http://www.everythingcounts.com Inspire, promote and celebrate excellence. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 23:30:40 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en There's an old story about a man who walks by a construction site and sees workmen pushing wheelbarrows, each filled with an enormous stone. He asks one what they're doing. "What does it look like?" he says with a sneer. "Hauling rocks." Unsatisfied with that answer, the passerby asks another construction worker the ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/a-story-of-pride-hope-and-glory/ When you fail, resiliency counts. When you're late, forgiveness counts. When you're mad, self-control counts. When you’re broke, every penny counts. When you're depressed, every hug counts. When you're on a diet, self-discipline counts. When you're in a hurry, every second counts. When you're negotiating, transparency counts. When making a decision, good judgement counts. When you run into obstacles, ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/words-of-wisdom/ A moment's thought reveals that our entire world is simply an accumulation of tiny details. Every action — every detail of our lives — has bottom-line repercussions, and it's dangerous and derogatory to think of any of those details as trivial, unimportant, or inconsequential. You may be familiar with the old nursery ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/nitty-gritty-details/ Just like any building needs a solid architectural design, every highly successful life and business must be purposely designed and built to achieve a specific set of appropriate objectives. I'm referring to the goals and accomplishments that will drive you to the success you desire. So what specifically is your life designed ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/the-right-objectives/ Man of La Mancha rocked Broadway in 1966 with its thundering theme song, THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. You remember that song, don't you? It opens in soft reflection, "To dream the impossible dream... To fight the unbeatable foe..." but then it defies mortal gravity to rise heavenward on a column of fury like ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/the-impossible-dream/ Now it counts? Its always counted! Dive for a loose ball. It counts. Miss that one field goal. It counts Make the tiniest mistake. It counts. Take your eye off the ball. It counts. Throw a ball instead of a strike. It counts. Following through on that swing. It counts. ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/play-like-a-champion-today/ One of the primary ways I begin to analyze a subject is by asking provocative and intellectually challenging questions.  I than drill into each question looking for ways to find truth, fallacy, and unique interpretation. The following is a question I want you to seriously consider as the answer will ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/the-big-question/ You just made a choice. It doesn't measure up against some of history's legendary choices - like Hamlet's "to be or not to be" and Patrick Henry's "give me liberty or give me death" - but you did choose to read this message and I'm thankful for your decision, and ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/change-and-personal-mastery/ I'm often asked for my definition of success. Here goes… Success is the end result of doing the Right Things… the Right Way… at the Right Time… for the Right Reasons. What more could be asked of you if you are consistently doing your 4 R's? In my book — nothing! So, what's the ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/efficiency-effectiveness/ I'm a big believer in sweating the small stuff and wanted to share with you a perfect example of a few people who "get the message". In 1982, two social scientists—George L. Kelling and James Q. Wilson—published an article in the Atlantic in which they argued that a ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/the-broken-window-theory/ Nobody's perfect but everybody is trying! Building the perfect athlete Pitching the perfect game Laying the perfect bunt Chasing the perfect season Finding the perfect diamond Buying the perfect gift Riding the perfect wave Singing the perfect note Cooking the perfect dessert Creating the perfect wine Any driven athlete–any serious physicist, philosopher, winemaker or entertainer, for that matter–will tell you that ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/flawless-perfection/ Just like any building needs a solid architectural design, every highly successful life must be purposely designed and built to achieve a specific set of appropriate objectives. I'm referring to the goals and accomplishments that will drive you to the success you desire. So what specifically is your life designed to accomplish? Brace ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/life-by-design/ Let's begin with a question; What does it mean to exceed expectations? To me, expectations are the result of a previous experience. I have come to expect certain results when interacting with various organizations: I expect a big smile when I visit my neighborhood coffee store. I expect to be ignored in ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/are-you-expecting-too-much/ Think for just a moment of all the things that require practice--grammar, arithmetic, cooking, learning a particular sport, and even playing the guitar well. Practice is probably something you think you're done with when you leave school or when you've stopped taking music lessons. However, having or showing gratitude is also a ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/how-to-show-appreciation/ You've no doubt heard the old saying; "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." Let's take a moment and examine both sides of this conversation. The metaphor of feeding someone and that sufficing ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/give-a-man-a-fish/ Whether you realize it or not, one indispensable quality affects every relationship in your life. It determines whether you realize your  dreams, both personal and professional. It virtually defines you to others. Without it, true success is impossible. Your ability to demonstrate this quality impacts every relationship, every communication, every work project, every ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/trust-me-im-a-doctor/ The goal of the batter is to hit the baseball. This is why every kid who holds a bat is told, "Don't take your eye off the ball." Later, when endurance is needed, we say, "Keep your eye on the prize." Can you name the ball you're trying to hit? Can you name ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/look-deep-into-the-minds-eye/ Every goal you want to achieve requires the enforcement of self-discipline, self-control and self-awareness. To build a solid reputation with yourself and others, to earn more money, to be in great shape, and to ensure success in any area of your life, you must learn the discipline of: •    Looking ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/how-to-build-self-discipline/ One of my core beliefs is that the truth will indeed set you free, however, it's acceptance will initially make you really angry! In this post, I will present a two-step plan on the importance of reality, of complete transparency, of dealing with the truth as it is, rather than how ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/reality-check/ Customer-centered leadership is the cornerstone of success. Here are five value creation strategies, the secret sauce of great service that will keep your customers coming back for life. Strategy 1: Adopt the Everything Counts Customer Service Maxim Everything Counts is a maxim that sends a powerful message. It means that you see ... http://www.everythingcounts.com/the-secret-sauce/