About four years ago I had the pleasure of seeing an interview with Carnegie Mellon Professor, Dr Randy Pausch. I instantly had so much admiration for this man and found him to be incredibly inspirational, wise and entertaining all at the same time.
Sadly, he has since passed away from pancreatic cancer.
This video is his last lecture – Achieving Your Childhood Dreams. I realise that at just over an hour it’s a bit long for busy business people, but it’s really is worth making the time to watch this. When this lecture was given, Randy was terminally ill … but if he didn’t make mention of it at the start of his presentation, you’d probably never know. He truly is an amazing man.
So if you need a boost, motivation or an excuse for some time out, do yourself a favour and watch this.
One person I admire and look up to in business and also in personal development is the legendary Jim Rohn. It is with deep sadness that I write this, as this wonderful man passed away on 5 December 2009.
In the 3 part video below, Jim explains how you can have your best year ever. It’s worth taking a few minutes to watch these, so please make yourself a cuppa and watch it now if you want to see some improvements in any area of your life.
“The secret of making something work in your life, is firstly the deep desire to make it work. And then a clear and definite vision without one thought of doubt or disbelief.”
Eileen Caddy (1917-2006) – Author and Spiritual Teacher
This is another of my favourite philosophies. While each of these components is necessary, quite often it’s that unwavering belief that you can do it, or achieve it, that is the most challenging part.
How many times do you find yourself thinking or even saying, “I could never do that”?
Next time you catch yourself thinking that,stop for a minute and think instead … “What if I could do that?” Or better still, “How can I do that?”
The more you are aware of these thoughts, the more you can focus on changing your limiting beliefs. In the beginning, you may need to pretend that you believe in yourself and your abilities. But after a while, this belief will start to become more natural. You’ll begin to doubt less and achieve more.
There’s another saying that comes to mind right now that you may be more familiar with…
“If you think you can do a thing or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.” Henry Ford (1863 – 1947)
If you want to run a successful business, it’s a good idea to learn from those who have gone before you and look at the skills and traits that they have (or had).
Look to your role models… what made them successful? What traits are common amongst successful people and high-achievers?
One thing that I picked up on a few years ago was this:
“Successful people make decisions quickly and change them slowly if and when at all.”
Napoleon Hill, Author of Think and Grow Rich
This quote is from Napoleon Hill, but I’ve heard similar sayings from many successful people, including Donald Trump.
From my experience as an online business mentor, this certainly seems to be the case. I’ve found that one of the biggest things that holds back would-be business owners is their own over-analysis or inability to make decisions. Either that, or they make decisions then change them every five minutes.
Sometimes we’re afraid of making the wrong decision, but think of it this way … not making a decision at all can be worse than making the wrong decision.
Once you’re aware of traits like this, it’s much easier to keep them in mind in your own life. When I first heard this saying about making decisions quickly I was one of those who took forever to make up my mind. But by being aware that I needed to make decisions quicker if I wanted to be successful I was able to consciously apply that to my own business, and life.
While this is still may take a conscious effort from me, I’ve noticed that it’s gradually becoming a natural part of who I am and how I behave.
What other traits do you think are common for successful entrepreneurs?
A product’s features are not the same as their benefits. It is important to understand this so that you can effectively and accurately market your products. It’s a fine line, but one that, once drawn, will help you gain a better perspective on your marketing and product description efforts and methods.
What Is A Product Feature?
A product feature is an actual, physical property or function of the product. It is something about the product or inherent in the design that is beneficial, but is not, in and of itself, the benefit.
I know this may sound confusing so let’s look at some examples:
A feature of a product might be something like the fabric that it is made from. For example, your children’s clothing line might be made from durable denim or other fabric; or perhaps a sun-protectant SPF fabric. That is the actual material that it is made from – the feature of the product, the characteristic material that makes the product durable, protectant or otherwise good in some way; a cut above the rest so to speak.
Think of product features as product characteristics or specifications. A feature is something you can find listed in a description, plan or design.
What Is A Product Benefit?
A product’s benefit results from the feature. It is what is ‘in it’ for the customer. In fact, the product benefit answers that most crucial of questions consumers have – “What’s In It For Me?”
In other words, that durability lends a benefit to the consumer in that the clothing will last longer, therefore they will need to replace the clothing less often and will save money and time in the long run. The benefit of the SPF factor is that it will prevent children from getting sun burnt or reduce the risk of skin cancer later in life.
Think of a benefit as why a product is good. A benefit is something you would list in sales or marketing material, the reason why your customer should buy, not what they are buying.
What’s More Important To The Consumer?
Customers will sometimes look to see what the features of a product are for the sake of comparison, but by and large they care about one thing – that “What’s In It For Me?” Customers are most interested in the benefits because that is what is helpful and of most importance to them.
It is important to offer key features in a product description where it can be accessed, but it is most important to let customers know how that feature helps them. Don’t rely on customers to understand features alone. Tell them the benefit of what buying your product or service will bring. Explain to them why your product or service is superior and beneficial, and give them the benefits – the reasons that they need to buy your product and features.
Something to think about:
“My mother drew a distinction between achievement and success. She said that achievement is the knowledge that you have studied and worked hard and done the best that is in you. Success is being praised by others. That is nice but not as important or satisfying. Always aim for achievement – success [...]
“Most of the limitations you think you have are the ones you have decided on. They are often entirely self-imposed. You might think, ‘I can’t do this, I can’t do that, I would never do that, my parents could never do that, I never played baseball, I never climbed a mountain, I never, never, never’… [...]
This is another of my favourite quotes … one of the philosophies I live by:
“Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait. The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don’t count.”
Dr. Robert Anthony, Educator
Thanks to Jennifer at Pink Heels for sharing this beautiful thought on how we can save the world… starting right now.
Lately I’ve noticed that in the busy-ness of life some people seem to have forgotten this:
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