Doing the Impossible

When the task/goal/project we are tackling seems overwhelming, it's easy to delay/avoid/procrastinate.  Unfortunately, if it's something that needs/must be done, we are creating daily stress for ourselves each day we fail to address it.

The only way I know to do the seemingly impossible is - one step at a time.

Even if we call in reinforcements, at any stage, we're already x steps closer to completion, once we've started.  And for many of us, just getting started is the hardest part.

I tackled a seemingly impossible project recently.  Fortunately, I didn't actually know how large, and growing the tasks were when I began.  Getting started had its own rewards.  And, it since it involved manual labor, I could visually relish each portion completed.  Since I gave myself the option to call in reinforcements at any stage, and my timeline for doing the seemingly impossible was fluid, I remained motivated to finish.  Another silent success relished!

When we tackle the seemingly impossible we need to:

• start
• give ourselves options
• celebrate each interim achievement
• continue or call in reinforcements

On Track?

How can it be that today marks the halfway point of 2014!  My running goal is quantitative and easily tracked day by day, week by week, and against my annual objective.  And, I'm happy to be slightly ahead of my YTD mileage.  Some other goals aren't quite that precise, as they are either done or undone by year end, and percent completion isn't easily tracked or possible.  And other aspirations haven't been committed to the precision of measurable goals.  Today's a great day to adopt a New Year mentality and assess where we are, where we want to be and how we're going to get there.

Milestones

We generally think of milestones as being major accomplishments.  However, as I embrace moving forward one day at a time, it's encouraging to consider addressing, accomplishing and celebrating as milestones, anything that we complete that might have impeded our progress.

Milestones are as unique as the individuals who achieve and recognize them.

Achievement is Timeless

It was so exciting to get another confirmation that recognition of exceptional achievement transcends time and generations.  Gar just texted that he was visiting with the former #1 athlete in a very competitive sport. I know from a previous conversation that this man is nearer my age than Gar's.  With so much media focus on the most current achievers, it's nice to realize that once one has reached the top of his or her game, there is multi-generational interest and appreciation for what it took to rise to the top.

Degrees of Difficulty

Julia, Gar and I had long anticipated this past long weekend and approached our three very different races - 5k, marathon and half-marathon with varying degrees of preparation.  The only different challenge facing me in my 5k was Austin's hills, as the distance was within my 1 - 3 mile daily run range.  Julia prepared diligently for her first marathon, after successfully completing 4 half-marathons and two Ragnar relays.  And though several of her training runs incorporated distances greater than her previous longest distance of 13.1 miles, she'd not yet completed 26.2 miles, nor had she trained on hills like Austin would present.  And Gar approached his first half-marathon, with the expectation that years of athleticism and youth, rather than training, would serve him well.

We each completed our races with better results than expected.  And we each embraced different degrees of difficulty for ourselves.  My race would not have been a challenge for either of my children, but I increased my normal pace and ran my fastest time ever.  Gar's race was an amazing feat for him, but would have just been a 5th half-marathon finish for Julia.  And Julia's goal-setting, preparation and determination served her well in completing a race which a small percentage of the population even attempts.  Yet, scores of runners also completed her race.

It worked out beautifully that we were all proving something only to ourselves, and could appreciate and celebrate the accomplishments of our other cherished family members.

It's important to realize that what is easy for one is a momentous accomplishment for another.  Degrees of difficulty are very individualized.

Measure and Modify Goals

Goals provide a measurable way to track progress toward something important.  Setting goals is a critical first step, followed by consistent steps for achievement.  Despite our best plans for execution, life sometimes gets in the way.  That's when we need to adjust our plan - not abandon it.

My health goal for the year was running 400 miles.  As I saw that I was going to exceed this, I set a new stretch goal of 500 miles, and was making good progress for achievement.  Then life through me a huge curve ball.  When I was unable to run during the month of October, I could have scrapped the 500 mile goal and decided that 400 was good enough for 2013.  Instead, I decided to modify my plan and still strive for what had now become a true stretch goal.  Thus, a little mist and 42 degrees didn't keep me from running this morning, nor did morning and early afternoon appointments yesterday.  I made clothing modifications this morning and timing ones yesterday.  If I'd not decided to stick with my mileage goal, I'd have easily rationalized two missed day of physical activity.

Goals keep us moving - sometimes literally.

Be Successful Where You Are

Recently, I had the chance to hear Jay Steinfeld, Founder and CEO, of Blinds.com talk about his company's incredible company culture.  I've embraced one of the vivid ways he casts a vision for personal and company success:

• Be Successful Where You Are

As he made successive steps across the front of the ballroom, indicating that each step toward a goal could be viewed as failure, until achievement of the goal, it made a huge impact in my way of addressing success. Though setting and achieving goals is enormously important, we need to be careful not to define success solely by achievement of the next milestone.  We owe it to ourselves to celebrate current success while striving for even greater successes each step of the journey.

Start, Stop and Continue

Today has been filled with milestones:

• Start - we celebrated a special colleague's achievement of her U.S. Citizenship
• Stop - we toasted another special colleague's retirement
• Continue - as of today I've run enough miles to be on pace to reach 500 miles by year end: 100 miles over my 2013 annual goal

Life is a series of starts, stops and continuations.  We don't often get to vividly recognize all three phases in a single day.  Celebrations, large and small, provide important connections, acknowledgements and incentives.

Here's to new beginnings, happy conclusions and productive progress achieving!

Willpower and Won't Power

Willpower is an oft valued component for achieving our goals.  It is important, helpful and high impact.  However, each of us is motivated somewhat differently.  It struck me, as a dear friend mentioned the limits of willpower, that it might be beneficial to also incorporate won't power.  For instance:

• Losing weight - willpower - stick to a prescribed diet; won't power - allow the dieter to indicate that she/he won't deviate from the diet more than 2 times per week
• Increasing Exercise - willpower - implement a well-crafted exercise regimen; won't power- allow the exerciser to indicate that no more that 3 consecutive inactive days will be allowed

Pairing willpower and won't power strikes me as a way to recognize the realities of life's best intentions.  Incremental winning may result rather than giving up because of an unmet goal. 

Expect the Best!

I'm continually thrilled when others go above and beyond the great things I expect!

What Do You Mean by Can't?

When we say we can't do something it can mean:

• we have a conflict
• we don't want to
• we don't know how
• we are not physically able
• we don't have the qualifications
• we are not geographically near the opportunity
• we don't have permission
• we don't have time
• we don't have resources
• we've already done it and it's a one-time opportunity

When it's something we'd like to pursue if the reasons above could be overcome, it's helpful to think in terms of I haven't rather than I can't. 

If I say that I haven't yet done something, it leaves the door open for barriers to achievement to be removed. 

Losing 100 Pounds

Those of you who know me know that I don't have a weight issue, so you may be wondering what I know about losing 100 pounds.  In a recent discussion with a new friend about tackling challenges in 2011, she said that she needed to lose 100 pounds.  It struck me that her reason for not addressing it full force, as she does her business opportunities, was the enormity of the challenge.  I've decided that the best way to lose 100 pounds is to focus on losing 10 pounds and celebrate this milestone when it is achieved.  After celebrating, the next goal might be to lose 10 pounds.  We've often heard that the best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.  The best way to tackle an enormous goal is to break it into doable chunks.

Close only Counts in Horseshoes

Whether we're selling, traveling, fishing or sewing, close isn't good enough. Close only counts in horseshoes.  The fish that we don't land never make it to a photo or dinner plate.  Regardless of how hard we try to make it to the airport on time, the plane will leave as scheduled whether we're on it or not.  And when we're selling, negotiations that fall apart won't benefit our paycheck.  Regardless of the thousands of stitches completed in a needlework project, if we're missing the final 12" of thread needed to complete the project, it remains a work in progress. When something matters to us, we must commit to do what it takes to get what we want.

100 Blogs! One Step at a Time

It is important to have a goal in mind (almost every time) when you tackle a new project. For me, becoming a blogger, did not exactly fit this model. Two people, my best friend and our Sterling Bank New Media Editor kept telling me that I should blog. One weekend in May, I responded to their challenge and encouragement. Had I been told then that I had to create 100 blogs by the end of September, I would never have started.

I had no idea that I had 100 things to say and share.

This experience has reinforced for me the importance of taking one significant step at a time. And, the impact of listening to those who care about us and who value our perspective.

I am most appreciative of those of you who have read my blogs, provided comments and forwarded my entries to your friends and colleagues.

Thank you!

How Do You Measure Success?

Swimming laps tonight provided me a change of perspective. I wish I could say that I enjoy exercise, but alas, that is not the case. I do, however, enjoy swimming. My nature is to set and exceed goals. I realized tonight that this sabotages my exercise objectives. Though I enjoy swimming, I assigned 100 lap objectives to my swimming. If I didn't have time to accomplish 100 laps, it discouraged me from swimming. A simple change of perspective will lead me to a healthier life. Rather than counting each lap as a percentage of the 100 self-imposed laps, I decided to count each lap as improving my health by 1%. Now, if I'm interrupted at 60 laps, I'll know that I'm 60% healthier than if I'd not gotten in the pool (and not a D student at 60% of 100). It worked exceptionally well. I was interrupted at x # of laps. Rather than trying to determine how many laps I'd completed, I started over. I completed 100 +++++ laps.

Hope you also begin to measure success incrementally.

Management by Bumper Sticker

Simple Ways to Manage Your Career and Business One (Potential) Bumper Sticker at a Time

Always Anticipate Actions
Be Believable and Best
Create Camaraderie
Communicate Concisely
Diligently Deliver
Dream Dreams
Excel
Find Faults and Fix
Give then Get
Golden Rule Rules
Go for Your Dreams
Go for Your Goals
Have a Heart
Imagine Incredible Impacts
Justly Judge
Keep Confidences
Lifetime Learning
Make Magic
Management Meticulously
No Nonsense
Open Other Options
Passionately Pursue Perfection
Relish Relationships
Sell Succinct Solutions
Tell the Truth
Understand Unselfishly
Verify
Win with Wisdom
eXit with eXcellence

Aladdin Factor by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen

The Five Barriers to Asking for What We Want:
1. Ignorance – We don’t know what to ask for. We don’t know what is available and possible. We don’t know how to ask.
2. Limiting and Inaccurate Beliefs – We are programmed by parents, schools, media, religious training and doctors. Most common limiting beliefs – If you loved me, I wouldn’t have to ask; the world is not a responsive place; my success will deprive someone else; if I get what I want, it will make me unhappy.
3. Fear – of rejection, looking stupid, being powerless, of humiliation, of punishment, of abandonment, of endless obligation.
4. Low self-esteem.
5. Pride.

The Benefits of Asking (for anything) include better business and personal relationships.

Seven Characteristics of the Masters of the Lamp
1. They know what they want.
2. They believe they are worthy of receiving it.
3. They believe they can get it.
4. They are passionate about it.
5. They take action in the face of fear.
6. They learn from their experience.
7. They are persistent.

A key is knowing what to wish for. Clarify your vision. What do you truly desire in each of the following arenas:
1. Marriage and love relationships
2. Family and friends
3. Home
4. Furnishings and other possessions
5. Car and other forms of transportation
6. Clothes, jewelry, etc.
7. Job and career
8. Money and finances
9. Achievements
10. Health and physical fitness
11. Recreation and free time
12. Personal and spiritual growth
13. Things you would like to contribute to your community.

Overcome Fear (Fantasized Experiences Appearing Real)
Imagine the desired outcome.
Use positive self-talk. The Little Engine that Could.
Don’t wait for the perfect moment.
Focus on the other person’s needs.

Ask as if you expect to get it.
Ask someone who can give it to you.
Get the other person’s full attention.
Be very specific in all of your requests.
Ask for what you want, not for what you don’t want.
Have unbridled passion for your purpose, project or goal.
Ask with eye contact.
Give something to get something.
Explain what’s in it for them.
Ask the same people again and again. 46% of all salespeople ask for business one time. 24% ask for business two times. 14% ask for business three times. Only 4% of all salespeople ask the same person for their business five times (which represents 60% of all business sold).
A no may be a blessing in disguise.
Be gracious in accepting no and don’t burn bridges.

At home, make sure you are asking rather than telling.

At work, ask for excellence.
Explain the consequences clearly.
Ask for an appointment.
Ask for referrals.

Ask yourself "How would the person I’d like to be do the things I’m about to do?"

Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe

In Peak Performance for High Achievers by John Noe, the author poses 10 questions to help you decide if you have what it takes to become a high achiever:
1. Do you really want to become a high achiever? (A key to self-discipline is desire.)
2. Do you have a strong inner urge to reach out? (The urge to create, to achieve, to reach out is like a compressed spring inside the high achiever.)
3. What matters most to you?
4. What are you willing to invest? (High achievement requires an enormous amount of energy, time, effort and commitment.)
5. How much are you willing to endure?
6. What are you willing to give up?
7. How much responsibility are you willing to assume?
8. Are you willing to start where you are?
9. Are you willing to think for yourself?
10. Are you willing to settle for nothing less than your full potential?

If you have the raw material, John Noe shares the six basic attitudes that you must adopt to realize your ultimate potential:
1. High achievers make no small plans.
2. High achievers are willing to do what they fear.
3. High achievers are willing to prepare.
4. High achievers are willing to risk failure.
5. High achievers are teachable.
6. High achievers have heart.

He says it is this simple: If you want to become a successful salesperson, you must make the daily calls necessary for making sales. Most successful salespeople, he says, have learned that it takes a lot more than simply having a good product to be successful. They know it requires working long hours, carefully planning everything they do, and preparing themselves to be the best salesperson they can possibly be. Then, with a good product, they can become successful.