Enjoy Life Podcast w/ Nick Maizy: Live Your Best Life

I have the most terrible or amazing news for you. You will decide if it is positive or negative. You will find more of what you focus on.

I was trying help this guy a while back. He was kind, smart, sincere, and had skills. What was the problem? Why could he not move forward toward his goal? Everytime he got stuck he would ask me for a suggestion. For each suggestion I gave he would give me at least one thing that “could” happen that would not lead to the perfect outcome. He was able to find a problem for any solution.

“Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” Albert Einstein - CLICK TO TWEET

The guy was focused on what could go wrong. The worst part of where he placed his focus was that he kept finding what he was looking for.

If you choose to focus on the problems and what could go wrong, you won’t find the solutions. You probably won’t take action toward your goals either.

Not all solutions and 100% problem free. Things aren’t perfect.

You can choose to look for solutions. They are there. Even in the most challenging situations. By looking for what could go right, you will find more solutions. They may not be perfect. But, you will find some. The more solutions you find can lead to finding better ones too. You’ll develop the skill of seeing solutions and not problems.

When working toward your big goal, there will be challenges and everything may not work out just perfect on the first attempt. That’s okay. The first solution you find may need to adjustments and adaptations along the way. That’s okay too.

Look for solutions and not problems. Focus on what could go right.

Are you in control of your actions?

If that question sounded kind of ridiculous, then please bear with me. Have you ever made an excuse for any of your actions or behaviours? Most people have at some time. I definitely have made excuses before and tried to blame what I did on something or someone else. But, let’s be real. My actions are and were my choice. I have may have been in a challenging situation that made it difficult for me to do what I should have done. Regardless of what was happening, I choose to do what I did. Whatever my actions were that I did, I choose them and I am responsible.

No matter what, we choose what we do. Your success or lack thereof rides on your actions. Own your actions.

There will be mistakes along the way. Hate to tell you, but you’re probably not perfect. Don’t let the mistake and mess-ups scare you. Also, don’t deny them or run from them. Instead I want you to own them. Claim your actions and mistakes.

When you deny responsibility for your actions you end up saying two things. Both can stand in the way of you achieving your goals.

1. What you do doesn’t matter.
2. You’re not in control of what you do.
3. People shouldn’t trust you to do what you say you’ll do.
4. You’ll believe that your success isn’t up to you.

1. What you do matters.
2. You’re in control of what you do.
3. People should trust you to do what you say you’ll do..
4. You’ll believe that your success is up to you.

You see how not owning your actions can stand in the way of your success.

Make your choices. 
Do what you think is best. 
Own your actions. 
And improve as you go.

Are you in control of your actions?

If that question sounded kind of ridiculous, then please bear with me. Have you ever made an excuse for any of your actions or behaviours? Most people have at some time. I definitely have made excuses before and tried to blame what I did on something or someone else. But, let’s be real. My actions are and were my choice. I have may have been in a challenging situation that made it difficult for me to do what I should have done. Regardless of what was happening, I choose to do what I did. Whatever my actions were that I did, I choose them and I am responsible.

No matter what, we choose what we do. Your success or lack thereof rides on your actions. Own your actions.

There will be mistakes along the way. Hate to tell you, but you’re probably not perfect. Don’t let the mistake and mess-ups scare you. Also, don’t deny them or run from them. Instead I want you to own them. Claim your actions and mistakes.

When you deny responsibility for your actions you end up saying two things. Both can stand in the way of you achieving your goals.

1. What you do doesn’t matter.
2. You’re not in control of what you do.
3. People shouldn’t trust you to do what you say you’ll do.
4. You’ll believe that your success isn’t up to you.

1. What you do matters.
2. You’re in control of what you do.
3. People should trust you to do what you say you’ll do..
4. You’ll believe that your success is up to you.

You see how not owning your actions can stand in the way of your success.

Make your choices. 
Do what you think is best. 
Own your actions. 
And improve as you go.

Preparing this post I flashed back to the half marathon I ran a few weeks back. I was getting close the finish line. I was exhausted. I had never run that far before. I was ready to be done. Then, I saw that finish line. What did I do? Did I slow down, quit, give up, say that I’ll finish later? No. None of those. I pushed as hard as I could. In fact, I think I ran that fastest during those last few tenths of a mile.

Why? Because I was going to Finish Strong.

The year is almost over let’s just quit, right?

NO!

Finish Strong! It’s the only way to your success.

Getting close the end of one segment can be a great time to make a strong push toward your goal. Use the end of the year as a time to strive for your goals and not to give up.

Your goals are important to you, right? Then let your actions show it. You can either start next year further ahead or not. What you do next will determine if you’re closer to your goal when January comes or if you’re just wishing you were closer.

In the word of a former supervisor “It’s Time To Hammer Down!”

What final push can you make?
What is one step you can knock out before the year is done?

DO IT!
Finish Strong!

Preparing this post I flashed back to the half marathon I ran a few weeks back. I was getting close the finish line. I was exhausted. I had never run that far before. I was ready to be done. Then, I saw that finish line. What did I do? Did I slow down, quit, give up, say that I’ll finish later? No. None of those. I pushed as hard as I could. In fact, I think I ran that fastest during those last few tenths of a mile.

Why? Because I was going to Finish Strong.

The year is almost over let’s just quit, right?

NO!

Finish Strong! It’s the only way to your success.

Getting close the end of one segment can be a great time to make a strong push toward your goal. Use the end of the year as a time to strive for your goals and not to give up.

Your goals are important to you, right? Then let your actions show it. You can either start next year further ahead or not. What you do next will determine if you’re closer to your goal when January comes or if you’re just wishing you were closer.

In the word of a former supervisor “It’s Time To Hammer Down!”

What final push can you make?
What is one step you can knock out before the year is done?

DO IT!
Finish Strong!

One of my resources that I’m using to hit one of my goals is my uncle. Sometimes we I say resources and people only think of money or material stuff. Yes, those are resources and use them when you can. But, there aren’t the only resources that can help you. My uncle has been a great resource of mine. He is helping me move toward one of my current goals and has been a huge help in previous ones as well. A few good questions, recommendations, and ideas gave me the clarity that I needed.

Using your available resources can help your success be easier, faster, or even just possible.

What Resources Are You Leaving Out?

What advantages do you have that you’re not using?
Make sure you are doing all that you can do to succeed.

Don’t make your goals more difficult than they need to be. You’ll still have to do the work. You still need to take the steps. But, your resources can make it easier.

Who do you know that can help? Give you advice or suggestions?
Who has done something similar? Do you know them personally? Can you get introduced? Can you read their book?
What do you have that will make your goal easier, simpler, faster, more enjoyable?
What can you pay for that will help you?

Use all your resources to accomplish what is important to you.
Leave no resources and no excuses.

One of my resources that I’m using to hit one of my goals is my uncle. Sometimes we I say resources and people only think of money or material stuff. Yes, those are resources and use them when you can. But, there aren’t the only resources that can help you. My uncle has been a great resource of mine. He is helping me move toward one of my current goals and has been a huge help in previous ones as well. A few good questions, recommendations, and ideas gave me the clarity that I needed.

Using your available resources can help your success be easier, faster, or even just possible.

What Resources Are You Leaving Out?

What advantages do you have that you’re not using?
Make sure you are doing all that you can do to succeed.

Don’t make your goals more difficult than they need to be. You’ll still have to do the work. You still need to take the steps. But, your resources can make it easier.

Who do you know that can help? Give you advice or suggestions?
Who has done something similar? Do you know them personally? Can you get introduced? Can you read their book?
What do you have that will make your goal easier, simpler, faster, more enjoyable?
What can you pay for that will help you?

Use all your resources to accomplish what is important to you.
Leave no resources and no excuses.

If you have a big goal, then one single step won’t get you there. Big goals can take many steps. The problem isn’t in the number of steps. The problem is when you get distracted by all the other steps and lose sight of the next step.

All you need to do is the next step. That isn’t to say that you never should think about what may come next. But, if you spend too much energy thinking and focusing on what you may need to do far down the road, then you won’t be making any progress to even get there.

What is the next thing you need to do to move closer to accomplishing what you want?

Do That One Thing!

What about planning? Planning can be good, right?
Of course, having a plan is a good thing. But, it can be easy to get stuck in planning. Or even just continuing to think about and try to perfect the plan when you really can be taking steps and making progress.

If you don’t know even detail of every step, thats okay.
If you are distracted or overwhelmed when you think about all the steps, that’s okay.
All you need to do is do what is next. And repeat.

You Can Make It!

If you have a big goal, then one single step won’t get you there. Big goals can take many steps. The problem isn’t in the number of steps. The problem is when you get distracted by all the other steps and lose sight of the next step.

All you need to do is the next step. That isn’t to say that you never should think about what may come next. But, if you spend too much energy thinking and focusing on what you may need to do far down the road, then you won’t be making any progress to even get there.

What is the next thing you need to do to move closer to accomplishing what you want?

Do That One Thing!

What about planning? Planning can be good, right?
Of course, having a plan is a good thing. But, it can be easy to get stuck in planning. Or even just continuing to think about and try to perfect the plan when you really can be taking steps and making progress.

If you don’t know even detail of every step, thats okay.
If you are distracted or overwhelmed when you think about all the steps, that’s okay.
All you need to do is do what is next. And repeat.

You Can Make It!

Get Back Up!

Of course, you want to get back up. Never stay knocked down. There will always be challenges and setbacks.

Unexpected things happen all the time and they may throw you off track of your goals. When they do Get Back Up. But, before you just right back into doing what you were doing, think if there is a better way.

Success requires persistence. If you just give up, you won’t get anywhere. At the same time, dumb persistence probably won’t get you very far either. If I keep running at my goal and keep running into the same brick wall, then it may be time to try to find a door or a different way.

Commit to your goal and not giving until you achieved it.

Commit to learning and improving as you pursue your goal. You don’t have to change your ultimate goal to change the path to get there.

Commit to making the changes needed to achieve you goal.

What challenges have you faced while pursuing your goal? Setbacks? 

What can you learn from them?

How can you adjust or change to keep moving forward?