Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro

Challenge Yourself!

What is holding you back? What do you need to do to move forward in your life and your business? Take a moment now and brainstorm a few ideas. Now, challenge yourself! Challenge yourself to take one step to move forward.

Make your Life Great!

What steps are you taking to make your life great? One of the leading bloggers on this topic is Phil Gerbyshak with his Make it Great blog. He was recently interviewed by Adversity University Founder Stephen Hopson.

During the interview, Stephen asked: What is the best advice you’ve ever received?  Given? Phil responded:

"The best advice I’ve ever gotten is “Play full out. All the time. Leave it all on the table, and go home tired.” This gift was given to me in various ways, at various times in my life, from various people, and it sticks with me and it defines how I live."

"In addition to the best advice I ever received, I’d add this to make it even more impactful: “Life is 1% what happens to you and 99% how you respond to it.”"

Phil is a class act and a downright genuine guy. He is extremely successful and influential as a blogger. For the complete interview, click here.

Play Full Out!

What steps are you taking to create visibility on the internet? If you're interested in finding ways to attract your ideal clients, visit our new blog, Attracting Ideal Clients.

Overcoming Overwhelm

Do you ever feel overwhelmed? Do you feel like you just can't get ahead? Sometimes life is challenging. And if you fall behind it can be hard to catch up. Those are all symptoms of overwhelm. So, what can you do to get back on track?

When life gets you down, it's really important to just start simplifying and breaking things down. Most people over-complicate life. I know. Because I'm one of those people. I have too much of everything. I have to remind myself to continue to simplify. Reduce the number of physical possessions you have. Reduce the number of financial accounts you have. Reduce the number of email newsletters you subscribe to. Reduce the commitments you have.

At some point, you have to start saying no to things. At least until you can get your head above water. You didn't get into a mess overnight. And you won't be able to solve it overnight.

The best way out of a mess and the best way to overcome overwhelm is to simply start taking baby steps. Create a task list for things that will help to clean up the overwhelm. Take some time to brainstorm creative ideas to simplify things.

Start Taking Some Baby Steps!

You can do it. You can clean up your messes and overcome overwhelm. Just simply start taking some baby steps and you'll begin making progress and feeling better.

For additional ideas to work more productively and effectively, listen to my FREE audio series, the 12 Days of Productivity.

Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro
www.ThePDApro.com

Personal Development List

I have to give a big kudos to Life Coach Priscilla Palmer for starting her Personal Development List and a thanks for recognizing The PDA Pro Blog. I have decided to publish the list on my site as well for my readers to see and have added my own recommendations to the list (and will update this periodically). I think this a great example of organic social networking in the spirit of sharing resources.

Priscilla says that personal development is a large topic that includes but is not limited to (law of attraction, goals, time management, physical fitness, education, motivation, inspiration, and social skills). Some of my additions to the list feature technology bloggers who have a strong commitment toward personal development and cover at least one topic among the ones listed above.

If I have sent a trackback to your site, just know I'll be back to post a relevant comment at some point to add value to the discussions on your site. Feel free to do the same here. (Thank you.)

Personal Development List:

Aaron Potts at Today is That Day

Adam Kayce at Monk at Work

Alan Torres at Made to Be Great

Albert Foong at urbanmonk.net

Andrea J Lee at Money, Meaning and Beyond (Added by Rick Cooper)

Andy Wibbels at AndyWibbels.com (Added by Rick Cooper)

Ask Lucid at Ask Lucid Spiritual Development

Anita Pathik at Law at Power of four Way

Belle Wong at Abundance Journal

Brian Clark at Copyblogger

Brian Kim at briankim.net

Bob at everyeveryminute

Christine Kane at ChristineKane.com

Craig Harper at Motivational Speaker

Curt Rosengren at Occupational Adventure

Dave Schoof at Engaging the Disquiet

David Rogers at How to Have Great Self Confidence

Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com

Dean Lacono at Law of Attraction for Beginners

Debbie Call at Spirit In Gear

Des Walsh at Thinking Home Business (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dick Richards at Come Gather Round

Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer

Donna Karlin at Perspectives (Added by Rick Cooper)

Dr. Hal at Northstar Mental fitness blog

Edward Mills at Evolving Times

Frank Kanu at Frank Uncovers Excellence in Leadership (Added by Rick Cooper)

Guy Kawasaki at How to Change the World

Gleb Reys at Personal Development Ideas

Gretchen Rubin at Happiness Project

Gustav at Success-is-in-you.com

Henrik Edberg at The Positivity Blog

Itzy Sabo at Email Overloaded (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives

Jason Ivers at A Miracle a Day

Jay White at dumb little man tips for life

Jean Browman at Transforming Stress Into Power and Cheerful Monk

Jeffrey Phillips at Think Faster

Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness

Jeremiah Owyang at Web Strategy by Jeremiah (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Hart at Blueprint to eMarketing  (Added by Rick Cooper)

Jerry Lopper at Personal Growth

Joanna Young at Coaching Wizardry

John Place at John Place Online

John Wesley at Pick The Brain

Josh Bickford at Reach For Magnificence and Reach for Magnificence

Julia Rogers Hamrick at Julia’s Blog: Journal of the Journey Home to Eden

Kammie Kobyleski at Passion Meets Purpose

Karen at Journey with Water Learner

Karen Lynch at Live The Power

Kim George at Doing What You Can Do

Kirsten Harrell at Ipopin

K.L. Masina at Be Conscious Now

Leah Maclean at Working Solo (Added by Rick Cooper)

Lee Nutter at bmindful

Leo Baruta at Zen Habits

Life Reflection at Universe in a Single Atom

Lisa Gates at Design Your Writing Life

Liz Strauss at Successful Blog

Lola Fayemi at Real World Spiritual and Personal Development

Lorraine Cohen at Powerfull Living

Lyman Reed at Creating a Better Life

Maria Palma at The Good Life

Mark at The Naked Soul

Mark Forster at Get Everything Done

Mark McManus at Build Your Life To Order

Mark W. Shead at Productivity 501 (Added by Rick Cooper)

Martin Avis at Kickstart Daily

Matthew Cornell at Matt’s Idea Blog

Merlin Mann at 43 Folders

Michelle Moore at Happiness Blog

Michael Port at The Think Big Revolution (Added by Rick Cooper)

My Everyday Planner at My Everyday Planner

Nancy Tierney at Unconditional Confidence

Neil Patel at Quick Sprout

Nneka at Balanced Life Center

Organize-It at Organize-It

Pamm Larry at My Spiritual Dance

Patricia Singleton at Spiritual Journey of a Lightworker

Paul at Paul’s Tips

Peter at I Will Change Your Life

Peter Aldin at Great Circle

Phil Gerbyshak at Make It Great

Priscilla Palmer at Personal Development Demands Success

Raymond Salas at Zenchill Powertools

Reg Adkins at ElementalTruths

Rick Cockrum at Shards of Consciousness

Rick Cooper at The PDA Pro

Robert at Compassionate Council

S.J. Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

Sam at Aquire Wisdom and Live with Passion

Scott Adams at The Dilbert Blog

Scott Bernadot at Keeping The Secret

Scott Ginsberg at Hello, My Name is Blog (Added by Rick Cooper)

Scott H Young at Scott H Young

Self Pursuit at Self Pursuit

Shauna Arthurs at Breathing Prosperity and Follow Your Path

Sleeping Dude at How to Wake Up Early

Steve Olson at Steve-Olson.com

Steve Pavlina at stevepavlina.com

Susan Sabo at Productivity Cafe

Ted Demopoulos at Blogging For Business

Thom Quinn at Qlog

Tim Ferris at 4-Hour Workweek and Lifestyle Design Blog

Tony D Clark at Success From The Nest

Torlink at You Create Reality

Trevor Gay at Simplicity is the Key

Troy Worman at Orbit Now!

Vickie at Contemplate This

WildBill at PassionateBlogger

and these collaborated sites:

Life Coaches Blog Strategies for a Greater Life

Last Updated by Rick Cooper, The PDA Pro on: 8-24-07

Keys to Set and Achieve New Year’s Resolutions

Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions? I think for some people, this is the only form of goal setting they have. But, do they really take it seriously? Do they have a process in place to help them set goals? Most do not.

Is there value for you in setting New Year’s Resolutions? What steps should you take if you want to set and achieve a resolution?

I’m afraid that most people do not set goals for their lives. They simply go from one day to the next and take what comes their way. For sure, this is unlikely to lead to any real success in your life. You might get lucky from time to time and an opportunity might fall into your lap. But, if you’re unprepared, it’s not likely you will take action.

In general, sales professionals tend to be goal setters more so than others. But, their goals are usually focused on revenues and income. Life, however, is made of more than money and unless you consider your health, family and spiritual needs, you may not enjoy the money you acquire.

So, for many people, New Year’s Resolutions may be the only goal setting they do. But, unfortunately, they do not take advantage of the tremendous opportunity they represent. For one, their resolutions are often quickly forgotten. Or, they may set unreasonable expectations. They also may not break down their goals into steps that can be easily achieved.

Why are New Year’s Resolutions so powerful? For one, it is the time period. One year fits into the timeframe for a medium term goal. Short term goals are under a year. Long term goals are over five years. One year is a long enough time period that you can take incremental action steps and truly make a difference in your life.

I think another powerful factor is that people tend to be more motivated at the beginning of the year. It often feels to me like we all go into a cocoon over the holidays. We stay indoors and hide out. The days get shorter and it’s more dark, rainy and gloomy. But, as soon as January arrives, there is an instant shift. People leap into action. Unfortunately, unless you have a plan, action alone may not lead you in the right direction.

So, how do you make the most of New Year’s Resolutions? Should you just make a list of goals willy nilly? Or, is there a process you can use to plan your goals and take action?

I have created a simple template you can use to set your New Year’s Resolutions. Please take a moment to download and print the New Year’s Resolutions for Results template. It will take about 15 minutes to complete and will give you a tool to achieve some powerful results in your life. The template is included in a free special report I prepared on New Year's Resolutions.

Would you like some additional accountability? Fax the sheet to me, Rick Cooper, now and follow up at year-end with your results. Check for additional resources and support on The PDA Pro website.

Think of the possibilities of what you can achieve in the next year if you take a moment and set some meaningful goals for your life. Remember to get this FREE report.

Get to it already

In his comical post, You're no Meryl Streep, Blogging Evangelist Andy Wibbels exhorts us to take the next step and do the one thing we are delaying. He rants,

"Suffering is optional - but sometimes we need to cast ourselves in a mini-drama to expire into action. Oh you can still whine. Far be it from me to deny you your whining (I come from a long line of whiners). But whine and do it anyway."

Andy has a point. We often make a mountain out of a molehill. We tend to make things more complex than they need to be and over-dramatize a situation. Sometimes, we simply need to get over ourselves and get to it. This is the importance of getting things done.

If you cannot seem to get started, block out an hour of time on your PDA calender to focus on that task. Consider it an appointment with yourself. Then, hold yourself accountable.

Good luck and get to it already!

Boost your Productivity by Having Fun

Lori Richardson, the Sales Process Diva, says, "Being connected and engaged at work increases productivity." I can understand that. Motivation has a lot to do with how productive you are. If you are passionate about your work, your brain is better engaged in the activity and it's easier to solve problems. When you're grumpy, nothing seems to go right. Everything is a challenge.

Lori recommends the book Focus Like a Laser Beam, by Lisa Haneberg, who interviewed Lori on the power of fun at work. I think I'll have to get the book.

Your Wake Up Call

Donna Karlin, in her blog, Perspectives, Insights of an Executive Shadow Coach, shares her thoughts on you might want to do with the rest of your life. She offers some powerful insights. For instance, she says,

"Once we get older we’re more open to the possibilities of what lies ahead. It’s more important than ever to prune your life of toxic relationships, ways of being and mindsets that no longer have value. Once we get rid of all that holds us back, the choice to keep what is working and embrace what we want is much clearer."

Wow! That gives one pause. What's holding you back in your life and what will it take to move you forward?

She also mentions she can't imagine retiring. I feel the same way. However, who knows how I might feel in another 20 years. But, I agree with her that it's part of who I am rather than what I do for a living.

As a final word, she mentions,

"So look at your puzzle of life, what are the 10 pieces you want to keep forever and what are the ones you need to discard to make room for them? What no longer fits? What are you ready to let go of that’s no longer serving you?"

So, what do you want to do with the rest of your life? I suggest you start making a list in your PDA and add to it whenever an idea strikes you. This can be a constant reminder of what you want in your life.

Duffy Moon is a Popular Topic

Interestingly, much of the traffic on my blog is referred by Google from people searching on "Duffy Moon" or "You Can Do It Duffy Moon!"  due to a blog post in January 2005. That's frankly pretty amazing to me. I wonder why so many people are searching for Duffy Moon. Maybe people are remembering elements from their childhood and using Google's power to retrieve that information.

To me, Duffy Moon represents our childhood fears and how we can overcome them. People remember the phrase as an empowering statement. And, they want to reconnect to that thought and mental image.

Of course, blogs create this unique opportunity to write on various topics and so people find you without looking for you.

Again, I would suggest making a list of empowering statements to store in your PDA. You can put them in a memo, note or Word document. Then, refer to them when you're feeling down.

You can do it Duffy Moon!

Update 1-30-07:

If you're looking for information regarding the Venture Brothers episode where Hank mutters "You can do it, Duffy Moon" as he prepares to throw a football at The Monarch's henchmen, be sure to get your copy of the You Can Do It Insider's Guide.

You Can Do It Insider's Guide

Does the phrase "You can do it, Duffy Moon" pop into your head unexplainably? Do you use the phrase when you're trying to pump yourself up to take on a challenge? Would you like to know how to use this to your advantage? If so, then get your copy of the You Can Do It Insider's Guide. In this short report, I explain why this phrase keeps popping in your head and how it can be a powerful tool for your self-confidence and results.

Do What You Love to Reduce Stress

Curt Rosengren, in his blog The Occupational Adventure, points out the how you can reduce stress by doing what you love. He writes:

"On the other hand, being who you are (a key element in my definition of passion), opens the door for your work to flow naturally. It takes the friction and rub out of the system."

He's absolutely right. My stress is much less since I left the corporate world and started my business. And, I work over 80 hours a week now. I enjoyed my job and my team before, but I'm passionate about my business and most of the time it doesn't feel like work.

Achieving Maximum Results

As an entrepreneur, I can tell you I spend a lot of time pouding my head against a wall. The path to success is not always clear. Seth Godin offers a unique perspective on achieving maximum results from your efforts.

He compares efforts to achieve your Local Max vs. your Big Max. Local Max comes fairly quickly in any pursuit; whereas it may take a lot longer to achieve your Big Max. What is interesting is that your results may temporarily decline before you reach your Big Max.

According to Seth:

"Local Max isn't actually that great when you realize that Big Max is not particularly far away. The problem is that to get to Big Max, you need to go through step C, which is a horrible and scary place to be."

You have to see the illustration to understand what he means. Step C is that point when things look most dismal, before you really break out.

The same paradigm can be used for sales. Sales professionals often get frustrated because they are following a strategy or sales process that is not working according to their expectations. It could be they have just not reached their Big Max yet. Of course, who's to say you're not simply following a failed strategy. That's the conundrum.

Top Ten – Benefits to PDA Productivity

There are many benefits to increasing your productivity. You don’t necessarily have to just work more. You have choices. You can determine what to do with that free time.

Here is my top ten list of benefits to increasing your productivity with your PDA. Or, what would you do with your free time if you were more productive?

10. Volunteer your time

9. Listen to music

8. Read a book

7. Meditate or pray

6. Listen to audio programs

5. Take a class

4. Start a hobby

3. Exercise

2. Get more done

1. Spend more time with family & friends

What would you do if you were able to increase your productivity and had more time? Post a comment and share your thoughts.

You Can Do It Duffy Moon!

Do you remember those afterschool specials from the 70’s? There was one that left an impression. It was about a kid, Duffy Moon, with self esteem issues. He used a catch phrase that has become a mantra for me. In fact, my mother used to repeat it whenever I whined about not being able to accomplish something. In her best positive tone, she would say, “You can do it Duffy Moon.” A simple Google search reveals that others share my fascination.

It is critical to have phrases and triggers you can use to pull yourself out of the doldrums. You’re in control. If you learn to master your behavior, you will have far more success.

Give yourself an attitude adjustment by reading quotes you have entered in your PDA. There is nothing like a little extra motivation on the go.

So, the next time you find yourself whining, say to yourself, “You can do it Duffy Moon.” Then, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get on with it.

Update 1-30-07:

If you're looking for information regarding the Venture Brothers episode where Hank mutters "You can do it, Duffy Moon" as he prepares to throw a football at The Monarch's henchmen, be sure to get your copy of the You Can Do It Insider's Guide.

You Can Do It Insider's Guide

Does the phrase "You can do it, Duffy Moon" pop into your head unexplainably? Do you use the phrase when you're trying to pump yourself up to take on a challenge? Would you like to know how to use this to your advantage? If so, then get your copy of the You Can Do It Insider's Guide. In this short report, I explain why this phrase keeps popping in your head and how it can be a powerful tool for your self-confidence and results.

Your Attitude Determines Your Altitude

One challenge to reaching your goals is staying positive. Even if you’re a happy person, you'll occasionally have negative thoughts. It’s natural. However, when you’re working hard on a deadline, you need every ounce of support you can get.

Start by listening to your self talk; that little voice in your head. If you’re feeling frustrated, it’s probably because your self talk is negative. When you hear a negative thought like, “I’ll never be able to complete this,” interrupt yourself. Instead, say to yourself, “Yes, I can.” Turn it around and suddenly you’ll feel empowered.

This is a constant challenge. You’ll never rid yourself of negative thoughts, but you can get instant results when necessary. Practice this technique. Once you’re back on track, consult your PDA and prioritize your tasks. Determine the most important thing to work on and do it. With practice, you can repeat this process quickly.

To help, you can enter motivational quotes into a memo on your PDA. You can find great quotes at Internet sites such as MotivationalQuotes.com. Read them when you’re feeling down. It can help to inspire and motivate you.

With the proper attitude, there’s no limit to the altitude you can reach.