Morning Motivator - My Letter to 2009

"It ain't about how hard you hit. Its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward."
- Sylvester Stallone from "Rocky Balboa"

Dear 2009,

I want to send you this letter and tell you a little about how I feel.

First, I want to THANK YOU for creating one of the most reflective times for the vast majority of people.

We have all been AFFECTED by your stingy economy. From job losses to financial losses, you have taken your BEST shot at a lot of us.

Too bad for you, we are more RESILIANT than you thought. We will OUTLAST you.

On a personal note, I want to say that in SPITE of your efforts, I have had my best year yet.

Nancy and I are to be married NEXT YEAR (take that!), I have taken a new LEADERSHIP role in my community and I am working with an EXCELLENT group of people (although you did get a last jab in - touché).

All in all, I BEAT you. You gave your ALL to crush me, my people and my community... And yet, I beat you... WE beat you.

I will always REMEMBER you 2009 and, again, THANK YOU for what you did. I UNDERSTAND that I am ready for 2010 because of you...

As a last note, don't worry... I plan on kicking 2010's ass even MORE than yours!

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 - Will Your Resolution Fail?

"Setting a goal is not the main thing. It is deciding how you will go about achieving it and staying with that plan."
- Tom Landry

Many people are spending TIME this week planning out all the SUCCESSES "yet to be" in 2010.

Statistically, the great MAJORITY of those goals will go UNREALIZED. Most failing in the first 30 DAYS. Why?

Commonly, GOALS set at the beginning of any year are nothing more than a WISH LIST. They fail to have any of the MEASURES or ACCOUNTABILITES that allow success to be achieved.

Frankly, it is INACTION that is the true fail point in any resolution. It is the inability to take the FIRST step towards then desired goal.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
To better MANAGE your goals and see them be successful, alter them from ANNUAL goals to QUARTERLY goals.

By FOCUSING on the ACTIVITIES and desired results of a 90 day period, you are better able to see immediate results.

Additionally, should you STRAY from your activities, you can make IMMEDIATE corrections to ensure you stay ON TRACK.

What can you DO in the next 90 days? How can you MEASURE the actions daily/weekly?

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 – The Bad Dreamer

"All men who have achieved great things have been great dreamers."
- Unknown

What do you think of when you think of a "DREAMER"? That blonde haired kid from what seem to be TBS's only movie, "A Christmas Story"? How about the guy that was in your English class in college that was always talking about what he WOULD do if he were in charge? The girl in your office that has planned out her "married life" down to the gritty DETAILS with no sign of a date in the near future?

I remember, in 8th grade, I was told I would always struggle because I am a "DREAMER." This came from a teacher that was DISCIPLINED in her craft of Geometry and other higher level mathematics (very analytical). She was an EXCELLENT teacher of mathematics; however, is not the most memorable teacher I had. Frankly, had she not said that to me, I may NOT remember her at all.

What is so BAD about being a dreamer? What if we DIDN'T have dreamers? What if we were all very EFFECTIVE and EFFICIENT executors of tasks.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
There are 2 types of people in the world – the people that DREAM up the ideas and the people that EXECUTE them. One does not SURVIVE without the other.

The CHALLENGE for a "dreamer" is that their value is more difficult to MEASURE and their time is more difficult to manage for expected RESULTS.

The EXECUTOR works on time and measured goals, a very black and white world. The task is either COMPLETE or not. Whereas the DREAMER is "creating" innovation, which is not commonly on a time frame as little understanding about the "end product" is evident until developed.

If you are a DREAMER – embrace it! Just know that you will always be looked at "under the microscope" until you determine the BEST ways to define your value and be able to deliver results that the EXECUTOR respects.

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 – Measuring a Positive Decision

"A real decision is measured by the fact that you've taken a new action. If there's no action, then you haven't truly decided."
- Unknown

These next days are some of the most EXHILARATING and emotionally EXHAUSTING. We will spend this week MEASURING our short falls, concerned about our ability to ACHIEVE the "goals" we set out for ourselves. We will make EMPTY promises to refocus ourselves and "finally" take care of _________ (you fill in the blank).

I am not absolved from this type of MENTALITY. I have "missed the mark" on some of the goals I set – lose 25 lbs, launch an education website for business entrepreneurs, take my GRE exam for post graduate studies. I have "failed to achieve" many of my "GOALS." I have also ACHIEVED many others that I set out to do and that should NOT be overlooked.

The most important QUESTION to ask about the missed goals is "WHY?" Why did I choose these goals? Why are they so IMPORTANT, and yet gone unachieved? Why did I fail to attain the goals I SET out?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
The WHY seems straightforward…

Q: Why did I choose these goals?
A: There were (or are still) part of my personal path of success and an identified area of IMPROVEMENT.

Q: Why are they so IMPORTANT, and yet gone unachieved?
A: I KNEW they were needed to attain the development I am seeking, yet I did NOT understand HOW TO achieve them most effectively.

Q: Why did I fail to attain the goals I SET out?
A: Simple. I FAILED to take action – any action!

Often, we set ARBITRARY goals with the hopes that if we write them down, somehow they will magically be completed by December 31st. We failed to plan the ACTION STEPS and the "HOW's" of our goals. Without an ACTION plan – we are simply wasting our time is "setting goals."

We must APPRECIATE that even steps in the wrong direction towards a goal, are MUCH BETTER, than standing still waiting to figure out the full path.

SET GOALS AND TAKE ACTION… you WILL find your way to them!

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.