"A Setback is a Setup for a Comeback" Continued

This is the second BLOG based on the book "A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback" by Willie Jolley. In this posting I will be addressing relevant information gleaned from the introduction and foreword in the book. To start this off I want to share the following taken directly from the book "A Setback Is a Setup fro a Comeback."

"In every life there comes a time

A minute when you must decide

To stand up and live your dreams

Or fall back and live your fears.

In that minute of decision,

You must grasp the vision

And seize the power

that lies deep inside of you!

Then you will see

That dreams really can and do come true

And that all things truly are possible....

If you can just believe!

It only takes a minute to change your life!

It's time to turn your setbacks into

Setups for Comebacks!"

By Willie Jolley

Highlights from the foreword:
Willie Jolley had just won his third award for best Jazz singer in Washington DC when he lost his job as a singer and was replaced by a karaoke machine. He decided he was going to "stop waiting for breaks and start making his breaks."

1. Studies have shown that if you read something positive in the first 20 minutes of your day your productivity will go up dramatically. Willie uses the example that if you wake up and it is rainy and cold your body usually wants to go back to bed. If you wake up and it is sunny and it is a beautiful day you usually are more apt to want to get up to take advantage of that day.

2. "Your psyche is the same way. If you get up and put a lot of negative in your mind (bad things that happen on the news) you are not as enthusiastic about jumping into that day."

3. If you wake up and put something positive into your mind like "the Lion and Gazelle" you will be more productive. To view a short (2 minutes) video clip of the Lion and Gazelle click on the title of this blog.

4. "Choose to program yourself rather than letting the naysayers program you." My take on this is that if you don't choose to program yourself the default is already set to negative programming. If you want your staff to be positive you be positive. "You can't share what you don't have."

5. "Service is the rent we pay for the space we occupy on earth!" - Jim Rhon

Introduction:

1. Setbacks are prerequisites for comebacks.

2. If there is no change and challenge, there can be no growth & development."

3. Most people don't like change. "The only thing that likes change is a wet baby."

4. "Ultimately the key to long term success is the way you view and handle setbacks and adversity."

5. Life really is in the struggle. He tells the story of a little boy watching a moth struggle to get out of his cocoon and the boy decides to cut a slit in the cocoon. When the moth comes out his body is swollen and he has small withered wings. His grand father explains that when the moth is struggling he is forcing the fluid from his body into the wings and that without the struggle the wings couldn't grow. "Without challenge and struggles we would never reach our fullest potential."

Tune in next BLOG for "The Power of Vision"

Don't forget to click on the title of this BLOG posting to view a short video clip.

"A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback"

As most everyone knows 2009 has been a setback for us as a company and for most of us individually. The term setback kept resonating with me and I was prompted to reread Willie Jolley's book "A Setback Is a Setup for a Comeback." I think the information from this book is VERY applicable and can be immediately implemented. I think it can help us achieve our August 31st goals and help us reach greater heights for the rest of 2009.

My plan is to put a little information from this book on my BLOG each day so it can easily be digested and put into use if you so choose. Even if only one of you ends up applying this information (either on your job or in your personal life) it will be worth it to me to take the time to write this BLOG.

The book is divided into 4 parts also known as the VDAD Formula
1. The Power of Vision
2. The Power of Decision
3. The Power of Action
4. The Power of Desire

"Just as other formulas consistently work, so does this-for example when you take two parts hydrogen and mix it with one part water you get water: likewise, when you take vision and add decision, action and desire you can, and will turn your setbacks into comebacks."

Within the four-part VDAD formula there are nine chapter steps or TIPS which stands for Techniques, Ideas, Principles and Strategies for success.

The Steps are:
1. Perspective - How do you see it? Is it a setback or is it a setup for a comeback?
2. Recognize it's Life-don't take it personally
3. Focus on the Goal-If the dream is big enough the problems don't matter
4. Make decisions-You've had a setback, Now what are you going to do about it?
5. Don't panic! Decide to stay calm, stay collected and stay positive!
6. Take Action-persistent, determined action
7. Take Responsibility-Face it, trace it, erase it, replace it
8. Have Faith! You are blessed and highly favored
9. Remember It's All Good! Be thankful, have an attitude of gratitude!

I will be hitting each of the above items in various BLOG postings over the next several days.

Those of you who watched the Rocky movies know Rocky had a lot of setbacks that were setups for comebacks. I think it is only appropriate for you to enjoy the short video clip "Eye of the Tiger." To view this short video clip click on the title of this blog.

There is Light at the End of the Tunnel and it's Not a Train!

Through my travels I have gone through some very long tunnels. Those of you that have been through a tunnel know that about halfway through the tunnel it can get really dark. If you stop your vehicle in the middle you will stay in the dark. However, if you keep moving you will soon see the light at the end of the tunnel and eventually you will be back in total day light.

Perhaps in your current situation right now you feel you are in the middle of the tunnel. Keep moving and soon I assure you you will see the light at the end of the tunnel and it won't be a train!

I have gone through several tunnels that have a sign before you enter to "turn on your lights" and they usually have a sign after you leave the tunnel that reads "turn off lights". I encourage you to make sure your light is on while you are in the tunnel but to not turn them off after you get out of the tunnel.

Click on the title of this blog to see a short video clip that reminds you there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Football and Hotels; What Do They Have in Common?

When I was in High School August meant the start of football practice. I remember very vividly how hard the practices were, how sweaty I got and how hard I was pushed. I felt as though I was pushed to my limit and then some each day of practice. Sometimes I wondered if it was worth the pain that I had to go through. My mind and body would often scream at me to quit but my heart would say keep going (remember my last blog where Matthew West sadi he was going to let his heart defeat his mind).

My coaches often would say that what we did in August would determine how well we played in September and October and if we would be playing in November and December (the playoffs). They also said that the reason they pushed us so hard is so we would be more prepared than the other team for the fourth quarter.

How does this relate to hotels?

1) Our Coaches are pushing us harder than before each and every day. You are probably being asked to do more than you have ever done before. Perhaps you are wondering if what you are going through is worth the pain. I am here to confirm what your heart is already telling you that it is worth the pain.

2) Even though we are in the third quarter what you do now will determine how well your hotel performs in the fourth quarter. If you aren't out sewing seeds NOW you can't have a harvest later! If you only sew a few seeds you reduce your potential harvest later. If you are sewing enough of the right kind of seeds you will have a harvest now and later.

3) In football to really be good you have to give your all on EVERY play. In order for you and your hotel to be the best you have to give your all each and every day. You can't just go through the motions.

One of my favorite movies is "Facing the Giants". In one of the scenes a football player says "I am about out of strength." The coach says "then you negotiate with your body to find more strength." All of us can find more strength by encouraging each other and negotiating with our body.

Please enjoy the clip from "Facing the Giants" video called The Death Crawl. To see the clip JUST CLICK ON THE TITLE OF THIS BLOG ABOVE (football and hotels, what do they have in common)

You can find the clip by going to You Tube and typing "Facing The Giants Death Crawl."