Marketing Muse from Silver Square

Introducting the Courthouse Girls of Farmland

Today's post is a nod back to my hometown, Winchester, Indiana. My parents moved about five years ago, so while I don't get back to town, I do occassionally hear tidbits of what's what. In 2005, I was contacted by two friends who knew I would be a little more than upset at a recent vote to tear down the historical courthouse (yes, I mean completely destroy and remove the whole thing) and replace it with a new one. The thought made me ill.

I'm not sure why, but I've always been attached to buildings and saving things. Even when I was very young, I made my parents make donations to the Save the Statue of Liberty campaign (remember this, she was coming apart and we needed to restore her...) and saving the many lighthouses around the nation (you know, they too were in some restoration need). As I got older, I gave to help more buildings and more history live.

Today I hope to bring some light to this project and share that the courthouse is not going to be torn down. The people of Randolph County who were opposed to this vote have taken action and made a difference. One such person has been Larry Francer. He helped created a project called the Courthouse Girls of Farmland and made a calendar much like the familiar film Calendar Girls as a fundraiser to the courthouse affair. It's doing well, and even turned in to a documentary that is now available on DVD through their website.

Here is an update from Larry. It's a great story and it keeps getting better. Be sure to cast a vote as noted below:

Our film can now be ordered online from our Web site, www.courthousegirls.com. We've priced it at $18.95 with 10% going to the Raise the Roof campaign to help fund the addition of a new mansard roof and clock tower for the renovated courthouse.

Our little film is gaining more and more attention. It's been accepted by the Washougal International Film Festival (WA) this month and is in an online competition for a chance to win $500 and a screening spot closing night at the Feel Good Film Festival in Sherman Oaks, CA. August 24th. Voting started August 8th; visit  http://myfest.indieflix.com/feelgood/, and we are already behind!!!. We can use any and all votes so tell your friends, dogs, perfect strangers ... we'll take them all!

We're also pleased to report that the film will be presented during the National Trust's conference in Tulsa, OK, in October, and at the Illinois Main Street Conference in November, and at an Ohio historic preservation event in November as well. The film was presented by WIPB, Muncie, IN, August 7th and so far we've gotten good reviews from people who saw it. We believe the other Indiana public television stations will also air the film later this year. Check the press link on our site for more information about the film and the girls.

Recognizing the fear and doing it anyway

Since we have spent the week talking, mainly, about change, you're bound to be introduced to Mr. Fear. This message helps you deal with the meeting.

Putting Fear in It’s Place
by Jack Canfield

As you move forward on your journey from where you are to where you want to be, you are going to have to confront some of your fears. Fear is a just a natural part of living.

Whenever you start a new project, take on a new venture, or put yourself out there, there’s usually some fear involved. Unfortunately, most people let fear stop them from taking the necessary steps to achieve their dreams.

Confronting your fears is a very necessary step in achieving success.

There is simply no other way.

Fear can be a helpful emotion, as it tells you when you need to be extra careful, keenly aware, and cautious. Fear is not an emotion that is telling you to stop. In fact, it’s telling you just the opposite!

Acknowledging your feelings of fear helps you know when you are stepping out of your comfort zone. It points your awareness to areas where you could improve and grow.

Successful people also feel fear. Yet they don’t let it get in the way of anything they want to do—or have to do. They understand that fear is something to be acknowledged, experienced, and taken along for the ride. They have learned, as author Susan Jeffers suggests in her must-read book, to “Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway®.”

(Susan has been a friend of mine for twenty years now, and her work, which is very powerful and transformational, has helped millions of people overcome their fears and move forward to create success in their lives. I highly recommend her as a resource: www.SusanJeffers.com)

You see, fear is more of a signal that we should stay alert and cautious. We can feel fear, but we can still move forward anyway.

Think of fear as a 2-year-old- child who doesn’t want to go grocery shopping with you. Because you must buy groceries, you’ll just have to take the two year old with you. Fear is no different. In other words, acknowledge that fear exists but don’t let it keep you from doing important tasks.

Also realize that so many of our fears are self-created. We might frighten ourselves by fantasizing negative outcomes to any activity we might peruse or experience. Luckily, because we are the ones doing the fantasizing, we are also the ones who can stop the fear and bring ourselves into a state of clarity and peace by facing the actual facts, rather than giving in too our imaginations.

If a fear is too great for you to overcome, try breaking it down into smaller challenges.

Try starting out doing the parts of the project that don’t scare you so much. You need to give a speech in front of a large group? Try giving your speech in front of a small group of people who care for you. Work your way up until you are able to feel the fear but still move forward. As you do you will build your confidence and eventually you won’t feel fear surrounding those issues because you’ll have done them enough to count it as a skill.

As you move toward your goal, don’t attach yourself so much to the outcomes.

Keep moving toward your dream doing everything you can to create what you want, then let it go and see what shows up. Sometimes the universe will have a better idea in mind for you and present a better opportunity when you were expecting something completely different. Don’t let fear keep you from moving forward. Even if the horrible outcome that you imagined happens, the universe will always provide for you another way to succeed. So be on the look out!

Trust that no matter what occurs, you are smart enough and strong enough to keep looking for, and attracting, opportunities.

If you are willing to try new experiences in spite of your fears, then more new experiences will present themselves for you to try. And the more you try, the more you are likely to succeed!

For even MORE inspiration about overcoming your fears, you can learn from this Video Clip of Me on YouTube discussing some tactics you can use right away!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Have a good chat with yourself

Today's topic I would have been a little less jazzed about if you would have brought it up more than two years ago. However, a little over two years ago, I performed a task that was a major achivement and I did it through tapping in to the power of my brain and visualizing my outcome. I had never before in my life had my mind over a matter in such strong control. The outcome went exactly (and I mean exactly) like I planned.

Give this one some serious time and thought. Work in the time daily to visualize that next big thing you're wanting or needing in your life.

Tap into the Powers of Your Brain
by Jack Canfield, America's Success Coach

Your brain will work tirelessly to achieve the statements you give your subconscious mind. When those statements are the affirmation of your goals, you are certain to achieve them! Stating these goals can be tricky however, and your subconscious mind needs things put a certain way.

You need to be specific with yourself. The more specific you are with your goal the more your brain has to go on to make them happen.

Remember, vague goals produce vague results. Don’t be afraid to be detailed with what you want! Write it all down as if you were putting in an order. Your subconscious will make it happen for you by steering you toward those opportunities.

Your goals might seem a bit overwhelming at first glance. But look again! Do you see how your goals can be broken down into a series of steps? What needs to be done first and next and after that? Keep writing the steps until you reach the goal.

Here’s a fun fact to help you attain your goals: your brain does not know the difference between actually doing something and just visualizing something being done. Your brain processes the two the same way!

Have you ever imagined yourself making a total flop out of yourself moments before you really do? That is because your brain really experienced it when you visualized it. Your brain will work to make happen whatever is being inputted.

What do you daydream about? Do you visualize yourself being successful? Do you visualize other people judging you? What you think about, you bring about!

Make it a habit to spend time visualizing your goals in detail as if you are living them right now. Do it every day, several times a day! Your brain will begin functioning as if your goals are already attained. You will start being the person you want to be simply because that is what is being processed in your brain. Your brain will make you notice all the resources available to you that you never noticed before. You will attract all the things you need to accomplish your goal.

Don’t visualize what it will be like, visualize what it is like!

Live it right now in your mind, everything in the present tense. What does it look like right now? What does it sound like and smell like? How does it feel? Create these detailed images and show your brain what it all looks like already complete. Your brain brings to your awareness only the things that match your beliefs about yourself, others, and the world. Everything else it filters out. When you visualize your completed goals in detail, your brain filters out everything that doesn’t pertain to those goals!

Write down your goals, break them down into achievable bits and every night visualize them completed. Then every morning visualize them completed. Take the time that is necessary to go through each goal in detail. Trust this process, the power of your brain has been greatly undervalued in the achievement of your goals!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Be 100% responsible

You probably saw this one coming. I'm a big fan of this principle, which is the very first prinicple in the book. I have occassional lapses on this one, but I know it all begins and ends with me. I have shared this principle in a different way before, so this summary from Jack focuses more on how to control your response to get an outcome. I love the CNN reporter's example of the two men commuting to work. We all know each of those two people. Which would we rather be?

The Formula that Changes EVERYTHING
by Jack Canfield

It seems that everywhere you turn these days, you hear people talking about the economy.

What’s interesting is that some people are scared to death about it, while others couldn’t be happier. While I don’t claim to be an economist, I do know one important fact. The economy is the same for everyone, it’s how you respond to it that determines how you feel about it.

It’s yet another example of what I’ve been teaching for years. . .

E + R = O
(Events + Responses = Outcome)

The basic idea is that every outcome you experience in life (whether it's success or failure, wealth or poverty, wellness or illness, intimacy or estrangement, joy or frustration) is the result of how you have responded to an earlier event (or events) in your life.

If you don't like the outcomes you are currently experiencing, there are two basic choices you can make:

1.) You can blame the event (E) for your lack of results (O).

In other words, you can blame the economy, the weather, the lack of money, lack of education, racism, gender bias, the current administration in Washington, your wife or husband, your boss's attitude, the lack of support, and so on.

If you're a golfer, you've probably even blamed your clubs!

No doubt all these factors exist, but if they were the deciding factor, nobody would ever succeed. For every reason it's not possible, there are hundreds of people who have faced the same circumstances and succeeded.

It's not the external conditions and circumstances that stop you -- it's you!

We think limiting thoughts and engage in self-defeating behaviors. We defend our self-destructive habits (such as drinking and smoking) with indefensible logic.

We ignore useful feedback, fail to continuously educate ourselves and learn new skills, waste time on the trivial aspects of our lives, engage in idle gossip, eat unhealthy food, fail to exercise, spend more than we make, fail to tell the truth, don't ask for what we want, and then wonder why our lives aren't working.

2.) You can instead simply change your responses (R) to the events (E) until you get the outcomes (O) you want.

You can change your thinking, change your communication, change the pictures and you hold in your head (your images of the world) and you can change your behavior (the things you do.) That's all you really have any control over anyway.

Unfortunately, most of us are so run by our habits that we never change our behavior. We get stick in out conditioned responses-to our spouses and children, to our colleagues at work, to our customers and our clients, to our students, and to the world at large.

You have to gain control of your thoughts, your images, your dreams and daydreams, and your behavior.

Everything you think, say, and do needs to become intentional and aligned with your purpose, your values, and your goals.

If you don't like your outcomes, change your responses.

Here's an example of how this works:

Do you remember the Northridge earthquake in 1994? I do! I lived through it in Los Angeles. Two days later I watched as CNN interviewed people commuting to work, The earthquake had damaged one of the main freeways leading into the city. Traffic was at a standstill, and what was normally a 1-hour drive had become a 2-3 hour drive.

The CNN reporter knocked on the window of one of the cars stuck in traffic and asked the driver how he was doing.

He responded, angrily, "I hate California. First there were fires, then floods, and now an earthquake! No matter what time I leave in the morning, I'm late for work. I can't believe it!"

Then the Reporter knocked on the window of the car behind him and asked the driver the same question. This driver was all smiles.

He replied "It's no problem. I left my house at five am. I don't think under the circumstances my boss can ask for more than that. I have lots of music and Spanish-language tapes with me. I've got my cell phone. Coffee in a thermos, my lunch-I even have a book to read. I'm fine."

Now, if the earthquake or the traffic were really the deciding variables, then everyone should have been angry. But everyone wasn't.

It was their individual response to the traffic that gave them their particular outcome. It was thinking negative thoughts or positive thoughts, leaving the house prepared or leaving the house unprepared that made the difference. It was all a matter of attitude and behavior that created their completely different experiences.

If we all experience the same EVENT, the OUTCOME you get will be totally dependent upon your RESPONSE to the situation.

If you want to take control of how you respond to life, you’ll start noticing that your outcomes will be more along the lines of what you have always hoped. Remember, you control your destiny so make it a fantastic one!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America’s Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Ask, ask, ask... 7 ways to boost business

Day two in our Jack Canfield sharing focuses on using the "ask" to boost your business. I always change my favorite Jack principles based on where I am in my life, whether I'm focusing on something professional or personal. The ask principle is one that works in all of our daily activities. Here is his summary on asking and seeing a shift to success.

The Power of Asking; 7 Ways to Boost Your Business
by Jack Canfield

The gift called “asking” has been around for a long, long time. One of life’s fundamental truths states, “Ask and you shall receive.” Kids are masters at using this gift, but we adults seem to have lost our ability to ask. We come up with all sorts of excuses and reasons to avoid any possibility of rejection.

Yet the world responds to those who ask! If you are not moving closer to what you want, you probably aren’t doing enough asking.

Here are seven asking strategies you can implement in your business (and in life) to boost your results and your bottom line:

Asking Strategy #1: Ask for Information

To win potential new clients, you first need to know what their current challenges are, what they want to accomplish and how they plan to do it. Only then can you proceed to demonstrate the advantages of your unique product or service.

Ask questions starting with the words who, why, what, where, when and how to obtain the information you need. Only when you truly understand and appreciate a prospect’s needs can you offer a solution. Once you know what's important to them, stay on this topic and find solutions for them.

Asking Strategy #2: Ask for Business

Here’s an amazing statistic: after giving a complete presentation about the benefits of their product or service, more than 60 percent of the time salespeople never ask for the order! That’s a bad habit, and one that could ultimately put you out of business.

Always ask a closing question to secure the business. Don’t waffle or talk around it—or worse, wait for your prospect to ask you. No doubt you have heard of many good ways to ask the question, “Would you like to give it a try?” The point is, ask.

Asking Strategy #3: Ask for Written Endorsements

Well-written, results-oriented testimonials from highly respected people are powerful for future sales. They solidify the quality of your product or service and leverage you as a person who has integrity, is trustworthy and gets the job done on time.

When is the best time to ask? Right after you have provided excellent service, gone the extra mile to help out, or in any other way made your customer really happy.

Simply ask if your customer would be willing to give you a testimonial about the value of your product or service, plus any other helpful comments.

Asking Strategy #4: Ask for Top-Quality Referrals

Just about everyone in business knows the importance of referrals. It’s the easiest, least expensive way of ensuring your growth and success in the marketplace.

Your core clients will gladly give you referrals because you treat them so well. So why not ask all of them for referrals? It’s a habit that will dramatically increase your income. Like any other habit, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Asking Strategy #5: Ask for More Business

Look for other products or services you can provide your customers. Devise a system that tells you when your clients will require more of your products. The simplest way is to ask your customers when you should contact them to reorder. It’s often easier to sell your existing clients more than to go looking for new ones.

Asking Strategy #6: Ask to Renegotiate

Regular business activities include negotiation. Many businesses get stuck because they lack skills in negotiation, yet this is simply another form of asking that can save a lot of time and money. Look at your vendors and suppliers and see if there are areas where you can be saving money. Just ask.

All sorts of contracts can be renegotiated in your personal life, too, such as changing your mortgage terms and rate, reviewing your cell phone plan and requesting a policy review with your insurance agent. As long as you negotiate ethically and in the spirit of win-win, you can enjoy a lot of flexibility. Nothing is ever cast in stone.

Asking Strategy #7: Ask for Feedback

This is a powerful way to fine-tune your business that is often overlooked. How do you really know if your product or service is meeting your customers’ needs? Ask them, “How are we doing? What can we do to improve our service to you? Please share what you like or don’t like about our products.” Set up regular customer surveys that ask good questions and tough questions.

HOW TO ASK

Some people don’t enjoy the fruits of asking because they don't ask effectively. If you use vague language you will not be clearly understood. Here are five ways to ensure that your asking gets results.

Ask Clearly
Be precise. Think clearly about your request. Take time to prepare. Use a note pad to pick words that have the greatest impact. Words are powerful, so choose them carefully.

Ask with Confidence
People who ask confidently get more than those who are hesitant and uncertain. When you’ve figured out what you want to ask for, do it with certainty, boldness and confidence.

Ask Consistently
Some people fold after making one timid request. They quit too soon. Keep asking until you find the answers. In prospecting there are usually four or five “no’s” before you get a “yes.” Top producers understand this. When you find a way to ask that works, keep on asking it.

Ask Creatively
In this age of global competition, your asking may get lost in the crowd, unheard by the decision-makers you hope to reach. There is a way around this. If you want someone’s attention, don’t ask the ordinary way. Use your creativity to dream up a high-impact presentation.

Ask Sincerely
When you really need help, people will respond. Sincerity means dropping the image facade and showing a willingness to be vulnerable. Tell it the way it is, lumps and all. Don’t worry if your presentation isn’t perfect; ask from your heart. Keep it simple and people will open up to you.

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Successful habits = success

This week, I'm sharing some of my favorite Jack Canfield pieces (The Success Principles guy I have mentioned a time or two). This first one is on habits. Each of us at Silver Square has picked a habit to work in to our life in the next 90 days (we started for Q3). We check in with each other weekly and help each other stay accountable to the habit we wanted to adjust, start or stop. Here is one sentence that sums up why I like to talk about habits:

People don't suddenly appear in the life they want to live... their habits determine their outcome.

Where are Your Habits Leading You?
by Jack Canfield

You are an accumulation of your habits. From how you get out of bed, how you shower, how you dress, how you walk, sit, and talk, how you respond to the world, how you act in front of others, and how you think; you're living out your habits.

Habits are necessary. They free up your mind so you can concentrate on how to survive day to day. You don't have to think about how to drive your car so you can be on the lookout for danger while you are driving. You don't have to think about how to walk so you can concentrate on where you're going.

Unfortunately, habits can also keep you locked in self-destructive patterns, which will limit your success. To become successful, you will need to drop bad habits and develop new ones that are in line with the life you want to live.

People don't suddenly appear in the life they want to live... their habits determine their outcome!

What are the habits you have that are keeping you from achieving your goals?

Really be honest with yourself here... Are you always running late? Do you return phone calls within 24 hours? Do you get enough sleep? Do you follow through on your promises? Do you plan out your day?

Imagine what your life would be like if all your habits were their productive counterparts!

What would your life be like if you ate healthy meals, exercised and got enough sleep? What if you saved your money, stopped using credit cards and paid cash for everything? What if you stopped procrastinating, overcame your fears, and began networking with people in your field? Would your life be different? I bet it would!

So, my suggested action step for you is to write down some productive habits you could adopt and visualize in your life, step two is to 'act as if' you were living these new habits right now!

I'd like to help you get moving toward creating more successful habits, so I'd recommend you develop four of your new success habits each year, one for each quarter.

Once you pick the new habit you're ready to adopt, next you'll want to create a method that will support your new habit.

Here are some ideas... You could write it down on a card that you keep with you and read several times a day. You could make it a part of your daily visualization. You could also enlist the help of an accountability partner who has habits to change, or work with a personal coach who can keep you on track.

It's important to make a 100% commitment to your new habit, so be specific about the steps that you're willing to take in order to drop an old habit and adopt a new one. Don't be vague about how you will change your habits. Spell it out for yourself so you can recognize situations that motivate you to act out your new habit.

Just developing four new habits a year will dramatically shift your life to be more in line with your vision. And the more in line it becomes, the easier the other habits are to replace because your perspective is shifting and you can see more clearly how your old habits aren't serving you anymore.

Make the decision. Make the commitment. Then watch your new, positive life unfold!

© 2008 Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield, America's #1 Success Coach, is the founder and co-creator of the billion-dollar book brand Chicken Soup for the Soul and a leading authority on Peak Performance and Life Success. If you're ready to jump-start your life, make more money, and have more fun and joy in all that you do, get your FREE success tips from Jack Canfield now at: www.FreeSuccessStrategies.com

Facebook gets a face lift

If you're on Facebook only occassionally, maybe you won't notice the change. It's subtle, but it's good. They have made it easier for you to connect, provided cleaner, more professional profile pages and made it even more simple to connect and chat with friends via their platform.

Are you on Facebook? How are you using it? Check out my profile >>