Personal and Professional Development Blog

Companies traditionally define their core values, mission and vision statements that influence their decisions and client relationships, but individuals also benefit greatly by identifying their own personal core values.

Your core values are a series of words or phrases defining who you are and what you stand for. They represent the internal navigation system for your life and the filter through which you process all of life’s decisions. They are the values you would fight for and the attributes you hope others say about you in your absence or after your death. They become key elements of your personal brand and define your character.

Think of the last time you did something that you knew deep down inside was wrong. How did you feel? That feeling was a result of your actions being inconsistent with one of your core values. Psychologists tell us that nothing creates internal stress and guilt more than when our actions are incongruent with our values…read more

Authors: Todd and Joy Smith, Founders of Little Things Matter

Yesterday, we celebrated our 25^th wedding anniversary. We can’t believe we are old enough to have been married for 25 years. Recognizing the importance of building a successful marriage, we want to share with you our top 25 marriage tips. The following points are not listed in any specific order. It is our hope that these tips will help you enjoy a more rewarding marriage.

We recorded the podcast version of this post and we’ve added commentary that’s not included in the written post. Click here to listen to this podcast. (The audio player is below the title of the post.)

1. Marry the right person. There is only one way you will know if the person you are dating is the right person to marry and that is by spending time together. We recommend dating at least one year before getting engaged. We dated for four years before getting married. Once we got married, there were no surprises…read more

Accountability is normally viewed as being responsible—giving an explanation of your actions—to somebody for something. However, today’s lesson is not about someone holding you accountable. It’s about you holding yourself accountable.

When you take 100 percent responsibility for holding yourself accountable, your performance will improve, your relationships will flourish, your market value will soar, people’s respect for you will skyrocket, you will be a great example for others to follow, and your self-esteem will grow.

How is it that in all these areas of your life you can see such dramatic improvement? Because when you hold yourself accountable to doing the things you know you should do, you will distinguish yourself from the crowd….read more

Goal setting is fundamental to any type of achievement. If you want to live a life of purpose, setting goals will increase your odds of reaching your desired outcome.

The process of setting goals helps bring clarity to the things that are truly important to you. Absent a clear picture of what you want to achieve in your life, you will be left wandering aimlessly through life like a ship without a rudder, without ever achieving anything worthwhile.

When you set clearly defined goals and create a plan to achieve them, you will begin to live your life by design, not default. You will feel motivated and empowered. Your self-confidence will grow and you will begin to fill like you are in control of your life. When you are crystal clear on what you want to achieve, you’ll be able to focus your efforts on the things that will help you reach those goals…read more

Have you ever considered that every email you send makes an impression on someone? Each impression plays a small, but important role in defining your personal brand.

Just as every product has a brand, so do each of us. We’re all branding ourselves every day, in every way—by how we sound on the phone; by our appearance; by our level of physical fitness; by how we acknowledge people, and through our email communications.

If the people you have corresponded with via email over the last 30 days were surveyed and asked to describe your personal email brand, what would the results show? Now take a minute to think about your goals and consider the person you need to become to achieve your goals…read more

Click Here to Download This Report.

Have you ever noticed that when you are focused on something that is exciting, you can get by with less sleep and feel great? At the same time, have you noticed that when you are discouraged and depressed, you feel worn out and can sleep forever?

It’s real simple. When you think about positive things, your energy levels rise and your attitude improves. When you think about negative things, your energy levels drop and your attitude deteriorates.

As if your energy levels and attitude aren’t enough of a reason to focus on positive things, there are many other benefits including being happier, experiencing less stress and anxiety, enjoying greater success, being more enjoyable to be around and living a longer, healthier life…read more

Delivering unpleasant news, correcting misunderstandings, confronting a friend or family member, and dealing with hard-to-talk-about issues are the kinds of conversations most of us dread. They’re a part of life, however, and you can’t avoid them. Although you may never be 100 percent comfortable in these situations, there are a number of things you can do to make these necessary talks as productive and painless as possible.

When handled calmly and with respect for the other person, even the most challenging conversations can lead to an improved state of affairs for all involved. When you practice the art of handling difficult conversations, you learn valuable lessons about interpersonal communication that can be applied in many different circumstances. In addition, your ability to influence others grows, and so does their respect for you.

Below are ten guidelines to help you confront challenging situations. If you are intentional about implementing them, your results will improve and you will be more likely to reach your desired outcome…read more

If you want to live a happy, healthy, and fulfilling life, you must be intentional about doing the little things to make your life better. Seems obvious, right? But how intentional are you about doing that to improve the quality of your life?

Improving your life is about doing the little things along your journey that bring joy, happiness, and fulfillment into your life. Little Things Matter is all about helping you become the person you need to be to achieve your goals and live the life you desire.

In a special contest, members of the Little Things Matter Facebook community were asked to share their #1 little thing that could improve someone’s life today. Over 300 people responded with outstanding ideas, practical suggestions, and life affirmations…read more

Click Here to Download The Report

In today’s fast paced electronic world, the need for quiet time has never been more crucial. The number of interruptions and resulting stress coming from texts, calls, emails, and social sites has increased. And, of course, as if we don’t all have enough already going on, we have an endless supply of addictive options at our fingertip to fill our heads with chatter.

If you want to advance your life forward, it’s absolutely critical that you block out time when you turn off the noise so you can think and process information in silence.

The Value of Quiet Time

You’ve heard it before, but it’s a quote worth memorizing. Jim Rohn said, “Success comes from a series of good decisions made over time while failure comes from a series of poor decisions made over time.” After more than 15 years of thinking about this statement and watching it play out in the lives of people I know, I am convinced that our lives are a mirror image of our decisions…read more

Whether or not you hold the formal title of “leader,” there are people around you looking for someone from whom to take their cues in any number of situations. By the end of this post, you’ll realize that your role in leading others is much more significant than you currently believe.

We have all heard about the importance of leading by example, but the benefits are more than meet the eye. Albert Einstein spoke to this: “Setting an example is not the main means of influencing another, it is the only means.”

Who Set the Best Example?

Imagine a company where employees are expected to be at their desks by 8 a.m., yet their manager often strolls in around 8:15 a.m. It doesn’t take long for the staff to follow suit, regardless of the official start time…read more

Competition is all around us. It arises whenever two or more parties strive for a goal that cannot be shared. We experience it in our personal and professional lives. It’s part of the fabric of our society.

How we compete is a reflection of our character and influences the way others perceive us in other areas of our lives.

Today’s lesson introduces ten traits of great competitors. Applicable in any competitive situation, adopting these traits will help you become a more respected rival…read more

If we’re being honest, we all get discouraged. It’s just one of those potholes on our journey we all hit from time to time. You can have everything you have ever wanted, but you are still going to get discouraged at times.

When we get discouraged our attitude and emotions turn negative. When this happens our productivity takes a nosedive, we tend to retreat and withdraw from others, and the risk of giving up on whatever we’re working toward runs very high.

Since it can have such a negative impact on every area of our lives, including our health, learning to deal with disappointments in life and the temporary discouragement that may result is an important part of managing our lives…read more

If you are old enough to read this post, I am sure you have experienced what it feels like to have people talk behind your back. When this happens to you, how does it make you feel towards the person who spoke poorly of you?

Your Words Are a Mirror

What we say about others reflects on our own character. Specifically, when we speak unfavorably of others, it not only hurts the person our words are aimed at, but it also damages our credibility and reputation in the process…read more

(Author, Hannah Smith, Todd Smith’s 15-Year-Old Daughter. The image is not Hannah)

Have you ever had an argument with someone important to you? Did you win or lose? Do you love the feeling when the opposing argument gets shut down, and your opponent conforms to your opinion? Is that your ultimate goal? What about how your opponent feels? Do you care?

I’m like many teenagers. Because I have strong (and often contrary) opinions, I’ve had my share of arguments; I’ve won some and lost some…read more

Psychologists say that people generally complain for one of two reasons—as a way of enlisting people to agree with their point of view, or as a means of making conversation since negative observations often yield a bigger response than positive comments. (Sadly, that is true.)

Today, I’m going on record as saying that neither of these reasons are valid enough to outweigh the fact that no one likes being around people who are chronic complainers.

Whining Damages Reputations

Whining is a childish trait and can be a very difficult habit to break once it has become a part of a person’s communication style. Nevertheless, breaking the habit of complaining is essential if we wish to be viewed as people whose words carry weight and whose opinions matter…read more

I want to write today to share my plans for my Little Things Matter blog, to request your help, and to inform you about my upcoming book.

First, I want to say an earnest “Thank You” for helping me grow my blog and Facebook page over the last seven months. Because of your endorsements, I now have almost 20,000 Facebook connections; my blog has had more than 60,000 visitors in each of the last two months with more than 200,000 of my posts being read and/or listened to each month, and my podcasts are ranked #38 in America’s top 100 podcasts (exclusive of iTunes)…read more

How would you like to be in command of your finances—never be in debt again, live free of financial pressure, and retire comfortably when that day arrives? This is possible for each of you, but it will require intentional effort.

If you sincerely want to be Captain of your Financial Ship, today’s lesson will emphasize three crucial things you must do: put together a budget, track your expenses, and commit to spending less than you earn.

When we do not track our expenses, we actually forfeit control of our Financial Ship. The reason is simple: when we don’t have a clear picture of where our money is going, it’s like being on a ship with a leak that prevents us from navigating toward our financial goals. Benjamin Franklin said it better…read more

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.—everybody wants it, but not everybody gets it.

Have you ever heard an athlete complain, “I don’t get the respect I deserve”? This person is unaware that respect is not a gift; it is something you must earn. We might admire him for his skill, or envy his million-dollar salary, but we respect the athlete for the attitude he or she exhibits on the field or court, during an interview, or in daily life.

What is that attitude that quickly wins respect? Humility—a modest view of one’s own importance! An attitude of humility is one of the most significant predictors of someone who is respected…read more

Today I want to help you make better risk decisions in your personal and professional life. I’ll share a framework for decision-making that can be used whenever you are faced with an opportunity or decision in which the true outcome, state, result, or value is unknown.

I’m referring to risks where there is a lack of complete certainty and where several possible outcomes could exist—at least one of which is undesirable. For example…read more

Pssst. Can you keep a secret? How do you react when you hear these words uttered in a hushed tone? Do you feel important that you are about to be trusted with confidential information, or do you wonder if it’s gossip that you don’t want to hear?

In addition to ensuring that you don’t participate in matters that don’t concern you, it’s even more important to keep any confidence that you have been entrusted with by someone else. You can’t expect to advance personally or professionally if you betray the trust someone has placed in you.

Today’s lesson may prick your conscience; however, my hope is that you will see the immense value in learning the importance of keeping things confidential that should be private and secret….read more