Morning Motivator – Your Belief Can Overcome!

"Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail."
-Charles F. Kettering

"The market is tough."  "Someone I know already does that."  "Sounds cool, but I am not sure it will work for us."  "Blah blah blah… blah blah blah."

We have all heard the above things (most sound like "blah blah blah" to me).  You know them as, the FAMOUS words of people that make excuses for failures.  From the same people that SECRETLY hope for your failures.  (Besides, you don't have to feel bad about your inability to succeed if those around you don't either, right?)

The CHALLENGE for you, as a leader and professional, is whether to LISTEN to these remarks or battle through.  Will you choose to BELIEVE in yourself and your vision, or allow others to SQUASH your dream before you see it all the way through?  Will you ALLOW others to DICTATE your dreams and successes?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
First, anyone that does not provide you with POSITIVE support and CONSTRUCTIVE criticism MUST BE ELIMINATED from your circle of trusted advisors.  The world is a nasty enough place without any extra help…

Second, your CONVICTIONS and PASSION have the ability to overcome any challenges, roadblocks or setbacks.  Enthusiasm and confidence are CONTAGIOUS – share yours!  (look at Brett Favre.  Everyone hates him until he starts playing… then you cannot help but love him.)

Lastly, every great idea has FAILURE built into it.  UNDERSTAND that your diligence and persistence are the elements that mitigate the likelihood of failure.  If you FOCUS on success, FAILURE will no longer be a possibility.

I BELIEVE in you… do you??

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 – A Case of Learning Pains

"I can sympathise with people's pains, but not with their pleasures. There is something curiously boring about somebody else's happiness."
- Aldous Huxley

I have been thinking about "LEARNING PAINS" for the past few days as I have begun into a venture with a very good friend of mine in Nashville.  He, over the years, has CHALLENGED me to use technology better and eliminate repetition in my work.  I would like to say I have done the same for him (if only by introducing him to Timothy Ferriss' wisdoms).

Now, he is CHALLENGING me even further, asking me to implement a new system, one that works well for him and makes sense for me, into our mutual practice.  I am very excited!  It will help BarkLoud, in addition to being the backbone of our venture.

A good question to CONSIDER is whether you are experiencing enough "learning pains."  These are growing pains with a clearly defined focus on growing your knowledge, not just taking your lumps.  This is the pain caused by rapid GROWTH of your mind and awareness to a point that you feel overwhelmed.  Maybe, you should ask when the last time was you EVER felt such.

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
How many books are you READING right now?  Yes, I asked how MANY, not if you were reading at all?

What groups do you belong to that are CHALLENGING your way of thinking, manner of business, processes for success? 

What people are you SURROUNDING yourself with that are making you PAINFULLY uncomfortable on your way to sharing in their success?

Today's success step seems APPARENT.  If you do NOT have answers to the above questions… GO FIND 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.

Morning Motivator – Backing Your Commitments

"An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises."
-Mae West

Most people are HESITANT to note anytime that they have challenges in their business.  I am NOT one of those people.  My hope is that you LEARN from my challenges.

Currently, I have a client, whom I like very much, that is having some DIFFICULTIES with a service that my group has provided them.  I understand their FRUSTRATION and share it. 

My COMMITMENT to them was service and accountability, meaning that if there is a challenge, I will WORK through it to see it solved.  No excuses, no questions asked.  It is a CHALLENGING commitment, but one I WANT from the vendors I work with… How could I NOT deliver in the manner I want others to deliver to me?

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Are you BACKING your commitments in the ways of a true professional?  Are you FOLLOWING THROUGH on your word when it matters most?

SERVICE is easy when there are no challenges in the business service delivery.  Everyone smiles when business good and no one is complaining.  Where you make your MONEY and build your REPUTATION is when the "stuff" hits the fan…

Ask yourself: "If the service I provided last week caused a conflict for my client, will I see the project through to COMPLETION or just pass them off to the service/support department?"

What would you want if YOU were the client?

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 – What Game are You Playing?

"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."
- Albert Einstein

I may have mentioned this prior; however, it is WORTH repeating.  My father once told me, "NEVER play another man's game… you cannot win." 

I used to think this just APPLIED to sports and cards, yet, what he was really telling me is to get other to play MY games, the ones I knew best and knew I could win consistently.  His advice was for me to become the MASTER of my own skill sets, have advanced KNOWLEDGE of unique thoughts, and APPLY them in a way that others would have difficulty replicating.

WHOA!  Maybe we SHOULD listen to our parents afterall…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
What is YOUR game?  What do you do BETTER than those around you?

Note that you do NOT have to be the best… just better than almost everyone else.  Be the MASTER of the room, not the world.

Like it or not, your special skill is your "game" and the thing you should be challenging others to as often as possible.  Whether it is networking, politics, sales or management, you should be DRIVING your special skills to others as often as possible.

Try not to make it FEEL like you are winning a game or even challenging them, rather, allow them access to LEVERAGE your masterful skills as a partner – then do the same with their skills!  You may find that you are able to WIN the bigger game if you team up to win the smaller ones…

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 – Meaningful Accomplishments Take Time

"It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves."
- Edmund Hillary

This weekend, I CELEBRATED accomplishments with two people I care for dearly – my sister, Olivia and my best friend, Todd Shafer.  This weekend they both GRADUATED from Middle Tennessee State University.

Olivia attained her MASTERS degree after two years of dedicated including spending more than a month in Europe at the very end of her studies (a challenge I am sure).  My best friend, Todd, attained his Bachelors degree.  This may not seem quite as BIG of a deal, unless you KNOW that Todd has been working on this degree for near 12 years.

Already a SUCCESSFUL business leader and manager, Todd had very little INCENTIVE to get his degree.  He has achieved professional status and financial gain without that piece of paper so many say is NECESSARY to succeed.  This is what makes this achievement so MEANINGFUL and motivating…

2 DEGREE SUCCESS STEP:
Our focus finds CHALLENGE daily with temptations. 

We are tempted to remain STAGNANT in our place in life because we have found "current success."  Our pain is LESS than that of what it takes to change and improve, thus we stay COMPLACENT, settling for what we have as our "success," rather than seeking out our dreams.

What will Todd (or even Olivia) DO with their degrees?  NOTHING.  They are just pieces of paper.  What will they do with their UNDERSTANDING that they can achieve when focused on a goal?  ANYTHING they want.

Congrats to you BOTH for your hard work!  Go forward and inspire us all again to ACHIEVE more in our life…

Cheers,

Zach

*To view past Morning Motivators, go to http://grow-learn-lead.blogspot.com

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