Good morning,
It’s Friday and that’s reason to smile! Last week’s Sunny Note encouraged big goals, because the bigger our goals the more we’re likely to achieve. Yet as we’re pursuing our dreams, let’s not forget that while the destination is important:
The journey matters most.
In business and life, it’s easy to get so focused on the finish line that we forget to enjoy the race. Enjoying the race is especially important since some finish lines won’t be reached. We might change direction, reevaluate our priorities or – sorry to mention the morbid truth – drop dead before we get there.
Inevitably, big goals involve big hurdles to overcome. That’s just part of the journey. And maybe we’ll reach the finish line, maybe we won’t. Either way, if we enjoy the race, compete with integrity and learn from the hurdles along the way, then no matter what – we are winners.
So here’s to the journey – and a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ursula K. LeGuin
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly each Friday or read prior Sunny Notes at www.clarity.tv.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com
Friday, July 30, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Bigger is Better
Good morning,
Happy Friday! Earlier this week I enjoyed the opportunity to attend a seminar hosted by The Yes Network featuring Les Brown. Wow - what an energetic speaker. Les shared lots of great ideas to help increase our personal and financial success, and here's a simple, powerful one to share with you today.
Think bigger.
“Increase your financial goals by at least 10 times,” Les said. “You can do 10 to 100 times more. You have the ability to do more than you can ever imagine. But the only way you can do this is, you have to have goals that will make you tremble.”
That's right - he said tremble. So take a pen and write down the total amount of money you want to make by a certain deadline such as this year, this lifetime or whatever timeframe you have in mind. Now add a zero to the end of the number. Yep - that's the new goal. Is it possible? Yes it is. The hardest part is believing you can do it. Once you believe it, you can achieve it.
"It’s not enough to want something, we have to expect it," said Les. “'Want' shows up in conversation. 'Expectation' shows up in preparation, development and what you’re willing to invest in yourself. Take personal responsibility for what you want. No body else is going to do it for you. You’ve got to decide to design a life that you deserve.”
Believe in yourself - and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. You're invited to visit this link if you're interested in reading my complete review of Les Brown's seminar or my review of fighter pilot Lt. Col. Rob "Waldo" Waldman’s seminar titled “Never Fly Solo: Your Flight Plan to Win in Business and in Life."
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com!
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Happy Friday! Earlier this week I enjoyed the opportunity to attend a seminar hosted by The Yes Network featuring Les Brown. Wow - what an energetic speaker. Les shared lots of great ideas to help increase our personal and financial success, and here's a simple, powerful one to share with you today.
Think bigger.
“Increase your financial goals by at least 10 times,” Les said. “You can do 10 to 100 times more. You have the ability to do more than you can ever imagine. But the only way you can do this is, you have to have goals that will make you tremble.”
That's right - he said tremble. So take a pen and write down the total amount of money you want to make by a certain deadline such as this year, this lifetime or whatever timeframe you have in mind. Now add a zero to the end of the number. Yep - that's the new goal. Is it possible? Yes it is. The hardest part is believing you can do it. Once you believe it, you can achieve it.
"It’s not enough to want something, we have to expect it," said Les. “'Want' shows up in conversation. 'Expectation' shows up in preparation, development and what you’re willing to invest in yourself. Take personal responsibility for what you want. No body else is going to do it for you. You’ve got to decide to design a life that you deserve.”
Believe in yourself - and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. You're invited to visit this link if you're interested in reading my complete review of Les Brown's seminar or my review of fighter pilot Lt. Col. Rob "Waldo" Waldman’s seminar titled “Never Fly Solo: Your Flight Plan to Win in Business and in Life."
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com!
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Friday, July 16, 2010
Simply Splendid
Good morning,
It’s Friday and that’s reason to smile! Life is complicated, but not every part of it has to be. In fact, we often make things more complicated than necessary. That’s why today’s note is an important reminder to:
Keep It Simple.
In business, it’s especially important to avoid overcomplicating processes. Here’s a pretty common scenario…
A process gets put in place, perhaps with the help of an industry “expert.” The process is relatively simple. Results improve. The people involved in the process think, “Wow, this simple process is really helping. Let’s add these additional steps to make it even better!” Unfortunately the more complicated process doesn’t yield improvement. Instead, results deteriorate and, low-and-behold, it’s time to bring back the expert who tells us to get back to basics and, sure enough, reinstates a more simple – more effective – process.
Every industry has its “basics,” those core practices that contribute to success. In our own work, we most likely know what those basics are. The key is to stick with them. Focusing on improvement is good. But watch out, because complicating something is not the same as improving it.
When in doubt – KIS – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “‘Think simple’ as my old master used to say - meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly each Friday morning. Prior Sunny Notes are available at ASunnyNote.com.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
It’s Friday and that’s reason to smile! Life is complicated, but not every part of it has to be. In fact, we often make things more complicated than necessary. That’s why today’s note is an important reminder to:
Keep It Simple.
In business, it’s especially important to avoid overcomplicating processes. Here’s a pretty common scenario…
A process gets put in place, perhaps with the help of an industry “expert.” The process is relatively simple. Results improve. The people involved in the process think, “Wow, this simple process is really helping. Let’s add these additional steps to make it even better!” Unfortunately the more complicated process doesn’t yield improvement. Instead, results deteriorate and, low-and-behold, it’s time to bring back the expert who tells us to get back to basics and, sure enough, reinstates a more simple – more effective – process.
Every industry has its “basics,” those core practices that contribute to success. In our own work, we most likely know what those basics are. The key is to stick with them. Focusing on improvement is good. But watch out, because complicating something is not the same as improving it.
When in doubt – KIS – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “‘Think simple’ as my old master used to say - meaning reduce the whole of its parts into the simplest terms, getting back to first principles.”
Frank Lloyd Wright
P.P.S. Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly each Friday morning. Prior Sunny Notes are available at ASunnyNote.com.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Friday, July 9, 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen
Good morning,
Happy Friday! Today’s sunny note is both a tip and a bit of a myth-buster. I’ve often heard the (hopefully exaggerated) statement that something many people fear more than death is public speaking. Yet frequently or infrequently, just about all of us have to do it – in our careers, at weddings – you name it. When that happens, we typically want to sound natural or even spontaneous. But for some reason it’s a well kept secret that the best way to sound natural or unrehearsed is to:
Rehearse.
This topic came up the other day when someone commented about one of my TV spots for Metropolitan, saying “It looks so natural like you didn’t rehearse at all.” I appreciate the kind compliment. However, it illustrates a dangerous misconception, that the best way to appear spontaneous is to wing it. Quite the opposite is true.
The more prepared we are, the more confident we feel, and the more confident we feel, the more comfortable we appear.
By the way - another myth is that a good public speaker must be a “natural.” Actually, the ability to speak well in public is a learned skill and just like so many other things in life, proper preparation prevents poor performance.
Here’s a toast to facing life’s most terrifying moments – and having a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.” Winston Churchill
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com!
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Happy Friday! Today’s sunny note is both a tip and a bit of a myth-buster. I’ve often heard the (hopefully exaggerated) statement that something many people fear more than death is public speaking. Yet frequently or infrequently, just about all of us have to do it – in our careers, at weddings – you name it. When that happens, we typically want to sound natural or even spontaneous. But for some reason it’s a well kept secret that the best way to sound natural or unrehearsed is to:
Rehearse.
This topic came up the other day when someone commented about one of my TV spots for Metropolitan, saying “It looks so natural like you didn’t rehearse at all.” I appreciate the kind compliment. However, it illustrates a dangerous misconception, that the best way to appear spontaneous is to wing it. Quite the opposite is true.
The more prepared we are, the more confident we feel, and the more confident we feel, the more comfortable we appear.
By the way - another myth is that a good public speaker must be a “natural.” Actually, the ability to speak well in public is a learned skill and just like so many other things in life, proper preparation prevents poor performance.
Here’s a toast to facing life’s most terrifying moments – and having a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “I'm just preparing my impromptu remarks.” Winston Churchill
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com!
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Friday, July 2, 2010
Stand Up
Good morning,
Happy Friday! It’s often said that “Reputation is everything.” Today’s sunny note invites us to ask ourselves this question:
What do I stand for?
Perhaps it’s honesty, kindness, perseverance or something else entirely. To stand for something we must stand up for it, even when the going gets tough. The characteristics that define us are those we exhibit consistently, not just when it’s convenient.
America stands for freedom, and the brave men and women of our armed forces stand up for it every day. They fight for freedom at the most difficult times in the most difficult places. This weekend we extend to them special thanks as we celebrate our country’s independence.
Each of us stands for something – or many things – that make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. That’s why it’s worth asking ourselves, or even asking someone else from their observations, “What do I stand for?”
Let’s stand up – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit JoinSunnyNotes.com.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
Happy Friday! It’s often said that “Reputation is everything.” Today’s sunny note invites us to ask ourselves this question:
What do I stand for?
Perhaps it’s honesty, kindness, perseverance or something else entirely. To stand for something we must stand up for it, even when the going gets tough. The characteristics that define us are those we exhibit consistently, not just when it’s convenient.
America stands for freedom, and the brave men and women of our armed forces stand up for it every day. They fight for freedom at the most difficult times in the most difficult places. This weekend we extend to them special thanks as we celebrate our country’s independence.
Each of us stands for something – or many things – that make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. That’s why it’s worth asking ourselves, or even asking someone else from their observations, “What do I stand for?”
Let’s stand up – and have a sunny day!
Clarity
P.S. “Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President
P.P.S. Thank you for visiting ASunnyNote.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit JoinSunnyNotes.com.
Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
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