Dan Waldschmidt's Blog, page 28

Not Good Enough.

It takes a different brand of crazy to achieve outrageous results.

It’s not logical to obsess about details that are probably already good enough.

It’s not normal to try to improve what might even be considered great.

That’s the difference between people who achieve extraordinary things and everyone else.

It’s not good enough.

Real champions are always looking to improve.

It’s an obsession. A mental state. They’re in. All that. Always on.

And dead set on doing it better next time than they did this time.

If you’re not doing that, you’re on the path to ongoing frustration and mediocrity.

Ask yourself:

What are you thinking about?
What are you continuing to work on?

Is it good enough?

Go back a few days to the last few important things you’ve checked off your list and challenge yourself to do them better next time around.

Take your best skills and figure out a way to make them even better.

Find the best person doing what you want to do and ask him for help.

The truth is that if you’re not all in, you’re not really in at all.

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Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

26 Inspired Insights For Winning At Business And Life.

Your ability to win is directly related to your ability to tough it out.
Inspiration is a reward. You have to work for it and fight to keep it.
The opposite of success isn’t failure. It’s apathy.
You don’t need to worry about getting it wrong as long as you are willing to keep trying.
Just because the critics are louder than you doesn’t mean they’re right.
You’re not stuck. You’re just not making the right choices.
The fastest way to get hurt is to look back while running forward.
If you’re not radically different, you’re really not different at all.
The path to realizing your full potential travels through the valley of setbacks.
What works for someone else almost certainly isn’t going to work for you.
Don’t believe everything you don’t hear.
If you don’t believe in yourself, no else’s opinion will be enough to keep you motivated.
There’s no such thing as burnout. If there’s enough fuel, the fire always burns.
You don’t have to be “up for the job” to finish the job.
If you have to tell people that you’re the one in charge, you’re probably not.
Even if life were easier you wouldn’t be any happier.
Effort is one of the only factors in life that is solely within your own control.
If you think you just can’t make it, you probably won’t.
Motivation is like oxygen. You only know it’s missing when you’re gasping for more.
The difference between winning and losing is when you stop trying.
Spend the time you worry about what other people think about you proving them wrong.
Nothing works better to keep you inspired than being dissatisfied with where you are in life.
Changing might hurt right now, but losing hurts forever.
Working hard is working smart. There isn’t anything smarter you can do.
Success isn’t about the resources you have but how resourceful you are.
The greatest discovery you will ever make is that nothing is impossible.

The post 26 Inspired Insights For Winning At Business And Life. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

The Biggest Decision You Make Each Day.

Being successful is something that we all think about.

Whether it’s losing weight or making more money, getting promoted or just being happy — none of us want to lose.

You want what you want.

You want to win.

In the early 1980s, Woody Allen was asked about his success. He seemed to possess a genius for telling stories in a special way that audiences all over the world found irresistibly charming.

When interviewed, he made the simple observation that “80% of life is just showing up”.

He went on to further clarify that: “People used to always say to me that they wanted to write a play, they wanted to write a movie, they wanted to write a novel, and the couple of people that did it were 80 percent of the way to having something happen. All the other people struck out without ever getting that far. They couldn’t do it, that’s why they don’t accomplish a thing.”

If you’re not willing to try, you’re not ever going to be in a position to win.

You just have to try.

You don’t have to be perfect.

You don’t have to get it right the first time around. Or even the second, third, or fourth time.

As long as you have time and the energy to keep trying you have the possibility to be successful.

That’s the beautiful simplicity to trying. It’s all on you. It is 100% within your control.

You get to make all those seemingly inconsequential decisions that determine your success.

You decide.

The biggest decision you make each day is deciding to try one more time.

When you’re already tired. When it seems like it’s not going to help. When you’ve tried and failed every other time before this.

You get to decide if you’re going to show up or not. Whether you show up today. Whether you show up tomorrow.

Or whether you just get good at making excuses for why you’re not where you want to be yet.

You can do this.

You might feel like you don’t have enough to be successful. Like you’re missing something. Like you need another degree, more money, another mentor, or countless other resources.

Right now, you just need to show up. And try.

Make that decision. Today. And every day.

The post The Biggest Decision You Make Each Day. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Wasting Your Wake-Up Call.

Sometimes bad news is the best news you can get.

You’re stuck and frustrated and not sure what to do.

You’re pretty sure things aren’t the way they should be but aren’t motivated enough to change them.

You’re going through the motions.

That bad news is your motivation to turn things around.

A wake-up call. An opportunity to rethink why and how and what you’re doing.

It’s probably not going to be a fun call, but you should be grateful for it.

You were stuck and now you’re not. You were looking for motivation and now you have it.

In truth, you don’t need to do anything.

That wake-up call might just  be another good excuse for you to point the finger at somebody else.

Another reason to stay beaten down. Another sign but everyone else has it easier than you do.

If you’re looking for excuses, you’ll find one.

But if you’re desperate for change, a wake up call is the lift you’ve been looking for.

A reason to try harder.

The motivation to dig deeper. The purpose and power to persevere.

Don’t waste this opportunity.

Don’t look back on your wake-up call and realize you let it become your final call.

The post Wasting Your Wake-Up Call. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

When The Hard Thing Is Nothing.

Sometimes the hard thing is nothing. Doing nothing. Just waiting.

Usually, when you think of doing hard things, you think about investing superhuman effort or enduring an unusually high level of pain or discomfort.

What is just as hard is to do nothing when you feel like doing everything.

That’s hard.

It’s hard to forgive and move on when you want revenge.

It’s hard to turn the other cheek and give the benefit of the doubt when you’ve been taken advantage of.

It’s hard to be patient and wait for the results of your hard work to pay off when taking a shortcut seems like it’s working for everybody else around you.

Doing nothing is the hardest thing.

You feel stuck — like you’re never going to get to where you want to be. Like you’re wasting your time waiting.

That’s hard.

The truth is that you’re doing the hardest thing there is to do right now.

You’re letting the seeds of your effort germinate into the bountiful harvest you’ve been waiting for so long to realize.

Maybe it’s time to wait. Don’t let your frustration in the moment rob you of success.

Do nothing.

The post When The Hard Thing Is Nothing. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Just Do Better Next Time.

You won’t get it right all the time. Chances are that you won’t get it right a lot of a time.

You’re going to make mistakes and hurt people. And they aren’t going to be happy about it.

So do better next time.

You can whine and whimper, make excuses, and blame unfair circumstances — or you can just learn from the situation and do better next time.

Did you eat too many sugary treats when you’re working hard to lose weight? Don’t give up. Do better tomorrow.
Did you fall short of your sales goals at the end of the business quarter? Don’t blame your boss. Do better this quarter.
Did you lose your temper and hurt people you care about with unfair words? Don’t be passive agressive. Apologize and do better thenext time.
Did you fail your last big school assignment in epic fashion? Don’t drop out. Do better the next opportunity.
Did you fail to save for a bad day and are now stuck in debt and broke? Don’t panic. Start doing better with money right now.

Whether it is money or business, relationships, religion, success, exercise, or education — you’re going to be faced with failure on a daily basis.

Opportunities you could have handled.

Times where you could have done more or tried harder.

It’s mistake to wallow in self-pity and doubt. It’s a waste of time and talent to pretend like life is especially unfair to you.

You got it wrong. So what. Do better next time.

Learn. Adapt. Improve. Grow.

Make the next thing you do the best thing you’ve done yet.

You cares what just went down — good or bad. Do better next time.

The post Just Do Better Next Time. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Wasting Todays.

Some days you just don’t feel like getting it done.

You’re not feeling like making things happen.

You’re not motivated to go the extra mile. You’re not even sure you can make it through the first mile. You’re frustrated by the obstacles in your way and just not interested in doing anything.

You want a do-over. To roll over, go back to bed, and wake up feeling inspired tomorrow.

But that won’t work for today.

Today is your opportunity to make progress. To move closer to where you want to be.

Whether you feel like it or not.

The danger isn’t that you waste today, but that you make a habit of wasting todays.

You get used to slowing down and backing off when everything isn’t exactly perfect.

That is something you need to change.

Do one thing that matters. Try that instead.

When you’re feeling tired and less than capable, do something small. Develop the habit of taking action.

Even when you don’t feel like it.

The post Wasting Todays. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Avoiding The Not-Weird Thing.

You can’t be like everybody else if you expect to be successful.

It doesn’t matter what you think about when you think about success, you won’t achieve it without being different.

In other words, you’re going to have to be weird. A little bit odd. Sometimes even nutty.

The hard truth is that most people aren’t successful.

They never will be.

They’re too busy making excuses and pointing fingers to work on getting to where they want to be.

The not-weird thing to do is what everyone else is doing.

Not saving, living on a budget, or automatically investing in the future before spending money .
Not developing important personal skills like empathy, resilience, patience, and thoughtfulness.
Not to keep trying once whatever you have attempted doesn’t work out the very first time.

The not-weird thing to do is the least amount of effort.

Unless someone is watching.

It’s about avoiding the things that would cause other people to laugh at you. To notice that you’re invested in being successful.

They smirk because it matters deeply to you that you get to where you want to be. That’s just weird. 

“You care too much”, they tell you. “Be reasonable”, they try to coax you down. “You’re making too big of a deal about it. You’re too intense. Let it go.”

And the non-weird thing to do is exactly what they tell you.

To not be so committed.

To slow down. And try to fit in.

If you’re going to be successful, you’re going to have to avoid doing the non-weird thing. It has to be a habit.

You’re either all in or not in at all.

The post Avoiding The Not-Weird Thing. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

Why You’re Stuck Not Being Awesome.

Progress comes from pain. There’s no other way.

It might be intellectual pain as you learn something new. It might be physical pain as you put your body through difficult exercise. It might be the emotional pain of unrequited love.

Looking back just after the toughest moments in your life, you’ll see very clearly that you are better.

You are stronger.

You are more capable and resilient than you imagined possible.

And yet, the things that made you stronger are the things you avoid most assuredly.

You say “no pain, no gain” but then expect to get ahead without friction and discomfort and the loneliness of not figuring it out.

And then you get frustrated when no matter what you do, it doesn’t seem to help you get closer to where you want to be.

You’re just too comfortable.

The secret to success lies in the very thing you’re avoiding. The thing that seems to break you down and humble your spirit.

Seek out discomfort. Be deliberate about doing things that push your limits magnificently.

If everything is too good, you’re probably stuck not being awesome.

The post Why You’re Stuck Not Being Awesome. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...

When It’s Time To Fire Your Best People.

One of the hardest challenges in business is to make sure that the people working in your company right now still deserve to be there.

Over time, as your business grows and develops, it’s natural for people to work themselves out of a job. Even though it hurts you to help them leave, you will cripple your ability to grow if you don’t help them move on.

When your business is small you usually hire people who are loyal in nature and generalists in skill.

These people are the ones who ten hats.

They know a little bit about everything. And they guard your business like it is their own.

You count on them for their loyalty and their insights. They aren’t just employees. They are confidants.

But as you grow, you need people who are driven and specialists. They aren’t loyal to you, they are loyal to the mission. To your goal for where the company needs to go.

That creates a natural conflict.

The new people joining your company don’t understand why you would let these generalists who seem incompetent compared to their own set of skills have so much sway over the direction of the company.

And the people who have been there the longest just assume that the new people making all the noise are just a bunch of whiny babies who don’t appreciate the history of the business.

If you’re not careful about managing this, you’ll have a situation where the new people leave with a broken spirit and the old people refuse to evolve.

It’s a lose, lose, lose situation.

You’ll have a business rich in stories from the past but unable to move quickly enough to conquer the future.

To change this pattern, you have to be militant about where you want to go and how you want to get there. And then plug people into the equation.

You don’t start with good people and then find jobs for them to do. You start with a good mission and then find awesome people to execute a specific part of it.

Once you know where the finish line is, you bring together the smartest group of people possible to ensure you get there.

That’s a tough decision to make.

Sometimes the best thing you can do for your business is the hardest decision you have to make about a long-time friendship.

No one should be allowed to stay on the team just because of what they’ve done in the past.

It’s all about the future and what it takes to get there.

The post When It’s Time To Fire Your Best People. appeared first on Dan Waldschmidt: Author of EDGY Conversations.

Copyright by Waldschmidt Partners Intl... Not sure that all that legal stuff really matters. If you want to share this material, do so. Just don't charge for it and don't tell people you wrote it. Both of those are uncool.

Other than that, all rights are reserved to you to change your life. If you are ready to be amazing, now is the time to get started. Onward...