SUMMARY
DISCIPLINE
AWARENESS
Here is a little known fact about me. You may not believe it. Trust me, I’m telling you the truth.
I love the Little House on the Prairie book series.
I do! Really!
My love affair with Little House started when I was a kid. I would lie on my couch and watch the TV show. Often.
I carried this love for the Little House TV series into college, no joke. My two college roommates were just as hooked. We’d rush back from class to catch the latest airing of the old series.
At leadership workshops, people ask me: These leadership tools are all great but I feel I am so busy and already doing so much – how can I begin to change and take on more in my life?
This is a really great question.
I am not going to sugarcoat the answer by saying personal development is easy or that it will come to you overnight. I’m sure you’d prefer the truth. I tell them and you, the hardest person you will ever have to lead is yourself. It’s not easy to do but,
Sometimes, when coaching, I ask people if they would rather live life with dreams or without any at all.
I haven’t had anyone tell me they would rather live without any dreams.
It’s in our DNA to dream, to want to stretch our possibilities. By our nature, we simply want to win: be successful, be filled up, achieve goals, climb higher. This is how we were created to be.
So, if we were created to dream, to achieve MORE and become MORE, doesn’t that mean that our dreams should be attainable?
Of course,
“Happiness begins where selfishness ends.”
This is a quote from one of my favorite leadership gurus, John Wooden.
Isn’t it the truth? Negativity is selfish in nature: it’s self-pitying, doubt-filled, and fear-driven. Unfortunately, it’s most often the choice we make.
There are plenty of times when I want to give in to exhaustion and negativity, toss in the towel and take the easy route! However, I also know that there’s no good in giving up or giving in.
In times of weakness, we must urgently ask: How are my thoughts and actions hurting those I love?
How would you like to be able to get more done without working more?
This is called working smarter. I can teach you how.
I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t enjoy that!
If your life is like mine, it’s busier and more tangled than ever. So much to think about, to do and, at times, it’s overwhelming to say the least and harder than ever to get it all done! You have new demands, challenges and opportunities that seem to continually overflow your plate – and you begin to wonder: How am I going to get ahead?
Some say you can manage your time.
Can you really?
The answer is no.
Time moves on whether we like it or not, and we can’t control it. We can’t get it back.
What you can do is manage your priorities. Priorities are those things in life you consider worthy of your time and energy. Ultimately, it’s your priorities that will determine your success, joy and fulfillment.
Getting the most out of life requires good management of your priorities.
Ask the father about the value of that memorable weekend he spent with his daughter who sadly passed away just one short year later: how much was that weekend worth to him now?
