Every human being has experienced difficulty when uncertainty became fear, and we’ve found ourselves disillusioned. One of our amazing readers writes:

“I think as we grow older and take the knocks and defeats of life, we start compromising and then we get to the point where we settle. We let our fear of failure blind us from taking leaps of faith. We become more frail to setbacks than we did in our youth.”

Guarding against or minimizing the potential negative effects of uncertainty is a valuable strategy. Uncertainty can be channeled into commitment rather than being allowed to hold us back.

Think of a time when uncertainty stopped you from taking action and making a change. What did you do about it? What did you learn from it?

Can uncertainty be a good thing if used to create more clarity and focus? Have there been significant times when your uncertainty prevented your taking action, and you were glad it did?

The consultant widely credited for being the architect of postwar Japan’s economic recovery was W. Edwards Deming whose famed “Deming System” became the gold standard of strategic consulting for decades.

Deming was an author, consultant and advisor to governments and multinational corporations, and he believed that all organizations are holographic of their leaders.  With all of his accomplishment and wisdom, he often said that one of his primary strengths was asking “naive questions” – questions which assumed little to nothing about how things had always been done.  The reason?  To have the freshest possible approach and an open mind.

Are there places in your business or employment situation where asking “naive questions” could be useful?  How are you with letting go of prior knowledge and assumptions, at least for a while, in service of seeing something new?  What resistances have you noticed to this kind of approach?  How can you effectively address those fears?

Practicing an attitude of equanimity is a huge strategic advantage in expanding the results you seek in life. Equanimity is a significant business and professional advantage because it has us make far better decisions than without it.

Think of equanimity as the ultimate objectivity – a state of mind where you can simply ALLOW ANY situation that presents itself – without judging it as good or bad.

Try it on. Think of a situation that *feels* good. Now, see if you can simply move to a place in your mind where the situation feels neither good nor bad.

Now think of a situation that *feels* bad. Have the feeling, but allow yourself to view the situation with no emotion if you can. It just is. From that place, all actions are available.

Equanimity promotes balanced thinking and supports wiser, better well-considered choices. How does observing the world with more equanimity appeal to you? How possible is it for you?

Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

What is personal productivity? Getting more done . . . . . in less and less time? Partially correct. Productivity is directly tied to the purpose of what you’re doing. The more what you’re doing is vital to your ultimate success, the more you’re being productive.

The best definition for “productive” in this context is: “Yielding favorable or useful results.” The ultimate measure of productivity is STRATEGIC YIELD.

By definition, “busy work” is not productive. High-yield action tends to be related to significant, long-term goals . . . meaning results that actually change your business and personal life.

How many high-yield hours, on average, do you have in an average day? What would it take to experience a significant improvement – or even a dramatic improvement – in the number of high-yield hours? What can you delegate or eliminate to make yourself more productive?

Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

The conventional wisdom is that it takes 21 consecutive days to change a habit . . . and the point is that sufficient time is needed to turn an idea into the ruling reality.

Here’s what I’ve seen work:

* Make a tracking chart and post it somewhere visible;

* Include the benefits of the change in the chart with both words and images;

* Track it with someone else who genuinely supports you with no judgment.

We’ve also used the game of starting over at Day 1 if there is a day when the new habit is not followed. This is a very effective results strategy because, if you’re really honest, you’ll find that eventually you will have 21 consecutive days under your belt.

What habit would you like to put in place over 21 days? To whom would you make it known? What are the benefits of that change?

Don’t just read this!!! CHANGE A HABIT FOR THE BETTER!!!

Copyright 2009. E. B. Hutt Bush and Coaching for Results, Inc.

So far this week, we’ve focused on our own starting over. Today, consider the wisdom of allowing others to start over with you.

Everyone has made mistakes in life. It’s just a matter of degree, but . . . face it, no one escapes doing some really dumb things.

We can assist others in their journeys by losing the attachment to past wrongs and saying, “The rest of my relationship with this person begins now.”

Imagine what a difference that would make in business, family friend and romantic situations.

Allowing others to start over means that you don’t hold their past performance against them. By giving them a clean slate:
* Grudges disappear

* Wounds heal

* Harmony expands

* Freedom grows

This is not a “touchy-feely,” “lah-lah” strategy. Rather, it has highly practical outcomes. Life gets better! Results improve!

Please think of some people whose conduct you can reframe in your mind as only in the past . . . and consciously allow them to start over. Breathe and observe the way you feel as you release the past and allow the present with nothing but possibilities.

This week: STARTING OVER.

When I ran my first marathon it wasn’t planned: I was inspired by the signs for the race when I arrived at the Honolulu Airport for a three-week business trip. I immediately wanted to do the race. I had been running about 25 miles a week . . . good, but considered insufficient for a race of 26 miles. So I made a decision that, no matter how slowly I went, I would run every single step.

One of the devices that I used on the course was to say to myself – sometimes aloud, but mostly internally – “This step is now the first step of the race.” That was my mantra, and I’m sure I said it thousands of times . . . and it allowed me to achieve my goal of both finishing and running every step – no matter how slow.

The ability to start over is a strategic advantage in achieving results. We humans have often been burdened by our individual or collective history. In the case of the race, I wanted to avoid thinking that because I had already run 8, 12, 18, 22, 25 miles, etc., that I should be tired. By recognizing that that history was over each moment . . . and by not carrying it around like baggage . . . I was free to create a different reality.

How can a deliberate decision to start over to assist you in getting what you want? Are there places where you have been allowing history to hold you back? Choose a place to practice starting over today!