Decide and act are two operative words. If you are wishy-washy, unclear or cannot decide, then it will be hard to make progress.
On the other hand, if you are decisive but slow to action, you will not go too far either.
Once you have done your homework, make a decision. Then, execution is the name of the game.
If your progress is not at the level you want it to be then check whether the decision or the action is the thing holding you back. The only other road block could be a wrong decision!
When someone is gracious to you, the least you can do is acknowledge their graciousness. This does two things: It makes them feel good about their graciousness, and makes you feel special. Certainly, mutually beneficial.
People who are negative would ask why the graciousness? What is the ulterior motive? What a scarcity mentality.
The way you see the world is more a reflection of your image of the world, and not reality.
Be gracious, accept graciousness, and stay away from negativity!
How important is what you are grappling with now? If it’s very important in terms of results it can create for you, and the consequences of not achieving desired outcome are big, then it requires your undivided attention.
Get all the facts on the table to expedite the decision-making and planning process. When you have incomplete information, it takes much longer to decide and plan. If you desire efficiency, avoid discussing outcomes before you have all the facts. If you are meeting to discuss the facts you need, that is fine as long as you are clear of the meeting’s purpose.
Thoroughly preparing for a meeting can greatly enhance the outcome in terms of the overall results.
Effective communication includes dealing with hard issues in relationships, be it with family or business.
In the disguise of being nice, most people shy away from real issues which means that these are left unresolved and will come back to haunt them.
So you have a choice of dealing with it head on now and minimizing its recurrence, or burying it and being willing to deal with it again later, in uglier ways.
Resolving challenges as they come in a positive and conclusive manner are worth the time and investment, especially when dealing with people who you want to engage with in the long term.
It will be a case of short term pain and long term gain.
We have a perception of life that is not totally accurate. Why? We filter everything that happens around us through a “lens” that we wear, or by a paradigm.
How we see the world is not how the world is, but rather how we are!
“You see but you do not observe” poignantly remarked the late Dr. Covey. One of the most powerful ways to enhance your observation capacity is to begin writing a daily journal.
This process will sharpen your ability to go deeper. For example you will find that you are spending much more time on clients than you are billing them, or short changing your exercise routines, or not walking your talk all the time!
You will be humbled at times with this process, but clarity will be significantly enhanced.
All great leaders have heightened awareness. This one quality will make you stand out!
You can have many obstacles or enemies in life, but when you boil it down to the essence, there is only one obstacle and one enemy. Who? You!
What about you is your enemy? This is a bit complex. First there is your fear. Fear that you cannot do something, or fear that you will fail, or fear of the unknown.
Most fear is an illusion. Once you get all the facts together, you will find that most of what you need to do can be done by breaking your task into many small actionable items.
The other part of your fear comes from unnecessary worrying. My friend Dr. Nido Qubein says “95 % of your worry never comes true.” We worry about so many eventualities which never materialize. And the worst part is, the anxiety and anticipation is more exhausting than the event itself!
Then there is the fear that is rooted in our negative ego. “If I fail people will look down upon me.” When you choose a goal larger than self, you become fearless!
Finally there is the obstacle of not being true to oneself. We live secret lives, avoid the harsh truth, and avoid making hard yet important decisions, justifying that it is not right time to do so. However, the time is always right to do the right thing! You are your biggest obstacle!