Archive for Bob Cox

Michael Masterson has mentioned that the good and decent acts of friends, family, associates, and strangers have inspired him to make it one of his New Year’s resolutions - every year - to become a better person....

When you define a goal and ready yourself to commit to the time and energy it will take to achieve it… remember to consider how your efforts are going to be affecting the people in your life. And this isn’t a totally unselfish, “thinking of others” act. You’re going to need their encouragement and support.

One of the most interesting things I learned from the individuals I knew who became billionaires is that they considered every dollar to be valuable. Money was a means to advance their goals - in particular, the goal to become wealthy. And you don’t become wealthy by being careless with any amount of money.

Recently I observed a training session for one of my business clients. When a couple of the attendees started goofing around, Lisa, the woman running the session, raised her voice and said: “People - this was paid for by your employer. You are on company time, and I intend to maximize the use of that short time we have together. So please work with me and be here now!”

Last week, my wife Karin and I received an e-mail inquiry about one of the goal-setting programs we offer through Early to Rise. The gentlemen indicated that he was at a point where he was looking for a real change, not a temporary fix. He was interested in the program, yet skeptical. He wanted more than a money-back guarantee. He said that he would follow the material to the letter, but was hesitant to invest his time unless we could guarantee that his time wouldn’t be wasted - that the program would work specifically for him.

When you know what to do to achieve success, and you know it works, how do you make yourself do it? This is a problem most everyone has. All the business smarts in the world won’t do you one lick of good if psychology is standing in your way. How do you rid yourself of mental blocks?

Early in my career I became quite adept at setting a schedule for my workday and sticking to it. This “time tasking” made me very efficient and productive. But I had a heck of a time doing the same when it came to my personal and social goals. I was so involved in moving my business and financial goals forward, I simply ignored the rest. And because of that, I wasn’t making my time outside of work count for much of anything!

Following a proven goal-setting system can help you specify your objectives, measure your progress, and stay focused. But what do you do when you encounter roadblocks along the way? Today, I’m going to tell you exactly what I do to push through, jump over, toss aside, or take a detour away from five of my personal roadblocks in order to stay on track.

On very rare occasions, I like to unwind in front of the TV with an episode of Law and Order. In one of my favorite episodes, Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy was enticed to take on a high-profile case, but he refused. You see, the case involved working against his boss, District Attorney Adam Schiff.

I used to gripe about the “inconvenience” of the holiday season. Too often, I felt that my work goals suffered because people I needed to get in touch with were simply not available. It sometimes seemed like everyone I wanted to talk to was taking a long lunch break to do Christmas shopping or had left work early to get ready for an office Christmas party.

You put together a team of people to help you with preparations. And you interview a dozen more before choosing “Jeff” to handle all the event details. He makes a very compelling pitch. He knows the best audio-visual teams in town. He has contacts with the best caterers. And he knows the perfect designer to create your banners and signs and brochures.

About eight years ago, I started noticing that other people seemed to be having more fun than I was. And I realized that if I wanted more fun in my life, it was up to me to do something about it.

One of the best ways to accomplish a big project is to get advice from people you respect. But it’s not always easy to go up to a boss or mentor and ask for their ideas. So I’ve developed a technique that can help. I call it the OSREAR Success Technique.

When I was young, my teachers, friends, and family always commented on my natural gifts. I had charm, intellect, athletic skills, and (what a surprise!) little or no modesty. Their words were reinforced by my good grades, awards, and trophies. So I decided that I was one of the “chosen few.” The sun was always going to shine on me.

“How do you get yourself to take action when you just don’t feel like it - even though you know that taking action will probably lead to a positive result?”

You’re at a wedding… at that crucial point in the ceremony when anyone who can show just cause why the couple should not be “united in holy matrimony” is asked to “speak now or forever hold your peace.” I doubt that you’ve ever actually seen someone stand up and give “just cause.” But back in the day when arranged marriages were the norm, it did happen....

A business associate of mine used to fax me on a regular basis. (This was before e-mail.) And every darn fax said URGENT at the top in big bold letters. At first, I found it curious. And then, it became annoying.

Whether you are trying to build a business… lose 20 pounds… learn French… or get that promotion you’ve been eyeing, you’re working hard to achieve something meaningful to you. You take that goal very seriously. And you should. You should work hard and be diligent.

We all have personal thoughts like these while we are working. But there's a big difference between how high achievers deal with them and how people who never do better than the status quo deal with them. You see, high achievers recognize that these thoughts are WANTS - not NEEDS - that should be dealt with outside of the working day.

Making a good first impression begins with a conscious decision to put your best foot forward. And then, whenever and wherever possible, you must make the effort to live up to that first time.