“Life is all about trying ones best. Friend, you don’t have to get things perfect everytime. The truth is if you will give your best effort in all your endeavors you’ll inevitably find that to be more than enough to amass great rewards in life. Don’t allow people to convince you otherwise. You can’t even begin to fathom the full potential you possess. That said, to realize your full potential you must show faith in your ability through your daily actions. The actions you take, or don’t determine what you achieve, or don’t.”

It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

In the video below I discuss how to go about developing win, win mutually beneficial business relationships with prospective clients and customers. You will also learn how to strengthen your existing customer relationships as well.

Friend, make no mistake, the ideas included here are also helpful if you aspire to stand out in your profession. Look for opportunities to put what you learn to use in your day and you’ll be better for it!

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

-What were some of the key ideas you learned? Please share in the comments below.

In the message below I share a lesson I teach in my speaking presentation titled, ‘Lessons For Living BIG!‘ called, “All Tasks Are Not Created Equal”. In summary think of it like this:

Everyday we have things which are required of us. Some of them popup unexpectedly. If we aren’t careful to plan, and purposefully work on the most important tasks there’s a real danger that we can get caught up plugging away on the tasks which show up, even though doing so may not really be the “best use” of our time. Friend, if you’ll focus on the tasks which when completed will yield you the biggest return on your investment of time for having worked on them, you’ll find that you will be far better off, and much closer to manifesting your intended destination.

Please share your thoughts and comments in the comments below.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. in the video I mentioned you could get a free sample of my book, ‘It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!’ — click here to get your copy now!

Friend, I hope that you find the ideas I’m going to share here helpful. In the short video that follows I discuss what it means when I say, It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG! — if you’re familiar with my work you know I say it ALL the time

Here’s a hint: It’s all about defining what’s most important to you, formulating a plan to achieve it (setting the necessary goals), and getting in the activity and going for it — having the heart to see things through. And most of all enjoying the journey along the way.

Please share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

And remember…

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. To learn more about my book, ‘It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!’ click here.

Now friend, I don’t claim to be perfect in this area, but I do try. And, as a fella’ much wiser then me once said, “shoot for the moon, because even if you fall short, you’ll land among the stars” (note: I originally heard this quoted by Les Brown, but since then I’ve also heard it credited to others as well). One of the most important lessons I was taught at a pretty young age was not to look down on others.

I remember when I was getting into business hearing it said, “be the type of person who can just as easily spend time with those in a suit and a tie, as those in blue jeans.” In other words, don’t look down on folks or think you are somehow better then they are!

I remember one experience that made it crystal clear to me that I should never judge a book by its cover. I was working in our family’s business at the time, a fellow came in to the office to see my father. He still had a few small remnants of dried concrete on his shirt. I didn’t think much of it. Afterward my father casually mentioned that while he was a brick mason by trade — he also happened to own quite a bit of real-estate (multiple apartments, houses, etc.).

Needless to say, I’d have never guessed this if I hadn’t been told. The point is, you just never know a persons background, resources, etc — therefore, if you make the mistake of trying to group them in some way you may end up missing out on an opportunity — and besides, it’s better to treat all folks with the same dignity and respect they deserve.

And as my friend and colleague Vic Johnson would say, “that’s worth thinking about.”

It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

-I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback on the above ideas in the comments below.

Believe in the power of your dreams. Believe in your abilities. Friend, to the best of your ability ignore the doubters.

Sadly, there will always be those who doubt others. Take heart, because interestingly, they are often the first to jump on the bandwagon when you begin to tip the scales of success in your favor.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

I’d like to share two quotes that I believe are important to keep in mind if one wants to remain productive.

Ready? Good, here goes…

“Out of sight, out of mind is a productivity killer!”

and …

Writer G. K. Chesterton said, “More often than not people need to be reminded, more than they need to be instructed.”

With these quotes in mind, let me then share a few things that can keep you productive:

1. Keep your priorities straight. Write down the most important things and do them first! Remember that not every task that comes our way is created equal. While everything in its own way may be important–some tasks when completed give you a greater sense of accomplishment or reward.

Tip: Develop the habit of identifying tasks that if completed will give you the biggest payoff — be sure to keep them front and center of mind so that they’re the first to get your attention each day.

2. Use lists. I’m a big proponent of keeping lists because they help remind you about what needs to be done. Keep these things in mind when you come up with your to-do list:
include your most important items first, leave room for unexpected things, add time frames for when you will do something, and don’t schedule things back to back with little or no time between them. Then, when you finish a task, mark it complete so that you’ll get a sense of accomplishment to give you the boost you need to go through the other items on your list.

Tip: Don’t panic if you don’t accomplish every item on your list. Instead, at the end of the day, just place the items left behind on your to-do list for the next day.

3. Get a calendar. A calendar offers an easy “at a glance” view of upcoming events, whether they are today or in the near future. You can use a traditional paper calendar–such as a day planner that’s small enough to carry with you. Or, if you prefer, you can opt for a desk calendar. My primary calendar solution is the Web-based Google Calendar. There is no shortage of software programs or other web based solutions to choose from.

Tip: With the Google Calendar, you will be able to create unique calendars within a larger calendar. You can have specialized “sub-calendars.” For example, you can create one for personal use and one for work purposes. As you add new tasks you assign the particular “sub-calendar” to the task.

One advantage to this is that while everything can be grouped on your calendar view, you can also easily view tasks by each calendar group. With a Web-based calendar, you could also have alerts sent to either your cell phone as a text message, or sent as an email to remind you of the events on your calendar.

4. Adopt a “Do it now!” attitude. Even the most well-laid plans get derailed when we don’t get moving. It’s not always because we don’t want to do the tasks. At times, they just don’t get done because other things come up and overwhelm us. The funny thing is when we simply do the thing we’re neglecting, we find that it rarely takes anywhere near the time to do it that we may have originally thought it would.

In many instances, we waste more time when we put off a task in order to wait for a more convenient time to do it. Isn’t that ironic?

Tip: Keep in mind that becoming more productive is simply about doing what you know needs to be done as soon as possible, as well as using a few handy solutions and tools which will help you in your efforts.

For starters, these moves should help you get things done right through a more streamlined process that will give you more time to develop groundbreaking ideas. When that happens, then there’s no doubt that you’re on your way to the peak of your productivity.

It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. If you enjoyed the article you just read click here to download some free sample chapters from my book, It’s Your Life, LIVE BIG!

I’ve heard it said countless times that simply thinking positive thoughts isn’t enough. In fact, I’ve heard it so many times — I liken it to a broken record. So now, rather then argue the point I prefer to refer to the wise words of Zig Ziglar who said, “positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will.” In other words, even if it only helps a little — those who strive to put positive thinking to work in their lives are better off then those who don’t. Think about it — a little bit of extra effort in exchange for what could very well lead to a whole lot of gain!

And that is worth thinking about don’t you agree?

It’s Your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. Grab your copy my motivational CD, Why Perfect Timing is a Myth

Fear can keep you from living up to your full potential if you allow it to. That said, make no mistake — it requires your participation in order for it to be able to hold you back.

Friend, if you can overcome the fear and move forward in spite of your doubts you can achieve anything you’re willing to go after and fully commit to.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!

Josh Hinds

Resolutions or goals — what’s the difference you ask?

Admittedly, a small distinction in wording, but it isn’t actually as small a difference as you might think.

Here’s what I’m suggesting. The very wording “new year resolution” gives one the wiggle room to stop the thing completely, should they lose interest in it, or happen to have a few days where they neglect to do what is needed to stay on track. Plus, there’s always that idea that if they fall off the wagon — there is always next year — it’s as though it is easier to give yourself permission to just quit and pick up next January (which of course rarely happens).

Using the term goals, rather then new years resolutions, while a tiny distinction in wording in fact can make all the difference for several reasons.

* You go into the goal setting experience understanding that it is not something that has to be completed totally uninterrupted, and should you find that you end up taking a break from your goal it is perfectly acceptable to come back to it at the very moment when you are reminded that you wish to do so.

In other words when you use the term goals versus new years resolutions you go into it with an understanding that you will stick with them until they are completed and will come back to them in the event that you end up losing focus on what you need to be working on for a brief period of time.

Consistency is critical in goal setting

There is no shortage of ways to go about setting goals. Rather then focus on specific techniques I’m going to discuss how important consistency is with regards to achieving what you set out to accomplish.

Friend, more often than not the difference between seeing your goal through and falling short gets down to your ability to remain engaged in the activity.

Make no mistake — consistency is vitally important. I would offer the following suggestion to help ensure you reach more of your goals. Develop the habit of writing out your goals each and every day. It’s repetitive for sure, but that repetition is precisely what makes it work. Keep a journal or 3×5 index cards, whatever is most convenient and rewrite those goals every day. Doing so will do wonders for keeping you involved in what’s required of you to achieve what you have set for yourself.

Your ability to practice consistency in your goal setting will ensure you accomplish far more of the things you set out to do. Make that commitment and you will find that it makes all the difference.

It’s your life, LIVE BIG!
Josh Hinds

PS. If you would like to have me speak to your group or organization drop me a note or give me a call. I look forward to inspiring your group!