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It’s the beginning of Spring as I write this post and I’m thinking about seasons of growth. We made it through a very mild winter where I live and I’m thankful for that. But another season is upon us and it’s time for new growth to start showing up. Flowers are blooming. Trees are budding. Grass is becoming green and growing. It’s what happens during Spring!

But do you think about our personal growth much? Seasons come and go in nature. The same is true in your life. What season are you in? Are you growing? Do you have a plan to grow? Many people drift through life essentially staying the same as they were 5, 10, or even 20 years ago. Is that you? Or are you someone who seeks new growth opportunities?

Personal growth is a choice. In fact, it’s a daily choice. Change is something that most people resist, but the fact is that change is going to happen whether we welcome it or not. Things around us will keep changing. We can’t control most of it. But we can control our own growth. We can pick up a book. We can take a course. We can seek out mentors. We can step out of our comfort zones.

As you reflect on your life, are you choosing to grow or are you staying the same? When we are born, physical and mental growth happens at an exponential rate. As children, we learn something new every day because we’ve never experienced it before. As adults, many things are repetitive and we don’t learn much new. But we have a choice to make.  We can let the days slide by with the same ol’, same ol’ OR we can make the decision to stretch ourselves and learn something new through study or action.

What is one area of your life that you’d like to change? Determine one key action to take today and then do it! Choose to grow. As you grow, new opportunities will come your way. Spend a few moments thinking about the last days of your life. What do you want to look back on and be glad that you did? In order to avoid a life of regret, you’ll have to sacrifice a life of comfort. Determine to take a courageous step of growth.

Be Intentionally Great today!

Do you ever desire to be respected more?

Do you want to receive a promotion so you can achieve greater income and influence?

Start by being responsible where you are.

This is a principle that is often overlooked. We want the promotion before we’ve done anything to receive it. We want credibility before we’ve earned it. We want the benefits before we’ve done the work to receive them.

The way to receive a bigger platform is to shine in your current situation. I recently heard the story of a young woman who desired to be hired for an important role in a non-profit organization. However, she didn’t have the experience to be hired for the position. What did she do? She took an entry-level position in that organization and proved herself in the course of more than a year. Then, when her desired position was open again, she applied and was easily promoted into it.

One of the challenges of today’s culture is we expect to jump into top-level leadership roles without “paying our dues.” In past generations, people understood that they would have to work their way up the “ladder.” Today we have a microwave mindset. We expect to jump right to the top without having to gain experience along the way. If you start your own company or organization, you can do that, but I guarantee you’ll have to learn many hard lessons along the way in order to survive. It’s possible, but not as easy as many like to think.

However, if you work hard and “bloom where you’re planted” in your current role, opportunities will come. While it requires patience, you will be better prepared because of the daily work you do and the incremental growth you experience.

Don’t take it as an insult if/when people say you aren’t ready. Instead, embrace your time in the “incubator” as you mature and grow into the role you desire. Start working at the level you’ll need to when your opportunity comes. There’s a saying of “when you prepare for the moment, the moment is prepared for you.” Are you preparing for your moment? Are you doing the work today in order to receive the level of influence, impact, and income you desire tomorrow?

Being responsible where you are today leads to greater credibility and opportunities later. Show up every day and do your best work. People will notice. However, simply showing up and “putting in your time” will be noticed too. Just because you’re there doesn’t mean you’re contributing at a level that stands out.

You can do this. I believe in you! Don’t settle for coasting and expecting a promotion. Instead, prove yourself by working hard each day.

Be Intentionally Great today!

Have you ever found yourself “stuck” because you didn’t feel you were ready to start something yet?

Have you ever worried about launching a product, service, or initiative before you were confident it was “just right?”

I have good news for you!

If you truly want to become great at anything, you have to start with “imperfect action.” Imperfect action means that you start and adjust along the way. Think about it…technology companies do this all the time. They launch a product or service, then update it based on user experience. Think of how many times you’ve had to update your phone, tablet, or computer. Those updates make the device perform better. That means the product wasn’t perfect when you bought it! It has room for improvement.

Too many people die with their dreams inside of them because they are too afraid to take action before they’ve perfected everything. Too many people live frustrated lives because they don’t achieve their goals, but they never start because they aren’t confident enough at what they are offering. Don’t let that be you!

I’ve experienced this personally. A colleague and I talked about a workshop idea for months before we finally put a date on the calendar. When we did that, it forced us to take imperfect action. It forced us to learn skills we didn’t already possess. It forced us to GROW! And you know what? We led a great workshop that impacted the lives of several people. But it wouldn’t have started without taking imperfect action.

Start before it’s perfect. Implement, then adjust. Become comfortable with imperfect action and you’ll be amazed at how much farther you get in your life and work. You’ll be amazed at how you learn and grow along the way.

I believe in you!

Take imperfect action and Be Intentionally Great today!

If you’re like me, you want instant results. You want to take X action and see Y result NOW. But what I’ve discovered is that lasting results take time. It takes going through a process of growth and development to become the best versions of ourselves.

We live in a “microwave” society where we expect everything to happen FAST, but long-term development and lasting results take time. We need to learn how to patiently go through the process in a very impatient culture. Our expectations have changed exponentially over the past 30 years as computers and technology have changed the game. Remember when we waited for the screech of dial-up internet to load up so we could use email and do some browsing online? Then high-speed internet was introduced and we became impatient with dial-up. Now high-speed continues to get faster and faster, yet we are impatient with it.

So, how do we manage expectations when things are constantly speeding up? We need to embrace the process. We need to realize that it takes daily growth in order to have long-lasting, sustainable results. Don’t be a “flash in the pan” that has no long-term impact. Instead, make a commitment to work through the process to grow daily and experience the compound effect of intentional action steps.

You are becoming daily who you were created to be. Instead of wishing away the pain and struggles of today, embrace them as growing pains and catalysts to become a better, stronger, wiser person who will be able to make a greater difference tomorrow and in the years to come.

John Maxwell states in his Law of Process that “leadership develops develops daily, not in a day.” I believe that is true for so many areas beyond leadership. Your relationships, your skills, your impact develop daily, not in a day.

Realize that growth and progress often take longer than you want and cost more than you expect. But if you embrace the process and keep a long-term view of development you will be able to better manage your expectations and find yourself being more patient.

Embrace the process.

Be Intentionally Great today!

Perhaps you’re like me – you want to take action and slowing down to think and plan is awkward and challenging. Perhaps you’re the opposite – you love to think and make plans, but taking action on those plans is a challenge for you. Wherever you fall on this continuum, we must all realize that strategic planning is critical for our long-term success.

John Maxwell’s “Law of Priorities” is “Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment.” We can be busy doing many things without accomplishing much. We live in a society that wears “busyness” as a badge of honor. Ask most people how they’re doing or what’s new and they’ll say something like “Staying busy!” But one lesson I’ve learned from people much wiser than me is that slowing down and doing “deep” work is much more impacting than going fast and doing “shallow” work.

If your goal is to feel like you’ve accomplished something today, make a list of 20 menial tasks and get them done. You’ll feel good about it at the end of the day, but will you really have accomplished much? What if instead you sat down for 15 minutes each morning to think through your day and write down what matters most? What would it look like for you to strategically map out your days and weeks? Do you think your impact would increase? Do you think it could affect your influence – even your income?

A gentleman I know shared that he dedicates one hour every Monday morning just for “thinking time.” He sits down with only a notepad and pen. He dedicates this time to think about how to move forward in his business. He said the first 15 minutes can be rough sometimes, but once he’s in a good mental place, ideas start to flow. What do you think would happen in your life and work if you dedicated time to stop and think about your life and work?

Don’t get me wrong, this will require discipline and commitment for many of us. For action-oriented people this can be a real challenge. But let’s not forget the value of slowing down and planning so that we can increase our influence, impact, and income. I’m confident we’ll all be better for it.

Be Intentionally Great today!

Would you like to live a life of greatness and leave a lasting legacy? I think it’s safe to say that most people would say “Yes!” to that question. But many people aren’t sure how. Maybe that’s you.

Achieving success in your life is to be admired. It means you’ve put in a lot of energy and hard work to get there. It means you made the decision to go after your goals and visions. It means you made sacrifices in order to achieve at higher levels.

But what if there is a way to up-level your success to achieve an even greater reality? Would you want that?

The way to achieve this is to shift from “success thinking” to “significance thinking.” It’s a subtle shift, but it is what leaves a lasting legacy. A personal example of this is my grandfather. He passed away at the age of 69 when he lost his battle with cancer. He had a successful business career that he retired from several years earlier. He was a leader in his church. He was a city councilman for many years. He was an incredible father and grandfather. He took every opportunity to make an impact in the lives of people he met, even the hospital staff that took care of him up until his last day of life. He left an incredible legacy for me and my family. He did this because he didn’t settle for “success” alone. He chose to live a life of significance.

You can too. But how do you do it?

When I coach clients on how to discover their purpose, I share four key areas to reflect upon:

1 – Gifts/Skills/Abilities – What are you good at?

2 – Experiences – What personal and professional experiences have you learned from over the years?

3 – Passions – What energizes you? What angers you that you want to fix? What motivates you to get out of bed each day?

4 – Needs – What needs do you see around you that you can address?

When you find the intersection of each of these areas, you will find your life purpose. As you grow throughout your life, your purpose will grow as well. Defining your life purpose is a key step to shifting from success to significance thinking.

Let me give you two ways to make this shift:

1 – Invest in your personal growth.

Are you continually growing? Are you finding new books, articles, conferences, and trainings to attend? Do you have a mentor or coach? Are you filling your own tank so you are filled up to pour into others?

While it may be an overused analogy, putting your own oxygen mask on before you help others is critical in emergency situations and investing in your personal growth is as important in living a life of significance. Create a personal growth plan and determine to grow day after day.

2 – Find ways to invest in others. 

As you grow personally, you will be able to help others more. It could be mentoring a fellow employee. It could be helping a neighbor. It could be mentoring your child(ren). It may be serving the under-resourced and homeless population in your city. It literally could be dozens of ways. Go back to the process of discovering your purpose and seeing the needs around you. Investing in others is what builds legacies.

You have so much more to offer than you can imagine. Don’t settle for a life of mediocrity. Instead, go after a life of significance. Read one of my favorite quotes from Nelson Mandela:

“There is no passion to be found playing small – in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living.”

You are capable of so much! Choose to lead your life BIG – Be Intentionally Great – by growing and investing in others. I believe in you. I can’t wait to see the legacy you leave while you move ahead in this incredible journey called LIFE!

***If  you need to clarify your purpose and/or learn how to break through barriers holding you back from reaching your potential, please contact me. I would love to help you advance in your life.

Hey there! I hope you’re doing great today!

Do you ever feel distracted?

Do you desire to accomplish more and use your time better?

If you’re like most people, you are bombarded daily with advertisements, social media, and all sorts of people and other things demanding your time.

To overcome this, you must create a greater sense of URGENCY in your work and life. How do you do that? Set deadlines and write down the cost you’ll pay by not meeting the deadline.

My mentor Kary Oberbrunner is leading a group of us through a course to help us become “unhackable” in work and life. In one of his sessions, he stated “If I want my time to count, I must count my time. Desire without a deadline is simply a pipe dream.”

Wow! How often do you have dreams and goals that just never happen because you’ve not given yourself a deadline to accomplish them? How often are you counting your time? Do you have real dreams you’re going after or just a “pipe dream?” What is it costing you to not take action with urgency?

Block out some time in the next 2-3 days to write down the dreams and goals that you have. Then give yourself a deadline to take action on those items. Your dream may take months or years to achieve, but what will you do in the next 30 days? What will you do next week? What will you do today?

Create a sense of urgency in your life to achieve your goals and dreams by setting a deadline. Then, block the time on your calendar for when you will focus on taking action. I guarantee this will help you block out distractions and accomplish more. I’m experiencing this lesson in real time even as I type.

I would love to help you become “unhackable” in your work and life so you can achieve your goals and dreams. If you recognize that having a coach to hold you accountable and teach you how to overcome the distractions and barriers in your life is valuable and needed, contact me at [email protected]. My dream is to help YOU achieve your dreams!

Go Be Intentionally Great today!

Have you ever considered that your life’s purpose isn’t just for or about you?

Many of us struggle in life wondering what on earth we’re here for. You may ask questions like:

• What is my calling?
• What should I do with my life?
• Isn’t there more to life than what I’m experiencing?

You’re not alone. I remember pondering these questions as a teenager when my high school graduation loomed and having no clue what to do with my life. Then an international trip outside of my comfort zone happened and a mentor stepped intentionally into my life. I finally had vision for my life. I realized that I was being called to equip others to clarify their life purposes and break through barriers so they could reach their potential. I couldn’t say it that clearly back then, but that’s what was in my heart and mind.

Maybe you’re much older and still wondering what your life purpose is. It’s okay. I want to encourage you today that you were created with a great purpose for your life. If you’re still breathing, you have a purpose!

But here’s the thing – your purpose isn’t just for or about you! There are people right around you that need you to live a full life of purpose. They need you to be inspired and motivated at home, at work, and in the community in which you live. They need you to care about them and use the abilities you have to help them live better lives and experience better work environments. You are important and needed!

But how do you discover your life purpose? This can be a detailed discovery process that takes time, but here are four areas that point to your purpose:

• Abilities – What gifts, skills, or abilities do you have that can help and serve others?
• Experiences – What experiences have you had (good and bad) that can help others? Quite often, the pain we go through points to how we can help others most.
• Passions – What excites and motivates you? What do you daydream about? What makes you laugh, cry, or sing? What gets you moving in the morning?
• Needs – What are the needs you see and hear of right around you? Who is in need? What are the needs?

While we could dig much deeper into each of these areas, use the questions from each area to process on your own. Click HERE for a recent free teaching call I recorded called “How to Clarify Your Purpose & Go After Your Dreams in 2017!” I believe it will help you.

Also, maybe you have a big dream or some key goals you want to work on or accomplish in 2017. If that sounds like you, check out my upcoming Master Class on John Maxwell’s book “Put Your Dream to the Test.” For only $49, you will receive 6-sessions of teaching and coaching on Tuesday nights at 8pm EST, January 17 – February 21, 2017. You will learn 10 key questions to use as a filter for any dream or goal you have. This is the upfront work that should be done before taking action. Act fast because registration closes tonight, January 16th, at midnight! Click HERE for more details and to register.

Your life matters and not just for you! Others need you to live a life of purpose each day. You can do it. I believe in you!

Be Intentionally Great today!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. I know I did! During the holidays, I heard about and read “The 12 Week Year” by Brian Moran. This is an incredible book that not only redefines a year and how to quadruple your results, but it gives a specific plan of attack. I highly recommend you pick up a copy! You can click HERE to learn more about it and purchase it at Amazon.com.

Today I want to share one key thought that is foundational to getting the results that Moran writes about. To get the results that you desire, you must work each moment, day, and week with intentional and effective execution. Too often, we set big goals, but we don’t take the action required to get the results. Without action, the results will not come.

What do you want to accomplish in the next 12 weeks?

What are your big goals?

What strategic actions must you take to reach those goals?

Do you have a plan to effective execute those actions?

Some of us are naturally action-oriented. However, we can also lack strategy. As my mentor John Maxwell says in his Law of Priorities, “Leaders understand that activity is not necessarily accomplishment.” You must take the time to set goals, determine strategic initiatives needed to achieve those goals, then take action. Moran says that goals are reached moment by moment, day by day. He emphasizes that we can control our actions much more than we can control our results.

Too often we set annual goals and then procrastinate on tackling them until the last quarter of the year. Why? Because of the pressure of a deadline! Moran wrote “The 12 Week Year” to redefine the year to be every 12 weeks where we consistently feel the deadline approaching and celebrate our wins. Deadlines prompt us to take action. 12 weeks is a time frame that is long enough to accomplish significant goals, but short enough to put healthy pressure on us to take action.

As you get into the rhythm of your work after the holidays, I highly encourage you to pick up this book, study its material, and start making your own 12 Week Year plans. Take intentional, effective action and watch the results that you get!

Be Intentionally Great in 2017!

Do you need help setting goals, determining your strategic initiatives and putting an action plan together? I would love to help. Simply email me at [email protected].