Daily Boost - Clarity for Life and Work

My friend Louis Gates introduced me to his 9-Year Life Cycle to understand how we progress through life.  Cycles begin at birth and advance every 9 years and go like this:Year 1: You decide what you want and start asking for it.  Year 2: As the pieces come together, you narrow your focus.Year 3: The resources you need begin to arrive.  Year 4: You find yourself moving toward your purpose in life.Year 5: re-evaluation begins. Toss out what you don’t need and keep what works.Year 6: Your focus intensifies, and you work with the resources you’ve decided will benefit you.Year 7: You take stock in things that no longer serve you.Year 8: Clearing the clutter begins. It’s almost time to start the next cycle.Year 9: You explore and decide what you want to do in the next cycle.Look back on your life and notice how your 9-Year Lifecycle is always in play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many years ago, a friend passed along a pearl of wisdom that has served me well.Larry was a mentor. I was an eager young man who wanted everything now. I'll never forget sitting in the chair in front of his desk discussing all the ways I would dominate the world during my life. I still remember the look in his eyes as he pondered what advice he was going to give. That's when Larry said - "Scott, sometimes you have to hang around long enough for folks to see that you are the real thing before they'll do business with you."I was 24 years old at the time; still, there is one thing I knew for sure. That old guy was out of his mind, completely wrong, and in my way. But, I had to follow my life-long rule...When people I respect drop a knowledge bomb on me, I listen and do what they say. Why?Because when I do, I get what I want faster, and they give me more shortcuts to success. When I don't listen, everything slows down, and the advice stops coming.Over the years, Larry's advice turned out to be correct, and almost every success I've had along the way arrived when I was patient enough to prove myself to those that were watching. As I have done so, one more thing has happened.That conversation has repeated dozens of times, with me behind the desk and others in front of me. I'm sure they noticed the look in my eyes too, and I only hope they recognized the wisdom that I was passing on to them.Success in anything in life comes down to how good you play your long game. Keep practicing. It's how you get what you want. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we enter the holiday season, have you taken a few minutes to consider what you would like to do in 2022? Getting started now will allow you to relax and enjoy the next few months. It begins by asking yourself, "What can I do?” But this time of year, we need to reach deeper by asking, "What can I do in a year?"Most people overestimate what they can do in a few weeks. They underestimate what they can do in a year. The difference is enormous.Focusing on the short-term picture can lead to lots of stress. Expanding your thinking to an entire year allows more breathing room. I would focus on two areas:1) What will you accomplish for the remainder of 2021?2) What will you accomplish in all of 2022?So, “What can you do in a year?Once you can visualize your big picture goals, it gets a lot easier to focus on the details of getting things done. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time? If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints. If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time.If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time.If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day. The challenge happens when you have not defined the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that is happening to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around. There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success.Certain stamina is required to reach any goal. And society today celebrates your ability to put in the hard work no matter what. There's only one problem. If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly.Here's the truth; you will change when you wear yourself out. Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will only put up with a less than satisfying path in life for only so long. Eventually, when you wear yourself out.When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out. You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. So, what's the fix?The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better.The first is to define your destination with clarity. Next, match your daily activity with your goals.Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you're going to change directions anyway. You will change when you wear yourself out.You may well skip the bad stuff, make an adjustment, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People have always sought change for themselves, their life, or the world. There is a constant truth if you want to change; you must change before anything else changes.Many intelligent folks agree -Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”Leo Tolstoy, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”What about Albert Einstein?  “The world, as we have created, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”Do you want to change something about today, tomorrow, or the future? You must change before anything else changes.Have you learned lessons from past experiences? You have already changed, and your future is better for it.Rumi said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”If tomorrow you want to be better than today and Yesterday, something has to change. That something is you.If you want to make more money, serve more. Do you want to be happier? If you want this life to be well-lived, something has to change today. That something is you.What if you want everything about your life to be perfect? Listen to Winston Churchill. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”It’s so simple.  You Must Change Before Anything Else Changes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What do I want to be when I grow up? The first time you ask yourself that question is when you are very young - if you ever asked it act all. Frankly, somebody else usually asks you, and you probably didn't have an answer and just took off running with this thing called life. And then it happens —Forty or fifty years later, people start asking themselves that question again after a family and career. The lucky ones don't confine it until they retire; instead, they begin to question who they are right now. It can be a scary time.If you are looking for a change in your life, here are a few things to understand—You can't move forward by hanging on to what you have. Remember, you get more of what you focus on in your life. If you're focusing on what you are giving up, you'll get more of that. Instead, you must direct your focus into the unknown future and look for clues about what you will do.I call the process "Exploring Your Possibilities.Imagine if anything is possible and there is no limitation or consequence. There is no commitment required, and money doesn't matter. Time has no impact. None of that matters because, once you stumble upon what you want, you will have arrived, and everything will be forever different.How do you make this happen?The secret is to put the breaks on what you are doing while you seek new adventures. It will take time to find a good fit, so you'll have to ensure that you don't slide back into your old ways. No matter how comfortable it may feel to get back in your comfort zone, don't do it.Pump the brakes. Hold on to the space you've created. Explore your possibilities, and let life unfold in front of you. It may not happen overnight. Then again, maybe it will? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"I never have time to work on what's important to me!"I hear that every day from people all over the world. Every one of them is so busy attempting to master the latest productivity hack they end up spending most of their time running like a hamster on a wheel. Frankly, I was doing the same thing when my new business was sucking the life out of me and demanding all of my focus. One day, I realized my focus was in the wrong place.The problem was that I ran my day based on events on my calendar, and all of those red and green blocks were controlling my life. Without thinking, maybe to become more productive, I added more and more blocks to my day. While I got more done, I wasn't doing the things that were important to me. Out of pure frustration, I asked myself a question…"How do I want my calendar to look?"My honest answer was EMPTY!While it may sound like a silly goal, I have no interest in focusing on more colored calendar blocks, I want more time to do what is important to me. At that moment, I realized the secret I was looking for was hidden in plain sight - the space between events.Since then, I've seen the space on my calendar as 100% mine that I can use in any way I decide. When an event is scheduled, I interrupt my flow, deal with the event, and immediately get back to focusing on what is important to me. It's a small distinction that yields huge results. Now, to make this work, two things are required:1) You must know what is important to you and have it at the forefront of your mind. Those goals become your primary focus and not a maybe/someday goal.2) You must know what actions are relevant to getting the results that you desire.That's it. All that remains is for you to grab all the open space you can get and start having fun with your stuff instead of everybody else's stuff. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Get the Daily Boost with ZERO commercials and more coaching too! Go to MotivaitonToMove.com to get started. Have you ever wondered why some things and not others motivate you? The evolving Science of Motivation has your answer. In a nutshell, motivation is complicated and layered. If you didn’t already know that, you have felt it many times. But it all begins with 4 kinds of motivation: 1) Extrinsic motivation comes from outside of you, and you do it because you are compelled to - usually by someone else. 2) Intrinsic motivation is done for internal and personal reasons. This can be called your WHY. 3) Introjected motivation is similar. The difference is that if something is not done, you feel guilty.  4) Identified motivation is when you know something needs to be done but have not decided to do it yet. What kind do you have?   All of them!  All types of motivation can be in play at any time, and they can also overlap. However, when you discover your Intrinsic motivation - your WHY- you will find the momentum you seek. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Painting Your Way to Success My wife and I are settling into our new home, and she has assigned herself the job of painting every inch in the house. Not because we couldn’t hire somebody to do the job. Strangely, it’s because she loves to paint.  I’ll admit that I’ve felt a little guilty leaving her with a rolling brush and a couple of gallons while I find something more interesting to do - which is pretty much anything. Still, last weekend I offered to join the painting party and speed up progress in the largest and most challenging room, she accepted my offer, and off we went. If I haven’t made it clear, I don’t love painting. The only thing more painful for me is listening to a boring conversation I’ve heard a thousand times before. Still, brush in hand, I began my journey that day while sharing my philosophy with my wife.  That’s what she gets for locking herself in a room with me and a paintbrush. While it played out over a couple of hours, here’s what I said — I’m okay with painting. I am. In fact, I see every situation in life, like painting a huge and complex room. You know, a room with lots of windows, corners, and trim. One that requires physical contortions to reach every inch that you would never do in real life. If you want to get the job done. Heck, if you want to get anything done, you keep painting. Keep painting. Keep painting. Keep painting. As long as you keep painting, you’ll eventually be finished and get what you want. If you stop, not only is your room going to be a mess, you don’t get what you want. So, whatever you are painting in your life, keep rolling until it’s done. No grind. No hustle and no glamour or drama. Just painting.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Relative Time Management In my entire life, I've always found it interesting that there never seems to be enough time in the day. Still, most days, everything seems to get done. If it doesn't, the world didn't come to an end, and I survived to check off another item from my to-do list tomorrow. I know I'm not the first human on the planet to face the problem of time, but I do think I'm one of those smartypants people that have figured out how our time works in real life. And it was 180 degrees from what I felt that time was all about. Pay attention now. How you look at time is about to change. First, when you run as fast as possible to get things done, time moves quicker, and less gets done. Even worse, with every minute filled, there is never enough time to do the things that make your heart sing. If you're like me, that will eventually lead you to sabotage your list so you can do something fun for yourself. It's a never-ending cycle. On the other hand, when you slow down, hold space for yourself, and focus on results relevant to your goals, time slows down, and you get more done. Not only that, you magically find yourself with lots of free time that you need to fill. Finally, a chance to read a book, binge on Netflix or hang out with family and friends. The choice is yours. Of course, if you've ever studied Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity, this sounds familiar. As he determined—time is relative. In other words, the rate at which time passes depends on your frame of reference.  So, what is your frame of reference? In our case, I'm not asking whether you are moving fast or slow; I want to know if you are focused on the essential things in life that matter to you? Everything else disappears when you do, times slow down, and you enjoy your day like you were born to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices