Thursday, December 9, 2010

There’s a Lot to be Thankful for in Business This Holiday Season


A lot of North America is going through tough times especially our friends to the south who are still finding their way out of the recession. Just when it was thought that things were turning around it now seems that the recession is still got a hold on the U.S. and well in Canada things are still pretty much the same. We are holding our own and things are starting to look brighter every day.

In my book the Ten Commitments to a Better Life, I talk about how to say thank you for what you have. If you commit to saying thanks amazing things can happen.

It does not matter much where you are in the grand scheme of business or what religion you practice or preach, the holiday or the Christmas season is upon us and as a world we still have a lot to be thankful for. The following represents my five top business things to be thankful for this holiday season.

One: I want to say thank you for the Internet and all the free services provided by the Internet. Everything from sharing pictures and photos with friends, talking on Skype and having access to free email and millions upon millions of bytes of information on Google. This is one business tool we should never stop thanking.

Two: I want to say thank you for my Blackberry mobile phone. The Blackberry in my mind is one of Canada’s greatest inventions. Mind you it’s now taking second place to the Apple IPhone and the I pad but hopefully it won’t be there for long and with the advent of the new tablet in the spring, Blackberry should be back in the game.

Three: I wanted to say thank you to my customers. Customers are my greatest asset. They teach me how to run my business. They demand more from me and push me to be better than I could ever be alone. A wise man once said, if you want to know how to sell your product, just ask your customers. Too often as business people we forget that it’s our customers that are really our business. Without them we would not have a business, so thanks.

Four: I wanted to thank my suppliers. Without them I would also not have a business. They help me to produce the products I need to sell. Without my suppliers I would not have the research and development and the help to develop better products. So to my suppliers, thank you.

So we have a lot to be thankful for. I left out the usual stuff, like my family, my health and my banker, however those things get thanked every day. They are actually ranked, number one everyday. My health is the main thing and during my daily meditation I thank my body for its ability to heal when sick, or injured and able to provide so many great things for me to participate in including this manifestation of the reality of life around me.

I also thank the creator for making my life an amazing thing and in Canada (and North America for that matter) we have the opportunity to do anything we want in business.

So if you are business person out there and think and wonder when it’s going to turn around, just remember you are connected and you to have a lot to be thankful for. As we move into a new year, there are a lot of little things to be thankful for. It’s the little things that take care of the big things. So when in doubt say thanks and prosper.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Finding Passion in Your Life

Its been a while since I wrote on this page since my view of the world has been basically distorted and I have not considered the spiritual side of my being for some time. That does not mean I have not been considering it, I just have not written my thoughts down for a while.

With this blog, I promote basically living in the moment and marvelling at how great life is. Take this morning for instance. A long walk on a cold morning, a few snow flakes falling, the sun coming up over the vista's of the Gatineau Hills.

A black cat, smiling happy playing with his ball, a good cup of Starbucks coffee, a warm bet, the scent of the perfume of my girl friend ( my wife of 21 years) and the buzz after a yoga class and my meditation. This is what I call life. Simple things, simple things we can get passionate about.

Happy Friday in the Fall of 2010.

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Back in the Spiritual Saddle


I just got back from Mt. Tremblant in Quebec skiing with my old friends, something we have been doing for the past 25 years. Two of the guys I have known since public school since grade three. We get together every year we can and throw ourselves recklessly off the side of mountain. The neat thing about this is that when we get together its almost as if time sits still. We pick up the old conversations, we talk skiing, wives, kids, and tip a few just for old times sake.

The thing about skiing is that it takes a lot of confidence and getting over the fear of going down steep slopes on two worn out skis and knees and just trusting yourself. A few years back I was kind of afraid the whole time I skiing. I kept thinking I am too old for this and its too much trouble. Needless to say we got cold weather, blowing snow and skiing was not much fun. I decided it was time to give it up. At 57 why did I need to ski. Last year's trip I got the flu before the trip and did not make it. I felt at the time I could not care less.

The funny thing about your thoughts is that they dominate who you are and what you can become. Over the past year, I started to think about the ski trip again. I started to get a renewed interest and started to remember that skiing was one of the great fears in life I needed to get over. I started to want to ski. The closer the week came the more excited I became. I pulled out the old skis put them in the car, started getting my gear and boots together a week prior and by the time I was heading up to the slopes I was excited. I was excited to see my old friends, to conquer my fear once again and excited to be zipping down the slopes at high speeds and feeling the wind in my ears.

Needless to say the trip was amazing. Four days of glorious sun, great snow conditions, no people and lots of perfect temperatures. Is it coincidence? Did the universe provide ( as it always does) or was it just dumb luck?

In my book " The Ten Commitments to A Better Life" I describe in one chapter about the committing to where you fit it. For me this week I fit in as a skier. As such the universe provided the best conditions and the best situation for me because I was focused on having a great ski trip and looking forward to skiing in great conditions and with good friends.

As I have said many times, be careful for what you ask for as it usually shows up. Once again, the power of attraction and help from the universe was most likely on my side. Another great tip, is to not be attached to the outcome. You never know how the solution will appear, but the moment you give yourself a dedicated focus, the universe is always there. Can I say that with conviction. My ego doubts it, my personal self agrees with it and overall, I am not going to worry about it. As my book says -- ask the universe for what you want, be 100% clear and you will be amazed at what will happen.

Kensel Tracy is the Marketing Coach and helps small, medium and large sized business grow and prosper.