While liposuction, plastic surgery, teeth whitening and new clothes can make an ugly duckling look like a swan, the person remains the same on the inside. Lack of discipline, ignorance and bad habits will cause the "fat" to return and eliminate the good looks over time. People and organizations that solely rely on external alterations or well-meant iniatives rarely achieve sustained improvement.

Lottery winners often struggle to handle newfound wealth and fame, psychologists say, and many become tied up in lawsuits or estranged from family and friends. One study claimed that instant millionaires have about the same level of happiness as recent accident victims.

-- Gavin McCormick, December 26, 2003, Las Vegas Sun

Why the high interest in extreme makeovers? It's probably because people, families, business leaders and employees are not happy with their current situations. Chuck Swindoll offers an answer. "Things aren't as they should be. Everywhere we look, something's wrong. Integrity is the exception rather than the rule. Rip-offs are commonplace. The happily married husband and wife are a rarity." (1)

What do you or your organization need? Do you need more joy, more cash, more health, more energy, or more profit? Or do you want less hassle, less troubles, less stress or less debt? Any or all are possible with an internal makeover.

If you or your business is tired of hitting mulligans -- doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results -- try an extreme makeover. The good news is that a trip to the Betty Ford Clinic to break your addiction to routine results is not required. Instead, here is a more practical list of sources for an internal makeover:

Books. Books are a resource for makeover ideas that you can internalize. I highly recommend The Power of Full Engagement by Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz. They heightened my awareness that managing energy, not time, is the key to high performance and personal renewal at both home and the office. Time alone does not result in value. Meaningful, measurable value results from a combination of time and energy -- physical, emotional, mental, spiritual energy.

Role models. People you admire are a good resource for makeover ideas. Think of someone you deeply respect. Write down three qualities in this person you admire most and take steps to make yourself like them. One man I highly respect is Barry Cameron, co-author of my book The Principles. His faith, discipline and debt-free lifestyle have had a major impact on how I lead my personal and professional life.

Purpose. Finding purpose can result in an extreme makeover. Rick Warren has sold 15 million copies of The Purpose Driven Life. Apparently there are millions of men and women searching for a meaningful purpose to inspire and direct their personal and professional lives. "Purpose is a unique source of energy and power. It fuels focus, direction, passion and perseverance." (2)

Benchmarks. Benchmarking can lead to a makeover. Organizations that need hope or a P&L makeover can benefit from comparing practices with peers. Comparing opens communication and the opportunity for change. ICMS is guiding a group of home healthcare companies to use Activity Based Management to identify and implement activity best practices. If the group implements each other's best practice activity methods during the next year, the cost to serve customers will drop by as much as 85 percent!

Social events. Workshops, professional meetings and conferences are sources of makeover ideas. Go expecting to pickup nuggets of useful information. Several years ago I did an extreme makeover of my presentation style after attending a Bob Pike Train-the-Trainers workshop. To be a successful trainer Bob said, "Instead of being the sage-on-the-stage, be the guide-on-the-side." Instead of getting audiences to listen to me, Bob helped me properly focus on listening to my audience.

Consultants. Consultants are a source of makeovers. Jim and Judy Cash, owners of Stanley Industries, wanted a P&L makeover -- improved profits -- for their fastener distribution business. ICMS implemented a simplified approach to Activity Based Costing (ABC) called Gross Margin Profiling. "This Gross Margin Profiling has really opened our eyes, and helped us to sell the staff on the importance of knowing all the facts before assuming that a customer, or an order, is profitable," says Judy. "It has also given us reason to speak with certain customers that were not profitable, and to work out different arrangements to help turn them into a profitable customer."

Church. Church is a great source for an extreme makeover. I was vividly reminded watching Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ that I owe my greatest makeover to Jesus Christ. Because of Him I am born-again with a forgiven past and a promised future.

Tired of your current situation? Need a makeover? If so, start by getting your butt in gear.

I'm not happy with current results but I'm not going to give up.
I'm not sure what to do but I'm going to find someone that does.
I'm sure it will be hard to change but I'm going to do it.

(1) Stonebriar Community Church, Charles Swindoll, 2004
(2) The Power of Full Engagement, Jim Loehr & Tony Schwartz, Free Press, 2003

TOM PRYOR is President and Founding Member of Integrated Cost Management Systems, Inc. (ICMS), a training, coaching and software firm specializing in Activity Based Management. Prior to creating ICMS, he held financial management positions with Motorola, Johnson & Johnson, and General Motors. He is former editor of The Journal of Cost Management. Tom has authored numerous articles and books including: Pryor Convictions: 31 Insights into ABM, Activity Dictionary, Using ABM for Continuous Improvement, and Activity Based Management: A Healthcare Industry Primer. Write to him at TomPryor@icms.net or call 817.483.6511.