Where Is Your Focus?

Without Focus and Intentionality, 

Your Day Will Be A Blur

What is the focus of your day?

What do you intend to accomplish today?

Studies show that a person who is interrupted takes 50 percent longer to accomplished a task. Not only that, he or she makes up to 50 percent more errors. ~John Medina

We are easily distracted when we lack focus.  You can't blame others for distractions if you haven't set the intention for your day.  Take control of your schedule, your actions, and your energy or others will do it for you.

YOU Matter!!

Keep Your Keys!!

People can't drive you crazy if you don't give them the keys. ~Mike Bechtle

This book caught my eye last year while I was picking up a few items in a grocery store.

This is SO true!!

Who are the 'problem' people in your life?
What is it that makes them a problem (the keys)?
Take the keys from them.

Do your best not to reciprocate their behaviors unless they are encouraging, uplifting, and value-adding. Then smile, walk away, and add value to someone else.

YOU choose your actions.
YOU choose your attitude.
YOU choose you emotions.
Don't give any person the keys... YOU control YOU!

YOU Matter!!

Go From Your Day Job to Your Dream Job

Millions of people are squandering their talents and wasting their time in jobs 
they don't love. They feel trapped and dissatisfied, afraid to risk their financial 
security to pursue their dreams. But anyone can make the leap from day job to 
dream job--with the right amount of knowledge, encouragement, and guts. 

Author, life coach, and speaker Kary Oberbrunner shows readers how to 
launch their dream jobs and experience the freedom to go as they please, 
earn as they wish, and live as they like.

His nine proven steps will help readers "jailbreak" from their day jobs without 
relying on an MBA, investors, or a lucky break. They'll will discover how to:

• start lean and stay lean by ignoring conventional thinking overcome self-limiting beliefs that sabotage success
• build a dream team of experts committed to their cause
• carve out a niche and get noticed in a noisy world
• market beforehand to create critical momentum
• monetize a message to its full potential
• achieve personal clarity, competence, and confidence
• earn greater influence, impact, and income in the marketplace

Through sharing his own story and the success of others who have followed his 
process, Kary shows readers that anyone can turn their passion into a full-time 
gig.

Unfortunately, 86% of people feel stuck in their day jobs. I know you are thinking, “So what? At least those people have jobs.” Well, my friend Kary Oberbrunner did a ton of research on this subject and helps readers understand 3 reasons why going from my Day Job to my Dream Job was the smartest move I could make.

1. Day Jobs Are Killing People

I thought this was a bunch of marketing hyperbole until I looked at the facts:

• Stress - 70% of American workers experience stress-related illnesses
• Burn Out - 34% think they’ll burn out on the job in the next two years
• Heart Attacks - The LA Times reports there is a 33% increase in heart attacks on Monday mornings.
• Injury - Entrepreneur magazine adds that there is a 25% increase in work-related injuries on Mondays.
• Death - According to the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more people die at 9am on Monday than at any other time.
• Suicide - Male suicides are highest on Sunday nights with men realizing their careers are not where they want them

(Some research from 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller.)

2. The World And The Workforce Have Changed

Your parents and grandparents may have stayed in one job or industry for their entire lives, however that’s a rarity today.

The average worker will change her career seven times, hold eleven jobs before the age of forty-four, remain in her current place of employment for less than five years, and probably move into a freelance/independent contractor role.

Do you want to change your day job and career every few years? Creating your dream job and controlling your future seems to make much more sense.

3. Creating Your Dream Job Is Now Easier Than Ever

Kary showed me that today you have:

• More Access - If you know the right rules and abide by them, no one is beyond your reach.
• More Resources – If you know where to go, all the information in the world is at your fingertips.
• More Connection – If you can get online you can run your business.
• More Incentive – If you don’t have to stay in your day job job, why would you?
• More Instruction – If you apply the information in Day Job to Dream Job you can implement your escape plan.

Kary wrote the book on going from Day Job to Dream Job. In it, he reveals 9 proven steps (The Dream Jobber Plan) that helped him jailbreak his day job. He now uses this model to help his Dream Job Bootcamp students escape their day jobs. No hype here. He gives you a clear map to move from Prison to Plan to Payoff.

And this payoff is much more than a paycheck. In your Dream Job you can experience:

• Freedom – to go as you please
• Finances – to earn as you wish
• Fulfillment – to live as you like

Kary knows how much his information has helped me in my transition, and now he wants to make the same information available to you at an insane price, over 50% off retail. For just $6.99 plus shipping you can get his book at this special link, but only for a limited time.  He even includes 3 bonuses that he values at $119.  His videos and 200 page interactive guidebook will help you customize your own escape plan.

Check out the book's promo video filmed in Shawshank Prison.

Vision Leads the Leader

Leaders lead.

But, sustainable and effective leadership is only as good as the leader's vision.

The first person you must lead is YOU.

What is your personal vision?

Where are you going?

Vision must originate from within if it is ever to be effective from without.

Listen to your heart - what stirs your soul?  What makes you come alive?

The clues to your vision start there.

What is your vision?

YOU Matter!!

Some of my favorite quotes on vision:

• "Where there is no vision the people perish." ~ Proverbs 29:18
• "The empires of the future are empires of the mind." ~ Winston Churchill
• "Vision without action is a daydream. Action with without vision is a nightmare." ~Japanese Proverb
• "Pain pushes until vision pulls." ~ Michael Beckwith
• "Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion." ~ Jack Welsh
• "You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus." ~ Mark Twain

It's Not Over Till You Win!

If you have the desire and belief to achieve something, 

then you must clearly identify what that "something" is.  

What does it look like?  What would it feel like to accomplish it? Why is that important to you?

But, if you plan to achieve, then you must be committed to the process to get you there.  You WILL feel like quitting some days.  You WILL get tired.  You WILL have doubts.

But you MUST persist!  It's not over till you win!!

YOU Matter!!

Do Your Actions Match Your Words?

People may doubt what you say, 

but they will always believe what you do. 

~Lewis Cass.

Integrity is revealed when your actions match your words.

Action speaks louder than words, but when action matches words there is no room for doubt.  If you are a leader, your team will trust and follow you when your actions and words are congruent.

Will there be times that your actions may not match your words?  YES.  But, in that moment - a defining moment - you have the choice of a higher form of integrity.  Admit it, apologize, and realign your actions and words.

William Wallace is one of my favorite depictions of a leader who matches his actions and words.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gr_OpFxCx-A

YOU Matter!!

Excuses Enslave - Expectations Liberate

Excuses keep you comfortable in the prison of your current situation.
Excuses blind you to the possibilities to learn, grow, and achieve.
Excuses only hurt YOU.

Excuse yourself from the blame game
and set your expectations on progress.

Expectations are powerful and liberating.
Expectations remove the blinders of excuses and allow you to see the world as a place of opportunities, possibilities, and success.

Expect great things...... and great things will find you.

YOU Matter!!

Cowardice or Conformist......or Courageous?

"The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice... it is conformity." ~Earl Nightingale

Why do you get up in the morning?
Why do you work where you do?
Where do you want to go?
What would you like your life to be like in 5 years?

Are you answering those things with the same answers as those around you?
Are you thinking for yourself?

Why do you believe what you believe?

Great questions to start your day!  Great questions to shake your core!

YOU Matter...... and that's why I ask!!

Is Your Dream Worth It?

The greatest achievement was at first and for a time a dream. The oak sleeps in the acorn, the bird waits in the egg, and in the highest vision of the soul a waking angel stirs. Dreams are the seedlings of realities. ~James Allen.

The journey from dream to reality consists of the roads of belief, commitment, persistence, passion, and perseverance. Are you willing to fight for your dream? If not, you need a new dream.

Watch as this baby chick fights for his dream of life in this 1.5 minute video and keep in mind that this is time lapsed over 12 hours. But, the chick didn't quit!! And neither should you.

YOU Matter!!

Humility

Humility means two things. One, a capacity for self-criticism. . . . The second feature is allowing others to shine, affirming others, empowering and enabling others. ~Cornel West. 

If you really want to connect with your family, friends, co-workers..... anyone....

BE humble. 

Note: I did not say ACT humble (that's only for posers) - I said BE humble.

YOU Matter!!

Every Day is a Friday

Every day is a Friday when you are fully alive.

You can live out your vision and purpose anywhere. So, don't blame your job. Let your vision and purpose guide you to a greater awareness and happiness in your current work or let it lead you to a different place.

My purpose is igniting potential, passion, and purpose to create explosive results with those whom I choose to work.

Oh....guess that begs the question. What's your purpose?

YOU Matter!!

What About the Struggle?

You want success, but no struggle? Good luck!!
Success isn't about luck, but it IS about commitment, perseverance, fighting the temptation to quit, and yes......STRUGGLE.

If you are struggling today, hang on...fight....endure.....don't quit.

Here are a few quotes on struggle that I keep handy.

YOU Matter!!

Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.~Napoleon Hill.

Success is not measured by what you accomplish, but by the opposition you have encountered, and the courage with which you have maintained the struggle against overwhelming odds.~Orison Swett Marden.

Education comes from within; you get it by struggle and effort and thought.~Napoleon Hill.

Without a struggle, there can be no progress.~Frederick Douglass.

Always remember that striving and struggle precede success, even in the dictionary.~Sarah Ban Breathnach.

Are You Prepared?

Spectacular achievement is always preceded by unspectacular preparation. ~Robert H. Schuller.

Opportunities await those who are prepared.
What are you doing to prepare you? 
What are you doing to grow spiritually, intellectually, and physically?

Opportunities await......for those who are prepared.

YOU Matter!!

Are You Willing to Fight?

Life is a fight for territory. Once you stop fighting for what you want, what you don't want automatically takes over. ~Les Brown.

If you want to have a life that is worth living, a life that expresses your deepest feelings and emotions and cares and dreams, you have to fight for it. ~Alice Walker.

Better to fight for something than live for nothing. ~ Gen. George S. Patton.

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. ~ Margaret Thatcher.

YOU Matter!!

What Do You Expect?

What kind of day will you have? What do you expect?
Will you find that job? What do you expect?
Do you get along with others? What do you expect?
Will you fail or succeed? What do you expect?

Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon. ~Denis Waitley.

Expect great things!

YOU Matter!!

What Comes Out When You Are Shaken?

Every problem introduces a person to himself. ~John McDonnell.

For years, I've shared an illustration of a Coke can. 
It is reasonable to assume if I shake a can of Coke up that Coke will come out. But, what if Sprite was in that can of Coke? The outside says Coke, but Sprite is on the inside? If I shake that can, what do you think will come out? Answer: Whatever is inside (In this case, Sprite).

When you are shaken up, what comes out?
What are you doing to make sure that what's inside matches what's on the outside?

YOU Matter!!

Do You Value Growth?

Do you value growth?

What is the value of one idea applied in your life? Just one.
What is one area of your life that you would really like to change right now?

If nothing else changes in your life - if you don't grow - will your quality of life improve? Will your friendships change? Will your finances change? Probably not.

Any real and meaningful change is accomplished by intentionality. Growth is optional, because you have a choice. But, have you really contemplated that most likely, you will NOT change without an intentional growth plan. Yes, sometimes circumstances will arise that cause us to change, but sustained growth and change take intentionality.

What is your plan for growth? What books should you be reading? What relationships need to change? What are the time-wasters in your life? What are the questions that you need to be asking that will cause you to discover opportunities for growth?

If you don't ask the questions, you will likely never stumble upon the answers.

YOU Matter!!

INTENTIONAL NEGLECT

Do you really want to become great at something? 

If your answer is yes, then consider this - what do you need to neglect in order to be great at this?

Jim Collins says, "Good is the enemy of great". So, what are all the "good" things taking up the margin in your life that distract you from developing the area you want to be "great"?

If you want to be great, you need to be intentional in your plan to develop that area. You will find much more margin in your life to accomplish this by rearranging your priorities. With this intentionality, refuse to engage in the "good" until you've worked on the "great" for that day. Intentionally neglect the time wasters in your life that distract you from achievement.

YOU Matter!!