Happy Thanksgiving

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Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Life Warm-Up™ November 2011 (11-23)

Howdy All!

Remember the theme is, “Living a Life of Influence!”

Happiness is a Choice!

It has been a long time coming, so here is the latest Life Warm Up.

Over the last couple of years as I travel across our nation I have seen and met some incredible people and want to share with you my Happy Thanksgiving wishes with a thought on happiness.

I often open with a quote when I am speaking that reads, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could forget our troubles as easily as we seem to forget our blessings.” How true and how sad that in a nation that has so much we are bombarded with all that is wrong on a daily basis.

I once heard a speaker say that fun is what we experience during an action, yet happiness is what we experience long after the action is through. Happiness is a much deeper and powerful choice we make. A sense of contentment that we can feel that is a step beyond the temporary pleasures of life. If we are not careful though we will believe that everything that does not make us happy must mean that something or someone is to blame. If fun and pleasure equals happiness, then the opposite must be true as well… pain, troubles and tough times should make us unhappy.

A couple of weeks ago Wendy and I with our new baby in the back of our SUV were side swiped on a major interstate while heading to a speaking engagement in Alabama. Wendy was driving and in the instant our car was hit it put us into a three part swerve that ended in a guard rail – all this while traveling at 70 plus miles per hour. Not a single person that witnessed the accident except the person that hit us stopped to help, but many were incredibly upset that we took up the far lane of traffic and were inconvenienced with our accident. I will not even go into how scary it was or how close we came to almost losing our lives, however there was something that was so strange in the middle of all of the chaos. Three separate police officers all asked the same question – is anyone hurt? Are you okay? Is everyone okay? The answer was thank God, yes we are all okay. Then they said it, “You should be happy that no one was hurt.” WHAT? Happy? No I should be upset, mad, angry! Someone is to blame for this terrible accident. Our car is damaged. My wife is shaking and crying in the backseat holding our ten month old baby in her arms. I am furious. This isn’t a time for optimism. I don’t need a pep talk. We just experienced something terrible and I should be…Happy?

I hope you really let this next part sink in – riding a rollercoaster is fun; seeing a movie is fun (depending on the movie of course); going to a game is fun. All of which temporarily make me happy – or better yet all of which I find pleasure temporarily. Getting side swiped while going 70 mph and almost losing your life is not fun – yet each person wanted me to be happy. Although the temporary moment or what I was feeling wasn’t in the least bit fun, I decided to look beyond all of the troubles and find the blessings. My wife, my new daughter and I are all alive and no one was hurt. A car is temporary, your friends and family our forever!

So my hope for you this Thanksgiving is to truly be Happy! Look around and count your blessings instead of focusing on your troubles. I think you will discover as Zig Ziglar says, “Happiness is not always about pleasure. Happiness is VICTORY!”

You really can Influence others when Happiness becomes a Choice!

Thank you to all of the businesses and individuals that have supported my dream of speaking and sharing my passion for helping others – I am truly Grateful and blessed by all of you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

If you want to find out more about how to influence or understand each personality type you can purchase Pete’s book, Influencer Incorporated for a full description of each of the four perspectives.

Thank you for reading this week's Life Warm-Up™!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest®

281.360.0861 office

Influencing the Influence Personality – “I”

The “I” personality is a combination of Fast-Paced and People-Oriented.

“I” stands for Influence and can be summarized with the following descriptors:

• Imaginative
• Inducing
• Impressive
• Interesting
• Impressionable
• Important
• Interchangeable
• Interested in people
• Impulsive
• Illogical

1.      Everyone has to a lesser or greater extent the “I” traits. 

2.      The stronger the “I” tendency the more you like to move fast and build relationships. 

3.      The lesser the “I” tendency the more you like to slow down and think about how you can get the best and most accurate results. 

4.      Again no one is strictly just an “I”.

5.      You are a unique blend of all four personality traits.

6.      However, if you notice someone that likes to move fast and build relationships then in order to influence them we must learn to adapt our pace and priority to meet their own.

Interact with Influence with an “I” by:

• Be informal, friendly and positive
• Allow them to be recognized outwardly when appropriate
• Focus on the recognition the job will receive when accomplished
• Be willing to allow them to talk about how they feel
• Be a sounding board for their ideas and enthusiasm
• Know that they are motivated by recognition

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Influencing the Dominant Personality – “D”

The “D” personality is a combination of Fast-Paced and Task-Oriented.

“D” stands for Dominance and can be summarized with the following descriptors:

• Dominant
• Demanding
• Direct
• Determined
• Decisive
• Doer
• Dictatorial
• Dogmatic
• Dreamer
• Defiant

1.      Everyone has to a lesser or greater extent the “D” traits. 

2.      The stronger the “D” tendency the more you like to move fast and get results. 

3.      The lesser the “D” tendency the more you like to slow down and think about how this will impact the people around you. 

4.      Again no one is strictly just a “D”.

5.      You are a unique blend of all four personality traits.

6.      However, if you notice someone that likes to move fast and get the task done then in order to influence them we must learn to adapt our pace and priority to meet their own.

Interact with Influence with a “D” by:

·         Being brief and to the point

·         Allowing them to be in charge when appropriate

·         Focusing on actions and goals when developing a plan of attack

·         Being willing to stand up for what you believe

·         Being results-oriented when working with them

·         Knowing that they are motivated by a challenge

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Influencing Pace and Priority

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All!

Influencing Pace and Priority

People's Styles can be measured in two ways: Pace and Priority.

In the last two weeks we have looked at the dynamics of pace and the dynamics of priority.

• Pace – The speed in which one likes to move.
• People tend to be either active and outgoing (faster-paced) or passive and reserved (slower-paced).
• Priority – The direction in which one likes to move toward.
• People tend to be either task-oriented or people-oriented.
• Each person is a blend of both pace and priority to a greater or lesser degree.
• Combining both pace and priority creates a term we will call “Personality Style”!
• No one style (or combination of styles) is right or wrong – just different!

The combination of the two characteristics pace and priority spells out each styles natural tendencies.

• The combination of Fast-Paced and Task-Oriented is called the “D” style or Dominant Style.
• The “D” style may say,
• “Let’s get it done!”
• The combination of Fast-Paced and People-Oriented is called the “I” style or Influencing Style.
• The “I” style may say,
• “Let’s have some fun.”
• The combination of Slower-Paced and People-Oriented is called the “S” style or Steadiness Style.
• The “S” style may say,
• “Let’s work together.”
• The combination of Slower-Paced and Task-Oriented is called the “C” style or Compliance Style.
• The “C” style may say,
• “Let’s get it right.”
• Notice that each style is a unique combination of both pace and priority.
• Also notice that each of the four combinations has a name that represents that style.
• Dominant – “D”
•  Influencing – “I”
•  Steadiness – “S”
•  Compliance – “C’
• Understanding the four personality styles will increase your influence with others.

By the way no one likes to be labeled or put in a box.  The DISC personality information is not meant to label people, but should allow all of us a common language to speak from or create a better understanding of normal human behavior.

Lastly, please know that you are a unique blend of all four personality styles!  That means you are a combination of the “D I S and C” styles to a lesser or greater extent.

Over the next four weeks we will learn about each style and how to effectively influence them for optimum relationships.

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Priority & Influence

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All! There is a special Example. at the end of this Life Warm Up!

Priority & Influence

People's Styles can be measured in two ways: Pace and Priority.

Last week we looked at pace, this week we will look at the dynamics of priority.

• Priority – The direction in which one likes to move toward.
• People tend to be either task-oriented or people-oriented.
• Task-oriented people are more drawn to projects, achievements and results.
• If we compare Priority to a steering wheel, they steer toward accomplishing goals and getting things done.
• If we look for their “true north,” we’ll find their compass points to getting the job done and away from people.
• Using their time with specific outcomes in mind, they tend to be:
• Achievement-oriented
• Results-driven
• Purposeful
• Focused
• People-oriented folks seem more interested in relationships and interacting with others.
• They naturally steer toward spending time with others and being involved in their lives.
• They like social interaction and tend to use their time to connect with people.
• Their “true north” points them to people, and they may find more fulfillment in relationships than achievements.
• They tend to be:
• Relational
• Warm
• Adaptable
• Friendly

Really think about how you like to move throughout your day.  Also reflect on how you like to make decisions and get a job done.  Have you noticed that some of your biggest conflicts arise simply from a difference in priority?  It’s worth thinking about it!

As an example- Task-oriented people like to get results and get very frustrated with people-oriented people that they believe are wasting their time.  On the other hand people-oriented people see the task-oriented person as too serious about getting results and wish they would just lighten up and relax.

§  Task-oriented- Come on let’s get this thing done.

§  People-oriented – You are taking all of the fun out of this.

§  Task-oriented- There is nothing fun about ordering food.

§  People-oriented- What do you mean there is so much to choose from and it all looks so good.

§  Task-oriented- Just decide. The waiter is coming.

§  People-oriented – Oh good, maybe he could recommend something tasty.

§  Task-oriented- You are killing me.

§  People-oriented- No, I am saving your life, from having a heart-attack.

§  And they just keep on going and going…

P.S. - Some of you right now are reading this and thinking - Isn't it possible to be a little bit of both.  The answer again is absolutely!  You are a unique blend of both pace and priority. 

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Pace & Influence

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All! There is a special P.S. at the end of this Life Warm Up!

Pace & Influence

People's Styles can be measured in two ways: Pace and Priority.

This week we will look at the dynamics of Pace.

• Pace – The speed in which something moves.
•  Some people like to move more quickly when it comes to thoughts, interacting with people and getting results.
• Some people like to move more slowly when it comes to thoughts, interacting with people and getting results.
• Faster-paced people can be identified as Active and Outgoing.
• I call this Rapid Personality Mode
• Slower-paced people can be identified by terms like Passive and Reserved.
• I call this Reserved Personality Mode
• Conflict can arise when someone wants to move at one pace or speed and someone else wants to move at a different pace or speed.
• Let’s go right now.  (Faster-paced)
• Let’s take our time and think about this. (Slower-paced)
• Our willingness to adapt our pace to meet the pace of another will increase our influence with that person.
• One pace is not better than another; it is just the pace that they feel most comfortable moving at.
• You can become an expert on people by asking this question:
• Do you like to move through life more quickly and spontaneously or more slowly and carefully?

Really think about how you like to interact with people this week.  Also reflect on how you like to make decisions or handle problems?  Have you noticed that some of your biggest conflicts arise simply from a difference in pace?  It’s worth thinking about it!

P.S. - Some of you right now are reading this and thinking - Isn't it possible to be a little bit of both.  The answer is absolutely!  You are a unique blend of both paces and priorities.  I do want to point out that if you are thinking that hard about this then you are probably not as fast-paced as you think! 

P.S.S - If the previous statement made you rethink everything and you are still contemplating on your pace then I would definitely go with slower-paced! By the way the faster-paced people have long since moved on…if they even made it this far!

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

People Perspective - Influence

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All!

People Perspective - Influence

• People don’t do things against you; they are normally doing things for themselves.
• We often assume that certain people have it out for us, and that is why they do things to cause us troubles.
• When we believe that people do things against us, we do not allow for the best or most productive interactions with those people.
• When we open our minds to the belief or attitude that people are normally doing things for themselves (from their perspective) we don’t take things so personally and it allows the possibility of better relationships.
• Instead of feeling frustrated or misunderstood, seek to understand why the other person is doing what they are doing.
• Awareness is the first key to becoming a person of influence.
• What do I need to be more aware of when working with others? 
• Asking the right questions is the second key to becoming a person of influence.
• How can I better relate to this person? 
• What do I really like about this person?
• What can I learn from my interaction with this person?
• Responding to the needs and perspectives of others is the third key to becoming a person of influence.
• Because people don’t always handle situations exactly the same, how can I see from the other person’s perspective and become an influence in their life?

What would happen to your relationships if you started to notice that we often only see from our own perspective? 

Wouldn’t your relationships become increasingly better if you began to seek first to understand where the other person was coming from; instead of thinking that person is just causing you frustration?

How you interact with others says a lot about your ability to maintain influence.  This week increase your awareness and be open to seeing from the other person’s perspective or viewpoint before believing that they are doing things against you!

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Character and Influence

Welcome to this Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All!

Character and Influence

I was listening to a radio show this week and the question was asked to the listening audience, should we be concerned about a Presidential candidate’s character?

The most surprising answer I heard was from a person that remarked, why should we care about the President’s character? We need to know about their issues. 

Would you choose a leader of a business or a company that had no character, but was able to clearly articulate thoughts and ideas that make you feel like they are looking out for your best interests? 

Or wouldn't you like to know that the leader will actually put into action what they are talking about? 

Here are some things to think about when it comes to character and influencing others:

•           Others are drawn to my character or repelled by my lack of it.

•           Character is decided by how consistently I adhere to my standard. (See last week’s standards list for more information.)

•           I build and develop brand appreciation by consistently living with character.

•           My standard must bring appreciation, respect and value to others.

•           My reputation (name appreciation) is built slowly over time, but can be damaged very quickly. As one of my students’ told me, “It took four years in high school to build a positive reputation for myself and only one bad decision this weekend to ruin all of that work!”

•           Showing love and seeking understanding are essential to having influence and being influential.

•           It is better to be a positive influence than a negative one.

•           My behavior, my character - or how I act, interact and react around others becomes my product and / or service that I sell to others. 

Who would you recommend or refer to run your business?  The key is that we really do own and operate our own business called Influencer Incorporated.  Will you lead your business with character? Or will you simply make others feel good by talking about what they want to hear?

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Identify my Standard for Influence

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All!

Identify my Standard for Influence

• What standard will I base my life upon?
• Your standards are either good or they're not — and it's not really a consistent standard if it has to be readjusted everywhere you go! Just because you go somewhere else, should you really be less honest, less trustworthy, or less responsible? Wherever you go, take your standards with you! And unless they get a regular workout, they become soft and flabby, rather than firm and strong.
• Do I have a standard that stays consistent?
• Am I willing to consistently and continually compare my actions and behaviors to my standard?
• My standard is not temporary. It is with me at all times and places. No matter what!
• My standards can’t be forced on others, but must be lived out loud for others to see.
• I must be willing to be responsible for my actions and behaviors to be a person of influence.
• You may be wondering what does this standard look like?  Here are some examples that my students have shared with me over the years.  We call this list – Admirable Qualities:

4

I am trustworthy and honest

My mind is clear and I am open-minded

I am determined and motivated

Healthy and strong willed

I have inner strength

I am brave

I will not settle

I am responsible

I am wise

Sincere and Authentic

I am a winner

I am enthusiastic and energetic

I have character

I am compassionate

I am optimistic and disciplined

Reliable

I have inner strength

And desire

I have a dream

I use my time wisely

I have passion

I am forgiving

I am goal oriented

And grateful

I finish what I start

Have a great week,

Sincerely,

Pete Hinojosa

Thank you for reading this Life Warm-Up!

A.G. "Pete" Hinojosa

Founder and President

Omega Quest

281.360.0861 office

Life Warm Up's - Influence or Control - Running Your Influencer Inc. Life

Welcome to this week's Life Warm-Up™ -

Building Your Influencer Inc. Company

Howdy All!

The main themes involved in the Influencer, Incorporated title are these:

• You are responsible for your own life and career advancement - even if you “have a job,” understand that you really are self-employed by your own “company.”
• Your “company” offers products and services — this means everyone you meet is a potential customer or investor, in you!
• Loyal customers are developed by establishing mutually profitable relationships.
• You can choose between two business models, either “Controller, Ltd.” or “Influencer, Inc.”
• The first model seeks success by pursuing self-interest and manipulating others for personal gain.
• The second model seeks success by pursuing mutual benefit with a sincere desire to help others.
• The first model operates through negative control of others.
• The second model operates through positive influence on others.
• Influence is a powerful thing.  This week think about how each person you meet can be either positively or negatively influenced by you!

Come and see me at http://www.petehinojosa.com/