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7 Lessons I Learned From a Hunting Dog

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I recently had the opportunity to go pheasant hunting with several members of my family.  It was not exactly what I expected it to be, but I can honestly say I had a great time!  I will definitely go back.  As in most hunting, there was a lot of time where I was not getting to shoot my shotgun.  During these lulls of excitement I spoke to our guide about his hunting dog.  Here are 7 lessons I was able to from that hunting dog.  His name is Deuce, by the way.

hunting photo

  1. Train Hard.   Our guide, Nate was telling us all about the hard work that Deuce had put in to be able to track a bird in a field.  While it is true that some dogs have the natural ability to track, unless they train and practice on honing this skill it would be totally useless.  If he did not train then they may not stop short of the bird and scare him away before we got into position.  Worse yet, Deuce may have been playing with the bird before we had an opportunity to shoot at it.  (I say shoot at it, because, well… I may not have been a perfect marksman.)  The point is, Deuce did his job very effectively, stopping short and pointing at the bird, so we could get ready.  Just like Deuce, we all have natural abilities to do certain tasks.  I am sure you know at least some of the things that you are  naturally good at.  However, if you do not train and practice getting better at those things, they will not help you when you need them most.
  2. Know Your Goal.  Deuce knew what his goal was.  He knew what the bird he was hunting for smelled like.  Do you know what your goal is?  Do you know what it looks like?  Have you thought about how it will make your life better when you get there?  One of the best things you can do to achieve what you want is to set SMART goals.
  3. Keep Moving Forward.  No matter what was going on, that dog just keep on moving.  He knew that there was no possible way that he would be able to reach his goal, unless he kept on moving.  Sitting on your hands will not take you where you want to go.  There are times where it is necessary to pause, take a look around and make sure you are moving correctly.  Pausing can make it possible to correct course, but if you stay there too long, you will lose the scent.
  4. Test Your Boundaries.  It has been said, that if you have never failed, you have not been trying hard enough.  While on the hunt I asked why Deuce was always zig zagging.  I made the incorrect assumption that the fastest way to the dog’s goal was a straight line.  I was told that the smell that came from the bird was a cone.  The best way for Deuce to narrow down on the bird was to move in a zig zag pattern from the outside of the scent to the outside of the other side of the scent.  As he continued in this fashion the scent would get smaller and smaller, until it was finally resting in one spot in the field, where the bird was hiding.  It reinforced my belief that you have to test the boundaries of your skills in order to make it to your goal.  Sometimes we fail, but that does not mean you are a failure.  Failure is an occurrence, not a person.  You must be willing to fail in order see how good you can be.
  5. Stay Focused.  As we discussed above, sometimes moving in a zig zag pattern is best to get to your goal.  Sometimes it is easy to lose your focus while you are zigging and zagging, not Deuce.  He continued to focus on that scent no matter how wide he stretched.  I realized he was narrowing his focus by his movement, even though it appeared as if he was lost.  No matter what happens, even if a hunter in the field next to you fires his shotgun, you must stay focussed on your goal.
  6. Reach Your Goal.  WooHoo!  Congratulations!  You have reached your goal.  You have done everything you need to get the job done, and now you get to experience the reward.  In Deuces case, assuming that we were able to hit the bird with our shot, he was able to run, grab the bird, and bring it back to us.  That was what he really wanted the whole time.  He got the opportunity to revel in the admiration of his trainer.  You too can reach your goals, by doing the things that I learned from my buddy, Deuce.  It’s not over though…
  7. Start Towards Your New Goal.  If our guide had let Deuce have too much fun with that bird, there would have been nothing left for us to eat that night.  (Pheasant, wrapped in bacon cooked on the grill is quite tasty.)  We are the same way.  If you spend too much time celebrating the victory of a goal achieved, it will eat you up just like a bird a dog has played with for too long.  We have all met the guy that cannot let go of his sports victories in high school.  I personally do not want to be that guy.  (Although, I really enjoyed beating Calvary in soccer my Senior year of high school.)  The only way to avoid that trap, is to set and start moving toward the next target.  Pheasants are not big enough to feed the whole family.

Are you moving towards your goals with ‘Deuce Intensity’?

 

Four Ways to Make Your Resolutions Stick

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Every year countless people (me included) come up with New Years resolutions only to have them fall by the wayside in a month or less.  This can be very discouraging, so I have come up with four to help make your resolutions easier to maintain.
duct tape
 1. Believe you can do it.  It is generally easy to come up with your resolutions.  Everybody knows what they need to do to become better at whatever it is that they desire to be better at.  The hard part is not knowing what to do, the hardest thing is doing it.  The first step in actually doing it is believing that it is possible.  If you begin your resolution thinking in the back of your head that it will never last, you will be right.  As Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t – you’re right.”  It starts deep down in your heart.  If you do not truly believe it, don’t make it a resolution or change your thinking!
 2. Write them down and put them in a place where you will see them regularly.  I have written before about the importance of writing goals down, the principles are the same.  You can find that post here.
3. Involve an outside accountability partner.  It does not matter who your accountability partner is.  It can be a spouse, a friend, minister, trainer or a complete stranger for that matter.  The key is that they are willing to hold you accountable.  They have to be strong enough to call you out when you make excuses.  We all have reason for not doing things.  Sometimes they are even valid.  If you want to lose weight, hire a trainer that is going to be calling you to make sure you are showing up.  If you are like me, when you put money on the table, you will be sure to use the service because who wants to waste money!?!  If you do not want to hire a trainer, enlist someone to work out with.  If you know someone is waiting on you, you are far less likely to leave them hanging.
4. Create a system that will help you succeed.  Now that you have an accountability partner, have written down your resolutions, put them on your bathroom mirror, and believe that you can do it, it is time to create systems that will help you to succeed.  Staying with the weight loss analogy, pack your lunch.  If you leave your house to go to work without a nutritious lunch packed when it becomes noon time you will go back to old faithful (for me this is a McDouble with no mustard from McDonalds).  That is not going to help you lose weight.  Instead of parking right by the front door at the office, park at the back of the lot, so you have no choice but to walk those extra steps.  Use the steps instead of the elevator.  The important thing is to change your behavior and to create systems around your resolutions that will help you succeed.
Remember, if you do fall, it is only considered a failure if you do not get back up.
What are some processes that you have used to make your resolutions stick?

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?

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?