What's Next For You?

Feeling "stuck" - or like you aren't realizing your potential?

Maybe you need something "pulling" you to your future?  Maybe you need to clarify what you don't want as much as what you do want?

The most successful people have both: 1. Some kind of "north star" that provides a purposeful reason to move in a particular direction in their life and 2. Boundaries that keep them on track. 

For the first part, consider developing a "next goal" that guide your decision about what steps to take each day/week/month to move you in a direction that is best for you.  Otherwise, you end up taking random choices/actions that lead...wherever you end up.  Hint: Wandering is NOT a productive long-term life strategy.

Another thing that helps prevent wandering is the second issue: boundaries. It's been said that "a worthless, dead swamp is just a river with no banks".  Having something to guide your "water" so it is productive and alive is critical.

(Cue wails from naysayers whining "But we don't want to live some boring, pre-determined, robotic life!")

Consider this: It's important to realize that having some kind of plan does NOT mean being restricted to everything being planned.  Life is too unpredictable to expect everything to go according to plan.  The most successful people create a "plan as of now based on what I know about the current circumstances - while being open to any opportunities that pop up that align with my definite dreams/desires" approach.  Having and working the initial plan, but always being aware of Life's surprises/options as they become available on the journey.

This allows you to realize your optimal potential - taking advantage of life's "surprises" when they happen, but in-between those moments, forging ahead towards goals you know you want (resisting those things you know you don't want!)

But it requires you to consider, decide, and take action!

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Priorities Get Done

Most of us wish we got more done during a typical day.  Specifically, more of the right things (and less of the wrong things...but that's another blog entry!)  Anyway, the truth of the matter is this: We do what we most want to do.

[Enter howls of pained disagreement here]

Don't believe me?  If you can find one person (just one!) who is getting as much as you want to do, then it is possible.  The problem is that you are not doing what it takes to get it all done.

Studying the most successful people shows a very interesting pattern:

1. They are crystal clear about what they want to accomplish and why
2. They say "no" to (almost) everything that doesn't include #1
3. They prioritize the things that they want to accomplish

What makes this interesting to me is that all three depend on each other to work.  Here's a litmus test: Create a common hypothetical action - something like "see a doctor".  If that action is important enough, you will make it happen.  Period.

Okay, now most people start creating hypothetical excuses: What if I get a flat tire?  What if my boss calls me on the phone?  What if...?

If it is truly a priority, then you would make it happen.  While we're dealing in hypotheticals, why not consider THESE situations: What if it was a life or death doctor's visit for a loved one?  What if I lost my life savings if I didn't go?  What if I was getting a million dollar check by making that appointment?  Yep, "magically", you'd be able to make that doctor appointment.  You'd do whatever it took to arrange everything else to make SURE that you were there.

Because it was that important to you.

If you want things done, make them enough of a priority to push less important things out of the picture.  If they truly are not a priority, then work them out of your life.  (Yes, you CAN do that.)  With a little extra effort (of the right kind), you may find that YOU are the role model for getting things done!

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

May Your New Year Be Revolting

Instead of making this new year a continuation of your same old typical routine (make lame resolutions, trudge along and settle), why not try something a little different...and possibly better?

Make it revolting.

Yes, that sounds strange.  But think of it this way:

Life changes.  Your lifestyle choices should change along with your continuously refining priorities and preferences.  You are not the same person you were 10 years ago - or even last year.  Why continue with the same (tired) approach to planning/living out your life? 

Instead, try taking a stand and revolting against anything that is holding you back from achieving your true potential!  Get righteously indignant!!  Be bold!!

Try something (ANYthing!) you've never tried.  This year, refuse to go through the motions of the usual New Year's Resolutions - and commit to a New Year's REVOLUTION!

Let go of the fear of failure and leap into something with a beginner's learning attitude.  (When was the last time you actually learned something NEW?)  Let go of being the poised, mature adult and experiment in a brand new arena.  Pick something you've always wanted to try, but "haven't gotten around to".  In fact, PLAN/TAKE ACTION on exploring things you haven't even considered.  You may discover a talent or interest you never knew - because you never experimented with that topic/hobby/pastime before.

Think of what amazing experiences are out there just waiting for you to take action!  The world is BURSTING with possibilities!  The Internet alone allows you access to limitless options.  Imagine what you can achieve!

But it all begins with YOU.  Are you willing to start a revolution this year?  You may find your efforts become the catalyst for that breakthrough you've been hungering for all these years.

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Being A Sore...Winner?

No one wants to be a "sore loser" - a term we've all heard since childhood.  It describes a person who is hurt because they lost.

I'm in the midst of a big move - daily lugging heavy boxes (thousands of books!) and other assorted heavy items - and I've been sore every day for the past 3 weeks.  As the muscles throughout my body scream in revolt, something occurred to me:

Have you ever thought of anyone being a "sore winner"? 

Winners achieve as a result of hard work.  Hard work stretches your abilities.  This is why winners who are consistently successful are constantly striving to grow and improve - keeping them on top.

The natural consequence of pushing your capabilities is pain.  It is a pain that most people are not willing to endure.  When you talk with successful people, they will admit that the sacrifices made to achieve their goals hurt, but it was worth it. 

Every winner is sore, you just won't hear them whining about it.  Even when they (temporarily) lose, they understand that it is part of the progression (investment) towards ultimately winning. An investment that requires commitment, courage, and tenacity.  It is these three things that allow a winner to face the inevitable discomfort and gut through what it takes to realize their goals.

So, in the midst of all the challenges you are facing today - are you willing to be a sore...winner?

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

The Medicine Can Become The Poison

Life isn't perfect.  Sometimes mistakes are made.  If we aren't adequately committed to doing the right things to be healthy, we can become ill - feeling weak, miserable, and generally creating sub-par performance in everything we do.  In times such as these, the right medicine can help us get better.  When appropriate, this is a good thing to improve our well-being.  This also holds true (metaphorically) for organizations. 

The problem comes when the person (or organization) stops trying to take care of themselves because it's easier to depend (too much) on the medicine to make them feel healthy...instead of doing what it takes to genuinely be healthy.

In times such as these, the medicine can actually become like a poison - slowly undermining the person's ability to function effectively.  The body develops a resistance to the medicine, which causes the effectiveness of the medicine to diminish and the symptoms to get worse...unless the "dosage" is increased. 

Just like an addict of any kind, when the body expects a "medicine" to help it be happy/healthy, the natural consequences is a downward cycle.  It always continues to get worse until the person a) dies or b) decides to take on the hard work required to get "naturally" happy/healthy...by eating right, exercising, and practicing other good habits.  Enabling people can actually kill them!

The same holds true for organizations.  When a "medicine" (bailouts, subsidies, lack of competition, etc.) manipulates the company's circumstances and the business begins to depend on that support to simply survive every day, the medicine becomes a poison that will continue to undermine the health of that organization until it goes out of business or changes direction.  Building disciplined leadership, accountability to non-negotiables, engagement, integrity, and excellence throughout an organization is hard work - but it always results in success.

Here's the key: Ignoring a problem will not make you safer from it.  In business and in our personal lives, sometimes - if we really care enough - we have to show TOUGH love.

In what ways is your organization dependant?  Are you "coasting" through your workdays or actively pursuing improvement?  What would it take to conduct an "intervention"?

Think about it.  But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Good Memories Are Built

Think about all your fondest memories. Your first kiss. Your favorite vacation. The time your life changed for the better.

Imagine what it would be like to NOT have those memories.

Imagine what it would be like to have MORE fond memories.

So, what causes these valuable "I'm a better person because I experienced that" memories?

To figure this out, let's break it down:

• You recall them because they are significant.


• They are significant because you were involved.


• You were involved because you opted to be actively engaged in the activity.


• You were actively engaged because you took the risk - the first step - in embracing whatever (and wherever) that activity would take you.

Bottom line: All these great memories are the result of you initiating (or at least responding to) whatever the NEW activity was. If you hadn't been open to trying that new experience or had the courage to take those steps to be involved, you would not have those memories.

And what a shame that would be. Especially since enjoying those memories are simply a result of something YOU control: Actively trying something new.

So, you want more memories? You want a fuller legacy? Get more active. Consider those dreams you've had about visiting a special place or connecting (or re-connecting?) with someone or attempting that new thing that you've always wanted to try. Those memories won't happen until you take that first step.

And there's no time like the present to create more good memories. (You're worth it!)

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

New DAY Resolutions

Having a big, audacious goal is wonderful - but the only way to achieve it is one step at a time. So, instead of focusing on tackling the large-scale resolutions for the new year, try accomplishing them by focusing on the incremental improvements EVERY day.

Simply said, do what world-class leaders do: Resolve to be better today than you were yesterday. Every day, take a measurable advancement toward your larger goal.

Take time daily to consider specific goals for that day. Something do-able that is a legitimate improvement regarding your physical, mental, emotional, financial, or spiritual health. Ideally, some small thing in each catagory - but don't aim too high at first. The strategy is to grow into the habit of making healthy habits! Perhaps start with one area each day - rotate them or prioritize them based on what motivates YOU best.

Then (this is critical), you must DO something that day. Your efforts must be DAILY in order to create a habit. The key is to NOT break the chain of behaviors. No matter what, do SOMEthing. It is the consistency that ingrains the behavior into your life for ongoing, sustainable results.

One great tip is to establish a "5 minute kick start". You can do ANYthing for 5 minutes - then decide at that point if you want to continue. (It's astounding how often a 5 minute workout - or any other temporarily distasteful "good for you" activity - can turn into a full-blown workout, just from starting!) You'll find that it eventually gets to be a habit...one that helps make you the "YOU!" you've aspired to be all your life!

Think about it. But more importantly do something about it...today!

Bringing Learning To Life

Sometimes I get really frustrated at how people settle for less than they should. Have you ever asked yourself why more people/organizations aren't achieving their potential?

So, how do the most successful leaders bridge the gap between knowing and doing - and get better results that the average people? There are several keys to this elusive process:

Value it. Identify WHY you want to do it. Consider your motivation for starting - regarding the ultimate outcome or benefit. Many times, people surprise themselves by realizing they really do NOT care enough about the outcome to initiate action. If you are sufficiently motivated, then this provides the fuel for your efforts - but you still need the rest of the formula. Your plan must include accountability throughout the remainder of this 4 step process.

Know it. Here's a surprising factoid: People generally don't fail because they are ignorant. In my experience, about 85% of the time, I hear people say "I know that", but then they fail to DO that effective behavior. Those who get results make sure to know What AND How. Often, people think they know, but there is a gap between what they know (vague, big picture) and what they need to know (relevant details). This extra effort separates the ordinary from the extraordinary.

Do it. Skills require more than knowledge. The next step is to translate internal knowledge to external behaviors. Experiment. Practice. Try new things. The key is START! Getting "hands on" with the idea as soon as possible is vital. Habits/success are created by consistent behaviors. Make sure you are practicing your new skills every day. The cumulative total of your actions is what ultimately gets the results.

Share it. Once you've actually achieved some level of success, the best way to solidify the experience (for yourself and for your organization) is to teach it to others. Provide opportunities for colleagues to attempt the new behaviors in the same kind of process you used. You'll find that "teaching others to fish" will help you to multiply your results AND leave a legacy of excellence - optimizing YOUR life!

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Breaking The Comfort Cycle

Want to make a dramatic improvement in your life? Here's a great place to start: Breaking the human nature cycle we all encounter that goes something like this...

1. You realize you're uncomfortable with some experience (public speaking, new technology, etc.) so you convince yourself that you'll never be any good at it.
2. You avoid doing that thing you're uncomfortable with (because it's painful.)
3. A situation arises where you can't avoid doing it (that's just the way it is.)
4. You don't prepare sufficiently (because you avoid the painful discomfort as much as possible).
5. You have another bad experience (the natural consequences of not practicing/preparing enough).
6. You convince yourself that you'll never be any good at it and swear that you'll never do it again (which is not true - if you practiced, you would be better.)
7. Repeat.

Avoiding something that is part of professional (and/or personal) life is foolish. An unavoidable situation will arise eventually - and it will continue to be painful until you learn from it and break through the discomfort.

Accepting these uncomfortable trials with courage and discipline will break the vicious cycle. Not only will it get "less uncomfortable" (not everything in life eventually gets comfortable), but you'll benefit from getting better at the experience.

Discipline and hard work on things that are uncomfortable aren't very sexy, but it is the only way to gut through these situations. A little extra effort can earn you that breakthrough you've been wanting.

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!

Digging Deeper. Going Farther.

There's a whole lotta talk going on these days. Talk about being different and better. Talk about engaging employees and customers. Talk about leadership excellence and operational effectiveness and strategy and tactics.

But very little results. Why is that? What do proven winners do differently to achieve those outcomes?

Well, the operative word is: DO!

When it comes down to separating the ordinary from the extraordinary, the key is consistent execution. Those who succeed eventually stop talking and start doing.

How do they do that, when it's not always clear about what to do?

In order to get to the root issues (and, therefore, the root actions required), world-class leaders don't just talk superficially about what makes their business different and better. They dig deep and get into the details of their unique target market and confront the difficult work of knowing their customers, their industry, and themselves.

[Pop quiz: What is the one thing that you do better than anyone else? What - specifically - makes you different than the many other options your customers have? And why should your customers really care? Hint: Your competition probably know this. You had better make sure your customers do too!]

Then, using that valuable information, world-class successes build the discipline (not a sexy or comfortable word so most business/self-help books shy away from this) to consistently implement - in alignment with what their customers want most and what they do differently/better than anyone else.

Simple, but not easy. Take the time to dig deeper this week - so you can go farther than you've ever gone before. You, and your customers, deserve that.

Think about it. But more importantly, do something about it...today!