Forget about gold or diamonds – the rarest commodity on Earth these days is someone’s undivided attention! Between email, voicemail, Facebook, Twitter, the house, the spouse and the kids, it seems like everyone is overwhelmed and unable to focus.
I spend a large portion of my week convincing clients to either start, review, or complete projects that they know they need! Today’s emergency often prevents us from doing the very things that will prevent emergencies in the future.
In his book, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,” Stephen R. Covey says that “Most of us spend too much time on what is urgent and not enough time on what is important.”
Experience has taught me that there’s only one way to break this vicious cycle:
- Stop equating activity with productivity.
- Stop believing that nothing will change.
- Stop hesitating.
Instead, try this…
- Start Paying More Attention – so you can pay less money in mistakes and missed opportunities
- Start Believing Your Data – chances are, you already have all the information you need to make sound decisions; you may just need help collecting and analyzing it
- Start Listening to Your Customers – they will tell you everything you need to know, by word or action, about how to serve them better
- Start Valuing Good Design – there’s a difference between a cheap logo, brochure or web site and a good one. Don’t know the difference? Your customers do, even if they can’t articulate it
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Start Investing in Yourself – read more, attend conferences and seminars, and participate in organizations that will help you improve your skills and network with like-minded people
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Start Thinking Big – don’t shrink your dreams to fit your situation; expand your situation beyond your dreams!
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