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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!

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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!

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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.

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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!

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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).

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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!

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success demands hard work and focus

Yesterday we talked about there being no easy path, no ‘lotto solution’ to your challenge.

Those of you with kids can probably relate to this (or maybe it was an employee!). They work so hard and spend so much time trying to get out of doing something that you look at them and think (or say), “You know, if you’d spend that much time doing what I asked, you’d be done already.”

While I do believe that you are uniquely gifted, talented and placed to do your work that matters…that is only part of the story. You still have to put in the work, and sometimes, maybe even most of the time, that work is difficult!

But that’s okay, in fact, that’s preferred! Why? Simple, because the harder you work for an outcome, the more valuable it is to you! The sense of accomplishment and fulfillment you get from completing something hard far outweighs the momentary difficulty of the work!

So just like fear and risk are really good indicators that you are on the right path, so to is hard work! It reminds me of that old saying, “If it was easy, everybody would do it!”

If you want the things no one else has, you have to do the work no one else will!

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There is no risk free path to success

Psst…hey…are you looking for a watch? I guess a more modern version of this old trope would be, “Hey, buddy, you looking for a 100% guaranteed way to make $10k of totally passive income by tomorrow?”

Why are we so enamored by these kinds of offers? What makes them so appealing even when we immediately view them with doubt and skepticism?

I often say that an opportunity that doesn’t come with some risk is not really an opportunity, it’s a gift or a hand-out. Intuitively we know that anything of real value comes with a cost. For an opportunity, that cost is risk! So when we are offered something “risk-free” we (should) start asking questions!

But isn’t risk bad? Shouldn’t we be trying to avoid risk? NOOOOO! Just like yesterday’s post about fear being a great indicator that you’re on the right track, so too is risk. NO great accomplishment was ever made without risk! And in fact, the greater the risk, the greater the reward, in both monetary terms and personal satisfaction!

So yes, be on the lookout for risk, mitigate it when you can, then charge head-long into its face…because behind the risk is where the reward is hiding!

If you’re are unsure about how to handle a risky situation in your business or life, DM me, I can help!

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How to Have Whatever You Want

Do you have what you want or settle for what you can get?

As a life and business coach, almost every day I have a conversation with an aspiring business owner that starts out something like, “Yeah, I have a great idea for a widget! I have a solid design and I’m ready to quit my job to work on it, BUT {insert excuse here}!”

You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect, you know, patients given sugar pills experience the same benefits as those that get the real thing? Why is that? Simple, because they believed!

And you don’t have to know how it works to use it to reach your goals! You still fly on an airplane without understanding how to fly it yourself, don’t you? Your understanding has very little to do with it.

You may want to write this date down in your journal because I’m about to give you a pass on something (that NEVER happens!). It’s not your fault! You’ve been duped!

All your life you’ve been told that you can’t buck the system, follow the rules and you’ll get your reward, focus and work hard, etc, etc, etc. Well, I’m here to tell you YOU CAN and YOU SHOULD! Don’t wait! Live your legacy every day…starting today!

You already have the ability to create ANY outcome you want if you will just make the choices that lead to that outcome! All you have to do is BELIEVE!

I want you to find your why and do work that matters! So, leave a comment and let me know what outcome YOU want and what you’re going to do TODAY to take at least one step toward making it a reality!

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Find the Will to Win

transformation for the week: From afraid to confident / courageous
For Today: Finding the will to win

Do you have what it takes to win? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?

I had a terrible boss once. No, I mean REALLY bad! Combine that with my stubborn streak and what do you get? I became determined to stay at the company longer than he did. That vision, that mission, gave me the will to put up with a LOT of crap!

For many people, the ‘will to win’ is something soldiers or athletes need but you don’t need it in your role, right? Well, maybe! I hate to break this to you but every day won’t be a great day, in fact, some days will be downright terrible. But even those aren’t the days when you need the will to win.

When you’ve been working on that big pitch, trying to land that game-changing client, or working diligently to open a new store…then you lose! The pitch get’s accidentally deleted, the game-changing client goes with someone else. The new store has a new neighbor…your biggest competitor!

THESE are the days you need the will to win!