Have you ever heard the phrase, go the extra mile? Do you know where it comes from?
Under Roman rule, a conquered people was subject to the whims of the Romans and their laws. One of those laws stated that a Roman soldier could ask a citizen of the conquered nation to carry their gear and that the citizen would need to carry it for 1 mile. Obviously, this was a burden and a tough task of which the conquered people resented and despised. It angered them, but if they did not do it, the penalties were harsh. The phrase, "Go the extra mile," comes from Jesus's Sermon on the Mount where he discussed a number of topics and made some shocking statements for the people of that time. Things like "Turn the other cheek" when discussing if someone slaps you on the phase, telling people to turn the other cheek and let the person hit that one too - essentially saying forgiveness and not taking revenge was the answer. When it came to the Roman law, he stated, "If asked to go one mile - go two instead." What? Really? People are being compelled against their will to forced labor and Jesus is telling them to not only do the labor, but double down on it? This was controversial. But, the message was simple, love you fellow man and help them. Go above and beyond and leave your resentment behind. Above all forgiveness. Taking this lesson to today's world in life and business, there are many areas where we can and should go the extra mile, but we don't. Many times, we know we need to. Take a look at the areas in your life and decide where you need to go the extra mile and do so. It may be carrying a burden and taking it off others. It may be digging in and doing some very hard and tough work that will make a big difference. It may be doing something like forgiving someone in your life for the problems them have caused. Whatever it is for you, don't why away from it. Go the extra mile.
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Sometimes you just need a little inspiration. A good quote can provide that and more! Here are 10 great quotes to inpsire you and make you think daily. “A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.” - Robert Heinlein “I’ve missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life, and that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan “It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.” - Babe Ruth “Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.” You can either experience the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. The choice is yours.” - Unknown “Impossible is just an opinion.” - Paulo Coelho “If something is important enough, even if the odds are stacked against you, you should still do it.” - Elon Musk “No one is to blame for your future situation but yourself. If you want to be successful, then become ‘Successful.’” - Jaymin Shah “Work hard in silence, let your success be the noise.” - Frank Ocean “Good. Better. Best. Never let it rest. ’Til your good is better and your better is best.” Most people don't get what they want. It's true. And in a world where just about everything or the means of getting it is at our fingertips, you would think that this would not be the case.
Most don't people don't get what they want simply because they don't know what they want. They think they do, but when pressed, they really don't. It is surface level. Most people don't take the time to dig deep on themselves and ask the questions to know who they are and what they want - what they want from their life, work, relationships, spiritual pursuits and so on. You have probably heard that in order to get what you want, you need to have clarity. Well, the only way to get clarity is to ask the questions of yourself and dig deeper past the surface level. And most importantly, ask yourself why you want what you want. That is the critical piece because once you understand why, it will give you the fuel and drive to go get it. Another thing that keeps people from getting what they want is that once they know what it is they want, many times they are deterred by what it takes to get it. The work, the sacrifice, the time, etc. So many times they settle and miss out on the great things that happen when they go through the process to get what they want. When you decide to not settle and do what it takes to go after and achive your dreams, the process is transformational. The last thing to know about getting what you want is that it is not enough to say it. You have to want it bad enough that you won't stop until you get it. If you are not willing to do everything it takes for the thing you want, then you probably are chasing the wrong thing. You'll know when you've found the things you truly want when you commit and decide that nothing will stop you from getting it. If there is one thing that has paid off the most for me in my entrepreneurial journey over the years, it is building a great network of people that I can help and in turn can help me when and where I needed it.
You've probably heard that is not what you know, but who you know. Well, it is actually both. If you are an idiot, it will be hard to create lasting relationships that can make a difference over time. But, if you strive to be learned and gain wisdom, that of which you can you use to help others, you will find it much easier to build a great network. Network saves legwork. Building a great network is simply building great relationships that you invest in and in turn, they invest back into you. Building a solid network of people happens over time and is earned. It is the epitome of playing the long game. It is taking time to know people and be there for them. It is giving of yourself before getting anything in return. The great Zig Zglar said, "You can have everything you want in your life, if you just help enough others get what they want." It's that simple. Think about if you cultivated 10 relationships over the next year that in turn referred you 5-10 new clients. What would that mean for you or your business? Now, let me ask you, is it easier to focus and put time and effort into 10 great relationships vs. going out and finding 100 new clients one by one? Of course it is. And it is a lot more fun and rewarding. If you have not put much effort into building your network, now is the time. See if you can create and maintain one new relationship a month for the next year and help them. Make sure to share you goals and what you are wanting accomplish with them and ask for them help, but make sure to put them first and do the same for them. You will be amazed at where things will be for you a year from now. Network saves legwork! Humans are emotional beings. We cannot escape the impact our emotions have in our lives, but we can learn to recognize when emotions are clouding our judgement or keeping us from recognizing the truth.
As entrepreneurs, it is very important for us to understand how to use emotion, but also how to recognize when it is leading us down the wrong path or to bad decisions. This is part of emotional inteliigence. Remember, emotions are always there and driving our actions and decisions - so it is best that we go to work in becoming masters at recognizing and using them to our advantage. The most important thing is not to allow our emotions drive us into making double standards or justifying things that are not right, just because we want a certain outcome. You see a lot of examples of this, especially in places like politics. For example, as I write this, there is another political scandal going on, this time with President Joe Biden having taken classified documents and stored them in places like his garage when he was a Vice President. The law says he cannot do that. But, many people and pundits that are "on his side" are finding ways to justify it or play it down while at the same time saying Donald Trump should go to jail for the same things. Donald Trump was President when he took documents and had the power to declassify, which a VP does not, but it is not clear yet if he did. Either way, if they broke the law in handling documents, the response should be the same and they should both be prosecuted according to the law, President or not. But emotion gets in the way. When it is "your guy or gal," it is OK and people find a way to justify bad behavior. This is creating a double standard or avoiding the truth. A spade is a spade. This happens in business all the time whether it is with how some employees are treated or when leaders justify breaking rules and principles to succeed. So, what is the answer for entrepreneurs when we operate in a world like this? First, we must know and understand our principles. What are yours? Have you ever really thought about them? Have you written them down? What are the lines that you will not cross for anything - not for money, power, fame, success, etc? We must know our principles and stand for them and on them. Second, we must learn to recognize when emotions are taking over and clouding our logic and stop this from happening. This is not easy, but just about everyone has had times where they know emotions got the best of them. It is at these times that we can reflect and understand how this happened and prepare ourselves not to let it happen again or at least the same way. It is a constant lifelong work in progress, but if we keep rooted in principles, it is much easier because they guide us. When you get really good, you learn to stop, ask, and choose. When you feel emotion taking over, you can stop yourself in the moment and ask yourself, "Is this the action or reaction I want to have in this situation? Does it align with my principles?" Then you can choose to move forward to change the action or reaction you were going to have to the best one for the situation. Third and lastly, recognize those around you who do not operate with integrity and principles and remove them from your world. This will take away temptation, but also help you find the those that are true to themselves and better for your life anyway. As stated prior, emotions will always be a part of our lives and drive us. There are times where it makes great sense to use them to help in life and business and there are times where we must keep them in check. Learning how to do this for yourself will be one of the best things you can do to help your success. Each year I choose a motto to live by. It is something that embodies how I want my year to go, but is short and to the point.
Each day, I read this motto as part of my perrsonal growth routine and I look at all the areas I can work it into my daily life. This year, I wanted to get back to basics and I asked myself, "What really matters and where should I focus myself?" In thinking through this I arrived at the following: Sound Mind, Sound Body, Do Great Work If I do those 3 things, I know I will have the year I want, but what do they mean? Sound mind means to grow myself in knowledge and spiritually. Sound body means to take care of myself physically, but also with how I eat and to limit or remove stressors on the body such as sugar and alcohol. Good rest and a regular schedule are also needed for both a sound mind and a sound body. Do "great" work is a distinction. Don't just do good work. Ensure that the work you do is great and you are your best for it. It means that I will have to strive and focus to be at the top of my game in all my endeavors to achieve greatness. And it also means that I must help others that work with me to play at their best levels as well. Have you thought of a motto for how you want your year to go? If not, take some time and do so. Write it down and start each day reading it as part of your personal growth routine. You will be surprised at how it will impact you! The New Year is right around the corner. Are you ready? If you are honest, probably not. More importantly, are you ready in your business? Probably not there as well.
While the holidays are time-consuming and there is a lot going on, we still need to stop and take some focused time to prepare ourselves to succeed in the New Year. Over the years, I've put together a short, but important checklist to prepare for each New Year. In a few simple steps, you can get yourself ready and think through the most important items to ensure you succeed. Here's your year end checklist! 1.) Conduct an honest self-assessment Take the time to conduct an honest self-assessement of where you are and where you want to be in all areas of your life from welath to health, relationships, etc. This will help you understand the gaps and what you need to do to reach where you want to be. 2.) Decide what to "keep, kill, or delgate" Once you know what you need to do to reach where you want to be, then you must put yourself in the best position to succeed in doing so. To do this, you will need to decide which things you need to keep doing and add into your life, which things you need to get rid of and/or stop doing and which things you should delegate to others. 3.) Plan, Plan, Plan Once you have determined what is needed to get you where you want to go and the things to focus on or delegate to get you there, you need to plan to make it happen. This means putting in your daily, weekly, and monthly actions that you will need to do consistently to reach your goals. Do no get overwhelmed by this. Remember, people overestimate what they can do in a week and underestimate what they can do in a year. Play the long game. Planning gives you the actions needed to succeed, so you don't have to think or procrastinate. You just get up every day and start executing. 4.) Resolve to constantly evaluate what is working and what is not Just because you decided to "Keep, kill or delegate" once does not mean you are done. You should evaluate, at least monthly, what is working and what is not so you can refine and get even better. There you have it, a 4-step checklist to end the year successfully and start the New Year on right foot! Do you know what the biggest killer of dreams is? It is not outside circumstances or lack of talent or lack of knowledge. The biggest killer of dreams is worry and fear.
What do you worry about? What is constantly on your mind? What eats at you day and night? How is it impacting you? Whatever you are worried about or fearful of, chances are it will never come to fruition - but it can be a great excuse not to move forward or step out of your comfort zone. The worry and fear will keep you in the same place if you let them. That is why they are the killers of dreams. Because in order to reach your dreams and reach new heights - you will have to push beyond your worries and fear. And to many, that is very scary. What if? What if? What if? When you even attempt to push through these things, you will find yourself in the "What if?" stage where you come up with every possible scenario that can go wrong if you push through the worry and fear. But, what if you did and things went right? Where would you be? What could you accomplish if you did not have the worry and fear? We are pre-wired to focus on the negative and make that the more possible outcome in our lives which is just plain wrong. We must focus on the positive outcome as that is just as possible or many times, even more possible than the negative outcome. For just once, focus on the positive outcome of going for your dreams. List out all the wonderful things that would happen if you reached them. Then pick one action you can take toward them. Set aside the worry and the fear. They will be there, but take one action toward your dream. Then once you've done that, take one more action. Each time, you accomplish one action, pick a new one and keep going. You'll be amazed at what happens when you focus on reaching your goal one action at a time and how it can eliminate the worry and fear that stands in your way. I have always like the Stoic philosophy because it is about individual responsibility and choice - and the ability to endure. Stoicism is a pursuit of self-mastery and wisdom. Many of history's greatest minds including people like George Washington sought out the philosophy and studied it. It is also interesting how many of the same philosophies exist in the Bible, especially in Proverbs. We would all do well to follow some of the Stoic philosophy in our lives. Here are 10 quotes to make you think from top Stoics. Settle on the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company.
Man conquers the world by conquering himself. We begin to lose our hesitation to do immoral things when we lose our hesitation to speak of them. - Musonius Rufus The mob is the mother of tyrants... - Diogenes You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
No great thing is created suddenly. - Epictetus Hang on to your youthful enthusiasms, you will be able to use them better when you are older. - Seneca I love Parkinson's Law. It is the ultimate time management lesson - if you heed it and do the opposite.
Parkinson's Law states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." This means that whatever the work that needs to be done, it will take the time allotted for it. So, if you have something that needs to be done in 3 weeks, it will take you 3 weeks to do it. It's the perfect definition of procrastination. Once you understand Parkinson's Law, it will teach you how to mazmimize your time. The way to do so is to schedule your work with deadlines shorter than the time alotted for completion. This will allow you to be exponentially more effective and get more done in less time. For example, if you have 3 weeks to get something done, schedule it to be completed in 1 week and then go to work. It forces you to have to be more efficient and productive with your time. Just imagine how much more you can get done if you are focused and cutting the time down to accomplish things by 50% or better. Where could you be 1 month from now? Two months? A year? Right now, there is a little less than 2 months to the end of year. What if you started applying this principle today? How strong could you finish the year? You may even be able to accomplish goals you didn't think were going to be possible. This is how you finish the year strong and keep getting stronger. Make it your mission to defeat Parkinson's Law and watch how much your success improves! |
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