My first job out of college was at a media company and one of the things I found interesting was the addiction to coffee that many of my coworkers had. I stopped drinking coffee several years prior to that so I didn’t understand the need to add an extra thirty minutes to my morning commute for something the company offered for free in the kitchenette. So I asked a coworker why one would waste time and money in such a way and was enlightened by her answer.

She explained that there were two types of coffee -the good stuff that you get at the Starbucks and the like, and the cheap stuff that companies try to pass off as coffee (and a benefit to employees). Someone else got wind of this and decided to replace the coffee at work with the good stuff. They got a local premium coffee company to set up a station in the kitchenette at work with one of the highest quality coffees available and a number of their best flavors. One would think that this would have been a big hit but it only lasted for about a month.

It turns out that even though this coffee was better than the stuff people were picking up in the morning, people were still stopping on the way in for their coffee. There were two primary reasons for this. First, people were used to the coffee flavors that they typically got at Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks. But the other interesting comment was that people were just used to their routine of stopping for coffee on the way in to work. They left their house at certain time, drove the same route that took them to their favorite coffee drive-thru and continued on to work. So in many cases, it wasn’t the coffee that they were addicted to but the routine.

Routines are a powerful way to create a good habit. Many experts say that if you do something daily for 21 days, you’ll develop a habit. I believe it’s more like 30 because we’re all different and some people need a little longer for a habit to stick than others. I’ve used routines to create good habits a number of times. I’ve exercised every day for over a year so each night when I shut down my computer, I’ll do a few minutes of exercises if I haven’t already exercises for that day. I never forget to exercise because it’s part of my routine and I exercise every day regardless of whether it’s a weekday, weekend, holiday or even if I’m sick (my workout on a day I’m sick is significantly different than it would be on a day I’m well).

Habits are a great way to get things done and can help you with both your personal and professional goals. For example, if you’re trying to write a book it might be helpful if you could spend 30 minutes each morning or evening working on it. If you frequently skip breakfast and opt for junk food throughout the day, you could develop a habit of eating a healthy breakfast each morning. Take a look at your own goals and you can probably find something that could benefit from extra attention or efforts on a daily basis.

So here are some tips for developing a new habit:

• Start with something easy (like taking a vitamin or getting up at a new time).
• If possible, get started at time where you won’t be traveling for the next several weeks so your routine won’t get interrupted.
• Commit to doing it every day. Not just weekdays – you need to do it on weekends, holidays and even when you’re on vacation to keep it going.
• Make it a streak. When you first start out, count the number of days in a row you’re doing the task. This will give you that extra motivation to not skip a day here and there – remember that you’re most susceptible to quitting when you first get started.

So think about a couple new habits that might benefit you and consider adding them to your routine. You might be surprised at how much they can improve your life (I read somewhere that eating a salad every day can add two years to your life).

Post from: Overnight Sensation

The Power of Habits

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I’m not really into resolutions – I’m into goals. Resolutions are typically made around this time of year and are often long forgotten by Valentine’s Day. Goals (when set correctly) are measurable, require particular actions and have milestones for checking your progress. So that’s why I’ve set a big goal for this coming year to improve something that will positively affect the other areas in my life: my health.

Over the last five years, I’ve developed some very bad eating habits and stopped exercising regularly. Clothing does a wonderful job hiding our flaws (especially in men), so most people had no idea how badly out of shape I was. I didn’t realize it myself until I noticed how sluggish I was – I lacked the energy and enthusiasm I normally had. Then people started commenting. First, my family and close friends started dropping subtle hints that I could benefit from a little exercise. Then as I started looking through my more recent photos, I started realizing that it wasn’t just the camera that put ten pounds on me. When I looked at the belt I wore most of the time, I noticed that it was size 38 (for a 38 inch waist) and that I was closing in on the last hole – not a good sign. The last straw was when I ran into three people I hadn’t seen in a while. Each of them blurted out something like “wow, looks like you’ve gained some weight.”

So when the New Year (2009) rolled around, I decided it was time for a change. I looked at some of my bad health-related habits and began making changes. The first thing I tackled was soda – which was by far the worst of my habits. I don’t drink coffee or anything alcoholic, so soda was where I got my kicks – I would joke that I loved Dr. Pepper so much I wish I could hook it up via IV. I remember one morning I was barely able to stay awake during a training session so I grabbed a 40 oz. cup of Pepsi during a break. That was over 500 calories and it was only 10:30 in the morning.

The other big thing I needed to do was start exercising again. I had exercised every single day from January 14th, 2000 until December 10th, 2004. I was so determined to get my daily routines in that I would often find myself cranking out a few sets of push-ups and sit-ups in the oddest places such as airports and hotel parking lots. It took a tragic event to end that streak.

I quit drinking soda back in January and lost 10 pounds within the first two months. My stomach felt better and I started fitting back into my old clothes. Then in May, I started exercising regularly again which proved to be a big help.

In 2010, I plan to return to the shape I was in back in 2002/2003. My weight is fine, it’s the distribution just needs to change so I’ll be setting my goals to gain muscle in certain areas where it’s lacking (arms, calves) and reduce fat where needed (mid-section). I’ll put up a special page on this blog where I’ll post before and after photos as well as progress. I’ll use the regular blog feed to post any lessons learned as well as update notices when I’ve posted something on this topic.

While I know that this deviates a bit from the usual topics I post about, I think there are some very important lessons to be learned here. While public speaking and communication skills are important topics and can save your career, good health can save your life.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Making 2010 a Fantastic Year

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A number of speakers, books and other motivational programs talk about a famous study done with Yale’s class of 1953. The study states that only 3% of the graduating class had written goals. When the class was surveyed again 20 years later, they found out that the 3% who had written goals had a combined wealth that was greater than the combined wealth of the 97% that didn’t have written goals! What an interesting story. And it’s no wonder that so many self-help & personal development gurus and motivational speaker share this story. Too bad the study never happened.

Since I’m a big believer in written goals and I believe that people who write down their goals tend to do better than those that don’t, I have to say I was a little disappointed to find out that this story was an urban legend. Of course, the more embarrassing part of this story as that so many people used it in their books and speeches without realizing that it wasn’t true. I have to say that I can’t blame the folks who recently have used it because so many people – including two of the most successful motivational speakers, Tony Robbins and Zig Ziglar – have quoted this story. I found out it wasn’t true when I was researching it to use in a speech to get the facts. I had heard the story a number of times but I couldn’t remember the college, the year and whether the group with written goals was 3% or 5%. Thank goodness for search engines.

So the big lesson here is to do your due diligence before including stories in your speeches that aren’t your own experiences. I was researching this information for a motivational speech to a small business organization I was invited to speak to. If books and audio cassettes were as easy to search as the internet, I would have included the study. And it’s a good thing I didn’t because after the talk I was speaking with one of the audience members and he had asked me if I knew anything about that study. I told him I was going to include it but then learned it wasn’t true. He smiled and told me that another speaker brought it up once and someone in the audience called him on it. Had I made the same mistake and someone called me on it, I would have definitely felt embarrassed. I probably would have said something like “that surprises me because I’ve seen the study quoted in a number of different sources so I’ll have to look it up.”

Equally embarrassing was a story I heard from another speaker who regularly speaks to groups like the National Speakers Association and other audiences made up of folks who speak to groups. This person said he was sitting in the audience and was shocked to hear another speaker use one of his stories and claim it as his own. So lesson two is to either use your own originally stories or give credit to the person who originally shared the story with you.

Stories are a great tool to engage your audience and explain a point. Your best bet is to take stories from your own experiences so that it’s original. But if you come across a better story to get your point across, just remember to credit the source and check your facts. Doing so will increase your credibility and relieve you of potential headaches.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Public Speaking Success: A Lesson From the Yale Class of 1953

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If you’ve ever had a bad habit or some type of behavior you’ve wanted to change, you know that it’s not easy. But what I’ve found from both personal experience and from talking to others is that making the change isn’t the hardest part – it’s convincing the people around you that you’re trying to change and blocking out their negative feedback.

Sometimes, their skepticism is valid – if you’ve tried to change in the past and didn’t follow through, you start running into to the same perceptions that plagued the boy who cried wolf. But sometimes others just don’t have faith in you and when that’s the case, you have two choices. You can either let their lack of confidence affect your own confidence or you can ignore it. While the obvious choice is the latter, the former is unfortunately the path more frequently taken.

That’s why it’s important to support people who are trying to change – especially if they’ve failed in the past. Change is tough so if you truly care about the person, you need to be supportive of their efforts despite how you feel deep down inside. Telling them things like “this isn’t the first time I’ve heard that” when they’re trying to become a better person helps no one and often is the quickest way to get the person to give up.

The person trying to change is making an effort and already has a challenge to overcome, so that’s where you need to be supportive. And when they face that first obstacle or that first setback, don’t give up on them – that’s when they need your help the most. Telling someone that you have no faith in them following through or reminding them that they haven’t been successful in the past will only discourage them.

So the next time someone tells you that they’re turning over a new leaf or trying to change a habit or behavior, encourage them – especially if you care about them. If you don’t have confidence in them, then do your best to keep your feelings to yourself. Or even better, give them that extra push and help them out so they can reach their goals.

Post from: Overnight Sensation

Give People a Break When They’re Trying to Change

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