Thirsty?

Posted on by Scott

pump-950235_640Early in my sales career, I spent a lot of time on the road. Thankfully, I had books on cassette tape to keep me company. One of my favorites was by the great Zig Ziglar. I got to thinking about that recently and looked up a transcript of one his stories that’s stuck with me through the years. Enjoy.

Got a couple of good friends down in South Alabama. Their names are Bernard Haygood and Jimmy Glynn. They were out riding through the South Alabama foothills one day and they got a little bit thirsty. They pulled behind this old abandoned farmhouse. Bernard hopped out, he ran over to this old pump and he grabbed the handle and he started to pump. Now just as a matter of curiosity, how many of you good folks up here in the big city have ever used one of these old water pumps? Hey, that’s fantastic.

Okay. Well, it was hot. It was August. Old Bernard wanted to drink the water. After he’s been pumping a couple of minutes he said, “Jimmy, better get that old bucket over there and dip some water out of that creek. “We’re going to have to prime the pump.” How many of you know what I’m talking about when I say you got to prime the pump?

Well, for you non-pumpers, that just means that you got to put something in before you can get something out. See a lot of people stand in front of the stove of life and say “Stove, now give me some heat, then I’ll put some wood in you.” Lot of times the secretary says “Boss, give me a raise, then I’ll start coming to work on time.” So many times a student will say “Teacher, just give me a passing grade this semester. My parent’s going to tear me up if I don’t have a passing grade. Then next semester I’ll guarantee you I’ll study.” Can you imagine the farmer saying “Lord, give me a crop this year and I promise I’ll plant next year.”

No, it doesn’t work that way. First of all, you got to put something in before you can get something out. Well, Old Bernard wanted that drink of water. I mean it gets hot in South Alabama and he was just pumping away and pumping away and I’ll tell you that sweat was beginning to come off. He said “You know, Jimmy, I just don’t believe there is any water down there.” “No!” Jimmy said. “Bernard, you know in South Alabama the wells are deep and we’re glad they are, because you see the deeper the well, the cooler, the cleaner, the sweeter, the purer, the better taste in that water is.”

And isn’t that the story of life? Isn’t it true that that prospect that you really have to work on the most – when you finally do make that sale, isn’t it true that that’s the one that really gives you the most satisfaction?

Isn’t that the one — isn’t it true, ladies and gentlemen, that the boy or the girl who was available to every Tom, Dick and Harry or Mary Sue and Jane come down the pike, those boys and those girls are not the ones that make the kind of husband you want and the kind of wife that you want? Isn’t it true that the things in life that have value that you got to do some pumping?

Well, Oh Bernard, man, he wanted that drink of water. I mean, by then he was really working up the sweat. But you know there’s always that question: just how much pumping are you willing to give just for a drink of water? Finally Oh Bernard just threw up his hands and said “Jimmy, they’re just isn’t any water down there.” Jimmy said “Don’t stop Barnard, don’t stop. If you stop, it goes all the way back down and then you’ll have to start all over.”

And isn’t that true? See, there’s no way you can look at that pump and say “Yeah, just two more strokes and I got it” because you might have to pump another ten minutes. There’s no way you can look in the head of that prospect and say “Yep, just two more closes and I got him” because you know it might really take a lot of pumping. But this we know — we know that if we pump long enough and hard enough and enthusiastically enough, that eventually the effort will always bring forth the reward.

And if you notice that once you get it to pump in, then all you got to do is just keep a little easy steady pressure on it and man, you’re going to get more water than you know what to do with.

Isn’t it true that when things are good, they get better  – and when they’re bad they get worse? And it’s got nothing to do with what’s going on out there; it’s got everything to do with what’s going on between your ears. You see your business is never good or bad out there. Your business is good right here between your own two ears.

And if you’re thinking is stinking, your business is going to be in exactly the same shape.

5 Tricks to Regain Your Motivation

Posted on by Scott

smiley-1041796_640I’d lost it. My mojo, my desire to achieve, my motivation to move forward… was gone.

I had started running in May, a natural progression of the workout routine I’d started a month earlier. I had caught the bug and was going for a run at least every other day. Things were going well – I’d lost some weight and felt better than I had in a long time.

But while out for a run during the last week of July, I somehow managed to injure my left foot. Within an hour of completing my run, I was barely able to stand, a stabbing pain pierced my heel. A quick internet search revealed the most likely diagnosis was plantar fasciitis. Recovery, however, would not be quick. The recommended course of action was rest and reduced activity while the condition resolved itself; but that could take six months to a year.

I tried to convince myself that the pain was temporary, but a couple of test runs proved otherwise. I was grounded. Unable to participate in my new favorite activity, my motivation to exercise plummeted. I started gaining weight again and found myself spending more and more time on the couch.

From time to time, we all suffer from a lack of motivation. Things are clicking along and suddenly, without warning, we hit a wall. Sometimes, all it takes is some sort of setback – a disappointing performance, lack of positive feedback, or even an injury. In other instances, a drop in motivation might result from boredom. Without variation, even the most worthwhile jobs lose their excitement.

Last week I wrote about personal accountability, suggesting ways to keep yourself focused on achieving the goals you set for yourself this year. Accountability is important, but motivation is critical. Think of accountability as external pressure to perform. Motivation, on the other hand, is the internal drive to achieve. Accountability can be avoided and suppressed, but once motivation kicks in it will not be denied.

When motivation ebbs, it can be difficult to regain. I have found there are five things I can do to rekindle the internal fire and boost my motivation.

  1. Listen to motivating music. There are certain songs that instantly boost my energy level. When I started running, I developed a playlist that never failed to keep me moving. Listening to those songs caused a shift in my mentality. I would instantly envision myself succeeding and my body responded. I enjoyed the sensation so much that I started listening to the playlist at other times. No matter what I’m doing, it inspires me to up my game just a bit. Do you have some go-to motivational music?

  2. Look at motivating images. Zig Ziglar used to tell the story of his own weight loss journey by describing how he once tore an ad from a magazine. The ad featured a fit male model, and he taped it to his mirror. Every morning Ziglar would look at the ad and ask himself “Zig, do you want to look like you or do you want to look like the guy in the magazine ad?” Similarly, my son has pictures and videos of successful musicians saved on his phone. He wants to be a musician and looking at them motivates him to practice. Looking at images of successful people can help boost my motivation because I imagine myself in their place and feel compelled to take the next step to achieve that goal. Do you have some go-to motivational images?

  3. Read motivating words. I love quotes. The right combination of words often cuts through the clutter and speaks to my soul so clearly that I cannot help but be motivated to act. For quite a while now, my favorite one has come from Karen Lamb. “A year from now you will wish you had started to day.” Every time I think about that quote, I imagine myself a year in the future and am motivated to get moving. Do you have some go-to motivational words?

  4. Talk to motivating people. Some people drag you down. Some lift you up. Avoid the former. Be the latter. Talking to people who whine and complain does nothing to help me get better. Talking to people who encourage and challenge me does. I’ve found that the best way to find motivators is to be one yourself. In fact, I can turn my own day around simply by encouraging someone else. As I speak uplifting words to them, I hear and internalize those same words. It’s a sure-fire way to remind myself of the goals I committed to achieve. Do you have some go-to motivational people?

  5. Do motivating things. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. That first step might be difficult, but the second one is easier. Each subsequent step is easier still. The key is to take that first step – no matter how small you have to make it. Lost your motivation to work out? Go for a short walk. Lost your motivation to clean the house? Start by making the bed. One small victory provides the motivation necessary to move me just a bit further down the path. Do you have some go-to motivational activities?

I’m happy to report that I’m back on the exercise wagon. I’m still not running again, but I am walking daily. As of yesterday, I’ve hit my 10,000 step goal for 24 consecutive days. Of course, seeing the visual representation of my success displayed on my fitness tracker motivates me to keep the streak going.

I hope that, as we near the end of January, you are still on track with your personal improvement goals. If you’ve hit a speedbump – if something has caused you to lose motivation – try some of these tactics to regain it. There’s a lot to accomplish this year. You need to stay fired up.

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What Will You Do Differently This Year?

Posted on by Scott

fitness-957115_640The New Year has arrived. Are you ready for it? Are you energized and excited? Are your goals set? I’m not talking about your business goals; things like revenue and customer growth. I’m talking about your goals – the things you want to accomplish this year. Do you have them written down?

A lot of people start January with a list of New Year’s resolutions; things they want to either start or change in order to improve their quality of life. Memberships to gyms and dieting plans are skyrocketing right now. Of course, by February, most resolutions will be forgotten or abandoned. I think that’s sad, because self-improvement is not something to be taken lightly. We should honor those commitments and work hard to succeed at them.

One of my favorite business and motivational speakers, Zig Ziglar, once said “With definite goals you release your own power, and things start happening.” I believe that is true. Without personal goals, I feel like I am just meandering my way through life. Maybe good things happen, maybe they don’t; but without goals I feel like I’m subject to the whims of fate.

Setting well-defined goals is like having a GPS for life. It creates not just a target to reach for, but a set of guidelines by which to get there. Once I’ve decided where I want to go and the route I want to take, the trip becomes easier and much more enjoyable.

Career Coach Dan Miller suggests seven different areas of life in which you should set personal goals. That may be a bit much for some people; especially if you’re like me. I’m not very disciplined, so having too many goals to achieve lessens my chance of accomplishing any of them. But let’s start with his list. See what goals you come up with for each of these categories.

  1. Financial. How much do you want to be earning this time next year? How much do you want to have saved or invested? How will improving your financial well-being impact your quality of life?
  2. Physical. What bad habits do you want to shed this year? What good ones do you want to pick up? What does your physically fit self look like? How will a change in your physical well-being impact your quality of life?
  3. Personal Development: What new skills would you like to learn this year? What gifts do you have that aren’t being utilized? How will spending time on your own development impact your quality of life?
  4. Family. What changes need to be made with regard to those closest to you? What does a healthy relationship with your significant other look like? What about the relationship with your children? How will more meaningful relationships with your family impact your quality of life?
  5. Spiritual. What do you feel is God’s purpose for your life? What changes do you need to make in order to grow in your faith? How will a deeper spiritual walk impact your quality of life?
  6. Social. Are you comfortable with the number and types of people that make up your social circles? What changes do you need to make in order to be a better friend? How will richer social relationships impact your quality of life?
  7. Career. Are you utilizing your unique skills, abilities, and passions at work? What would it look like to do your best work? What would it look like if your team was operating at their best? What changes need to take place in order for this to happen? How will doing your best work impact your quality of life?

Like I said, that’s a lot to consider. I can easily conceive of at least two goals for each category; but 14 goals is just too much to carry. The list needs to be trimmed down. Personally, anything over 5 is out of the question; and even that is pushing it. So the next step is to cull the list. Look at the last question I added to each category. Prioritize your list based on the level of impact you feel each goal will have on your life. Decide how many you think you can reasonably work on and put the others aside. Those can be saved for later on, after we’ve made significant progress on the most important ones.

Of course, just having goals identified isn’t enough. We need to have a plan to help us achieve them. Next week, I’ll share the goals I’ve set for myself and the strategies I’m putting in place to achieve them. Until then, I’d love to hear what you come up with.