Daily Boost — Motivation and Personal Growth

Remove Your Fear of Change

I woke up this morning with the realization that a life-changing event was looming in my future. I needed to wrap my head around the mindset adjustments I would need to make before changing my mind and running the other way.

All of us have made decisions that, if we did, would change our world overnight. 

Are you heading off to school for the first time? Are you getting married after being single forever? Could it be accepting a new job in a strange town? 

It doesn't matter how excited you are. It doesn't matter how well you have justified your upcoming change. It doesn't matter how adventurous your spirit is. Life-changing decisions can feel like you’re launching on a mission to mars without your space suit. 

But there's one thing I know for sure -

Life is all about getting from where you are today to where you will be tomorrow. It's the transformation from what you have to what you could have that excites growth in our lives. 

So, what is that uncomfortable feeling that you have in your gut?

Every one of us views ourselves as who we are on the inside—our identity. Since life is real and the future is not realized, feeling apprehensive is a natural response. 

What you need is a "Transitional Identity" to get you from today to tomorrow.

"I've always been a hometown person, and now I'm learning to become a citizen of the world."

"I've always been single, but I'm becoming the best relationship person I can be. My future spouse deserves that."

"I've never climbed this high on the corporate ladder; now I'm becoming the leader everybody deserves."

Transitional Identities are a simple way to ease the fear of the unknown—even if it's self-inflicted.

As your future becomes more accurate, your Transitional Identity will transition you into a new life, and you will become a new you.

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Calculating Your Success

You have big dreams, and you've set your goals. Filled with excitement and setting your fears aside, you are off and running toward your success, but it's more complicated than you thought it would be.

What's going on? 

That was the question on my client's mind when I stopped by for a visit. His new business was growing but slower than expected, and he was beginning to wonder if his dreams would come true. Stress was high, and time and money were running out.

Having seen these situations before, I decided to walk him through three questions that, while they would have been better answered before starting the business, there was still time.

My first question was, "How long will it take you to learn the skills required to succeed? Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, anything and everything needed to run a successful business. Everything takes time, and you need to be able to survive the learning time.

Next, I wanted to know how long he would churn and work at the goal. Was he committed for as long as it takes, or was there a set deadline? Building momentum in anything can be exhausting. How long can you keep going?

I saved the most important question for last.

How long will it take until you burn through your resources? Cash, credit lines, free rent on your building, favors from friends and family? Knowing the answer to that question can be humbling and scary, but it can also set you free.

After several hours of our learn, churn, and burn conversation, he could pinpoint exactly how long they had to reach their goal. With a definite timeline, the entire team focused their energy on the minimal viable actions that would achieve success and fit their schedule. Within months, they reached their goal and have enjoyed a successful business.

Whether you own a business or not, any worthwhile project has a far better chance of success when you are realistic about the process before you get started.

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Identify Opportunities From Obstacles

When you boil it down, all the activities that keep you busy every day lead to one destination—happiness. 

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that none of us are chasing misery. 

But what happens when you have too many options and keep choosing those that throw you off course?

My dog, Levi, and I have had a standing appointment with Mindy for years. She's a dog agility world champion and knows a thing or two about training champions. She's also very good at teaching us to negotiate a field of obstacles successfully while running as fast as we can. 

When we begin to run a course, we aim to complete it as fast as possible with no mistakes. Follow the numbers from lowest to highest correctly, and everything will end well. 

But life gets in the way, even in dog agility.

Mindy is an expert at setting traps designed to distract and pull us off course. Since a dog can't read numbers, I must discriminate between the correct and the false path. The wrong choice will cause us to go off course and not reach our goal.

If you live an active, growth-oriented life, you will encounter distractions. Many are placed in front of you by well-meaning people. They look like opportunities. In reality, they are obstacles that will cause you to veer off course—potentially for years.

You will go off course if you take a job that is not aligned with your goals.

If you negotiate a deal on a new home that leaves you underwater, you are off course from the start.

If you enter into a relationship that doesn't match your values, you will have no numbers to follow. 

Setting well-defined goals is the first step in knowing the difference between opportunities and obstacles. It is a skill that will serve you well.

Everybody heads down the wrong path from time to time. It takes time to recover. The fewer times you do that, the faster you reach your goals.

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Life Changes When You Are Most Tired

Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." 

But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time? 

If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints. 

If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time.

If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time.

If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day. 

The challenge happens when you have yet to define the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that happens to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around. 

There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success.

Certain stamina is required to reach any goal, and society today celebrates one's ability to put in the hard work no matter what. 

There's only one problem. 

If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly.

Here's the truth: you will change when you wear yourself out. 

Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will put up with a less-than-satisfying life path for so long.

When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out. 

You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. 

So, what's the fix?

The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better.

The first is to define your destination with clarity. 

Next, match your daily activity with your goals.

Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you're going to change directions anyway. 

You will change when you wear yourself out.

Just skip the bad stuff, adjust, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait.

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Recovering When You Feel Lost

When life gets in the way, it can be challenging to know what to do next. No matter how motivated you are to achieve your goal. 

Thinking like a Pilot can save the day when that happens.

A few years ago, I was a 150-hour pilot. I was flying a Cessna 172 to pick up my daughter for a weekend visit from the University of Florida—a trip I've made a dozen times. It had been an uneventful flight, then, about 15 minutes from landing, it happened…

Maybe it was the heat of the day or the drone of the engine. In any case, I had the sensation that I had no idea where I was. I could see the airport in front of me, so I was aware of the situation. But I had no idea how to get to where I wanted to go. It was a terrifying feeling. 

Knowing I had to call the Tower in minutes, I turned to my training and followed three rules that any pilot knows will get them back on track.

The first is to continue to fly the airplane and stay safe. That may sound simple, but how many times have you wanted to cover your eyes and hide when things got challenging? 

The second is to break through your confusion and figure out where you are on your journey. If you can keep yourself stable, you'll have time to snap out of any momentary rough spot and get focused.

The third rule is to communicate with people who can help. With only a few minutes before entering the airspace illegally, I called Tower and said, 

"I'm a low-hour pilot, a little South of the field, and I am confused. There's no emergency, but I could use some guidance."

That simple commutation gave Air Traffic Control everything they needed. In minutes, they lined me up on the runway, and I impressed them with a perfect landing.

"Not a bad landing for a lost pilot," they said.

All I could do was laugh and be grateful.

Sure, my ego took a hit. But I learned a lesson, picked up my daughter, and had a great flight home.

Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. It'll get you there every time.

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A Different Way of Planning

I was on the phone with a client this morning when he said, ”I don’t know why I have such a hard time planning my day-to-day stuff. I want my day to be easier!”

I get it. Everybody does. And to make that happen, you need a mindset shift.

First to consider is that non-stop and continuous planning of every task every day is exhausting. It only adds another level of stress to your day.

Instead, planning should be done occasionally with a broader focus on the short, medium, and long term. The goal is NOT to spend your life planning. It is creating containers where you plan to do your work or play.

Once you have your containers, you load them with goals and tasks and get them done. When things require adjustments, make another plan.

Make your plan and work your plan. Don’t keep changing things. That’s how you get what you want.

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Setting Your Rules of Success

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

Not only do they follow a set of rules, they 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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Who is Your Future Self?

I’ll never forget the day a mentor of mine said to me —

“You have to become the person you want to be before becoming the person you want to be.”

What? 

So, do I have to fake it until I make it?

Heck no! I’m not going to change who I am - no way!

“No. You’re not changing who you are. It’s just that you have to understand that in the future, you will have a different set of beliefs than you hold right now. That’s called growth. Whatever you believe, you will become.”

At first, I thought he meant I would have to sell my soul to the devil and take on beliefs, not mine, to get what I wanted. But one day, I realized that day-to-day living is changing me anyway. I may as well make a choice myself.

My thinking went like this —

If I hold a self-image because of what I believe, all I have to do is create a future self-image, decide what that person would believe, and design a set of rules and actions that make those beliefs happen.

What’s the best part?

There’s no waiting. The very minute you decide what you believe, everything begins to change.

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How to be Effortlessly Creative

Over the years, I have produced over 12,000 podcasts; everyone begins with the written word. Even though that makes my mouth and fingers my most exercised body parts, it has also given me many opportunities to learn to keep my words flowing.

If you're like most people, you have found yourself sitting in front of a blank screen, praying for inspiration. It could be writer's block, procrastination, or maybe you watched Netflix late. In any case, a simple solution can alleviate this feeling of being stuck, always providing a starting point.

Any project I need to wrap my head around begins by capturing the ideas that flow into my mind throughout the day. Even turning the radio off on a 20-minute drive can provide a treasure-trove of useable nuggets. 

Next, I tuck those ideas away in a safe place without organizing, editing, or rewriting. I grab the thoughts, jot a note or record a memo, put them away, and let them simmer.

When I'm ready to get to work, I take 15 minutes the day before to review my creative genius list, toss out what is not relevant, create a simple outline, and walk away with a sense of readiness, knowing I am fully prepared to begin.

The next day, I can't wait to sit in front of a blank screen and let the magic start flowing effortlessly from my fingertips.

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Mindset For Happiness

I spend most of my days finding ways to keep tens of thousands of people worldwide motivated and moving - and that always comes down to a strategy for mindset.

Here are a few things you can do - today!

1) Remind Yourself of Your Gratefulness

Who or what are you most grateful to have in your life?

Sometime today, pause, close your eyes, and fill your mind with the people and things that make your life good.

Remember, reminding yourself of why you are grateful makes you unstoppable.

2) Your Actions Reveal Your Purpose

What will make you feel like you are living your true self?

The items that move you closer to who you are are hidden in your to-do list. What are they?

Focusing on fulfilling actions means that you are living your purpose.

3) Strategize THEIR Feelings in Advance

You can make someone feel great today. Who will that be?

Take a moment and review the people you will interact with today. How do you want to make them feel?

When you make others feel good, you feel good too.

4) What CAN You Do?

Choose a challenge that has stuck and ask, what can I do?

List three challenges that have you stuck and ask what can I do? Then, do it.

Nothing can stop you when you ask what can I do?

5) Hold Space For Your Dreams

Since today may get busy, what space are you holding for yourself?

The space between your appointments today belongs to you. How will you use it to make your dreams come true?

When you hold space for your dreams, your dreams always come true.

If you feel like a challenge, turn these into rules and affirmations to live your life.

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