Become Stirred By Your Vision

We are all stirred by our vision. We are driven to action by our goals.

As I stated yesterday, it's pretty easy to get caught up in your own life - caught up in the drama around you and let it start affecting where you are going and what you are willing to do about it.

When you are struggling with your life and not sure what to do, how to take action, where to go next, the one place (the words and images) that you can always count on for your guidance and direction is your Vision - whether it is the professional vision you have for your business or the personal vision you have for your life.

Periods of tranquility are seldom prolific of creative achievement. Mankind has to be stirred up.
Alfred North Whitehead

So, the questions you should be asking yourself are:

"What do I want to be?"

"Who do I want to be?"

"What do I want my life to be about?"

If you have the answers to these questions. Then look for them to be the guide each and every day forward. In them lie your destination and the compass - all you need to do is find the map.

However, if you don't have the answers to these questions, then that is the first task at hand.
And don't just answer these questions in your mind. WRITE THEM DOWN!!

Face them!!!

Look at them every day, religiously.

Don't ever turn away from them.

Drink them into your spirit and embrace them.

Make them more than just words, make them your Personal and Professional Constitution.

Stop Spending All Your Time On The Wrong Things.

In today's world, it's SOOOO easy to get sucked into committing to much more than we really want. As it is, we work longer hours, try to be the perfect parent doing everything with our kids, and give of ourselves more than we really have to give. If these things are what you truly want. . . then keep it up. But more times than not, I find people's daily activities are built less around what they want (deep down inside) and more about "keeping up with the Joneses", doing what they did yesterday / last week or simply doing what they think others want them to do.

STOP this pattern. Stop working on things that don't really matter to you, just because that's what you have always done - or because someone, who really isn't important to you, is telling you that you have to do it.

Stop it now and begin valuing your time as much as you say you value it.

Ground yourself in what really matters.

Review what you want, your personal vision, and look at your long term and short term goals. Begin by ensuring your priorities are actually what you want. And then make sure your actions are actually getting you closer to your longer term goals and vision.

If your daily activities are helping you achieve your life's purpose and goals then COMMIT to them, like you have never committed to them before.

However, if the things you are doing every day, are not helping you achieve your goals, then get rid of them - remove them from your daily schedule. And open up time and space on your calendar and in your life for the things that do matter to you and COMMIT completely to them.

Making It All Happen

This all sounds very easy, but it is not. Most people are so intertwined with what they do every day, they can't break the chains even though they want to. They define their lives through through their daily activities - even though they really don't matter to them.

Breaking the chains of servitude to undesirable activity requires that you make yourself vulnerable - be willing to stand up for what you want and believe in and being willing to be unique. Choose to not be who you were yesterday, and instead choose to move forward towards your dreams is scary - and often debilitating.

This is not something you can do overnight . . . successfully. Thus moving forward in this matter requires you stay focused on what you want - DAILY - and NOT allowing short term distractions pull you back into the "comfortable", but limiting mindset, of being the same person you were yesterday.

Finally, another important aspect of the change process is taking small, manageable steps - not one sweeping leap. Don't drop every, un-important thing you do from you schedule today, filling it only with goal oriented actions. This will set yourself up for failure - no matter how good you might think you are. Put together a plan of action with interim steps and move on them, one step at a time.

Just Go For It!!!

Have you ever had a great idea for a business or a new product and then let it slip away?

Only to read about it 3 years later when someone else got rich actually bringing your great idea to the market.

It's a cliche we hear a lot. But in this case, it is so true.

If you believe in something, Just Go For It!!!

He Who Hesitates Is Lost

Unfortunately, if you are like many out there, you hesitate, get scared, over-analyze or simply say to yourself, it's just not worth it.

Well, if you want my opinion, that's an absolute crock. If you have the skills, knowledge and support to pull it off, then simply take the chance and go for it.

Don't Get Analysis Paralysis

According to many great leaders, don't wait for the 100% solution, it will almost always be too late. In fact GEN Colin Power (Ret), Former Secretary of State, actually felt that once you were about 70% confident of success, go with your instincts.

Too often when we get a great idea or we get a "wild hair", we sit back, and either over analyze or simply wait for "a sign" to tell us NOW is the time.

The truth is, you need to do your due diligence - figure out what you want to have happen, your steps to make it happen and then the possible hiccups that could get in the way, as well as potential unintended consequences. But once you have done that work, and you are reasonably confident in the outcome, then it's time to take action.

Share Your Idea Only With People You Trust

One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you have a burgeoning idea, is to share it with the wrong people. When you aren't fully confident yourself in an idea, quite often sharing it too quickly or sharing with the wrong people can cause enormous, insurmountable damage. The reason this is so dangerous, is because when you are just beginning to believe in something new, your subconscious mind is often feeding your conscious mind negative inputs trying to maintain the status quo, so when you get a reflection of those inputs from outside sources, your conscious mind is very susceptible to believing them.

Find A Way To Take The First Step

One of the ways to avoid falling into the trap of hesitation / analysis paralysis or getting stifled by sharing with the wrong person too quickly, is to take the first step. This means commit some time, money, and / or energy to the project to get it moving forward. Make the first step be something that you can both feel good about and is going to generate a feeling of commitment that will force you to stick to it.

But the bottom line, when it comes to turning great ideas into reality, JUST GO FOR IT!!!

They Are Getting Rich Selling You Ideas - Not Providing You Solutions

As I go through my morning routine, looking for something great to discuss in the blog today, I can't help but laugh. Every other blog or web-page is selling something. They are selling the "best ideas" on how you can change your life or change your business. In fact, one Blog I found talks about the 50 Marketing Tips that will generate customers for you immediately. Another provides the Top 11 Great Sales Tips to turn a No into a Yes.

Guess what? They all work - and at the same time . . . none of them work.

The truth is, there are thousands of consultants (and yes, even coaches, present company included) who are selling their ideas to be the "be all, end all" of your problem solving needs. And do you know who is making all the money with their ideas? THEY ARE.

As I tell all my clients, there are no magical seeds or perfect solutions for every business. What it takes is a Just Do It attitude more than anything else.

Don't get me wrong - you need the information that these gurus are providing you - they do have some great ideas. But what you need more than the ideas is the commitment and dedication to doing what they say, measure how well it is working for you, and then making a sound business decision (based on the numbers, not feelings) on whether to keep it up (and for how long) or try something else.

Everything takes time. Marketing doesn't happen overnight. Leadership is not a skill you master after going to a class. Customer service requires dedication and commitment to putting the customer first each and every day - it's never ending. Sales usually requires getting nine "NOs" just so you can get to the one "YES". If you quit halfway (or even nine tenths) into the process of any of these things, you will see the process as a failure. When in fact the only failure was that you quit.

So commit and dedicate what it takes to make the change to reach the goals you want. And start today - change occurs the minute you decide to make it. And believe it or not, the decision and commitment to act is more important than what you decide.

How Far Will You Go To Fulfill Your Dreams?

I have found that most people truly believe they are committed to their goals and their dreams. They wake up every morning, believing they are doing everything possible to make their life what they want it to be. And they see that it's just their circumstance that is holding them back: they had a tough life growing up, the economy is sluggish, their parents didn't support their dreams, their boss is a jerk, etc. (I could go on for pages).

The truth is, these are not the reasons they are not achieving their goals - they are just the excuses they create to forgive themselves for giving up – for giving in.

It doesn't matter who you are. . . . excuses permeate the mind - but overcoming them (or not) is the difference between Success or Failure.

Never, Never, Never, Never Give Up!

Winston Churchill

What Are You Willing To Do To Overcome Your Excuses?

I recently read that psychologists measure commitment by the steps taken in the face of adversity.

So how committed are you?

Are you willing to do whatever it takes, in the face of the smallest (or even the largest) adversity to achieve what you want?

When the times get tough, to you accept that circumstances are just not favorable or that it's “just not in the cards”?

I don't care who you are and what your goals and dreams are . . . in today's world, in today's environment, you can accomplish whatever you set you mind out to do. But you have to be willing to accept that there will be adversity – it's a part of life. And more importantly, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to overcome it when it hits.

Facing The Truth About The Commitment To Your Goals

One of the most difficult tasks a coach has to do with a client is “enlightening” them to how "uncommitted" they are to their goals and objectives. Sure it's easy to tell someone they aren't doing what they could be doing to change their circumstance, but actually getting them to understand and accept it deep enough in their subconscious to act upon it requires more than just stating facts. It often requires overturning truths that they hold very dearly – the truths that have defined who they are up to that point in their life.

Quite often, it's not a matter of a lack of desire that prevents most from achieving their vision. Desires / and wants are bountiful in everyone's life. Instead, most people fall short because they don't possess a commitment to do whatever it takes to overcome their current reality – it's just easier to give in than to fight.

And too often people confuse doing what they know how to do, what is easy to do, and what is comfortable to do, with doing everything possible under the sun.

Opening Your Eyes To Your Own Story

Convincing someone they lack resolve is not easy. We all have a story that we tell ourselves that supports our self-image. We have created a a mental support structure of built-in excuses that we apply to all the circumstances we encounter to further support that story about us.

Facing the truth about “our story” is not easy. It requires hard evidence. People must see for themselves how their story is actually preventing them from higher levels of commitment – preventing them from achieving their goals.

That means that they not only have to see that they aren't fulfilling their goals, but also that it was their choices, at each crossroads of life that got them where they are today – not the circumstances that surrounded their lives.

This is a difficult task. You see, most people are pretty good at seeing that they aren't achieving their goals. But very few actually admit to themselves that it wasn't the circumstance that caused the failure - but their own actions / inactions.

Instead of blaming circumstances, they need to take responsibility for the actions and their choices.

Instead of quitting in the face of adversity, they need to embrace the challenge and ratchet up their commitment to turn the situation around in their favor.

Instead of seeing problems that pop-up preventing them from achieving their goals, find solutions that turn the problem into a new opportunity.

Take This Opportunity To Ask, “What Is My Story?”

How committed am I?

Have I done everything I can to make my dreams come true, or do I just make excuses for myself?

And most importantly, now that you are armed with this knowledge, what are you going to do differently to overcome the adversity that is inevitable in the pursuit of any worthy goal?

Natural Laws Govern Our Happiness And Success

If you want to start a garden this summer, you know that there are many natural laws that govern the process. These are things that are true, whether you know them or not. They are independent of you and me - and govern the world we live in. You can try all you want to break the laws. But the truth is, nature is the ultimate accountability partner - and you will only get out of your garden, exactly what you put into it.

The laws I speak of aren't necessary written down in a "Natural Law Book", but best as I can tell, they are as follows:

1. You will only reap what you sow. Sounds silly, but you won't get cucumbers if all you planted was tomatoes. It doesn't matter how well you take care of the tomato plants, all you will get from them is tomatoes. So think about what you want before you plant - not in the middle of the summer.

2. If you want a harvest in the fall, then you must plant in the spring. There is no getting around this one - you can't wait until September, work real hard and expect to see a great harvest by October - it just isn't going to happen.

3. If you don't take care of the garden all summer long, watering, weeding and generally caring for the plants, you will not get the harvest you hope for. How many gardens will be started this spring, only to be left to their own all summer long - leaving little or no real chance for a harvest come autumn.

So here is my question:

Why is it that we can know and understand the natural laws of gardening
and farming so well, doing our best to live within them, but continue to
deny that we, as natural beings, are governed by similar natural laws?

In fact, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, I believe there exists a set of natural laws that govern human behavior - laws that govern the results we get each and every day from our actions. And I believe that our ignorance to or resistance against these laws doesn't make them any less "real" - nor give us any 'free' passes to get what we want without doing the necessary work.

Here are the laws that I believe govern our success and happiness, just as the laws above govern the success and happiness associated with a garden harvest.

1. You will only reap what you sow. You must plan for what you want. If you don't, there is no telling what the result will be. This means starting with the end in mind - having a vision of what you want to create and goals that will give you the focus you need through the tough times and the good.

2. If you want to have the life you want, then you must begin to take action NOW to make it happen. The creation of real success in life takes time and commitment. There will be times when you have a short lived windfall from short term activities. However, for the most part, if you want to BE someone when you grow up or be known for something when you grow old, then you must start today. You can't wait until you are grown up or old to be that person.

There is no getting around this one - you can't do nothing for your entire life, and then at age 60 decide to create the life you want. It doesn't work that way. You can begin to change who you are from that point forward, but you can't change the first 60 years of your life.

3. It's not just a one time decision - it takes daily attention and focus to grow success and happiness. All too often in life, as in the garden, people plant the seeds of their future, but do nothing to nurture those seeds. Sure they start our with great intentions, but quickly falter and even forget what they wanted in the first place. They let their dreams sprout, but quickly dry up or become overrun by thousands of opposing ideas, gnawing away at their time, money and energy.

In life, just as in gardening, you must show up everyday and care for your vision, examine your life, and decide what you need to do today to get your self one step closer to the life you want.

Finally, as an extension of the third rule, it's important to remember that you must enjoy the journey as much as work towards destination. It isn't enough to live only for tomorrow or only for today. You must find away to relish the past, learning as you go, enjoy the present as if it's all that you have, and plan for your future, giving as much attention in your daily routine to what you want to create as you do to want you want right now.

Live By The Laws Or Suffer The Consequences

You can do what ever you want with your life. We all know that you will. These laws don't state that you can't DO what ever you want, they simply define the consequences of your actions.

Are there exceptions? Sure - extreme few. Just like we all now that if you step off of a 10 story building the laws of gravity will make you fall, the result of the fall may not be fatal - you could get lucky. But the natural law is still present.

So the sooner you begin to accept these laws and begin to define your actions around them and within the limitations and boundaries they provide, the more likely you will live a happier, more successful life.

Don't Give Up After The First Hiccup

I don't care who you are. Failure is hard. Hard to take emotionally and quite often, hard to take financially. But failure isn't the end of the world. In fact, it's quite the opposite. Failure is simply the end of the mistake – giving you new opportunities to succeed.

In my opinion, there are two types of people in this world:

Those who have failed . . .

And those that will.

And the truth is, failure will only define you if you let it – if you never try again.

Think about it, does it matter that you have fallen in your life? That you lay there, hurt and humiliated. Are you still on the ground, crawling around like someone who doesn't know how to walk. No! You picked yourself up, brushed off the dirt, cleaned the wounds (if you had any), repaired the broken bones and went on. Even those who cannot walk again from injury, find a way to get around – to move on with their lives. The testament to this is Christopher Reeve, who even after being thrown from a horse, breaking his back and ending up confined to a wheel chair, didn't let it keep him down. And he turned tragedy into opportunity not just for himself but everyone that followed him.

Unfortunately, most of us, somehow think grand failure, whether it be getting turned down for a loan, bankruptcy, being fired from our job, not getting the job you want, or any other personal or business catastrophe, is somehow different than small hiccups. We make excuses and give up trying.

More times than not, when people pursue their dreams, they quit at the first sign of trouble. They use circumstances as excuses for giving up. Literally, they quit trying.

I've heard countless people tell me that not getting a job or being turned down for something you really wanted is a “sign”. Sure, it's a sign - a sign that you need to re-evaluate, and figure out another path. But what it's not . . . is a sign to quit!

What if your parents thought that you falling after taking your first step was a sign that you weren't supposed to walk? Where would you be today?

What if the first time you had your heart broke that you took it as a sign that you weren't meant to love ever again? What kind of life would you have?

We all have had struggles in our lives. We all have fallen . . . and / or failed. And we all have gotten back up.

I define Commitment to a Dream or Goal as the willingness to do WHATEVER it takes to make it happen within your own moral boundaries. That doesn't mean until you hit a wall, come up on something you didn't anticipate, or have a hiccup in your plan. It means NO MATTER WHAT you find a way.

If your goal is money and you want to make $1,000,000 then commit to it and make it happen.

If your goal is to rescue all the abused pets of the world, then do whatever you MUST do to make that happen.

But I have to warn you, when you commit to something, it means you have to be willing to accept the “unintended” as well as the “intended” consequences. You will have to make decisions that you didn't think you were going to have to make. You may face choices between keeping the life you have currently and the life you want to create. And that is scary – even for the most confident person

So, what are you going to do . . . quit next time you fail or have even the slightest hiccup? Or are you going to pick yourself up, wipe yourself off and try, try again?

Join me in saying and of course living the famous, Winston Churchill quote,

"Never, never, never, never give up!"

Life Is NOT Easy - Stop Thinking It Should Be

I don't care who you are or what your personal circumstances are - life is not easy. In fact, it's downright hard. If it wasn't, then we would all be bored out of our minds. It is the human condition to create strife (whether by choice or circumstance) and to challenge ourselves to overcome it. It is the struggle of life or as Buddhists put it, "It is suffering".

From old to young, short to tall, rich, poor, Black, White, Latino, Native American, Catholic, Muslin, Jew, French, Japanese, or American, it doesn't matter, we live the circumstances we have been given. But, we choose the life we will have tomorrow.

This is the principle that we will be held accountable to our choices. Even though we may not have intentionally chosen the results, we did make the choices that led to those results.

The sooner we accept this fact, the quicker we can begin to change our current condition.

The Reality Behind The Power Of Choice

Let's face it. It's easy to feel sorry for yourself or anyone else because either you or they are repressed, deprived, starving or in other atrocious conditions. But, the truth is, every day, we all make choices to either perpetuate our current conditions or to change them. The fact that you aren't aware of this fact, doesn't make it less true - it only makes you ignorant.

I know this sounds harsh. But if you don't believe that you have a choice in your response to the conditions in your life, then you really have no hope to change your life - and you are forced to rely only on blind faith - and "hope" that someone or something will create happiness and success for you.

I'm not buying it. The way I see it, without accepting the idea that life is about liberty, freedom, and choices that you make in response to your circumstances every day, your existence becomes what others (friends, family, your Government, or your God) choose for you. And you are just living out what good (or bad) fortune life, God, or others bestow upon you.

Don't Give Up The Ability To Choose Your Own Life

Rather than looking at your condition as something out of your control, change it. Make a different choice that is different than the one you chose yesterday. Look not only at your current situation, but also the one you want to create and make you decisions based more on what you want tomorrow, the next day, or ten years from now, than what you want. . . right now.

I believe we make our life what it is - choose who we are and what we have - by how we respond to our circumstances. I don't care who you are, someone on this earth has now or has had in the past worse than you - and overcame it to make their life GREAT. The only real difference between the person living in strife and the person living in happiness is the choices they have made.

Stop blaming and make a change.

Most Don't Want To Believe This To Be True

The reason this is such an unpopular opinion is because so many, who don't have the life they want, don't want to admit that they don't have what they want, because they choose not to. They don't want to face the fact that their life could have been different (or even could be different), if only they had made different chooses in the past or even right now. They don't want to acknowledge that they may have been able to create the life they wanted, had they only realized the power was within them.

Those are hard things to face - but they are the truth.

It's Not Just A Matter Of Perspective

Sure, I've been dealt a pretty easy hand - a loving family that has supported me, a good education that has given me opportunities that I never would have thought possible, and genetics that have enabled me to be "lazy" with my habits and still maintain a relatively healthy body. My circumstances have been easier than most. So maybe it's easier for me to say these things.

However, that doesn't mean that I have been given everything I want - nor everything I need to make me happy.

Circumstance and fortune are wonderful things if they line up in your favor, But it is still your responsibility to choose the right path - often the hard path to get what you want.

An Easy Life Doesn't Guarantee Happiness or Success

Frankly, a life without strife and hardship to overcome, although easy, is a double edge sword - because nothing great lasts forever and past happiness and success doesn't guarantee more of the same in the future.

Additionally, the one thing in life that you can count on is change. Unlike those who battle daily - overcoming their struggles - those who have been given everything, or had it "easy" as a child or even as an adult, often hit a wall, when they face real life struggles - circumstances which they did not foresee that are devastating to their current condition.

The rich turn to drugs and alcohol at alarming rates. Divorce rates are higher in the more advanced "Western" cultures than in less sophisticated third world countries. And the suicide rates of "well to-do Executives" are as high if not higher than those of inner city homeless people.

If happiness and success were dependent solely on circumstance, none of these things would be true.

Look at your own life, did you learn and grow more from the things that came easy to you, or those that you earned. Do you respect yourself more or feel more pride in your efforts if what you achieve comes to you easily or as a result of considerable effort.

Bottom line is that your life isn't defined by your circumstances, but instead by your choices.. Life is a balance of opportunity and misfortune. And happiness and success exist in our lives based on the choices we make given the circumstances we face each and every day to create the world we want to live in. But don't kid yourself, just because you have the choice, doesn't make the choice easy. . . it only means that it's your to make.

Live Your Life As If Someone Sacrificed Their Life For You. . . Because Thousands Have.

The story of America's quest for freedom is inscribed
on her history in the blood of her patriots.

Randy Vader

Today is a both a solemn and celebratory day. It is a day that we remember all of the men and women who have given us the Liberty that we so dearly cherish in our country. And it is also a day where we celebrate the fun and joy that is at the heart of our Country as the summer is now upon us.

We have all been given a special gift - the gift of freedom and liberty. And unlike any other place on this Earth or in time in History, we have the opportunity to pursue OUR happiness, as WE define it, thanks to the sacrifices of those that have given their lives to defend our way of living.

Honor them.

Make them proud.

Live the life that you have been given the opportunity to live. It is truly the best way to repay them for their sacrifice.

I believe one of the most powerful "movie" moments of all time to me was when Capt Miller (played by Tom Hanks) in Saving Private Ryan looks at Private James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) and in his last breath says to him, "James, earn this." referring to the sacrifice of hundreds of men for his life.

Truth is, we all need to earn this - earn our lives. We all need to earn the liberty and freedom that have been given to us by those who sacrificed before us. It's one thing to reflect on their sacrifice - it's a whole other thing to actually make their sacrifice worthwhile by living the best life that we can live.

On this special day, please take a moment to reflect and honor every one who has given their lives so that both you and I can wake up free and chase our dreams and goals - as we so desire.

Live Your Life As If Someone Sacrificed Their Life For You. . . Because Thousands Have.

Finally, let me share with you an incredible audio essay that Glenn Beck did not long ago. It is a bit longer than ten minutes, but I promise it is worth the time. I like it, because it is written from the perspective of the fallen soldier, and will surely warm your heart and bring a tear to you eye.

Click here to listen

Thank you for the honor to have served for you in the Navy for 20 years.

Happy Memorial Day,

JJ

How to Create A Shared Vision

What do you do when you have partners in a relationship that are completely different - have different skills, backgrounds, and thought processes?

Is it possible to make it work with partners who are as different as day and night, when they think and act differently in nearly everything they do?

Absolutely!!! And to be completely frank, I believe, that DIVERSITY is something that should be celebrated as a gift, not a barrier to long term success. But before you get too far in the celebration, you better figure out if you have two very important things before you consummate the relationship:

1. Common / Shared Vision
2. Trusted and Open Communication.

Without these two elements, you will not only struggle, but eventually fail.

Unfortunately, diversity with relationships is usually seen as a time bomb, just waiting to destroy the partnership - but it doesn't have to be the case.

It's not who you are that defines the success of a relationship,
it's what you want to create.

So as long as you both (or all) want to create something bigger than you have today, together, and can agree on what that is, the individuality of each partner becomes a benefit, not a destructive element.

The other day, I wrote the blog, Relationships Last As Long as There Is Shared Vision, where I discussed the importance of shared visions in a relationship. But what I didn't really discuss is how you build a shared vision, if you don't have one yet. Or more importantly, how do you take two or more people whose vision isn't exactly the same, and generate a vision that you can both support and even commit to? And how do you do that when you don't communicate as well as you should? The rest of this article will answer both those questions - and give you the tools to create a vision (a Partnership Constitution) that will bind the team better than if you were of the same mind to begin with.

1. Agree That You Will Create Win-Win Relationship or There Will Be No Deal

The first step in creating a shared vision is to decide that you will do exactly that. This may sound unbelievably obvious, but it is the precise step that is often overlooked and which creates the most trouble.

Each partner must, in advance, agree that they desire to create a Shared Vision (a true Win-Win relationship) that every one AGREES to completely - that all will COMMIT to with all their being, or there will not be an organization.

They must agree that if this doesn't happen, then the team will dissolve and go their own ways, with no hard feelings - this is the "No Deal" option.

Once all partners agree that they will work together, as diligently as necessary to either create a shared vision or to walk away and go their own ways, then you are ready for the next step, deciding what each partner really hopes to create.

2. Each Partner Must Have Their Own Vision In Mind

The key to creating a shared vision is for each of the partners to know what they want individually first. Who do they want to be? What do they want to create? Why do they want to create it? How do they want to create it? That's right, each partner must know what they want from life and from the partnership before they walk in to discussion . . . or they may be persuaded by "group think".

It's not good enough to just have these thoughts in your mind, they must be written down so they become independent of the individual who owns them - they must begin to live and breath on their own, just as the shared vision eventually will.

3. All Partners Must Listen "Empathically" To Each Others' Vision

Now the tough work begins (as if the work to this point hasn't been tough). Each partner needs to not only understand their own vision, but empathically (from the perspective of the owner) understand each partner's desires for the future of the partnership. This requires communication at a deep level - listening to each persons ideas, reading their thoughts and understanding their hopes and dreams (from their perspective - not their own).

This will take time and considerable effort. But by going through this process, each partner will have a better understand of the other, and will gain new perspective on what is both possible and what is not.

4. As a Team, Brainstorm and Write The Shared Vision - Capturing / Encapsulating The Most Important Elements Of Each Partner's Individual Vision

By the time you reach this stage, this becomes almost irrelevant, because you will have gained such a deep understanding of the hopes and dreams of each other. But don't stop before you finish - consummate the relationship by capturing the moment in written form that can be referenced and reviewed time and again in the future. And before you walk away, make sure that each partner signs the document, as if it were a binding contract to each other to support the ideals and principles that lay before you all.

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Finally, let me leave you with a single thought.

If you are like me and so many others who are trying to create something bigger than yourself, then at some point you are going to have to bring others onto your team - whether you want them to be partners . . . or employees. The more you understand about the concepts of creating a vision with partners, the more you begin to understand the elements of leadership and will be able to bring others on board for your life's adventure.

Learn these techniques, they will serve you well, in both personal and professional relationships - on that I stake my reputation.

Relationships Last As Long As There Is Shared Vision

Interesting thing I've noticed about people. They can endure nearly anything and overcome any obstacles as long as they have a vision of something better in the future. Ask any POW or read the stories from Viktor Frankl, and the message is the same – vision of a better future is what will carry you forward.

Unfortunately, without that vision of a brighter future, people can hardly endure even the slightest struggle.

As a coach, I find this holds true as much in relationships (business or personal) as it does on an individual level. But in relationships, unlike personal vision, lost shared vision can and usually mean the beginning of the end of the relationship.

When two or more people come together to create a shared vision of the future they are trying to create, no obstacle or struggle will get in their way. They look at barriers as opportunities and revel in working together to solve the problems they face. But if they don't have a shared vision or if their personal visions begin to deviate too far from the shared vision, even the smallest obstacle can spell the doom for the relationship.

Partners in business see this all the time. One partner begins to see the future differently as circumstance or his life changes, and the decisions that need to be made jointly become more and more contentious. They struggle as the day-to-day dealings which were tolerable in the past, become down right impossible when you know that you want different things for the future. And sadly, it is precisely at the moment when one or all of the partners can no longer see how they will ever be able to want the same things again, that the partnership is over. It might take days, weeks or years to consummate the end, but nothing can undo what has been done.

So what can you do about this? People change. What they want evolves and their visions of the future they want morph. How can this be avoided?

In some cases, it is inevitable. The relationship must come to an end - the parties are just too far apart. But those are honestly rare - and with ample attention to these principles at the beginning of the relationship and throughout the life of the team, a lot of heartache and pain can be avoided.

What it takes is a little work and focus at the beginning of the relationship. That work is clearly defining a shared vision - taking it from implied to stated. It means writing down the words that every one agrees on and doing your best to honor the personal vision of all the participants.

Ahh, but the work doesn't end there, simply because life doesn't end there! Shared vision requires all parties to not only commit to the vision, but to also commit to communicate if they begin to feel they don't agree with it any more - even slightly.

It's about sharing when you begin to feel that you want something different - communicating the difference to all involved. Sometimes this may be a big deal, but I find that's rarely the case - if communicated promptly.

The truth is (and we all know it), it's not that small differences will destroy the relationship. But small differences show a trend of deviation - a widening gap. The good news is that regardless of the issue, a trend if caught early enough can be remedied - by altering the vision slightly for the evolving dreams of the individuals involved.

However if the deviation of one's personal vision begins to grow too far from the shared vision, a rift begins to form. This split will often result in resentment and disillusionment about the partnership.

So if you want to have a great partnership - business or personal, take the following steps:

1. Write a shared vision with all involved.

2. Plan to review the shared vision periodically to evaluate its relevance and make changes as necessary to keep all actively engaged.

And actively commit to both the vision and the promise that it represents.

Take Advantage of Opportunities but Maintain Discipline

The most successful businesses maintain focus on their core mission and how it serves their clients. Your core business should be a combination of what you do best, what you are most passionate about and what pays the bills and makes you lots of profit. When opportunity comes knocking, and it will, you must have the discipline to make sure that it is aligned with your core mission and your strategic vision before you jump on it - always think carefully before you commit your company resources to what may turn out to be a costly endeavor that takes your time, money and assets from what you do best.

Unbelievably sage advice that is easier said than done.

Everyday, business owners are bombarded with "opportunities" that will make them "more money". And since owning a business is about making money, most small business owners jump at the opportunities.

Although these opportunities may appear to benefit the company in the near-term, they often distract us and stretch us so thin that we begin to deviate from the path that we set out on - the path to our vision.

This is why we should always work hard at the beginning stages of creating a business to build a strong foundation. And it's why in my coaching practice, I spend the entire first month working with my clients to help them understand the importance of Mission, Vision, Commitments and long-term Goals.

As it turns out, at least once a week, I have a client, either in a coaching session or over the phone, ask me if an opportunity that has "popped-up" is worth pursuing. They ask me, as if I have the answers for them. And much to their dismay, I often answer their question with more questions - the same questions every time.

How does that fit into your Mission, Vision and Commitments?

How will it help you reach your Goals?

How does that fit into your Business Plan?

And it's funny, even though they knew that's what I was going to say and they knew my answer before the words come out of my lips, they had to ask. They just needed to be reminded of what the are really trying to do - they needed to be reminded of what their Goals are and what their current plan is to reach those goals.

It's not that they don't or shouldn't pursue new opportunities, it's just that by staying focused on their long-term goals and vision and not being distracted by every "short-term" opportunity that comes up, they will actually always be working towards reaching the goals that they set out on - whether the journey started yesterday, six months ago or ten years ago.

And it's not to say that you can't redefine what you are about and take on opportunities that come up. I would never advise a client to turn down an opportunity. But they need to look at the decision - not within the context of what it will bring into the company today, but instead what it will do to help and cost the company in the long term.

Discipline and focus are very difficult for most of us. They don't come easy, because they are usually lost in everyday life. Simply stated, we forget about the future and focus only on the present (or near-term future). But, it is those that are able to keep the long term in the fore front of their mind that seem most equipped to actually make it happen.

So stop and look around at those that are most successful in every walk of life - sports, business, music, art, and school. They are nearly always the ones who seem to stay more focused on the outcome, even the in face of every day distractions. They don't compromise their vision to accomplish their long term goals for short term gain - no matter how inviting it is.

So ask yourself the following questions:

- How disciplined are you?

- How focused on your goals are you?

- If you are easily distracted from what you want in the long term, what are you
going to do different tomorrow?
© Copyright,

Take Advantage of the New Beginnings of Spring

It's so funny, I know I say this during all of the four seasons, but Spring is definitely my favorite. I love the way it represents rebirth and renewal.

From lifelessness comes life and from black and white comes an abundant rainbow of colors.

This weekend I've had my kids - and we have enjoyed every minute of each day, playing outside, picnicking, and basking in the sunlight.

Not every day is perfect. But it sure can be close, when you commit to making it the best it can be.

The weekend might be over, but life and happiness don't end on Sunday night. Make a point to do something that will bring new hope and new life to you world every day this week.

- Go for a walk in the park at sunset
- Visit a friend you haven't seen for months
- Eat your lunch outside, with your shoes off - letting the grass wriggle through your toes.
- Rather than buying your Mom a gift this week for Mother's Day, do something really special, make something for her like you did in Kindergarten
- Do something for your significant other that you haven't done for them in a long time that you know they just LOVE.

It's May! The Sun is warm and the flowers are blooming. Make sure to live today like its your last day on earth, and at the same time like its the first day of the rest of your life - BECAUSE IT IS!

When you change how you look at life, you change the way your life looks.

Seven Essentials of Team Building

A Team is defined as an group organized to work together. And truth is that unless you are a hermit, at some level, you work with others to accomplish goals - both personal and business. The others in your group might be employees, friends, family, suppliers, or even customers. But no matter who they are, if you share a mission or vision then you are a Team. It doesn't matter if that team is formalized on paper, just a verbal agreement, or even a passing relationship, the success of the vision almost always depends on everyone working together - as a single entity.

Unfortunately, just because you put a group of people together in a tight confined space doesn't mean that they will in fact work together. Working together requires, at some level, Team Building.

Throughout my career in both the Military and as a Business Coach, I have found that there are Seven Essentials of Team Building that when present help the team work better and make the combined effort of each member more than just the sum of the individual team members. Unfortunately though, when any or all of those elements are absent, teams become little more than a group of individuals sometimes working together - sometimes not.

The Seven Essentials of Team Building are:

1. Write out the purpose of the Team - The purpose or shared vision of a team is why the team exists in the first place. It is the glue that binds the members of the team and motivates them from the outset. The more each member believes in the vision, the stronger the glue. And whether your team is new or years old, it is important to invite every member of the team to either participate in the development of the vision or agree to it.

2. Create a culture of Trust - Without a doubt, the most important element in any group of people working together is that they trust each other. I'm not talking trust that they will do their job - that's important. But what's really important is that everyone on the team must trust enough that they feel they can voice their opinions without retribution or embarrassment.

3. Set Team Goals - Ones that every one agrees with - Moving forward is about knowing what's important and not important, and getting everyone to agree. This is all about creating goals. It's about defining the rules of the game of your business - knowing how to keep score and what winning looks like. If you don't know the rules, it's not much fun.

4. Gain Commitment to Goals - Everyone's Commitment - Once you have goals - it's time to gain commitment to those goals. That sounds simple, but real commitment means the willingness to be held accountable. In order to increase the level of commitment from each team member towards the goals, make sure that they have an opportunity to share in the process of creating the goals. That doesn't mean they have to be involved in the process at every stage, but they should feel that their voice was heard in the developmental process.

5. Hold Each Other Accountable - Don't count on the Leader - Goals mean nothing if they aren't met. And the only way they are going to be met, is if there is accountability within the team. Too often, the only one that is holding anyone accountable on the team is the leader - but the most effective teams create a culture of accountability where everyone is responsible to the team - not the leader to fulfill their commitments and generate the desired results.

6. Build A Reward System - Don't be afraid to build into the team culture, a reward system that promotes the behaviors and social norms that are important to the team. In many ways, your Team Reward system is built-in accountability, that works independent of other forms of individual accountability.

7. Maintain Integrity within the Team - Integrity is defined as either a steadfast adherence to a strict moral or ethical code, a state of being unimpaired; soundness, or a condition of being whole or undivided; completeness. All of these definitions tie directly to what matters here the most - making sure that every member of the team puts the team first, before their own needs - by not breaking the bounds of trust.

These 7 Essentials are designed to give you the beginning tools to take your team from just showing up and working together - to generating success. As you go about your day, look at the teams in your life (your family, your office, your friends, all the employees, or just the volleyball team at the YMCA) and ask yourself how well each of your teams actually works.

If you want to know more about how to implement any or all of these Essentials in your team,
feel free to contact me at coach.jj@impossiblefutures.com.

Listen to the Wisdom of Teddy Roosevelt

We are in the throws of what many people call the worst economic conditions in over 75 years. I question that slightly - but regardless, things are tough.

So, my question is, "Do you throw in the towel and give up or do you commit to you dream and make it happen?"

If you are a small business owner - and a true entrepreneur at heart and maker of great things, don't settle for anything less. If it is your passion - make it so.

More so in these times, others will doubt you and your efforts. And you, at times, may even doubt yourself. But before giving up on your dream, read the words of a true leader of men, President Teddy Roosevelt, about commitment, devotion, triumph and failure.

And if you read them carefully, you will find that President Roosevelt words resonate in your heart as if he was speaking them to you directly.

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

Now go! Get in the arena and fight for what you believe in. Find a way to keep the fight alive and get others to support your fight. And remember . . . whether you win the fight, or lose the fight, it is the pursuit with devotion and enthusiasm that you will be remembered by.

What's On Your To Do List?

I read an interesting Tweet this morning, "I've got a lot of things to get done this week, I better make a To Do List".

Have you ever noticed that when you really want to get things done - not just say you want to get them done - you create a To Do list? Why is that?

Because it WORKS!!!

Most of us, at one time or another, don't get things done that we had planned to get done. But it's rarely because we were blowing them off or ignoring them, it's usually because we simply forgot about them.

Hence, the invention of the "To Do List" and the little yellow sticky to put it on (boy I wished I would have invested in 3M back then).

You see, I am big on accountability. In fact, I believe, more than anything else "Accountability" is what a coach brings to his clients. But not everyone has, wants or thinks they can afford a coach - so we try to create methods or systems that will help us fulfill our need for accountability on our own. The "To Do List" is a silent piece of accountability that we create to help us face our successes and failures in accomplishing what it is we want to do.

So if they work so well, why don't we use "To Do Lists" for everything that we need or say we want to get done? The answer is as simple as it is obvious - because there are a lot of things that we say we want to do, but really don't want to do or don't know how to do. And we don't want to waste the magic of getting things done on these lower priority items.

What's on your "To Do List" says a lot about YOU. It reveals "what" and "who" are important to you. You can see whether you are focused on changing your circumstances or maintaining the status quo. And at a very basic level, when viewed over a stretch of time, your "To Do List" reflects your Mission, your Vision, and your Commitments in both business and life - because it reflects what you find "most important" in your life.

So as you look at YOUR "To Do List", what do you see? What is most important to you? And does it reflect what you want it to reflect? Are there things that you say are important to you, but aren't quite making it on your list. Why is that?

So, let me re-phrase my initial Title question. Maybe you shouldn't just be looking at what's on your "To Do List" - maybe you should be looking at what's not on your "To Do List".

And WHY!

Does Your Business Have A Constitution To Guide It?

It ever ceases to amaze me how many of my clients come to me with an opportunity that has presented itself to them and ask me what I would do. And no matter how many times I tell them my "pat" answer, they look at me dumbfounded.

I tell them, "It doesn't matter what I would do - does it? What matters is what you SHOULD do."

Needless to say, I rarely answer my clients . . . directly. I don't believe that is my job. In fact, I believe my responsibility is to help them find the answer within themselves. Or, at least, show them how to find it. And, besides being the right thing to do, I like to watch them squirm as I walk them through the process of answering the question themselves.

The truth is that not every opportunity is worth pursuing. You have to pick the opportunities that lead you down the same path you are on or desire to be on (or one that is very close to the one you are on), or you will find yourself drifting every which way but the right way.

So, what do I do to help them find their own answers? It's simple, I ask them to follow the same procedures that every business owner (non-business owner for that matter) should use to make an important decision - I ask them what they want, and then ask them how the solution to their new found opportunity can help support that . . . or not.

However, I don't let them tell me what they want - from the top of their head. Instead I make them pull out their Mission Statement, their Vision and their Commitments (or core values) and I make them read those words - out loud.

The reason these documents are so important is because they are the "constitution" of your business - they are the foundation of what you are and what your trying to create. They aren't just words that I made them write when I started working with them, they are the reason a business exists and what it is all about - just as the Constitution of our country defines the Mission, Vision and Core Value of our country.

Furthermore, these documents answer the questions, "What do I do?", Why do I do it", and "How do I do it?" But more importantly, they are the answers that you decided on, in the absence of stress - or opportunity trying to sway you in a different direction. And they were written down so that you could use them for just this reason - to measure against and give yourself a standard for everything that you do.

When used in this manner, the words in these documents are actually the guiding light to help you find your way in any situation.

Peter Drucker said, "Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things." Your Mission Statement, Vision, and Commitments are the documents that will help you decide what the right things are.

So, if you are struggling with your business (or even with life, for that matter), I suggest that, first, before you take one more step, create your own constitution. Write your own Mission, Vision and Commitments. Find out how powerful these documents are in helping you create the business you want.

If you have any questions on how to write your own Mission, Vision, and Commitments, please feel free to contact me directly at coach.jj@ImpossibleFutures.com, I will send you a Free PDF Handout that will walk you through the process.

Its The Pursuit Of Our Goals That Shapes Our Lives

A couple days ago, I mentioned that I had tried out for the Blue Angels three years in a row - each time to come up short. I told the story to highlight a point, but in the past couple days since that blog, I've gotten some feedback asking for more on the story.

So now, I will share my Blue Angel experience for a couple reasons. First, it was series of events that shaped who I have become, and how I look at failure. Second, by sharing the story, I hope to help others look at failure and commitment a bit differently.

As we all know from watching their amazing feats for years, the Blue Angels are a very elite flying team. But, just like everyone else, they are ordinary men and women with extraordinary focus and commitment to a shared vision. And in my opinion, they are the one of the best examples of pure Teamwork that exists. Which is why I wanted so badly to be on the team.

This might come as a surprise to you, but "Flying Skills" are not used as prerequisites to becoming a member of the team (although there is minimum flight times). In fact, the team prides itself in the fact that everything they do is actually just "basic" maneuvers that all Naval Aviators perform regularly (although not quite as close to each other - or the ground for that matter).

The Blue Angels truly live by the mantra that I try to teach to all my clients about hiring - "Hire for motivation and attitude, you can teach everything else."

As it turns out, my first real memory of Airplanes is my Granddad taking me to the Willow Grove Air Show. And no surprise here, the Blue Angels were the highlight of the day. It was nice to watch the other planes fly and to walk around the static display aircraft, but all I really wanted was to watch the Blue Angels. And to say that I was left in awe - is an understatement.

That was over 35 years ago. And I can still see the image in the mind like it was yesterday. It was a gift that I have cherished from my Grandfather to this day - and love that I was able to do the same with my children as well a few years back.

To boot, my other Grandfather, my Pop-pop, was given a "souvenir" Blue Angels Polo Shirt from NAS Pensacola when I first graduated from Aviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS). Although just the first step in a two year long training pipeline to wings, it was moment he was very proud of. My Mom-mom used to joke about how he wouldn't let that silly shirt sit in the dresser. As soon as she washed it, folded it and put it away, he would take it out and wear it again (sometimes even two to three days in a row). And as if just knowing that he loved that shirt that much wasn't enough, when my Pop-pop passed away in 1995, he was buried in the Blue Angel Polo Shirt that he was so proud to wear.

I give you this background, because I want you to know, that not only was I trying to become a Blue Angel, in some ways, I felt it was my destiny.

So, in 1995, I tried out for the Blue Angels for the first time. The process is both fun and very stressful. It revolves around attending Air Shows and meeting the team - both as a group and on a one-on-one basis. You get to sit in on their pre-flight briefs. And mingle with them at post-flight parties. But as fun as the parties are, when you want it as bad as I did, it was more work than anything else.

Well, I didn't make the team that first year. And needless to say, I was devastated. In many respects, it was my first real taste of "failure" in my life. The first thing that I really wanted - and didn't get. And it was a very hard pill to swallow. But one of the toughest parts is that they give you NO feedback on what you did right or wrong - it's up to you to "guess" at it.

In my heart, I knew what the problem was - what was missing. But I didn't want to believe it,- so I did nothing about it and tried again one year later.

The second year was a bit tougher for me. I had just gotten married and wasn't as committed to being on the team as I was the year before - and I'm sure it showed. It's a tough process when you are completely committed, but an agonizing one if you have any doubts at all. And again, for the second year in a row, I didn't get the call.

In the months that followed, I was able to do a lot of soul searching and in 1997, I committed myself completely to being on the team - or so I thought. And this year, I thought I even had an ace in the hole - my new boss, CDR "Hounddog" McClain (now RADM McClain), was an Ex-Blue Angel. He not only gave me great advice, but he also gave me a glowing endorsement. I thought for sure, I would get "the call" this time. But for the third and final year, the phone didn't ring.

So, in spite of all my desires, I would have to face the fact that I would never be a Blue Angel.

That was nearly 12 years ago.

For most of those years, I blamed the system and the members of the team for not giving me a chance. And it has just been in just the past 3-4 years, that I've really faced the truth, and accepted my responsibility for not making the team.

You see, the one thing I didn't tell you above is that while going through this process, I didn't yet have my Bachloer's Degree finished. Now, it's important to note that there is no "written" requirement for a Blue Angel to have a Bachelor's Degree, 99.9% of all pilots in the Navy did. And since I happened to have been part of that .1% not in the mainstream, I was not ever really considered in the running to be a member of the team. If they can choose from "anyone", why would they choose someone who doesn't represent the whole.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that if I had the degree, I would have made the team. But since I didn't have it, I know in my heart there was never any real chance. For years, I blamed others for not telling me and I thought it was unfair since there wasn't a "rule". But I knew. I didn't need for anyone to tell me. I had to accept responsibility that my inaction caused my current circumstance.

After accepting responsibility for my inaction, I then had to look back and come to grips with the fact that I didn't do my best. I didn't do "everything" I could have done to reach my dream. That's a hard realization for anyone to face. And I knew that if I didn't learn from it, it would all be in vane. So I had a choice to make - Was I going to dwell on the negative and live with regret, or was I going to make it a lesson that would shape the rest of my life.

I chose the later. I chose to take the lesson of "real commitment" and sink my teeth into creating the life that I want for myself and my family.

I still struggle with reaching the goals I set - just like everyone else. But I can promise you this - when it comes to creating a dream, I will do everything I can to make sure that I leave nothing undone. That doesn't mean they are going to happen - but it won't be without me giving 100%

So, I ask YOU, are you giving everything you have to your goals? Take a couple minutes today and think about it. And recommit yourself to the dreams you have. And share with me your Blue Angels story, I would love to hear it.

Personal Leadership - Commitment to your Goals

As a Business and Personal Coach, I challenge my clients regularly to look at themselves, their lives and their businesses and ask how committed they are to what they want. Some are honest about their level of commitment, while others only think they are. I can usually tell the difference right away, but it often takes weeks (or even months) for them to tell the difference.

Getting people to face the truth about what it truly means to be committed is tough. And to be quite honest, as I look back, I'm not sure how committed I have been in my own life - and how much I just hoped that things would work out for me. It's something I work on every day.

For example, many years ago, as a pilot in the Navy I tried to become a Blue Angel for three straight years. It was a goal of mine – one I thought I was committed to. Needless to say, it didn't happen. But to be honest, I “wanted” it more than I was willing to do to make it happen. I thought I did everything that I could do to become one - but I refused to look honestly at what I was doing - and my real level of commitment.

If I had truly wanted to be a Blue Angel and was committed to it (willing to do whatever it would have taken), things might have been different. As I look back, I didn't give it everything I had - I didn't do whatever it took. And for years I was bitter about it - blaming the system, instead of looking at where my heart really was. Why I wasn't doing a very obvious thing that would have made a very big difference in my pursuit.

Do I have regrets? Yes. But not because I didn't become a Blue Angel. I have regrets because I created a goal for myself, haphazardly, and in many ways, recklessly, without truly committing to it. And had I achieved that goal, without truly giving myself to it, I would have perpetuated an attitude that would have eventually caught up to me.

Today, in my practice, I define Commitment as the willingness to do whatever it takes within the bounds of your morale code (core values) to accomplish what you set out to accomplish - whether it be a simple goal or a long term vision.

Everyday, I work with small business owners, executives, and individuals - helping them set goals - often prodding them (considerably) to push themselves beyond what they would normally achieve given their current thought processes and actions.

Unfortunately, I have found that most people's commitment to their goals is only moderate at best. They tend to spend more time hoping for their goals to come true than they do taking planned actions to make them come true.

True commitment is hard, but it is achievable. We see it every day - when we see greatness - and hear of stories when people have overcome great odds. However, it is very rare to find without some kind of outside force holding that person accountable to achieving what they set out to accomplish.

As children, we rely on many accountability partners in our lives, our parents, our teachers, our athletic coaches, and often times even our friend. And as adults, many find friends or family member to be helpful in this capacity, but that's the exception – because a real accountability partner must stay objective with you – not allowing the relationship to cloud their thoughts. So many of us, myself included, turn to outside individuals to help us stay committed to our goal and hire professionals to assist us: Personal and Business Coaches, Personal Trainers, Health Coaches, Mentors, and Career Coaches are just a few examples that people turn to to keep them on track.

So, not I leave you with a few closing questions to Stop and think about:

• How committed are you to your health goals?

• Do you just want them or are you willing to do whatever it takes?

• Are you living a healthy lifestyle, every day – all day, or a you just pretending to?

• Who is YOUR accountability partner

As I said in the beginning, most people think they are committed to their goals, but rarely are. If you want to lose weight, have a better body, live longer and healthier, or improve any aspect of your life then stopping just saying you want those things and commit the energy and time they require . . . Make those goals a reality.

Be Willing To Give Up Everything To Get What You Want

Everyone wants to make their dreams come true (The Cinderella Story) - but wanting a dream to happen isn't enough. To create the world you want - to create your dream - you must be willing to give up everything you have. For those who have nothing, that's easy. But for those who actually have a good life or a good business, that's easy said than done.

Each and every one of us has created the world we live in, through our actions, our thoughts and our habits. And as long as we continue to do the same things we've always done and think the same thoughts we've always thought - we will continue to have the same life we've always had - not the one we want.

Unfortunately, creating something different, requires doing different things as well as thinking differently. And this scares the hell out of many people, because it means that they "may" get what they want, but then again, the "may" fail in trying to do so, and lose what they had.

Jim Collins, in his landmark book, Good to Great, states that Good is the ENEMY of Great. What he means by this is that when you have a good life, you will most likely never create a great life. And that is simply because you won't have the drive, the passion, nor the commitment to give up your "Good" life, for the risk of maybe creating a "Great" life or maybe losing everything you already had.

When I start working with clients, the first questions I ask them is "What do you want?" and "What do you want to create with your life / business?" Some have answers, and some don't. But before we can go any further in the coaching process, we must truly gain an understanding what they want. And, often to their dismay, we work on it until we find the answer.

And thus, after knowing what they want to create, I ask them the toughest questions of all, "Are you committed to your goal or vision? Are you willing to give up everything you currently have to create what you want?"

For most people, they've never been challenged in this manner. They've never been asked to give up anything before - let alone everything. But 99 out of 100 times, that is exactly what it takes.

Wait though!!! Before you freak out and think that I'm telling you to give everything up, I didn't say that - What I did say was that you had to be WILLING to give it all up - WILLING to trade what you have for something better. You may not have to. But through the willingness to give it all up, you begin to understand what commitment is.

Think about it. Think back to the biggest commitment you have probably ever made in your life - the commitment to your spouse - to your marriage. Men, before you got done on one knee (if any one still does that), you had to ask yourself and respond affirmatively, "Am I willing to give up the life that I currently have to make something better with the woman I love?" And Women, before you said yes, you had to ask yourself the same question about the man you love. That is the most common example of "willingness" to give up everything you have to create something better, that nearly everyone can understand. That is true commitment.

So, before you step forward and say, "I want more sales." or "I want to make my business run better." STOP. And ask yourself, am I truly committed or do I just want it. Because I'm convinced that if you are truly committed and willing to give up everything you have, you can make it happen. But if you aren't willing to commit COMPLETELY, then quite honestly, you are wasting your time, effort, and money.