The Freedom to Succeed

How bad does it have to get before you will take action?

You’ve probably heard that all human action is driven by one of two things, avoidance of pain or achievement of pleasure. It’s Independence Day here in the US and as I’m writing this I wonder…was it pleasure or pain that motivated the Founding Fathers?

As you are reading this right now, there is something you want to do. Something you want to accomplish. It might be a big, legacy type outcome…or maybe something small, like a raise or a promotion. In either case, you have to do something to make it happen.

See, the truth is that you already have the freedom you seek, you’re just keeping it locked behind excuses! All you have to do to have the freedom you so long for is just choose to act!

Now, bear in mind…choices come with consequences and freedom comes with responsibility. You have the freedom to choose friends that will build you up and support your journey…and that comes with consequences related to your existing friends. And then there’s family…

It’s kind of like getting your driver’s license. Yes, you get an immense amount of freedom when you can finally drive yourself where you want to go. But you’re also doing so in a 2,500-pound projectile that is more than capable of killing you and others. With that freedom comes great responsibility!

So today, as you celebrate our nation’s freedom, remember:
– freedom isn’t found in waiting for the answer
– freedom isn’t found in researching and reading
– freedom isn’t found in sitting still

No, freedom (and it’s requisite responsibility) can only be found by being bold, brave, and taking action!

What action will you take TODAY to move yourself one step closer to the life and lifestyle you crave? Leave a comment and let me know!

Confidence Is Fun

When was the last time you really had fun? Take a second right now and really think about it! How much did confidence have to do with it?

Joe Namath once said, “When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun.” But is that really true? Confident of what?

Have you ever watched children playing? Our granddaughter is 7 and she loves to sing along with songs and videos…but not when someone is watching. She’s very confident in herself when no one is looking. Add in an observer and her confidence takes a hit…and it becomes less fun.

You need a certain degree of confidence in order to really dive into something and go all out. And the funny thing is, it’s not even confidence in the outcome! You can have a great time playing a game and still lose. It’s confidence in yourself to compete…to have a chance! (remember that word, chance)

See, for any victory to be rewarding, there has to be some risk involved, there has to be a chance that you WON’T WIN in order to enjoy the game! When we take the risk away, there is no need for confidence…so in a misguided attempt to build confidence, they’ve actually taken the confidence from a whole generation! But I digress…

When I’m talking with aspiring business owners in my life and business coaching practice, I hear it all the time, “I want to get all my ducks in a row” or, “dot all my I’s and cross all my t’s.” The reality is not only is that not possible, but you also don’t want that!

Confidence is the result of experience. You have to try things to build the confidence you need to win…in little league, in business, and in life! What have you avoided trying lately? Go ahead give it a shot! Win some confidence and have FUN doing it!

Circumstances Do Not Dictate Outcomes!

Do you ever feel overwhelmed by your circumstances?

You may have heard me say that opportunity is just a set of circumstances…facts or conditions that surround you. But is it possible to have so many opportunities or circumstances that we get stuck and can’t make ANY progress? Well, sure, it’s possible…so what do about it?

When you are feeling overwhelmed by circumstances, it is rarely the volume of opportunity that is causing the problem (that doesn’t change very much over time). Rather, it is the relative weight you are assigning to the opportunity or the outcome.

Sometimes, the weight is appropriate…get out of the street or be hit by that truck…but more often than not, the weight is arbitrary, just something you made up. If you made it up, you can change it!

In my life and business coaching practice, I see this a lot around goals (or expectations of outcomes). You start a business and expect million dollar results in the first year…then when it doesn’t happen, or it’s slow, you start looking at everything you need to do to improve…and there’s a lot…and BOOM…you’re overwhelmed!

This is one reason I came up with the P4F model for planning and GSD. It will help you find the five most important things to focus on today and prioritize them to create results.

I’ve made a short video about P4F and how it works. You can find it on my website at www.ThomRigsby.com/P4F. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a 6-minute breather and watch the video…it will change your life!

Get Scared!

What did you do yesterday that scared you? Made you nervous? Was risky?

We talk a lot about fear on the podcast (7 Minutes In the Morning, link in bio) because fear is a natural part of life. It serves a biological purpose by causing our body to prepare for ‘something’ and it tells our senses to ‘pay attention!’

Fear also serves an important mental purpose as well. When you feel afraid or scared in a work or business capacity, it’s a message that you are testing the edges of your comfort zone. Yep, that’s right, your comfort zone!

Many people live their entire lives inside their comfort zone, even if the life there is less than fulfilling…at least its safe! But not you! When you take on the role of business owner and entrepreneur, you need to prepare yourself…even LOOK for ways…to be afraid every day.

It all points back to the principle that, “if you want the things other people don’t have, you have to do the things they won’t.” They won’t do them because they’re warm and cozy in their comfort zone. Ahh but you my friend…you’re out there making it happen!

You can start testing the boundaries of your comfort zone by signing up for a no-cost, no-obligation business strategy session! The link is in my bio!

The Secret to Work Life Balance

Have you found work/life balance yet? Neither have I and there’s a good reason why…it doesn’t exist! [read more]

You have been sold a bill of goods, a pig in a poke, whatever axiom you want to use. The idea that work goes in one box and life goes in another, then somehow, if you are PERFECT they’re supposed to balance out, is just a bunch of bunk!

Okay, so if work/life balance is a load of…um…fertilizer, then what SHOULD you expect?!

Here’s the deal…you need to work. There is something deep in your soul that wants to enjoy the reward and the value you get from seeing an accomplishment of your labor. And that work is just part of your life! Get it? There’s no work-life balance, there’s just life, and work is a big part of it!

When most people say they want more work-life balance, they’re really saying they want more life and less work! Is that you? If it is, that’s fine, just be honest about what you’re asking for!

The reality is that you are uniquely gifted, talented, and placed to do work that matters, and when you’re doing the work that matters TO YOU, you will enjoy it. Don’t compromise!

Are you doing the work you are gifted and talented to do? Or are you doing the work that will make you the most money? Just something for you to consider before you read that next book or watch that next video promising to give you something you already have!

Why Is It a Struggle to Reach My Goals

We’re almost halfway through the year, are you struggling to reach your goals? That’s a good thing, here’s why.

We hear a lot these days about how things should be easy. Great example: minimum wage should be a living wage. I don’t know about you but there was a time in my life where I worked three jobs and my wife worked two…5 jobs between us…to make a ‘living wage.’ There was nothing easy about it, but we did get one very valuable thing from it.

I’ve always been blessed to know that the best things in life cost you the most, and not always in money. Having to work hard for anything gives us a greater appreciation for the value of that thing. That’s one reason I’m so fond of saying your employees will never love your business the way you do, they haven’t lived the struggle.

It’s also one reason I make it challenging to get into my business and life coaching practice. I don’t want to convince anyone that they need help, I want them to know they need it!

So be thankful for the struggles. They give you an opportunity to demonstrate greatness and they make the reward that much sweeter!

If you are having difficulty reaching your goals for 2019, or maybe you haven’t even set any goals yet, I can help! DM me or send an email to thom@thomrigsby.com to see if you have what it takes to enter the program!

You Have Everything You Need

Are you waiting for ___ (fill in your own blank here) to be successful? Well STOP waiting and start working!

I hear it all the time, an aspiring business owner will give me the run-down of everything they have to get figured out before they can launch their business. The vast majority of the list is spot on, then they come…I call them the boulders!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgiXzgSwiv4

The boulders are completely unreasonable, logical fallacy arguments against launching. For example, trying to build a process or a system that will “work at scale” when you haven’t found the first customer yet. Trying to negotiate bulk pricing to bring raw materials down 1-2%…these are just excuses to stay warm and cozy in your comfort zone!

The truth is that you already have everything you need to start! You are uniquely gifted, and talented, and placed to make this a reality! YOU, and ONLY YOU are the one that will make it work?

Others may have the idea, the resources, the leads or connections…but YOU, oh your unique combination of time, talents, and resources will make you a success…IF

…IF you will take the first step! All those questions you’ve been trying to answer, and the things you think you need before you can begin…the answers will become clear (or unnecessary) once you begin moving!

Finding and doing YOUR work that matters is difficult, as it should be. But you have everything you need to make it a reality! Just START!

If you’d like help finding your unique work that matters, DM me here or visit the website to schedule your no-cost, no-obligation conference.

What Is the Displacement Principle

Are you having trouble getting results? Can’t seem to get the things you want? Here’s the reason…and an answer!

You are not getting the results you want because of displacement. You are displacing the work you SHOULD be doing to create the result you want with other work that is either ‘busy work’ or directed at something other than what you say you want.

If you have the ability to read this message, you have access to everything you need to create the result you want! The ONLY thing holding you back is YOU and what YOU choose to work on.

I know it’s not always sexy or fun…and that’s the point! If you want something you’ve never had you have to do the things you’ve never done! And so what if they are difficult, or risky, or whatever! DO IT ALREADY… do work that matters!

We are almost half-way through 2019…are you half-way to your goals for the year? If you’re not, there’s still time, you just have to choose the right priority and get it done…then do it again tomorrow…and the next day…( I think you get the idea ).

If you are struggling with your goals I would love to help! You can schedule a no-cost, no-obligation call with me on my website (link in bio). You will find clarity, gain confidence, and take back control of your time! You CAN make great things happen before the end of 2019!

See it before it happens

Can you predict the future?

Most business owners and leaders look at the future as some big secret, waiting for it to ‘be revealed’ or ‘unfold.’ You will hear them say things like ‘no one can know for sure’ or ‘let’s see what the future holds’ and the reality is they are wrong!

Have you ever used any of those phrases? Do you think the future is a secret or a mystery? Allow me to explain.

Every year car manufacturers release new models. Once or twice a year networks release new shows or seasons of shows. Every fall a bevy of new college students are minted and every spring a few of them will graduate.

See, everything is a cycle…everything! And if you can identify the cycle, you can predict the future!

Here’s another example… Businesses and business owners that don’t set goals, don’t hit them! Leaders that don’t measure the progress toward their goals…don’t hit them!

We’re closing in on the half-way mark of 2019! Yep, just a few days is all that’s left in the first half of the year…are you halfway to your goals for 2019?

If you don’t have goals for the year, it’s not too late! If you haven’t been measuring them, it’s not too late! If you want to learn how to predict the future, it’s not too late! DM me or visit the website to schedule a call (link in bio).

Wins Live in the Land of Loss

Do you ever feel like giving up? I do…and here’s how I keep going.

Some days are better than others. You wake up with all the energy and excitement you need to power the week! Then other days…not so much. Why the difference? Frankly, there are lots of reasons from the physiological to psychological to the weather…but today I want to address the REAL underlying reasons why you want to give up.

Have you ever seen the movie 300? Did you know it’s based on the true story of King Leonidas and the Battle of Thermopoly? How did Leonidas get somewhere around 300 men to fight to the death against a Persian army of almost a million troops? And why didn’t they want to quit?

I’ve been fascinated by stories like this most of my life all leading me to ask the same question…why didn’t they give up? Why not just quit and live to fight another day? I’ve found that the answer for all of them, and for you, is remarkably simple…

You have to know your why!

I can’t tell you how many aspiring business owners I’ve faced across the business coaching table and asked this question and received confused looks in return. They don’t know why they want to start a business (or they assume making money is the only legit answer!).

So why do you do what you’re about to do today? Whether it’s going to work at a job, going to school, working on a side gig or side hustle, or unlocking the doors to your own business…why are you doing that?

And now for today’s golden nugget…Once you know your why, that ‘big picture’ destination you’re working toward, the little day-to-day don’t matter as much, and you can blow right past them without a second thought. If you’re why is to win the world series, does swinging and missing at this pitch make a difference? Does getting one out for trying to steal second make a difference? Does losing today’s game make a difference? Sure, some of these individual fails hurt in the moment, but do they change your big picture why?

Don’t get so wrapped up in this day, this hour, this minute…that you lose sight of this outcome!

If you need help finding your why, I can help. Send me a DM or schedule a no cost, no obligation introductory call on my website (link in bio), I’m happy to help!