The Seven Minute Difference: Small Steps to Big Changes

274 Pages·2006·3.5 MB·English

by  Allyson Lewis

“Change happens the moment you decide to change. $20.00
$25.00 CAN
In The Seven Minute Difference, Allyson Lewis spells it out!”
General Business
—DAVID BACH,#1 Bestselling Author of The Automatic Millionaire
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR T You’re Just Seven Minutes Away
H From Unlocking Your Purpose,
The Seven Minute Difference
Knowledge, and Passion!
E
P “With humor and flair, Allyson Lewis’ The Seven Minute Difference
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ans The Secret M Lewis motivates business professionals to grow
through micro-actions that can be completed in
Allyson Lewishas coached thousands of “This fast-moving, practical book is loaded with great ideas you can i as little as seven minutes. Small efforts such as
n
executives at America’s premier corporations use immediately to get better results.” making two extra sales calls, having a daily action
u
while maintaining a highly successful career as plan, reading ten pages of a book per day, or
—BRIAN TRACY,Bestselling author of TurboCoach t
a financial advisor and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL e getting up 15 minutes earlier can make the
PLANNERTMpractitioner for a major New York difference between mediocrity and excellence.
“ D
brokerage firm. A living example of The Seven Playing major league baseball for 15 years allowed me to follow
Minute
Minute Difference,Lewis watched her personal my dreams. Allyson Lewis’ inspiring and practical ideas can take you i The Seven Minute Differencewill help you to:
” f
business grow more than 67 percent in 2004. from dreaming about your future to living out your dreams. f
e • Define a mission and action plan that
Recognized as an opinion leader, Lewis has —DON KESSINGER, Six-time National League All-Star Shortstop
r supports change
appeared on CNN, Bloomberg Television, and Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals, and Chicago White Sox e
many regional radio and television programs. n • Implement change and keep the momentum
Other books by the author include The Million c going
Dollar Car & $250,000 Pizza(Dearborn Trade, e
• Paint the canvas of your life and map out
2000).
Difference your goals
• Prioritize, organize, and simplify your work
The Seven Minute Differenceincludes and home life to achieve greater efficiency
L
exercises, worksheets, and self assessments to e
w
help chart your progress to productivity. i Drawing upon years of experience as a
s
Please visit http://www.sevenminutesinc.com motivational speaker and financial advisor,
for more information. Lewis delivers concrete examples, anecdotes,
S M A L L S T E P S T O
and sage advice that have helped thousands of
B I G C H A N G E S executives, entrepreneurs, and managers transform
their lives. Take her clear principles to heart, and
start on the road to greater productivity and
growth—today!
A l l y s o n L e w i s
i
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard
to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not
engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or
other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person
should be sought.
President, Kaplan Publishing: Roy Lipner
Vice President and Publisher: Maureen McMahon
Senior Acquisitions Editor: Michael Cunningham
Production Editor: Leah Strauss
Typesetter: Caitlin Ostrow
Cover Designer: Michael Warrell, Design Solutions
© 2006 by Allyson Lewis
Published by Kaplan Publishing,
a division of Kaplan, Inc.
All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced
in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
06 07 08 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lewis, Allyson.
The seven minute difference : small steps to big changes / Allyson Lewis.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-4195-3723-7
1. Success in business. 2. Life skills. 3. Self-realization. I. Title.
HF5386.L577 2006
650.1—dc22
2005035795
Kaplan Publishing books are available at special quantity discounts to use for sales
promotions, employee premiums, or educational purposes. Please call our Special
Sales Department to order or for more information at 800-621-9621, ext. 4444,
e-mail [email protected], or write to Kaplan Publishing, 30 South
Wacker Drive, Suite 2500, Chicago, IL 60606-7481.
Dedication
To
Mark, Abby, and J. Mark
Ann and Al
Al III
Kes and Sam
Gloria and Jim
and
Jill
. . . my family.

Contents
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction xi
1. Discovering Your Purpose—and Passion 1
2. Expanding Your Possibilities for Growth—Seven Minutes
at a Time 35
3. Choosing Success—Every Day 65
4. Exceeding Your Customers’ Expectations 95
5. Powering Growth through Momentum 129
6. Pushing Past the One-Yard Line and Breaking through to
Peak Performance 155
7. Life-Changing Decisions, Life-Changing Actions 187
Appendix: Resources and Recommended Reading 215
Index 239
v

Acknowledgments
.. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. ..
Books are not really written with pen and ink, nor are they
simply typed on a keyboard. The words read here grew in my
heart and came to life with the help of many friends and sup-
porters. I’d like to thank all of them here.
First, I want to acknowledge my God for all the blessings
he has given to all of us. There is no greater gift than His son,
Jesus Christ.
Next, I thank my husband, Mark Lewis, and my children,
Abby and J. Mark, for the joy they bring me. Love from your
family gives you the freedom to dream, to grow, and to believe
that you can be different tomorrow than who you are today.
They are my inspiration and from them I learn what true love
really is. I also thank my parents, Ann and Al White. Their
love and support stands tall in my soul.
Susan Naylor has been my friend and co-worker for the
past 12 years. She was a major contributor to this project.
While I write about Seven Minute Ideas and micro-actions,
Susan has taught me many of these concepts through the way
vii
viii Acknowledgments
she lives and works. I want to express my gratitude to her for
all of her encouragement and inspiration.
Other friends who helped with this book include:
Laura Allen, Lauren Appleby, Karen and Michael Berry,
Cindy and Bill Brown, Tenny and Eric Brown, Jennifer and
Max Dacus, Donna Evans, Jama and Wallace Fowler, Jeanne
and Dave Grossman, Grant Hinkson, David Herdlinger,
Sharon and Glenn Jones, Nellen and Steve Jones, Laura and
Keith Kessinger, Dr. Florence Krause, Corley Madden,
Vicky Massengill, Richard McKeown, Sharon and Harris
Milligan, Barbara Reinhart, Bob Riley, Amy Tyler, Jeanne
and Les Wyatt.
Additional friends and business associates who have had a
profound impact on my life include: Jeff Adams, Greg Allen,
Mike Arundel, Olin Atkins, Emily Bach, Paul Baranivsky,
Ray Basile, Bob Bass, David Bettis, Mag Black, Mimi Bock,
Doug Brown, Michael Burke, Connie Chartrand, Kathy
Comerford, David Darst, Christi Edwards, Robert Fort,
Christin Galloway, Paul Green, Raj Gupta, Ray Harris, Peggy
James, Henry Kaplan, Larry Karban, Jack Kemp, Nancy
Kennedy, Laura Ladrigan, Lynn Lindsay, Todd Locicero, Joe
McAlinden, George McLeod, Scott McLeod, Mitch Merin,
Wendy Moy, Greg Powell, Normajean Practico, Al Ragsdale,
Rick Sanchez, Bert Simon, Ray Smesko, Colin Stewart,
Rebecca Stilwell, Ben Tarantino, Rondi Thornton, Kathy
Tully, Laura Van Orden, Dan Vacca, and Jeff Welday.
Acknowledgments ix
One of the best parts of writing this book was having the
opportunity to work with Lorna Gentry. Lorna has been a
writer for as long as I have been a financial advisor. I want to
thank her for her advice, suggestions, friendship, encourage-
ment, and expertise.
Many wonderful people at Kaplan Publishing have
worked closely with me to make this book a reality. For their
wise counsel and guidance throughout the project, I thank
Cindy Zigmund, Leslie Banks, Courtney Goethals, Eileen
Johnson, April Timm, Agnes Banks, Julie Marshall, Leah
Strauss, Caitlin Ostrow, Daniel Frey, Maureen McMahon,
Roy Lipner, and especially my editor, Michael Cunningham.
Finally, I want to thank those of you who are brave
enough to believe that change really does happen in an instant.
You are the real reason I have written this book. Keep
“GROWING” and may God bless you.

Allyson Lewis
Jonesboro, Arkansas
2006