Direction Part 1

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Direction

“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behaviour is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.”  – Warren Buffet

“Where are you going?”

Some may answer this question:  Physically by saying: “Well, I am going to work, the gym or home”.  Others may answer the question, temporarily by saying: “Well, after work I am going to the market for food”.  Whilst others may answer philosophically by saying: “Who is really going anywhere and are we really here?”.  Yet others will answer, brutally by saying: “I am going nowhere!”.  The latter may be the most honest answer in some cases.

So it is time for you to ask yourselves this question, “Where are you going?” 

This question is not being addressed in the temporal, meaning the immediate (such as what you are doing for lunch), but there are many immediate answers which lead up to the answer of “where are you going?”  

As we open our third dialogue in the Mindset series on this very topic, we know a disciplined mind which has made the tough, however correct decisions, will now realise there is a need of Direction in their life.  This is an unavoidable part of a successful life, one in which the Disciplined mind has developed, continual practice and application of the proper decisions will open up to the reality that Direction is needed.

Listen carefully, at this stage or point in life…

  • Wishing is useless…
  • Hoping is pointless…
  • Floating is deadly…and
  • Talking is a cheap byproduct of wasted time!
  • My friend, there is a grave difference in talking, planning and wanting to do something and actually DOING it.  

The word “Doer” is defined as “a maker, a producer, author; a performer; one who obeys or fulfils the law”.  The “doing” is vitally important, it is where Discipline and Decisions are revealed.  It is where our life takes on meaning and purpose, it is where Direction is revealed in us and through us.  Many will talk and even more will plan, plot and plod, but the doers in this life are far and few between.  The difference between doing and talking, is merely a choice.

The direction we take must begin with an:

Order

Outside of an order, structure if you will, chaos and uncertainty are created.  Fear will weigh one down in a bog of mindless rebuttals of failed choices in life with out order.

The first step of structure within the order of direction is a:

Cut

Herein we find a twofold manoeuvre in the order of direction.  There are simply somethings we must cut out of our life if we want to have a successful direction.  Be it reaching a physical, spiritual, emotional or mental goal.  It really does not matter what or where the goal is, what matters at this point is dead weight be removed.  The things which are hindering you from the success you so dearly desire need to be cut off.  There are dead weights holding many people back, some are unhealthy choices and others may even be people in their life, if you want success – Cut them off!

Secondly, we are to allow a cut in, successful living comes when a direction is cut in a person’s life and cuts deep. We are to cut away the weights, we are to cut away the hinderances  and actions which serve as a distraction and deterrent to living a positive life forming and shaping our direction within a disciplined mindset making the proper decisions.

Do you want to be successful? If so, cut out the weights and cut in the wins!

The second part of having a direction in order would be a:

Cue

A “Cue” is  defined as “a thing said or done to serve as a signal”, in other words, it is a wake up call.  There must be order in the direction of life; structure and schedules to follow such as one will obey (i.e. DO) through the mindset of discipline.  Yes, it takes work, most certainly it will require sweat and great effort.  Many times our biggest enemy is ourselves.  A disciplined mindset desires to make the correct decisions to go in the right direction.  In order for this to occur, integrity is required.  We all have short comings, character flaws which only serve to deter us from our goals.  A cue should serve to wake us up to our discrepancies so we can make the needed corrections enabling us to move forward in the successful direction.  Herein is where honesty leads the way, integrity within oneself allows a true assessment which  reveals the areas in needed correction.  True success will never happen outside of integrity.

Finally, under the heading of order we must:

Continue

It is here our order is found and will flourish.  Here we are, having learned the disciplined mind and decisions made, the direction is clear.  There must be an order, a doing; it is not enough to know, it is not enough to hope, wish or dream… there must be a DOING!

Doing… it is where the rubber meets the road, the difference in talkers and doers, the difference in those who have had big dreams and little do’s and those who have said little, but done much.

Where are you going?  Floating will not work, hoping, wishing and dreaming will not get it done, there must be a Direction….  Remember how it all started,  there is a Vision, Plan and Goals operating in the Disciplined Mindset.  Then there are three Decisions to make: Set the BAR, Be Better and Blame Not.  Now it is time for progress in the right Direction, which begins by having things in order.

 

“We must have direction by taking the correct and accurate steps in life to ensure success.”

Decisions Part 2

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“Life is a matter of choices, and every choice you make makes you.” 

John C. Maxwell

A decision is defined as a “conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.”

The first two Decisions we must make were set the “Bar” and to “Be Better”.  The Discipline mind desires to not only set the standard, but to also strive to improve and fine tune each area of their life.  There are many decent athletes in the world today, who in fact have a lazy mindset.  Pushing through a workout and excelling in the physical does not always conclude a discipline mindset is present.  One can be the best athlete in the gym and yet live a disorganised and dysfunctional life.  The lack of discipline to improve all areas of our life is an indicator of weakness.  It will require work, but as mentioned over and over, anything worth doing will always require labour.  This is not only on the gym floor or at the office, but in the home (especially), coffee shop, friendships and every aspect of our life.  In order to be better, as introduced in our last instalment, we must decide to:

Blame Not

Casting blame on others has become a pastime and boarder line epidemic in our modern society.  When we refuse to blame others for our circumstances, we are granted protection, as discussed before, furthermore when we make the decision to Blame Not we are given: 

Power

In other words, we are to take Responsibility, no one owes us anything in this life.  We are accountable for our own choices and responsible for the decisions we make as well as the effort we place into such decisions.

I will be the first to admit, life is difficult at times, maybe not all the time, but when you hear of the atrocities occurring around us, the savage and senseless attacks by hate-mongers in the world.  Yes, if we focus primarily on the negative we will have a pretty dismal outlook on the life we live.  It is no different if we only focused on the positive things in life we have an outlook which is not reality.  There must be a sensible balance in our life and attention.

The decision must be to take responsibility of our own actions and stop blaming those around us or even the world we live in.  If life is hard, because of the world, then it is hard for everyone, not just one group or demographic.  The sooner we accept this truth, the closer we become to stepping out of the shadow of the power of others.

Lastly, as we understand when we make the decision to Blame Not, we are given Protection, we have Power (take responsibility) thus setting us in motion to: 

Press

To press means to “exert continuous pressure physically…”  Rather than standing still after a successful choice to take responsibility for our own life and actions, we need to press forward… get a move on so to speak.  Coach John Gruden says, “You never stay the same, you either get better or you get worse.”  Standing still in life will not enhance our ability to improve, once the chains of casting blame for our own situations, circumstances and even predicaments, are torn asunder we have the power to press forward.

Charles Johnson is former Colorado Wide receiver and first round draft choice in the NFL in 1993.  CJ (as he was known) was on the receiving end of a dynamic duo with Kordell Stewert at QB.  CJ spent 8 years in the NFL and set multiple NCAA records at the University of Colorado.  In the 1993 season he had one of the most dramatic receptions seen to date.  He had size, speed, hands and talent, but with all its sophisticated tests, the NFL does not have the equipment to measure a player’s character, heart, drive or determination.  If it did, Charles Johnson would be off the charts.  In an article written many years ago, one reporter described it like this:

It’s not because of where Johnson is at this point, but how he arrived here that makes him extraordinary.  If one were to write the story of Johnson’s life it would be equal parts Boyz ‘N the Hood and Horatio Alger.  His father left home when he was 2 years old.  While growing up in San Bernardino, Calif., Johnson’s mother battled a cocaine addiction, leaving him and his younger sister, Christine, drifting from place to place.  From the time he was in eighth grade until a junior in high school, he lived in 16 different places with an assortment of relatives and friends and in welfare hotels.  Overwhelmed by it all during his sophomore year at Cajon High School, Johnson attempted suicide by swallowing a handful of pills. 

Johnson, survived it all to become a high school all-America football player and a member of the Academic All-Big Eight Conference at Colorado, where he graduated in three years with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. 

“So many kids use the cop-out that I’m black, I’m from a broken home, I’m from a bad neighbourhood, and they do nothing with their lives,” said Jerry Buckner, who took Johnson into her home in 1989 and whom Johnson now calls his mother. “But Charles took all those things and just inverted them. I don’t know how he did it. But he did.”  

He doesn’t dwell on his past and reluctantly talks about it. 

“Looking back doesn’t do me any good, because there’s nothing there,” CJ said. “I’m more interested in what is happening now and what’s going to happen in the future.”

Charles Johnson was and still is an amazing individual, not because of his athletic feats on the grid iron, but rather his success on the field is a result of character he has.  The decision he made to press on, despite being dealt a bad hand in life.  He did not dwell and focus on the past and, to my knowledge, refused to blame others (or at least be absorb by it) he moved on to better days before him.

This is success in the disciplined mindset, given birth to the needed Decisions in our life which are ours to make…

“Set The Bar… Be Better…Blame Not.”

Decisions Part 4

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Decisions

Stephen Covey says: 

“Sow a thought, reap an action; sow an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap a character; sow a character, reap a destiny.”

We have seen in the first section of this series the Mindset of Discipline and what it requires to have and continue in such a manner.  Following we came to our second section titled, Decisions.  A decision is defined as a “conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.”

The first Decision we must make is to set the “Bar”.  Having a Discipline mind will naturally lead one into the lifting up of a standard, to set the Bar in their lives, which brought us to our second phase which is to simply “Be Better”.   This was our last topic, where we are encouraged to just be better than we were before,  outworking yesterday and being better than last month, last year and even last week.  It will require work, but anything worth doing will always require labour.

The third and final decision we must be willing to make, is another refusal, as we strive to Be Better by setting the Bar to a higher standard than those found as a societal norm, therefore we must decide to:

Blame Not

There is a character in mankind which naturally searches to cast blame on others.  Society has ran with this notion for years by developing new pseudo-diagnoses in droves.  Children grow up blaming the parents; parents blame the schools; the schools blame the government; the government  blames the different political parties and around we go in this vicious circle blaming others for our mistakes.  The reality is yes, children are at fault… yes, parents are at fault and yes, the schools are at fault… and yes, the government is at fault and yes, political parties are at fault…Why? Because we live in a flawed world!  We are all at fault, therefore we must make the decision to BLAME NOT!

The choice is ours today, we can continue to hold to problems, pain and predicaments of the past or we can forget them and press toward the mark, but you cannot do both.

The reality is we cannot do one thing about what happened yesterday, this morning or even the next second (look for it…here it comes…did you see it? Did you stop it?  Nope).

All we can do is prepare and perform for what is in front of us right here, right now.  It is a decision we must make today, for tomorrow.  When we do so we are provided with: 

Protection

When we look back at the past, we hold to what has happened allowing the weight of someone else’s decision to dictate the direction of our own.  It is our choice for change, it is our decision we must make.

Most often we equate “forgetting the past” or “leaving things behind” when it only applies to the negative, but what about forgetting those things which are positive?

Great if you are the greatest salesman in Wales or the best athlete in the country, those things are wonderful, however, by holding to those things it becomes ever too easy to live beneath the shadow of past accomplishments thus hindering our sight to focus on future aspirations and achievements.  

So let’s move forward from what used to be, positive or negative, and focus on the future so we may reach beyond to goals which lie before us.

Decisions Part 3

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Decisions

“Life is made up of moments framed by the choices we make and minutes we live.” – Stag

Decision /dɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/ noun – “a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.”

There are some days we just want to stay in bed whilst there are others we cannot wait to charge the day.  Herein is where discipline plays its most vital role, for it enables us to make the pure and proper decision  which will aid in our success even if it is succeeding the mere moment being tempted to quit.

Be Better

Thus far we have come to understand in making the decision to ‘Be Better” requires one to not Settle but rather to Stand.  This may sound like an easy task, but there is a third attribute required whilst one strives to be better, one in which will function to solidify the first two which is, we must be:

Strong

To Be Better, means we must not to Settle and we must STAND, but in order to achieve both we must be strong.  Herein is where most will muddy up the water so to speak.  Everyone will be tempted to settle back and click the cruise control in life.  We find this especially true when it comes to business and home.  In business, anyone can start a company, beginning requires no great talent, in reality.  A little money, a catchy phrase and a few people who believe in what one is peddling, there you go.  It is the building and maintenance which is difficult.  Being able to stay out of the fringe elements yet in front of the competition requires being strong.  Having a passion for continual growth within self and the surroundings requires a strength, such strength very few people possess.  Again, anyone can start something, it is the building, growing, following through and finishing strong which has become a massive rarity in our world today.

It is seen in business, school, sports etc… we hear phrases like: “Well I’ve done my time…” or “We put in so much work…” or “I think we have done enough…”

Let me say this and make it clear, there will come a day when we are not able to do physically, mentally or emotionally the things we can do now, and yes, twenty years ago you may have worked harder in the body than you are capable of doing so today, but that does not mean you have to be weak.  You do not have to be weak in mind or body, you have a choice to be strong! Just because you cannot move as fast as you once did or you are not as strong as you used to be, does not mean we quit, it surely does not mean we settle, it means we are to STAND where we are and be STRONG in who we are!

The same is true in the home, our relationships.  Marriage requires work, it is a regular and honest examination of yourself to ensure you do not hit the cruise control button in life.  I have taught for twenty years, always continue dating your spouse, keep the ‘honey’ in the honeymoon and keep the honeymoon hot.  We should be passionate about what and WHO we love and for that reason keep both of them hot.  This may embarrass some who are reading this, but just think about it for a moment, when a new business is started and begins to grow, there is a buzz an excitement about it, things are fresh and fiery.  The same is true when you begin dating.  If the business is going to be a success, it will do so by maintaining the buzz and the burning desire to be the best.  Guess what, the same is true in our relationships, if it will be the best relationship two people can have, then you are going to have to maintain the buzz and burning desire to love, honour and appreciate one another.  Now, maybe you want to have some stale, boring marriage, not me!  I don’t want boring in my business nor in my home at the end of the day I want to finish strong in life with fervour and a fierce attitude toward life striving to be better every single day!

When all the dust settles and you can see clearly…there is a realisation which sets in…It is not only for your benefit to be better… there are countless others who, believe it or not, are depending on us.  Be the best you, NOW and stop comparing yourselves to what you used to be.  Time moves on and waits for no one and therefore we must move with it…Just BE BETTER!

These are two of the three major Decisions we must make in our life to set the Bar and to Be Better.  Here is the kicker, to repeat myself, when all the dust settles and we begin to see clearly, the realisation sets in, there are countless others who are depending on us to be Strong… to Stand… to not Settle…and to just BE… Better…

Decisions Part 2

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“We have this one life to live and to live requires decisions.”

Decision /dɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/

noun – a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.

We began this second topic of Decisions by establishing the fact we must choose to set the Bar… What I mean is we must make the decision to set the bar, to lift up the standard as opposed to simply talking, reading or listening to great plans and ideas of doing so.  Our second decision is a choice to: 

Be Better

We saw in our last edition the decision to ‘Be Better” requires one to not Settle.  Well secondly, making such an important decision includes taking a:

Stand

Can I say something right here, which may come across a bit strong?  Man, take what you want!  I am not referring to stealing, I am making a statement of STANDING!  Success in this life requires one to come under the realisation, NO ONE in this world will do it for you.  If you want it, go get it. 

You must take the opportunity to stand, to seize the moment and capitalise on the opportunity given to press toward the mark.  You and you alone must take the initiative to set the goal then destroy it.

Let’s be honest, anyone can hit a mark set by the mediocre norms in society.  Again, to Be Better, simply means to just be better than yesterday, to be better than last week, last month or last year. We should set goals based upon the plan established through the vision within the disciplined mindset and make the decision to PULL THE PIN.  Execute the decisions of setting the Bar and just Be Better, that’s all you have to do.  Remember, to DO NOTHING, is a stagnant path ending in failure!

Now you may be asking, “why should I stand?” (Well, in reality, I am going to ask back “why not?”).  Why wouldn’t you stand?  We must get it through our head no one, in reality is a second or third class citizen.  Even when others are treating them as such, you do not have to accept someone else’s view of yourself giving them the power to determine who or what you are or may become. 

So, if you will buy into the idea the power to be better is within yourself, why would you settle and sit?  There is no rhyme nor reason for it.  Therefore stand, for we have no excuses to quit, we have no reason to settle, but rather every purpose to stand.

Fine, maybe things haven’t worked out the way you planned or dreamed.  Sure, there may be something wrong with your dream, but, this is beside the point…

Even when you feel like sitting… STAND!

Even when you are tired… STAND!

Even when you are at your wits end… STAND!

Mikko Salo was asked why he doesn’t lie down after a completing a chest-to-bar Fran in a time which would have placed him first in the event at the 2008 CrossFit Games.  His response was quite methodical, yet definitively disciplined, he said “I once read an article about it: when animals surrender they go lying on their back,” Salo explains. “From then on I decided I would never go lying on my back. It’s a sign of weakness and surrendering. I’m never lying on my back.”

“Just STAND… go get what you want and just Be Better!

Decisions Part 2

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“We are given the ability to choose, just remember the choice you make today is the life you will live tomorrow”

Decision /dɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/ noun – a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.

We began this second topic of Decisions by establishing the fact we must choose to set the Bar… we are to lift up a standard and live above the expectations of others and the societal norm.

With everything we have looked at over the past several weeks, it becomes quite easy to listen to and even take on board whilst making the judgment call of “this sounds like a good idea” and “well that is a nice formula”.  However, many often forget we must pull the pin.  What I mean is we must make the decision to set the bar, to lift up the standard as opposed to simply talking, reading or listening to great plans and ideas of doing so. 

Now secondly, we must choose to make the decision to: 

Be Better

No one will or can do it for you, this is a decision we must make within the developed mindset.  I use the phrase “pull the pin” and the word “execution” because these are strong statements needed to take on, to buy into in order to become the best person, the best versions of our selves in the only life we have been given.  Success is driven by individuals who strive to be better than they were before.  There needs to be a time in our life when we are:

  • Living better than we have before…
  • Walking better than we have before…
  • Serving better than we have before…
  • Giving better than we have before…

We need to strive to be better than we were last week, last month, last year… better than yesterday.  The famed Apostle Paul used the phrase “reaching forth”, he was continually reaching forth, he wasn’t looking at what has been achieved or for that matter, what has NOT been achieved, but rather he was constantly, reaching forth, onward looking and forward moving!  Sam Walton, the founder of the Wal-Mart empire was always reminding those around to look “onward and upward”, it was his way to keep people motivated to be better.

If we will “Be Better”… first we must refuse to:

Settle

Settling for second best or the status quo is a decision, it is a choice people intentionally make. This is not something happening in a person’s life by force.  To settle, is to become stagnant.  When water is stagnant, parasites and disease will develop.  If we succumb to settling where and to what we are, the same is true for us, elements will grow and develop in our lives which will only work to hinder and hurt us.  Contentment is a good thing and it actually works against the idea of settling, because it places you in a position of faith, even when things aren’t how you envisioned them or as successful as you may have wished; being content in such a present state fuels you to keep pressing forward, to be better at the whatsoever state we are in!

So beloved, refuse to settle… up or down… Be Better by settling not, but rather continually reaching forth…

“You don’t have to settle… you don’t have to be less than the best version of you!”

Decisions

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Decisions

“We are all given the same amount of time each day, to make a decision to improve or become worse… we rarely stay the same.”

Decision /dɪˈsɪʒ(ə)n/ noun – a conclusion or resolution reached after consideration.

The Disciplined Mindset is by far the first and foremost part required for successful growth or success in life.  If developed properly, naturally the next step will follow, which simply is making a choice, a decision between right and wrong, moving on or settling where you are.

There is a choice to be made which will bring you either closer to your goals, enabling you to strive further and reach higher than you ever have before.  Under the same scope, there is also the decision to simply remain consistent.  Consistency, is by far the most difficult part of the growth process, above and beyond all we have mentioned.

First we must make the decision of setting the:

Bar

Setting the Bar in our life has never been an easy task, nor should it.  I have said before, anything worth doing will always have some sort of difficulty, but it is difficulty which builds our character enabling us to continue to grow.  If we continue to establish a mediocre mark in life we will remain at a position which never reaches new heights. 

Now, such a bar must be our own, very similar to our plans, within the discipline mind, we must own it.  The same is true with setting the bar.  No matter what society may hold to a certain mark, the bar for our own success needs to be established by ourselves.  

Nevertheless, setting the bar will require a certain degree of:

Strength

Let me ask you this question, how many mistakes have you made in life?  I am not referring to major mistakes which altered the course of your life, but rather I am speaking of simple mistakes… almost accidental.  Such as a speeding ticket, lost keys, a misplaced book, dropping a glass, whatever it may be.  These types of mistakes we make daily, it is part of life, most of which are of no great consequence in the big picture.  Great or small, they are mistakes nonetheless and should reveal to us we ARE NOT PERFECT.  Therefore, if we are even capable of the slightest mistake, one forgotten piece of time, one loss or misspoken word, we need stability which is derived from a developed strength through setting the bar which is based upon order and preparation.  

Too often patterns are set in our life with a sliding scale for success.  Meaning, one day the bar is set at a certain height and yet at another level altogether thereafter.  This happens most often when the bar is set based upon the measures of others.  Here is an example, “company A” had success in the market place as “company B”, so company B decides to copy their business plan and finds minimal success.  Even though they were in the same market, company B failed to understand what went into the business plan of company A (i.e. location, employees, interaction within levels of business, communication within the workforce, organisation, continuity etc.).  In others words, if the bar in our life is based upon the standards of others, we will either reach such target with ease or fail to reach it at all.  Why? Because it is not ours, we do not own it and therefore without primary ownership, we are unable to prepare properly in order acquire the accurate strength thus maintaining the correct level of progress on a regular basis.  With this said, our goal each day is to make the decision to raise the:

Standard

Remaining mediocre is a choice people, companies, schools, teams etc. have made; it doesn’t mean you will be the best in your field, it means you can decide to be the best version of you!  The reality is champions build champions, so we must raise the standard higher than society’s bar.  Our measurement of success isn’t found in spreadsheets and data collection points, success is not found in comparing ourselves with others, as so many have become accustomed to doing.  There are decisions to make in this life, as a matter of fact, it is in this life and only this life we have the opportunity to have a choice.  Therefore, let us choose to set the bar higher than status quo, higher than the societal norm, higher than your personal expectations and reach beyond to new heights every single day. 

To sum things up, we have a decision to make, a choice which must be made daily to set the bar.  Lift up the standard in our lives to ensure adequate growth whilst steadfastly pursuing success on a regular basis.

“Choose to set the bar at a new level, not based on averages, but rather upon becoming the best version of yourself.

Discipline – Goals Part 2

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Goals Part 2

“You cannot reach what you cannot see, goals must be achievable, attainable and applicable.”

Striving for excellence isn’t a hobby, it is a lifestyle.  It is a lifestyle shaped through habitual living of daily repeated processes which require labour to overcome the temptation of following choices leading us away from the success we so greatly desire.

So, what this means is the temptation to quit and follow the status quo of a sedentary society will come, it will be a battle we face, sometimes every day.  Just remember, don’t sacrifice the permanent, upon the altar of the immediate!  

Goals – Attainable & Applicable

Our goals, as mentioned before, must be achievable, whilst at the same time they are also to be Attainable and Applicable. 

Attainable in the fact our goals must bear a realistic purpose within your daily walk.  Say for instance we set a goal to walk on water.  Well, the reality is we will fail in reaching this goal; gravity in conjunction with the solid v. liquid equation will win every time. (There was only One person to ever do this and none of us are Him).  Why? You may ask.  Because there is no PURPOSE for it, walking on water was a sign, and we are not living in an age of signs.  The same holds true for our goals, in every aspect, they need to be attainable, not so much as making them so simple they are without labour; there must be a ‘cost’ to reaching goals based upon our plan encouraged through the vision.  Attainability does not remove the sweat and pain of the victory.  It does in fact, insert the purpose for setting the goal which will in the darkest of moments assist in pressing us forward to reach beyond our assumed limitations.  Once we see the goal and realise its attainability, then we see clearly the third requirement… which is applicability. 

Applicable is much the same, whereas the attainable portion of our goals asks “to what end?” (i,e. purpose), the applicable part addresses the question of “why such an end?” (i.e.product).  Asking oneself, ‘what is the end goal?’ at the outset is vital.  It will determine the strategy, the requirements, the price one is willing to pay in order to produce the reward at the end.  This method of evaluation allows us to count the cost and assess whether or not the end is worth the means.  

Sometimes, within this functionality we are faced with a greater cost than worth.  This does not always mean an instant ‘redline’ through the goal, but rather a separation of the two.  Meaning, maybe your goal is to increase your earning potential by 50%.  This is a great goal, but when measured through the lens of applicability, you find it will cost you too much time away from family, friends or other aspects of your life.  Instead of removing the goal, you extend the time limit.  Rather than striving to succeed in eighteen months, you extend the date to thirty-six months and all is well.   

So, what goals do we have and why? To what purpose are they going to serve and why?

Attainability and Applicability,  two key avenues working seamlessly within the goals of a disciplined mindset.  Just remember, these latter two are pointless without the first one of Achievability being accomplished.   Without recognising the Achievability of our goals, we will never understand their attainability and applicability,  much less meet them.

“We don’t always see the victory, even when it is there.”

Goals Part 1

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Goals

“You cannot reach what you cannot see, goals must be achievable, attainable and applicable.”

Finally, it’s time to pull the pin, nothing trumps execution.  Without executing the plan by setting the goals everything becomes smoke and mirrors.  Too many will set goals with aspirations of grandeur without having the proper foundation to make a difference in the end.  What this means is when we set goals, there must be a method behind the madness.  Everything leading up to this moment has been precise, the vision and the plan are set in motion and are practical in all aspects, therefore there is no reason why establishing and completing goals should be any different.  Don’t sell yourself short in establishing goals so low they will require no labour or discomfort.  The reality is, at this point in our endeavour we need to become comfortable with being uncomfortable.  This is especially true in setting and reaching goals.  Not only should they NOT be too easily reached, they must be able to be completed nonetheless.  

Goals – Achievable

Achievability, a word often used, but seldom fully understood.  It is defined as “the ability to be brought about or accomplished successfully.”   As mentioned in the opening section, “You cannot reach what you cannot see, goals must be achievable, attainable and applicable.”  Here we find our three point outline to establishing goals, which before they can be attainable and applicable, they must be achievable.  The latter two are pointless without the first one being accomplished.

We see it every New Year, people throw out a list of goals (aka resolutions) for the up coming twelve months.  Yet by the end of January, the new has worn off and the zeal of becoming the ‘new you’ has dimmed.  Most will now, settle for mediocrity and forget the list of changes desired.  The reason this occurs so often is because the goals may have been good goals, in theory, but the actual achievability was never considered.  This is a repeated process by hundreds of thousands of individuals around the world, the reality is things must change… we must change because if you make no changes you get the same results.

Think about it using the S.M.A.R.T. principle of goal setting (I am not advocating this system only using it as an example), many goals fit the qualification of S (specific), M (measurable) and T (time-bound).  Rarely do we find, even the worse goals fail to meet the criteria within these three.  Yet, the most overlooked and most severe of them all is the A (achievable).  Friend, goals worth setting are going to place you in the position of discomfort and this is okay.  Goals which place you in the position of delusion is not okay, as a matter of fact they are unhealthy as they set you up for failure.  There must be a visualisation of the victory, every NFL quarterback visualises the confetti falling upon their head whilst hoisting the Super Bowl trophy above their teammates shouting “we are the champions!”  The truth is there are only five active NFL QBs who have won a Super Bowl, 6 of which have been won by one person (Tom Brady).  This does not mean every Quarter Back in the league does not have aspirations or for that matter even the vision, plan and goal to win the championship at the start of the season.  When August rolls around, having a goal to win your division and the final championship is a great goal to have which will require loads of discomfort.  Now, if your team is 0-10 going into mid November, having a goal to be the NFL’s finest is pure delusion… and again, this is not okay, not in any reality.  

So, we must understand, proper goals, which are achievable and realistic will involve some struggle, some effort on our part and rightly so.  The nature of discomfort should not be avoided, as matter of fact, it should be pursued in many cases even if  the journey does not always go the way we want.  With that said, don’t be afraid to set big goals, remember you cannot reach what you cannot see; and don’t be frightful to face the obstacles needed to claim the victory, if it means clawing your way to the podium.  But, be realistic, set goals which are achievable based upon your vision and plan, once you reach them, simply re-set, place the baton further than before conquering the day in achieving another goal based upon the vision and plan you have established through the mindset of discipline. 

“Don’t sacrifice the permanent, upon the altar of the immediate!”

Plan – Part 3

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Plan part 3

“A good plan today, is better than a perfect plan tomorrow” – George S Patton

As we enter into the final step of the plan we will walk into the disciplined mindset of our goals.  Prior to doing so there is one final point to address.  The reality is our plan must make sense, it absolutely is required to be sensible.  So often, we get excited about change and begin to take on a new approach to life, which is commendable, because the cold hard fact is if you make no changes, you will get the same results!

Plan – Practical

The word practical is defined as “relating to practice or action”, but commonly refers to good judgment in action, conduct, and the handling of everyday matters. 

The same applies when it comes to developing plans for success, especially since it leads into establishing goals.  The discipline mindset is one of power and passion, it will produce positivity.  But alongside such great benefits, there is an excitement which comes with envisioning the outcome.  It is at this moment when practicality plays its most prevalent role by drawing the vision and plan into the realm of sensibility.  

You cannot reach what you cannot see, goals must be achievable, attainable and applicable.  If there is anything you come away with from this article, let it be this statement, allow it to be indelibly written in your mind.  It will be the one thing, keeping you disciplined in the establishment of goals, it is the practical side of success and winning.  No one has ever woke up in the morning and said, “I cannot wait to lose today.”  The act of losing is unnatural and uncomfortable, even though it is a destined event in every aspect of life (i.e. we lose friends, competitions, games etc.).  Having the practical part in the disciplined mind will keep us from setting expectations in which we will only meet with failure.  This does not mean by any stretch of the imagination we should settle for mediocrity, it does mean our plan needs to meet reality.  

A practical plan brings about goals which will  compliment and build upon one another and in many ways function symbiotically as a whole rather than individual measures and marks.  Ask these questions concerning our plan, Does it have a purpose?  Can I give it preeminence?  Is it practical?

“You cannot reach what you cannot see, goals must be achievable, attainable and applicable.”