If you are perfect, you don’t need to alter or change.  Yes, at some level each person looks at some change that is needed.  It could be personal, mostly weight related, or it could be behavior (stop smoking, start exercising, eat healthier).  Sound familiar?

Each New Year we think of change.  However, it doesn’t need to be that way if you have a written plan and set goals that can be measured.

An example of practical goal planning would be:  you want to lose 12 pounds this year.  That is a pound a month – easy yes?  Well, put a plan together to accomplish this goal and an action plan with consequences for missing your target.

Start with where you are now – 200 pounds.   In 30 days I will reach 199 pounds – I will check my weight on today.  If I am not at that weight, I will buy a weight guide and vow to not eat more than 2,000 calories per day until I am at 199 pounds.  I will check weight daily and will be 198 30 days from today or only eat 2,000 calories per day for the next 30 days.  I will continue this regiment until my weight is at my doctor’s recommendation.

Any goal, whether it be health related, education, job seeking or retainment, starting a business or just living life, is best served by having a written plan with specific measurable goals.  This allows you to fail fast and make corrections quickly to help you achieve your target, pace yourself, evaluate, re-evaluate and learn from your mistakes to achieve all that you can conceive.

Start your Journey of Significance today!

Tom Loegering, Author

You can join us for the show live or you can always listen to the recording from the website at your convenience.  Here’s the link to the last show with Dr. Terry Munther, Tom Loegering and Laura Horsley.

Interview with Laura Horsley on Blog Talk Radio

1/25/12

Eve’s Place is a program that provides emergency shelter services – will be 7 years old in April.  We’ve been there for 5 years.  It started out as grassroots volunteer organization within a church who thought there should be a place for women to go in the Northwest valley instead of Phoenix.  A few women got together and had focus groups in the community and formed a Board and off they went.  They had a plan and a goal.  I joined the organization when it was 2.5 years old – opened first thrift store and 12 beds, 8 employees.  State funding was a game changer – hired formal staff and went from 12 to 38 beds in 7 months.  There was quick growth in the beginning and then leveled out, before the economy started struggling; lost $200K in the course of a year.  We have to constantly re-evaluate our goals, as highlighted in Tom’s book.  7 Board of members are awesome, constantly looking at new ways to serve the community.  We are different than most programs – don’t have a huge facility and we co-mingle with the community and it works better for our residents.  They feel like home and many come with not many of their belongings, transition to our new home, and then move on to their new lives.  Staff is very welcoming, and the apartment complex is very supportive to our residents.  Families re-bond and restructure in a safe environment.  We try to bring in folks to teach residents new ways to do things in their lives – whether it’s success, better parenting, providing pet therapy for the children, or how to be successful in their lives.  We’re going to be adding AA groups onsite, so we’ll have a well-rounded program and resources to provide the ways for them to eliminate what caused their issues that landed them there.

A little about Eve’s Place funding and how is Board elected.  2 Original members are still with us; we are actively recruiting members.  Right now we’re looking for certain individuals – banking individuals, people with monetary resources.  The process of recruiting new members involves an application process and they meet with the board to see if they’re a good fit or not.  Tom:  If they’re interested, how do they contact you?  Contact the office at 623-547-6175.

Funding through the Dept. of Economic Security is primary funding.  2.5 years ago contract with Dept. of Public Safety came through from them.  Have 2 thrift stores to help supplement income – heavily reliant on State funding so we needed to adapt by trying new things like the thrift stores.  Call 623-547-6175 to contact if you’re interested in assisting.  Website @ www.safetyatevesplace.org has information about donations and how to donate items or money.  Schedule a pick up for large items – call office for info.

Many of the residents are trying to work on continuing education or GED’s so they can get a better job position.  Tom:  How are you addressing these educational needs?  Partner with groups, FreshStart and other programs that give training on Resume writing, job interview skills.  We appreciate Tom coming out weekly to mentor the residents.  This is a priority to most of our residents, to expand their skills and education so that they can stand on their own two feet.  They have no idea where to start, so it’s valuable that you’re helping them with resources and making those contacts.

The main objective of the class from the book is to get them to write down their goals and visualize them.  Look into the future to see what they want to have vs. where they’re at now.  Then make a plan on how they want to get there – what will it take to achieve …, how will I get to this goal… and work backwards from where you are now to what you want to achieve.  The residents are dealing with mental struggles/anguish along with possible outward bodily injuries.  1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men become victims of domestic violence.  They can only stay at the shelter in 4 months – imagine starting from ground zero and being sent out after rebuilding in 4 months.  It’s hard for most of us to fathom.  We are there for them to console them, motivate them, nudge them forward and give them our time and attention.  They need basic necessities – a place to sleep, live, food to eat, a feeling of safety and someone to help me get on my feet. 

Donations of regular household items we need times 6 for 6 units.  Pots and pans, kitchen items…donate anything that you can.  Also need volunteers, help with fundraising events, which are incredibly important to our budget.  We need help with ideas and people to make them happen.  We have volunteer training advocates.  Legislators and police force need to hold offenders accountable with tougher punishments, to keep them away from those they harm, instead of the victims having to leave their lives.  Contact legislators, both state and federal, to keep funding in place to assist these families. 

If you’d like to help, you can also donate a book to a resident, or purchase one for yourself.  For every book purchased of $20.00, $10.00 stays at Eve’s Place and the book stays with the victim when they leave the shelters.  Employment numbers have jumped from 10% to 70% among our residents, so the book and the classes are helping and are a wonderful complement to our programs and resources.

I really enjoy facilitating my weekly classes and helping these adults focus on themselves and how they can change their situation and find a balanced, successful path in their lives.  It gives me great joy – how can you help today?

Tom Loegering

I wanted to let you know that my book ‘Success or Failure-The Choice is Yours!’ has been nominated for the Small Business Book Award for 2012.  I’m excited and grateful for how many people have been helped through my book.  Not only is it a valuable resource for those considering starting a new business, or already in business, but I’m using it to facilitate mentoring programs in my local community.  I believe that givers get, what goes around comes around, Karma – whatever you want to call it.

I’m currently facilitating weekly classes at two local organizations who are helping victims of domestic violence turn their lives around and I feel so privileged to be doing so.  It’s very satisfying to see someone who came in initially downtrodden and hopeless begin to start looking into their future as a survivor, instead of a victim.  I have a favor to ask you, right now.  Could you help me with these classes by purchasing and donating a book to the class participants?  Currently we are using photocopies of pages from the book, to keep costs down since I’m providing the classes at no charge.  It would mean so much if they could take an actual copy of the book with them when they leave the shelter, to help them continue on their path to success.  Just click the ‘Donate’ button over on the right sidebar at the top and choose the number of copies you would like to donate.  Your donation will help in two ways – purchasing a book for a class participant And all proceeds from my book (other than what is needed to cover printing costs) goes to programs that help autistic children.

Here’s just some of the feedback I’m getting from my classes:

I also offer Fundraising Opportunities for Non-Profits through sales of the book.  Are you a non-profit who could use more money for their programs?  Contact me today to find out how easy it is to get started selling ‘Success or Failure-The Choice is Yours!’.  There is no direct selling involved and your group earns $10.00 for each book sold.  A Promotional Flyer is provided to you with a special code for your group to use – you just have to distribute it.  Contact me through our Contact Us Form or call 623-933-8401.

We’re doing great things through our Book – Join Us!

Tom Loegering, Author

If you are perfect, you don’t need to alter or change.  Yes, at some level each person looks at some change that is needed.  It could be personal, mostly weight related, or it could be behavior (stop smoking, start exercising, eat healthier).  Sound familiar?

Each New Year we think of change.  However, it doesn’t need to be that way if you have a written plan and set goals that can be measured.

An example of practical goal planning would be:  you want to lose 12 pounds this year.  That is a pound a month – easy yes?  Well, put a plan together to accomplish this goal and an action plan with consequences for missing your target.

Start with where you are now – 200 pounds.   In 30 days I will reach 199 pounds – I will check my weight on January 31, 2012.  If I am not at that weight, I will buy a weight guide and vow to not eat more than 2,000 calories per day until I am at 199 pounds.  I will check weight daily and will be 198 by February 29, 2012 or only eat 2,000 calories per day for all of March 2012.  I will continue this regiment until my weight is at my doctor’s recommendation.

Any goal, whether it be health related, education, job seeking or retainment, starting a business or just living life, is best served by having a written plan with specific measurable goals.  This allows you to fail fast and make corrections to help you achieve your target, pace yourself, evaluate, reevaluate and learn from your mistakes to achieve all that you can conceive.

 Thanks for stopping by and I’d love to hear your thoughts on what would make it easier for you to keep your New Year’s goals.  Wishing you a successful, healthy and happy 2012!

Tom Loegering

Author

We need to face conflict head on and look into its beady eyes!  To begin dealing with conflict means that we must understand the role that it plays in our lives, both at home and at work.  Then you must assess your own personal conflict style.

Let’s start by identifying areas where we are anticipating conflict – that particular co-worker that makes you crazy on a daily basis, or perhaps your teenage daughter or son who loves to push your buttons.  Once you identify the areas of conflict, then you can work towards finding solutions for successfully navigating through them.  Most likely, you will not be able to remove them or even totally eliminate them, so you need to create strategies to work through them.

Conflict Considerations

• What is your definition of conflict?
• How do you feel when you are in a conflict situation?
• Is conflict a part of your life?
• Grade your interpersonal relationship skills (be honest!)
• Do you avoid conflict like the plague?

Watch this quick video for an explanation of the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument and the different conflict styles we’re discussing here.  The video’s a little rough, but it is interesting.

Conflict Styles

Competing – assertive and uncooperative.  You try to satisfy your own concerns at the other’s expense in order to ‘win’.

Accommodating – unassertive and cooperative – the opposite of competing.  You sacrifice your own concerns to satisfy the other person’s.

Compromising – partially assertive and partly cooperative.  You look for an acceptable settlement that only partially satisfies both your own and the other person’s concerns.

Avoiding – unassertive and uncooperative.  You try to sidestep or postpone the conflict, satisfying neither person’s concerns.

Collaborating – assertive and cooperative.  You try to problem-solve to find a solution that completely satisfies both your concerns and the other’s.

Do you see yourself in any of these descriptions?  Here’s another quick video on how dealing with conflict affects you overall.

A Few More Considerations

• How do you usually respond to conflict?  Is it different depending on the power and position of the person the conflict arises with?
• How does your conflict style fit in with your values?
• Are there scenarios where you know your conflict management style will cause serious issues for you, yet you can’t seem to change?
• Set a goal for finding a more balanced conflict management style.  Which one would it be?
• How can conflict management improve both your business and home life?
• Will things continue on an even keel if you don’t change your conflict strategies, or will they get worse?

Corporations have done studies and have statistics proving how much time and money is lost from employee turnover due to improper conflict management.  What would the ability to deal more effectively with conflict mean to you?

Share your conflict management strategies with us and join the conversation.  Thanks for stopping by and reading.

Tom Loegering

Read the entire post here and I’ll go over the main characteristics for you:

1.     Independence
2.     Visionary
3.     Persistence
4.     Determination
5.     Creativity
6.     Honesty
7.     Self-Confidence
8.     Risk-taking
9.     Tolerance
10.  Perseverance
11.  Commitment
12.  Organization

The article goes on to make the point that all of these qualities mean nothing unless they are accompanied by action.  I whole-heartedly agree with this point!  You could be the most intelligent person in the universe, but if you just sit inside of your home and watch television or play games on the computer, that intelligence will surely go to waste.

Read the entire article here:  12 Characteristics of Success

It is so important to create a life and/or business plan.  If you don’t, you may as well be driving around in your car on unmarked roads in a strange city, because you have no idea where your destination is and how you are going to get there.

What’s your opinion?  Do you believe that if you have these characteristics that being successful in life and business is easier, or do you still have to have a plan in order to have balance and success?  Do you have any other characteristics you would add to the list?  Let us hear from you and don’t forget to order your book today so you can start heading down YOUR path to your destination you desire.

Thank you for stopping by.

Tom Loegering, Author

Most of the things we should be doing sound so easy – eat better, exercise, stop smoking (if you’re a smoker), create a life plan, and a financial plan and budget for you and/or your family.  What is it then that keeps us from accomplishing these things.  They challenge us to change our habits and focus our thoughts away from the computer or the TV perhaps?  They require us to take action and a change our day-to-day habits.  That would be my best guess at least.

So why should you track your income and expenses and develop a budget?  In our current down economy, it’s even more important to know where our hard-earned dollars are being spent.  If you’re having a hard time making your paycheck last until the next one comes in, creating a budget and tracking expenses is even more important for you.  Avoid damaging your credit rating and having late notices coming in the mail by simply learning how much is coming in and how much is going out.

It doesn’t have to be a fancy chart or on any new-fangled software on your computer.  It can just be a sheet paper with one column for income and one column for expenses.  So where do you start?

Track your income and expenses

If you have some envelopes or file folders, mark one ‘receipts’.  Be dedicated about putting those receipts in that envelope for a month or two.  Be sure to include your monthly bills for utilities and such in with those receipts or write them on the sheet if you pay online.  Even if you purchase something for a dollar or two, include those receipts.  You’d be surprised how much those little incidentals add up to.

Develop a spending plan and/or budget based on your income, expenses and include any financial goals you may have (purchasing a new car, paying for college, new furniture).  Don’t look at a spending plan as restrictive, but as a way for you to achieve those wanted items by allocating an amount to be saved towards them monthly.

Decide what your family’s most important financial goals are.  If you’re married, include your spouse and even the children in the financial planning.  Let the family know how much is being spent on things they may take for granted – movie rentals, cable, internet, cell phones.  It should make them appreciate how much the things they enjoy really cost.

Don’t give up if it takes a little while to get in the habit of tracking your expenses.  If you’ve not worried about it in the past, you will have to re-train your habits if you’re really serious about creating a budget and long-term financial plans for you or your family.

If you’d like more information on financial planning, visit the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension’s website at cals.arizona.edu/Maricopa/fcs or call the consumer information line at 602-827-8200 ext. 341.

I hope you find this information useful in finding your balanced path to success.  If you haven’t ordered your book yet, you can get a soft-cover version for $24.97 or get an instant download version for a reduced rate of $9.99 and get going on your Journey of Significance.

Tom Loegering, Author

• Strong Work Ethic
• Dependability and Responsibility
• Possessing a Positive Attitude
• Adaptability
• Honesty and Integrity
• Self-Motivated
• Motivated to Grow & Learn
• Strong Self-Confidence
• Professionalism
• Loyalty

The younger generation coming out of high school and college are being identified by potential employers as lacking in some of these desired values.  In a recent survey that West-MEC did with employers in the West Valley, there was a common thread in their responses as to why they were having difficulty filling open positions.

The foremost concern was that the younger employees are lacking in even the most basic job skills: basic math skills, strong work ethic, basic communication skills (both verbal and written) and common sense.

So read this interesting article through and make a list of how you can help your company achieve profit by adopting these attributes.  Leave us a comment and your thoughts about the Top 10 List.  Do you have any other work values you would add to the list?

The Top 10 Work Values Employers Look For

Tom Loegering, Author

The reality of the future in the job market is that the majority of new jobs created will be entrepreneurial and not from a returning of outsourced corporate positions.  Established companies with white collar jobs will outsource them or automate them by using advanced computer programs, software or apps.  Just think about all of the jobs in the automobile industry that have been lost to the technology of robots when they were developed.

If you think your career path is at a dead-end, then you must re-evaluate what skills and knowledge you currently have.  Whether you want to work towards advancement in your current job, or become an entrepreneur by using those skills and knowledge to start a new enterprise, our book, “Success or Failure-The Choice is Yours!” is a good place to begin.  You can learn to begin your ‘Journey of Significance’ when you first define what success means to you.  Envision yourself living that life.  What kind of home do you live in, what schools do your children attend – envision all of your material things you desire.  Then you must decide how much those things material goals will cost to achieve and maintain.

Now you are ready to start your Business Plan.  Order your copy today, available in a soft cover workbook, or by instant download here on the website, it is an easy to follow yet challenging series of questions and worksheets that will enable you to begin defining what you want out of your life and begin working on those goals at once.

You may email your questions and I will be your mentor to assist you on your ‘Journey of Significance’.  My contact information is tom@successorfailure.org.

Yes, you will face many issues being an entrepreneur rather than an employee.  You are, however, reminded that even if you are employed now, you must think like a business owner.  How do you become more productive as you reach out to others in your group or place of employment to make your employer a profit?

When you receive your copy of “Success or Failure-The Choice is Yours!” and start writing your definition of success, you will realize that success or failure is your choice and your choice alone.

What are you struggling with currently?  I provide a mentoring program that can help you define your goals and achieve all that you conceive.  Contact me for more details.

Tom Loegering, Author