Dan Waldschmidt's Blog, page 30

5 Steps Ahead Or Way Behind.

Most of life isn’t going to happen on your terms.

You don’t get to choose how most of your day turns out. Circumstances change without you asking for your approval.

You just have to deal with it. You have to react like you’re ready. Like this moment is the one you’ve always been waiting for.

But how do you do that when you feel blindsided by events or hurt by the actions of friends?

Do what you would do 5 moves from now.

React like you’re playing a game of chess — not throwing a temper tantrum in the middle of the grocery store.

If you can’t think five moves ahead try a different first move.

You do something. They do something.
You do something. They do something.
You do something. They do something.
You do something. They do something.
You do something.

The “they” doesn’t need to be a person, although it often is. It can be an industry or a company — anything that has a feedback loop.

React like you’ve got it under control.

React like you’ve got 5 moves. Almost any problem can be solved in 5 smart moves.

And the first one is often the most important, because it sets the tone for everything that follows. It either enables change or reinforces the opinions of the other party. Making change almost impossible.

So what’s the best opening move? Empathy. And clarity.

Clarity is what happens in your mind. Empathy is what comes out of your lips.

When things don’t go your way you have to be absolutely clear about what you would like to see happen.

You need an ideal outcome and an acceptable outcome.

That means you need to know what  you really want to happen and what you can tolerate. Think about that before you make a move. Challenge your own preconceived notions.

It’s likely that what you think you need to have is wrong. Your emotions are making you protective rather than creative. Take a step back.

When you do something do it with empathy.

Even if a person or company or circumstance seems to be wildly unreasonable and unfixable, you should have assume that it was well-intentioned.

No one is out to get you.

It is just how things are right now. So speak from a place of empathy. Be approachable and relatable.

You do things that other people misinterpret as being unreasonable and unfixable. It’s not just you and them, it’s everyone who acts that way.

Put yourself in their situation. It makes all the difference in everything that follows.

If you’re not thinking five moves ahead, you’re already way behind.

Life isn’t going to go your way most of the time.

It’s on you to get good at adapting and being awesome in spite of the challenges you face.

The post 5 Steps Ahead Or Way Behind. 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 Something Is Everything And Anything Is Possible.

Anything is possible.

Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t ever happen.

Just because you’ve tried and failed doesn’t mean that’s how it will always be.

Times change. People change. Your situation can change.

Your situation will change.

You’ve got to work like you believe it’s just about to happen.

You’ve got to put in that final burst of effort you get when you see the finish line just ahead.

Even when you don’t.

You have to remind yourself that anything is possible.

Take a deep breath.

Remember back to when things were different than they are now.

Where you are now is different than where you used to be. And you’ll be in a different place again soon.

But until you get there, you’re dealing with right now. Right here. This moment. This obstacle.

The choice is simple.

You can remain paralyzed and hope that your circumstances automatically change. Or you can do one thing that matters.

You can take back control of your destiny. Even though it feels awkward and uncomfortable. And mostly a waste of your time.

You can make progress — small amounts of improvement. Even though you’re tired and frustrated.

You can do that.

Just move a little bit closer to where you want to do. Don’t try to do 10 things or 5 or 2. Just focus on doing one thing that matters.

It will feel like nothing. But it will be everything.

In that moment, you’re doing the only thing that matters. Something.

And that something is what eventually makes anything possible.

The post When Something Is Everything And Anything Is Possible. 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...

Do You Believe?

Part of the magic of overcoming obstacles is your belief that it’s actually possible.

You won’t stick with much of anything that matters for long if you don’t believe that it’s worth it.

Hard work and tough choices demand that you believe in what you’re doing.

That you trust the process. That deep in your soul you have unshakable faith that you’ll get to where you want to be.

You won’t persist without belief.

You’ll give up. Just go through the motions.

Believing isn’t automatic. It doesn’t just happen.

It is a spirit that you have to nurture. A mindset you have to protect.

It’s not a guarantee you’ll keep it once you have it. It’s the most precious and powerful force working to make you successful.

You have to make it happen.

It’s on you to take time each day to build that belief stronger:

Take some time each day to work up a sweat. Workout. Exercise.
Replace the time you spend watching TV or listening to the news with reading a good book.
Build a checklist for the three most important things you need to get done in the next 24 hours.
Do some research on your goal and learn what tactics other successful people have done to achieve them.
Find a new mentor or hire a coach and most definitely make sure you have friends who will challenge you to continue.

Maybe you’re not getting results because you don’t believe.

And maybe you don’t believe because you’re not willing to change your life.

Do you believe?

The post Do You Believe? 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...

Committed.

What is commitment?

Is it just something you say when you’re getting married?

It’s something you feel when you’re joining a team or trying to win a big game?

What is being committed?

Being “all in” is a phrase we often throw around when it comes to achieving goals.

You tell yourself that you’re going to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. But when it takes longer than you expected, you decide that maybe you’re not as willing to be is committed.

You’re just making excuses.

“Obviously it wasn’t meant to be,” you tell those around you.

Somehow you must have it harder than everyone else around you. Your goals must be a little tougher — a little more difficult — than everyone else’s goals.

Your excuses get louder than your effort. When no one is looking you stop trying. When everyone else starts to notice you make sure you have a good story ready to tell.

You get good at whining.

Whether it’s falling in love or trying to get rich, digging your way out of debt, paying off your house, raising good kids, or trying to lose weight — success demands commitment.

All you have. Whatever it takes.

You can be assured of setback and you’re guaranteed to have problems. There is no easy road. If you’re not committed it’s never going to happen.

Are you in?

The post Committed. 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...

Your Shouldn’t, Can’t, Or Won’t.

There is always a reason why you shouldn’t, can’t, or won’t.

The truth is that your results are directly tied to your individual effort.

The harder you work the more you will achieve. It’s directly proportional.

You can’t do less and achieve more. It’s not possible.

That’s not how success works.

You invest and work and deliver, sweat, fight, and bleed. Day after day after day.

Not because you enjoy the pain of the battle or the fatigue the comes from sleepless nights and tired mornings.

You put in the effort because you are absolutely obsessed with getting to where you want to be. You are unwilling to back down. Too stubborn to give up on your dreams.

And so you put in the effort.

You do the work.

You do the hard things that everyone else makes important excuses to avoid doing.

Your shouldn’t, can’t, or won’t is probably what is standing between you and the results you want for yourself.

Your effort.

If you’re not working hard enough, you can fix that today. Right now. This moment.

Do one thing that matters.

The post Your Shouldn’t, Can’t, Or Won’t. 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...

31 Ways To Make Your Life Great Again.

Talk less than you listen. Think more than you do either of those.
Write down your goals. Make them an indelible part of your daily motivation.
Worry less about what other people think about you and more about how hard you are working.
Call it as you see it. Don’t be unkind and don’t be passive aggressive.  Just be candid.
Correct yourself when you could be doing better. Get serious about being the best version of you possible.
Receive criticism for what it is — the opinions of other people. Use what helps you best.
Separate facts from fear. Don’t make decisions based on how things “might go”. Live inspired.
Work as hard as you can. And then keep working. Working smarter won’t help you be amazing.
Buy books. Buy a great coach. Invest in a great team to help you get to where you want to be.
Drop anything (or anyone) who is holding you back from where you want to be.
Knock out tasks every time you have a free moment. Waste less time watching television.
Need to be better. Don’t just try to be better, ache because you’re not better already.
Read great books. Readers are leaders. People who don’t read are idiots.
Sell better. All of life is a sales pitch. Get better at the craft of influencing other people.
Wish your way to a better life. Work your way to actually getting there.
Drink less. Exercise more. Develop better financial skills.
Kill fear with kindness. Kill cynicism with results.
Raise the bar. Do better tomorrow than you did yesterday.
Remind yourself to see the powerful, positive side of any situation.
Invest in something that matters – YOU. Invest in others. Give to great causes.
Continue doing what you’re doing now. It takes time to deliver big results.
Dress for success. More importantly — live like you want to be successful.
Form your own opinions. Don’t let other people force their bias on you.
Keep your head in the game. What you think about you become.
Put your priorities in order. Don’t let the small details fall through the cracks
Mind your manners. No one likes to be around a slob.
Push past the pain you feel. You’ll feel better when you get to where you want to be.
Forgive those who do you wrong. Don’t let negativity cripple your ability to be amazing.
Do what needs to be done. Do it each day. Until you’re done
Stop complaining. Stop whining. Stop wasting your time with things that don’t matter.
Start doing what you’ve been scared to do up until now.

The post 31 Ways To Make Your Life Great Again. 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...

You’ve Got This. [Podcast]

There are going to be a lot of days when you don’t feel like doing what needs to be done.

There are going to be all too many mornings where you’re sick and tired of the grind.

You don’t want another conflict. You don’t need another problem. You’re not looking for trouble or heroism.

You just want to recover. To heal. To get a little extra spring back in your step.

And those days you are faced with a choice.

A simple choice. But an important one.

Do you waste the day or use it to get things done?

It doesn’t seem that simple in the moment. You’re too tired to think straight. You’re too frustrated to have a clear mind.

The truth is that you always have enough heart to do one thing that matters.

You always have enough energy and creativity to take one step closer to where you want to be.

That’s what winners know. What warriors know. Their morning is a lot like everyone else’s morning.

Full of the same emotions and tough choices.

They make the choice to fight and battle.

They aren’t superheroes or superhuman. They just want more for themselves and are willing to work for it, even on days when they least feel like it.

If that’s you. If that’s what you want for yourself, then today’s episode is a short one that you need to save to your playlist for those days you aren’t sure you’re going to be able to make it (you can download it here too).

BEHIND THE SCENES:

I wrote this podcast for myself on one those mornings where I wasn’t feeling like a warrior at all. My spirit was broken. My effort seemed ridiculously unnecessary. I was tired and angry and completely frustrated.

My challenge to myself was to prove how much I could do on a day when I least felt like it. It was silly challenge. But it worked. I learned an important lesson — “how you feel doesn’t change what you could do if you tried”.

That’s the secret – Try again. You got this.

The post You’ve Got This. [Podcast] 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...

You Had Better Hope So.

Without a wish, you won’t put in the work.

We often decry emotions like wanting or wishing, hoping for or trying. We shrug them off with arrogant insights about “just go do it” or “just get it done”.

And certainly, getting things done is what matters.

Thinking about what you want to improve doesn’t automatically change anything.

Though it does begin the process of doing.

Without a wish for something better you won’t work harder. Without a dream that you want to accomplish, you won’t keep trying long enough to get what you want.

Without hope you’re going to die on the inside.

That’s why wishes matter. That’s why hope matters.

You had better hope you can.

Because that’s the beginning of the journey.

On those days when you do work and see little progress you’re going to feel like giving up. You’re going to feel like your effort is being wasted. That’s your pursuit doesn’t really matter.

That hope you feel deep in your soul is the flame that keeps your soul on fire.

What do you hope for? Do you know?

You had better hope so. Much.

The post You Had Better Hope So. 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...

Only You.

Only you can decide to forgive people who are petty, small, and refuse to give you the benefit of the doubt.

Only you can put in the effort to try another time after you’ve already tried way too many times.

Only you have the ability to invest in your own success, read a book, or find a mentor.

Only you can get back up when you have fallen down from failure or been pushed down by a bully.

Only you can make smart choices to save money, live a healthy life, and be mentally fit.

Only you.

Only you get to decide what your future should look like, how much money you make, or the goals you achieve.

Only you have the ability to control what keeps you up at night and whose opinions bother you.

Only you are responsible after you’ve made a mistake, hurt people, or need to ask for a second chance.

Only you can smile in the face of fear and forgive your enemies when they least deserve it.

Only you can take the hard lessons from life and use them to make you better — not bitter.

Only you can say “Thank you” or “I’m sorry” or “Let’s try it again”.

Only you have the ability to control what you think about, plan out, or obsess on.

Only you.

Your success has always been about you. Not about what other people do to or around you.

Success is measured and who you are and the decisions you choose to make — on the easy days and in those moments when nothing seems to be going your way no matter what you do.

Only you matter. Only what you do matters.

You can’t blame anyone else if you’re not where you want to be.

Only you.

The post Only You. 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 Uncanny Secret To Achieving More.

What do you see when you look around you? Would you feel?

If you’re someone who notices all the imperfections in life then you probably feel pretty miserable.

You’re not happy no matter where you are. No matter what good thing is happening, you don’t notice. You lose out on the opportunity to find delight and encouragement in the small things.

One of the most powerful secrets of high performers is there ability to be grateful. To be overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude.

They want more for themselves.

They’re not happy with failure or underperformance.

But they appreciate where they’ve been and the struggle that it takes to move them closer to where they want to be.

You can’t be around them long without them sharing a list of all the reasons why things are going well. They’re grateful for their progress. They are encouraged by the work that they’re doing. They’re excited about the future.

They are grateful.

That’s a powerful emotion.

When was the last time you took time to practice gratitude?

When was the last time you sat down with a pen and paper and journaled all of the amazing things that are happening around you. All of the progress you’re making. All of the potential you have at your disposal.

If you don’t make time for gratitude, you probably won’t rise to the potential you would otherwise.

Practicing gratitude doesn’t have to be a tortured or contrived exercise.

Try this each morning: At the top of your checklist for the day write down three simple things that you’re grateful for.

It will take you 5 minutes.

Maybe you’re excited about the pen you’re writing with or the fact that you didn’t get into fight with your spouse recently. Maybe you hit a new milestone at work or you get the sense that things are about to change for the better.

Don’t just try this one day. Do it for a week. Do it every day for a month.

Force yourself to find something different each day that you’re grateful for.

Gratitude is an exercise that will change your life for the better.

It’s your secret weapon. And probably the reason why you are still feeling stuck if you’re not practicing it deliberately.

The post The Uncanny Secret To Achieving More.  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...