Think BIG! News

Chasing Your Tail

My cat Scooter enjoys his play time.  One of his favorite activities is simply "chasing his tail." He will spend around to the right and then sharply back to the left going in circles in an attempt to catch his tail.  Finally he stops and drops to the floor, tired and noticeably dizzy from this actions.  His mission seems to never get accomplished though he really puts out the effort.  

In life, we too find ourselves "chasing our tails".  We too often rush from one "falsely perceived emergency" to another.   Pulled to the right to address this challenge and then seemingly at the same time pulled to the left for another.  Hour after hour and day after day we find ourselves working extremely hard; but, at the end of the day not really getting accomplished what we should have or need to.  Finally we get to a point that we too drop, tired and physically exhausted from our all out efforts.   Our question becomes, "What more must I do to get things done?" "I work hard but little gets accomplished."

Do you find yourself in this scenerio?  Are you busy and working hard but at the end of the day finding that you are not accomplishing what you need to or want to accomplish?  Don't feel bad.  This is a very commong reality.  It is curable.  The cure may sound simple; and, if you will follow its suggestions, you are destined to catch what you need.

Three simple steps:  Time management.  Organizing your day is not that difficult.  It simple demands that you decide what is important and then focus on getting those things done.  To simply begin, usually there are at least 3 key items to accomplish each day.  Items that if complete will enable the next day and days after to flow smoother for you.  Decide what those 3 are, write them down and keep them in front of you at all times during your day.  Getting those key items complete will allow you to focus on other issues and will give you a clear sense of accomplishment for your day.  As you master this concept, you can add more to your list but do your best to keep your key items to no more than 5 for the day.  This way, you will not press yourself into a stressful position and will continue to gain a sense of clear accomplishment.  Oh, about those interruptions...once you gain control and focus of your day with the key items, you will find an inate way to address those.

Next comes planning.  Planning is the most overdiscussed but underutilized benefit that life provides.  Everyone talks about planning and even may prepare a great looking plan.  However following that plan is another story.  The real key is to keep your plan simple, precise, concise and concensed to a single page.  In doing so you are able to keep the plan in front of you, understand what needs to done; and, are better able to execute your actions plans and strategies.  Once you have your planning process mastered you will find that more and more is being accomplished and that "chasing your tail" feeling is beginning to fade away.

Finally, avoid the complacency trap.  When success begins to come with our time management and planning, there is a tendency to become complacent.  You may have heard the saying, "Yes, it worked so well that I stopped doing it!"  That is the key:  when you have things going, this is the time to improve on your success by debriefing results, changing processess, actions where necessary but continuing to follow the foundational truisms that brought success.  Remember, complacency is just like any other addiction: it will destroy a business, a family or a career if left untreated.  Don't let it get you when you are in control.

"Chasing your tail" may be a fun time for cats; but, it can spell disaster for those of us walking on two legs.  Get control of your time; build and use a viable plan; and, don't allow complacency to control you.  Your life will be happier.  Your days will be full of accomplishment; and,  you will find the true meaning of what success can provide.  Give it a try!  I know you can do it!    

Energy Leadership and You

In the last month’s newsletter, we discussed Self-Fate and how, because we are making choices based on our past experiences, we cannot change our future unless the control of the past is removed. We need to learn to make conscious choices, choices that are made in the present moment, without all the emotional “baggage” we carry around. 

You can think of that baggage as being packed in four kinds of suitcases - the “Big 4” energy blocks that we carry around with us that dictate how we see the world and that hold us back reaching our unlimited potential. 

The first suitcase contains your limiting beliefs. Beliefs can either help you or hinder you; limiting beliefs are those that hold you back from success. If you do not believe something is possible, you’re not likely to attempt it. Even if you do attempt it, you won’t devote much energy to achieving that goal. 

Limiting beliefs are general beliefs about the world, your environment and situation, and the people around you that stand in your way. More often than not, you accept a limiting belief as true because you’ve learned it from someone else, or from an “authority,” such as the media, a book, or a movie. You assume that it’s “just the way it is.” 

Here is a classic example of a limiting belief: Up until 1954, it was commonly held that running a mile in under four minutes was impossible. Moreover, physiologists believed it was extremely dangerous even to attempt it. Yet on May 6 of that year, Roger Bannister crossed the finish line in 3 minutes and 59.4 seconds, thereby disproving the myth forever. 

It’s remarkable that Bannister accomplished his feat. It required that he completely ignore the prevailing, limiting belief and construct an entirely different belief system for himself. What others saw as a limitation, he perceived as opportunity. And once he disproved the presumed limits of the human body, less than two months later, another runner, John Landy, broke Bannister’s record with a mile dash of 3 minutes and 57.9 seconds. What’s more, within just a few years, dozens of runners were leaving the four-minute mark in the dust. 

Here are a couple of common limiting beliefs that hold many of us back. How about you have to work really hard to achieve success? Or that successful people are lucky? Or that you have to have money to make money? 

There are several ways to challenge limiting beliefs. You can explore the effect the belief has had on your life, look for proof of its truth (or lack of proof), or modify the belief or aspects of the belief to better serve you. Simply examining the belief with questions like “How true do I believe that is?” and the rhetorical “Where did I get that idea?” can also work remarkably well. Once you overcome limiting beliefs, they can no longer hold you back.  

This month, think about examining the contents of your limiting beliefs suitcase. Unpack it, and see how much lighter you feel.  

For more information on how Energy Leadership and building effective plans can help you achieve the potential that has not yet been reached, contact us at herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com; call us at 304-839-5101; or, sign up for our complimentary session on our website: https://thinkbig-coaching-training.coachesconsole.com

BIZ Bits

Great article on leadership insights: http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/david-goliath-malcolm-gladwell-advantages-disadvantages/

Keeping customer Tips: http://www.business2community.com/loyalty-marketing/keep-customers-5-retention-tips-0701848#!o6Ie3

Dealing with PT business employment: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5534-part-time-economy.html

 Herman Dixon / 304-839-5101 / herman@thinkbigcoachingandtraining.com / https://thinkbig-coaching-training.coachesconsole.com