April 7, 2014

Rookies

Experience is not always a good thing.

Sometimes experience can be a curse. Such as when your experience causes you to focus on the good ole days; and long for the ways things were; and complain about the way things are; and become unwilling to change. The good news is that there is a simple antidote to the curse of experience and it is to think and act like a rookie. Rookies don’t have experience. They don’t know about the way things were. They have no knowledge of the good ole days. Instead rookies create their good ole days right now. Rookies put their head down, work hard, stay positive, live fearlessly and are naïve enough to be successful. Rookies aren’t tainted by rejection, negative assumptions or past experiences. Rookies don’t focus on what everyone says is impossible. Instead, with wide eyes they believe anything is possible. They bring an idealism, optimism and passion to their work and because they believe in the future they take the necessary actions to create it. So, regardless of how much experience you have in your industry and profession I want to encourage you to let your experience be a blessing not a curse. Let your experience provide you with expertise and let your rookie mindset fuel you with optimism and passion. Mentor the rookies because, for all their effort and energy they do make mistakes. And yet, let them teach you how to see the world through their eyes. So think and act like a rookie, forget the past, and create your good ole days right now. Are you acting like a rookie today?

April 30, 2013

Who Not Do

The people who find their identity in what they do, are the ones who struggle with life. The person who knows God loves them, life is good.

Click to listen to podcast

Have you ever noticed that when you ask someone “Who are you?” a lot of times they’ll say, “I’m a salesman.” “I’m a teacher.” “I’m a coach.” “I’m a teacher.” Many people find their identity in what they do. The problem with this kind of thinking is that people identify themselves with their negative habits and strongholds, too. I hear people say, “I’m an alcoholic; I just can’t beat it.” No, that’s not who you are, that’s what you do. But if you keep thinking that way and talking that way, it will become so ingrained on the inside that you’ll convince yourself that it’s true, and it will keep you from rising higher. One time somebody told me, “Scott, I’m an addict.” He was embarrassed by it. He didn’t want to live that way. I told him what I’m telling you, “That’s not who you are.  It’s time to start acting like you have a destiny to fulfill.” Do you know who you are today?

March 19, 2013

Easy Does It Blog/Podcast

Don’t force the issue; just let it happen.

Click to listen to podcast

I have a friend who has developed several top college quarterbacks who have gone on to play in the NFL. One of his favorite sayings is, “Quarterback is too hard to play hard.” In other words, when someone is doing too much or doing more than his process can handle–and thus is forcing something to happen, as opposed to letting it happen–then it never happens. You name it–marriage, parenting, teaching, stock-brokering–all are too hard to play hard. All you have to do is get your process in front of you and let it happen, not force it to happen. In other words, play easy. Truly successful people have an ease and grace about the–they make it look easy. After you declare your process, “it” should all be “easy does it.”

March 13, 2013

In Charge

The next time you find yourself in the midst of a bad experience, remind yourself you can take this time to learn and grow from it.

I want you to live an abundant and satisfied life. I want you to enjoy the fullness of  life and experience God’s goodness everywhere you go. It’s easy for people to get stuck in a rut, doing the same thing the same way all the time. But when you open yourself to new people, new experiences and new ideas, you are making room for God to reveal Himself to you and work in different ways in your life. When you stretch yourself, you increase your abilities, and you increase your influence in the world around you. This week, make the decision to explore something new. Take a different route home from work. Try something new on the menu at lunch. Be open to new people who may not necessarily look like you or act like you. Let God direct your life. Look for new opportunities to grow and stretch so you can live the full, satisfied life the Lord has in store for you. Are you letting God be in charge of your life today?

February 16, 2013

Deliberate Attitude

Your attitude toward life should be deliberate, not circumstantial.
Transforming something in your life whether it’s your attitude, mindset, financial situation or bringing change into a relationship can seem like an overwhelming task. But as the old saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Likewise, the way you change your life is one thought at a time. Your thoughts set the direction of your life. If you need to change the direction you are headed, you simply need to change your thoughts in that area. When a thought comes to your mind that “you’re never going to get well; this is your lot in life,” don’t dwell on that. Don’t sit around and have a pity party. No, immediately reject it and replace it with the truth, not the facts. I encourage you to be aggressive in taking every single thought and making it line up with your process. Stay determined, stay focused and keep speaking truth because you can change your life, one thought at a time. Is your attitude deliberate today?

February 8, 2013

Life Story

Did you know that God has already written out the story of your life?

He’s written out plans for your good, plans to prosper you, plans for peace. That doesn’t mean that you won’t go through negative situations. It means that God will use everything you go through to move you forward toward that good plan. When things happen that we don’t understand, it’s easy to think, “Why did this happen? Why did this friend betray me? Why did this company lay me off? Why didn’t I get that promotion?” But, you can’t let the things you don’t understand keep you stuck on the same page in the story of your life. You have to decide to turn the page so that you can see the victory waiting for you in the next chapter. If you are facing a difficulty today, know that God’s plan is to turn it around and use it for your good. The story of your life isn’t over! Keep moving forward, keep believing, keep hoping, keep forgiving because your days are written out for good, and it’s time to turn the page and see the blessing He has in store for your life! Do you know your life’s story today?

December 22, 2012

Task Focused

Just play your game from your heart, and don’t obsessed about winning. Just play the game to your best ability every play.

When you focus on doing your best and being the best you that you can be, the results will come. In sports we say, don’t watch the scoreboard, play hard every play. We can bring this concept over to your life outside of sports. Don’t be so concerned about the outcome of a situation, just do your absolute best no matter what it looks like. When you focus on what you can do and not on anything else, you will see more clearly. Don’t allow the external factors to distract you from doing what it is you are supposed to be doing. Stay task focused. There are going to be situations and people that try to get you distracted. Stay focused and do your work. You have the capability to make a huge difference in the world. Stay on your task. Don’t let the scoreboard in get your eyes and mind. Keep you eyes and mind on what you are doing. Are you task focused today?

December 9, 2012

Putting It All Together

Your process reminds you of your purpose. Being on purpose is no more complicated than reminding yourself of what your vision is all about.

Your process, your purpose, and your vision are each tied to the other. Your process is specifically yours, and it is tied to your purpose. Therefore, your process will remind you each day of your purpose. Your process will take you in different directions during your day, but it holds true to your purpose. These two are interwoven into your vision. Your vision is what your process and purpose are taking you toward. At times people seem to make process, purpose, and vision more complicated and complex than they really are. It’s really not that hard to understand. Look at it in backwards form. What is your vision? What will you do to reach your vision? What plan do you have to do this? That is your vision, purpose, and process. Take the time to see your vision, be intentional about you purpose and develop your process today. Do you have a process to get you to your vision?

December 6, 2012

Focus Small

Your process must focus on you: taking responsibility, control what you can in yourself, stay on purpose, and not act on feelings.

Your process is your responsibility. No one can work your process plan but you. Focus on what you are supposed to do in life. Don’t be distracted by things that aren’t for you to do. There will always be stuff you can do, but is it your place to do it? Stay on task, fulfilling your destiny and purpose in life. There are things you can control and a whole lot of things you can’t. Don’t let the stuff you have no control over mess with your mind.  Never allow your emotions to make process decisions for you. Never make major decisions when emotionally high or low. Stick to the process. Stay with your plan. Your purpose and life are too important to get off track and wonder around aimlessly. You can do this. You can focus on what you should, for as long as you should. You only get one shot at getting life right, so make it count. Aim small; miss small. Are you focused on your process today?

December 5, 2012

Process Evaluation

A process is a concrete series of thoughts, words, images, prayer, you use to mentally and physically drive yourself back to your core, foundational picture.

Everyone has some form of a process operating in their life. The difference is the quality of the process, the foundational principles of their process and how well they work their process. If you have a negative, low self-esteem, self-degrading, failure based process then you will have a difficult time in your life. Nothing will ever seem to go right for you. You will always come out on the bad end of relationships, business deals, and life in general. However, if you have a positive, God-centered, faith based, hope filled, and unconditional love based process; then nothing nor no one will be able to stop you from reaching your destiny. Also, while you are reaching your destiny, you will be making a positive difference in the lives of others. Before 2013 arrives, do a process quality check. Are you where you had hoped you would be in your life at this point? If not, then your process may need tweaking. Make sure you are speaking truth filled words, your prayers are sound and your mental images of yourself are positive. Then work your process, it won’t do it by itself. Get ready for the greatest year of your life. Is your process what it should be?