Shake Off the Problems

A man's favorite donkey falls into a deep precipice;
He can't pull it out no matter how hard he tries;
He therefore decides to bury it alive.

Soil is poured onto the donkey from above.
The donkey feels the load, shakes it off, and steps on it;
More soil is poured.

It shakes it off and steps up;
The more the load was poured, the higher it rose;
By noon, the donkey was grazing in green pastures.

After much shaking off (of problems)
And stepping up (learning from them),
One will graze in GREEN PASTURES.

How You Can Consistently Stay Motivated

Not long ago, a business owner who reads my column asked me this question:
I was wondering what do you do when your motivation level is lacking, as well as your self esteem? What do you do to regain the motivation needed to move on with your plans and pursue your networking endeavors?

This is a great question, and here’s my answer:
First of all, let me say that I am as certain of what I’m about to say as anything in my life: Motivation comes from within you, not from outside you. No one can motivate you but yourself. I’m speaking long-term motivation. Many years ago, author Frederick Herzberg wrote about motivation in the Harvard Business Review, where he said that others can motivate you but only in the short term. He called that KITA (Kick in the… Anatomy – that’s really what he called it).

On the other hand, long-term motivation comes from within. So, that begs the question: As a business person, how do you motivate yourself when your motivation is low?

First, you should understand that virtually all people have to deal with this at some point throughout their professional lives. I’ve never met anyone who was immune to this (I certainly am not). So, what do I do as an entrepreneur and businessman when I feel down?

Here are some of the things that have helped me:

1. Minimize contact with negative people. This isn’t always completely possible but do it as much as you can. At least do this for a short while. I really believe that some people complain as though it were an Olympic event! Keep clear of them while you are trying to get your mojo back.

2. Maximize time with people that refuel your energy. You become the five or six people with whom you hang out the most. Hang out with people who make you want to “do” and “be” better. Set some meetings with them. Go to some business events together – anything that puts positive people around you.

3. Read/listen/watch positive things. If you are feeling down, read a positive book. Listen to an audiobook or podcast with a positive message. Watch something that makes you laugh. Surround yourself with some things you love to be influenced by. Let that in to your life as much as possible.

4. Prioritize the things you want to do and must do. Make a list. As a businessman, I live by lists. The more I can get a handle on the things I need and want to do – the easier it is to tackle them.

5. Eat the elephant one bite at a time. Take that list you’ve created and tackle some of that list EVERY DAY. If you really do this, you will be amazed at how much you get accomplished. The more you accomplish, the better you will feel. They feed each other.

There’s plenty more we can do to generate motivation, but I believe the list above is a good start. Also, keep this in mind: If your motivation is low it helps to step out of the small picture (the day-to-day) and remember the big picture (why are you doing what you do?). Allow yourself to be motivated by your bigger vision, and let goals drive you. Remembering why you are doing what you do in business can most certainly help you find some new energy to keep going.

If you’re still struggling with motivation after reading and trying the above, one of my friends had a great suggestion: Let your to-do list (suggestion no. 4) be driven by a short-term goal: What would you like to achieve in the next week or -- at most -- next month, that inspires you to act today? A small “win” can be very motivating.

Thanks to entrepreneur.com for the great article!

FENCES IN YOUR MIND

For more than 100 years, runners tried to break the four-minute mile. It was considered the "Holy Grail" of track and field. Many said it couldn't be done. In fact, doctors wrote articles in medical journals explaining why it was physically impossible for the human body to run a mile in less than four minutes. However, in May 1954, a British medical student named Roger Bannister ran the mile in 3:59.4. His amazing accomplishment made headlines around the world. Yet what happened afterward is even more amazing. The four-minute mile was broken again the next month...and then again...and again. It has since been broken more than 700 times, sometimes by several people in the same race. What happened? They weren't training any differently, but for the first time they believed they could do it. The barriers to the mind had come down.

NUMBER 1 SPEECH - VINCE LOMBARDI

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing.

There is no room for second place. There is only one place in my game, and that's first place. I have finished second twice in my time at Green Bay, and I don't ever want to finish second again. There is a second place bowl game, but it is a game for losers played by losers. It is and always has been an American zeal to be first in anything we do, and to win, and to win, and to win.

Every time a football player goes to ply his trade he's got to play from the ground up — from the soles of his feet right up to his head. Every inch of him has to play. Some guys play with their heads. That's O.K. You've got to be smart to be number one in any business. But more importantly, you've got to play with your heart, with every fiber of your body. If you're lucky enough to find a guy with a lot of head and a lot of heart, he's never going to come off the field second.

Running a football team is no different than running any other kind of organization — an army, a political party or a business. The principles are the same. The object is to win — to beat the other guy. Maybe that sounds hard or cruel. I don't think it is.

It is a reality of life that men are competitive and the most competitive games draw the most competitive men. That's why they are there — to compete. To know the rules and objectives when they get in the game. The object is to win fairly, squarely, by the rules — but to win.

And in truth, I've never known a man worth his salt who in the long run, deep down in his heart, didn't appreciate the grind, the discipline. There is something in good men that really yearns for discipline and the harsh reality of head to head combat.

I don't say these things because I believe in the "brute" nature of man or that men must be brutalized to be combative. I believe in God, and I believe in human decency. But I firmly believe that any man's finest hour, the greatest fulfillment of all that he holds dear, is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle — victorious."

LIFE'S GREATEST LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED ON THE HARDWOOD(en)

John Wooden is by far the greatest NCAA college basketball coach of all time. During his time at UCLA, he lead the Bruins to 10 National Championships in a 12 year period. His team won a record 88 consecutive games and he was named National Coach of the Year 6 times. He was also a 3 time All-American guard and a member of Purdue's 1932 national championship team. A legend. A man among boys. Through out his coaching years, Wooden based his core values off his Pyramid of Success. John Wooden wasn’t satisfied with Webster’s definition of success. He felt like young people deserved a healthier definition, and then laid out for them the ingredients of success in this chart..

 

 

If we all take time to reflect on Coach Wooden's success model, we can see the cornerstones of his pyramid are: Industriousness and Enthusiasm. Nothing can ever replace the value of hard work and ambition. Coach Wooden did not coach to win games. He did not coach to be the best dynasty ever created. He coached his players to be better people, to be student-athletes, to be involved in the community and most importantly, to be bring out the best in everyone. Thank you for the great life lessons, Coach Wooden!

 

“Success is peace of mind which is
a direct result of self-satisfaction
in knowing you made the effort to
become the best that you are
capable of becoming.” JRW

BATON ROUGE SURGEON, DR. CATHERINE BAUCOM, BRINGS A NEW MEANING TO BEING RELIABLE AND DEDICATED

This article was published on Yahoo News on August of 2012. Thanks for the great lesson!

Dr. Catherine Baucom was stuck in traffic while making her way to the BRASS Surgery Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Wednesday. So the determined doctor left her car behind and cut through the traffic jam on a 7-year-old's pink bicycle.

"Catherine called, she was outside my house.  She said 'Hey do you have a bike?'" colleague Dr. Brian Barnett told WAFB. "I walked outside and said yeah, it's a kids bike. I got the air pump out and aired the tires up as much as I could."

The nearly 6-foot-tall surgeon then donned the girl's helmet and peddled away.

"It was hot pink and small," Dr. Baucom said, "The helmet was pink with princesses."

Dr. Baucom then cut through traffic on Baton Rouge Interstate 10 before being stopped by police. When she explained the unusual circumstances surrounding her mode of travel, police immediately escorted her through traffic and to the operating room.

"They said we can escort you and he essentially drove past me and then he turned around and was videotaping me," Dr. Baucom said.  "I did tell him I didn't know if he could keep up with me."

Dr. Baucom herself is an avid cyclist. And as a small reward for her dedication, Dr. Barnett's daughter said she could keep the princess-themed helmet. However, the bike itself has been returned.

***This article is a great of example of doing whatever it takes to follow through with your commitments. Dr. Baucom could have easily gave into the temptations of an excuse of not showing up to surgery on time, but she did what every successful person does; she found a way to follow through with her commitment.  Thank you for the inspirational story, Dr. Baucom!

THE 10 MOST IMPORTANT WORDS

The 10 Most Important Words:

I won't wait for others to take the first step.

The 9 Most Important Words:

If it is to be, it's up to me.

The 8 Most Important Words:

If not me, who? If not now, when?

The 7 Most Important Words:

Let me take a shot at it.

The 6 Most Important Words:

I will not pass the buck.

The 5 Most Important Words:

You can count on me.

The 4 Most Important Words:

It IS my job!

The 3 Most Important Words:

Just do it!

The 2 Most Important Words:

I will.

The Most Important Words:

Me

 

 

Frank Tyger said it best... "Your future depends on many things, but mostly yourself."