The Full Measure Blog

Taking Inspired Action - Finding Your Talents

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:56:02 -0500

Taking Inspired Action – Finding Your Talents

I love Taking Inspired Action. It happens whenever I listen to the promptings that would engage my talents. You get them too. You just may be ignoring them because you don’t trust where they are coming from.

When something pops into our heads “out of thin air” we tend to think less of the idea than if someone we respect gives it to us. It’s very important to “hang out” with people who have enjoyed success; those who we want to model. And yes, when they give us an idea, we want to give it due consideration. That’s how we can learn and grow our business; by standing on the shoulders of those who have gone before.

What I’m talking about here is a little different. I’m talking about the ideas that come to us and are suited precisely to our talents and abilities. We all have certain talents and abilities that are gifts to us for our growth and well-being. When we engage those talents we prosper.

Do you know what your talents and abilities are? They have a lot to do with your strengths. When you are consistently good at something you can say you have a talent in that area. I’m good at helping people find and develop their strengths. I can consistently do a good job of helping people discover their strengths. It’s my talent.

I have my best days (and weeks) when I’m taking ACTION on ideas that speak to my strengths. They engage me. I have more energy and enthusiasm in my work. I move my business forward in ways that seem surprising. I can help more people when I’m working from my strengths.

You will have your best days when you are taking ACTION on ideas that are suited to your strengths. The days that you engage your talents and abilities will be the days that add momentum to your business. When you put more and more days together where you are working from your strengths you will create greater and greater momentum. That is when you will begin to prosper. You will then be able to help others prosper as well.

You can find your strengths by thinking back on the times when things came easy to you; those activities that seem to flow smoothly and energize you. You can also take assessments to help clarify your strengths.

I often send my clients to buy a book that helps them find their strengths. “Strengthsfinder 2.0” by Tom Rath (you can find it here http://bit.ly/E4Nd). When you buy the book you are given access to the “StrengthsFinder 2.0” assessment. Go there and you will find your Top 5 strengths. This is a great place to start building on your strengths to develop talents and abilities. Engaging your strengths will enable you to set yourself apart as a valued expert.

Have an Action Packed Holiday!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. If you would like to catch The Next Big Wave on the internet and prosper from the best Self Development and Business Development advise on the planet, then follow this link: http://larrykevin.com

Super Charge Your Career by Taking Inspired Action

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:39:42 -0400

Super Charge Your Career By Taking Inspired Action

Would you like to Super Charge your career? If you are feeling stuck in mediocrity then maybe you need to learn to listen to your inner voice and Take Inspired Action. This is the one sure way to bring extreme results into your life.

You may be asking, “What is Inspired Action?” Well, it starts with the fact that every individual has been given their own unique set of talents and abilities. I have my set of talents and abilities and you have yours. In order to Super Charge our careers we need to develop and engage our set of talents.

One of the things I enjoy most in life is watching someone perform at the best of their abilities. When someone works hard to develop their natural talents and becomes the best in their field it is absolutely amazing to watch them perform. They “Inspire” us to want to become the best at what we do.

There is no situation in which this is more obvious than in the Olympics. Billions of dollars are spent in the four-year preparation for the event. Millions (Billions?) take time to watch. I loved watching Lightning Bolt (Usain Bolt of Jamaica) run faster than any human being before him. And he did it with such ease! Maybe you were amazed while watching Michael Phelps win gold medal after gold medal. It is inspiring! We feed off it like a giant buffet. It can even move us to Take Action ourselves.

Being inspired by watching the best of the best isn’t limited to the athletic field. Have you ever been moved to tears by a musical performance? I have. How about listening to a great speaker? The talents of John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. have been forever embedded on our minds through their speeches.

One of my favorite subject areas is entrepreneurs. I love reading the stories of Steve Job (Apple Computer), Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook), Meg Whitman (ebay) and others. All of these great entrepreneurs have developed their talents and learned how to Take Inspired Action. This Inspired Action propelled them to new heights.

Inspired Action is the action we take on the ideas that flow to us from our inner voice. If we work hard to develop our talents and abilities, we will be lead to Action Steps that will engage those talents and abilities. It’s a natural process.

If we take time out each day to develop the skill of listening to our inner voice we will be led to our talents. We will become energized and excited to do what comes natural to us. By working on and developing our talents to the best of our ability we become more open to new inspiration. We find new opportunities and action steps appear before us. As we act upon the ideas that come to us from our inner voice we start to perform at a higher and higher level of achievement. This is why Tiger Woods can be inspired to take a shot that only he can perform. And why I will never receive such inspiration; golf is not my talent. But, helping others is my talent; and as I act upon the inspiration to help others I find my talents becoming sharper and more powerful. I can help more people and I achieve better results because I have learned to Act upon Inspiration.

You can do the same thing in your career. You just have to learn what your talents and abilities are and then start acting on the inspiration you have to engage those talents.

This is just an introduction to the topic of Taking Inspired Action. Next time, I will give you some steps to take to find your talents, and then I’ll show you how to gain inspiration!

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Don’t miss Stu McLaren tonight on The Action List. Stu will be discussing some of the strategies that have developed over the last eight months, especially web 2.0. Use the link below to sign up for “The Action List”. See you there!

http://theactionlist.com

Beating My Head Against A Wall

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 16:43:12 -0400

Beating My Head Against a Wall.

Have you ever felt like you were banging your head against a wall? I sure have lately. You see I’m in the middle of a project that involves a lot of partners. These partners are scattered across the country and they all run their own businesses. They are very busy individuals. I have to grab their attention, get their agreement, and then push them to ACT upon our agreed agenda.

I’m sure you have had a similar project where you have to bring together the efforts of a busy team. They might be a group of partners, like my team. They could be clients, vendors, colleagues, volunteers, family members, or your sales team. The point is that they are a group of busy people and you are responsible to get them to ACT as a team. Sound familiar?

Let’s take a look at some Key Points for working with teams that may keep you from banging your head against a wall.

Key Point #1

Use Your Natural Strengths To Grab Their Attention.

When you are starting your project and you need to get someone’s attention, use your natural strengths. If you are good on the phone, then keep calling until you get the person on the phone. Maybe your talent is presentation. Then secure an appointment where you can present. If you are good at networking, get the news about your project to your circles of influence and let them grab the attention of your team members.

For my project - I made a video, posted it on a web page and sent out email invites. The video web page was a hit. I built my Dream Team in record time! Cool!

Key Point #2

MAKE NO ASSUMPTIONS

Don’t assume anything! I had to grab the attention of a lot of busy people. So I put a lot of effort into my video page. As a result I had my Dream Team signed up and ready to rock and roll. My Dream Team was beyond my expectation. It was so exciting!

I assumed that the ease of putting the team together along with the positive energy everyone was expressing about the project meant that they understood the project. All I had to do now was coordinate everyone’s efforts and the project would be a huge hit. Wrong!

My project was a success but it didn’t become the blockbuster I had envisioned. Here’s why. Even with tons (and I mean tons) of communication on what was expected and how things were to come together, very few participants understood the dynamics of what would make the project a celebrated hit. I had assumed, because of the excitement and the communications I sent out, that everyone was on the same page. Have you ever thought your team was all on the same page and later found that they were a little lost?

I assumed the excitement was about the process of the project. It was after all a very cool project! As it turned out, the excitement was about the team itself. Everyone was excited to be a part of such a great team.

Key Point # 3

Require Confirmation

This Key Point would have made all the difference in the world for my project. How about yours?

Here is what you need to do. As you communicate to your team, ask for (and require) confirmation of agreement on all tasks you are asking them to perform.

Sending out an email with a list of requirements and waiting for a return email letting you know they “got it” is never enough. Remember Key Point #2? I sent some great emails to everyone detailing exactly what I needed my team members to do. And I made sure everyone acknowledged receipt. Unfortunately, receipt does not mean read (or agreed).

After you send your list of tasks, send out an agreement page. The agreement page lists all the required tasks that you are asking your team to perform, and those which you agree to perform. You are asking your team to say, “Yes, I understand that I will be responsible for x, y and z and I agree to the time table.” Otherwise you are assuming they understand the agreement and that everything will work out as expected.

This may sound a little too strict for your style. You may be thinking that an agreement page sounds too official and cumbersome. I thought that way…not anymore!

An agreement page can be the energy behind getting the project complete. When things get stuck you can simply refer back to the agreement page and point out which task needs to be completed to get things unstuck. Reminding everyone about the process that they agreed to will keep your project on schedule and bring about the results. It may also just keep you from “beating your head against a wall.”

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Kevin Hogan, author of “The Psychology of Persuasion” talks about the latest research in the marketing field and what approaches are effective in difficult times. Catch this important interview on “The Action List” – Tuesday, 6:00 PM eastern.

http://theactionlist.com

P.S.S I will be asking Kevin Hogan about marketing philosophy, ethics, and code words that sell in scary times, and key strategies for getting attention in a crowded marketplace. Sign up for “The Action List” webinar series at the link below:

http://theactionlist.com

Head Trash

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:17:58 -0400

Head Trash.

I have a new client. His name is Tony and he is desperate. He recently changed jobs (careers actually) and feels like he is headed for a train wreck. Have you ever felt that way, like you were headed for a train wreck?

When I asked him what he meant by the “train wreck” statement he said, “I honestly think changing jobs was the right thing to do. I know I’m on the right train and I’m building up a lot of steam (…more with the train metaphor). I’m just afraid that before I get to my destination, I’m going to have a train wreck!”

Head Trash! That’s my name for it. Tony had the guts to make a major shift in his life. He took Inspired Action and moved toward a more rewarding future. He moved away from a career where he was good (but not great) into a career where he has a chance to be the best in the world. His talents and abilities are totally aligned with his new career choice. But right now, all Tony can see are the bumps along the way. He keeps seeing one of those bumps causing his train wreck. And so Tony is stalling, focusing on the bumps instead of the shiny track that will take him to his dreams. If he doesn’t take immediate action he will end up causing the very train wreck he so desperately wants to avoid.

I love to get new clients like Tony. You see, most of my clients come to me not knowing they need a major shift in their lives. They want a quick Band-Aid fix that will help them get to the next level. They will bulk at major change and ask me to just help them fix what they have, and they will be happy. I agree to help, but the “next level” is never what it could be if they were more courageous. Little fixes will take you to a higher level but if you want the “next level” to be a lot higher, you will have to make big changes.

Tony has already made the big change needed to set up a big increase in pay. The truth is, Tony did a great job following inspiration into a career that suited his talents. He hired me after the hard part. Cool! All I have to do is help Tony get rid of the “Head Trash.”

Do you have someone helping you engage your talents? Or is your “Head Trash” keeping you from asking for help?

By focusing on work that matters (instead of the bumps in the road) we can become fully engaged in our work. When we are fully engaged, we find that the journey is fun and exciting. It’s the journey that fills our life with joy, not the destination. Destinations can be fun, but it’s the journey that brings fulfillment and meaning to our time here on earth.

Working with Tony will be easy and a lot of fun. All I have to do is keep him focused on the things he loves doing. By keeping Tony focused, he will spend most of his week fully engaged in work that matters. He is bound to succeed because he will love the journey. The destination will take care of itself, it always does when we embrace the journey.

Don’t let “Head Trash” get in the way of YOUR journey!

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin The Actionator!

P.S. Tuesday’s guest on “The Action List” is Jim Bouchard – America’s Powervational Speaker. Jim will show you how the Dynamic Components of Personal Power can change your life! This will be awesome! Tuesday, 6:00 PM Eastern

You can sign up for “The Action List” Webinars by following the link below:

http://theactionlist.com

Ask Questions

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:33:29 -0400

Ask Questions.

I took a group of four down to Red River Gorge this weekend for some rock climbing. It was an absolutely awesome weekend! The weather couldn’t have been better. We spent about seven hours up on the cliffs until our arms were completely wasted. Then we went to Megales Pizza right outside Natural Bridge State Park. If you ever make a trip to The Red, you have to stop by Megales. They have the best pizza and you can find lots of folks to talk about where to go for the best climbing for your level.

Whenever I take a group to The Red, I start the day with a quick course on climbing safety. The most important part of that safety speech is communication. If the person climbing and the person belaying do not have a quick and easy way to communicate there could be trouble. The commands are clear and distinct. The climber calls out to the person on belay exactly what he needs from him. He may need more rope in order to move up, he made need the slack taken out to rest. They work as a team so when the climber calls out “clipping” the person on belay gives him enough rope to clip into the next bolt and then tightens the rope to give the climber the confidence of safety.

Having a clear and distinct way to communicate keeps rock climbers safe while doing things most people would consider dangerous. How else could someone climb up 80 feet of rock and return, time after time, without injury? There is safety because the person holding the rope, that keeps the climber from falling, knows exactly what to do by listening to the climber’s commands.

I wish our communication in business could be a clear and distinct. Many times we think we are making a very clear request only to find out later that the person on the receiving end interpreted an entirely different message. This can (and does) cost us thousands of dollars. If our request requires someone to accomplish a task that is vital to our project and then later we find that the task was not done, done incorrectly, or incomplete, it can bring our project to a stop.

I found this to be the case during a recent project where I communicated the task I needed completed several times. I had spelled it all out. I made a list of actions that needed to be completed and checked off. I even sent a series of reminders. And yet when the time came that I needed the requested material for my project none of it was ready. I had to then explain in detail exactly what I had already explained and then wait for the task to be completed. Ahhhh!

Is there a simple way to make sure our communication is clear and distinct just like a team of rock climbers? Yes, there is a way!

The Secret: Ask Questions.

On my next project, I sent out the same communication with the same list of actions that needed to be completed and checked off. Only this time, when I sent my reminders I also asked some simple and short questions. I asked questions that could be answered yes or no. If the person said no, it gave me a reason to follow up. If the person answered yes, I knew they understood the task. If they couldn’t answer because they didn’t comprehend the question, I knew to follow up with another conversation.

Try this strategy next time you are approaching the dead line to your project and need a task completed from other team members. When you ask, “Did you log in and obtain a user name?” and the team members reply’s, “Log in? User Name?” then not only do you know the task is not complete you know what clarification needs to happen.

I hope your communication this week is clear and distinct. But just in case, be sure and follow up with some simple yes/no questions to make sure your project comes in on time!

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow at 6:00 PM EDT when Travis Greenlee will be my guest on “The Action List”. Travis will be giving you his Action List on how to attract more and better clients, Income, and “outrageous opportunities’”…while doubling your time off! You can sign up for the action list by following the link below:

http://theactionlist.com

Don’t Get Stuck In A Down Cycle

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 12:46:31 -0400

Don’t Get Stuck In A Down Cycle.

I thought this weekend was going to be terrible. Susan had a “To Do” list for me a mile long, the weather looked threatening, and I had family visiting from Ohio. So I wasn’t expecting things to go my way, but it turned out great.

The rain held off and I played a round of golf with the visiting in-laws. Didn’t expect that!

I even got to watch a couple football games. BYU beat UCLA 59-0. That makes 13 straight wins for the Cougars! GO COUGARS! Then after being down 0-15 the Colts came back and beat the Vikings 18-15. Very cool!

I know, it sounds like I played all weekend. That would have been fun but I would have paid a big price if I didn’t do something on Susan’s list. So I found time to knock off her number one priority – Close the pool.

Closing the pool usually takes several hours. This year was no exception. I got some help from my neighbor, Bud. He has helped me close the pool now for 20 years. That’s right, 20 years! He is such a good neighbor. Work doesn’t seem like work when you have Bud helping out.

As my weekend was turning out to be so enjoyable, I kept thinking about something my business coach pointed out on Friday (Yes, The Actionator has a coach. I tell my coaching clients that everyone needs a good coach.) He explained how everyone goes through cycles of positive energy and negative energy. We have good days and bad days. We have times of acceleration toward our goals and times when we hit a road bump.

Then my coach went on to explain how the successful CEO’s and Entrepreneurs, the high achievers, and the top producers of the world manage their energy so that they can move through the down cycles more quickly than most folks. It’s not that they don’t have bad things happen to them, or never have a negative thought. They just don’t get stuck in a down cycle. They quickly monitor their emotions, the situation, and decide on an appropriate action to take toward making things better. Then they move forward. The problem may take weeks or longer to repair and overcome, but the negative attitude and feelings associated with the problem are handled quickly.

Instead of allowing my negative expectations for my weekend get me stuck in a down cycle, I monitored my emotions and the situation, and took action. Now, sure the bad weather held off and allowed us to go golfing. The point I’m trying to make is that if I stayed stuck in a negative cycle, I wouldn’t have been ready to play when the opportunity presented itself. I would have kept complaining and moaning until not only my weekend was shot but also those around me.

Do you want to be a high achiever? A Top Producer? Then make sure you get yourself unstuck whenever you find yourself in a down cycle.

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Brian Campbell the Social Media Marketing Master will be my guest on “The Action List” tomorrow night at 6:00 PM EDT. Brian will show you how to use Social Media Marketing to accelerate your business forward. To sign up for “The Action List” use the link below:
http://theactionlist.com

Watering Flowers

Fri, 5 Sep 2008 08:46:44 -0400

Watering Flowers

Every year my wife puts out lots of flowers around the house. I have to admit that it is one of those things that make a house, a home. So I really do appreciate the beauty and serenity they add to our surroundings. What I don’t appreciate is the constant care it takes to keep them looking good.

At our house, Susan buys the flowers and places them where they need to be planted. It is then my job to dig up the dirt, plant the flowers, and then feed and water them ALL SUMMER LONG! How did this become my job? I mean they are her flowers. She even say’s so, “Have you watered my flowers?” Every night, “Have you watered my flowers?” I mean if they really are “her” flowers why doesn’t she water the *#& things? I grin and bear it because I love the results. If you want beautiful flowers you have to do the work.

The problem is that this time of year I get lazy. I have been watering the flowers everyday all summer and when September hits, I’m tired of it. So I slack off. Maybe I skip a day or two. I say to myself that I’ll really soak them tomorrow. I’ll give them twice as much water then, in order to take a break today.

When I get around to watering them on the second day, they have that wilted, almost dead look. Then I poor on the water and after about 30 minutes they have perked up and are looking good. I’m thinking that everything worked out well, the flowers are still beautiful and I only have to water every other day. Great!

Then comes a long two really hot scorching days. And so I really pour on the water. I mean, I give them more than enough to survive; I give them enough to thrive. But I have a problem. Because of the extreme heat some of the flowers have died and turned brown. I can give them all the water in the world and they will still be dead, still be brown. I have lost some of the beauty of my garden. All that hard work during the summer has been diminished because I took a break and didn’t pay attention to the environment.

That is a lot like our businesses. There are some things that we have to pay attention to everyday in order to get great results. If we put off, take a break and don’t pay attention to our customers they will wither and die. They will be dead to us or I guess the correct phrase is that “we will be dead to them”. Instead of having a raving fan, we have a withering flower. And once we have neglected them to long in the hot sun, no matter how much tender loving care we pour on them, they aren’t coming back!

I look at my contact time in just this manner. I dedicate 90 minutes a day to reaching out and contacting people. They might be prospects, suspects, or clients. I just make sure that I’m watering my business everyday. You can’t wait a year and then contact them asking for more business. The relationship will die and so will your profits.

I don’t understand when businesses neglect clients. They have worked all summer long watering and feeding them to get them engaged and then after the sell they forget them. And then they wonder why they have brown flowers. Their clients have gone somewhere else where the water flows freely.

Take some Action Today! Do an inventory of what rituals you need to put into place to make sure you are feeding and watering your business. And then ACT! Write the ritual into your calendar and don’t neglect it. You know what is important to keep your business full of blossoms. You just have to have the pig headed determination to make a ritual out of work that matters. If you do you will always have a beautiful garden. The kind of garden that pays you money.

Have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Internet marketing giant Matt Back is my guest next Tuesday on “The Action List”. Don’t miss this opportunity to get his action list on how to make millions online. He is the expert and is giving you his step-by-step process to success. I’ll see you there!

P.S.S. If you haven’t signed up for the webinar series “The Action List” you can use the link below:
http://theactionlist.com
It’s FREE!

Taking Inspired Action for Officer Fishburn

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 15:07:23 -0400

Hello Actionators!

I hope your weekend has gone well. I got some painting done on the outside of the house. Now maybe I can go play.

I wanted to thank all of you who have taken action and joined the facebook group “Praying for Officer Jason Fishburn (You can find a link on my profile page or click here http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=24514805842&ref=nf ). Jason has done very well. He is starting to walk (with assistance) and even was able to go home for a short 6 hours last week. He still has a lot of recovering to do to get his left arm working again. Thanks for your prayers, his life is a testimony to the power of prayer.

Jason’s facebook group got me to thinking of how great things happen when someone ACTs upon inspiration. Inspired Action can make real change in the world. There has been so much interest in Jason’s recovery and a huge outpouring of community support. The group was put up on facebook by a cousin of Jason’s and from there it ballooned into 788 members. It has been inspiring to read how the group has helped so many come together. Take a visit and see if inspiration hits you.

Taking inspired action is an important step in living up to our potentials. We are often inspired to change things in our lives and businesses. Most of the time we rationalize away the thought of taking action. We tell ourselves that it won’t make a difference. Or we share our idea with someone and they shoot it down. And so we go through life without a lot of WOW! Moments.

It doesn’t have to be that way. You can learn to take inspired action (I help folks learn the process every week). The great part about learning the process is that the more you practice taking inspired action, the more inspiration you get. If we act upon inspiration, we receive more. If we ignore inspiration, we stop receiving new inspiration. That is why most people don’t understand the power behind taking action. They don’t believe in themselves enough to trust the inspiration.

I’ll be sharing with you some ideas on taking Inspired Action in a future post. Be sure to try out the “action steps” I give you so that you can learn to make a difference in the world. Most of the problems you face in business and life can be solved with inspiration. You just have to learn to act upon the inspiration to bring results into your life.

Thanks for your support and have an Action Packed Day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Don’t miss my interview with Justin Brooke tomorrow on “The Action List”. It will give you Justin’s Action List to make money on websites. You will love his content. You can sign up for the webinar series at http://theactionlist.com.

Monday Morning Madness

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 15:01:14 -0400

How did your Monday go this week? Did you experience Monday Morning Madness? How many times have you allowed the demands of the day (and the week) to set your Monday up for disaster? Do you hate Monday mornings?

It doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) that way. You can learn to embrace Monday as an opportunity to set yourself up for a week of full engagement. Imagine that, a week of full engagement! How would you feel if you were fully engaged during the week? In “The Power of Full Engagement” Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz give us some understanding with the dynamics of energy when fully engaged. We feel invigorated, confident, challenged, joyful and connected. Have you ever felt invigorated, and connected on Monday Morning?

Wow! Wouldn’t that be a switch? And a great way to live!

I want to give you some tools that can help you feel connected, give you the confidence to embrace the challenges of your week, even feel invigorated and joyful as you move into your Monday Mornings.

It’s not magic and it’s not some great mystery. It’s just an understanding of the importance of recovery and renewal. You see many of us never really disengage from our workweek and so we never recover. If we don’t recover we are starting the week with little or no energy.

The best tool for recovery is to engage ourselves in activities that connect us to some of our core values that may have been put on the back burner during the week. Remembering our values, and enjoying the activities that engage them, can give us the balance we need to face Monday Morning with a smile.

Here is an example. Being connected with family and building relationships is one of my values. This weekend we traveled two hours to Washington, Indiana for a family reunion. I’m just like you, I have a hundred things to do around the house and I could have used a couple hours answering emails and making phone calls. I really didn’t want to go to the reunion. I had two choices. I could resent wasting time I could have used to catch up around the yard and at work, or I could engage myself in the activity and allow myself to completely disengage from all other demands. The choice I make will determine the type of morning I will have on Monday.

If I choice to be resentful, I can squeeze in as many phone calls as I can driving two hours there and two hours back. I could even check my email if I make my wife drive. This choice would allow me to spend time on the things I think will get me ahead, but the reality is that the time spent on work would be inefficient and the stress inflicted upon my family would have drained me of energy. I would have gone into Monday Morning trying to fix things at home while facing the stress of the coming week. The result, no energy => Monday Morning Madness!

The choice I made was to remember one of my core values – building and strengthening family relationships. Here is a great tool => return to your values and ponder them. Then make your decisions based on integrity. Integrity means you walk the talk; you live life in alignment with your values. I decided to turn off the phone (no calls, no emails) and I also decided to put all other demands out of mind. The yard will be there when I return and things at work will get done a lot more efficiently after a weekend of recovery.

As we drove to the reunion (two hours there and two hours back) I was able to have wonderful conversations with my wife, daughters, and son-in-laws (we have a big car). The time spent with the twins is always a joyful experience for me. At the reunion I was able to talk with my Dad and other relatives. Because I purposely engaged myself in the activity I came home physically exhausted but emotionally, spiritually, and mentally refreshed.

My Monday Morning went great. I could face the challenges of the week knowing why I do what I do. I work so that I can enjoy a wonderful lifestyle. I could also let go of the pressures and enjoy work because I felt balanced knowing the connections at home were strong.

If you want to have a great Monday Morning, don’t forget to disconnect from work and reconnect with some of your core values. It might mean going fishing to get away and relax, it’s not the activity, it’s how the activity connects you with your values.

Have an Action Packed Week!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

“Multitask This”, Daddy

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 15:03:38 -0400

“Multitask This!” Daddy.

I so wanted to clobber a multitasker this weekend!

I spent the day with my family at King Island amusement park (you can find info on Kings Island here: http://www.pki.com/) and we had a wonderful time. I came back to work on Monday completely refreshed and recharged, ready to engage myself in “work that matters”. But I know at least one person who also spent the day at Kings Island and is now suffering from Monday Morning Madness. This is the guy I wanted to clobber.

I don’t know his name; I didn’t talk to him or walk around the park with him. He and his daughter were in front of us as we left the water park, and I noticed in him something I try to stomp out of my coaching clients. He was a multitasker! Constantly trying to get more done by doing “more things” and getting less and less out of work and life.

I’m sure he thought he was doing his “fatherly duty” by spending the day with his daughter. He is after all taking time away from work. He could have put in a few more hours on Saturday and gotten that production report completed but took his daughter to an amusement park instead. And so he feels guilty about work when he is with his family and guilty about his family when he puts in overtime at work.

He was pulling his daughter through the park with a strap tied to her wrist. She was leaning back on the strap letting it pull her forward as she hung her head down counting her fathers steps. He was busy pounding out a text message on his phone. I’m sure the message was important. I’m sure the information contained in it was helpful to someone, somewhere, at sometime. But I also know this young fellow missed out on an “opportunity of a life time”. We all look for those, right? Well, he had one and let it pass right by him.

I just wanted to hit him in the back of the head and tell him to turn the phone off, throw away the strap, take your daughter by the hand, and give her 100% of your attention. I would tell my clients just that, but this was a stranger to me and so I had no right to butt in to his affairs. It’s a shame too, because the opportunity I’m talking about comes around only when we completely disengage from work and engage in the activity at hand. I’m talking about the opportunity to hear your daughter say, “Daddy, this is the best day of my life!”

If you have heard a similar statement then you know what I mean when I say “opportunity of a life time”. Time goes by so fast, our kids grow up and we will either have a connection with them that will last a lifetime or we will be wondering why the phone never rings. Don’t pass up your opportunities! Know when you should disengage from work. Learn how to be in the moment and forget that multitasking stuff, it’s a lie. You can’t do a decent job at anything when you’re doing two things at once.

The benefits will show up at work also. This guy’s Monday will be full of stress and all sorts of malfunctions. He won’t be able to focus on “work that matters” because he will be to busy putting out fires. On the other hand, I’m hitting the road running. My head is clear on Monday because I went threw a renewal process that builds up my spirit and allows my mental capacity recover. I can focus more sharply on the tasks that will accelerate my business forward.

You have the same choice. You can try and do two jobs at the same time with mediocre results or learn how to manage your energy. Put your energy into the things that matter and schedule time for renewal. You can have it all! You just can’t have it all at the same time.

Thanks so much and have an Action Packed day!

Larry Kevin
The Actionator!

P.S. Tomorrow, August 19, I will be interviewing Russell Brunson on “The Action List”. We will be going over his Action List to make you a millionaire marketer. If you haven’t signed up for the webinar series “The Action List” you can do so here (it’s FREE): http://theactionlist.com