Viewpoints Newsletter Number from Infinite Perspectives

Viewpoints - a Newsletter from INFINITE PERSPECTIVES Coaching & Consulting
November-December 2006	Volume 3, Number 5
Welcome to Viewpoints. We hope you enjoy this issue. Magnets, Vacuums, and Fresh-Baked Bread. What in the world do these things have in common? That’s easy – these are three things that are irresistible attractors. Magnets exert an irresistible pull on metal objects. A vacuum strongly pulls objects inward to fill the void. And fresh-baked bread attracts anyone within sniffing distance. It’s very hard to resist these three things, isn’t it? As a kid, I was fascinated with a set of magnets – a pair of white and black Scotty dogs with magnets inside. I spent lots of time trying to see how close I could push one dog toward the other before the magnets snapped them together. It was also fun to turn one of the dogs around and try to put the opposite ends together. It didn’t work! The magnetic force spun one dog around and snapped them together again. I learned that magnets are strong attractors. When Mom got a new vacuum cleaner, I soon learned that things could be sucked up fast in the vacuum hose – not always good for small toys or the vacuum cleaner. But it sure made the dust bunnies disappear (not that there were ever many around our house – Mom was a Mrs. Clean). Later, I learned more about the nature of vacuums, not vacuum cleaners. But the same principle applied. Vacuums are powerful attractors, too. Then there’s fresh-baked bread. I remember my Grandma kneading dough, forming it into loaves, and then baking it. The smell of the bread baking was irresistible. It was so hard to wait until it was finished, but then I got rewarded with a warm slice of bread and butter. I can still smell that bread baking and taste that fresh, warm slice. What can we learn from this? Simply that strong attractors do work to help attract people to your business or service. And … powerful detractors tend to push people away. Here are some examples of powerful detractors: Electric shock – an unpleasant bite when you get caught in the middle of a short circuit. Blast of hot air – not a fun thing to experience when you’re expecting a gentle breeze. Overripe limburger cheese – certainly not a good smell, is it? Well, you may not use these unpleasant detractors in your business or service, but are you turning people off in other ways? Here are a few of my favorite UN-favorites: A doctor’s office is often a stressful enough place. I like my doctor, but the office atmosphere is less than inviting when the staff are playing stressful, obnoxious music over the speakers. How many of us call customer service but instead get a phone tree with a long message and confusing choices, and rarely get to talk to a real human being? Push “1” for this, push “2” to that, and so on. Over-hyped TV or radio ads – they’re louder, brassier, faster, hurry up and buy … and they seem to go on and on and on. Thank heavens for mute buttons on the TV remote control. Negative political ads – when nothing positive is said about the sponsoring candidate, and definitely not about the opposing candidate. We know what or who they’re against, but we can’t tell what they’re for. Attraction – pulling people toward your business or service – is much more powerful than pushing, yelling, or running down your competitors. I have had a lot of first hand experience attracting people. And it works! For 42 years, I worked to attract good students to my program. I was a music teacher, and music is not a required subject. I didn’t have a built-in class. Each year, I worked to build and maintain a band program by retaining students from the previous year and at the same time, by attracting new students. During the years I was a university department administrator, we worked hard to attract a new class of music students each year, or we would not have had a class of majors. It’s not easy work, but we found that we could attract and retain good students if they were pulled toward us, rather than pushed. Pulling is a more powerful form of attraction than pushing. Thomas Leonard listed ten ways to create a vacuum that pulls you forward. I’ve added a brief explanation to each of the points he made. Think about how you can apply these principles and practices to your life, and see what a positive difference these can make: Realize it’s better to be pulled forward than it is to push yourself forward. Think of the magnet pulling you. It’s a powerful force. Pushing yourself can be exhausting to the point of burnout. Becoming more superconductive creates a vacuum. Less resistance requires less energy. Letting go, eliminating tolerations, fixing your integrity all help you remove the resistance in your life. A vision is better than a goal as a way to be pulled forward. Goals become something to strive for, to achieve. A vision is a beacon. It releases you from trying to create the future. It provides you with context and meaning. Put yourself into creativity-stirring situations. This takes practice. Rather than pushing yourself to start or complete a project, seek an environment that will pull you forward, or pull the project out of you. Put yourself among friends and colleagues who bring out your best. This is the ‘people’ version of the point above. Surround yourself with people who always perform at their best and who will encourage you to do your best. Say things that occur to you, even if they are not yet true. Take yourself seriously when a thought occurs to you that seems to be the opposite of what appears to be true at the moment. Give yourself permission to think about inconsistencies. Deliberately create a conflict out of which can come a synthesis. Well, it doesn’t mean to start a fight – it means to get yourself unstuck by taking a different view, making a promise, change your behavior. Set the stage for thinking bigger and more openly. Mutate, at will. Not the science fiction version – just don’t be afraid of change. Experimentation and the freedom to experiment with ideas, words, products, life itself, will create real progress. Unhook yourself from who you were; this will let you be pulled forward. Who are you? Defining yourself by your skills, talents, and successes can lead to complacency about the need to try new things and grow. Don’t let your self-definitions become anchors rather than foundations. Tell the newly discovered truth about something, even if you can’t see a way to implement or honor this truth. Tell the truth, even if you cannot change yourself or the situation right away. Remove the barriers that block truthful paths. Easier said than done – but work at it! (Adapted from Thomas Leonard, *The Portable Coach. NY: Scribner, 1998) Some Perspectives:* You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses. (Tom Wilson) Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. (Lou Holtz) Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are. (John Wooden) NEXT ISSUE: Fire Your Committee of THEY! Just who are THEY? We all have them. THEY are the ones who always say NO to new ideas. THEY are the ones who want you to think just like them. THEY are the ones your mother wanted you to please. THEY are your own conflicting intentions that stop you in your tracks. Well, just how long can you afford to hire this Committee of THEY? Let’s talk about it… * * * * * Coaching is inspiring you or your team to produce the results you want. Coaching helps you develop essential skills for success. Coaching helps you design environments to help you sustain your successes. Coaching is your ultimate career enhancement opportunity. *Individuals from all walks of life are turning to coaching as “the next best thing” for their careers and their own personal development.* *Infinite Perspectives* *Coaching* can help *you* Improve your confidence and leadership skills Discover your conflicting intentions – and eliminate them! Develop win-win relationships with your colleagues & clients Create clear goals and action steps that get results Gain new perspectives, positive energy, and less stress. NEXT ISSUE: Magnets, Vacuums, and Fresh-Baked Bread. Things that are irresistibly attractive. Being pulled toward something is much more powerful than being pushed and prodded. Magnets pull metal objects to them. A vacuum pulls objects inward. And fresh-baked bread attracts anyone within sniffing distance. Push less and you’ll attract more. * * * * * Coaching is inspiring you or your team to produce the results you want. Coaching helps you develop essential skills for success. Coaching helps you design environments to help you sustain your successes. Coaching is your ultimate career enhancement opportunity. *Individuals from all walks of life are turning to coaching as “the next best thing” for their careers and their own personal development.* *Infinite Perspectives* *Coaching* can help *you* Improve your confidence and leadership skills Discover your conflicting intentions – and eliminate them! Develop win-win relationships with your colleagues & clients Create clear goals and action steps that get results Gain new perspectives, positive energy, and less stress. Call (303) 972-2581 or email charlie@infiniteperspectives.com to schedule your complimentary consultation.
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