Don’t Let Gratitude Trap You In the Past

Is it easy for you to be thankful and express your gratitude?

For years, part of my morning routine has included gratitude. In fact, I do my best to start each day’s journal entry with, “Today, I am grateful for…” I began that practice because gratitude and thankfulness are outbound emotions and by starting my day with those outbound emotions, I don’t get trapped thinking about ME!

But I think I’ve been doing it wrong! Are you?

In the past few weeks, I’ve been really digging into the concept of gratitude and I’ve made a discovery… when we limit our thanks to the things that have already happened, it forces us to live in the past…and the past is not where we’re going! Sure, be thankful for the things that have happened in your life (good and bad! but that’s another post). But that doesn’t help us move forward! So, what should we do?

Think about it this way, if you have an outcome you’d like to achieve (100 new customers, new job, new house…whatever) and you wish, hope, and pray for it…you’re basically saying, “Here I am, bring this outcome to me!” Those hopes and prayers are passive…you’re asking for it to be done for/to you!

Practicing REAL gratitude is being thankful for results not yet received! Saying thank you for things that are already yours, you’re just not there yet! This gives you a direction and vision to move toward! When you can approach gratitude in this way, it allows you to become an ACTIVE participant in creating the outcome instead of being passive and hoping it will happen to you.

So on this Thanksgiving Day 2019, I want you to begin practicing REAL gratitude for what is to come! Whether you are gathered around the table to enjoy a meal, working, or just hanging out with friends…when the time comes to share what you’re thankful for…share something that is to come. And then…

…share that coming result that you are grateful for in the comments below. I’d love to hear about where you’re going and what you are making happen in the final few weeks of 2019 and beyond!!

The Right People Will Come

Have you ever thrown a party and worried that nobody would show up? Maybe it’s not a party but a grand opening or new product launch…you put everything you have into getting people to come out and being prepared….

Sometimes just the anxiety over whether anyone will show or not can be crushing! Especially if you REALLY need this to go well! What does it say about your business or you as a person if nobody shows? Well, here’s a thought…

I really do believe this sentiment with all my heart. Every time I host and event or promote a product, I get anxious about how many, if any, will show up. And then I remember this quote from Will and I’m reminded not to pay attention to the people that don’t show. Instead, I choose to see it as thinning out the crowd to only those that needed to be there…and I give them the very best I’ve got!

What about you? Do you find yourself worrying about results? Watching that LIKE count? Comparing follower counts with the other businesses and people serving your market?

Let me suggest that, just for today, you ignore all that. Just ignore it. You can go back to it tomorrow if you feel like you really need to. But for today, you’re just going to ignore it and put the very best you’ve got out into the world. Let’s try that today and see what happens!

PS – Leave a comment below or tag me on all the greatness you produce today. We’d love to see it!

A Life Worthwhile

What makes a life worthwhile? Well, if you believe Albert, it has something to do with living (working?) for others. Me? I think he was on to something. Read on and join in the conversation below.

I’ve shared my baseline belief statement many times, but, on the off chance that this is your first visit…welcome…and here it is again…

I believe we are each uniquely gifted, talented, and placed to do work that matters.

– Thom Rigsby

When I share that with people a common question I get is, “What do you mean by ‘work that matters?'” Wow! You were thinking that too? Huh…well, okay, let’s take a look at what makes work matter! I use a three part test for determining if your work matters.

First, does the work energize you?

Second, does the work challenge you?

Third, does the work align with your goals and values?

And finally, does it create opportunity and/or value for you and other people? And THIS is why we’re here today. We tend to be pretty good at seeking and creating value for ourself, buy how are you when it comes to creating value for other people? This is the crux of Albert’s statement, that a worthwhile life is on spent helping and creating value for others. When you focus and do that well, you will find joy and fulfillment beyond measure!

Take a minute right now and consider these questions about the work you do every day… about the work you are getting ready to do THIS day. Does it energize and challenge you? Does it align with your goals and values? Does it create value for you and others?

If you answered no to any of these questions, it’s time to reconsider the work you’re doing and begin pursuing better alignment with your purpose in life. At the time it was one of the toughest realizations I’d made in my life…and an equally difficult decision to take back the reins of my life. If you haven’t read my story, I’d encourage you to do so, here’s the link that answers the question Who Is Thom Rigsby.

Is Your Business Running You? [webinar replay]

Our Time Management Secret

A few months back I surveyed my entrepreneur friends to ask what their most pressing time management questions were. I mean, we are all torn between working on the business and actually enjoying the time freedom that comes with being our own boss, but my favorite response, by far, was this one…

“When are we supposed to sleep?”

It can feel that way sometimes, and with both my wife and I being business owners, it can be even more demanding. For us, something had to be done! So, we came up with a plan!

[su_youtube url=”https://youtu.be/kS1p6j-1F6Q” width=”480″ height=”320″]

A few years ago we decided to dedicate some time each year to getting our priorities straight for the next year. For us, this takes the form of a weekend get-away, disconnected from most of the rest of the world, to spend time together planning the coming year. We’ve tried it at different times but it seems to work best for us the weekend after Thanksgiving.

Here are the three biggest benefits we’ve found from taking time away together to plan

Benefit 1: Time Away (obviously)

Technically (and practically I suppose) we could do this at home but…

  • There are always distractions at home
  • People still expect you to “do what you do”
  • We love to travel!

So, we take a trip. Now it doesn’t have to be much. Last year, we went all the way to Decatur, AL (30 minutes from home). It was far enough away that we could call it a trip and close enough that we could take all the stuff we needed to take.

Whether you decide to hit the road or not is entirely up to you. You can create the same outcome at home, just find a way to filter out all the day-to-day distractions that might make it more difficult. (FWIW, travel together is one of the things we value, and it shows up on our plan a lot! This is one way to check a couple of checks with one trip!)

Benefit 2: Having A Plan

I’m pretty sure it was General Patton who said, “No plan survives first contact with the enemy.” Do you think that ever led him to question the need for having a plan? Probably not. See the value in having a plan is not so much the plan, although it can be valuable, but rather in the planning. Thinking about the possibilities and deciding on your response to them in advance! Without a plan, life, and your business, will happen TO you instead of FOR you!

In fact, I really like to call this an annual strategy rather than a plan. A strategy give guidance, takes specifics into account, and generally guides our progress toward an outcome or result. Think about it this way… if you’re going to drive cross country, from say Atlanta to Los Angeles, when you set out your choice of roads doesn’t really matter. As long as it heads west, you’re in good shape. So your strategy is to head west toward Los Angeles. Leaving Atlanta, I-20 is probably a good choice.

Along the way you will inevitably run into road construction or an accident that will slow, maybe even stop your progress. Does that change your strategy? No, probably not. Does it change your plan? Maybe. If the bridge ahead is out completely, then you’ll have to find another route heading west.

As you approach California your strategy for reaching Los Angeles is on track but you’ll need to narrow your plan to guide you north or south to your ultimate destination. Now your road choices begin to matter more and have a greater impact on your ultimate outcome.

In the same way, having a strategy and a working plan for the next few months can be a real benefit for you, your business, and your relationship with your spouse.

Benefit 3: Being A Team

This one may be a bit more subtle but powerful none-the-less. I’ve had my own business for a long time and for the vast majority of that time I tried to keep some kind of barrier between work and home (especially hard when you work from home!). The thought probably had something to do with that whole work-life balance myth but it never really worked.

Then it happened. One of my ventures didn’t exactly turn out as expected. It was spiraling down at almost terminal velocity and there I sat, consumed by the coming demise of my business, consumed by how to explain this to my family, all alone. THAT my friend, was tough.

A good friend of mine at the time was a pastor and we happened to go to a wedding he was officiating (beautiful wedding by the way, and only 19 minutes long! But I digress…) Anyway, one of the things he said really resonated with me that day.

“When you’re married, your burdens are cut in half and your joys are doubled.”

See, I wasn’t protecting her from anything, I was actually making it worse for both of us. She had no idea what was going on and I had no one to share the burden with. She was frustrated and had no idea how to support me. And I was just all alone! Teamwork is about playing to each other’s strengths to mitigate the weakness of the team…I’d been missing the point!

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So now that we (ok, “I”) have figured that out, bring in the strategy weekend! It gives us a structure for talking about what went well this year, what we still need to do, and what we want to do next year!

What Would Your Spouse Say?

If you watched the video above (seriously, you didn’t watch it? go watch it now, I’ll wait right here!) Vickie’s reaction to my first suggestion that we do this was, “Please don’t make me!” That video was completely unscripted by the way and that answer cracked me up, that’s so like her. But as the weekend progressed, she totally bought into the program and now, can’t wait for that weekend every year.

Guys, just trust me… she’ll love it!

Ladies, just tell him you’re ready for his help planning next year, he’ll be all over that.

Either way, talk to them about it. You may be surprise at the answer you get and you will definitely have a stronger year next year, working together toward your joint vision of success!

PS – GREAT NEWS! This year we are going to pull back the curtain on our planning process and invite a few couples to join us as we plan for next year! If you are interested in finding out more about how to get an invitation, just drop you info in the form below and I will be in touch!