Morning Motivator – Patience Grasshopper

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."
- Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy

A good FRIEND commented yesterday on my Jerry Maguire Morning Motivator. He gave me a similar "Are we friends?" discussion about my talents and his thoughts. He was seeking to help me in ACCOMPLISHING my dreams and I RESPECT that…a lot.

Interestingly, I THINK that many of us are in a huge RUSH to get to the end of our SUCCESS, today. We all BELIEVE that we should have it all already – the car, house, spouse, beach home, time off, etc. I am GUILTY of being one of those people too. Why are we in such a rush to FIND our success? Is it so we can finally quit STRUGGLING and just relax? Do you believe that you will RELAX when you finally achieve your goals?

Most of us have a mental VISION of what our life will be like when "we get there." We all believe that our WOES will cease to exist and it will be easy sailing from there. Commonly, we say things such as, "one day when I'm in charge, I will spend more time with my family and friends" or "once I make enough money, I will go back and get my Master's degree." When do you ACTUALLY think you will get there? How will you KNOW?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:

Two things will lead to your SUCCESS – TIME & PATIENCE. Over time, you will find the path to your goals and your PATIENCE to walk the path in getting you there will prove your worthiness of those accomplishments.

Are you EXECUTING the right actions daily to achieve your goals? Are you BUILDING the proper relationships? Are you LEARNING the correct skills? If so… CONTINUE to take positive steps daily. As you continue to execute, PATIENTLY, your ability to make achievement becomes easier as your momentum builds…

Be PATIENT grasshopper… your life is much shorter than you BELIEVE. Do the RIGHT things, do them DAILY and show PATIENCE… SUCCESS will find you!

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 We Really Friends?

"Don't take it personal, just take it."
- Sgt. Paul Wells 101st Airborne Div. (AASLT)

As many of you may know, I am a very EMOTIONALLY charged person while sometimes mixing my head with my heart. Additionally, you may know that I am a HUGE fan of the movie, Jerry Maguire.

I have been mentally reviewing some actions this week and I was reminded of my FAVORITE dialogue in the movie, Jerry Maguire, between Jerry and Rod. This is the part where they "drop the gloves" and finally say what they really want to. I share with you the below…

Jerry: Are we Really Friends?

Rod: I think so.

Jerry: Because friends can tell each other anything if we have our friends hats on… I'll tell you why you don't have your $10 million yet. Right now you are a paycheck player. You play with your head, not your heart. In your personal life – heart! But when you get on the field it's all about what you didn't get, who's to blame, who under threw the pass, who's got the contract you don't, who's not giving you your love and you know what… that's not what inspires people. That is NOT what inspires people! Just shut up… and play the game. Play it from your heart… and you know what? I will show you the Kwan. And that's the truth man… That's the truth! Can you handle it? Just a question between friends? Ya know?!

(Dialogue skipped)

Rod: No heart? No heart?! I'M ALL HEART MOTHER*&^%$!

Expletive aside, I found this to be a very INTERESTING view into the lives of most people… including my own. How often do we give our WHOLE self to a spouse, a charity or a hobby? How often do we have that same passion for our work? What could we accomplish if we were not PAYCHECK players? What if we approached work with the same passion and commitment as we do the other areas of our life?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
For 1 week, try LETTING GO of your over analytical self. Stop THINKING about what needs to be done… and just start doing it. Forget about the RED TAPE RULES and just get the results (within the law of course).

Try speaking to a colleague like you would a friend… a prospective client as relative at a wedding…the mail room guy as the most important member of your team. Try approaching your work life with YOUR HEART, including all the associated passions found in your other life areas.

You do this… and I will show you the KWAN!

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 – Talk in HOW, Not in WHAT

"Contemplation often makes life miserable. We should act more, think less, and stop watching ourselves live."
- Chamfort (French playwright, 1741-1794)

"You CAN'T do that!" You ever want to see me get fired up?? Say that to me. I am not a BELIEVER in what CANNOT be done, rather what CAN.

Every day I am STUNNED by the people that live without DYNAMICS, CREATIVITY and OPEN MINDEDNESS. You can recognize his behavior pattern in people that continually tell you WHAT you cannot do, as opposed to HOW you should get the same goal achieved in a different way. This is the kid in school that told you NOT to color outside the lines, the college student that said you SHOULDN'T use crib notes to learn, the colleague in your meeting that feel it is their duty to show you how much SMARTER they are then you. Yet, what does that ever achieve?

I am not an ANARCHIST, nor am I one that believes protocol should be bypassed. However, I do BELIEVE in creative leeway to achieve LOGICAL end goals. The phrase, "we have never done it that way before," should send off a 10 ALARM FIRE WARNING SYSTEM in your head. If you have never done it "that way"… why not? Oh, it didn't work ONCE before… well lots of good things didn't work the first time. Do you know the story of WD-40? Look it up… it may give you some insight.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
I love CREATIVE instruction about better SYSTEMS to get things done. I tend to become ANNOYED when I am challenged on my personal integrity or am presented with a PROBLEM… and NO SOLUTIONS (other than NO action).

You want to change the way you get things done and have it be a HOMERUN every time?? Here is the BEST suggestion I was ever given: If you see a problem, bring a solution. If you don't have a solution (or are unwilling to be the one to find solutions), don't present the problem until you have a SOLUTION.

Does your solution have to be APPROVED, AGREED UPON or USED? Heck no! You just need to be someone that presents as a problem solver…

Often, everyone will AGREE that there IS a problem… they just need someone to start the CREATIVE solution process by offering up a starting point. Are you that LEADER?

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 - Seeing Things As They Should Be

"A leader's job is to look into the future and see the organization, not as it is, but as it should be."
- Jack Welch

When you think about your life... what do you see? Do you see where you are TODAY? Do you see where you SHOULD be today? Or do you see where you are GOING to be?

I wonder how many of us think about where we SHOULD be had we not made XYZ decision along the way. I should be in the job or have that care or whatever. Rather, how many of us are thinking about what we should be DOING to make sure that we get to where we are seeking to be.

The question we need to present ourselves is: What POSITIVE actions do I need to begin taking to make sure I achieve in the areas of my life I feel are not fulfilled as yet?

Are you VISUALIZING the life you want to CREATE or dwelling on the chances you may have OVERLOOKED long the way?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The best thing about life is that we get to MESS IT UP all the time. No single person is without FAULTS. We are emotional creatures that think with our hearts before our minds commonly. This causes ILLOGICAL actions and thus undesirable outcomes... but who cares!?

Every morning you get a new OPPORTUNITY to change your outcome. You can simply CHOOSE to be more successful and then follow suit with the actions needed to achieve that. You can CHOOSE to be fit and eat accordingly to see your success come reality.

By VISUALIZING your life the way you seek for it to become... inherently, you will gain awareness of opportunities and begin to take actions to ACHIEVE your mental image. See your life and you SEEK it to become... and it will happen!

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 - So You Failed...

"Don't be afraid about stepping out and doing something. If it doesn't work, try something else. Losing is to not have participated in the race."
- Colleen Howe, wife of hockey hall of fame inductee, Gordie Howe

Good morning all. It is SOAPBOX TIME! I want to share a pet peeve of mine with you all this morning. The particular behavior that I am speaking of is CRITICIZING others who are trying new things.

I APPLAUD anyone that is willing to step outside of their strengths and comfort zones. AMAZINGLY, at one point in our lives, we were all STRUGGLING to become good at something. For some, we had NATURAL talents that made it easier. For others, we had short LEARNING curves. For the rest, we moved on to other things we were BETTER suited for.

There are a great many things I would LOVE to have worked on when I was younger like, art and music. I was more of a math and science NERD though. Now, as time continues to move, others and I seek to revisit those PASSIONS for self expression. Should anyone be PUNISHED for wanting to better themselves? Should you be ASHAMED that you are not the BEST AT EVERYTHING? It is ok not to WIN at everything... sometimes it is good enough to just have fun!

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
This story is prompted from overhearing a discussion in a restaurant. A few people were making light of someone they knew for how much they were STRUGGLING to keep up with the group. One person stood up to the group and said, "you know this is his first time to ever try this, right?"

It made me WONDER... do I do that to others? Am I that POMPOUS and ARROGANT, such that I would ridicule someone's efforts to make myself feel better about my SUPERIORITY? Likely, I have. As have you.

When you begin to DISCUSS the achievement and struggles of others as a way to learn and compare growth, always keep in mind that you do NOT know the full story. This person may have circumstances you are not AWARE of that make them exceptional or less than.

In reality, even if they are TERRIBLE... if they are stepping outside of their comfort zone, who is REALLY the one that is struggling to BETTER THEMSELVES? Don't be afraid to fail - it teaches you to be EXCELLENT!

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.