Category: Productivity

The 6 P’s Shape Your Daily Success

Last week I had a cold, and didn’t accomplish much. I just didn’t have the energy and engagement that I needed to be effective. But the world continued on as if nothing was different. The cold impacted me and my perspective and not the rest of the world.

It made me realize that whether I have a cold or not, my results are based on how I view and interact with the world. It is up to me to make every day count. So as a reminder to myself I came up with the 6 P’s of making sure I have a great day.

1) Passion. I must love doing what I love. I am driven by what is important to me. I want my day to be driven by passion.

2) Purpose. If today is going to count, I have to know what I want to achieve. I like to define my  purpose and intent each today.

3) Perspective. How does my purpose fit with what else is happening around me? When I have a good sense of perspective I am more effective. Perspective provides me awareness and a positive attitude for the day.

4) Process. I convert my ideas and my plan into results through action. I must proactively process my daily challenges and tasks. I have to be focused on getting work done.

5) Persistence. Life is difficult. I can give up, or I can be persistent. I choose to be persistent.

6) Pep. Being energized helps me be my best. If I am tired, I will not have a great day. If I want to be at my best, I need to have the energy to stay focused all day.

When I make a plan that includes all 6 of these, I will have a great day. A day full of success. No one else can provide these aspects to my life. It is up to me. The responsibility to have a great day rests on my shoulders. So the next time I have a bad day, I know who to blame.

Do you want to explore coaching? From coaching you can expect to get clarity about your purpose and your goals, your action plans, and your follow through. If you want to learn more, contact me and let’s schedule a session.

Are You Taking Advantage of the Transitions in Your Life?

If you are like me, when you think about transitions that have occurred in your life, you will mostly recall major changes. Some were good, and some were bad. But you remember them because of the impact on your life.

Transitions are also the points in our lives that offer the greatest opportunity for learning. As a situation changes, we have the ability to reflect on the change itself, how we react to the change, and how it affects our future.

I spent time this week thinking about transitions, and realized that I am continuously in transition. These transitions occur in three main areas.

1) Time – Transitions occur daily as we have morning routines, afternoon routines, and evening routines. We transition from day to night. We transition through our week. We transition through the seasons of the year. But most importantly we transition through the seasons of our life.

2) Relationships – Relationships are always in transition. Relationships are growing stronger or becoming weaker. At a minimum we must give attention to a relationship to maintain it. Relationships are the most dynamic transitions of our life.

3) Activities – The activities and tasks that occupy our time, effort, and energy are in transition. We gain new interests, we lose interest in others. We are driven by our responsibilities to our families, our employers or clients, and to ourselves. The focus of these activities transition based on our priorities and the surrounding circumstances.

The importance of recognizing all of these transitions is to take advantage of the learning opportunities. Each transition provides an opening to improve.  How often do you take advantage of your transitions to enhance your life?

5 Key Paths of Motivation

My friend and business partner, John Maxwell, once told me, “If you want motivated employees, hire motivated people.” His point? I can’t motivate people, I can only inspire them. Motivation originates and is nourished from within.

So I decided to spend some time thinking about how we become motivated. Is it something we can create through intentional action, or is it an emotional response?

Some believe that you can become motivated by being inspired. But I don’t believe that inspiration alone will create much motivation. To be significantly motivated, we need to link inspiration with one of the following motivation paths.

1. Desperation – We are filled with motivation when we are faced with desperation. We have no other choice. We are frantic for something to change. Our fears increase to a level that requires action.

2. Clear Desire – Clarity of purpose will provide us with motivation. If we are able to see the future we want to create in exact detail,  we will be motivated to achieve. When our purpose or vision is fuzzy, or only a dream, our motivation is also subdued.

3. Momentum – We are motivated by winning. Small wins lead to bigger wins. If we begin to achieve success, we are motivated to attain more.

4. Breakthrough – A significant discovery or advancement can fuel our motivation. If we suddenly see new opportunities, we become energized to continue. We want to discover the next breakthrough.

5. Methodical Persistence – Some of us are driven towards a goal, step by step, steadily. We never consider giving up. We never consider failure as an option. We are driven by the process of improvement. This feels different than desire or breakthrough because it is less emotionally charged. We are attached to the practice and less towards the outcome.

There are times when I have felt a lack of motivation, but now I have the ability to develop it intentionally. I can select a source of inspiration. I can decide which motivational path will be most effective. (I hope I can always act before I get to the desperation stage!) Then I can allow my motivation to grow through the actions associated with that path.

Motivation truly does come from within. So where do you need more motivation to increase your success?

Productivity Is Not the Only Measure

The measure of your effectiveness is not productivity alone. Getting more done in a short period of time is important, but it should not be your primary measure of effectiveness. With my background in manufacturing, this was an idea that took me some time to put into perspective.

Excellence is more important than productivity. People pay for excellence. People admire excellence. Excellence has longevity. Productivity is based on what you accomplish only during a specific moment in time.

So here is the question to ponder this week. In your business, or your life, where is excellence more important than productivity? We cannot be excellent in everything. So for you, what matters? Where do you need to be excellent, and where do you need productivity?

I have learned that in most cases when you focus primarily on productivity, you risk short changing the result. You risk compromising excellence for time. In many parts of our life, this may be acceptable. But there are key areas of your life and your work where you should never compromise excellence for time.

Where is it more important to be right than fast? Where is it more important to be fast… to be first? Where can you adjust and improve as you go? Where are mistakes more costly?

There are areas of your life where you need to be prepared to always give your best. Do you know your area of excellence?