Hugh's Blog

It’s inevitable—year after year I start to worry in January. After all, the start of the year is when we are supposed to have our resolutions, goals, and hopeful ambitions documented and committed to action. But what if my goals don’t happen, how will I feel then?

Some studies claim that only 10% of New Year’s resolutions actually stick—meanwhile our failed attempts get tossed into our growing sack of self-doubt. We said we were going to lose those ten pounds – and it was looking possible – until that first late-night craving for ice cream. We committed to exercise everyday and we did—until Oprah reruns and Pringles won us over. We resolved to sock money away in our retirement fund every week—until we came home with that absolutely-essential flat screen TV. Our attempts at goal setting, self-control and determination inevitably arm wrestle with our habits, and habits usually win.

Goals are essential for setting direction, but habits are what gets us to save the money, lose the weight, have healthy relationships and raise children we are proud of. The trick is to have good habits.

This year my resolutions are all about creating successful habits. Sure I have goals for family, income, work and adventures – and I’m excited about them. But I am even more excited about my focus on strengthening the habits I will practice every day.

I want to share the 12 habits that I am committed to that I know can make your day a little brighter, your lists a little shorter, and success in work and life a lot bigger. But, before you read them I have a warning for you: don’t make this another list! You already have enough lists.

I will be sharing 3 tips at a time over the next 2 weeks, giving you a chance to get a feel for them and see which resonate with you.

The more you integrate your habits into your day and your life the more they become simply your way of doing things and the more likely you are to gain all the success they can bring you.

1. Admit fault first – life’s too short to waste on blame, instead: suck it up, apologise and move on. It’s amazing how quickly a sticky situation can get unstuck when greased with a little humility. “Blame is for God and small children.” (Dustin Hoffman)

2. Treat your body better than your car – get your body and heart working for at least 30 minutes everyday. Start by changing your morning, commute, or end of day habits — make exercise something you enjoy and look forward to. Isn’t it time to do something great for you body everyday?

3. Be here – our mind loves to be busy worrying, thinking and scheming but it doesn’t serve the conversation we are in right now. Give people a gift with every conversation: put down the phone, resist the inside chatter and be fully present—they will appreciate it and you might actually hear them.

PS: I’d love to know, what are your resolutions this year? Drop me a comment below

Tags: 12 for 12, 2012, accountability, change, commitment, culver, effectiveness, goals, habits, happiness, motivation, productivity, resolutions, success, time management

Well, not much actually. Except that we are all part of One Percent for the Planet.

I’m excited to announce that our little company is now member 142 in Canada (there are some 1,400+ members worldwide) and a part of a growing list of firms that give back to the planet. If you haven’t heard about 1FP please check it out.

The name sort of says it all: we commit to donating at least 1% of our gross revenues to an approved not-for-profit. This brilliant little organization was started in 2002 by the ever-enduring Yvon Chouinard, founder and CEO of Patagonia, and Craig Mathews, owner of Blue Ribbon Flies. Since then $50M has been directed to environmental work through member companies. Pretty cool.

And we are jazzed to be doing our part. How about you?

A great place to start is to watch this.

Tags: culver, environment, jack johnson, leadership, mec, one percent for the planet, yvon chouinard

People are always asking me what cool gadget am I using to be more effective. So I thought I would list some of the best tech. solutions I have been using in 2011 and will keep using into ’12. Let me know what your favorites are – enjoy!

Each one of these has a bit of what-the-heck time needed to get up to speed, but well worth it, given the results you will get.

Dropbox (and app) – we solved our challenge moving huge files with this very cool FREE tool. Move your movie, audio, pictures, or whatever to clients, colleagues, and assistants. Perfect for work in a virtual office. You can even share a public link to let anyone access your docs. Super easy. Starts at $0 – dropbox (watch their cool video to learn more)

Call Recorder for Skype – I just started using this neat tool for great quality interviews. Records video or audio instantly – MAC only. Slick. $20 - callrecorder (Free PC option that I haven’t tried: www.voipcallrecording.com/MP3_Skype_Recorder)

Vimeo – very simple solution for sharing movies larger than you can squeeze into Youtube. Convenient. $0-$199/year – vimeo

Iphone tethering – OK, if you have an iphone, you really need to learn how to do this. Get your laptop on the web anywhere in minutes without messing around with local log-in and fees. Impress your friends and turn your phone into a modem. Nifty.

Evernote (and app) – If Tim Ferriss says it’s good, well….this is an incredible (FREE) virtual assistant that sits on your browser ready to capture the latest article on oyster farming, your scribbled notes from the flight, flip charts from the last meeting, favorite recipes, or Lao Tzu quotes. Indispensible. $0 – evernote

1password (and app) – hands down one of the simplest, most reliable tools and I use everyday. It will watch for and save new log-ins and with a single click you log-in next time. Plus it fills in those annoying shopping cart fields (like ours) and credit card info. and you can save loads of factoids like: your passport, hotel, rental car, and airline member info., and children’s birthdates(!) A bargain at $49 onepassword

A book – remarkable technology that has stood the test of time. Over 130M titles to choose from (more then there are apps.) Be the bibliophile in your office and share a book with the exciting new hand-to-hand analog simultaneous transfer (simple to learn.) Just don’t expect to get it back. Classic.

PS my new schedule of free teleseminars is coming out very soon – I hope you will be able to join me for these.

Tags: books, business, business growth, effectiveness, entrepreneurs, evernote, freedom, onepassword, productivity, small stuff, vimeo