Daily Boost — Motivation and Coaching

Do you have long-held dreams and goals that you need a little motivation to get yourself moving? Laura and I have worked together for over a decade on various projects. Her latest was a move from a long-time career into something she was in which she was more passionate. After several months, her dream transformed into a goal. The roadmap was in place. Action was the only thing needed to turn dreams into reality—then nothing happened. Months passed by with little or no action. It seemed that life was always getting in the way of Laura's dreams. When I asked what was going on, she said, "Oh… I don't know. I always seem to have something more important on my mind." That's common, and what John Lennon meant when he said, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." Over the years, I have found that people tend to ACT and DO what serves them best at the moment. All while dreaming and planning what they want. It's an exhausting way to live, but you can set yourself free by asking yourself a simple question - "How bad do I want it?" Truthfully answering that question will do one of two things. It will propel you into action or have no impact at all. If you find yourself motivated and moving, all is well. If not, you have another question to ask - "If I don't want it that bad, should I drop it and move on?" Everybody has ideas and dreams that enter their mind throughout their lives. The important tend to cause automatic forward action. Your life transforms, and everything begins to go in a new direction. For the others, you may want to consider that it's not as important to you as you thought. The best thing is to get your ego out of the way, scratch it off your list, and make room for something that excites you. When you do, incredible new opportunities that have been hiding from you for years will enter your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When I was growing up, I was an energetic, enthusiastic, and excitable child. I never let a day go by without challenging something - usually with my mouth. Thanks to those responsible for turning me into a good person, I learned a valuable lesson when they said- "Listen twice as much as you speak. You have two ears and one mouth for a reason." You’ve heard that before, and in today's fast-paced world, knowing when to put a zipper on your lips is critical. But, I've also learned to take that advice to a new level to get what I want. I call it doing “Dark." When you go "Dark," you have chosen to listen to others less. Yes, you are still listening, caring, and interacting with those around you. You've decided to listen to yourself twice as much instead. The world we live in today makes it seem as though it's impossible to get what you want without others. There are endless hours of interacting, Googling, ZOOMing, Texting, and more. It's as if we've lost permission to think and do for ourselves. We can't move forward without the social approval of those around us when the exact opposite is true. When you give yourself space to listen to yourself more, something extraordinary happens. Your creative mind and talents flourish—your positive energy rebounds. You feel more present and find more meaning in your life. Going "Dark" makes your life brighter, and then the good stuff happens. When you take the time to slip away into your own space, you develop into the person you were meant to be. Removing yourself from the buzz of the world gives you a new kind of energy. And you do it without anybody's permission or without anybody knowing. When you emerge, everybody will notice that you are different. They will listen when you speak, seek your advice, and be attracted to you in a new way. Who knew that listening twice as much as you speak works even better when you listen to yourself twice as much as you listen to others? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is a significant benefit of growing older and wiser, figuring out what works in most areas of life. The school of hard knocks is a great place to master most areas of life - including productivity. I'm always amazed at how much time people fritter away deciding how to be more productive—always trying to keep up with their never-ending daily list of things. Eventually, though, we all learn that a good life will always offer more opportunities than you can ever use. The day will come when it becomes easier to focus on what’s important and yields consistent results. I ran into that when I learned to fly little airplanes. Aviation is over one hundred years old. That means new pilots experience information overload as their Instructor crams their brain full. And flying airplanes can be unforgiving when you get things wrong. That causes you to micro-focus on little details - especially when performing your Pre-Flight Checklist. One day, while walking to our airplane, I was freaking out. I was finding it impossible to remember the thousands of items that make for a safe flight. I remember saying - "There is so much on my list, and I keep thinking I'm going to miss something and get myself hurt… or worse." My Instructor smiled… "That's not a list of everything you need to do. It's a Checklist for what to do now. I like to think of it as my DID I DO IT LIST. That way, I'm only double-checking that I did the important stuff." Pure brilliance! From that day forward, I embraced the "Did I Do It" philosophy in flying. It also became the mantra for how I go about getting things done. Why does it work? A "Did I Do It List" assumes that you already know what you must accomplish. All you have to do is make sure you've done it. It allows you to release the stress of information overload and enjoy yourself more. Plus, the serotonin boost you get from seeing how much you have accomplished feels great. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices