Cathy Stucker - The Idea Lady

Attract Customers and Make Yourself Famous

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Shop
  • Work with Cathy
  • About

If You Won’t Be, You Can’t Be

January 17, 2011 by Cathy Stucker

This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina:
What is the Monday Morning Message?

A sign hangs in the Club House of Bill Roper’s Princeton football squad:

“A team that won’t be beaten, can’t be beaten.”

You men who are putting your life behind Purina Checkerboard Chows just won’t be beaten—you can’t be beaten.

Hang up this motto.

One of the most memorable lines from the movie Apollo 13 is when flight director Gene Kranz announces that, “Failure is not an option.” Like many things in the movies, the line was written for the movie and did not come from real life. However, the attitude behind the line was definitely part of the culture of NASA’s Mission Control.

There is a quotation attributed to Henry Ford that goes something like, “Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are probably right.”

All three of these quotations have a common theme: Our belief systems play a big part in the results we achieve.

  • If we truly believe we can not lose, we will win.
  • If we believe failure is not an option, we will find a way to succeed.
  • If we believe we can do something, we will approach it with confidence and will keep trying until we do it. If we do not believe we can do it, we probably will not even try.

It is easy to take a negative position–that something is too hard or there is some reason that we can not do it. It is so easy that we may not even realize we are doing it.

Strongly asserting our belief in ourselves and what we can do is harder. But it pays off.

Do you ever say things such as:
“I never do anything right.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“Well, I’ll try, but…”

The next time you catch yourself voicing one of these (or other) defeatist thoughts, stop right then and change your attitude. Look for the way to succeed instead of accepting failure as an option.

Filed Under: Monday Morning Messages Tagged With: attitude, inspiration, Success

Our Greatest Need—Fresh Energy

October 25, 2010 by Cathy Stucker

This week’s Monday Morning Message from Wm. H. Danforth, founder of Ralston Purina:
What is the Monday Morning Message?

We go along in the even tenor of our way until we read a book, hear a sermon, or meet a man with vital power, which starts us off with a new purpose in life.

If you feel that you are at low ebb, or going along in a humdrum way, better get acquainted with that book, or that man, who will stir you to the depths. If you feel the need, then you will find the way to get a new start. Is there any real reason why anybody should remain at low ebb?

                                SATURDAY
                            UP
                        UP
                    UP
               UP
MONDAY

“Every day in every way I’m going Up—Up—Up.”

Who inspires you?

Is there a speaker or author whose words can lift you up and motivate you? Or maybe there isn’t one person, but many.

Get in the habit of watching, reading and listening to people with uplifting messages. People who help you believe in yourself and give you not only the will but the tools to move forward.

Load some of your favorite motivational CDs or videos to your phone or iPod, and listen as you workout or commute, or during breaks throughout the day.

Looking for more? Here are a couple of my favorite sources of inspiration:

TED Talks
TED conferences bring together speakers on a wide variety of topics. Each talk is short–often 10 minutes or fewer. But in those short talks you can discover amazing things. The talks are available to download (free) in audio or video formats at the site or via iTunes.

iTunesU
iTunes has more than 350,000 courses, lectures and other programs from major universities available for free download. You can listen to David Lynch talk about creativity, get ideas from the Harvard Business Review IdeaCast, learn a new language or any number of subjects from professors and guest speakers at some of the world’s leading educational institutions.

Still want more? Try searching the podcasts at iTunes or other sources. Do a search on YouTube for your favorite motivational speakers or topics. Go to your library, where you can borrow CDs, DVDs and books. This can be a good way to “try out” someone with whom you are unfamiliar. You may then want to buy other materials from them for your permanent library.

When you expose yourself to motivational talk, you will lift yourself up and always be your best.

Filed Under: Monday Morning Messages, Motivation and Inspiration Tagged With: inspiration, Motivation, motivational speakers, podcasts

Waiting for Your Muse

November 5, 2009 by Cathy Stucker

musesIn Greek mythology, the Muses were goddesses who served to inspire those in the arts and sciences. I often find myself wishing for a Muse who could inspire greatness in marketing. Unfortunately, being mythological, they aren’t easy to find.

You can get by without a Muse by finding ways to inspire yourself. Instead of sitting at your computer, waiting for inspiration to strike, try one or more of these: [Read more…]

Filed Under: Creativity Tagged With: creativity, inspiration, muses

Inspiration in Your Inbox

December 28, 2008 by Cathy Stucker

inboxLooking for a great idea for your next article or blog post? The answer is as close as your email inbox.

Many of the posts I write are based on things I receive in my email.  I get so many ideas handed to me this way, it is easy to keep adding content to my sites.

Are you missing out on this useful source of ideas and inspiration? Here is how to tap into it, starting right now. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Blogging, Creativity Tagged With: Blogging, email newsletters, inspiration

Search

Join Me! (Get Free Stuff!)

Get useful tips and techniques to build your business, plus member-only exclusives such as free webinars, as an IdeaLady Insider. It's free!

I respect your privacy & will NEVER sell, rent or share your email address. More than a policy, it's my Privacy Pledge.

Connect with Cathy

 Facebook Google+ Twitter YouTube Pinterest LinkedIn Flickr StumbleUpon RSS Amazon Author Central

Recent Articles

  • The Short but Powerful Guide to Finding Your Passion
  • 3 Strategies for Quick & Easy Content Creation
  • What to Ask When Hiring a Ghostwriter
  • Take a Real Break – Fully Disengage
  • You Get an Extra Day

Categories

Be an Expert Blogging Business Start Ups Cash Content Copywriting Creating Information Products Creative Ideas Creative Marketing Strategies Creativity Customer Service Customer Testimonials Dealing with Clients Email Getting Things Done Growing Your Business Guest Posts Image Internet Marketing Life Lessons Making Changes Making Good Decisions Marketing Market Research Monday Morning Messages Money and Finances Motivation and Inspiration Mystery Shopping Networking Online Business Passive Income Persuasion Positive Thinking Pricing Productivity and Time Management Publicity Public Speaking Reputation Management Running Your Business Sales Search Engine Optimization Social Media Success Technology Working Smarter Writing and Publishing

Learn About

Mystery Shopping
Book Publishing
Marketing
Becoming an Expert
Free Publicity

Return to top of page

Copyright © 1998 - 2023 Cathy Stucker - All Rights Reserved