Daily Boost — Motivation and Personal Growth

The Best To-Do List EVER!

I'm sure you have a lot to do today. You’re probably in for a busy day if you use a traditional To-Do list. If I may, I’d like to pass on some advice to make your days much more fun.

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

Of course, a traditional To-Do list will get the job done. But it’s far too easy to focus entirely on your list of things to do instead of what you're supposed to be doing.

Don’t get me wrong, when you are inside any project, you may need a list. I can’t imagine myself in the kitchen without a recipe to follow. To-do lists have their place. For everything else, there’s something better.

You should be using a “Did I Do It List.” 

As simple as it sounds, instead of chasing and stressing about what you must do, you are simply ensuring you’ve done what is needed.

Yes, it’s a simple mindset change, but it will change everything about how you get things done — and you’ll have far less stress.

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Are You Listening to Yourself?

Growing up, I was an energetic, enthusiastic, and excitable child. I never let a day go by without challenging something - usually with my mouth. Thanks to those responsible for turning me into a good person, I learned a valuable lesson when they said-

“Listen twice as much as you speak. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason.”

You’ve heard that before, and in today’s fast-paced world, knowing when to put a zipper on your lips is critical. But I’ve also learned to take that advice to a new level to get what I want. I go “Dark.”

When you go “Dark,” you have chosen to listen to others less. You are still listening, caring, and interacting with those around you. You’ve decided to listen to yourself twice as much instead.

The world we live in today makes it seem as though it’s impossible to get what you want without others. There are endless hours of interacting, Googling, ZOOMing, Texting, and more. It’s like we’ve lost permission to think and do for ourselves. We can’t move forward without the social approval of those around us when the exact opposite is true.

Something extraordinary happens when you give yourself space to listen to yourself. Your creative mind and talents flourish—your positive energy rebounds. You feel more present and find more meaning in your life. Going “Dark” makes your life brighter, and good stuff happens.

When you take the time to slip away into your own space, you develop into the person you were meant to be. 

Removing yourself from the buzz of the world gives you a new kind of energy. And you do it without anybody’s permission or without anybody knowing. 

When you emerge, everybody will notice that you are different. They will listen when you speak, seek your advice, and be attracted to you in a new way. 

Who knew that listening twice as much as you speak works even better when you listen to yourself twice as much as you listen to others?

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Churchill's Steps For Change

As we enter the New Year, I've noticed that people are returning to their old ways.

That's okay. It's a journey.

But what is that journey?

Winston Churchill said, "To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often." 

And it helps if you understand the stages of change:

1) Pre-Contemplation. You may intend to act but must be made aware that your behavior is the problem. 

2) Contemplation. You recognize the problem and start to debate the pros and cons of your actions.

3) Preparation. You intend to take action soon. You may even begin small steps.

4) Action. Making the specific changes required to create your new life begins.

5) Maintenance. Sustain your efforts for at least six months. You will likely achieve a life-long transformation.

6) Termination. You have zero temptation and are sure you will not return to your old unhealthy habits.

Winston Churchill said something else -

"For myself, I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else."

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Living in Default Mode

There is a myth floating around that life is more fun when you are spontaneous. That can be true some of the time, but not all of the time.

If you want to be happier, more successful, and make life easier, it’s time to live in Default Mode. 

In other words, figure out what works and keep doing it.

Living in Default Mode makes life predictable for you and everybody around you. It limits decision-making and establishes continuity. It’s a behavior that reduces stress and improves happiness. And studies show that most people will default when a good option is readily available.

Of course, the default can be wrong, too. Bad habits should not be used in default mode. And some people claim that default mode means staying in your comfort zone and keeping you from stretching yourself. On that, I'm afraid I have to disagree.

My theory of Default Efficiency is simple: figuring out what works and doing it by default is easy, gets excellent results consistently, relieves you from decision fatigue, and allow you to stretch on your terms.

Living your life in Default Mode is the fastest way to reaching your goals - your way.

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Succeeding The Lazy Way

I have an admission to make. 

I can be a bit lazy. Yes, I also like to work harder than most people. Still, I'm lazy when doing things I don't want to be doing.

It's been said that when you do what you love, you will never work another day. Frankly, I've found it to be quite the opposite. What I do is difficult and takes a lot of time and effort. But I enjoy it.

Still, I'm lazy. I want everything to be easy, and I want it now. I'm not different than anybody else. I'm lazy. I'm driven. I'm lazy.

I made my point. And if you know me well, you may think I am not that lazy. 

Oh yes, I am.

While it may take a long time to master the skill required to make things easy for myself, I'm willing to go through the hard work if it allows me to be lazy - eventually.

And do you know what the most remarkable thing about being lazy is?

Your initial hard work allows you to be lazy and makes what you do look easy to others. It's too bad for those working hard at being lazy, sleeping and binging Netflix when you were working hard to make everything easy — and being lazy.

Here's today's life lesson.

You can be successful and lazy. Just remember that it comes in that order. Successful, then lazy.

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Say YES to Yourself More This Year

Do you ever wish you had a less complicated life?  

Even if your job and life are overcomplicated out of necessity, like launching a rocket or performing brain surgery, you can still simplify everything.

How do you do it?

Your actions in your life and your job are probably not causing the overwhelm. It's the people and the results that are causing you to feel that way.

The easier way to under-complicate is to begin saying "No" to the arbitrary and unattainable demands of others and focus exclusively on the results you want. 

Here are a couple of ideas:

1) Practice the law of "Good Enough." Perfectionism is overrated. It will waste years of productive time you could use to enjoy life. Set your standards and rise to them.

2) Get good at saying "No." Make that two-letter word your default answer for everything. And remember, sometimes, saying nothing at all gets the same result.

3) Remember that the only thing you must do in life is take a BREATH. Everything else is optional and self-inflicted. 

Leonardo da Vinci said," Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."  

Why not show everybody how sophisticated you are?

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4 Steps to Getting What You Want — and Keeping It.

Creating a difference in your life is a non-stop process that requires simple actions to help you get what you want. And it is, after all, about getting what you want and keeping what you love.

You’ll always go through these steps:

1) Decide. Everything begins with your decision to head off in a new direction. While sometimes you may feel like you’ve made a decision, if you’re not moving, you haven’t.

2) Define. Aimless wandering is fun when that’s what you’ve decided to do. Otherwise, it’s frustrating, exhausting, and takes place more than you think. When you define your path, you get to walk your path.

3) Deploy. As dull as the advice may be, putting your plan into action is the only way to get what you want. If you don’t deploy, you don’t get it.

4) Defend. After working hard to get what you want, you can guarantee that something or somebody will try to take away your results. That’s not good or bad. That’s life. When you find what you love, defend it so you never lose it.

Simple. I like simple. Simple works!

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Questions Before You Begin Anything

Everybody has dreams. Daydreams, dreams while you sleep, and dreams of what you wish for the future.

I’ve always believed that dreams are goals you have nurtured to become real. 

But how do you know if the voice speaking to your heart will lead you in the right direction?

Brant Pinvidic’s book, The 3-Minute Rule, has four questions that will help:

1) What is it? Do you understand precisely what you want? 

2) How does it work? How will you go about reaching your goal? What will likely be the outcome?

3) Can you do it? Is your plan reasonable? Do you have the time, skills, and money? 

4) Are you sure? Are you confident you can achieve your goal if you are willing to put in the effort?

Use these when something is holding you back. I promise. The clarity you are seeking is around the corner.

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Morning Routines Power

One thing that I'm always going to do is refine my morning routine — it's a never-ending process. 

You hear a lot about using morning rituals to get more done. But what if you could use your mornings to get more done for YOU?

In the fast-paced world we live in today, there seem to be two groups when it comes to how to use mornings—personal and productive. Once folks remove themselves from the craziness of jumping out of bed, taking care of the kids, and hitting the drive-through, they choose one of the two. 

But what if there was a third group that was more satisfying?

Before I go on, I must admit that I was not a morning person and didn't like getting up early. I even quit my first couple of jobs as a morning radio host so I could sleep. 

Later in my career, I would hit my desk at 5 AM and pound through my to-do list as fast as possible. I must have been saying, "I…MUST… GET… IT… DONE!" That didn't work well because I didn't see the purpose of getting out of bed early if it was only to work.

I spent my mornings reading and meditating for a few years before heading to the gym. I got in better shape, but my bank balance was less, and my future goals were seemingly unreachable.

Then, one day, out of pure frustration and sporting a brand-new I don't give a heck attitude, I asked myself a question that changed everything -

"What's the first thing I should do tomorrow morning that, if I do, will allow me to live a life of my design?"

I didn't ask about work or what was on my to-do list. It had nothing to do with getting more done or getting in better shape. I focused on the lifestyle I wanted to live - and it was life-changing.

In the years since I made that decision, I've started my days doing the most important thing I deem required to live the life of my choosing, and I've been happier for it.

I've also come across dozens of morning do-gooders who are getting everything done except what they dream of doing, and when they realize it's not their fault, everything changes. They get caught up in the buzz of life, and everyone does. But you start making real progress the minute you focus on YOU before anything else.

When you focus on what is important to you, you get what is important to you.

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Jerry Seinfeld’s Success Secret

It’s the time of the year when I always remember the lesson I learned from Jeff Seinfeld.

I’ll never forget the day a friend called and made me an offer I couldn’t refuse - and I didn’t.

Rob was an event promotor who had snagged the chance to book an up-and-coming comedian, Jerry Seinfeld, into a local venue. He needed somebody to warm up the audience and introduce Jerry. I was all in when he agreed to cover my drink tab and let me hang out with Jerry before the show.

It was 1986, and Jerry’s television series about nothing was still developing. I know that because it’s what we talked about before the show. As he munched on veggies and sipped sparkling water, I’ll never forget how focused he was on getting what he wanted. Tired and worn out from living on the road, I asked how he managed to keep going. He said —

“I know exactly what I want. I’m a comedian, so I have to be funny. The only way to be funny is to write funny jokes. The only way to write funny jokes is to write every day. So, I write daily and put a big red “X” on the calendar. Eventually, there will be a chain of Xs on the calendar. My goal is not to break the chain.” 

Then, in a very Seinfeld way, he screamed, “Don’t break the chain! That’s how you get what.”

Over the years, I’ve read that others have had the same conversation with Jerry. I’m guessing it was a rule of success that he practiced and shared often. I’m happy he shared it with me.

As we begin 2024, pick an action and do it every day until you get so good people notice. And, whatever you do, “Don’t break the chain!”

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