Most of the comments I receive on this career success blog, my tweets and my Facebook posts are very positive and complimentary. 

However, last week I received a response to one of my career advice tweets that was somewhat cynical.  I responded, asking the person who sent it what I could do to help him.  He sent me back a fairly angry email telling me that he has not had a great measure of life and career success and that “140 character statements telling him to listen” won’t help.

I responded by offering him a free hour of  career success coaching.  I did this because I believe in the power of paying it forward, and because this guy seemed to be in a bad place.  I was hoping that I could help him get moving in a positive direction.

The next day, I received an automated message saying that he had unsubscribed from my email list.  That was OK.  I can’t please everybody, and he has the right to seek career advice from people who he thinks can help him.  Obviously, he thought that my thoughts on life and career success were not helpful.

On the other hand, I was kind of sad.  Here is a person who is struggling.  He is over 40, has two degrees and has never made more than $30,000 a year.  If I were in that situation, I might be frustrated and angry too.  But I know that I would accept help wherever I could find it.  It appears to me that this guy would rather wallow in his anger than accept some free career advice.

Tweet 32 in my career advice book Success Tweets says, “Stuff happens as you go about creating a successful life and career.  Choose to respond positively to the negative stuff that happens.”  I get the impression that quite a bit of bad stuff has happened to the guy in my story.  And I feel bad about that.

On the other hand, you have to take personal responsibility for your life and career success – no matter what happens along the way.  Tweet 33 in Success Tweets says, “Take personal responsibility for your career success.  No one is going to do it for you.  Adopt the motto, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’.” 

When you take personal responsibility, you eliminate blame, stop complaining, and stop being a victim.  You take charge of your life.  You demonstrate your commitment to taking personal responsibility for your career success by responding positively to the people and events and events in your life – especially when they are less than positive.  I offer this advice to my career success coach clients.

I had an opportunity to test myself on this one a couple of months ago.  I got up very early to post my blog.  When I got to my office, my computer was frozen.  I could move the cursor, but could not actually open a document – or do anything else for that matter.

I was the first guy in line when the Geek Squad opened at 8:30.  My buddy Nate was there.  I showed him the machine and explained the problem.  He found a minor virus, deleted a few files and said I was good to go.  I went home, and the machine worked – for about a half hour.  I went back to the Geek Squad and Nate worked on the problem for the second time.

When I got back to my office, I was able to post the blog.  Then it happened again.  Completely frozen, unable to read the blog post or open any other program.

I called Nate and told him I would bring the machine in for a full diagnostic – and pay the 24-hour service premium.  I got back in my car, drove to the Geek Squad and dropped off the computer.

I had been meaning to read a couple of novels I had picked up the week before.  I figured my computer problems presented an excellent opportunity to spend that afternoon and the following day doing just that.  However, in the middle of all this, I realized that I was being presented with a challenge to see if I could walk my talk when it comes to reacting positively to the negative events in my life.  Reading novels instead of working would not be demonstrating my commitment to taking personal responsibility for my career success – even if no one else knew I’d blown off a day and a half.

I knew that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do with my backup computer.  But there were things I could do.  I chose to figure out what I could accomplish without the use of my main machine and set out doing it.  I could still write blog posts.  I could still continue developing learning modules for my soon to be released membership site.  That’s what I did those days.  And that’s my career success coach advice to you – when you run into problems, don’t complain about what you can’t do, figure out what you can do and then do it.

The career success coach point here is simple common sense.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and for their career success.  They choose to respond positively to the people and events in their lives – especially the negative people and the unexpected and uncontrollable problems.  They keep moving forward.  They don’t get distracted in their quest to create the life and career success they want and deserve.  They accept help when it’s offered. 

Follow the career advice in Tweets 32 and 33 in Success Tweets.  “Stuff happens as you go about creating a successful life and career.  Choose to respond positively to the negative stuff that happens.”  (Tweet 32) “Take personal responsibility for your career success.  No one is going to do it for you.  Adopt the motto, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’.”  (Tweet 33) Have you committed to taking personal responsibility for yourlife and career success?  How do you react when life throws those inevitable curve balls your way?  Do you choose to move forward, finding ways around life’s little problems?  As a career success coach, I hope so, because that’s the choice that will put you on the path to career success.

That’s my career advice on taking personal responsibility for your life and career success.  What do you think?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading my daily thoughts on life and career success.  I value you and I appreciate you.

Bud

PS: If you haven’t already done so, you can download a free copy of my latest career success book Success Tweets Explained.  It’s a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail.  Go to http://budurl.com/STExp to claim your free copy.  You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success  quotes.

Most of the comments I receive on this career success blog, my tweets and my Facebook posts are very positive and complimentary. 

However, last week I received a response to one of my career advice tweets that was somewhat cynical.  I responded, asking the person who sent it what I could do to help him.  He sent me back a fairly angry email telling me that he has not had a great measure of life and career success and that “140 character statements telling him to listen” won’t help.

I responded by offering him a free hour of  career success coaching.  I did this because I believe in the power of paying it forward, and because this guy seemed to be in a bad place.  I was hoping that I could help him get moving in a positive direction.

The next day, I received an automated message saying that he had unsubscribed from my email list.  That was OK.  I can’t please everybody, and he has the right to seek career advice from people who he thinks can help him.  Obviously, he thought that my thoughts on life and career success were not helpful.

On the other hand, I was kind of sad.  Here is a person who is struggling.  He is over 40, has two degrees and has never made more than $30,000 a year.  If I were in that situation, I might be frustrated and angry too.  But I know that I would accept help wherever I could find it.  It appears to me that this guy would rather wallow in his anger than accept some free career advice.

Tweet 32 in my career advice book Success Tweets says, “Stuff happens as you go about creating a successful life and career.  Choose to respond positively to the negative stuff that happens.”  I get the impression that quite a bit of bad stuff has happened to the guy in my story.  And I feel bad about that.

On the other hand, you have to take personal responsibility for your life and career success – no matter what happens along the way.  Tweet 33 in Success Tweets says, “Take personal responsibility for your career success.  No one is going to do it for you.  Adopt the motto, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’.” 

When you take personal responsibility, you eliminate blame, stop complaining, and stop being a victim.  You take charge of your life.  You demonstrate your commitment to taking personal responsibility for your career success by responding positively to the people and events and events in your life – especially when they are less than positive.  I offer this advice to my career success coach clients.

I had an opportunity to test myself on this one a couple of months ago.  I got up very early to post my blog.  When I got to my office, my computer was frozen.  I could move the cursor, but could not actually open a document – or do anything else for that matter.

I was the first guy in line when the Geek Squad opened at 8:30.  My buddy Nate was there.  I showed him the machine and explained the problem.  He found a minor virus, deleted a few files and said I was good to go.  I went home, and the machine worked – for about a half hour.  I went back to the Geek Squad and Nate worked on the problem for the second time.

When I got back to my office, I was able to post the blog.  Then it happened again.  Completely frozen, unable to read the blog post or open any other program.

I called Nate and told him I would bring the machine in for a full diagnostic – and pay the 24-hour service premium.  I got back in my car, drove to the Geek Squad and dropped off the computer.

I had been meaning to read a couple of novels I had picked up the week before.  I figured my computer problems presented an excellent opportunity to spend that afternoon and the following day doing just that.  However, in the middle of all this, I realized that I was being presented with a challenge to see if I could walk my talk when it comes to reacting positively to the negative events in my life.  Reading novels instead of working would not be demonstrating my commitment to taking personal responsibility for my career success – even if no one else knew I’d blown off a day and a half.

I knew that I couldn’t do everything I wanted to do with my backup computer.  But there were things I could do.  I chose to figure out what I could accomplish without the use of my main machine and set out doing it.  I could still write blog posts.  I could still continue developing learning modules for my soon to be released membership site.  That’s what I did those days.  And that’s my career success coach advice to you – when you run into problems, don’t complain about what you can’t do, figure out what you can do and then do it.

The career success coach point here is simple common sense.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and for their career success.  They choose to respond positively to the people and events in their lives – especially the negative people and the unexpected and uncontrollable problems.  They keep moving forward.  They don’t get distracted in their quest to create the life and career success they want and deserve.  They accept help when it’s offered. 

Follow the career advice in Tweets 32 and 33 in Success Tweets.  “Stuff happens as you go about creating a successful life and career.  Choose to respond positively to the negative stuff that happens.”  (Tweet 32) “Take personal responsibility for your career success.  No one is going to do it for you.  Adopt the motto, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’.”  (Tweet 33) Have you committed to taking personal responsibility for yourlife and career success?  How do you react when life throws those inevitable curve balls your way?  Do you choose to move forward, finding ways around life’s little problems?  As a career success coach, I hope so, because that’s the choice that will put you on the path to career success.

That’s my career advice on taking personal responsibility for your life and career success.  What do you think?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading my daily thoughts on life and career success.  I value you and I appreciate you.

Bud

PS: If you haven’t already done so, you can download a free copy of my latest career success book Success Tweets Explained.  It’s a whopping 390 + pages of career advice explaining each of the common sense tweets in Success Tweets in detail.  Go to http://budurl.com/STExp to claim your free copy.  You’ll also start receiving my daily life and career success  quotes.

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for creating the successful life and career you want and deserve is one of the four keys to success in my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, I Want YOU…to Succeed, Star Power, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success.

You can demonstrate your commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success by responding positively to the people and events and events in your life – especially when they are less than positive.  I had an opportunity to test myself on this one yesterday.

I got up very early to post my blog.  It was Martin Luther King Day and I had written a post describing how the “I Have a Dream” speech is a great example of clarity of purpose and direction – another of the four keys to success in the Common Sense Success System.

When I got to my office, my computer was frozen.  I could move the cursor, but could not actually open a document – or do anything for that matter. 

I was the first guy in line when the Geek Squad opened at 8:30.  My buddy Nate was there.  I showed him the machine and explained the problem.  He found a minor virus, deleted a few files and said I was good to go.  I went home, and the machine worked – for about a half hour.  I went back to the Geek Squad and Nate worked on the problem for the second time. 

When I got back to my office, I was able to post the blog and to get my daily podcast up on the net.  Then it happened again.  Completely frozen, unable to raise the volume to listen to the podcast, close the podcast application or open any other program. 

I called Nate and told him I would bring the machine in for a full diagnostic – and pay the 24 hour service premium.  I got back in my car, drove to the Geek Squad and dropped off the computer.  It’s still in his capable hands.

I have been meaning to read a couple of the books I received as Christmas presents and thought that my computer problems presented an excellent opportunity to spend yesterday afternoon and today doing just that. 

However, in the middle of all this, I realized that I was being presented with a challenge to see if I could walk my talk when it comes to reacting positively to the people and events in my life.  Reading novels instead of working would not be the responsible thing to do.

I knew that I couldn’t do a few things that I wanted to do with my backup computer.  But there were things I could do.  I chose to figure out the tasks I could accomplish without the use of my main machine and set out doing them.  I can still do blog posts.  I could still continue developing learning modules for the Common Sense Success System.   That’s what I focused on late yesterday and what I’ll be doing all day today. 

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and careers. They choose to respond positively to the people and events in their lives – especially the negative people and the unexpected and uncontrollable problems.  They keep moving forward.  They don’t get distracted in their quest to create the successful life and career they want and deserve.  How do you react when life throws those inevitable curve balls your way?  Do you choose to move forward, finding ways around your problems?  I hope so, because that’s the choice that will put you on the path to success.

That’s my take on committing to taking personal success for your life and career.  What’s yours?  Please take a moment and leave a comment sharing your thoughts and stories with the rest of us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

The other day, I came across a succinct statement on goal setting and goal achievement from Denis Waitely…

“The secret to productive goal setting is in establishing clearly defined goals, writing them down and then focusing on them several times a day with words, pictures and emotions as if we’ve already achieved them.”

I really like what Denis has to say.  Let’s break it down.

1. Your goals need to be clear.
2. Your goals need to be written.
3. Your need to focus on your goals several times a day.
4. You need to visualize yourself achieving your goals.

While all four of these points are important, I think number three is critical – and the one lacking for most people.  Too many of us treat goal setting as a once a year process.  Some of us set quarterly milestones and check out progress then.  Few of us review our goals daily to make sure that what we do every day brings us closer to achieving our goals.

I always suggest that my coaching clients stop at least four or five times a day and ask this simple question: “Is what I’m doing right now helping me achieve any of my goals?”  If not, I suggest that they should stop what they’re doing and move on to something goal related.

Here’s an example.  I am on a plan right now.  I was reading a novel – something I enjoy very much.  However, long ago I realized that airplane time is found time – free of distractions and time that can be very productive, if I choose to use it that way.  So, I closed the novel, opened my laptop and began writing this blog post.  Blogging brings me closer to achieving my goal of being a successful internet information marketer.  Reading a novel doesn’t.

I wrote the first draft of 4 Secrets of High Performing Organizations on a trip to Hong Kong.  That was two 15 hour flights (there and back), plenty of time to think and write – and to get achieve the goal of publishing a book on what it takes to run a successful organization.

I’m not saying that you should spend every waking hour working.  I am saying, however, that by focusing on your goals and asking yourself if what you are doing is bringing you closer to achieving them, you can make a conscious decision to work your goals or take some time for yourself.  I have spent more than one plan trip reading a novel.  Sometimes recharging my batteries is the best thing I can do to achieve my goals.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and careers.  They set high goals and do whatever it takes to achieve them.  Focus on your goals every day.  Stop for a minute several times a day and ask yourself if what you are doing is bringing you closer to achieving at least one of your goals.  If it isn’t, stop what you’re doing and start doing something related to achieving your goals.

That’s my take on how to achieve your goals.  What’s yours?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in detail in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

I am traveling quite a bit as we get to the end of the year.  When I travel, I try to take care of myself by ordering dinner in.  Most often, I order hot and sour soup from a local Chinese restaurant.  I always read my fortunes because I often find wisdom in them.  Sure enough, the other day, I got this fortune…

“Failure is the tuition you pay for success.”

I like that metaphor – failure as tuition for success.

People who commit to taking personal responsibility for their success, choose to react positively to the problems, setbacks and failures they encounter along the way.  Thinking of problems, setbacks and failures as the tuition you need to pay to learn the lessons necessary for creating the successful life and career you want and deserve is a great idea.  It also makes it easier for you to choose to react positively.

Failure is never pleasant.  However it is a fact of life.  Most successful people will tell you that they were failures before they were successes.  They succeeded because they chose to react positively to their failures – and this is really important – to learn from them.

The next time things don’t work out as you would like, look for the reason why you failed, and the lesson behind it.  There is a lesson to be learned in every failure.  Successful people find the learning in their failures and then apply it in their lives and careers.  They change their behavior.  They do things differently.

I always tell my coaching clients that if you do something right the first time and then do it another 1,000 times, the value of that experience is negligible.  You might get a little better or faster at it, but you’re not likely to make a quantum leap forward.  On the other hand, when you do something and things go really bad, you can take this negative experience and use it to your advantage – but only if you’re paying attention and you’re willing to learn from your mistakes; or treat them as the tuition you need to pay to succeed.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives, careers and success.  Treating your setbacks and failures as the tuition you need to pay to succeed, is a great way to demonstrate your commit to taking personal responsibility.  When you fail, choose to react positively and learn something.  Then use what you’ve learned to create the successful life and career you want and deserve.

That’s my take on treating failure as the tuition you pay for success.  What’s yours?  Please take a few minutes to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

When you commit to taking personal responsibility for your career and life success, you realize that everything counts – that there is no small stuff that you can just blow off.  Gary Ryan Blair, the Goals Guy, understands this.  Over the weekend, I read his new book Everything Counts! 52 Remarkable Ways to Inspire Excellence and Drive Results.  Great book, and one that I suggest you put on your holiday gift wish list.  It ranks high on the Amazon.com bestseller list.

In a little box across from the Table of Contents in Everything Counts, Gary says…

“Everything you say; every thought you entertain; and everything you do has a direction, which serves as an advance or retreat in respect to your pursuit of excellence.  Everything, regardless of size or intent, has bottom-line consequences; therefore, everything counts!”

Some of the things that count according to Gary really resonate with me.  For example…

• Common Sense
• Optimism
• Lifelong Learning
• Gratitude
• Resiliency
• Perseverance
• Failure
• Fundamentals
• Passion
• Vision
• Etiquette
• Reputation

If you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I write about these 12 topics quite frequently. 

Gary begins his discussion of common sense by saying…

“Common sense is a collection of the pearls of conventional wisdom.  It’s the basic governing principles of life that most of us know intuitively, even though we waste valuable time trying to deny them.  Common sense is the clear line that separates right and wrong, helpful and harmful; it is the simplicity that can be found just on the other side of complexity.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.  And, I am after all, The Common Sense Guy.

I am fond of pointing out that Thomas Edison once said, “Many people miss opportunity because it comes dressed in overalls and looks like work.”  And I say that “Most people know what to do in most situations; their common sense tells them.  However, many people choose to ignore their common sense for a variety of poor reasons.”  These reasons often are things like, “It’s the right thing to do, but it’s too hard, or it will take too long.”  “It’s the right thing to do, but if I do it, someone might get upset with me.”

This is what Gary means when he says, “We waste valuable time trying to deny” our common sense.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their life and career.  They sweat the small stuff.  In his new book, Everything Counts, Gary Ryan Blair, the Goals Guy, echoes that point.  He provides a list of 52 things that count, why they count and a call to action for making them count in your life.  He also provides a portrait of an individual or organization for each of the things he says count.  If you want to succeed, commit to taking personal responsibility for your life and career.  Commit to listening to and using your common sense, not denying it.  Make everything you think and everything you do count.

That’s my take on personal responsibility and the fact that everything counts.  What’s yours?  Please take a minute to leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your personal and professional success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I also discuss it in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

Yesterday I did a blog post on taking personal responsibility for finishing strong in 2009 and starting fast in 2010.  In that post I mentioned that the things that happen to us in life aren’t as important as how we react to them.  As I was writing that blog post, I was reminded of a chapter in my latest Walk the Talk Company book, Your Success GPS.  I’d like to share that chapter with you here…

Stuff Happens: Choose to React Positively

Stuff happens: good stuff, bad stuff, frustrating stuff, unexpected stuff.  Successful people respond to the stuff that happens in a positive way.  Humans are the only animals with free will.  That means we – you and me – get to decide how we react to every situation that comes up.

Have you ever had a major life crisis?  I did.  A little over 10 years ago, I found out that I had Thyroid cancer – not a particularly deadly form of cancer, but cancer nonetheless.  Trust me, you don’t want to hear the words “you” and “cancer” in the same sentence.  This experience qualified as some bad stuff.

The news about having cancer could have depressed me.  Instead, it energized me.  I remember thinking, “I’ve got a lot to do.  I better get busy if I’m going to have surgery.”  I then got busy and rescheduled any client work that would conflict with the surgery. 

I learned everything I could about Thyroid cancer.  I talked to friends in the medical field who referred me to docs they knew who specialized in the disease.  I went on line and read, and read, and read.  I interviewed a couple of surgeons and chose one to perform my surgery.

I visited a couple of on line Thyroid Cancer support sites.  I mostly didn’t like what I found there – lots of angry people lashing out at one another, the unfairness of life in general and Thyroid Cancer in particular.  I decided that if I were going to stay positive, it was best for me to stay away from the online cancer support groups.

In order to meet my client commitments, I had to spend the weekend before my surgery in New York.  I finished up one engagement on a Friday and had to do a talk to some pharmaceutical execs on Monday.  I had some down time over the weekend, so I decided to visit a few museums and do some shopping.  I bought a bright red striped tie that I wore to my talk on Monday.  I still call it my cancer tie.  I think it brings me luck.  I wear it when I’m having a bad day.

After I finished the talk on Monday, the person running the program announced that this was going to be my last talk for a while as I was having cancer surgery the following Friday.  People were incredulous.  They asked, “What are you doing here when you’re having cancer surgery in four days?” 

I said that I had committed to doing this talk several months previous and that as long as I wasn’t actually in the hospital I was going to do it – to the best of my knowledge Thyroid Cancer wasn’t contagious.

The interesting thing about all of this was that I never considered canceling or postponing the talk.  As long as I was able, I was going to honor my commitments.  I chose to deal with cancer the way I choose to deal with most things in my life; honor my commitments, do the best I can.

My cancer story has a happy ending.  I have been cancer free ever since the operation and seem to be healthier than ever. 

This story has nothing to do with my cancer experience and everything to do with free will and personal responsibility.  As you go through life, stuff will happen, most of it out of your control.  The important thing is how you react to the stuff that happens to you – the nice things, the mild annoyances and the major catastrophes.  It’s your choice.  Successful people choose to respond to events proactively.  They do what they can to make the best out of any situation in which they find themselves. 

I find a lot of wisdom in Native American spiritual traditions.  The Navajos live in the arid plains of the US southwest.  Drought is always a problem for them.  If you’ve ever been in Navajo country in New Mexico and Arizona you know what I mean.  I once met a Navajo Medicine Man who summed up the difference between how white people and the Navajos deal with adverse situations.  He said “When there is no rain for a long time, the white man prays for rain.  The Navajo prays to find the ability to live in harmony with the draught.” 

In other words, you have the ability to choose how you react to anything that happens to you.  When your Success GPS is functioning properly, you’ll choose the proactive positive action, instead of the reactive blaming negative one.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and careers.  They choose to react positively to the people and events in their lives.  As you go through life you will encounter problems and setbacks.  We all do.  Choose to learn from these experiences.  Use them to become a better, more successful person.  I did a talk for the National Association of Women Business Owners a couple of weeks ago.  When I was there, I met Mary Cantando, owner of a company called The Women’s Advantage.  Mary sells “breakthrough information to grow your woman-owned business.”  One of her products is a desk calendar.  She gave samples of the advice on the calendar.  I got one that had a quote about dealing with setbacks; “Successful people have setbacks.  What separates them from others is that they don’t give up.”  Great common sense advice – don’t give up in the ace of problems and setbacks.

That’s my take on treating problems and setbacks as opportunities.  What’s yours?  If you get a minute please leave a comment sharing one of your triumphs over problems and setbacks.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your personal and professional success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I also discuss it in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

Tomorrow is December 1.  There is one more month left in 2009.  I’m a big believer in finishing strong.  December is a month to finish strong.  Finishing strong will help you complete your 2009 goals and give you some momentum as you enter 2010.  I work hard all year; but I always work the hardest in December and January.  I work hard in December to finish strong and in January to start fast.

Over the weekend, I came across two quotes that go to the heart of taking personal responsibility for finishing strong and starting fast.  The first quote comes from Jerry Rice, an NFL Hall of Fame player and the man who scored more touchdowns than any other player in the history of the league.

“Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t.”

The second quote comes from Orison Swett Marden, the founder of the original version of SUCCESS Magazine. 

“A strong, successful man is not the victim of his environment.  He creates favorable conditions.  His own inherent force and energy compel things to turn out as he desires.”

I really like this quote.  And, if you read this blog with any regularity, you know that I am a big fan of the current incarnation of SUCCESS Magazine.  I read it cover to cover every month as soon as I receive it.  Cathy really likes it too.  If you’re not a subscriber, give yourself a holiday present and subscribe.  In his Publisher’s Letter this month, Darren Hardy makes another great point about taking personal responsibility for your success…

“Make sure your calendar represents the priorities you claim to be most important in life.”

Let’s go back and look at these three quotes; Jerry Rice first. 

Jerry Rice was famous for his devotion to physical fitness.  His workouts were legendary.  Every day he did what others wouldn’t so he was able to beat them on the field on Sunday.  What are you willing to do that others won’t?  The answer to this question is your slight edge in business and in life.

Orison Marden suggests that we triumph over our environment by choosing to how we respond to the things that happen to us.  As I’ve pointed out many times, stuff happens; good stuff, bad stuff, frustrating stuff, hopeful stuff.  And, the stuff that happens isn’t important.  How we respond to it is.  You create your own “favorable conditions” by choosing to react positively to the negative stuff that happens to you. 

Finally, Darren Hardy provides concrete advice on how to commit to taking personal responsibility for your life and career – get the important stuff on your calendar.  This is great advice.  Things are difficult to ignore when they’re on your calendar.  I enter “publish blog” on my calendar every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  Each of these days the first thing I see when I log on to Outlook is a message that says “publish blog.”  This helps me focus on one of my most important tasks – publishing this blog.  It helps me do something that others won’t and helps me control my environment by doing something positive first thing every day.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their lives and careers.  You demonstrate your commitment to taking personal responsibility when you do three things.  1) You do the little things that others won’t.  2) You choose to respond positively to the people and events in your life.  3) You make sure your calendar reflects your career and life priorities.  If you do these three things, you’ll not only be taking personal responsibility for your life and career, you’ll finish strong in 2009 and start fast in 2010.

That’s my take on finishing strong in 2009 and starting fast in 2010.  What’s yours?  Please take a few minutes to comment on this post, sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud

Commitment to taking personal responsibility for your success is one of the keys to career and life success that is part of my Common Sense Success System.  I discuss it in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS, and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

If you want to succeed, you must commit to three things.  First, you must take personal responsibility for your success.  Only you can make you a success.  You need to be willing to do the things necessary to succeed.  Second, you must set high goals — and then do whatever it takes to achieve them.   Third, stuff happens; as you go through life you will encounter many problems and setbacks.  You need to react positively to the negative stuff and move forward toward your goals.

And you need to be grateful.  It’s Thanksgiving Day in the USA.  Today, I’d like to post the column I wrote for PM 360 Magazine this month.  It’s about the things for which I am grateful this Thanksgiving.

It’s November already; time for Thanksgiving.  For a lot of us thanksgiving is a long weekend where we get to share a big meal with friends and family, watch football – or depending on your taste, the Macy’s Parade, and ease into the holiday season.  However, it’s also a day for giving thanks for the blessings in our life.  This has been a pretty tough 15 months, and I know that many people are thinking that they don’t have a lot to be thankful for right now, so I’ve decided to share the things for which I’m thankful this year.

In no particular order, here’s a list of things for which I’m thankful this year. 

I’m thankful…

• That I have Cathy, my loving and supportive wife and partner.  She truly is the wind beneath my wings.
• That my mother finally found peace this year after suffering for many years with an incurable and progressive disease.
• That my dad is hanging in there and is dealing better with his loss and grief every day.
• For the opportunity to serve others and do a job that I love – and help people succeed as I do it.
• For all of my clients who put their faith and trust in me.
• For the opportunity to write this column every month.
• That I am cancer free for over 10 years.
• For my cancer experience.  It helped me clarify what’s important in my life and gave me the humility to realize that what’s important is not what happens to me, how I react to what happens to me is what’s important in this life.
• That I get unsolicited thank you emails from people who read my blog – like this one: “Bud, Thanks for the reminder, I am going through a difficult time and you’ve reinforced what I NEED to be doing!!!”  Or this one: “Bud, Thank you for your encouragement and your strength! It is inspiring.  Your message has come to me on a day when I really needed it. As you know, I too am a cancer survivor and I sometimes forget to make the most of each day!”
• For the little setbacks and bumps in the road that make me work harder and become a better person and professional.
• For my large network of professional colleagues.
• For all of the people who help make my business go: Peggy Murrah, Bobbi Benson, Catherine Gonzalez, Tarek Chacra, Ryan Summers, Stephanie Frank.
• For all of the plays George Bernard Shaw and August Wilson wrote.
• For all of the movies Martin Scorcese has directed.
• For all of the books Robert Parker, Jonathan and Faye Kellerman, Ed McBain, Walter Mosley, Lee Childs, Sue Grafton, Studs Terkel, Tony Hillerman John Grisham, Lisa Scottoline, Sara Paretsky, Nick Hornby, Robin Cook, Michael Connolly, Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, David Halbertstam, and Lawrence Block have written.
• For the writers and directors I’ve yet to discover.
• For independent film makers the world over.
• For Thomas Edison for inventing moving pictures.

That’s a list of some of the things for which I’m thankful this Thanksgiving.  What about you?  If you take the time to list the things for which you’re thankful, I bet you’ll find that while this may not be the best of times, it’s also not the worst of times.

Cultivate an attitude of gratitude.  Bring it to work with you every day.  You’ll enjoy your work more.  You’ll be a better colleague.  And you’ll become a better product manager.  Think about it.  It’s only common sense.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people are committed to taking personal responsibility for creating the successful life and career that they want and deserve.  Personal responsibility begins with a sense of gratitude for what you already have.  When you begin with an attitude of gratitude, it’s easier to focus on the positives in your life and build on them.  Make a list of the things for which you’re grateful this Thanksgiving.  Us it to propel you to more and better things in the new year.  Happy Thanksgiving!

That’s my take on the importance of gratitude.  What’s yours?  As always, I’m thankful that you take the time to read what I write.  Your thoughts and comments help build my attitude of gratitude. 

Bud

My Common Sense Success System is based on what I call the Four C’s of Success: Clarity, Commitment, Confidence and Competence.  I discuss the Four C’s in several of my books: Straight Talk for Success, Your Success GPS and 42 Rules to Jumpstart Your Professional Success. 

Last week I received a great email from Jill Koenig.  In this email, Jill described an experience she had recently.  She called it “The Ten Lessons I Learned Wile Climbing to the Top.”  She said so much in this post that I believe to be true about career and life success – especially committing to taking personal responsibility for your own success — that I asked he if I could use it as a guest post.  She graciously agreed.  This is a long post, almost 2,000 words, but I urge you to take the time to read it.  It will be well worth your while.  Here we go…

The Ten Lessons I Learned While Climbing to the Top — Jill Koenig

I recently spent some time in Door County, Wisconsin on a little relaxing weekend getaway.

On my last day there, I set out with a girlfriend to explore Peninsula State Park, a beautiful nature preserve located on a bluff high above the waters of Green Bay.

As we went through the park, we stumbled upon Eagle Tower. Eagle Tower is a 75 foot wooden tower built in 1914 that sits on a cliff above Green Bay, exactly 250 feet above the water.

For whatever reason, I was attracted to the tower. I quickly assessed it and decided to climb it. I figured if it’s been here since 1914 and it’s open to the public, it must be relatively safe, right? So I grabbed my video camera and began my ascent.

Upon first glance it seems like it would be a breeze to climb to the top, that is, until you get started, then you realize the tower is one big wobbly staircase.

Now I’m from the city so this is not the first staircase I have conquered. My home is three levels and I climb those stairs every single day. The art school I attended was 14 stories high and I loved using the stairs. It is however quite daunting when you realize that the individual stairs of Eagle Tower go straight up and have no backing, no walls. So this means you get to feel the wind in your face, you cannot avoid seeing the height you are climbing to while the landmarks below you shrink with each step you take.

I was so happy to be climbing Eagle Tower and was especially excited to be sharing the experience with my dear friend. After all, we are stronger together… that is until I lost her, and then I had to be strong by myself. She turned back after about 20 feet up. She didn’t just turn back, she got a little cranky with me, told me climbing this thing just wasn’t important to her and just like that, she was gone. She was back on the ground. Little did I know that climbing this pile of wood would become a deeply moving spiritual experience that I could draw from for the rest of my life.  Here are the ten lessons I learned while climbing to the top…

1. There will be times you will have to go on without your support system. The people you want to be there with you will not always be there with you. Be willing to go forward anyway.

It occurred to me at that moment that I had a choice. I could turn back to keep her company or I could just keep going. Since she was already cranky, I might risk her being mad at me for going without her. Or I could just go forward and do what I said I was going to do. I would have truly preferred to climb it with her and share the experience, but I decided to continue climbing even if it meant I was alone. After all, the tower wasn’t going anywhere and I could tell her all about it when I came down and perhaps she would want to climb it later after watching me do it. I am an optimist.

But that didn’t happen. She totally disengaged from me and the experience. What’s important to note is that no matter how much I truly believe she would have benefited from this experience, my journey is not her journey. Each person chooses their own path and sometimes you have to let them go and do what you need to do for yourself.  Which taught me this…

2. The higher you climb, the scarier it gets and the less company you will have. Sometimes people turn on you and project THEIR fear onto you through anger, disassociation, abandonment and so on. Sometimes they even attack you because you are doing something they want, but are afraid to do. I wanted her to have this experience. But the truth is, this climb was not about her or anyone else and I shouldn’t make it about her. It was about me wanting to feel the fear and do it anyway. I wanted this experience. There were people already at the top and that was comforting to know that I would meet them when I got there.

And so I kept climbing.

The higher I climbed, the stronger and colder the wind was. In fact, when I reached the second level, the wind was so strong, it blew my hat off my head. Oh, and the higher you go, the more the tower sways in the wind. You can hear the wood making creaky sounds and the ‘perception’ of danger and intensity becomes greater with each step.

The wind is loud as it howls around you. There is no protection from it as the tower is essentially 4 pillars, a floating staircase and a railing to hold onto as you climb. That’s it.

So why was I here, why was I climbing this tower? Why was this so important to me?

3. How you do anything is how you do everything.

The very thought of that statement is what kept me from turning back. I wondered if I turned back here, in a controlled situation that would be done and over with in about 4 minutes, what else in life do I avoid, turn back and retreat from? Not that this issue is a pattern in my life, but the mere possibility was enough to make me forge ahead.

This experience was symbolic to me, a step in the direction of expanding my personal development and spiritual growth.

4. Once you make the decision to go, do not sit around talking about how afraid you are. That only causes the fear to become bigger and you will increase your chances of turning around like my friend did. It’s okay that she turned back, as she had her reasons for not doing it, but I could not turn back for I had my reasons for following through and I was 100% committed to make it to the top. She saw the tower as a meaningless pile of wood. I saw it as a metaphor for life and conquering fear. Instead of focusing on the fear, I focused on the feeling of accomplishment I would feel with each progressive step and the view I would get to enjoy when I reached the highest point.

“What you dwell upon long enough and strong enough becomes your reality.”

5. The only way to grow your courage muscle is to use it. Sometimes when you are afraid to do something that you know you are capable of, it means you MUST do it. I could spend my entire life avoiding things that scare me but then I would never grow. I would miss out on so many delicious experiences. When muscles and skills are not used, they atrophy, the fade, they shrink. You increase and grow your capacity whenever you pursue your potential.

6. The higher you climb, the more temptation there is to turn back. The climate is different at the top. There is often more risk, and the conditions are more extreme. Fewer people are willing to take those risks and battle those conditions. This applies to business, love, spirituality and any component of life. The greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity, but also the greater the challenge, the more opportunities for your limiting beliefs to sneak up on you and bit you in the rear. You must consciously choose to overcome the perception of your limitations.

7. When you get to the top, or reach a new level, take time to celebrate and reflect. Capture the lessons from the experience. Who knew that climbing a wooden tower would have brought so much insight to my life and give me the opportunity to share it with you? And some of you are going to comment back and share your insights with me and that’s pretty awesome if you ask me.

8. After you stretch yourself and have done something a few times, it becomes much easier to accomplish more. In fact, you will find yourself looking for bigger challenges to tackle.

Challenging yourself makes you feel alive and accomplished. Even if you don’t make it to the top, if you stretch yourself, you will be in a better position for the future.

9. The view from the top is spectacular. There are things you can only experience and see from up high. I climbed the tower three times that day. Each time was easier than the one before.

The third time I climbed the tower, I saw a bald eagle flying just above me. Have you ever seen a free bald eagle in front of your face in the wild? It’s a treasure to behold. I would have totally missed that remarkable sight if I were standing on the ground.

10. Sometimes coming down just as frightening as going up. After I celebrated at the top, and took in the spectacular view, it was time to come down and it was just as scary coming down as it was going up and I think the same is true of life. Life is a series of peaks and valleys, summers and winters. There are cycles we must all experience. I don’t know anyone whose life is a constant ride at the top. But it is still worth the effort to go for it and get back to the top, to seek new heights, if for no other reason than what you will learn and who you will become in
the process. The lessons are yours to keep forever.

For my friend this tower was a meaningless pile of wood. For me it was a metaphor for life. What towers or mountains have you climbed lately? What challenges have you embraced, what fears have you conquered? How have you stretched yourself today?

You want to seek new heights in every area of your life. It’s worth doing whatever it takes to get there.

See you at the top.  Live Your Dreams.

The common sense point here is simple.  Successful people commit to taking personal responsibility for their career and life success.  They climb metaphorical mountains – and real towers, embrace challenges, conquer their fears and stretch themselves.  They build their courage muscle by using it.  Sometimes you need to do it without your support system.  But you need to do it if you want to create a successful life and career.  Remember what Jill Koenig says…”The view from the top is spectacular.”

That’s my take – and Jill Koenig’s take — on committing to taking personal responsibility for your own success.  What’s yours?  Please leave a comment sharing your thoughts with us.  As always, thanks for reading.

Bud