Power Of Positive Thought Vibrations

Self-esteem is part of your total self-image. It’s the part that “likes” who you are and the things that you do. Some of us have a bloated sense of self-esteem, but many more of us lack self-esteem, even though it’s well deserved.

To help you develop more respect for yourself and to like yourself better, here are five simple steps to follow.

1. Do the right thing. You’re walking in a mall and you find a wallet filled with money. The right thing to do is to hand the wallet in to lost and found, or even call the police or hand it off to mall security.

Most of us know the right thing to do and by following those instincts, we come to like ourselves better because we have the right values.

2. Learn to say “I’m Sorry” How many of us view an apology as a sign of weakness. It’s anything but. When you hurt someone’s feelings, you are sorry. Yes, it takes courage to admit mistakes, but it makes you stronger.

3. Be a good listener. When a friend talks to you about a problem, most of the time they aren’t looking to you for a solution (unless you are the problem). Most of the time they need to sort through the problem and they just need a sympathetic ear. Listen to others, good times and bad, and they’ll listen to you.

4. Pat yourself on the back. When you achieve a goal or receive a compliment from your manager, take a few seconds to pat yourself on the back. False modesty is just that – false. So, when you hit a home run, enjoy the moment, congratulate yourself and store the feeling in your memory. You’ll need to pull it out the next time you de-rail. And you will. We all do.

5. Do unto others…This adage appears in the Bible, the Koran, the teachings of Buddha and Confucius. By treating others the way we would want to be treated is the ultimate litmus test. If you find yourself criticizing one of your people in front of her peers, stop and ask yourself if that’s the way you’d want to be treated.

Criticize softly; praise loudly – that’s how I’d like to be treated so I treat others that same way. It’s a moral compass that keeps us doing the “right thing” mentioned in point #1. It’s the source of courage to apologize; it’s the basis of being a good listener and it enables to enjoy your victories and overcome defeats.

This one, ancient proverb – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you – regardless of source, is your road map to improved self-esteem.

Sun Tze was a Chinese military general who wrote the definitive text on military conflict in 600 BC. The book is still required reading at West Point and all other military academies.

The principles set forth by Sun Tzu can be seen in practice in military conflicts throughout history. Dwight Eisenhower employed Sun Tze’s use of deception to make D-Day a success.

Robert E. Lee, perhaps the most skilled military tactician in American history, lost the Battle of Gettysburg because he failed to follow one of Sun Tzu’s basic principles. So what does all of this ancient history have to do with marketing?

Marketing and Warfare

There are many similarities between marketing and warfare, though marketing eliminates the guns, grapeshot and lethal war axes, thankfully.

Both marketing and warfare involves competition between two groups or entities that seek the same objective.

Both marketing and warfare involve control of space. In warfare, the space is usually land. In marketing, it’s the retailers’ service areas – areas to conquer and dominate, beating the competition and holding your position in the marketplace when a competitor moves in one town over.

That’s why I recommend every hearing aid retailer read The Art of War by Sun Tze. Just change war for marketing and learn to employ effective tactics that you can apply in growing your business.

Here are just a few examples of what I’ve learned reading and re-reading that tome. And by applying these tactics to marketing my hearing aid stores I’ve built numerous successful businesses over the years using advice from a Chinese general written 2600 years ago.

The winning general knows what’s required for victory, then attacks. The losing general attacks, then seeks victory.

- The Art of War, Sun Tze

Translation? In marketing, you must know what’s required for success before launching any type of marketing strategy or campaign. You must gather information and develop a plan based on your understanding of what’s required for success within your marketing arena.

Those store owners who launch a campaign and then seek victory have no plan in place. They market without understanding what’s required for success. And so, their marketing and promotional dollars are frittered away as the business owner looks for signs of success (victory).

Learn this lesson and apply it in all of your marketing efforts. Know what it will take to succeed before you launch (attack).

Use the resources of others to your advantage.

- The Art of War, Sun Tze

This is the basis of guerrilla warfare, so successful in numerous battles and conflicts during the 20^th century.

There are numerous resources available to you. These resources “belong” to someone else but you can use them to benefit your hearing aid business and, of course, more people within your community.

For example, when a local community group sponsors a health fair for seniors in your community, participation will improve your business and, at the same time, the quality of life for those individuals you identify as having hearing loss. You use the health fair as a forum to present your store’s contribution to the health and welfare of the neighborhood.

If you employ on-line marketing, and you most certainly should, you can employ the assets of numerous websites – Linkedin, MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, social bookmarking sites like Digg, Reddit and Stumbleupon. You can create numerous blogs. All of these on-line strategies are (1) free advertising and (2) employ the assets of others to your advantage – legally!

The fact is, these networking websites want you to take advantage of them so get on board and launch a guerrilla marketing campaign using the assets of others.

The winning general must think like a cobra.

- The Art of War, Sun Tze

When attacked, cobras are quick, nimble and agile. When the head is attacked, the tail twists around and joins in the attack. One part of the cobra protects another.

Translated into marketing terms? Your marketing must be flexible, like a cobra. It must be adaptable. You must move quickly and with agility with your marketing, changing it all the time to suit current market conditions.

Like the cobra, all of your marketing efforts should work in synch, creating a more powerful impact.

And you must never take your eyes off the competition. Follow their every move. How are they advertising? What marketing tactics do they employ? Learn from the tactics of the competition. React to it quickly.

For example, if the new hearing aid retailer in town starts running local spots on cable, call the cable company and counter those ads with a campaign of your own. Learn from the competition by staying focused on the competition.

The Art of War by Sun Tze should be required reading for every small hearing aid practitioner – the one making the marketing decisions. The book is made up of 13 chapters, each focusing on a particular aspect of warfare.

Read it. Then apply the principles this military genius puts forth in your marketing.

These are time-tested strategies that work whether you’re fighting a major military battle or fighting to maintain market share within your sales territory.

Learn from the master. Learn to achieve victory…er, I mean success.

Be sure to visit thoughtvibes.com for outside-the-box thinking and new ways to look at yourself and the world around you.

Not long ago I made a brief post about the concept of being bigger than your problems. This notion is very powerful, and in simplest terms it’s just about visualizing yourself as physically and spiritually larger and stronger than any problems or challenges you face.

Most people in today’s society are so lazy and weak-willed they become angry or depressed by even the smallest setback. But the fact is “problems” are a necessary part of personal growth!

Drop the negative connotation and begin looking at challenges in your life as opportunities to express yourself, think creatively, and expand in all areas. When lack of money, disagreeable individuals, severe weather, physical ailments, software glitches, or any other range of possible problems arise in your life…

STOP.

Look for the possible gift in the overall picture. Is there any reason to be glad or relieved by this so-called problem?

Often there is. And if not simply decide you now have the opportunity to test your skills and mental capacity.

Rise to the challenge and simply decide that you are much larger than the challenge at hand. Imagine yourself towering over the problem, literally looking down on it with compassion and mercy.

This allows you to use the law of relativity to your advantage. Most people choose to use this law against themselves so expect this simple shift in your perspective to open up new doors and empower you in unexpected ways.

Over time you can condition yourself to think and respond differently to problems and adverse events in your life. Where most people see an excuse to give up or have a pity party you can see an exciting opportunity to test some new ideas and learn one or more new lessons.

A life without problems is a non-existent fantasy. Our life experience on this planet is largely about overcoming and evolving; this is especially true for the last, current, and next generations of human beings!

Economically, socially, philosophically, spiritually, environmentally, and politically we (the human species) is at a very real crossroads. Now more than ever it is critical to grow beyond the scope of any problem and feel into the creative solutions that are always available.