Think about a problem in your life right now. Make it something substantial that you genuinely wish were different. Maybe something that grates on you day in and day out.
Fix your problem firmly in your mind so you can feel your emotions begin to rise.
Now I’m going to teach you the magic words…
It frustrates me to no end that we’re never taught how to set goals right in school. Sure, I can tell you the chemical formula for table salt, but I couldn’t plan my best year ever in a way that breeds success.
Our culture does a great job of impressing upon us the importance of achievement and goal setting. We get an A for that.
But most of our goals are just… flat.
We’re never taught the art of goal setting that helps us craft a life we’re excited to live. We’re never let in on the process to doing this right.
I have studied many times
The marble which was chiseled for me –
A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.
In truth it pictures not my destination
But my life.
For love was offered me, and I shrank from its
disillusionment;
Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid
Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.
Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life
And I know that we must lift the sail
And catch the winds of destiny
Wherever they drive the boat.
To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,
But life without meaning is the torture
Of restlessness and vague desire –
It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.
There’s a lot of joggers out right now, have you noticed? Fast ones, slow ones, big ones, small ones.
Joggers with new running gear. Joggers with strollers. Joggers who looked happy, and joggers I keep an eye on to make sure they don’t pass out in my lawn.
January is a month for beginning new things. Nearly every gym I know is holding some sort of challenge or special. My inbox at work is filled with once quite clients ready to get a jump on the new year. Everyone has something new they’re working on.
Awesome right?
Sure. But it won’t last.
In March the gyms will be back to the “usual crowd.” The trails won’t be packed with joggers anymore.
The excitement of new beginnings will be replaced with the steady beat of “the grind.” Next year… Next year things will be different.
Right?
So you want to CRUSH 2012? I mean really knock the cover off it?
Great! Me too. You’re in the right place.
Most of us spend this time of year crouched at the starting line in anticipation. Our feet are set. Our heads are bowed in focused preparation. We’re ready for the race.
But before you set your feet in the starting blocks and wait anxiously for the gun to blast there’s something I want you to do that’s going to make all the difference in your performance:
Donuts – if you’re me anyway. The picture above is me less than an hour after completing a big goal for 2011. But there’s got to be something more to it than fresh baked, chocolate iced treats right?
Of course!
And before you run off to the closest donut shop in pursuit of Success I want to share the secret behind this.
But first – a story.
When I was in my second week at Invodo, Brandon (one of the sales guys) came bounding into our office (I share an office with three other people). He walked straight to the corner and started finagling a three and a half foot stereo speaker out of the corner and dragged it into the doorway.
Before I had a could make sense out of the situation my office-mate cranked DJ Khaled’s “All I Do Is Win” full blast!
Last summer I attended Quitter Conf with 200 other people pursuing their dreams. The host, Jon Acuff, challenged us, “Give yourself permission today to be your secret self.”
Just for the day. Just at the conference. Let yourself be the person you deeply wish you were.
What would you be? What would you be like? We all have this desire inside us of what we ultimately want to be, but we don’t show it.
Whatever the reason is (and there always is one), something keeps us from letting that desire transcend from our secret-self to our true-self.
When you want to be an artist and your dad reminds you “You can’t make any money doing that.”
In high school I sat near a lot of really smart kids. I liked to think I was among that group, but my transcript said otherwise. At graduation their robes were decorated with colorful accolades. Mine was black. Plain black.
College was the same story. I shared a lab with some brilliant people. But while they created brilliant new things, I struggled to understand the examples in the text book.
Years later I spent a couple years applying to some of the best business graduate programs in the nation. It didn’t work out.
It seemed the world was trying to tell me something. I’m not cut out for greatness. I’m not ‘Exec-level’ material. My dreams of running a great company weren’t meant to be I guess. I’m destined to work for a great company, not create one.
Do you or someone on your shopping list want to maximize their successes in 2012? I know I sure do! Several years ago I started taking the advice of achievement masters like Jim Rohn and began seriously collecting things to help me succeed.
Any successful person will tell you their library is important to them. Books, audio books, seminars, and digital guides written by experts all help me continue to grow.
I must admit, I’m hooked on the results! Now my holiday wish-list is something I would’ve laughed at years back, but I’m so fired up about the results these gifts are going to help me achieve in 2012!
Here’s a quick guide for the achiever on your list (or to help you round out your own list) [Note: These links are affiliate links – because I believe in these products!]:
We’ve all got work to do, and these days the people who can do more work, better than anyone else rise to the top. The only problem is most of us go about productivity all wrong. Our multi-tasking, always-on culture may feel like we’re getting things done, but it’s contrary to the way our brains function.
These seven principles will help you maximize your productive capacity and work better, faster, and more effectively than you have in years:
1. Prioritize Early
Surely you’ve heard it before, but here’s some science to back it up. The human brain requires massive amounts of energy to think through complex ideas. Ever wonder why you feel physically drained after trying to get your head around a big problem?
Prioritizing tasks is one of the most intensive activities for your brain because of the number of complex ideas it must keep top of mind. You have to understand how working late on a project could impact your kids practice, as well as the long term implications of shorting one or the other.
If your mind isn’t fresh it’s harder to make these decisions efficiently.
To make the most of your day prioritize your days tasks in the morning when you’re fresh.
