My Super-Charged Life

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Celebrating the small victories in our lives is important.  We’re all probably pretty good at celebrating holidays, birthdays, and promotions, but what about the smaller, more routine accomplishments?  It is much easier to ignore these and let them pass without acknowledging them.  In doing so, we miss out on a lot of joy in our lives.  These are opportunities to count our blessings and be grateful.  They are also a chance to reflect on how much we’ve accomplished which gives us strength to carry on.  I think that celebrating the smaller things is an important habit in living life to the fullest.

First grade awards assembly is a great example.

I will be attending my daughter’s first grade awards assembly a little later this morning.  This is what got me started thinking about celebrations.  It is so cool that the school takes time out to recognize the kids for their accomplishments over the year.  I’m sure there will be several little awards that seem almost trivial, but I don’t think they are really.  They encourage the children and help them build a sense of pride in their effort.  It helps the kids to stop and think about how far they’ve came and what they’ve learned.  If we were taught to do this as kids, then why does it seem that we have forgotten about it as adults?

Ideas of small things to celebrate in our lives.

We need to remember to celebrate more often.  We need to do what the kids are doing and take time to recognize our own accomplishments.  Not just the big ones, but all the small victories in our lives as well.  Here are some things to stimulate ideas for celebrating:

1.  Celebrate that it is Friday.

I remember when I was a teenager and Friday arrived.  There was a sense of excitement in the air all day long.  When school was out on Friday afternoon in the Spring, I remember leaving the campus with the windows rolled down and the car stereo cranked up a little louder than normal.  I celebrated the sense of freedom and adventure that the upcoming weekend promised.  I felt joy for all that I had achieved throughout the week.  We can do the same now.  Start today!  You don’t have to do something big, but do something to celebrate what you did this week and to start the weekend with an adventurous attitude.

2.  Celebrate the completion of a goal or project.

What have you accomplished lately that you missed celebrating?  Go back and reward yourself in some small way.  Buy yourself a small gift.  Go out to dinner with your family or friends in recognition of your accomplishment.  We recently paid off our last debt except for our mortgage.  My wife and I took a debt-free vacation to Puerto Vallarta to celebrate.  We even paid cash!  Of course, you don’t have to go on a vacation.  You can just buy yourself your favorite treat.  Anything that marks the event in your mind and helps you to enjoy it.  The whole purpose of setting goals and achieving things in life is to be happy.  Why miss an opportunity?

3.  Celebrate a windfall.

Many people have started receiving their Economic Stimulus Tax Rebate checks so why not celebrate this windfall a little?  Don’t get me wrong.  I’m not advocating blowing the whole thing, I think you should use your rebate wisely, but taking $50 to buy your family dinner at a restaurant is fun and won’t hurt anything.  We can become so focused on getting on to the next thing, that we forget to celebrate when an unexpected good thing happens to us.

Celebrating the small things adds joy to our lives.

I hope these ideas have stimulated your thinking about what you can celebrate in your life.  My list here is by no means exhaustive.  However, it should help you to get started thinking in the right direction.  Become more mindful of the good things in your life.  The more you appreciate them, the more joy they will bring to you.  A part of living the good life is stopping long enough to relish in the moment!  Wahoo!  It is Friday!

What do you have to celebrate?  Leave a comment below and share it with us all.

Photos by -Dario- and pasotraspaso

Behind every great leader is a lot of great followers doing all the work.  Without great followers there would be no great leaders.  Within our country, our businesses, and our families we need to learn to be better followers.  We often have too many cooks in the kitchen to actually get anything done.  The competing interests and agendas of multiple leaders can often stymie any real progress.  Our Congress, it seems, is frequently an example of this.  There are courses galore about great leadership, but who teaches people to be great followers?  I think if we had a lot more worker bees and fewer prima donnas, then we would all be better off.

7 habits of all great followers.

In an effort to improve our country, businesses, and families, I have comprised what I think makes someone a great follower.  No one usually disagrees that we need more great followers, however, we all want the other person to assume this role.  I challenge you today to evaluate yourself against this list to see how you can be a better follower.

1.  Make the leader’s job easier.

This is the basic marching order that every follower should focus on.  Do whatever tasks need to be done to move the agenda of the leader you choose to follow forward as quickly as possible.  There is nothing more valuable than a person with initiative to work.  This is what accomplishes all fabulous feats.  It usually takes several dedicated, hard-working souls to get the job done.  Leaders need ideas.  This means they usually have some great followers doing research, summarizing information into digestible chunks, and making sound recommendations.  These all help to make the leader’s job easier.

2.  Keep the leader informed.

All great followers have their ear to the ground listening for where the leader should focus their attention next.  They keep the boss informed of where the next challenge, attack, or opportunity may arise.  A great follower never lets the leader be blind-sided with a question or issue that they were completely unaware of.  Followers usually have better informal information networks than leaders.  This is crucial information that the leader desperately needs to guide their movement forward.  Think of yourself as the scout on the battlefield.  You need to always be looking forward to advise the general where to move the troops next.

3.  Be loyal.

A great follower is loyal almost to a fault.  No one is going to agree with every decision a leader makes, but we must publicly support every decision.  In private, it is the follower’s job to question the leader to help them develop policy.  However, once the leader makes a decision and goes public with with it, the follower must support that decision no matter how painful it becomes.  If you cannot support your leader’s decision, then it is time to step aside and move on.

4.  Respect the chain of command.

Great followers know the chain of command and respect it.  They would never consider going over their bosses head.  Great followers know their leaders.  They know how to persuade and convince their leader on important issues.  With this ability, there really is no reason to step over the bounds of one’s position.  The truly great followers are cunning and adept at the art of getting things done within proper channels.  Every leader values a follower that knows how to use the chain of command properly.

5.  Be a great listener and sounding board.

Great listeners are hard to find, but every leader needs them.  Leaders need someone to bounce their ideas off of.  They also need a confidant that will allow them to blow off steam without passing judgement.  Being a great follower requires excellent listening skills.  You also need the ability to pick up on the subtle messages that your boss is sending.  Learn to read your leader’s body language.  Help them manage their stress and health.  These are ways a follower can make themselves indispensable!

6.  Protect the leaders’s time.

As we all know, there is only so much time in a day.  Every leader struggles with this.  A great follower protects their leader’s time.  They screen what gets through to the leader.  They eliminate those things that are simply distractions and they condense whatever possible to just what the leader needs to know.  In addition, great followers are prepared when they meet with the leader to minimize the time necessary for maximum effect.  Be thorough, but make it brief!

7.  Complete all assignments early.

The follower that completes tasks well before the due date adds years to their leaders life!  No one needs the stress and anxiety caused by those that finish everything at the last minute or a day late.  We might not always understand why something needs to be done by a certain time, but it is our job to handle it.  Great followers always manage their time well.  They are able to pull off the miraculous when necessary.  Furthermore, by getting the regular stuff done well ahead of time, this makes you available to be the hero when emergencies arise.  Leaders love those that get things done early!

Develop these 7 habits to be a great follower.

If only the world were full of natural followers, it would truly be a great place to live!  Followers really are the ones that get things done.  They make the world turn.  You won’t go wrong if you develop these seven habits as a follower.  In fact, if you do these well, you’ll probably find yourself becoming a leader before you know it!

What other habits does it take to be a great follower?  I’d love to hear what you think in the comments below.

Photos by ul_Marga and BrianScott

A man is only as good as his word.  In order to truly experience a prosperous and fulfilling life, a person must build many relationships.  We have all heard that it isn’t what you know that counts, but who you know.  This is very true.  Typically, to get ahead in life, you have to have the collaboration of other people.  We need to build successful relationships with our co-workers, customers, and family to succeed.  Relationships are built on trust.  We gain trust by consistently doing the right thing.

The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.  ~Zig Ziglar

We must do the right thing in our life even when it’s not convenient for us.  This is called integrity.  Here are several ways that we can build trust and do the right thing.

1.  Do what you say you will do.

This seems simple enough, but how often have you experienced people doing the exact opposite?  As a customer, I have seen this numerous times.  I get told the work will be done tomorrow and then it is not.  We must set the right expectations with others and then live up to those expectations.  Make sure that your actions exactly meet your words.  If they do not, then people will not trust you.  Another way that people fail in this area is by not giving their employer a full eight hour workday.  You agreed to this when you took the job so do it.  We must be sure to do what we say we’ll do in every area of our lives.

2.  Work at an honest profession.

Do you firmly believe that what you do for a living is benefiting others?  If not, then I would suggest seeking other employment.  We can’t really get ahead and be happy in life if we aren’t doing something that we feel has meaning.  Does the company you work for conduct its affairs in an ethical manner?  Are you fair and consistent with your customers?  If not, these things can come back to bite you.  People will eventually discover these disparities and then your reputation will be tarnished.  Be sure you work at an honest profession.

3.  Meet your financial obligations as agreed.

Pay your bills!  I think most people know they should do this, but they often fail to manage their finances appropriately to avoid getting overextended.  Do you have a written budget?  Do you keep track of what you spend and manage your money so you can pay your bills on time?  Meeting your financial obligations is a key indicator of your trustworthiness.  I mentioned in Reality Check - Are You Doing What It Takes To Get Ahead in Life? that employers now run credit checks prior to hiring people.  This is one way they check to see if you can be trusted.  It would be terrible to miss out on the next great job offer simply because you didn’t pay your bills on time.

4.  Make sure your handshake is better than any contract.

If you made an agreement with someone verbally or otherwise always, always, always fulfill your end of the bargain.  You must do this even if it turns out not to be in your best interest.  If you give people a reason to doubt whether your word is good or not, then you will miss many great opportunities in life.  Your handshake on a deal should be better than any contract.  People must know without a doubt that you will not go back on your word.  This is crucial to your success!

5.  Show up on time to every appointment.

Sure, I’ve been late before, but it is the rare exception.  In my mind, if someone shows up late, it plants a seed of doubt about whether I can trust them with important things.  You need to be where you said you’d be when you said you’d be there.  Again, this is not difficult, but if you are consistently late, it sends the wrong message.  People will talk about you behind your back and they will not trust you.  Without trust, you will miss out on chances to improve your life.

6.  Be faithful to your spouse.

Don’t give anyone a reason to doubt you in this area.  Look at how failures in marital fidelity tarnished Bill Clinton’s reputation and the legacy of his Presidency.  What you do in your personal life will spill over into your professional life as well.  Maybe you don’t cheat, but do you flirt?  Don’t even create the perception that you might break your vows.  People want to do business with those that they know beyond a shadow of a doubt they can trust and that will project a positive image for their organization.

You must do the right thing to be trusted with greater opportunities.

Doing the right thing is really not that hard, but it is critical to balanced success.  The more consistently you do what is right, the more often doors will be open to you.  Being trustworthy, you will experience greater happiness and build more meaningful relationships.  These relationships will assist you to expand your influence and live a richer, more abundant life.

Photo by Andyrob

Our expectations have a tremendous influence in our lives.  What we expect to happen in our lives versus what really happens often defines our attitude at any given moment.  We have to properly manage our expectations if we want to be happy and get the most from life.  We all know that a positive attitude and enthusiasm will get you further in life than walking around like a sourpuss all the time.  People naturally gravitate toward those that are more positive and encouraging.  These are the people that we want as leaders because they are always telling us that better things are just around the corner.  Keeping our expectations focused in the right direction is essential to happiness, effectiveness, and success.

The factors that influence our expectations.

Do you wake up in the morning dreading the day?  Or, do you wake up, throw off the covers, and bound out of bed in expectation of a day full of opportunity?  You probably have days when you do both.  I do too.  Of course, we would like to get to the place where we have more days that we can’t wait to start.  Many people think this has to do with their circumstances.  They think that if they only had the right job or the right spouse or more money, then they would be happy.  However, I don’t think this is the case.  I fall into this trap as well, but over time I have started to realize it isn’t so.  Here are the factors that I think influence our expectations the most:

1. Our patterns of thinking
2. Our self-confidence
3. Our focus

How these factors determine our expectations and level of happiness.

We are our thoughts.  Our personality, our attitude, and our happiness is the result of our thoughts.  We are habitual creatures.  We like to get in a rut and stay there.  Some of us are in a rut of positive thinking and some of us are not.  Once we get in the wrong habit, then we all know that it is difficult to change.  However, if we want to be happy, then we must change the habit of accepting low and/or negative expectations for ourselves and our endeavors.

I think we often get started in the habit of expecting less than we should out of life because we have low self-confidence.  We don’t think highly enough of ourselves to believe that we deserve the very best life has to offer.  We don’t believe we deserve to truly be happy.  When life lives up to this low expectation, then we feel justified in our belief.  It is a vicious circle of thinking.

One of the reasons we get caught in this loop is because we lack focus.  It might have started when you were young.  Maybe you didn’t know exactly what you wanted to do with your life right out of school.  It seems that so many people just kind of stumble into a profession and then into marriage.  Before you know it, you have an entire life and feel sort of stuck with it.  Your initial lack of focus in life may have gotten you started in the habit of setting poor expectations.

It is possible to change your expectations and get a better life.

The good news is that your life doesn’t have to remain the way it is today!  You are in control.  You may not feel like it, but you are.  If you change what you think about, you will change your expectations.  Once your expectations are full of positive anticipation, then you will achieve more, improve your relationships, and be happier.  Life will give you exactly what you expect from it.  If you expect it to be the pits, then it will live up to those expectations.  However, if you expect great things, take steps in that direction, and keep a positive attitude even when minor setbacks arise, you will start experiencing greater success in life. 

Practical ways that you can think your way to a better life.

1. Train yourself to be an optimist.  Yes, this is possible.  You have to start seeing the glass as half full, instead of half empty.  This takes some effort.  However, if you really want more out of life, you have to do it.  No one was born a pessimist so, it is possible to retrain your thinking.  Donald at Life Optimizer offers some great suggestions on how to do this in Being an Optimist - 8 Ways to Overcome Pessimism.
2. Find positive inputs.  We are all very influenced by what we read, hear, and see.  We have to eliminate the negative inputs as much as possible and replace them with positive ones.  Read encouraging books in the area where you most want to achieve success in your life.  Listen to audio books in the car.  Turn off the television and stop reading the news.  Go to church.  Sign up for a motivational seminar.  There are literally tons of ways to start receiving positive influences in your life.  It may be uncomfortable at first, but it will eventually change your thinking which will change your life.
3. Keep a journal of good happenings.  Get a notebook and write down every good thing that happens to you for awhile.  A cheap, spiral notebook will do.  If you do this, it will become the most valuable asset that you have.  You need to convince yourself that good happens to you.  This will help you change your expectations about the future.  Also, when a setback occurs and they will, you can refer to your journal to remind yourself of the progress you have made.
4. Refer to your goals often.  Goals give us focus.  They chart a course for our future.  Otherwise we are simply back in the mode of stumbling through life taking whatever it hands us.  Read your goals often to yourself.  You do write them down, don’t you?  It isn’t a goal until you commit it to paper.  You have to be intentional about how you live your life.  For more on goals, read The Power of Goals by Scott H. Young.
5. Use a mantra.  A mantra is a phrase or set of words that have significance or power in one’s life.  Come up with a positive mantra to keep you mindful of your new direction.  Whenever you catch yourself falling back into old, negative thought patterns, repeat your mantra to yourself several times.  It will help to get you back on track.  For instance, to remind myself not to get too stressed out, I have used something like, “Everything is happening perfectly for my benefit.”  It works wonders!

Set new expectations in your life and experience new success.

Use these suggestions to create a new way of thinking which will lead to new success in your life!  Most of the time, life will give us exactly what we expect.  When we manage our expectations in the positive direction by overcoming patterns of negative thinking, building our confidence, and creating focus, then we will make huge strides toward a happier, more fulfilling life.

Please leave me a comment and let me know your thoughts on this article.  Also, if you like it, please Stumble or Digg it.  Thanks!

Photo by gadl

Here’s this week’s awesome articles in each key characteristic of super-charged living:

1. Strives for Excellence   
   5 Signs You’ve Married Your Problems (and how to divorce them)
   Applying Kaizen, the Japanese science of continual improvement in our daily lives
2. Financially Wise   
   Do You Steal Money From Your Spouse?
   Plan Ahead- 6 Steps to Secure Your Financial Future
3. Committed to a Cause    
   Anniversary Gift Idea - Recreate Your First Date
   How to Live Without Alcohol for 100 Days?
4. Leadership by Example   
   16 Ways to Keep A Razor- Sharp Focus at Work
   7 Things I Learned As A New Manager
5. Entrepreneurial Spirit   
   Remove Your 10 Blocks To Creativity
   8 Keys to Instant Charisma
6. Continual Learner
   Thinking Can Ruin Your Life
   8 Covert Methods to Instant Rapport and Charisma with Anyone Fast
7. Adventurous   
   28 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started Traveling
   50 Best Sites and Resources for the Ultimate in Luxury Travel

Here’s a few other articles from around the web that I enjoyed reading this week:

You Made Yourself Into Who You Are
The Absolute Best Guide To Establishing Yourself as an Authority
Why I No Longer Support The Sierra Club
What Software Speeds Up Your Day the Most?

I hope you have a super-charged Mother’s Day!  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think of this week’s links.

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