Being Proactive Energizes

As January comes upon us every year, you probably hear a lot about goal setting and resolutions. A new beginning is always a great way to jump-start your motivation in every aspect of your life. If you write down your goals the propensity of them getting conquered actually goes up over 50%. If you take 30 minutes out of your life to think and meditate about

what it is you want to achieve and accomplish in every aspect of your life, then write it down, you will be amazed at what goals you will be able to complete.

Being proactive energizes and being reactive sucks energy away!

I would like to encourage you to set service goals. Why should you set these types of goals? By setting goals in this area your business will be more profitable and your life will be enriched. You can start in small ways. There is a wonderful story about Johnny the bagger. This is a story about a bagger in a grocery store who took to heart the encouragement that management gave to help increase profitability for the store. Johnny struggled with Down Syndrome all of his life, and as he contemplated about what he could do to help, the idea came that he could share a small, type-written, “Thought of the Day” and leave it in the grocery bags he would pack. Shortly after he started doing this, management noticed a line forming at the register where Johnny was the bagger. The store would open up additional lines to get customers through but the customers stated that they were fine waiting and then it finally came out that they wanted Johnny’s “Thought of the Day.”

His example permeated to others that worked in the store. Other employees were coming up with ways that they could reach out to their customer base and create a positive service experience and encounter.

The stores profitability rose but more importantly human relationships were enhanced and shoppers enjoyed shopping at this store. Employees enjoyed serving their customers.

Networking is another great way to increase your opportunity to connect with others and have them experience you and the positive service you can provide. If we look for ways to meet others’ needs often our own are met threefold. I read once where networking can add 40 additional years to our life. As humans we need interaction with other human beings. Networking can be scary but if you are proactive and practice in every new situation you enter you will begin to feel more comfortable. The more personality types you encounter and can connect to, the more successful you will be in all aspects of your life.

So as you set goals, create a scorecard. List out the following areas:

• Mental, what can you do to stimulate your mental capacity

building a positive attitude and an open mind?

• Physical, what can you do to improve your diet, exercise, sleep patterns and activity level? 3. Spiritual, are you experiencing gratitude in your life and an opportunity to meditate and pray? 4. Family, does your family feel your devotion and are you active with their individual lives? 5. Career, are you experiencing satisfaction and growth? Do you take time for vacations?
• Financial, are you saving or are you debt free? If you were to experience a change in your financial environment would you be able to weather the storm? 7. Social, do you have the reputation you want? Are you happy with the friendships you have? Are they positive and uplifting? Last, but definitely not least, 8. Lifestyle, do you laugh daily? Are you experiencing a healthy stress free life? Are you joyful?

Yes, there are a lot of aspects in order to experience a balanced life – if this list is overwhelming, take time to list out what is most important for you to accomplish and achieve. Once you have achieved this goal, cross it off and make new goals.

You don’t have to wait for the beginning of a new year to create goals and evaluate your life. The most successful people in the world are always evaluating where they are at, where they want to be and what it will take to get there.

I know that if you commit to you, life will amaze and new opportunities will arise that you could have never imagined before.

Good luck on this journey!

Linda Yates has more than 20 years of experience in sales, customer service, marketing, business development and fund raising. She has spoken on topics such as leadership, customer service, personal development and growth, business marketing and communication. She has written for national publications on marketing strategy planning and development and has been a highly sought after

asset for a variety of businesses and organizations.

She currently leads the exciting and diverse real estate training experiences on behalf of an industry leading organization. From online seminars to workshops to boot camps, she implements the educational programs that help investors and first-time home buyers thrive in today’s real estate market. With extensive project planning, public speaking and educational training experience, Linda distills complex issues into easy- to-understand messages that help individuals from all walks of life achieve their real estate goals.

Prior to working in the real estate industry, Linda executed motivation and training programs to thousands of individuals from several Fortune 500 companies on their internal processes and strategic initiatives throughout North America.

She is no stranger to the world of technology where she advised middle market companies on leveraging their existing business systems and to how maximize their customer relationships through technology.

Linda’s expertise is being a conduit to facilitate growth from a personal or business setting. She believes that if you “talk” about it, you better be willing to “walk the talk”.

To learn more or to contact Linda directly, e-mail her at lhyates@excite.com