To solve a problem, we must know what it is.

So why do we skip that step and get right to solving something we only think we know?

The Dale Carnegie Course teaches problem solving and arguably one of the most important steps is to identify the problem first.

Yes, we’re all in for solving problems even if we don’t know what they are.

Emotion factors in, fear, anxiety.

Finding the solution is not as difficult as clearly defining the problem.

Here’s the 6-step problem-solving formula:

1. What is the real problem (not imagined, convoluted, hurtful or emotional)?
2. What are the causes?
3. What are the possible solutions?
4. What is the best solution?
5. Take action.
6. Set a time to revisit your solution.

No workable solution can be found without using these steps.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for FREE here.

It’s harder to do than we think.

Can’t is a word that pops up all day long and the more we hear it, the more it becomes believable.

Make a mental note every time you hear the word “can’t” and every time you say it. 

The same applies to the word “won’t” – a sneaky variation of “can’t”.

Find ways to replace it with “will” i.e., “I can’t make it by 6:30” now becomes “I believe I will arrive by (whatever time is reasonable).” Or “I can’t do that presentation in front of all those people” which becomes “I will try to do that presentation in front of all those people.” 

Can’t is a limiter.

Will is a promoter.

One declares defeat before trying.

The other anticipates victory because you’re trying.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for FREE here.

Today is the day to be good enough.

To be immune to the comments from others that hold you back.

The thing is, we give our best more frequently than we admit but allow negativity to steal the reward of feeling really good about it.

The bet to never make is the one against you.

Why do that to yourself – why work so hard and still find a way to block your own success?

It’s often easier to buy a lottery ticket than it is to put a down payment on your abilities.

If you won’t, how can you expect others to bet on you?

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media with my permission.

Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages here.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

The one thing everyone wants – no, craves – is approval.

All of us are always looking for approval.

Approval is the gift that keeps on giving.

Take a moment and think of the one person in your life that you admire most and you’re probably looking at someone who gives you constant approval.

The thing is to generate as much approval for others as you can while being 100% sincere.  To not be sincere is to be controlling.

Find the good in everyone and tell them.

People you know and people you don’t know.

Giving approval is like that Doritos tortilla chips commercial that’s says “crunch all you want, we’ll make more”.

To feel good about doing the one thing that is guaranteed to make others feel good at no cost to you is the most valuable gift you can give.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media with my permission.

Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages here.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Don’t.

Name a person who likes criticism?

But to make suggestions, help someone improve or go to the next level, the most effective way is to do it indirectly.

Talk about this specific problem in terms of you not them – this way it will not be taken as criticism. 

Then, suggest specific things (cures, ideas, hints) that the other person will want to hear because it is not criticism. 

Always end with a word of encouragement that what you’re talking about is possible for that specific person. 

No one would be insulted to be treated in this way because it is the most positive way to allow another person to learn from their mistakes.

And yes, it works on children as well.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media with my permission.

Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages here.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

When everything is going great, it’s easy to have confidence.

And then something happens and we look over our shoulders wondering what’s about to go wrong.

One or two challenges to confidence and poof – we start wondering what’s wrong.

Confidence is as perishable as fresh food – when it doesn’t get consumed, it rots.

So, consume confidence.

Use it when it comes your way and save it for when you need a reminder (like on a list or inputted into a notes app on a smartphone that you can scroll through).

No one can escape the loss of confidence from time to time.

That’s exactly when it helps to use the confidence you gained previously to make it through the rough times.

Waiting for everything to go great is a long wait that is unnecessary when you dedicate yourself to reminding yourself of all the successes you’ve had.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email or posting to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media with my permission.

Read some sample chapters of my book Out of Bad Comes Good, The Advantages of Disadvantages here.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Animals adapt to their environment – even over the ages changing their appearance so as to protect themselves from other predators.

But humans also become like the people in our lives.

If they are less ethical, it challenges our ethics.

If they are rude, we adapt and sometimes change our tolerance to rudeness.

If they cheat, we may not become cheaters but we will spend some effort to resist the outside pressures exerted by others.

Less obsession with making friends.

Or collecting friends on social media.

More attention to who we want as friends.

Having people who share the values that define us in our lives is being a good friend to them and to yourself.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

We know a confident person when see one, right?

Not necessarily.

People can learn to act confident, speaking with force, make decisions even if they are not good ones and who wants to be left suffering fools like this?

Real confidence comes from deep inside.

Humility – the ability to thank others and not take the credit. 

Giving power away – it takes confidence to let another person have “your” way. 

The “awesome power of listening” rather than speaking. 

Leading others by actually going first.

The ability to admit a mistake quickly without using the word “but” to explain it.

Investing in other people even when they don’t believe in themselves for a real return on investment.

Looking for and giving out compliments backed by evidence not criticism backed by jealousy or fear of losing control.

Hint:  These are 7 can’t miss steps to becoming a more confident person above.  Choose one each month and master it before moving on to the next.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here. 

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Before we even get out of the house in the morning, we are exposed to more negativity than we even realize.

At home, in the news, email, texts, social media, anticipating work and the challenges ahead not to mention how we are feeling that day.

A lot has been written about positive attitudes but they are still elusive in our workaday world.

We are more likely to be haunted by negative thoughts when we allow our brains to act like a sponge soaking up everything around us.

When we choose our thoughts, we are more likely to automatically be more positive.

Are you choosing your thoughts or just soaking up whatever is around you?

To the extent that you can decrease a wandering mind, you will take a step toward the kind of positivity that changes your day, improves relationships and makes for a happy life.

Just one thing – take control of your thoughts and filter out the noise that’s getting to you.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.

Doubting ourselves is a form of self-destruction that is even worse than someone else’s insults or lack of confidence in us.

Yet, self-doubt is the most common form of sabotage that blocks success.

Changing the way we look at self-doubt is the first step to banishing it from our lives.

If you doubt yourself, how can you expect others to believe in you and your ideas? 

No one ever succeeded by doubting their heart and soul – why join THAT list?

If it’s worth dreaming, it’s worth believing in. 

If it’s worth believing in, it requires a little more self-love. 

To doubt yourself is to assure failure before you even begin.

When others don’t believe, you go first.

Subscribe to these Day Starters for free here.

Share them with friends and family by forwarding this email.

Don’t want to get these emails anymore?  Unsubscribe below.