Private Club Professionals - Who do you want to "Be" in 2010?
Posted on Fri, Jan 22, 2010 @ 09:48
This is a first part series of posts I am writing to share with family, friends, clients and associates about my personal plan to prosperity in 2010. Below I have outlined the person I want to "be" this year and it is my hope this post and next 11 posts of the series this year will inspire, motivate and move you to consider who you want to "be" in 2010.
During this year 2010, I resolve to be a person who strives to...
Embrace Challenges
The world offers plenty of circumstances to blame for our breakdowns, but the most effective people I know find a reason to achieve. What reasons have you relied on in the past for not accomplishing your goals? The economy, the government, global warming - these may sound funny, but others may hit closer to home. What about not enough time, too busy, relationship issues, my boss or my employees?
Let's switch gears and instead of asking "how" we can get out of our circumstances, ask "what" we can get out of our circumstances. For example, the economic pressures of the past year have helped me learn to budget better, manage my time better and be more process driven; you get the idea.
Remove Self-Imposed Limitations
How often are our limitations self-imposed? We set mental limits in our head of what we can accomplish and we make up stories about what we are "good" at and "not good at". The net result is we create a ceiling that limits our success.
A great example is the story of Roger Bannister. If you are not familiar with this story, you can read it here. The key principle is that Roger Bannister was the first person in history to run a mile in under 4 minutes. Just 56 days later, the feat was repeated by another runner. Amazingly, within 3 years, 16 other runners had accomplished this previously assumed impossibility. Self-imposed limitations!
One thing we can be sure of is we are not likely to exceed our own expectations. Why bother to dream if you are not dreaming big?
Clearly Understand my Purpose
So often we fly through life on remote control giving little thought to where we are going. Other times, we may know where we are going, but we have not stopped to consider if we are heading to a place we want to be or when we want to be there; weeks, months, years...
Would any of us take off on a road trip with no destination, no map or no time line?
It is critical that we consistently schedule time to slow down, reflect and be intentional about where we are going and why. This requires digging deep down to the core of what you want your life to be about. We are not talking about bank account balances, job titles or materials possessions. What is the essence of your reason for being and is your life in alignment with this reason?
Have a Plan
What problems do you have right now and you know they need to be addressed but you are pushing off dealing with? We all tend to avoid dealing with the frustrations in our lives that don't have a clear cut answer, are awkward or push us out of our comfort zones in some way.
To be effective, we have to "deal" with our problems, not "live" with them. In order to deal with problems, we first have to acknowledge them and commit to taking action. It may sound simple but it is not easy. A good way to determine what you are "not dealing with" is to take notice of the circumstances, people and situations you complain about.
Invest in Others
There is nothing more satisfying than to invest your time, talents and resources to others. Ironically, when we invest in others and we do so with the right motives, we inevitably experience a radical return on our investment.
At ClubPay, we call this our "give to give" philosophy and we work hard to live it out in some way every single day. It may be as simple as sharing some valuable information, giving an encouraging word or making a professional introduction for a colleague. The key is to be intentionally "others focused" for part of each day.
Conclusion and Challenge
What resolutions did you establish for yourself this year? At twenty-two days into the year, how successful have you been at sticking to your goals? If you are meeting all of your goals so far, I congratulate you for your resolve and self-discipline. If you are already struggling, maybe taking a different approach will help you accomplish more with less effort - something we are all about at ClubPay.
Join us this year in building a community of support and encouragement; invest in each other and help us "be" who we want to "be" in 2010.
Who do you want to be in 2010?