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Wisdom to be Thankful For I woke up this morning with a zest to expand my feeling of gratefulness. Well, is not so much to grow as to recognize all the things I am grateful for but haven’t thought about lately. That’s the thing about living in a fast-paced world where our daily activities, big and small, fly by and are quickly forgotten. It’s always been that way. There is nothing new in the world. That got me thinking about some of my favorite quotes — “Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert Brault As a no-regrets guy, I admit to sometimes not living in gratitude. Thankfully, the wisdom of others is always making sure I remember what is essential— “If a fellow isn’t thankful for what he’s got, he isn’t likely to be thankful for what he’s going to get.”—Frank A. Clark “Acknowledging the good that you already have in your life is the foundation for all abundance.” —Eckhart Tolle “Who does not thank for little will not thank for much.” —Estonian Pro

Did Your Motivation Get Lost? Where the heck did my week go?  With a long weekend in sight, I’m a bit worn our from projects I’ve been working on, but my mind I moving to eating turkey and riding the motorcycle mode. Monday is coming - right? We can get going again. Wait. How will we stay focused, progress toward our goals, and get important stuff done if we run out of juice before the week is over?  Why does that early week motivation that has our hair on fire run out before I finish everything?  Okay, let’s cover two things.  The first is a myth but I’ll correct it for you. 1) Motivation is a finite resource that will fade. On average, your brain runs out of motivational calories after about 48 hours of focused work - a belief that has been held for years. It’s not true. Motivation doesn’t fade, as a human, you just get tired. 2) God willing, no matter how much you don’t get done this week, there is always the next week in your future. Yes, another Monday is coming. What doesn’t get done this week will get

Stop Dreaming of Retirement  A few days ago, I stumbled into a conversation with a young man working behind the counter at a store I visited. It didn't take long before we knew a lot about each other. He was a student at Emory Riddle Aeronautics University here in Daytona Beach. I run into a lot of those kids. Being a pilot myself, we instantly bonded. Then he asked a question that caused me to pause… The Daytona area population is very diverse - with more than a few retired. Since I'm a guy with a bit of gray hair, a couple of wrinkles, and seemingly lots of free time on my hands, he asked… "Are you retired?" I shot back, "Not yet - in a couple of years!" What he said next stopped me in my tracks. "Does that scare you or excite you?" I have to say. I don't get stuck with words very often. But after a few seconds, I said - "Neither! I love what I do and how my life is going, and I am excited about tomorrow more than today!"  That's when he said, "I hope I'm that way when I get older - not to say you're old. A

You Don’t Need a WHY A friend and I were chewing the fat a while back about getting what we wanted out of life. It’s a common topic among my friends and should be among yours. It makes sense; what you focus on is what you get - right? As we talked, I realized that as I’ve bumbled and stumbled through a very colorful life, I’ve also stumbled upon a simple idea. Getting what you want in life requires that you know what you want. But what happens when you have no idea how the best things arrived in your life? I get that kind of thinking blows away the theory of WHY most of us talk about. Yes, your WHY is how you get you through when things get tough. Sometimes, it’s the only thing that will.  But in my world, I’ve learned something else. Sometimes, the most happiness we find comes when we’re entirely unaware of WHY we are doing whatever we are doing. Huh? And I can’t tell you how often my wife has asked, “Why are you doing that?” My answer is usually, I’m not sure. I guess it needed to be done. So, as I sit here

Reach Your Goal By Staying in The FLOW I need to pass along a way to achieve your goals faster than you thought possible. If you are ready for success to arrive, here are three simple rules to help you realize your dreams: 1) Play to your strength. Do what is comfortable for you. Stay in the FLOW. 2) Only commit to activities that will lead you to your goal. Stay in the FLOW. 3) Never let a day pass without reminding yourself of your strengths. Consciously direct your focus. Stay in the FLOW. You can reach your goals faster when you avoid distractions stranding everybody else, work with your natural talents, and stay in the flow. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Thursday is The Best Planning Day I have a saying - “Next year begins THIS year, next month begins THIS month, next week begins THIS week, and that happens on a Thursday.”  If you want to stay on track, accomplish your goals, and enjoy life - you MUST take control of your calendar.  It’s easier than you think: 1) Life will come at you FAST! Schedule any significant and can’t-miss life event at least one year in advance. Put it on the calendar and block it out. You can always change your mind. And do it on a Thursday. 2) Hold your space. Decide in advance what you will be doing next week. When will you work on projects? When will you see clients? When will you have fun? And do it on a Thursday. 3) Never end one week without locking in your schedule for the next - and stick to it. And do it on a Thursday? Why Thursday? Because it allows you to completely relax for the weekend by already knowing what the next week will bring. The future is always brighter when your day-to-day focus fulfills your goals this w

Reach Your Dreams By Avoiding Resistance Does this happen to you? A great idea pops into your head. Your heart fills with excitement. Nothing can stop you - except that you feel like you are stuck in quicksand. The more you fight, the deeper you sink. The only way out seems to be to give up on your dream - again. Let’s not do that this time. Feeling inspired to make a change in your life is terrific. It can also be scary. The result is nearly always feeling a sense of resistance as you move forward. This happens because your mind is wired to survive. That means avoiding anything bad and seeking everything good. Until you know it’s good for sure, everything is bad.   Resistance is the automatic result. When you are ready to act on your inspiration, focus on the good coming and do your best to resist your natural inclination to fall to the evil power of resistance.  You could say, “It’s about resisting your resistance.”   Inspiration Without Resistance. That’s how you live the life you’ve always wanted. Learn m

Practicing the Focus-Finish-Focus Model Wouldn’t it be great if you could create more time in your day?   One way to think about it is to prioritize the projects already on your plate.   That requires a simple understanding: 1) Working on multiple products simultaneously only delays completing all the projects. Your mind can only focus on one thing at a time. 2) What makes this such a great practice is that when you complete a project, not only is it off your plate, but it begins producing your expected results and also frees up time to move on to your next project. The next time that you are trying to find more time, ask - “What can I finish right now that will give me more time tomorrow - and every day after that?” Psychologically speaking, when practicing a focus-finish-focus model; your mind also experiences time differently. In the moment, time seems to be faster. After your projects are completed, your memories expand, and it seems like time has slowed down. That’s what they call a Mind Warp - and it ha

Opportunity Cost Decision Making Do you have too many options and are having difficulty choosing? You may have heard of a concept called "Opportunity Cost." Some consider it a fancy term for "trade-off." In other words, every time you choose, there is a trade-off to consider.  I find it easier to use extreme discrimination to weed out less-than-ideal opportunities. And you can do that with one question - "Does this opportunity provide the fastest and most direct path to reach my goals?"  Before we go on, it's easy to look at almost any opportunity and justify a path, especially if you are being persuaded by someone else. And Opportunity Cost is not some personal development success hack. It's actually in your mind as a survival tool. It's your mind deciding how to expend energy most efficiently.  What was that question again? "Does this opportunity provide the fastest and most direct path to reach my goals?"  If you want to break free from a stalled life, you must eliminate less efficient opportunities.  Lear

Letting Mentors Find YOU You've set a goal and are working hours to get what you want.  Why is everything moving so slowly? Larry was a mentor of mine when I was in my twenties. He owned a business, made an exceptional living, and, after hiring me to work for him, took me under his wing. It was a relationship that lasted for years - although I'm sure I didn't make it easy. That's the thing about being a young, bright-eyed dreamer with lots of talent and little patience. It's easy to see what others have, set an arbitrary date on a calendar, and expect everything to go your way. One day, I pinned Larry in his office and was making my best case for a raise. I was sure he had gobs of cash, and I deserved my share.  After all, I was 26 years old, so it was time that I had a big house and a fancy car like him. That's when Larry said something that changed everything - "Scott, sometimes you must keep showing up long enough for the right people to notice. Keep doing a good job, and they'll step up." Of course, Larry

Don't Become a Negotiating Underdog I was rushing through Atlanta Airport after an entire day of negotiating with a client. My flight was in 30 minutes, so I was beginning to think the deal would not happen.  That's when things got interesting. I've spent many days negotiating over the years and have grown confident in closing deals. I always think I'm going to win. Still, today's game wasn't over. As we approached the Gate area, my client guided me into the Food Court. He pulled out the contract and replaced my fee with a smaller number. Then, he handed me the pen and said, "If you can do it for that, I'll sign right now."  Checking my watch and not wanting to miss my flight, I almost took the deal. After all, winners get deals done. But, experience has taught me something else. Business deals that start poorly rarely get better. I decided to turn his less-than-classy negotiating gambit on its head. As humans, we are hard-wired to survive and thrive. As much as I wanted to take the deal to feed my family, I

Leadership in Times of Conflict I know that you want to be a better leader. I also know that you hate and don't want anything to do with conflict - especially since I can hear you saying — "Why can't we all get along?" I get it. Saying the word "No" is hard enough. Sometimes, saying "Yes" when others agree or disagree with your choice can be even more difficult. "Why can't we all get along?" The answer is that we can. However, the truth is that conflict will always happen whenever more than two people get together. Even if there is a common goal and everyone is on the same page. Conflict will always play a role in your success. What? We're on the same page, agree with each other, want the same result, and there's still conflict? "Why can't we all get along?" Yes. No matter how positive your project is, everybody has a different idea of how to reach the outcome. Everybody has an individual right way and wrong way of doing things. As a leader, when you approach conflict as a simple "Y" on the road of progress,

Happiness Is Learning Something New In my work, it's not unusual for somebody to seek guidance. Most are contemplating a change or frustrated with the status quo.  Every conversation begins with me asking — "What are you trying to figure out?"  To which people say, "I don't know, that's why I'm talking to you! I want to start over." Now, there’s a funny thing about living inside of your own head for your entire life. You probably already know what you want and just won’t admit it. Usually a combination of fear of change and FOMO, fear of missing out is driving your forward while locked in the same place.  If you find yourself stuck, you may find yourself thinking that you just want to toss everything out and start over. Forget the fact that it’s not possible anyway. There is good reason not to start from scratch. Remember all those years living inside your mind?  Somewhere inside of you, there is lots of experience and wisdom. Over the years, you paid a hefty price for that knowledge. Although it may sound li

How Passion Creates Motivation Motivation is always lurking in our minds. Even if we're not thinking about it.  My wife, Joi, is a good example. Take one look at her, and it's easy to see Joi takes care of herself. She gets up every day and eats a healthy breakfast. Then, she dresses in her workout clothes and, without exception, exercises. No matter how late she went to bed or how late I slept in, Joi gets out of bed and heads to the gym. Since it's evident that Joi walks her walk, it's not uncommon for people to ask, "How do you do it?" — as if she is a member of "The Secret Society of Highly Motivated People Club."  It's not that complicated. I joke with Joi that she is my sexy, predictable, exciting, and somewhat dull wife. While that may sound terrible, and I wouldn't say it around Valentine's Day, I probably should. Joi takes it as a compliment — "I know. It's who I am and what I do. I don't think about it. I want to feel and look a certain way, so I do what it takes." Don't let her fool you. She thinks

Some Things Are Not Optional It happens to all of us. We're going about our day, hot on the trail of checking off items on our never-ending To-Do list. Then, we discovered that we didn't get everything done before time ran out.  When my Son was entering the workforce, we would often find time to catch up on weekends. He was trying to navigate the business world while balancing his life. He had a fast-paced job and had become a productivity ninja. He was proud of his color-coded To-Do list and calendar, but he had a problem - "Dad, no matter how organized I am, I still can't get everything done. I'm writing everything down, and I'm working through it, and I still run out of time. What am I not doing right?" My first thought was how happy I was that he had the clarity of mind to look beyond the obvious solution. Then, I had a few questions - You say you have accounted for everything. How much time did you allocate for eating lunch or running down to the coffee shop today? How many times did you visit the restro

Are You Pushing Too Hard? Have you ever found yourself in a motivated state of mind and pushing through the day?  Do you feel like everybody is hitting you with everything they have?  Blocked. Stalled. Frustrated. It is easy to want to push harder. When I was a teenager, I liked to play football, not with the school team. Uniforms and protective equipment made that too easy. It was more fun to get together after school for a rough and tumble. A game of shirts and skins with the same guys who typically wear protective gear was much more fun. One afternoon, in a particularly spirited game, though, I wasn't having as much fun as I usually did. My attitude that day was one of total domination. I arrived at the field of battle with the absolute intent of pushing as hard as possible and winning the day. The only problem was another player had the same intention. And he was knocking the crap out of me with every hike of the ball.  Play after play, we would crash into each other as much force as we could muster. Neit

Self-Inflicted Changes ROCK A couple of years ago, the world changed when we were all introduced to Coronavirus. It was as if we were racing down the Interstate at 75 miles per hour, slammed on our breaks, and directed off the nearest exit on an undefined detour. It all seemed to happen in an instant. The pandemic caused real pain and loss for some. Fear and stress for others. Still, as surreal as it was, it wasn't long before most people began to notice the craziness of our previous lives replaced with a 'new normal' - one that felt more like a 'new nothing.'  Much to our surprise, life slowed to a crawl, schedules changed, and we found contentment by not chasing every shiny object that life presented. The pandemic pause caused people to reevaluate life from the inside out. While it happens all the time, this time, we noticed it. How many times have you found yourself in an impossible situation that ended with one action?  You paid off debt, quit a job, you said goodbye to a bad relationship? How many times

Powerful and Purposeful Goal Setting   I've always believed goal setting is the heartbeat of our lives.  Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools you have to create your best life. My question to you is… do you know what your best life is supposed to be? I came upon my belief not from a book or a guru but from a realization I had many years ago. I found I was happy when I was chasing something bigger than myself that was also in alignment with how I felt on the inside. I was unhappy when I was checking items off my list and not honoring my true self. After years of pondering, I concluded that a purposeful outcome would eliminate frustration and boredom and generate excitement and enthusiasm.  That leads me to the two definitions of goals: 1) The end toward which effort is directed. 2) An area or object toward which players in various games attempt to advance a ball or puck and usually through or into which it must go to score points. Most people treat goals like the number two, a To-Do list, with a shor

What? The Best Death Ever? You are a goal-setting machine. That’s not to say you are setting, working toward, and accomplishing more goals than anybody else. It’s the way your brain is wired. If that’s the case, why is it that reaching your goal can leave you feeling lost? In 2006, I had a life-changing moment that happened in the middle of the night. My wife, Sheryl, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, and my world crashed. Even worse, they told me there wasn’t anything I could do about it.  In my world, those are fighting words. The following six weeks were a whirlwind of miracle-searching activity, including a trip to Costa Rica for alternative treatment. As the weeks passed, the reality of what was coming became real. Sheryl would not survive. We called Hospice. In the coming days, we settled into a routine that no family ever wants to go through, and that gave me the idea to call a meeting. I proposed a new goal with my kids around my wife’s bed.  “If this is going to happen, why don’t we make it the bes

Knowing Your Why AND Why Not Getting what you want in life will be two things… It will be easier than you can imagine or harder than you ever thought possible. The journey will be exciting and scary. Looking back, you will be glad you did it, yet wonder if you will ever do it again. That's why WHY is so important. You must know WHY you are doing anything to sustain your efforts. And it must be YOUR why, not somebody else's. You must own your WHY, understand your WHY, and live your WHY. Many folks are not clear on WHY, or they do it for others or other reasons. Sometimes, you might put up with one thing, hoping you'll get something else. I’m sure that you’ve found that's not the way it works. Remember, what you focus on expands. That means you’ll get more of putting up with stuff if that's what you focus on. It's true. Knowing WHY you don't want to do something is as essential as knowing WHY you want something. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices