Commonwealth games

The Commonwealth games about to start in India has caused much debate. Who is right and who is wrong. Are the Indians wrong for taking so long to get the place sorted for the opening or is it where we are looking from that is causing all the drama?

This all depends on the point of view. In a game of Tennis if you serve the ball and it is called out. To you it is a bad shot. To the other player it is good and to the umpire it is neither good and or bed, its simply out.

What we hinge our beliefs on are caused by our reference points. To a homeless person the opportunity to stay in the athletes village would be great yet to some players they are complaining about they have. It all depends what we compare it against. Just as the two tennis players are experiencing the same thing, only one of them is seeing the good side. So too in life things are related to our reference points. Unless we try to expand our reference point/s we too will stay in the same zone.

It is our commitment to growth and to continually be expanding what we think about that increases our experiences. If we stay where we are then in 12 months time we have gone backwards as people and the universe has moved on.

So the Commonwealth games. Are they a disaster or a hugely exciting event? For me and my reference points they are an exciting event that is about to unfold. I believe the Indians have done a great job in getting the village to a place where it will be a spectacular event to watch. No ones prejudices will hinger me watching and enjoying.

So I challenge you when you are starting to complain and or moan. What is the motive, what is causing that sense of injustice inside you.

This is one day in a short life. Make the day great by experiencing exciting and new things.

Fraze!!

Focus

What a delight when we know what we want? Too often we wander around looking for something to fill the night in with. Nothing on TV, so I will look till I find something that tickles my fancy.
Oh how much more powerful to say...I want this and or that...let me make, create and or find i. Too often we are letting oters live and make the choices for us. What am I wanting? Is that what i desire...to just sit and fill in another night. here in New Zealand the sun light hours have been moved. Therefore it is lighter later at night. Lets use this time to sow the seeds for something worth while.
It maybe a walk on the beach with a loved one. It may be a game of the back lawn with the children. It may a phone call to a distant friend. Then again it maybe you can sepend 30 minutes walking around the block rather than sitting reading the paper. This is yourlife. Stop living in yesterday and in the pitty party system. Make it happen. No one but you is going to make it happen. This is your day. This is your moment. Don't wonder what if? Make it happen. Become clear abou what you want and make it happen. Are you unsure of what to do? Then set the target closer and make small steps and as you gain momentum you can shift the target back.
We have one shot at life. Lets make it count. lets stop just filling time and space and start making it happen.
This is my day and this my life
Great Clip about focus:


Till next time.

Storms

It’s amazing how things can change in an instant. Last month I spoke on the importance of valuing the time with important people in our lives. Over the past few weeks there have been many challenges that have shaken and changed many lives throughout the country. Christchurch experienced an earthquake, Southland was caught by the large snow storm and locally we had the stormy weather over the past couple of weeks. So too in our personal day to day lives we can be shaken by storms of varying magnitudes. No matter what we do in life we are going to experience storms. There are going to be things that happen, no matter what we do. However when we are able to persevere in life and get through the hard times we will have a fulfilling life that is going to be worthwhile. This is more than anything that we can ask for in life. Being able to proceed with life and make the most of what you are doing in life will make you a happier person too. The first thing that you have to do is make sure that you are willing to keep a positive outlook in life. You need to be reminded of the good things that are going on in your life. Being able to handle the hard times is going to be a struggle for some. It is not always easy to have the ability to get through the hard times. You need to be emotionally and physically stable so that you are able to persevere through this time. There is no reason to get discouraged. You can be positive and not have to get down on the bad times that are going to happen in your life. Remember storms are going to come, how prepared are you to keep safe throughout this time?
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Level One

Just completed the traning for the Life Coach. I am now certified. It is an amazing feeling of completing the course. I have driven 6 hours for the past 14 weeks to and back from Auckland. I have loved every moment.
The business is going to be name:
Fraser Stirling Personal Success Coach
Turning Obstacles into opportunites.

I am going to do some more intense training too now that I have been qualified.

Yah...

Fraser

Search Engine Submission - AddMe

Masterpiece for the day

Every day we have a choice to make.....

(1) either make it the best day ever

(2) just get by and get home to fall into the sofa

(3) enjoy every moment with our loved ones and make steady progress towards our worthy ideal

It is alot better when we plan and make the life we choose and want rather than waking and saying what have you got for me today life.

There is a story that shows perflectly why we must make every day great rather than wait for the better day in the future.

A man opened the bottom drawer of his sister's draw and lifted out a tissue-wrapped package.

"This," he said, "is not a slip. This is lingerie."

He discarded the tissue and looked at the slip. It was exquisite: silk, handmade and trimmed with a cobweb of lace. The price tag with an astronomical figure on it was still attached.

"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least eight or nine years ago. She never wore it. She was saving it for a special occasion. Well, I guess this is the occasion."

He took the slip and put it on the bed with the other clothes he was taking to the mortician. His hands lingered on the soft material for a moment. Then he slammed the drawer shut and uttered.

"Don't ever save anything for a special occasion. Every day you're alive is a special occasion."

Every morning when I open my eyes I tell myself that this is a special occasion.

Have a great day

Excellence

Fo those who know me well, know that something I strive for and expect of myself is Excellence. I recently came across this outstanding article and wanted to share it with you:

Quality Is Not a Thing, It's a Way

By Harvey Mackay

I recently had the opportunity to speak to members of the Food Processing Suppliers Association. In doing my preparation, one thing that kept coming up was food safety. One mistake can destroy a company.

How would you like to deal with that kind of pressure? I bet if you asked most businesspeople if they could be 99.9% perfect, they'd take it. In some industries that might cut the mustard, but it certainly won't in others.

If everyone achieved 99.9% quality, according to Insight Syncrude Canada Ltd., this is what could happen:

· Two plane landings daily at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago would be unsafe.

· The IRS would lose two million documents this year.

· 22,000 checks would be deducted from the wrong bank accounts in the next 60 minutes.

· 1,314 phone calls would be misplaced every minute.

· 12 babies would be given to the wrong parents each day.

· 268,500 defective tires would be shipped this year.

· 103,208 income tax returns would be processed incorrectly this year.

· 2,488,200 books with the wrong cover would be shipped in the next 12 months.

· 5,517,200 cases of soft drinks produced in the next 12 months would be flatter than a bad tire.

· 3,056 copies of tomorrow's Wall Street Journal would be missing one of the three sections.

· 18,322 pieces of mail would be mishandled in the next hour.

· 880,000 credit cards in circulation would turn out to have incorrect cardholder information on their magnetic strips.

· 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions would be written in the next 12 months.

· 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes would be shipped this year.

· 107 incorrect medical procedures would be performed by the end of the day today.

When I founded Mackay Envelope Company many years ago, every time we landed a new account we checked and double-checked the first order to make certain it was correct. Nothing is more destructive to a company's bottom line and its relations with customers than defective products. We still test throughout the manufacturing process and then test again just before shipping. Then we test the testers to make sure they know what they're doing.

Quality is a mindset. It must be an obsession. It has to be part of a company's culture. You can't just talk about it. You have to practice it every day for years.

As Aristotle said, "Quality is not an act. It is a habit."

Have you ever seen a team run on the field yelling, "We want to be number two?" Everyone wants to be #1. Those who actually achieve it are those who are willing to put the blood, sweat, and tears into their effort.

The American Society for Quality Control published a booklet many years ago called "The Hare and the Tortoise Revisited: The Businessman's Guide to Continuous Quality Improvement." One story tells about a Japanese quality expert who stresses the need for patience and discipline. He likens the quality process to farming bamboo. Once the bamboo seed is planted, the farmer waters it every day. He does that for four years before the tree even breaks ground. But when it finally does, it grows 60 feet in the next 90 days.

It's that kind of commitment to the long view that marks the companies which have been most successful in achieving outstanding quality.

Bottom line: Quality products and quality service begin with quality thinking, and it's the same in any business. Everyone talks about quality, but customers can quickly figure out who is willing to make the required effort. And those businesses have a very good chance of sticking around for a very long time.
Quality comes from pride. Every job is a self-portrait of the person who did it. So you need to autograph your work with excellence.

If it's almost right, it's wrong.

Mackay's Moral: The difference between failure and success is the difference between doing a thing nearly right and doing it exactly right.

Food for thought.

Goals

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about goals and how I use them every day. I was wondering why are they important and what would life be like without goals....then I remembered as I explored my values that it is so much more worthwhile being a goal setter:

I have been a student of success for as long as I can remember.
For decades I have asked the question, "What makes one person
succeed and another person struggle?" Even in my childhood I was
a virtual sponge. I noticed the words, behaviors, and patterns of
the people around me and the results they manifested.

I have committed to a lifelong study of success, to learn what
works and what doesn't work so that I might duplicate positive
thoughts and habits in my own life and share those lessons and
observations with others. It pays to study success. It also pays
to study failure (your own and other's) to avoid unnecessary
mistakes and the pain they bring. Mistakes and missteps are
inevitable, and failure often provide as much benefit as success
as long as you are paying attention.

Most high achievers I have studied took 100% responsibility for
their life and made a concerted effort to learn the art of goal
setting. Most goal achievers invest their own time, energy and
financial resources. Many have joined clubs, communities,
organizations and hired a coach or mentor to further instill the
mastery of this crucial life skill.

There are literally hundreds of ways goal setting benefits your
life. I have identified the top ten to serve as a reminder the
many ways you can gain more control over your life and why it is
crucial that you do whatever it takes to learn and master the art
of goal setting.

The 10 Biggest Benefits of Goal Setting

1. Greater Peace of Mind. There is nothing in the world like
going to bed at night knowing you are investing the days of your
life in the areas of your chosen endeavor. Nothing brings you
greater peace of mind than having the certainty that you are
consciously creating your destiny, living a life of your own
design. Goal getters realize that you create your life goal by
goal. If you want a better life, set better goals.

2. Clarity of Purpose. Having carefully chosen goals gives your
life greater meaning. Show me a person who doesn't know their
passion or purpose in life and I will show you a person who
either has no goals or pursues goals with no personal challenge
or meaning. People who actively and systematically pursue
meaningful goals feel a greater sense of purpose and fulfillment
in life. What you are doing right now is either taking you way
from or towards your dreams. Goals help us navigate throughout
our journey. Our goals are a reflection of who we are.

3. Greater Productivity and Focus. People with goals direct
their day, instead of their day directing them. People with goals
know their desired outcome and are less likely to waste time on
unimportant matters. When you know your outcome, you avoid
distraction. You understand the people and pursuits that feed
your desires and those that do not. You know where to invest your
time and energy. You also learn where NOT to spend your time.

4. Greater Personal Growth. Each time you pursue a new goal
outside your comfort zone, you contribute to your own personal
growth and advancement. Pursuing goals causes you to stretch and
learn about yourself and the world around you. What was once
difficult often becomes easier and you long to conquer new
heights. Nothing in the world will give you a zest for life like
consistent growth.

5. Higher Quality of Life. Quite simply, people who have goals
get more out of life. The more life you give to your goals, the
more your goals give life to you. Having goals means you value
your time and make the most of it. When you know what you want
and have a plan to get there, the journey is a lot more fun than
having no goals and no plans. Having goals makes life easier.
People who set goals are happier and more fulfilled. When you are
happy and fulfilled you take loving care of yourself and have
more of yourself to give to the people you love. Happy, fulfilled
people attract other happy and fulfilled people.

6. You Attract a Higher Quality Peer Group. People who have
goals and are moving towards them are energized and full of life.
When you have goals for your life, you attract other people who
have goals of their own. And we are well aware of the power of
association. You become like the people you hang around.

7. Increased Confidence and Self Esteem. Each time you make a
commitment to a goal and invest the very best of yourself towards
it's attainment, you gain more confidence and self esteem,
regardless of whether or not you achieve the goal. Your
subconscious mind knows that you gave your all and that
strengthens your confidence muscle. Progressive action always
leads to growth and greater fulfillment. People that do not set
goals never venture outside of their comfort zone. Deep down they
know they are not realizing their potential and feel bad about
themselves. People with goals are fully alive and dare to take
risks that elevate their place in life. Whether they win or lose,
they learn and grow.

8. Contribution to Others. Whether or not you know it, someone
looks up to you. If you have children of your own, they are like
little sponges, absorbing the words you speak and the actions you
take. Your behaviors serve as model to the people around you.
Maybe it's your sibling, a coworker or even a kid down the
street, someone looks up to you. Every time you set a goal and
act on it, you serve as a shining example of a person who is
moving towards realizing your full potential in life. Whenever
you pursue a goal, you inspire others to do the same.

9. Goals Help You Become a Better Person. Don't set goals for
what you can get. Set goals for what they will make of you. Set
goals for who you become along the way. People who set goals and
follow through, develop the skill of overcoming obstacles. People
who follow through on their goals and commitments develop an
inner strength and unshakable character. People who do NOT set
goals never discover how great they can become. They never awaken
their dormant gifts and talents. Whenever you set and commit to a
goal and follow through on your commitment, you strengthen your
character and personal integrity.

And finally what is perhaps the biggest benefit of setting and
pursuing goals...

10. For the benefit each individual goal will bring to your
life. As you begin to master the art of goal setting, every goal
you set brings it's own unique positive result or benefit to your
life. When I work with private coaching clients, before they set
a goal, I ask them to determine 10 deeply compelling, personal
reasons why they must achieve the goal they are considering
setting. When you do this, you give yourself all the clarity and
motivation you need to fuel you beyond obstacles, all the way
through to the goal's completion. If you cannot identify the
benefits in advance, you probably would not bother setting the
goal the first place. You can visualize your outcome by reveling
in the results before they occur.

So if you have not given yourself the gift of learning the art
of goal setting, perhaps it's time.

If not now, when?

Once you master the art of setting and achieving a goal, you can
have anything you want in life... anything.