Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o)
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| Josh Hinds' Motivational & Inspirational Journal Josh Hinds - Syndicated columnist - Writer - Author - New Media Publisher :o) |
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Wednesday, September 27, 2000 Quick tip for strengthening your personal network - Whether or not we realize it each of us has a network that surrounds us. Simply put these are the folks that we come into contact with both in business relationships and our personal lives. The key then is continuously develop and strengthen them... I truly believe it is wise to understand that the strongest networks are generally built because both people benefit from the relationship (it's about win, win). The rule is simple. Give more than you expect to receive. Luckily, an interesting thing happens when we apply this simple principle. Our network naturally grows stronger. Why is that?, you ask. The best reason I can come up with is that people, as a rule like to help those that help them. With that said I'd like to share a simple Idea that works wonders in building solid networking relationships. Look for ways to solve people's problems. Say for example someone asks about a particular product or service. Later in the day you run across something directly or indirectly that might be of value to that person. What you could do is copy the info and send it on to that particular person with a little note that say's something to the effect of I hope this was helpful. The important thing to remember here is that we're not choosing to do this because we necessarily expect something in return. However, through offering the help we are strengthening our influence in the mind of that person. Again I can't stress enough here that the best way to put this into practice is to allow the natural law of "you help me, I'll help you" to come into play. I'd love to hear your ideas on what works for developing your personal networks... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Friday, September 22, 2000 Have you ever had a time where you're sitting there watching something and all of the sudden it sets you off on a whole separate line of thinking? You know the kind that makes you say "Now it all makes sense!". I had just such a situation during the most unlikely of TV shows... I'm sitting there watching Who Wants To Be a Millionaire of all things. I rarely find myself watching it. However, in this case I was (and I am glad I was). So I'm sitting there watching all these people, one after another going for the "big money". Many of them were of varying backgrounds. While I was watching one thing became strikingly apparent. No matter what background each of these folks had they all were willing to jump out of their self-imposed comfort zones and go for the million! Several hours after the show was over a thought kept running through my mind. The way I see it, each day we all have the opportunity to escape our "comfort zones". Yet so rarely we act. Why is this? Is it that the prize has to be a million bucks to move us forward? I for one would hate to think that this is the case. Further reflection reminded me of the time when I was living in Louisville, KY (working in a job I wasn't content with) and the idea that I'd had since about 15 began to run through my mind again. That some how I was meant to do something larger than I was currently doing. Almost by chance I started taking a class in web site design through an area Internet provider called Win.Net. While I didn't realize it at the time the experience opened up a lot of ideas to me. Roughly a year after relocating back to Tuscaloosa, AL. I went on to start my little motivational web site and from there things have grown to include two related newsletters and the privilege of introducing self-improvement to many people all around the world (and meet many wonderful friends I wouldn't otherwise have met). I cringe to think what might have happened had I waited for the million dollar prize to move towards my dreams. If my guess is correct you've had similar experiences. Perhaps you have dreams you'd like to see through. My friend, I promise you that if a country boy from Alabama can take that step then you certainly can too :-) I won't even try to tell you that walking your own path is always filled with good times and cheer. Many times it means doing without now for what we hope for in the future. I can tell you that in the end you won't have to look back and ask "what might have been". For me that was more than enough reason. No matter what path you're taking I hope it is one that leads to your personal happiness. You deserve nothing less... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Tuesday, September 19, 2000 I am just not making progress fast enough - I think this is a fairly common thing for most of us. I think this line of thinking tends to stem from our being so 'forward thinking' with regards to our own goals. Please don't misunderstand me. There's nothing wrong with having long term goals. That is as long as we take the time to acknowledge our achievements along the way... I used to be absolutely notorious for "not feeling like I was making progress fast enough". I would always find myself asking "Why I am not where I want to be yet?". Then a friend of mine made me realize that I was in fact making a plenty of progress. It was just that I was biased by my future goals to the point that I wasn't taking the time to give myself proper credit for what I'd already achieved. Make an effort to track your achievements. Rather than simply crossing off your goals as you achieve them check them off and save them for future reference so that the next time you feel you're not making progress in your life you can break out the proof that you are!...Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Friday, September 15, 2000 Develop a strong peer group - Chances are you're already sold on the value of having a good mentor on your side. In an effort to make such relationships even more rewarding I'd like to suggest focusing the mentor in your life a bit... What I am suggesting is in addition the mentors already in place be sure to include people from the same career field, classes, college major, etc. that can offer ideas that apply directly to your situation. First hand experience has taught me the value of having such peer groups in place. I'll use the particular example of this very newsletter. When I started out I had little more than an idea. Had I not been able to build relationships with other newsletter publishers things might never have gotten this far :-) I can't even begin to list the many ideas I have received as a result of having these folks to tap for advice and support. While I used the example of the newsletter the same principal applies whether it be starting a new business, finding a study group, dealing with the loss of a loved one, or just about anything else we're faced with. My friend, people are out there that have at least to some degree been in our shoes. They've walked before us. I encourage you to seek them out. Not only will we gain strength from their experiences, but we get the advantage of sharing our strengths as well... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Thursday, September 14, 2000 When was the last time you really looked for the things that bring happiness to your life? More important when was the last time you did a comparison as to whether or not you were practicing the things that bring you happiness? If you can't recall the last time you're not alone... Most of us has at least some basic idea on what brings us happiness. Even if we've never specifically pondered the topic we still recognize (at least to some degree) that which gives us a sense of achievement. If its been a while, or you never have given thought to this subject before I'd like to encourage you to do so now. Perhaps you derive the most happiness from being with family or friends. Maybe it borders more along the lines of amercing yourself in a particular project, or learning new skills. Whatever it may be I do hope you'll take the time to list these things. After you've listed them it's time to take action. The problem so many of us have is getting our "lists" past the point of simple lip service. Simply put, if we're not careful we wind up with little more than plan after plan that never had any action placed behind it. Now the question is how do we work our plan? The exacts of the plan must be left up to each individual. I have said many times before that self-improvement works best when we take active steps in the process. Meaning we can take the ideas of others, but we must in some way make the ideas our own. Looking at your list carefully ask yourself how often you let yourself indulge in what truly makes you happy. Be truthful here. This is a private exercise and no one except you has to know the answer. There is a good chance that you've determined that you don't give yourself ample time on some of the things you've identified. I think we're all a bit guilty of this at times. The key here is that we need to give plenty of time for such things. Not only to increase our own happiness, but because it is during these times that we build enough energy to take us through the more mundane tasks that life requires of us. I hope that after this exercise you've identified a few things that you can make a more regular part of your day... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Monday, September 11, 2000 One of the greatest disservice's we can do to ourselves is to attempt to pre-qualify another person based simply on outside appearances... I had the good fortune of learning this experience first hand when I first started working in my father's business. It was after hours and a fellow walked and introduced himself and asked to meet with my father. His appearance was clearly that of someone who labored hard during the day. During normal office hours we had folks from all professions come in. However, after hours were normally filled with meetings and discussions of various business deals. I asked my father who the fellow was and what he had dropped by for. It was his answer that has continued to serve me well into my adult life. That is to never judge a person simply by what you might initially think based on appearance alone. My father went on to tell me the fellow was a construction worker by trade, but over the years had gone on to do extremely well with private investments and real-estate. Keeping this lesson in mind over the years has allowed me to cultivate many wonderful relationships with people from various walks of life. Relationships that had I not learned the lesson early on may never have come to pass. The moral of the story is simple, each time we assume the unknown we run the risk of missed opportunity... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Friday, September 08, 2000 Look to the folks that have gone before you - What I'm suggesting here is fairly simple. Seek the advice of people that have already done (or had similar experiences) what you want to do. It sounds fairly straightforward, but you'd be surprised by just how many folks don't do this. Here's what I am suggesting... Say for example you wanted to start a business of your own. Chances are you wouldn't get the best response (or advice) from someone who wasn't willing to start a small business themselves. You'd be far more likely to get all kinds of reasons why it wouldn't work! The same goes for if you were contemplating continuing your education or most any other worth goal. The fact is if you want the "skinny" on what it's going to take for you to make your goal a reality, in most cases you'll be much better off going to the source! Those that have gone before us... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Thursday, September 07, 2000 If at first you don't succeed, try try again! - Doesn't that saying just drive you absolutely batty! I know it does me..lol. Even though I know the message behind it is true it offers little condolence when we're licking the wounds of failure and getting geared up to try again. However (and this is a BIG however)... We've got to stand true to our belief that success often does lay just beyond our next try! If you don't believe me open just about any history book and you'll find situation after situation where this point is proven. Failures (or lack of immediate success as I like to call it..lol) are very much a part of everyone's life. The catch is we have to be willing to get back to achieving our goals as fast as we can! We not only need to make adjustments, we have to be able to put them into action in order to see results :-) Here's a personal story of one of my little "failures" so that you'll see that they happen to us all :-) I had just released my second ebook. I was sure everyone would want it. Imagine my surprise when not a single person bought a copy! What could I have done wrong? All kinds of things went through my mind. Luckily, the one thing that didn't cross my mind was giving up! Instead I decided to offer the book for FREE on my web site at My FREE second eBook :-) Rather than charge for it (as I originally planned). I have decided to offer it free and include a few sponsor ads in it. Best of all anyone can take advantage of it now :-) My friend, sometimes things just don't work out as we originally planned. On the other hand that's not all bad :-). As is illustrated in the case of my new ebook, now I get to reach a far greater amount of folks than I would have otherwise. If you're having difficulty in a particular area of your life I hope you'll take a second to look for possible alternatives. You might just find that what reveals itself is better in the long run than what you had originally planned... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Wednesday, September 06, 2000 Have you ever set a goal for yourself only to find out that it didn't quite become a reality in the time frame you originally had planned? If the answer is yes then me and you have something in common :-). Hopefully you just kept plugging along towards the goal and did see it through to reality... If there's one thing I can say without fail, it's absolutely necessary to give our goals a bit of leeway with regards to the time frame we expect to accomplish them in. Lets face it things sometimes don't go quite as expected. When this is the case stick to your plan. Keep working on it! If it needs adjustments along the way that's fine, just don't give up! After all you never no if you're just a step away from achievement! The only sure failure is when we stop trying. I hope that today finds you well on your way to designing a life that you're happy with... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Each day offers us another shot at greatness - Even if it seems that things have not been going your way lately, try to keep in mind that very few things are permanent. Just as your "luck" may have ran out, so to will the current challenges your facing... The important thing then lies in our ability to persevere! To continue to move towards our own goals even when they might appear to be far out of reach. My friend, life offers one bit of truth worth taking to heart, tough times never last, but tough people do... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink Saturday, September 02, 2000 We each make up the whole - Life has taught me through my experiences that we're just one piece of something much larger than our own lives. While one persons role might be owning a business, while another's might be that of homemaker we must keep in mind that neither role (in the scheme of life) is more prestigious or important than the other. Each serves its own purpose. If you don't think so give this a thought... Without the homemaker in the business person's life would he or she have been as confident or grown up willing to take the chance to move towards their goals? It does make you think doesn't it? :-) So the next time you're feeling like you're pulling more than your share of the load step back for a second and try and see things from the other person's perspective. I'm the first to admit that doing this has allowed me to bite my tongue just in the nick of time :-) ... Your friend in cyberspace, Josh Hinds :-) posted by Josh Hinds | Permalink |
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