This week’s motivational phrase is:

Internal pressure derives from the heart and mind conflicting – Doug Nelson.

How many times have you acted and then thought, “I knew better than that.” Your entrepreneurial heart wants to charge in with horns blazing, throwing caution to the wind on a “gut feeling.” At the same time, your logical mind wants to evaluate the situation for the advantages and the pitfalls of the situation, then carefully weigh your options. One is not better than the other. Learn how to make your heart and your mind work together and you will be able to make quick, analytical decisions on a moments notice. Take notice next time the internal pressure begins to build and work on agreement between following your heart and listening to your mind.

This week’s motivational phrase is:

Treat other’s how they want to be treated – Doug Nelson.

The advice I had received all of my life was treat others how you want to be treated. It sounded like good advice until I attended a seminar and Mr. Nelson flipped it around. I agree with his perspective. The world is full of diverse people with different attitudes and various preferences. To yield the best results, treat them how they want to be treated rather than how you want to be treated.

This week’s motivation quote is:

The bigger the WHY the easier the HOW – Doug Nelson

You must know your why. If you think it is money, you need to think further. Money is simply a tool to remove obstacles. What drives you to do more and become better? What makes you trudge forward when everyone else tells you that you should give up? Family? Friends? Freedom? The bigger you make your WHY, the easier it is to do what ever it takes to succeed.

Excuses are painkillers for inaction – Doug Nelson. As of late I have been inundated with excuses. Actually, I believe I have just become more attuned to them and there was no actual increase in the volume of excuses. As I have become more self aware, a by product of that awareness is the habits of others. One habit that serves no tangible purpose is making an excuse.

Have you ever made an excuse in business and afterwards the problem magically disappeared? Of course not. Have you ever been late to an appointment and after you arrived, you made an excuse and you were no longer late? Sounds ridiculous doesn’t it? However, many of you do or have done this in the past. To be perfectly honest, I did as well when I was younger. That is until I figured out that excuses had no practical purpose. Especially in the business world.

You see, when you make an excuse, normally you are only fooling yourself. If the person you are pitching your excuse to believes you, you just broke their trust and it will come back to affect your business. Once you begin the habit of making excuses for undelivered promises, it becomes easier and eventually becomes a terrible habit. In the present time, more and more people are becoming less and less accountable. As people become less accountable, they formulate and repeat more excuses.

Do not become one of those people. In the business world you will earn the reputation for making excuses instead of delivering on your product or service. Eventually your excuses can lead you to go out of business because of lack of business. If you make a mistake, own up to it and admit the mistake. If you are late, simply apologize for being late and continue on. No one wants to hear your excuse. If someone wants the details, they will ask. There is a difference between a reason and an excuse. A reason is backed by a logical flow of facts where as an excuse is based upon embellishment and half truths. However, so many people make excuses in these times that a bonafide reason is met with skepticism and viewed as an excuse.

Entrepreneurs are take no excuses, do what it takes type of individuals. If you will accept no excuses from others, then, by the same token, you should give no excuses in return. Do not make up excuses to yourself either. Be forthright with your clients, friends, family, and your self. You will earn more respect and have more self respect.

This week’s motivational phrase is:

Getting by is like kissing through a screen door.

That quote is courtesy of MMI Master Trainer Doug Nelson. When you just get by, you kind of get the effect or the the feeling but you fall short of the entire experience. As entrepreneurs, we go after things with fire, passion, and determination. In our professional endeavors we refuse to just “get by.” If you will exert the effort in your professional life, your private life deserves the same respect. This week, make up your mind to do more than just “get by.”