IN THIS ISSUE
Welcome
Feature Article - Wheels of Change
Words to Inspire
Guest Column - Act As If
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WELCOME

Greetings and welcome to all of you. We are delighted to send you another issue of KEYS TO SUCCESS. Thank you for joining us.

Our feature article gives you four steps to better manage the wheels of change. Having a structure to use will help you avoid feeling overwhelmed with unexpected changes in life and business.

To solve the mystery of who the "company" is of Carol and Company (my signature at the end of the ezine)I am finally introducing my husband Allan Tobias, retired physician and practicing health care attorney! He edits and marks up my drafts each month. The good part is he doesn't charge me for his services. After all these years he suggested he get credit for his volunteer work!

Our commitment is to give you practical information and inspirational ideas to benefit your business and personal life. We are committed to "bringing out your best"! We welcome feedback so we can improve and offer real value to you.

Keys to Success is written and published by Carol Gegner. Are you ready to excel? Check out http://www.coachexecs.com. We are ready to help you.

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Wheels of Change

How well do you handle change? For most of us change is a challenge. We are comfortable doing things in a certain way. We are so comfortable that our actions become automatic. To do something new or different causes some discomfort. It feels like trying to walk with your shoes on the wrong feet.

The wheels of change do not stop. In fact they seem to roll faster and faster making it difficult for us to keep up with the speed. Our personal wheels move slower than the wheels of change. We begin to feel out of balance or deflated as we become overwhelmed with the pace.

We certainly can't ignore change since it happens all around us. Change can be cyclical like the seasons of the year. We expect those changes produced by Mother Nature. Autumn has arrived in the northern hemisphere. Summer is over and winter lies ahead. It happens every year at the same time. The same thing holds true for birthdays making us another year older.

Change can also be expected. We expect our children to naturally go through specific developmental stages as they grow. Some of those stages stretch our capacity as parents. We look around and see other parents dealing with the same stages in their children. Expected change isn't easy but we can predict it will happen.

It is the unexpected changes that are the challenge. How well do we handle unexpected changes in our business when the economy slows down to a trickle? How well do we handle unexpected changes like illness or death in our family? How well do we handle unexpected personal changes of losing a job or moving to a new location? It's the unexpected that creates greater pain or discomfort.

Handling the wheels of change, whether expected or unexpected, requires us to make some changes. You've heard the saying nothing changes until something changes. We are the something! So the question becomes what can you do to be more effective handling the wheels of change?

First, determine what results you want to achieve. When you know what you want you have a direction to take. Using one of Stephen Covey's principles, begin with the end in mind.

Second, think like a project manager. Draw up a time line and create phases for the results and work backwards. When will you need to complete each phase to meet your deadline? Now you have a blueprint for the direction you are taking.

Third, break each phase down into action items. Knowing what needs to be done gives you more control and power in achieving the results you want.

Fourth begin taking small steps to complete one action item. Taking many small steps is easier than taking a giant step into the unknown.

These ideas are not new. We hear them over and over and yet we continue to struggle with change. We continue to do what we've always done hoping for different results. Chances are that won't happen.

It is time to become proactive with change. Use the above four steps to add some air in those deflated, out of balance tires to create a smoother ride on the wheels of change.
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WORDS TO INSPIRE

"You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last
night's cornbread -- stale and dry."
Loretta Lynn, singer

"Tiny decisions are the molders of destiny."
Dr. Michael Norwood, author

"Be not afraid of growing slowly; be afraid only of
standing still."
Chinese proverb
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GUEST ARTICLE --- ACT AS IF by Steve Goodier

What final result are you trying to achieve?

In the mid-1950s, a flamboyant, but unknown, American pianist had
dreams of performing in the Hollywood Bowl. He gathered some money,
rented the Hollywood Bowl on an off night, showed up wearing a tuxedo
and played a full concert on a grand piano to absolutely no audience
at all.

Except that the hall was empty, he lived his dream. Then he kept
building on that dream until, four years later to the very night,
Liberace performed at the Hollywood Bowl before a capacity,
standing-room-only crowd.

Several years prior, it was Harry Emerson Fosdick who voiced a new
thought about self-transformation. He said, "Hold a picture of
yourself long and steadily enough in your mind's eye and you will be
drawn toward it. Picture yourself vividly as defeated and that alone will make victory impossible. Picture yourself vividly as winning and that alone will contribute immeasurably to success. Great living starts with a picture, held in your imagination of what you would like to do or be."

Liberace had one major goal at first -- the Hollywood Bowl. He held
that picture in his mind, then acted as if he had already achieved it,and it came to pass. These are two necessary steps to achieving any result, regardless how big or small: hold a picture of the dream in your mind and act as if it were already so.