Posted on January 21, 2015

There are three kinds of people in the world

http://youtu.be/Y3QpubKy8_s

The person that MAKES things happen.

The person that WATCHES things happen.

The person that says WHAT the F**** just happened.

 What are you going to do TODAY to take control of your life and be HAPPY?

Most people don’t do anything and that is okay if you are a conformist and enjoy basking in mediocrity.

Are you like “Most” people?

My clients definitely are not like most people and if you are taking the time to read this, you know deep down that you not only know better, but also want better for yourself.

Those who make things happen do not take “NO” for an answer. They take the bull by the horns and get up every morning ready to succeed. Ready to do what needs to be done in order to achieve the goals they set forth for themselves. They have an underlying drive that propels them to achieve what mediocre people only dream of.

How easy would life be if you could just wait for someone to deliver your dreams on a silver platter? If you think this sounds cliché, guess what, it isn’t. This is the mentality I come across day in and day out. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a full on verbal admittance of procrastination, but their actions and behaviors are clear indicators of how these individuals have conditioned their life and thought process.

You are either a:

WILL do it

WON’T do it

CAN’T do it type of a person. The choice is yours!

Don’t let life pass you by. Take advantage of all the opportunities that are around you. Trust me, there are no scarcity of stepping stones out there ready to take you to where you want to be in life.  All you need to do is open your eyes, Get rid of the NOISE! Keep your end goal in mind…MAKE IT HAPPEN! The reality is, only you can.

I have said this at least three times today already.

“Successful people do what unsuccessful people are not willing to do.”

Remember, Don’t be that person that says, “What the F**** Just Happened?”

Go forth and act accordingly…Make it happen NOW.

 

Posted on January 19, 2015

Was it a dream or a Goal?

https://youtu.be/jw1R_JBuHEQ

Today is motivational Monday, and coincidentally, Martin Luther King day as well.  Today, we do not need to look too far for motivation.  Not long ago, in 1963 a man had a dream or so he said. The reality is….It wasn’t a dream at all.  IT WAS A GOAL!

He DID NOT wish it to come true.

He DID NOT say he was going to do it “someday”.

He DID NOT give himself “Noise” as to why he couldn’t do it.

He woke up every morning and did what he needed to do, day after day, EVERY SINGLE DAY in order to achieve his goal. Even on days when just the day before, he had been defeated, deflated and things didn’t look promising, that didn’t stop him from taking action EVERY….SINGLE….DAY!

Martin Luther King conquered adversity in every sense of the word.  Physically beaten, verbally abused, and cast off every single day.

Today, when you are reflecting on how difficult it is to adhere to your calendar, How difficult it is to stay focused on what is important in your life, How you can not seem to muster up the energy to work your plan, look deep within and think about how Martin Luther King felt EVERY SINGLE DAY of his life.

Dare I say it… The great Dr. Martin Luther King did not have a dream.  He had a Goal, he had conviction and he had passion to achieve it all.  There is no stopping an individual that has a vision, an individual that has real goals, an individual that wants what they want, the way they want it. 

 Go out there today and GET IT DONE!

 You do not have a dream, you have your GOALS… 

“Dreams occupy your mind; Goals take over your realty…”

 

Posted on January 16, 2015

SPG in the press

Strategic Performance Group finds its way to a myriad of press…

 

Posted on January 12, 2015

History In The Making… Now Make Yours.

Historic Paris Rally Against Terrorism from guimera

For the people that follow me on this site, I know you are used to seeing a short video to go along with my daily messages. After much thought, I would like to share with you a slide share that I came across. I feel it is not always what we hear that makes us feel but that visuals too are a great way to stir the soul.

As you make your way through the images, I hope you can read through the hidden messages. Amazingly enough, they pertain to things I guide my clients on a daily basis.

Today’s post in no way has a political message. I hope that yesterday’s world events touched you as much as they touched me and that you are proud to be who you are.  That it encourages you to strive to make a difference in whatever capacity you see fit, whether in the world, your home life, or in business.  

 The question stands, how does this pertain to coaching?

Commitment – World leaders set their differences aside to show unity to the world in a time that was needed most.

Action – They did not wait for tomorrow or next week to organize a perfectly orchestrated event.  They went ahead and did it. Then and Now.

Contagious – They did it with such conviction and belief that they created a buzz that became contagious.

Inspire – Seeing 3.7 million people gather in unity to combat a long standing problem.

Learn – Leaders that have huge differences every day, from a line on a map or a faith in their religion set them aside for the greater good. They learned to see the prize and the end.

Motivate – At the end of the day these leaders forecasted to have 1 million people gather to send a message to terrorism. They were able to motivate 3.7 million people to stand tall in their own belief and they made a statement for the world to notice.

At the end of the day I am not saying you need to make a stance as these leaders did, but what I am saying is that you need to have the heart to make life happen on your terms. To have the conviction that you control the world around you. To move forward knowing that you can do whatever you set your mind to do.

Posted on January 8, 2015

How Do High Achievers Really Think?

Beliefs that lead to success.

Positive affirmations are a staple of the self-help industry, but there is a problem with standing in front of the mirror every morning and saying something like: “I prosper wherever I turn and I know that I deserve prosperity of all kinds.” “I am my own unique self—special, creative and wonderful.” Or “I will be king of the world in just five days, I just know it.” It makes you feel kinda silly (and sometimes worse).

What does research show about how high achievers really think? High achievers are often marked, unsurprisingly, by a strong motive to achieve. Less accomplished individuals are often more motivated to avoid failure.

 Achievement motivated individuals have a strong desire to accomplish something important, and gain gratification from success in demanding tasks. Consequently they are willing to expend intense effort over long timespans in the pursuit of their goals.

 Failure-avoiding individuals are more focused on protecting themselves from the embarrassment and sense of incompetence that can accompany failing at a valued task. Consequently they are less likely to attempt achievement-oriented tasks, and may give up quickly if success is not readily forthcoming. Where total avoidance of tasks is not possible, failure-avoiding individuals may procrastinate, give less than their best effort, or engage in other self-handicapping behavior that provides a face- saving excuse in the event of failure (e.g. drinking heavily the night before the morning of an important exam).

 Of course, achievement motivation versus failure avoidance motivation exist on a continuum, with most of us falling somewhere in the middle. In the research literature, this continuum is described as Relative Motive Strength.

 An individual’s relative motive strength does not exist in a vacuum, but is associated with an elaborate matrix of beliefs that justify the commitment of intense effort toward goal achievement, or the relative lack thereof. The core beliefs that differentiate achievement motivated individuals are:

Success is your personal responsibility

Achievement motivated individuals tend to believe that initiative, effort, and persistence are key determinants of success at demanding tasks. Failure-avoiding individuals are more likely to view success as dependent on available resources and situational constraints (e.g. the task is too hard, or the marker was biased).

 Demanding tasks are opportunities

Achievement motivated individuals tend to see demanding tasks where success is uncertain as ‘challenges’ or ‘opportunities’. Failure avoiding individuals are more likely to see them as ‘threats’ that may lead to the embarrassment of failure. An achievement motivated individual might tell a failure avoiding individual, “Anything worthwhile is difficult, so stop acting so surprised”.

 Achievement striving is enjoyable

Achievement motivated individuals’ associate effort on demanding tasks with dedication, concentration, commitment and involvement. Failure-avoiding individuals categories such effort as overloading or stressful. They see perseverance in the face of setbacks and obstacles as slightly compulsive.

 Achievement striving is valuable

Achievement motivated individuals’ value hard work in and of itself. Failure-avoiding individuals may mock achievement striving as uncool (e.g. the attitude that the L on learner plates stands for Loser). They may associate achievement striving with lack of a social life or even early death by heart attack.

 Skills can be improved

 Achievement-motivated individuals have a strong belief that they can improve their performance on demanding tasks with practice, training, coaching, and dedication to learning. Failure-avoiding individuals tend to see skills as fixed and/or dependent on innate talents.

The research into how skills can most effectively be improved is discussed here.

 Persistence works

 Achievement motivated individuals are inclined to believe that continued effort and commitment will overcome initial obstacles or failures. Failure-avoiding individuals are inclined to see initial failure as a sign of things to come.

 So the achievement motivated individual says, “Don’t assume that you can’t do something until you’ve tried. And I mean really tried, like tried 3000 times, not that you tried three times, and ‘oh I give up.'”

 And the failure-avoiding individual responds, “You really need to learn when to quit.”

Once you understand the modes of achievement motivated versus failure-avoiding thinking, you will recognize them in the way that others talk about their goals, dreams, successes, and setbacks. You will also recognize them in your own thinking, and you can choose to cultivate the beliefs that will support you to achieve your goals. This is more effective than just trying to think positive and relying on the law of attraction to provide you with what you want.

 

Posted on January 5, 2015

Make 2015 the year that is the one you want to mirror for the rest of your life.

As I’m driving to my office this morning I had no choice but to observe all the people driving around me with an abundance of rejuvenated energy.  It must be the New Years resolution they made.   Of course my cynical side takes over and I say to myself,  “Self, do these people know that less than 1% of them are going to be driving like this in 30 days?   That less than 1% of them will actually follow up with their New Year’s resolution?  

I know they don’t have a clue, I know it, just as I know that they all sat around during the last two weeks, on their couch formulating great ideas of what they are going to start today. Telling themselves they could not do it during the holidays, BECAUSE, “Nothing gets done during the last two weeks of the year.”  

I beg to differ and I have many clients that have “Measurable proof”.  BECAUSE they did not listen to that “Noise”.  As a result they had a tremendously busy end of year.

I kept on hearing the quote from Nolan Bushenell in my head.

“A lot of people have ideas but there are few who decide to do something about them NOW.  Not tomorrow.  Not next week, But TODAY.  The true entrepreneur is a doer.”

So good morning to all of you that are doers, that have maintained that level of energy and drive during the last few weeks of the year.  For those of you that have not, or that want to make more of what you do on a daily basis, in order to achieve your goals. To become part of the 1% that will be accountable to yourself and achieve the goals you set out for yourself.   Feel free to reach out to me and let’s discuss how we can make 2015 the year that is the one you want to mirror for the rest of your life.