This issue is made up of the following sections:

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
2. Questions for Growth
3. Reality Check

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips

Personal effectiveness is all about doing things smarter and getting better results. One of the best ways I know to improve personal effectiveness is to establish an effective people network in your life. A good people network serves multiple functions:

1. Support in times of challenge and need

2. Appropriate "kicks in the butt" in times of irrationality

3. Encouragement and applause in times of success

Do you currently have an effective people network in your life? If you don't, you are missing a key ingredient in improving your ability to succeed in your personal and business ventures. Here are some tips to immediately improve your people network:

• Seek out interaction with people that are in similar positions as you. For instance, if you are starting your own business, make time to interact with others who are also starting their own businesses. You can learn from each other's mistakes without necessarily having to go through it yourself.

• Surround yourself with "no" people rather than "yes" people. "Yes" people give you the answers you want, when you want them. They are afraid to be honest with you, and would rather appease you than challenge you. On the contrary, "no" people are not afraid of putting a label to your mistakes or stupidity. They value your integrity enough to challenge you when you need it the most.

• Make sure you operate within your "circle of competence." This means that you do not waste time attempting to understand household plumbing if it takes precious time away from other priorities in your life, such as family or friends. Find a professional at a good price and let them do their job. This also means that you hire good help in areas where you are less effective. Let their strengths accentuate yours. Your productivity will soar.

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2. Questions for Growth

As always, good questions beget good answers. The questions for the month of December are as follows:

1. What is one relationship that you have been neglecting (either intentionally or unintentionally) that, if revived and maintained, would increase the amount of support/encouragement/reality checks in your life?

2. How many books have you read this year? How many books outside of your typical "reading list" have you read?

3. What are your life priorities? (You should be able to name your top five without much thought)

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3. Reality Check

One uniquely human endeavor is our need or desire to be the best in whatever we do. Though somewhat similar to perfectionism (last month's topic), this need is much different. It is possible, for instance, to be the best at something without being perfect at it. You can be the best salesman in town and still have had your share of missteps and doors slammed in your face. However, one of the most common issues I have come across in my work in the field of personal performance is the need to be the best. Think about it this way: for most issues or concerns in your life, is "seeking the best" really the easiest or most effective answer? When you are hungry for a hamburger, do you have to have "the best hamburger around?" Or, is it more realistic that you choose to eat a decent hamburger at a restaurant that's on your way home or close to work? Better, not best, works. Likewise, in your professional life, realize that most customers follow this rule also. They want good products, effective services, solid interactions. Can you provide these? Of course. Do you need to be the best in these areas? No. It's a rather simple rule to follow that will decrease your anxiety and increase your confidence in your personal and/or professional effectiveness.

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