Ken Keis's Articles - c3 Career Articles

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Do You Have the Mindset of a Winner? Being a winner is a choice, not a condition of your circumstances. Winners take responsibility for the life they created. When you are a true winner, you are living a fully engaged life. In our experience at CRG, that is achievable only when you are living your purpose. Just Say No to Toxic People! Do the people around you build you up and encourage you, or do they discourage and drain you? The reality is that each of us needs to take responsibility for our personal space and relationships in life. Toxic people come in many forms, so perk up your radar and review this list on how to identify toxic waste. Just Say No To Worry Research reveals over 90% of the things we worry about never happen. Everyone worries, but most worry is about some negative possibility in the future, not right now. Worry can breed anxiety, paralysis, and depression, rather than creative solutions. In the end, we are all personally responsible for our own thoughts and our emotional state. Are You Easily Offended and Quick to Anger Is it just me or have you noticed increased in-your-face attitude from others? Easily offended and quick-to-anger individuals are out of control. Are you easily offended and quick to anger? Here's Help! Transforming Leadership is Everything Transforming Leaders embrace an organizational and professional work culture of discipline and remove any team member who does not adhere to this value. High Performance Management Model the behavior you want others to exhibit and lead the team through the process. " Show me -- don’t talk about it." Performance research indicates that the most effective way to improve, correct, or change behaviors is through on-the-job, real-life immediate feedback, as soon as possible after the event and as respectfully as you can. Why Don't You Teach the Way That I Learn? It is generally agreed that knowledge is now doubling in months, not years, and that learning is a foundational value that individuals and organizations must embrace. Otherwise, success is -- and will be -- limited. Creating a Successful Life and Career The concept of working or earning a living to help fund what you really want to do is flawed. At some level, most if not all of what a person does in life should be linked to his or her natural gifts, talents, interests, passion, and purpose. There's No Such Thing as Job Security, Except... Never go looking for a job. First, determine what opportunity will suit you. What job role or entrepreneurial venture interests you? Then you will know where to look for it. It’s amazing what happens when you are clear about what you want. Opportunities will be attracted to you. Will You Get Over Yourself - Please Concerned excessively or exclusively with oneself; seeking or concentrating on one's own advantage, pleasure, or well-being without regard for others; arising from concern with one's own welfare or advantage in disregard of others; genetic material solely concerned with its own replication. What's Your Legacy Far too many individuals won’t leave much of a mark. Why? They engage life half-heartedly -- primary wrapped up in themselves. Then they wonder why their lives are unfulfilling and miserable. If I Had Wanted Your Opinionm I Would Have Asked For It What would your life or business look like if you changed it to fit everyone’s (in many cases unsolicited) opinions? You certainly would not be living your purpose. It's Time You Acted on Your Dreams and Desires Whether you are ready or not, get started now. Fulfillment in life comes from engaging and enjoying your purpose and dreams. Can You Let Go of Your Negative Thoughts and Events? Being negative is an activity that gets the attention of others. We see this behavior in poorly parented children as young as age 2. If acting up is the only way they can get attention, guess what they do? Adults act up, too. Maturity - Don't Leave Home Without It Life experience, over time, is required for maturity to ground itself in our lives. There simply is no replacement. Reject the Victim Mentality When the victim card is played, the victim is trying to shift the onus for the condition of the person or group onto outside influences. That suggests the victim has played no role in creating the situation and that he or she has no power to change it. Are You Living an Authentic or a Fake Life? Use your discretion. Don’t whine about everything that doesn’t meet your needs, but stop representing fake positions or thoughts. They don’t benefit anyone -- especially you. Decreasing Clutter and Chaos You might argue that clutter does not have a negative effect on you, but let me challenge that thought. Imagine you are going to see your doctor, dentist, or medical specialist. His office is clean but cluttered with files and instruments that reflect a state of general chaos. What is your confidence level for that professional? Not very high, right? What is Stress Costing You? Influenced by the elements present in our lives, our stress levels are way more complex than being just work- or home-related. Stress manifests itself in many physical, psychological, and behavioral symptoms, which can include headaches, fatigue, feelings of being out of control, and insomnia. Take Time to Celebrate! After making sure you celebrate your own wins and successes, you can help others celebrate theirs. A work environment where nothing is ever celebrated can quickly become disillusioned and depressed. How Do You Respond to Your Circumstances? Throughout history, great accomplishments have been achieved in spite of circumstances. If everything were easy to do, we wouldn’t use "great" and "accomplishment" together to describe a situation. Great accomplishments are so named because of the intensity of the circumstances and the ability of the individual to overcome them. The Perils of Procrastination What has your lack of action (procrastination) cost you in lost opportunities and/or experiences? For most of us, the price is far greater than we expect and, in many cases, the desired action is never started, engaged, or completed. The Spirit of Abundance Some people reject the concept of abundance because many authors have wrongly linked abundance with only wealth and/or money. Abundance really applies to all elements in your life such as health, friends, relationships, achievement, your emotional and spiritual state, and many other facets. Wealth just happens to be one of many possible abundance components in your life. Success is a Team Sport Never, Never, Never, underestimate the power of a mediocre or negative team member! Great Team Members add to your team; mediocre team members take away -- and that costs you more than you might imagine. Are You a Giver or a Taker We are all familiar with this longstanding truth: "Give and you will receive." Isn’t it interesting that what takers want the most is what they get least and what givers want least is what they get the most? With the act of giving to others, people generally want to give more to us in return. The Magic of the Moment In other words, the ability to be focused and aware of what is happening in the moment leads to leadership success. Living in the moment allows you to experience life at its deepest and most meaningful level. It allows you to REALLY connect with others and learn from them and from the situations you are in. Integrity - Don't Leave Home Without It Integrity can apply to all areas of our lives and is constantly affecting our reputation and success. All of us at sometime or another has been out of integrity. But the question is, do we own up to it and learn from the experience or do we continue to conduct ourselves in ways we don’t like to see in others? The Power of Your Thoughts The research revealed that the way you think about your wins and positive events and about your loses and negative events are equally important. Life is not just about overcoming failure. Do you own and take credit for your wins? To break the bondage of our habits, first we need to become aware of how our thoughts and our language can and are hindering our success. The Power of Focus It seems a high percentage of individuals lack one major characteristic -- focus. In today’s society, with unlimited opportunities and continuous communications from multiple sources, it is easy for life to become a constant distraction. All of us are constantly being lured by other possibilities. The way you respond to this noise will determine your level of success (focus). Success Demands Decisive Decisions Everyone reading this article is a leader. Yes, everyone! You are a leader at some level with someone. It could be at home as a significant other and/or parent. It could be at work, as a volunteer. And certainly, you are responsible for the leadership of your own life-fulfillment and your purpose. Your success is linked to your ability to make decisions. No exceptions! Are You Dying to Live? Are you treating your life -- and the other people in it -- as precious? If you died today, what type of evidence would be left behind? Would it show that you engaged life at the 100% level or that you just plodded through? Would excuses be written on your headstone? So many individuals engage life at half-throttle, with little will, ambition, impact, or contribution. They blame others for their life circumstances and believe their situation is all other people’s fault. Success is Only Six Degrees of Separation Away Success is Only Six Degrees of Separation Away "Someday this will be true for all us. Our network will equal our networth." -Tim Sanders, Author: How to Win Business and Influence Friends Achieving Emotional Freedom - Part Three "Have you ever noticed those people whom you see jogging day after day? They are the ones who seem not to need to jog, but that’s why they are fit. Those who are wealthy, work at staying financially fit, but those who are not financially fit do little to change their status." -Thomas J. Stanley, PhD & William D. Danko, PhD Authors: The Millionaire Next Door Achieving Emotional Freedom through Financial Independence Part Three: Financial Strategies Achieving Emotional Freedom - Part Two "I noticed that my poor dad was poor, not because of the amount of money he earned, which was significant, but because of his thoughts and actions." -Robert Kiyosaki, Author: Rich Dad, Poor Dad Achieving Emotional Freedom through Financial Independence Part Two: Financial Success Principles Achieving Emotional Freedom - Part One "Millions of men and women are paralyzed with the fear of poverty -- and fears are nothing more than a state of mind. The good news is that one’s state of mind is subject to control and direction." -Napoleon Hill, Author : Think and Grow Rich Achieving Emotional Freedom through Financial Independence Part One: Mindset Secrets of Success "What I lack is to be clear in my mind what I am to do, not what I am to know... The thing is to understand myself, to see what God really wished me to do... to find the idea for which I can live and die." -Soren Kierkegaard The Secrets of Success The Powerful Sound of Silence In our civilized world, we enjoy numerous conveniences. Like everyone else, I enjoy most of them. But with the invention of electricity, we created 24-hour lives, constantly feed by input or, better stated, noise. So what is the impact of such a noisy environment and lifestyle? Let’s see. The Value of Your Network and Networking A Network is a group or system of related or connected parts. The action form of Network is Networking — the exchange of information or services among individuals, groups, or institutions. Both the Network and Networking are important. The Power of Leverage Almost all successful individuals understand the power of leverage. And that success in any endeavor is accelerated by using leverage. The Power of Persistence: Doing Whatever It Takes Almost without exception, most high achievements are the result of persistence. If showing up and waiting for success is all it took, we would all be experiencing the sweet taste of victory. We know that’s not true. The Gift of Encouragement Encouragement means to inspire, incite, foster, or stimulate courage with hope. Everyone needs encouragement at one time or another, from the CEO, mother, father, child, or employee, to the professional athlete or performer. Who’s Taking Responsibility for Your Life? Today’s society would like us to believe that our situation or anything else that keeps us from achieving our wants or desires is someone else’s fault. Of course, deep down we know this is utterly false. Responsibility is the high road; to not take responsibility means we can blame everyone but ourselves for our current circumstances The Character Trait of Being Thankful What is being thankful really about? It starts when each of us can consciously be appreciative for the things we have or we have enjoyed. I have found this is only the first part to being thankful. If we want to have a thankful heart and spirit, the second part requires us to choose the attitude that our thankfulness is greater than our disappointments, frustrations, or the negative events we are or have been experiencing. Are You Living Your Purpose? As each of you read this article, take a moment to reflect on your life. What do you see? Do you see someone who has embraced life to its fullest? In conversations with friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances, I still come across many who are searching for their personal purpose or life direction. Especially the baby boomers, who, I have observed, want to move from success to significance in their lives. It is not as if their life is traumatized or currently unsatisfactory but clarity around their personal purpose seems to elude them The Case for Courage The current condition and state of our lives have been strongly influenced by our choices. Those choices -- consciously or unconsciously -- were directed by our level of courage/confidence. Without courage, what are we giving up, missing, avoiding, not resolving, not doing, not starting, not embracing, or not changing? Self-Worth - Your Success Depends On It Even though our society seems to be restrained in discussions about Self-Worth, it needs to be included as part of everybody’s success plans and strategies. It already affects all of us -- in a negative, neutral, or positive way -- so let’s include Self-Worth as part of our awareness program. The Power of Values Clarification In addition to vision and purpose, the clarification of your values is critical to your success. Values are different than vision and purpose; they are best described as behavioral needs and standards that work to support your vision and purpose. They are simply another layer of the same onion. Not only is values clarification important to interacting and working with others, it has the greatest impact for you, personally and internally The Power of Lifelong Learning The difference between "who you are now and the person you really want to be" lies in two simple things: your level of knowledge and the application of that knowledge. Attracting Your Perfect Job or Career Each of us is born with specific talents. Before you can attract your perfect career, work or life, you must be clear about your gifts, talents, and interests. The challenge for many of you will be that your gifts and talents don’t fit the Standard Industry Classification (SIC) Code. While it may be easy to define the skills necessary to do the job of a welder, bus driver, or receptionist, how does an intrapreneur and an entrepreneur fit into the code? Many people do not! Making career decisions using the status quo is not always beneficial. For many of us, that process misses the mark.