Will you decide?

Decide

Make good decisions and manage them. Prevent going to the mental torture of deciding and doubting, second guessing your decisions. Keep in mind the three overriding principles when making decisions: Long term thinking, delayed gratification, and the power of compounding.

Here are a few things to keep in mind in order to make good decisions:

1.      Purpose. Does this decision fit my purpose? Does it bring me closer or further from my goals and dreams? Is it congruent with the vision where I am going? Does it fit my priorities or is it just another obligation?

2.      Value. What is the value this decision will bring? What are the repercussions of this decision? What is the compounding effect of this decision? Is this a good investment of my money?

3.      Draw a line. List all the pros and cons for the alternatives. Be objective and truthful on contrasting the options.

4.      Alternatives. What other alternatives are available? Is this a good investment of my time?

5.      Moral. Is the decision legal, ethical, and most importantly moral?

6.      Resolution. Resolve to make the decision and mange it. Am I going to be resolute about this decision?

7.      Emotion. What is my emotional level about this decision? Am I at a peak or a valley as I make this decision? Making decisions emotionally then using logic to justify them is not a good way to make decisions. Use both logic and emotion to make good decisions. Will I accept the consequences and take full responsibility for the decision?

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

To the procrastinator

How to Kill Procrastination

Just in case you have already been procrastinating on your 2015 resolutions, here are a few pointers to help you.

1.      Keep the reward in front of you. Imagine savoring the reward for finishing. Keep the why in front of you. Set up why reminders. Either a dream or a dread, figure out why you want it.

2.      Start easy. Go easy at first. See yourself doing the easy part. Increase the pace as you gain strength and confidence.

3.      Take the first step. Just do it. Don’t rationalize it. Get moving.

4.      Take one bite at a time. Break big tasks into small ones. Small is manageable and not so frightening.

5.      Keep anxiety at bay. Be mindful of change is not easy, but always worth it. Persist and you will prevail.

6.      Be accountable to someone else. Share the load with someone you respect.

7.      Stop hiding behind technology. Social media may be hogging your time and sapping your energy. Get to work and get things done!

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

Shattering the limits

Limiting beliefs

“The only man I know who behaves sensibly is my tailor; he takes my measurements anew each time he sees me. The rest go on with their old measurements and expect me to fit them.”  - George Bernard Shaw

Self-deception prevents us from busting through our limiting beliefs. We are ignorant of our self-limiting beliefs. Limiting beliefs come in many different forms. We create them so we are the only ones that can get rid of them. We accumulate limiting beliefs from our experiences. Start busting them.  Here are a few common limiting beliefs and what to do about them:

1.      I don’t have the education. I don’t know where to start. Get started and the next steps will be revealed as you go forward.

2.      I am too young or too old. I always seem to miss opportunities. Prepare and you will be surprised how opportunities will appear.

3.      I can’t find the right person to love. I am afraid of being hurt again. Work on yourself and the right person will find you.

4.      People will reject my ideas. I am not an idea person. I am not a salesperson. Yes, they will reject your ideas until you have a burning desire to succeed.

5.      I can’t trust others. Others have taken advantage of me before. Work on your character so others will trust you.

6.      I can’t pursue my dreams. I don’t have time and/or money. I am already too busy. If it is really important to you, you will find a way. Where there is a will there is a way. Make your dreams real and you will figure it out.

7.      I don’t need to be successful. I don’t have the motivation. I am a procrastinator. Stop listening to yourself. Start talking with yourself. Life is too short to be selfish!

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

We are what we think

Get these

1.      Time well invested.  Imagine if we invested as much time to detect our purpose as we do to hunt for jobs; we would need to spend a lot of time hunting for jobs.

2.      Feeling smart. There are two instances we feel the smartest: when preparing our resumes and when filling job applications.

3.      True potential. Our true potential is only revealed after losing something valuable like a loved one, a job, money, a friend, or a business.

4.      Money sense. An employee thinks in terms of $ per hour, a self-employed in $ per job, a business owner in $ per relationship, and an investor in $ per $. Thinking is different and so are the results. The business owners and investors comprise 5% of the population and control 95% of the money.

5.      Committees are overrated. A committee is most productive when all but one member does not show up. 

6.      Understanding value. Value is the ability to commend a price. Most of our value resides above our necks. Very few people get this one!

7.      Dealing with others. Imagine applying the AAA (accept, approve, appreciate others) and refrain from the CCC (complain, criticize, condemn others) on a daily basis.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

Things to think about

Things to ponder

1.      Only humans are capable of expecting perfection out of imperfect people. We often judge others by their results and ourselves by our actions.

2.      Words may not kill but they certainly can do irreparable damage especially to the source they came from. Concealed anger is a weapon of mass regrets.

3.      Expect and deal with difficult people. Thanks to them we have great lawyers.

4.      Respect everyone, trust is earned. Distrust is present because few people are willing to work to earn their trust.

5.      When committed players are ready the coach will appear. When a committed coach is available the players will appear.

6.      Wants and needs are only equal in a society of instant gratification. Don’t expect a broke person to understand the meaning of “the buck stops here.”

7.      Value and profit explain the difference between price and cost. Value drives the price and the profit. Greed is what breaks the natural balance of business.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

Distrust

The trust crisis

Why is there a trust crisis in our society? What are the causes of so much distrust?

Distrust is running rampant in our society. Distrust in government, in institutions, in our leaders, and in people in general. Trust is an essential part of human nature and trust is fundamental to strong relationships and a healthy society, but it has been declining for decades. How can America learn to trust again? It all starts with each of us. We were created to trust one another and live in community.

Here are some of the reasons for distrust:

1.      Individualism. Ego, entitlement, power hungry, selfishness, and need for control.

2.      Litigation. Restitution mentality, irresponsibility, one million lawyers, something for nothing mentality, and attractive rewards.

3.      Misinformation. Shallow society, ignorance, and the rise of television and electronic media as a major source of entertainment and news.

4.      Conflict of interest. Lack of disclosure, lying, bribing, and self-interest.

5.      Relativism and liberalism. Bending the truth, differences in morals, moral decay, and a broken moral compass.

6.      Atheism and secularism. Moral distrust, churchless people, wrong idols, and wrong role models.

7.      Violence. Part of culture, entertainment, an industry just like poverty, and flawed laws.

I am sure all of us can do something in the New Year to reverse the distrust trend in America. Think, “If it is up to be it is up to me.”  Start being the change you would like to see in our society.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy

New Version Release

You 2.0

In order to take ourselves to a bright new future we need to keep releasing new versions of ourselves. Resolve to release a new version of yourself in 2015.

1.      Improved information. Get principle based information from the right sources.  

2.      Improved thinking. Study the information so you can fully understand it.

3.      Improved actions. Apply the information in your daily living.

4.      Improved results. Analyze the results and make adjustments.

5.      Improved habits. Form new and better habits while replacing bad habits.

6.      Improved character. Continuously work on your integrity, courage, relationships, and delivering what you promise.

7.      Improved leader. Grow your level of influence. Let your life speak and speak from your life results.

Thank you for reading and reflecting on today’s nuggets. Share them with others.   

We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. Be a giver in a world of takers.

Be blessed and be a blessing to others.

Carlos Fontana, President of Phalanx

Co-author of the book Follow to Lead (The 7 Principles to Being a Great Follower)

Author of the book PRICELESS (Sixty-Six Simple Stories of Reflection, Love, and Legacy