by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Planning, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 45 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 25 ways to complete your incompletes
— From The Success Principles™: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
“Are there areas in your life where you’ve left uncompleted projects or failed to get closure with people? When you don’t complete the past, you can’t be free to fully embrace the future,” says Jack Canfield in The Success Principles. By devoting attention to these incompletes and unfinished tasks or projects, you are taking energy and focus away from the things you should be doing—or the things you want to do. Canfield says that we only have so many “attention units” and we should focus those units “to completing present tasks and bringing new opportunities and abundance into [our] life.”
Canfield suggests continually asking, “What does it take to actually get this task completed?” At that point you can move forward with the next steps that will lead you to completion: filing the completed paperwork, mailing in the forms, etc. “The truth is that 20 things completed have more power than 50 things half completed. One finished book, for instance, that can go out and influence the world is better than 13 books you’re in the process of writing.”
So, what to do about this?
In addition to the 4 Ds—Do it, Delegate it, Delay it or Dump it—Canfield suggests scheduling a completion weekend and devoting 2 full days to completing as many things as possible. He provides the following list of 25 categories as a starting point and suggests you add your particular items. He also recommends selecting just four items and completing them, then moving on to another four, and so on. “At a minimum,” says Canfield, “I encourage you to clean up one major incomplete every 3 months.”
Here’s the initial list for you, it contains both personal and professional suggestions. Happy completing!
1. Former business activities that need completion.
2. Promises not kept, not acknowledged, or not renegotiated.
3. Unpaid debts or financial commitments (money owed to others or to you).
4. Closets overflowing with clothing never worn.
5. A disorganized garage crowded with old discards.
6. Haphazard or disorganized tax records.
7. Checkbook not balanced or accounts that should be closed.
8. “Junk drawers” full of unusable items.
9. Missing or broken tools.
10. An attic filled with unused items.
11. A car trunk or backseat full of trash.
12. Incomplete car maintenance.
13. A disorganized basement filled with discarded items.
14. Credenza packed with unfiled or incomplete projects.
15. Filing left undone.
16. Computer files not backed up or data needing to be converted for storage.
17. Desk surface cluttered or disorganized.
18. Family pictures never put into an album.
19. Mending, ironing or other piles of items to repair or discard.
20. Deferred household maintenance.
21. Professional relationships with unstated requests, resentments, or appreciations.
22. People you need to forgive.
23. Time not spent with people you’ve been meaning to spend time with.
24. Incomplete projects or projects delivered without closure or feedback.
25. Acknowledgments that need to be given or asked for.
ACTION
TODAY: Check the list and add your own incompletes that come to mind. Determine if there is any task that you can complete today. If so, get it done — woohoo!
FUTURE: Pick a date in your calendar and schedule your first completion weekend. Make it a habit to schedule them at least once a quarter.
Know someone who could benefit from completing some incompletes? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Resources, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Become better today
— From Self-Improvement 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States said, “By improving yourself, the world is made better. Be not afraid of growing too slowly. Be afraid only of standing still.”
So, how do we avoid standing still?
In his book Self-Improvement 101, leadership guru John C. Maxwell answers that question: “[We become better tomorrow] by becoming better today. The secret of your success can be found in your daily agenda.”
To keep growing and leading up, Maxwell suggests the following three steps:
1. Learn your craft today. “There is no time like the present to become an expert at your craft. Maybe you wish you had started earlier… or had found a better teacher or mentor years ago… Looking back and lamenting will not help you move forward.” Don’t dwell on the past and ignore any sunk costs. “You may not be where you’re supposed to be. You may not be what you want to be. You don’t have to be what you used to be. And you don’t have to ever arrive. You just need to learn to be the best person you can be right now.”
“The best time to plant a tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today.” – Chinese proverb
2. Talk your craft today. “Once you reach a degree of proficiency in your craft, then one of the best things you can do for yourself is talk your craft with others on the same and higher levels than you. […] Talking to peers is wonderful, but if you don’t also make an effort to strategically talk your craft with those ahead of you in experience and skill, then you’re really missing learning opportunities.” Maxwell emphasizes the listening aspect of the dialogue, as he points out that it is the bridge that leads you to learn about them.
3. Practice your craft today. “The only way to improve is to practice your craft until you know it inside and out. At first, you do what you know to do. The more you practice your craft, the more you know. But as you do more, you will also discover more about what you ought to do differently… The only way you improve is to get out of your comfort zone and try new things.”
“You can’t change where you started, but you can change the direction you are going. It’s not what you are going to do, but it’s what you are doing now that counts.” – Napoleon Hill
ACTION
TODAY: Learn (more of) or talk or practice your craft—or preferably all!
FUTURE: Keep learning and talking and practicing your craft. Never stop growing. Sometimes it may not be easy and sometimes you’ll make mistakes. The corollary to Benjamin Franklin’s opening quote is “Forget your mistakes, but remember what they taught you.” That way you will have a valuable lesson that will make you wiser and let you move forward.
Help someone become better today by sharing this post that person! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you.
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Planning, Time, Tools, Wellbeing
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 4 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: 100% Commitment: The “no-exceptions rule”
— From The Success Principles™: How to Get from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be by Jack Canfield
“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when it’s convenient. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” – Ken Blanchard
Being 100% committed to something is much easier than being 99% committed or less, says personal development and business guru Jack Canfield, author of The Success Principles. This is a very simple concept, “yet you’d be surprised how many people wake up every day and fight within themselves over whether or not to keep their commitments, stick to their disciplines, or carry out their actions plans.”
Why the fight?
Because they haven’t yet made the full commitment. There is no need to spend the mental energy wrestling with ourselves every day as we decide whether to do something or not. “Once you make a 100% commitment to something, there are no exceptions. It’s a done deal. Nonnegotiable. Case closed! Over and out… [You] never have to think about it again. There are no exceptions no matter what the circumstances. It ends the discussion, closes that door, permits no other possibility.”
This is tremendously liberating and it makes life much simpler and easier because there is no internal debate as to whether you’ll do something or not. “It’s like brushing your teeth before you go to bed. You always do it, no matter what. If you find yourself in bed and you have forgotten, you get out of bed and brush them. It doesn’t matter how tired you are or how late it is. You just do it.”
Eliminating choice and making 100% commitment can free up much time and energy that can go into other things to bring about excellence in your life and business. Canfield powerfully makes the case for why 100% commitment is so important and necessary, as he points out why the “no-exceptions rule” is critical in many areas, such as in our health and the workplace:
A commitment to just 99.9% quality would mean:
- One hour of unsafe drinking water every month.
- Two unsafe landings at [Chicago’s] O’Hare International Airport each day.
- 16,000 lost pieces of mail per hour.
- 20,000 incorrectly filled drug prescriptions every year.
- 500 incorrect surgical operations performed each week.
- 50 newborn babies dropped at birth by doctors every day.
- 22,000 checks deducted from the wrong account every hour.
- Your heart failing to beat 32,000 times each year!
“Can you see why 100% is such an important percentage? Just think how much better your life and the whole world would work if you were committed to 100% excellence in everything you do.”
ACTION
TODAY: Think of an area in your life or business where you have not made a 100% commitment. What does that look like? Where does it fall through the cracks? Where do you wrestle with yourself to do it or not do it? Think of the benefits of committing 100% and having no exceptions: how could this benefit your life and/or your business? Make a list of benefits vs. remaining as you are. Once you are convinced, commit yourself. And as part of that commitment, set a time to review in a near future how you are doing. The further you move along the 100% and the more you review its benefits, the more you’ll want to continue. It’s all about building the habit.
FUTURE: Stay committed to your 100%. Once you have built the habit in one area and it’s firmly entrenched, then move on to another area. The disciplined pursuit of your commitments will lead you to your goals.
Know someone who could benefit from 100% commitment? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Resources, Tools, Willpower
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 46 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The elements of grit
— From The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly? by Seth Godin
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines grit—in a behavioral sense—as “firmness of mind or spirit.” Psychologist and author Angela Duckworth describes grit as “passion and perseverance for long-term goals,” according to her awesome book: GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
Marketing guru Seth Godin, in his book The Icarus Deception, defines grit as “the attitude of someone who realizes he has the power to care and is intent on doing something with it.”
Regardless of the definition that you like best, grit is real, albeit hard to describe and quantify. Many authors have racked their brains to figure out what constitutes grit and how to develop, nurture, and grow it. Godin says, “Grit is our future. Our best and brightest future.”
How so?
Because, “Grit is the unexpected bump, the decision that cannot be changed, the insistence on a vision, or the ethics of a creator. Grit stands in the way of the short-term compromises of the industrialist.” Godin goes on, “The grit in your spinach is precisely the same grit that we seek out in a leader or a hero. We measure sandpaper and grindstones in terms of grit—their ability to stand up to resistance. Someone with grit will grind down the opposition, stand up in the face of criticism, and consistently do what’s right for their art.”
So, if grit is so important, what are the elements that we must grow within ourselves? Here’s a list that Godin outlines as a compilation of the work of many authors including, of course, Duckworth’s.
Perseverance: “Many people mistake perseverance for grit. Grit includes perseverance, but it comes before the need for perseverance arrives, because grit includes goals and a passion for those goals. Some people will persevere merely because they are instructed to do so. Those with grit will persevere because they believe they have no choice, not if they wish to be who they are.”
Hardiness: “If the grind is wearing you down, then you may be viewing the grind as the enemy, something apart from the work itself. The person with grit, on the other hand, understands that the grind is part of what makes the work interesting, a challenge worth doing. If there were no grind, you’d need no grit.”
Resilience: “As the marketplace continues to create obstacles and deal setbacks, bringing grit to the problem (as a process, not a single event) turns every obstacle into a learning process, not a momentary hassle to be dealt with. […] The endless emergency of getting it over with is replaced by the daily practice of doing the work. This shift in attitude transforms the work and the worker.”
Ambition: The desire for accomplishment, power or superiority has nothing to do with grit, except that people committed to a goal and a way of being are often given credit for having those things. […] Grit exists whether or not it leads to measurable external success. Grit is its own reward.”
Commitment: “People with grit consciously set long-term goals that are difficult to attain and do not waver from these difficult goals, regardless of the presence of feedback.”
Flow: “Something extraordinary happens when we are swallowed by our passion, focused beyond all reason, deep into something we care about. […] What you are engrossed in isn’t nearly as important as the fact of being engrossed.”
And I would add a sense of meaning and belonging to the list above. A sense of meaning: because we must be aware of the positive outcome that our actions will create, and that must be important for us. And belonging: because we must feel that we are part of the change we are seeking to make.
ACTION
TODAY: Do you have grit? Take this quiz and find out where you stand on the grit scale.
FUTURE: Remember that all the elements of grit are internal, that is, they come from within you (vs. the outside from your loved ones or colleagues, for instance). Make it a habit to examine in which of your long-term goals you exhibit passion and perseverance. And if there are any that are falling through the cracks, look at the elements above and figure out which one you need to inject into the project to make it come back to life again (that is, of course, if you want to continue with said project; if not, focus your energy and your grit to where they will yield the best results).
Please share this post with someone you admire for his or her grit. You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Collaboration, Creativity, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 40 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Celebration Principle
— From Mentoring 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell
Happy 4th of July! Today we are celebrating Independence Day in the United States. And it’s a great day to talk about celebration.
In his book Mentoring 101, leadership guru John C. Maxwell talks about what he calls The Celebration Principle: “the true test of relationships is not only how loyal we are when friends fail, but how thrilled we are when they succeed.”
Why does this even merit writing about? Shouldn’t this be a given?
Yes and no.
Yes, because we should all celebrate success, whether our own or someone else’s. And, no, because not everybody feels that way. Oscar Wilde said it best: “Anybody can sympathize with the sufferings of a friend, but it requires a very fine nature to sympathize with a friend’s success.”
Maxwell wrote a book called Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes Into Stepping Stones for Success a few years back, and quickly found out that everyone identifies with failure. “Everybody has failed, so [sharing failure is] a great way to connect. The problem is that because people so readily identify with failure, they sometimes have a hard time connecting with success. And if they don’t identify with success, they may resent it.”
Maxwell goes on to say that the same qualities that prevent people from succeeding (insecurity, jealousy, etc.), prevent them from celebrating the success of other people. “They constantly compare themselves to others and find themselves wanting. As a result, they have a hard time getting beyond themselves.”
“Beware of the green-eyed monster,” warns Maxwell. “If most people were honest, they would admit to feelings of jealousy or envy when they witness others’ success—even when the people succeeding are close friends or people they’ve mentored.”
So, how to avoid feeling this way? The author suggests doing the following four things:
1. Realize it’s not a competition. “It’s very difficult to achieve success without help. […] Life is better in a community of people you love and who also love you.” Maxwell offers the following reflections to keep in mind and to “be the rare kind of person who is happy when others succeed.”
My success can be achieved only with others.
My lessons can be learned only from others.
My weaknesses can be strengthened only by others.
My servanthood can be tested only under others’ leadership.
My influence can be compounded only through others.
My leadership can be focused only on others.
My best can be given only to others.
My legacy can be left only for others.
So I should commit myself to and celebrate with others!
2. Celebrate when others see success. “Not everyone views success the way you do… look at things from other people’s point of view. What are their dreams? What goals have they set? What battles are they fighting?” Celebrate with them when they accomplish something that is important to them!
3. Celebrate successes others don’t yet see. “Sometimes people make great strides and aren’t even aware of it. [… Have you ever] worked on a project and felt discouraged by your progress, but had someone else marvel at what you accomplished? It is inspiring and makes you want to work that much harder.” Same goes for you, celebrate the successes of the people that surround you, especially those that they may not see.
4. Celebrate most with those closest to you. “The closer people are to you and the more important the relationship, the more you ought to celebrate. Celebrate early and often with those closest to you—especially with your spouse and children if you have a family. It’s usually easy to celebrate victories on the job or in a hobby or sport. But the greatest victories in life are the ones that occur at home.”
ACTION
TODAY: Look at the people who surround you and look for things to celebrate that they don’t see. It will be a nice surprise when you point those things out! Celebrate with a nice word, an email, a handwritten note, a cupcake, a full party (if you have time to plan it), or however you see fit. The goal is to start celebrating!
FUTURE: Make it a habit to celebrate and share the successes of others. Be genuinely happy for them and your life will be all the better for it. And don’t forget to share your success with others too, so that they can celebrate with you.
Celebrate someone’s success by sharing this post! You can do so via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Accountability, Creativity, Goals, Habits, Mindset, Parkinson's Law, Planning, Productivity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 41 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Most important tasks
— From The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman
We all have a very long list of things to do on a daily basis, but not all of our tasks are the same: some of them are very important and some are not important at all. “Everything on your plate is not critically important, so don’t treat everything on your task list equally,” says Josh Kaufman, author of The Personal MBA.
“A Most Important Task (MIT) is a critical task that will create the most important results you’re looking to achieve. […] If you want to make the most of your limited time and energy, it pays to focus on completing the tasks that will make the biggest difference first…”
As simple as this is, by taking a few minutes every morning (or preferably the night before) to identify the most important tasks, you’ll be able to focus on accomplishing them first. Kaufman recommends creating a list of two or three MITs and focusing on getting them done as quickly as possible. Further, he suggests keeping your MITs separate from your general to-do list, by using such things as a 3 X 5 index card or Dave Seah’s awesome Emergent Task Planner (free).
The key to figuring out what your MITs are, according to Kaufman, is to ask yourself the following questions: “What are the two or three most important things that I need to do today? What are the things that—if I got them done today—would make a huge difference?” Those are the only things that should go on your MIT list.
And to be über productive, Kaufman recommends combining your MIT’s with Parkinson’s Law. Remember, this is the law that states that, work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. (Wikipedia).
How do you do this?
Easy: set an artificial time limit. “If you set a goal to have all your MITs done by 10:00 am you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can complete the day’s most important tasks.”
And by doing this, you will create a state of focus and effectiveness (flow) that will give you permission to decline interruptions that aren’t important. “If you’re working on your MITs and someone calls you, it’s easier to ignore the call or tell the caller, ‘I’m working under deadline—I’ll get back to you later.’ By definition, everything that’s not an MIT is not as important, so it’s easier to say no to noncritical interruptions.
Combine this with the Be Awesomely Effective miniseries and you’ll be ultra-productive. And you’ll have the rest of your day to deal with anything else that comes up, or to dedicate to crossing off items on your non-MIT task list.
ACTION
TODAY: Take 5 minutes to figure out your MITs for today. Also, take a look at Dave Seah’s Emergent Task Planner. If you like it, download it, print it, and use it today (it’s a great, free resource). If not, think of the best method for you to have a separate list with your MITs.
FUTURE: As you continue to use the MIT + Parkinson’s Law concept, go back and read the Be Awesomely Effective miniseries. This will help you create the best environment where you will hopefully achieve a state of flow.
Know someone who could use some advice on creating MITs? Please share this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
