Garbage In…Garbage Stays
By Barbara Bartlein
As any computer nerd can tell you, put garbage in the system and you get garbage out. That is not how it works, however, with your mind, according to Nido Qubein, entrepreneur, professional speaker, consultant, and businessman. “Think of all the garbage that we sometimes carry in our minds; like self-esteem issues, beliefs that ‘I can’t.’ This type of debris slows down success. If we do not have a positive state of being, we will not take the necessary measures to move ourselves forward.”
Qubein obviously is onto something if you look at his own accomplishments. A teenage immigrant to the US with only $50 in his pocket, he is now a multi-millionaire with multiple business ventures. He is chairman of an international consulting firm, serves on the board and executive committee of a Fortune 500 financial corporation with 90 billion dollars in assets. He is also chairman of a national public relations company, and chairman of Great Harvest Bread Company with 200 stores in 38 states. He serves on the boards of 17 universities, companies, and community organizations, including all three of his alma maters.
So where does he find the time? “Balance,” according to Qubein. “I have plenty of time. I take over 90 vacation days per year. For me, success is measured in one word – balance.”
Some other words of wisdom from Nido:
- Build yourself from the inside out. Know who you are and the values you subscribe to. With clarity on your beliefs and values you will consistently do the right thing and make good decisions.
- Decide what you value most; fame or fortune. Wealth is more than just money; it is wonderful friends, good health, and a life filled with purpose. Fame is fleeting, a life of wealth – priceless.
- Who you spend time with is who you become. Model yourself after men and women of influence. People with external power who have internal beauty and balance. Surround yourself with folks who are positive and motivating. From them you will learn that even more important than time management is life management. Training is teaching people the how, education is teaching them the why. People who know the how will always have a job but people who know the why will be their boss. Your ongoing commitment to your education and learning the why is the key to future success. “Education is what is left over,” according to Qubein, “after all the training is forgotten.”
- Create intellectual technology. Specialize in what you know and what you sell. Make your information more valuable by developing proprietary language, models, grids, books, CD’s, and visuals. It is more valuable if it is difficult to imitate. Remember, sellers determine price but buyers determine value.
- Develop a “stop-doing” list. Most people create periodic “to do” lists but just as important is a careful identification of what you don’t want to keep doing. Quebein reports that he does not read the newspaper first thing in the morning. The news is the same each evening. Instead he starts each morning with a motivational reading or an educational tape to get his mind ready for a day of creative thinking.
- Create systems. Where things happen repeatedly, develop a system to make them an automatic run. Why do the same things over and over again? Once you have a system in place, someone else can run it for you. Invest your time in activities that are new or in the development stage.
- Nothing succeeds like success. When you feel good about your life, your accomplishments and your progress, your confidence will expand your opportunities. When you hedge your business with careful diversification, your success will continue to grow in every direction.
Published in Networking Today, July 2003.
Topics
Attitudes+Goals,
Barbara Bartlein
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