Rob Liano's Blog, page 5

Turn It On Again! Restoring your Energy

We wake up every morning with a clean slate.  Yesterday is over and we have no stress until we encounter events happening throughout the day. Okay, it’s possible that you fell out of bed and the stress started immediately, but mostly we are stress free when we rise and shine.

Stress is a potential exchange of energy. Energy that can drain you, energy that can sustain you. Obviously its best to sustain your energy throughout each day so that you can accomplish all that is required of you, but sometimes the day has challenges that we cannot avoid or change.

The good news is that we can control how much energy we give.  Have you ever heard someone continue to lament about a minor event long after it’s been resolved? This is the act of that person draining themselves.

Have you seen people rubbing in someone else’s past mistake over and over again? That’s them punishing another person, sucking the life out them. It’s basically creating tension or sustaining stress.  We may not be able to avoid stress, but we can choose how we will react to it. We can allow it to make us sick or we can maintain an inner peace.

Pressure and stress is the common cold of the psyche.

Andrew Denton

Flip the Switch

Let’s say we had a certain amount of energy allotted to us to get through each day. If you spent too much of it on worry, fear, anger or frustration we wouldn’t make it through the day peacefully. Well, that actually sounds like what happens to us doesn’t it? We can reach a point where the negative energy gets to us and we start to feel drained. Then we say “I give up!“

What we must focus on the best ways to spend our energy. Is it worthwhile to prolong the stress of any event that might not matter one minute, one hour, one day, or one month from now? No. The best thing you can do is choose to move past it.

There’s a big difference between worry and concern, read more on that here. Don’t neglect things that matter, but more importantly don’t erect statues to things that don’t.

Many people wish they had more energy. If this is you, then look towards where you are expending the energy you already have. Are you not sleeping well because you’re stressing about something? That’s giving negative energy and power to things that you may be able to let go. If you can’t fix it, don’t feed it.

Are you thinking of ways to overcome these challenges? Or are you thinking you’re doomed to remain stuck? What makes more sense, to be reactive or proactive? Are you creating stress and putting pressure on yourself or others? Let it go and win the day.

Stress is an important dragon to slay, or at least tame in your life.

Marilu Henner

Coffee Break

How many people do you know that “need” coffee first thing in the morning? Why in the world would they need coffee after a night’s sleep?  Isn’t something wrong with that? The funny thing is that even coffee doesn’t seem to help everyone, so what’s the problem? They are restless, consumed by fear, worry and negative thoughts throughout the night and then upon waking, they fill up on news and feed more negativity into their brain. Yikes!

Since thoughts are energy, our energy can be constantly drained and therefore we never feel rested. Where did the energy go? If you ask, people will tell you that their job, boss, co-workers, spouse, friends, the news or their children stress them out! No wonder coffee doesn’t help. They are not using their internal power to cope. They are constantly draining their core energy source.

In any situation where you might expend energy, ask yourself:

Is it something that warrants putting energy into it?
Will this matter tomorrow? If so, why?
Can I fix it and then be done with it?
Can I get help with this?
What were your expectations?
Can you prevent this in the future?
What can you do to make it better right now?

There will always be things that need your attention, so you must rationalize how you can help the situation and yourself.

As they say, don’t cry over spilled milk. Clean it up and move on to better things. The sooner you start paying attention to how much energy you give to things that occur throughout the day, the sooner you can sleep better and reenergize. We are overspending our energy resources and then desperately trying to replenish them through outside means.

Stop wasting your energy, start being a positive life force and illuminate others.

There’s going to be stress in life, but it’s your choice whether to let it affect you or not. Valerie Bertinelli

Rob Liano

Rock Star Life Coach & Sales Trainer

www.rockstarsalestraining.com

1.855.832.ROCK (7625)

Time After Time

 

There is no question that time is our single greatest asset. When invested wisely it can reap more benefits than you could ever imagine. Time is the great equalizer.

Each day, we have the same amount of time that Bill Gates has, that Thomas Edison had, or anyone else who achieved great success in their life.

Time evens the score. It levels the playing field. Are you wasting time? Let’s look at this example to find out. If you spend just one hour per day on:

• Facebook

• Blogs

• Forums

• Gaming

• Myspace

• Twitter

• TV

• The Internet

That adds up to seven hours each week. Now that might not sound like much; but it’s approximately 30 hours in one month, or about 360 hours in a year. That’s FIFTEEN 24 hour days of your time GONE. Over two weeks of your life lost, never to return, or yield a significant reward.

Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.

~William Penn

Time Out

That two weeks lost is solely based on wasting just one hour per day, statistically the average American watches 4 hours of TV per day. And whether at work or at home, they also average just under two hours per day on the internet.

Could this be why the average American is average?

Now don’t get me wrong – I’m a fan of entertainment, recreation and a little R & R – but you need to evaluate if your balance is slightly off, or entirely off. If you have things you want to improve upon such as your weight, your finances or your relationships, look to where you invest your time and you’ll clearly see why you aren’t making progress.

If we aren’t contributing something that’s beneficial to others, or improving ourselves during that one hour (or more) per day then that means we choose to lose that time. What exactly does that accomplish? Not much when you think about it. I hear people say, “I just don’t have the time”, when actually, most people just aren’t managing their time properly.

Time = life; therefore, waste your time and waste of your life, or master your time and master your life.

~Alan Lakein

Return of Investment

What else can you do with seven hours each week that would make your life more successful or rewarding?

• Exercise

• Call friends or family you haven’t spoke to

• Read (increased learning is tied to increased earning)

• Learn a foreign language

• Meditate

• Volunteer anywhere

• Do yoga

• Take cooking lessons

• Mentor someone

• Start a new venture

• Bake cookies from scratch and give them to neighbors

• Write out your goals and how to achieve them

• Start writing a book or novel (just one page a day is 365 pages in one year)

• Keep a journal

• Start a garden

• Learn an instrument

• Talk to your spouse or children

• Make your dreams a reality!

I’m sure there’s much more we can add to the list above. Often, the reason why many people don’t accomplish all that they desire is they don’t have a goal. And even when they do have a goal, they waste time rather than dedicate the time it takes to pursue that goal.

When people say something had “bad timing” that’s usually because they did not use time properly.  They did not prepare enough, or stop to take time to think before doing something.

Spend a few days tracking your time, see what you’re doing with it and when you’re doing it. Next, plan out better use of your time by creating a schedule with priorities in place. You won’t ever have to ask yourself where the time went at the end of the day if you know where it’s going before that day starts.

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.

~Stephen R. Covey

Timing is Everything

I’ll bet that you can find more than 60 minutes in a day but if for some reason you can’t, then you can wake up 1/2 hour earlier and go to sleep 1/2 hour later. Your body will adjust. You could always coordinate your schedule so that you might find a spot to add a nap, or sleep in late one day. Once you choose to control your time, you decide when and where you can do what you should be doing.

Take a time management quiz here. Mind Tools

Just think of the possibilities. Whether it’s in sales, business or life in general, what would that one extra hour (or more) do for you? You could be more efficient, earn more money, get organized, have better relationships and ultimately feel better about yourself, but only if you invest your time into those things that bring a long-term reward.

You must commit to changing your life in the areas that you want, rather than settle for any immediate gratification which fades quickly and is soon forgotten.

Do not wait until tomorrow, do not make excuses. The time to start is now. You have been given this great asset of time until you breathe your last breath, use it wisely.

We don’t have an eternity to realize our dreams, only the time we are here. 

~Susan Taylor

Rob Liano

Rock Star Life Coach & Sales Trainer

www.rockstarsalestraining.com

1.855.832.ROCK (7625)

Burn the Ships!

 

In the early 16th century, a Spanish conquistador led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile. He was a part of what began the Spanish colonization of the Americas.

His name was Hernando Cortez.

There is famous story about Hernando Cortez. Whether it’s 100% accurate or not seems to be of some debate, but I would like to share it with you.  The point it illustrates is without a doubt 100% beneficial.

Spring of 1519

Traveling by sea, when Hernando Cortez and his men landed in Mexico one of the first orders he gave was to burn the ships. This may sound shocking and like something you might hear in a blockbuster movie, but Cortez was so committed to his mission that he did not want to allow himself or his men to even entertain the option of going back. His message was simply this:

Succeed or die.

Cortez and his men were forced to focus on what it would take to win. He had no way of knowing what he and his men would encounter in their journey. What he did know was that by “burning the ships” he had completely eliminated the possibility of going back. Failure was NOT an option. They HAD to find a way to win.

He created an intensely powerful need to succeed. Additionally, since he must have thought they would succeed, he instilled confidence in his men. Of this we can be sure . . . his plan was certainly not to die on that day.

To guarantee success, act as if it were impossible to fail.

~Dorothea Brande

Follow the Stars

When I was young, I had dreams of being a rock star and I put my whole heart into it. I lived, breathed and ate drums. And yes, I had long hair and even wore spandex. I also skipped college while I held odd jobs just so that I could pursue my burning desire. Then I started to get some advice from those that were “older and wiser” than I, and it often sounded like this:

“You should really think about the future. You know, have something to fall back on, it’s a tough business you’re trying to break into, not a lot of people succeed at it.”

While the person saying this might think they’re looking out for you, I’m sure you can see the negativity in that statement. This type of thinking will lead you to believe that you will most likely fall back; that you won’t succeed and that “yeah, it IS tough”, especially if you might have already faced a struggle. It plants psychological seeds of doubt. This is how your dreams die. Wouldn’t it be better to plant seeds of life?

It takes but one positive thought when given a chance to survive and thrive to overpower an entire army of negative thoughts.

~Robert H. Schuller

Many people think that by having a back up plan, you’re being prepared. But the reality is this; you’re actually preparing to fail. It can do much more harm than good. Here’s why. By putting time and effort into “something to fall back on” you have to take time away from pursuing your passions, and that will either deter, or delay your achieving it.

When you start to think in the back of your mind “well if I fail I could always . . .” it changes your actions and your focus. It will discourage you. Cortez and his men had to find a way to win the battle with nothing to fall back on. They had to figure out any and every way to triumph. Their very lives depended upon it.

Doesn’t your life depend on your success?

Is the advice to have something to fall back upon ever what you hear from someone who is a rock star? A millionaire? An entrepreneur? A conquistador? Someone who has succeeded greatly? No, it’s usually coming from someone who is average and no better off than you are.

People who say it cannot be done should not interrupt those who are doing it.

~Chinese Proverb

The Choice is yours

What if you knew you HAD TO succeed? What would you do differently? Would you plan and prepare more? Work harder? Build a better army? Focus more? Look for solutions? Learn more? Waste less time? Persevere? Of course you would! You would be left with no other choice. If you start doing all of this right now, then in no time . . .

BOOM! Success just might hit you like a cannonball!

You see, Cortez made it impossible to fail, and the story ends that he did, in fact, succeed greatly. So what ships do you have to burn? What fears do you have to eliminate? What limiting beliefs do you have to overcome?

Burn the Ships!

Now I’m not saying to tell your boss to shove it, especially if you need an income to put food on the table, even though doing so has served as a catalyst for others. But right now that might create stress. You must carefully prepare a sound plan and act on that plan immediately and diligently. If you give 100% to your mission you’ll enjoy more success than you can imagine. You cannot let seeds of doubt grow in your mind. Forge ahead!

If you only go halfway to just try it out, and then you fail, you will have regrets, rumblings below the surface, this feeling of failure along with a sense of remorse. You might already know the feeling I mean, and it’s not warm and fuzzy.

It’s possible that you can succeed where others have failed. I, through perseverance, went on to succeed in music. I’ve been on tour, appeared on TV and radio while others fell back on something they don’t really enjoy. Did I struggle? Absolutely. Was it worth it? Heck yeah!

Get out of the boat and burn the ships. And remember, evaluate any advice that you’re given and decide if it’s credible or not. Has it worked for others? Will it work for you? Act on what motivates and inspires you, set sail and get excited, you CAN conquer the world, or at the very least, your world!

I’ve got a theory that if you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.

~Larry Bird

Rob Liano

Rock Star Life Coach & Sales Trainer

www.rockstarsalestraining.com

1.855.832.ROCK (7625)