Christ LoCurto posted this video on his blog today. It so inspired me that I wanted to share it with you. If you need a little inspiration, watch this!
We each have the power to achieve greatness, I watch this EVERYDAY to remember to always keep moving forward! Share it if it inspires you!
Check out http://www.spartanrace.com/ to learn more about a race that will help push you to greatness!
There’s an instructive scene in the Star Wars movie, The Empire Strikes Back. Yoda is instructing Luke Skywalker in how to use the Force. He asks Luke to retrieve his disabled spaceship out of a bog where it has sunk, using only his mind.
Luke, of course, thinks this is impossible. Sure, he has been able to move stones around this way. But a spaceship? That’s completely different. Or is it.
Yoda patiently explains that it is only different in his mind. Luke reluctantly agrees to “give it a try.”
Yoda famously says, “No. Try not. Do. Or do not. There is no try.“
Recently, I watched Tony Robbins [Warning: rough language] give similar advice to a woman who was struggling in her marriage. She stood up in one of his seminars to ask a question. She complained that she had “tried everything” to improve her relationship with her husband but nothing had changed.
Tony went on to make a distinction that I think is vitally important. He asked the woman to try to pick up the chair she was sitting in. She turned around and picked up the chair.
Tony said, “No, you picked it up. I said try to pick it up.”
The woman looked confused. Tony reiterated, “Try to pick it up.” The woman just stood there, not knowing what to do.
Tony continued, “No, now you’re not picking it up. I said try to pick it up.” Again, she picked up the chair.
Again, Tony, said, “No, you picked up the chair. I asked you to try and pick it up. You either pick it up, you don’t pick it up, or you try to pick it up.”
The point is that when we say we are trying we don’t really have to do anything. It also provides us with an excuse for why we didn’t accomplish the outcome we say we want.
Do you understand the difference? You either do something or you don’t do it. Trying is really the same as not doing it. It just makes it easier for us to let ourselves off the hook when we fail.
Where are you trying to improve?
Are you trying to get in shape or are you getting in shape.
Are you trying to improve your marriage or are improving your marriage.
Are you trying to make more sales calls or are you making more sales calls.
This may sound like a small distinction, but it has huge ramifications.
Maybe it’s time to quit trying and just do it. Here are three suggestions:
Eliminate the word “try” from your vocabulary. It is a worthless word that accomplishes nothing. It only makes you feel better when you fail.
Decide either to do or not do. If you don’t want to do something fine. Don’t do it. But don’t pretend that trying is the same as doing. They are two completely different postures.
Commit 100 percent to the outcome you want. Like the project manager in Apollo 13 said, “Failure is not an option.” Play full out. Go for the win. Don’t settle for merely trying.
As Yoda suggested to Luke, the difference may only be in your mind, but it has a dramatic impact on the outcome of whatever you set out to do.
Question: Where have you been trying instead of doing?
In this video Tom Ferry coach, Discusses the difference that makes the difference in life. Watch this one. Stop groundhog day. It’s time to save America… 11,000,000 homes will be foreclosed on, how will you help?
Remember, your strategy matter and your passion rules!
In this short coaching session, I’d like to take you through the first steps of creating your 2012 business plan. Let’s go ahead and get a start on this now, so we can hit the ground running in 2012!
At the recent Building Champion’s Experience, I had the opportunity to share ideas on how to build productive, high performing teams. In this blog’s limited space, I can’t get into the same level of detail that I did during my presentation to this energetic group, so I welcome your questions and comments.
There are two key ingredients that are needed before you can begin to build a high performance team:
Commitment
What is your level of personal commitment? Building a team takes work and requires change. You will need a conscious, disciplined plan to do it. But can you really succeed in today’s competitive business environment without a high performing team?
Willingness
What we know about high performers is that they need to feel that they are contributing and making a difference. This means they need direction and operating parameters. What changes might this require on your team? As leaders, we must be willing to give up some control and decision-making. Are you willing to get comfortable with that? Mistakes will be made, but this is how an organization grows, retains top people, and makes a difference.
Given that you are committed and willing to move toward a high performing team — which is a good move — there are some operating conditions that must be met. It requires a focus on clarity, honesty, understanding, expectations and performance.
Clarity
Your vision and strategy must be clear and compelling. It must be widely understood by the team, the whole team. All employees — especially high performing team members — must have a clear understanding of game plan and where they are going. Honesty
You must be brutally honest in assessing team and individual performance. Are you willing to make critical change if needed? If you are being honest in your evaluation, there will likely come a time when it becomes necessary. Understanding
With honesty and objectivity, make sure there is a clear understanding of the team’s and key individuals’ strengths and weaknesses. Clearly understand the key actions necessary to improve. It may mean making personnel changes. Expectations
Setting the performance bar high enough is a must. High performers thrive on challenges and increased expectations. Don’t be reluctant to keep moving the bar up. Performance
Results are a team effort, but ultimately the leader has no one to blame but him or herself. Take responsibility for performance. Don’t forget this point.
If these conditions are in place, then you need to address some of the weaknesses you may have allowed to exist or have missed. The include concessions, details, inclusiveness and leadership.
Concessions
Sometimes doing the right thing is difficult, so we make concessions. We allow unproductive behaviors to continue. These need to be addressed and changed. This can be difficult, but it must be dealt with before you can hope to more forward to more productive behaviors. Details
Leaders can sometimes get out of touch with reality. It helps to dive into the details and to see what the real issues are. Get out from behind your desk and make sure you know what is really happening from the people who do the work.
Inclusiveness
Top, high performing people want to contribute and make a difference. Input and participation must be encouraged and welcomed. Employees at all levels can make a difference. Leadership
Leaders who say, “Do as I say, not as I do” cannot build a high performing team. The leader must set the tone and positively influence the whole team by both their words and their actions. Remember, employees are watching you.
If you believe that your employees are the key to separating your company from the pack, then creating a high performing team is a must. Not only is it critical to your success, but it can also be exciting and create an atmosphere you enjoy working in.
Do you make business decisions based on what is best for you and your shareholders, or what’s best for the customer? In this Leadership Moment, Daniel shares why the most successful and enduring companies are those that continually look at things from the customer’s perspective.
