Perfect practice make perfect execution…

People always seem amazed with the performance of athletes at their peak. I particularly like to watch golfers who get in the zone and can’t seem to do anything wrong. They make it look easy and effortless. The truth is, they have to spend a lot of time practicing, and to take it a step further, they have to practice correctly, accurately, and get continual refinement from top golf instructors and swing coaches.

When I practice my golf swing, I go through what I have been taught and rehearse it mentally (although you wouldn’t know it from how I actually play). Truth be told, there are times when I play fairly well, and times when I am really dialed in at the practice range. There were many years when I practiced without proper form, instruction and it was kind of like the blind leading the blind. It wasn’t until I got the proper instruction that I learned to practice perfectly. Even then, you have to stay with it.

Mentally we have to stay with it to as it relates to our mindset and expectations. If we expect to fail then we will fail. If we expect success, then we will have success. If we are not where we wish to be, then we must behave and think as if success is right around the corner. We must continue to do the things that have been successful in the past rather than reacting to circumstances and allowing those to dictate which activities we are involved in.

One thing that has really helped me over the years and I know other top performers have used is the one minute manager. This is where you take some time to think and anticipate what could go right and what might not. You want to this mental rehearsal prior to any meeting or situation that we are involved in. One big thing is that we want to expect a positive result and focus our attention on that, and not dwell on what could go wrong. So often we get in the habit of expecting things to go wrong that we are shocked when they go right. Here are some things I do to mentally practice and rehearse.

• See the outcome – really get a clear vision of where you want the end result to be.
• See yourself in the process – see yourself being successful and doing exactly what you want – if you can’t see yourself achieving something, then you won’t in reality.
• Anticipate what could go wrong and be prepared – Overall you want to focus on what you want from a positive mindset; but you must also anticipate objections, obstacles and be ready for them.

Lance Armstrong had a coach work with him and get him to look into a mirror and say in the past tense, “I won the Tour De France”. I’m sure those fella’s in the silly spandex riding on the edge of the road all know that. The point is to envision what you want in your life, rehearse it in your mind perfectly and watch it come to pass.

Ignite your passion!

Sand in the machinery of life

Many years ago I heard the phrase, “Fear is sand in the machinery of life.” It destroys, it impedes, it prevents us from being the kind of people we want to be. Another definition is, FEAR; False Evidence Appearing Real. When we buy into fear, we claim for ourselves a reality that is not necessarily a destiny that has to happen. In other words, we are the ones who shape and determine what will happen to us.

When we allow fear to control us, we get the opposite of what we desire to have. It may begin in a subtle way, maybe a word from a friend, co-worker, a television commercial; and may directly or indirectly affect our thinking. Like in a garden, we must weed these thoughts out and get rid of them. Don’t learn to deal with them, just pull them out and dispose of them. If they cannot help us get to where we wish to go, then take them out with the trash.

Can you imagine adding a spoonful of sand in with your next oil change? Your engine wouldn’t run very long and then it would be followed by an expensive repair. The engine would be ruined and need to be replaced because it would cease the engine. That’s why fear must be rooted out of our thinking. We are surrounded by it at times and to me it is extremely distasteful and disgusting. Fear has been used on me numerous times, and a few times in my past I have made decisions based on the negative emotion. However, now I am more adept at recognizing it and heading it off at the pass before it festers into a wrong decision.

The exception would be something like - if you got a letter from the IRS, and you had to act now, you might get a little rush of adrenaline, and then developed a plan of action. Even then, you turn the initially negative emotion into something useful by taking POSITIVE action.

The opposite of fear is: Confidence, Bravery, Courage, Faith, and the active pursuit of a worthy endeavor. The natural, human message of fear is to get prepared to act. Like if we see a bear in the woods – RUN! You decide and act. Or if you see a shark in the ocean while surfing – get to land NOW! The point is to act in a positive way. But when people try to get me to do something by using fear in a negative way, then I have some sign language I would like to send their way. Something like: We had better get this result in one week – Or Else!

The mind set is to direct our thinking in a positive way and therefore control what we want and how we will get there in a positive way. In business, for someone to say that; so far this month you are below where your projected results should be is ludicrous. Nice, Captain obvious. Tell me something I don’t know. And then tell me that investors are closely monitoring my results is again painfully obvious. I believe it takes maturity to be able to constructively evaluate in a state of flux, glean from the situation, change what needs to change and develop a solid plan based on something positive and not fear of failure. I have no place in my life for that and won’t tolerate and neither should you.

So, focus on what is good and right in your life, and move toward that which is positive. Make decisions because they are going to take you in a direction in which you want to go and not because you are afraid of negative consequences and “OMG what will happen if????”

You are the keeper of your thoughts and therefore your destiny. Keep your life in check by keeping your thoughts well arranged and lined up with the goals and desires you have in life and let NO ONE steal your peace by introducing fear. Keep positive and keep on truckin’.

Ignite your passion!

Know the field

With football playoffs and bowl games going on it is interesting to observe how some coaches and teams really understand what they are involved in and others don’t. I heard one coach personally calling out a star player of a opponent in a upcoming game. One coach got fired because he really didn’t understand the program and the tradition. Some players got cut from their teams because they didn’t understand the culture and team mentality.

So why is this so important? In the case of one coach who had the privilege of coaching football at a school with a great history and a tradition of winning, it was more about him, his system, and how he was going to show everyone how it’s supposed to be done. A new coach is hired and immediately it seems he knows what the job is about and is embracing the tradition, making it better and not about putting his stamp on it.

Another coach is continually railing on one of the best players in the game and picking on him personally. As a leader, he should know that there are 11 players on the field and each one has a job to do. If one fails, the entire play and sometimes the game, can be jeopardized. If I were coaching that team, I would be working on a plan to defeat the other team and customizing a strategy designed to expose the weaknesses of the opponent; not focusing on one player. A coach must get everyone playing as one man. Also, I would focus on my team and my players and making sure they are prepared and when interviewed by the media I would be professional and praise my opponent (until game time).

In relationships, whether personal or business, it is imperative that we recognize where the other is at and understand what is going on with them as well as where they want to go. It’s never about what you bring to the situation. It’s about the impact you have, within the situation, and how you can help them go in the direction they want to go. We will always have to answer to someone, so it behooves us to be clear on the goals and initiatives they have, rather than assuming we understand it all. It is always easier to conform to the situation and adapt what strengths we have, rather than thinking we can change someone against their will or impose our will.

Everyone thinks differently. If we adapt and are able to put ourselves in the others shoes and truly see their point of view, we will be able to connect in a specific and unique way. That will differentiate us from others and allow us to comprehend the way our character affects those around us.

And don’t assume you know. You know what happens when you assume. So don’t. Just because you understood something last week, doesn’t mean you still do today. Things change. So stay fresh, and keep asking questions, keep growing and be open to the consider how another thinks. Not saying you need to compromise on your values, but you will have more success if you at least are open to relate to others.

Ignite your passion!

Ebb & Flow

In golf, most instructors will tell you to not get overly excited when you hit a good shot or when things are going good and to not get too discouraged when things aren’t going well. I think the same is true in so many areas of life. Especially in business and investing. Things are cyclical. Business is that way. The stock market is a good example. Some get overly excited when things go well, rather than sitting back and wait until things even out.

This week an NFL head coach made a revealing statement which speaks volumes. He said, “I think the coach gets too much credit when things go well and too much criticism when things go wrong.” The same is true in sales management. I thing managers work hard and try and steer things in the right direction, but they cannot totally control what someone else does.

I also was copied on an email where someone having success momentarily for a number of obvious reasons and he said, “I will not be denied.” Let me say this; ANYONE can have initial success, especially when business partners hand you business. When you have success, remember that business is cyclical and so are sales cycles. So I have little respect for someone who lets temporary success go to their head. I think it is interesting to see these same people fall on their face and can’t understand why all of a sudden the well has dried up. Humility is a quality they may never possess. And the ironic thing is, the success may not have really been anything to do with their own ability, but the timing, position, etc. may have been factors in helping them achieve fleeting success. So don’t be one of these dime a dozen people that come and go every year in a sales organization.

Here are some things to help even out the ups and downs that occur in a business environment.

• Keep a level attitude; don’t buy into the highs and lows. Keep an even temperament. When things are going well, take it in stride. When thing are getting tough, keep doing the right things and know that your next deal is right around the corner.
• Keep focused on the highest payoff activities; Focus on the activities that generate the most results. Spend time on the things that will get you business and not ones that detract from where you want to go.
• Focus on others; don’t focus on how great you are. Focus on what you have to give and help others achieve as well. You must invest in other people rather than yourself and your results.
• Keep sowing; Not matter it your situation is feast or famine, keep sowing faithfully like there is nothing coming in tomorrow and you need each deal
• Keep smiling; You attitude is key and you should always have a level of confidence in yourself. So whether you are up or down, do it with style and class.

You may not always be able to control everything about your situation, but you can control how you handle it personally. Like life, business is cyclical and will have its ups and downs. Handle it with class, consistency, character, and a champion. Nothing is more unappealing than a sore loser, or a loser who succeeds. Be better than average by displaying class in everything you do.

To your success!

Ignite your passion!

Be original

Recently a top ranking US government official said that one of their inspirations was Mau Tse Tung. At first one might think that an eastern philosophy is sort of “out of the box”, innovative and intelligent. After all, it is popular to revere modern day revolutionaries and rebels. Schools are now introducing out kids to Castro, Mau, Marx and other so called rebels. And yet, you hardly hear of our founding fathers and the principles they stood for and gave of their own blood.

I don’t think people look far below the surface to truly understand what some of these people stood for and what drove them. They read a couple of quotes and have an outline of what they were about and then buy a T-Shirt with thier picture on it because it is trendy, hip, and cool.

I am not saying that we should not consider the ideas from other cultures, but I am saying that we should deeply consider what these people were about and what they stood for before we just buy into what they believe. For example, people read a few quotes, many of which are nice, and think they truly understand. For an education official to publicly declare that they turn to Mau is hideous. Mau believed in violence, tortured enemies, craved power, lived lavishly, murdered those who stood against him, and is responsible for the largest genocide in history. Yeah; sounds like someone I want to follow. Now compare that with the founding fathers of our country.

John Adams and John Hancock: We Recognize No Sovereign but God, and no King but Jesus! [April 18, 1775]

John Adams: "I have examined all religions, as well as my narrow sphere, my straightened means, and my busy life, would allow; and the result is that the Bible is the best Book in the world. It contains more philosophy than all the libraries I have seen." December 25, 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson

Samuel Adams: “ He who made all men hath made the truths necessary to human happiness obvious to all… Our forefathers opened the Bible to all.”

John Quincy Adams: “The Law given from Sinai [The Ten Commandments] was a civil and municipal as well as a moral and religious code.”

Ben Franklin: "the excellency of the Christian religion above all others, ancient or modern."

Alexander Hamilton: “I have a tender reliance on the mercy of the Almighty, through the merits of the Lord Jesus Christ. I am a sinner. I look to Him for mercy; pray for me.”

Patrick Henry: “The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed.”

Thomas Jefferson: "I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus."

James Madison: “ We’ve staked our future on our ability to follow the Ten Commandments with all of our heart.”

George Washington: “The name of American, which belongs to you, in your national capacity, must always exalt the just pride of Patriotism, more than any appellation derived from local discriminations. With slight shades of difference, you have the same religion" ...and later: "...reason and experience both forbid us to expect, that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle..."

This is vastly different from Mau, Castro, Marx, and other trendy philosophy’s. And yet they are taught less and less in schools and even more so at our universities. .I cannot help but admire the commitment and dedication of our forefathers in that they saw a vision of our country way beyond thier own lives

I for one, refuse to be a sheep and to allow popular culture and trends to shape how I think. We should not just assume we really get what these so called rebels thought. On the surface, it may appear that they had a lot on the ball, but people that lived in these countries that were affected would probably tell you otherwise. Our forefathers gave their lives and sacrificed so that we can live free and to have the freedom to think for ourselves and to worship as we see fit. Oh yeah, for someone to say that we are not a Christian nation, when over 80% of the population is still Christian and to recognize the vision our country was founded upon, is absurd. Our forefathers founded this country on Christian principle.

So, be original, don’t follow trends. Know what you are following and who you are quoting before you open your mouth and insert your foot.

To your success and Ignite your passion!