From My friends at Motivationinaminute.com

        
Simple secrets to great relationships...

Brian Tracy said..."Eighty percent of life's satisfaction comes from meaningful relationships." Think about it...when you look back at the end of your life what will really matter? Five words...the quality of your relationships.

So here's the question: If your relationships are the most important part of your life, what are you doing to make them all they can be?

The 100/0 Principle may be the most important book you'll ever read. The message is truly life-changing. You've probably heard the phrase, it's not what you say, but how you say it, that turns the switch from "off" to "on." In fact, our book, 212°...The Extra Degree, is a great example of that, but...The 100/0 Principle is even better. The examples, the stories, the quotes provoke many "a-ha" moments. Simply put, this is a book that can make your marriage better and greatly improve your relationships with family members, friends, co-workers and...even your boss.

Here's a brief excerpt from The 100/0 Principle. Enjoy!

An Excerpt from The 100/0 Principle by Al Ritter


What is the most effective way to create and sustain great relationships with others? It's The 100/0 Principle: You take full responsibility (the 100) for the relationship, expecting nothing (the 0) in return.
Implementing The 100/0 Principle is not natural for most of us. It takes real commitment to the relationship and a good dose of self-discipline to think, act and give 100 percent.

The 100/0 Principle applies to those people in your life where the relationships are too important to react automatically or judgmentally. Each of us must determine the relationships to which this principle should apply. For most of us, it applies to work associates, customers, suppliers, family and friends.

STEP 1 - Determine what you can do to make the relationship work...then do it. Demonstrate respect and kindness to the other person, whether he/she deserves it or not.

STEP 2 - Do not expect anything in return. Zero, zip, nada.

STEP 3 - Do not allow anything the other person says or does (no matter how annoying!) to affect you. In other words, don't take the bait.

STEP 4 - Be persistent with your graciousness and kindness. Often we give up too soon, especially when others don't respond in kind. Remember to expect nothing in return.

At times (usually few), the relationship can remain challenging, even toxic, despite your 100 percent commitment and self-discipline. When this occurs, you need to avoid being the "Knower" and shift to being the "Learner." Avoid Knower statements/ thoughts like "that won't work," "I'm right, you are wrong," "I know it and you don't," "I'll teach you," "that's just the way it is," "I need to tell you what I know," etc.
Instead use Learner statements/thoughts like "Let me find out what is going on and try to understand the situation," "I could be wrong," "I wonder if there is anything of value here," "I wonder if..." etc. In other words, as a Learner, be curious!

Principle Paradox

This may strike you as strange, but here's the paradox: When you take authentic responsibility for a relationship, more often than not the other person quickly chooses to take responsibility as well. Consequently, the 100/0 relationship quickly transforms into something approaching 100/100. When that occurs, true breakthroughs happen for the individuals involved, their teams, their organizations and their families.

Hop on over to motivation in a minute.com to learn more about this great read! But before you do, tell me your thoughts here.

Today on My WAHM Plan I'm working on my blog and I came across this timely article on wahm.com. I had to share it here.

You're a WAHM with a new business and wondering about successful business strategies. This guide will help you with a few of the ideas.

Strategy 1: Planning

"Plans are nothing; planning is everything." Eisenhower said it all with that statement. Plans always change--however it's important to plan your strategies. People think of planning as final decisions with no chance to change your mind later. However true planning involves looking at a number of choices and choosing the best path to take. Sometimes planning takes you off your chosen plan, and that's ok. Keep your eye on the goal and change accordingly.

Keep these steps in mind when planning.

•Set a realistic financial goal to achieve for the year.
•Consider the challenges you will need to overcome to reach your goal.
•Decide what you need to achieve to overcome those challenges.
•Calculate how much it will cost you to achieve those results.
•Evaluate how you are currently spending your time and money.
•At this point go over both your current spending and activities alongside the spending and activities you need to achieve your goal. Eliminate spending and activity that is not productive towards your goals.



You need not be set in your planning, in fact be prepared to adjust the plan. Things will change, and you will need to change with it. Planning is a continual process.

Strategy 2: Customer Service

Let's face it, customers keep you in business. Without your customers, you would have no revenue. Therefore, it is important to take care of your customers and make sure they are satisfied. Most revenue comes from repeat customers, not new ones. Keeping your customers should ALWAYS be the priority.

Strategy 3: Don't be Afraid of Risk

Business is fickle and ever changing. Neglecting risks will cause your industry to stagnate and lag behind your competitors. It is important to change with the times because return always increases with risk. However, it is important to balance risk taking with safety. Risky ventures have large payoffs because they are so risky. When deciding on taking on a new risk for your company, carefully evaluate the pros and cons and make sure that your return is worth the risk. This is where your planning comes in!

Strategy 4: Retain a Competitive Edge

To gain and keep customers, you need to provide a product or service that is better than anyone else has. It is always important to keep an edge over your competitors. If a rival business overshadows what you do best, you will need to discover another competitive edge. This is where you will usually need to take risks. If you discover a new and better way to perform a service or craft a product, seek out that edge and keep it private for as long as you can.

To run a successful business, it just takes a lot of planning. You want to provide a superior product or service to your customers, and always treat them well. Take risks if they benefit your company, and always retain the edge which makes you stand out over your rivals.

My word?

Simplify!

That's it. That's my one word plan for today and next year. I started here on my blog by getting rid of those pesky pages I could never get to work the way I wanted them to.

Next up? My email contacts, talk about a mixed bag! Time to clean up.

How about you? What are you planning for 2011?

What ever it is, I wish you a happy, healthy and prosperous :