Christopher D. Connors's Blog, page 49

John Holt I completely agree, John.

John Holt I completely agree, John. Great analogy. I’m always amazed how many people think they can just jump right in- even though I used to be like that myself! Once you see the other way of prioritization and consciously doing the things that resonate with what you know matters most to you, it’s so obvious. I appreciate you reading!

Sylvie Soul I agree with you — Medium has been great to me, as well.

Sylvie Soul I agree with you — Medium has been great to me, as well. It’s all about what you put into it. Choose what matters most, get value from the things that resonate with you, keep growing!

Ken Marshall Really appreciate it, my friend!

Ken Marshall Really appreciate it, my friend! So simple yet so many of us put off getting clear about what matters most! Thank you for reading!

Jack Heimbigner Thank you, Jack! Grateful for your words — I appreciate you reading!

Jack Heimbigner Thank you, Jack! Grateful for your words — I appreciate you reading!

Build Your Life Around What Matters Most to You

If you left this world tomorrow, would you seriously care how much time you spent compulsively staring at your smartphone?

“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me. Going to bed at night saying we’ve done something wonderful, that’s what matters to me.” — Steve Jobs

Each day, you’re given 86,400 seconds to make the most of. You’re given the latitude to pursue what you want, even if it only ends up being for a very small percentage of those seconds. You have time. You have a shot — and that’s all that most of us can really ask for. So, when I see people squandering that time and wasting it on things that don’t add value and that waste their talents, it gets me down.

But more than that — it puzzles me. So many of us don’t realize the opportunities we’re letting pass us by.

An investment toward a venture and new beginning doesn’t take nearly as much time each day as you think. It’s not about one lump sum of output for one day over a few days or week. The journey is about repetition. It’s about consistency and continuous output. Showing up each day and finding a way to let yourself shine, in all your authenticity, in whatever your thing is.

So why do we spend time on things that don’t matter? For one thing — too many of us haven’t defined what matters most to us. As crazy as that sounds, we simply don’t know. We haven’t taken the time in deep thought and imagination to actually visualize and verbalize what we love and what means the most to us in this lifetime.

This manifests itself in our professional and personal lives, as well as how we perceive opportunities. Actually, it sometimes comes down to the way we perceive things like, well, vegetables. Take this from Stanford professor S. Christian Wheeler:

You may wish you liked your job more than you do, and you may find ways to make it more palatable, “but maybe your job really is bad.” Or you may want to eat more broccoli because you know it’s good for you, but if you dislike the taste there may be no way to convince yourself to eat it. Source: Stanford Graduate School of Business

We shouldn’t have to convince ourselves to like something that isn’t worth our time. While many of us need jobs, we’d be better off taking the time to specify what we really want instead of languishing or suffering in a role that is more mentally and emotionally draining than worth its yield in monetary income.

The Choice is Yours

We have a choice — that’s the point. And choice is enabled when we brainstorm and list out things that mean something to us. These are values, goals, passions and defining what success or happiness look like. It’s not hard to wonder how someone became successful or why some people are happier than others. They didn’t just fly by the seat of their pants and stumble into those states.

“The ultimate aim of the human mind, in all its efforts, is to become acquainted with truth.” ―Eliza Farnham

They consciously planned, imagined, visualized and activated that successful state or feeling of happiness. It takes time and effort. So many people, due to emotions like nervousness, lack of faith, or the mode of indecisiveness fail to take the time to do this work. They think it should be overlooked and that they should just jump right in and keep churning away and working hard.

But there’s a big difference between hard work without a light at the end of the tunnel, and hard, intelligent work that is designed to get us to an end goal and let us reap the rewards of learning and growth on our journey. We grow, we find meaning and we reach out pinnacle of self-actualization when we define what matters most to us and then approach that with a positive attitude and inspired, intelligent, industrious work ethic.

So put your smartphone down. Turn down that invite for happy hour drinks on Friday night, that turns into a long night on the town, spilling into the precious time you could use on Saturday morning consciously plotting your future plans. It’s not worth it. Your devotion to what matters most to you — whether it be family, your job, your faith or your passion — should be valued above everything else.

Don’t get disillusioned or caught up in the instant gratification social media world that prizes sensationalism and fleeting “cool” things over substance. Your journey to finding yourself and what you truly love is often long, sometimes lonely, but always worth it. An inspired, bold life is one lived on your terms and infused with doing meaningful, joyful things that light the fire inside of you, and simultaneously add value to the life of others.

Go for it.

Find Your Breakthrough

Join my newsletter and check out my Amazon Bestselling book, The Value of You. This will give you inspiration to start planning for success on your journey.

Build Your Life Around What Matters Most to You was originally published in Personal Growth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

We All Go Through Ruts — Here’s 5 Ways to Minimize Them and Launch Your Growth

It’s amazing how much time can go by when we doubt, fear and hesitate to make decisions. What starts as a one or two day struggle can quickly balloon to weeks and even months. We may need an awakening — some change agent that provides a spark to get us going. After all, when our approach isn’t working, it’s a wise idea to shift course and try some alternatives. This is how we grow.

I’ve found myself in a springtime funk, partially set on by allergies and fueled by some struggles with doubt. I’ve found myself playing the “What if” game a bit too much about future plans. This is common and to do so is human. To some extent, we all fear the unknown and we can all get concerned about what’s coming up next in our lives.

The difference between those who live with greater mental health and clear mind is by focusing their energy on the moment and immersing themselves in the things that matter most to them. When we stop living for today and for the causes, things and people that we love and inspire us, we wander and drift toward worry about the future.

You’ve probably gone through a rut or down period before. Finding myself in the midst of one, I felt compelled to better understand why I got here. And better yet, what to do about it. I turn to research, empirical evidence and making sense of my own experiences during these times. I also find it’s better to talk things out and think big picture about the life we truly want. Not what we fear or what we think we want.

I’ve synthesized my thoughts and provided five ways all of us can eliminate the time of each down period or rut we go through, and to power forward with the advantage of lessons learned and personal growth. Here are five ways to become more productive and happier mentally by minimizing these down times:

1. Change your Surroundings

Many of the toughest, most critical decisions that I’ve made in my life have come after a time of self-reflection or simple relaxation. Time where I got away from my primary surroundings and allowed new, fresh information and thoughts to enter my mind. I needed this geography shift. It served as a mental cleansing and re-calibration of my thoughts and desires.

On way to grow in this area is simply by spending some time outside in nature, particularly in solitude. Take this thought from a study by Stanford University professor, Gregory N. Bratman: “In a study, led by Bratman, time in nature was found to have a positive effect on mood and aspects of cognitive function, including working memory, as well as a dampening effect on anxiety.” Source: Stanford University

2. Exercise

We should never underestimate the importance of physical exercise. This includes cardiovascular exercise, weight lifting, and any methods we can take to increase our heart rate, improve our muscular strength and push ourselves to new physical limits. This helps us increase our energy, which is vitally important for living a more focused, successful life.

Dr. Scott McGinnis, assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School found the following:

“Regular exercise associated with a reduced risk of depression and anxiety… it slows cognitive decline and may reduce the risk of dementia. “There is good evidence that exercise behaves like medicine to improve brain health and thinking skills.”

3. Talk It Out

We benefit tremendously when we talk about our issues, feelings and emotions with someone we trust. In my life, those people have been my wife, my mother, brothers and father. I’ve been blessed to have a great support system of family. For you, it could be those people, but it could also be a friend or trusted adviser in academia or the workplace.

There’s immense therapeutic value and growth waiting for us when we open up about our problems. We’re interdependent creatures meant to share our experiences and situations with others. Not only will we grow, but in the process we can help others grow. Don’t internalize your situation at the risk of your mental well-being. That’s not smart or tough. It’s foolish.

4. Get Checked Out

Sometimes, our stubbornness or lack of action gets in the way. We may be experiencing something physical, mental, emotional, social. Could be that something else is bogging you down. If you never ask or seek help, you’ll never know. We were never meant to have all the answers or cures ourselves. We need others to objectively ask us questions and understand how to help us.

Having the discipline to take the first step to get help is the sign of a courageous, growing person. In fact, it’s within this idea for seeking help that we are able to ascertain the importance of what is truly good for us, and why it’s so important to resist things that are bad for us. These bad things included wallowing in doubt, fear or continuing down bad thought paths due to a rut or down time.

“According to a 2015 study out of Florida State University, participants with lots of willpower — the ones who said they have “iron self-discipline” and resist things that are bad for them — also take more steps to minimize the temptation they encounter in daily life. Source: Greater Good Magazine.”

5. Try Something New to Change Your Daily Routine

I’ll start out this lesson with a curve ball — sake for the sake of change is pointless. When you have a routine or way of doing things that works, there’s no need to change. But when you’re in a rut, not feeling well and unsure of why things are the way they are, you have to seek out answers. You have to explore new opportunities and processes that will inspire you.

You have to change.

May of you follow a daily routine, whether you know it or not. You get up at a set time. Brush your teeth, walk the dog, make your breakfast, etc. Then you’re out the door. Do you have a game plan? Do you take the time to ask yourself whether your routine is actually working? It may not be. And you may need this rut or down time to help you make sense of that.

Your productivity will increase exponentially when you become more focused around root causes for why you’re not succeeding. Once you know the basis for why you do what you do — and why you’re not living the life you want — the picture will become clearer for how to begin to build a new routine that will yield results. Don’t let your routine consume you. Be willing to change when you know there’s something deeper and bolder out there.

And I’ll finish with this:

Think about what matters most to you — energize and inspire your mind to think more passionately and creatively. Don’t get bogged down by a daily routine or way of doing things that is no longer working. Think about solutions. Truly practice deep thinking that’s focused on solving problems. You’ll find your answers a lot sooner.

Find Your Breakthrough

Join my newsletter and let me know if y ou’d like to work together as you build each day toward living the life you truly want. Let’s GO!

Also check out my Amazon Bestselling book, The Value of You . This will give you inspiration to start planning for success on your journey.

We All Go Through Ruts — Here’s 5 Ways to Minimize Them and Launch Your Growth was originally published in Personal Growth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Weight We Carry

Living each day while pining for things you think you want, but certainly don’t need, is the biggest force that holds you back. And here’s the best part — you have the control to stop and prevent this. One of the most empowering realities in this world is that we permit or prevent the thoughts that enter our minds. When we’re of stable mind, we have control mentally over our destiny.

We allow thoughts to blossom or wilt.

Part of having faith and living a confident lifestyle is adopting the mental state of “living by necessity.” Simply put — there are things that we need and things that we want. There’s nothing wrong with wanting anything. Heck, this is imagination and ideation at its finest! We should want a life lived on our terms. We should want to surround ourselves with people who bring out the best in us. All good things.

But we should never obsessively want and wish for things that we don’t need. I know this all too well — I’ve found this pattern in my life through both the places I’ve lived, and also the jobs I’ve held. My natural disposition is toward a futuristic mindset. I’m a planner and a dreamer who is mentally looking to fulfill future plans too far in advance.

In other words — mentally, my mind can race and I lack patience. I can miss my family, old friends and the comforts of my hometown. I can get lost in the perks of what I believe my future career to be. But I have all I need right now. And I think you’ll find as you look at your life, no matter where you live or where you are in your professional journey, you do have what you need.

I know what I want. I want to be an entrepreneur, I want to help change people’s lives through my writing, coaching and public speaking. I’m doing those things right now. I have thousands of people that reach out to me every week and this helps me reaffirm that what I’m doing is right. But I’m not yet living each minute of this as my career.

I’m navigating a challenging 9-to-5 job that requires effort, energy and a lot of discipline. In the meantime, I’m recreating my world on the side and still getting to influence and changes people’s lives with what I do.

Maybe you’re right there on the journey with me. Living one life, hoping for another, while simultaneously living for today and the future. You’re doing things to get that life to become the actual one that takes up the most of your time. And once you have it, you’ll have found the missing puzzle piece that connects everything together and brings complete stability to your existence.

Maybe.

Because tomorrow is never promised today. Setting goals, drafting plans and actively working toward your those goals is vitally important. But in the process, we must not lose sight of our current situation. We’re in the midst of where we are for a reason. There’s no such thing as “preordained wasted time.”

We’re not meant to waste time when we know what we want for both today and our futures. We need to make the most of the time in front of us — the present moment — and never squander opportunities! Our trouble is not so much the inability or desire to act, as it is the impulse and recognition of what opportunity truly is. Opportunity is all around us. It’s not off in some distant future.

Your Opportunities Are Always In Front of You

The trials and stages of life that we think we can auto-pilot or put on cruise-control are often remarkable, seminal periods of growth. If you take nothing else away from this article, please, recognize that opportunities are always right there, front and center in life. Sometimes they’re obvious. Sometimes they’re less obvious. And sometimes they’re concealed. They’re in disguise. Or they appear to be something different.

When this happens, we often carry the weight of what we think we want, when what we have right in front of us. The life we want with our boyfriend, girlfriend, family, job, idea, spiritual journey or personal development project is truly all that matters in that moment. We have to learn to put the past behind us and to stop regretting a life that isn’t actually ours.

The past is prologue. What’s already happened is helping you build for what you truly want. You shouldn’t drain yourself over wishing for something that isn’t part of your life’s journey, even though you once wondered whether it would be. You have to move forward and focus on the present. The future can wait.

Your grand designs for becoming a business owner are still going to be there for you. You’re not missing out today. You’re only missing out today if you punt your opportunity for thinking that the future is the be-all and end-all.

Right now is all that truly matters when it comes to opportunities and living.

Plan your future. Develop your definition of success. Start writing out goals and constructing an objective that really matters to you. Align your dreams, creative thoughts and deepest personal ambitions, and loves, to a plan that is measurable and achievable. But outside of that time, while you should always keep an eye on the future, you have to master your present through thoughtful, inspired action.

You truly do have everything you need in the present. That’s not to say that you have everything you need for a particular goal, career ambition or to even land the man of your dreams. But you have everything you need to live in the bmoment with clarity, joy and love in your heart. You have what you need to continue building for the big things that you really want.

Past, Present and Future

Patience is preached and esteemed in its virtue for a reason — because so many successful and happy people realize that all of their dreams don’t just come true in an instant. Or six months. Or one year or even five or 10 years. Sometimes they do, but surely you’ve realized that it usually doesn’t work that way. Like a tree, the seeds of your personal growth need to be nurtured and allowed time to take root.

I’m not quite the professional I want to be yet. And, maybe you’re not either. There’s a confidence and assurance in that. There’s a need to embrace this state of mind. The happiest people embrace their current situation, in good times and bad, because they know that maintaining a positive attitude and equilibrium will benefits them in the long run.

It’s the long game that matters. On this marathon journey of life — it’s not a sprint! — you’re better equipped to peacefully and joyfully embrace the job you have now. The life you have in your one-bedroom efficiency with the slightly cracked window. Your long train commute to the job that you think you hate, but only because it’s not exactly what you want.

Because all of these things are stops along the way on the real ride toward the life you want most. They’re lessons, signposts meant to be observed and not dismissed. They’re all helping you grow and make sense of the person you are and who you want to be. All the things you don’t have right now are not needs. They’re (maybe) only wants. Don’t carry the weight of unnecessary wants.

You have today. And that’s all that matters.

You Have Everything You Need

Join my newsletter and let me know if y ou’d like to work together as you build each day toward living the life you truly want. Let’s GO!

Also check out my Amazon Bestselling book, The Value of You . This will give you inspiration to start planning for success on your journey.

The Weight We Carry was originally published in Be Yourself on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

What Do You Care About?

About the things that you concern yourself with, that you spend time worrying about and staying up late at night thinking, watching, reading and complaining about? Are you giving your attention to the people in your life that you love? Or frittering time away on activities that are getting you nowhere?

Are issues like race, gender equality, civil rights your M.O.? Or are abstract matters like art what make you tick? What gets the needle moving in your life?

Sports team got you down? Live to see another day.

Stood up in the name of love? Try again.

Job beating you down? Keep grinding and find what moves you.

Are you “being the change you want to see in the world,” like the great Mahatma Gandhi once said? Or are you simply full of sound and fury, signifying nothing, as William Shakespeare, the wise bard from England, once wrote?

Why do you care? Do you care? Or do you just think you care?

Are you typing and crashing away on the keyboard, metaphorically yelling at those with whom you disagree? Where is that getting you? It’s probably filling your mind with anger and discontent. When you get a minute to breathe, can you really focus on your breathing? Take a deep breath and start living.

We are what inspires us. We are the embodiment of that which touches and enlightens us. We become our best when we’re caring about things that we love and that fuel our passion.

Why do you care? You may not give a shit from time to time.

Sometimes we all feel that way.

Life can sadly be forgettable or unforgettable.

You choose.

As much as we tell ourselves in moments of self-doubt that wedon’t care, we really do. We were created to care. Our hearts tell us so. I know you care, too. You’re reading. You’re learning. You’re trying to grow.

Are you part of the problem or part of the solution? Does your care extend to others in the form of gratitude, peace and love? Are you a resounding gong or clanging cymbal?

Is your voice pure and your intentions true?

Are you looking to start a revolution? Begin today. Don’t wait. The indecision will cripple your ambition.

Do you aim to inspire and live gracefully? Send your positive thoughts whispering through the air, carrying into the ether like a zephyr.

The magnanimous and the mean are both remembered, but will that matter to you as you contemplate whether you care enough to give more of yourself than you ever dreamt possible?

Why do I care? Because I believe life is about giving what we have of ourselves to lift up the spirits and well being of others. Life is about living out the dreams that are planted in our hearts. Giving values, love and hope to our fellow woman. Delivering cheer, enrichment and kindness to our fellow man.

That’s life.

Character? May you embody all that you speak.

Give me Theodore Roosevelt.

‘I care not what others think of what I do, but I care very much about what I think of what I do! That is character!’

Check that and take it to the bank.

That is to say, care not about what others think of your process. Care very much about the results.

I care about creativity, renewal of the mind and spirit and bold steps forward.

I care very much about who benefits from what I do. I hope that is all of you.

I try. My message is for all. To love all regardless of creed, race, class or gender is to truly live. To be love in its purest, human form.

If you focused all of your energy into love, nothing else would matter. Love of your fellow man and woman, love of yourself, love of the handiwork you produce each day. May that permeate your thinking and doing. May you love and give that gift to all. May you live to care.

May You Love What You Do

I’m helping thousands of people each day build their life on values and put together their personal game plan. Join me! Check out The Value of You, my Amazon bestseller. The e-book is available for a limited time for just $2.99! Order the e-book HERE!

Join my newsletter and come along on your journey. Let’s GO!

What Do You Care About? was originally published in Personal Growth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Stop Wasting Your Time — Or Time Will Waste You

Three months in. So, how’s your year going?

Where are you on the scale of living out your dream? Are you watching time go by? Waiting for your “big shot?” Have you made your move? In other words, have you started on your quest of doing what you want? What you love. Or are you still wondering whether a life of doing what you love, while supporting yourself and your family, is possible?

I can tell you with the utmost confidence, from my personal experience, that living your passion, while still being wise enough to pay the bills and answer all of the “real world’s” demands is possible. Like anything worth working toward, this requires effort, which first begins with a believing mindset backed by a strong desire.

If you don’t have these things, honestly, just stop reading right now.

By all means, please read my other stories! Or find something that might make you more comfortable. Otherwise, everything else I have to offer in this piece is a waste of your time. I started this article with a title that offers you an alternative to wasting your time. Which I think is in your best interest.

The Meaning of Living Out Your Passion

As I’ve written about previously, the Internet is littered with blog posts and articles on why not pursuing your passion is a wise course of action. Go ahead, do a Google search. I’ll be here waiting for you. Or — just look here:

Some suggest pursuing what you love is a bunch of malarkey — that you’re just wasting your time. “Do what you’re good at,” they say. “Stop living in a fantasy world and do the things you’re skillful and qualified to do,” they groan!

Certainly not the worst advice. But not the best. Probably somewhere lukewarm and in the middle. And honestly, lukewarm completely sucks. You’re not moving forward. And perhaps worse than lukewarm, at least in the long-term, you’re not moving backwards.

Huh?

Moving backwards can inspire an impetus in us to change and confront adversity with an optimistic, purpose-driven plan. Falling down is a great recipe for learning to pick ourselves back up.

https://medium.com/media/54cb4c77259b0900a6a48e93052654d0/href

When we dive deeper, we find that “don’t pursue your passion” is advice that would never be followed by the very same people who dispense it. They’d never truly want that for their children. Because when you really think about it — who the hell wants to do something that they don’t enjoy, just because they’re “good at it”?

Unless that something you’re good at is ALSO coupled with activities and hobbies that you do love, then that is a mundane life just begging to be besieged with problems and worries. It’s like the version of your own, personal zero sum game. You may “win” in one area, but you lose in another. You lose by depriving yourself of furthering the all-important desire of doing what you love.

How do I know this? I’m no sage. I’m no Confucius, Aristotle or Laozi. What I am is a person who has lived in the world and learned the hard way that living without enthusiasm is a recipe for unhappiness and mediocrity. One of my core beliefs is that we find purposeful, meaningful activities that we focus our time and effort on, in order to bring value to the lives of others and ourselves.

Whether that comes from the daily job that permits you to put the proverbial “bread on the table” for your family or whether it’s an outlet that you seek to enliven and enrich your life — your inner chi — is entirely dependent on the plan for your life. Only you will (someday) know what this is, in due time. It will be revealed to you as you continue your journey in life.

In Search of Your “Zone”

This is a belief I feel all of us can share. Maybe your passion is skiing, knitting, coaching, volunteering or journalism. Maybe it’s skydiving — which in that case, you probably need to have a serious bankroll! Regardless, I encourage you to focus your thoughts on things that are more within your control and that stimulate positive emotional thoughts.

Your favorite thing to do could be something as simple — and as rich — as spending time with your loved ones. That is mine. Also, if you’re like me, it could be writing and coaching. These are things that I love which bring real value to other people — because I care and it is my intended mission.

Athletes practice their craft, improve their athleticism and become physically and mentally stronger each day. Sometimes they study film or eat well, as part of a regimen that is designed to make them better qualified to do their job — which most often, is something they love to do. For the hyper-competitive, it’s a plan of attack. For those who are successful and happy, it’s imperative, in order to stay on top of their game.

The greatest combination in life is the use of your natural, God-given talent mixed with a burning desire and effort to be great. I’ve surrounded myself with friends who are excellent musicians, people who play their instrument several hours each day. I know fellow writers who are always writing, always seeking to get their message out. This inspires me!

They savor the self-satisfaction that comes from being in the mental “zone.”I’ve played basketball with and against players who went on to play at the highest levels of college, and then professionally. I can tell you, when everyone else was having a bowl of ice cream at night, playing video games or texting with their friends, these men and women were working on gaining an advantage on their competition. Maybe a mere quarter-step of quickness.

A quarter-step that made all the difference.

I know professionals who are always seeking ways to make themselves more marketable and more efficient. They read self-help literature, learn new software programs and improve their public speaking skills through practice. They seek professional coaching, business writing courses and certifications in a given field.

They don’t settle for mediocrity and they’re often their own toughest critics. Maybe you know exactly what I mean.

It’s About Time

What I’ve learned and believe with all my heart is that God — and this world — is demanding that you reach your potential and become the person you are destined to be. It took me a while to come around to the belief that this world needs you.

But I’ve found that when all of us are operating with our God-given talents, with the utmost energy and exertion of our mental and physical faculties, the world is a more harmonious place, filled with greater vigor and vitality.

All of us are great at wasting time. Many of us hold doctorates and advanced degrees in procrastination. And it’s nothing to be proud of. Next time you can, catch yourself while you’re wasting time and ask yourself this question:

“At what cost am I wasting time?”

In other words — who is really paying the price for your wasted time? Believe me — there IS a price to pay for wasting time. You lose out on future gains. So do your loved ones and the people that form your inner-circle, because those people benefit when you are improving and growing.

Someone else; your competition, your contemporaries, are getting better at your expense. Even if you don’t know them and they don’t know you. Even if you don’t view them as your competition. Someone else is taking the idea you are meant to give to the world and using it for great value. At the very least, you’re not the one doing it.

And both you and the world are poorer because of it.

Procrastination and wasting time is a gradual effect that can lead us down a terrible path. It certainly seems hard to believe that this is true, in a single moment, but the cumulative effect is damaging. Am I striking a chord, yet?

When you waste time, you lose time. As Napoleon Hill famously wrote,

“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.”

I can confirm he was right. The world needs you. The excuses you speak over your life today are guaranteed to delay your future prospects for success. So, what is at risk and what exactly is the cost? A life of freedom. The surrender and relinquishment of your dreams.

That’s all.

I’ll close with one of Mr. Hill’s most powerful quotes. These are some of the most motivational, gripping words I’ve ever read. This is a call:

“In conclusion, may I remind you that life is a Checkers board, and the player opposite you is TIME. If you hesitate before moving, or neglect to move promptly, your checkers will be wiped off the board by time. You are playing against a partner who will not tolerate indecision!”

My intent is not to intimidate or scare you, but rather to inspire you. Each time I read it, I get the chills and I feel its gravity in all that I do, and all that I hope to become. I take it as a competitive challenge, one only meant in the spirit of making me — and you — realize that it’s our time to make a move for good reason.

Think about it the next time you find yourself struggling for direction during moments of doubt. Think about it as you take inventory and look back on this year, and on to the future. Where are you going? What’s your next move?

Maybe you have a plan to launch your entrepreneurial career while taking significant steps forward to establish the life you desire for yourself. You have to be consistent. You must do what you say you will do… EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. You have to believe.

Everything begins with a thought, which is then backed by faith and desire.This foundation is imperative. In order to get to the hard work and all the “doing,” this structure is absolutely required! Then, you can put together your plan. Then, you can set your goals and objectives, mix in persistence, consistency, smart work and dedication to your craft.

You can become an expert on time management by drowning out all the noise and focusing on what matters. These are the steps that will take you from mediocrity to productivity. Follow this and don’t delay incorporating it into your life. It will make all the difference.

You Can Do This

I’m helping thousands of people each day build their life on values and put together their personal game plan. Join me! Check out The Value of You, my Amazon bestseller. The e-book is available for a limited time for just $2.99! Order the e-book HERE!

Join my newsletter and come along on your journey. Let’s GO!

Additional Reading

How to Overcome Procrastination and Develop a Productive Daily Routine

1 Hour Per Day Doing this Mental Exercise Will Exponentially Increase Your Success

30 Excuses Stopping You From Living Your Best Life (And 30 Solutions)

Stop Wasting Your Time — Or Time Will Waste You was originally published in The Mission on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Jay Wright Way — How Attitude Powers Champions

“If you think about how good you are as opposed to what the next challenge is going to be, then you’ve already lost. We have to stay humble…”

As the buzzer sounded on Monday night in San Antonio, Villanova men’s basketball coach Jay Wright was again front and center for the second time in three years. His team completed their ascent to the mountaintop of college basketball. Champions again. They weren’t the most talented. He didn’t have the highest recruited players.

What he did have was one of the most complete teams anyone has ever seen — a team powered by positive attitude and a gritty, hard work ethic.

In sports, just like in life, there are always new nuggets of wisdom, bold technological breakthroughs and advances in thought leadership. But there are two things that will always stand the test of time:

We always have control over two things — our attitude and our effort.

Coach Jay Wright has mastered the ability to communicate this to his players, motivate and discipline them, and have this executed. His team is the most successful and dominant basketball team of the past five years. It starts with attitude and a foundation on values. Everyone cares for one another and inspires each other to be their best.

“In any organization a leader’s job is to make sure everyone feels confident in their role and that the role is valued. This gives everyone their best chance to compete at the highest level.” — Villanova men’s basketball coach, Jay Wright

What’s interesting about Wright’s approach to the game is that for him, so much of it is emotional and mental. He gives his players creative freedom and liberty on offense, while simultaneously instilling rigorous discipline around fundamentals. He implores them to care for one another, to play selfless basketball and to lead with a positive attitude.

Two national championships in three years tell the full story — Jay Wright’s philosophy around positive attitude, discipline and empathy is working. During the game on Monday night, Villanova got off to a slower start against Michigan. Rather than panic or turning to doubt, Villanova continued playing their game. They kept looking out for one another and building upon each play.

“I learned how important the right attitude is. It’s a concept that permeates everything you do… We all bring our attitude to every situation. How do we walk into a room? How do we meet people? How do we respond to challenges? To adversity?” — Jay Wright

Their shots weren’t falling, but they made hustle plays and showed their toughness in rebounding and great defense. When the going got tough, the team with the incredible attitude and work ethic ramped up its performance and extended their lead. At the biggest stages of competition — it’s not always about strategy. It’s about how much we want to succeed. How powerful and indomitable our spirit is. How willing we are to do whatever it takes to win.

Three Keys to a Positive Attitude1. Build first on Values. Don’t just dive in with no foundation or plan

I think of this now in the context of your personal growth and development. So many people get an idea around something they’re passionate about, then dive in without much thought for values, a game plan or what about their approach will be successful. The “diving in” and hoping for the best strategy never, ever works in the long-term. You may find success, by luck, at first, but it’s not sustainable.

Coach Wright learned the difference between winning, losing and nearly failing out of the coaching profession in his first head coaching job at Hofstra. Only a few years in, he nearly was fired. The team wasn’t winning. He was focused so intensely on X’s and O’s and his team wasn’t seeing results. He altered his approach and began focusing on fundamentals and values.

Coach Wright’s emphasis on leadership, accountability, discipline and values began to resonate with his players. From this foundation, he was able to inspire and motivate and get his players to buy-in to a team-first philosophy and approach toward competition. This foundation served as the springboard that turned Hofstra into a winner, and later Villanova.

“The most important characteristic any of us have is our attitude. We don’t have a choice whether we’re going to feel good or we’re going to be tired. Whether it’s going to rain outside — whether things are going to go our way. But we do have a choice about what our attitude is going to be getting out of bed… coming into work… stepping into a room. We have a choice and we’ve got to make sure that choice is a positive one in everything we do.” — Jay Wright

2. Stay Positive and your losses will become your Wins

In sports, like in life, there usually aren’t many surprises for why some people succeed and why others fail. We’re all going to make mistakes at first. We’re all going to have to learn how to improve and rebound from those mistakes. It’s this adversity and temporary failure that we build our success and comebacks on! We literally learn to win by learning first to lose.

And through this fire and process, we recognize that values are the foundation to build upon. From there, a game plan that defines success, highlights goals and provides our guiding purpose enables us to visualize what we want before we have it. This serves as inspiration to continue driving us forward. The secret sauce on our journey is a positive attitude.

3. Whatever your desire or destiny — keep going

We’ll face self-doubt, fear and questions from others as we begin our own ascent to the mountaintop of our destiny. All of us want to do great things — whether it’s for our family, our company, ourselves or for mankind. The unifying thread throughout our lives is a positive attitude. It fuels all of our happiness, success and biggest dreams. Just ask Jay Wright.

Go for the Win

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Also check out my Amazon Bestselling book, The Value of You . This will give you inspiration to start planning for success on your journey.

The Jay Wright Way — How Attitude Powers Champions was originally published in Personal Growth on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.