Five Powerful Questions

Posted on March 14, 2022 by admin

Every Monday, I spend time in an intentional review process. By asking myself five powerful questions, I can radically transform my intention and direction for the week. These five powerful questions keep me focused and directed on my long-term goals.

The Weekly Review

The weekly review process is one I implemented several years ago when I started using Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus Planner (here’s a link to a video series I did walking through everything). If I’m honest, at first, I found it tedious. Then, I went through a phase of outright rejection. Finally, I committed myself to the process.

Now, it’s something I can’t live without.

Setting aside time every week to track my goals, check in with myself, and stay grounded in what matters most has radically transformed my life.

As a result, I’ve created five powerful questions that help summarize the process of review that I do every week.

5 Powerful Questions

1.) What happened?

I start with what was. What happened last week that I need to be aware of? Was there anything of significance? How did I do on my goals? What targets did I miss, and what tasks did I fail to do?

I don’t spend a lot of time here, but the weeks are so busy and full of stuff that it can be helpful for me to remember what happened as I plan my new week.

2.) What is happening?

Now I start to look forward. What is happening this week? Where are my meetings? Who am I trying to connect with? Is there anything unique or special that I agreed to months ago that I have forgotten about?

As a calendar-driven person, I sometimes make appointments weeks in advance. They get written down when I make the appointment, but it’s common that it slips my mind after that. Spending time every week looking ahead refreshes my memory and allows me to be prepared.

3.) Who do I need to be?

I’m a big believer that we don’t so much chase goals as we chase being the person capable of handling those goals. It’s a subtle difference, but here’s an example:

I want to have a strong, healthy, vibrant marriage.

This is a goal. I might even attempt to define it better by making it a S.M.A.R.T.E.R goal, but it’s a goal.

Contrast it with the following statement:

I want to be the type of person that can have a strong, healthy, vibrant marriage.

Small difference, but a big change.

One is focused on an end result. Great! I’ve got a good marriage!

The other focuses on the continual growth process. How do I get an even better marriage this week?

By focusing on the type of person I need to be in the world, it keeps me growing and focused on intentionally bettering myself.

4.) Who do I need to help?

I work with mission-critical leaders. These are people that are ultimately living their life in service to others. I want to orient myself in the same way.

Part of my business model is to help others. By setting aside time every week to pass on referrals, extend my network, seek a service opportunity, or look for donation options, I give myself time every week to give back to the community I care about.

5.) What matters most?

This one reminds me of why I do what I do.

What sounds good when I’m hungry? Junk food.

What matters most? Healthy food options are ready when I don’t have willpower.

What sounds fun when I’m tired? Video games.

What really gives me life and energy when I need some? Gardening. Reading. Friends. There are a whole lot more beneficial options for me than video games.

By keeping focused on what matters most, I pre-set my brain to autopilot so I don’t have to make hard choices when I lack discipline, willpower, motivation, or time.

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What about you? How do you plan your week for success? Leave tips below!

Celebrate Failure

Posted on December 13, 2021 by admin

As I sit down to review my 2021 goals, I realize all I set out to do that I didn’t accomplish … that means it’s time to celebrate failure!

Understanding Failure

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. – Winston Churchill

It should come as no surprise that I set pretty lofty goals.

As we look to wrap up an incredibly fast-moving 2021, I’m sitting down to review some of the goals I set for myself and my business.

I attained relatively few of what I set out to accomplish, but I’m here to tell you that’s a good thing. It means I get to celebrate failure. And while not pleasant (or natural) it is what will keep me going in the new year.

And it is the best-kept secret of the ultra-successful.

Learning to Walk

What happens when a baby is learning to walk?

It falls over.

A lot.

No parent, in their right mind, would see their baby fall and just assume walking isn’t for them.

Well, sweetie, you tried walking once and failed. Clearly, you’re not meant to be a walker.

Ridiculous.

Instead, we pick them up. Celebrate that they were at least able to stand by themselves, and then make them try again.

Then we celebrate the first step.

The second.

Third.

Fourth.

And soon, they are running around and we just pray we can keep up.

But each milestone comes with a celebration, even in the midst of failure.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, we stop finding that so natural. Instead, we beat ourselves up and become our own worst critic.

(Re)Learning to celebrate failure pushes us to keep reaching for our goals and makes the status of “mission accomplished” that much more enjoyable.

Celebrate Failure

So, where am I celebrating failure as we wrap up 2021?

Here are a few of my personal highlights.

1.) Books Read

I made a goal to read 70 books this year. While I have a few weeks left, the final number will be somewhere around 40. That’s down from last year and significantly short of my goal.

So what I am celebrating? First, the quality (and most of the time length) of books I read went up. The biography of Alexander Hamilton was over 800 pages. These sorts of endeavors take longer than one or two hundred page books.

Second, I’m celebrating more implementation of these ideas. My homesteading and gardening have improved significantly. The time I could have spent reading was spent outside doing. I could say the same for my speaking content, parenting, and relationship with my wife.

Action trumps knowledge.

2.) Income generated

Wait, what? You want to celebrate not making your financial targets!?!

Well no, not really. This is one of those times where I say it’s necessary but not natural. To be honest, though, I set a really lofty goal. I more than doubled any of my previous financial goals.

And while I won’t hit that number, I can say I made significant growth over 2020 (though that wasn’t hard with a worldwide pandemic and all 😬😂).

More than my business growth, I focused on filling the need in my micro-niche. I also focused on helping others grow their businesses and their dreams. I feel as though I have succeeded at those as well.

So yes, while I didn’t hit my wild-crazy number, I did make a lot of progress in my own profession and in those, I work with.

Service trump selfishness.

3.) An amazing vacation

Maybe the hardest one for me to admit I need to celebrate is that our family won’t be taking the big fancy vacation I hoped for at the start of the year. Some of it is still certainly pandemic related, but most of it is a change in our own values. Instead, my family has simplified it’s values (and living) and adjusted the way we interact with things.

One of those big differences for me is better work-life balance. Gone (mostly) are the days of working until 8-9 pm, and starting again at 4 am. Instead, over 90% of the time, I’m done working between 4 and 5 pm.

(This also partly explains number two above).

My kids have quality time with me almost every day.

I attended my daughter’s volleyball games.

I read books to my kids (though I’m not counting those to help me get to 70).

I spent more time snuggling, instructing, teaching, laughing, and building.

I’ve also taken my wife on more dates this year than our previous 15 combined.

So do we get a fancy two-week vacation? No. But we are gaining so much more.

Quality trumps quantity.

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I’m off to celebrate and set even bigger goals for next year.

Need help with yours? Contact Me.

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Stay Curious

Posted on August 2, 2021 by admin

I may not always learn new things, but when I do, it’s because I stay curious.

My blatant rip-off of the most interesting man, may not be a quote that makes me famous, but it does provide the foundation for the growth needed in life.

Curiosity is a habit and a mindset that keeps leaders humble and gives them the ability to assess a situation, appreciate perspective, and continue towards growth.

Stay Curious

“I know how to do it!”

I’ve heard that phrase more than a few times from my kids, only to watch them struggle with tying their shoes, washing the dishes, folding their laundry, or any other number of tasks.

It’s a common problem, right?

As much as I’ve seen it in my kids, I’ve also noticed that problem in myself.

In my almost ten years of professional coaching, I’ve come across similar problems in people. I’ve lost count of how many people I’ve coached who were unhappy in their jobs and looking to make a career change.

And when I assume I know what the answer is, I’ve always been wrong. When I’ve remained curious and allowed the client to dictate the direction of the conversation, not only do they come to a better conclusion, but I learn something new in the process as well.

My ability to stay curious benefits both me and my clients.

As leaders, staying curious benefits us, and those we lead.

Leadership Curiosity

Leadership curiosity manifests anytime we set aside our preconceived notions and explore possibilties with our teams.

In short, we stay curious when we ask questions.

What would that look like?
Who do we know that can help?
How can I serve you?
Where can we find the answers?
What makes this important?
Are we willing to fight for this?

The more questions we ask, the more curious we are, the better the end result will be.

Leadership curiosity includes our team members, equips them for the journey ahead, inspires action, and leverages critical thinking skills.

How will you stay curious this week?

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

Posted on July 26, 2021 by admin

Years ago, I read Eugene’ Peterson’s A Long Obedience in the Same Direction. To be honest, I don’t remember much of the book, but the title has long stuck with me.

It’s become a continual mantra for the daily habits, beliefs, thought patterns, and actions that I use to guide my life.

A Long Obedience in the Same Direction

It’s fairly typical for me to have a panic attack on Monday morning. I suffer from anxiety; from the fear of what could be.

At times, it’s overwhelming.

Debilitating.

Paralyzing.

In those moments of lost despair, I’ve trained myself to recall the phrase and title of the book, a long obedience in the same direction.

The fear comes from my desire to do it all.

To break free of that fear, I have to remind myself that I don’t have to do it all right now.

My destination is not complete today, instead, I am on the journey.

So what would obedience look like today?

That’s a much simpler proposition:

Network
Respond to emails
Call clients
Spend time with my family
Eat well
Exercise
Encourage someone
Get to bed on time
Repeat

While the specific formula to each day may look different, I guide my life by answering the question: what do I need to do today that could get me one step closer to my goal?

Once I have that figured out, I create the plan for obedience.

Create The Plan – Then Execute

One of the phrases we use throughout coaching is, to begin with the end in mind.

Where do you want to end up in life?

What do you want to accomplish?

Who do you want to be?

Then we can look at your current situation.

If you continue to make the same choices, will you end up where you want to be?

If so, great! Continue to amplify those decisions and live more purposefully.

However, if you won’t end up where you want to be by making similar choices, then it’s time to make a change.

Chart a new path.

Choose a new direction.

Create momentum that will propel you to your ideal life.

Then, practice obedience and begin a long obedience in the same direction.

What do I do when I’m feeling stuck?

Posted on July 5, 2021 by admin

One of the most popular questions I get is, “What do I do when I’m feeling stuck?”

It’s a question based on motivation. The question really being asked is, “How do I overcome my lack of motivation?”

I get it.

I struggle with motivation too.

Honestly, if I worked out when I was motivated, I’d work out maybe twice a week. More than likely, once. (Or none at all!)

Motivation, outside of the beginning thrust on a new and exciting project, is largely useless in personal development.

Instead, we need to rely on discipline. Building a life of discipline is simple (not necessarily easy), but it is rewarding.

Here are three ways to build a life of discipline:

1.) Create clear and compelling goals

As I’ve written about before, clear and compelling goals are the greatest asset you have to overcome the lack of motivation.

Good goals are SMARTER

Specific

Measurable

Achievable

Relevant

Timely

Energizing

Rewarding

A lack of motivation could mean that our goals aren’t clear enough. A bigger problem is that we don’t reward ourselves for a job well done. As Shawn Achor highlights in his TEDTalk (and amazing book), by failing to reward ourselves for achieving our goals, we subtly teach our brains that our work doesn’t matter. In other words, by failing to reward our progress we learn that progress doesn’t matter.

Our brain says, “What’s the point?” and gives up.

If you’re struggling with the question “What do I do when I’m feeling stuck?” create clear, simple, and compelling goals.

2.) Be a Part of a Community

It’s hard to go it alone. Whether you’re an entrepreneur growing a business, a spouse improving a marriage, or a coach in athletics, you can’t do the journey of life alone.

Find a supportive community to help.

A community provides support, encouragement, perspective, and wisdom. It gives us strength when we are weak and positivity in a world filled with the negative.

A community of like-minded voices gives us the endurance and accountability to press on when we feel like giving up.

If you’re struggling with the question “What do I do when I’m feeling stuck?” find others to walk the journey with you.

3.) Hire a Coach

A lot of coaching is accountability. More than the community, a good coach asks reflective questions, highlights understanding, deepens insight, and inspires action.

Great coaches help you see through your own bias, false beliefs, internal narratives, and weak spots. They equip you with the tools to overcome those rough edges. They leave you accountable to your action plan.

Just last week I was working with a client who didn’t complete all of his growth homework for the week. After talking about it, we discovered that it was an important goal, but not the most important.

Instead, before hiring another employee (his task he gave himself for the week) he needed to free up time in his calendar (his new task). With more free time, he would be able to get new business, get caught up on billing, and have space to mentor and onboard effectively. Completing these tasks would ultimately do much more than “hire an employee” and instead give him the capacity to build his business.

That’s a much more effective use of time!

Coaches can shorten the time it takes to learn tasks, complete projects, and accelerate to succes.

Looking for any of those? I’d love to walk with you on that journey.

If you’re struggling with the question “What do I do when I’m feeling stuck?” hire a coach!