The airlines are doing a pretty good job of convincing us, their passengers, that we really shouldn't travel with baggage. What with the fees for checked bags, having to wait on security checks and pack liquids separately it's almost easier to forego the baggage and buy what you need when you get there.

Maybe there's a lesson in this. We carry our baggage all day long, all that stuff that we accumulated over the years that we somehow manage to fit between our ears. For most of us we're packing more than we really need and we're constantly unpacking, examining, and rearranging those items. Maybe we need a "checked bag" policy too.

I watched the US Open golf tournament recently. Tiger Woods won the tournament in a sudden-death playoff after an 18 hole playoff after tying the leader on the last hole of the four day tournament. This was remarkable not for the golf, but for what he overcame to win. He had knee surgury a couple of months before the tournament and hadn't done any meaningful practicing before the tournament started. He hadn't even walked the full length of the course until the first day. But, what was even more remarkable, was that he had been competing with two stress fractures in his left leg. Talk about baggage!

I admire Tiger Woods not so much for his ability to play golf but for his ability to focus on the task at hand and put everything else out of his mind. When he makes a shot it's as though he left all that baggage at home and the only thing he's thinking about is that shot and where he want's it to land.

What would our results look like if we could just put down that bagage every time we had an important task to accomplish? Maybe you should pay yourself $25 every time you want to take it along!

How do you feel about those companies that give you a sales pitch while you're on hold? I don't know about you, but I'll listen for a little while and then I'll find something more important to do. Note that I do listen for a little while and I suspect you do too.

Let's assume you have about twelve seconds to grab someone's attention before they decide if they are going to leave a message. Does your telephone message say anything meaningful about the benefits of doing business with you? How do you want them to be thinking of you? It might be one place you haven't been marketing your services, and it's free!

Do you run a networking group or serve on the leadership team? I visit a lot of groups and each has its own personality, its own pace and productivity. Some are social, some very businesslike, some aloof and some inviting. Each group says they encourage networking, but what does that mean? How do you measure that outcome?

The way to achieve any goal is to first define success and then adopt the strategies that will bring that success. The first question to ask is whether you are currently getting the results you want. The next question will be why. Just because it's the way you've always done it is no justification for continuing. Develop a system that works and then use it.