Step #5 - Monitor and Adjust

You've got to keep your eye on your destination, your dream-goal.  If it looks like the course you're on is not taking you to your destination then you have to be prepared to adjust. 

You can't keep your nose down 24/7.  You have to periodically pause, look up and verify that you are still on course to your dream-goal.  You also need to verify that your destination is still relevant (to you and/or the marketplace).

This doesn't necessarily mean that your plan was wrong or flawed.  There usually isn't a short, straight line from start to finish in life.  There are headwinds and cross-currents that can blow you off course. The economics may change, resources can become scarce, committed parties can back out.

These things happen in life.  If your dream-goal is truly worth it then you will stay focused, you will "tack" and you will you keep your project heading towards success!

Stay focused and make sure that you are still passionate about completing your dream-goal.  This is the "why" that will keep you going!

Have a blessed day!

What does it really take to achieve your dreams?

Aren't dreams awesome!  When I was a young lad I dreamed of becoming a firefighter, then a police officer, then a heavy equipment operator and on and on!

As the song "Angel in Blue" by J. Geils Band states "And she (he) never had dreams, so they never came true."  Most of my dreams never came true, but I had dreams and some did come true ... and it wasn't by accident!

There are a few things that determine whether or not you will achieve your dream(s)!

They include:

• Passion
• Commitment
• Focus
• Sacrifice
• Direction
• Magnitude/Speed
• Momentum
• Re-commitment

Truthfully, most dreams will never come true.  At least not until you convert your dreams into goals.  And while you may notice that there are a lot of hurdles and roadblocks between you and your goal the biggest of them all will be the ones that you create.  

More to come on each of the above bullet points in the near future.  So, as the chorus in the Aerosmith song by the same name goes "Dream on, dream on, dream ..."


Have a blessed day!

Tubby

Whatever it takes ... really?

Have you ever heard the expression "Whatever it takes"?

Have you ever said "Whatever it takes"?

Did you mean it?

Think about that phrase and those words and what they truly mean.  It's not a phrase that should be used casually ... but I for one, hear it pretty often.

Just know that if you say "whatever it takes!"  You are saying that you will travel to the ends of the earth.  You will give it your all.  You will utilize every resource at your disposable: time, money, energy.   You won't stop until you die!

That is what is meant by "whatever it takes!"

In order to fulfill that commitment you will have to act like the ant.  They truly do "whatever it takes!"  They are ultra focused and only have one mission at a time, they will stop at nothing.  If you see one marching down the sidewalk and you put your foot in it's path it will climb over your foot, go around your foot, go under your foot ... whatever it takes.  You could build a brick wall in it's path and it will keep going until it gets around the wall and fulfills its destiny ... or dies.

So the morale ... if you use the phrase "whatever it takes" ... mean it.  And if you use the phrase "whatever it takes" it'd be wise of you to be ant focused, ant intense, ant impassioned!

Have a great and blessed day!

What doesn't kill you ... makes you stronger(?)

One thing is for sure, what doesn't kill you definitely doesn't kill you.

But whether or not it makes you stronger is up to you.

Not if, but WHEN you are faced with a new challenge, sickness or crisis (assuming it doesn't kill you), who you become after the event is entirely up to you!

You get to choose a perspective that allows you to get stronger, smarter, better ... OR ... you can choose a perspective that you have been weakened, you have been broken, you are less of a man/woman.  Keep in mind, not choosing is a choice to be broken by the event.

So, the choice is yours, will you allow what doesn't kill you to make you stronger?

Take a few minutes and 'Google' examples of people who have persevered or over-come obstacles and challenges -- there are a million examples, you can be one of them!

Have a blessed day!

How to begin?

How do you begin?

First, decide what you want.  Set a goal, right now and write it down.  It has to be something that you are PASSIONATE about.  The goal has to be something that you are willing to SACRIFICE OTHER THINGS FOR IT!  If you aren't willing to give up the three hour a day X-Box habit for your goal then your goal is either: not big enough to make you grow; or you don't really want it bad enough.  It's true that small goals can be the stepping stones towards bigger goals, but you will have to be willing to make sacrifices along the way to you ultimate goal.  Is it worth those sacrifices?  If a goal is so small and simple that pursuing it is as easy to you as breathing then it isn't a big enough goal!  And, I promise you that once you achieve your big goal and you look back at what you thought was a sacrifice today you will realize that it was really an investment (guaranteed or your money back)!

Second, cast away your fears!  Many people won't start their "thing" because they are afraid.  Afraid of the unknown, afraid of failure, afraid of what others will think, afraid of success (hard to believe, but the last one is very common). Cast those fears away!  Others are waiting for one brave soul (YOU!) to show them the way to overcome their fears; to show them it's okay to start; to show them that you don't have to have a highly detailed, completely thought out plan that took fifty years to develop before you start!

• In general, the world forgives and forgets your failures
• You will be remembered mainly for your success (Do you remember Thomas Edison's Electric Pen?  Or his 1,000 unsuccessful light bulbs?)
• So if you fail, it's no big deal ... try again or try something else for the first time

Third, set your deadline!  Deadlines add the pressure or urgency that you need to accomplish great things.  Imagine you are trapped in a sinking ship and the cabin you are in is filling up with water.  Your deadline is to get out of the room before you run out of air.  A pretty extreme and unlikely example ... but what if you had that kind of urgency with your goals?  Be ever aware of the deadline you set, don't let yourself down, this is likely the pressure that YOU need to keep YOURSELF focused on YOUR goal!

• Step 3B ... announce your goal to one or more accountability partners.  They don't need all the details ... but they can make sure that you continue to work towards your goal!  They also may be one of your resources in the fifth step

Fourth, create a road map, make your plan.

• You know you are starting at "A" (where you are standing today, with the skills and resources that you have accumulated)
• You want to get to "Z" (this is the goal you set above in step one)
• And, you know how much time you have (your deadline you set in step three minus today's date)

Aim, Fire ... Ready! (Yes, begin now! Don't be foolish ... but don't wait until you have everything figured out.  As my father-in-law told me "if you wait until you are ready, you'll never get married."  He later said "if you wait until you are ready, you'll never have kids.")

Fifth, this is really part of Step Four above but needed to be highlighted, so ... gather the knowledge that you need!  Along your path you will bump into walls and step on landmines.  Around marker "M" on the map or plan you laid out your plan requires that you set up a website.  You don't have to learn html code by "M", you just need someone at that step that can get it done so you can move to "N".  Gather the knowledge you need and/or recruit the expert assistance.  There are NOT many things in life that you can do without help; as my dad always says "no man is an island"!  The important thing is that you stay passionate.

Sixth, re-assess and if necessary update steps one through four.  There is no shame in changing directions (goals).  If you get part way down the road to your goal and realize you leaned your ladder against the wrong building, don't be afraid to climb down and move your ladder.  But keep in mind what Zig Ziglar said (paraphrasing) 'it's hard to hit a goal you can't see, it's impossible to hit a goal you don't have!'

Have a great day!

The Fifth of Life's Secret Ingredients (5 of 10 or more)

Courage is the fifth of life's secret ingredients!

Courage can come out in many areas of our lives and in small amounts or great big amounts.  Your courage might appear when you are at a friend's house and you are presented with something new and different to eat.  Have you ever had frog legs? They taste like chicken ... really!  Your courage might show up when you are walking down the street and you see someone trying to snatch a woman's purse.  Have you ever jumped into action to stop a crime or save a life?

Yes, courage comes in many forms and in many sizes.  The most important courage to have though is "the courage of your convictions!"  What is meant by this as defined in freedictionary.com:

   "To have enough courage and determination to carry out one's goals."

Secret #3 (Passion) will help you find your courage and feed your courage as you pursue your dream or goal.  You must be prepared for the naysayers, for those who don't truly believe in you or your ideas.  So many people in life will hold you back because they will project their beliefs on you.  They assume that if something scares them a lot, or looks like more work than it's worth ... well, then you should be scared too, or that you won't get out of it nearly what you put into it.

      [1) don't be one of those people;  and B) ignore their fears and place your own value on your own goals]

I am not saying to be stupid about pursuing your dreams/goals.  Courage and stupidity do not have to go hand in hand!  You may not have the education or training to cure cancer, so you don't cash in your retirement accounts and open a lab in your garage.  But you can have the courage to start your own charity 5K run to raise funding and awareness for a cure, learning as you go and donating the money to a research team that you believe can move the needle.  You may not have the training to own a restaurant, so you wouldn't buy a building, lease equipment and open one tomorrow.  But you can start working in one, get the knowledge, be a student of the industry and work towards that goal.

Metaphorically, having courage will not only allow you climb mountains, it will allow you to move mountains!  Have a great day!

The Third of Life's Secret Ingredients (3 of 10 or more)

PASSION!

This really should be a one word entry; as I believe everyone knows what passion is and how important it is ... hopefully? You should understand the difference that it makes in your life, as well as the lives of others ... right?  Well, just in case ...

Passion is a key ingredient of achieving your goals ... but you don't have to have goals to have a "life".  Some goal-less people meander through life and let 'it' happen to them.  I believe you should have goals and you should strive to contribute to society and to serve others ... but again these aren't requisites for living.  I believe you should be purposeful with your life and the secret ingredient called passion will give your actions magnitude!

Passion is energy, gravity, emotion and excitement!  Passion is that thing that other people can see and feel and it energizes them.  Your passion is so strong and so contagious that when others are nearby it pulls on them and they can't help but want to join you in whatever the cause or activity is.

And if your activity isn't public or others aren't close enough to feel the pull of your passion ... your passion is what will keep you going even when the going gets tough.

Bring your passion with you today and have a great day!

"Victory is always possible for the person who refuses to stop fighting." ~ Napoleon Hill

Land of a thousand excuses!

I woke up this morning and starting thinking about all of the things that I have yet to accomplish.  I don't recommend you do this ... it can get quite depressing!

Then, in an effort to make me feel less depressed, I started thinking about all of the reasons why I haven't done all of the things that I wanted to do. It wasn't long before I realized that my reasons weren't reasons, they were merely excuses.

An example of a good reason for not being able to start a project or complete a task would be:         

"I was on my way to the post office, minding my own business, focused on getting the check mailed, whistling "Try" by Colbie Caillat when all of a sudden a piano fell from a 6th floor window and incapacitated me for a month.  That's why the check didn't get to the power company."

Nowadays, thanks to electronic bill paying, that's really not a good reason either.

"What are some lame excuses that I thought were reasons?" you ask.  Well I am so glad you asked:

• "I didn't get the leaves raked up because winter came too fast"
• "I wanted to work out, but these other things had to get done and then I was too tired"
• "I was going to start writing, but I didn't have the time ... or the energy ... or the inspiration ... or didn't think it would get published so I never started it."
• "I was about to, but then it was time to watch: Real Housewives, Honey Boo Boo, Survivor, reruns of Seinfeld, something that I DVR'd last month, etc."
• "I didn't know how." <=== the lamest excuse of all, yes it tops the previous bullet point!

The reason that none of the above got done was because you (or I) didn't place enough importance on them!  Was watching a Seinfeld rerun really more important that taking that first step towards your dream? Sometimes there are legitimate reasons why you can't do something at this moment, but if it is truly important to you (meaning your passion for that "it"bubbles through your ears) you will find a way to get it done!
Have a great day!

Where there's a will, there's a way!

Have you ever heard the expression "Where there's a will, there's a way!"?  I have ... dozens, if not hundreds of times.  It's a true statement, but how strong of a statement is it?

No doubt that there is always 'a way'.  But there is not always the willingness ('will') to do what you or your team wants to get done.  Your will is something you choose, but to me it's a weak word, without much commitment.  Another, stronger word for will/willingness is DESIRE.  This is a word that I favor over will.  It has determination and fortitude built into it!

Change the statement to read "Where there's a DESIRE, there's a way!"  And now you have a statement that says "you're not going to give up so easily" (a.k.a. 'if at first you don't succeed ... try, try again!"); "this is important to me"!

Now change the statement to read "Where there's a PERMANENT, BURNING DESIRE, there's a way!"  WOW!  That's saying something.  The choice is yours:  you can have a will; or, you can have a PERMANENT, BURNING DESIRE.  You get to choose.  YES!  YOU GET TO CHOOSE!

You can't apply that kind of passion to everything you do at all times.  You would be completely drained and may not enjoy life so much.  But for your most important projects or goals it's a must.  You need to have a permanent, burning desire!  Now focus on what is most important to you and do it!

THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT MATTERS . . .

There are many, many differences between me, you and everyone else.  For instance:

My eye color is: Hazel     ... your's may be brown or blue,

My weight:  I won't divulge the bulge ... let's just say I am 25 pounds over where I want to be.  And you may be your ideal weight, more or less

My hair color?  First of all you have to have hair, then you can have hair color!  And yours might be red or blonde, short or long.

My skin is tan and white.  I live in Florida, so I've got year round farmer's tan.  And you, you may live in Wisconsin and you might be caucasion, so your skin is likely white.  And if you're not caucasian, you live in Wisconsin ... it's probably some shade of "freezer burn" white.

I am in my 40's and not getting younger.  And you might be in your 20's ... btw, you're not getting younger either!

But there is only one difference that matters and it is not the difference between me and you.  THE ONLY DIFFERENCE THAT MATTERS IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'CURRENT [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]" AND "FUTURE [INSERT YOUR NAME HERE]".

Ten years from now you will not be the same person.  Just look back ten years and think about how you have changed.  Physically you are likely very different.  If you are 18, you are probably taller now and weigh more than when you were 8.  If you are 60, you are probably shorter now and weigh more than when you were 50.  That's just life..

Mentally you are probably different too.  No matter who you are and how old you are, hopefully you've matured, gained experience, gained knowledge and developed more of a sense of who you are and/or who you want to be.  If you've regressed in this area, that's unfortunate ... but it's not too late to move in a better direction!

Step 1) It's time to assess who you are.  Write down what you like in life, your favorite activities, your passions.  Write down your skills, talents, accomplishments.  And most important ... write down how you feel about who you are today.  Assess your health, wealth, spirituality, friends and connections in your community.

Step 2)  Knowing who you want to be next week, next year and at the end of the next decade of your life is not just next ... it's critical.  Not knowing who you want to be when you grow up (more) is like setting off on a vacation, but not knowing where you are going.  Will it be adventurous?  Maybe.  But it also could be the kind of adventure where you find your car careening off a mountain highway only to find yourself stuck in a ravene with no way out.  So take a few hours and write down who you want to be or what you want to change about yourself by next week, next month, next year, in 5 years and in 10 years.

Is Step 2 a lot of work?  Yes, but not as much work as climbing out of that ravene and trying to put your life back together!

Step 3)  Start.  Yes, it might be Nike it like ... but, just do it.  You don't need a 4 year degree to accomplish most of the things that you want to do or change about yourself.  But you do need to start.  Education and training is Step 5.  Most of the great minds or thinkers of our day are self taught.  They are not 'great' or admired because they went to Harvard or Princeton.  They are 'great' for what they have done or are doing.  So just start, whereever you are at start from there.

Step 4) Develop your plan(s).  Formalize your plan to achieve your goals.  It doesn't have to be a perfect plan.  No plan is perfect.  There are always going to be variables/obstacles that you can't predict that will pop up and derail you.  Put some effort into planning on what you need (experience/training and education) to become who you want to become. 

Step 5) Get educated.  Once you start to follow your plan/passions.  You will realize that there are books, magazines, lectures and seminars that will help you in the pursuit of your goals.  Be aware and be prepared to slow down to get the training, education or ideas that you will need to accomplish your plan.

Step 6) Have checkpoints.  As you work towards your goal make sure that you stop and reflect on your progress.  Many times, especially with bigger, longer term goals you will find that you aren't following the plan that you had originally developed.  THAT'S OK.  Check where you are at, make sure that your goal is still your goal and revise your plan with even more focus and passion towards achieving it.

What if your goals change, let's say you are no longer interested in becoming a Master Underwater Basket Weaver?  That's the great thing about the check points.  If you reach your 1st checkpoint and realize that you don't have the passion or interest that you thought you had ... then now is a good time to cross off that goal and go in search of a different passion.

There are far too many people who graduate from college and realize that the degree they earned in engineering doesn't help them much in getting a job in the field they are really passionate about ... illustrating for children's books.

If you know where you want to be, and when you want to be there ... even if you falter a little bit ... you will be closer to who you want to be and you'll get there sooner than most.

Some of life's toughest battles happen between ...

Some of your life's toughest battles will happen between your own two ears!  Most of us will not join the military, we will not need to go to a foreign land to fight an unknown enemy.  Fortunately, most of us will not get cancer or contract a life threatening disease.  But we will fight many lesser battles, mostly in our minds.  And for some of us, we will fight tens, if not hundreds of these battles each day.

The battle is "Needs versus Wants".  Whether you are battling weight loss, financial problems, character problems, or all three (as well as many other enemies!)  When you step back and look at the battlefield from 30,000 feet ... it will be plain to see that it is a battle of "Need v. Want"

I face these battles every day and, sadly, many times I lose the battle.  Many times want wins over need.  I can predict which battles I will win and which I will lose.  And it is really quite simple ... I lose every battle where my desire or passion that I hold for the "want" exceeds that which I hold for the "need".  I lose every battle where I am not focusing on what is most important to me.  I lose every battle that I take my eyes off of my goals. 

My goals must became my "wants"; "wants" always win over needs. If I really want to accomplish my goals I must change my mantras from "I need to lose weight, I need to lower my cholesterol, I need to exercise, I need to pay off debt, ..." to "I WANT TO ..."

I have been losing the "battle of the bulge" because I want a beer after a hard day at work.  I justify it by saying to myself that "It's just one ... and besides it's a light beer, it's like drinking water!"   I know that it's a bad idea and goes against one of my most important goals, but I do it anyway because it's what I wanted at that moment ... I lost focus on what I really want, which is to lose weight and become healthier.  Salad and yogurt for lunch (two steps forward) and a beer and two much pasta for dinner (three steps back).  I need to want to lose weight more than I want the beer ... it's that simple.  Want will always win over need!

Another goal that is extremely important to me is becoming debt free.  Once this goal is achieved I would like to be able to drive the family up to Nashville so that the family and I can scream "We're debt free!" on the air with Dave Ramsey!  But the problem is ... I also want to enjoy things that other people around me are enjoying - NBA basketball games, MLB Spring Training, nice cars, nice clothes and fancy dinners out.  I want my children to have everything they want for Christmas and their birthdays, I want them to be able to do all the activities that they want (competitive cheer, dance, baseball lessons, etc).  In order for me to succeed with money and teach my children the need to delay gratification - I need to want to delay gratification myself.  I must want to be be debt free more than wanting all these things now.  I must want to wait for the nice things in life. 

I could go on with many other examples of how my wants or desires for things today are putting off my long term goals, but I won't.  The good news is, that while I (and you) may lose a lot of the battles ... I/you can still win the war!  "Fight the good fight!"  It will take time, but I (and you) can do it if we want it bad enough!

Paraphrasing Zig Ziglar, "I didn't put on 40 pounds too many overnight, I did it one spoonful at a time, I will have to lose the weight the same way in order to keep it off."   So, when you are trying to reverse the effects of negative habits ... don't expect them to be corrected overnight.  Maintain focus on what you really want, be patient and give it the time that it deserves!

"Do I really, really, really want _____?"

Do you remember when you were a small child and you went grocery shopping with your Mom or Dad?  In my hometown there was a grocery store (pretty sure that "supermarkets" weren't invented yet) called Fernandes.  I remember doing the grocery shopping with my Mom and without fail there were always three times during the weekly events that I fervently asked for something (actually, I am certain it sounded a lot like begging!).

1. When we turned down the 'candy' aisle.  The folks at Fernandes were obviously smart enough to host important stuff like the big block Hershey bars and bulk bags of Reese's peanut butter cups along side boring stuff that Mom needed, such as bread or crackers
2. When we strolled down the 'cereal' aisle.  There was no reason for store management to split this aisle between cereal and any other items -- we were going down this aisle no matter what!  This is where I learned about Count Chocula, Sugar Smacks and Frosted everything!
3. The last chance for Mom to appease my pleading was at check out.  If my begging and crying hadn't worked on either of my 1st two chances this was my last chance to make the trip worth it.  There were plenty of candy bars, Life Savers, Tic Tacs, Mentos, etc. to choose from. As we went through check out I would really have to pour it on.  And this was always my best chance to score since there was always at least four more eyes (cashier and bag boy) waiting to see if Mom would concede to my skillful reasoning skills

At the ripe age of 44 (it hurts to type that) I realize that what I am missing in my life is that intense passion or desire that I had when I was a child.  Granted, at the age of 5 it was in small bursts in the cereal aisle or candy aisle or even at check out.  Where is my passion now ... Even in small bursts?  I know that it's not New Year's eve ... but this is one of my goal or resolution for the remainder of 2012 ... find my passion(s)!  My other big goal is once I find my passion(s) ... pursue it/them!  I hope you have a great day.

God Bless You,
Tubby