Pop-Pop Part II-What’s my Purpose?

Julius StuckLast week I blogged about our beloved Pop-Pop who has recently suffered a heart attack. I am happy to report Pop-Pop is doing much better. He really is the miracle man. In my last blog I talked about what a good connector Pop-Pop is, how he reaches out to people and stays in touch and how we would all benefit from following his example. Actually, Pop-Pop is an incredible role model for many reasons.

As I mentioned before, Pop-Pop had to be revived three times when he had his heart attack. That means he actually died and came back three times! Afterwards the doctors had to put him in a forced coma for several days to protect his brain. I guess all that rest gave Pop-Pop a chance to think because when he finally gained consciousness one of the first things he said was “You know, I think I came back for a reason. There must be something more I need to do. I’m not sure what it is yet, but I feel like I have something left to accomplish.” WOW! This is a 93 year old man who has traveled the world, met thousands of people, had a career and has had a wonderful family who cherishes him. Yet, there is still a sense that he has more do to, more to give. He still has a purpose. Pop-Pop is not yet clear what his mission at this point will be, but that’s ok, we’ll cut him some slack since he’s just come out of a coma and all.

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What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for?Have you ever wondered why some people are successful while others are not? What is it that separates the haves from the have nots? While some people toil away at unfulfilling jobs, linger in overweight bodies or struggle with difficult relationships, there are a select few who seem to sail through life. They write the great American novel, create wildly successful businesses or strut their rock hard abs. What is their secret? Successful people take action.

You may be saying, "Wait, that's the answer to the great big secret to success? That's too simple." Yes, it is simple, however, simple does not mean easy. Take for, for example, weight loss. Loosing weight is not rocket science. We all know to lose weight you have to eat fewer calories and expend more energy. Of course, there are different methods to this process, but it all pretty much boils down to calories and energy. So if it's so simple why are we not all walking around in super svelte bodies? It's because knowing something and DOING something are completely different. You must take ACTION to see results. You must get your ass to the gym!

If we know what to do, why are we not all racing out of our houses to get to aerobics class? Because it's hard and makes us uncomfortable. In order to be successful you are going to have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable. You will have to do things you don't feel like doing. Many people think they will do something when they get properly motivated. They hire coaches or read inspirational books. And while those things are all great helps, YOU are still the one that has to do the work. But here's the good news. Once you START to take action, you DO start to feel like doing the work. You DO start to feel motivated.

Most people think the emotion will come and then they will take action. That's backwards thinking. When you start taking action you start to create a cascade of positive emotions that keep you motivated. You start to see progress and glimpses of your success which gives you even more energy to take more action. It's an upward spiral. 

Here are three tips to get you and keep you on PAR with success:

1. PREPARE-What do you need to do to set yourself up for success? Are there supplies you need? Do you need to put things on your calendar? Are there people you need to contact? When you know WHAT you need to do, it will be easier to get started.

2. ACT-What one thing can you do each day to move you closer to your goal? DO IT. Make a phone call, write your outline, buy some damn carrots! Do SOMETHING. Even doing one small thing will help you feel motivated to take the next step. All action is physical. Even if you think for a living, you still need to physically write down your thoughts. So get out of your brain and into your body.

3. REBOUND-If you try an action and it fails, GET UP AND TRY AGAIN. Imagine you were running an important race on a track with hundreds of spectators. Now imagine you tripped on your shoelace and fell flat on your face in front of all those people. What would you do? Would you just lay there? No, you would get up and finish the race and hopefully, you would have learned to tuck in your laces for the next race. The only way you really fail is if you stay down and let the world trample on you.

Stop waiting to feel ready to act. ACT like you are ready succeed and soon you will be the one winning the race.

Brand Your Edge

Brand Your EdgeFor the past several months I have noticed that I have been feeling a little bit blue. I wasn't sure why I was feeling this way. My family is great, I feel healthy, I love my work. So what was the problem?  I realized that I was feeling down because I was feeling frumpy. 

I don't think most people who know me would consider me frumpy, however, what I was seeing in the mirror did not excite me. I bought these clothes, I even liked these clothes. So what the heck was happening?  What I finally realized was I had lost my edginess which is a really big part of who I am. It's the part of me that gives me zing and energy. It makes me feel alive and slightly dangerous.  So why on earth would I give that up? 

It wasn't intentional, it was more by default. In an attempt to appear polished and pulled-together, I had checked my edginess at the door. I was guilty of a big sin which was giving in to a "should" way of thinking. I had an idea of how a professional person should dress and act. The only problem, which it turned out was a big one, was I ended up feeling only partly present dressing and acting this way. An important part of me and my brand was missing.  And it made me cranky!

Of course, I still believe in being professional, but that doesn't mean being stiff and uninteresting. The more you can infuse your personal brand into your professional life, the more appealing you will become and the happier you will be.  If you leave out a piece of your brand because you think you "should," you will be left with a vanilla version of yourself and your brand will suffer. On the other hand, if you can embrace those parts of yourself that feel most exciting, your brand will be truly unique, even if it feels a bit scary at first. Now if you will excuse me, I need to slip into something black and slightly dangerous.