Daily Boost - Clarity for Life and Work

With over 7 billion people on the planet, how many will you need to meet to get the success you desire? That's a trick question. You should be asking… How few people can you meet to get what you want as fast as possible? It's less than you think. You can speed your progress by refining your target. Seek to attract people and opportunities that you believe would be a good match. Then, sift and sort until only those relationships that are a perfect match remain. Let all others go on their merry way. Do it, and you'll remove noise and frustration from your life. Your day-to-day journey will become much more enjoyable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Let's continue with a few more mindsets for success: 1) Start using a "Good Enough" approach. Perfectionism is doing nothing to move you forward. 2) Use your ONE mind to do ONE thing. Multitasking is splitting your focus and energy. It's also delaying your success. 3) Let go of control. Some things are not up to you. Figure out what they are and move on. 4) Say NO to anything that does not directly support your goals. Don't do something in hopes of getting what you want. Do what you KNOW will get you what you want. 5) Hang out with supportive, positive, and nurturing people. Let toxic people create their own group. 6) Be willing NOT to be liked. If you're avoiding making folks unhappy, you're not moving toward your dreams. 7) Focus on the story of YOU. Minimize social media and television. When you do, you also minimize the influence others have on you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“On your last day on earth, the person you became will meet the person you could have become.” — Anonymous Here are a few ideas to help you rise to your full potential: 1) Live a good lifestyle. Eat good stuff and exercise. Simple. 2) Think long-term. Find your groove. Stick with it. 3) Play BIG. Small thinking is not why you were born. 4) Be responsible. No more excuses. They are not helping you be happy. 5) Learn to be more flexible. Stop being hard-headed. Go with the flow to get what you want. 6) Embrace hard work. There is no “Magic Bullet.” When you become the person you want to be, you transform yourself into the person you were meant to be. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As I arrive at 4,000 episodes of the Daily Boost on my way to my goal of 5,000, I've been thinking about WHY I do this program instead of what I initially planned. You have no doubt heard that grand goals require that you completely understand WHY you're going after a goal to succeed. Folks in my world tend to simplify it by asking, "What's your why?" The first reason to know WHY you want to do something is that everything is always more complicated than you initially imagine it would be to accomplish. Without a strong WHY, you'll give up. But, many folks forget that a real WHY may hide from you. A long time ago, when I was in the first couple hundred or so Daily Boost episodes, I with a mentor of mine. He asked WHY I was focused on a speaking career when I enjoyed the podcast? I jokingly said, "To get me out of the house?" Yes, I was half kidding. But frankly, I'm was happy with my life and had nothing to prove by getting on stage. That isn't a driver for me. He didn't buy my answer. After a bit more conversation, he said, "You're not excited about the business of speaking. You don't like it. You're excited about the impact you can have on your audience, no matter how you get it. Focus on your result, wherever it may happen. Wow! Boom! Bang! KaPOW! Now, if I'm honest, I already knew that. However, it's easy to get caught up in the process and forget - or not admit to yourself what is truly driving you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  Before begin, I want to define what I mean by doing nothing. I don’t see doing ‘nothing’ as something unproductive. Instead, I see ‘nothing’ as a protected personal space that lies between your thoughts and your actions. It is a place that provides a contemplation and planning opportunity before launching into massive and focused action design to reach your outcome and achievement of your goal. It is a holding space where inspiration, desperation, motivation, even intimidation, bubble up into your consciousness and await your next action. Instead of moving your thoughts immediately into action mode or never moving at all, both of which cause unnecessary drama, you purposefully quarantine your thoughts until you are assured in your success plan or decide to take a new direction. Doing nothing looks like this: 1) All thoughts and potential actions arrive in your mind and are held for evaluation. 2) Unless based on a previous decision and cleared for instant action, you always take the time to ensure that your actions will lead you to your vision. 3) If you don’t know the absolute end-game of your journey, you are still on another path. Don’t take a step until you know where you are on your new path. In the end, doing nothing is a place in your mind where you choose your path, direct your actions, and create your legacy. It is a place of personal respect that is built into you and will allow you to have the most significant impact on yourself and the world around you. I don’t know about you, but I get a lot of good thinking time when I’m doing nothing. That time is priceless. If doing something takes you off track, you might be better off doing nothing - at least for a little while. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Victor Frankl’s ‘Man’s Search for Meaning’ is one of the books that I read every couple of years as a reminder of what is important in life. This passage is one reason why - “Don’t aim for success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue that it only does so as a side-sect of one’s personal dedication to cause greater than oneself or as a by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it.” In other words, do what you’re best at doing and let it happen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“If you don’t know your purpose, your purpose is to find your purpose.” That simple piece of advice has freed thousands of frustrated people and allowed them to move toward their dreams without fear and anxiety. “You already know what your purpose feels like and are probably living much of it out right now.” Another piece of advice that simply requires a look inside for clues that will make you happy. So, how do you do that? There are many actionable steps you could take, but I believe what you are looking for is waiting inside of you to be discovered. Find a few minutes today, grab a journal, tune into yourself and ask: The purpose and passion I seek begin when I accept what my heart is telling me. What is my heart telling me? I will always be moving toward a purposeful and passionate life when I have clarity of thought, a defined outcome, and take the time to create a roadmap to reach my goal. What are my thoughts? It’s okay to admit being fearful, but initiating action and maintaining continuous momentum using faith, courage, and belief will allow you to overcome anything. What belief is driving me forward? Faith, courage, and belief and the result of having a strong and safe foundation combine with an existing vision. And I strong and ready to go? The minute you begin to ponder these points, you begin living on purpose and with passion. When you do ponder it every day, your life can become whatever you desire. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I've always believed goal setting is the heartbeat of our lives. Goal setting is one of the most powerful tools you have to create your best life. My question to you is… do you know what your best life is supposed to be? I came upon my belief not from a book or a guru but from a realization I had many years ago. I found I was happy when I was chasing something bigger than myself that was also in alignment with how I felt on the inside. I was unhappy when I was checking items off my list and not honoring my true self. After years of pondering, I concluded that a purposeful outcome would eliminate frustration and boredom and generate excitement and enthusiasm. That leads me to the two definitions of goals: 1) The end toward which effort is directed. 2) An area or object toward which players in various games attempt to advance a ball or puck and usually through or into which it must go to score points. Most people treat goals like the number two, a To-Do list with a short-term outlook. People who focus on the first definition are long-term thinkers. But what's the real difference? What "end" do you place your focus on? Heartbeat goal-setters know there are many "ends" before the ultimate termination point we call goal achievement. That's what excites and drives them. They purposely focus on that 'end.' Everything else is a step in the journey that is only needed to get to their pre-determined outcome. Heartbeat goal setting. It's purposeful goal setting that ignites a fire in your belly, gives you a mission, and makes you happy. Everything else is an item on your To-Do list. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  I’m not sure how you feel about the Universe and how things work in the world, but does the Universe speak to you? I can’t tell you if the ‘Universe’ stands alone or if ‘God’ created the ‘Universe’ and runs the show. That’s so far above my pay-grade that it amounts to a pile of cash bigger than Mount Everest.  What I can say is this. We live and breathe every day in a world that is ganging up on us and trying to get our attention. The question is, are you listening? While there are many ways people seek to receive messages of guidance as we make life decisions, my favorite has always been events the occur in triplicate. If something happens three times, I pay attention. Call me hard-headed, distracted, or set in my ways, but life has taught me that wisdom tends to come in whispers - usually when our thoughts are screaming in our head and drowning out our dreams. Now, let me be clear... A friend calling three times to go out on the town doesn’t count in my book. Snoozing your alarm clock three times isn’t a message from the Universe that you should sleep in more. The grocery store being out of your favorite chips three times is not a sign that you should go on a diet. All that is what they call the “stuff that happens while you’re alive.” So what counts? If I were to describe messages that resonate with me, it would be… 1) Seemingly random situations and people and happen in quick succession or at the same time. 2) They are different in their approach and appearance, yet each delivers a similar message. At first, it may seem disconnected, but in relation to the other messages, you begin to notice 3) The message you receive is likely something that has been on your mind, keeping you awake a night, and speaks to you. Even though you may not immediately recognize its impact, you find yourself slightly redirected in your search for answers. Your path altered. While this is undoubtedly only my description of how I know it when the Universe is ganging up on me, I have learned to allow space for a message to arrive. Whether I realize the impact or not, I have also learned that it always motivates my decisions, choices, and future actions. In other words, things change with little effort. My journey this summer is about breaking from the status quo, exploring the possibilities of life, and going with the flow as we seek a new home, lifestyle, and attitude. I don’t know what journey you are on, but I bet the Universe is ganging up on your right now if you’ll only pay attention. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you could write a book about the person you have become today, would it have a happy ending? A good portion of my day is interacting with clients around the world. They are usually upbeat, open to problem-solving, and seeking my advice to help them. Or, as they would say, “help me get out of my way and get my act together. That’s where writing a book comes to mind and a good question from me - “Okay. Before we begin, if you were to write a book about yourself in the future, would it have a happy ending?” Their answer is always, ”Yes! That’s why I’m here today.” My next question is, “If you were to write your book today, what would the answer be?” “Hmm… I would say average. Not great. Not bad. Certainly not a book anybody would read.” As the conversation continues, I make these points: 1) All of us get in our own way. That’s how we learn. And we all have our act together until we recognize that we want another act. That’s called growth. 2) People who live an averagely life almost always spend more time chasing squirrels and shiny objects than focusing on actions that create the consistent results they want. It's an exhausting way to live. 3) People who live successfully think more like a business person. They implement actions the get results, are sustainable, and grow the economics of the business. In other words, they figure out what works and keep doing it. There is no drifting in the wind. Make your own way, figure out what works, do it again. Simple. Speaking of simple… If the book you would write about yourself isn’t who you are, you can start making changes today. That’s how you get a happy ending. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices