The August Edition of the Fast Results E-Zine was about opportunities and the importance of not missing them. Let’s face it, missing an opportunity is one of the biggest mistakes we can make. Often, it’s taking advantage of opportunities that help us succeed. Missing an opportunity can do everything from frustrating us to snatching defeat from the jaws of victory: I only had a camera with me, if I only had something to write down that idea I had, if I had just asked her out before the other guy did, if I had just introduced myself to the prospective client before my competitor did, if I had just sent my resume out a day earlier….

In part one of this series we talked about the fact that you’re not alone in feeling that sense of hopelessness – practically everyone feels it from time to time. Realizing that your feeling this way is the beginning of the process for pulling yourself out. What we’re going to talk about in this part is how you end up feeling that way to begin with and some things you can do to get out of it.

Why we feel hopelessness:

Whenever I have casual conversations about public speaking, I’m often asked about the benefits. Why would anyone want to speak in front a big group? What if you mess up? Why bother putting yourself in such a scary situation to begin with? These are just a handful of the questions I’m asked by people looking at me as if I have two heads.

Strengths and weaknesses - why do we obsess so much about them? It seems like you can’t go on a job interview without someone asking you what you’re strengths and weaknesses are. If your employer reviews you, chances are they help you identify your strengths and weaknesses. If you own a small business, prospective clients will compare your strengths and weaknesses with that of your competitors. So chances are you are at least somewhat aware of some of your strengths and weaknesses. Now what?

Have you ever paid close attention to the music you listen to? Music is all around us: on the radio, in movies, in our CD/Tape/MP3 player and at events. Music has a powerful way of triggering emotions in us. Sometimes a song will remind us of people, places or events. Other times, the music itself (the key, tempo, style or lyrics) can make us feel a certain way. Some even say that listening to certain types of music (mainly classical) will make you smarter or more productive (the Baby Einstein Company made a fortune out of this concept).

Many of the clips that I’ve used for this feature have typically been videos that are very male oriented. So for a change of pace, we’ll look at some videos from the Disney Princesses. Now Disney has created a new multibillion dollar brand around their princesses which includes movies, clothing and even changes to some of their popular theme parks. Weddings are a huge business for the theme parks (ever visit the Wedding Pavilion at the Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World?) so Disney Princesses aren’t just for little girls anymore - the company recently shifted their marketing mix for the brand to also target adult women.

Many goal setting exercises have you look ahead to the winter of your life (sometimes as far as your deathbed) and ask you what you would have hoped to have accomplished by then. The point of it is to get you take a look at your life and see if the things that you’re doing are accomplishing the goals that mean the most to you.

When I’m at the end of my life, I imagine myself looking back at the various chapters of my life with “My Way”, that popular song written by Paul Anka and immortalized by Frank Sinatra, playing in the background.