3 Places to Start Your Spring Cleaning

It is time for spring cleaning!

There are certain projects we work on each spring, and depending upon where you live, those tasks vary. Maybe you will get the pool ready, clean out the garage, wash the windows, weed and feed the yard, break out the golf clubs, or have a long list of projects both inside and outside the home that are long overdue.

Whatever your version of spring cleaning and getting ready for the new season, the time is here!

So is the time for you to do some spring cleaning on your leadership and your life. Here are three categories to take some inventory and do some clean up:

1. Your Goals

What goal(s) have you set this year and how are you doing in hitting them? You have some goals, whether from the beginning of the year or new ones that have come about, how are you doing? What steps need to be taken this week to move the needle?
What will you do today to be productive on what is important to you?

2. Your Health

How is your health? Are you at the weight you desire? Are you sleeping well? How about your energy level? Take inventory on your personal health and take steps to improve your life by improving your health.

3. Your Personal Development

How many books have you read this year? How many more will you read? Reading is so key to increasing your mental approach and critical thinking. Read, read, and read.

Have you signed up for a seminar, conference, or other event to develop your skills? If so, great! If you haven't, its' not too late. Go research options and sign up for at least one event this year.

We can get so focused on new activities, baseball, housework, kids graduating, work projects, and more that we lose sight of what makes all those good things great....

YOU, YOUR BEST YOU!

Take some inventory, do some spring cleaning now on your leadership and your life. Make it a great day, a great spring and you will be on your way to your best year ever!

5 Steps To Reduce Your Stress In 5 Minutes or Less

Stress, we all have it. We all can’t stand it. The more we have, the less productive we are, the more irritable we are, and ultimately, our fulfillment and success level drops. There are many strategies out there to reduce stress, but it can be hard to find the time to implement them in the midst of a stressful season. Here are 5 simple steps that can help reduce your stress in 5 minutes or less.

1. Just do the basics.

It is no surprise that most stress reduction strategies include exercise, sleep, and eating well. And it is probably because we cannot function well for a sustained period of time without them. This first step can feel impossible when you are stressed, but just take one step in the right direction today. Take a break and go for a walk, set a reminder to head to bed a few minutes earlier, keep healthy snack options around instead of heading to the vending machine. You will be shocked how each small decision can help reduce your stress.

2. Find a way to laugh out loud.

 Whether at yourself, at a joke, or at a video of something/someone funny, laughing amazingly makes you feel better. Some of the most wonderful moments in life include laughter. So the next time you are feeling stressed, hit the pause button, and find something to make you laugh.

3. Breathe, just breathe. 

Sounds simple, but there is a technique to this. Breathe with your eyes shut, in through your nose (for a count of two) and exhale through your mouth (for the same count). Do this while saying a number out loud (from 1 to 10) on each breath out. Simple, yet effective.
 

4. Do something else.

Just stop doing what you are doing for a period of time and go do something else. Maybe you can break for a day, an hour, or just 5 minutes. This is not an excuse to procrastinate, but sometimes taking your mind of the root of the stress for just a few moments, is exactly what you need to reduce your stress and clear your mind.

5.  You decide.

 We all have our go-to tactics and activities we turn to when we are stressed. Whether it is spending time with a friend, grabbing a cup of coffee/tea, or listening to music, do something you enjoy and share it with others. We want to hear from you! I’d love for everyone who reads this to reply to the post or newsletter to share your go-to stress reducer. We would love to hear from you, so please, interact on social media and let the world know your secret to reducing stress.

Remember, we are better together than on our own, and by sharing ideas we help one another reduce stress, increase performance, and find fulfillment in our lives.

Thanks for what you do to change the world!

Do You Know What Matters Most?

You may hear people say, “Don’t sweat the small stuff!”

How? Might be your reply.

I saw a great quote recently (not sure who gets the credit), “One of the most important things in life is to know what is most important.” It is easy to say, much tougher to do. In the end, it is about keeping our focus on the bigger picture with confidence that we are on the right path.

So what is most important to you? What are your core values?

If it’s been awhile since you looked at them or if you’ve never created a list, now is the time!

Your challenge is to spend some quiet time alone and develop your list. These values help frame where you spend your time and attention because these are the things that matter the most to you. Once you know what matters most, it is easier to identify the "small stuff."

Here’s how you go about that process:

1. Identify approximately 10 words that describe the things (in large buckets) that matter to you in your life (personal, professional, recreational, etc.)
2. Then narrow down your list to the absolutes, the top 3 – 6. These values are your core values.
3. The final step is crucial. Put them in number order. Something must be number 1 and always take precedence over number 2, 3, and 4.

This process is a necessity in the path to success. Defining your own core values brings clarity in times of tough decisions and prevents you from being distracted by the wrong things. And in the end, it keeps you from sweating the small stuff because you now know what really matters.

Spring Cleaning: Find freedom in the purge.

Some call it spring cleaning; some call it "the purge." I suggest we call it healthy and necessary.

My wife and I recently conducted the process of going through boxes, shelves, cabinets, and closets...all to find those long forgotten treasures. Isn’t it amazing how we discover all these new things we didn’t even remember we owned?

Maybe this isn’t the most popular or enjoyable event, but I have to tell you, it was rewarding in the end. If you are anything like us, you have acquired far more than you could ever need and probably haven’t organized the important things as often as you should. Time to get moving.

We worked together to accomplish more than we could have on our own. We tossed away things of no value. We created more room to work, to live, and to truly enjoy the things we do have. In the end, we gave away items to people and charities that needed them more than we did.

We experienced all of these good and healthy results by simply taking the time to clean up our lives.

When was the last time you dug deep, really deep, and purged your belongings, your living space, your office? If you can’t remember when, or if you’re tripping over a bunch of junk, then it’s time for the purge. Put it on your calendar and enjoy the fruits of freedom from this typically ill-regarded, but highly valuable exercise.

Birds fly south. Do you?

Why do birds fly south for the winter? 

Interesting that without an alarm being sounded or direction from a leader or a major advertising campaign, birds know when it is time to fly south for the winter.

Do you?

Your work, your life, your pursuit for happiness is constantly changing. Do you know when it is time to move, to change direction, to chart a new course?

You better if you want to achieve success.

I know you want new and better results; so you need some new and better habits.

Fly south. Avoid winter. Don’t sit stagnant as the world is changing around you. It is time to ACT, because Action Changes Things.

If you need some motivation, let me suggest one of my favorite books, Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. This easy to read story about 4 mice, will challenge you to see that things are changing, and you need to be changing too.

Take a few moments, clear your mind, your calendar, and the noise in your life. It is time for an evaluation. Take stock in what is and isn’t working. Look deep into what you are not accomplishing and write down several action steps you will take...starting today!