by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Dec 16, 2017 | Leadership
The gift of an experience is one which a memory of an event is recorded in the subconscious and linked to a feeling. This may have been a good memory or bad, needless to say we’ve all had times in life when something happened and we never forgot how we felt the day an event was presented. Gifts come in many shapes an forms, the gift of you, expertise, time, are all as good as wrapping up a box. In other words non material things. Some folks like the unknown of opening a wrapped present, yet others are as happy with your help! Material presents could be, a new pair of jeans, computer, iPad, iPhone, shoes, tools, furniture, wallet, gloves, hat,etc…etc…Gifts such as these will last for as long as the product life which could be a few months to many years. Each time you put on that pair of gloves you remember when you received them-aunt Mary put a lot of thought into buying those gloves! Same is true for that new piece of furniture you use every day. However when those gloves wear out or that piece of furniture does not go with your new surroundings it’s removed or replaced, often times so is the memory. Gifts of an experience are much different. They can be, going to a concert, movie, horseback riding, ice skating lessons, or going to the museum, are just a few. Remember when you were younger and your teacher was telling you to write your name over and over again? Remember how silly it seemed? Yet we all can go back in time...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Dec 9, 2017 | Health
We live in an amazing time in history, life expectancy is much longer than just a decade ago. People are living beyond what could even be imagined when I was a boy. Both male and female’s have been adding on years onto the end of life. Modern medicine is simply limitless, breakthroughs in food we eat which can link to certain types of cancer have now been identified and allow us to be much more selective with what we choose to include in our diets. Although technology has come along way, in reality, most of living to 100 is beyond our control as living to 100 can partially dictated by genetics as well as past medical history and health habits of parents and grand parents however there a handful of life-enhancing practices you can incorporate to increase the odds of a longer and healthier life. Where you live can also impact longevity, but for most of us relocating to another part of the world is not practical. My aunts mother lived to 103 years old, up to her last days she was as alert as you and I, knew all what was going on in the world, keep track of the Red Sox (she’d always discuss what happen in the last game) most of all reading was one of her favorite past times along with crossword puzzles. When I’d asked why she was so fond of these things her reply was” I need to keep my brain sharp” and that’s for sure, no one could put anything past her! Looking back at her habits it was clear her story...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Dec 2, 2017 | Mindset
If you and I are to live an extraordinary life we must first define what it is we want. In order to keep momentum going, first the vision to what we want should be clear. No distractions, focus on the goal, work everyday on the plan and don’t become attached to the outcome. With hard work the outcome is almost always the same. Each day focus is diverted to an outcome to which we need and want. But if we are not clear as to what we desire, results will be scattered at best. In today’s world life revolves around the next post, tweet, or text. Information is now literally at our fingertips. You can instantly find what your looking for in seconds which is good for a resource, but can be harmful if not used properly. News updates, politics any text written is available for review. There are endless videos to watch if your not able to have a minute to read. This is an amazing time to be alive technology is simply limitless right now. Not that many years ago if we needed to learn about a subject matter we’d go to the library and find a book and read about that topic, take notes, with pen and paper…No such thing as spell check…Imagine no computer to type it on…Needless to say it would take hours to develop notes review and figure out answers to question we might have. Our lives have changed for the better some say, yet with our current resources you’d think we would have more time and less stress…Right! Truth is there’s almost...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Nov 24, 2017 | Leadership
You can ask any successful business one of the keys to a strong and prosperous organization, the answer might surprise you. A product or service the public seeks, location of the business, or the ability to create new customers as needed. All important elements for a solid foundation for any business. However one area which tends to get overlooked in corporate America…Leadership not limited in how a single person leads but as a group. Leadership is a team effort. Not an individual effort. Although this element is often overlooked, it is one which should be a part of every day operations. It’s not limited to those in management, every department can participate in leadership. It should be part of the culture of any business plan. Once employees discover the empowerment of leading in their work, a successful outcome is likely in daily responsibilities. We should keep in mind leaders have also mastered the art of influence. Understanding how to integrate influence in employees is a powerful way to help workers develop their ability to become self directed. But first we must understand who we are and how those around us see us, what is your standard? When people look at you what is your trade mark? Is it clear enough for those around you to understand? Now it’s time to work with your team, help them understand and develop their own brand. Be patient, listen. Ask questions, help them to expand on their identity. Only assign tasks in alignment with what they clearly communicate to you. This will help move them and the business forward. You can only lead...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Nov 18, 2017 | Mindset
No matter who you talk to these days opinions on our current state of the world varies, some say it’s just evolution while others say people are influenced by society, never the less one thing we can all agree on is we live in very uncertain times. Which leads to a level of fear for most. Turn on any electronic device and you’ll be exposed to information, sometimes good sometimes not so good. Anger, hate, and those who believe their ideal is what will fix what’s wrong with the world today. Distrust is the new norm in the world, we’ve begun to question what’s “real” or “fake news.” Life is a gift from our creator, it’s our obligation to not focus on negative or destructive thoughts while here on this planet. Spending time letting external challenges rule our lives in nothing less than a waste of time. If you and I are to live a life of freedom we must first let go of thoughts which hold us from moving forward. Dwelling on things we have little to no control over is allowing any personal growth to be limited. Decide to become a master, one why does not let fear enter your thoughts. When we look at fear it’s nothing more than a thought of what’s to come, worrying about external forces which will control your emotions. It’s those emotions direct energy toward unknown forces limiting our ability to control a better outcome. This only leads to further pain and suffering. No one can control when life decides to through you a curve ball, it hits hard and without...
by stevengconnelly@aol.com | Nov 10, 2017 | Business
On Friday I met up with an old friend and had lunch, my friend Jim has been in business for a number of years, through out his career he has seen many people start a business and fail. No doubt Jim has been very successful in any venture with he has entered. Even when the bottom of the economy fell in back in o8-09 Jim was successful, making deals and growing his business. In Maine any venture is or can be a challenge, there’s not a lot folks who have money, so you must be trusted before people with do business with you. Jim’s business is a brick and mortar model, he’d built with many hours of hard work and dedication. So it’s no wonder the question arouse during lunch…I asked him to describe some of the keys to a successful business, although a very humble and generous man, his answer took me a bit by surprise. I was expecting to hear how hard work long hours and keeping ahead of the guy behind you were going to be the first thing out of his mouth, instead he smiled paused and said…Steve it’s not what you get it’s what you give…In any business you must make some sort of a deal, from a sale or and order, service, product anything which requires satisfying a customer. You must put aside what you want, although it’s important to understand what’s driving you, first you need to determine what your potential customer wants. Steve in any deal the customer must feel their needs have been met before they will do business with...
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