February 2006

The Worst Day of the Year                                            February 2006

I have great news! According to some expert who appears to be the keeper of all useless knowledge, we have already experienced the worst day of 2006. That's right! Only one month into the New Year, and the absolute worst is out of the way.

Apparently January 23rd was the day. According to Cliff Arnall, a health psychologist at the University of Cardiff in Wales, it was on this date that a series of variables collided to make one really lousy day. Debts began to arrive in our mailboxes from holiday spending, and the bleak weather got us down. Work was seen as boring due to a lack of events and holidays in the near future, and depression set in over the fact we had already broken our New Year's Resolutions.

First, let me say I hope that's the worst it gets all year long. We should all be so lucky. Second, if you're buried under a mountain of debt from Christmas, be glad you have a job so you can work on eliminating the debt. Third, if you let the weather determine if you have a good or bad day, brace yourself for many more lousy days. And fourth, you're better off without those silly New Year's Resolutions.

For some of you, it may seem odd for a guy who has dedicated his professional life to developing leaders to praise someone for giving up a New Year's Resolution. For me, it's simple. I have one word for the whole concept of New Year's Resolutions. Worthless.

You see, I'm not much interested in things that don't work and are universally unsuccessful. I've made dozens of New Year's Resolutions over the years, and have seen many, many people do the same. I'm not certain I've ever seen someone truly change their long-term behavior because of a New Year's Resolution, or any other goal driven by a calendar instead of true resolve.

It has been proven time and time again that the only thing that will change long-term behavior is a change in lifestyle. If you want to lose weight, the likelihood of a diet helping you get there is very small. The short-term mentality of a diet can't compete with the long-term mentality of a change in lifestyle.

With that in mind, what does it take to get a long- term mentality to change your lifestyle? Besides a strong commitment, it takes the following:

Personal accountability for the outcome

We live in a blame-oriented society, so it's easy to find someone to blame for our lack of success. "If I didn't have to pick up the kids everyday, I could get to the gym every evening." Or, "If my spouse were just more supportive, I would be able to commit more effort to my goals." Don't even consider blaming something or someone if you have trouble changing your lifestyle. If you do, you've given yourself permission to fail.

Flexibility with the plan

When we make plans to change something about our life, it's easy to "reschedule" when things don't go as planned. "I know I started my new diet this month, but it's my birthday tomorrow," we tell ourselves. "I'll go back on the diet next week." No you won't. If you've ever been on more than one diet, then you know what I mean. It may seem like tough talk, but I want you to succeed, and if you use a change in your plan as an excuse to "restart" at a later time, then you are lessening your chance of success.

Willingness to stick with it

To make a change in lifestyle requires considerable effort. It's hard. If it were easy, everyone would complete their New Year's Resolutions and I wouldn't be writing this article. If you truly want to succeed, commit to not giving up, regardless how difficult it becomes.

It is my sincere hope that you do things that enhance your personal and professional life by resolving to have a better future. Even more than that, it is my hope that having to pay a credit card bill, work a job and let go of a New Year's Resolution is the worst day you have in 2006!

Enthusiastically, 

Clint Swindall - President & CEO

*Book Review

The Fred Factor, by Mark Sanborn

Few people today have a huge amount of time to read, so we all hope to get a "good read" if we have the time to invest. Since I'm intrigued by leadership, I am in search of that "good read" all the time.

Although we each have a different opinion of what makes a good book, I want to share with you each month a book I've read lately that I think can enhance the way you lead yourself and those around you.

This month I would like to share with you a book written by a fellow professional speaker, Mark Sanborn. In his book, The Fred Factor, Mark shares with readers his thoughts on transforming our lives from the ordinary into the extraordinary. Through a true story about Fred, a mail carrier who loves his job and genuinely cares about the people he serves, Mark shares four basic principles to help you bring fresh energy and creativity to your life and work.

For those readers who have heard me speak, you know I'm a big believer in the simplicity of success. Quite frankly, we spend way too much time trying to find new ways to be successful instead of getting good at the basics. The Fred Factor is a great example of how we can take some basic ideas and use them to enhance our personal and professional lives.

The Fred Factor has spent the past eight months on the BusinessWeek Best-Seller List. In addition to BusinessWeek, The Fred Factor has also been honored as a best-seller by the Wall Street Journal and as a top-seller at Amazon.com. To get more information or to purchase it online, you can click on the book cover in this section to be taken directly to The Fred Factor website.

*New Website

New interactive website

Last month we introduced a brand new website for Verbalocity. Although we still have a few pages under construction, the new website is much more comprehensive than our previous website. Visitors can now participate in our blog, take the most recent survey, or get full descriptions of current programs.

If you haven't had a chance, check it out at www.verbalocity. com.

*Quotes

Inspirational thoughts

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
- Howard Thurman

"Wise men learn more from fools than fools from the wise."
- Cato the Elder, Roman censor (234-149 B.C.)

“Watch your thoughts; they become your words. Watch your words; they become your actions. Watch your actions; they become your habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character for it will become your destiny.”
- Frank Outlaw

*Question to Ponder

Some time to think

Several months ago I was speaking for a client in Las Vegas. After speaking late in the afternoon, I attended an awards dinner with the employees of the company.

After the awards program concluded, I was leaving the ballroom and was stopped by a young lady in the hallway. She said, "I have a quick question for you, Clint." I recognized her from the afternoon session, so I was prepared to answer a question regarding the content of the program.

"What did you learn today?", she asked. Somewhat surprised and confused by her question, I responded, "What do you mean?"

She replied, "You gave a great presentation today. While your humor made us laugh, your content challenged us to really think about the way we approach our work. And since you mentioned the importance of learning in the program, I'm curious what you learned today."

Wow! This young lady was by far the youngest person in the audience, and she was astute enough to ask a very profound and fair question. I thought about it for a moment, answered her question, and returned to my room for the night.

The rest of the evening I thought about her question. As a professional speaker, trainer and consultant, hardly a day goes by that I don't provide advice as the "teacher". Each of us is a teacher throughout our day. If you're the boss, your employees and co-workers are learning from you. If you're the parent, your children are learning from you. If you find yourself as the one providing direction, who's teaching you? Who's teaching the teacher?

*In the News

Business Journal Feature Article

The San Antonio Business Journal ran a feature on Clint Swindall and Verbalocity in a recent article. Through American City Business Journals, Inc., the article appeared in cities throughout the country. To read the full article, click here.