Stuck between mediocrity and excellence

The thing about advice is that you can selectively choose which part of it you want to take.  In addition to that, you can also choose which benefit will result out of the selected piece of advice that you have decided to follow.  Example: If I do any of the Beachbody workouts, my before and after pictures will look just like the ones I see on the infomercials.  Forget about the fact that there is a nutrition plan that comes with most, if not all, of those workouts that you have to follow.  Doing Insanity and then eating at 5 Guys won't get you a T-shirt. There is a lot to be said for understanding the bigger picture.  There is even more to be valued when you understand the full extent of what you need to take on and execute to get the results that you want. How many of us can say that we've really been "all in" what we want to accomplish? 

Nobody remembers you for how many activities you participated in during a fiscal year.  People only remember the impact that you've made (both positive and negative). During an end of year review, change the mindset from: Number of activities to number of  actual  accomplishments Number of contributions to impact of work effort Number of successes to successes and  failures  True Firm development and contribution is not about the number of activities you can get involved in. You aren't running for class President or applying for a scholarship. It's also not about lengthening the resume.  True Firm development and contribution is leaving the environment a better place than it was before you showed up. Plus it's a lot more fun when you are doing something that is making a real impact. 

It's that time of year where everyone sees January 1st as the day for a new start.  We make resolutions. We create vision boards. We set goals.  My local LA Fitness becomes busier than usual. A lot of money is spent signing up for things to start.  I'm guilty of it just like the next person.  The pain of doing an intense training program to get ripped was greater than the money that I lost paying for 10 sessions. Some people call that lazy. I also call it lazy. I'll go ahead and own it.  For 2014, let try something different. Taking a page from Trevor G. Blake in Three Simple Steps : A Map to Success in Business and in Life-  instead of writing goals, write down your intentions.  An intention is a goal with all doubt about its attainment removed. Baby steps are not needed because there is no doubt about getting what we desire.  He goes on to say,  With goals we push energy toward the object. With intentions, we pull or attr...