Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes

Change is hard.  There have been many a MMM written about the need to change, the power of change and the challenge of change.  Change has to start with some specific action, because if nothing changes then nothing will change.  We have to start somewhere.  Life is a process, not a destination.  It is largely about change and adaptation to circumstances.  It is about how we improve ourselves over our lifetime.  It does not happen with ease.  Change is not easy and is not required, but it is advised.  Wanting to change, planning to change or knowing that we need to change are not enough.  We must initiate change by actually changing.  Consider the thoughts below…

"In the end, it is important to remember that we cannot become what we need to be by remaining who we are."

- Max De Pree

“If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got.”
          - Anonymous

Who's In Charge?

Sometimes I will walk into my office, a meeting, or even my own home with the somewhat joking greeting of, “Who’s in charge?”  Reactions vary, sometimes I get “You are”, or maybe, “not me”.  Then there is always someone who names another person in the room that is in charge.  I was thinking about this rhetorical question last week.  Who is really in charge?  For many of us it is our God, but on a day to day basis, we are in charge of our lives and the decisions we make.  Our faith, morals and values guide those choices but we have to act upon them.  We decide our attitude for the day.  Each of us is in charge of how positively we impact others.  Individually each day we choose what we eat and when or if we workout, and like these decisions we all are in control of our own productivity at work and at home.  Every single one of us is in charge.  The answer to the question is, “I am!”   

You are in Charge!

Focus

Maybe it is my age, hopefully it is also the technological world we live in, but I have a hard time concentrating for an extended period of time.  There are too many distractions.  It’s incredible how quickly we learn of news events in this world of social media, smartphones and the internet.  Then there is the rest of the generally worthless information we can access immediately!  Interruptions are constantly available at our fingertips.  How important is it to overcame distractions and be able to focus?  It is critically important for success.  Times may have changed in regard to how we access news and information and what we do with it.  One thing that has not changed is that results are all that matter.  If we are not producing results in our professional life we are not succeeding.  That is largely true at home as well.  Use your time wisely.  Do not let the distractions of our instant gratification world distract you.  

“The ability to concentrate and to use your time well is everything if you want to succeed in business; or almost anywhere else for that matter.”

-       Lee Iacocca

Attitude

“Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do.
Attitude determines how well you do it. ”  
                                                          ~Lou Holtz

-       

Seldom do I use a quote without some added comments.  I think this says it all.

What kind of attitude do you have?

Effective Leadership

“Effective leaders have an acute sense of their own strengths and weaknesses.  They know who they are – and who they are not.  They don’t try to be all things to all people.” 

-       Gallup Management Journal

What a great statement about effective leadership.  It all begins with knowing one’s self.  That means truly, objectively, and critically understanding who you are.  It means knowing enough to see what you don’t know.  It means recognizing who you are not, and never will be.  Leaders often feel some pressure to have all the answers, be everything to everybody.  Truly effective leaders see they cannot do that.  They have an understanding of their own weaknesses.  They do not pressure themselves to answer every issue.  That pressure leads to poor decisions and marginal leaders.  Be an effective leader, know yourself!