Progress Archives - Page 39 of 46

To Compete Or Not Compete

Posted on September 18, 2020

That is the question. There is a fine line between being overly relaxed and taking things too seriously. To compete or not compete can be a very challenging question.

Whether it is at the country level, national, regional or local, this is not really a question. You train to win. However, before you get on that road, there is a period of life where winning isn’t everything. At least not to everyone.

As an individual, playing at park, school or local club level, there can be an element of playing too hard. Some children are there just to have some fun. Other children are only there because their parents are encouraging them to be there. Occasionally one child doesn’t want to be there at all.

However, to make it to progressively higher levels, one needs to challenge. So it stands to reason that if you want to play at the those levels, you may need to play harder at the younger age groups. However, some children may play too hard when the stakes are not very high.

This is not necessarily good or bad. It is simply something that people have to get through. Children and parents all have to be flexible enough to allow for both ends of the spectrum.

To compete or not compete. Simply keep getting better and it will all work out.

Progress Time

The Goal Of Life Is…

Posted on September 14, 2020

How you finish this statement is quite telling. Not in a ‘Gotcha’ way but in a useful, self-understanding way. The goal of life is something that can change through your life. As your mind and thoughts change, so too can your view of life.

When we are younger, it seems many children think the goal of life is to run around having fun with their friends. In the teen years, many people might focus on a skill which they are proud of and sets them apart as unique.

This skill could be school related, sports, music or making pocket money. Doing well and not messing up could be the main focus for many at this time.

Things can get a little philosophical through the years too. Though I do notice this one distinction coming up frequently. For some people the objective is to just get through life while others help people get through life.

As with anything though, there are hundreds of factors that could change your mindset on this at any given moment. Some more common ones are injury, loss, success and luck.

Regardless of where you are and what you are heading toward, how would you finish that sentence. If you’re brave enough, give it a go right now.

The goal of life is…

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time Weight loss

Turn Up The Heat!

Posted on September 4, 2020

Ok, it’s been an unusual start to the year so far. Things may have been out of kilter or offline. However, now it is time to turn up the heat!

I mentioned the other day how it is time to accelerate to the finish. We don’t have a lot of time left to get the things done we want completed this year. So you need to start taking massive action. Lean into these final few months and make the most of them.

Turn up the heat! Get things moving today. Work an hour longer today. Wake up 30 minutes earlier tomorrow and go for that walk or jog you’ve been thinking about. I know you may be reading this on a Saturday morning. That does not mean chill out. That does not mean have a lie in. Double down on those weekend days.

Start a new habit now. Or as soon as you finish reading this. You will create a new bit of dynamism in your life. That will help you shift in other areas too. Work on your Art of Now! Do it, delegate it or dump it. The important piece though is to get moving now.

Act now! Turn up the heat!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts

Build Your Endurance

Posted on August 30, 2020

Life is a series of sprints wrapped inside a marathon. There are ups and downs, victories and challenges. If you build your endurance, you will survive and probably thrive as you move from one sprint to another.

Most people seem to notice the challenges ahead more than they celebrate the victories that loom in the past. Whatever you focus on will be your reality. So choose what you focus on carefully. You will have enough of your own challenges in life without adding anyone else’s to your list.

As you build your resilience and your endurance, you will gain additional confidence and personal power. With these attributes you will improve your rate of success. This will build your mental strength so that you can call on that when you need to endure difficult times.

Remember to get the flywheel of success working with you. It is much better than having the flywheel of doom working against you. Amazingly, you get to choose which one you have at your side, based on your focus and attitude. Bizarrely, too many people choose the later rather than the former.

I’ve never understood why someone would want to make a life full of challenges even more challenging.

Stay focused and build your endurance.

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts Time

Wake Up To Awesome!

Posted on August 15, 2020

It gets easier to do anything that you practice and want to improve. So from now on, always wake up to awesome! Since you can choose to wake up and feel awesome every morning, why wouldn’t you?

Of course there are some exceptions. For example, if you are not used to waking up thinking it can be an awesome day, it is hard to think that it will be. But you have a choice. It may not be easy in the beginning – few things usually are.

However, we can continue to press on and improve ourselves in areas we wish to. And of all the areas we could improve, one might consider the first 6 to 60 minutes of the day would be quite important. It starts you off positive and keeps the day framed in a positive glow.

And it doesn’t need to take too long either. You can do Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning in 6 minutes. If you can’t find 6 minutes at the start of your everyday…. Well, I just won’t believe you really want it bad enough. Send me an email and I will help you. It won’t even cost you anything.

So remember the following:

Tomorrow, and everyday day hereafter, you are going to wake up to awesome!

Action Progress Reframe your thoughts

Remove All Non-Essentials

Posted on August 14, 2020

Empty drawers, cupboards and boxes from your house. Let others use those items you no longer have a reasonable use for. Remove all non-essentials. Don’t leave it for your kids to sort through when you are ill or pass away.

If you declutter your space, you will also declutter your mind. The more things you have, the more time you spend on maintaining those things. For that trade off to make sense, those things must bring you large amounts of joy.

Otherwise, you will be trading your very precious time for ‘meh’. What kind of life is that?

The best thing to do is to stop bringing new-to-you things into the house. I had a bad habit of collecting newspapers and magazines many years ago. With the exception of a slight retest of my discipline a year ago, I have been on the wagon for several years. This has kept piles of paper at bay.

Next, whatever you deem worthy and does make it through the front door (back door or even windows – I know you’re crafty), needs to be put in its official place immediately. If you can’t find a place, you are not serious about it and it must be returned or given away immediately.

Finally, remove all non-essentials. Once a month, get rid of a few things off your shelves, out of bookcases and boxes. In six months, you can send me a thank you letter.

Action Progress

Are You Ready To Go All In?

Posted on July 23, 2020

Have you been holding back recently? Or maybe even for a long time? I am sure there is something on your list. Are you ready to go all in?

There is often something we hold back on. We are getting ourselves ready. We may be preparing the plan or researching some key elements. However, at some point we know we need to get things moving forward with some massive action.

This might mean a late night or two to crack through something. Or maybe it involves doing something we are not as comfortable with. For some, this is marketing and phone calls. Other people may be hesitant to spend a certain level of money.

But today is the day to bite the bullet. It is the day to take massive action and put your plans into high gear. You need to get over that hurdle in front of you. You do not want to still be in this position in 2021. Since, you have the ability, make it happen!

You will never feel 100% ready. But if you are 70% ready, you should just get moving. You will make up more of the plan while you are moving forward. Take the step. Make the call. Feel the sense of accomplishment!

Observe Progress

Marking Your Progress

Posted on July 22, 2020

How do you know you are moving forward? Some situations are more obvious than others, such as moving up a year group at school. Marking your progress outside of school becomes more difficult.

It isn’t impossible. It usually just requires more effort because you have to do your own assessment and tracking. Then you need to judge your level and prepare for the next step.

At school, the teachers prepare the training exercises and become your accountability partner. They also assess your work and keep track of your test scores and engagement level. The department of education maintains the structure. For example, we know that after your 3rd year at school, most children move along to their 4th year.

In a work environment, your immediate boss takes the place of the teacher. They set the work to be done, assess it and keep track of your performance. The company directors determine pay and organisational structures.

Your personal development is usually up to you to organise. And what your next role will be is also in your hands. You may choose to stay in the company or try a different company or industry. Sometimes people try something entirely new.

Whatever it is you are doing, marking your progress is important. On a scale of 1-10 for each category, where are you with work, relationships, wealth, health and fitness? Now make note of where you want to be and plan how to close those gaps.

Action Observe Progress Reframe your thoughts

What You Focus On Grows

Posted on July 19, 2020

If you want to become great at something or develop a skill, you need to focus on it. What you focus on grows and what you ignore, doesn’t grow.

Back to the farm days for a moment to make this clear. If you focus on planting seeds and tending to the weeds, you’ll be able to grow crops. If you focus on the back porch, the rocking chair and a cold beer, you may not have any crops in the autumn.

Fans of Star Wars have also witnessed how your mind can shift depending on what you focus on. We saw this with Anakin Skywalker when he focused on being the best Jedi. However, after the sad situation with his mother, he began to focus on hate, anger and revenge. This grew inside him until it consumed him, which didn’t turn out well.

Thankfully we can stay in the light by focusing on pleasant things. It really is your choice. Though as we know, it requires effort, patience and time.

Focus on your accomplishments and the success you see in your future. Write these out and review them daily. Add to them whenever you can as well. Remove anything from your day that makes you start to feel negative, whether it is news, specific conversations or situations.

What you focus on grows. Make sure you are building a better you each day.

Progress Time

Those Super Productive Days

Posted on July 17, 2020

Some days everything just clicks. You know that feeling. Your mind is fresh, calls are succinct and effective. Those super productive days feel so good!

I had a day like that on Thursday. Everything I was doing seemed to be going so well. I was in that flow and made some great progress towards the outcomes I want.

It’s fantastic when we have days like that. It reminds us that we can. And it gives us a benchmark to compare with other days. By having less than wonderful days, we can certainly appreciate the brilliant days that much more.

Some of the key ingredients for those super productive days are: a schedule, a positive expectation of outcome, enthusiasm, focus and energy.

Some days can be harder when you don’t have a commute where you can slip into your superhero suit. And if you are able to set your own schedule, it can make it more challenging to maintain it with focused energy.

However, on the days that these things come together, you can make such significant progress, you want to do it again. That’s when the flywheel is set in motion and you get into a positive flow that you continue to build on.

Today was a little more about enjoying the heat and the sunshine. But those things I did do, went very well. I am going to surf this re-found flow for as long as I can now.