Make It Into A Game (WT753)

Make It Into A Game (WT753)

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by Shirley Dalton | 29 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Business

WT 753 Make it into a game

When I first started my business, I used to have a game with myself, where I challenged myself to give out two business cards to people who didn’t know me or didn’t know what I did, each and every day.

That was in the days of physical business cards.

I realised I haven’t played a game for a long time, so I decided to make up a new game.

This game is called “Call To Action” or “CTA”.

The rules are, that I must complete at least two calls to action each day.

My game was inspired by Cham Tang, who encouraged us to get into some sort of action to propel our marketing and grow our businesses.

“Action. Action. Chop, Chop”, he would say.

A Call to Action doesn’t mean that you’re asking somebody to buy from you, although that could be a call to action.

Other calls to action could include:

  1. Inviting someone to join my Weekly Thoughts list
  2. Requesting a testimonial
  3. Inviting people to like my social posts.

It doesn’t matter what the CTA is, what matters is that every day I must ask.

To keep myself accountable I record the requests because the more calls to action you do, the more successful you’re going to be in whatever it is that you want.

Nothing happens without action.

So, my call to action today is to invite you to reply and tell me about the game you can play for yourself. If it will help, join in the CTA game.

Remember, it’s much more fun and easier to take action when you make it into a game.

P.S.  Mark your calendar.  Our next Leading Yourself and Leading Others Experience will be held in February 2025.  Tuesdays 4, 11, 18, 25.  Early Bird Discount ends 31st December.

P.P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Beware The Resting B-Face (WT752)

Beware The Resting B-Face (WT752)

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by Shirley Dalton | 22 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Communication Skills

WT 752 Beware the resting bitch face

Last week I attended a 6 day training course, “Present Like a Pro” with Authentic Education.

It was an amazing course, truly transforming and I can’t wait to put what I learned into action.

One of the interesting topics that came up was to beware the resting B-face.

I’m assuming you know what “B” stands for. Rhymes with “itch”.

The presenter, Benjamin J. Harvey, explained that over the years our facial muscles learn to rest in the same places over time and that there are only 7 universal facial expressions and only one of these is what we might deem “positive” in emotion.

This one is the “happy” one.

The others include:

  1. Angry
  2. Surprise
  3. Sad
  4. Fear
  5. Disgust
  6. Contempt

This was relevant to our training because we were practising presentations and it was a request for audience members to be aware of the resting face they may be giving.

As an example, over the years my facial muscles have learned to frown when I’m listening and processing important information from others.  My face screws up and can look quite menacing.

As a result, I always make a point of explaining this to new clients so they don’t take offence or react to my frown.

As a presenter, I’m always looking for clues of engagement or otherwise from the facial expressions of audience members.

Sometimes there can be what looks like a resting B-face or a face that appears to be sitting in judgement. 

I’ve had to learn not to project my insecurities onto someone’s facial expression.  Remember “automatic listening” by Loretta Malandro.

I’m sharing this with you because I thought it was relevant for you to know when you are either presenting to an audience or sitting in the audience.

If you’re in the audience, please spare a thought for the presenter and put a smile on your face. This will encourage your presenter to relax and give you their best presentation.

If you’re the presenter, do your best not to make up a story based on how someone is looking.

Over to you, are you aware of where your facial muscles tend to land?

If not, ask a colleague or family member. They’ll tell you.

Next time, you’re in the audience, remember to consciously choose your facial expression.

A smile goes a long way.

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

It’s Okay to Say “But” (WT751)

It’s Okay to Say “But” (WT751)

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by Shirley Dalton | 15 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Communication Skills

WT 751 It's okay to say but

If you’ve done any training with me, you’ll know that we teach you not to use the word “but” because it negates everything that goes before it.

For example, you wouldn’t say to your staff member, “I really like the work you’re doing, but I’d like you to improve here”. All they will hear is “I’d like you to improve”.

Instead of “but” use “and”.

“I really like the work you’re doing and I’d like you to improve here.”

Now, there is an exception.

The one time that it is okay and encouraged to say “but” is when you’ve just complained about something or you’ve been ungrateful about something.

In this instance, you can correct the complaint, with what Rhonda Byrne, author of “The Secret” and “The Magic” calls the Magic Lifeline.

As soon as you become aware you have been ungrateful or have complained, simply say, “But, I have to say, I’m truly grateful for <fill in the blank>”.

In this instance you are negating the thing that you’ve being complaining about, or that you’re being negative about.

Byrne explains in “The Magic” that gratitude is the magic and provides 28 days of activities to help us enjoy more magic in our lives. I highly recommend you get the book and go through the activities. It’s especially powerful if you do it with a group to keep you accountable.

So, to recap, the one and only time it’s okay to say “but” is when you use it to cancel out a negative comment or complaint.

Give it a go this week.  It’s a good opportunity to notice how much you might be complaining or not showing gratitude.

And with that, thank you for being part of my community and reading the thought each week. It inspires me to keep going.

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Are You Delusional? (WT750)

Are You Delusional? (WT750)

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by Shirley Dalton | 8 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Mindset

WT 750 Are you delusional?

Before you answer that question, here’s the definition of “delusional” from Vocabulary.com.

“A delusional person believes things that couldn’t possibly be true. If you’re convinced that the microwave is attempting to control your thoughts, you are, sadly, delusional. Delusional comes from a Latin word meaning “deceiving”. So delusional thinking is kind of like deceiving yourself by believing outrageous things.”

And this week, this is exactly what we want.

I really love this concept from Nina Oberoi.

Nina explains that to create your reality, you need to become delusional in your thinking.

This has helped me enormously to have fun with expanding the vision of my future self. Because it’s delusional, I’m not attached to whether it will happen or not. I just have fun with creating outrageous goals and outcomes.

If you’re up for it, here’s what to do:

  1. Identify the delusions of your new reality (all the things you want to have happen, things you want to receive, achieve and the person you want to become)
  2. Write down everything as if it has already happened
  3. Record yourself reading everything, with plenty of positive emotion and energy
  4. Listen to your recording at least 3 times a day

Give yourself permission to be completely delusional because when you allow yourself to be delusional, and you know you are being delusional, then you can play a game with yourself.

You can have fun going into the delusion, getting that feeling of excitement, that energy, that is exactly what you need in order to create and manifest what you want.

Here’s a couple of mine to give you an example:

“People love to hear what I have to say. People look forward to my posts. I get hundreds of comments and hundreds of people sharing the work that I’m doing.”

What’s the delusion of your new reality that you want to create?

What’s the decision, the delusional decision that you’re making?

Will you allow yourself to be completely delusional in this sense? Give it a go and see what happens.

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Transaction Vs Transformation (WT749)

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by Shirley Dalton | 1 Nov, 2024 | Blog, Business

WT 749 Transaction versus Transformation

Last week Ross and I drove to Sydney to attend The Complete Leader conference by Lee Woodward. I love connecting with other leaders and learning tips and strategies for mindset and operations.

On the way down and back we also listened to some audiobooks.

One of the books, both by Dan Sullivan, was “The 4 C’s Formula: Your Building Blocks of Growth: Commitment, Courage, Capability, and Confidence”.

I loved listening to Dan as he explained the cycle for success.

First you have to commit. You have to decide what it is you want.

Secondly, you have to have courage.  Courage gets you past the fear and gets you into action.

When you get into action, you start to develop Capability and when you become Capable, you develop Confidence.

Many people think it’s the other way around. When I’m capable, I’ll commit to x,y,z and then I’ll have the courage.

Think of a recent project you’ve undertaken. One that you didn’t know how to do before you started doing it.

Did you go through the 4C’s?

If you’re about to start a new project, I encourage you to commit to completing it first, even if you don’t know what you’re doing.

Dan’s second book that we listened to was “10x Is Easier than 2x: How World-Class Entrepreneurs Achieve More by Doing Less”.

This was a game changer for me in terms of mindset.

Dan explained that most entrepreneurs think about doubling their business (2x) and when they do, they think about all the extra work they will have to do to increase the number of sales or turnover etc.  Dan referred to this as increasing the number of “transactions”.

For me, for example, if I think about doubling my business, this brings up images of having to find more time to service more clients, especially if they are individual coaching clients.

But, to 10X the business, requires a transformation. A transformation in mindset. A transformation in operations and support. It means looking at different ways to achieve the results, by working less and focussing on the tasks that only you can and should do.

As Dan says, it’s easier to 10X your business than to 2X.

So for you, what will it be?  Transactions or Transformation?

If you’d like a little help with coaching, training or systems advice, reply and we’ll set up a time to talk.

I’d love to help you see what’s possible for you and your business. Let’s transform together!

 

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox.

Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

Feel The Fear (WT748)

Feel The Fear (WT748)

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by Shirley Dalton | 25 Oct, 2024 | Blog, Mindset

WT 748 Feel the Fear

Ever read the book, “Feel The Fear And Do It Anyway” by Susan Jeffers?

It’s a great book to get you into action.

Another book I’m listening to and reading is “Letting Go: The Pathway to Surrender” by David R. Hawkins.

Hawkins encourages us to simply acknowledge our feelings and let them go.

He also encourages us to let go of some limiting beliefs that may prevent us from doing just that, such as: “We only deserve things through hard work, struggle, sacrifice and effort” or “We don’t get anything for nothing”.

Hawkins tells us that “Letting go involves being aware of a feeling, letting it come up, staying with it, and letting it run its course without wanting to make it different or do anything about it. It means simply to let the feeling be there and to focus on letting out the energy behind it.” (pp19-20)

As you let go, ignore all thoughts and focus only on the feeling.

According to Hawkins, “it is the accumulated pressure of feelings that causes thoughts. One feeling, can create literally thousands of thoughts over a period of time.”

For example, think of a time from your past that was painful or something you did that you regret. How many times have you gone over and over that situation, thinking about it?

If you could surrender the underlying painful feeling, the thoughts would disappear and you would forget the event.

I don’t know about you but I find this fascinating.  It’s opposite to what I’ve learned previously where thoughts create feelings.

Right now, I’m willing to experiment. I’m willing to acknowledge that I am feeling a great deal of fear. Fear about the future as I transition and the business evolves. This feeling generates all sorts of thoughts, some positive and expectant, some negative and paralysing.

And the important thing to remember, according to Hawkins, is that we want to let go of all feelings, not just the negative ones. Similar to the Buddha’s teachings, it’s about becoming detached.

It also reminds me of a saying I learned when I attended the 10 day Vipassana meditation retreat, “Arises, passes away” in relation to body sensations (you could call feelings) as you observe them and let them go.

How about you? Are you willing to feel the fear (or whatever feeling you are currently experiencing) and let it go?

P.S. Invite your friends to get the Weekly Thought delivered directly to their inbox. Go to https://shirleydalton.com/Weekly-Thoughts.

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