5 Signs You Should Keep Trying

Some days you need to bang your head against the wall until you break a hole through it.

You can’t give up on your dreams.  You gotta keep trying.

Here’s some everyday proof that you should keep trying:

1. New Songs On The Radio:  Carrie Underwood could have said “You know what? All of the good country songs have already been sung.  The other singers beat me to it.   There’s no point in trying.”  Thank goodness she didn’t say that.  New songs on the radio are proof that there’s room for anyone who wants to put in the effort.  And we need new songs.

2. The Oakland Raiders:  This team went a full year without winning a football game.  Finally, last week, on national TV, they won a game in their home stadium.  That victory was more meaningful to that team and those fans than a Super Bowl win.  Now they have new life.  And fans can wear their Raiders gear proudly.

3. The First Sale:  If you are starting a business, your first sale will be electrifying.  Once your have the first customer, you have proof it can be done.  After that, it’s an awesome, albeit challenging, journey of learning and tweaking and satisfaction.  And income.

4. Every Time You See A Fed-Ex Truck: The idea for Fed-Ex started as a college term paper.  According to most sources, that paper earned a “C”.  In the interest of full disclosure, it was from a Yale student, from a successful business background, so it was probably a decent paper.  The point here is that many good ideas are shot down at first.  They just need someone to believe in them.  And move them forward.

5. Your Track Record:  If you are reading this, you made it through every tough time you’ve experienced.  You survived whatever it was – a broken relationship, job loss, natural disaster – you survived.

And it made you stronger.

Two Tricks To Guarantee A Great Presentation

Here’s two easy tricks to help guarantee a great presentation or public speech:

1. Begin With The End In Mind.  During the three days leading up to your speech, do some visualization.  Visualize applause at the end of your speech. Visualize your audience or boss smiling and saying “great job” as you shake hands following your talk.  Really visualize it – just as an athlete would visualize making a great play.

This gets your subconscious working on what it has to do to make the positive feedback happen.  It is a matter of convincing your mind that the speech can only end one way: positively.  Your brain will backtrack the sequence of events from there, and help make you successful.

Of course, you still need to put in the work of preparation and practice.  Videotaping your practice or presenting to a mirror are time proven and still effective ways to improve your speech.

2. Post It Notes: In today’s corporate world, there is a good chance you will be making presentation in a teleconference format, usually using Microsoft Powerpoint.  The telecom format provides the equivalent of an open book test, if you can use the format to your advantage.

First, print out a full size copy of your presentation.  Then, using post-it notes on each page, write down responses to questions you might get on that slide.  Anticipate and write down answers to the tough questions.  Write down key statistics.  Write a couple of key quotes you might need.  Cover half of the page with post it notes if you can.

Then, have your post-it-note covered copy of your presentation ready when you conduct your teleconference.  Now it’s an open book test.

Making Free Time During International Business Travel

Do you want to experience the culture, or just the conference room?

Most international business trips are jammed with meetings.  This means most business travelers see just A) the airport, B) the hotel, and C) the conference room where they meet.  Eiffel Tower?  Not so much.  London Eye? Nope.

Here’s some tips to free up time on your business trip, so you can experience at least some part of the culture:

1. Pack Light.  As someone once said, the only three things you really need to travel are plane tickets, a passport, and money.  Everything else is secondary.  Build your suitcase strategy on this minimalist approach.   Just bring what you really need.  Packing light makes you most nimble, and therefore frees up time.  Ditch the “just incase” items.  You can get buy them when you get there if needed.  Most of all, do not check a bag at the airport.  Checking a bag will steal up to an hour of your time at the destination.  It will steal much more time if your luggage is lost.

2. Stay Near Public Transportation.  If you are traveling to a major city with a subway/metro system, try to get a hotel near or on top of a metro station.  Then you can sneak away quickly, for little money.  Plus, the subway/metro is often an experience unto itself.  Being able to get away quickly may be the biggest difference in being able to see any of the city.

3. Write Your Hotel’s Address On The Back Of Several Business Cards.  You can use these to hand to the cab driver to get you to the hotel quickly.  This is especially helpful if the driver speaks a different language.  Plus, with your business card, the cabbie can get in touch with you if you accidentally leave something behind in the cab.

4. Make Use Of Long Layovers.  Instead of trying to take a nap in the chairs at the gate, sneak away and see the city.  With a layover of four hours or more, you’ll have time to leave the terminal, grab a cab, and at least tour the area.  Your boarding pass will get you back in the terminal, through security, and onto your flight.

5. Exercise When You Arrive.  Jet lag can sometimes steal the free time you might otherwise have to take in some sightseeing.  Exercising when you arrive can get your body back on track.  Go for a jog or hit the hotel fitness room if they have one.  If you are in a new city, there will be some adrenaline rush and excitement to help power you through.  Exercise will help push you even further.