2014: A Year of Love and Trust

A New Year of love and trust is essential to your well-being. Instead of the ephemeral resolutions of the season, trusting yourself and others enough to know that you are worthy of love is life-changing.  Three tools for daily use in the New Year invite you to do just that.
“I am because you are” is at the heart of the African wisdom tradition of Ubuntu. It says that a person is only a person in the context of others.  It is a way of life in which trusting in your magnificence is as essential to your life as it is for others to claim for themselves.
Across the country the most frequent questions asked of me have to do with how we love ourselves and others; how to be worthy of love and goodness. The questions reflect a widespread yearning for a more robust experience of life. In the spirit of “I am because you are” these three tools are a yearlong companion for actualizing a year of more fulsome love and trust.

Across the country the most frequent questions asked of me have to do with how we love ourselves and others; how to be worthy of love and goodness.

1. Love yourself with intention. Instead of assuming that the deeply ingrained messages of conditional love are the norm or that you are less worthy of love than others choose to trust in your unconditional worthiness of love.

Each day name a quality or quirk that marks who you are and name why it makes you lovable.
Decades ago a wise man insisted that I do this exercise in front of a mirror each day. At first I thought it was a trite suggestion. The act of looking into my own eyes and naming something lovable was the threshold to moving beyond the unexamined internalized messages about why I was not as worthy of love as others. Find a trusted person with whom to share what you begin to name and love.

2. Discover the goodness in others.  The journey to love and trust does not exist in a vacuum and is not about narcissism. When you love and trust your own magnificence your own foibles become part of a wide-angled lens of your life.  With fresh compassion and tenderness toward yourself and others “I am because you are” becomes an invitation to discover the goodness in others.

Like many, my life was once blinded by assumptions, biases and easy judgment about others.
I chose to practice suspending those arrogant thoughts in order to discover a commonality of goodness with others. It revealed a more life-giving way of being in which the goodness of those with whom I differ is as important to our mutual well-being as vibrant disagreements are.

3. Detach from toxic people. Loving and trusting in yourself and others is a filter for responding to the abusive, bullying or toxic behavior of some. It illuminates the reality that such behaviors have little consciousness about “I am because you are.”  Instead, their actions diminish or deny the magnificence found in others and themselves. It is not your responsibility to invest in changing their behavior by putting your own life on lockdown.

For your sake and theirs detach. Unlike the choice to be trapped in anger or resentment, loving detachment from another person happens when you entrust their well-being to the Universe, God or a Higher Power.
Decades after detaching from a toxic relationship the person and I reconnected. She had done the inner work of choosing to change her behavior and we were able to forge a life-giving relationship. Detachment honored the truth that “I am because you are” with the hope of new love and trust emerging in the future.
Loving intention, discovering goodness and healthy detachment are tools for everyday use. They invite a New Year and life of richly textured relationships.

You are more fully alive and magnificent when fear of others is replaced by the choices to love and trust.

5 Things to Know on Friday the 13th.

The ultimate holiday stocking stuffer: $400 million Mega Millions payout

Will Friday the 13th (the last of 2013) be lucky for Mega Millions hopefuls? After failing to hit a winner since Oct. 1, Friday's lottery drawing jackpot has swollen to $400 million, the second-largest in Mega Millions' history and the fifth-largest jackpot ever. Depending on ticket sales, lottery officials could hike the jackpot to $425 million or more Thursday. While the odds of winning are just 1 in 259 million, ticket sales are surging ahead of the 11 p.m. drawing for what could be the ultimate Christmas stocking stuffer, worth a lump sum, post-tax $144.9 million.

Geminid meteor shower will be the best light show of the year

Those willing to endure some cold and stay up past their bedtimes are about to be treated to the annual Geminid meteor shower. This year's shower begins to peak just after midnight Thursday (the early-morning hours of Friday) and lasts through dawn. The 48 hours of prime viewing will continue through the predawn hours of Saturday. Falling stars should be visible beginning mid-to-late evening and ending at dawn both nights.

Experts wonder what's next for Kim Jong Un after uncle's execution

The dramatic downfall of Kim Jong Un's uncle, Jang Song Thaek, who had been considered the second-most-powerful figure in North Korea, surprised even veteran observers of the country. While many analysts agree the move was part of a purge to consolidate Kim Jong Un's rule, they say the wider implications for this tightly sealed state remain as tough to fathom as ever. "No one can be sure what this young leader may do," said Tong Kim, a North Korea expert at Korea University in Seoul.

Bipartisan budget deal heads to the Senate

After winning broad bipartisan support in the House of Representatives and passing 332-94, the two-year budget framework must now be approved by the Senate. The deal eliminates the threat of a government shutdown through fiscal year 2015 and modestly reduces the deficit over the next decade, although it does not affect spending on entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare. A vote on the agreement is expected next week in the Senate, where Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill., cautioned that Democrats will need at least five Republicans to support the package to ensure they can overcome a filibuster threat. So far, the only GOP senators who have publicly stated their position are opposed to the package.

John Kerry meets with Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu to push peace talks

Continuing a furious pace of shuttle diplomacy, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in his latest push for Mideast peace Friday morning. It is Kerry's ninth trip of the year to the region amid a rare snowstorm that blanketed Jerusalem. Concerned that a final status agreement may not be possible by the May target the two sides accepted when they resumed talks in August, U.S. officials say Kerry is hoping for a framework accord that would contain the principles of a comprehensive pact, but not specific details.

**How to stay healthy this winter**

It may be cold outside but winter needn't be the unhealthiest time of year for you and your family.

Here are five ways to make sure that even when your body is telling you to hibernate you can keep healthy and fit, no matter what the weather's like:

1. Eliminate your sleep debt

"On average we sleep six-and-a-half hours a night, much less than the seven to nine hours recommended," says Jessica Alexander, spokesperson at the Sleep Council, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of a good night's sleep to health and wellbeing. But in winter, we naturally sleep more, due to the longer nights. "It’s perfectly natural to adopt hibernating habits when the weather turns cold," says Jessica. "Use the time to catch up."
Read more about how to get a good night's sleep.

2. Drink more milk

You are 80% more likely to get a cold in winter so making sure your immune system is in tip-top condition is important. Milk and dairy products such as cheese, yoghurt and fromage frais are great sources of protein and vitamins A and B12. They're also an important source of calcium, which helps keep our bones strong. Try to go for semi-skimmed or skimmed milk, rather than full fat, and low-fat yoghurts.
Read more about healthy eating.

3. Eat more fruit and veg

When it’s cold and dark outside it can be tempting to fill up on unhealthy comfort food, but it’s important to ensure that you still keep your diet healthy and include five portions of fruit and veg a day. If you find yourself craving a sugary treat, try a juicy clementine or satsuma instead, or sweet dried fruits such as dates or raisins.
Winter vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, swede and turnips can be roasted, mashed or made into soup for a comforting winter meal for the whole family. Explore varieties of fruit and veg that you may not normally eat.
Read more about how to get your 5 A DAY.

4. Try new activities for the whole family

Don’t use the cold winter months as an excuse to stay in and lounge around. Instead, get out with the whole family to try out a new activity, maybe ice-skating or taking a bracing winter walk on the beach. Regular exercise helps to control your weight, boost your immune system and is a good way to break the tension that can build if the family is constantly cooped up inside the house.
Read more about different types of exercise for your and your family.

5. Have a hearty breakfast

Winter is the perfect season for porridge. Eating a warm bowlful on a cold morning isn’t just a delicious way to start your day, it also helps you to boost your intake of starchy foods and fibre, which give you energy and help you to feel fuller for longer, stopping the temptation to snack mid-morning. Oats also contain lots of vital vitamins and minerals.
Make your porridge with semi-skimmed or skimmed milk or water, and don’t add sugar or salt. Add a few dried apricots, some raisins, a sliced banana or other fruit for extra flavour and to help you hit the five-a-day target.

How to be Persistent

      Method 1 of 3: Goal accomplishment

If you've ever joined a gym on January 2nd and attended religiously until January 4th, you know tIf y

If you've ever joined a gym on January 2nd and attended religiously until January 4th, you know that persistence, while challenging, is necessary to achieve your goals. Whether you are trying to establish a new habit, shed an old one, or accomplish a larger project, it is one thing to set a goal, but quite another matter to follow through. 

    Method 2 of 3: Persisting Beyond Failure

Failure is often used as an excuse or reason to not pursue a goal or to give up easily. Yet, failure is a source of impetus when viewed constructively and it is not something to be afraid of.

        Method 3 of 3:  Being persistent when refusing 

                   or requesting something

Persistence plays an important role in your personal interactions. Whenever you make a request or a refusal, the art of persistence can help you to assert your needs and to make it clear what you will or will not do for others, as well as not giving up on seeking to persuade someone when their agreement to your request really matters.

Why Living a Life of Gratitude can make you Happy

Many days, I try to humble myself and hold a 2-minute gratitude session. I simply sit or kneel, with no distractions, close my eyes, and think about what I’m grateful for and who I’m grateful for.

I don’t do it every day, but let me tell you, on the days I do it, it makes me very happy.

**Why should that be? Why should the simple act of thinking about who and what I’m grateful for make such a big difference in my life?**

Just a few reasons:

*Because it reminds you of the positive things in your life. It makes you happy about the people in your life, whether they’re loved ones or just a stranger you met who was kind to you in some ways.

*Because it turns bad things into good things. Having problems at work? Be grateful you have work. Be grateful you have challenges, and that life isn’t boring. Be grateful that you can learn from these challenges.

*Be thankful they make you a stronger person.

*Because it reminds you of what’s important. It’s hard to complain about the little things when you give thanks that your children are alive and healthy. It’s hard to get stressed out over paying bills when you are grateful there is a roof over your head.

*Because it reminds you to thank others. I’ll talk about this more below, but the simple act of saying “thank you” to someone can make a big difference in that person’s life. Calling them, emailing them, stopping by to say thank you … just taking that minute out of your life to tell them why you are grateful toward them is important to them. People like being appreciated for who they are and what they do. It costs you little, but makes someone else happy. And making someone else happy will make you happy.

What do I give thanks for, privately, in my little gratitude session? It varies every day. I thank all the readers of this site, for the encouragement you have given me, for the donations you’ve made that have made me that much closer to realizing my dreams, for the criticism you’ve given that has made this site better … for the time you’ve given me, just reading the articles when you have the chance.

I thank my loved ones, for all they do to me. I thank strangers who’ve shown me little acts of kindness. I thank God, for the life he’s given me. I thank people around the world for the things they’ve done to make the world better. I thank myself, for things that I’ve done (it’s important to recognize your own accomplishments).

How to Live a Life of Gratitude

The thing is, simple acts of gratitude don’t cost you much (especially once you get over the initial discomfort some people feel with thanking others). But they can make a huge difference.

If you’re interested in living a life of gratitude, here are my suggestions:

Morning gratitude session. Take 2-3 minutes each morning to give thanks, to whoever or whatever you’re grateful for. You don’t have to do anything, other than close your eyes and silently give thanks. This one act can make a huge difference.

Say thank you. When someone does something nice for you, however small, try to remember to say thank you. And really mean it.

Call to say thanks. Sometimes you might think about something nice that someone did for you. Perhaps you remember during your gratitude session. When you do, pick up the phone and call the person, just to say thanks. Let them know what they did that you’re grateful for, and why you appreciate it. Takes a minute or two. If it’s too early to call, make a note to call later. Even better is telling them in person, if you happen to see them or if they’re on your route. Almost as good is a thank-you email — keep it short and sweet.

Give thanks for “negative” things in your life. There’s always two ways to look at something. Many times we think of something as negative — it’s stressful, harmful, sad, unfortunate, difficult. But that same thing can be looked at in a more positive way. Giving thanks for those things is a great way to remind yourself that there is good in just about everything. Problems can be seen as opportunities to grow, to be creative.

Learn a gratitude prayer. There are many prayers, religious or not, that can remind you to be grateful. Find one you like, and print it out or make it your desktop wallpaper. Here’s a religious one, and here’s a collection from a multitude of religions. You can find many others on the Internet, or write your own. If you’re not religious, make one that doesn’t include the concept of God.

The artistic process is very similar to the entrepreneurial path. Both artists and entrepreneurs create something from nothing, face rejection and fine tune their approach to succeed.

Since our journeys are so similar, entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two from our artistic brethren. Here are five places to start:

1. Cultivate a willingness to fail. I have profound respect for the craft of stand-up comedy. To be a successful stand-up comic, you have to be willing to fail every time you step on stage. In order to discover what works and what is actually funny, comics have to try out new material in a room full of people, not knowing if they'll get a laugh or crickets. They succeed and fail publicly every time.

You have to be willing to fail so that you can learn what works and what doesn't. Leaders should approach failure the same way as a comedian. When a comedian's joke falls flat and the audience is stuck in an uncomfortable silence, the comedian quickly acknowledges the failure and moves on. "Note to self, never tell that joke ever again."

That public acknowledgement lets the audience shift gears and be receptive for the next joke. Leaders sometimes think that admitting mistakes could somehow tarnish their reputation. But the opposite is true. By acknowledging a misstep, your team will be able to shift gears and move forward faster.

2. Have a support group. Actors, painters, writers, and all artists understand the value of finding a safe place to practice their craft, try new things and receive feedback. For this reason artists often attend classes. Entrepreneurs need to find or create a similar support group instead of encasing themselves in the bubble of their business. Creating in a vacuum and only bouncing ideas off employees is limiting.

Breakaway and connect with others who are similar, but different. Find people who understand your world as an entrepreneur, but aren't competing in your space. Masterminds are a great outlet. You might be familiar with the business benefits of being in a mastermind, but have you considered the creative benefits? Your mastermind group can be your safe place to attempt, fail, regroup, and try again.

3. Be brave. Entrepreneurs and artists share one important quality: they both put their heart and soul on the line for others to see and judge. Not everyone in this world has the tenacity, thick skin, or sheer gall to even try such a feat. When you feel the twinge of self-doubt, remember that you are one of the brave few. With every attempt, you are closer to your success.

4. Know when to leave it alone. One skill of the best artists is knowing when to leave their creation alone and walk away. A painting can be perfect and then destroyed with more brush strokes. A book can have a chilling ending and then be ruined with one more chapter.

Some entrepreneurs get a buzz from constantly creating, changing, and adjusting. Both artists and entrepreneurs need to have the ability to acknowledge when something is just right and leave it alone. Sometimes your product doesn't need a new feature. Your marketing doesn't need a new ad campaign. Your sales strategy doesn't need a facelift. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

5. Know when to scrap it. The artist and the entrepreneur follow the same journey. Try. Fail. Get back up. Fail again. Get back up again. It takes a series of failures to reach the ultimate success. But sometimes a bad idea is just a bad idea (Re: Gigli, Ishtar and the last three Star Wars movies.) This doesn't mean the attempt didn't have value. There is something to be learned from every experience.

Scrap the bad idea, but apply what you learned from the attempt to your next venture. Trying to make a bad idea work won't let you experience the joys of being an entrepreneur.

Finding different ways to tap into your creative side will make you a well-rounded entrepreneur and leader. There's an artist inside all of us, just waiting to break free.

Adopting a Sales Mindset

As a business owner, you're in sales whether you think so or not. Every day you have to sell yourself -- and your product or service -- to grow your business. If you're not sure you have the personality to succeed in selling, consider these 13 simple rules to create a superstar sales mindset.

1. Stay hungry. Every good salesperson I've ever encountered is driven. They have a strong work ethic and a high energy level. They work harder and longer than their peers. When the economy is poor, they are still out there pounding the pavement, making calls.

2. Never compromise your integrity. I've always believed that telling the truth is the best policy. In business, especially today, it's a must. A few years back, the Forum Corporation in Boston studied 341 salespeople from 11 different companies in five different industries. Their purpose was to determine what separated the top producers from the average producers. When the study was finished, the results were startling. It was not skill, knowledge or charisma that divided the pack. The difference came down to one trait: honesty. When customers trust salespeople, they buy from them.

3. Stay positive. Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude. Success is 90 percent mental. You can alter your life by altering your mind. In tough economies, it may not be your fault for being down, but it is certainly your fault for not getting up. You have to be a believer to be an achiever.

4. Be authoritative. Sales superstars know their products backward and forward. They also know their competitors' products and are prepared to point out the differences.

5. Get prepared. I still remember the old Boy Scout motto, "Be prepared." Well, it's true. It takes a lot of unspectacular preparation to produce spectacular results.

Related: Four Signs a Sales Pro Will Be a Good Hire

6. Mind your reputation. You can't buy a good reputation -- you must earn it. If you don't have a positive reputation, it will be difficult to be successful in whatever you do.

7. Be genuine. I have never known anyone to buy from someone they don't like. Likability matters. Are you genuine? Pleasant? Easy to talk with?

8. Put your best foot forward. You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. Are you neat and well groomed? Underdressed or overdressed?

9. Set goals. Winners set goals; losers make excuses. Goals give you more than a reason to get up in the morning; they are an incentive to keep you going all day. They must be measurable, identifiable, obtainable, specific -- and put them in writing.

Related Video: How to Find Customers on Social Media

10. Become a customer-service fanatic. I've often said the sale begins when the customer says yes. Good salespeople make sure the job gets done on time— and done right. There's one thing no business has enough of: customers. Take care of the customers you've got, and they'll take care of you. You must have a fanatical attention to detail.

11. Remember to listen. You can't learn anything with your mouth open. For too many people, good listening means, "I talk, you listen." Listening is a two- way process. Yes, you need to be heard, but you also need to hear others' ideas, questions and objections. If you talk at people instead of with them, they're not buying in -- they're caving in.

Related: Seven Ways to Avoid Competing On Price

12. Keep it all in perspective. It is impossible to underrate the importance of a sense of humor. When there are inevitable setbacks along the way, learn to laugh about them.

13. Develop a thirst for self-improvement. You don't go to school once for a lifetime. You are in school all your life. Sales superstars are constantly working to become better. They take courses, read books, listen to audiotapes and inhale everything they can to improve.

Bottom Line: A salesperson tells, a good salesperson explains… and a sales superstar demonstrates.

Read more: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/220658#ixzz2lf4zcz00

**THE IMPORTANCE OF HARD WORK**

You do not come across success just by hoping for it. To achieve true success, you need the strength of mind and body to struggle and work hard to reach your fullest potential. You need the right attitude, self-discipline and the ability to put your goal before your own needs, if you are really driven towards reaching success. There is, after all no substitute for hard work, and as Henry Ford says, “The harder you work, the luckier you get” – the more successful you get!

How do you overcome success?

Intense hard work along with great skills shall help you win one success after another. There shall be innumerable obstacles strewn in your path towards success, however, what makes a man truly worthy of the success that he attains is the ability to keep struggling until he can reach his goal. Giving up after a few failed attempts makes you a loser.

A truly successful man will keep trying and keep struggling until he perfects his art. Thomas Edison failed approximately 10,000 times while he was working on the light bulb and yet he never dreamed of giving up – this is the hard work and the determination that marks a true success. Indeed, success is not measured by the position that you are in, today but the amount of hard work you put in and the number of obstacles that you overcome to reach your goal.

Why work hard, if there are shortcuts?

The good thing about working hard is, that for people who are driven towards their goal can enjoy their hard work and consequently, the work does not seem unduly grueling to them. When you begin to work hard towards achieving success, make sure to work smartly too. An intelligent working technique, along with relentless effort will go a long way in helping you achieve the success that you always desired.

Nothing in this world comes easily, least of all, success. Take the example of Abraham Lincoln who worked hard, without ever getting disappointed of his countless failures, from the age of 21 till the age of 52, when he went on to become the President of the US. Again, it took Noah Webster 36 years to compile his Webster's Dictionary. Where would we be today if he had not put in those countless hours of hard work behind his grand contribution to the English language?

Therefore, you need to remember that there are no short cuts to success. Hard work, complimented with an intense desire to struggle and to achieve success is the only sure shot way of reaching success that you have always wanted.

The recipe for perpetual ignorance is: Be satisfied with your opinions and content with your knowledge.

Elbert Hubbard 

ALWAYS MAINTAIN A STUDENT MENTALITY!!!

What quality do you think is most important to possess to become successful?

Of course the answer to this question is perspective; however from experience I can tell you that if you do not believe that a student mentality is important to succeed, you may never find success.

In order to keep moving forward you need to keep learning.  Contrary to what you may think even the top tier business professionals are still learning, and the top tier of these professionals will not allow themselves to stop learning until they stop doing their job!

HAPPY HUMP DAY!!!

Referring to Wednesday as "hump day” is a fairly modern tradition in American English. The term represents the idea that a week can be visualized as a mound or hill that a person climbs, with Wednesday typically being the middle or peak of the week. There is some disagreement over which day of the week should be the "hump," since it varies depending on when a person works and how a week begins. There are other sources for negative associations with Wednesdays, and few holidays are regularly celebrated on this day.

The Image of a Hump

"Hump day" refers to the idea that a week, especially a work week, is like a hill. Monday and Tuesday are days when a person "climbs" up, since they are the beginning or start of a traditional work week. At the end of Wednesday, the worker has reached the pinnacle of the week, and work on Thursday and Friday represents climbing back down toward the weekend.

This image refers specifically to that middle of the week, where a worker reaches the crest of the uphill journey and begins to pace downward toward the end of the week. Someone with a tedious job or who works especially hard can find it comforting to reach "hump day." At that point, the weekend does not seem so far off as when he or she started work on Monday.

2013: Stronger than EVER

As Capstone Consultants looks forward to a wonderful new year, we would like to recognize some major milestones from 2013.

With the hiring of a new office manager in July, Capstone has managed to more than double it's office size. Overall production has reached record highs thanks to the addition of so many talented and driven leaders. Our clients are happier than ever with our results driven methods and our numbers speak for themselves.

Our team is comprised of some of the most driven and self-motivated entrepreneurs in the nation. Employees enjoy the nurturing environment in which they are able to learn and grow according to their own individual strengths and talents while still valuing the importance of teamwork. Each part of our organization working fluidly together ensures our continued success in 2014!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=541079955967515&set=a.165663506842497.40811.100254346716747&type=1&theater

The Management Team of Capstone Consultants Attends Conference in Atlanta

This past month the management team at Capstone Consultants had the opportunity to meet up with best and brightest of our organization in Atlanta, Georgia.  Friday kicked off with a casual buffet and cocktail hour.  It was wonderful to meet so many new friends, get acquainted with some old ones, and relax with some great ones. On Saturday we had the chance to see who had made the biggest splash in our organization for 2012.  It was inspiring to see so many people in our company rewarded for all of their hard work throughout the year with bonus checks up to $90,000, a sleek black BMW convertible, and last but not least, three upper management promotions.  Listening to the stories leading up to their success only verified that we have an incredible network of people around us. One thing all three had in common during their speech was the gratitude to each individual they work with who were able to elevate them to success. It drove home what we practice every day, that it takes a team to raise a leader, Another, was the internal drive and motivation seen in each person standing on stage finally being rewarded and recognized in front of a hall of 800 people.  From there, we broke out into groups to attend various stations to gain advice from some of the best in the business. The afternoon went by in a whirl along with pages and pages of notes.  Finally, we retreated to our rooms early in the evening shaking the cramps out of our hands and prepared for the formal cocktail hour and sit down dinner.  Everyone looked radiant and no one would guess the long day we just endured. The finale to our retreat was the speech give by one of the best in our business.  He was captivating, inspirational, and funny.  The message we took away from his speech was one of drive, resilience, and sheer hard work. Keys to Success proved to be everything we hoped for. We said 2013 was going to be our year and so far, we are right on track to be on stage getting rewarded and recognized for doing what we love and are passionate about.  

Starting 2013 with a bang!

Ending the year with a boom and starting the year with a bang! Anna Strole, one of Capstone's corporate trainers was nationally ranked in sales for the entire country for the AT&T U-Verse campaign in December. Without any doubt, Strole is nationally ranked again for the first of January.

Strole is setting the pace for what's to come in 2013 and our organization could not be more excited to get things going this year. Not only do we have huge goals for our company this year with AT&T, but there are many events and conferences happening as well across the nation.

This is only the beginning for Capstone. We are ready to dominate. This year, 2013, is OUR year!