Posted on Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Awaken The Giant Within

One powerful step to reclaim your race

You want to win. Period. Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this article. The problem is winning doesn’t come easy. But what if there was a simple strategy to help you take back huge realms of your life?

It’s called offense. One of the reasons you may be struggling right now is because you’ve slipped into defensive mode and you’re not taking any new ground. It happens to all of us at one time or another.

For example, when I was younger, my brother and I went to a Chuck E. Cheese grand opening. They gave out FREE golden tokens for all of the games. So we decided not to play any games. Instead we went around all night collecting tokens. You can probably guess what happened? That’s right, we never went back! For years we found the game tokens all throughout our bedrooms- in drawers, under our beds, in a corner on the floor….visible reminders of our missed opportunities!

We’re not alone! 8 out of 10 employees surveyed in the U.S said they could work harder on their job. So we’re not talking about a rare virus, we’re talking about an epidemic. People are underperforming. Probably not just at work, but in every area of their lives. We all signed up for full-throttle living, but somewhere along the way we let up.

Why does this happen? Simple. If you are afraid of losing, you go into defensive mode and forget all about offense. Before you know it, you’re just trying to stay alive. You enter survival mode and forget all about winning mode.

It’s true of people who consider going back to college. People who think about pursuing their own business. People who consider taking their marriage or parenting to the next level. Whenever you pass up on opportunities to grow because it’s the safest thing to do, a part of your soul dies. Period.

On the other side of the equation, the people who succeed aren’t always the most talented, but they are committed. Every time you look at the best selling books in Walmart, you’re not looking at the greatest writers in the world, you’re looking at those who were most persistent! Success equals persistent offense. You can have the greatest product in the world but people aren’t going to beat a path to your door. You have to keep taking continual steps in the right direction.

Put a placard on your desk or change your screensaver. Write something inspiring like: “Quitters never win and winners never quit.” Develop a ‘whatever it takes attitude’. Find a person or two to cheer you on. Join a group. Phone a friend.

Today, take 5 minutes and ask yourself, “Is there an area of life where I’m just not putting forth the effort anymore?” While your at it, ask yourself, “What’s one thing I can do today to get closer to achieving my goals?”

Whatever you do, start playing offense again. Instead of trying to keep the opponent out of your end zone, storm theirs. You don’t want to drink a cup of regrets at the end of your game, do you?

Posted on Tuesday, November 10, 2015

You and Me

The fine line between addiction and control

Do you ever feel addicted? Not just to drugs, but anything? It can be food, words of affirmation, the internet. You’re not alone, and chances are you sometimes wonder what the line is between normal and addicted. Lets talk.

You may have first noticed how much you like control, when you started establishing some rituals and routines. Maybe you set your alarm clock for 6:00 a.m every day. Maybe you run every other day. You eat a light breakfast and read your bible and pray. Then you work on some kind of project until it’s time to go to work. Sounds harmless, right?

Actually, it still may be a good thing. You probably feel 100 percent better. You have more energy to spend with your kids. Things are happening at church. You’re meeting new and interesting people. You’ve steered clear of the ruts. And you’ve tacked on some major hours to each day, right?

However, are you beginning to realize just how good it feels to accomplish something? We all like control. We can even get to the point where we enjoy walking into a darkened room and flicking the light switch ‘on’. We like finishing the last few swigs of milk and filing the jug in the recycle container. Crazy, right?

If we’re completely honest with ourselves, it’s amazing how much joy we can get out of completing the smallest of tasks. Drug free. O.k, not including caffeine.

So what is the fine line between addiction and control?

Well, it’s probably different for everyone, otherwise it wouldn’t be fine.

Take cell phones for example. They’re great. Wonderful tools. Nothing will give you more joy than one that hums. New updates only increase their hand in glove feel. However, what wonderful servants they make and terrible taskmasters. We can all relate. We’ve all binged and suffered for it.

But what is binging? Is it healthy to tell yourself, “You’re addicted!” or “You’re in control!”. When it’s a question of addiction, you’re left to feel like the Schnauzer who gets caught red-handed. There you are wolfing down your owners French Fries while she’s gone to the rest room. True? Maybe. But not healthy.

What if you discovered it’s a control issue. For instance, if you keep telling yourself you have no control, chances are you’ll start believing it.

Lets just call this Iic: I’m in control, from here on out.

Iic keeps you in the realm of personal responsibility. It’s not a free pass to be immoral. No. It leaves you with the power to make the right choice for you and all other parties involved.

IA (I’m addicted) is a recipe for failure. Yes, it’s a good starting point on the road to recovery, but it gives you an excuse to be irresponsible. All of us are irresponsible from time to time. That’s not the issue. The issue arises when you use your own words to harm yourself.

You’re of no use to yourself or your loved ones until you change the stories you tell yourself.

How about you? Is negativity in your interior space keeping you from solving your problems. Maybe there’s something healthy going on inside and you can only see it as a problem. Wonders might happen if you recognize this attribute and begin to see it in others. You might just end up winning the Nobel Peace Prize after all. What’s the saying? If you can imagine it, you can do it. Put a man on the moon? Impossible. Put 1,000 songs in everyone’s pocket? Impossible. Turn out to be an authority in your field. Impossible. Maybe not!

Nobody or thing has more control over your past, present, and future more than you do! O.k, after God. It’s not your boss oppressing you, or your wife and friends, sometimes it’s you. You can be real nice to a lot of other people but not very nice to yourself. You can be a good friend to others, but when’s the last time you were a friend to yourself?

Who’s going to be a better friend to you than you? Unless you’re a Siamese twin, you’re going to be spending a lot of time with yourself from here on out. Why not be friendly to yourself? Like McDonald’s says: “You deserve a break today”, right?

We call ourselves overachievers, but the truth is we can be under encouragers.

Remember, Yic (You’re in control). Not anybody else. Not your boss. Not your husband or your wife. What you do with that control is up to you. Can you become addicted? Absolutely. If you can’t stop being kind to yourself, you’re not in control any more.

Conversely, when you begin to realize just how much control you have, amazing things begin to happen. So, who determines the fine line between addiction and control? You and me, my friend. So why not be kind to yourself? Flick the switch!

Posted on Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Reversing Your Fortune

Make Distractions Work For You

Are distractions keeping you from being as productive as you’d like? What if there was a better way to use them to your advantage? After all, nobody wants to live in obscurity. But distractions can leave us there unless we conquer them. Today I want to show how you can come into the light and make distractions work for you.

Since I’ve discovered how this whole process works, I’ve been able to concentrate more on the things that really matter. I’ve lost thirty pounds in five months. Painted two houses. Watched the church I pastor come alive before my very eyes. The benefits are never-ending. It all begins with focusing on what really matters.

A post by one the world’s most famous bloggers shows how serious this issue really is. Be prepared, this is powerful! This is the last post world famous blogger Scott Dinsmore ever made on the importance of disconnecting.

Statistics show that some employees are checking their email 32 times a day!

Getting a handle on this issue will position you to lead in your field.

When you stop focusing on the trivial, you can hone in on the things that really matter.

So here’s how it works.

Distractions are like Ants. They may be small, but an army can and will carry off every last crumb of your Chocolate Cake. Spend any amount of time online and you’ll see them come crawling out of the woodwork….then up your pants leg.

They effect creatives big-time. Just ask any blogger or writer. Especially those with an audience. You’re always wondering what the tribe is up to. Superssites like Youtube and Facebook can be especially enticing. Not because they’re all that great. They’re like Denny’s….nobody decides ahead of time to visit them, you just end up there and end up feeling bloated and guilty.

I’m not downing social media sites. They serve a purpose. But they become a problem when they call you away from doing what only you can do. At that point they are no longer a diversion, they morph into a distraction.

Gravitate toward them enough and you’ll get sucked under the wheels. They leave you feeling guilty, blue in the tooth, uneasy and plain sick. The last thing you want if you’re trying to grow, is regrets.

The Good News

Rather than succumbing to them, why not use them to your advantage. Let them be a trigger. Every time you’re tempted to indulge, be proactive instead.

Let them be a clarion call to pursue your dream. Every time you’re drawn to them, make a hard phone call instead. Connect with a prospect. Do a load of laundry or prepare a meal. Plan your next family vacation. Start your website or blog. Write a letter to a friend.

Makes you wonder what would happen in a week or month’s time, right? In no time at all you will transform an enemy into a friend.

While you’re at it, reward yourself for good behavior. Come up with some kind of payment when you avoid the distraction and make a healthy choice. Buy yourself a book. Get a manicure once a week. Take your car thru the drive-thru wash. Meet a friend for coffee. Whatever you do, reward yourself.

If you need some more help with issues similar to this, I’ve published Life Coaching: 7 Myths Keeping You From Your Best Year Yet, to help you win the battle. You can purchase it here in an instant.

Productivity and growth are not accidents, you can train yourself to achieve your desired results. Olympians do it, Musicians do it, Business women do it, and so can you!

Posted on Thursday, October 8, 2015

Stop Managing Your Time

3 Ways to Fulfill Your Joy

Time Management. Sounds exciting, right? Maybe that’s why we all struggle with managing our time. I remember as a young leader facing the responsibility of planning my days. If you’re like me, you’ve been there. You wake up and kind of just ‘wing it’ to pass the day. You’re not sure what to do. You may even have a thousand ideas. But where do you start? Hold on and get ready to be inspired.

The following ideas are based on some productivity ideas offered by Dan Sullivan. Dan is the President of the Strategic Coach organization. Go check out his website when you get a chance.

Rather than thinking of every day as the same, imagine three different kinds: Work Days, Buffer Days, and Free Days.

III I’ve been doing this for awhile now and it’s increased my excitement and accomplishment level a ton!

Work Days

These days are a no brainer. On work days, you do just that. If you’re a creative, that’s the day you work on your sermon. Write a blog post. Do the stay at home Mom activities whatever they may be. Go to the office. This part’s not too hard to figure out. If you’re a writer, that’s the day you work on your manuscript or work on the outline for your next novel. It may include working on your website or posting on Social Media. These are the days you take action. But they are not all that’s required to be productive. Being productive involves all you set out to do in every area of your life. You can be productive at work and unproductive in your marriage. You can be productive in your marriage, but unproductive at work or play.

Buffer Days

These are the days when you work on things other than work. Think of them as days you buff out the wax job you applied on a work day. That’s not a misprint. These are the days you do laundry, cut the grass, pick up your dry cleaning, finish painting the kitchen. Tie up loose ends. Finish what you started or take the next step toward completion. Buffer days allow you to focus on the minor things you had to neglect to focus on your majors. You already know this, you just never thought about it. Buffer days are a whole lot more exciting than they sound. They allow you to experience a sense of accomplishment and resolve a lot of tension. At the end of the day, you have not just one accomplishment but many!

Free Days

Free days are Saturdays regardless of what day the calendar says it is! These are the days that you do what you want to. If you want to eat a Hot Fudge Sundae and listen to your favorite music by the pool, go for it. Free days are days when you decide to be productive by resting. They don’t need a goal or a reason to exist. You don’t have to move the needle forward at all. These kinds of days leave you well-rested and ready to get back to work. These are the days when you fill your tank until it runs over. You can’t give what you don’t have, so don’t neglect to have these kinds of days. You should have one of these days AT LEAST once a week. Some of you work so hard you’ve forgotten how to even have these kinds of days.

The beautiful part is you don’t have to dedicate every day to just one of these categories.

You can work for a couple of hours in the morning and relax the rest of the day. You can tie up loose ends until noon and block out an hour or two in the afternoon and head to the beach with your kids at 4 p.m. You get the idea. The trick is to figure out how this system best works for you based on your own unique needs and schedule.

Yes, there will be days when nothing goes as planned. Nobody can deny that. But though life can be unpredictable, it’s amazing how predictable it can be. If you want to change your future, start today. Give this system a try and you will see how enjoyable it is.

I wonder what would happen if we thought of Time Management as Joy Fulfillment? After all….

Time Management….

-Sounds like work to our brain.

-Sounds like it requires too much planning.

-Sounds like it’s only for people who have more time than you do.

-Sounds so Old School.

-Doesn’t sound exciting or fun.

-Sounds like something you do in an office with no windows inside a cubicle.

On the flip side….

Joy Fulfillment….

Sounds like fun.

Sounds exciting.

Sounds like what the world is longing for.

Sound like oil for the wheels of your mental machinery.

Sounds life-giving and full of hope.

Sounds like something Jesus talked about. John 15:11.

Speaking of joy and fulfillment, it’s better to give than to receive. And gifts aren’t gifts until you share them. So share your excitement on Facebook or Twitter. When you do, you’ll make other people feel better as well as yourself.

Question of the day: How do you approach your daily schedule?

“Teach us to number our days and recognize how few they are; help us to spend them as we should.” (Psalm 90:12, TLB)

….And while you’re spending them, shouldn’t you have joy? Maybe it’s time to stop managing and start enjoying the days you’ve been gifted with.

Posted on Saturday, August 15, 2015

WHAT’S IN YOUR BOX?

Is There Something You're Missing?

Alzheimer’s. The word left Charlie’s mouth and hung in the air of the pick-up truck like the smoke of his many cigarettes. Charlie was my foreman during summer months while in college. Raised on a New England farm, groomed in the Navy and wizened by the school of ‘hard knocks’, Charlie taught me the value of life, people, family, and work. Years and years after this conversation, I went to visit Charlie at his home. He didn’t remember me but smiled and asked me if I wanted to see the boat he’d won at a raffle recently. Inside his home the large Navy air carrier in it’s display case, stretched from one side of the room to the other in its full glory. I experienced the privilege of being in that room because of a commitment made years earlier.

I’m sharing this story because it’s a reminder to me that it’s the limits in life that make it magical. You see, I’d met Charlie because I made the decision to get inside of the box. There were beaches beckoning to me during those summers, noon-time sleep-ins, and long, lazy afternoons with friends, but I chose to work. And I’m glad I did. Those days were some of the toughest in my life up until that point. Inside the box, I ran a Jack Hammer for eight hours straight, some days….no exaggeration. To the older guys I was the ‘college kid’. You get the idea.

But the mantra today is to think outside the box, to live outside the box, to work outside the box, to do ministry outside the box. But whatever happened to working inside the box? Quite possibly, the world is waiting for some people to get back inside of the box. To love inside the box, to dream inside the box, to make love….Maybe in our attempt to be innovative, we’re traveling a well-worn highway, not a customized path. Maybe it’s time to go against the grain and get back inside the box.

The Book of Lamentations, chapter 3, verse 27 says: “It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth.” The implication is that restraints, boundaries, repetition and limits help, not hurt, people in their younger years.

Furthermore, Natural resources do better inside a box. Coal has no power unless it’s put in the box. Niagara Falls supplies tremendous amounts of light and energy but first it must get put in a box. Gasoline has awesome potential, but first it must be put inside the box.

Show me someone who has everywhere before them and I’ll show you someone who is making an impact nowhere. To make an impact, somewhere is our best destination, not anywhere. -Cory MacNeil

We all need a box. Acorns have to get inside the box. People live inside of the box. Employees submit to the box. And at the end of the day if we want people to know where we are, we choose to be buried in a box.

Forest Gump was wrong when he said: “Life is like a box of chocolates….you never know which one you’re gonna get.” Get inside the box and you’ll have an idea of what you’re going to get. Read the insert Forest. The Orange Caramel is right next to the English Nougat.

We spend so much time thinking outside of the box, that we forget the value of working inside the box. Like many areas of life it’s not a case of either/or, but both. Jesus told the story of two men. One said he would get inside the box and didn’t. The other man said he wouldn’t get inside the box, but did. Which one do you think Jesus blessed.

The box is healthy. Limitations are healthy. Rules are healthy as long as there is a relationship. Rules without relationship lead to rebellion. We don’t live in a random world based on chance and luck. We live in a world based on laws and principles. Thankfully, there are less train wrecks in the world and more meltdowns. Providence honors hard work over long periods of time. She also insures things usually fizzle out rather than blow up. Recognize the long downhill slide and you can get out of the boat before it hits the water.

A few personal boxes ensure health and well being. If you get inside the box and refuse to eat in the evening, you’ll experience greater freedom. If you get inside the box when your co-worker is disagreeable the quality of your relationship with them will improve over time rather than burst. It’s not commitment we need to fear, it’s our future we need to fear if we’re not willing to commit to some purpose greater than ourselves.

It is not commitment we need to fear, it’s our future we need to fear if we’re not willing to commit to some purpose greater than ourselves. -Cory MacNeil

One day after Elementary school I found that my Hermit Crab had crawled out of his shell. Parents teach kids that animals shouldn’t suffer. People can suffer and kids can suffer, but animals can’t. So, I did what any self-respecting kid would do. I ended the suffering. If I remember correctly there was a rock involved. In hindsight, I wonder what would have happened if I found my Hermit Crab a bigger shell. We’ll never fear the box once we realize that God can always give us a bigger box once we outgrow the one we’re in.

A man named Jabez prayed for a bigger box and God blessed his prayer. 2 Chronicles 4:10 says: “And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou Wouldst bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.” There is life and joy and peace inside the box that can’t be found anywhere else.

What if you believed the box you’re in is perfectly designed and suited for you at this very moment? In our pursuit of what’s outside the box we forget about what’s in the box and how God can use it if He so chooses! -Cory MacNeil

Two parents decided to teach their young son that there are tough realities in life, so they went to the garden center and bought him a bag of horse manure for his Birthday. On the big day as the family looked on, the grandmother held her nose and asked her grandson, “What did you get? What did you get?” The young boy answered with excitement, “I don’t know, but I think there’s a pony in there somewhere!”

Friend, the circumstances in your box might smell pretty bad right now. Maybe you lost your job this week. Maybe the test results came back different than you’d hoped. Maybe your marriage or a close relationship is headed south and you’re holding on with every last bit of grit and resolve. Whatever the case, I promise you there’s a pony in there somewhere. I met a Charlie in the box and that made all the difference in the world. What’s in your box?

Posted on Thursday, August 6, 2015

Go the Distance!

The #1 Reason People Succeed

As a pastor, I often meet people who are excited to make a change in their lives. For awhile. What usually happens is they find out that change doesn’t come easy and they drop out of the race. Please, hear me out. I’m not condemning anyone. I’m all for change and the people who want it. I just wish more people were successful. It often saddens me to see people drop out of the race.

Going the distance is NEVER easy. Just ask anyone who’s tried. I found this out personally when I started jogging three months ago. All kinds of obstacles pop up. There is the weather, aches and pains, fatigue, rationalizations….the list goes on and on. In all honesty, some of the excuses are pretty good ones.

What if there’s an easier way. I wish there was, but I’m sorry to tell you there isn’t! That may sound harsh, but it’s true. I have no EASY way to sell you. If you’re going to achieve any amount of success and take your life to the next level, it’s going to take WORK. The good news is once you realize this, business begins to pick up.

One thing you can do is anticipate the obstacles and have a game plan. Don’t just assume the goal will come easy. Put a plan in place to move through your challenges when they arise. The best plan is to plan on running your course. Determine ahead of time that you are going to go the extra mile. Never forget that good things take time. It may have taken you years to get into the mess you’re in now, so don’t expect a quick fix over night. When I suggest spending time, I’m not suggesting a day or a week, or a month, we’re talking years!

We’ve all heard stories about persistence. Maybe you’ve heard this one. A man moved to California and bought mining equipment. After mining for Gold awhile, unsuccessfully, he sold all of his equipment. You can probably imagine what happened. The guy who bought the equipment went to the same mine and drilled only a short distance before hitting the motherlode. This simple story highlights the importance of going the distance. Success rarely comes easy and when it does it tends to fade away quickly.

The truth is you never know how close you are to reaching your next milestone. This principle applies to health, fitness, self-improvement, discipleship, leadership, etc. As Jim Collins says: “It’s hard to get the fly-wheel moving, but once you do, momentum takes over.”

Ironically, the people achieving true success are usually the ones who look like they’re making very little or no progress at all. They go to the gym on a regular basis, save money a little at a time, read books and listen to weekly sermons and podcasts. By all looks and appearances, you’d say these people are going nowhere quickly!

If you’re looking to achieve your dreams and move further faster in your life, don’t expect for a moment that you’ll only need this one post. I encourage you to commit to an extended subscription, be it six months or a year. Rome wasn’t built in a day and you can’t expect to fix all our your problems in one week. If you’re going to progress, it’s going to take endurance. Go the distance!