We’ve all seen the memes about how close we can be to success when we turn around. They show a man with a mining ax digging furiously through dirt and rock to reach a giant diamond or a stash of gold. The miner turns around. He’s discouraged because he hasn’t broken through to the other side. We see the reality. There’s the stash. It’s JUST beyond the thin wall of dirt and stone.

Below him is another picture. The same situation is playing out. The miner is going at it furiously. He’s breaking through to the reward of all his hard work. He breaks the wall and is able to reap the rewards of everything he’s done to get there.

Which miner was right? Was the miner who turned away just before reaching the payout, right? Was he wrong?  Read more...

Celeste Kieft, a Human Resource Manager, sent out a message to the team at Bold Furniture. The message was profound and timely. It is a message we should all take to heart.

In today’s article, I am going to paraphrase her message and encourage you to think about motivation vs. discipline.

Celeste was reminding team members to wear safety glasses or side shields. This is for the team members’ protection and a big safety concern. Yet, the team members did not see it this way.

The response Celeste heard was: “There are too many other issues to worry about something as small as side shields.”

Ouch! Can you believe that response?

While true, there are a lot of things happening in our facilities including merging two buildings, relaunching a second shift, and more, this is not the response to give someone. The response shows there’s a lack of motivation. More so, it shows a lack of discipline.  Read more...

I saw a cute meme recently. The headline of the meme was: This is why dogs are happier

The photo showed a man and his dog sitting next to each other. The man had multiple thought bubbles. There were thoughts of

• A car
• A plane
• A house
• Money

Then there was the dog. The dog had one thought bubble:

• The dog and man sitting together

What Are You Focusing On?

This meme shows us something. We’re often lost in thought. We’re not lost in the moment.

Our minds are racing. Thoughts of our house, the next fancy car, or how we’re going to make money run through our minds.

These thoughts crowd out what is happening around us. Our focus isn’t on the present moment. Our focus is on everything else.  Read more...

There are days when I battle extreme bouts of self-doubt. I believe my writing isn’t up to par or that I am a failure as a husband or that I couldn’t lead someone if my life depended upon it.

These days are hard. We all have these days where we fail to believe in ourselves.

This happened especially recently.

I was going through my emails. I saw a marketing email come through. The title said something along the lines of:

Your beginning guide to writing. How to gain your first 100 fans.

My first thought was

I need this! This will help me get more eyes on my writing. It could help me become a serious writer.

Then I had to put on the brakes.

What was I thinking? I’m already a serious writer. I’m not a beginner. I’ve been writing for over a decade.  Read more...