Digging around the grave yard I've uncovered some very interesting numbers.
41 MILLION: that, according to the 2010 Census, is the number of children ages 5-14 who will go Trick or Treating this year.
116.7 MILLION: again according to the 2010 census that is the number of occupied housing units in America today - potential targets for those Trick or Treaters.
1.1 BILLION: number of pounds of pumpkins grown during 2009 and the majority of that crop is used somehow during this season.
Now I know you are wondering how I could EVER possibly tie this into a Raving, well that is easy - You see all those folks with all those children ALL need whatever it is that you are making or selling - that's right - they're potential targets (OK substitute customers) for your efforts. Now the real question is this: Will you provide them a treat or a trick when they visit you?
Many companies promise their customers a huge treat if they come do business with them and indeed only deliver a "Trick" instead. Don't be one of them! Deliver at least what you promise - at the minimum - successful companies (and people) deliver MORE than they promise every time!!
Think about this Raving while you spend the next few days getting prepared for your little visitors to come ring your doorbell.
Steve
Friday, October 28, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
I'LL NEVER BE A PROFESSIONAL BODY BUILDER.
This is a huge realization in my life, but sometimes reality just has to be faced head-on. Does this mean that I now must stop trying to watch my weight or health? Not at all! It just means that despite any desires I might have it just will never be possible, no matter how much motivation or mental preparedness I develop, I just don't have what it takes to become a professional level body builder.
Does this sound out of character for the Steve Rausch you have come to know? Not at all, I still believe in creating dreams, showing spirit, and working hard towards a goal. I just need to be realistic about the fulfillment of some of the goals I set.
I still embrace the concept of living life doing what you love with all the passion and spirit you can give. Just be sure to have a healthy dose of reality so that you aren't chasing an empty or impossible goal. My personal body and my decisions about time spent on just one single segment of my life, will never allow me to reach that professional level - I can still spend time on training and exercise, and IMPROVE my body, but realistically I can never, given my circumstances and age, reach that top professional level.
I was deeply saddened by the death of Dan Wheldon this week, but I also rejoice knowing that he died absolutely happy doing what his passions and spirit led him to do for earning his living. None of us know when our time is up on this earth, but how many of us know that we are daily doing exactly what it is that makes us the passionate driven person that we want to be doing exactly what we love in our daily lives. I also lost a good friend several months ago who was a pilot. He made a landing and taxied into a fuel pump and died in the cockpit. I had many prior conversations with him and one of his concerns what dieing while flying his beloved airplane and (A) hurting someone on the ground, (B) ruining his aircraft which he had spent many hours restoring to like new condition. He died, I'm confident, absolutely happy at that moment.
I have been blessed in both my business and personal life to be able to make that claim also - how about you? If you aren't, then start right now, today, to change yourself and take personal responsibility to begin doing what it is that you love daily.
These are my thoughts, what are yours?
Steve
Does this sound out of character for the Steve Rausch you have come to know? Not at all, I still believe in creating dreams, showing spirit, and working hard towards a goal. I just need to be realistic about the fulfillment of some of the goals I set.
I still embrace the concept of living life doing what you love with all the passion and spirit you can give. Just be sure to have a healthy dose of reality so that you aren't chasing an empty or impossible goal. My personal body and my decisions about time spent on just one single segment of my life, will never allow me to reach that professional level - I can still spend time on training and exercise, and IMPROVE my body, but realistically I can never, given my circumstances and age, reach that top professional level.
I was deeply saddened by the death of Dan Wheldon this week, but I also rejoice knowing that he died absolutely happy doing what his passions and spirit led him to do for earning his living. None of us know when our time is up on this earth, but how many of us know that we are daily doing exactly what it is that makes us the passionate driven person that we want to be doing exactly what we love in our daily lives. I also lost a good friend several months ago who was a pilot. He made a landing and taxied into a fuel pump and died in the cockpit. I had many prior conversations with him and one of his concerns what dieing while flying his beloved airplane and (A) hurting someone on the ground, (B) ruining his aircraft which he had spent many hours restoring to like new condition. He died, I'm confident, absolutely happy at that moment.
I have been blessed in both my business and personal life to be able to make that claim also - how about you? If you aren't, then start right now, today, to change yourself and take personal responsibility to begin doing what it is that you love daily.
These are my thoughts, what are yours?
Steve
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
MAYBE NEXT YEAR????
Many folks I come in contact with have already written off 2011 and are wishfully looking forward to next year. They seem to preface everything they say or do with "Maybe next year" and then outline some distant plan for doing what they want to accomplish.
I have to ask: "What is wrong with this year?" I guess I just don't understand why you can't still create accomplishments in 2011. Is this the best of times? NO. However, there is still time to make things happen and that will only happen if (A) YOU believe, (B) YOU start into action, (C) you actually DO something.
Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely believe in written plans and goals, and that when you take the time to put your thoughts/ideas into writing it seems to make those things happen. I also like to do planning in advance of the need (whatever need that might be) so I agree that mid-October isn't too soon to start thinking about and planning for 2012. However, there is still plenty of time left in this year to continue to strive and accomplish your last years goals.
IF you have already reached your 2011 goals then I suggest that you set your sights way too low last year. Old Indian saying: "Its easier to hit the Flying Eagle when you are aiming at the Sun." If you've missed your 2011 plans and goals then don't give up, start pushing harder and working longer and smarter.
Nobody ever has an absolute promise of another "tomorrow" let alone a "Next Year." So why not give today all you have in the way of energy and efforts and work towards meeting the goals and dreams you have already outlined instead of spending time making excuses and thinking about the "MAYBE NEXT YEAR" trap.
These are my thoughts on this subject, what are yours?
Steve
I have to ask: "What is wrong with this year?" I guess I just don't understand why you can't still create accomplishments in 2011. Is this the best of times? NO. However, there is still time to make things happen and that will only happen if (A) YOU believe, (B) YOU start into action, (C) you actually DO something.
Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely believe in written plans and goals, and that when you take the time to put your thoughts/ideas into writing it seems to make those things happen. I also like to do planning in advance of the need (whatever need that might be) so I agree that mid-October isn't too soon to start thinking about and planning for 2012. However, there is still plenty of time left in this year to continue to strive and accomplish your last years goals.
IF you have already reached your 2011 goals then I suggest that you set your sights way too low last year. Old Indian saying: "Its easier to hit the Flying Eagle when you are aiming at the Sun." If you've missed your 2011 plans and goals then don't give up, start pushing harder and working longer and smarter.
Nobody ever has an absolute promise of another "tomorrow" let alone a "Next Year." So why not give today all you have in the way of energy and efforts and work towards meeting the goals and dreams you have already outlined instead of spending time making excuses and thinking about the "MAYBE NEXT YEAR" trap.
These are my thoughts on this subject, what are yours?
Steve
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Why run for elected office?
I've spent considerable time lately thinking about (pondering) and watching the politician's trying to decide about running for elected office. It used to be fairly simple, but obviously today it has become so complex you have to wonder why anyone would subject themselves to that grief.
It is no longer enough to want to serve and help your country - I fear that has long ago passed and today it is ONLY about the power and money. No matter which party or side you choose to be associated with, the only way someone can become noticed or known is by using the media of some type and that never escapes the watchful eye of those who currently hold the power and money - and they absolutely are not going to let someone into the inside circle with promises of providing more power and more money to them.
When a respectable and good intentioned person does finally break into the limelight, then everyone, it seems, from both sides, go into attack mode and attempts to disgrace that person so that THEY can look better. It seems like nobody, even within the same party, wishes anyone else any success and does their absolute best to destroy the candidate before he or she ever gets started.
We have a long list of potential folks for office, from the Presidential race all the way to local levels, and it doesn't seem to matter who or how good someones past is (was?) that person is probed and questioned until at least once, one day, under immense pressure, they make one tiny mistake and then the entire world it seems jumps on them and starts picking at that tiny issue.
I wonder how our founding fathers would view our current political process? I wonder if ANY of them could be elected with today's process? My main wonder is why does anyone, knowing all of the above, ever decide to attempt to run for elected office?
These are my thoughts, please share yours......
Steve
It is no longer enough to want to serve and help your country - I fear that has long ago passed and today it is ONLY about the power and money. No matter which party or side you choose to be associated with, the only way someone can become noticed or known is by using the media of some type and that never escapes the watchful eye of those who currently hold the power and money - and they absolutely are not going to let someone into the inside circle with promises of providing more power and more money to them.
When a respectable and good intentioned person does finally break into the limelight, then everyone, it seems, from both sides, go into attack mode and attempts to disgrace that person so that THEY can look better. It seems like nobody, even within the same party, wishes anyone else any success and does their absolute best to destroy the candidate before he or she ever gets started.
We have a long list of potential folks for office, from the Presidential race all the way to local levels, and it doesn't seem to matter who or how good someones past is (was?) that person is probed and questioned until at least once, one day, under immense pressure, they make one tiny mistake and then the entire world it seems jumps on them and starts picking at that tiny issue.
I wonder how our founding fathers would view our current political process? I wonder if ANY of them could be elected with today's process? My main wonder is why does anyone, knowing all of the above, ever decide to attempt to run for elected office?
These are my thoughts, please share yours......
Steve
Monday, September 26, 2011
Shotgun approach??
Last time I discussed getting lost in the details. Now I want to discuss using a "SHOTGUN APPROACH" i.e. do a little bit of everything and see what works. However, I need a caution statement (somewhat like a legal disclaimer) before I start - and that is this:
Self-Control is the ability to say no, in the face of temptation, and to take sustained action, despite the difficulty of a given challenge. At its heart, self-control requires (DEMANDS) the ability to delay gratification. More commonly, its called discipline, or will power. Without self-control, we can't ever accomplish almost anything of enduring value. Yet most of us choose to not pay very much attention to this skill.
My wife frequently asks me "Did you accomplish what you wanted to get done today?" I must just as frequently reply, "Not really," and that is just before she starts to laugh, or at least smile.
You see, some people are just naturally pre-disposed to being very highly productive. They start their day with a clear and reasonable intention of what they plan to do, then they work diligently throughout the day, sticking to their plan, focused on accomplishing their most important priorities, until the day ends and they've accomplished their most important priorities and almost exactly what they had expected. EACH and EVERY day moves them one day closer to what it was they planned and intended to accomplish for the week, and month, and year!
Unfortunately, I am not one of "THOSE" people. Left to my own devices, I rarely start my day with the satisfaction of a plan that is well developed to be easily executed into consistent actions as the plan calls for. My natural inclination is to start my morning, sometimes late due to my intense dislike for rushing (because I CAUSE myself to rush so often), with a long and very overly ambitious list of what I remember that I hope to accomplish and then have to push myself by sheer will power to attempt to accomplish what I can of the list. Many times (OK, most of the time) I remember something that I forgot to put on that list, that absolutely needs to be accomplished right now, and my entire plan is thrown to the winds while I play catch-up.
Oh yea, I'm also prone to be so very busy, answering emails, multitasking, taking phone calls, running small errands, that without intervention, I get very little of REAL IMPORTANCE done during my day. Oh yea, and I'm still late, and now exhausted. Now, unsatisfied by how little of the important items I've accomplished, I further hurt myself by doing something that will make me feel better in that moment, like browsing the Internet or eating something I shouldn't be eating.
So here is my point in all of this, the odds are against us in getting our most important priorities accomplished unless we purposely utilize our Self-Control and discipline or willpower. Our instincts most often drive us towards instant gratification and it seems the world conspires against us to drive us off task also.
For me personally, the allure of accomplishing lots of little details will often override my focus on the BIG THINGS that I value most and want to accomplish most. Each morning I must change my natural tendency by exerting my self-control. I must focus and psych myself up to have that productive day, commit to myself to have a written plan, not get distracted or do "FUN" things until the important work is done.
I need to climb out of this pit the exact same way I climbed in: with new rituals and new habits.
1. I absolutely need to spend 5 minutes at the end of each day reviewing what I intended to accomplish and then making a written list of the most important tasks that I have to accomplish the next day.
2. I have to look at what worked during the day and do more of that the next day, as well as look at what didn't work and stop doing that.
3. It seems to always work out that I discover daily that I need to stop being scattered and ineffective and intentionally focus on more productive activities in an organized and methodical way that leaves very little "WIGGLE" room for me to go astray.
Now I try to spend 5 minutes first thing in the morning working thru my calendar, adding those critical most important tasks that I review from the night before list, and then work my schedule. I try to answer emails in chunks at predetermined times during the day instead of whenever the computer dings (Actually I turned the dings off so I'm not distracted), and I try to never allow anything important do stay on my to do list more than 3 days without either accomplishing it or scheduling it onto my calendar. Unfortunately, some items just get deleted, and that also helps me to determine the value of what I choose.
My biggest challenge now is twofold: Staying productive, and staying consistent. I just can't stop or overlook either one of these two critical rituals. I absolutely MUST maintain these two daily, forever more, or I will fall back into the poor habits that kept me from being a productive person and just "Shotgunning" my day.
I've always been a big believer in using results as the differentiators between success and failure. You either achieve your goals or you don't. PERIOD. However I gave myself backsliding room on the timing issue of WHEN I was able to achieve my goals. No longer. I now know that you don't create value unless timely results are achieved.
These are my thoughts, what are yours?
Steve
Self-Control is the ability to say no, in the face of temptation, and to take sustained action, despite the difficulty of a given challenge. At its heart, self-control requires (DEMANDS) the ability to delay gratification. More commonly, its called discipline, or will power. Without self-control, we can't ever accomplish almost anything of enduring value. Yet most of us choose to not pay very much attention to this skill.
My wife frequently asks me "Did you accomplish what you wanted to get done today?" I must just as frequently reply, "Not really," and that is just before she starts to laugh, or at least smile.
You see, some people are just naturally pre-disposed to being very highly productive. They start their day with a clear and reasonable intention of what they plan to do, then they work diligently throughout the day, sticking to their plan, focused on accomplishing their most important priorities, until the day ends and they've accomplished their most important priorities and almost exactly what they had expected. EACH and EVERY day moves them one day closer to what it was they planned and intended to accomplish for the week, and month, and year!
Unfortunately, I am not one of "THOSE" people. Left to my own devices, I rarely start my day with the satisfaction of a plan that is well developed to be easily executed into consistent actions as the plan calls for. My natural inclination is to start my morning, sometimes late due to my intense dislike for rushing (because I CAUSE myself to rush so often), with a long and very overly ambitious list of what I remember that I hope to accomplish and then have to push myself by sheer will power to attempt to accomplish what I can of the list. Many times (OK, most of the time) I remember something that I forgot to put on that list, that absolutely needs to be accomplished right now, and my entire plan is thrown to the winds while I play catch-up.
Oh yea, I'm also prone to be so very busy, answering emails, multitasking, taking phone calls, running small errands, that without intervention, I get very little of REAL IMPORTANCE done during my day. Oh yea, and I'm still late, and now exhausted. Now, unsatisfied by how little of the important items I've accomplished, I further hurt myself by doing something that will make me feel better in that moment, like browsing the Internet or eating something I shouldn't be eating.
So here is my point in all of this, the odds are against us in getting our most important priorities accomplished unless we purposely utilize our Self-Control and discipline or willpower. Our instincts most often drive us towards instant gratification and it seems the world conspires against us to drive us off task also.
For me personally, the allure of accomplishing lots of little details will often override my focus on the BIG THINGS that I value most and want to accomplish most. Each morning I must change my natural tendency by exerting my self-control. I must focus and psych myself up to have that productive day, commit to myself to have a written plan, not get distracted or do "FUN" things until the important work is done.
I need to climb out of this pit the exact same way I climbed in: with new rituals and new habits.
1. I absolutely need to spend 5 minutes at the end of each day reviewing what I intended to accomplish and then making a written list of the most important tasks that I have to accomplish the next day.
2. I have to look at what worked during the day and do more of that the next day, as well as look at what didn't work and stop doing that.
3. It seems to always work out that I discover daily that I need to stop being scattered and ineffective and intentionally focus on more productive activities in an organized and methodical way that leaves very little "WIGGLE" room for me to go astray.
Now I try to spend 5 minutes first thing in the morning working thru my calendar, adding those critical most important tasks that I review from the night before list, and then work my schedule. I try to answer emails in chunks at predetermined times during the day instead of whenever the computer dings (Actually I turned the dings off so I'm not distracted), and I try to never allow anything important do stay on my to do list more than 3 days without either accomplishing it or scheduling it onto my calendar. Unfortunately, some items just get deleted, and that also helps me to determine the value of what I choose.
My biggest challenge now is twofold: Staying productive, and staying consistent. I just can't stop or overlook either one of these two critical rituals. I absolutely MUST maintain these two daily, forever more, or I will fall back into the poor habits that kept me from being a productive person and just "Shotgunning" my day.
I've always been a big believer in using results as the differentiators between success and failure. You either achieve your goals or you don't. PERIOD. However I gave myself backsliding room on the timing issue of WHEN I was able to achieve my goals. No longer. I now know that you don't create value unless timely results are achieved.
These are my thoughts, what are yours?
Steve
Friday, September 23, 2011
Lost in the Details??????
I've had a full and interesting week. I've been up in Chicago at our Libertyville Corporate Innovation Center looking forward at all types of innovations on our horizon and that always is a "Mountain Top" experience for me.
One HUGE take-away is a great discussion I had with one person about my blog on the 4 "P's" of Preparation, Perseverance, Patience, and Persistence. This person was wondering if I was leading folks to be lost in the details rather than seeing the entire or whole picture.
The discussion centered around what makes a good (or great) strategy. We both agreed that it requires, at minimum, at least 3 vital elements:
A Diagnosis of the current situation and thoughts around what you want the situation to become.
Decide on a Guiding Policy, that is the outline of your plan to become that new situation.
Decide on the Course of Action, as well as a time frame for that action.
Where we started to disagree is deciding the level of details that would be best to make this action strategy work at maximum effectiveness. My friend suggested that my suggestion provided way too many details that could cause someone to become lost in the details and lose the value of a great strategy. My contention is that without at least a minimum of details the strategy could be so mis-interpreted that it would lose value, i.e. that you NEED a level of detail that provides a solid framework for the strategy to be easily understood as to the intention of the mission.
We both realize that a effective strategy is critical to any operation that you want to go in a certain direction, no matter how simple or detailed it may be. It is that level of details that seemed to be our sticking point.
So my friends, here is my CALL TO ACTION for YOU TODAY: Hit comments and reply with YOUR thoughts and/or experiences on what level of details you feel are necessary for a great strategy to work best. I won't judge or be offended, just want to share with others more useful information.
Steve
One HUGE take-away is a great discussion I had with one person about my blog on the 4 "P's" of Preparation, Perseverance, Patience, and Persistence. This person was wondering if I was leading folks to be lost in the details rather than seeing the entire or whole picture.
The discussion centered around what makes a good (or great) strategy. We both agreed that it requires, at minimum, at least 3 vital elements:
A Diagnosis of the current situation and thoughts around what you want the situation to become.
Decide on a Guiding Policy, that is the outline of your plan to become that new situation.
Decide on the Course of Action, as well as a time frame for that action.
Where we started to disagree is deciding the level of details that would be best to make this action strategy work at maximum effectiveness. My friend suggested that my suggestion provided way too many details that could cause someone to become lost in the details and lose the value of a great strategy. My contention is that without at least a minimum of details the strategy could be so mis-interpreted that it would lose value, i.e. that you NEED a level of detail that provides a solid framework for the strategy to be easily understood as to the intention of the mission.
We both realize that a effective strategy is critical to any operation that you want to go in a certain direction, no matter how simple or detailed it may be. It is that level of details that seemed to be our sticking point.
So my friends, here is my CALL TO ACTION for YOU TODAY: Hit comments and reply with YOUR thoughts and/or experiences on what level of details you feel are necessary for a great strategy to work best. I won't judge or be offended, just want to share with others more useful information.
Steve
Friday, September 16, 2011
Friday Thoughts
I'm in somewhat of a funk today. I received a picture this morning from a pilot friend of mine who has the exact same airplane as I do, and he had crashed yesterday. Everyone is alright, but the plane is totaled. Looking at the picture gives me many thoughts, some not so pleasant, about training and taking personal responsibility.
It is widely accepted and proven by research that it takes 7 repetitions of information for consumers to really understand what you are saying or selling. The same holds true, I believe, about training of any type. Pilots spend a lot of time training for potential problem situation (like crashing) so that they can do as my friend did, walk away from the crash unhurt. Being in business today isn't really much different, we need to constantly train in our profession to keep sharp and stay current with the ever changing world we all live in. When was the last time you took a day away from your business to train for a potential problem situation? What about taking training for personal growth?
Accepting personal responsibility is another area that flashed thru my mind today when I was looking at the picture. This pilot took personal responsibility firmly in his own hands when his life was on the line during that emergency. He recalled the training that he purposely took to be prepared, and applied it quickly to the situation he was facing. He showed personal responsibility by knowing and taking action to stay current as a pilot so that when times of stress did show up he was prepared and knew exactly what he had to do. When was the last time you took time to learn or review what is important to your business? What are you doing in your life to accept your personal responsibility for your situation that you may be facing?
I'm sad also as there is the loss of a great aircraft. Not sure what caused this accident, but no matter what caused it, the plane is a total loss. Isn't our current economy somewhat like that? Some businesses and many people are suffering right now with situations that may not be their fault and that is just a fact, but just like my friend who is rejoicing that nobody was injured or hurt, we can be happy that every single day is another new opportunity for a fresh start. No matter what we may have failed at today, we get another opportunity to do something different tomorrow. When was the last time you took time to consider what you would like a "DO OVER" about tomorrow?
The thought I want to leave you with today is this: No matter what happens to you or in your life today, you have the ability to choose HOW you respond to that situation. You can take personal responsibility and be trained and ready for potential problems or you can just have something completely unexpected pop upon you and still use your gifts and talents to respond and limit the damage. It is all your choice. Make wise choices today my friends.
These are my thoughts today, what are yours?
Steve
It is widely accepted and proven by research that it takes 7 repetitions of information for consumers to really understand what you are saying or selling. The same holds true, I believe, about training of any type. Pilots spend a lot of time training for potential problem situation (like crashing) so that they can do as my friend did, walk away from the crash unhurt. Being in business today isn't really much different, we need to constantly train in our profession to keep sharp and stay current with the ever changing world we all live in. When was the last time you took a day away from your business to train for a potential problem situation? What about taking training for personal growth?
Accepting personal responsibility is another area that flashed thru my mind today when I was looking at the picture. This pilot took personal responsibility firmly in his own hands when his life was on the line during that emergency. He recalled the training that he purposely took to be prepared, and applied it quickly to the situation he was facing. He showed personal responsibility by knowing and taking action to stay current as a pilot so that when times of stress did show up he was prepared and knew exactly what he had to do. When was the last time you took time to learn or review what is important to your business? What are you doing in your life to accept your personal responsibility for your situation that you may be facing?
I'm sad also as there is the loss of a great aircraft. Not sure what caused this accident, but no matter what caused it, the plane is a total loss. Isn't our current economy somewhat like that? Some businesses and many people are suffering right now with situations that may not be their fault and that is just a fact, but just like my friend who is rejoicing that nobody was injured or hurt, we can be happy that every single day is another new opportunity for a fresh start. No matter what we may have failed at today, we get another opportunity to do something different tomorrow. When was the last time you took time to consider what you would like a "DO OVER" about tomorrow?
The thought I want to leave you with today is this: No matter what happens to you or in your life today, you have the ability to choose HOW you respond to that situation. You can take personal responsibility and be trained and ready for potential problems or you can just have something completely unexpected pop upon you and still use your gifts and talents to respond and limit the damage. It is all your choice. Make wise choices today my friends.
These are my thoughts today, what are yours?
Steve
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