A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. – George S. Patton
Are you waiting for perfect conditions to start a business, change careers or [fill in the blank] when good enough is already here?
What goal has been put on hold due to more planning?
Can you start something today? Don’t even wait for the new year!
Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. – Kin Hubbard
Is there an area of your life where you feel bad things are happening to you?
If you were to take responsibility for mistakes or poor results, without blaming, what would you do different?
What can you do from now on to move towards a more positive outcome?
When you have come to the edge
Of all the light you know,
And are about to step off
Into the darkness of the unknown,
Faith is knowing
One of two things will happen:
There will be something solid to stand on,
Or you will be taught how to fly.
– Anonymous Poet*
Do you believe you have a solid foundation or the wings to fly?
*I first saw the above version attributed anonymously. I have since seen slightly different versions attributed to Patrick Overton and Richard Bach
People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing . . . that’s why we recommend it daily – Zig Ziglar, speaker and author
I may need to post a motivational quote daily instead of weekly!
Are you pumped up each and every day?
How do you motivate yourself before a big meeting or important task? (Hint: if you don’t yet have a specific answer to this, look at what has worked for you in the past.)
Always be happy, never be satisfied – Mark McKeon, author and speaker
Are you happy? Do you make time to celebrate? Do you take care of yourself?
Are you striving? If you were to update your bio or resume, do you have something new to add? Do you do your best work?
You can be happy and still strive for more. It’s a challenging balance, but that’s the fun.
True life is lived when tiny changes occur – Leo Tolstoy
What is one positive change you can implement right now – eat one piece of fruit each day, get fresh flowers for your desk, take your lunch break outdoors?
You don’t have to quit your job. You don’t have to spend lots of money. You don’t have to plan too much.
What’s the tiniest step you can take?
We must find ideas big enough to be afraid of again – Garland Wright, Guthrie Artistic Director
What items on your wish list scare you?
Are you aiming too low?
What resolution can you make right now that inspires both fear and excitement?
The greatest hurdle is convincing yourself that what you want is possible. – Author Unknown
I recently read the latest Chip and Dan Heath book, Decisive, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is about making better decisions, and one of the book’s first recommendations is Widen Your Options. Think “And” rather than “Either/Or”. Many times that alone makes us creative enough to figure out new solutions.
This quote also reminds us to substitute “Can I?” for “How Can I?” When we assume that something is possible, we can move our energy into how to make it so.
Where are you spinning your wheels to convince yourself to move forward? What if you knew it was a possible and it was just a question of what to do next? What will you do now?
You can’t have everything. Where would you put it? – Steven Wright
Of course, as a comic, I have to quote a comic. But more significant than how funny this is, is how true this is. Having everything poses a space problem. More brings more headaches.
This isn’t to discourage you from striving. There is something to be said for dreaming big and thinking beyond either/ or. In that sense, the prospect of having it all is healthy.
On the other hand, accumulating blindly and not acknowledging the costs of your other limited resources (space, energy, attention) is unhealthy. You still want to consciously choose what you want to attain.
For me, having it all means being creative AND making money, having a thriving career AND a loving family, feeling challenged AND getting enough rest.
What does having “everything” mean to you?
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day of the year – Ralph Waldo Emerson
What if the best day of the year was today? Would you get out of bed early with a smile and childlike anticipation? Would you be on the watch for miracles, big and small, or opportunities to pounce on?
What if you knew the best was yet to come? How much less worry would you feel knowing that things will get better (or even better)?
Why not adopt Emerson’s point of view just for one week? Let me know what happens!