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I’m Smarter Than That Guy!

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Successful people only use common sense principles to obtain their success. I have heard it a million times. In fact, I have said it a few times myself. “There is no way that guy is successful, I’m smarter than him.

Common Knowledge Café

I heard Ivan Misner say, “Success in the uncommon application of common knowledge.” I have found that to be true in recent years. I used to think there is no way I could <insert anything you want to do in here>. The truth is, I can do most anything I want to do. You can too. All it takes is applying the basic principles that even my seven year old knows.

That sounds so easy. I know there are still going to be obstacles. There are still going to be times where it may seem impossible. It is easier to be critical than successful. However, in just a few easy steps, you can accomplish most anything you want.

  1. Break down the task into several easy steps. I had a goal to have a blog. It seemed to be impossible to do, because I wanted it to be as good as Michael Hyatt’s blog. What I did not realize at first was that Michael Hyatt’s blog was not as good when he started it, as it is now. So I broke the process down into easy to accomplish tasks. (buy a domain, set up a blue host account, install wordpress, create a wordpress account, and start writing stuff)
  2. Do NOT fear failure. “Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.” It is the ultimate goal to do things great, but the first time you do anything it will be bad. Just look at a child learning to walk for the first time. That kid is going to fall, a lot.
  3. Schedule time. The only things that will get done in your day, are things that are scheduled. If you do not set time aside to do the things you need to do, you will end up watching a marathon of The Mentalist on TV. (I may have done this one before?!) It doesn’t matter how much time you have. Use what you have to the fullest. You will not regret it.
  4. DO IT! Nike has this part right. Now it is time to just start knocking things off the task list. Do one task at a time. Only think in long range goals during the planning process. Once you move to the DO IT! stage, just think in terms of getting the next thing done.

Everyday, I am making a conscience effort to move forward, and get better. I want you to do the same thing. I know that the goals that you have, can be accomplished. Now get out there and DO IT!

Have you ever thought you were smarter than successful people? What are the things that they do that you should be doing?

How Many Loaves and Fishes Do You Have?

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This headline comes from a lesson in the Bible commonly referred to as the feeding of the five thousand. In this story, a small boy from the crowd offers his five loaves and two small fishes to Jesus so that the five thousand plus people who were there could eat.

Cinco pães e dois peixes

It sounds pretty impossible. In our own power, it maybe. However this young lad displayed several attributes that made it possible for his small amount of food to be used of God to help thousands of people.  Here are five attributes that this boy showed, that we can all learn from.

  1. Be Prepared  There were five thousand men present at this teaching.  That did not count the women and children.  Out of all of these people present, only this boy had food to eat.  It is so important for us to be prepared.  One of the best ways to be prepared is to be educated.  There are so many ways to learn today it is crazy.  Information can be found on websites, through blogs, podcasts, ebooks, audio books, actual paper books (WHO KNEW THEY STILL EXISTED?!), and I could go on and on.  There is simply no reason for each one of us to stop learning in this day and age.
  2. Do Not Take What You Have For Granted  If you are like me, the things you do are just the things you do.  You do not always find value in those things.  The boy ONLY had five loaves and two small fishes.  There was NO WAY it would be enough to feed all of those people.  That boy saw the value in what he had.  He realized what he had was important.  I know I need to get better at that.  My guess is that you need to as well.
  3. Speak Up  As the disciples went around to see what food was available, it would have been very easy for the boy to stay silent.  I mean, he was just a boy.  Like I said in point two, he only had a small amount of food.  Fortunately for everyone there, those things did not stop him.  He was not afraid to speak up.  Just like that boy, you need to speak up.  It may be that you see something that nobody else sees.  You might have knowledge on a subject that nobody else knows.
  4. Give It Your All  This boy could have easily kept a couple of loaves for himself.  He could have thought, if I give them all my food, they will give it to others.  I will have nothing for myself!  He did not do that.  He gave everything he had.  You and I need to put everything we have on the table, and not hold anything back.  By holding your best back, all you do is deprive the world of things that could change the world.
  5. Accept The Blessing  Due to the unselfishness of this boy, many people were able to eat until they were full, himself included.  Many people have a difficult accepting blessings.  This boy had no problem eating until he was full.  There is a good chance that he actually ate more than he brought.  It does not have to make sense.  When somebody wants to give you something, be thankful and accept it.

What are some other attributes that this boy showed?  

Why Comfort is NOT a Good Thing

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I do not like to leave my comfort zone.  At the risk of sounding redundant, it makes me uncomfortable.  It does not feel right!  The problem is, I know that leaving my comfort zone is the only way to get better.

When I started my blog, it was a step out of my comfort zone.  In my blog I put my thoughts out there for the world to see.  The scary part is someone might disagree with me.  Somebody may think that I am unoriginal.  People may not read my blog.  All of that does not matter.  No two people, no matter how similar, agree on anything.  There is nothing new under the sun, so of course your ideas will be based on something else you have learned in life.  I do not write my blog exclusively to get people to read it.  I do it for myself, but it is still nice for others to read.

Everything in your life that is worth having came with pain.  Think about it.  If you ever excelled in sports, there were many days of painful practice to get there.  If you have ever lost a significant amount of weight, there was lots of blood, sweat, and tears to get to your goal weight.  For the ladies out there, having a child was likely one of the most painful experiences of your life.  And it did not stop there, did it?  If you have ever made a large purchase, you had to work hard for the cash to buy it.  The list is endless, but the point is true, GROWTH does not occur without some level of pain.

Here are two reasons why I am going to step out of my comfort zone.

  1. To Provide Excitement – When I do the same thing over and over and over I may get a little better at that one thing.  I will not stay interested though.  I will get bored.  I want to get out of bed everyday excited to experience something that I did not have the chance to experience yesterday.
  2. To Make Myself Better – If I am not willing to try new things, I will never learn anything new.  And when you stop learning, you start dying.  I had an old guy I used to work with say he was never going to retire because people who retire die.  I know what he was saying, and for him if he was not at work, he would stop learning.  That would ultimately lead to his death.

I am committing now to start advertising my blog more.  I am going to start posting my blog on facebook and twitter.  I am going to put my website blog on my email signature.  I am going to take a bigger step out of my comfort zone because like the top of the page says, “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be.”

When was the last time you stepped out of your comfort zone?  How did it turn out?

5 Reasons to Write Goals Down

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Most of my early life I hated writing things down.  I fought hard to avoid any kind of writing.  It is humorous that now I wish I had more time to write things down.  I enjoy writing now.  As I get older I realize more and more how important it is to write things down.

via gregwake, Flickr

One of the most important things you can write down are your goals.  In previous posts, I have told you the areas of life to set goals and I told you how to make them SMART goals.  In this post, I want to give you 5 reasons why I write down my goals.

  1. So I do not forget them.  I make sure to carry a pen and piece of paper with me everywhere I go.  I do this largely because I never know when I might get an idea that I don’t want to forget.  I am sure to write it down and keep it with me until I get to my moleskine notebook to properly record it.
  2. To make them real.  Until I write something down, it is just an idea.  It has no substance.  It has no plan.  Once I write it down, I can start working on a process to make it happen.
  3. To make myself believe it.  I spoke to a great artist the other day about her plan to start a new business.  I told her that I thought it was a great idea.  One of the issues she had been that she didn’t really think that she was great artist.  It seems like this is a common occurrence.  People take for granted the things that they are good at, because that is just what they do.  By writing a goal down, I can let it start sinking into my head that it is possible, and I am good enough.
  4. To see progress.  By writing my goals down I can see not only where I am going but where I have come from.  I can see things on my list that I have accomplished.  I can know that I am, in fact, making progress.
  5. To make it worth fighting for.  If I believe in something enough to write it down, I am a lot more likely to fight through resistance to accomplish it.  It is easy to quit these days.  It is easy to come up with excuses to stop pursuing goals.  Fighting for something is not easy.  Writing it down contributes to the conviction in me to stay strong in my pursuit.

Some of the goals in my life that I have accomplished are:  marrying a good Christian woman, having children, seeing my children saved, owning a home, and to lose 60 pounds.  I trust that if you too write your goals down, it will help.

Do you write your goals down?  What are some additional reasons why you do so?

8 Areas Where You Need To Set Goals

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My last post dealt with the importance of having SMART goals.  Today, I would like to give you 8 areas where you need to set goals.

via .Jac.’s photostream

This list may not include every area where you have goals, but these are the major areas that I have identified in my own life.  Some of these areas obviously overlap, when in doubt put them in every category they apply.  The more you write them down, the more cemented in your heart they will become.

  1. Spiritual Goals– My relationship with God is the most important area of my life.  Every area of my life flows through this area.  It is my belief that God given goals will not conflict.  Therefore, I feel this is the very first place to start creating goals.  The very first spiritual goal that I believe everyone should be saved and to have a close and personal relationship with God.  After this, some goals may involve Bible reading, prayer, Ministries in your church, and donating time and/or money to an outreach or mission.
  2. Family Goals– One family goal that I had is to see my two children become saved.  I am blessed to have seen that already, and at a young age.  My next goal is to see them increase in the knowledge and understanding of God and for them to serve Him throughout their life.  Some other family goals may include: family devotions, vacations, having children, adopting children, providing opportunities to learn, buying a new house, and having set dinner times where everyone gets together.
  3. Career Goals– There are times when your company sets career goals for you.  This is a good start.  However, it is important to have your own goals surrounding your career as well.  Whether it be a promotion, increasing sales, improving systems, increasing reach, or improving profits, these goals are essential to not becoming complacent in the current position you hold.
  4. Financial Goals–  This a big one for most people.  Financial goals are the life the blood to goals in every category.  My first financial goal is to be debt free.  This goal, if you are not currently there is probably the first one you should have as well.  All other financial goals start with having the cash required to be free from financial constraints.  Other financial goals that you may have may be to set up a college fund for your children, buying a luxury item that you are not currently able to afford, to be able to give anonymous gifts to those in need, to invest your money in areas where it can grow, or to create residual income streams.
  5. Physical Health Goals–  It is said that you spend the first half of your life trying to create wealth to the detriment of your health, and the last half of your life using your wealth to regain your health.  Unfortunately, this is all too true for many people.  I hope to be able to keep my health while furthering my wealth.  These goals may look like eating properly, drinking more water, exercising 3-5 times per week, competing in a marathon or triathlon, or just beating your wife in a personal challenge to log the most miles in a month (I currently have this goal!).
  6. Learning Goals– I was having a conversation with a gentleman the other day who informed me that he had already been through high school and college, therefore he didn’t really need to learn anything else.  In my opinion this guy is destined for failure.  If you don’t have any goals in personal growth, development, and learning you can never improve any area of your life.  Now maybe he was just speaking to formal education, but I think this is a dangerous mindset to have.  Some of the learning goals I have are to read 2-3 non-fiction books per month, listen to personal development podcasts, read informative blogs, and attend conferences where I can learn new strategies for bettering myself.  Like showering, learning has to occur daily to be effective.
  7. Social Goals–  These goals would deal with how you interact with other people.  They could include your extended family, friends, co-workers, waitresses, and everyone else that you meet.  A social goal that I have is to leave every person I meet a little happier than they were when I met them.  Sometimes this is not possible.  All you can do is commit to it, carry it out everyday.
  8. Creative Goals–  Creative goals would be the goals that you have in whatever kind of art you enjoy.  Creativity can be used in any aspect of your life from work to recreation.  Whether you paint, play music, play football, write, build models, golf, or whatever it is that will lessen your stress, it is important to have goals.
Goals inspire you to carry on.  Goals help you feel you are moving forward.  Goals give your life additional purpose.  If you do not have a goal to move toward, you are not moving forward.  If you are not moving forward, you are moving backward.  So set your goals, then move toward them.
Are there other areas where you set goals?  What is your favorite area to set goals in?

 

SMART Goals

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A goal is the achievement toward which effort is directed. (via dictionary.com). That is pretty self-explanatory. You have an achievement that you want to reach, and you must exert effort to get there. Goals are an important part of successful people’s lives. Just having goals is not enough if they are not SMART.

via drewleavy

I trust that everyone reading this understands the importance of having goals. I have heard some say that they are content with what they have. They say they don’t really need goals. That is not content, that is complacent. It is possible to be content and still have BIG goals. Contentment vs. Complacency is a blog post for another day though. Today, I want to focus on having SMART goals.

There are several variations to this acronym out there, but this is the one that I have adopted as my own.

  • Specific. In the networking group I attend we have a saying, “Specific is Terrific”. It is a corny saying that we all laugh about. It is so true though. Having vague ideas of things that you want to do, will not get you to where you want to go. You have to have a vivid picture in your mind of what your goal looks like. You do not have to know everything that will happen to get you there. You just have to know what it is. Take it down to the smallest possible detail that you can.
  • Measurable. Now that you know specifically what you want to achieve, you need to make sure that you can measure how to get there. In every goal there are incremental landmarks that must be achieved along the way. Write those things down. A goal, mentally, is a lot easier to achieve if you write out all the measurable items that can get you there. For example do not say, “I need to save some money this month!”; say, “I am going to set aside $50 per week this month.”
  • Action-focused. Half of the definition of a goal is that you have to exert effort. You can not exert effort with out action. Quite frankly action does not happen for most people with out it being planned. So when you are writing out your goal, use ACTION words. Use words that inspire you to move forward. For example do not say, “I need to save some money this month!”; say, “I AM GOING to SET ASIDE $50 per week this month.”
  • Realistically Challenging. Realistic is sometimes a good excuse word for goal setting. I hear a lot that something is realistic when in fact, it is just challenging. It can be hard to know the difference. For the double amputee runner in the Olympics, it probably seemed unrealistic at some point in his life that he would be able to compete on the highest level of track and field. Obviously, that is not the case. It was just challenging. However, there are some things in life that are not realistic. I am short and almost 33 years old. I am not going to play in the NBA. That is NOT realistic. It is important that your goals be challenging, however. The only things worth achieving require some pain.
  • Time-bound. I know I procrastinate on things that do not have have a time limit. If your goals are not bound by time, you will procrastinate on them. Not only should your whole goal have time limits, but each step in your goal should have a time limit. If your time limit expires before you reach your goal, you have a decision to make. You need to decide if it is still a goal that you want to achieve. If it is, set a new time limit. If it is not, scrap it. I am sure that you were still able to learn things from the experience. Also, there is no better time to stop wasting time on something that does not matter like right now!

I have been working on my goal setting. One of the goals that I am focusing on right now is becoming debt free. That goal is NOT easy, but it is SMART.

I encourage you all to evaluate the goals you have to make sure they are SMART. If you do not have written goals, GO, DO IT NOW!!!

What goals do you have? What did you have to add to them to make them SMART?

The Death of Productivity

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Productivity is defined as the quality, state, or fact of being able to generate, create, enhance, or bring forth goods and services.  (thank you dictionary.com)  I, like most people, enjoy being productive.  Unfortunately, however, it is easy to kill productivity.

Photo Courtesy of Jo Naylor

The death of productivity can be carried out in many different ways.  A few of my favorite ways are:

  • My iphone and ipad.   Just like any tool, it can be used for good or for bad.  I use my i devices for good in many different ways.  I use it to read my Bible, to stay up to date on all of my favorite blogs, to manage my contacts, to keep track of thoughts and future blogs, to manage my appointments (both professionally and personally), to research items of interest, and a score of other good ways.  On the other side of that coin, I look at it too much.  I look at facebook, twitter, other social media apps, play games, and read meaningless email way too much.  I am trying to make an intentional effort to stop doing this and be where I am.
  • Busy work.  I know this one may not seem correct.  I know that most of the time work, even busy work can be productive.  If it needs to be done, it needs to be done.  I often times find myself doing busy work as an excuse to avoid doing something I really should be doing, just to say I am being productive.  In actuality, I am killing productivity by avoiding the things that may be a little more tough, but will bring me to my goals much faster.
  • Perfection.  This is a big one for me.  I have been afraid to do many things through my life, because I knew that it would not be perfect.  I knew there was no way that I could live up to my own expectations.  I had always been taught that anything worth doing is worth doing right.  This statement is true.  However, it doesn’t have to be right the first time.  Think of anything that you are good at.  Got it?  Ok, now think back to the first time you did that activity.  Was it right?  Was it perfect?  I would like to amend the above statement to be, “Anything worth doing, is worth messing up at least once.”  That is the only way people learn, by messing up.  Very few people ever reach perfection in anything.  It is a great goal to have.  ‘Good enough’ is what you need to get started.
There are a lot of other things that kill productivity, but these are my favorites.  My goal is to start down the road to eliminating these productivity killers as quickly as I can.  I am going to start updating this page more consistently.  Since I wrote that down, I have to do it now…
What is killing your productivity?

Behavior Modification

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Behavior modification is not the goal. It is not a goal for myself, for my kids, or for anyone that I teach. It is a necessary step on the way to self-improvement, but not the ultimate goal. My goal as a teacher, writer, and everything else I do is to help bring permanent change.

There are three basic steps to bring permanent change. These steps are true in all aspects of life, including, but not limited to:

  • Financially – How your money gets spent.
  • Spiritually – How you interact with God.
  • Physically – How healthy you are.
  • Socially – How you interact with everyone around you, including your family, friends, co-workers, etc.
  • Emotionally – How you deal with problems.
  • Intellectually – How you learn new things.
    1. Realize you are doing things wrong.  As they say realizing there is a problem is the first step to recovery. If I constantly deny there is a problem, there is no way I can ever correct it.  Usually this is the hardest step.  Many times, I become comfortable in the things I am doing wrong, because that is the way I have always done it.  This is not a valid reason to continue in doing wrong.  I hope that I don’t have to hit rock bottom in any given category to wake me up to a problem.  However this is the case for many people.  A smart person learns from his mistakes, a wise  person learns from other people’s mistakes.
    2. Doing the right things because you have to.  This is the phase that includes behavior modification.  If I run out of money before all my bills are paid, I have no choice but to quit buying some things.  I can make my five-year old son do something that he does not want to do.  I can assert my authority over him to make sure he does not stick a knife in an electrical outlet.  That will work for some time, but eventually he will be in a situation where I will not be there to stop him.  So, unless he moves on to the third step, he may have trouble.  Obviously, this phase is essential.  So, while behavior modification is not the final goal; it is definitely necessary.
    3. Doing right because that is who you are.  The jump from 2 to 3 can be a huge one.  Often times there are a lot of steps in between 2 and 3.  The important thing is to get here.  The goal is to do the right things because you WANT to do the right thing.  It is in your soul.  It is who you are.

I was able to lose quite a bit of weight a few years ago.  I realized one day that if I continued on the road I was on, I could have health issues.  Those health issues could result in my life not being as productive or long as I would like.  So, I decided that I was going to lose weight.  I knew the only way I would lose the weight is if I made myself exercise and eat better.  Over several months, I changed my lifestyle.  Since then, I have changed who I am.   It was a difficult road.  I know that I am a better person for it.

 

What are some things that you know you need to change? What are some ways you can implement those changes?

 

Happy TEN Year Anniversary!

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On July 6, 2012 my wife and I celebrated our TEN year wedding anniversary.  10 years = 3, 650 days = 87, 600 hours = 5, 256, 000 minutes.  I am quite sure it was harder on her than it was on me.  I am a very blessed man.  My wife has been a gift to me from God that I could never have expected.

Over the years, I have tried to learn a few things.  It is a never ending process to improve.  Just like bathing, self improvement must be done daily to work.  I want to make an effort to be a better husband every day.  Here are three things that I try to do as often as possible in becoming a better husband.

  1. Speak well of your wife.  The words you speak are windows to your heart.  It can start innocently enough.  I know at one point I found myself telling co-workers about arguments that my wife and I were having.  Now part of the problem is that I was only telling my half of the story, and she was not there to defend her side.  I didn’t mean any harm by it.  I was just trying to talk out my issues with my friends.  What ended up happening is that I would only tell them about the arguments or issues I was having with my wife.  I did not tell them about all the great things she did for me.  I did not mention how she consistently goes out of her way to make my life better everyday.  Human nature is to complain.  So, at some point some of my coworkers started to think that my wife was not a good person.  At that point I made a conscious effort to stop complaining all the time and start bragging and telling good things about my wife.  I must admit that I still need to work on this, especially when I am with my wife.
  2. Learn the nine words to change your life.  I am sorry.  I was wrong.  Please forgive me.  This is one that I really need to work on.  Without all nine of these words, an apology is not an apology.  I have a tendency to forget the middle three words.  I don’t like to admit that I am wrong.  Unfortunately, if you do not include those middle three words, you might as well just forget all of it.
  3. Listen to your wife.  Easier said than done.  I know.  That is the quest that all men have been seeking to conquer throughout time.  Listening to your wife is more than just letting the words come into your ears.  Listening also includes getting the true meaning behind the words.  All humans need to feel loved, need to feel wanted, need to feel secure, amongst other things.  Listen to what the words mean, and provide for her like you promised in the wedding vows you spoke to her.

I trust that I am a better husband now than I was ten years ago.  I trust that I will be a better husband tomorrow than I am today.

 

What are some ways you have found to make your marriage stronger?

Play the … Pauses

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I saw in a movie recently where a music teacher instructed their student to “play the pauses”. The indication is that the pauses in between the notes are just as important as the notes themselves.  In everyday life, just like in music, the down times are just as important, if not more important than the events in our lives that keep us busy.

In my life I have identified these three areas where I try to ‘play the pauses’.

  1. Family – I love going to professional sports games (GO REDS!), Amusement Parks (King’s Island is the best!), my kids games (PRF Panthers RULE!), and many other events with my family.  However, some of the best conversations and interactions are in the Jeep, at dinner, or at bedtime while I check on (make sure the boogie man is not there) the kids.  The time in between all the EVENTS of life are often the most memorable.  I think it is imperative to focus on these times and make the most of them.
  2. Prayer – I don’t know about you, but I often find myself reciting these long, rambling narrative prayers.  I just recite the laundry list of items that are bothering me.  In order to get the guidance that I need from the Lord, I have to make a conscience decision to pause.  I want to make sure I give the Lord the opportunity to speak to me.  If all I do is talk, I can’t listen.  The Bible says, “Be still, and know that I am God:” Psalm 46:10a.  I need to be still and listen to the message that the Lord has for me.
  3. Socially – It has often been said that there is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth.  I want to create meaningful relationships with the people I meet.  I have to be willing to listen twice as much as I talk.  I want to be in a position to help and teach others.  It is true that people don’t care how much I know, until they know how much I care.  If all I do is talk and not listen, it might show how much I care, but only about MYSELF.
Time Management is a big point of conversation these days.  It seems the more technology we have to make our lives “easier”, the more we add to our lives.  The truth is time will not be managed.  I am not able to guide time, tell it where to go, or what to do.  Time is a constant that will not change.  The best I can do is to manage myself and how I use my time.  If I don’t actively choose to “Play the Pauses”, I will rush through life and miss some of the best things in life.
Do you “play the pauses”?  What are some areas in your life where it is important to “play the pauses”?