Get Going!!!

It’s 5:30 AM and the alarm goes off…  You are faced with your first difficult decision of the day; do I hit the snooze and get a few more minutes of precious sleep, or do I get up an exercise?  That is just first of many choices you are presented with during the day.  It is a lot harder to muster the motivation to do something that requires more time, energy and effort.  Hitting the snooze button always seems more appealing in the moment.  But by 6:15 you are thankful you chose the latter, you got up and ran your four miles in the cold, and you are now better for it.  You have the energy and determination to take on the next challenge.

We are all faced with a barrage of choices to make each day: what to wear, where to eat, what to do, who to follow, when to lead.  Some of these decisions are more significant than others.  But when and how do you know which is right?  When we decide to take the easy way out we are deciding the effort and possible reward are not worth our time.  This can create a mindset or habit of avoiding challenges rather than tackling them head one.  Doing what is difficult creates stress, which promotes growth.  It also improves your ability to focus on the bigger issues and not sweat the little things.  So get out of bed, lace up your shoes and get running!!!

$100.00 Challenge Project Update:

I have been working on completing my spreadsheet of the results of my project and putting together some pictures and for the powerpoint presentation.

Journal Post #10

Priorities and Time

Priorities and time are two concepts that go hand in hand.  They sometimes work together and other times not.  As a married, father of 4, full-time employee, full-time student, soccer coach, and active LDS member I have come to understand the importance of priorities and the value of time.  Priorities are abundant and time—obviously, is not.  In fact, in many situations I find others around me trying to prioritize my priorities for me, which is somewhat of a paradox.  Having limited time and often-unlimited list of priorities or responsibilities I have found a couple of things that have worked for me:

1. Identify what is important to you and allow that to direct your prioritization.

We should all have a “short list” of things that are most important to us.  For me, my wife and kids are what I value most in this life.  Yes, I enjoy snow skiing, I like being with friends, I would love to spend time training to run a marathon, but right now many of those activities do not occur as frequently as I would like.  Understanding the time and season of life improves my perspective and allows me to allocate my time efficiently right now.

2. Do your best.

At the end of the day, all you can do is your best.  If you put forth a sincere effort each day to setting daily (even hourly) goals and accomplish them, your best will get better.  You will still come up short, but as long as you efforts are directed by your core fundamental priorities you will be able to go to bed each night knowing you have given it your all. 

$100.00 Challenge Project Update:

I have one me more shelf install to complete this morning.  I am planning on completing my budget spreadsheet and see where I have ended up.

Journal Post #9

Asking the Wrong Questions

As kid I was often asked, “So, what do you want to be when you grow –up?”  Honestly, I had no idea.  I did know that a career was a commitment and I didn't want to be committed something I didn't like.  My response to that question was always, “A doctor.”  Looking back my understanding of what was required to be a doctor, the day-to-day responsibilities and the different fields of medicine were very limited.  I did know that a doctor was a respected profession and I knew that I could avoid any follow-up questions like, “Why would want to do that?”  I also knew that as doctor I would be able to take care of the needs of my family.

Later on in life, after working 2 years in an E.R. as an Orderly and being overwhelmed by the amount of schooling required, I realized that this was not a realistic career path for me.  I did not have a passion for medicine and I definitely did not have a passion for school.  But for some reason I still associated success with being a doctor. 

In reflecting on this I have come to the conclusion that I was being asked the wrong question.  It’s not what you want to be, but who do you want to me.  There was nothing wrong with my logic in wanting a respectable career and the means to take care of my family.  Where I went wrong was in thinking that this was the only way to achieve my aspirations.

In talking with my own children I have caught myself asking them the same question I was asked.  I have made a resolve to ask them WHO they want to be rather than what they want to be.  Focusing on “the who” requires a lot more work, but it removes the any boundaries in allowing you to reach your full potential.  

$100.00 Challenge Project Update:

This week I was able to install two of the shelves I built and was able to get paid.  I have two more installs scheduled next week.  Excited to see how many I actually end up selling.

Journal Post #8

Family Management and Business Management

With some of the discussion board posts we have had this week, I have thought a lot about the correlation between family management and business management.  I think that there are a lot of similarities.  The other day my wife made mention to me that she thought it was interesting how on Saturday morning I brought all of the kids into the living room and mapped out the schedule of things we would be doing.  Our four children are fairly young, ages 10, 8, 5, and 2.  Looking back on that situation it felt pretty natural to me.  Like most families, our Saturdays can be pretty eventful—chores to accomplish, basketball games to attend, errands to run, etc.  I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page and that everyone knew what was expected.

I do the same type of thing at work.  When things get pretty hectic around quarter end I usually call a quick meeting with the team.  Go through our to-do list, review our goals, update everyone on where we are at, and essentially make sure we are all on the same page.  And if there are any issues, let’s discuss how we can resolve them.  Both approaches are very similar in nature.  I also think that both approaches also show each member the team and your family that you care.

There was a part in the “E-Myth Revisited” that I really liked.  It stated, “If your thinking is sloppy, your business will be sloppy. If you are disorganized, your business will be disorganized. If you are greedy, your employees will be greedy.”  Our business management skills are essentially a reflection of who we are as a person.  I think thing can also be said for our family management skills, as well.

$100.00 Challenge Project Update:

I was able to paint and stain the shelves and frames today.  This week I have scheduled a few installs.  I should actually start to see some money coming in…