PossibilitiesWritten by Lynn Cutts
Do you ever conceive of an idea, start project, and then get distracted with a new one? Do you have hundreds of great ideas that never get finished? Do you jump around from one project to another?You're in good company. It's a common pattern among highly creative and intelligent people. I call it "leap frogging," and it's what happens when people prefer having ideas to carrying them to completion. There are many reasons we leap frog. One is that it's more fun to think and play with new "toys" than it is to work with old ones. Another is that any project has its own rhythm, which includes lulls, slumps, and brick walls. It's easier to start a new project that hasn't hit a wall, lull or slump than it is to work through wall, lull or slump of current project. And a third, which is more common than a lot of us think, is a fear that we'll never have time to get all stuff done in our lifetimes, or even more significantly, that we'll forget this great new idea and all it's nuances by time we've finished current project. After all, it does happen - all time. There are many time management approaches to deal with first two reasons, but few address third issue: what if I forget? After all, when we first come up with an idea, we are in love with it. We don't want it to fall by wayside. (Even though we may not feel that way about six weeks into it, when something new and more interesting comes along.) So we allow ourselves to get distracted and jump into that shiny, new project. Here's a solution. Set up a Possibilities list. Arrange four files, or sections in a three-ring notebook, or whatever system works for you. Label these, "This Year, Next Year, Some Year, and Maybe." (If this phrase rings a bell, it's adapted from an old jump rope rhyme.) Then when you get your next great idea, scribble no more than one page about that new idea, and then file it, according to when you WANT to get to it, instead of jumping on it right away.
| | A Secret and A Formula For SuccessWritten by Ginny Dye
Are you looking for secret or magical formula for success? Do you think it’s a well-guarded, password-protected valuable locked away in some private vault? Good news! In this article I open vault wide.Here's The Secret... The secret to success is having a strong vision and will to overcome whatever obstacles get in your way. Not what you wanted to hear? Read on. When Amadeo Peter Giannini (better known as A.P.) was only 7, his father died in a fight over one dollar. Times got real hard. Eventually A.P.’s mother married a man in produce business. At age 14 A.P. quit school to work with his stepfather. By 19 he was a partner in their thriving enterprise. It was here that A.P. built his reputation for integrity and honesty. At 31 years of age he had all money he needed or wanted, and announced his retirement. At 32, A.P’s real career started when he was asked to join board of Columbus Savings & Loan society. It wasn't long before A.P found himself at odds with other directors. He wanted bank to loan money to hard-working immigrants, but at that time banks catered only to business men and wealthy. His ideas of loaning money to working class were scoffed at. But A.P. had vision and will. He raised $150,000, and bought a converted saloon across street from Columbus S&L. A. P. kept bartender on as an assistant teller, and opened Bank of Italy. It was considered improper and uncouth, but A.P. began ringing doorbells and talking to everyone he could about his bank. He advertised. He kept bank open longer hours and on weekends to fit into working people's schedules. Business boomed.
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