Tag: lifelonglearner

If not now, when?

by chuckfasnacht, posted in Uncategorized

It’s easy to put off a major decision isn’t it? I know I’ve done that from time to time. Haven’t most of us?

This time of year I like to review the goals with which I started the year and reframe or rethink how I want my life to change in the coming year. Recently, I saw a post that reminded me of what I got WRONG in the past when setting a new business plan or personal goal. So this year, please join me in doing it better.

Step1: Pray about it first! I’m going to seek Gods help in setting goals first. In the past I would set a goal and then ask my higher power to bless my ideas. This year, get God in on the action early. Let’s have our higher power help us with wisdom and direction.

Step 2: Grab a copy of my book! Can adding process improvements and systems improve your control over outcomes? Whether your starting a new business or scaling an existing project or business you can always learn new ways to apply your talents. Available on Amazon or at my blog.

Step 3: Make a plan! Simple. Clear. Steps.

Have a blessed day and be a blessing!

Overcoming a plateau

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

When you think about what you want to do, remember that good enough isn’t good enough. What do I mean by that or what is another way to say it? Good is the enemy of the best. As you determine the direction and the goals you want to set, don’t be afraid to think of what you would want to do if you KNEW YOU COULDN’T FAIL. What would your goal be then? Because the truth is that whatever goal you set and fix your mind on, you will eventually achieve. Earl Nightingale said, “whatever the mind can conceive and believe, with certainty it will be achieved.”

How will this apply to your situation? If you have an expectation, or self image, your performance will equal that image. People perform to the level they feel comfortable. If they expect to earn $100,000 per year, they will find ways to not exceed their comfort level. Self-sabotage can take the form of oversleeping, missing appointments, or generally not being focused on the customer. Likewise, performing below your comfort level will cause you to become laser sharp to find ways to achieve your level of comfort. So how do you break through into a new “best” for yourself?

Imagine setting your goals like setting a thermostat. When you are performing below your acceptable range the heat will kick on, and when you get too high, the cooling will calm you down. So changing the way you see yourself, and see your outcomes is the first step to sustainable growth.

There are two major ways to overcome these personal limitations through (1) developing habits that will no longer require active conscious planning and thought, and (2) using helpers to sprint alongside you to pace yourself for a larger goal.

Developing habits so your mind is free to expand into new areas of thought and personal development should be a first step. Anything that you do on a routine basis can be put into a habit, or scheduled in your personal planner. If you want it to be a habit, make it a routine you can schedule and stop thinking about. This could be a much longer discussion but for now lets set it aside and move to the next level of breaking through your plateau.

The example of Roger Bannister breaking the 4 minute mile is a good example of the sprinting concept. The four minute mile was mythically elusive and many people of the day thought it to be “scientifically impossible” because of the mechanical structure of humankind. It surely was a psychological barrier but it WAS possible to run a quarter mile in under a minute, and a half-mile in less than a two minutes. With his attention to training and thinking about how to break the record, Roger Bannister found 2 people who could run alongside him and pace him. He was able to break the “impossible” 4 minute barrier on May 6th, 1954. A short six weeks later the record was broken again by another, and today there are hundreds of people who have run the mile in under 4 minutes with the record time currently under 3 minutes and 44 seconds.

If you have a big goal that requires you to do something that you have never done before, consider finding short sprints that ARE possible and believeable, and begin to string them together. You too, along with people who can partner with you and run alongside, can do something that you once thought impossible.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Where you look you will go

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner, startup

Recently, I received accident avoidance training, which I recommend by the way. In this training event, the teacher was a race car driver, and he said when you are in a spin or if you feel like you are about to lose control always “look where you want the car to go.” He used examples of NOT looking at the ground, or NOT looking straight ahead in a turn. In the case of driving a race car or avoiding an accident, it is important to NOT be looking at the other cars.

The example the trainer used that was the most profound for me was that of a field with a tree in the middle of it. If you were driving through a field and you looked at a tree, saying, “I have to miss the tree…I have to miss the tree…” the premise is that you would indeed draw closer and closer to the tree until you hit it! By looking where you DON’T want to go, your eyes will draw your hands to a position that will create movement in the direction of your gaze.

Conversely, when you want to avoid an obstacle, it is important to look where you want to go. It works when you are going through a turn, and it works for when you want to avoid an accident. It works because our body follows the direction of our focused attention. Whether you are riding a bicycle, a motorcycle, or driving a race car, Look where you want to go!

What a fantastic analogy to goal setting!

If you have read other personal achievement books, you will recognize that we humans have a reticular activating system that will cause us to gravitate toward the focus of our attention. If we are focused on successfully completing the writing of a book, we will find ways and ideas to help us along that path. Likewise, if your goal is to generate more impact with your chosen work or talents, such as a self-directed business, your mind will work to find a way to help you achieve the goals you focus on. Regarding the way our brain works while goal setting, your body will try to create that which the mind is focused upon.

Choose your focus!

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Believe in your success

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

Have you ever succeeded at anything before?

Think back to a time that you set out on a new journey or attempted something new. How often did you think about it? A lot? All the time? Were you obsessive? Most likely your new effort was so mentally absorbing that you found yourself driving to work and forgetting how you got there. You were moving along on automatic while thinking about your new shiny new idea. Using the analogy of being a birth mother, it is something that they will think about every day continuously until giving birth. Then they find out that they can’t sleep without being totally engaged in the well-being of the baby.

So it is with starting a new business—no matter how much help you get, and no matter how much the systems and processes have been fine-tuned to allow you to make it happen! It will require a commitment of your psychological attention, as well as your resources of time and money. It will become your baby! Being in a well developed franchise system affords you access to the tools and processes but it will still require YOUR investment of time, energy and focused effort.

So, going back to the earlier question, what have you succeeded at before? You learned to drive a car. When you first started, you had a goal of passing the test, but then found out that passing the test was only the first step in mastering the driving experience. Then comes the continual improvement of your skills and the ability to build on previous knowledge. Pretty soon you were driving across the country and experiencing the freedom that comes with ability to control your own destiny.

So take the first step, you can do this!

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Underway shift colors

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

Casting off the lines is a term used when getting a ship underway, and the announcement is “underway, shift colors”. The flag being flown when at rest is exchanged for the underway flag so everyone can see who you are and that you have an intended direction and purpose. In contrast to staying moored to the pier, or anchored at rest, when you cast lines off you are declaring your intention to begin movement. If on a ship, in addition to changing the flag, there is an accompanying blast of the ship’s whistle to let everyone know that you are free from restraint and in motion, subject to the forces of wind, waves and under your own propulsion. This is a great image to hold of getting started, especially as you enter the new year. Make a declaration, change your flag, blast the whistle and get moving!

A ship that doesn’t leave the harbor will never arrive at its new port of call, and the person that doesn’t start out on their path will not reach their true potential. So where do you want to go? A good place to start is to consider what it is that you do well. Is there some way for you to improve what you currently do well, and capitalize on an incremental idea or improvement?

What is an incremental improvement? Or better yet, how can you apply your best skills in a completely new field where they will be better rewarded? This is how many new ideas develop into new products, new businesses, or new services. A skill that is being used at less than maximum value is reassigned to a new idea and, behold, there is a magnificent outcome. Sometimes the new idea is something that nobody ever knew they needed until it became available. Think about the i-Pod for music, and the i-Pad for portable entertainment. Think about what you already know and how you might be able to apply it to a new frontier. You are worth it! Invest in yourself.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.

Goals or plans

by chuckfasnacht, posted in lifelong learner

There is a Proverb that says, “we can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps” – Proverbs 16:9 NLT

I think this is a good point to start a discussion about having goals. I have always been a believer in goal setting and have set goals my whole life. Everything from which girl to date, what car to drive, personal achievements in sports, academics, family and financial goals. Early in my goal setting experiences, my goals were written down and reviewed periodically. They included measured progress and a clear plan of how to get from my starting point to the goal line. As time has gone on, I have continued to set goals but now I use electronic means to track them with spread sheets and comparisons. Some things have changed but some things will never change. Goal setting is important to have a direction for your life purposes.

As we grow in experiences and knowledge, how we think about goals and goal setting should also be a constant evolution. We can set goals that more and more carefully fit into our lifestyle choices. A goal properly set will include a mental picture of what it will feel like when you have achieved it. How you will know you have completed it. Will you be living in the home of your dreams; driving the car; surrounded by friends and family or sharing it with a special someone? What will it look like, smell like, and who will you bring along with you on your journey. The emotional aspect of achieving the goal will give you motivation and power behind your “why”. Why you want to achieve it.

The goal may have a plan attached to it, but while plans and steps to achieve you goal will change, the goal decision should not change unless you find it is no longer a worthwhile goal.

PLANS CHANGE BUT GOALS REMAIN

When a ship leaves port it has a direction and a goal. Along the way currents of the seas, shifting winds and sometimes obstructions will cause a change in steering direction. A change in heading or course steered doesn’t change the goal of when and where you shall arrive. The change in steps, or course settings are a reflection of the recognition that change will happen. Outside forces will impact the ship, and the course will need to be adjusted to overcome the effect of these outside forces.

Like the ship, when you make a decision to arrive at a goal and set a time and state of being that will in fact be your goal, it becomes your focal point. There will be changes to you personally, your environment, the tools you have available and other influences to make you adjust your steps and intermediate course settings. In the achieving process, have the humility to recognize that God may have a better way to achieve your goal and keep your eyes open for changes or opportunities for a better course selection.

Buy your copy of The Franchising Fast Lane today.