Make 2019 your ‘Nike’ year

Make 2019 your ‘Nike’ year

My gift to you this Christmas is some advice I’ve shared with my clients for years-NIKE! No more procrastinating-NIKE!. No more creating distractions-NIKE! No more excuses-NIKE! No more talking yourself out of it-NIKE!

You don’t fail when you try. You only fail if you don’t try or your quit-NIKE!

Make 2019 your NIKE year!

Take your career, practice or firm from good to great-NIKE!

My wish for you is that 2019 is your year to get out of your head and into your future. Try new things. Go for it. You have nothing to lose.

It may sound simple because it is. I’ve found that most practical advice that actually works is simple. Why complicate it? Why make it more difficult than it needs to be.

Take the leap! 2019-NIKE!

Forming new habits

Forming new habits

As a coach I am acutely aware of how people in general look at change. It’s big, scary, unknown, and can be intimidating; filled with apprehension. The funny thing about change is that it is one of the most ‘constants’ of our daily life.

If you are looking to change something, anything, it all starts with forming new habits. I encourage you not to look at how far you need to go, but look at what you can do today to start on the path forward.

Based on my work and my own life and business experience, the most important thing about forming new habits is consistency. It’s less important how much time you devote to this new habit, and far more important to do it every day-that builds the habit! Let’s face it, we are all busy, Some days you will have more time than others to focus on your new habit. That’s ok.

The other day I was at the gym. I had a busy day but decided a short work out was better than no work out. I was chatting with a couple of personal trainers about this. They work with people every day, just like me, helping them to form new habits. They both totally agreed that it was far more important to establish the ‘habit’, than how long you were doing it.

So, one day at a time. Whatever new habit you are looking to form, whether it’s about eating, exercise, business, relationships, giving more time to yourself; do something, even it it’s just a little focus, everyday. Before you know it, this new habit will become second nature, a part of your daily routine. And you will be one step closer to your goal. In fact, keep it up every day and before you know it, you won’t be able to live without it.

The Dash-One of my favorite poems

The Dash-One of my favorite poems

The Dash

by Linda Ellis

“I read of a man who stood to speak

at the funeral of a friend.

He referred to the dates on her tombstone

from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth

and spoke of the following date with tears,

but he said what mattered most of all

was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time

that she spent alive on earth

and now only those who loved her

know what that little line is worth.

For it matters not, how much we own,

the cars…the house…the cash.

What matters is how we live and love

and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard;

are there things you’d like to change?

For you never know how much time is left

that can still be rearranged.

If we could just slow down enough

to consider what’s true and real

and always try to understand

the way other people feel.

And be less quick to anger

and show appreciation more

and love the people in our lives

like we’ve never loved before.

If we treat each other with respect

and more often wear a smile…

remembering that this special dash

might only last a little while.

So when your eulogy is being read

with your life’s actions to rehash,

would you be proud of the things they say

about how you spent your dash?”

 

How are you spending your Dash?

 

TED Talk on Coaching

Although this might be self-serving, I didn’t write it or speak to it. If you’ve ever thought about getting a coach to help you grow and manage your business, I highly recommend you watch this TED Talk. Warning! There are some graphic images. And it gets a little emotional at the end. It’s inspiring, uplifting and real life proof of what coaching can do. Enjoy.

#businesscoach @ontraccoach

Turn negative thoughts into positive action

We all get them, those pesky Negative thoughts. It might be when you are waiting to hear back from a potential client and you don’t know why it’s taking so long for them to get back to you? Do you find yourself going negative? Coming up with a back story that may or may not be true? Or waiting to hear that a deal has closed. Whatever it may be, how well does that serve you?

How about turning those negative thoughts into positive action? So instead of being in ‘scarcity’ worrying about where the next file will come from, pick up the phone and call a client. Invite a prospect out for lunch. Write an article. Look at your client list and see who you can reach out to?

Negative thoughts often come as ‘warning signs’. Use those warnings in a positive way and get into action. Your goal should be to get to a point where you have so much positive around you, you don’t have time to think, wait, dwell or create a story (negative). You are simply in positive action.  #businesscoach #intoaction #moveforward

Perfection is not perfect

Perfection is not perfect

98.7% of my clients are perfectionists at heart. I am a perfectionist at heart. What’s the problem with being a perfectionist? It holds you back from actually getting things done. Nothing will ever be perfect, including perfectionism.

Now, don’t get me wrong. Striving for, and achieving excellence should be our number one goal as professional service providers. And for that matter, as humans. But if you wait until something is perfect to get it out there, you will never get it out there. It’s an impossible dream.

How many times has procrastination come into play because of your perfectionist tendencies? You fear getting started because you don’t know if it will be perfect. So you hold off. Time passes. More time passes and still nothing is done. If some of the top companies of all time waited until they perfected their product or service, they wouldn’t be in business. They wouldn’t have pushed the innovation envelope.

So the next time you are confronted with your perfectionist tendencies, ask yourself, “Is it excellent?” “Is it good enough for now?” And then remember, it can always be improved upon later. Get it out there. One of my favorite things to suggest to my clients is ‘NIKE’. Just do it!

#businesscoach #lawyercoach