You're Right

Good morning,

Happy Friday! Golf anyone? Historically I haven’t been a very good putter but last weekend I delightfully sank the longest putt of my life. Then the crazy part was that a few holes later I did it again! Of course today’s sunny note isn’t about golf, it’s about what we believe we’re capable of and how that belief shapes our achievements. Quite simply, to achieve more:

Think bigger.

We’re each capable of so much more than we currently believe is possible, we just have to expand our thinking. This applies to every area of our lives, not just on the golf course where my recent improvement came about after playing with a friend earlier this spring who kept saying “you can make that,” as I faced lengthy putts that I used to assume were impossible.

In business, at home and on the golf course, let’s set our sights higher – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

"Whether you think you can, or you think you can't – you're right." Henry Ford.

P.P.S. To receive Sunny Notes each Friday morning in your email, simply Visit This Link to sign up.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Cheerleaders

Good morning,

It's Friday! Earlier this week I was talking with a friend of mine who is job hunting. He was telling me he'd found a posting for the perfect position for him. Then he added, but they probably won't think I'm qualified. Have you ever done this? Let self-doubt talk you out of something before you even start?

Believe in yourself!

Many of us are our own harshest critic when we need to be our own biggest cheerleader and encourager. Confidence is believing in yourself and then acting accordingly, without waiting around for someone else to say "you can do it."

The best part is that it's a self-fulfilling prophecy, the more you believe, the more you can achieve.

Let's go for it - and have a sunny day!

P.S. "The way to develop self-confidence is to do the thing you fear and get a record of successful experiences behind you. Destiny is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." William Jennings Bryan

P.P.S. To receive Sunny Notes each Friday morning in your email, simply Visit This Link to sign up.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Endurance

Good morning,

Happy Friday! There are many attributes that contribute to a person's success. But one that doesn't get talked about as much as more glamorous attributes like talent is endurance. In other words, the sheer tenacity to:

See it through.

In the words of James Arthur Baldwin, “Beyond talent lie all the usual words: discipline, love, luck -- but, most of all, endurance." A little bit of talent can go a long way if it's backed by a sufficient amount of endurance.

Let's be strong - and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” Thomas Alva Edison

P.P.S. Please help spread the sunshine. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Courage

Good morning,

Wow! Monday seems like it was just here but today really is Friday. Yesterday a friend of mine was anxiously worrying and our discussion brought to mind some wise words from Dale Carnegie.

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

Taking positive action, however small, can get us moving in the right direction to overcome challenges and conquer fears.

Today let's have courage - and a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. "Fortune favors the brave." Publius Terence

P.P.S. Please help spread the sunshine. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Change Up

Good morning,
 
It's Friday and going to be a beautiful one here in Michigan. Last night I was excited to open my just-arrived shiny copy of a new book published by my friend Brian Bartes. I randomly opened it in the middle and my eyes fell on these words.

"Changes creates opportunity, and those who are willing and able to learn new skills will be well positioned to benefit from change."

Wow - Brian, what a timely message! Change can be very challenging and today's sunny note is a word of encouragement to believe in yourself and focus on turning the challenges into opportunities.

If you'd like to know more about Brian and his excellent book, called Life Lessons, the website is www.LifeLessonsTheBook.com.

Let's change for the better - and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. "It's what you learn after you know it all that counts." John Wooden

P.P.S. Please help spread the sunshine. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Path Finding

Good morning,

It’s Friday and finally feels like summer in Michigan! This week I’ve been reflecting on the power each of us has to choose our own path. Even when we feel stuck, if we look closely at a situation there’s almost always more than one option. However, it’s up to us to:

Use the power to choose.

"If you have a choice but you don't make use of it, that's as good as not having one," says success coach Jonathan Sprinkles, who spoke at a recent Yes! Network event. Figuring out our options and making tough choices are often daunting, but always worth it, in order for us to actively guide the direction of our own lives.

This morning let's choose to have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.” Khalil Gibran

P.P.S. Please help spread the sunshine. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Let's Face It

Good morning,

Happy Friday! Have you ever noticed that things we're afraid of or worry about most, often turn out to be nothing when we finally confront them? Instead of wasting energy on worry:

Take action.

Taking action to confront a fear is like turning on a light to confront the dark. You do it, and it usually turns out there was nothing there.

So whatever is worrying us most today, let's shine a light on it - and have a sunny day.

Clarity


"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." Plato

P.P.S. I always enjoy hearing from you and I thank you for sharing A Sunny Note with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

Touch Down

Good morning,

Happy Super Bowl Friday! Just like the Packers and Steelers, we all want to achieve great things. As we pursue our own unique dreams, our fears and anxieties are often our biggest obstacles.

"Fear defeats more people than any other one thing in the world."

That’s from Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose point is that fear and the paralysis that fear creates keep us from achieving our goals. We can overcome countless obstacles faced in life, but only if we look fear in the face, stare it down and take action.

Let’s bravely pursue our dreams – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. "Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." Dale Carnegie

P.P.S. I always enjoye hearing from you and I thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Sunny Media Group, Inc.
313-268-6810
SunnyMediaGroup.com

No More Excuses

Good morning,

It’s Friday and today’s motto is No More Excuses! That’s the kick-in-the-pants Sam Silverstein gave all of us who attended the recent Yes Network seminar in Novi. Eliminating excuses is essential to being accountable and…

Being accountable is essential to being successful.

Sam pointed out that it’s easier to be accountable to others than to be accountable to ourselves. Why? Because the easiest person to make excuses to is one’s self. And until we stop making excuses to ourselves, we can’t truly be accountable to anyone else.

Ready to laugh…or gag? Here are some (surprisingly) common late-to-work excuses Sam shared:
1. I dropped my car keys in the snow and I’m waiting for the temperature to warm up
2. I’m sorry I was late but it was foggy and I missed the building
3. My house is on fire and fire engine is blocking the driveway
4. My wife is going to get pregnant and I want to be there

Of course we would never say anything that stupid, right? But perhaps we have our own excuses we give ourselves for why we can’t do things, and our excuses are keeping us from living up to our potential.

Here’s a sobering thought, “The difference between what we know and what we don’t know, isn’t nearly as great as the difference between what we KNOW and what we DO.”

Right now, each of us can think of something we know we need to do, so let’s jump into action – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

“When we eliminate excuses, we’re taking the first step into the Accountability Zone, and when we’re in the Zone, amazing things happen.” Sam Silverstein SamSilverstein.com

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 from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

Purely Arbitrary

Good morning,

Happy Friday - I hope you’ve enjoyed a great week and successfully met all your deadlines! For most of us, deadlines are a standard part of life. When facing one, we automatically take measures to meet it and often the deadline itself helps us accomplish the goal.

The question is if deadlines are so helpful, then what kinds of deadlines are we setting for ourselves? And are we taking active measures to meet them? Today’s sunny tip is this:

Set arbitrary deadlines.

Arbitrary as in deciding, “I’m going to do this by that date, just because I say so,” and then do it, even when difficult. It’s phenomenal what we can accomplish when we pursue self-imposed deadlines with the same vigor we pursue deadlines imposed on us by others.

Over the years, and as recently as this week, I’ve jumped through some pretty crazy hoops to meet deadlines set by nobody else but me. Just the other day I was hustling to meet a self-imposed Tuesday deadline and an observer pointed out, “Your deadline is arbitrary. Why don’t you call it quits and finish on Wednesday?”

In response to that question, here are three simple reasons to set and meet an “arbitrary” deadline: getting more done, enjoying the sense of accomplishment, and generating better results due to the planning and prioritization required to meet the deadline.

Wishing you a sunny day,

Clarity

P.S. “A goal is a dream with a deadline.” Napoleon Hill

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 from me by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

Driving in Circles

Good morning,

It’s Friday and I’m pondering the difference between “planning” and “procrastination.”
Sounds simple, right? Planning is good; procrastination is bad. But watch out for planning that turns into procrastination when you know what to do and it’s time to:

Just do it.

Here’s a related concept. “How many of you know more about diet and exercise than you actually apply in your life?” asked Lisa Ford, speaking at a recent Yes Network seminar. “We all know what we should do, we just don’t do it.” As Lisa pointed out, this disconnect occurs in other aspects of our lives besides exercise.

When we know what to do, why don’t we do it? Usually because it’s hard. We’re secretly hoping there’s an easier way. Maybe we could find one, but too often the precious time spent “looking” would be better spent “doing.”

Here’s a silly example, and I admit I’ve done this: driving by an open parking spot looking for a closer one, until the time spent driving around was longer than the time it would have taken to walk.

In each of our lives, there are areas in which we know what we need to do. Instead of driving around and around, it’s time to park the car and start walking.

Happy Friday – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustle.” Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President

P.P.S. Visit this link if you'd like to read my reviews of the Yes! Network seminars, including key points from both speakers – Lisa Ford, “Customer Service Strategies That Work: How to Create More Loyalty in a Dynamic Competitive Marketplace,” and Stan B. Walters, “The Truth About Lying: How to Spot a Lie and Protect Yourself from Deception.”

Thank you for sharing Sunny Notes with others. New readers can Visit This Link to add an email address to receive Sunny Notes directly by email each Friday.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

One Thing

Good morning,

Happy Friday! It’s going to be a beautiful Labor Day weekend here in Michigan, and can you believe it’s September already? Time flies by and it’s easy to wake up wondering where all the days, months or even years went.

Chances are that most of us have goals and dreams we haven’t fulfilled yet. But let’s not give up, even in the face of adversity. This morning, instead of trying to achieve everything all at once, let’s ask ourselves:

What is one thing I can do today to improve my life?

The key is “today”– not tomorrow, not someday. Identify one thing to do right now that will make a difference. For some of us it’s something big, like enrolling in college. For others it’s something small, like making a phone call. Maybe it’s as simple as taking a soothing walk with the dog (Bambi, I’m coming…)

Whatever it is, don’t delay – and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.” Vincent van Gogh

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 clarity.tv.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

Windshield or Bug

Good morning,

Happy Friday - It's going to be a sunny day! This morning I woke up thinking about someone I met about six years ago, who is one of the sunniest people I know. His name is Willie Jolley and he's the author of a delightful book whose key message is right there in the title.

A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback.
We all face setbacks in our lives. No matter how successful we are or want to be, success involves overcoming setbacks. Sure, let's make the most of the good times. But we can also bounce back from the bad times.

As Willie Jolley puts it, sometimes you're the windshield and sometimes you're the bug. "When you're the windshield, you are big and strong and invincible; when you're the bug, you will keep running into obstacles." He reminds us that even on the days when we're the bug, the outcome depends on our attitude.

A positive attitude helps develop resiliency. "When you hit the windshield, you no longer smash and crash and die." You bounce off the windshield and are "thrust into a higher trajectory and you start to fly at a higher level."

Willie's book touchingly reminds us that we can survive setbacks and use them to propel ourselves to even greater success.

Today - whether we're the windshield or the bug - let's have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. "There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. The little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative."
W. Clement Stone

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
MetroMichigan.com

We Decide

Good morning,

It’s Friday and that always makes me smile, even when the week has been as turbulent as this one. Today I'm thinking about life's one constant:

Change.

We all face change, big and small. But change itself is not the issue; it's how we handle it that has a huge effect on our success.

The specific change that's on my mind is Ford Motor Company's recent announcement that Mercury will retire at the end of this year. Mercury is a great brand whose vehicles such as the Milan are leaders in quality, safety and fuel efficiency. It will be sad to say good-bye.

As a Lincoln Mercury dealership, Mercury is half (literally) of Metropolitan's new car sales. Losing Mercury will be a big change for Metropolitan. So is it just a big difficulty or actually a great opportunity? We get to decide.

In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

At Metropolitan, we’re focusing on the exciting new lineup of Lincoln vehicles Ford Motor Company is introducing and the other great services our dealership offers that will enable us to serve our customers for years to come.

At work and at home - whatever difficulties each of us face, let's be optimists - and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P. S. "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." - Henry Ford

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
MetroMichigan.com

The Choice

Good morning,

Happy Friday! Is today going to be a good day or a bad day? Life is so full of surprises that it might seem impossible to know at six a.m. how the day will turn out. On one hand, it’s true that many things are outside our control. But on the other hand, we control the single most determining factor, our attitude.

Attitude is a choice - a choice that makes all the difference.

In business, as in other aspects of our lives, there are so many times when a change of attitude not only changes our feelings toward a situation but actually helps improve the situation itself. Yet changing our attitude often seems like the most unnatural thing in the world. We assume that if something looks bad, sounds bad and feels bad, it must be bad. But the reality is that it only IS bad if we say it is.

I’m sure we can all remember plenty of occasions when we’ve turned “problems” into “opportunities” and it usually starts with the attitude we choose to have about the situation.

Changing the way we describe a situation to ourselves, for example from “this stinks” to “no problem,” makes an amazing difference. Our self talk is inseparable from our attitude, and so just by changing the things we tell ourselves, we can change our lives.

This day, no matter what arises, let’s make it a good one!

Have a sunny day,
Clarity

P.S. "Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States (1801–1809)

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
Herm Albright, Painter and lithographer born 1876 in Mannheim, Germany

P.P.S. Thank you for visiting www.MySunnyNotes.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit www.JoinSunnyNotes.com.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

Claim the Blame

Good morning,

It's Friday and it's sunny! Two great reasons to smile. Plus, hopefully we'll get to enjoy some sunshine this weekend. Meanwhile, I'm reflecting on a fact that's quite simple but sometimes surprisingly controversial.

It's okay to apologize.

Strike that. It's essential to apologize. However, you've probably noticed that as a society we're out of the habit. Maybe it's fear of lawsuits. Maybe it's picked up from politicians who don't want to claim the blame. Sure - none of us wants to admit we screwed up, but saying "I'm sorry" isn't as scary as it seems.

This subject is on my mind today because I recently had the pleasure of attending a customer service seminar hosted by the Livonia Chamber of Commerce at the Embassy Suites. One of the many points addressed by presenter Robin Whitfield, Embassy Suites general manager, pertained to resolving customer concerns. Robin specifically brought up the fact that, too often, business representatives skip the important steps of being empathetic and apologizing to the customer. Instead, they jump straight from listening, if they really listen at all, to trying to problem solve.

I'll leave you with a handy little acronym that Robin used to articulate four important steps that should be followed - in this order - when addressing customer concerns, or anyone's concerns for that matter: LEAP. Listen, Empathize, Apologize and Problem Solve.

Have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. "Never ruin an apology with an excuse." Kimberly Johnson, American poet and Renaissance scholar.

P.P.S. Thank you for visiting www.MySunnyNotes.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit www.JoinSunnyNotes.com.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

Game On

Good morning,

Happy Friday! We’ve probably all heard some version of the concept that it’s insane to repeat the same behavior and expect different results. This of course implies that repeating the same behavior will in fact produce the same results. However, these days we can only wish that doing the same thing would produce the same results. Instead, in the business world the reality is this.

Doing the same things we’ve always done WILL NOT produce the same results we’ve always gotten.

Today’s fast-moving business environment demands that we tune up our game and learn new plays if we want to achieve the same results in the current economy that we used to achieve during better economic times. This is even more critical if we want to achieve superior results.

Today, companies are at risk if they assume that the same old marketing or customer service techniques from past years will continue to produce the same results. Likewise, employees are at risk if they think the skills they had when they got the job are the same skills that will be required keep the job. We absolutely must continually “brush up” to improve our competitiveness or risk becoming irrelevant.

Just look around. Many college students graduating today have great new skills. Many veteran employees getting laid off have great professional experience. For those of us with a job who want to stay at the front of our field, it’s game on. People who are unemployed already know how competitive the marketplace is. It’s those of us who are currently employed that need to wake up and smell the new economy – or risk getting benched.

So today, let’s ask ourselves what enhancements we can make to our skills – or what improvements we can make to our businesses – to ensure that we remain the top choice for our employers and customers.

Let’s stay in the game and have a sunny day!

Clarity

P.S. “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Albert Einstein, according to some internet sources. This quote has been attributed to other people as well after Einstein.

P.P.S. Thank you for visiting www.MySunnyNotes.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit www.JoinSunnyNotes.com.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
MetroMichigan.com

When To Give Up

Good morning,

We made it to Friday! Today’s topic is on my mind this week because of conversations with friends facing various employment related challenges. When bombarded by adversity, this question often comes to mind.

When to give up?

The answer is as simple as it may be difficult. Never.

Don’t give up your dreams. Don’t give up your goals. Don’t give up your faith in yourself. You are the only person guaranteed to always be there to cheer you on - or discourage you if you let that happen.

It’s so easy to get discouraged in today’s economy. The phrase “I can’t” (that should be erased from our vocabulary) starts to take hold. I can’t possibly...close enough sales, start my own business, find a new job, achieve my dreams. Actually - yes you can (eventually), no matter how unlikely or even impossible the goal seems.

The question is: how many times are we willing to hear “no” before we get to “yes.” The answer had better be, “as many as it takes” or we probably won’t get there.

I’ve talked to people lately who aren’t looking for jobs because they hear there aren’t any available. Okay sure, I know the statistics and, yes, they may be against you. But if you don’t enter the race you have no chance to win.

So if there’s something you want to do – at home or at work – don’t give up! And have a sunny day.

Clarity

P.S. "Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent." Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States (1872 - 1933)

P.P.S. Thank you for visiting www.MySunnyNotes.com. If you’re new to Sunny Notes and would like to receive my sunny email each Friday, visit www.JoinSunnyNotes.com.

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
http://www.metromichigan.com/

The "If Only" Disease

Good Morning,

I’m sending you this note today because I often think, “if only” I could stay in touch with all the people I know. I sure would like to be in touch instead of making excuses like, there’s not enough time, or what could I say that you’d be interested in anyway…

I just heard a piece of advice that I’m putting into practice right now and passing along to you, in case it helps you, too. “Don’t catch the “IF ONLY” disease,” is a warning from James Malinchak. It was an important reminder for me to quit making excuses – if only I could do this…if only I had time for that… Excuses are like a disease and, yes, they’re contagious - one excuse leads to another.

So that’s it, no more “if only” excuses will keep me from saying “hi” to you. Starting with this little email, I’m going to stay in touch on a regular basis. I hope you don’t mind. I hope you’ll be happy to hear from me. Maybe today I’ve even jogged your memory about something you’d like to do “if only…” At least I hope you don’t think, “if only she would stop emailing me!”

Have a Sunny Day,

Clarity

P.S. “Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down,” Kobi Yamada. That's what I was thinking when I took the leap from Washington to Michigan in 2001 without knowing what lay ahead. Not surprisingly, it's the people I met here who helped make Michigan a great place to land, and it's the people I left behind who make Washington a great place to visit. Thank you!

Clarity Patton Newhouse
Metropolitan Lincoln Mercury
32000 Ford Road
Garden City, MI 48135
313-670-7505
www.MetroMichigan.com