I want a raise

This message arrived early this morning as the thought for the day from the Napoleon Hill Foundation.

“Those who do no more than they are paid for have no real basis for requesting more pay because they are already getting all they deserve to earn.”

If you look around you, it will be apparent that there are two types of people in the world: There are those who say, “When this company decides to pay me what I’m worth, then I will do what they want me to do.” The second is the person who says, “I’m going to be the best I can be because that’s the kind of person I am. I also know that if I consistently give more than expected, I will eventually be rewarded for my efforts.” It is easy to see that the positive person contributes most to the organization. Yet, very few people are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve success. Make sure you’re a member of that group.

I know this may seem like a tough concept but the principle is pretty simple. If you stand in front of the wood-stove of life and say, “Give me some heat, and then I’ll put some wood in” you’re going to experience a long, cold winter. In real life, work is required before compensation is given.

• Expecting a guaranteed salary with benefits before proving your worth is an antiquated model. Be willing to prove your value with no guarantee – it will dramatically expand your opportunities.

• Expecting a raise because you’ve been there one more year is an antiquated model. In today’s workplace you get a raise when you add more value.

• Expecting a raise because your personal expenses have gone up is an antiquated model. Your personal obligations have nothing to do with your compensation.

Be clear on your value to an organization — and then negotiate a fair exchange.

Give Thanks — for What?

I know that with downsizing, reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, dried up venture capital, etc. it may appear to be a bleak holiday season.  We continue to hear from people who have been on the receiving end of “Axed, canned, decruited, deselected, destaffed, negotiated departure, personnel surplus reduction, redundancy elimination,  selectively separated, and workforce imbalance correction.”

But we are also hearing from many people who realize they have been given freedom to pursue their dreams – to find or create meaningful, fulfilling and profitable work.  One lady said she had been given the “grace of interruption” in her work life.  Others are describing these unexpected changes as “reinvention, graduation, repurposed, unencumbered by employment, released to fly free, transitioning from caterpillar to butterfly, and prompted to success.” 

Whatever your situation, this is a great time to be anticipating the beginning of a new year.  In 1937, Napoleon Hill wrote this in the original edition of “Think and Grow Rich:”  “The ‘depression’ was a blessing in disguise.  It reduced the whole world to a new starting point that gives every one a new opportunity.” 

Now I doubt that people going through the depression saw it a blessing.  But it did give rise to thousands of new ventures and fresh career direction for many people.  Maybe now is your time to simply give thanks for being given a new opportunity.

Who’s Got Your Back?

Last Thursday my daughter Ashley and I drove down to Atlanta to attend author Keith Ferrazzi’s presentation on his newest book – Who’s Got Your Back?  Keith talked about the critical importance of having 3 deep personal relationships. 

The University of Phoenix has discovered that if someone has a study buddy they are three times more likely to complete their program compared to someone trying to do it alone.

Bishop T.D. Jakes  says that we all need someone to weep with us when we weep and to rejoice with us when we rejoice.  He says you can’t be a David until you find your Jonathan.

As a young eager learner I read Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.  In that old classic the author made it clear that we all need a MasterMind Group – a practice that I continue today with my Wednesday morning Eagles Group. 

On Thursday night Keith told us that if you have 3 trusting relationships you are set up to experience a disproportionate level of success.  In the research for the book they found that roughly 50% of Americans could not identify one person who has their back. 

If you’re struggling, perhaps the next step in releasing your success is not another degree, a guaranteed salary, a bank loan, a secure patent or a winning lottery ticket – but rather a friend you can confide in.  How do you find a friend?  Be the friend everyone is looking for. 

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In a recent newsletter I listed the tips for How to Win Friends — and Jobs  

“Dreamers of the Day”

Your dreams may be the real beginnings of the future you want.

In Seven Pillars of Wisdom, T.E. Lawrence says, “There are dreamers, but not all human beings dream equally. Some are dreamers of the night, who in the dusty recesses of their mind dream and wake in the morning to find it was just vanity. But the Dreamers of the Day are dangerous people because they act their dreams into reality with open eyes.”

Now there’s a clear picture. “Dreamers of the Day” are dangerous because they “act their dreams into reality with open eyes.” We are hearing a lot about dreams this week. Our new president has inspired people to think big, and never stop believing that big dreams can come true. Certainly, his own life story is a clear example of that.

In today’s sophisticated, technological world we often dismiss our night dreams as the result of too much pizza or having too much on our minds when we went to bed. But what about those day dreams? Are they to be dismissed as just random thoughts passing through our brains? Should we pay attention to those “dreams” or just hunker down and be “realistic” and “practical” with the economy in the shape it is? With jobs being lost, homes being foreclosed, 700 billion dollars up in smoke, and General Motors on the brink of disaster, surely now is not the time to dream. Or is it? Haven’t you experienced in your own life how those times of trials often release your best ideas? Have you ever taken a dream and acted it into reality? Isn’t that where your best ideas started?

Could your “dreams of the day” be the seeds of creative problem solutions and the opening door into your greatest new opportunities?

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate accomplishments.” — Napoleon Hill
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As a life coach, nothing concerns me more than beginning the coaching process with someone who says they have no dreams. No dreams traps people in jobs they hate, relationships that have never blossomed, and cars, houses and clothes that serve nothing but utilitarian functions.

Don’t underestimate the value of your night dreams for problem solving and creative approaches to your situation. And by all means, keep dreaming during the day. Tap into those recurring thoughts and ideas that have followed you for years.

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“All successful men and women are big dreamers. They imagine what their future could be, ideal in every respect, and then they work every day toward their distant vision, that goal or purpose.” — Brian Tracy

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If you can’t dream it, it won’t likely happen. Success doesn’t sneak up on us. It starts as a dream that we combine with a clear plan of action. Become a Dreamer of the Day and watch your success soar.

Even the Bible tells us — “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” (Prov 29:18)  We are not going to perish as individuals, families, companies or a nation — unless we ignore those beautiful dreams of the day.