Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Another New Year!

(0:30) It has become my habit to pause this time of year to look back at accomplishments, setbacks, joys, and disappointments. It's often my own experiences that inspire and shape my Minutes.

(0:25) This year I've picked out 4 Minutes as my favorites from 2017. If you're a faithful follower I hope you enjoy revisiting them. If you missed them, now's a good time check them out. I hope they will inspire you in the new year.

(0:19) All's Well That Ends Well, February 28, 2017
Not all moments are the same. Research from a
Nobel-prize winning psychologist offers insight into which ones are the most important.
http://www.themarinaminute.com/2017/02/alls-well-that-ends-well.html

(0:14) A WOW Fund, March 28, 2017
Wowing boaters is a surefire way to increase positive reviews. A WOW Fund will make sure you don't leave it to chance.
http://www.themarinaminute.com/2017/03/a-wow-fund_28.html

(0:10) Plus, Minus, or Zero, May 9, 2017
Improve your customer service by using this simple exercise to evaluation each experience as it happens.
http://www.themarinaminute.com/2017/05/plus-minus-or-zero.html

(0:07) A Review or Feedback, September 26, 2016
Sometimes all it takes is a simple shift in your thinking to impact results.
http://www.themarinaminute.com/2017/09/a-review-or-feedback.html

(0:04) Wishing you much success in 2018!

(0:02) And that's the marina minute.


Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Be Inspired

(0:57) Over the years, many of you have inspired me through your wisdom, hard work, and dedication. As another year draws to a close, I'd like to offer you some inspiration by dipping into my file of inspirational quotes.

(0:50) "Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears." Les Brown

(0:48) "Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts." Winston Churchill

(0:45) "It's fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure." Bill Gates

(0:43) "My powers are ordinary. Only my application brings me success." Isaac Newton

(0:41) "A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown at him." David Brinkley

(0:38) "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things." Leonardo da Vinci

(0:33) "If you want to achieve greatness stop asking for permission." Anonymous

(0:31) "The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary." Vidal Sassoon

(0:29) "Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

(0:27) "Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it’s safe or certain." Anonymous

(0:25) "If your ship doesn’t come in, swim out to meet it!" Jonathan Winters

(0:23) "Success usually comes to those who are too busy to be looking for it." Henry David Thoreau

(0:21) "If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary." Jim Rohn

(0:19) "Be content to act, and leave the talking to others." Baltasar Gracian

(0:17) "Just remember, you can't climb the ladder of success with your hands in your pockets." Arnold Schwarzenegger

(0:14) "Don’t let the fear of losing be greater than the excitement of winning." Robert Kiyosaki

(0:12) "If you have no critics, you'll likely have no success." Malcolm X

(0:10) "Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future." Dale Turner

(0:06) "When your life flashes before your eyes, make sure you’ve got plenty to watch." Anonymous

(0:04) Be inspired, become better, and find more success.

(0:02) And that's the marina minute.


Tuesday, December 5, 2017

Just Don't Do It

(1:03) We've all heard the adage about working hard vs working smart. I've always struggled with that one a bit because I fear some will approach it too simplistically – I don't have to work hard, just smart. It's not an either-or proposition.

(0:55) I know how important it is to work hard for success. I also greatly appreciate the idea of focusing that hard work on what's most important to your success and not allowing distractions to intervene.

(0:49) Recently, I ran across a quote that got me thinking. It's from the French author Antoine de Saint-Exupery, "Perfection is achieved not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away."

(0:42) Finding success in business, and our personal lives, is as much about what we choose not to do, as it is about what we choose to do. It's easy as a business owner to say "yes" to new commitments. I know this only too well. Those first glimmers of success are quickly followed by ever increasing opportunities. It's hard to say "no", especially on the heels of the struggles and sacrifice involved in starting a new business.

(0:27) Every business has limits. The key is knowing the best way to focus your resources whether great or small. There are trade-offs in every decision you make. Do you know when to turn down something good so that you can focus on something great?

(0:18) Steve Jobs said it best, in one of my favorite quotes:

“People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things.”
(0:05) It's the combination of hard work and saying "no" that will bring you success. Choose "no" wisely.

(0:02) And that's the marina minute.