We’ve Become Weaklings!

We did it to ourselves. We've been whining, complaining and bitching about life even while we were drowning in abundance. We've been satisfied with enough and forgot that for everyone to have enough you've got to have enough to give; and that means more.

We've surrendered our government by the people to egotists, career politicians and deal brokers. There are good people in government, but when they stand up we shout them down, condemn them as nuts and vote for celebrities with more charisma. We deify leaders who tell us what we want to hear and we vilify leaders who hold to ideals despite the cost to their own reputations.

Only last week one prominent congressional leader said that we had better not let our ideals stand in the way of what he considered necessary action. I want you to take a minute and think about that statement. Let's not let ideals, values and principles stand in the way of doing something even if what we're doing might be wrong and might not work. And we're wondering why we're in our current situation?

Before you start thinking I'm going on some right-wing tirade, listen: I'm not talking right or left, republican or democrat, and I'm not advocating for some bi-partisan Disneyland either. What I'm saying is that we're taking it up the butt from people who want to stay in power. I actually understand and respect their ambition; what I loathe is that we're letting them get away with it.

Government by the people means it's up to the people to take care of the government; not the other way around.

Too many of you assume that the President or the Congress or some fictitious bi-partisan synergy of the two controls the economy. It just ain't so. You control the economy. You control it with your decisions to buy or not to buy. Look how you scared the oil speculators who were betting on the fact that you wouldn't stop driving when gas hit $4.00 a gallon. The government didn't limit the price of oil, and OPEC was getting ready to drive the price up. You knocked the price of oil down.

Too many of you are waiting for the government to save the economy, or at least your little piece of it. The government is not going to put money back in your 401K or save your job. Unfortunately, neither is the government going to punish the crooks that plundered your hard-earned; it's too much of an inside job.

Enough bitching and moaning; it's time to do something. It's time to stand up and be powerful.

• I'm sorry you lost your savings; I did too. I'm pissed off! Focus on earning it back and then some. If you're already at retirement age I truly am sorry; help us hang the villains that robbed you of what you truly earned; don't take this lying down.
  
  
• Learn more about how the financial markets really work. Learn to recognize scams and deals too good to be true. Learn to manage your investments and control your own retirement fund. Even the so-called experts are now saying you shouldn't listen to them; don't!
  
  
• Invest in yourself! Start a business; full-time, part-time it doesn't matter. Do something to take more control of your destiny. Fortunes are made in recessions; find the opportunity.
  
  
• Stop worrying about anything you can't do anything about. Stop watching the news; blood sells but it doesn't help you get ahead. Focus on what you can do and stop listening to people telling us the world is coming to an end. Plan for the end of the world and you're going to have a problem when you wake up tomorrow and it's still here!
  
  
• Become powerful! Power is your ability or capacity to perform or act effectively; simple, not easy. Become more effective, that's how you increase your value. Leverage that value in new and creative ways. Go out and actively look for new opportunities before someone else puts you on the street.
  
  
• Don't wait for the lay-off or the downsizing. Fire them, don't let them fire you! You do this by continually learning, expanding your talents and abilities and increasing your power and value. Create your next opportunity now!
  

I don't care if you come from the depths of poverty or you were born with a silver spoon shoved down your throat. In fact, if you don't have anything right now you've got an advantage! Take a chance; what have you really got to lose? If you're someone who is getting tossed out of the ivory tower you're about to start on the greatest adventure of your life.

We've become weak; we've got to get to the gym! Think like a black belt! Get tough and do not surrender. Decide right now that you're going to do whatever it takes to create your vision of personal and professional success & happiness. Do it with honor and righteousness; success with honor is lasting.

I'm not willing to surrender; I'm not done yet! I'm not waiting around for economic salvation or bail-out. Who do they think they are anyway? Their generosity is amazing when they're spending our money! Quit and you may live, you may even be safe and comfortable for a while. Just remember, salvation has a price too; you pay for salvation with fear, doubt and complacency.

• Fear: Will anyone really save me and when?
  
• Doubt: It's getting worse and nobody seems to be coming!
  
• Complacency: I give up! I'll accept mediocrity and weakness; I can't do anything about it anyway.
  

Is that any way to live?

No, I'm putting boots to the ground and going for it. I don't want safety; I want success. Success requires action and action comes with risk. I'd rather risk failure on my own than mortgage my life for salvation at the hands of others.

 

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator: speaker, coach and author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER. Find more POWER at JimBouchard.org!

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Is Personal Responsibility Dead?

Not yet, but it's on life support!

The value of personal responsibility is certainly threatened today. Saving it is really up to you, and me.

Before I go off on this rant, it's important to note that there are people in genuine need and there's nothing wrong with asking for help. There is something insanely wrong when that help becomes an entitlement and the generosity of others is repaid by petulance instead of gratitude.

Our culture's radical departure from personal responsibility has become a major issue as our economy struggles to staunch the bleeding. The pending mortgage assistance program has raised temperatures across the country as some people start to position themselves for assistance and others condemn borrowers who simply got in over their heads.

The fact is some good people who did everything the right way are in trouble. It's also a fact that too many people willingly borrowed way beyond their means and set themselves up for disaster. A lot of people are likely to lose their homes over the next few months no matter what type of program is in place, but unless we return quickly to some fundamental values in our society we're likely to lose much more than our homes.

If you made the deal; you're responsible. It wasn't long ago that we were screaming about aggressive credit card companies pushing us over the cliff of unsecured debt. Now we've done the same thing with our houses. The fact is that nobody held a gun to your head and told you to apply for a new Capital One card and nobody threatened your life if you didn't sign that ARM on your house. You signed the papers, you made the deal, you owe the money.

On the other hand, the lender is responsible for his end of the bargain as well. You aggressively loaned money to people you knew were in way over their heads. You designed loan programs without income verification. You created no-money down programs and leveraged your assets on interest-only products. If you made a bad loan, tough.

If you're fat, get your fat ass to a gym. That's a harsh one, eh? There are people who are suffering from obesity due to medical conditions outside their control; I've met one or two in my lifetime. That's all, only one or two. The vast majority of people who are obese do one of two simple things completely wrong: they eat too much or exercise too little; end of story.

Believe it or not I do have an understanding of how difficult it is for some people to control their weight. As a martial arts instructor I work with people dealing with this issue all the time. I can tell you that the only people who are successful in this area are those who accept full responsibility for their own health.

Suing McDonald's does nothing to curb your appetite.

And...whether it's right or wrong blaming societal pressures does nothing to help yourself either. The fact is that nobody can live up to the popular ideals for body type, weight and beauty. Look what happens when celebrities are caught without their make-up, with their pants down (or off!) or in a moment of emotional vulnerability.

It's up to you to design a life satisfying to you. Your feeling trumps size and shape at all times. An overall feeling of health is what's important; some people are genetically predisposed to be bigger or smaller than others. People who feel good about themselves are always more attractive and powerful than those who don't no matter what they look like. That feeling comes from within and nobody can do it for you!

I don't think it's any of my business to tell you what to eat or force you to exercise if you don't want to. It's also not my responsibility to take care of you if you don't want to take care of yourself. We could say the same for smoking, having unprotected sex or producing children you can't take of.

When someone helps you be grateful; you owe them that. People were given hotel rooms to live in for more than a year after the hurricane Katrina. To be fair, some of these people were extremely grateful and truly appreciated the help; not many of the grateful people stayed in this donated housing for the entire term. Some others were angry that they were being asked to leave after more than a year of free housing; they destroyed the hotel property and protested bitterly about being evicted.

I once listened to a woman go on a tirade about how the state was "screwing her" by threatening to stop her aid to dependent children. The reason? Her deadbeat ex-husband number 3 had moved into her apartment violating the provisions of her assistance program. This woman produced 5 kids by 3 different men. The state was further screwing her by giving her a full scholarship at a community college, paying for her membership at a fitness center to keep her healthy, providing food stamps and paying healthcare expenses for her and her children. Yes, this does in reality happen in many cases.

Screwing her? The appropriate words would be "thank you!"

Why I lack compassion for these people: The fact is I don't; I have a great deal of compassion for them. I've also learned that compassion can sometimes be a mask for cowardice. It's sometimes more compassionate to remind someone of their obligations than to bail them out. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for life; keep giving him fish and you better get a bigger boat!

Gratitude is not a platitude; or just a nice slogan to sell self-help books and inane posters. Gratitude is an empowering process that helps you recognize the resources you have to work with here and now; even when those resources are scarce. At any given moment you might be in a serious state of deficit in material, emotional and spiritual resources but you had better take inventory of what you've got; that's what you're going to use to start the process of creating the rest of your life.

Gratitude reflects personal responsibility. It's your obligation to return kindness, charity or even simple thoughtfulness with gratitude. Gratitude is the first step in the process of recognizing your part in returning that kindness, charity or thoughtfulness if not directly, then to the world at large.

Personal responsibility is the foundation of success and prosperity. Entitlement is crippling to individual spirit, energy and freedom. The fact is that in an entitlement driven culture the only abundance is the abundance of scarcity, resentment and servitude. It's not easy to be responsible for yourself but it is the price of freedom. Personal responsibility is the cornerstone of independence and personal power and liberty.

The American founders specified only 3 inalienable rights:

• Life.
  
• Liberty.
  
• The pursuit of happiness.
  

These three inalienable rights point to only one authentic entitlement: the entitlement of opportunity. When you surrender yourself to entitlement you abdicate these inalienable rights. The only way these rights are lost is through negligence. The surest way to neglect these rights is to expect someone else to take care of them for you. That's what happens when you abandon personal responsibility.

But isn't it the government's responsibility to protect these values? Yes, but the government is you. We're in grave danger of losing the ideal of government by, of and for the people. What's ridiculous about that is that as a people we've never had more political power. No citizen can be legally denied a vote, but a vast segment of the population still doesn't vote or only votes in presidential elections. Anyone can run for nearly any office in America, yet political parties have to beg to recruit worthy candidates.

I don't like the way the government is managing our resources. I don't think most of them have the faintest idea about how the economic system works; the chief of the treasury can't even use TurboTax. What can you do? You can vote and participate. You can write to your representative. If you don't like the way they're managing things you can fire them. Remember that despite what some of them believe about themselves; they are "the people" too. Most of them have two arms, two legs, at least part of a functional brain and probably a mortgage just like you. It's up to you to remind them that they're only human once in a while and that after all, they're supposed to be working for you.

Too many of us have been too quiet for too long. It isn't that we didn't care; it's that we were trying to be polite. There's no time for eloquence and political correctness; it's time to be blunt. We had better return to a culture of personal responsibility or risk losing everything we've accomplished over the past 200 years; and despite what some people think that's a lot.

It's right to be charitable. It's right to help people with authentic need. Unless we accept personal responsibility for our own success and happiness, very few of us will have anything to share.

Back to Katrina: Just after the storm a number of people were re-located to recreational vehicles that had been donated and set-up outside one of the towns that had been destroyed. A news team was reporting on conditions in the area and interviewed several survivors who were complaining about the poor conditions. The predominant complaints were:

• Most of the air conditioning units on the RV's were not working. (Note: this was due to the inadequate electric power supply in the emergency area that simply couldn't support the higher amperage demands of the air conditioning.)
  
• The volunteer shuttle service was sporadic and people sometimes had to wait all morning for a lift to the local Wal-Mart for supplies. (Note: It should be mentioned that the shuttle was completely voluntary and likely staffed by people who were also dealing with storm related issues and that the local Wal-Mart was donating thousands of dollars worth of supplies to these storm survivors.)
  

Don't worry; I'm leaving this on a positive note!

One remarkable woman stood out. An elderly woman had just returned to her trailer after walking over a mile to the Wal-Mart and back again for supplies. The reporter asked her about the hardships of the walk and about returning to her hot trailer with no air conditioning.

The woman smiled and said she was grateful to have a roof over her head and thanked the people at Wal-Mart for their generosity. She said the walk was a minor inconvenience given the circumstances and that she had nothing but thanks for being alive, for the people who provided her with her temporary home and for the incredible kindness of so many who were opening their hearts to the refugees of the storm. In the midst of losing her home and nearly her life this woman found abundance through gratitude.

It's that simple.

Declaration of Personal Responsibility:

• If I bought it; I'll pay for it. It may not be easy, but I'll do everything in my power to repay my debts. If I'm in trouble; I'll go directly to my creditors as a first step; assistance is a last resort. If I receive assistance I will endeavor to pay it back.
  
  
• I will practice gratitude. When I receive help, I will return thanks. I will practice gratitude every day as a way to take inventory of the resources I have to move forward.
  
  
• My health is my responsibility. I will take care of myself in body, mind and spirit. If I seek risk, I accept responsibility.
  
  
• I will vote. It's the least I can do to participate in this system. The survival of American Democracy depends on my participation.
  
  
• I will embrace the process of self-perfection. I will continually improve myself for my benefit and the benefit of others.
  
  
• I will work to continually increase my power. Power is my capacity to act effectively. I cannot share power unless I am powerful. It's my obligation to become powerful.
  
  
• I will share power, love and respect unconditionally. I will accept responsibility personally.
  

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach and author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER! Get your copy at JimBouchard.org!

Power is not Control…

But I never said control isn't important!

The second chapter in Dynamic Components of Personal POWER is titled "Top 5 Lies About Power." In that chapter I talk about the lies we've been told by people who either attempted to keep power and control for themselves, or those who with best intentions were trying to protect us from the pain and suffering of failure.

One of the lies is: "Power is Control."

Power is not, in and of itself control. Power is your ability or capacity to act or perform effectively. Control is your capacity to restrain, command, dominate or regulate. You may be a very effective and powerful person, yet there may be circumstances, conditions and dare I say people you simply can't control! In the case of people, I'd argue that outside of logical restrictions that keep us from killing and harming one another, control is usually either an illusion or best left to dictators.

There are things we can control and things we can't; it's that simple. By yourself you probably can't control the global economy, regulate energy prices or keep your three year old from throwing food. What you can do at any time and given any conditions is to increase your power. You can at any point in life increase your ability to perform or act more effectively.

How? Here are steps one through a thousand:

1. Embrace the never-ending process of self-perfection.
   


2. Repeat…
   

You don't need money to increase power; take that excuse off the table now. If you're reading this you have access to a computer. How do you want to improve right now? Reduce your answer to a word or short phrase and type it into your Google search. I just did a search for self-confidence; Google returned 13 million links. 13 million links to articles, studies, advice, products and services all to help me improve my self-confidence. That would keep me busy for a while!

The words "personal power" returned over 54 million links! I'm very happy to report that a video of one of my television appearances popped up on the first page of the search right next to a video by Jack Canfield! Within seconds you can have access to over 54 million potential resources to help you become more powerful and effective.

At any point along the way you have two choices: quit or keep going. Only quitting assures a predictable outcome; once you decide to take action everything is at risk. You may fail; you'll probably encounter some degree of frustration, self-doubt and fear along the way. You can also be assured that with every drop of blood, sweat and tear you'll get a little closer to your ultimate vision of success and happiness.

You can choose to worry about circumstances, conditions and people outside your control; or you can choose to control your own destiny.

• You can wait for a lay-off; or you can learn a new skill or trade.
• You can wait for your sales manager to buy you new contact software; or you can buy your own and start getting ahead.
• You can wait for the government to save the economy; or you can find a way to expand your market on the internet.
• You can wait for the winning lottery ticket; or you can start your own business.

You're the only person responsible for your own success & happiness. Take a chance; go for it!

More powerful Google searches:

• Sales Training: 30.6 million results
• Language Study: 41.9 million
• Job Training: 43.1 million
• Leadership Training: 19.4 million
• Personal Coaching: 1.2 million
• Individuals affecting world economy: ZERO! (OK, I searched the exact phrase!)

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER. Get the power you want for personal and professional success NOW! Visit JimBouchard.org!

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Resolutions…Bullshit!

Resolutions don't work; period. Statistics show that only 12% of the people who set resolutions will keep them past the first month. Why is this figure so pathetic?

• Goals are not specific enough.
  
• Don't have the material, emotional or spiritual resources needed to see the goals to a successful conclusion.
  
• Goals lack rational, sustainable motivators.
  
• Resolutions are simply too big.
  
• Small set-backs become major failures.
  

Big ideas are great and emotion can be a fantastic motivator, but to finish the job you need a rational inventory of your current resources and a manageable series of goals that lead to your greater success.

This year replace your resolutions with a New Year REVOLUTIONtm. Completely change the way you think about goals for the next year.

First step: Take an inventory!

Whatever you're going to do in the coming year is dependent upon the resources you have at hand right here and right now. Of course, a valid goal can be to expand those resources, but you've got to start somewhere and you can't simply invent resources. You're going to need material, emotional and spiritual resources to activate and sustain your plans for the next year. What do you have in all three areas right now?

The best technique for taking an accurate inventory of material, emotional and spiritual resources is to take some time for gratitude. This doesn't need to be formal; simply take some time and think about everything you have right now. Include your friends, family and business connections; this support system is part of your emotional resources. Include your skills, talents and abilities. Include your positive traits and values like courage, work-ethic and character; these are your spiritual resources.

Next step: Big Ideas!

Take a little more time and just blast out some of the things you'd like to do if you knew this was your last year on earth! Don't worry about whether or not they're realistic yet, just organize your big ideas.

Now: Let's get real!

Finally, take a good look at your list of big ideas and decide which goals really motivate you physically, emotionally and spiritually. Then take these goals and decide which one best matches your current material, emotional and physical resources. Break that goal into a series of two or three small steps you know you can accomplish given your current resources and motivation. Now you have a set of realistic, attainable goals to start your New Year.

The best thing about your New Year REVOLUTION as opposed to resolutions is that you can start this process anytime, and revisit these steps at any time to adjust and accomplish your goals.

CAUTION: Too many people fail to achieve their goals because they allow minor set-backs to become major defeats. You may as well accept the fact that you'll face challenges and maybe even failures as you try to succeed; that's part of the deal. Rather than accepting failure, simply repeat this process, re-assess your goals, adjust and move on. You may have set a goal to lose 20 pounds before spring; losing 5 is a victory, not a defeat. Adjust your goal, your timeframe and keep going.

Best thoughts for success & happiness in the New Year!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER. Jim returns to Maine for a special appearance at Borders in the Shaw's Plaza, Brunswick for New Year POWER: Creating Your New Year REVOLUTION! This event is Saturday, December 13^th at 4 pm; free and open to the public courtesy of Borders and Northern Chi Martial Arts Center!

Click here for more information on this and other coming events!

Turn Economic Disaster into Profits

Every disaster is an opportunity; that's an old martial arts saying that works as well on the field of business combat. In the Art of War, Sun Tzu says:

"Speed is of the essence in war. What is valued in war is quick victory, not prolonged operations."

Entrepreneurs who are willing to be responsive and nimble are best suited to make adjustments necessary to profit in an economic downturn. Moving quickly doesn't mean you should make rash decisions; it means to prepare yourself to make meaningful decisions without hesitation and without regret. This means embracing continual development as an individual and as a company. When you're constantly engaged in research, training and development you're best prepared to respond quickly and efficiently when an opportunity is available; particularly in the middle of a disaster!

Here are some ideas you can implement quickly to turn disaster into profit:

• Reposition your message; emphasize the essential quality of your product or service…
  When the economy tightens discretionary spending becomes a real problem to those who provide otherwise "non-essential" goods and services. Remember that when it comes down to it, anything above and beyond food, shelter, acute medical care and basic transportation is non-essential. Find essential qualities that people will not want to do without under any circumstances and promote that message vigorously. Of course I'm assuming you deliver quality goods and services!
  
  If you operate a restaurant emphasize the need for an occasional night out to reduce stress and keep your sanity during tough times. If you run a gym make sure people know that health is not a luxury but a necessity, particularly compared to the cost of medical problems related to a lack of exercise. If you sell financial advice, what better time to impress prospects with the need for sound guidance during confusing and fearful times?
  
  
  
• Give it away…
  There is no better time to give than when there is genuine need. Giving during tough times earns greater appreciation and builds loyalty with current customers and prospects. You still need to stay in business, but decide what you can afford to give and do it today. Can you do a seminar offering substantive advice? A restaurant might give a free cooking class highlighting how to prepare great meals on a budget. A doctor's office can give away a free exam to new patients. Membership businesses could offer a trial period, even if you haven't had to in the past. Give bonuses with premium purchases.
  
  Look for ways to contribute to your community; non-profits are hurting during these times as well and the goodwill and networking you'll develop with a gift of time or other resources is extremely valuable.
  
  
• Coopertate! Embrace the competition…
  "Coopertition" is a word I coined to describe my willingness to look at competitors as allies. Leverage trade associations, Chambers and networking groups to develop strategic alliances with competitors. Together you can create co-operative marketing campaigns, develop buying pools and share resources. Compete fairly and work cooperatively.
  
  
• Increase marketing; reduce advertising…
  I define marketing as what you're willing to do to promote your business. Advertising is when you pay someone else to do this work for you. Make decisions quickly to leverage your resources and go guerilla in your marketing efforts. Put some feet on the street and get back to good old fashioned relationship building and community networking in your market.
  
  
• Downsize…
  This is always a tough pill to swallow, but sometimes a quick reduction in staff, facilities or overhead can keep you running in the black rather than digging a deeper hole just to stay in business. Smaller companies and "soloprenuers" may lack the resources to weather a bad economic storm; don't be afraid to cut quickly when necessary and utilize newly available resources to build back your strength.
  
  
• Lower prices…
  Maybe the last resort, but usually a viable alternative compared to closing your doors. Can you operate for a time on smaller margins? If so, change prices quickly and make a big hairy deal about it! Make sure your customers know you're walking the walk with them. Times are tough, we're all in this together. Turn a price reduction into an opportunity to develop good will with current customers and a marketing opportunity to generate new business.
  

It's most effective to combine several strategies. Make decisions quickly and implement them immediately. Never look at any of these adjustments as a failure. You're doing what it takes to survive and prosper during difficult times. At the same time you're developing skills, knowledge and resources that will position you as a leader when the economy recovers.

No matter what you're facing; continually develop yourself personally and as an organization. Use down-time as a new found opportunity for training, research and planning. Position yourself to make more effective and efficient decisions now and in the future, in good times and bad.

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER. Watch for upcoming programs on how to prosper during an economic downturn. Stay up to date on this and other program, and receive thousands of dollars worth of bonus resources by joining our "NO SPAM" mailing list! Register at JimBouchard.org!

Gratitude is not a Platitude

To succeed you've got to have the "attitude of gratitude." Big deal! Law of Attraction? Laws are broken every minute. But, if you don't practice gratitude you won't attract the wealth you deserve; really? What about greedy pigs who take what they want with no appreciation for where it came from. Do we really need to waste time on examples?

I do believe the Law of Attraction works and I do believe that Gratitude is an essential part of the formula for authentic success in life and business. This is because I know that true success is a product of abundance in 3 key areas of life: material, emotional and spiritual. Tolerate scarcity in any one of these areas and you will not feel successful.

Gratitude is not, however, an ethereal concept to me. Gratitude is extremely practical and rational. It simply works; here's how:

Pay attention to what you've got right here and right now and you always have an accurate inventory of the resources you have in the present moment. No matter where you're going from here or what your plans for tomorrow you've realistically got to start with the resources you can access in the present.

No matter how few your resources, gratitude gives you a perspective of abundance. Focus on what you don't have and your perspective is one of constant scarcity. What can you do with what you don't have? Focus on what you have and work from there; no matter how modest those resources are.

A gratitude practice doesn't need to be formal, religious or written out in a twelve-step program. Just take a daily look at your life and give some thought to what you have, the people who care about you and the gift of life that connects you to something larger than yourself. I try to start and end my day with this simple exercise. When I do I always start the day from a position of relative abundance and end it with a feeling of appreciation.

I'm not saying you have to be satisfied with your current conditions or circumstances. What I'm saying is that focusing on scarcity always leads to more poverty. Goals and aspirations for improvement can be very powerful motivators. To have the faith necessary to support action you've got to have some reasonable expectation of success. That faith comes from knowing that you have access to the resources in body, mind and spirit you need to take at least the first step. Practicing gratitude gives you an inventory of those resources.

My gratitude practice is very simple; I'll share it here:

Thank you.

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator: Speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal POWER. Book Jim for your next corporate event or conference. Call 800-786-8502 or visit JimBouchard.org.

Get Back to Work!

Martial artists like to throw around Asian words and phrases from time to time. One of my favorites is "Kung Fu."

Kung Fu literally means an achievement as a product of great effort. A more direct translation for the Western ear would be "work." To achieve you've got to practice positivity and you've got to open your mind, body & spirit to possibility. To increase probability for success you've got to take action; you've got to get to work.

Today we're facing enormous challenges in business. Whether you're an employee or an employer there are conditions and circumstances beyond your control that are impacting everyone. More important, no matter what the current conditions and circumstances there are actions you can take here and now to take control of your success.

1. Ignore circumstances and conditions beyond your control. That may be a tough pill to swallow, but until you let go of what you can't do anything about and start focusing on what you can do you'll be stuck in a vacuum of negativity. Decide exactly what you can and can't control and start focusing on actions that will produce direct results.
   
   
2. Always prepare for the day you're obsolete. If you're in business, prepare yourself for the day when your goods or services are no longer marketable. Explore how you might transfer your skill sets to a new sector, look for new & receptive markets, and investigate new marketing angles or repackaging & repurposing your product or service lines.
   
   If you work for someone else make sure you're networking with people in your field outside of your workplace. Join associations and trade groups and know who is looking for good people. Take advantage of every training and educational opportunity available at your place of employment.
   
   
3. Make yourself more valuable. In business or employment, there is always opportunity to make yourself more valuable. You do this by making yourself more effective; by increasing your ability or capacity to perform or act effectively. You make yourself more powerful.
   

You probably have no control over the global or even local economy. You probably don't decide which military bases will be closed, which manufacturers decide to go overseas or which retailers file for bankruptcy. You can always control the process of continual self-improvement.

With the access to training and education we have today there is no excuse for complacency. You may face tough decisions including moving, changing careers or delaying retirement. Some of these decisions may be made for you. There is no reason to face these decisions unprepared.

1. Take full advantage of every training opportunity available at your place of employment. Don't wait for these opportunities; seek them. If they're not available, find them on your own.
   
   
2. Network; get to know the people who can help you find your next opportunity. As you increase your value and others know your value; there will be people in your network waiting for you to become available. Networking is not just for entrepreneurs, sales reps and CEOs; it's for everybody.
   
   
3. Learn: Always! Take courses at your local adult ed or community college…Can't afford that? Get to your local bookstore or get on-line…still out of reach? Get to the library; they still have plenty of books and most of them now have computers.
   

Power is your ability or capacity to perform or act effectively. Power increases value; the greater your capacity to act effectively the more valuable you are. When the axe comes down, the more valuable you are the less likely your head will be the one on the block. If it is, the more likely you'll quickly find your next opportunity.

There is much you can't control; you can always increase your power. The way to generate power is to get to work: Kung Fu!

Jim Bouchard is America's Black Belt Powervator; speaker, coach & author of Dynamic Components of Personal Power. You want a kick to get you started, become more powerful and develop more options in your life and career? Visit JimBouchard.org and click on the PersonalPOWER, EntrepreneurPOWER or Life Coach button!