Your Best Year Yet: The Next Step

Posted on January 17, 2014 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

one“Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective.”

– G.K. Chesterton

Last week, we talked about the importance of setting goals for 2014. Now I’d like to discuss the next step: a unique way of documenting our goals. I do believe in writing out a plan to achieve our goals—but I also need a way to constantly be reminded of my goals, to have them always in front of me.

To be clear: there is never a “silver bullet” for setting and achieving goals! But I’d like to share the technique that works for me.

Before we define our goals and write our action steps, we first need to define who we want to become through pursuing our goals and achieving them. It is all too easy to set “to do” goals, measuring our success by what we accomplish instead of by who we actually are—the higher bar is to set “to be” goals, defining who we want to be.

Have you seen the movie City Slickers? Take a look at this great conversation between characters Curly and Mitch that demonstrates a simple (yet effective!) strategy for finding success and happiness:

One thing. What’s the one thing that drives you, motivates you, and gets you up every morning? 

Two weeks from now, more than 206 million people (87% of us) will have made New Year’s resolutions, and by February 1, more than 50% will have already given up on their goals. More than 75% of people will have forgotten their goals by the time summer arrives.

These statistics came from a book called One Word that Will Change Your Life (written by Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page). Reading this book helped me achieve my goals beyond my expectations. It’s a quick read (in fact, it only took me 43 minutes to read it), but it helped me discover my “one thing” both last year and now for 2014.

The most important thing is not to change our goals but rather to change who we are.

To this end, the authors of One Word advocate selecting a single word that will be your driving force for an entire year. You can choose words such as Serving, Purpose, Grace, Surrender, Power, or Discipline. By living and breathing one word for 365 days, we gain a whole new perspective on how we approach our year, leading to renewed purpose and meaning.

Words are powerful. If we find one word to live by, it can inspire, encourage, and turn the impossible into the possible.

I am not in complete agreement with the authors’ idea that we shouldn’t have written plans or goals. However, when going through their process to come up with my own one word, an ironic thing happened: I discovered that my one word is actually woven throughout all of my personal and professional goals. My written plans now have a focal point and possess stronger meaning and purpose.

As I’ve said before, passion will get you motivated, but determination will ensure you fight the good fight. Having one word is a powerful way to create a narrow focus with a broad impact. My one word is a constant reminder of why I get up every day and work so hard to reach all my goals, both personal and professional.

Everyone wants happiness and success. It’s those who own their goals, take responsibility for them, and under no circumstances give up on them who get ahead in life and reach levels of success—turning their dreams into reality!

Here’s my one word for 2014:

 connection for blog

What’s your one word?

If discovering your one word sounds like the journey for you, take a look at One Word that Will Change Your Life. Happy reading—and good luck!

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Your Best Year Yet

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Sean Moore | | 7 Comments

goals 2014I can see it now—let the eye-rolling begin! “Just what we need…another blog post on goal setting,” you might be saying to yourself. Bear with me for just a bit as we unpack this topic, though—you just might be surprised at how motivated you can become.

A Harvard Business study revealed some remarkable statistics related to goal setting and success:

  • 83% of the people studied did not have goals
  • 14% of these people had a plan in mind—but no goals were written down
  • 3% of this group had goals written down

The study found that the 14% who had goals were 10 times more successful than those without goals. But the 3% with written goals were three times more successful than the 14% with unwritten goals.

“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.”

– Tony Robbins 

What would you be willing to do to realize that fantastic, pie-in-the-sky, slightly crazy dream you’ve had all your life?

A major key to success is having big, hairy, audacious goals (BHAGs) running as undercurrents for everything we do in the present and in the near future. A BHAG is the single purpose that underpins and drives everything a person is about and is striving for.

Author and business strategist Jim Collins says, “BHAGs are not just random goals … A good BHAG has to fit with what you’re passionate about, which includes your values. It has to fit with what best drives you.” We need to set our BHAGs and let them guide us every step of the way to reach our ideal destination.

“Success is steady progress toward one’s personal goals.”

– Jim Rohn 

I’ve been creating my list of goals for 2014 and thought I’d talk to you about your specific goals as well.

This time next year, at the end of 2014, we’ll face two possible outcomes:

1. We’ll have accomplished our goals for the year, and we’ll feel great about our achievements.

2. We’ll be in the exact same place we are today and will wonder where the time went and why we didn’t get what we wanted.

I’d like to challenge you to set a minimum of two professional goals and two personal goals—make these goals and then write them down.

“People with clear, written goals accomplish far more in a shorter period of time than people without them could ever imagine.”

– Brian Tracy

Let’s set big goals for 2014! The sky is the limit, and the year is stretched out ahead of us, full of possibilities.

Once you have your goals written down, work backward from there. Break each goal down into manageable, sustainable action steps. A broad goal might read like this: “I will make X amount of money this year as a salesperson.” An action step puts feet to that goal: “I need to sell this amount of product each week to hit my goal.” The challenge is to turn those big goals into action and do what we say we’re going to do. With tangible plan of action steps for each week, you’re on your way to hitting your goals—and even surpassing them.

Next, find one person or a group of people to keep you accountable. Choose someone who understands you, cares about you, and can hold your feet to the fire as you check off those action steps one by one.

If we tell others about our goals, we can bet that our overall commitment to each goal will be considerably higher. With that being said, I’m going to share my 2014 goals here with you!

My personal goals:

  • Complete the Leadville 100-mile mountain bike “Race Across the Sky” (August 9, 2014)
  • Complete a seven-day, 50-mile backpacking trip this September on the West Coast Trail along the Pacific Northwest coastline

My professional goals:

  • Read 20 nonfiction books on personal development and business education
  • CRUSH the numbers—exceed total revenue budget by 3% and Altrus quota by 5%

Join me over the next two weeks to hear about my two strategies for completing my 2014 goals!

Let’s all have a fantastic year by achieving all our professional and personal goals!! 2014, BRING IT!!!

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Persistence, Part 6: Resolve in advance to act

Posted on January 2, 2014 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

ActOver the last few weeks, we’ve explored how we can cultivate persistent attitudes. We have talked about why we need to persist to capture success in any area of our lives, along with the importance of a healthy response to setbacks and failures. We also reviewed how important it is to maintain a positive attitude as we travel the road to success, and then we discussed taking a proactive approach to challenges so that we are not victims of circumstances or of others. Finally, we explored the importance of looking for life lessons in the challenges we face in order to see these trying times as a gift.

When dealing with any challenge or adversity, it’s important to think of ourselves as powerful and strong—believing we will always resolve to act under any circumstance. When we resolve to never give up, success is virtually guaranteed, for nothing can or will stop us but ourselves. Don’t be surprised when setbacks happen; they can and will happen to everyone multiple times. Instead, expect disappointments and setbacks to occur as part of the road to success.

We all need to remember that it’s not how far we fall…but how far we bounce back.

Persistence is an acquired trait, so we should aim to bounce back each time we fall more quickly than the last. Resiliency in times of challenges is a key to long-term success. The primary difference between “winners” and “losers” in life is simple: “Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” – Vince Lombardi

I’ve always believed that if the road to success is feeling easy, I’m probably going the wrong way. Any worthwhile pursuit in life needs difficult elements in it. This principle is expressed well by a late U.S. president: “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty…I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.” – Theodore Roosevelt

The best way to resolve to act is to find your fight! Let me explain. If you enjoy going to the gym as I do, you probably also hate the gym in January and February. Think of all those “January Joiners” crowding the parking lot and changing rooms—and there’s always someone on your favorite treadmill! Like clockwork, come March, everything is back to normal. Why do so many New Year’s resolutions fail? Is it lack of willpower? Lack of motivation? Absolutely not!

Most people don’t know their long-term “Why” and haven’t developed their “Why Power”—their will to fight. Think about this: if I offered you $20 to cross a 10-foot plank on the ground, would you? Of course; it’s easy money. What if the plank was straddling two 100-story buildings? Not a chance! But what if the other building was on fire with a loved one inside needing rescue…would you cross the plank? Forget the $20; you’d do it for nothing in a heartbeat! Your “Why Power” would lead to a will to fight and get across that plank—not once, but twice! As we enter into the new year, do you know your “Why Power” for your 2014 goals?

We all need to work on committing to ourselves in advance that we’ll never give up. I know this is something that has played a hand in others’ successes, and I can tell you with confidence that if you commit to never give up, your long-term success is almost guaranteed. Remember, nothing can stop you except yourself! Every time your self-discipline pushes you to persist, you increase your self-confidence. You will feel stronger and more powerful, and, most important, you will be unstoppable!

It’s not fate—or someone else—that controls our outcomes. It’s up to each of us to find the “Why” and the will to fight! As Robert Strauss once said, “Success is a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired.” Passion will get you motivated, but determination will ensure you fight the good fight.

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Persistence, Part 5: Looking for the gift in challenges

Posted on December 20, 2013 by Sean Moore | | 2 Comments

giftOver the last few weeks, we have explored how we can cultivate persistent attitudes. We have talked about why we need to persist to capture success in any area of our lives, along with the importance of a healthy response to setbacks and failures. We also discussed how important it is to maintain a positive attitude as we travel the road to success, and last week we discussed taking a proactive approach to challenges so that we are not victims of circumstances or of others; instead, we are the creators of our destinies in our careers and in our lives.

Have you had a bad day lately? A day where you thought it just couldn’t get any worse? We all have them—you know, those days when it seems that life is just throwing everything at you but the proverbial kitchen sink…when life’s challenges are just hitting you repeatedly in the face, testing you in your personal life, career, and emotional wellbeing. It can be hard to see at the time, but when life or career challenges come our way, there is almost always a lesson to be learned if we are looking for it and willing to be open to it. As Napoleon Hill wrote, “Within every problem or obstacle lays the seed of an equal or greater opportunity or benefit. Your job is to find it.”

I am dedicating this blog post to my father. My father has always been my biggest supporter, encouraging and supporting me as I’ve followed my dreams. He spent countless hours cheering me on at the rink, getting up at 4 a.m. to drive me to hockey practice. Academically, he pushed me to get a college education and has been a constant sounding board as I have progressed in my career.

One of the many things I’ve learned from my father is this principle: always look for the gifts in the challenges we face in both work and life. This uncanny skill my father possesses led him to a successful career in medical sales, financial freedom in his retirement, and a tremendous marriage to my mom for over 40 years. 

This skill was evident when I was about 10 years old. My parents, like many others, were affected by the banking crisis of 1980s. Everything my parents had worked for was trickling through their fingers, so they made a decision to move across the country where the job markets were better, selling everything they had—with the exception of our 24-foot trailer that we lived in for almost two years.

Those two years produced some of the best memories I have of my childhood. You see, my father never allowed us to feel badly about our situation; instead, he embraced it as a gift. The lot we rented was in the mountains in western Canada, a location with countless biking trails and a beautiful lake—truly a kids’ playground paradise. We played board games at night and went on many adventures in the woods. We did have small 10-inch TV that received one channel so we could watch Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night as a family. What great times!

This unique ability to see the gift in every challenge continues to exude from my father. A month ago, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer and is now fighting the battle of his life. He just had his surgery this past week, and although the surgery had its complications, he expects to recover fully and to be back to his normal self in the coming months.

When my father was diagnosed, he did not exhibit the typical reaction to the news. He made it a point to let everyone know that his situation was actually a gift, and his new personal life mission is to encourage everyone to talk to a doctor about getting a colonoscopy. I remember him telling me over the phone, “If I can help one person not have to go through what I am dealing with, it will make it all worthwhile.” Wow! I was absolutely blown away with emotion when I heard him say that. What an incredible, courageous person I am blessed with as my dad.

What if challenges in life are there to help us grow? What if overcoming obstacles is similar to lifting weights: the heavier the weight, the more strength is required, and the harder the obstacle, the deeper we must dig? What if the struggles we undergo are meant to help us release a potential we didn’t realize we had? Author Mike Dooley says, “If you understood the extraordinary gifts that every single challenge in your life makes possible, even inevitable, you’d celebrate your challenges, new and old alike, as the omens that they are of new beginnings and spectacular change.”

Look for the life lesson.

Why not turn a life or career challenge into a gift? Why not take it one step further and ask: how can I receive this gift? Use these questions in the most challenging of moments to help mentally frame your situation, thus leading to positive reactions.

The next time you have a challenge, peer straight into its eyes and say: “I see you. What are you here to teach me?” Look for the value it can bring into your life. Any difficult life or career situation could actually become your best opportunity for vibrant life and can be used purposefully for your growth and learning.

I leave you with this last quote, which is attributed to Helen Keller: “A bend in the road is not the end of the road…unless you fail to make the turn.”

To my biggest fan—my Dad, who reads every one of my posts—I love you, and we are all behind you! You are going to beat this thing!

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Persistence, Part 4: Cultivating a proactive attitude versus a reactive one

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Sean Moore | | Leave a comment

persistence and proactiveOver the last few weeks, we have explored how we can cultivate persistent attitudes. We have talked about why we need to persist to capture success in any area of our lives, along with the importance of a healthy response to setbacks and failures, and last week we discussed how important it is to maintain a positive attitude as we travel the road to success.

I am reading a book called Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. This book was written as a record of a man’s experiences in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II and delves into the psychology of the prisoners with whom he shared months upon months of horror and devastation. Mr. Frankl is a Jewish psychiatrist, and despite the terrible torture that was inflicted within the concentration camps, nobody could take away his inner freedom. In his book, Mr. Frankl says one reason he was able to survive the Nazi camps was his proactive attitude; he defines proactivity as “the freedom to choose our attitude in the circumstances of our lives.”

Many aspects of life have a certain level of difficulty. And while most of us will not experience the unbelievable level of hardship Mr. Frankl endured, we will most certainly experience challenges in our personal and professional lives.

When things get hard, persistence is the only thing that will ensure success.

When a challenge arises, resolve to focus on the solution—what can be done now—rather than on what happened or who is to blame. Decide what actions you can immediately take to resolve the situation.

In the words of Anita Baker: “I say if it’s going to be done, let’s do it. Let’s not put it in the hands of fate. Let’s not put it in the hands of someone who doesn’t know me. I know me best. Then take a breath and go ahead.”

To be proactive is to change things—in an intended direction and for the better. Proactive behavior distinguishes individuals who truly reach success from those who are bystanders and just go through the motions.

Proactive people:

• Believe anything can happen around them, but they own how they want to react to any situation.

• Focus efforts on the things they can influence and control.

Reactive people:

• Believe they are controlled by circumstances, conditions, and environment.

• Focus efforts on areas of concern around them (i.e., the shortcomings of other people or environmental circumstances).

Whatever we want or desire is within our grasp. For most of us, the success we want is not going to be just handed to us on a platter. We must be proactive and work toward our success.

Proactive people are those who take charge of their own lives and choose to control their responses to situations and circumstances. Here are five ways we can become more proactive people:

  • Proactive people aren’t afraid of change. In, fact they are often the ones who drive change. Proactive people do not shy away from uncertainty.
  • Being proactive necessitates a change in our thinking, which leads to a change in our actions. Often we need to get rid of our self-limiting beliefs that aren’t supporting us. If you keep thinking that becoming the #1 salesperson in the company is too hard to achieve, you’ll  never do enough to win the salesperson of the year award. Subconsciously, you’ll find a way to sabotage yourself. A proactive thought looks like this: “I will become the #1 salesperson in 2014!”
  • Proactive people are flexible. Understanding that the road to success will have its bumps and will require adjustments is a positive approach to managing ambiguity and constant change.
  • The proactive individual believes he or she has all the resources, both internal and external, needed to be successful. In other words, a top salesperson believes he or she has all the intelligence, courage, supporting people, products, and marketing material to influence and support successful goals.
  • Proactive people set goals in all areas of their lives. Goals are put in writing so they can be referred to every month, quarter, and year. By referring to written goals, we become proactive about what needs to be done and can then put the knowledge and effort forward to drive our goals to completion.

Being proactive means you understand that your life doesn’t just happen; it’s being created by you.

You’re not a victim of circumstances or of others. 

You are the creator of your destiny in your career and in your life.

Highly successful people choose how they want to feel and decide how they will act in every situation. They don’t simply react to circumstances or to what other people say or do. The proactive individual focuses on solutions to problems, regardless of whether the problems have been caused by himself, herself, or others.

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