Daily Boost Motivation and Coaching

It's such a simple question that it causes people to get a blank look in their eyes. A few years ago, I visited friends who lived and worked on the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Yes, people live there - thousands of them. The drive into town is too far to commute - but that was okay with my friends. They had recently switched careers, packed up, and moved to become Park Rangers. They were right where they wanted to be. It was late in the day when we settled into the guest room of their home and headed to the dinner table. I had been driving all day and was feeling a little fidgety. "So, what do you guys do for fun around here?" He looked at me like the fast-paced city slicker I was and said,  "I've been having fun all day - even at work." I didn't get it - yet. It turns out that his life change taught him that having fun is a sneaky little thing. Fun likes to show up when you are not paying attention and in the moment, whether wasting time or working.  In my career, I've asked people what they do for fun many times - They are either in a materialistic chase for something our society has told us is fun. Or... They have forgotten that what they do naturally when they are not paying attention, can be more satisfying than they think. And, there it is. When you stop looking down the road for fun that you think will be more fun, you'll realize that you are already having a good time.  No chasing required. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you striving for something different but don’t know where to begin? I have a client who is 100 pounds overweight and decided to get healthy. She had no idea how. My advice was simple. If your mind is telling you something you are doing is NOT who you are - it’s time to make an easy change: If you know lousy food is NOT who you are - give it up. If your lack of exercise is NOT who are you - give it up. If lack of focus is NOT who you are - give it up. Give up anything that is NOT who you feel you are on the inside. You’ll like what remains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint."  But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time?  If you've been living on this planet for any time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints.  If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time. If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time. If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day.  The challenge happens when you have not defined the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that happens to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around.  There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success. Certain stamina is required to reach any goal. And society today celebrates your ability to put in the hard work no matter what.  There's only one problem.  If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly. Here's the truth; you will change when you wear yourself out.  Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will only put up with a less than satisfying path in life for only so long. Eventually, when you wear yourself out. When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out.  You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it.  So, what's the fix? The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better. The first is to define your destination with clarity.  Next, match your daily activity with your goals. Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you will change directions anyway.  You will change when you wear yourself out. You may well skip the bad stuff, make an adjustment, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was a teenager, I was a weekend moviegoer, and it was the age of Rocky, Star Wars, and Jaws. Besides, with only three channels on television, getting out of the house was the top item on my to-do list. As a kid with big dreams, it was easy for me to slip into the fantasy world of films and let my mind run for a couple of hours. By the end of the film, I was always excited to get on with life and become like the folks I watched in movies. That’s when life got in the way. Like many young folks, I graduated high school, charged into the world, and waited for Somebody else to lift me into my dreams. Well, things didn’t work out the way I expected. That’s when my mother-in-law gave me some very useful advice that I needed to hear — “You know, right now, Somebody needs what you have to offer, but because you’re sitting around the house, they don’t even know you exist. Get out there and let them know you are here.” I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve said to myself — “Somebody out there needs what I have to offer. My job is to find them and let them know I’m here.” It’s the same for you. If Somebody needs what you have to offer, your job is to find them and save their day. That’s how you write and star in your own life movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you have a roadmap for who you are and how you operate in the world?  If not, you need a ‘Who Am I’ document. Who Am I is not a mission statement. Who Am I is not a list of affirmations. Who Am I is not a value statement Who Am I is a personal cheat sheet that reminds you who you are and why you do what you do. How do you see yourself? How do others see you? How do you act in situations? When life gets in the way, you can always turn to your pre-determined ‘Who Am I,’ and you’ll always know how to respond. Remember - Inconsistency in behavior will whittle away at your soul. Consistency will make you stronger, less stressed, and happier. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn’t it be great if you had a plan to help you get what you want?  What you need is M.A.P.S. - a system that gets thinking out of the way and focuses on actions in four areas: Motivation: Everything begins with motivation and knowing ‘WHY’ you set your goals. Stay motivated. Accountability: Being accountable and accepting responsibility for your results will empower your success. ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me’ is a great way to get started. Planning: Plan your work and work you plan. It’s simple. If you can’t plan it, you won’t be able to do it. Systemization: The first steps of any worthy goal are difficult. As you get more comfortable with your process, lock in the actions and repeat them until you get what you want. Sustainability: Everything takes longer than you think. Make sure you set yourself up for the long haul. Momentum is built by stacking your accomplishments sequentially. The freedom you desire rests on a stable and repeatable foundation of Motivation, Accountability, Planning, Systemization, and Sustainability.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Has anybody ever said to you, "it's good to be a quitter?" Probably Not. But it turns out to be very good advice. Being a good quitter isn't an excuse. It should never be an option for making things easier. Instead, quitting is a wise choice. You choose to leave when your progress has stopped and you are going around in circles. That's when things get interesting. Once you are committed to an important idea, it can be challenging to allow yourself to quit. Are you stuck in a lousy job, terrible relationship, or destructive behavior? Your internal sense of "Identity" is always going to compel you to hold to the very end. That may not be wise. Listen closely when your inner voice begins to sound a warning. There's no need to wait for the inevitable. Trust your gut and change your direction fast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Wouldn’t it be great if you could create more time in your day without giving anything up?  The secret is how you prioritize the projects that are already on your plate. That requires a simple understanding: 1) Working on multiple projects simultaneously only delays the completion of all the projects. 2) When you complete a project, not only is it off your plate, it begins producing your expecting results sooner. It also frees up time to work on your next project. The next time that you are trying to find more time, ask - “What can I finish right now that will give me more time tomorrow - and every day after that?” You will love how you have so much more time in your day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Would you like to be happy every day of the week?  Maybe it's time to start thinking like a happy person? There's no magic to being happy, and rose-colored glasses are not required. Just start looking at your day-to-day life the way a happy person does. Give this a try: 1) Accept that being alive means you will run into occasional challenges. 2) Realize that dealing with challenges is a privilege of being alive. 3) Welcome frustration. It only means adjustments are required. Figure what to change and make it happen. 4) Accept responsibility for solving your challenges and fix them as soon as possible. Don't delay the inevitable. 5) Dealing with everything that life throws at you is easier when you get a great night's sleep. Have another great day tomorrow. You can borrow my daily recipe if you would like— Wake up, refreshed. Have a great day. Sleep like a baby. Repeat. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you wish you could find a mentor to help you along the way? Every mentor I’ve ever had has made sure that I possessed three characteristics for success before they agreed to work with me. Would you pass their test? 1) Do you have a burning desire to achieve your goals? 2) Are you a coachable person and prepared to accept the wisdom and guidance of others? 3) Do you have the willingness to undertake all actions to achieve your success? If the shoe were on the other foot, you would want those traits in someone that was asking for your help - right? Walk your talk. Talk your walk. That’s a great life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Are you a member of the Procrastination Club?  Procrastination is the intentional and habitual postponement of an essential task that you should be doing.  Is that what you are doing?  In my view, two things could be happening if you procrastinate - It may be possible that you are not procrastinating at all? Instead, you may be forcing yourself to do something that you don't need to do anyway. The other possibility is that it simply doesn't mean enough to you to start the process. Or, said another way, other things mean more to you. Yes, you must complete some tasks. That's called being a responsible person. But if your list keeps getting longer, it's time to ask yourself a question - Is it important enough to me to get it done?  If not, you know why you are procrastinating. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I woke up this morning with an incredible zest to expand my feeling of gratefulness. Well, there is not so much to expand as to recognize all the things that I am grateful for but haven’t thought about lately. That’s the thing about living in a fast-paced world where our daily activities, big and small, fly by and are quickly forgotten. It’s always been that way. There is nothing new in the world. That got me thinking about one of my favorite quotes — “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault As a no regrets kind of guy, I admit to sometimes not living in gratitude. Thankfully, the wisdom of others is always making sure I remember what is important— Here are a few of my favorites. “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”—Frank A. Clark “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” —Eckhart Tolle “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” —Estonian Proverb “Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”—William Faulkner “Enough is a feast.”—Buddhist Proverb “When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.”—Anthony Robbins “When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.”—Vietnamese Proverb “Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”—William Arthur Ward “A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all the other virtues.”—Cicero “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”—Robert Brault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Creating a difference in your life is a non-stop process that requires simple actions to help you get what you want. And it is, after all, about getting what you want and keeping what you love. You’ll always go through these steps: 1) Decide. Everything begins with your decision to head off in a new direction. While sometimes you may feel like you’ve made a decision, if you’re not moving, you haven’t. 2) Define. Aimless wandering is fun when that’s what you’ve decided to do. Otherwise, it’s frustrating, exhausting, and takes place more than you think. When you define your path, you get to walk your path. 3) Deploy. As dull as the advice may be, putting your plan into action is the only way for you to get what you want. If you don’t deploy, you don’t get it. 4) Defend. After working so hard to get what you want, you can guarantee that something or somebody will try to take away your results. That’s not good or bad. That’s life. When you find what you love, be sure to defend it so you never lose it. Simple. I like simple. Simple works! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I want to become the person I am meant to be. That’s something that I hear daily in my life from people all over the world. Frankly, beyond living a joyful life, I can’t think of anything more important than growing to become who you know you are on the inside. Most people tend to work in different areas of their life. All will say that family and friends are the most important, but they tend to focus on their career and legacy - especially after the kids move out. But here is a problem… For many years, most people, including myself, tended to get lost in developing specific areas of their lives while others were on hold. While outwardly successful, they wouldn’t be on the phone with me if everything was going perfectly. It’s not, it’s hit or miss, and that is causing sleepless nights. A solution is an ALL-IN approach to living. Over time, I’ve developed the solid belief that whatever you deem as your ultimate best use of your life will only happen after you have evolved every area of your life - and do it every day. Focusing on your business and achieving success at the highest levels only happens when the other areas of your life are balanced. Raising your children to be the best can only happen when the other areas of your life balance. Developing your spiritual being will only happen at a deeply satisfying level when all other areas of your life are balanced. In other words, you will only achieve your personal best when your body, mind, relationships, and finances are working in synchronicity to support your journey: any other strategy is hit or miss.  The goal is simple. Every day you should do something to develop, maintain, and grow every critical area of your life. It doesn’t have to be big, but it does have to happen. No, things won’t be perfect every day, but it’s incredible how all those imperfect days add up to a pretty good life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've always believed goal setting is the heartbeat of our lives.  Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools you have to create your best life. My question to you is… do you know what your best life is supposed to be? I came upon my belief not from a book or a guru but from a realization I had many years ago. I found I was happy when I was chasing something bigger than myself that was also in alignment with how I felt on the inside. I was unhappy when I was checking items off my list and not honoring my true self. After years of pondering, I concluded that a purposeful outcome would eliminate frustration and boredom and generate excitement and enthusiasm.  That leads me to the two definitions of goals: 1) The end toward which effort is directed. 2) An area or object toward which players in various games attempt to advance a ball or puck and usually through or into which it must go to score points. Most people treat goals like the number two, a To-Do list with a short-term outlook. People who focus on the first definition are long-term thinkers. But what's the real difference? What "end" do you place your focus on? Heartbeat goal-setters know there are many "ends" before the ultimate termination point we call goal achievement. That's what excites and drives them. They purposely focus on that 'end.' Everything else is a step in the journey that is only needed to get to their pre-determined outcome. Heartbeat goal setting. It's purposeful goal setting that ignites a fire in your belly, gives you a mission, and makes you happy. Everything else is an item on your To-Do list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices