Burke Hedges Speaks

Welcome back to the Monday Minute and the third part in a
series I’m finishing this week overcoming the personal obstacles
and thought patterns that hold us back in life. 

Over the last couple of weeks I’ve given you 5 tips for overcoming
negative thinking patterns that keep us from achieving the
success we desire in life. 

1) Get rid of the idea of comfort & security
2) Get rid of negative patterns
3) Stop tricking yourself
4) Welcome change
5) Stop thinking small

This week I’ve got a few more…

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Tip #6: Time goes by fast - don’t ignore it!

Every year we have an opportunity to either stay the same, go
backwards, or go forward and do better than we’ve ever done before.

The years pass by fast, and how we spend them is our choice.  How
many years have you let pass with “good intentions”? 

How long have you wanted to lose that weight? 
How long have you dreamed of being debt free? 

Don’t allow yourself to operate like that any longer.  Good intentions
won’t get you anywhere in life.  It’s taking action that will get you there.

Tip #7: Destroy laziness

Having lazy habits can destroy you if you allow it.  Lazy habits can
destroy your health, your finances and your relationships.  You
must be committed to excellence in all areas of your life and make
a decision that no amount of personal effort is too much for the
things you want out of life. 

Better relationships with your family require time.  You’ve got
to put some effort into it and sometimes do things you don’t feel
like doing for the sake of the person you love. 

Procrastinating and putting off building your business because you’re
tired when you come home from your full-time job is another form of
laziness, believe it or not.  Now, you may say, “But Burke, I work
all day and I AM tired when I come home!”  Believe me, I understand! 

What I’m saying though, is if you want the results you’ve got to
put forth the effort.  So if you want the results in your business,
you’ve got to focus time and energy building your business- even
when you are tired. 

Tip #8: Don’t justify failure

If you’re failing in an area of your life, then I encourage you to be
honest with yourself and accept the fact that you’re not where you want
to be in that particular area.  Don’t justify it.  Don’t try and
explain it away or blame it on someone else.  Accept it and decide what
you’re going to do about it.  Take action in those areas of your life
that are not up to par and turn them around. 

I encourage you today to take a step of action in those areas of
your life that you know aren’t what you want them to be.  See your
long range goals so you can make the best of your time and achieve
everything you want out of life.

Becoming your very best YOU is an awesome adventure and it’s worth
every bit of time and effort you choose to put into it.

Until next week- be your best!

This week I’m going to continue to challenge you with some more
obstacles are holding you back from seeing the success you want
in your business and in life.

I believe NOW is the time to really push for those things you
want most in life.  It’s time to get over every excuse and push
yourself to that next level in your business and in your
relationships.  You can do it!

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Change is never easy- but it’s always worth it.  And putting forth
the effort to become a better you is never time wasted.  I wrote a
book on the subject called “You, Inc” which you can find here:

http://www.burkehedges.com/products

I wrote “You, Inc” because I know how important it is to strive to become
a better person and let go of all the excuses that stand in our way.
I really want to help you get the results you seek in your business and
in life. 

Last week, I gave you 3 obstacles to personal change:

1) Get rid of the idea of comfort & security
2) Get rid of negative patterns
3) Stop tricking yourself

This week I’ve got a few more tips to encourage you to challenge
you to be the very best and go after the very best in your life.

Tip 4: Welcome change

It’s natural to be a little fearful of change.  We often think if
a situation changes, it’s automaticaaly going to be worse.  But
change is often positive.  Change can be challenging and exciting. 
It’s all in how you look at it. 

I heard a story recently about a family who was losing their home
to foreclosure.  They had young children and were packing up to
move to a small apartment.  The parents decided this could either
be a horrible memory for their children, or they could somehow
figure out a way to make it fun. 

Now, I’m not saying that going through a foreclosure is fun.  But
this family decided to call it an “adventure”.  They constantly
looked at the silver lining- how their new neighborhood was much
closer to a park.  How they had a community pool to swim in now. 
How the kids would get a new room.  They constantly said to their
kids, “Isn’t this exciting?”…and because they had such a great
attitude, they’re kids were positive too. 

No one liked the idea of moving and losing their home- but they
decided that good things could come out of this change and those
good things were going to start with their attitude. 

Tip #5: Stop thinking small

It’s easy to get trapped into everyday small thinking and forget
to think about the bigger things in life.  How often do you hear
people saying “I just don’t have any time to do anything else?” 

Actually, “I don’t have time” is one of the biggest excuses we
hear in this industry. 

But if you take a look at the results in the life of a person who
“Doesn’t have any time” - often you’ll find them lacking.  They’re
running around everyday trying to do just enough to get by. 
They’re exhausted, yet they’re not making any headway.  They’re
like hamsters on a wheel.   What’s happened? 

The routine of being busy has filled their life- that’s what
happened.  We have to remind ourselves of the tasks and
relationships that should be #1 in our lives and let some
of the other stuff go.

A great tip is to take a little time each week to set some weekly
goals and organize your time.  An hour to sit quietly and think
about the direction you’re going and how you plan to get there
is an hour well spent.  Write down your weekly goals and keep
track of how you spend your time each day obtaining them. 

If you do this on a regular basis, instead of just watching the
passing of time, you’ll actually start focusing on the bigger
goals in your life and working towards obtaining them.

I’ve still got a few more tips for you next week- see you then!

It’s time for another edition of the Monday Minute!  Last week
I began a series on developing your people skills.  I believe
having the ability to work well with people is one of the biggest
keys to success in this industry.

Having good people skills and successfully leading a team starts
from within.  You know, I wish I could just give you a series of
tips that would magically transform you into the kind of person
who gets along with everyone.  But the changes that need to occur
start from within you- because when you get better, then your
relationships with your team, your leaders and your prospects all
get better.

Building your business becomes easy…and fun!

Today I’m going to give you some of the biggest personal obstacles
to change.  I want you to look within yourself as you’re reading
these obstacles and ask yourself - Am I holding myself back in any
way? 

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How do you break through the things that are holding you back in
life?  How can you become free to do those things you need to do
in order to succeed?

I’m convinced that on your path to becoming a dynamic people
person, there are some obstacles in your mind that trip you up.
You must face and fight them in order to get the permanent
change you want.

1) Get rid of the idea of “comfort & security”

So many of us take the middle of the road in life.  The middle
is where it seems safer.  But the middle road in life is often
where we begin to sink.  If we never take any risky chances, we
end up living a life of “what if’s”. 

If you’re going to have any real success in life, you’ve got to
be willing to risk comfort and security and go for the things
that are necessary to fulfill your dreams.

2) Get rid of negative patterns

Often, we get into behavior patterns that seem to meet our needs,
but actually do a lot of damage in the long run.  You could be
stuck in poor eating habits, or perhaps you always shut down
when you’re angry.  Maybe you run from things you fear, so you
can’t bring yourself to do those things you know you must do in
order to grow your business. 

Whatever those patterns are, they’re holding you back & you know it. 

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When it comes to your business, usually the thing you want to
do the least is the very next thing you need to start doing
to see success. 
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Does the tought of prospecting 10 people a day make you cringe? 
That’s probably what you need to do most.  Get sick thinking about
showing the plan?  Challenge yourself to push past how you feel,
and get into action and start doing the things that will create
success in your life.

3) Stop tricking yourself

When you strongly desire something in your life such as the
ability to work from home and set your own schedule, a new car
or home, or being debt free- then either back that desire up
by taking action, or do yourself a favor and let it go. 

If you continue to believe you want something but refuse to
take the appropriate action to get it, then you’re only fooling
yourself.

Check yourself to make certain what it really is you want out of
life and more importantly, what you’re willing to work for. 

Someone who always says “I want to be debt free”, yet continues
to spend foolishly and never sticks to a debt repayment plan
probably doesn’t really want to be debt free. 

If you want to be a top producer in your company, but you’re
not showing the plan several times a day, then I would honestly
tell you that you don’t REALLY want to be a top producer- you
just want to talk about how great it would be to be a top
producer.  Top producers show the plan everyday…several times
a day…over and over again…even when they don’t feel like it. 

So make sure you decide what it is you really want in life
and back it up with action.  Refuse to trick yourself any longer.

Next week I’ve got more tips on getting over those obstacles
that are holding you back from being as successful as you
want- see you then!  Make it a great week!

Welcome back to the Monday Minute!  Last week I started a series
about building your people skills.  I really believe that knowing
how to deal effectively with people is a huge key to success in
this industry…and in everyday life as well.

Everyone is different- we all don’t think and feel the same way. 
And it’s the ability to deal with all these different personality
types that really makes a great leader. 

Have you ever been to a conference and watched the Top Income Earner
on stage and said silently to yourself, “Wow, that guy or gal is
really incredible!”  It’s the ability to relate to people that
makes that person so relatable and easy to get along with. 

Leaders who have great people skills are the ones who rise to
the top.  They can’t help it! 

Today I’m going to talk to you a little bit about change.  Changing
your midset.  Changing your attitude.  Changing the way you look at
your life.  Many of you are facing tough situations right now and
are wanting change in your life.  It’s always been my belief that
our situations in life begin to change from within- they change
when we change. 

Those are easy words to say…but we all know they’re harder to
live out.  Keep reading for some specific tips on change…

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So many of us are desperate for change.  We want to see change in
our financial lives, in our relationships, in our spiritual lives. 
And many of us are working towards change…but we get stuck. 

We get so close- and then we pull back.

How do you get permanent change in your life?  It’s simple-
you’ve got to make a decision here and now to stop playing games
in your life.  Get rid of the excuses.  Don’t expect anyone to
fix your problems but yourself. 

Yes, it’s true- sometimes bad things just happen & we can’t do
anything to control them.  Maybe you’ve been laid off, or a family
member has been sick, or you’re having trouble in your relationships.

These sorts of things can make us feel like a victim in life.
However, it’s up to us to decide how we’re going to handle those
situations.  We can’t blame others for our lot in life if we’re
going to be successful in life.  We’ve got to take
responsibility & action. 

Let me ask you a few tough questions:

>> Are you more concerned with your feelings than anyone elses?
>> Are you always concerned with how you look?  How you think?  How you feel?
>> Are you stubborn?  Do you get angry when you don’t get what you want?

Be honest with yourself here because all these things will
interfere with the way you deal with people.  Let’s face it, if
you’re overly concerned with the way your appear and how you feel
about things, it’s going to be tough to REALLY relate to that
prospect sitting in front of you- right?

Here are a few thoughts and tips as I leave you today on what it
really means to take full and total responsibility in your life:

1) Don’t live in the “right now” all the time. 

Look at the consequences down the road.  Sometimes the right decision
doesn’t always feel great.  Sometimes the right thing to do is the
hardest thing to do.

2) Don’t allow yourself to be dominated by your emotions. 

So many people allow their lives to be ruled by how they feel.  They
feel fear about speaking to a prospect, so they avoid it.  They’re
worried about something, so they turn it over and over in their minds all
day and waste an entire day worrying.

Taking full responsibility for change means we’ve got to decide what
we want in life and go after it with purpose and disapline- even
when it’s tough.  Sometimes that means pushing those feelings aside
and doing the thing you LEAST want to do, but KNOW will help grow
your business.

3) Stop worrying so much about how you come across to people. 

You’re going to meet plenty of people who disapprove of your
business & aren’t afraid to tell you so.  So what!  Next!! 
You determine your path in life, not them.  Be confident, relax and
be yourself with people.  You’ll see the difference!

Next week I’m going to talk to you about some obstacles that
might be getting in your way of personal change.

Until then, make it a great week!