We continue today to discuss the difference between being a proactive or reactive person. Another excellent way to evaluate and become aware of whether you are proactive is to consider where you focus your time and energy. Do you focus on the concerns in life you can influence and control or do you spend more time focusing on things that you have no influence on at all? Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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The world today provides a wide variety of things for us to be concerned about - our heath, our children, climate change, political issues, etc. However, there are only certain things that we actually have the ability to control and have influence over. Assessing whether we focus more time on the things we can influence and control and not the things we can't is a good way to determine how proactive or reactive you are as a person. 

Proactive people focus their efforts in what Stephen Covey calls the Circle of Influence. These are the items we can control and where we can make an impact. Their energy is positive and as they continue to work on themselves and make changes their Circle of Influence grows. Reactive people focus their efforts and time on what is called the Circle of Concern. These are items they can't control. We have no impact on whether or not it is going to rain this weekend. Focusing our energy and time on the possibility it might is fruitless. The negative energy created only continue to increase the Circle of Concern and shrink the Circle of Influence.

As we go through our day let's remember that we have the ability to choose how we respond to things. We have the ability to determine where we are going to focus our time and energy. Focusing on the things we can change and the impact we can make, particularly in ourselves, makes a big difference in our overall well-being, success, and happiness.  

Today's Technical Tuesday episode isn't technical at all! We are continue to discuss the difference between being proactive and reactive. The difference starts in our language. How we speak to others, but more importantly how we speak internally to ourselves. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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How we speak to ourselves plays a big role in whether we are a proactive or reactive person. A reactive person speaks in ways that absolves them of responsibility. We speak in ways that blames someone else, or some condition for the way things are without taking any responsibility for our role in it. An example would be "That's me. That's just way the I am. I have always been this way." That creates the illusion that you are not capable of changing which is simply not true. It might not be easy, but we are all capable of changing even the hardest and most enduring habits we have.

Instead of speaking to yourself in a reactive way, try to be more proactive in your speech. A few examples:

Instead of There is nothing I can do say Let's look at alternatives.

Instead of That's just the way I am say I can choose a different approach.

Instead of I have to do that say I am choosing to do this.

You always have a choice. When someone says they have to do something what they are really saying is that they are choosing to do it because they don't want the consequence if they don't. Instead of framing it in your mind as something you must do, instead frame it as a choice you are making and the reason why you are making it. You still might not enjoy doing it, but at least you are taking control of your decision and your behavior.

Today we are kicking off our deep dive into the habit of being proactive. Being proactive is much more than having the initiative to do something without being told. It is taking responsibility for our own lives and our behaviors. The outside world provides plenty of stimulus. How we respond to it is our choice. Be proactive instead of reactive. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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Like he assumes many people, Dan thought being proactive was all about taking initiative. Not waiting to be given directions before acting. Not procrastinating. Doing the little bit of extra above what was required. It is so much more than that. It means that we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. A proactive person does not blame circumstances or conditions for their behavior. They accept their behavior is a product of their own conscious choice. 

People that allow outsides conditions or circumstances control their behavior are reactive. They react to their physical conditions or environment. For example, if it is sunny out they are in a good mood, if it is raining out they are in a bad mood. This is something in particular that Dan has experienced and talked about many times in the past. He would allow the weather conditions to impact his mood, motivation, etc. A proactive person does not do that. They carry their own "weather". If the sun is shining or not should have no impact on what your value and what your motivation is for the day. We have work to get done today. We have goals that we set and need to work towards. The weather should have no impact on our desire and motivation to accomplish those things.

It is also the same for the "social weather". The moods of the people around you or how they speak to you or treat you does not need to impact how you feel. That is much easier said than done, but you do have the choice. You do not need to build your emotional well being around the behavior of others. If someone wants to be in a bad mood, let them. If someone wants to be rude and insult you, it doesn't and shouldn't change how you feel about yourself. This is not an easy transition to make. It will not happen overnight, but over time if you continue to work on accepting your responsibility it can have huge impacts in your life.  

Have that one habit you wish you could break but just can't? Most of us do. In today's episode we talk about sticking to your new habit and reaching that all important tipping point where the hard work starts becoming enjoyable and the new routine is now easier than the old one. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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In a conversation earlier this week with a client, the topic of breaking bad habits came up. It is a topic that comes up often. Breaking old habits is HARD. It is not something that can typically be done overnight or even over the course of a few days. Habits have gravity just like the earth and in both cases the gravity is strong. It is not easy to break away from the earth's atmosphere, and it is not easy to break away from an old habit that is not serving you. 

Dan shares a personal story regarding his diet and exercise on this topic. For years he ate unhealthy foods, and did minimal if any exercise. It showed in his health and appearance. Something needed to change, and one of the things was exercise, and in particular running. The first few days, weeks, months, etc. were hard. Did not enjoy it. Did not want to do it. Did it anyway. 

There is a tipping point when you are starting a new habit, where it goes from being hard to being enjoyable or easier. Just like a rocket leaving earth. Once it breaks through the atmosphere the rest of the trip requires less fuel that the initial first few miles. You just need to break through. For Dan that happened with running. Now, it is something that he not only enjoys, but if he doesn't get to run it can effect his overall mood. Running became something that was habit in his life in the exact opposite way then what it was 10 years ago. 

Moral of the story - yes, it is is hard. Yes, you will probably want to give up. But don't. There will be tipping point, and it will get easier, and you will start to see the results. Just keep at it. 

Today's episode covers a very important topic that just keeps coming up again and again - honesty. Being considered an honest and trustworthy person is critical to achieving what you want out of life in both a personal and professional sense. Everyone considers themselves honest, but the truth of the matter is that we don't get to decide if we are. Everyone else does. Act accordingly. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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Ask any person whether they consider themselves honest, and every single time they are going to say yes. I have yet to meet a single person who says "Oh no, don't trust a word I say. I'm always lying". The thing is though, we don't get to decide whether we are honest, everyone else does. Those who we deal with get to decide. Our co-workers, clients, family, friends, neighbors, etc. Whether we say we are honest or not doesn't matter either. It is our behavior, how we carry ourselves, and how we treat others that determines whether others consider us honest and trustworthy or not.

Good news! There are some very basic and easy things you can do to help you lead a more honest and trustworthy life and demonstrate it to others around. None of them are hard. 

- Keep and make your commitments

- Offer excuse-free apologies (No "I'm sorry, BUT...")

- Demonstrate some humility. Be a little humble. Remember that what is right is more important that who is right.

- Stop gossiping. Speak about people as if they were standing next to you. 

- Take responsibility and manage expectations. Give honest updates on the status of job, etc. The confrontation in the beginning might be uncomfortable, but in the long run you are doing the right thing.

- Keep confidences. When someone shares information with you, they are sharing it with you. Don't spread that word around - see gossiping above!

- Remember that every idea you have does not need to be expressed immediately. It is ok to have a thought in your head that you don't blurt out. 

Life is all about balance. In today's Wannabe Wednesday episode we talk about the P/PC Balance. It is derived from the fable of the Goose and the Golden Egg and helps us understand how to be effective over the short and long-run. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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The fable of the Goose and the Golden Egg by Aesop is the guiding story that starts our episode. In the fable, a farmer finds a glittering, golden-colored egg sitting beneath his goose. The farmer thinks it is a prank, but gets the egg appraised anyway. To his amazement, the egg is solid gold. Each morning the goose lays another golden egg. The farmer becomes rich, but also becomes greedy and impatient. Out of frustration, he kills the goose to get all the golden eggs at once. As expected, there were no golden eggs inside, and now the farmer has no more goose and no way to get any more eggs. 

The P/PC balance is the ability to manage both your short term and long term effectiveness. P stands for production of desired results (golden eggs). PC stands for production capability, the ability or asset that creates the golden eggs. Without a balance on how you focus on either of these you will eventually have nothing. Focus too much on the desired result, and the asset or ability to create will wither and die. Focus too much on the asset and not the result itself then you will not be able to provide for yourself or the asset. 

This balance applies to all aspects of our life, whether it be work and home life balance, finances, investments, yard equipment, our employees and customers, etc. If you do not have the proper balance then creating and sustaining long-term, repeatable success is not possible. Think about this in all areas of your life, including your health, your sleep patterns, your interactions with others, investments.

Dan is back from vacation! After recapping what was a wonderful vacation, today's episode starts to dive into some of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. It is a book written by Stephen R Covey and the insights shared throughout are valuable in every aspect of life. Today we cover the difference between principles and values. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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Throughout many past episodes Dan has discussed the importance of values. What they are, how they should shape your goals, your working situation, choices you make, etc. What you may not know, and what Dan himself learned more clearly while reading on vacation, is that values and principals are not the same thing. Values are something you can determine. You make a choice what you value you in life: money, family, honesty, etc. Principals are like the laws of nature, they are what they are. You are an honest person or you are not. You have integrity or you do not. You are a fair person or you are not. You can value those things in other people, but the principals from which you live your life are constant.

Friday is here! Today's episode is full of gratitude and reminders. Dan is getting to take a well deserved vacation (he means it this time!) so there won't be any new episodes until after Labor Day. Listen to catch up on some the time management and skill development tools that we have discussed over the past several weeks. Have a great weekend! Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

It is Thursday, Dan's favorite day of the work week. Not everyone feels that way though. Some people don't like any of the work days because of their job. That is today's topic. There has been a mass movement of people quitting their jobs in the last several months. The reasons why vary considerably, but today we are going to be focusing on questions that you should ask yourself if you are unhappy in your current working conditions. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com

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Quitting your job is a big decision that should not be taken lightly. However, working in the same job year after year if it is making you miserable is not a good way to go through life. If the thought of quitting has crossed your mind then take following questions into consideration and go from there. First, is this a fleeting feeling or one that you keep having over and over again? Everyone wakes up some days and simply don't want to go to work. Dan loves his job, but there are certainly days he would rather be at the beach instead. That doesn't mean he should quit his job. However, if you find that over and over you wake up dreading going to work and is now the norm instead of the exception then maybe it is time to consider making a change. 

Next, ask yourself if you would like to aspire to have your boss's job. Is your boss's job something you could never see yourself wanting? Would you dread that job even more than the one you currently have? If that is the case then you are in a position where you could end up being stagnate. Without any desire to advance or move forward in the company you could see yourself becoming more unhappy as time goes on. In addition, do you feel like you are learning anything from your job? Developing any new skills? Again, a key to life is learning and progressing as a person. If you are in a stagnate position where you are simply trading your time for a paycheck it might be time to seek out something else.

Is the job negatively affecting your life? Is it causing you physical or mental health issues? Affecting relationships with people you love? Preventing you doing things in your life that truly bring your joy? Asking you to do something that is direct conflict with your values and goals? Those are really important questions to ask yourself. 

Lastly, if you decide it is time to make a change, then make a plan first. There are plenty of jobs available out there, and there is no reason to quit today when you can properly plan things out and make sure you are doing what is best for your future. Life is too short to spend it miserable everyday. Access how you feel and what you want and then make a plan and execute it.

Today's episode starts with a birthday shoutout to a very special person in the BCBO world - GINA!! Happy Birthday G! Then we jump into our Wannabe Wednesday topic which includes more goal setting strategies that you can implement to help you receive the success you are looking for. Check out the website for more content www.bcbousa.com.

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First of all, want to wish Gina a very happy birthday! Gina is so important to what we do here at Blue Collar Back Office, and is also simply an important person in Dan's life. You can find tons of reviews online about our company, and almost everyone of them is people raving about Gina and what an impact she has made on their business, etc. Gina also has one of the all-time best laughs that you will ever hear. If you ever meet Gina, make her laugh, you'll be glad you did.

For today's Wannabe Wednesday episode we wrap up going through the 14 step guide presented by Brian Tracy that covers goal setting techniques. In the past we have covered writing down your goals clearly, setting deadlines, identifying obstacles, identifying skills you can work on, identifying people whose support you will need, making lists, prioritizing your tasks, and making a plan to start working on those tasks. Today's first topic involves the self discipline of working on tasks single-mindedly. As discussed in many past episodes, single tasking instead of trying to complete multiple tasks at once has a big impact on your overall success. The ability to eliminate distractions and work with 100% focus on one task at a time will lead to more effective and efficient results. 

Next, we want to practice visualizing our goals. Dan knows this may sound cheesy for some people, but visualizing yourself already achieving and having what you want makes a difference. It can effect your confidence and how you present and carry yourself. Dan uses the example of how he visualizes a sales call with a potential client before it happens. He pictures it going well, being able to show the value we can offer, etc. If instead he visualized the call going poorly and focusing on all the negative things that might happen you can guess how the call would likely go. 

Lastly, work on a goal setting exercise of writing down 10 goals you would like to achieve in the next year. Write each goal in the present tense starting with the word I followed by an action verb. Instead of saying "I will earn enough money to purchase such and such dream car" say "I drive such and such dream car". Mentally work on putting yourself in the position of already achieving your goals. Then look over the list ask yourself "If I could wave a magic wand and achieve any goal on this list in the next 24 hours, which one goal would have the greatest positive impact on my life?". Circle the goal and then move it to the top of your list. Start working towards it. Today.