Marty's Minute

This morning, like many mornings, I was rushing through a crowded airport trying to catch my connecting flight. As I got off my first flight I frantically searched for the departure board so I could see the status of my next flight. I needed to know what time the plane was leaving, if it was on time, and most importantly, what gate it was leaving from. Can you image getting around an airport without departure and arrival boards?

Every day I am impressed and amazed at the number of really cool signs and statements I see displayed on the side of commercial vehicles.

This week I saw a sign that proclaimed, "Give them something to remember.” And it made me think, what I am doing to give something to remember me by? Do my actions speak louder than my words? Did I do something that would inspire a person to be better? Did I do something that would have lasting value?

I grew up in Rochester, NY as the son of lifelong employee of Eastman Kodak Company. As you can imagine, photography has been a staple in my life since I was born.

Photography captures moments that will last a lifetime. Cameras can be tricky when you are trying to get everything just right – the settings, lighting, focus, etc. Once you do get it right, something special occurs.

The other day I was in a friend’s house and saw the best sign on the wall. It said:

“Life is like a camera:

Focus - on what is important

Capture - the good times

Develop - from the negatives

And if things don’t work out

- take another shot.”

Do you want to do something fun? Try giving a gift to a random person.

Yes, you read that right. Give a gift to a person who doesn’t expect it with no expectations of receiving anything in return. You will be amazed how good it feels and the effect it will have on you.

My guess is that the person on the other end of the gift will feel obligated to do something in return. It's called reciprocity, the need to return a favor.

Have you ever noticed that when you are getting ready to buy something, you suddenly notice that thing everywhere? It’s as if everyone has that thing now. This happens to me all the time. I recently bought my first pickup truck. When I started looking at them, all of a sudden, I saw them everywhere.

Recently I was on a flight home from a business trip, and the ladies next to me were chatting. I heard one say to the other, “Life is too short. We should have done that.”

It got me thinking. Life is too short.

Chris Oakley is a business coach who travels the world working with companies on leadership and productivity. He focuses on helping companies scale their organizations and develop their leadership teams. Chris has amassed insight from his broad range of experiences spanning from tour management for celebrities to building businesses from scratch. Most recently, he was an executive coach for Dave Ramsey’s EntreLeadership business coaching program.

It’s a counterintuitive thought. With limited time and resources, how can we do less but do it better? Chris has found that the companies that succeed have one thing in common, they have an undeniable ability to execute on a plan in the midst of the whirlwind of distractions. In this conversation with Marty, Chris highlights what it means to “do less, better” and how important it is to practice this strategy.

Can two words give you the power to change your life? As simple as it sounds, I believe they can.

I believe the most important person you need to talk to every day is yourself. I don’t mean this in an odd way, but what you say to yourself can have a dramatic effect on how you see the world. What discussions are you having with yourself? Is your inner dialogue positive and building you up? Or is it negative, pointing out flaws and missteps?

We live in a high-speed world where change happens at a break-neck pace we’ve never seen before. I know when you hear the word change, you probably cringe. But I truly think that if you embrace change it can be used to your advantage.

Change can help you look at your processes and procedures in a different way. Change can help you fix what you know is broken. Change can bring a new perspective to a project that’s gotten stuck in a rut.

Next time you are faced with change remember that it’s not your enemy, it's your next opportunity.