What does the world owe you, nothing. What should you expect from others, nothing? If you are waiting for the world or other people to come and make your dreams come true, reach your goals, or make your life amazing…..odds are you will be waiting for a long time. AND that's the good news! You don't have to wait on anybody, depend on anyone else's time line, get permission to start….you can begin right now. You can start working towards the life you want right now, and you absolutely shouldn't waste time because you owe you. You owe it to your present self to raise the bar, to do difficult things, to prioritize yourself, to invest in yourself…...you definitely owe it to the you of the future. To me, one of the biggest parts of being a leader, and by now, if you have been listening you know everyone is a leader, is raising the bar for yourself. Holding yourself accountable to a high standard, to strive to improve yourself daily. That will speak volumes, and influence the people you are leading far more than a well crafted meeting, speech, or memo. People naturally want to follow people who endeavor to be great in something. You can’t fake discipline, consistency, and hard work. The results that come from it are unmistakable. SO, you owe you….and you also owe the people you are leading. Good leaders are good followers. Can you follow a workout routine, can you make it to the Dojo, are you reading every day, are you consistently showing up and giving your best at work. Easy to Say, difficult to implement sometimes. If you need some help with this, grab a pen and paper and write these next few ideas down. Schedule a meeting with yourself. Take a moment to sit down with yourself, somewhere quiet, preferably early and outside, with no distractions (your brain works better that way). List out the things you are currently doing daily, your habits, your tasks. Now write down your goals, where you want to be in 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years. Do your habits line up with your goals? If not, it's time for step two, write out a contract with your future selves at 6 months, 12 months, and 5 years. Agree to terms with them on what you need to do to become the ideal versions of yourself when you reach those times. If you want to run a marathon in 6 months, you better start running several times a week. If you want to be at work early, you better agree on a suitable bed time. You get the picture, settle on terms, write out the action steps and sign….make sure to sign for you both, you know and you in the future. Your whole life does not need to change, you do not have to dedicate every waking moment to your goals. Make sure to schedule time for things that fill your cup, inspire you, ground you, and bring you joy. At least once a week, make time free of distractions to get out and enjoy life, enjoy family, and friends. What's the point of working so hard, if you don’t take time to enjoy life. Revisit your plan, “you don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect” -Ziglar (maybe) Weekly, take time to read back over your goals, recommit, and refocus on your progress and dial in what you need to do this week to be successful, victories are the result of small wins. Write thank you notes. It might sound odd but, let me leave you with this today. “Sincere Gratitude is one of the most important qualities of a leader. Leaders often time get all the credit, are the face of a business, or a team….but success is always accomplished through the work of the entire team. Take a few moments to recognize your team, your circle, the people who support your work. It will go a long way in building your team, and hopefully it reminds you to be grateful in a world that owes you nothing…..but surrounds you with amazing people that you owe your world to. Get up, get out, get moving.
