After being beaten by Tortoise, Hare reminds himself, “Don’t brag about your lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!”

There’s wisdom for today in this age-old Aesop fable, and today’s lesson is about the power of being consistent when it comes to reaching your goals.

Whether you have committed to eating healthy, to exercising regularly, or to achieving an aggressive sales target, being consistent will play a crucial role in achieving your goals.

Why Strive to Be Consistent?

To illustrate the value of consistently, consider this amazing fact…read more

(Author: Josh Cearbaugh, Todd’s son-in-law)

How’s your memory? Can you recall the thoughts, emotions, reactions of family or friends, or even subtle prayers from earlier today?  How about yesterday, or last week?  What about the warm feeling of your toes thawing after playing outside in a cold winter day five years ago?  Unless you have a memory like Brad Williams, there’s a good chance you won’t recall the minute details of life as you lived it.

Memory Versus Journaling

When Todd, my father-in-law, asked me to write a post for the Little Things Matter blog I asked myself this question.  “What is the one lesson from my life that would contribute the most to the LTM community”.   My answer to that question was simple, “give them the best gift possible”.   Since we’re not all blessed with the ability to capture the details of life like Brad Williams, one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself is journaling.  Keeping a journal has benefits that far surpass the time that you take to write down what’s happening…read more

Think of at least one major accomplishment in your life that has really made you proud of yourself. Now, think of the initial commitment you made when you got started. On a scale of 1-10, how committed were you? Were you very committed or simply desiring something? There’s a vast difference between the two. When you simply desire something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed, you accept no excuses, only results.

A commitment is a binding pledge that obligates you to assume a position or carry out a course of action. Making a commitment to what you do—whether in your personal life or your professional life—is one of the most fundamental principles of success…read more

When was the last time you forgot to do something that was expected of you?  How did it make you feel? Are you concerned about the impression you made?

Responsible people do what’s expected of them without being reminded.  How do they accomplish this? Do they have a great memory? Maybe, but they don’t rely on it. In today’s over-scheduled world, counting on your memory to remember your responsibilities is never a good strategy.

When you make the decision to take pride in doing what is expected of you and NEVER again need to be reminded of a responsibility, you’ll experience a greater sense of satisfaction and success. Here are some of the specific benefits you will enjoy…read more

Every email we send someone makes an impression. This is no different than watching a commercial. Every advertisement you watch makes an impression on you and impacts your view of that advertiser.

The same is true with email. Every impression we make on others is how we are branding ourselves in their minds. It’s our choice what impression we make.

In Part One, I shared with you 16 of my top email tips and encouraged you to evaluate your email communication for the last 24 hours. How did you do?

Here are 17 more for you to chew on.

17. Use the recipient’s time zone—When you are scheduling an appointment or a phone call, avoid confusion by using their time zone. This will keep them from trying to convert the time to their time zone and reduce potential misunderstandings…read more

I’ve probably sent and received more than 500,000 emails over the last 10+ years. And combined with my focus on the little things that matter, I have formed some strong views on the subject. In this two-part lesson you will learn 33 tips that will improve your email communication.

As you review the list, you may feel these are picky little details that don’t really matter. Don’t allow yourself to think this way. Everything matters! Today’s post will cover the first 16 and tomorrow’s will outline the remaining 17.

1. Take pride In your emails—As I pointed out in What’s Your Email Brand?

every email you send makes an impression and plays a small role in defining your brand. If email is your primary form of communication, what you say and how you say it will play a significant role in how you are viewed.

..read more