We were out of the house before 7am on a snow blown morning. My daughter was going to her first Junior Lifeguard competition. She was excited as she raced to the pool. Her enthusiasm was fantastic, even though she had expressed being a tad of nervous. Aren’t we all a bit like that when we try something new? Some people even have fear. There can be a whole range of emotions. I believe this gives us our competitive edge. Enthusiasm, nervous energy, and practice channelled with focus offers peak performance.

As the events progressed, she became frustrated because she did not place as she had hoped. I listened attentively. Here was an opportune time for a lesson. When we try things for the first time, we cannot expect perfection. We need to strive for excellence by giving our best efforts. What matters most is that we “show up”. How many people had the opportunity to compete? How many people actually did compete? You see, we all have opportunities that come our way but it is the choice to take action on those opportunities that makes the difference.

I went on to ask her if she had learned what she could do to improve her performance. She started to rattle off a list of things. If we reflect and review our performance, we can improve our game plan and our performance. It is important to learn from our lessons but far greater importance to look at our progress. Look at where you have come in the past year and how much you have grown as a person. Celebrate – You “showed up” and you are amazing!
I am proud of my daughter for “showing up”, her accomplishments, and letting me share this lesson with you.

• Show Up

• Aim for Excellence, Not Perfection

• Give Your Best

• Reflect & Review

• Learn the Lesson

• Look at Your Progress

• Celebrate

We can be our own worst critic. Remember if you “show up”, you have already gone further than those who chose not to. Showing Up Trumps All!

Do you ever feel that you are waiting for something big to happen? Are you waiting for a big break that will skyrocket your career or business? Are you waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and sweep you off your feet? What would happen, instead of waiting around, you stepped into taking action and met your miracle or unexpected surprise?

You may have heard the joke about the man who kept praying to God to win the lottery. After several times, he heard the voice of God say, “Can you please buy a ticket?” You cannot win the lottery without a ticket. You cannot skyrocket in your career or business looking at a computer screen or daydreaming. You cannot meet the man of your dreams sitting on the couch at home and watching television. Perhaps you are waiting for someone to do something for you. If so, do they know you are waiting and for what? You could be waitng a long time.

This is why it is so important to take action and responsibility for the things we want in our lives. I believe miracles and wonderful things happen in our lives everyday if we stop and pay attention to them. I also believe your efforts are rewarded. There is a turning point which occurs in everyone’s lives where they are pleasantly surprised at one time or another. Meet your dreams at the door.

BELIEVE

Believe. Believe, your dreams and goals to be real, tangible, and achieveable.

Envision. Envision achieving your dream or goal daily.

Live. Live your life looking for unexpected pleasant surprises.

Impact. Think about the impact achieving your dream or goal will have in your life and in the lives of others.

Empower. Empower yourself by listening to audiobooks, reading, or surrounding yourself with like-minded people.

Value. Value yourself and others. Give value to others and they will support you.

Energize. Get excited about your life and look forward to what awaits you.

Waiting lets your mind play tricks on you. You may start worrying about the “hows” or doubting in your abilities. What I do know is – everything happens at the right time. The right people will come into your life and the hows will be solved. We do not always understand the timing but it happens when God or the Universe believes it to be in alignment.  Step out and take action! Take an extra course, go out with your girlfriends, and buy your lottery ticket. You do not have to wait…the world is waiting for you!

Has waiting costed you an opportunity? Share your experiences with us!

I was walking briskly by the magazine rack at the gym and one of the headlines on a magazine caught my eye. The title read, “Lose weight without trying.” I began to wonder how was that done. A magic pill, the cure all for cellulite. Perhaps, positive thinking will melt away the pounds of Christmas sweets and baking. I am afraid not. I did not open the magazine to read the article but it got me thinking. Can you achieve your goals without trying too?

Goal setting is an exercise of your mind. You must get clear on what it is you want so you can start moving toward achieving it. Keeping track of your goals in your mind is not very effective. You must write them down, hence the phrase, “Think it and ink it.” By doing this, you make your goals more tangible and real. You also bring your goals to a greater awareness; they are not something you tuck in the back of your mind and only retrieve when the time feels right. If you want something bad enough, the time should be right now. If not, when?

Goals have parameters that need to be considered when writing them out. You need to be specific with what it is you wish to achieve. Maybe you do want to lose weight. If so, much? Once you are sure on what it is you want to achieve, what will demonstrate to you that you have achieved it? For weight loss, it could be the scale, how you feel in your clothes, or the measurements you read as you use a tape measure on different circumferences of your body.

You need to be able to measure your results. In what time frame do you wish to achieve your goal? Now with that being said, goal setting is specific to individuals. Your goal is set and completed by you, no one else can achieve your goal for you as it is your vision for vision for yourself. You have to be invested in yourself. Are the goals you have set achieveable and realistic for you and the time frame you set to accomplish ? Setting a goal to lose 20 pounds in one week is not realistic nor healthy for you. Do you see what I mean? How does someone achieve a goal without trying?

A person needs to take action steps to create a momentum toward achieving their goals. Goal setting is the “magic pill” of achievement. Consistent action and cultivation of healthy goal setting or habits will take a lot further than “without trying”. As Dr. Phil would say, “How is that working for you?”

I have been listening to an audio book entitled “The Likeability Factor” by Tim Sanders. This is an excellent content rich book about what characteristics make people more likeable and how these qualities make them more successful. Sanders states that a person’s “L” factor or “likeability factor” has to do with four key concepts.

3. Relevance. How does another person connect to your life? Find out what another person’s passions are; this can include their hobbies or interests and remember to also share your passions with them. He recommends that we seek to understand how the person we have met has significance in in our own lives. When someone fulifills our needs they have satisfied a “sweet spot”, therefore they become more relevant to us. We can also seek what significance we have to the other person in return.

4. Empathy. Ask about another person’s feelings or think about what you would feel like if you were in their situation. Form an emotional connection and show that you really care. By being empathetic versus simply sympathetic makes you become more likeable. He uses the movie “Groundhog Day” as an example of how a character who insults others can learn how to become empathetic and thus more likeable.

People who are likeable get better treatment and also get their needs met. Sanders elaborates on how the reader can become more likeable with fabulous tips and techniques. Great book for all areas of your life!

One exercise that I enjoyed was…

Think about the qualities that you most often get complemented on. These are some of the “likeability” qualities that people receive from you. Often the qualities you like in others are qualities you also possess. Insightful!

This is definitely a book you need to read or listen to more than once. Better yet add it to your library collection. There is so much great content to apply to your life right now.

Be Likeable from the Inside and Out!

Debra