2009 has been such a challenging year in so many ways. It was a perfect storm. I do not have to tell you that… because you lived it. Based on many conversations I have had, many say they are just going to coast in and get ready for 2010.
Yes, I too feel I have run uphill 90 miles an hour this entire year and would enjoy a long slumber.
Before we settle down for a long winter’s nap, and have visions of sugar-plums dance in our heads. We need to rethink this holiday season.
No matter how much we hope, do not expect just going to sleep through the end of the year will bring better results once you awake, just like dormant grass will rejuvenate in the spring.
Although I feel them… I do not think that is the best course of action right now. We need to FINISH the year with a Twinkling.
The best teams know that the fourth quarter is as important as the other three combined… You are tired, physically and mentally. It can not only take a lousy game (or year) and make it ring with victory, it can make all the hard work you put forth worth it. I always say, it is not how you start the race, but rather how you finish. We celebrate finishers… Hitting a walk off homerun, hitting the shot with 1 second on the clock or draining the putt to win. What we do in the clutch at the end is how we are measured.
So I hope you will put down the hammer with me… Keep the throttle high. Elevate your energy. FINISH. The great news is there is hope. People are excited about 2010. Prospects & Customers are melting and actually excited to talk to you for the first time in a long time.
Even though the end of the year is not the finish line, run through it and get a head start on 2010.
I have a lot of great memories from Thanksgiving. In my childhood, that was one of the most special times because my family would travel to Chicago every year as a huge family gathering. Now, we all live within 20 minutes of each other so we see each other at every holiday, which doesn’t diminish the luster or specialness, but it sure was cool back then.
In honor of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I want to share why we should all be happy no matter our current circumstances.
As I was thinking of Thanksgiving… I really paid special attention to the two combined words that make it up… Thanks & Giving or the Giving of Thanks. I hear my grandmother in my head telling me to give thanks in everything I do and to be thankful no matter what.
That is a challenge and very hard to do… It is hard to have a smile on your face when it feels like your world is crumbling down around you. I was talking to my dad yesterday and we were talking about what a hard year it has been. We were sharing that we have never worked harder, but with not the results you would expect from the effort. It is not the fun work, like when things are booming and at least if you are working hard it bears great fruit.
You may of read the Peanuts Comic Strip… which had a great illustration and what I want us to use as our mantra this Thanksgiving. Snoopy looked in the window, “How about that? Everyone else is eating turkey today, but just because I am a dog I have to eat dog food.” Then he jumps up on his roof and says “Of course, it could have been worse, I could have been born a turkey.”
It can always be WORSE… I am sure 90% of the world would trade for my so-called problems. In Atlanta we had the worst flood for our city ever. It was a one in over 500 years flood. People are devastated. Thousands of people are still displaced, no homes, no furniture and everything they owned is gone. 88% of the people did not have flood insurance because they were not even close to a flood zone.
Here I am feeling a little down, and I have my health, my home, my wife and son, a great job, food on the table, clothes on my back… Shame on me.
The best thing we can always do, is turn the focus off of ourselves and turn it on those who really need the thoughts and prayers and NOTHING will change your life & focus faster. Go help feed the hungry this Thanksgiving.
If you live in Georgia, I hope you will help me raise money for the flood victims. I am co-hosting the Not So Silent Night Holiday Bash at the St Regis in Buckhead on Thursday, December 3 from 6:30 – 10:30. After this year we can all let off a little steam, but do it in a way that helps people. We have partnered with the Atlanta Furniture Bank and The Cobb Disaster Recovery to help bring the relief that is needed and help rebuild not only the community, but also people’s lives. The cost is only $30 to attend.
We are also calling for sponsors. We have 3 levels.
Lifeboat - $1000 will get you 4 people into the party, coverage in Atlanta Daybook with logo, logos on the site, press at and after the event. Life Preserver - $500 will get you 2 people into the party, coverage in Atlanta Daybook, name only and some press at and after the event. Helping Hand - $250 will get you 1 person into the party, coverage in Atlanta Daybook – name only and some press at and after the event.
It is Motivational Friday. If you do what you have always done, then how can you expect different results because you will get what you have always got.
It is so easy to fall into the trap of your comfort zone and status quo… The biggest problem is there is no such thing as status quo. As I have mentioned, you are either getting better or worse. If you are not getting better than your competition will be and they are closing the gap.
The only way to grow is to go to the outer edges… Step outside your comfort zone. Yes things may feel awkward. Everything new does. Fear is going to set in. The what-if’s will creep in. Fear of the unknown has the ability to paralyze you if you let it.
Instead, you have to embrace the outer edges… Even more than embracing it, you have to seek the edge. You will learn not only new and powerful things, you will learn more about yourself. I promise it will not be easy. You may take a step back before you take two leaps forward.
We need to envision ourselves as muscle tissue… Muscle tissue is built by being broken down with minuscule tears and then repairs itself bigger & stronger. Muscle also hits plateaus. It gets used to patterns and routines and adjusts to it. To continue to grow, it requires change & variety in workout called muscle confusion.
At the edges is the place for biggest growth. So take it to the edges.
It is Motivational Friday. 2 weeks ago we talked about your Self Concept http://bit.ly/VXaSY& then last week we talked about the driver of your self-concept – your subconscious mind http://bit.ly/hdkg2. Today we are going to talk about 5 ways to conquer your subconscious mind.
You are probably waiting for me to say positive thinking… Even though it is better than negative thinking it doesn’t hold enough water. I was talking to Hank Haney earlier this year and we were talking about his star pupil Tiger Woods. I asked him what his process was in his mental routine before hitting a shot. No athlete on the planet has had more success in clutch situations. To be able to hit the shot or putt that you need to make at the time with the most pressure. Not just once, but over and over.
I asked, does he visualize himself making it in his minds eye like Jack Nicklaus did, so that way when he steps up to hit the shot he has “already” done it (or at least the mind thinks it has).
Hank with a quirky smile, paused and laughed lightly. All pro’s try to visualize it in their mind and they may make it in their mind, but after enough misses in real life it won’t matter what is going on in your mind before. There was a lot before and after this part of the conversation so I do not want to misconstrue the context, but it really struck me.
What that means to me is that the most perfect intention does not guarantee the results of execution. Thinking positive is not enough. It takes more.
1. You have to believe it whole-heartedly… Thinking positively is great, but to what degree of belief you have may dictate outcomes. So you have to believe it NO MATTER THE RESULTS it produces.
2. Change your focus… Focus on the intention, strategy, process, and execution of where you want to be, then let the chips fall where they may.
3. Change your state of being… Tony Robbins talks about changing your physiological… your physical. If you walk up to someone and have zero care in the world about being there and show total lack of interest. It is going to show in your physical actions. Your voice will be low, your head and shoulders will slump etc. VS. if you go up to someone like you have not seen them in 10 years. The excitement will be in your voice, your posture… YOUR ENTIRE BEING.
4. Where your heart is, your mind will surely follow… If you love something, it consumes you. Your thoughts, your actions. Everything you do is done always working toward that. So as you guess, this can be negative or positive.
If money is that love, then decisions and choices you make may unconsciously be made to support that love. Why because love blinds us. We sometimes do not see the negative actions and consequences it produces it because we do not want to see it.
So make sure you really frame that love. Make sure you know exactly desired outcomes and potential damaging ones. You may get what you ask for. 5. Have A Sacred Council… Have a board of advisors that help you weigh your options. Run it by them. They do not make decisions for you but rather make sure you have really thought through the entire matter. Look at the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats because they may have a perspective you have not thought of. They may confirm your subconscious mind. Then again, they may not. So the goal is to have all the information possible, sift through it and have the best and most relevant information there to make a decision.
Today is Motivational Friday. Last Motivational Friday was about your self-concept . http://bit.ly/VXaSY Today we are going to talk about your subconscious mind, which is the real driver behind your self-concept. Your subconscious mind is there to protect you. It is there to make sure life continues. Preservation of life.
Your brain is always taking in data and feedback from your surroundings… If you were in a jungle. You didn’t hear or see anything but the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, then you just start running at hyper speeds, that is your subconscious mind attempting to preserve life. It sensed danger you didn’t even know was there.
The problem is it doesn’t have the ability to distinguish between life and death and humiliation… Public speaking is the #1 fear. It is higher than death!!! WHY? Your subconcious mind is so powerful it thinks you are going to die. It is trying to preserve life. It is that little voice in your head trying to talk you out of doing things it doesn’t feel you are capable of.
You are about to get in front of 10,000 people and do WHAT? Are you kidding me? What skills do you have to get in front of that many people? Your education or your position in life, is not high enough. You are not good enough. We come to find out our biggest critic is inside our own body. Our subconscious mind…
It is more than self doubt… Your subconscious mind is stronger. Next Week we will discuss 5 ways to conquer your subconscious mind.
This is more than Self-Belief… This is your self-concept. How you feel about yourself when you are stripped down to the real you. Take away all your possessions, education, status, job or whatever makes the perception of you. I believe if you are not good without them, you will never be good enough with them.
The funny thing about your self-concept… is it doesn’t matter what other people think about you or how others perceive you. It is only your expectation and the way you view yourself that counts.
It is so easy to look happy on the surface… So many “successful” people have had that front. Then they stop living up to people’s expectations and they spin out of control and they crash and burn. People stop admiring them, nobody is looking for them. Go from highest of highs to the lowest of lows. Their self concept is distorted. So they look outside for something to “make” them happy. They turn to drugs and other things to fill that “void”.
The real issue is their self-concept was based on outside parameters… not the crucial internal ones. They weighed the balance toward what others thought. The funny part about worrying about what other people think is… how seldom they really think…about you.
You own your self-concept and nobody can take away something you do not give them.
1. Write Down the Real Characteristics You Want Your Life To Encompass
2. Determine Where You Are, But Focus Where You Want to Be
3. Be Content With Who You Are & What You Have (It Could Be Worse)
4. Do NOT Wait. Too Many People Wait Until A Near Death Experience or They Hit Rock Bottom
Today is Motivational Friday. However, today is more than motivation, more than rememberance…Life Changing.
I can not believe it has been eight years since the horrible world tragedy… There are a few events that we all will remember in some way. These events are so powerful to our senses, that when you hear about them and think about them, they conjure up these incredible feelings and memories. You can remember the exact place and moment and maybe even the smell.
I wasn’t born yet, but things like The First Walk on the Moon, JFK Assassination etc. I was born in the 70’s and really remember the Challenger Space Flight Explosion. I remember where I was standing, what I was thinking and the memories are vivid. When the US invaded Iraq in the first Desert Storm. Princess Diana’s death was another one.
9/11 is magnified so big compared to those… The event was magnanimous. It has changed and shaped history.
I have talked to so many people about what they remember about 9/11… The number one response I got was that they realized that we were no longer safe on American Soil. Since Pearl Harbor, it was probably the only real attack on American Soil. American’s have and do take our security for granted. It is just the lifestyle in so many other countries. In Israel, every day and every place is the potential for a car bomber or death on every corner. I could not even imagine living in the Middle East, India, Africa. or really anywhere outside the United States.
People remember the unity it brought to our country, resolve of our country & our people, the bravery and the heroes… Fire Fighters ran into the buildings knowing they would probably collapse. Soldiers go onto battlefields knowing it may be their last. These people put their lives on the line… willingly. Families become orphaned. Children lose a parent, a spouse is lost or a child lost.
We say we will never forget… And we all will remember as I mentioned earlier. Is that enough though? Is the pain still enough to shape and dictate our actions today? Do we have plans and strategies to push our actions? How will you remember the fallen heroes today? What can we do as a country differently to remember and protect?
This is the mantra that I have lived by most of my life… It is something my dad preached to me. My parents have a huge round table and we called it the “winner’s circle”, almost like the Knights of the Round Table was for Arthur & Lancelot at Camelot.
When you come to the winner’s circle… you have to bring your “A” game. Leave all negativity before you take a seat. I have had this posted on my mirror and wall and want to share it with you.
The Winner is always part of the answer; The Loser is always part of the problem.
The Winner always has a program; The Loser always has an excuse.
The Winner says, “Let me do it for you”; The Loser says, “That is not my job.”
The Winner sees an answer for every problem; The Loser sees a problem for every answer.
The Winner says,” It may be difficult but it is possible”; The Loser says,” It may be possible but it is too difficult.”
When a Winner makes a mistake and says,” I was wrong”; When a Loser makes a mistake and says,” It wasn’t my fault.”
Winners say “There is a better way”; Losers say “It’s the way it has always been done.”
Winners learn from their mistakes; Losers believe the only way to avoid failure is to never risk or try anything new.
A Winner makes commitments; A Loser makes promises.
Winners have dreams; Losers have schemes.
A Winner says “I will do it”; A Loser says “I will see what I can do.”
Winners say,” I must do something”; Losers say, “Something must be done.”
Winners are a part of the team; Losers are apart from the team.
Winners see the gain; Losers see the pain.
Winners see possibilities; Losers see problems.
Winners believe in win/win; Losers believe for them to win someone has to lose.
Winners see the potential; Losers see the past.
Winners seek to learn, Losers learn how little they know.
Winners are like a thermostat; Losers are like thermometers.
Winners choose what they say; Losers say what they choose.
Winners use hard arguments but soft words; Losers use soft arguments but hard words.
Winners stand firm on values but compromise on petty things; Losers stand firm on petty things but compromise on values.
Winners follow the philosophy of empathy: “Don’t do to others what you would, not want them to do to you”; Losers follow the philosophy, “Do it to others before they do it to you.”
Winners make it happen; Losers let it & then watch it happen.
Author Unknown.
I have designed Friday to be Motivational Friday…I was going to do Motivational Monday, but decided Monday is too LATE.You have to go to bed Sunday Night ready for Monday.The truth be told, you have to go to bed every night ready for Monday.That is because it is a state of conscience.It is not like a light switch like most people think.It is a state of being.It is a blueprint.It is a designed plan for your life.
Other than it being one of my favorite things to think about, do and live…It is a passion I want to share.Some of my most popular posts are about these encouragements
Hopefully, my readers will embrace it…We will cover ways to engage your self concept.How to be leader.Path of winners.How to make a difference.Everything in between.If you have any suggestions, throw those in the comments.
For proof of the radical changes I saw a couple of great video’s. One you may of seen and the newest one that was just updated last month. Take a view.
3.0 - October 2008
With the passing of my grandfather this week, Charles Hudson Rothschild II, my namesake, I wanted to pay him a special tribute. This week I really got to thinking about Legacy. My grandfather was a great man and he passed on a lot of virtues to me that I will take with me. I loved [...]
