Create The Right Career Habits Now

Getting ahead in your career can be easier if you make the choice to build the right behaviors, attitudes and habits now. Below are five key areas to keep in mind when creating the right career habits.

1. Be part of the solution not the problem: After working with dozens of companies, most being fortune 500, I have found that most individuals spend way too much energy and time on everything that is “wrong” with their company or their department, or their supervisor instead of what is “right”. Focusing on the solution not the problem is a very simple concept, but most people do not put it into practice. Every time I am working with a client and their employees, I bet them that if we spend just one day together and visit the lunchroom, the break room, or any other location that people congregate while at work, we will hear more negative things said about the company, a department or a supervisor than we would positive things. I state that every time we hear something negative they have to give me $100 and every time we hear something positive I will give them $100, and amazingly no one has ever taking me up on my bet, Why? Because most people are focused on everything that is wrong versus right. To differentiate yourself for your career, focus on things that are right, not wrong, and if there is something that is wrong, focus your time and energy on ways to solve the problem. Never bring up something that is wrong with your organization, or your employer without having a few options or suggestions on ways to improve the situation. This one habit alone can help you catapult your career or business forward.

2. Don’t suck up: Is attitude contagious? Do you know anyone that when they enter a room the room brightens up a little bit? How about the opposite, do you know anyone that when they leave the room the room brightens up a little bit? Attitude is definitely contagious, and you want to be the person that brightens the room when you enter, not when you exit, but you must be sincere when doing so. Enthusiasm is not always about being a “cheerleader”, it is more about caring and being sincere in everything you do. I’m not saying don’t be helpful, flexible, and willing to take on tasks that will help your supervisor or department, because those things are important. Just make sure you are doing things for the right reasons, and not just to “get ahead” quickly. Most people can read through anyone that is fake and has self-serving motives.

3. Expect criticism: Anyone trying to advance in life, business, or their career should expect others to criticize them. As you grow in your career or life you will find more and more people that will begin to give their “opinion” of you. Think about this for a moment. The person in the highest held office in this country, The President of the United States, is always facing others criticizing him. celebrities, CEO’s, sport stars, leaders inside organizations; all of these people get enormous criticism daily. Why? Because as humans it is easier to find fault in others than in ourselves. Remember tip #1, most people will look to the negative; before the positive, and the more success you experience the more exposed you are to others, leading to criticism. Criticism is part of success and should be expected. Trying to avoid criticism or think that you will be immune is unrealistic and will only lead to disappointment. As a matter of fact, being criticized should be looked to as a positive thing, it means you are making things happen and growing in your career.

4. Talk less, listen more, and help others discover "their undiscovered greatness within": Remember, every person you meet has the potential to be even better. Open ended questions with a desire to learn are crucial to growing your career. One of the absolute best chapters ever written on this is in Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and it is the section titled, Listen to Understand, Not to Respond. Be curious, be interested to learn. Remember that asking open ended questions with a sincere desire to learn can and will build trust and rapport. Help the people you are around to look beyond their problems and get inspired with the incredible miracle that lies right in front of them. Always try to leave people with positive thoughts and encouragement. Remind them of their potential. This kind of encouragement has amazing power and when you start using it every day, I am convinced that you start pulling greatness out of yourself and open yourself up to some of life's greatest treasures. One of the true gifts that life has to offer is the amazing feeling we get when we look another human being in the eyes and make them aware of the amazing potential that lies within them! This will make you unique, but you must be sincere at all times!

5. Continue to work on your communication skills: Communication is what keeps things moving forward. Many great leaders say, if one can master communication they can write their own ticket inside the organization. The better you are at communicating, the more value you are capable of generating on a daily basis. Start a "communication reminder journal" and write your insights into it about do's and don'ts around communication. Read those insights daily and weekly. Improve your communication skills by studying communication for at least 15 minutes per day. Master the art of communication now and many doors will open for you in the future. Grow your network of people by communicating to others the value you bring to any organization. Once again be sincere, not just self-serving. Understand and communicate that if you can help the organization you know they will help you. Challenge yourself to build your communication skills daily. Schedule 15 minutes into your day where you put yourself into a situation that will help practice your communications skills. If you do this every day all that practice will really start to pay off. Remember,the more you listen to others,the better you'll get at helping them to improve.

Use these five tips and begin to start building the right behaviors, skills, attitudes, and habits today! Good Luck!

Taking Control Of Your Life

How do we take control? There are a lot of different ways. We can watch where our $$ is going; make sure we love what we are doing; take care of our family by loving them; be thankful for all the great things in our lives and don’t get frustrated by short term obstacles. A good friend of mine in New Orleans always says, “Tough times don’t last, tough people do!” We all go through our own “roller coasters” in life, and yes what is happening with our economy does have an impact on each of us. That being said, we must remain focused on what we can control. Can you spend less today? Can you save a little more money? Can you tell someone you care about that you love them and how much they mean to you? Can you read something that will enhance your mind? Can you do something today that will make your situation better? Remember, today is the only day you have. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is not here yet. Make the most of today by focusing on what is right, not what is wrong.

I was on a flight from Chicago to Newark and had a very interesting experience. I am amazed these days how much tension there is in the general public. People are worried about their jobs, money, what to get the family for the holidays, what our economy is going to do in 2011, etc. Most people are taking it out on everyone around them. The flight was like most flights these days, a full flight. I was one of the first people on the plane and had a ringside seat to the show. With about 10 minutes left before departure, the overhead bins were full and customers had to start taking their bags off the plane and check them to their final destination where they could pick them up at baggage claim. The flight attendant and the gate agent began to fight about customers having coats in the overhead space. The gate agent began to throw customer’s coats from the overhead space onto the center aisle of the plane, not even asking which coat belonged to which customer. It was such a bad customer experience that the customers began to argue. Next thing I knew, there were 10-15 people screaming at each other with no solution in sight. About that time a flight attendant from the back of the plane made her way forward not saying a word, just picking up coats and finding out which coat belonged to which customer. In about 5 minutes she had the situation under control and had managed to calm down everyone that was involved in the screaming match just minutes earlier. I realized that the only thing she did different was to be helpful and look for solutions instead of being part of the problem, and she took action. She took positive action that moved the situation in a positive direction. She took control of the situation in her life.

Too many times we don’t look for solutions because it is much easier to be part of the problem these days, and we can always seem to justify our actions. Next time you are in a challenging situation, make it a point to find solutions, be helpful and take positive action. Put things into positive execution and you will be amazed how much more progress you can make just by being helpful. Take control of your life, make the necessary changes, focus on what is right and you will be surprised at the results.

RECOMMIT TO YOUR VISION OF SUCCESS

Summer is almost over, you are back from vacation, the kids are going back to school, but you are having a hard time in your journey of life. Maybe you have lost some of the excitement that you had so much of before the summer began! Maybe you are frustrated with where you are in your business, your job, your relationship or your financial situation. Maybe you are tempted to start looking for something new even though you know that what you are doing is right for you and your family. Stop, look into the mirror, and remember the “4 phases of attitude” we as humans go through in different times of our life. The first phase is the excitement phase, the second phase is the frustration phase, the third phase is the looking phase and the fourth phase is the recommitment phase. If you have already defined what success means to you! If you have already set the proper goals to get there! If you already have the right road map or blue print! If you are already executing or taking the proper action! Relax, smile, you know what you need to do to get out of your funk and get on down the road!

You must recommit to what you are driven to do. Once again we all get frustrated, but when we recommit it’s easy to get excited again and this time it’s a real or true commitment, helping us stay excited about what we are doing.

Three things we must do to recommit:

1. Set goals

2. Get around the right people

3. Keep in mind our long-term vision

If we can recommit to our career, a relationship, a new start, our business, our job and get excited again by setting goals, thinking about our long-term vision and where we truly want to end up to reach our success, it is amazing what we can accomplish.

We at The Chad Carden Group have recommitted to our goals and dreams. We have the right road map and blue print and we are executing and taking the proper actions. We challenge you to join us. If we can help you on your journey please let us know.

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Don’t Let The Fear of Failure (FOF) Stop You From Reaching Your Definition Of Success

In today’s world fear of failure (FOF) can stop you from achieving success. Most of you know that I believe in order for you to be successful you must first define what success means to you. Once you know what success means to you don’t let FOF slow you down. All of us like to succeed at whatever we do. The problem comes when FOF becomes dominant in our lives. It is important to accept that we all are going to make mistakes and that trial and error is the best way to find creative solutions that will keep us moving in the right direction.

Everyone who has become successful (whatever success means to them) has experienced failure. It is safe to say that the most successful people in the world have probably had the most failures. It took Thomas Edison 18 months of consistent failures going through over 1,000 combinations of gas and filament before he found a light bulb that would last and produce light. It took the Wright Brothers over 4 years of failures before their first successful motor powered flight. Most of us do not consider Edison or the Wright Brothers as failures.

Could it be that you are holding yourself back because of FOF? Are the prospects of another round of criticism from family, friends or co-workers preventing you from taking the risks that might help you improve? Hopefully you are more like Edison and the Wright Brothers, holding the vision of a workable outcome, doing the work required and finding that persistence is a big part of the process. Realize that you are going to fail at times, but learn from your failures. When you fail, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and get on down the road toward your definition success.

We believe in you and know that you will succeed. If we can help you, as you travel towards your definition of success, please let us know!

The Rocking Chair Syndrome

“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.”

Don Marquis. (1878-1937, American Humorist, Journalist)

With anything we do in life, action is required to move forward. We can have the best plan in the world, set realistic goals, and put everything in a journal, but without action, all of it is useless. I believe a lot of people get caught up in the “rocking chair” syndrome. That is where they are busy, but not doing the things that move them forward. A rocking chair moves, but never forward.

Here is the challenge. Ask yourself, “What action can I take that will move me forward? Even if you only move an inch, that is better than standing still. Also ask yourself, “What action do I need to get rid of, so I can move forward?” Get out of your “rocking chair” syndrome and start moving in the right direction of your dreams and goals.

As you take action consciously keep in mind the enemy, procrastination. Have you ever procrastinated? I know that I have. Do you have an idea for a business? Do you want to do something for your sweetheart, your family, yourself? I think everyone has an idea that can make their life or the life of others better either spiritually, physically, financially, mentally, or emotionally, and now the key is to take action!

Sarah and I are in the middle of making a lot of decisions both personally and professionally, and the key is action. My parents once told me that when you have an idea, “do something” to make it come true. You might do something wrong, you might have to start over, but action creates progress. Either you gain momentum from your actions or you learn from them on what to do and what not to do. Momentum is the key to watching an idea come to fruition. I am learning along the way, but every day I am gaining momentum which creates excitement, and more importantly, results. If you want to start a business, go back to school, or make a relationship stronger, I say start now. Some might say, “But it will take “years” before I see results. My answer is this, yes it might, however where will you be in “years” if you don’t act? One thing for certain is that time will not stop. So in 2-5 years from now will your life be different? Or will it be the same and you keep looking back saying those famous words, “I wish I would have”.

Why don’t people take action? I learned many years ago from Doug Wead that many times it boils down to two major reasons, FOF and FOP. FOF is the fear of failure and FOP is the fear of people. Why are we continuing to conform to a society that gives us a 90% chance of being dead or broke at the age of 65? I am not trying to scare you or make you mad, I am just trying to make you think. You don’t have to take it from me, if you will follow 100 people, at the age of 65 you will find that 25% of them will be dead. As for the lucky ones that live to be 65 here is the rough breakdown: 40% have to rely on relatives to survive, 30% will rely on welfare and social security to survive, 20% will still be working to survive. I am sure that not one of the 90% said I can’t wait to turn 65 so I can end up in one of these buckets. Why then do so many end up this way? Real simple, they didn’t take action and they conformed to a society that says, “don’t take risks, you can’t do it, just get a good job and try to save a little money for retirement.” Here is what I say; “Life is too short, take action and take it now!” forget about FOF and FOP. As far as what people will think about you, my dad put it this way; “don’t worry about what people think about you, because they don’t think about you”. Best of luck as you travel down your road to success. I believe you will get there, but the most important thing is that you believe you will get there and EXECUTE to make it happen.

Persisting Through Setbacks

In today’s world, it is easy to let short term setbacks in life look a lot bigger than they really are. I understand setbacks, we have had our fair share, but setbacks are only temporary, we must keep our eyes on our long-term goals. If you are going through a tough time right now, in any area of your life, it is so easy to get caught up worrying about it 24 hours a day. Also, if all you think about are your short-term setbacks you are not focusing your energy where it should be, which is finding a solution, solving the issues and getting back on track. You must deal with your setbacks. We all have them, but letting them steal your confidence, and plan for the long-term is not the answer, we must continue to persist through these setbacks. Setbacks in life do not mean that you are not moving forward. As a matter of fact, one can argue, the more setbacks you are having in your life the more you are growing and moving towards your vision. Life is a game of peaks and valleys, and we must have the ability to handle both sides of the coin.

5 Weeks To A Better Life

Are you wanting to improve in at least one area of your life? If so, be on the lookout for CCG's next DVD. "Five Weeks To A Better Life". This DVD can and will change your life if you execute the plan. How does the DVD help?

-It helps you define success and customize your definition for you.

-It helps you customize a plan for action.

-It helps you EXECUTE your plan.

We hope 2011 is going great. Remember successful people do the things that unsuccessful people are not willing to do!

Make it happen and Let's Continue To Talk About Success!

CCG!