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High Point Furniture Market
In the spirit of Spring and the transition and blossoming nature of the season, High Point Market was a welcome respite from the isolation of the pandemic.
It ‘felt’ well attended, both in the buildings and on the streets, and had an old and new quality to it.
Old in the sense of seeing lots of people I have missed in the last couple of years, and the chance to sit and talk about how they and their business have changed.
Old and new in revisiting shared experiences (I got a lot of “You once t…
Equals (Product) Solution
If you are still reading this series, you have come to the summary of addition: Problem plus Priorities plus Process equals Solution.
The product solution that you create by asking questions in these three areas and combining the answers will produce a solution that will compel the customer to take action…now.
Presenting a solution that captures the essence of what matters most to the customer standing in front of you requires focus, attention, patience, and persistence. And the satisfacti…
Priorities…plus….
As we did in the first blog of this series (Problems….), we will focus on one element. One element that when added to the others creates something magical.
Priorities are those things that matter most. And there aren’t a lot of them, which is what makes them priorities.
When working with a designer or with a retail customer, ask what the priorities of the project/product are…and limit them to THREE.
Ask: “What are the three most important elements to you?” Then listen and take no…
Recognizing Resistance
Resistance is one of those things that is so easy to see in others but nearly impossible to see in ourselves. Some of that comes from the oft-believed notion that we are ‘open to new things’. How many people read Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson and saw themselves as Haw, the mouse who was willing to try a different way that would produce a better outcome?
Every day, EVERY day, I ‘invent the possibility’ of being willing and open. And I do that every day because it sets my thinking to …
Conscious Consistency
Conscious Consistency. I love the way this sounds. It came up in a coaching call (as so many things do!) and I had to write it down.
Conscious. Consistency. Two related but separate qualities that contribute to making new habits. Cool, huh?
Conscious. Present. Mindful. In the moment. Paying attention. Being focused on the action now. Noticing my thinking and how it impacts my actions.
Consistency. Repeating things that work. And again. Noticing how the action starts to become second na…
Something Bigger
Small changes are easier to make when there is a bigger outcome in mind… one that is sparkly and burning and so much better than the current reality.
If the outcome isn’t big enough, the effort isn’t worth it, is it? Does losing 3 pounds really inspire as much as losing 10? Or WHAT will losing 10 pounds bring to your life (lower blood pressure, knees that are less cranky, pants that aren’t as tight...or the jeans that look fabulous at that magic number) that really matters to you? The goal …
Me, too…
Habits take time and attention to develop. If you haven’t read The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, put it on your list for 2022. It identifies the elements necessary for creating and keeping new habits.
I think I explore and train others and write blogs because I need to hear the message as much as I need to share it. For me, it helps to combine a new action with a reliable one to build a new habit…. like taking vitamins at night when I put the coffee together for the next day. I can’t do …
Ending the First Month in the New Year
Whew! Month one in and done.
Are you off to a good start? Did you start and stop and start again? Did you hit your target for January yet?
This is a good beginning, whatever the outcome. You are starting a new process and you are completing your first milestone. Take a look at your actions and results and find something to celebrate – even it’s just sticking to the program!
You are likely in this for the long run and not just a quick accomplishment, so slow and steady wins the race.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Starting new practices and habits isn’t a smooth process. After the initial excitement and inspiration wears off and old habits start to call to us, we feel pulled in a couple of directions: moving toward the future that we envision and desire and being tethered to a familiar way of doing things. We start to tell ourselves that the current reality is not so bad….and maybe we just need to live with it.
Fear. Resignation. Hopelessness.
When we know that breakdowns will occur or we may falt…
New Actions in Action
Actions are the only things that produce results. New actions feel awkward at first and sometimes that awkwardness stops us from continuing them.
When you know this might happen, then it’s not a surprise when it does. That’s why you want to keep actions to a very few and repeatable if possible. Feeling awkward lessens with practice. And how we know we are doing something new IS the awkwardness of it…so that is good news!
Have a reasonable expectation of what new actions will produce. Giv…
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