One of the magazines I read every month is Success Magazine. I consider it one of the best motivational magazines on life and leadership available today.  There are dozen’s of articles in each issue to help us with all aspects of our lives.

There is also a little surprise strategically placed in the center of the magazine as a BONUS.  It is a CD/DVD with enhanced articles, motivational presentations and ideas.  I love listening to it on the way to work.

Today I joined the Success Achievers Community and have already met some amazing people. I think its a better way to strategically connect with like minded people (its currently not overflowing with hype so its worth checking out. You can learn more here: https://achievers.success.com/feed

Today I want to focus on 10 Actions You Can Take to Turn Your Knowledge Into Power (some my own and some from a recent article on Success. Use these tips to jump start each action.

  1. Write down five ways you can improve your customer service. What can you do immediately to turn the customer service experience around or make it better?  Read the classic, The Experience Economy by Joseph Pine and James Gilmore (pub. 1999). It goes into great detail about how the companies who create an experience for their customers and clients will stand out from the crowd in their chosen fields.
  2. Write down three negative thoughts you replay in your mind over and over again.  Look at what you wrote and refocus them as positive statements. For instance “business sucks” could be “business is GREAT!”  Even if it isn’t true at this moment, by creating a positive statement you will begin to change your thoughts and open them up to possibilities of how to make things better. Our subconscious mind does not know fact from fiction, only what we “feed it.”  If we send it positive thoughts, pretty soon those positive thoughts become our reality.
  3. Which leads me to this next action: List three steps you could take to stand out from the competition. What could you do differently, that the competition isn’t doing? If the competition is advertising in the local newspapers. Try Radio.  Find ways to barter with local stations to “trade air time” for what you offer.  Most stations have excess time which they “give away” to public service announcements. Propose and idea they can use to market your company while promoting their station.
  4. Write down five reasons why you are the perfect age to achieve your loftiest goals.  If 17 year old kids can create social networking sites that are worth billions and an 82 year old woman can be a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, “what’s stopping you from achieving your goals, right now ~ TODAY?
  5. Have you heard of Focus Intensity Training? It is strength training using mind/body consciousness’. Shawn Phillips says “Focus is the spark that ignites the flame of intensity.” 
  6. Write down the three most important goals in your life today.  As you begin your day, look at that list and read it (out loud, if you can).  Reading it aloud ingrains it into your subconscious mind and your conscious mind will begin developing ways to achieve those goals.
  7. Find or make a space that feeds your creativity.  Spend time in that space.  It could be a place in your home, or a corner of a room, or a spot outdoors. Whatever feeds your inner creativity to generate more ideas, go for it.  Make a date with the space and keep it.
  8. Write down three ways to connect with the people in your life that are important to you. Then do it!  It could be a confidant, a mentor, a role model, a family member you look up to or whose advice you seek.  It could be a family member you love spending time with. Make that time.
  9. Write down five detailed ways to make every day your best ever. Each and every day work at being the best YOU! Repeat.
  10. Be accountable to number one – YOU!  Feed your passions, do what you love, get to know yourself.   

BONUS: I would add this: surround yourself with those you look up to and respect.  To paraphrase Dale Carnegie: We are who we hang out with. So if you want to be GREAT, hang out with GREAT people. Be GREAT and others will want to hang out with YOU.