For Motivation, Start Your Day with Two Goals

January 1, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Sunrise in Milwaukee, WI

It’s a new year, which means there are 365 days full of possibilities. For motivation, start your day with two goals.

Having goals to approach each new day sets you up for success. If you’re feeling burned out or need motivation, it’s difficult to get your swagger back. These two goals can help. They’ve worked for me and I know they’ll work for you.

Here’s how to start your day – say the following two sentences every morning. It’s a potent way to set intentions for the day. And, the motivation of achieving these goals will give you energy.

Most importantly, making these goals a habit could transform your life.  

1) “Who am I going to help today?”

Make it a goal to help one person every day. Forget the other metrics or quotas you have. Focus on that one person. That’s the only quota you have. 

Don’t worry. There will be one person that needs you and you’ll know who it is by the tone in their voice, their demeanor, or the directness of their email. 

Be the person they need at that moment. You’ll feel good about helping and at the end of the day you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment. In no time you’ll be helping more than one person a day. 

And as a bonus, whatever quotas you’ve been ignoring will be achieved. By helping others, you’ll get what you want. 

2) “What’s going to happen to me today that’s never happened before?”

There’s going to be an interruption or disruption in your day. Build it into your schedule so it doesn’t derail you. 

Take it as an opportunity to learn something new. 

To make the experience more powerful:
     A) Document what you did to fix it.
     B) Share the solution with others. 

By doing this you’ll be viewed as an expert by your peers and as a leader by your bosses. 

Live with these two simple sentences, “Who am I going to help today?” and “What’s going to happen to me today that’s never happened before?”, each day for the next month.

Make them a part of your daily routine. Embody what they mean and let me know how these goals impact you over the next 30 days. 

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My Favorite Books of 2019

January 1, 2020 by Leave a Comment
My favorite books of 2019, showing book covers

I read some truly inspirational and eye-opening books this year. Without further ado, here is this year’s list of my favorites books of 2019.   

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts by Annie Duke – Duke is the first woman to win the World Series of Poker and she shares insights on how to make decisions when you don’t have all the cards on the table, which translates for the rest of us to making decisions when you don’t have all the information you need. As someone who over-thinks and over-analyzes many decisions this book resonated with me deeply. It’s changed my mindset in how I approach certain situations. When a book does that, it’s something special. I’ve even successfully used her techniques while playing the occasional night of poker with my friends. This is a must read, especially if you want to learn to approach making decisions more quickly, without second guessing yourself and with more accuracy in the outcome.   

Keep Going: 10 Ways to Stay Creative in Good Times and Bad by Austin Kleon – I’ve read Kleon’s other books, Steal Like an Artist and Show Your Work, with delight and this is another gem. His insights, along with thoughts from other artists, provide inspiration to keep producing work that excites you and gets you out of bed in the morning, when it seems like you’re doing the same thing over and over, like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. It’s a fun read and made me appreciate the joy of the creative process and not get too focused on the outcomes. You will enjoy this book as much as I did.     

Beat the Bots: How Your Humanity Can Future-Proof Your Tech Sales Career by Anita Nielsen – This book calls itself a sales book for tech sales professionals, but it’s much more than that. This book is for everybody who deals with other people in their work – essentially, everybody. Nielsen approaches sales, not as a transaction that takes place, but a thought process that transforms your relationship with your client. Instead of thinking B2B, she has you think in terms of H2H – human to human. Her insights are powerful. She writes in a personal way that makes you feel like she’s right there with you one-on-one in a coaching session. She’s in your corner and her care for you as a sales professional shines through. It’s easy to see why she’s one of the most sought after consultants around. This book is highly recommended.  

When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World by Carli Lloyd with Wayne Coffey – I’ll start by saying I’m not a soccer fan and I know Lloyd’s name by watching the Olympics, so I can say that I’m only vaguely familiar with her career. I’ve never read a book by an athlete that showed so much mental toughness like this book did. The sacrifices that Lloyd made to become an elite athlete and her struggles to maintain her position on the team are astounding. She takes you through the grueling long hours of practice, the exhausting physical training program, the loss of a social life that all athletes at this level sacrifice to “make it”, and details the moments in important matches in her career, but there’s more to her story that got to me. It was the constant need to prove herself, not only year to year, but match to match. It was exhausting just reading about it and I thought to myself many times, “How much can one person take?” Thankfully, she had a personal coach who believed in her. He pushed her when she needed a kick in the butt and comforted her when she needed someone to vent with. We could all use a coach like that in our life. I realized this book is a perfect fit for those working in a corporate environment, which isn’t always warm and welcoming. There’s a lot to be learned from someone who ended up being a two-time Olympic gold medalist, two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, two-time FIFA Player of the Year, and a three-time Olympian for the United States Women’s Soccer Team.      

The LeRoy Butler Story by LeRoy Butler and James J. Keller – I loved watching Butler play with the Green Bay Packers during the 90’s. He was part of some great teams, including the team that won Super Bowl XXXI. I also enjoy listening to him as part of “The Big Show” on 105.7 FM the Fan in Milwaukee. He brings a unique perspective and his insights are eye-opening, not to mention his amazing sense of humor. I knew a little about Butler, but not the full picture. For him to make it out of a rough neighborhood in Jacksonville, Florida, where he saw kids his own age get killed, his physical ailment that forced him to wear leg braces while he healed, to become a high school, college and NFL football great is remarkable. Butler proves that you can achieve great success, no matter where you come from and that you can do it with humility and a great appreciation for all those who helped you along the way. 

What were your favorites books this year? What are you looking forward to reading in 2020? Happy reading! 

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My 3 Words for 2015

January 6, 2015 by Leave a Comment

My 3 Words for 2015Last year I started an exercise made famous by Chris Brogan – write down three words that will become the theme for the year. This replaces the traditional new year’s resolutions. I believe I had some good results with my three words for 2014, although the words took on different meanings throughout the year, which is absolutely fine. It was interesting to see how the words manifested themselves into the course of the year.

Here are my three words for 2015:

Treasure – I want to treasure the moments I have with family and friends. 2014 presented some challenges (my mom almost dying of pneumonia and losing my job). With those challenges behind me, I want to go forward appreciating the wonders of life. And in most ways I already have. 2014 taught me to realize that our time here is limited and I need to embrace the people I cherish while there’s time; while they are alive or while we are working together. Maybe I’ll have a lot of time with people, but as life teaches us, we don’t know. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
Map – In my new position as Marketing Director I am the only marketing person. There’s so much to do. I’ve been writing things down on a sort of mind map. It’s an interesting and complex chart of everything I want to accomplish with my marketing efforts. I need to remind myself, that when I get overwhelmed I need to look at my map. It will guide me in the right direction. I don’t need to second guess myself. At times it’s difficult because I’m used to being part of a larger team where I could ask my colleagues for help or advice. They’re still only a call, email, or text away, but I need to be strong enough to know that what I’ve charted is the way to go.
Replenish – 2014 wiped me out physically, mentally, and spiritually. I need to work on restoring my body function, my mental health, and my spirit. I need to think more consciously about what I’m doing. Does my action replenish me or does it drain me? I need to look for those people, places, and things that replenish me. I need to make time for them and incorporate them into my life. I need more “me” time in 2015. Maybe I’ll look at it in terms of sabbaticals for myself. Whether that’s some point during the day, or a designated amount of time somewhere.
What are your three words for 2015?
I’m interested to see how this plays out this year. Here’s to 2015!
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Learning Something New

November 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Learning Something NewWhen I was 10 years old my sister and I went with my mom to visit one my mom’s childhood friends in Jackson, Mississippi. My mom’s friend had kids around our age and every afternoon we’d head to the local swimming pool. At first I didn’t want to go because I didn’t know how to swim. Being in the water was terrifying. I thought I might go under and drown.

It was the middle of August and let me tell you it was hot, really hot. It didn’t take long before I decided I had to get in the deeper water to cool off. My mom’s friend’s son showed me how to do it and it didn’t take long for me to catch on. By the end of the week I was looking forward to going to the pool. I learned to swim in one week!
This is in stark contrast to my swimming lessons from five years early. My mom bid on, and won, swimming lessons from the Channel 10 PBS auction. She thought it’d be good for me to learn how to swim. Only I wasn’t ready to learn. Every time I got in the pool I began screaming. Even though I had a board to help me stay afloat I resisted every chance I got. I was sitting in the bleachers by the end of every lesson. I only went to about three or four lessons before my mom stopped taking me, I think out of sheer embarrassment.
There are many reasons we resist learning something new; our own ignorance of the subject, prior history, other people’s opinions, a bad experience the first time we attempted it. Whatever the reason, we can overcome it.
If we want to learn something new we are fully capable of doing so. We just need to make up our minds and see the value in it. When I was five there was no value to me in learning how to swim. I didn’t care, and that was reflected in my attitude. When I was 10 there was a huge value to me – I didn’t want to fry in the sun!
What have you been putting off doing because you’d have to learn something new? Find value in learning it and then start. Find a mentor, attend classes, or watch tutorials on YouTube. Just start. It will be rewarding when you learn it, and you’ll be surprised how much more of the world is open to you.
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“Stop Talking. I’m Painting.” A Lesson in Focus and Eliminating Distractions.

October 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Stop talking. I'm painting.Recently my sister decided to give my 3 1/2 year old niece some paints, brushes, and paper; figuring that she’s old enough to be able to have fun without making too much of a mess. My niece enjoys coloring books and drawing, so it seemed like a logical progression.

Turns out my niece loves painting. She literally lost herself in it. At one point my sister asked if she wanted a sandwich for lunch. My niece responded, “I’m painting.” My sister asks again, “What do you want for lunch?” Without even lifting her head my niece responded, “Stop talking. I’m painting.” There’s a great lesson here from my 3 1/2 year old niece about focus and eliminating distractions.
How often do we let distractions dictate what we do? Even though her mom was asking her what she wanted to eat, my niece wasn’t having any of it. She was going to keep painting until she was done. It didn’t matter that her mom was talking to her. No one was going to break her concentration.
We often let life distract us. We could be in the middle of something; lost in what we’re doing. Instead of staying in the flow, we get distracted because there’s a meeting scheduled, or the phone rings, or we get an email and we can’t beat the urge to check it. We let those things interrupt us.
Why do we do that? Maybe we think it’s selfish. Maybe we don’t want to be rude. If we ignore the distractions, what we’re saying is “hold on, I’ve got more important things happening right now.” Instead of looking at it as selfish, look at it as self-power. It’s empowering to proclaim, “this is what I’m doing, and I can’t be bothered.”
It’s like those lights that go on when broadcasters are “on the air.” No one would dare interrupt them at that moment. What you’re doing is just as important as anyone else. Take the time to finish your work. You’re “on the air” and your work is valuable.
There is nothing more important than what you’re doing at this very moment. If you give yourself completely to the moment you can get lost in it like my niece. There have been times when I’ve been so focused on something that I’ve lost all sense of time. I did’t feel hunger. I did’t get tired.
It’s an amazing feeling to be so into what you’re doing that nothing else matters. The next time you start something give your undivided attention to it. Sign out of email, and Facebook, turn off your cell phone, eliminate anything that could be a possible distraction. See if you can get lost in it. If you get lost in it often enough, who knows, maybe you’ve just found your calling.
I’m thankful for this important lesson. What do you think? Will this work for you? How do you eliminate distractions from your life so you can focus on the moment in front of you?
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The Difference Between Pros and Amateurs

September 9, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The Difference Between Pros & AmateursI play golf maybe once a week. My goal is to break 90, but I’m struggling to accomplish that. At times I’m getting closer, others it’s far off. I also have to take into account that the golf season in Wisconsin is six months long. By the time spring rolls around, I’m rusty and it takes months to get my swing back.

I was watching one of the PGA events on TV recently and the pro golfers were out practicing every element of their game before playing their round. They spend hours practicing before competing in a tournament, not to mention the practice rounds earlier in the week to get a feel for the course.

I go out once a week (without having practiced) expecting to play a flawless game. That’s an unrealistic expectation. In order to go out and perform at a high level I should practice the skills to get me to a place where that is possible. Sure, the stars may align and everything could go my way, but odds are not in my favor.
If we want to become good at something we need to practice. That’s the difference between pros and amateurs. Pros practice to keep up their mastery. Amateurs work to get to a certain level of comfort and once that is achieved practice is forgotten.
There are things I’m good at. I’ve spent my time to develop those skills. We all have talents that we’ve honed with practice. Lots of it. Malcolm Gladwell has stated that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master something. We can’t expect to be great at something without putting in that sort of time commitment.
What about those people who look like things come effortlessly to them? The truth is it’s not natural talent. It took determination and hard work. Respect the time and effort they devoted to their talent. We didn’t see them struggle, sweat, and work when no one was watching. We see the results. Looking at the box score is looking at the result, Earning a degree is a result.
High achievers sacrificed a lot. They could have used those 10,000 hours to party with friends or watch TV, but they didn’t.
Think of the things you’re good at. How much time did you devote to gain that level of expertise? More than you think. If you don’t spend the time to get better, you can’t expect to go pro.
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Stop Doing Things That Aren’t Good For You

August 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Stop Doing Things That Aren't Good For YouI ate Kentucky Fried Chicken twice when I was younger and threw up immediately afterwards both times. I always joked that my body didn’t agree with one of the 11 herbs and spices. I never tried it again and have never been tempted to. I know KFC is bad for me, so it’s not an option. 

We often do things that aren’t good for us, sometimes repeatedly. Why don’t we stop? For me, eating at KFC was easy to stop. I know the pattern – eat KFC, throw up. I had a physical reaction that I didn’t want to go through again. But, we often put ourselves in the same emotional patterns. We can’t stop the cycle for some reason.
If you threw up every time you made a bad decision, I guarantee you that you wouldn’t make the same mistake again. The pattern would be broken. But, because the pain isn’t physical we’ll continue to do what we always do.
Here are 3 ways to stop doing things that aren’t good for you:
1) Act as if your life depended on your decision to stop. I remember a story my grandpa used to tell about how he decided to stop smoking and drinking. He said he went in for a checkup and the doctor told him to quit or he’d die. My grandpa quit that day and didn’t have a cigarette or drop of alcohol for the remaining 25 plus years of his life.
If you think something will kill you, you’ll think about it differently. If you’re scared enough, you’ll stop.
2) Take decision-making away from yourself. We often have too much time and too many choices to make good decisions. Often, we let our emotions control our lives and we end up making poor decisions. There’s a reason why those “What Would Jesus Do?” bracelets are so popular. It takes the decision away from you and gives it to Jesus.
If you follow a plan or path set up by a coach, mentor, or hero, you’ll make decisions based on what they’d do. Plan so there’s no room for deviation. We often suffer from self-inflicted anxiety because we put ourselves in the same bad situations. When we’re confronted with a situation we panic and think, “What should I do?” Follow some else’s plan and you’ll be amazed how that helps you.
3) Trust your gut. You know deep down when something is wrong. You sense it. Later you’ll say to yourself, “I knew it.” Instead of waiting until after the fact, realize what your senses are telling you in the moment they’re kicking in. When you sense something, walk away. It’s not over-reacting when you feel uneasy, it’s your body telling you to watch out based on experience. Listen to it.
Has anything else worked for you? How long did it take for you to give up something bad? It’s not easy, find someone to be a cheerleader. Better yet, be a cheerleader for someone else. Helping them may just end up helping you.
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6 Ways to Recharge Your Batteries

July 22, 2014 by Leave a Comment

6 Ways to Recharge Your BatteriesWhen life is draining energy from you, how do you get it back? When you need to be at your best you can’t afford to let up, but sometimes that’s exactly what you need to do. 

We’ve all had those days where, as soon as one item gets checked off the to-do list another pops up. You can get mentally and physically wiped out. How do you keep going when you feel like you’re about to keel over?
Here are six ways to recharge your batteries when they’re nearing empty.
1) Take a nap. A good 20-30 minute nap can do wonders. In many parts of the world, and some forward thinking companies here, this is built into the work day.
2) Go for a walk. It’s always a good idea to get some fresh air. It gets the blood circulating and you can focus on something else for a while. You’ll come back ready tackle your next challenge.
3) Read. Pick up a book and fill your head with other people’s stories, ideas, and motivational words. It could just spur some new ideas of your own.
4) Listen to music. What music makes you want to rock out to some air drums or air guitar? Put that music on. Let that music fuel your next creative burst.
5) Watch a TED talk. These insightful 20 minute nuggets of inspiration will pump you up. Be careful to watch just one. One can quickly turn into three very easily.
6) Grab a drink, or bite to eat, with someone who inspires you. There’s nothing like connecting with someone face-to-face who makes you think differently and helps elevate your game to the next level. Plan these get together as part of your week. You’ll be glad you did.
Have any of these worked for you? What else have you done to recharge your batteries? Next time you feel you’re about to nod off, find an activity to power-up and rock it the rest of the day!
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3 Ways to Get Ready for a Major League Tryout (or for a Major Life Change)

July 15, 2014 by Leave a Comment
3 Ways to Get Ready for a Major League TryoutWhen I was in my early teens, my dream was to play Major League Baseball. I used to eat, sleep, and dream baseball; I still have dreams where I’m playing. I thought I was pretty good and if I had kept up with it who knows what might have happened. In my late teens, music took over my life and baseball took a backseat.
When Robin Yount retired in February 1994, it marked the end of an era; the last piece of the team that I grew up with and loved was really gone. Who was going to replace Robin Yount? I felt that center field should be taken over by someone local, someone who understood what taking over that position meant, and I was the perfect person to do it. So, I decided I was going to get myself in shape and try out at County Stadium and take over Robin’s spot in center field.
In order to accomplish that goal I knew I needed to get myself ready physically, mentally, and emotionally. But, I knew I didn’t have much time to get ready since the Brewers had tryouts every July. That only gave me five months to get ready.
Here are the three ways I got myself ready for a Major League tryout:
First, I needed to get myself in shape physically. I started running. The first time I went out, I was out of breath after three blocks. It was kind of shocking since I had considered myself an athlete. After going out on daily runs, it didn’t take long until I was able to run a couple of miles no problem.
The other part of my game I needed to work on since I hadn’t played baseball in 10 years was to go to the batting cage. I played softball a couple of times a week, but hitting a baseball is completely different. I was going regularly to the batting cage to hone my skills. I needed to become a hitter again.
The second part was to get myself mentally prepared. I had to get into a baseball mindset. I went over scenarios in my head. I visualized games where I had played well. I also re-read Charlie Lau’s The Art of Hitting .300. It was like my bible growing up, and anyone who wants to be a great hitter should read it.
The final piece was to get myself ready emotionally. I knew it was a long shot to make the team. I hadn’t played consistently for about 10 years. There were going to be players there that were at the top of their game. I decided that above all else, I was going to have fun with the tryout.
As spring rolled into summer I was getting ready. I saw a flyer at the batting cage announcing a tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies at Nathan Hale High School in West Allis at the end of June; just a month before the Brewers tryout. I figured this was a great way to gauge where I was before I tried out for the Brewers and see what I needed to work on.
When I showed up the morning of the tryout, there were about 90 players gathered; a lot of them teenagers. I could see they were nervous as we lined up to register. This was probably the biggest thing in their lives up until that moment. Since I knew I was a long shot I started making jokes and having fun. I wasn’t nervous at all.
The tryout started well. The first thing the scouts did was time us running. I was one of the 10 fastest guys there. I saw scouts looking at me and comparing notes. Major league scouts were talking about me! Things were looking up.
Next, I went to the outfield and took some fly balls. I started joking around some more. Channel 4 had a reporter and cameraman there. They saw how I was making everyone laugh. They asked me for an interview which I was happy to do.
It was my turn and I took some fly balls in right field. My arm was hurting but I didn’t want to hold myself out of this part of the try out, but in hindsight it wasn’t the best move. I was supposed to catch the ball and throw it to third base but when I caught the ball I quickly bounced it into second base and it slowly rolled to third. The next was barely better, at least it bounced around short.
I went in to hit. It was near the end of the day and there weren’t any catchers and the pitcher wasn’t throwing strikes but it didn’t matter, I was swinging anyway. I got wood on a few of them that I popped up in the infield, but no solid hits. What started out so well, ended quietly. I walked to the parking lot, without any scouts running after me, and saw one of my friends waiting for me. We talked about the entire experience. I had a Major League tryout!
Channel 4 did a spot on the tryout for the 6:00 news cast. It was really cool to see myself on TV taking fly balls and being interviewed. I had fun like I had set out to do and I had made a bunch of kids, who were nervous as heck, relax a little. I felt that I had done what I set out to do.
Since I knew I wasn’t going to improve my game much more in the next few weeks, I decided to skip the tryout with the Brewers; although I should have done it just to say I walked on the same field as so many great players.
If there’s something you’re pursuing make sure you are prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally for the experience. If things go your way, you’ll be ready to perform at a high level, and if things don’t go as planned at least you can take away something positive from the experience to help you grow as a person. You may even make a few people laugh in the process and end up on TV.
Filed Under: Inspiration, Life Lessons, Motivation Tagged With: ,

How to Build Momentum

June 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
How to Build MomentumI’ve been networking with at least one person for eight out of the last 11 days since my job was eliminated. It’s been good to connect with people who have offered their advice, support, and friendship. I’ve come back after each meeting with a burst of energy which carries me into the next day.
I feel I’m building on the previous days events. What I really need to do now is implement the things I’ve been talking about for the past 11 days. I sometimes think, “where do I start?” The answer is – anywhere. It doesn’t matter where you begin as long as you start something.
Start with something small. There’s a trick I use sometimes to write. I’ll say I’ll only spend the next 15 minutes writing. Then, once I’m writing, I’ll be so into it that I’ll cruise right passed the 15 minute mark easily. Surely, we can all find 15 minutes to spare. After all, 15 minutes is only 15 minutes.
Momentum is created little by little. The great thing about momentum is you don’t want to stop once you start. Jerry Seinfeld has a great method to keep the momentum going called Don’t Break the Chain. You mark an “X” each day on a calendar you finish your task. After a few days you’ll have a chain. The goal is to not break the chain. That’s how you get better, and getting better leads to success.
If we build momentum there’s no telling where that can take us. But one thing is for certain, we will be better tomorrow because of the actions we take today.
What tricks do you use to build momentum?
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