Prioritize working on the body and mind

" The most powerful weapon on this Earth is the human soul on fire" - Ferdinand Foch If you've ever decided to accept a leadership position, willing to expose yourself to the haters and negative people, and putting your personality on full blast, you know it can get very difficult. At times, putting yourself in this position can feel uncertain and even lonely, but to accomplish great things, it comes with the territory. Standing on your own, going against the thoughts and feelings of everyone else, is challenging, but it's necessary if you have a vision and bird's eye view of the bigger picture.   The sad truth is: a lot of people, even in leadership positions, have the viewpoint of a person walking through a dense jungle at ground level without a compass, hacking away at the thick brush, but never going anywhere.   They fail to see the big picture because they fail to stop and tune out the noise of everyday interactions.  They don't even climb a t...

" Being honest may not get you a lot of friends but it'll always get you the right ones." John Lennon Real relationships are hard work, but they're worth it. Having close friendships, business partners, or being involved with a spouse, takes valuable time and commitment.  It's important to invest in these relationships, because without them, life loses it's colorful flavor and purpose. I am a stubborn person by nature, but I've learned slowly over time, an important relationship will not always be roses.  In fact, they can seem frustrating, and sometimes, not even worth the effort. We all know having a good relationship with anyone requires good communication.  If your like me ( a guy) communicating may not be your strong point, or it's something you have to work hard at.   Positive benefits of a real relationship  Sometime it seems I'm a slow learner, but when I finally get things, I really get it.    It's taken me a long t...

“Life has a tendency to provide a person with what they need in order to grow. Our beliefs, what we value in life, provide the roadmap for the type of life that we experience. A period of personal unhappiness reveals that our values are misplaced and we are on the wrong path. Unless a person changes their values and ideas, they will continue to experience discontentment.” ―  Kilroy J. Oldster,  Dead Toad Scrolls Do you know unhappy people? Do you know people who complain all the time, or people who think the world owes them happiness? Do you fall into the trap of trying to please them, trying new tricks and tactics, in hopes you can change them? We've all encountered these people in our lives, but a problem exists when we put our focus on trying to constantly cheer these people up. There will be times when someone close to you is going through a hard time, if they are, you should step up and try to help them.  But after a while, they must dust themsel...

Take a moment to look at yourself.   It may be difficult. Taking on challenges   you volunteer for is what operating on a higher level is all about, not being passive, on the defense, waiting for the next unwanted problem  Looking around at what everyone else needs to be doing, or could do better, is easy.  It makes you feel better for a short time.  It makes yo feel better about all the issues you are ignoring in your life. Take a look at yourself from another view point.  Take your emotions  out of the equation and see your life where it is now.  Treat your emotions like a disease. Do you see anything wrong? If you don't, look deeper.  You may have heard the term blind spot referred to areas of your life you do not see but hinder your performance, well being, and mental focus.   We can easily see other's flaws, but it is difficult to see our own. Not long ago, I fell into a leadership po...

What does success mean to you? Have you really thought about what success means to you? Are you chasing everyone else's version of success? Expensive cars, mansions, private jets, and a billion dollars in the bank is how a lot of people define success.  Is that what you really want?  If it is, fantastic, work hard to achieve your goals.  Put every ounce of energy into what you are doing, and get where you want to be. Are you putting out massive amounts of energy and focus into goals   that are not really yours?  Have you become a  prisoner  of your own life because you've been chasing what everybody else says you should? The saying money does not buy happiness is certainly true.  Plenty of people have tons of money, every material possession they can think of, make it to higher positions in the workplace, but they are still miserable.    If you chase someone else's dreams, you won't be happy if they com...

“NO MORE. No more excuses. No more: “I’ll start tomorrow.” No more: “Just this once.” No more accepting the shortfalls of my own will. No more taking the easy road. No more bowing down to whatever unhealthy or unproductive thoughts float through my mind.” ―  Jocko Willink,  Discipline Equals Freedom: Field Manual Does the thought of being more disciplined sound like a prison? You would like to stop eating junk, start exercising more, and make better use of you time. Sure, we all would.   Then the thoughts creep in.   I only live once. I am gonna have all that cake, and do something besides exercise all the time.  Life is too short for all that.   I want to enjoy my life, not deprive myself of everything! I get it.  Being a human, I give in to old habits and my emotions. It happens. It may seem like the more disciplined you are, the less freedom you will have. This is not the case, in fact, the ...

"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."  --Stephen Covey You are focused and determined everyday, accomplishing tasks and going down your to do list.  From morning until night, you stay busy barely having time to breathe.  Working 60 hours per week, driving the kids all over town to extracurricular activities, and always giving someone a helping hand, no matter who it is. You stay busy because you are successful and important.  You even brag when someone asks about your day. I am guilty of it, and you may be too.   I am so busy.  I always volunteer for extra jobs at work, my kids are in two soccer leagues, and I am even baking my boss a cake because I remembered his birthday. We get so busy in our daily lives, we barely notice there is no time left for our true passions or purpose.  We even pass this mindset along to children. The cycle continues. To operate you life on a higher leve...