Archive for Reflections

Nov
11

On This Veterans Day

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To all the soldiers who’ve served in the past, or are currently filling the ranks
To you my protectors of freedom, I send out my deepest thanks!

To those that want to serve at a future date
I wish to thank you in advance for doing your part to keep this country great

To those that have given their lives in the conflicts of today or yesteryear
It is to you that I stand tall, salute and shed a heartfelt tear

Finally;
To those that would say our soldiers need not be honored for service unseen
To you I would urge but one thing….
Go Live in a country not protected by the US Army , Navy, Air Force Or Marines!

Thank you to all our servicemen allegra sale & women (and their families!)
Sincerely,
Tracy Brinkmann
Former Soldier, Passionate Father & PROUD American!

Categories : Gratitude, Of Gratitude
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Jun
18

5 Benefits of Gratitude

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Gratitude and goal accomplishment… is there a link?  Well showing your gratitude can be a great way to spread positive feelings in the world around you, and when you think about it, reaching your goals starts with a single positive thought. What could be more positive to yourself or anyone else then showing your sincere gratitude?

With the recent passing by of Mothers Day and the upcoming Father’s Day here is a question to ask – How do you feel when someone sincerely expresses his or her gratitude to you for something you did? Doesn’t it make you feel good about yourself? These positive feelings can lift you up, boost your enthusiasm, and motivate you to achieve even more.  Oh, and by the way – it makes them feel good too!

Feeling grateful for what you have done, are doing and will do will produce those same great feelings.  These positive feelings of gratitude will sustain your drive toward your goals.

This shows how gratitude can have some seriously positive snowball effects.

Here are some of the benefits of gratitude:

  1. Reaching your goals. When you sincerely feel grateful, it usually is a lasting and deep seeded selfless feeling.  I mean it is much more than just a brief burst of positive energy; it has staying power that will provide a great boost for you to reach your goals. allegra d prescription  Better than any energy drink you will ever gulp down.
  • When you share your gratitude to others, be sure that you are open with your praise and sincere with your gratefulness.  After all, most are not mind readers and will not know what you’re thinking; hearing WILL it can make all the difference.
  1. Strengthened relationships. How can I say I am grateful?  Let me count the ways.  There are many ways you can express your gratitude to your friends, family and loved ones, including something as simple as saying, “Thank you,” writing a letter, or giving them a thoughtful gift (something THEY want not something you want them to have).  When you learn to appreciate your loved ones and not take them for granted, you will foster a long lasting and loving relationship.
  • Showing gratitude is a two way street. Learn how to effectively express your gratitude and, just as importantly, to receive it as well. Allow someone else the deep seeded feeling of showing their gratitude towards you!
  1. Improved communication. Can you hear me now? Gratitude will mean better communication all the way around. By showing your gratitude to even strangers, they will be more likely to show a sincere interest in you and how they can help you.  This could be from helping you change a flat tire to landing the next great job!
  • Gratitude is such a powerful entity that it can even help you communicate with your kids! They should be appreciated too (yes even when they are testing your patience)!  Take it from a father that has lost a child – appreciate them every minute you have them around.
  1. More effective constructive criticism. No matter how tactfully we try to express constructive criticism, it sometimes makes the recipient defensive and even angry.   After all how enjoys a right cross to the ego?  In situations like this, your grateful attitude will take you a long way.  You share productive criticism far more effectively when you also emphasize what you appreciate about them and all that they do.
  1. Preserving memories. Here is an exercise you will be glad that you did.  Maybe not today or next week – but a guarantee that a month or two from now you will be very grateful.  You can preserve delicate memories in a positive way when you keep a gratitude journal.  Ake a few minutes at the end of your day and jot down your gratitudes for the day.  Pretty soon you will be able to enjoy your memories again and again as will your children and their children when they read about those happy times you savored and were grateful for.   This in turn teaches them gratitude and to preserve their cherished memories (bonus!).

Show Your Gratitude Every Day

Ok, I know what you might be thinking – what in it for me?  (hee hee well maybe your now thinking that but guess what?  You are now!)  Showing your genuine gratitude to others on the surface appears to be a selfless act.  BUT, you will also benefit greatly from it. When you show your gratitude every day, your thinking literally changes.

You will appreciate your life, the good and the bad, when the majority of your thoughts remain positive.  Your heartfelt gratitude will push more of your thoughts to the positive side of the spectrum.  Don’t get me wrong, I am not a “Its always sunny” kind of guy.  I realize that negative thoughts will happen and can sometimes be quite overwhelming.  However, just because you have negative thoughts does no make you a bad person. They happen to everyone! With the help of your grateful attitude, you can strive to keep them squelched to a minimum.

Show your gratitude every day by stepping back and taking a look at the big picture whenever a negative thought arises. If a petty argument with your spouse ensues making you feel angry and heated, take a deep breath and think for a moment. I find that so many of us (yes even me) fight so hard for the win that we can neglect the right.  Remember that the argument is not permanent and, instead, feel grateful for the gift of the relationship.

As I mentioned earlier, I have lost a child – I curse I would not wish upon my darkest enemy.  So trust me when I say our days on this earth are numbered thus we must cherish with gratitude the time that we have and enjoy the benefits of living each day as if it were our last.

Think Successfully & Take Action!

Tracy Brinkmann
One of Today’s TOP Motivated Coaches & Author of Success Atlas ProgramsYou now can buy paxil online

Consider this, one of the most important of motivators in a relationship, whether personal or professional, at work with your client/customers or at home with friends and family, is consideration. Employees report that the best friends and managers they ever had were people who considered their thoughts, cared about their feeling and about them as people as well as friends. These friends and managers were considerate enough to take the time to ask them questions about their lives, and to listen patiently while they talked.

The flip side of this consideration motivator is the demotivating feeling that the boss is inconsiderate and/or doesn’t 10 mg abilify care. This is almost invariably expressed in a lack of recognition, a lack of appreciation and a general failure to pay attention to the employee over time.

Consider this, the amount of time that you spend talking to and listening to a friend, family member, employee (or even a client) is a signal to that person that he or she is considered important to you, to the family and/or to the company.

To empower and motivate your customers, your suppliers, your friends and so on, you simply need to be a genuine, considerate, positive and cheerful person. Develop a positive thoughtful attitude. Insure that you are easygoing, friendly, patient, and open minded.

Remember, everyone is primarily emotional. Everything that people do, or refrain from doing, is triggered by their deeper emotions. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to consider and connect with their higher and more positive emotions so they feel so good about you.

Here are two things you can to work these ideas into Your Success At Last:

  • First, get out of your house or office and go mingle with your clients, coworkers, friends & family. Ask them about their personal lives and concerns, and then listen considerately to the answer. You might be amazed at what you hear!
  • Second, resolve to be a genuinely positive & thoughtful person under all circumstances. Be the kind of person people feel happy being around and working with.

Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann

One of Today’s TOP Motivated Coaches & Author of Success Atlas Programs

May
31

Memorial Day Gratitude

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Happy Memorial Day
 
Today familys across America will be enjoying barbeques, ACOMPLIA DIET PILL swimming pools and all other types of fun activies in and out of the sun.  I hope that they pause during thier festivities to remember and thank those that gave of themselves – either in time or the ultimate sacrifice of thier life in order that we may enjoy the flavors of freedom that we taste today.
 
Coming from a military family myself I hold a special place in my heart for each and every one of our Military Men & Women that serve on and off the front lines of the worlds hot zones and enable me and my loved ones to enjoy the simple freedoms that we all often take for granted.
 
So today I don’t write to you about self help, self developement or public speaking but rather I write to you about gratitude.  
 
If you know a solider – tell him or her a heartfelt thank you for their service to you and your country.  If you are a solidier or were a soldier – then this former Airborne 3rd ID Marne Dog extends to you his humble thanks for keeping me and mine safe, and salutes you for what you have done and/or are doing for your country.
 
If you either do not know or were never a soldier – then the next time you see one on the street, in the airport or where ever – stop, shake their hand and let them know your gratitude for their service to you and yours.  For they are the quiet guardians of our shores and our freedoms – without them your world would take on an entirely different face.  One with not so pleasant a smile!
 
For my friends outside the borders of the USA – I know you have your own soldiers protecting your countries interests – I would urge you to take a moment to thank them as well – where or not is it your “Memorial Day.”
 
Thank a Soldier!
Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann
Categories : Gratitude, Leadership
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One of the most perplexing, yet one of the most understandable rules of the world – to me is – your outer life trends into the direction of your inner life.  It makes perfect sense to realize that how I feel inside is going to impact how I handle things, people and situations I encounter.  But the perplexing side is that the very same rule tends to keeps you from seeing things as they are.  Instead your perception of how things are is colored by the direction of your inner life.  However, I have good news!  If you want to change what is going on in the world around you, whether that be your work life, home life, relationships or rewards then you need to change what is going on inside you – and this is the single factor in your entire life over which you have complete control!

I can hear you now “Wait a minute Tracy I thought this was to be about time management not a touchy feely emotional post.”  Well the starting line of time management is desire and motivation.  After all, I have found that most of us feel that our time management habits could use some (or a lot of) improving – which is probably why your still reading this article.  The kinds of people that take the time to read an article on time management have the desire so that leaves motivation.  The key to motivation is the ‘motive,’ or more plainly the benefits.  If you want to motive or fuel that desire to enhance your time management skills then focus on the benefits you will enjoy.

Wouldn’t it be great to have an extra two hours per day? Could you get more done with a 26 hour day?  Of course you could.  Think about how that little bit of time would add up… let’s see: Two hours a day times five days in a week (because you want to take the weekend off) equals ten extra hours per week. Now take the ten hours and multiply that times fifty weeks (Because you want to take a two week vacation) and you get FIVE HUNDRED extra productive hours each and every year. WOW – if you have a forty hour work week then you have just gained twenty four more weeks – WOW AGAIN that is three months.  So I ask you again – wouldn’t it be great to have an extra two hours per day?  Do you think those three extra months per year would change your life?

Okay okay I can feel the energy coming thought the website – I can almost hear you saying “HOW?” How can you get an extra two hours per day turning your 24 hour day into a 26 hour day?  Well here are a couple time management tips to get you those three extra months a year:

  1. Spend a few minute every hour and track where you are spending your time
    set your computer, cell l phone or egg timer to go off every 60-90 minutes then immediately make a few notes about where you spend that last batch of time.
  2. Review your list and see where your ‘wasting time’ – a few of those areas might be extended times chatting it up with fellow associates, television, personal phone calls, etc.
  3. Where are you waiting and doing nothing, when you could be doing something?  I personally bring notes, books, marketing material, speech topics, etc to doctors meeting and on road trips Cheap Propecia online with me.  That way whenever I have some downtime in an airport, at the dentist office or any where I can pull out something I need to get down and work on it.  Heck I work while I am on the treadmill or stationary bike!
  4. PRIORITIZE – get the important done first!  When you start your day ask yourself what I HAVE to get done today.  Then set to getting it done – don’t go stray until it’s done or until it is at a point where you can no longer advance it further today.
  5. Delegate – sometimes it’s better to have someone else do it!  I really learned this in the revamping of my website – I can and could do it.  But it would not only take me twice as long but the results would be half as good as someone who specialized in website set up.  So I bartered some services and got what would have taken me a week or two, done in two days.
  6. Set Limits – there will be routine and/or regular tasks that you need to do, i.e. read and respond to emails, make phone calls, review reports etc.  Set yourself a reasonable time limit to execute these tasks then stick to it.  You will find that if you tell yourself – SELF you only have 45 minutes to do this that you will be far more focused at the task at hand.

 

When you utilize some of these tips to leverage the power of time management and get a sense of control over your time, yourself, your work and your life you will begin to feel like the master of your own destiny.  This will positively feed your self esteem and push you to new heights – these powerful positive feelings will have a definite impact on other areas of your life.  I mean think about it, you will have more time to spend as you choose.  You can spend it with your family, friends or other loved ones as YOU choose.  You will have the time you desire and deserve to build your business, your relationships or yourself both personally and/or professionally.  So follow the time management tips here and become a master of your own time so that you can get that extra three months every year to chase your heart’s greatest desire!

Think Successfully & Take Action!
Tracy Brinkmann

Categories : Time, Time Management
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