Morning Motivator - Sometimes Coal is More Precious than a Diamond

"Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their job."
- Malcolm Stevenson Forbes

Last night, I celebrated my good friend, Ben Prom's, birthday and found myself in a discussion about "reaping what we sow". Amazingly, the final comment was... "The key is to make sure you stick long enough to enjoy the harvest.". What did that mean?

As individuals, we often are PASSIONATE and FOCUSED on a hot, new idea that we BELIEVE will change our lifestyle. We give it 200% effort for a week, a month, a year and then... Well, you know what happens. So who BENEFITS from all the work you did? ANSWER: Someone that does not DESERVE your success byproducts.

Are you clear on the time line of your efforts? How long will it take to see your work become FRUITFUL? If you do not know, do you think its important to? MAKE SURE YOU DON'T QUIT, ONE STEP FROM SUCCESS...

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Having an ACTION PLAN that includes expectations based on a time line will serve you very kindly.

By defining SPECIFIC targets with time-based measurements, you will be able to keep FOCUSED while making sure you "stick" all the way until you realize your SUCCESS!

Its always a challenge to persist and keep passion in a dream that doesn't develop quickly... STAY PASSIONATE and know I am excited to share in your dreams! Have a great weekend.

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Are You Committed to Your Vision?

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."
- Tom Robbins
 
One of the common themes I find in businesses and personal plans is a concern regarding "lack of commitment" to EXECUTING plans.  Often labeled as a lack of ACCOUNTABILITY in execution.  Why is this so common?  Answer:  Its where the IDEAS finally meet the WORK.
 
What does this mean to you in your business or even in your personal life?  It equates to your ABILITY to be successful.  Your commitment to defining your vision, setting goals and EXECUTING them with PASSIONATE purpose is the difference in most people that ACHIEVE or falter.  We all have BRILLIANT, CREATIVE ideas.  For those that have defined a VISION for their life, they also have defined a purpose (sounds like you have done a lot of work), BUT the DIFFERENCE will ALWAYS come down to EXECUTION.  Take ACTION and STAY COMMITTED to your vision – if you believe in your soul that you are doing the right things, then a down month, or a lost opportunity is NOT a cause for concern.  Those things WILL happen!  IF your vision is solid and you are committed to WORKING it – you WILL achieve your goals.
 
You must take COMMITTED ACTION.
 
2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
My challenge for years was always that I was the "IDEA GUY" – full of great ideas but can't get a thing done with any of them.  The person that takes on 100 tasks and completes them all half way, but never a single one all the way through.  Here's what I have learned:
 
By focusing on the ONE MOST IMPORTANT task that aligns with my VISION and PURPOSE – I achieve results more effectively and efficiently.  When you EXECUTE with laser like focus, you will find that most tasks are EASY and SIMPLE to manage.  Often, tasks require little effort or little outside involvement.  SIMPLIFY your goals and take on the MOST IMPORTANT tasks first.  You will find you can do more in a day than you ever imagined!

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator – Finding Victory in Disappointment

"Ones best success comes after their greatest disappointments."
- Henry Ward Beecher

One of the best days of my life was the day I was elected President of the Nashville Area Junior Chamber of Commerce. The day I uncovered my character was one year prior – the day I LOST my bid for Presidency. It's funny that the next year when I ran (and won), I was so much more PREPARED, FOCUSED and DRIVEN. My PASSION never wavered, however my APPLICATION of passion is what became laser FOCUSED. From this I learned, DISAPPOINTMENT is sometimes the BEST thing to happen to you.

I have faced many CHALLENGES thus far in my life and expect a great many more to come. From an upper middle class childhood to homelessness and poverty, from a solid family core to divorced parents and mother working 3 jobs to help her children, from a kid that could have walked a path of drugs and crime (following some friends) to a college graduate and organizational President – I have seen my share of DEFEATS and VICTORIES. I am not asking anyone to feel sorry and pat me on the back… what I am asking is that you consider YOUR LIFE. You may feel "down and out" about something – but think… how FORTUNATE are you still? You are INTELLIGENT, PASSIONATE, DEDICATED and CREATIVE – YOU WILL OVERCOME and YOU WILL SUCCEED!

Never let DISAPPOINTMENT or NEGATIVITY be the driver of your future. Live out of INSPIRED PASSION and ACTION – never, I repeat NEVER out of FEAR. If you don't like something that is happening to you or around you – STAND UP, SPEAK YOUR MIND, TAKE ACTION and CHANGE IT! You CHOOSE your life and what happens in it… choose the path of SUCCESS.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:

Staying POSITIVE is a lot of hard work. I understand how exhausting it can be to always take the high road and how draining it can be when you are "the glue" of your team, family or organization. Remember this: The person who shows the most strength inspires the most change and a 2 degree change in direction if often the adjustment required to move from accomplishing to ACHIEVING!

Here are some of the tools that I use to stay positive:

- Car time is MY TIME. I listen to MY music, I sing MY songs (as loud as I can) and I rarely take calls that are not about MY person enjoyment.
- I have a HOBBY (well, like 10 of them). I take photography (which helps me find beauty in my world), I write stories (which helps me vocalize my passions) and I play sports (which allows to me to vent frustrations in an aggressive way)
- I share my SUCCESS with my friends and mentors.
- I have found a way to apply my personal VISION and MISSION… hence the Morning Motivator

Simple pleasures will provide for profound change in your life. Make time for YOU and what YOU want to do. Steal 15 minutes for yourself today… they may be the best 15 you spend this week!

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator - Why Use the Blowtorch at Both Ends of Your Candle

"Time is what prevents everything from happening all at once."
- John Archibald Wheeler

"Burning the candle at both ends.". What a great visual and truly encompassing of what myself and most of you do regularly. Why do we work so damn hard? (Great question I know)

Allow me to share my insight - personally, I work for LIFESTYLE. The ability to create a PASSION in others that provides them success, generate just enough income to EXPLORE myself and the world, as well as feel SECURE about my future relating to LOVE, COMMUNITY and FINANCES.

I believe that we each are working towards a BIGGER picture - maybe its FAMILY, WEALTH or PERSONAL ENRICHMENT. What I DO know is this... you MUST have a clear vision of what it is you want, in order to CONFIDENTLY move forward towards realizing those dreams. Once you are clear, you will find the candle can burn from ONE end... And much slower.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
A lack of CLARITY is the cause of most frustrations. Not knowing WHAT you should be doing and WHY you should be doing it will alleviate a lot of STRESS you have in you personal and professional life.

Do you have a VISION for your future? If not, that is where you need to begin. I can help you accomplish this if desired - let me know if interested.

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.

Morning Motivator - Doing the Best Thing (when you don't want to)

"We control fifty percent of a relationship. We influence one hundred percent of it."
- Anonymous

Amazing what can be learned on a lazy weekend if we pay ATTENTION. I want to share with you a learning lesson I KNOW, yet often DON'T apply -
Doing the BEST thing (long term benefit) even if you personally don't "feel like it". Let me explain...

This weekend, like many others, my goal was to RELAX and spend some QUIET time. Friday night I was asked to play in a poker game (sounds fun, but I'm tired), Saturday to play golf (still tired) and Sunday to do some training for the Marathon upcoming (OMG! Are you kidding me?!). ... Guess what I did?

I went with each group to PARTICIPATE. Why? What I have found is that you are often asked to JOIN a group for something and yet we do not have the VISION to see the value of building those relationships. We are all often offered small opportunities to GROW our relationships by spending a few QUALITY hours together. Are you taking ADVANTAGE of those chances?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
This success step is very simple to IDENTIFY and IMPLEMENT. The next time, REPEAT, the next time a friend, family member or colleague asks you to join them for something that allows QUALITY relationship building... GO!!

If it doesn't conflict with an existing commitment... GO!! You will appreciate the benefits you receive.

Cheers,
Zach

*To enjoy past editions of the Morning Motivator go to – http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

The Morning Motivator is a copyrighted publication. The use of this article is open for print or publication with proper citations.