Top 4 Ways to Boost Brain Power.

Success in business and in life relies on establishing and maintaining a positive mental attitude.  The mind is the single most important tool we have in our personal lives, but is also and equally powerful in our creation of a thriving and growing business.

Brian Tracy is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.

Brian Tracy says of the mind:  “Based on many psychological tests, happy people seem to have a special quality that enables them to live a better life than the average.  Can you guess what it is?  It is the quality of optimism and positive thinking!”.

According to Patty Carrosicia, R.N. in her article “Mind & Body Connection – attitudes affect your health” which was published in Graves’ Disease & Thyroid Foundation Blog; “Recent studies show that severe prolonged stress and chronic negative thinking can compromise the immune system. By the same token, studies have also revealed that individuals with a positive attitude toward life tend to become sick less often than those with a negative attitude.”

According to Dr. Deepak Chopra in his article “Harness Your Mind’s Power to Heal and Transform”, Dr. Chopra states:  “To think is to practice brain chemistry. Every thought, feeling, and emotion creates a molecule known as a neuropeptide. Neuropeptides travel throughout your body and hook onto receptor sites of cells and neurons. Your brain takes in the information, converts it into chemicals, and lets your whole body know if there’s trouble in the world or cause for celebration. Your body is directly influenced as these molecules course through the bloodstream, delivering the energetic effect of whatever your brain is thinking and feeling. “

In the Pychology Today online article entitled: “What Is the Best Way to Improve Your Brain Power for Life? 4 daily habits that can boost your brainpower for a lifespan.” Posted Jan 21, 2014, Christopher Bergland of The Athlete’s Way writes:

4 Simple Ways to Boost Brain Power for Life

• Aerobic Exercise: People who exercise moderately to vigorously just once a week are 30 percent more likely to maintain their cognitive function than those who do not exercise at all.
• Cognitive Training: Memory, reasoning, and speed-of-processing exercises create a winning combo for cognition.
• Don't Smoke: Non-Smokers are nearly twice as likely to stay sharp in old age as those who smoke.
• Maintain Social Networks: People working, volunteering and maintaining close-knit human bonds are 24 percent more likely to maintain cognitive function in late life.

I would add to this that there are resources available to the reader for places to go, and courses to sign up for, which will help the reader to experience a direct access of the mind’s power.

Keeping a journal and tracking one’s progress in one’s journey of self-discovery and self-development will help one test and measure the correlative data that proves one’s progress is positively impacting one’s productivity and increasing one’s bottom line, while strengthening the bond and enhancing the quality of one’s personal relationships.

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns and increase of new business revenue. James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.645.6490 james.chamberlain@consultant.com or http://www.twitter.com/JDC352 

Overcoming stress is easier then we think.

Dr. James C. Dobson is noted as saying: “there are very few certainties that touch us all in this mortal experience, but one of the absolutes is that we will experience hardship and stress at some point.” Circumstances which lead to stress will be ever present, but how we choose to respond to these triggers can thwart our progress or empower us to overcome and drive harder toward success.

Everyone is at a different point in their lives and so we all respond differently to the triggers that bring stress and stress itself.

As I have illustrated in my earlier writings, the successful individual is most likely to avoid blame, excuses and denial and take personal ownership, accountability and responsibility.  We find that this success oriented mindset tends, also, to lead one to effectively confront, handle and overcome stress.

Overcoming life’s challenges and rising up the scale to greater levels of success in life is a choice.  A popular prayer states: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things that I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” The secret is – we can change everything, but sometimes (when we "can't get there from here") we need to take a break, assess, plan and execute our program to get from A. to B.

If the situation cannot be immediately changed, accept it for what it is – at the moment. Accepting does not mean surrender. By accepting where one finds one’s self in conjunction to the situation and finding ways you can cope with what cannot immediately be changed, stress can be drastically reduced.  This reduction in stress will then free the mind and release your inner power to find the way to confront and handle the seemingly unchangeable situation – leading to greater wins and successes.

Assume an attitude of gratitude. Attitude has a profound effect on how we deal with life. Negative attitudes affect our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual wellbeing.  So does a positive mental attitude.

When in a stressful situation, try adopting an attitude of gratitude. Running late for a meeting because you are stuck in traffic? Think of all the things you can be thankful for. You can find gratitude in the smallest things. Be thankful for life, health, strength, friends, family, nature, etc. Gratitude will change your attitude, which in turn can change your life.

Often we forget to take care of ourselves. If we don’t care for ourselves, we can’t effectively help others.   The relaxation that results from finding one’s center and purpose rejuvenates the body, emotions, mind, and spirit and transforms us to be better equipped to handle stressful situations.

Schedule time for finding your center every day.  Set aside time for relaxation, and set aside a designated, uninterrupted time to relax and enjoy being alive. People say they don’t have time to relax, but relaxation isn’t time-consuming. Periodic 5-10 minute breaks of breathing exercises or watching an awesome YouTube video can change one’s perspective. Relaxation can also include connecting with positive people.

Stress does not have to overwhelm us.  Accept that we can confront and handle stress.  Successful stress management is about learning how to take control. It’s important to remember that we control how stress affects us. We can control the stress or let stress control us.

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns and increase of new business revenue. James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.645.6490 James.Chamberlain@consultant.com or http://www.twitter.com/JDC352

5 Ways to Stay Motivated.

Motivation is a turning point in anyone’s success.  From getting out of bed in the morning, to showing up to work and executing one’s tasks with efficiency and pride in one’s work is all a matter of motivation.  Motivation is the driving force behind everything we do, so the more of it you have the better off you will be in life.

Enthusiasm is to the deep mind, what motivation is to the actions our thoughts translate into. The more enthusiasm we feel, the more motivation we will have to get up and at it with maximum intention to succeed.

Grant Cardone, New York Times best-selling author, international speaker, and top sales training and social media expert in the world, says of motivation:  “I can’t think of anything more important than staying excited about what I’m doing. Staying motivated is a skill and should be something that you are focused on EVERYDAY.”

Jeffery Gitomer, world renowned author, professional speaker, and business trainer says of motivation:  “The difference between motivation and inspiration is that motivation must constantly be injected. Inspiration lasts a lifetime. Great leaders can instill both.”

Brian Tracey, Chairman and CEO of Brian Tracy International, a company specializing in the training and development of individuals and organizations. Says on the subject of motivation:  “The world is full of people who are waiting for someone to come along and motivate them to be the kind of people they wish they could be. The problem is that, “No one is coming to the rescue. “

Here are some essential keys to motivation, how to get motivated and how to develop the skill of maintaining a high level of motivation to drive you to higher states of success now and into the future.

1. Active Self-Development.

A partner I worked with for several years in a digital media company, used to collect motivational and self-development books, cd’s and videos.  They kept an open door policy which enabled anyone in the company to read any of his books, and encouraged everyone to block out a couple hours a week or day to actively engage in some form of self-development.  He cared about the people he worked with.

First learn as much as possible about yourself and what drives you.  What things are important in life and why.  Then, once you have a clear picture of what makes you tick you are in a better position to move forward toward mastery of motivation in your life. 

Another key aspect of self-development is to understand that that the same human brain that sends adrenaline through the body also has the same to potential to send motivational hormones such as serotonin, endorphins, and dopamine.

Serotonin is released when we feel significant and important and have a sense of internal satisfaction. Endorphins (endogenous morphine) are the body’s serum designed to relieve stress and enhance pleasure. They’re released with certain foods, social connections, and light to moderate exercise. Dopamine motivates us to take action toward goals and desires, and gives us pleasure when achieving them.  You have to actually take some action to release dopamine, even in small increments.

2. Enforce relaxation.

Accomplish some very important task, like paying at least one bill, every week. More than just the timely payment of bills; it’s getting your brain away from the danger-zone to neutralize the adrenaline saturation.  You may also want to set aside some time to clean and organize each day. This allows you to feel the accomplished win instead of the adrenaline-rushed four-hour cleanup. With no reason to dump adrenaline at the last minute, you get the benefit of your brain sending dopamine more often.

3. Establish Self-Awareness.

Remain mindful of thoughts while accomplishing cycles of activity in specific increments of time.   Be mindful of your mind’s tendency to perceive events as dreadful, painful, and boring.   If you perceive events as emotionally dangerous, the natural tendency is to procrastinate. You have the potential to change thoughts toward perceived mundane activities which make up about the majority of daily life — such as eating, showering, cleaning, driving, and walking.

4. Operate from ethics.

Always seek to see the world for what it truly is.  Interact with people on the basis of your knowledge and experience of who they are.  Avoid allowing the thoughts, opinions and prejudices of others to influence your outlook on the world and the people with whom you interact.  This, in turn will cause you to operate from a vantage point of truth and honesty.  You will operate from ethics.  Experience life for what it is.  Take a walk and smell and fee the wind on your face.  Listen to the wind rushing through the trees, see the smiles on people’s faces and learn to deal with the world on the world’s terms, rather than your own pre-conceived notions of how things “should” be.  This will increase your connection to reality and in turn help you to keep in touch with your motivation.

5. Stay grateful.

When you start the day by taking inventory of the things in your life you have to be grateful, and by constantly counting your blessings, you will stay in touch with the lasting and important things in life.  This will keep you aware of the motivating factors that cause you to start any given series of actions, or embark on any new enterprise.  This is at the root of motivation for the vast majority of us.  When motivation begins to lag at work, or in life, just remember all the wonderful things you are working to preserve and recall all the reasons that you were initially motive to take your course of action at the start.

 Every win or success you can celebrate, every time you move ahead rather than falling behind, remember to map this back to your original and clearly understood intentions and your motivation will be always accessible to you.

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns and increase of new business revenue. James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.645.6490 james.chamberlain@consultant.com http://www.twitter.com/JDC352

Top 3 ways to improve communications.

In college, I once overheard a gestalt psych major say something along the lines of: “Everything in the universe is a wave length or particle in constant communication with every other wavelength or particle, and by extension, a continuum of consciousness, ad infinitum”.

Whether or not this existential observation has it’s substance in verifiable science – I do not know.  But what I do know is that effective communication is the most important life skill we can learn—yet one we don’t typically put enough effort into. Whether you want to have better conversations at work or in life… here are some essential tips for learning to communicate more effectively.

1. Ask The Right Question… twice

To get the right answer you must ask the right question.  Moreover, you must ask it in the right way.  We’ve all veered into distraction when someone else was talking or perhaps we misheard the other person.   So, asking the precise question we would like the answer to will help us to engage more fully and get the precise answer we are looking for. 

Acknowledge the person’s response to your question will help control the flow of the conversation.  Saying something like, “oh how interesting”, or “that’s great – thank you”, as soon as the other person answers your question will mark the tempo of the conversation and give you pause to paraphrase their answer back to them.

Asking questions and then repeating the other person’s last few words shows you’re interested in what they say, keeps you on your toes, and helps clarify points that could be misunderstood. 

Although it may feel like you are parroting the person or asking the same question twice, remember to paraphrase the other person’s answer and repeat it back to them (e.g., “So If I understood correctly, you believe that all life contains consciousness and memory?”).

It also helps for social dialogue and banter, and to fill in awkward silences. Instead of trying to stir up conversation on mundane topics like the weather, ask the other person questions (e.g., “Got any plans for the winter?” or “What are you reading right now?”) and engage in their answers. It’s more important to be interested than to be interesting, as you will find.

2.  Keep It Conversational

The key thing in keeping a dialogue going is to demonstrate a sincere interest in the other person and what the other person is saying.  This, of course relies on such body-language as, leaning into the discussion, and keeping eye contact and smiling.

Also, keeping the conversation relaxed and conversational will help the other person relax, enjoy the conversation more and will thus extend the duration and overall value of the discussion. 

Stories and story-telling can be very powerful. Stories will activate our brains, make presentations fun, make us more persuasive, and can even help us master interviews. Master becoming a phenomenal storyteller simply using the word “and” rather than “but” or “however” more to structure your narrative.

In business I like to say telling is selling – and in personal life story telling is a great way to illustrate self-disclosure to make you more human to the other person and to unite you through a stronger bond of shared reality.

3.  Flip The Script

Would you believe that my earlier comments on asking the right questions to get the right answers and keeping the discussion conversational through relaxed story telling can be accomplished through scripting?

Despite how mechanical and un-human it may sound – it is really quite helpful, even if only to get the conversation going through ice-breakers or to keep it going through transitional bridges.

Social dialogue and banter, often referred to as “small talk”, is really not as small as people make it out to be.  Some even consider social dialogue and banter to be an art, of sorts, and not many people have mastered it.  We fear the awkward silences with people we hardly know, and the sweaty hands, forehead and upper lip which follow. 

For this reason, it helps to have a good intro plan, and some light scripting established.   I have noticed that there is a pattern of common topics which tend to enter into social dialogue and banter.  For instance topics of occupation, family, recreation, dreams and aspirations seem to come up frequently. 

For this reason, fashioning some questions that run along these lines might help you come up with topics to discuss, and you can also turn “small talk” into full blown conversations by sharing information that could help you find a common ground with the other person.

No matter whether you are interviewing a prospective client for a future project, working you way up to asking that special someone out for a date, or asking you child about their grades in this past semester, clear, concise, constructive communication is always going to prove to be your key to success.

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns and increase of new business revenue.   James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.240.0890 jchamberlain@frankcrum.com or http://www.twitter.com/JDC352.

Top 3 ways to succeed in business and in life!

I have contributed to the success of major corporations, and run my own successful companies in the field of commercial and residential finance, software and new technologies, and employer solutions.  I have successfully lead departments comprised of hundreds of team members.   I have learned over the years that, success in business depends on the very same principles as does success in life.

In fact, business can be metaphorically likened to the microcosmic model of which life is the macrocosmic, outer manifestation.  In other words, business is like a highly focused small scale unit of which life is a vast and open ended reflection on a much larger scale.

Here are the three top ways to succeed in business and in life.  I have found that if you do nothing else but these three things, you will exponentially increase the effectiveness and overall enjoyment of your business growth and your growth and development in your personal life.

1. Set Goals

If you think back upon the many achievements in your life, even as recently as the most current win, you will recall that it was the culmination of much and many efforts all directed by a single unifying goal or objective which you were able to hold firmly in mind.

This is the nature of the mind that once you impress, strongly and clearly enough, a prime objective or key goal, the universe seems to open opportunities and resources which will make it possible for you to apprehend and actualize that goal.

I believe that the RAS (reticular activating system) is the reason for this seemingly metaphysical response pattern wherein, you establish a goal firmly in mind, and then opportunity after opportunity seems to present themselves so that you can with rapidity and efficiency take all steps necessary to attain that very goal.

So, in short, set goals for yourself.  Set large goals that may at firm seem unattainable, and then set smaller, stepping stone goals live pavers which will lead you toward the larger more important goals.  Be sure to make the goals S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time specific). 

1. Activities Toward Attainment

As mentioned earlier in this writing, once you have set your goal[s], you must now take the steps toward attainment of the goal[s]. 

 When I was a kid, a friend from church said he was questioning his faith in God.  When I asked him why, he reported that, whenever he would pray, God would never answer him.  Upon closer examination, I noticed that I had the exact opposite experience.  Basically, what it came down to was the fact that when I prayed for something – like a new bike – I would then take the appropriate steps to gain the goal I had prayed for.  I prayed for a bike, and then stumbled across a paper route for the local newspaper.  Because the route required a bicycle, the manager bought me the bike of my dreams and deducted the cost out of the route he had me running for him.  This was my first experience with goals and life and the understanding that, just as “God helps those who help themselves”, our goals are best attained through our efforts and actualizing them through exertion of well planned efforts.

Select a goal, and then reverse engineer what you must do every month, every week, ever day and even every hour of every day to attain that goal.  Then, you will find it very helpful to pad that plan of action so that, if due to circumstances beyond your control, you should fall short, you will still hit your desired mark. 

1. Test and Measure

How can you know if your goal is big enough?  How can you tell if the goals you are setting are getting accomplished in the first place?  And if they are getting accomplished, are they happening at an efficient pace?  This speaks to the need to test and measure all along the way.

 As I hinted at, earlier in this writing, your goals should be S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time Specific).  This is because; you cannot improve what you cannot measure. 

 When you set a goal, and keep it specific, you focus your mind and provide it with the clarity necessary to succeed.  When you keep it measurable (charting timelines, accurate levels of activity versus attainment, return on investment, etc.), whether in business or in life, you can correctly track success and what leads to success, and you can avoid pitfalls. 

 When you select goals that are achievable, or a better way of saying it might be, when you take a realistic and achievable approach to your goals and goal setting, you amplify your enthusiasm by experiencing a greater number of wins.

 Realistic refers to being honest with yourself about what you are setting out to accomplish and why.  After all, if you are working toward something which your hyper-conscious mind knows is in your best interest, and is in alignment with your ethical and moral standards, you place yourself in greater harmony with your goals and their attainment, and in this you have already secured your success.

 Time specific refers to a way of keeping yourself honest with yourself.  If you set the goal to increase production by 30% by May 15th, then you can more easily track your success, than if you were to set the goal of merely increasing profits based on more efficient production.  If you set the goal of losing 30 pounds by June 12th, you stand a greater chance of hitting that goal than leaving it open ended with something like a plan to lose weight “this summer”.  The mind responds to positive, constructive commands, and the world around you will conform to what the mind holds strong as a goal.

The best suggestion I could think to offer anyone seeking to put my recommendation to the test would be to first begin keeping a journal.  Write down everything in that journal: First: Top 10 Goals in order of priority.  Next time you wake up, first steps in the morning, time and contents of breakfast, plan for day ahead, work day, time and contents of lunch, time leaving work, time and contents of dinner, account of the day and strategy to tomorrow.

 Start blending into your journal entries thoughts and ideas about how to attain your top 10 goals, and activities to get from A. to Z. and a timeframe to do so.

 Definitely include critical things which must get done every day, I call them the most important things (usually 5 in number), and then I cross them off as I accomplish them throughout the day.

 Remember to include your wins, and to update your goals according to your attainment of them.  And also, remember to include celebration of your wins and time for family and friends.

 90 days of this sort of goal setting, time management, and self assessment, will create a more confident, happier you – and will accelerate the enjoyment you get out of the greater accomplishments you beginning to enjoy in your work and personal life.

 I guarantee it.

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns  and increase of new business revenue.   James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.316.5997 james.chamberlain@consultant.com or http://www.twitter.com/JDC352

Top 10 Ways To Increase Profits!

I have, and continue to learn so much from Brian Tracy. Back in 2000-2005 I was using his closing techniques with HUGE success. Now I am digging into his New Psychology of Achievement which is as relevant today as ever, in terms of helping people succeed by getting their mindset in order.

About Brian Tracy — Brian is recognized as the top sales training and personal success authority in the world today. He has authored more than 60 books and has produced more than 500 audio and video learning programs on sales, management, business success and personal development, including worldwide bestseller The Psychology of Achievement. Brian's goal is to help you achieve your personal and business goals faster and easier than you ever imagined.

According to Brian Tracy, a general rule in your financial success in business is that you cannot increase profits directly, only indirectly.  You cannot just say that you are going to increase profits of your business without some specific strategy.

For most of us, the only thing that we can do to increase profits is to improve the variables that ultimately determine our level of profitability. According to Brian Tracy when we improve these 10 variables about our business we will increase profits and affect our bottom line.

1) LEAD GENERATION

How we attract interested prospects to our business.  If five out of ten prospects who come into our place of business end up buying from us and we can increase the number of people coming in from ten to 15, we can make more money and increase profits by 50 percent.

2) LEAD CONVERSION

How we convert leads into paying customers.  It’s the measure of the effectiveness of our sales efforts. If we can increase our conversion rate from one out of ten to two out of ten, we can double our sales and increase profits.

Stepping up our ability to sell and convert interested prospects into paying customers is one of the most important things we can do.   There is no replacement for ongoing sales training, both for ourselves and for every single person who speaks to our customers, either live or on the phone.

Consider every key result in our sales process and seek ways to improve a little bit in each area.  A small improvement in each key area can lead to an enormous improvement in overall sales results.

3) NUMBER OF TRANSACTIONS

The number of individual sales that we make to each customer that we acquire.  By increasing the frequency of purchase by ten percent, we increase our sales and increase profits by the same percentage. At FrankCrum Inc., I have discovered that a simple PEO prospect, after becoming a client and member of the PEO, may also be served by our carrier and agency through General Liability, Auto Insurance, Employee Health Benefits – heck, we can even provide someone with “pet-insurance” if they have a need.  Additionally, we can bring them staffing options which may arise, once FrankCrum helps things start changing and growing at their company.  

4) SIZE OF TRANSACTION

The size of the sale and the profit that we earn from each transaction.   We should be continually looking for ways to up-sell each customer so that he or she meets more of their needs through our products and services.

5) PROFIT MARGIN PER SALE

Profit margin is the gross profit that we make from the sale of each product or service.  By continually seeking ways to raise the price or to lower the cost of the product or service without decreasing the quality, we can increase profits per sale.

Every dollar we raise a price, if we hold costs constant, flows straight to the bottom line as profit. Every dollar we reduce expenses, if we hold sales and revenues constant, also goes straight to the bottom line as net profit.

6) COST OF CUSTOMER ACQUISITION

The amount that we have to pay to acquire each paying customer.  We should be continually seeking creative ways to improve our advertising and promotion so that it costs us less to buy each customer. This can impact and increase profits of our business dramatically.

7) INCREASING CUSTOMER REFERRALS

The customers who comes to us as the result of referrals from our satisfied customers.  Developing one or more proven referral systems for our business can have an inordinate impact on our sales and our business will make more money.

8) ELIMINATE COSTLY SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES

Many companies get into a routine or rhythm of offering expensive services to their customers that they could easily discontinue with no loss of customer satisfaction.

Look at the little services that we offer to our customers. Is there anything that we could reduce or discontinue altogether?

9) REDUCE BREAK-EVEN POINT

This is the number of items that we must sell each month to break-even or start making a profit.

 We use this break-even point to evaluate the potential effectiveness of any advertising or any other expense that we incur to increase sales. Every expense to increase profits must be seen as an investment with an expected rate of return that is greater than the cost.

10) RAISE PRICES

In many situations, we can raise our prices by 5 or 10 percent without experiencing any market resistance. Because our products and services are of superior quality and our people are friendly and helpful, a small increase in our overall prices will not drive our customers away.

TAKE ACTION!

I hope you enjoyed these Top 10 Ways to Increase Profits by Brian Tracy.  When we practice continuous improvement in all of these areas in your business we will make more money, increase profit in our business and help contribute to our future financial success!

James Chamberlain is a sales and business development professional who helps Tampa Bay businesses grow through dynamic strategic initiatives and campaigns  and increase of new business revenue.   James is responsible for building relationships with businesses throughout Florida and the US. Contact James at: 727.316.5997 james.chamberlain@consultant.com or http://www.twitter.com/JDC352

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