Do You Have That Burning Feeling?

“There is one quality which one must possess to win, and that is definiteness of purpose, the knowldege of what one wants, and a burning desire to possess it.”

~ Napoleon Hill,  1883-1970, author

Funny Look at Our EBay Culture

I’ve never been in to buying and selling “stuff” on EBay, but I know many people who are, and who love it.  This is a funny song about this phenomenon.    Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QGaXT1Jw1Y

Cool Presentation on Empathy and Civilization

Thanks to my son, Patrick, for sharing this video with me.  It’s well worth the 10 minutes to watch.  Incredible thoughts to ponder.  Please let me know what you think.

Thanks,   Brett Blair – Sanford Rose Associates Brighton Executive Search

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7AWnfFRc7g

What’s Your Opinion?

I’m always listening to people’s views and opinions on the economy.  While I don’t allow myself to be brainwashed by the relentlessly negative news and media in general, I do respect the opinions of people in the real world.

I’m hearing a lot of concern about the continuing high level of unemployment, the latest statistics in real estate sales, and some “waiting” mentality tied to the elections in November.

I recently conducted a poll on this blog site, relative to perceptions on the employment recovery.  I had a very good response, and the results were:

• 60% feel that employment has seen a “Small Improvement” over 2009
• 22% believe that employment is about the same as 2009
• 10% believe that employment is actually worse than 2009
• 6% believe (this includes me, by the way) that the employment economy is very good, with plenty of jobs being filled
• 3% believe that this year has been an “absolute disaster.”

Thanks to everyone who participated in this poll.  If you have not, the poll is still open, and I would love your opinions.

Thanks!  Brett Blair – Sanford Rose Associates Brighton

About Life Balance

I’m constantly looking for ways to keep my life in balance.  This will be, I’m sure, a work for a lifetime.  I believe that truly successful, truly happy people are striving for balance.

Here’s a video I recorded earlier this year.  My life coach, Tom Hill, has taught me this process.  Please let me know what you think. 

Thanks!  Brett Blair – Sanford Rose Associates Brighton

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Go6j-A_WzyA

Do You Operate With A Clear Conscience?

We all know business people, or just people in general, who will do almost anything to get ahead.  These folks are always in competition, and are primarily concerned with what other people think about them.  

I believe that a better group of people are those who are truly concerned with how they behave according to their own conscience.

I’m a member of the Livingston County (Michigan) “Sunrise” Rotary.  We meet every Friday morning for a breakfast meeting.  I love these meetings, and this great group of people, which is composed of business and community leaders from around the area.  Rotary International has a great set of questions, their “four-way test,” that is to be applied before making any major decision.  The questions are:

1)  Is it the truth?

2)  Is it fair to all concerned?

3)  Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

This is a great checklist for making sure that the decision made will be a good ones.  I choose to operate my life and my business with a clear conscience.

Thanks!  Brett Blair – Sanford Rose Associates, Brighton

Reaping a Multiple Reward

For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards. That’s one of life’s great arrangements. In fact, it’s an extension of the biblical law that says that if you sow well, you will reap well. 

Here’s a unique part of the Law of Sowing and Reaping. Not only does it suggest that we’ll all reap what we’ve sown, it also suggests that we’ll reap much more. Life is full of laws that both govern and explain behaviors, but this may well be the major law we need to understand: For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.

What a concept! If you render unique service, your reward will be multiplied. If you’re fair and honest and patient with others, your reward will be multiplied. If you give more than you expect to receive, your reward is more than you expect. But remember: the key word here, as you might well imagine, is discipline.

Everything of value requires care, attention, and discipline. Our thoughts require discipline. We must consistently determine our inner boundaries and our codes of conduct, or our thoughts will be confused. And if our thoughts are confused, we will become hopelessly lost in the maze of life. Confused thoughts produce confused results.

Remember the law: “For every disciplined effort, there are multiple rewards.” Learn the discipline of writing a card or a letter to a friend. Learn the discipline of paying your bills on time, arriving to appointments on time, or using your time more effectively. Learn the discipline of paying attention, or paying your taxes or paying yourself. Learn the discipline of having regular meetings with your associates, or your spouse, or your child, or your parent. Learn the discipline of learning all you can learn, of teaching all you can teach, of reading all you can read.

For each discipline, multiple rewards. For each book, new knowledge. For each success, new ambition. For each challenge, new understanding. For each failure, new determination. Life is like that. Even the bad experiences of life provide their own special contribution. But a word of caution here for those who neglect the need for care and attention to life’s disciplines: Everything has its price. Everything affects everything else. Neglect discipline, and there will be a price to pay. All things of value can be taken for granted with the passing of time.

That’s what we call the Law of Familiarity. Without the discipline of paying constant, daily attention, we take things for granted. Be serious. Life’s not a practice session.

If you’re often inclined to toss your clothes onto the chair rather than hanging them in the closet, be careful. It could suggest a lack of discipline. And remember, a lack of discipline in the small areas of life can cost you heavily in the more important areas of life. You cannot clean up your company until you learn the discipline of cleaning your own garage. You cannot be impatient with your children and be patient with your distributors or your employees. You cannot inspire others to sell more when that goal is inconsistent with your own conduct. You cannot admonish others to read good books when you don’t have a library card.

Think about your life at this moment. What areas need attention right now? Perhaps you’ve had a disagreement with someone you love or someone who loves you, and your anger won’t allow you to speak to that person. Wouldn’t this be an ideal time to examine your need for a new discipline? Perhaps you’re on the brink of giving up, or starting over, or starting out. And the only missing ingredient to your incredible success story in the future is a new and self-imposed discipline that will make you try harder and work more intensely than you ever thought you could.

The most valuable form of discipline is the one that you impose upon yourself. Don’t wait for things to deteriorate so drastically that someone else must impose discipline in your life. Wouldn’t that be tragic? How could you possibly explain the fact that someone else thought more of you than you thought of yourself? That they forced you to get up early and get out into the marketplace when you would have been content to let success go to someone else who cared more about themselves.

Your life, my life, the life of each one of us is going to serve as either a warning or an example. A warning of the consequences of neglect, self-pity, lack of direction and ambition… or an example of talent put to use, of discipline self-imposed, and of objectives clearly perceived and intensely pursued.

Blog courtesy of Jim Rohn, on of my favorite philosophers.

Graphical View of US Unemployment

 This is a fascinating look at the changes in unemployment across the country over the past 3 years.  I’m seeing a significant improvement in hiring, however, the overall unemployment rate continues to be flat at around 9.5%.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ssIhiD8kKM

Don’t Quit….Success is Failure Turned Inside Out

This is a classic poem / slide show….on sticking to it through thick and thin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkCFeNeqyHk&feature=player_embedded

Incredible Recruiting Video

A video is worth a million words. For all those leaders who want to attract and retain the best and the brightest talent, it is critical to pay attention to the work environment. Google is an established innovator and leader in this regard. I know you’ll enjoy this video, and perhaps it will get your mind churning on some new ideas for your company.

I look forward to your comments.

Thanks… Brett Blair