The Journey to Success

Thursday August 20, 2015 #751

“The elevator to success is out of order. You’ll have to use the stairs…One step at a time.” 

~Joe Girard

Whenever you are feeling beaten down by the challenges that life throws at you, and you want to scream out your frustration on things not being easier, remember this quote.  There truly is no easy path to worthwhile and satisfying success.  There are always long paths to go down, detours to take, and obstacles to overcome.  Revel in each step you take that brings you closer to your next milestone and try to be both pragmatic in the face of each challenge, and also conscious of the many small moments of joy and comradery, as well as the occasional big spurts of progress that are also a part of the journey.

Danger of Success

Tuesday March 24, 2015 #710

“Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.”

~Thomas J. Watson

Most people, teams, and organizations react in the same way to success:  An assumption that they have the right formula for success and so they decide to use that formula again and again.  Logically if you consider the extraordinary level of change occurring in our macro and micro economic environment today, it is obvious that the formula for success today can’t possibly be relied upon to continue to work.  Interestingly most people will never understand this.  They keep trying the same formula and are surprised, even devastated, when it doesn’t work.  The key is to pay attention to your environment.  Observe, learn, and adapt.  So be part of the unique few who not only understand this but act on it:  reinventing success daily through their curiosity, observations and ability to test new ideas.

Changing Your Thinking

Tuesday December 30, 2014 #691

“You are where you are right now because of your best thinking. If you want something different, change your thinking.”

~Tony Rush

You are an amazing talent. You are driven to succeed and keep yourself in action daily toward achievement of your professional and personal goals.  And yet…  You’re not satisfied with your progress or achievements.  What is happening?

Today’s quote asks us to stop, reflect, and rethink both our goals and our actions.  Take the time today to assess the goals you have laid out for your personal and professional life.  What have you experience and learned this last year?  How have your capabilities grown or changed?  Who has come into your life, or left it?

Does any of this require rethinking your goals?  If so, make the change today and begin altering your actions to move toward your revised goals.  If not, but you are still not satisfied with your progress, it is time to change your thinking – about your goals, about your capabilities and resources, and about the very actions you have been taking.

Experience, reflect, learn, change, repeat….

Stretch Your Mind!

Thursday July 3, 2014 #641

“One’s mind stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” ~Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr.

One of the common practices of extremist religious leaders is to forbid learning or exposure to materials not prescribed by their narrow world view.  This is because they know the biggest threat to their domination over their followers is exposure to alternative thinking.  This extreme example is also true in everyday life.  Politicians and marketers try to bombard their followers with evidence that their beliefs and benefits are correct and better than their competitors’.   Even parents, with every good intent, often seek to control their children’s access to only those people and inputs they deem acceptable.  However, the incredible nature of the human mind is its capacity to learn, grow and evolve through exposure to new ideas and disruptive concepts.  Education – and ongoing exploration and learning – is the driver of our ability to progress as individuals and as a people.

If you are in a position of leadership – as a parent, a manager, or a community leader, your obligation is to ensure your and your team’s thinking is challenged regularly to keep yourself and your team competitive, enlightened, and able to successfully evolve through the changing landscape.  Expose them and yourself to new ideas, radical thinking, and unrelated thought leaders.  Stretch your mind – it will never be the same.  And that is a very good thing!

True Belief

Thursday June 26, 2014 #639

“We think we believe what we know, but we only truly believe what we feel.” ~Laurence Gonzales

Logic and factual knowledge are great sources of strength you can and must use to bring context and understanding to ambiguous situations and problems.  However, the only thing that truly keeps us moving with commitment, drive and passion is our belief in ourselves, in others, and in our vision of the future.  And that belief is not due to logic or factual knowledge.  It is due to how we feel.

As leaders, we must provide our teams with a compelling vision of the future that they can believe in.  That vision must be grounded in fact, but even the seeming impossible can be achieved when people believe in their ability to do something great.

Determine your vision for your team’s success, articulate it with passion repeatedly, support efforts to make progress, and watch the magic happen.  And be sure to pay attention to how you and your team are feeling along the way.

Living a life of intention

Tuesday June 25, 2013 #535

 

“Attention is what steers your perception, controls your reality. It’s the gateway of the mind.”

~Apollo Robbins

 People go through their days – busy, doing things, talking to people, attending meetings, staring at their iPhones and tablets, laughing, crying, … living.  But with what intention?  I believe the key to progress, achievement, strong relationships, health, and ultimately our happiness is determined by what we choose to pay attention to.  If we focus on that which is in alignment with who and what we want to become, we will move toward those people and experiences.  If we focus on that which pulls us down, away from what we want to become, is it any wonder we don’t progress?

Each day, give yourself the space to reflect on what and who you are attending to and ensure you intentionally focus on who and what nourishes you.  It is your choice.  And you have the power to choose.

Perfectionism kills progress

Tuesday March 5, 2013 #503

 

“The person who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before making a decision, never makes a decision.”

 

~Joe Moore

 

Decisiveness is one of the most valued traits of successful leaders. So why do so many waffle on and on without making a decision and moving on to action?  Fear, insecurities, ineptitude, cowardice.  All these come into play.  But the most prevalent reason is the desire for perfect information and clarity before moving forward.  This perfectionism is a killer for progress.

 

What to do?  Have a clear vision of where you want to go.  Ensure you can confidently trust your sources of intelligence.  Gather enough data to be reasonably well informed.  If the decision involves significant investment in financial or human capital, your due diligence must be greater than less critical decisions.  But even these need not require perfect clarity.  Show your mettle as a leader:  Be confident, be consistent, be firm.  Decide and act.

Your choice: progress or regress

Tuesday February 19, 2013 #499

 

“There are no short-cuts to growth.  Embrace the unease of being inept as you take risks and conquer new ground.”

 

~Jenna Ryan

 

Every day we are faced with a choice:  Progress or regress.  Even standing still will produce regression, as the world moves on without you.  Rest is part of the progress, as you must recharge regularly to move forward – but do so intentionally and in healthy ways.

 

Progress requires a vision, hope, capability, competency, persistence, and always an action.  Nothing happens without action, and sometimes our unease, fears of ineptitude or failure stops us in our tracks.  Reach deep daily and remember that you have everything you need right now to push forward.  Take the step.  Act!

Courage to try again

Thursday January 31, 2013 #494

 

“Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.'”

 

~Mary Anne Radmache

 

You’ve made it through the first month of 2013.  Congratulations!  Reflect back on the month with gratitude for the people you’ve had the chance to be with and interact with.  Think about what you have learned from your experiences and interactions.  Give yourself kudos for the actions taken and progress made in those areas of life you have committed to improving – no matter how small the gains.  And finally, note the times you were not your best self and the opportunities to make progress that were missed due to your own choices.  But don’t beat yourself up for these.  Realize that you can try again tomorrow.  That each day holds the opportunity to move forward and to take the actions needed to be and achieve what you desire.

Break out!

Thursday August 16, 2012 #446

 

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.”

 

~Thomas Jefferson

 

What are you willing to try to achieve your goals?  Simply working harder at the same activities is unlikely to move the needle on your progress.  It is time to break out and try something you’ve never tried before.  Are you ready to make a leap in your effectiveness?