I walked out on the porch with my first cup of coffee this morning to find a perfectly symmetrical spider's web where there hadn't been one the previous day.

The spider pulled an all-nighter, and had quite the result to show for it.

Made me think of how much preparation goes into life's biggest victories....BEHIND THE SCENES.

I have had so many ideas and inspirations over the years that fizzled out not because I didn't believe in it, but because someone else didn't.

I got so excited I ran and told them about all the cool stuff I was going to do, and how excited I was to get started. And then they replied with a fraction of the enthusiasm I had.

Dream canceled.

Since THEY don't think its a great idea. Since THEY don't seem to be as excited as I am.

It doesn't matter how creative, how resilient, how independent, or how smart you think you are.

Sharing ideas before taking action towards executing them is how your dreams will die...

But putting our head down and and spinning a web in the quiet of night like a spider is a sure-fire way to realize them. 

Have you ever taken a light bulb out of the socket, given it the death shake to make sure its toast, and then tried to put it back in the socket and hope it will light up the room? Of course not!

So why do we continue to do the same things over and over in our lives that haven't yielded the results we desire?

A relationship that has been unhealthy for far too long, we get away from it, and several months later, we try to screw the burnt out light bulb back in...yet STILL no light.

Our team isn't performing at work, but we continue to use the same daily routines, expectations, and activity and hope that the results will change improve....yet darkness.

We want to shed that 20 pounds, so we go back to the diet that helped us lose 5 last time....we don't reach our ultimate goal and give up. 

There are two things true about lightbulbs: they are a universal symbol for a bright idea, and they aren't reusable once burnt out.

If you need to be sold on the importance of generating new ideas, think back to anything you do regularly, and try to find just one that you still do the same exact way you did the very first try: make a cup of coffee, shave, get through an airport, mow your yard, change a diaper. Literally everything you do has seen continual improvements. 

Can you imagine how silly our lives would be if we only had one shot at figuring something out?

This week, pick one routine that you know could be better, and screw in a new light bulb... and let's go LED!!

When we need to wake up from a deep sleep, we always set our alarm. If you are like me, the more important the meeting or event, the more safety alarms I have set. When traveling, I even throw in a wake-up call for good measure 5 minutes after my initial alarm.

Seems like quite a circus just to get out of bed, especially for someone who is a light sleeper and early riser. The thing that haunts me is the one time I had an alarm mishap and missed a flight from Ohio to Florida. That's all it took for me to lock in these extreme wake-up routines for the rest of my life.

As I reflected, I couldn't help but notice how few times I have set a "Life Alarm"...

Something to wake me up at the time I fall asleep or get into a rut and can't self-diagnose as quickly as an accountability partner may be able to. 

Life isn't predictable the way sleep is. We don't know when we might wake up with a bad attitude. Or when we are overworked, or eating unhealthy and its been 2 days since we exercised, when our patience is wavering with our kids. You name it. 

We need an alarm for when we are sleep-walking. Not being the person conducive to the goals we have in place. An accountability partner. 

Find someone in your life that not only knows what your goals and dreams are, but also discuss your triggers, weaknesses, and pitfalls you need help avoiding, and make that person(s) your Life Alarm. 

Chantel Soumis is an American personal/professional branding expert who has used her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis as her framework for a complete rewiring of her brain and brand. With an unmatched energy, she has worked with Fortune 500 clients, generating over 1 million in revenue opportunity in her company's first three months, and inspires over 75,000 LinkedIn followers with her ridiculously creative and bubbly perspectives on life, business, and building unbreakable personal brands.

She has become a powerful advocate in raising awareness and opportunity for the differently-abled community, and has been recognized globally for her contributions.

We talked about the life lessons she learned rolling with a motorcycle club, how she helps clients visualize the core of their personal brand, and how she found out her brain was magic on the road to recovery from MS.

"Powered by Positivity, Chocolate, and Pixie Dust"

http://www.chantelsoumis.com/

Since my recent interview with the leader of a multi-million dollar pizza chain, I have had the pie on my mind.

I was thinking about the team I work with and how we have really come to appreciate our culture and chemistry since the pandemic hit because we had our normal routine of meeting in cool destinations once a quarter. We had to pivot and do things that we don't necessarily enjoy to make sure we held the line.

It brought us closer together even though we have remained many miles apart.

It was being thrown into the oven that helped us appreciate each others' strengths even more. To have each others' backs even more than we did before. A cohesive unit, melted together like cheese on the top of your favorite pizza!

Your team, any team (sports, business, church, family, little league) is actually very much like a PIZZA...

Teams must be put through the oven if they expect to have what it takes to be the best. Without that high temperature, discomfort, adversity, you are left with only "ingredients" that stand alone, bound by limitations and unable to achieve the end objective of feeding a family, or a client, or a consumer, or a company. 

Don't protect your teams from the hard times. Help them through it, make yourself one of the ingredients willing to go through the fire for greatness. 

If there is one thing that is certain, it is the fact we will face adveristy, challenges, and obstacles until we are no longer.

Why is it then, that we let small adversities turn our day, week, month, and even or lives upside down?

I went to the grocery store last week early in the morning to beat the crowds, and when I got there, they were in the midst of reorganizing the isles, shelves, placement, etc. Full remix on the rhythm I have already gotten into. I knew where everything was.

Now my organized roadmap that was designed for the the flow of the "old" store, became a scrambled checklist.

After a few minutes of making my own experience worse with a negative attitude, I slowed my pace and accepted the fact that I was early enough to still get done in plenty of time.

I also had an opportunity to learn where everything WILL be (not WAS), since I will have to face the store again soon.

When I managed over 200 employees, our entire operation ran on three words.
There was even a logo floor mat I created to make it a message we couldn't escape.

BE A DUCK.

In essence: churn as much as you want under the surface, but don't let doubt, negativity, and panic to be worn on your sleeve and spread to your peers. 

Next time adversity hits out of nowhere... flat tire, canceled meeting, customer in jeopardy, lost sale, remember you have a choice how you can respond.  

The power went out at the homestead yesterday. Leaves me genuinely frustrated and helpless each time it happens. 

I was thinking of all the times I have only been able to rely on a flashlight to get by in a pitch black house. Nonsense. 

There is no sound that hits you in the gut like the sound of your neighbor's generator firing up. But, good for them. They put the time in to plan ahead and invest in something that can't be guaranteed to get a TON of use, but man when you need it, it comes up BIG. 

Our personal development is no different. We have to invest in things we can't yet see or use quite yet...until the time is right. 

When adversity or challenge hits in our career or personal life. 

When we are in a rut and feel like we can't get out of it, and the only resources we have just don't have the horsepower to get us out. Only spin our wheels. 

I want to be a generator....and be ready for whatever storm hits the doorstep, simply because I invested in myself ahead of time. Long way to go but no better time than now to start. 

GPS is a life saver. It gets us from A to B quicker, safer, and more effectively. It makes us better navigators....right?

I went all-in on GPS back in 2008 and never looked back. 12 years later, I see too many similarities between my reliance on GPS and many other examples of unhealthy, dependent relationships (drugs, alcohol, abusive spouse, gambling, eating habits, etc).

I wonder how relying on a GPS is any different that depending on someone(thing) else for a capability that we already posses? In the long term I have no clue how to get where I need to go because I have relied on a device to tell me where to turn for over a decade.

We start to BELIEVE we can't find our way around without it.

Sadly, the parallel is so very clear between a GPS navigation device, and the way we turn to the approval, standards, goals, and expectations of others instead of asking ourselves.

Be mindful of solutions that show up claiming to make us smarter, quicker, and more connected. All of that starts with you, not technology.

Calculate your own route :)

One thing that is evident in the world right now is that everyone sees the world a little differently. Different opinions, different needs, different perspectives. And that's ok, it's expected.

would the world be different if there was more acknowledgement of the fact that one thing in life is absolutely certain, CHANGE.

Today we can reflect on who/how we are right now, and how we would describe our growth and development style....how we choose to move forward every single day.

Are you more like an Ocean, or a River?

Do you slowly and methodically inch toward your goals, and then retreat, and reflect on your accomplishments? 

Or do you barrel through narrow valleys never stopping to think too much about your failures or successes?

Regardless, both find a way to move forward every day. 

I think it is possible to be both, just not at the same time. If one style isn't working for you, get focused on becoming the other. 

You aren't bound by your waters, but rather your vessel :) 

Life By Analogy is a daily, top-of-the-morning perspective designed for clarity and awareness as we move through the day. Each analogy will help us better understand and apply the habits that lead to a healthier all-around version of ourselves.

A fresh, daily shot of awareness to get your day of on a thoughtful foot.

Today's Analogy: What's Your Diet?

We focus so much on what we eat, what we weigh, how many calories something is. 

But would your diet be considered "healthy" if it was based on the content you consume daily???? (reading, people you converse with, news, social media, quotes, devotions, podcasts, etc) 

Food for thought? Literally.