Category: Motivation

Are You Accepting Your Future… Or Creating It?

No one can predict the future. The future is created by the actions we take. If we change our actions, we can change our future.

The end of 2016 is quickly approaching. The plans and goals we set for this year will either be accomplished or missed. I hope your year has been as successful and great as the vision you had last January.

I like to use this time of the year to reflect on the process I use to drive my results. Before I begin to define my goals for next year, I can improve my habits that drive my results. For 2017 to be better than 2016, we can’t just do the same things. Results only improve when you take actions to improve them. Here are some questions to think about as you prepare for next year.

1. Do you have a process to set goals that will make a difference in your life?

2. Do you have a process to review your progress?

3. Do you have a process to reflect on failure and success?

4. Do you have a process to adjust your plans if needed?

5. Do you have a process to celebrate small wins during the year?

6. Do you have a process to quantitatively measure your results?

7. Do you have a process for assessing your resources and fully utilizing them?

8. Do you have a process for prioritizing your actions to align with your goals?

That list of question may seem intimidating. The word “process” in every question reflects the requirement that achievement happens through the daily and weekly effort that you expend. It doesn’t happen by a stroke of luck.

I hope these questions have given you some ideas that will help you prepare for 2017, and where your normal process can improve. If you need help getting started, send me a message.

Just Getting Things Done

Recently when looking over my to-do list, I discovered a few items that have been on there for an extended period of time. I would imagine that if you did the same, you might find a couple old actions on your list also.

How does that happen? I diligently track my actions and projects. However, it just seems that some plans never become urgent enough to drive me to action. But they still needed to be done. Sound familiar?

The items that lingered on my list were not things that were difficult, or even overwhelming. They had one attribute in common. They were more difficult to integrate into the normal routine of my day. To complete them would mean going out of my way. I would be required to spend time that I did not want to relinquish.

Ironically, once I decide to do one of these lingering items, it usually takes very little effort at all.

Here is a solution that I have implemented that has helped me accomplish tasks that otherwise may just sit around for awhile. I schedule time in my calendar every other week specifically to tackle old action items. During this time I will review anything that is older than 2 weeks. If it no longer requires my attention, I delete it. If it requires action, I do it.

So far, it has helped in two ways. It has eliminated things that I no longer needed to do, and secondly it has kept some minor things from becoming urgent. If you have some tasks that are dragging you down by staying on your list too long, give this a try. It may help.

 

Do You Think Integrity Is Important?

If you ask a person if integrity is important to them, almost universally they will respond, “yes”. However, at times there is a gap between our values and our actions.

Recently, Wells Fargo was fined $185 million for fraud. It was apparent in the investigation and in the fine, that their fraudulent practices were widespread.

I am glad I don’t have any accounts with Wells Fargo. If I did, I would not hesitate to close them. But I suspect, many people will not. A year from now, Wells Fargo will still exist. They will be making a profit using someone’s money.

It makes me curious whether people choose not to worry about the integrity of their bank, or if they are willing to put up with a lack of integrity for some unknown reason. It could be that they are just apathetic.

It is a great example of how people value one thing, yet live out that value very differently. If we all truly valued integrity, Wells Fargo would soon be out of business.

Do you find this value gap disturbing? How do you keep yourself living according to your values?

 

5 Lessons I Have Learned From Bad Decisions

We can’t avoid making bad decisions in our life, because we all make mistakes. But we can work to minimize the number of bad decisions we make. We can also try minimize the negative impact they may have on our life.

I made one decision this week that cost me about $3000. It was a mistake. In retrospect, I could say it was stupid.

Not all bad decisions cost us money. We also pay through lost opportunities, lost time, or even lost friends. These bad decisions can weigh us down, affect our attitude, and make life more difficult.

But I have found that regardless of the decisions I have made, they are all in the past. Tomorrow arrives with new opportunities. I still wish I could minimize my bad decisions. Here are 5 causes of most of my bad decisions, and some things I try to improve.

1. Lack of Knowledge. It is difficult to make a decision when you are not informed. Decisions become a coin toss. You win some. You lose some. I have made continuous study and education part of my normal day.

2. Lack of Experience. Practice counts. It is simple. My results, decisions, performance, all improve when I put in the work. Experts don’t become experts without real experience.

3. Over Confidence. When I become over confident I make mistakes. Humility helps me seek to become better. When we don’t prepare because we are confident, we can get blindsided.

4. Lack of Discipline. I hope I am not the only person that struggles with this. There are times when I know I should be doing one thing, and I end up spending time doing something else. What works best for me is to change necessary tasks into habits. Do something every day for 21 days, and it will become easier to do.

5. Not Knowing Myself. Sometimes decisions that go bad are because we don’t like the place the decision leads us. When I can weigh my options against my values it brings a sense of clarity. My values will help my discern between short term desires and long term benefits. I need to know myself well.

Do any of these resonate with you? What helps you make better decisions?