If you try to teach a pig to sing, two things happen: 1. Youannoythepig. 2. You waste your time–and your money! Each of us gets paid for our contribution to the marketplace, whether we have our own company or we work for someone else. It is the quality and quantity of our contribution that determines our value to the organization and the corresponding income we earn. Want to earn more money? Find a way to improve your service to others. Years ago I came across a formula–more like a natural law–that has stuck with me. You and I are paid in direct proportion to: 1. the demand for what we do 2. our ability to do that job, 3. the difficulty of replacing us. The most powerful asset you have is your earning ability. By applying your knowledge and skills to your work, you bring value to the customer, value to your employer, and value to yourself. You could lose everything (and I have a couple of times): your house, your car, your job, and your bank account. But as long as you still have your earning ability, you can make it all back and more besides. Hey, I know times are tough for many of my readers. Many a 401k has become a 201k. Clients are asking for more and for less money. What CAN you do? Well, one strategy is to go to work on your skills and knowledge; go to work on what you bring to the table. Be honest with yourself. Take stock of your unique talents and abilities. Would you say you are world class at what you do? Are you best in the country, best in the state, best in the county, best in the city, best in your community, or even best in your house? Pick one and be honest. Then go to work. A question I have been asking myself for over 20 years might just be the very thing that allows you to keep your job in tough times. It might be the very thing that creates the idea for a new product or service. Here it is: How can I increase my service to others? This question is simple, powerful, and rarely asked or answered. Here are some additional questions for you to ask yourself early in the morning or on the next long drive or commute. Keep a pen or tape recorder handy; they are powerful questions: ␣ What is the best and highest use of my time? ␣ What is it I do especially well that few people can match? ␣ What am I really good at? ␣ What comes easy to me? ␣ What has been responsible for past success AND was fun? ␣ What have I received praise and compliments for? ␣ If I could do any part of my job, what aspects would I choose that are high-leverage? ␣ What is my contribution to this organization and how can I increase it? Once you know the answers to these questions, chances are you have identified your bliss. When you are following your bliss, you “time distort” and lose track of time. It’s naturally fun and easy. When I am speaking, facilitating, writing, and consulting, time flies. They are the four elements of my work that represent my bliss. If I invest 80 percent of my time in these activities, they are the best and highest use of my time. My most successful clients are the ones who have identified what they do well and most enjoy. You cannot do everything. Expectations keep changing; we are being asked to do more with less. When you leverage the magical 20 percent that dramatically improves your contribution, you have more energy, more peace of mind, and more security. Now is not the time to take it easy. I dislike the phrase Take it easy. NO! Show up early, stay late, and work smarter. Ever notice that people who say it are not at the top of their game? They tend to be on the bottom rung of the socio-economic ladder. Innovate. THINK! Bring some new ideas to your boss that will lower operating costs or increase sales. Let everyone else take it easy. Consider delegating those tasks that waste your time, don’t bring you joy, you loathe, and, hey, you are not good at! Invest that time in improving your knowledge and skills in high-leverage activities. Invest in yourself. Twenty years ago, in the midst of a recession, I started attending seminars on my own dime. I began poring through every sales book I could find. I went to work on my skills and service to others. This is the key to unlocking your personal and professional potential. Forget trying to teach a pig to sing. He will only get madder than he already is.