I recently hired a contractor to erect some fences on my property. I did it the right way – I contacted several fencers, and asked for quotes.

The first round was woeful. Some of the fencers didn’t bother to turn up, some didn’t give me a quote after they came and looked. One person gave me a ballpark figure seemingly plucked out of the air (which didn’t give me a feeling of confidence about his competence!).

I got frustrated with all this, and rang a few more fencers. This time I told them that I wasn’t getting any joy from other fencers, and asked if they were reliable, would turn up when they said they would, and would actually give me a quote once they’d turned up. Of course, this lot all said they were reliable, would turn up on time, and would give me a fair quote.

• The first one didn’t show.
• The second one didn’t answer his phone.
• The third one said he’d come  next week, but then I had to chase him three times for the quote.
• The fourth one said he’d call me.

Then the second one called back. He had missed my call, but did actually call back. He came that afternoon, gave me some advice and wrote out a quote on the spot. Nice! But he was very expensive, and I didn’t feel comfortable with his attitude.

To cut a long story short, I finally hired a fencer, more than two months after I started the process. He had some good ideas, his prices were mid-range, and although he talked a lot, I liked his suggestions.

He rang last week and said he’d be here first thing on Monday morning, i.e. 8:30 am. I rang him at 10:30 on Monday morning to find out where he was. He’d been hung up at the office doing paperwork, but hadn’t bothered to keep me informed.

He finally arrived three hours late, and said that he’d get the posts up for the dog pen that day, and the wire up the next day.

But he and his assistant only spent two hours here on Monday, and there were only two posts in the ground when they knocked off for the day.

The next day, they arrived at 9:30 am and left at 5:30 pm. But every time I looked out the window they appeared to be chatting to each other rather than constructing the fence. They left with all the posts up, but nothing more done.

Today I rushed out to do errands before they were due to come and install the wire. After I got home, I received a phone call to say that his supplier had given him the wrong corner braces (or some essential part), and that they were not in stock, and wouldn’t be here until sometime next week.

Say what?

Why didn’t this contractor, who proclaimed loudly to all and sundry that he is a professional and reliable, CHECK THE SUPPLIES BEFORE HE GOT HERE? Why didn’t he tell me there was a potential problem yesterday, when he discovered the discrepancy?

Okay, there’s another fence he can get on with while we’re waiting for the parts.

But no. He doesn’t have all the bits for that fence yet either.

???????????????????????

Now call me silly, but I really can’t understand why a professional wouldn’t check that a delivery is correct. And why didn’t he check before he got to my place? And why didn’t he say something to me last night when he left, rather than ring me this morning, when I had rearranged my day to be here, and say he won’t be here?

AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Okay.

Deep breath. This happens all the time. But it shouldn’t.

How does this tale of incompetence and woe relate to All Paths to Victory?

Simple.

If you want your business to thrive, you’ve got to make the customer happy.

When you have contracted to provide a service or a product, you need to do everything you can to make the customer happy. You need to make sure that whatever you need to complete the job is delivered on time, and you need to keep the customer informed at all times of progress. I don’t care whether you’re a fencer, a plumber, a builder, a rock star or a trainer, those same rules apply.

You wouldn’t expect to pay for tickets to a rock concert, only to be told when you arrive that the lead guitar has a broken string and there aren’t any replacements available, would you?

So, to be professional you need to ensure that you:

• keep the customer informed every step of the way
• turn up when you say you will
• do the very best job you can
• make sure that any supplies you need to complete the job are checked when they are delivered, and rectify any problems immediately – the customer should not ever know that your supplier let you down – you should be on top of everything all the time

Expand your network

Something that puzzled me about the fencing contactor is that he appears to use only one supplier. This seems to me to be a potentially dangerous practice.  To keep your business afloat, especially in these economic times, wouldn’t it be a useful thing to expand your network of suppliers and other people who could potentially help your business? You could set up arrangements with other service/product suppliers whereby  you call each other or refer to each other when there is a problem that you can’t fix, or when you have too much work and need a sub-contractor, or simply when someone you meet needs something that can be supplied by someone in your network. Coaches trained at Coach University (as I was) call this the Team 100 Program. (Click here to email me about ways we can work together to create your own Team 100.)

Be ultra-reliable

People don’t give repeat business to people who aren’t reliable. Yes, that’s right, I said people who aren’t reliable. Businesses are made up of people, and if you, as the customer, deal with someone who is incompetent, rude, clueless or unreliable, that gives you the impression that the entire company is like that.

To be ultra-reliable you have to

• train your staff
• put failsafe systems into place, so that you can get the supplies you need when you need them or somehow ensure that you provide your customer with the correct service/product on time, every time
• have a company culture of reliability
• make the effort to be reliable – as soon as you are unreliable, there goes your entire reputation.

These points apply even if you are a sole trader. It’s sometimes harder to be ultra-reliable when you are a sole trader, which is why you need a Team 100.

What is my opinion of the fencing contractor now? Well, not so good, as you might imagine. So this person has ruined, not only my entire fortnight, but his own reputation. I won’t be recommending him to others.

Bottom line

To be reliable and keep a good reputation in business, you need to go out of your way to make the customer happy. If you’re unsure of how to do this, or you want to create failsafe systems for your business, or if you want to create your own Team 100, email me now.

I’ve joined many internet giveaways in the past few years. The opportunity to download products for the price of being put on someone’s mailing list is too good to pass up.

Or so I thought.

But I’ve discovered that, every time I join a giveaway and download “free” products, two things happen:

1. I get put on more mailing lists, which I then have to either allow to clutter up my hard drive or spend time unsubscribing to them all; and/or
2. Along with the “free” products, I download viruses, trojans and other electronic threats.

The last time I joined a giveaway, I ended up having to get my hard drive reformatted to get rid of all the malware it had in it. Then I had to take valuable time to reinstall all my programs and settings. Then I had to scan my backups for viruses.

Lucky I had a backup.

I joined another giveaway yesterday. The day before, my computer was clean. Now it’s not.

So that’s it. Joining giveaways is not worth it. The free products are not free. Their price is too high.

There’s only one giveaway that I trust, and that is Mark Hendrick’s 12 Days of Christmas giveaway. Even there, I have to be careful.

So the lesson for today is this:

1. Don’t join giveaways, either as a contributor or as a member. It’s not worth the potential damage to your reputation (if you are a contributor) or your computer (if you are a member).
2. Keep your computer anti-virus software up to date, and check your computer regularly.
3. Keep your essential files backed up at all times.

I’ve learned my lesson.

I woke up feeling fantastic this morning. I don’t remember the last time I did that. I’m up and rarin’ to go. Can’t wait to start the day.

This is very unusual for me. I have a chronic illness, which I’ve had since 1995. It seems that it’s not going to go away. So when I wake every morning it’s more a case of asking myself what doesn’t hurt, and how can I drag myself through the day without hurting more.

What’s different today? Yesterday I started a course of antibiotics. When I’m on antibiotics, I always feel fantastic. The difference between how I feel on antibiotics and how I feel normally is phenomenal. I’m two completely different people.

Feeling fantastic means that I accomplish more. Everything I do is faster, better and easier. My mind is clearer. My body can last longer.

When I’m feeling healthy, I am the person I want to be.

When I’m unhealthy (which is most of the time), everything is hard. I still get stuff done, I still accomplish my work and my goals, but it takes far more effort, it takes longer, and I have to work in short snatches.

You can get so used to feeling off that you don’t realise how much it’s affecting you.

Even minor ailments have an impact on your performance.

I’m not the only one who has found this out the hard way. Here are some more examples.

One of my PhD Coaching clients suffered terribly from headaches. When she was given the correct treatment, the headaches went away and she surged forward with her dissertation. She had not realised how much her life and performance were affected by her headaches.

Another of my PhD Coaching clients had dental problems. She was in pain, but didn’t realise that it was affecting her performance. I encouraged her to get it checked out, and lo and behold, when the problem was fixed, she felt fantastic and finished her PhD earlier than expected.

You can do everything when you’re healthy. If you’re unhealthy, it takes a lot more effort and a lot longer to do things.

So make sure you are as healthy as you can possibly be:

• eat the right things, and in moderation
• do the right amount and type of exercise
• drink lots of pure water
• maintain a healthy weight
• get sufficient sleep
• get a medical checkup
• get a dental checkup
• have fun
• create a support or social network
• maintain a life/work balance

It will make a world of difference to your outlook, your accomplishments and your life.

I’m not saying here that unhealthy people can’t perform and can’t accomplish their goals. I pull out all stops when I have a deadline to meet in my editing business, but it usually leaves me drained. The author of the book-turned-into-blockbuster-movie Sea Biscuit had the same condition that I have, and she wrote the book while flat on her back in bed. A colleague of mine recently attended the launch of her new local history book in a wheelchair – she also has this condition.

So unhealthy people can perform and produce, but it’s much harder. People with ill health have to work harder to accomplish the same as healthy people,and it takes a heavier toll.

Victories happen faster and easier when you’re healthy.

So get healthy.

What can you do this week to boost your health?

Now he’s running a 100 Day Challenge to finish the year with a Big Bang.  Have a look at this video:

Here’s some more about Gary Ryan Blair’s 100 Day Challenge:

Change Your Life in 100 Days

What if I were to follow you with a camera crew 24 hours a day 7 days a week for the next 100 days while you went for your goals?

I bet three things would happen…

1. You would START doing the things you say you need to do.

2. You would STOP doing the things you know you shouldn’t be doing.

3. You would MAKE monumental performance gains and change your life.

This is ALL possible through the discipline of accountability. Accountability serves and protects your character, credibility and commitments. It ensures that what you want to accomplish gets accomplished. (That’s what personal coaching is all about: accountability.)

Throughout every area of your life it’s important to understand that ALL unfinished goals, projects and relationships are the result of broken promises, unfulfilled commitments, and lack of accountability.

With that in mind, I wanted to share with you an exciting opportunity to achieve every goal you set, to enforce ultimate accountability into your life, and show you how you can make monumental performance gains. I’ve signed up, and I’m excited to get started.

Gary Ryan Blair, otherwise known as The Goals Guy, has put together a fantastic comprehensive approach to goal setting and performance enhancement.

It’s called the 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge and it begins on September 23rd, which happens to be the final 100 days of the year.

The 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge is a structured 14-week performance improvement program where challengers compete against themselves to achieve a number of challenging goals and finish the year strong.

Free Special Report and Video

Gary is offering a powerful special report for free which is titled: How to Create Your Own Big Bang!

This report is worth its weight in gold as it shows you how to create huge performance gains quickly. I encourage you to get your copy right now.

So what are you waiting for? The clock is ticking and if you want to seriously improve your life and corresponding results, I encourage you to check out the 100 Day Finish Strong Challenge today as it will be one of the smartest decisions you’ll make all year.

I’m in it. How about you?

What could you do with one extra hour?

• Sleep in?
• Watch television?
• Play a computer game?

Or could you

• Read a book?
• Walk the dog?
• Write a letter?

How about:

• Work on your business plan.
• Write out your goals.
• Have quality time with your family.

There are many activities you can do in an hour. An extra hour per day would allow you to do many extra activities, so it would be a good thing, right?

But where do extra hours come from?

Take a look at the first list above. These are activities that you could curtail to find an extra hour. These are passive activities. They are about being, rather than doing. They don’t necessarily have a purpose. They just are. They are often default actions when we are too lazy to do something constructive.

The second list contains active activities. Like the first list, they are ego-centric – centred around you. Unlike the first list, they have a purpose. You walk the dog so that both of you benefit from exercise. You read a book to relax or learn something. You write a letter to communicate with someone. These activities are about the present. They are good to fit into your day.

The third list is also an active list, but this one contains activities that are all about the future.

When was the last time you sat down and planned your future?

If you’re like most people, you haven’t. Most people drift through life and wonder why it isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Those who revel in life and accomplish what they want in life are those who plan their future.

Victories are planned.

So, this week, to gain your victory, find an extra hour to do some planning.

I am amazed at how blind some people can be about their pets. Don’t get me wrong: I love my pets and they are just as much a part of the family as the humans are.

But I know that they are not human.

Many people are silly about their pets. They allow cats and dogs to sleep on, or in, the bed with them, they dress them up, they talk baby talk to them (and there’s nothing wrong with any of that, if that’s the way you like it). But the silliest thing is to think that their pets are just little humans, and can do no wrong.

Wake up, people!

The reason I’m talking about this today is because there have been many instances in recent weeks of dogs roaming around the countryside where I live. They are coming into my yard at night and eating my dogs’ food (my dogs currently sleep in crates in the garage, because of the weather – see this post); they are making messes all over the yard; and they are disturbing my dogs during the day. When I try to approach the dogs, they run away – straight onto the road.

I live in a rural area where the speed limit is 70 km per hour. Drivers don’t expect to have to look out for errant animals on the road, and therefore drive along over the speed limit without paying much attention. Several times over the past weeks I’ve had to flag down a speeding car because someone else’s dog was on the road and refusing to move. A few weeks ago, my niece’s cat was run over in the dark – exit one cat.

I’ve spoken to some of the owners of the dogs and have received incredulous looks. My dog doesn’t go out of my yard, they exclaim. One lady told me that her dog won’t even go down to the dam on her property without her. Well then, the dog must have a doppelganger with the same distinctive collar, because she’s been on my property at night many times. Her owner didn’t bother to close the gate, because she thought her dog never left her yard. Just today, another lady told me that she didn’t know the dogs were getting out. Well, duh, you don’t have fences – of course they are getting out!

Why are people so stupid?

Just this morning, I found out who owns the little dog that has been giving me nightmares over the past two weeks by coming onto my property, getting a fright when my dogs challenge it, and then running onto the road to stand and bark at me, while cars speed down on it. The owners didn’t know it was out of the house. Then a few minutes later, two small children rode down the road on their bicycles, accompanied by two dogs who were not on leads (which is illegal in this country), and the mother was trailing along on foot about 100 metres behind the kids and the dogs. The kids were about four and nine. What was this woman thinking? Not only could she not control the dogs, but she couldn’t control the kids either.

I’ve heard that dogs have about the intelligence of a two year old human – they understand some words, but they have no sense of personal responsibility, they have no road sense, and, and get this, people, THEY LIKE TO ROAM. EVERY dog will roam, given the chance. It’s what dogs do. So do cats, and goats, and horses and every other animal.

So please, PLEASE, make sure your animals are safe and cannot get out of your yard. Make sure you have secure fences and closed gates. Make sure you know where your animals are at all times. It’s part of responsible animal ownership. And above all, don’t think that your pets are angels. They’re not.

Now that I’ve got that out of my system, we will resume normal programming.

Image © Gaye Wilson 2009

One of my clients pointed me towards a solution. It’s MailBigFile.com. It’s a website that allows you upload your files, designate to whom it should be sent, and then sends an email to that person telling them where they can access the file. There’s a paid version and a free version.

Other sites that offer similar facilities are:

• ShareFile.com
• YouSendIt.com
• DropSend.com
• 2Large2Email.com

This one seems to be totally free: BigFileSwapper.com.

There are other companies out there that offer this type of service. A quick Google search will find several of them, with varying prices and features.

Please note that I have no affiliation with any of these companies, and I have not used any of them except MailBigFile.

Alternative solution if you have your own website
Another solution is to upload the files to your own website, to a folder that has no external links (use a robot no follow file in the directory), then tell the recipient where to find it. This solution, however, does not allow the recipient to send it back to you (unless you give them all your passwords).

Gmail storage
Gmail now has huge storage capabilities. You could email the files to a gmail account. For this to work, both parties would need to have a gmail account.

Hope this helps someone out there. What others have you used?

Yesterday I attended the annual Egyptology conference at the Australian Centre for Egyptology. As always, the atmosphere, the people, and above all, the images in the lectures, got me all fired up. I love Egyptology. I always have. That’s why I earned a PhD in the subject.

And I want to be in the discipline – badly.

But I haven’t yet published my PhD thesis. And I haven’t found the Access database programmer I need to set up the prosopographical database I want for further research (any database whizzes reading this post?).

And wanting something does not equate with having it. To have what you want, you need to make it happen. You need to do it.

Okay, what have I done in Egyptology in the seven years since I got the PhD?

Not a lot. A bit, but not a lot.

Why?

Because I’ve been dealing with other things. Since I graduated I have become a qualified coach, started a coaching and editing business, created seven websites, learned how to sew, earned qualifications in desktop publishing, small business management, leadership and frontline management, and started to learn my ninth foreign language. I’ve also been coping with other things like ill health, the need to earn money (I can’t get a job in Egyptology – there aren’t any available ones), dealing with parent illness and death, maintaining a house and garden, and simply … well, living. So I haven’t been idle – far from it – but I haven’t done much in one of my great passions, Egyptology, either.

So this year, when I attended the conference, I got enthused all over again, as I do every year. But this time it will be different. I will actually do something about it this year. This is how I’m going to do it.

Formulate a goal
I’m going to decide exactly what I will have accomplished in Egyptology by this time next year: my goal.

List all commitments
I’m going to make a list of all the projects I have on my plate, so that I know exactly what I am doing.

Decide the priority of those commitments
Making the list is the first step to seeing how much available time I have. Rather than allowing the list to just sit there, I also need to prioritise each commitment. Which ones need to be done first, in order to reach my five-year goals? Which ones can be done in the next three months? Which ones cannot be delayed?

Decide what to cut
If I have too many projects, I won’t be able to do justice to any of them. Or I will concentrate on one or two and the others will go by the wayside (that’s exactly what’s been happening with Egyptology for the past seven years). If I can’t do all the projects at the same time, I need to decide, according to my prioritised list (see above), which projects I will temporarily (or permanently – it does happen) drop in order to achieve something with a higher priority.

Figure out what I need to do to achieve my goal
There’s no point in starting a project without knowing what steps are required to complete it. For every goal you need to work out what you need to do, and in what order.

Decide how I am going to spend my time in order to achieve my goal
Making lists and prioritising them won’t get the jobs done. I actually have to do them. The only way to do them, apart from listing them in the first place, is to schedule them.

Enlist help
I need to tell other people what my goals are, and ask for their help. I can join an online goal setting club, or post my intentions on my blog (doing that now!). Hire a coach. Invite friends to create their own action schedules, and create a mastermind group to support all of us. I can join a 30-day or 100-day Challenge. However it’s done, I need support.

Do it!
So I’ve made a goal, listed what’s on my plate, prioritised my commitments, decided what to cut or pull back on, listed what needs to be done, scheduled actions and enlisted support. What’s left? Actually doing it. There’s no point in making all these lists and schedules if action does not happen. I can schedule by month, by week, by day. I’m going to make a loose list of items to accomplish in the next month, divide it into weeks, and then schedule only three major actions each day. Then I’m going to do those actions, come hell or high water.

So.

I want Egyptology in my life. I want to actually DO Egyptology, not just read about it or dream about it or sigh over it. So now I have to actually do something about it. Somehow I have to fit it into my schedule.

The tagline for my coaching website, PhDSuccess.com, says it all: “focus on the actions that will achieve your goals”.

So that’s what I’m going to do.

I’m feeling guilty.

Why?

Let me count the ways.

• Because I haven’t blogged for two weeks.
• Because I haven’t replied to a lovely comment about my blog (thanks, Georganna!).
• Because I haven’t finished updating one of my websites.
• Because I didn’t do much last week.

Last week was a write off for me. I overdid it on Saturday, clearing a bit of my garage – it looks lovely! – and I paid for it in the following days. But I kept paying for it, not necessarily physically, but mentally and emotionally. I couldn’t motivate myself. I found myself doing, as I used to do, research on the internet that I knew I would probably never read (gotta schedule that in!). And I was kicking myself the entire time. I knew what I had to do, but I wasn’t doing it.

Have you ever had a week like that? You feel worthless and useless and a complete idiot. You’re in a funk, you get depressed, you take it out on the people around you. You’re in a landscape of misery.

And you feel physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually horrible.

So how do you get yourself out of that?

Most of my coaching clients have this problem at one time or another. I think most people do. There are several things you can do about it.

1. Stop beating yourself up about it.
Part of the horrible feeling is that you are beating yourself up for not doing what you think you should be doing. Beating yourself up leads to all sorts of awful things, including self-loathing, emotional eating and paralysis. Beating yourself up doesn’t work. It just makes you feel worse. So stop it, and do one of the items on the list below (these will also help you stop it).

2. Do something. Anything.
Sometimes the only thing that will get you out of a funk, whether it’s a depressive funk or a I-can’t-move-forward funk, is to do something. Anything. Take some sort of action. Get up and do some star jumps. Walk the dog. Scream. Eat ice cream.

3. Make a list.
Do you know what you should be doing or do you make it up as you go along? Lists are very helpful tools. Make a list of what you want to accomplish today or this week. Pick one item and do it, then cross it off the list. This can give you a huge boost. Don’t forget to pick another one and work on it!

4. Clear a space.
De-cluttering is liberating. It can also be messy, dirty and a lot of fun (see #10). Clear a space on your desk or your floor. Throw out papers you no longer need. Give old clothes, furniture and books to charity. You’ll feel a lot better, your space will be nicer, and you will have helped someone else (see #9).

5. Ask for help.
Talk to someone about what you’re feeling and what you’re doing (or not doing). Talk to a friend, a family member, a colleague, a coach. Ask them to help you get out of it. Ask them to support you in doing something productive. Set up a temporary accountability to them. Note: If you are continually doing nothing and feeling depressed and miserable, you may need professional help.

6. Do something completely different.
Change your situation radically by doing something that is not related to what you should be doing, or something that you don’t normally do. Jolt yourself into action.

7. Change your focus.
Sometimes all you need is to change what you are thinking about. Look at the problem in a different way. Say to yourself, okay, I’m currently doing this and feeling awful about it. What would happen if I did or thought this instead? Focus on something or someone else for a while. Pet your dog. Play with a child. Pick up a different project and make some progress on it.

8. Exercise.
Exercise induces chemicals in the brain that help with mood. Go for a walk. Go to the gym. Ask a friend to go horse riding with you. Okay, it may not be what you should be doing, but it will make you feel better, and will elevate your mood. GET UP AND MOVE.

9. Help someone else.
Go down to the local soup kitchen and offer your services for an hour or two. Knit a blanket for the homeless. Visit a friend. Donate to charity (see #4). Helping someone else will take your mind off your own troubles, and when you return, they might not seem so insurmountable.

10. Have some fun.
What floats your boat? Reading? Going to a movie? Ten pin bowling? Hanging out with friends? Pick one simple activity that will give you some fun. It will lift your mood, get you away from your funk-place, and will give you a break.

11. Or you can wallow in your funk.

Your choice.

My chapter in Top Coaches Share their Action Strategies also gives some useful ideas on how to take action.

Guess what?

Now I’ve written a blog post, I feel better about myself. I’ve actually done something that’s on my list, I’ve taken action, I’ve cleared some clutter in my brain, and I’m ready to get back to doing what needs to be done.

See? It works!

Getting everything done isn’t easy when life gets in the way. You have shopping to do, paid work to do, the kids to take to sport, an essay due at university, the washing, the cooking, the ironing, catching the train … the list just goes on and on.

So how do you cope? How do you get everything done properly and on time?

By asking yourself one simple question:

What is the best use of my time right now?

I call it the BUT question.

This one question will guide you to victory. You can apply it to everything:

• Whether to do this task or that one
• Whether to make this choice or that one
• Whether to eat, socialise, work, relax, exercise, sleep, clean up, see the doctor, outsource … you name it.

I have a client at the moment who is in the last stages of writing his PhD thesis. He hired me to get the formatting of the document right. This was a good move, because it freed him up to concentrate on the writing.

But he’s not writing. Although he has outsourced part of the job (the formatting), he’s still obsessing about the part he outsourced (yes – the formatting). He seems to be spending more time on how the final product is going to look than he is on the content of the final product. That’s fine, and every PhD candidate needs to obsess about both the content and the presentation.

But what this person is doing is the equivalent of having a dog and barking too.

He’s already outsourced the formatting. So why is he obsessing about whether the document should be double spaced or not? That’s my job. He hired me to format the document so that it looks outstanding and gives a professional, jaw-dropping first impression to the examiners. I’ve already given him my best professional advice, but he’s still vacillating.

He needs to ask himself what is the best use of his time: either cancel his contract with me to do part of the job; or allow me to do the job he hired me for, and get on with the actual meat of the project himself.

That’s what I mean when I say, what is the best use of your time right now? What is the one thing you can do that will have a positive impact on your project or your goal or your life right now?

If you get into the habit of asking yourself that question throughout your day, you will become much more productive, efficient and accomplished than you are now.

Try it. You’ll be surprised at the results.