FROM THE DESK, MIND AND HEART OF JEFF HODGES
Hey Everybody,
It's Super Bowl Sunday and today one of those teams is going to be richly rewarded for all their dedication and countless hours spent in preparation. There are a lot of similarities between the business world and other aspects of our lives. Every week you spend running your respective business is a chance not only to reap the rewards of your efforts but also to learn something new from those experiences that will make the weeks to come even more productive. Today on the field those players will experience much the same situation. No matter who wins or who loses, both teams will walk away with vast amounts of new knowledge and experience gained during the course of the game. That having been said, welcome back to all my friends and welcome home to all my new friends. As always, if you are new and want to catch up on your reading or if you just missed an edition, all you have to do is go to either.....
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com/links.html (bottom left corner of the page)
OR
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
**************************** Success University **************************
THEY'VE DONE IT AGAIN !!! Success University has just sent out the special promotions for the month of February and are putting their money where their mouth is as usual. Are you missing out ??? If you are not a member of this PHENOMANAL company, you are !!! Every month they are giving away literally thousands of dollars in bonus money for all sorts of different aspects of the business. Do they have to do this to make your membership with Success University worthwhile ? ABSOLUTELY NOT !!! I was making money with Success University long before the monthly bonuses came into existence. They are doing it because they care about your Success. Don't miss out on YOUR piece of the action !!! Go check it out at......
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
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As many of you know, I am a member of Toastmasters International, an organization specifically geared at helping you refine and develop your communication and presentation skills. Now, you don't have to be pursuing a speaking career to benefit from the knowledge you will gain by being a member of Toastmasters. You may find yourself in one or more of many possible situations where your ability to properly get your message and/or information across is vital to the success of your business. The following are ten tips that will help you to do a much better job of accomplishing this task......
NOTE: Feeling some nervousness before giving a speech is natural and even beneficial, but too much nervousness can be detrimental.
Here are some proven tips on how to control your butterflies and give better presentations:
1) Know your material. Knowing your topic will increase your own interest. Know more about it than
you include in your presentation, that way you will have extra material in your head if you are running
short on your speech. Use humor, personal stories and conversational language and you will be a lot
more apt to not forget what to say as opposed to a memorized speech.
2) Practice. Practice. Practice! Rehearse out loud and use all material that you plan on using during the
real thing. Revise as your presentation as necessary. Work to filter out your "UH's" and "UM'S".
Practice your breathing. Practice with a timer and allow time for the unexpected.
3) Know the audience. Make it a point to meet and talk to some of the audience members as they
arrive. It’s easier to speak to friends than to strangers.
4) Know the room. Arrive early, walk around the speaking area and practice using the microphone and
any visual aids that you plan on incorporating into your presentation. Make all necessary adjustments
then instead of having your presentation spoiled with technicalities.
5) Relax. Begin by addressing the audience. It buys you time and calms your nerves. Pause, smile and
count to three before saying anything. Transform nervous energy into enthusiasm. The energy will still
be released except in a positive manner.
6) Visualize yourself giving your presentation. All of you know how much emphasis I put on
visualization and the Law of Attraction. Imagine yourself speaking, your voice loud, clear and
confident. Visualize the audience clapping . It will boost your confidence.
7) Realize that people want you to succeed. Audiences want you to be interesting, stimulating,
informative and entertaining. They’re rooting for you. They are not out there like a lynch mob just
waiting for you to make a mistake. In fact, most of the time YOU will be the only one who knows you
made one.
8) Don’t apologize for any nervousness or problem. There is nothing wrong with being human and
making mistakes. You need to exude nothing short of total confidence and competence.
9) Concentrate on the message. Focus your attention away from your own anxieties and concentrate
on your message and your audience. The more time you spend focusing on the content of your
presentation and how your audience is receiving it, the less time you will be focusing on your
nervousness and will, therefore, make fewer errors.
10) Gain experience. Mainly, your speech should represent you as an authority and as a person.
Experience builds confidence, which is the key to effective speaking. A Toastmasters club can provide
the experience you need in a safe and friendly environment.
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"Progress comes from the intelligent use of experience."
- Elbert Hubbard
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You know, it is simply amazing at how the Universe works. It seems that for everything there is an equal opposite. Love and hate, rich and poor, difficult and easy, strong and weak, etc. After having a conversation with someone this weekend, another set of opposites came to my mind. Many is the times that I have heard the quote "Success leaves clues !!!" Well, in my humble opinion, so does failure.
I have paid special attention to the chain of events that take place in a person's life when they decide to take the plunge into the world of having their own business. It is quite fascinating to watch but the average person goes through phases. Most of the time these phases are basically identical until the person reaches a certain one. It is at that point that the scales will tip either in the direction of Success or Failure !!! They go something like this ........
First, the decision is made that they are going to TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR LIVES !!! They are absolutely on fire for their new idea and visions of success and prosperity fill their minds and their dreams at night. Nothing can stop them. They set it in stone in their minds that FAILURE is not an option and that this is the turning point in their lives. Goals are set, vision boards are created and plans for a wonderful new life are made.
Next, they begin to make things happen. Business cards are ordered, advertising campaigns are set up, web sites are built, co-ops are joined, flyers are printed, and a laser focus tells them that all their dreams are just around the corner. Their whole world is simply gleaming with positive energy. They are dedicated and committed. Many hours are spent daily as they diligently make their way toward their goals.
Then, a few weeks or maybe a few months go by and things are possibly not going the exact way they were thought of going and doubt sets in. This is a common occurrence and quite a normal human reaction and yet, sadly, the beginning of the end for many people. You see, failure does not come from what life throws at you. Failure comes from not reacting properly to those things. When the doubt starts to set in (and it will) you need to first recognize the doubt for what it is and then refuse to give in to it. It is right at this point that the very important decision to press on is made !!!
But, hold on !!! You're not out of the water yet. Oh no. Life isn't going to leave you alone that easily. You are just getting started. You are going to have so many things not turn out the way you thought they would that you are going to begin to think that this whole crazy idea of having your own business is a bunch of crap !!! It is here that the true troopers rise to the surface. It is here that you must decide whether you are going to hold on or let go. It is here that you reach a very definitive T in the road. There is no Straight Ahead. You must go left or right. You must sink or swim. You must either throw up your hands and spend the rest of your life wondering "If I had hung on just a little bit longer how great would my life be now?" OR you must straighten your back, lift up that chin and proclaim "FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION !!!"
People, I'm no different than any of you. I went through all these phases but the difference between myself and a lot of people that I talk to is that I would rather DIE A MISERABLE FAILURE knowing that I never gave up on my dreams than to live a secure life of mediocrity and be tortured by the thoughts of WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN !!! You see, this conversation that I spoke of earlier was with a dear friend of mine that I LITERALLY warned about these phases and yet when the time came they still weren't strong enough. That saddens me and I cry inside for them. Hold on to your dreams like you would a canteen of water in the desert !!! Both will comfort you, both will give you much needed strength and both will help you survive until you get where you are going.......
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"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."
- Winston Churchill
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"Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. Failure is delay, not defeat. It is a temporary detour, not a dead end. Failure is something we can avoid only by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing."
- Denis Waitley
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Well, as we draw near to the end of another wonderful day and week we can thrill in the exciting anticipation of tomorrow. Tomorrow, as it is so correctly spoken of, is the first day of the rest of our lives. It is with that thought in mind that we must approach each new day as a new beginning..... a new chance to start over and GET IT RIGHT THIS TIME !!! None of us are perfect. The important thing is that we strive each and every day to head a little more in that direction. The Universe will take note of our effort and do the rest. I wish all of you a safe, prosperous and joy filled week and until the Good Lord grants us the opportunity to have this little session by the campfire again, just remember to always.........
JUST SAY “NO” TO NEGATIVITY !!!
Sincerely,
Jeff Hodges
JeffreyHodges@thedreameffect.com
http://www.thedreameffect.com
http://www.letmemakeyousuccessful.com
http://www.jeffhodges.subuilder.com
http://www.jeffhodges.blogspot.com
270-320-1324
Skype ID : jeffhodges1
