress or even set us back.

See if you recognize any of these:

  • The impulse buy that dings your savings goal.
  • The skipped workout routines that plateau your weight loss.
  • The late night at work that keeps you from your child’s school recital.

We get the short-term win from the purchase, the rest, and the project completion. But we lose the long-term payoffs that only come from reaching our goals: financial security, physical health, and lasting connection with our kids.

Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge here. It is for anyone who is looking to achieve a specific goal in their personal or professional life, no matter how big or small. If you’re unsure of how to go about starting on a path to achieving your goals, then this challenge is for you. Over the course of 7 days, you will gain clarity into exactly what you want to achieve in every area of your life and determine a clear-cut plan for how to achieve those goals. Download it here and listen to my Talk with Tom podcast episode where I describe in detail how to use the guide.

It’s true for all kinds of goals. What I and many others came to realize is that gratitude is the difference maker. Why? There are at least three reasons gratitude can help you stay the course and reach your goals:

  1. Gratitude keeps you going. In one study researchers Robert A. Emmons and Anjali Mishra had students list goals they hoped to reach over a two month period. Ten weeks later they checked back and found the grateful students were closer than others in the study to reaching their goals. Emmons and Mishra said there’s a prevailing (but unproven) idea out there that gratitude can leave people feeling complacent. If I’ve got enough, then maybe I don’t need to achieve more. Instead, they determined, “gratitude enhances effortful goal striving.”
  2. Gratitude improves your patience. A lot of times we take the easy out because we’re impatient. Achieving big goals takes time and effort. Thankfully, gratitude can keep you in the game. David DeSteno of Northwestern University led a study where participants were asked to recall an event that made them feel grateful, happy, or neutral. After writing about it, they reported their mood and then made a series of financial decisions. If they wanted, they could take a cash reward at the end of the session or receive a larger amount by check in the mail at a later date. The grateful were happy to wait for the bigger payout. “On average, we increased people’s financial patience by about 12 percent,” said DeSteno. “Imagine if you could increase people’s savings by that much.”
  3. Gratitude lowers your stress. People fall for instant gratification because indulgence and avoidance are both attractive ways of coping with stress. But we all know they’re not effective in the long run, and we’ve got the bills and ill-fitting clothes to prove it.It turns out gratitude is a far more effective way to cope with stress. Emmons and Mishra conclude, “The evidence strongly supports the supposition that gratitude promotes adaptive coping and personal growth.”

Instant gratification looks good in the moment, but can actually prevent us from making progress or even set us back.

I love asking successful people what they do to succeed. When their answers overlap with each other it’s like building a list of best practices. When the science backs them up, we’d have to be foolish not to listen.

Expressing Gratitude is just one of eight different best practices in goal setting. Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge here. It is for anyone who is looking to achieve a specific goal in their personal or professional life, no matter how big or small. If you’re unsure of how to go about starting on a path to achieving your goals, then this challenge is for you. Over the course of 7 days, you will gain clarity into exactly what you want to achieve in every area of your life and determine a clear-cut plan for how to achieve those goals. Download it here and listen to my Talk with Tom podcast episode where I describe in detail how to use the guide.

Your Action Step

Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge here and get started today setting your 2018 goals.

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Talk with Tom: Episode #25 | 10 Basics of Personal Finance

 

success series personal finance

On today’s episode of Talk with Tom, Tom gives us the 10 Basics of Personal Finance including:

  • Have a reason why money and financial freedom is important
  • Create a Prosperity Mindset
  • Decide what you want
  • Assess where you are
  • And more!

FREE Download PDF – Year-End Assessment Tool

Download Tom’s FREE Year-End Assessment Tool – A Guide to Help You Assess the Progress You Made Toward Achieving Your Goals. This valuable FREE resource can be downloaded for FREE at: SuccessSeriesLLC.com/wordpress/resources. After all, it is the end of November, so get your FREE downloadable Year End Assessment Tool today!

Every month Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Happy Thanksgiving from Tom Hart and the Success Series Team

 

Happy Thanksgiving From Success Series

Happy Thanksgiving!

This coming Thursday those of us who reside in the United States will be celebrating Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday primarily celebrated with family and friends in an expression of shared gratitude for our many blessings. As you sit down with you and yours, please remember that we at Success Series are truly grateful for the wonderful support that we receive from all of you. Continue reading →

A Simple Mindfulness Practice – Keep a Gratitude Journal

 

A Simple Mindfulness Practice - Keep a Gratitude Journal

#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Personal

Perhaps you’re on a roll with your mindfulness practice by incorporating my FREE 7-Day Guided Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series into your week. If not, give it a try [here] or at  www.SuccessSeriesLLC.com/wordpress/meditation. If so, fantastic!! Keep it up! Maybe it’s time to integrate a Gratitude Journal into your mindfulness practice.

A Simple Mindfulness Practice – Keep a Gratitude Journal

 

Studies suggest that writing in a gratitude journal three or four times a week might actually have a greater impact on our happiness than journaling every day. So just take 10 minutes every other day and note three things you are grateful for.

The overall benefit you want to achieve is to actually FEEL the joy…the good emotions…that come with your recollection of a good event, experience, person, or thing in your life.

Write down up to five things for which you feel grateful. Physically writing it is important—don’t just do this exercise in your head — and yes, you can do it on your computer, or with an app, and not lose out on anything. The things you list can be relatively small in importance like “my tasty lunch today” or significant, such as “my game changing new job.”

How to do it

There’s no wrong way to keep a gratitude journal, but here are nine guidelines to get you started:

  1. Be as specific as possible—specificity is key to fostering gratitude. “I’m grateful that my co-workers brought me soup when I was sick on Tuesday” will be more effective than “I’m grateful for my co-workers.”
  2. Go for depth over breadth. Elaborating in detail about a particular person or thing for which you’re grateful carries more benefits than a superficial list of many things.
  3. Get personal. Focusing on people to whom you are grateful has more of an impact than focusing on things for which you are grateful.
  4. Try subtraction, not just addition. Consider what your life would be like without certain people or things, rather than just tallying up all the good stuff. Be grateful for the negative outcomes you avoided, escaped, prevented, or turned into something positive—try not to take that good fortune for granted. Continue reading →

Success Series Affirmations

 

affirmations affirmations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #Affirmations  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

 

Find more of these Success Series Affirmations on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

5 Tips to Minimize Stress

 

5 Tips to Minimize Stress

#GrowYourLife #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

Stress is a normal and natural part of human life — you can’t avoid it, so how do you manage it?

 

5 Tips to Minimize Stress

We encounter stress every day: in driving through traffic, falling behind schedule and managing big projects. We must learn to how to deal with stress in order to lead a more productive, happy life.

Today I’m going to share a few ways that I manage the stress in my life, and I know these will work for you as well.

Here are 5 tips to minimize stress:

1) Plan Your Day

Plan every aspect of your day and plan your activities in advance, especially if you are going through a difficult time in your life. Having a plan for your day will make you feel more in control. You won’t have to think about or make a decision on what to do next. Becoming an expert in time management will reduce your stress levels enormously. Breaking down every task and activity in your day or week will make the big picture a lot less intimidating.

2) Focus on Your Most Important Task

When you are experiencing a lot of stress, only work on the tasks that are the most important to improving your life. You can use tools that we’ve discussed in the past, like the 80/20 Rule, to make setting and choosing your goals easier. Setting clear priorities for your work each day, before you begin, will relieve much of your stress immediately. Then, discipline yourself to start on your most important task and work on it until it is complete.

3) Get More Rest

It’s amazing how many people suffer greater stress from the same event because they are just tired. Fatigue causes you to experience stress at much higher levels for much longer periods of time. A body well taken care of will serve you much better in the long-run, and will reduce your stress naturally. If you are planning your day properly, then planning for more sleep shouldn’t be a problem.

Read on to learn two more ways to help you deal with stress >>>>>

Continue reading →

A Formula For Achieving Big Physical Goals After Age 40

 

A Formula For Achieving Big Physical Goals After Age 40

#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Physical

The older one gets the harder it is to achieve our BIG audacious physical goals, like competing in a triathlon or riding a century. Not only because of growing physical limitations but also because of growing responsibilities of family, career and community. Can you still go BIG? OF COURSE YOU CAN! If you follow this system, the only thing that can stop you is YOU.

A Formula For Achieving Big Physical Goals After Age 40

#1 – Assess yourself and what you are asking your body … and your mind … to achieve.

 

First, and foremost, you must believe you can do it. And, I don’t mean just competing in the event, but the needed training as well. Belief is the genesis of all accomplishment. Maintain a realistic perspective during your training and push yourself to excel at a rate necessary to peak at the competition. To help keep perspective, remember these things:

 

Find your why. This is your reason for wanting to achieve your big audacious goal. Without it you will fail when the going gets tough.

 

Go all in. Decide at the onset that you are going to do whatever you need to do to achieve your goal. Sign up for the event, commit to training, and fill your days with positive motivation to keep you going.

 

Know what you are willing to give up and what you aren’t. There are certain things I have on hold when it comes to my training and certain things that I will not give up. I must continue to run my businesses in spite of my training and I want to continue to spend time with my family and friends, so often times it is my leisure activities that must be put on hold if I am in the middle of training for a century ride or other big audacious physical goal.

 

#2 Make a plan.

 

Set yourself up for success with a routine. Figure out your training plan and do not deviate from it unless, or until, you experience a flaw in it. Create a realistic timeline. Many of the athletes I work with get down on themselves when they aren’t progressing at their pre-determined pace because they were unrealistic about how long something would take in the first place. They feel so discouraged that they beat themselves up and their mental-game plummets.

 

Continue reading →

Talk with Tom: Episode #24 | The Ultimate 7 Habits Guide

 

ultimate 7 habits

On today’s episode of Talk with Tom, Tom will be giving us the ultimate 7 habits guide including:

  • 7 great habits of the most successful people;
  • 7 simple habits to keep you consistently happy every day;
  • 7 money habits of the wealthy we can all adopt;
  • 7 habits of people who build extraordinary relationships;
  • And more!

Every month Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

JUST RELEASED – My FREE 7-Day Guided Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series

 

tom's FREE 7-day mindfulness meditation audio series

#GrowYourLife #BuildYourBusiness

#SuccessSeries #MeditationAudioSeries

Life Area: Personal

One of the most valuable things I’ve ever done for myself and my career was to start meditating every day.

The mental, emotional, health, AND SUCCESS benefits of daily meditation are truly amazing.

Unfortunately, traditional meditation can take a long time to master (and even longer to start enjoying the benefits).

But now you can start to reap all the incredible benefits of meditation from the very first day, in only 10 minutes!

Download Tom’s FREE 7-Day Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series

 

I recently produced, and have now gone live online with, my FREE 7-Day Guided Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series recorded personally by me.

When you visit SuccessSeriesLLC.com/wordpress/meditation, you will gain access to seven 10-minute meditation sessions of a simple to learn and easy to follow format of mindfulness meditation personally guided by me. You can access them anytime, from anywhere, from any device, right from that page OR you may download them and listen to each of the seven sessions any time you want.

Download Tom’s FREE 7-Day Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series Today

 

Do yourself a favor. Sit down where you won’t be disturbed and visit my landing page for this valuable FREE resource. There you will also find out:

  • What Mindfulness is,
  • How mindfulness improves our decision-making, and
  • How to meditate.

You can also read my compilation of research on the types of meditation, the many entrepreneurs and celebrities that practice meditation, and its many benefits.

Learn how to meditate

 

Learning how to meditate can help you achieve success faster, because when your mind is clear and focused, and your body is relaxed and calm, you can access information, both internal and external, that can help you make better decisions.

Download Tom’s FREE 7-Day Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series Today

 

Link to its landing page here and listen to or download my valuable FREE 7-Day Guided Mindfulness Meditation Audio Series now!

You can access all the sessions anytime, from anywhere, from any device, right from that page OR you may download them and listen to each of the seven sessions any time you want.

I promise it’ll be worth your time.

 

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

The Purpose of Your Business Plan

 

the purpose of a business plan

#BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Professional

 

Many of my business coaching clients first come to me asking me to help them write a business plan. Whether they were just a start-up or had been in business for a number of years and were then seeking a capital investor for the first time, they found themselves, as many entrepreneurs do, unable to describe to outside third-parties the who, what , where, why, when and how of their business.

How To Write A Business Plan

 

Providing an overview of your business can be tricky, especially when you’re still in the early planning stages. If you already own an existing business, summarizing your current operation should be relatively easy; it can be a lot harder to explain what you plan to become.

What I advise them is to project out into the future and reverse engineer.

Think about what products and services you will provide, how you will provide those items, what you need to have in order to provide those items, exactly who will provide those items… and most importantly, whom you will provide those items to.

Sound like a lot? It boils down to:

  • What you will provide
  • What you need to run your business
  • Who will service your customers, and
  • Who your customers are

If you open a restaurant, what you plan to serve will in some ways determine your labor needs, the location you choose, the equipment you need to purchase… and most importantly will help define your customer. Changing any one element may change other elements; if you cannot afford to purchase expensive kitchen equipment, you may need to adapt your menu accordingly. If you hope to attract an upscale clientele, you may need to invest more in rent at a prime location and creating an appealing ambience.

Continue reading →

Success Series Quotes

 

success series quotes success series quotes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #Quotes  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

 

Find more of these Success Series Quotes on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

Take Your Productivity To A New Level

 

#GrowYourLife and BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal and Professional

You’ve heard me talk here about Michael Hyatt’s Productivity Assessment, well here’s another heads-up that I want to send your way.

Hopefully you took me up on the advice to go take your FREE Productivity Assessment and learned what areas of your personal and professional life required more focus. From having done that you may want to enroll in Michael’s online course Free To Focus, registration closes tonight at 11:59pm PT.

For just a few more hours, you can still sneak into registration here:

http://freetofocus.com/WLPROG/2017f2fsales

There’s not a more efficient way to reclaim your time and energy — to invest in the high-leverage and most important things in life.

If you’ve felt like there was something standing between you and the balanced, satisfying life you really want, you need this course.

But this is your last chance to get it before registration closes.

http://freetofocus.com/WLPROG/2017f2fsales

Tonight at 11:59 pm PT, the doors to register for Michael’s course slam shut. So it’s decision time. And it starts right here:

http://freetofocus.com/WLPROG/2017f2fsales

>>>

Please share this post with your family and friends. 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

DISCLOSURE: As a Michael Hyatt affiliate I am pleased to offer Michael’s Free To Focus course to you. In the event that you register for this valuable resource I will receive an affiliate commission.

Talk with Tom: Episode #23 | TwT Motivational Minute: Get Optimum Results Out of Your Day

 

get optimum results out of your day

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom tells us the best way to get the optimum results out of our day and the two reasons why this way is the best way.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Want To Know How Productive You Really Are?

 

productivity assessment

#GrowYourLife #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal and Professional

 

Want to know how productive you really are?

I am pleased to offer to you this FREE resource from my friend, Michael Hyatt: Michael just came out with a quick self-assessment test to find out how productive you really are. It’s completely FREE, and it only takes a few minutes.

http://freetofocus.com/WLPROG/2017assessment

You may be asking yourself, “Why does this matter?”

Because if you’re like most high-achievers, you want to your spend time well — and live intentionally. This test helps you do just that.

You can only find the path to more time and more freedom when you’re CLEAR about where you are now.

I just finished taking mine and I was surprised with my results. I encourage you to take the assessment for yourself and discover your Productivity Score! Michael explains what it all means and gives you a free summary of your answers.

It’s the ticket to upping your productivity game…

Ready to discover your score? Just click here. http://freetofocus.com/WLPROG/2017assessment

 

Please share this post with your family and friends.

 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.

I am a Success Strategist and Master Coach. I provide transformational coaching and training for individuals and organizations to help you Grow Your Life and Build Your Business by getting clear and focused on what you want, why you want it, and how to create it. Learn more about me at SuccessSeriesLLC.com.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

DISCLOSURE: As a Michael Hyatt affiliate I am pleased to offer Michael’s Free To Focus course to you. In the event that you register for this valuable resource I will receive an affiliate commission.

Success Series Affirmations

 

success series affirmations success series affirmations

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #Affirmations  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

 

Find more of these Success Series Affirmations on our Twitter and Facebook pages!

Why Attention To Exercise and Nutrition Is A Must

 

why exercise and nutrition

#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Physical

In the late 1990s I was 30 pounds overweight due to too many years of entertaining real estate clients at fancy restaurants, private clubs and Laker games. I gained the weight over 10 years and when my mom had a minor heart attack, following my dad having one himself years earlier, I knew genetics wasn’t helping any. So I lost 30lbs in 60 days by eating less and exercising more.

That wake-up call taught me first hand the value of monitoring your exercise and nutrition and I present to you here five reasons why we can’t afford to neglect diet and exercise:

5 Reasons Why Attention To Exercise And Nutrition Is A Must

 

1 – First, our bodies are made to move. Our bodies are literally built to move with muscles, tendons, and bones. Our world of technology has created a sedentary culture where people are sitting and staring at their cell phones, tablets, or computer screens for hours on end. In previous times, physical work was a given.

2 – Second, exercise adds fuel to your gas tank. some people think, “I can’t workout, I’m too tired.” What they don’t realize is that if they would just do it, they would be more energetic for the rest of the day. Exercise not only eliminates toxins from our bodies, but according to the Mayo Clinic, it also improves our circulation and our hear and lung health. It might sound counter-intuitive, but exercise gives you more energy than it takes. Read my blog post here on Natural Ways To Gain Energy.

3 – Third, exercise lifts our mood. According to one survey found in one of my Recommended Reading books by Tom Rath, Eat Move Sleep, just twenty minutes of moderate exercise in the morning has been shown to improve mood as much as twelve hours later in the day. Exercise unleashes neurochemical processes (endorphins) that can leave us feeling exhilarated and happy.

4 – Fourth, exercise helps regulate our blood-sugar level, which directly relates to our energy levels. And, of course, so does food. This is one reason why I generally avoid high-carbohydrate, especially refined carbohydrate, meals. They make me sleepy and lethargic because they spike our blood sugar ramping up our insulin, then send us crashing.

5 – Fifth, eating for convenience instead of health and well-being leads to obesity and a whole range of conditions that sap our energy. Looking at the World Economic Forum’s Human Capital Report, what drives down the U.S. numbers is primarily our bad health. There’s a direct connection to the foods we eat and what we’re able to accomplish.

YOUR ACTION STEPS

Determine to get (and stay) physically healthy. It’s easy to compromise here. You have to decide ahead of temptation that you’re not going to back down from what matters most to your physical well-being.

Next, move! Get intentional about moving. Park away from the entrance and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Ease into it if you need to. Take the elevator up and the stairs down until you’re in the groove. Eat with conviction not convenience. Go to the work of juicing that morning green drink. Pack your own lunch. Order small portions. Watch what you eat and don’t let that deadline or to do list take you off course with an easy out fast food meal.

Please share this post with your family and friends.

 

My mission is to inspire people and organizations to live their highest vision.  It is my honor and privilege to serve you in this way.  I make it an absolute MUST to inspire each and every one of you to STEP UP and live the life of your dreams, NOW, and not settle for less than you can be, do, have, say or believe.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many FREE resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address OR forward this to them and have them simply click here (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

We’ve Lost Another Great One — Louise Hay

 

louise hay

 

A great mentor and great leader in the space of Personal Development has passed away – Louise Hay – at age 90 on August 30, 2017.

If you are not familiar with Louise Hay, she was literally one of the first creators of what we now know of as the Personal Development Community. If you love self-help and personal development, you can attribute its presence in the world to Louise and other pioneers of the industry. You can find out more about her life and legacy here and read a Hay House tribute to her here.

Her books have sold over 50 million copies. You can heal your life was her message and the title of her greatest work. She taught that you can use your mind and affirmations, self-talk self-acceptance, and…love…to change your life. This was Louise’s message…at least what I took from it…and it has influenced my life and all my works.

Serendipitously, Louise passed away on the same day of the year as another cornerstone pioneer, Wayne Dyer, had two years ago (read my post here).

As a tribute to her, I urge you to buy her best seller, You Can Heal Your Life, from my recommended reading list or any of her works, including FREE downloadable Affirmations and other Hay House published books, apps, and resources. You will benefit greatly.

Blessing to her fans, friends and family.

Thank you, Louise, for your great contribution to the world. Your legacy lives on but we will miss you.

Talk with Tom: Episode #22 | TwT Motivational Minute: Taking 100% Responsibility

 

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom shares with us the importance of taking 100% responsibility for our life; successes and failures.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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3 Life Lessons You Can Learn From Skydiving

 

3 life lessons from skydiving

#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Personal

3 life lessons you can learn from skydiving.

 

When my son turned 13 I told him we would have an adventure of his choosing to move him from childhood to manhood. He chose hiking the Grand Canyon. I did the same with my daughter but by the time she had decided what she wanted to do, she had turned 16…and, gulp, she had decided to go skydiving!!

Now I write that with emphasis because though hiking the Grand Canyon was arduous and entailed multiple days (1 day down, 1 day on the bottom, and 1 day out), my son and I were somewhat prepared having made many hikes over the years. But skydiving? My daughter and I had no experience whatsoever. It was a complete outside-the-box thing with challenges of its own. For instance, my daughter had no idea that I had a fear of heights!

For years I had been developing skyscrapers. Up and down the exterior construction elevator I went showing colleagues, partners, and prospective tenants the city view from 1,000+ feet up. As I would step off the exterior construction elevator I would bee line for the middle of helipad and stay somewhat away from the edge, if I could. And here my daughter was telling me the one adventure she wanted to have was to skydive. So…of course…I had to swallow hard and just say “yes” without skipping a beat.

Life Lesson #1 From Skydiving: Step out of your comfort zone and lean into your fear.

 

The best time to skydive is the first jump of the day. This way you avoid the inevitable weather delays that come later in the day as jump after jump is pushed out an hour, maybe two, maybe even to the next day. So we drove out to the airfield for the 7am tandem jump and took the required orientation training, then off we went with our instructors, a few other novice divers and their tandems, and a couple intermediate and advance solo jumpers.

‘Round about 5,000 feet the solo jumpers step out the door. You see, they were just after increasing their jump count to advance to the next level of their sport. We on the other hand, were going to 10,000’ to be able to experience the free fall as well as gliding to a landing. Well let me tell you, when those jumpers stepped out at 5,000’ my daughter and I, wide-eyed, with pupils-dilated, looked at each other and said, “We’re really doing this!!”  We knew there was no going back, our turn was next.

Life Lesson #2: When you commit to a vision, follow through.

 

Up to 10,000’ we went and sure enough when our names were called we were strapped to our instructors and ready to go. When you tandem skydive, and I hope you do, very little is under your control. Though they tell you how to position your legs and arms, and when to pull the chute, you’re basically going along for the ride.

My daughter went first. She screamed as she went out the door and my heart sank. You see…as a Dad or Mom you must relate…you see, I wanted to help her, comfort her, and assure her that all would be well, but no, she was having to find out that all for herself. I was next, and out we went.

Remember me mentioning the free fall? For the first 5,000’ you have the exhilaration of the free fall. You do some spinning tricks, some aerodynamics. I’m, of course, looking for my daughter hoping all is well with her and that she is enjoying the journey…to no avail. It’s hard to orient to things when you’re going who-knows-how-fricken-fast free falling to the earth. Then the tap on your shoulder comes to pull the rip cord. A little aside if you do go skydiving: don’t worry if you don’t pull the rip cord fast enough, your tandem instructor is watching his/her little altimeter and if you don’t act fast enough, they will. No need for that with me, I was ready and waiting.

Continue reading →

How To Do Your Weekly Review

 

how to do your weekly review

#GrowYourLife

Life Area: Personal

 

You probably notice on my Ideal Week Sample that I do a Weekly Review every Sunday evening…well, not EVERY Sunday evening, but that would be my ideal 🙂 Anyway, I’m often asked, “How do you do a weekly review?”

A Harvard study found that practicing reflection makes what we’ve learned stick in our minds better, as well as improving our performance. In fact, they proved that we reach a point in our work or training when we’ve learned enough such that reflecting on our experience can actually boost our performance more than further practice.

Reflecting is good for us, whether tracking our progress on goals or taking note of what we’ve learned, reflecting regularly helps us refocus and re-motivate. The weekly review is a chance to tie up loos ends, prepare for the week ahead and monitor short-term goals progress.

How To Do A Weekly Review

 

If you’re just getting started with your own weekly review you’ll probably go through a phase of trial and error to find your sweet spot as to what works for you. What I share here is what I do and it may be a place for you to get started.

Step 1: Sort through paperwork. Some will need to be scanned and digitally filed, some may need action, and others simply tossed.

Step 2: Review meeting notes from the week. When I take notes I use various symbols to depict a personal action item, a delegated item, an in-progress item, etc. During my Weekly Review, I review my notes and find those items that need further action or follow-up next week.

Step 3: Review last week’s Weekly Task List and calendar. As mentioned here before, you all know I keep, and advise you keep, a simple task management system in Evernote which includes a Master Task List, a Weekly Task List, and a ToDo Today list. During my Weekly Review, I review my Weekly Task List and my calendar to cross off items accomplished and find any items needing follow-up…ok, true confession, I don’t wait for my weekly review to check-off items accomplished, I usually do it immediately (and yes, if the item is not on my Weekly Task List, I add it and then check it off!).

Step 4: Review goals. Doing this at this point grounds me in my priorities for the week ahead. Inevitably we get pulled away from our visions by the day-to-day mundane. By looking at my goals before establishing my week ahead reminds me what to prioritize. Continue reading →

7 Tips On How To Best End Your Workday

 

how to best end your workday

#BuildYourBusiness

 

Life Area: Professional

I do a ton of reading. These days I listen to about an audio book a week using Audible while I workout or commute. On top of that, I read hardcover books, magazines and other periodicals, and targeted, personalized, responsive online magazines and articles using apps such as Flipboard and Feedly. If I can’t read something I’ve come across online until later, I save it in Pocket. In putting together today’s blog post I used a number of those different resources to compile today’s content:

 

7 Tips On How To Best End Your Workday

 

Do you often find yourself running out of workday before you run out of work? I do! And I find that if I can remember to implement many, if not all, of these 7 tips I find myself able to end the day on a high note and be prepared to hit the ground running tomorrow:

 

Tip #1: Prepare for tomorrow’s workday. Many sources recommend ending your workday by preparing for tomorrow’s. From Forbes.com we learn: be sure to check-off all you accomplished today and set a clear plan for tomorrow’s tasks. Use a task management app such as Todoist or simply a task list in Evernote to organize your ideas, tasks and goals in one place.

Tip #2: Move end-of-day meetings to tomorrow. We are all running out of energy at day’s end. Meetings held late in the day can be unproductive as people’s energy levels wane. In the Huffington Post it was recommended to schedule time to catch-up the next day instead, and explain you’d like to give it your full energy and attention. Often times they will feel relieved themselves.

Tip #3: Say a proper goodbye. We learn on BusinessInsider.com that a friendly goodbye to your team helps build rapport as well as signal that you are gone for the day. Say goodbye once to those around you to minimize distractions for those still at work.

Tip #4: Organize your desk. One of the world’s foremost authorities on time management is my friend and mentor Brian Tracy. Brian tells us, “50% of time is wasted on low-value activities like looking for information. Having an organized desk helps you think clearly and effectively.” I would add: have only on your desk those things that you need for the task at hand; file everything else away to do away with distraction. Continue reading →

Talk with Tom: Episode #21 | TwT Motivational Minute: Working With the Right Mentor

 

mentor or coach

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom tells us how we can choose the right mentor – and how to respect their time and the gift they are giving to you.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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The 5 Levels of Delegation

 

5 levels delegation

#BuildYourBusiness

 

Life Area: Professional

So many of my clients and seminar attendees are entrepreneurs and small business owners susceptible to falling into the habit of doing everything themselves and finding it very difficult to delegate even the most trivial of things to others. That was me too! It was hard for me to hand over something to another when I felt like it wouldn’t be done as good or that it would take me longer to explain to them how to do it than it would take for me to just do it myself!

 

To assist them, and you, I offer up here the starting point of how I began to delegate. There are five levels of delegation and as you work your way up the levels you exercise your delegation muscle more and more. My mantra for last year is applicable here… “Business moves at the speed of trust.” What I found is that I became more and more trusting as my delegates succeeded. Soon you too will find that you have off-loaded quite a bit, leaving you more able to focus on those things that require your unique core competencies.

 

The Five Levels of Delegation

 

Level 1: Do exactly what I have asked you to do. Don’t deviate from my instructions. I have already researched the options and determined what I want you to do.

 

Level 2: Research the topic and report back to me. We will discuss it, and then I will make the decision and tell you what I want you to do.

 

Level 3: Research the topic, outline the options, and make a recommendation. Give me the pros and cons of each option, but tell me what you think we should do. If I agree with your decision, I will authorize you to move forward.

 

Level 4: Make a decision and then tell me what you did. I trust you to do the research, make the best decision you can and then keep me in the loop. I don’t want to be surprised by someone else.

 

Level 5: Make whatever decision you think is best. No need to report back. I trust you completely. I know you will follow through. You have my full support.

 

There’s a big difference in authority between these levels. If you or your delegate are unclear about the scope, then clarify, clarify, clarify.

 

What to Delegate

To decide what to off-load, you must first do a quick self-assessment as to what you like to do and what you are competent to do. Ask yourself these three questions:

 

  1. What am I good at doing?
  2. What do I enjoy doing?, and
  3. Of all team members, what can only I do?

  Continue reading →

Know When To Go Organic

 

know organic

#GrowYourLife

 

Life Area: Personal
If you want to be healthy, wealthy and wise about the fruits and vegetables you eat, you should know when to go organic, as well as when it’s unnecessary. Sometimes I find it worthwhile to pay a little extra for organic…sometimes not so wise.

I came across a study by the Environmental Working Group which ranked produce based on what contained the least and most amount of pesticides. The ones with the most pesticides were strawberries and spinach – so go organic for these two, as well as nectarines, apples, peaches, pears, cherries, grapes, celery, tomatoes, bell peppers and potatoes.

As for least amount of pesticides (making it unnecessary to go organic): obviously the thick skin things such as avocados, pineapple, bananas, eggplant, mangoes, papayas, cantaloupe, kiwi and grapefruit, but also cauliflower, cabbage, onions and asparagus.

On another note, Happy Birthday to my Dad…he’s 84 today! Happy Birthday Dad! I love you <3

One of my missions in life is to move and inspire people to live their highest vision.  It is my honor and privilege to serve you in this way.  I make it an absolute MUST to inspire each and every one of you to STEP UP and live the life of your dreams, NOW, and not settle for less than you can be, do, have, say or believe.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Talk with Tom: Episode #20 | TwT Motivational Minute: Heart Talk to Heal Tension

 

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom tells us how we can use the tool of a heart talk to resolve tension that might have built up over time.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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8 Ways to Gain Energy Naturally

 

#GrowYourLife

 

Life Area: Personal

Do you often find yourself running low on energy late in the day? Or, do you occasionally wake up already tired? Energy Management is as key to success as Task Management and Focus but few people realize that. Conventional wisdom taught us that if you slept eight hours a night, ate right and exercised well, you would have all the energy necessary to accomplish a successful day.

We now know that there are many ways to gain energy, both naturally and unnaturally. It can be easy and convenient to grab an energy drink or coffee when you’re feeling tired, but a cheap-and-quick energy drink will leave you feeling even more fatigued than you initially were once it wears off. Try these natural, clean and easy methods for increasing your energy:

8 Ways to Gain Energy Naturally

 

STAY HYDRATED. The more water, the better. Staying hydrated keeps your body functioning properly, which in turn keeps your energy levels up. Here’s the popular rule of thumb my clients have heard me say time and again: Drink half your body weight in ounces every day.

REMEMBER CAFFEINE IN MODERATION. Natural caffeine in coffee, green tea, or black tea is a great way to boost your energy level. Caffeine has also been found to stave diabetes, dementia and migraines.

INCREASE YOUR MAGNESIUM INTAKE. Halibut, whole grains and nuts (particularly almonds and cashews) are rich in magnesium. If those don’t appeal to you, take a daily natural supplement. A Department of Agriculture study found that women who had more magnesium in their diet could workout longer and harder at the gym.

GO SMALL. Eat smaller meals more often. By eating a small meal every two to three hours, you maintain your brain’s steady flow of nutrients and avoid fatigue. If you prefer less frequent, larger meals, make sure you don’t skip any. FYI, a portion is the size of your fist.

ADD ANTIOXIDANTS TO YOUR DIET. Blueberries, artichokes, and tomatoes are great examples of foods full of antioxidants, a clean energy source (meaning they can protect the body from energy swings). Continue reading →

Some Alternatives to SMART Goals

 

smart goals hard goals pure goals clear goals

#GrowYourLife

 

Life Area: Personal

You’ve heard me say, write, live SMART goals. That is:

SMART GOALS:

S   pecific
M easurable
A  chievable
R  ealistic
T  ime bound

Here’s three other acronyms I came across for you non-conformists:

PURE GOALS:

P  ositively Stated
U  nderstood
R  elevant
E   thical

CLEAR GOALS:

C  hallenging
L  egal
E  nvironmentally Sound
A  greed
R  ecorded

HARD GOALS:

H  eartfelt
A  nimated
R  equired
D  ifficult

Tom Hart Success Series 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge

For more on goal setting, check out my recent blog post Mid-Year Goals Check-in and dive deep with my 2016 Goals Series of blog posts: [here’s #1] [and #2] [#3 is linked here] [find #4 here] [and last in the series #5] and read [this blog post from the 2015 archives]. To learn how to write an action plan for goal achievement read [this post].

My crash course for this year is my 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK! I describe it in detail in this Talk with Tom podcast episode on the subject [here].

Download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge eBook – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK! [Download for FREE here].

 

In continuation of a sampling of the 100 Things Successful People Do from the book of the same title by author Nigel Cumberland (but not all 100 🙂 Here’s another 5:

1. Have the courage to fail

2. Seek wisdom and use it

3. Model the best

4. Sleep well

5. Laugh more.

 

One of my missions in life is to move and inspire people to live their highest vision.  It is my honor and privilege to serve you in this way.  I make it an absolute MUST to inspire each and every one of you to STEP UP and live the life of your dreams, NOW, and not settle for less than you can be, do, have, say or believe.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive my FREE monthly resource by leaving their email address (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Mid-Year Goals Check-in

 

#GrowYourLife and #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Personal

Nearly half the year has past to achieve your 2017 goals and I want you to ask yourself the following question: Are you on track to…

  • …make more money?
  • …spend more time with loved ones?
  • …travel as much as you want?
  • …live the life you dream of?

If your answers had you shaking your head or feeling disappointed, might I suggest taking action to get you back on track?

To help give you a little nudge, download my FREE 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK!

 

7-Day Goal Setting Challenge

 

Continue reading →

Try Time Blocking Instead of a To-Do List

 

ideal week sample time blocking#GrowYourLife and #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Professional

 

Many of you know my simple time management technique. You start with a brain-dump to create a Master Task List, then from that develop a Weekly Task List, with your Top Three becoming your Daily To Dos.

 

When combined with my Ideal Week time blocking method (found on my FREE Resources page) you may find it easier to manage your time and your tasks.

 

TIME BLOCKING

 

Time blocking is essentially assigning your tasks to different time slots of concentrated work throughout your week.

 

Why Time Block?

Organizing your tasks into time blocks helps you prioritize better. Assign your number 1 task to your number 1 time slot. Your number 1 time slot may not necessarily be your first time slot of the week…make it your best time slot based on the cycles I talk about below.

 

There is also a psychological reason why time-blocking makes more sense. In what is known as the Zeigarnik effect, which basically states that we remember what we haven’t done better than what we have done, an uncompleted task weighs on us, leading to stress and insomnia. However, when we have all of our tasks placed into a specific time slot, we sleep more soundly knowing everything that needs to get done is assigned a time to get done.

 

Cycles and Biorhythms

I’ve written here before about the Pomodoro productivity method which recommends at period of focused work, usually 50-60 minutes, followed by a brief break of say 10 minutes. In spite of having a three hour block of time, be sure to “break” it up.

 

Before you start calendaring your time slots, think about how your energy and work both flow. Are there work cycles that could affect how much uninterrupted time you will have? And what times of day do you have the most energy or are best suited to do the tasks you need to do? “Don’t schedule a hard task in a time of day where you typically lag, and don’t schedule a big task in a small amount of time. Wishful thinking can’t change the reality of your schedule,” Cal Newport adds in his new book Deep Work.

 

Here’s how it works: Remember this: your Master Task List may contain 100 items but you know from previous mentions here that the Paraeto Principle states that 80% of your results will come from 20% of your efforts. The same holds true for your tasks. They will break out like this: 10% will be your highest priorities at any given time (with 20% of those yield 80% of your results). The bottom 10% WILL NEVER GET DONE. And the 80% in the middle will slide up and down, be replaced, drop-off, etc. So here are the numbers from your brain-dump of 100: 10 will be of highest priority (2 will be game changers), 10 will never get done, and 80 will constantly be on the move to completion or deletion.

Continue reading →

Memorial Day Remembrance

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#SuccessSeries  #MemorialDay  #GrowYourLife  #BuildYourBusiness

A Memorial Day remembrance to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country

 

 

Talk with Tom: Episode #19 | TwT Motivational Minute: Your Joyful Career Path

 

In this Talk with Tom Motivational Minute, Tom tells us how we can use our inner skills to guide us on our ultimate career path.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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10 Basics of Personal Finance

 

10 basics of personal finance

#GrowYourLife

 

Life Area: Financial

Disclaimer: This material is based on my personal experience and has been prepared for informational purposes only. It should not be the only means of your personal finance decision making; please consult a professional advisor before taking action.

 

Some of you have attended my Create The LIFE You Want workshop and you would remember much of these personal finance basics from my Saturday afternoon Money module. For those of you who haven’t attended (you can [sign up here for the next one] held closest to you in either LA, Denver, Dallas or KC) here’s a quick lesson in the basics of personal finance:

10 Basics of Personal Finance

1. Have a reason why money and financial freedom is important to you.

You must know your “Why” to be motivated as to the “What” and “How”.

When I started my first business at age 18, I was motivated to make money because I needed to pay for my college education. When I sold that company, a Southern California-based auto detailing company named Every Last Detail, and went into real estate it was because I was a new father and wanted a more profitable career to provide for my family. Your “why” will motivate you and keep you on track when the inevitable peaks and valleys occur. Continue reading →

Seek Out a Mentor or Coach to Accelerate Your Results

 

 Seek a Mentor or Coach

#GrowYourLife and #BuildYourBusiness

Life Area: Professional

 

The Power of Mentors. Do you want to know how to cut twenty years off the learning curve in your career or business? It is to learn from people who are already where you want to be, or people who have done what you want to do.  A mentor is one of many ways to accomplish this.

Mentor

A mentor is a person who is interested in your success, happiness, well-being, and future, and wants to make a contribution. A mentor brings insight, feedback, integrity, a willingness to help, and genuine concern for the mentee. One mentor can accelerate your career and two can skyrocket it. I suggest you look through your contacts and see if you can find someone who can contribute to your career or business success, and ask him or her to meet with you. The key is to create a win-win relationship. If the person is at a distance, then call. A mentor/mentee relationship can be accomplished over the phone just as effectively.

Set up ground rules up front for each person’s roles, expectations, agendas, time use, accountability, and feedback.  The right mentor can save you time, energy, and money. He or she can challenge your thinking, hold you accountable, help you reach your goals, share in your successes and failures, and have fun in the process.  Find someone today who can help you further your career in this way.

Seek a Mentor or Coach

Business or Life Coach

An alternative to a mentor is a professional business or life coach. Do your research and find the best fit with your business or personality, define your objectives, and have an initial free phone consultation to determine if he/she is right for you. I have been a business coach and a life coach for over 17 years and am a Certified Master Coach and have provided transformational coaching and Continue reading →

8 Habits for Maintaining Work-Life Balance

 

 8 Habits for Maintaining Work-Life Balance

#GrowYourLife

 

I’m like you, I struggle with maintaining a healthy balance between my work life and my personal life. I implement many tools and systems to avoid getting caught in the trap of over-doing or under-doing in either category so that I maintain a “being-ness presence” in all that I do.

Many of the tools I use can be found on the Resources page of my website including, my Personal Strategic Plan and Ideal Week templates, let alone my Annual Master Calendar. By now, you’ve probably downloaded my FREE PDF eBooks: Year-End Assessment Tool, 2017 Success Planner, and my 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge guidebook. All these ensure that I keep focused on my goals and that I calendar what I want to accomplish, and when.

I don’t think there is a division of work and life. I know that work is an integral part of all of our lives. The only reason I even used the term “work-life balance” in the title of this blog post is that it has become such a pervasively used term that everyone googles it to find out the very things that I’m writing about here. So, let’s just say I advocate a balanced life, and I’ll tell you here 8 habits to help you in your quest to maintain that balanced life:

Habit 1 – Choose the life you desire.

Many, many of the participants in my Create The LIFE You Want workshop come in the door not having a clue of the life they desire, nor have they ever given it much thought. Many believe “life” dictates their daily activities and that they have little to no influence on it. Of course, if you’ve been a reader of this blog for very long, you know that I believe nothing can be further from the truth and that to the contrary, I believe…I KNOW IN MY HEART…that our lives are not only in our control, but that our future is determined by our actions of today (and, our actions are a derivative of our thoughts of the moment). Now, before I get any email push back, let me acknowledge that oftentimes life will bring us something completely out of the blue – either positive or negative – and that those people, events, challenges, opportunities, etc are not our doing. But be prepared; that preparation is under your control. Continue reading →

Talk with Tom: Episode #18 | ENCORE EPISODE: Daily Disciplines

 

In this Encore Episode of Talk with Tom, Tom gives us 6 daily disciplines to support of goal achievement. They include: morning intentions and visualization, using external images of success (Vision Boards), thinking a better feeling thought, having an attitude of gratitude, taking action, and acknowledging that it’s working.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or GooglePlay, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Creating Effective Affirmations

 

creating effective affirmations

#GrowYourLife

 

Tony Robbins calls them “Incantations”; Deepak Chopra calls them “Mantras”; I, and others, prefer to say “Affirmations”. No matter what you call them, they are powerful…and THEY WORK!

Affirmations are one of the most powerful ways to create a vibrational match for what you want to attract into your life.

Every thought you think and every word you say is an affirmation. Your thoughts and words are declarations of who you think you are and how you perceive the world to be. Every time you think a negative thought or make a self-depreciating comment you are actually affirming it as your personal truth. Fortunately, the same holds true for positive thoughts and statements.

Strong positive affirmations are powerful means of self-transformation and are key to creating the life you want. Affirmations replace the limiting beliefs that you have internalized for years with positive statements that “affirm” who you want to be and how you want to experience life.

power-thoughts-affirmations

Affirmations are a regular part of my day. I listen to Louise Hay’s 101 Power Thoughts Affirmations app as an important part of my morning routine, I cite my own affirmations throughout the day, and I have others in my ear-buds as I’m falling asleep. Stating affirmations aloud can be a powerful deterrent to negative thinking and if written, and spoken, as effectively as I am going to describe here, can be a supportive tool for your sub-conscious and the law of attraction to help you create the life you want.

Creating Effective Affirmations

 

One of my most popular downloads from my Workshop Resources page is my Creating Effective Affirmations handout from my Create The Life You Want workshop. Download it for FREE here. Print it off. Carry it with you or post it nearby for you to refer to as you write your personalized affirmations. In it I outline nine guidelines to follow to create powerful, effective affirmations for use EVERYDAY to help you manifest ANYTHING. The Nine Guidelines for Creating Effective Affirmations are: Continue reading →

Talk with Tom Episode #17: 5 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness

 

Tom Hart Success Series 5 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness

In this episode of Talk with Tom, Tom gives us 5 reasons to practice mindfulness, how mindfulness improves decision- making, and why Richard Branson recommends entrepreneurs practice mindfulness.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or GooglePlay, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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8 Ways To Maximize Your Meetings

 

Tom Hart Success Series 8 Ways To Maximize Your Meetings

#BuildYourBusiness

 

Are you, your company, your team or your employer susceptible to “death by meeting”? Absolutely! Here are 8 ways to maximize your meetings and minimize the pain:

8 Ways To Maximize Your Meetings

 

1. Circulate an agenda and supporting documents before the meeting. It always baffles me when I’m invited to attend a meeting and the only clue as to what the meeting is for is the topic in the subject line of an email invite. Respect people’s time by sending a meeting agenda and supporting documents ahead of time, and, ideally, mention the desired outcome you, as the meeting organizer, want.

2. Make sure key people are invited; don’t invite non-essential participants. You ever been in a meeting where the meeting organizer invited people who really didn’t need to be there and ended up contributing little to nothing? Often times, these people try to justify their presence by stating an opinion that ends up being nothing but a distraction. Remember the desired outcome you want and invite only those that are the relevant decision makers to that end. Continue reading →

3-Step Guide To Meditation

 

3-Step Meditation

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As I mentioned in my last blog post, The 5 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness, meditation is now a key part of my ideal morning routine after, at first, being one of those individuals that used to poo-poo it saying, “I don’t have time to meditate.” Perhaps you’re like I was and yet…you’re curious.  You ask – “Would meditation reduce my stress, keep me centered, and help me achieve my goals?” You wonder – “Well…it probably wouldn’t hurt, but how do I start?” If that describes you, then this blog post is for you. Continue reading →

5 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness

 

Tom Hart Success Series 5 Reasons to Practice Mindfulness

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I, like you perhaps, used to be in the school of thought that I was too busy for meditation. I thought mindfulness, and its cousin meditation, were for folks who were “out there”, practicing some well-meaning but very time consuming, distracting and impractical practice. Boy, was I wrong. Once I was influenced by some successful business people around me, and encouraged to give it a try by my Talk with Tom host Aaron Wilker, I have found a mindfulness and mindful meditation practice to be a very key tool to my daily accomplishments and to manifesting my goals. I soon realized its popularity and that I was actually finally “getting with the program.” Its importance has now grown to a point where it is now part of my ideal morning routine and I am so impressed with my results that I will soon be releasing a 7-day guided mediation audio series FREE for you here on my website.

Of all the ancient and modern practices designed to enlighten us, why has the simple practice of Mindfulness and Mindfulness Meditation come to the fore-front? Why is Continue reading →

Talk with Tom Episode #16: 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge

 

Tom Hart Success Series 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge

7-Day Goal Setting Challenge

In this episode of Tom with Tom, Tom walks us through his Goal Setting guidebook The 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge – A Guide to Help You Set Your Goals, Create a Plan of Action and Begin Achieving Them IN ONLY A WEEK! This guidebook can be downloaded for FREE at SuccessSeriesLLC.com/documents/goalsettingchallenge.pdf

Renowned author Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “A goal without a plan is just a wish.” Do you often find yourself wishing for something — whether a brand new car, starting a business, or running a half-marathon – but then never work towards that goal? That’s because you don’t know how to properly set goals and create a plan of action.

Tom’s 7-Day Goal Setting Challenge is for anyone who is looking to achieve a specific goal in their personal or professional life, no matter how big or small. If you’re unsure of how to go about starting on a path to achieving your goals, then this challenge is for you. Over the course of 7 days, you will gain clarity into exactly what you want to achieve in every area of your life and determine a clear-cut plan for how to achieve those goals.

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Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or GooglePlay, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Try Forming Habits Instead Of Making Resolutions

 

Success Series blog post - Try Forming Habits

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As I pointed out in my last blog post, our minds often prevent us from accomplishing our New Year’s resolutions and after while, whether from procrastination or lost focus, our resolutions fall by the wayside. For those of you out there who set new year’s resolutions vs concrete goals, I have an experiment for you to try this first quarter of the year: rather than set new year’s resolutions, why not aspire to new habits in each of the seven life areas? After while they will soon become a lifestyle…a happier, healthier lifestyle… by doing little things every day. Continue reading →

[Enrollment Closing] Virtual Mastermind Group

 

The window is closing to join the new Mastermind Group personally guided by me via in-person, phone and GoToMeeting!

Join here today!

Almost every day someone asks to “pick my brain.” There are a lot of ways to do that already, including my podcast, book and this blog, but now I am offering for a limited time to a select group, first hand personal guidance from me and a group of your peers, a place to meet, exchange best practices, and solicit advice on business and personal opportunities and challenges.

Click here to learn more.

I know from experience you will learn business and personal strategies that will generate eight-to-ten times your investment in earnings. You will also gain invaluable business and personal contacts.

I am confident anyone who engages in this process with an open mind and an open heart will discover:
– New and proven business and personal life strategies
– Networking opportunities with highly-qualified peers
– Strengths in their leadership they can grow
– Weaknesses in their leadership they can improve
– Insights for greater productivity
– Greater physical and mental energy and creativity
– Clarity about personal and professional priorities

JOIN US TODAY!

FREE 2017 Success Planner

 

FREE 2017 Success Planner

#GrowYourLife

 

Hopefully by now you have outlined your 2017 goals. Well, now it’s time to create your action plan for their achievement. A helpful tool to that end is a copy of this FREE 2017 Success Planner.

Download your Success Planner here (no opt-in required).

This is not your average monthly calendar. It’s the Success Principles Success Planner from Jack Canfield, a guided planner that can elevate your life, helping you achieve your biggest dreams and goals.

As a Jack Canfield affiliate, I am privileged to pass-on this planner designed specifically to help you make this your best year yet. Included inside is:

  • A daily, monthly, and yearly planner using Jack’s time-tested, life-changing principles
  • Simple “fill-in-the-blank” templates to help you plan exactly how to increase your confidence and tackle daily challenges
  • Daily guidelines, plus Jack’s favorite inspirational quotes to ensure you live with passion and purpose, while realizing all your ambitions
  • And more…

I urge you to use this FREE success planner to start planning 2017 and your dream life today.

One of my missions in life is to move and inspire people to take action in their own personal development and business building.  It is my honor and privilege to serve you in this way.  I make it an absolute MUST that I inspire each and every one of you to STEP UP and live the life of your dreams, NOW, and not settle for less than you can be, do, have, say or believe.

There is no better endorsement than that of a friend, so if you like what you’re reading or are using my many resources, tell a friend to join the Tom Hart Success Series Community, to receive email notifications of new blog posts and Talk with Tom podcast episodes, learn of upcoming events, and other news, by visiting my website  and clicking on the offer to receive the Introduction and first two chapters of my eBook Getting From Here To There for FREE by leaving their email address (we respect your privacy and do not tolerate spam and will never sell, rent, lease or give away your information to any third party).

Talk with Tom Episode #15: 10 Ways To Make This Year Your Best Year Ever

 

TwT 10 Ways To Make This Year Your Best Year Ever

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10 Ways To Make This Year Your Best Year Ever

In this month’s Talk with Tom, host Aaron Wilker asks Tom his ideas for making 2017 our best year ever. In this episode Tom offers up 10 ways to greatly improve YOUR odds, including assessing last year utilizing his Year End Assessment Tool  SuccessSeriesLLC.com/Wordpress/YearEndAssessmentTool.

Listen in to learn the other nine ways.

If you enjoy this episode of Talk with Tom  SuccessSeriesLLC.com/Wordpress/TalkwithTom, we only ask that you pay it forward so that it might have an impact on someone else’s life as well. Please forward it to your friends, family or followers online. And if you’re new to Talk with Tom, welcome, you have found THE place where hundreds of super achievers come to learn the techniques, tips and tricks for personal and professional development to become better every day.

Every month, in just 30 minutes, Tom shares topic after topic to Grow Your Life and Build Your Business. If you’re not already a subscriber, join us. Talk with Tom is 100% free, and there are special benefits available only to our subscribers, so be sure you subscribe yourself on iTunes or GooglePlay, and we look forward to seeing you right back here on the last Wednesday of every month with Talk with Tom.

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Why New Year’s Resolutions Are Hard To Keep

 

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Why New Year’s Resolutions Are Hard To Keep

It dawned on me while reading a recent magazine article why New Year’s resolutions are so hard to keep: it comes down to the way our brains work. A better understanding of your thinking could help you follow through on your goals for 2017. Here’s what I learned: Continue reading →

Start Your New Year Strong

 

start-your-year-off-strong

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5 Things Entrepreneurs Should Do To Start The New Year Strong

Start the new year strong! I hope your 2016 was a prosperous year for your business. Regardless if it was a growth year or a static year for you, I think it’s key to your long-term success to spend intentional time reflecting on this past year and plan for the coming year and beyond.

Here are 5 things every entrepreneur should do now to start the new year off strong. Continue reading →

FREE Year End Assessment Tool

 

tom-hart-success-series-year-end-assessment-tool

#GrowYourLife

 

As you look to the new year, it’s important to step back and take a look at the year just finished – to take inventory, add it all up and see how you did.

What were your successes, and where did you come up short? What worked? What didn’t? Which were good decisions, and which were bad? It’s important to learn the lessons of life quickly or you will be apt to repeat them. Continue reading →

Mastermind Group Invitation

 

mastermind-group

#GrowYourLife

 

Great News!  Tom Hart and Success Series LLC are once again accepting applications to join in a Mastermind Group guided by Success Strategist and Business and Life Coach Tom Hart!

An Invitation to join my exclusive, guided MASTERMIND GROUP

 

Almost every day someone asks to “pick my brain.” There are a lot of ways to do that already, including my podcast, book and blog, but now I am offering for a limited time to a select group, first hand personal guidance from me and a group of your peers, a place to meet, exchange best practices, and solicit advice on business and personal opportunities and challenges. Continue reading →

Talk with Tom Episode #14: ENCORE EPISODE – Mastermind Group

 

mastermind group

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The Power of a Mastermind Group

Hello everyone, this is Tom Hart with Success Series and the Talk with Tom podcast. We had a new episode of Talk with Tom planned for December 2016, however, we have a lot of new things we’re launching in 2017 and frankly, we just got a bit overwhelmed at year end. Among the many things coming in the first quarter of 2017, we will be accepting applications to join a new mastermind group  http://successseriesllc.com/wordpress/2016/mastermind-group-invitation/ guided personally by me. Listen here as Talk with Tom host Aaron Wilker tells you more. You can request an application by linking from my blog post entitled Mastermind Group Invitation and then listen to this encore episode about the power of mastermind groups.

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Make 2017 Your Best Year Ever

 

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Best Year Ever

I will make this quick:

Once a year, my good friend Michael Hyatt, of MichaelHyatt.com, offers one of the best goals setting courses out there entitled 5 Days To Your Best Year Ever. Well, Michael just opened up registration for the all-new program for 2017, so I wanted to give you a heads-up so that if you, like me, were interested in signing up at the early bird price of $147 ($50 off the regular price of $197).

About 15,000 people have been through the program, including me, and there are some incredible stories of people experiencing major transformations in their life. You can experience the same. Continue reading →

Talk with Tom Episode #13: 15 FREE Online Resources to Build Your Dream Business

 

Success Series FREE Online Resources

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Because Tom spends so much time researching and testing the many and varied products and services out there to start and grow your business, he has become quite a resource for his many Business Coaching clients http://successseriesllc.com/business-consulting.php. In this episode of Talk with Tom, Tom describes 15 of his favorite FREE online resources to Build Your Dream Business. Continue reading →

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