No time to coast

The holiday season is upon us with Thanksgiving mere days away, and Christmas only a few weeks beyond. 

It can bring a lot of stress and drama into your life. 

What to get everyone and how to make every person you know feel loved and special?

The slow depletion of your bank account or ever accumulating debt adds to this stress. 

But these are not acceptable reasons to coast these next several weeks. 

Coasting is the temptation most face between now and the New Year. 

It is in the air this time of year. Everyone it seems is shifting things into neutral and waiting for 2017 to end and 2018 to begin. 

Don’t let that be you. 

Resolve to hold the line. 

To remain vigilant and consigned to the disciplined path. 

Discipline won’t allow you to coast. It forces you to stay in the game and keep moving forward. 

Does that mean you can’t relax and recharge? No, it means you don’t waste your time the next 6 weeks. 

It means you keep getting up early and grinding it out. 

It means you don’t blow all the hard work you’ve put in this year by letting it all go right before you cross the finish line. 

Let everyone else take time off. Let the whole world coast these next few weeks. 

You’ll be busy getting after it and taking ground. 

Blame

This blog is one about improving yourself mentally, physically, relationally and in every way possible.

It’s about helping you think differently about the path you walk. To consider ideas and perspectives that encourage and uplift you, but also challenge you to do things differently. 

You will fail in your doing, however. All of us do. 

But who’s fault is it?

Where do you turn for answers and most importantly who do you blame?

While there may be environmental, economic and physical reasons why things don’t go your way, there is ever only one person to blame.

You. 

Your failure is no one else's fault. It is wholly your own. 

The sooner you embrace that truth, the sooner you’ll be ready to do something about it. 

To correct course and move forward. 

As long as you're stuck blaming everything and everyone else other than yourself, however, you’ll remain stuck and unable to gain traction. 

Too many spend their lives playing the blame game. Don’t let that be you. 

Take ownership of everything in your world. The good, the bad and most importantly the path forward. 
 

Waste not your days in idleness

“Ye lads whose age is fitted for reading,” Alcuin said, “learn! The years go by like running water. Waste not the teachable days in idleness!” 

The years do pass by like an ever-flowing stream. 

And you're faced with one sobering reality—your days are numbered and you don’t how many you’ll get. 

So why waste them? 

Why spend them binging on entertainment and frivolous pursuits, when bigger, better and greater things are calling? 

You want to squeeze every drop you can out of life. To be the best and most remarkable version of yourself you can muster. 

You don’t slack and take your eye off the ball on purpose, it’s just the easiest thing to do.

One compromise here or there, and you slowly drift into idleness. 

You must fight compromise and idleness at every turn, especially on things that seem insignificant. That’s where your battle is won or lost. 

Big things are easy. It’s the small things that don’t appear the matter that in the end matter most of all. 

Reading is like that. It is a small habit that avoiding or forgetting doesn’t appear to impact your life today. And one day without reading doesn’t set your course for destruction and ruin. The problem comes when one day turns into two, and two becomes three, and so on and so forth until you look up one fine day and realize all the opportunities to learn and grow you've missed. 

It’s the same with what diet, exercise and a whole host of tiny habits and routines that don’t appear important on the surface. Their magic isn’t found in the days work, but in the compounding effect, they’ll have if you’re consistent over time. 

So stick to the path. 

Stay the course. 

Don’t allow slack and idleness to creep into your easy chair. In fact, throw out your easy chair and get after it because seizing the day ain’t easy. 

It takes constant vigilance to hold the line on even the tiniest of things.    

Comparison is the thief of joy.

Remember that the next time you’re tempted to become downcast at the triumphs of another.

So what if John can deadlift 600lbs. 

You’re not him. 

And if you are, remember that you’re not the guy who can deadlift 1000lbs. 

The pout is: there is always someone better. Always someone to whom you don’t quite measure up. Someone who makes you feel weak and insecure. 

Don’t let it bother you. 

In fact, you should cheer them on. 

Why? 

Because the only person you should compare yourself to is you from yesterday. 

Are you the smallest bit better than you were then? 

If not, keep working at it. 

With a little hard work and determination, you’ll get there. 

It might not be today, tomorrow or the next day, but someday down the road, you’ll wake up to find that you’ve reached your goals. 

At which point, you can set new ones.

Showing up isn't enough

Even bad employees and teammates show up. 

To stand out, and reach your goals you’ve got to do more. 

You must give everything you have to make every moment of your day the best it can possibly be. 

Squeeze every ounce of potential from each minute of your day. 

Every moment is a growth opportunity. 

You can use it to build a better, stronger and healthier future or not. 

Ask yourself what should you be doing right now to maximize your abilities and improve your results.

Are you respecting each minute of your day, or wasting a few?

Go all in and leave nothing on the table.