Daily Boost Motivation and Coaching

Better Than a To-Do List

I'm sure you have a lot to do. If you use a To-Do list, I'd like to pass on advice that will make your days much more fun.

LOSE your "To-Do List." Replace it with a" Did I Do It List."  

To-Do Lists make you an employee of your checkmarks. They cause more stress the longer they get.

A "Did I Do It List" assumes you know what must be done. Instead of chasing, you are checking to make sure you did it.

An un-focused path produces additional tasks to fill your day. Using a "Did I Do It List" will focus you on your goals and create quick results.

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Comfort Zone Holding You Back

I was sitting at the dining room table of a friend. We had been solving the problems of the world in an hours-long conversation when she asked,

"What are you talking about on tomorrow's podcast?"

When I told her that I hadn't thought about it yet, she said, 

"Why don't you talk about why people don't take big chances and stay in their comfort zone for their entire life?"

My mind did an instant review of my life and all the areas I had stumbled on before getting out of my way. I also remembered conversations with clients over the years on life's leaps. Before I could say anything, she said, 

"I know what it is. People get so comfortable with what they've built, and they don't want to chance losing it. Their money, their home, they wonder what their family will say?"

Is there anything else?

"Yes. Everybody gets scared and freezes. I'm like that, but I've learned to push through fear and go for it - as long as I'm mostly sure I won't lose what I've built."

We talked a bit more about what it takes to make the changes you want in life and came to three conclusions-

You can do anything when you have a growth mindset and believe that anything is possible.

Holding on too tightly to what you have sends the wrong energetic message. When you are willing to expand - you will.

Next, as a human, you will never be comfortable gambling on the very thing that allows you to dream. The solid foundation that takes care of your personal needs is why you desire to self-activate. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs taught us that. Your foundation must remain while you expand.

Finally, fear will always be present when beginning a new adventure. The cure is knowledge. When you know what you have, see your path forward, and have prepared as much as possible for your journey, you will find yourself willing to go for it.

Anything is possible when you protect your foundation, respect the challenge, and honor the dreams whispering to your soul.

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Productivity Secrets You Should Do

I have a saying -

“Next year begins THIS year. Next month begins THIS month. Next week begins THIS week.”

If you want to stay on track, accomplish your goals, and enjoy life more - you MUST take control of your calendar. It’s easier than you think:

1) Life will come at you FAST! Be sure to schedule any significant and can’t miss life events at least one year in advance. Put it on the calendar and block it out. You can always change your mind.

2) Hold your space. Decide in advance what you will be doing with your days. When will you work on projects? When will you see clients? When will you have fun? 

3) Never end one week without locking in your schedule for the next - and stick to it. 

When your day-to-day focus fulfills your goals this week, the future is always brighter. Focus, my friend. Focus.

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Motivational Teaching Method

Mrs. Etheridge was a 5th-grade teacher at Westgate Elementary in Manassas, Virginia. She had a special knack for motivating her most free-spirited student.

Now, I wouldn't be honest if I were to you, I remember how she tamed a young boy who saw the world as a place to explore - mostly between the lines. But I will say that when you begin teaching and motivating others to reach their full potential, you quickly find ways to get them out of their own way, fire them up, and enjoy more success.

When you first begin, meet others where they are and establish a frame for what is to come. That will get their attention.

Next, strengthen the foundation by reminding them of what they already know and its impact on their life.

The introduction of new knowledge arrives when they are open to receiving it.

But since stacking new knowledge on top of old is like chasing shiny objects and forgetting everything you've already learned, integrating the new with the old is where you put it all together.

Adding an exciting twist, something they didn't see coming as a bonus, and using it as a catalyst that paints a picture in their mind of the benefit of using the new knowledge in their lives.

Finally, give your students homework in the form of a challenge, compassionately hold them accountable the next time you see them, and repeat.

Everybody is driven by something different. When you structure teaching into a motivational flow that is relatable, repeatable, and re-framable, you create more excitement as you go and lives change.

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Your Goal Setting Purpose?

I've always believed goal setting is the heartbeat of our lives. 

Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools you have to create your best life. My question to you is… do you know what your best life is supposed to be?

I came upon my belief not from a book or a guru but from a realization I had many years ago. I found I was happy when I was chasing something bigger than myself that was also in alignment with how I felt on the inside. I was unhappy when I was checking items off my list and not honoring my true self.

After years of pondering, I concluded that a purposeful outcome would eliminate frustration and boredom and generate excitement and enthusiasm.

That leads me to the two definitions of goals:

1) The end toward which effort is directed.

2) An area or object toward which players in various games attempt to advance a ball or puck and usually through or into which it must go to score points.

Most people treat goals like the number two, a To-Do list, with a short-term outlook. People who focus on the first definition are long-term thinkers.

But what's the real difference?

What "end" do you place your focus on?

Heartbeat goal-setters know there are many "ends" before the ultimate termination point we call goal achievement. That's what excites and drives them. They purposely focus on that 'end.'

Everything else is a step in the journey that is only needed to get to their pre-determined outcome.

Heartbeat goal setting. It's purposeful goal setting that ignites a fire in your belly, gives you a mission, and makes you happy. Everything else is an item on your To-Do list.

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Before Your Life Got in The Way

Can you remember when you filled your thoughts with dreams and ambitions?

That’s how most of us live our early lives - until the real world splits into two distinct periods:

1) BEFORE life gets in the way. Anything IS possible. It’s a beautiful time when you run as fast as possible toward your goals, even if your parents disagree.

2) AFTER life gets in the way. Anything WAS possible. Life is good, but it’s not what you expected. Your parents would have said, “I told you so.”

What if it was possible to remember what you wanted and why?

What if you could stand on a foundation of wisdom and experience and combine what you have now with what you want?

That would be a brand new life, wouldn’t it?

Wait. It is possible.

All you have to do is remember what you wanted all those years ago and start running after it again.

Run fast. You’ve waited long enough.

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It’s Time To Explore

I’ve spent the last couple of days saying things like —

“What do you do when you are doing you, and your purpose is to find your purpose?”

Now, I realize that something so simple is also something most people will ignore. 

I also realized that for some people, as soon they begin reading and realize they’ve already heard it, tune out and open the next email. 

That’s unfortunate.

Studies have long ago proven that repetition is the Mother of all skills. Yes, it takes time to learn new things and master them. But getting a new skill is not the value of repetition — it’s the doors it opens.

When you opened my email yesterday, you were a different person than now. And tomorrow you will be different than you will be by the end of the week.

As you explore your day, you’ll figure out what doesn’t work, lock in what does, and update your worldview. You will see things differently.

The wisdom you collect will transform your personality as you explore your life and you will begin becoming the person you are meant to be.

Of course, this should be no surprise since you’ve been doing it your entire life.

But what if you purposefully did it every day?

What if you chose to purposefully explore all the possibilities of your life in hope that it will lead to your destination?

What if you explored the possibilities with full faith and trust that you are following your path, the correct path, and the one that will lead you to everything you desire?

It’s not a what IF. It’s what IS.

It’s your choice to make that happen.

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Somebody Needs You Right Now

When I was a teenager, I was a weekend moviegoer. It was the age of Rocky, Star Wars, and Jaws. Besides, with only three channels on television, getting out of the house was the top item on my to-do list.

As a kid with big dreams, I quickly slipped into the fantasy world of films and let my mind run for a couple of hours. By the film's end, I was always excited to get on with life and become like the folks I watched in movies.

That's when life got in the way.

Like many young folks, I graduated high school, charged into the world, and waited for somebody else to lift me into my dreams. Well, things didn't work out the way I expected. That's when my mother-in-law gave me some very useful advice that I needed to hear —

"You know, right now, Somebody needs what you have to offer, but because you're sitting around the house, they don't even know you exist. Get out there and let them know you are here."

I can't tell you how many times in my life I've said to myself —

"Somebody out there needs what I have to offer. My job is to find them and let them know I'm here."

It's the same for you.

If Somebody needs what you have to offer, your job is to find them and save their day.

That's how you write and star in your life movie.

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Stop Procrastination With One Question

Are you a member of the Procrastination Club? 

Procrastination is the intentional and habitual postponement of an essential task that you should be doing. 

Is that what you are doing?

In my view, three things could be happening if you procrastinate -

It may be possible that you are not procrastinating at all? Instead, you may be forcing yourself to do something that you don't need to do anyway.

The other possibility is that it simply doesn't mean enough to you to start the process. Or, said another way, other things mean more to you.

Finally, your wisdom is telling you this is not something you should be doing.

Yes, you must complete some tasks. That's called being a responsible person. But if your list keeps getting longer, it's time to ask yourself a question -

Is it important enough to me to get it done?

If not, you know why you are procrastinating.

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What Do Successful People Do?

If you study people who have succeeded in any area of their life, you will find they have much in common. 

Not only do they follow a set of rules, but they also follow those rules no matter how much life gets in the way.

What are those rules?

The person who has the strongest "Why" wins.

The person who shows up wins.

The person who shows up on time wins.

The person who is most persistent wins.

The person show never assumes wins.

The person who is the best at what they do wins.

The person who plans and documents their journey and interactions wins.

The person who never gives up total control to others wins.

The person who accepts responsibility for themselves wins.

The person who serves the most wins.

The person who is grateful for everything wins.

The actions you take automatically become the life you experience. It's essential to be mindful of where you are heading. 

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