People Matter

Do you want to succeed in life? Do you want to leave a legacy behind you? Do you want to build a successful business or career? These and almost anything else you desire to find in life can be achomplisehd if you will do just one simple thing, value people.   

That's it. It really is that simple. 

If you will shift your focus away from trying to chase down and acheive what you want, and instead focus on how you can help others, it changes everything.

People's greatest need is to be valued.

People want someone to take notice of them. To look them in the eye and ask them about their day. To listen to them. To treat them with kindness, decency and love. People know when you value them and they can tell when you don't. 

"The path to being a better leader is paved with the asphalt of the habits we develop" - Brad Lomenick.

Developing a few intentional habits can help you grow in how you value other people and completely change everything for you.  

Pray for people. It is hard to dislike those you prayer for. One of the quickest ways to change how you feel about someone is to pray for them. Ask the Lord to work in their life, to give you a love for them, to use them to reveal to you where you need to grow, and to draw them closer to Himself. 

Talk to people. The fastest way to get to know someone is a conversation. Sadly, people are having real face to face conversations less and less. Don't give in to the pressure to hide behind your key board. Go talk to people. Invite them to meet you for coffee, join you for lunch or the big game. Listen to what they tell you, laugh often and have fun. 

Be an encourager. There is so much power in your words. Power to wound and power to heal. There are far too many people using their words to wound and hurt. Be a person who uses their words to lovingly encourage and uplift others. Compliment and celebrate others as often as you can. 

Look people in the eye, stick out your hand & smile. Statistics say that the average person will meet 80,000 people in their life time. That's a staggering amount of people. With so many opportunities to meet new people, one of the best habits you can develop is the habit of warmly greeting everyone you meet. Never underestimate the power of a genuine smile. 
 
Walk slow. Instead of rushing from place to place and task to task. Slow down life's pace a little. Chances are you don't have to move at a break neck pace all the time. Slow it down a little and allow yourself to connect with those around you. Be open and invite other people in. 

The quickest path to finding the success you want in life or business can be found in loving and valuing people. 

Rule Your Inbox

In meetings, coffee with friends, movies and while driving down the road our phones are constantly alerting us to the next incoming message. So often that incoming message is a new email. We are collectively drowning in email.

Thankfully, there is a way out. There is a path to relieving the stress and pressure this places on us. Make these seven changes as you read, construct and disseminate email and rule your inbox.   

1. Send an email only when it is the best medium for a communication. People already receive too many emails; do not add to it unnecessarily. Ask yourself what is the best way to communicate this message? Consider all available mediums such as phone, text messages & hand written notes then determine the best medium. Don’t send an email when a phone call will do!

2. Produce good and useful email. Don’t waste people’s time with a poorly written email. It should be clear, concise and effective. Write with the reader in mind. Make sure they know; why you are emailing them specifically, what you want / need and if they need to respond? The subject line should provide clarity, generate curiosity and help the reader know how to treat your email.

3. Check email only at predetermined times. Set aside specific times to check email and keep it closed at other times. Morning, after lunch and at the end of the day should be sufficient. You may need to send emails throughout the day but only check emails at these predetermined intervals.   

4. Do something with every email in my inbox every time you check email. Answer it, erase it, folder it or forward it. Empty your inbox each time you check email.

5. Automate as much as possible. Create templates for common emails and use them. Better to spend time constructing a good and effective communication once than to repeatedly create ineffective email on the same topic.  

6. Respond to an email only when it accomplishes something. If you would not write it on paper and mail it don’t email it either. Give greater significance to email by only writing important messages.

7. Use email for its proper function. Tools serve specific purposes and are to be used accordingly. Email is a tool for the effective communication of important information. It is not a task list or RSS feed nor to be used for anything other than its proper use.

3 Extremely Simple Steps to Succeed in Life

Simple guides are not any easier to follow, they just provide us the clarity of vision we so often need. Today I want to share with you three steps that if you execute on consistently you will look back one, two or even twenty years from now and see your life as a success.

1. Make Friends

Be the type of person who is always looking make and be a friend. Treat others with kindness and take an interest in their life. Invite others to join you on your journey.  

2. Grow As An Individual

Invest in your own development. Personal growth doesn't happen over night but you will be amazed at how much you grow if you simply take the time to learn and stretch yourself. If you want to achieve big goals in life you have to become a different person, meaning you have to grow.

3. Help Other People

Extend a helping hand to others. There are people all around you who could use your help. Take note of them and see how you can meet real physical, emotional and spiritual needs in their lives. 

No matter your career path, these three steps are the key to leading a successful life. 

You Have A Choice

Your decisions are immensely powerful. Circumstances and situations do not have the power and sway we often to believe. By and large your outcomes are determined by the choices you make. 

To reach the ultimate outcomes you desire out of life you have to consciously make determinations to get you there. To reach your goals and achieve your desired outcomes there are two primary things you have to decide what you will do with.  

1. The thoughts that go through your mind

At some point I will have to devote greater ink to expounding on this area but today I want to focus on a few thoughts regarding the life of the mind. 

What will you fill your mind with? You woke up this morning with thoughts swimming around inside your head, many of them weren't positive, and you have to decide what you will do with them. Will you dwell on them? Will you begin to believe them? Will allow those thoughts, that did not originate with you, to determine how you approach your day? Or will you take control of the thoughts in your mind? Will you take those thoughts swimming in your mind through the truth test? Will you weigh them and compere them to truth? Today you have the opportunity to determine what your mind dwells on. As a man thinks, he will become. I encourage you to fill your mind with thoughts becoming the person you want to be. What thoughts will you choose to dwell on today? 

Our thoughts drive our actions. How we think and what we believe will determine the direction our feet move. Wherever your mind is, you will end up. If you think the mountain is too high to climb, you won't climb it. If you think certain obstacles in your life are insurmountable, they are. If you believe you are lacking in dignity, worth or value, you will behave in a manner that reflects it. However, if you will set your mind on good and positive things, you will act in accordance with those thoughts.  

Your attitude is a choice. Earlier I stated that circumstances and situations held far less sway over us that we often image. I specifically had this point in mind. While circumstances are real, we ultimately have the power to choose our attitude. We have the ability to choose to remain positive when hard times come. We have the power to choose to joy when the ground is shaking beneath our feet. We have the opportunity to have an attitude of service when all we want to dwell on are our difficulties.   

2. The opportunities before you

Each day we have to decide what we are going to do with the opportunities before us. These opportunities can be condensed to the question of how you will steward your time, the people who cross your path, and the resources you have. 

Each of us has 24 hours to steward each day. Your day, my day and your neighbor's day is 24 hours in length. Since our time is limited we have to make decisions about how we will utilize each moment of the day. You can spend your time on mindless activities, and non-productive tasks or you can choose to invest your time in productive, positive, life giving tasks. How do you allocate that time? What do you do with your lunch break, or your commute?  How do you leverage the seemingly small number of hours in the day towards effecting your desired outcomes?   

You will meet roughly 80,000 people in your lifetime. Studies have stated that the average person will interact with roughly 80,000 people throughout the course of their life. Each of those interactions is an opportunity to make a difference. How different would the outcomes in your life be if you viewed each new interpersonal interaction as an opportunity to add value to the life of another?  

You are wealthy. If you are reading this post, you are immeasurably rich. You may not pull down a six figure salary or drive a fancy car but you have resources beyond measure. Your income, your home, your vehicle, your relationships, and your talents are all resources latent with opportunity. I want to challenge you to look at each of the resources you have as an opportunity. The decisions you make regarding the wealth of resources at your disposal not only puts your heart on display but directly impacts the outcomes you achieve in life.  

Be Thankful Things Are Hard

If you have been working towards a goal or a dream for any length of time you are aware that things are hard. Maybe your hitting road blocks. Maybe results aren't coming as quickly as you had hoped. Maybe your starting to wonder if you will ever get there or even contemplating throwing in the towel and giving up. Today I want to spend a few moments sharing with you a few reasons why you should be thankful things are hard and keep pushing forward. 

Stop and think about that for a second or two. I just told you that you should be thankful that whatever it is your working towards is hard, difficult and trying. Why would I say that? Because the actual, very real hard work and time it takes to achieve your goals / dreams accomplishes more than we are often aware.   

Working hard not only increases your appreciation of achievements, through it you learn and develop qualities that could not have been learned through any other process. The very process of working tirelessly to reach your goals can be your greatest teacher.

You learn how to persevere and remain diligent in the face of difficulty. 

You learn the value of patience and to delay gratification. 

You learn the meaning of commitment. 

You learn the incredible value of consistency.    

Next time you are tempted to give up, or just complain about how hard and difficult things are, take a moment and reflect on all the things that very thing you hate is working in you. Be thankful for how difficulty and hard work are shaping your character.