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In personal and professional development it's my belief that everyone has a seed of success within them. It's also true that few ever realize their success potential.

Why is that?

Here are four reasons why people who are poised for success may not reach their potential, and how you can apply some simple truths to experience your own break through.

1. CHOICES

Many people make choices that limit them. As the saying goes "There is a choice you have to make, in everything you do. So keep in mind, that in the end, the choice you make, makes you."

But aren't there talented people? Yes, and it's their talent and right choices make a talented person.

As Socrates said "To move the world, we must first move ourselves."

2. TIME

Many people have no idea the process of reaching their potential would take so long. All things are difficult before they become easy.

It's it true that projects usually:

- Are more difficult than we anticipate
- Take longer than we anticipate
- Cost more than we anticipate

As you've probably discovered, shortcuts don't pay off in the long run, so prudent planning and a realistic estimate of time required to complete a project, develop a new skill or reach a goal is an excellent step in the right direction.

3. PRICE

Many people fail to pay the price that their potential demands.

Often times, our challenges in life are not in understanding how to reach our potential, but rather they are in doing what it takes to get there.

Charles Schwab said, "When a man has put a limit on what he will do, he has put a limit on what he can do."

4. PROBLEMS

Many people fail to think creatively when problems arise.

There's a difference between problem spotting and problem solving. Anyone can spot a problem, be it an issue in a relationship, a technical issue or a health issue. The counsel of experts is relied upon as they know how to provide a solution to a difficult problem.

The next time you mention a problem, why not follow that up by suggesting 3 possible solutions, with one of them including you?

WRAP-UP

Break through and reach new heights in your personal and professional development by making good choices, realistically assessing the time needed to reach your goals, paying the price when it's asked of you and meeting problems with solutions.

If you found this article helpful or it added some insight in your busy day, add your comment below.

David

Friday, I attended the Maximum Impact Advance Simulcast that provides the business professional with a wealth of information designed to help people grow their influence. I joined 50,000 leaders, across North America, renowned authors, businessmen and leadership experts for an event that won’t be forgotten.

The founder, John C. Maxwell is an internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker and author who has sold over 13 million books. His organizations have trained more than 2 milion leaders worldwide. Every year, he speaks with Fortune 500 Companies, international government leaders and organizations as diverse as the United States Military Academy at West Point and the National Football League.

In his session, "Leadership Gold", Dr. Maxwell explained a simple truth: The best leaders are listeners.

3 Delusions

We all suffer from three delusions:

1. We are a good driver
2. We have a sense of humor
3. We're good listeners

The Truth

Dr. Maxwell explains a simple truth: The best leaders are listeners.

Apply This Truth in Business

In business, listening is the single greatest way to keep problems from escalating into major issues.

As a leader, it's imperative to listen to all your stakeholders. Listen to your employees, customers, vendors, partners and investors.

Formula for Success

Dr. Maxwell's formula for success is stated plainly as: Listen, Learn and then Lead.

Recommended Reading

Of John C. Maxwell's books, my personal favorite is The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, which I picked up on iTunes as an audiobook.

Most sites that are built exclusively around or are developed solely for mobile applications are probably dead. This may because the cost of mobile usage has been far too high in North America such that most mobile users are limiting severely how and when they access the net to avoid outrageous bills. Only now are annual flat rate fee structures coming into effect in North America.

True Web Apps for Mobility

As long as a site has a normal web presence and is fully accessible that way, and has also taken pains to be sure that mobile users have a friendly and convenient/functional interface, they will do well as costs to access by mobile will drop in the future and more mobile device people will reach them (and vice versa).

This is why I was so excited about Voices.com on mobile – you are taken immediately to the search tool and have immediate access to talent. It works.

Do you access Business Apps from your Mobile Phone?

This morning, the Official Salesforce Blog announced that they have expanded their partnership with Google and together have delivered an industry-changing new product called Salesforce for Google Apps.

Techmeme and the New York Times has some great coverage on this developing story.

As heavy Salesforce and Google Apps users, we're pleased with this development and can see how we'll be using this dynamic duo for greater productivity and ultimately our ability to deliver a better service.

Salesforce for Google Apps

It's easy to see how we could run our business in some exciting new ways:

1. Salesforce and Gmail

Salesforce and Gmail - Send Gmail to contacts from inside Salesforce or log emails in Salesforce from Gmail.

Now that's something that Salesforce really needed; the ability to both send an receive messages. Transitioning from Outlook and Apple Mail to Gmail makes sense, considering a lot of us work remotely, in the evenings and on weekends. I've been waiting for a big enough reason to switch to Gmail and it looks like my reason has arrived.

2. Salesforce and Google Talk

Salesforce and Google Talk - Chat with colleagues right from within Salesforce.

Currently we use Skype as our internal instant messaging tool, however tight integration with Salesforce means one less application we need running on our machines.

3. Salesforce and Google Docs

Salesforce and Google Docs - Create and attach Google Docs to records inside Salesforce for real time collaboration.

From business plans, proposals and product development outlines, Google Docs has all but replaced Microsoft Word in our office. And, if we can use Google Docs for the storage, we'll likely see some cost savings by avoiding purchasing more Salesforce storage.

4. Salesforce and Google Calendar

Salesforce and Google Calendar - Synchronize your Salesforce meetings, campaigns, and events with Google Calendar.

Not that we do a terrible amount of scheduling, I can foresee this being a helpful tool. When, we do have events to attend, the entire week is usually pretty busy, so a single integrated view will ensure we're all in the right place and the right time.

5. Salesforce and Google Start Page

Salesforce and Google Start Page - Access your most important business information, including Salesforce dashboards, and search the Web from a single page.

This is smart. As the CEO, having a single view that shows key performance indicators as well as a snapshot of your inbox allows me prioritize my day or drill down on reports should anything jump out at me. Better information means better decisions.

Do You Run Salesforce?

If you're in a business that's running Salesforce, how do you see using these new tools to help you grow you company?

Add your comments below...

This afternoon, I had the opportunity to share with a group of about 80 regional technology companies on how to better position their websites in Google.

The business seminar was hosted by the TechAlliance, a membership-based organization that exists to represent, support, and accelerate the growth of technology companies to the benefit of the entire regional economy.

During this session, participants discovered what search engines value in a webpage, how to construct a webpage and website in the optimum manner, and how to optimize the content for top ranking in search engine results.

Participants were also shown how to effectively identify and research appropriate keywords and keyword phrases by using online tools.

This session was sponsored by Rodney Lover and the entire Lover's atWork Office Furniture team. Thanks!

Download Search Engine Marketing in the Google Era

Download the PDF Version: Search Marketing In The Google Era PDF

Download the PowerPoint Version: Search Marketing In The Google Era PPT

Add Your Comments

If you were in attendance, add your comments and share what you learned during the session.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

David