http://www.littlethingsmatter.com Improving your life one thing at a time Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:11:19 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Every day that goes by, I am more convinced in the importance of focusing on the little things.  Whether in our personal relationships or professional careers, our ultimate success and enjoyment comes from learning and mastering the little things that matter. For those of you who have friends and family who would enjoy reading my book, Little Things Matter, 100 Ways to Improve Your Life Today, Success Books has agreed to offer a one-week holiday special....read more ]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/12/01/little-things-matter-holiday-special/ After answering the questions in 10 Life Guiding Decisions more than a month ago, I have decided to lead my life in a new direction. Since launching this blog on Jan 11, 2010, I have written 220 lessons and published my book Little Things Matter, 100 Ways to Improve Your Life Today. I started this journey feeling called to help others. By using my gift of teaching, I have shared the knowledge gained over my 30-year entrepreneurial career. I hope you have found value in my lessons. I want to thank each of you who have been loyal followers. I truly appreciate you and the way you put your credibility on the line to recommend my blog, podcasts, and Facebook page to your friends, family, and colleagues....read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/15/a-farewell-from-little-things-matter/ There’s no denying the fact that our lives are a mirror image of the decisions we make. Sure there may be a rare exception—such as a major health challenge— but in the big picture of life, we are where we are today based on the decisions we made in the yesterdays. The key to living a happy and fulfilling life is to make wise decisions; decisions about where you live and work; decisions in how you treat and interact with others; decisions about how you spend money and handle difficult situations. But perhaps the most important of all is where you are leading your life. Where are you going? What do you want your life to look like five years from now? Ten years from now? Twenty years from now? Are you going drift with the tides or are you going to determine where you want to go, strap on a 200 HP motor, and start moving in that direction? Like many people I know, I am trying to get clear on what I want to do with the rest of my life...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/10/10-life-guiding-decisions/ Put yourself in the position of the owner of your business or the leader of your organization. What qualities would you look for in the employee whom you would advance within your management structure? If you had to lay people off, what type of person would you release? What type would you keep? Now put yourself in the position of the employee. How would your employer rate your services? The fact is it’s the “little things” you do and don’t do that have a direct impact on your raises, promotions, and influence within an organization. The way you are viewed will not only impact your success at your current place of employment, but it will also affect the recommendations and references that follow you if you leave. Here are 15 “little things” that will increase your value to your employer and make you stand out as a person who takes pride in your job...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/08/15-ways-to-increase-your-value-and-influence-at-work/ Do you keep agreeing to do tasks you don’t have time to do? Do you allow people to interrupt you at their whim? Do you allow your children to ignore your requests? Do you allow people to treat you with disrespect? If you want to experience less stress, enhanced relationships, improved health, and better time management, then you must learn to set boundaries. Learn to take control of your life. When you don’t stand up for yourself and set boundaries, negative things happen: people take advantage of you; life becomes chaotic; you feel abused; your strong self-esteem fades away; and you struggle to find joy and fulfillment in your life. Here Are 12 Responses You Can Use to Set Boundaries With . . . read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/03/take-control-of-your-life-by-setting-boundaries/ Rapport is the process of building an amicable relationship—an emotional bond—between people based on trust, understanding, and a sharing of each other’s interests and concerns. It’s an attraction built on mutual liking, empathy, and camaraderie. Early in my career, I recognized that rapport is one of the most important characteristics of human interaction. I realized that if I were going to be a successful Realtor, I would need to learn how to quickly build rapport with people. I studied; I researched; and I finally compiled a list of “little things” that would help me to quickly build rapport. (See The 12 Fastest Ways to Build Rapport.) Being able to build instant rapport with people offers numerous benefits. If we know how to quickly connect with people, we can use this knowledge in job interviews, business meetings, networking events, attracting a partner, and many other situations where the speed in which we build rapport matters...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/03/01/the-ultimate-rapport-accelerator/ You have no doubt heard the proverb—Actions speak louder than words. It’s true. Your body is a crucial part of communicating your inner feelings. Of course, we can’t communicate ideas, thoughts, and plans without words. However, the way people interpret those words is tremendously influenced by our non-verbal communication. In her research, Dr. Isa Engleberg (Professor of Speech at Prince George College) has suggested that between 60 and 70 percent of all meaning—understanding—is derived from our body language. What is body language? It’s a form of non-verbal communication consisting of facial expressions, eye movements, gestures, and posture. Here are a few examples:... read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/02/24/communication-without-words/ Meeting with groups of people is something we all experience. Whether it’s board meetings, business meetings, office meetings, church meetings, or small group meetings, you can do some simple things to build your personal brand and have your words carry more weight. 1.  Learn about the participants. If you are attending an important meeting where people will be present whom you have not yet met, learn about them in advance. Google their names, read their websites, review their LinkedIn profiles, or whatever options are available to you. How would you view someone who took the time to learn about you in advance? 2.  Dress appropriately. The way you appear in meetings will impact how you are viewed—both at the subconscious and conscious level. When you take pride in your appearance, people will regard you more seriously and will place more value in what you say...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/02/22/15-ways-to-increase-your-influence-in-meetings/ This is lesson #48 from my book Little Things Matter, 100 Ways to Improve Your Life Today. If you are like most people you probably spend more time worrying than you should. Worrying about job security, project deadlines, health, shrinking budgets, rising taxes, the housing market, world poverty, our children’s safety, even the weather. Some things we can control, others we clearly cannot. The key to maintaining a positive attitude in life is to know the difference. I heard years ago that 92 percent of the things people worry about are beyond their control...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/02/17/dont-worry-about-what-you-cant-control/ If you are growing and advancing your life, there will be times when you need to give a presentation. A presentation is not limited to the times you stand in front of a group of people. It also includes conference call presentations, conference room presentations, one-on-one presentations, and even written presentations. One of the ways to stand out among your peers and competitors and increase your value to the market is to learn how to prepare and deliver effective presentations. Years ago I took a class on public speaking by Bert Decker Communication.  It was an exceptional experience that is still vivid in my mind today. During this training, the key elements of effective presentations were discussed. Since then I have added a few more points to my checklist that I review before EVERY blog post I write and every presentation I give. I open this document and answer these 10 questions. Once these questions are answered, I piece together my presentation...read more]]> http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2011/02/15/10-key-elements-of-a-persuasive-presentation/