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Here's it is ... our first issue of Breakthrough! It features the same great content you've come to expect from the LifeWork Newsletter or Rainmaker Strategies ... with a whole new look. Each month, we'll bring you articles on business-building strategies, as well as helpful and inspirational messages for creating a life with more time, balance, and joy! This newsletter is for you, so tell us what you think ... what you like ... what could be improved. We're delighted to hear from you!
Barbara and Denise
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It's Fun-damental!
Which do you think is more important to manifesting the things you want in your life and business? Your emotional state ... or the amount of work you do?
Notice we didn't say one is important and the other isn't. We asked which do you think is more important. This isn't a rhetorical question. Go ahead and choose an answer.
A tougher question. If we looked at the way your typical day goes, what would it tell us? Would we see you more concerned with your physical and emotional wellbeing ... or more focused on getting things done?
Consider this advice from a recent Abraham-Hicks daily email message (which are great, by the way ... and free for the asking at abraham-hicks.com)
"Reduce your workload by 30% and increase your fun load by 30% and you will increase your revenues by 100%. And you will increase your productivity by 10,000%. (If there could be such a percentage.) More fun, less struggle - more results on all fronts."
That sounds great doesn't it? It appeals to something inside us that just knows that's good advice. And yet, it's a radical notion that runs counter to just about everything we learn about how to get what we want and "succeed" in life and business. From early childhood, we were told by our family and the dominant institutions in our culture that you have to work hard and burn the midnight oil if you want to get ahead. Right?
Well, what if that's not actually true? What if that's actually counterproductive and even damaging if it's doggedly pursued as a way of life. We're not suggesting that work is bad, per se. Hardly. Working at something you love is good for the soul. We're suggesting that grinding it out ... working more and more and harder and harder in order to prevail over your gargantuan to-do list ... all the stuff you "ought " to do ... is both an act of futility and a prescription for misery.
Good advice? We certainly hope so, because then maybe we'll listen to it ourselves.
Confession time. We're both overachievers by nature, driven to make good things happen and we're both perfectionists. So, things have to be just right. That translates to the tendency to burn of a whole lot of midnight oil and push, push, push if we're not mindful.
It's ironic, but two of our greatest strengths ... the strong desire to make things happen and the need to do things right ... become our greatest weakness when taken to an extreme. We can overdo the working harder / longer thing in a heartbeat, leaving precious little room for fun. Does this describe you, too, by any chance? It describes a lot of people, all driving themselves nuts in a quest to do more.
So ... work ... good. Taking inspired action in pursuit of your goals and dreams ... good. Obsession over how much you get done ... bad.
Success in life and at work can be measured two ways. On a joy meter or a timecard. We suggest the joy meter. After all, nobody says on her deathbed that she wishes she had just managed to squeeze in a few more late nights at the office ... a little more time to get everything perfect for that Thanksgiving dinner back in 1996 ... a few more tasks.
Good stuff, but here's the really cool part. Fun! "Increase your fun load by 30%."
It's not only okay to have more fun, it's essential. It'll actually increase your results, your productivity, your income.
Get this in your head. You're not only allowed to have fun. We're practically ordering you to do it.
HAVE MORE FUN! ... and watch all the good things in life start to flow your way with ease.
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Delighting the Cutsomer
"Good morning. Welcome to IHOP. Table for two? Right this way."
Unremarkable words, but he said it with such a sparkle in his eyes, such genuine enthusiasm and delight that it took us aback. This little guy was really glad we were there. It wasn't an act. It wasn't just words he mumbled by rote because his job demanded it. He was happy to receive us as his guests and serve us.
Next, our waiter, Manuel, came to the table and it was the same thing. He was warm, friendly, totally engaged, and eager to please. He obviously enjoyed his work. And he did an extraordinarily good job. We were impressed to the point of being astounded. This was a world apart from the norm. How pleasant. How refreshing. How damning a commentary on most other service providers.
To be clear and exonerate the innocent, the "we" in this story is Denise and her boyfriend, Tom. Barbara wouldn't be caught dead in an IHOP. She's the most disciplined eater you've ever seen.
We were in Los Angeles to meet with Barbara and attend some training with the master marketing guru of the universe, Jay Abraham, and now it was time to fly home. So, we thought we'd get breakfast at the IHOP on Sepulveda and Manchester just down from LAX before we left.
What made this encounter stand out in such a bold way was how starkly it contrasted with the generally lousy and pro-forma service we'd experienced throughout our time in LA. It was either indifferent or just plain bad ... sometimes even a little hostile. Can you relate? Oh, yeah.
So, why are we telling you this? Because there's a simple and powerful message here. Nothing will make clients flock to you and love you like genuine enthusiasm, concern for their wellbeing, and a clear desire to serve them.
That's it.
Be delighted that you get the chance to serve people and take delight in providing the service. And do a great job for them. Surprise them by giving them more than they expected.
By the way, we noticed a sign over the order pickup area in the kitchen a sign that said:
Be there for me.
Listen to me.
Treat me nicely.
It was clear someone had done some great team development work with the staff. Great service doesn't happen by accident. If you have a staff of your own, talk with them about your desire to delight the customer, and work with them on how to do achieve it.
Life's too short and your business is too precious for you or anyone on your team to just go through the motions. Make encounters with your clients special. If the folks at the IHOP can do it while performing a mundane function, we all can.
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| URGENT! You're in Luck ... There's Still Time!
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