Daily Boost — Motivation and Coaching

When will you get yourself to do what you say you want to do? More people than you know lose sleep over that question. If that sounds like something you have experienced, you’re not alone. Almost everybody begins their journey when a thought pops into their mind. Then, day-to-day life keeps them busy, and they spend frustrating months fixin’ to get ready. You know, starting to prepare… so you can begin to do… so you can do… and say you did. If that doesn’t work, you summon your friend, Will Power. Will is not a person, but more like a kind of friend that you don’t know why you keep letting into your life.They are a bit of a slacker, live rent-free in your mind, say they want to help, and never deliver on their promise. Will’s job description should read -- to force you to do things you say you want to do but can’t get yourself to do. When you give up, Will leaves.The good news is, there’s no need to force yourself to do anything. Achieving your biggest goals in life has nothing to do with Will Power. Instead, shift your mindset - “To act at your discretion without constraint.” That’s the definition of Free Will, Will Powers, good cousin. Use your Free Will to harness your excitement and choose the path of least resistance. Start making the slightest changes in your life. Those steps will lead to big results sooner than you think. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was a teenager, I was a weekend moviegoer, and it was the age of Rocky, Star Wars, and Jaws. Besides, with only three channels on television, getting out of the house was the top item on my to-do list.As a kid with big dreams, it was easy for me to slip into the fantasy world of films and let my mind run for a couple of hours. By the end of the film, I was always excited to get on with life and become like the folks I watched in movies.That’s when life got in the way.Like many young folks, I graduated high school, charged into the world, and waited for Somebody else to lift me into my dreams. Well, things didn’t work out the way I expected. That’s when my mother-in-law gave me some very useful advice that I needed to hear —“You know, right now, Somebody needs what you have to offer, but because you’re sitting around the house, they don’t even know you exist. Get out there and let them know you are here.”I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve said to myself —“Somebody out there needs what I have to offer. My job is to find them and let them know I’m here.”It’s the same for you.If Somebody needs what you have to offer, your job is to find them and save their day.That’s how you write and star in your own life movie. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I woke up this morning with an incredible zest to expand my feeling of gratefulness. Well, there is not so much to expand as to recognize all the things that 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 one of my favorite quotes —“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.” —Robert BraultAs a no regrets kind of guy, I admit to sometimes not living in gratitude. Thankfully, the wisdom of others is always making sure I remember what is important—Here are a few of my favorites.“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 Proverb“Gratitude is a quality similar to electricity: It must be produced and discharged and used up in order to exist at all.”—William Faulkner“Enough is a feast.”—Buddhist Proverb“When you are grateful, fear disappears, and abundance appears.”—Anthony Robbins“When eating fruit, remember the one who planted the tree.”—Vietnamese Proverb“Gratitude can transform common days into thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings.”—William Arthur Ward“A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue but the parent of all the other virtues.”—Cicero“Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”—Robert Brault Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

My friend Louis Gates introduced me to his 9-Year Life Cycle to understand how we progress through life.  Cycles begin at birth and advance every 9 years and go like this:Year 1: You decide what you want and start asking for it.  Year 2: As the pieces come together, you narrow your focus.Year 3: The resources you need begin to arrive.  Year 4: You find yourself moving toward your purpose in life.Year 5: re-evaluation begins. Toss out what you don’t need and keep what works.Year 6: Your focus intensifies, and you work with the resources you’ve decided will benefit you.Year 7: You take stock in things that no longer serve you.Year 8: Clearing the clutter begins. It’s almost time to start the next cycle.Year 9: You explore and decide what you want to do in the next cycle.Look back on your life and notice how your 9-Year Lifecycle is always in play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many years ago, a friend passed along a pearl of wisdom that has served me well.Larry was a mentor. I was an eager young man who wanted everything now. I'll never forget sitting in the chair in front of his desk discussing all the ways I would dominate the world during my life. I still remember the look in his eyes as he pondered what advice he was going to give. That's when Larry said - "Scott, sometimes you have to hang around long enough for folks to see that you are the real thing before they'll do business with you."I was 24 years old at the time; still, there is one thing I knew for sure. That old guy was out of his mind, completely wrong, and in my way. But, I had to follow my life-long rule...When people I respect drop a knowledge bomb on me, I listen and do what they say. Why?Because when I do, I get what I want faster, and they give me more shortcuts to success. When I don't listen, everything slows down, and the advice stops coming.Over the years, Larry's advice turned out to be correct, and almost every success I've had along the way arrived when I was patient enough to prove myself to those that were watching. As I have done so, one more thing has happened.That conversation has repeated dozens of times, with me behind the desk and others in front of me. I'm sure they noticed the look in my eyes too, and I only hope they recognized the wisdom that I was passing on to them.Success in anything in life comes down to how good you play your long game. Keep practicing. It's how you get what you want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we enter the holiday season, have you taken a few minutes to consider what you would like to do in 2022? Getting started now will allow you to relax and enjoy the next few months. It begins by asking yourself, "What can I do?” But this time of year, we need to reach deeper by asking, "What can I do in a year?"Most people overestimate what they can do in a few weeks. They underestimate what they can do in a year. The difference is enormous.Focusing on the short-term picture can lead to lots of stress. Expanding your thinking to an entire year allows more breathing room. I would focus on two areas:1) What will you accomplish for the remainder of 2021?2) What will you accomplish in all of 2022?So, “What can you do in a year?Once you can visualize your big picture goals, it gets a lot easier to focus on the details of getting things done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time? If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints. If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time.If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time.If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day. The challenge happens when you have not defined the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that is happening to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around. There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success.Certain stamina is required to reach any goal. And society today celebrates your ability to put in the hard work no matter what. There's only one problem. If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly.Here's the truth; you will change when you wear yourself out. Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will only put up with a less than satisfying path in life for only so long. Eventually, when you wear yourself out.When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. So, what's the fix?The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better.The first is to define your destination with clarity. Next, match your daily activity with your goals.Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you're going to change directions anyway. You will change when you wear yourself out.You may well skip the bad stuff, make an adjustment, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought change for themselves, their life, or the world. There is a constant truth if you want to change; you must change before anything else changes.Many intelligent folks agree -Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”Leo Tolstoy, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”What about Albert Einstein?  “The world, as we have created, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”Do you want to change something about today, tomorrow, or the future? You must change before anything else changes.Have you learned lessons from past experiences? You have already changed, and your future is better for it.Rumi said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”If tomorrow you want to be better than today and Yesterday, something has to change. That something is you.If you want to make more money, serve more. Do you want to be happier? If you want this life to be well-lived, something has to change today. That something is you.What if you want everything about your life to be perfect? Listen to Winston Churchill. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”It’s so simple.  You Must Change Before Anything Else Changes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do I want to be when I grow up? The first time you ask yourself that question is when you are very young - if you ever asked it act all. Frankly, somebody else usually asks you, and you probably didn't have an answer and just took off running with this thing called life. And then it happens —Forty or fifty years later, people start asking themselves that question again after a family and career. The lucky ones don't confine it until they retire; instead, they begin to question who they are right now. It can be a scary time.If you are looking for a change in your life, here are a few things to understand—You can't move forward by hanging on to what you have. Remember, you get more of what you focus on in your life. If you're focusing on what you are giving up, you'll get more of that. Instead, you must direct your focus into the unknown future and look for clues about what you will do.I call the process "Exploring Your Possibilities.Imagine if anything is possible and there is no limitation or consequence. There is no commitment required, and money doesn't matter. Time has no impact. None of that matters because, once you stumble upon what you want, you will have arrived, and everything will be forever different.How do you make this happen?The secret is to put the breaks on what you are doing while you seek new adventures. It will take time to find a good fit, so you'll have to ensure that you don't slide back into your old ways. No matter how comfortable it may feel to get back in your comfort zone, don't do it.Pump the brakes. Hold on to the space you've created. Explore your possibilities, and let life unfold in front of you. It may not happen overnight. Then again, maybe it will? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I never have time to work on what's important to me!"I hear that every day from people all over the world. Every one of them is so busy attempting to master the latest productivity hack they end up spending most of their time running like a hamster on a wheel. Frankly, I was doing the same thing when my new business was sucking the life out of me and demanding all of my focus. One day, I realized my focus was in the wrong place.The problem was that I ran my day based on events on my calendar, and all of those red and green blocks were controlling my life. Without thinking, maybe to become more productive, I added more and more blocks to my day. While I got more done, I wasn't doing the things that were important to me. Out of pure frustration, I asked myself a question…"How do I want my calendar to look?"My honest answer was EMPTY!While it may sound like a silly goal, I have no interest in focusing on more colored calendar blocks, I want more time to do what is important to me. At that moment, I realized the secret I was looking for was hidden in plain sight - the space between events.Since then, I've seen the space on my calendar as 100% mine that I can use in any way I decide. When an event is scheduled, I interrupt my flow, deal with the event, and immediately get back to focusing on what is important to me. It's a small distinction that yields huge results. Now, to make this work, two things are required:1) You must know what is important to you and have it at the forefront of your mind. Those goals become your primary focus and not a maybe/someday goal.2) You must know what actions are relevant to getting the results that you desire.That's it. All that remains is for you to grab all the open space you can get and start having fun with your stuff instead of everybody else's stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices