Daily Boost — Motivation and Coaching

Over the years, I have personally produced over 10,000 podcasts, and every one of them begins with the written word. Even though that makes my mouth and my fingers my most exercised body parts, it has also given me lots of opportunities to learn to keep my words flowing. If you're like most people, you have found yourself sitting in front of a blank screen, praying for inspiration. It could writer's block, procrastination, or maybe you stayed up late watching Netflix. In any case, there's a simple solution to always having a starting point. Any project I need to wrap my head around begins by capturing the ideas that flow into my mind throughout the day. Even turning the radio off on a 20-minute drive can provide a treasure-trove of useable nuggets. Next, I tuck those ideas away in a safe place, with no organizing, editing, or re-writing. I grab the thoughts out of the air, jot a note or record a memo, put them away, and let them simmer. When I'm ready to get to work, I take 15 minutes the day before to review my creative genius list, toss out what is not relevant, create a simple outline and walk away knowing I am ready to begin. The next day, I can't wait to sit in front of a blank screen and let the magic start flowing from my figure tips with complete ease. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get more of the Daily Boost! Motivating yourself to reach your goals is a never-ending process that kicks in several times a year. Most folks have a long list of new routines and actions they want to put into place. But, it may be too long. Many years ago, I decided to control my mornings by establishing actions that I would take upon waking. Unfortunately, while I had great intentions, I found myself floundering and eventually losing focus. Why? I realized that the actions I was trying to establish had no real meaning other than checking them off my list. Instead of feeling motivated and inspired, I felt bogged down. So I decide to make things simple. These days, I only establish minimum viable actions in my life. In other words, I only commit to the minimum number of behaviors that deliver the results I desire. Anything more is excessive, distracting, and frustrating. Life is much simpler when you keep it simple. A wise person would spend time on the fewest number of actions that provide the most significant results. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join Motivation To Move and stay motivated! There are so many choices in front of us every day. Each has the power to determine when and whether you will achieve your goals. Once you know the outcome you desire, these questions will help: 1) What CAN you do today that will lead directly and quickly to achieving your goal. 2) What SHOULD you do today that will lead directly and quickly to achieving your goal? 3) What MUST you do today that will lead directly and quickly to achieving your goal? It’s simple. Make your next action that one that gets the result you want as fast as possible. Everything else can wait. I dare you to try it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the commercial-free Daily Boost now! Over the years, I’ve learned that success in any area of life is more about failure than winning. Getting what is essential to you in life is always on the other side of the lessons taught by failing. That’s why I like to fail often and do it as fast as I can. After over a year, I recently enjoyed the old-fashioned fun of attending a stand-up comedy performance. I’m not sure if the comedian or the audience was more nervous and rusty about how the evening was going. But when the lights went down, we found ourselves relaxed and ready for some fun. It didn’t take long to see the joy on everybody’s face. Comedy is about observation, which is why they call it “Observational Comedy.” Comedians look at the world through a different lens than most folks. They see the good along with the dark. They find funny in boring and laughter in the crazy. They see into our lives and make us laugh about things that stress us out every day. After over a year in hiding, it seems all of us are welcoming their unique take on the world. After the show, I stopped to say thank you for a great show and comment on how he could capture the essence of what the audience was feeling and make them laugh. I wondered if he would share his secret? “It’s simple. Comedy is about pain and time. Life is beautiful, but nothing is easy. If you’re willing to go through the pain and give it enough time, you’ll find the beauty. Then you can laugh about it.” While I’m a realistic person, I’m not one to dwell on the pain. In my way of thinking, life is about experience and time. If you put yourself into the world enough, eventually, the world will fill you with a beautiful life. All you have to do is keep moving. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get more of the Daily Boost! I was an Ass, and I was the last to notice. I'm sure that kind of thing has never happened to you - right? In the world we live in today, it seems everything moves so quickly that we all do our best to keep up. 24-hour news, high-speed internet, grocery delivery in an hour. And who cares if an Amazon delivery driver has to pee in a bottle, I want my stuff, and I want it now! After living several years in a rural setting, I thought I was heeding the advice I give my clients, "You have to slow down before you can go fast." But, unfortunately, most don't listen to me the first time. It turns out that I didn't either. Joi and I are traveling full-time in our RV for a few months while searching for our next home. We found out how quickly life can change when we found ourselves at a campground in a dry country with a minimal internet connection. With no wine and no Netflix, we had to slow down and enjoy our fellow adventurers around the campfire. It was refreshing and almost like being a child playing hide-and-seek after dark. We went to sleep happy and relax, but the following day everything changed when Joi's laptop stopped working. In an instant, I found myself in "get out of my way, I gotta fix it now mode" and heading to Asheville to buy up a new computer. At that moment, only a police escort would have slowed me down. Once in town, our first stop was lunch before Joi started to get "Hangry," but the minute I step through the door, something was different. People were calm, cool, and kind. Next was the electronics store with more calm, cool, and kind people. When I was shocked they didn't have the exact computer I wanted in stock, they kindly said, "I would be happy to get it from another store for you. Can you come by tomorrow?" NO! I can't come back tomorrow! Come on! I'm living the American dream of traveling the country in my RV - I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS! At the pet store, the cashier asked, "How are guys today? Are you having a good day?" It happened at the drug store too. For just a moment, I felt like Micheal J Fox listening to the weather report in the movie Doc Hollywood. Everything sounded so calm, cool, and kind, and I got the message. On the way out of our last stop, I said to my wife, "I think I'm an Ass, and I should slow down and be nicer. So my new mantra is always to be calm, cool, and nice." With that, she said, "I thought that was already your mantra. I think we need more practice. Let's do some more shopping." That, my friend, is what I call the "Wisdom of the Wife." Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do you still dream of what you will be when you grow up?  Do those visions keep popping into your head?  If that’s the case, what’s your BIG, AWESOME, MOTIVATING MISSION? BAM! What dreams excite you and give you a feeling of happiness? BAM! What scares you - and excites you? BAM! What makes you smile and say, “If I could only get myself to…” BAM! Take a few minutes and figure out your BAM! Then stand up, take a step, and repeat! Keep going until you get what you want. Oh - there’s no need to wait. Now would be a good time to start. :) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it me, or does living life these days make you feel like Bill Murray in the movie Groundhog Day? When it comes to working toward goals, that can be a tremendous asset. It's also something that will break you free when things don't feel like they are going your way. Everybody has ups and downs. Up days are lots of fun. Down days make you want to crawl under a rock. But like the movie, with the right mindset, you always get another chance to try again. How would you feel if every day was a chance to tweak, adjust, flex, or reinvent your approach to living? What if everything got more comfortable as you built your knowledge of what works best for you? How empowered would you feel if you knew that every day was a do-over day? As long as the sun rises and the sun sets, it doesn't matter if you succeed or fail the previous day. Today is always a new day for making your dreams come true. That'll make you get out of bed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join MotivationToMove.com... Thriving in chaos is something we hear a lot about these days. Few words hold the power to ignite fear, excite hope, and get you to click a link like thrive and chaos. It's time to release yourself from all of that external drama. As a human, you have something magical inside. It will allow you to ground yourself, stay steady, and move forward. You can choose how you feel, chart your path, and take any action you desire. When you were born, you were hard-wired to go beyond surviving. You were pre-programmed with the desire to thrive - no matter what is going on around you. Is it time to break from dramatic distractions and release yourself? Have you made the decision not to settle for less than your dreams? Are you ready to empower yourself, breakthrough any obstacle, and create your reality? Listen to yourself, trust your thoughts, and take massive imperfect action. Happiness is yours for the taking. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get more of the Daily Boost... Growth and change are what most people strive for in their life. It’s what drives you before you create your amazing life. It’s also what drives you to step up to the next level. In the 15 years, I’ve spent producing the Daily Boost podcast, I’ve had the chance to speak to thousands of people. All of them were in various stages of change, and most had the goal of being happy. But, there is an issue that keeps popping up. As people go about living and enjoying the life they’ve built, the natural desire for more growth kicks in, and they find themselves driving harder—usually without thinking about it. It could be about passion, but most times, it’s about making more money. One day, I talked with a friend about living the good life and how hard people work to mess up a good thing. That’s when asked a great question - ”When life is good, why would you do something else only to make more money?” It’s not to say making more money is not a very good thing. It’s just important to make sure that you focus on what is right in front of you and remain balanced and happy as you grow. The happiest people in the world already know that. Because a powerful force drives humans to grow at any cost, sometimes that costs them in ways they never see coming—both good and bad. Enjoy what you have and grow to make things better. That’s a recipe for success, no matter how you see it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us for Operation Reinvention at MotivationToMove.com Been there, done that. It's not my first time at the rodeo, and I have the T-shirt to prove it. I've been known to say those words often. But, it's another way of saying life is a series of repeating experiences if you think about it. But that doesn't mean you have to do the same thing over and over again. I spoke with a client recently, and he noticed we were both living in a year of change. There are many. My friend Louis Gates calls it the 9-Year Life Cycle, and it begins at birth. In year one, we begin deciding what we want next in our life. Our thoughts are now moving us in a new direction. Year two brings clarity, and we begin to narrow our focus from the millions of options. In the third year, the tools and resources needed to accomplish our goals begin to arrive. The fourth year brings it all together as we notice that we have found our purpose and living it every day. When year five rolls around, we re-evaluate. It's essential to make sure that we are getting what we want. Anything not needed is abandoned. Year six is when things get fun. We work with the resources we have, and focus intensifies. You are now living your dream. The seventh year is another chance to take stock and identify what might be missing in the extraordinary life we are creating. Year eight is a time of clearing—the next cycle is coming. We can feel that something is different, and we need to make space. In year nine, life is good, but the need to grow and transform is strong. We begin to explore our next chapter in life. Everything you do in your life is preparing you for what you will do next. What will that be? Enjoy the ride! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices