James Allen 4 Questions

• WHY?
• WHY NOT?
• WHY NOT ME?
• WHY NOT NOW?

Project Planning

A badly planned project will take three times longer than expected – a well planned project only twice as long as expected.
The more you plan the luckier you get.
There is such a thing as an unrealistic timescale.
At the heart of every large project is a small project trying to get out.
If you don’t plan, it doesn’t work. If you do plan, it doesn’t work either.
The nice thing about not planning is that failure comes as a complete surprise rather than being preceded by a period of worry and depression.
If you’re 6 months late on a milestone due next week but really believe you can make it, you’re a project manager.
There are no good project managers – only lucky ones.
The person who says it will take the longest and cost the most is the only one with a clue how to do the job.
A project is one small step for the project sponsor, one giant leap for the project manager.
Nothing is impossible for the person who doesn’t have to do it.

Ahh!!!...Project deadline

You can con a sucker into committing to an impossible deadline, but you cannot con him into meeting it.
A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish.
The sooner you get behind schedule, the more time you have to make it up.
A project gets a year late one day at a time.
The sooner you begin the later you finish.
The bitterness of poor quality lasts long after the sweetness of making a date is forgotten.
If you don’t know how to do a task, start it, then ten people who know less than you will tell you how to do it.
If you can keep your head while all about you are losing theirs, you haven’t understood the plan.
Activity is not achievement.
The more desperate the situation the more optimistic the situatee.
Anything that can be changed will be changed until there is no time left to change anything.
A change freeze is like the abominable snowman: it is a myth.
Fast – cheap – good – you can have any two.
There’s never enough time to do it right first time but there’s always enough time to go back and do it again.
If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong.
If at first you don’t succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.
When the weight of the project paperwork equals the weight of the project itself, the project can be considered complete.

Project Communication Humour

The project would not have been started if the truth had been told about the cost and timescale.
Good project management is not so much knowing what to do and when, as knowing what excuses to give and when.
Of several possible interpretations of a communication, the least convenient is the correct one.
I know that you believe that you understand what you think I said, but I am not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.
What is not on paper has not been said.
A user will tell you anything you ask about, but nothing more.
What you don’t know hurts you.
A problem shared is a buck passed.

The Paradoxical Commandments

People are illogical, unreasonable, and self-centered.
Love them anyway.
If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motives.
Do good anyway.
If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies.
Succeed anyway.
The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness make you vulnerable.
Be honest and frank anyway.
The biggest men and women with the biggest ideas can be shot down by the smallest men and women with the smallest minds.
Think big anyway.
People favor underdogs but follow only top dogs.
Fight for a few underdogs anyway.
What you spend years building may be destroyed overnight.
Build anyway.
People really need help but may attack you if you do help them.
Help people anyway.
Give the world the best you have and you'll get kicked in the teeth.
Give the world the best you have anyway.
Dr. Kent M. Keith

The Owl and the Field Mouse Story

A little field-mouse was lost in a dense wood, unable to find his way out. He came upon a wise old owl sitting in a tree. "Please help me, wise old owl, how can I get out of this wood?" said the field-mouse.

"Easy," said the owl, "Grow wings and fly out, as I do."

"But how can I grow wings?" asked the mouse.

The owl looked at him haughtily, sniffed disdainfully, and said, "Don't bother me with the details, I only advise on strategy"

Knowing Where To Kick

A car mechanic is called in after every other mechanic failed. He listens to the engine for a few minutes, then hauls off and gives it a big swift kick in a certain strategic spot. Lo and behold, the engine starts humming like a kitten. The mechanic turns around, gives the car owner his bill for $400. The owner is flabbergasted and demands an itemized breakdown AND EXPLANATION.

The bill says...

'$1 for my time, and $399 for knowing where to kick.'

Kaikaku

Throw out the traditional concept of manufacturing methods.

Think about how the new method will work, not how it won't work.

Don't accept excuses; totally deny the status quo.

Don't seek perfection; a 50% implementation rate is fine as long as it's done on the spot.

Correct mistakes the moment they are found.

Don't spend money on Kaikaku.

Problems give you a chance to use your brains.

Ask "Why" five times.

Ten person's ideas are better than one person's knowledge.

Knows no limits.

Hiroyuki Hirano

Kaizen

Everything can and should be improved

Not a single day should go without some kind of improvement being made somewhere

Don't criticize, suggest an improvement

Think beyond common sense, challenge assumptions, ask searching questions

Quality first not profit

Customer-driven strategy for improvement

Imagine the ideal customer experience

Have feedback

Think of how to improve it instead of why it can't be improved

Emphasis on process

See problem solving as cross-functional collaborative and systematic approach

Start with scarcity

As a man thinketh

All that a man achieves and all that he fails to achieve is the direct result of his own thoughts. A man's weakness and strength, purity and impurity, are his own, and not another man's; they are brought about by himself, and not by another; and they can only be altered by himself, never by another. His condition is also his own, and not another man's. His suffering and his happiness are evolved from within. As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.

A strong man cannot help a weaker unless that weaker is willing to be helped, and even then the weak man must become strong of himself; he must, by his own efforts, develop the strength which he admires in another. None but himself can alter his condition.

All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and are of the same method; the only difference lies in the object of attainment.

James Allen

Planning for Success

• Balance your life
• Achieve your goals
• Master people skill
• Know people
• Lead and Coach

1000advices.com

The dreamers are the saviour of the world

As the visible world is sustained by the invisible, so men, through all their trials and sins and sordid vocations, are nourished by the beautiful visions of their solitary dreamers. Humanity cannot forget its dreamers; it cannot let their ideals fade and die; it lives in them; it knows them as the realities which it shall one day see and know.

Composer, sculptor, painter, poet, prophet, sage, these are the makers of the after-world, the architects of heaven. The world is beautiful because they have lived; without them, labouring humanity would perish.

Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow all delightful conditions, all, heavenly environment; of these, if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.

James Allen

He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.

Steve Job rule of Success

Do what you love to do

Be different

Do your best

Make SWOT analysis

Be entrepreneurial

Start small, think big

Strive to be a market leader

Focus on the outcome

Ask for feedback

Innovate

Learn from failures

Learn continually

Lessons from Konosuke Matsushita

Love Your Job To Do It Well

Do What Common Sense Dictates

Follow the Laws of Nature

A Leader Should Have a Vision

Dreams Should Be Shared

Management Is Perpetual Creation

Don't Assume That Something Is “Impossible“

Transparent Management Fosters Growth

Employ “Dam management” to ensure steady growth

Bad Times Have Their Bright Side

The danger of too much success

We would all rather succeed than fail. But trouble lurks for those experiencing success after success for every plan that has been laid by him. Gradually he become over confident and boast of his ability and cease to listen to others. And nothing could be more dangerous than this.

Confidence is a good thing, without any confidence it is better not to set out any plan. Confident we develop should be qualified not absolute. After all there is nothing in this world that is certain or that we can be absolutely sure of. All certainty is relative, everything is tentative and subject to change.

Some people find it difficult to understand this and even a little success will convince him that he can be absolutely certain he know what to do. As long as we keep in mind that nothing is certain, we will remain humble and capable of listening with an open mind to the views of others.

It is better to be successful two out of three times. Failure that translates into humility and lessons learned is what makes we grows. No one wants to go through a series of failures, but a series of successes too can harbour risks.

Konosuke Matsushita

Seemingly small matters

Critical reflection is necessary in whatever we do. Even the humble hawker will tallies up his take at the end of his day. If his wares sold well, he will consider why and if they didn’t he will also contemplates why? On that basis, he will consider how to improve his service and encourages himself to try harder the next day.

It is this reflection and reassessment on a daily habit, of seemingly small matter that may help you to grow and develop. This can require considerable practice. Surely what leads from the ordinary to success is the steady accumulation of little routine things we hardly ever think about.

Konosuke Matsushita

Learning from the enemy

If we are convinced that we are right, we may be forced to conclude that someone who voices a different view is wrong in all things. We are on the right side and he is on the wrong side; he is the enemy, to be conquer and wipe off the scene. Some say that this impulse is only human and cannot be helped. Yet we can actually learn quite a bit from whom we think are against us and stand in our way.

If he move this way, we will counter it that way; if he comes along that way, we’ll confront it this way. Faced with some adversary, we scheme and calculate to optimize our advantage. And gradually we progress. We think we are coming up with all these ideas on our own but in fact we are learning from our opponents. The prodding of the other makes us rack our brains and exercise our imaginations. Isn’t this learning from the enemy?

Simply destroying the enemy is pointless. If you destroy him you’ll have no one to learn from and you’ll make no progress. Rather you may find it useful to let a conflict of interests serve it purpose, each side learning from the other and both moving along the path to ward progress and improvement.

We should pursue a path of both conflict and harmony.

Konosuke Matsushita

Management by everyone & wisdom of the many

If an ideas from the boss is merely enacted by those under him than only one person is managing the company but if each employee independently contributes his own good sense and if there are 100 employees than you have management based on the knowledge and wisdom of 100 peoples.

Konosuke Matsushita

I love all beauteous things

I love all beauteous things,
I seek and adore them;
God hath no better praise,
And man in his hasty days
Is honoured for them.

Robert Bridges

Beautiful Dreamer

Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me,
Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee;
Sounds of the rude world heard in the day,
Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away!

Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song,
List while I woo thee with soft melody;
Gone are the cares of life's busy throng.

Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!

Stephen Foster

O Captain My Captain!

O Captain my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weathered every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:

O Captain my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up—for you the flag is flung—for you the bugle trills;
For you bouquets and ribboned wreaths—for you the shores a-crowding;
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces turning;

The ship is anchored safe and sound, its voyage closed and done;
From fearful trip, the victor ship, comes in with object won;

Walt Whitman

Mother Theresa prayer

May today there be peace within
May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith
May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you
May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and
allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love
It is there for each and everyone of us

The boy judoka

Once a boy decided to study judo, nothing unusual about this except that he had lost his left arm in a terrible car accident when he was a toddler.

The boy took lessons from an old judo sensei. He was bright and conscientious, and despite his disability soon showed great promise. However, he was puzzled why the sensei had taught him only one move even after months of training.

“Sensei,” the boy finally said, “Shouldn’t I be learning more moves?”. “Master this, and it will be the only move you’ll ever need to know,” the sensei replied.

Several months later, the boy participated in his first tournament. To his surprise, he easily won his first two matches, and got into the finals. This time his opponent was bigger, stronger and more experienced. For a while it appeared that the boy was outmatched. Then his opponent made a critical mistake; he dropped his guard and instantly the boy used his move to pin him.

The boy won the match and became the champion.

On the way home, the boy and his sensei reviewed the matches. “Sensei, how did I win the tournament with only one move?” “You won for two reasons,” the sensei answered. “First, you’ve mastered one of the most difficult throws in all of judo. Second, the only known defence for that move is for your opponent to grab your left arm.”

With wisdom, diligence and perseverance, the boy’s weakness became his winning strength.

Do the Change

• Convince the mind
• Get help
• Strengthen the heart, build confident
• Be SMART ( Specific/Measurable/Attainable/Relevant/Time-bound)
• Do it now! Don’t procrastinate
• Learn from your failures
• Perserve

Opportunity rarely knocks twice

• Carpe diem; seize the day.
• If you have the chance to do something which you are passionate about, do it. Opportunity rarely knocks twice.
• Give 110% in commitment.
• Starting things takes a lot of hard work and if you don’t commit your self to it fully, you will tend to give up half way and all will be lost.
• Learn to manage things carefully.
• Plan ahead.
• All details, even the tiniest ones must be thought through and through.
• Good team work is the key to success.
• The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Prayer of St Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon:

where there is doubt, faith ;

where there is despair, hope

where there is darkness, light

where there is sadness, joy

O divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love;

for it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

One of these days

Say! Let's forget it! Let's put it aside!
Life is so large and the world is so wide.
Days are so short and there's so much to do,
What if it was false--there's plenty that's true.
Say! Let's forget it! Let's brush it away
Now and forever, so what do you say?
All of the bitter words said may be praise
One of these days.

Say! Let's forget it! Let's wipe off the slate,
Find something better to cherish than hate.
There's so much good in the world that we've had,
Let's strike a balance and cross off the bad.
Say! Let's forgive it, whatever it be,
Let's not be slaves when we ought to be free.
We shall be walking in sunshiny ways
One of these days.

Say! Let's not mind it! Let's smile it away,
Bring not a withered rose from yesterday;
Flowers are so fresh from the wayside and wood,
Sorrows are blessings but half understood.
Say! Let's not mind it, however it seems,
Hope is so sweet and holds so many dreams;
All of the sere fields with blossoms shall blaze
One of these days.

Say! Let's not take it so sorely to heart!
Hates may be friendships just drifted apart,
Failure be genius not quite understood,
Say! Let's get closer to somebody's side,
See what his dreams are and learn how he tried,
See if our scoldings won't give way to praise
One of these days.

Say! Let's not wither! Let's branch out and rise
Out of the byways and nearer the skies.
Let's spread some shade that's refreshing and deep
Where some tired traveler may lie down and sleep.
Say! Let's not tarry! Let's do it right now;
So much to do if we just find out how!
We may not be here to help folks or praise
One of these days.

James W Foley

The Road To Success is Always Under Construction

Life is not no much a matter of position as of disposition.
The best vitamin for making friends, B-1.
If you don't care where you're going any road will get you there.
A pint of example is worth a gallon of advice.
He who throws mud loses ground.
A smile is an inexpensive way to improve your looks.
Ideas won't work unless you do.
The future is purchased by the present.
One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.
Triumph is just "umph" added to try.
He who forgives ends the quarrel.
Children need more models than critics.
Frogs have it easy, They can eat what bugs them.
The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime.
If the going gets easy you may be going downhill.
Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.
The best labor saving device is doing it tomorrow.
A turtle makes progress when it sticks its neck out.
Failure is the path of least persistence.
Patience is counting down without blasting off.

The Road To Success is Always Under Construction

Have a backbone not a wishbone.
Some folks won't look up until they are flat on their backs.
If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.
Friend - One who knows all about you and likes you just the same.
Birds have bills too and they keep on singing.
A good example is the best sermon.
The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice.
Well done! is better than, Well said!
Minds are like parachutes - they function only when open.
If you can laugh at it then you can live with it.
People don't fail, they give up.
When looking for faults use a mirror, not a telescope.
Smile, it takes only 13 muscles; A frown takes 64.
Kindness, a language deaf people can hear and blind can see.
A small leak can sink a great ship.
You can't direct the wind, but you can adjust your sails.
We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.
Tact is the ability to see others as they wish to be seen.
A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.
If you must cry over spilled milk then please try to condense it.

The Road To Success is Always Under Construction

Behavior is the mirror in which everyone shows their image.
It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.
The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.
Success is … more attitude than aptitude.
The greatest of all faults is to imagine you have none.
Too many of us speak twice before we think.
Some people develop eye strain looking for trouble.
Everyone has 20/20 hindsight.
The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.
No man knows less than the man who knows it all.
Patience carries a lot of wait.
One who lacks courage to start has already finished.
A quitter never wins, A winner never quits.
Action speaks louder than words but not nearly as often.
Failing to prepare We prepare to fail.
Past failures are guideposts for future success.
There is no right way to do a wrong thing.
There can be no rainbow without a cloud and a storm.
If your dreams turn to dust…vacuum.
Seek joy in what you give not in what you get.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Success comes in cans Failure comes in can'ts.
Anger is one letter short of danger Greatest remedy for anger is delay.
2/3 of promotion is motion.
Of all the things you wear, your expression is the most important.

Anonymous

When we cry out

The man whispered, "God, speak to me" and a meadowlark sang.
But the man did not hear.

So the man yelled "God, speak to me" and thunder & lightning rolled across the sky.
But the man did not listen.

The man looked around and said, "God, let me see you." and a star shined brightly.
But the man did not see.

And, the man shouted, "God, show me a miracle" and a life was born.
But the man did not notice.

So, the man cried out in despair, "Touch me, God, and let me know you are here"
Whereupon, God reached down and touched the man.
But the man brushed the butterfly away and walked on.

Millie's Inspiration - A reminder that God is always around us in the little and simple things that we take for granted.