Don't Call a Timeout!

I see it happen again and again. An individual or a team works hard to build momentum. Every thing starts coming together, phenomenal results are experienced, momentum is totally on their side. Then it happens. They take a break, go on a well-deserved vacation, have a celebratory few days of R & R away from the office. Everything can just coast for a few days or a week. The problem is that the only direction anything can coast is down hill. All the momentum you worked so hard to build is quickly dissipated.

Let me offer a few observations:

• When you have momentum, build upon on it, don't just try to ride on it.
• When you are succeeding, start laying the foundation for the next level. What you are doing now has gotten you to where you are, but where do you want go from here?
• When momentum finally does peter out, go ahead and take a break. When you get back, things will be at about the same place as you left them.
• The tide of business and opportunity ebbs and flows. Determine the cycles of your business and life and build momentum as you have opportunity.

When momentum is working for you, don't call a timeout. You can take a break later.

Whose Help Do You Need?

John Maxwell repeatedly says, "One is too small a number for significance." I enjoy my times of solitude and reflection. I need those times to evaluate my day, focus on what I need to do tomorrow, and formulate an agenda for my next steps; but when I'm ready to take action on my thoughts and ideas, I need a team around me to move me toward the accomplishment of my most significant dreams.

Peyton Manning had a dream of winning one more Super Bowl championship ring. His team played itself through the playoffs and into Super Bowl 50. He did not have a particularly good game as a quarterback in the Super Bowl, but he didn't need a fantastic game that night. The Bronco defense held Cam Newton, the league's MVP, in check that night to produce a victory. The Denver Broncos had a dream of winning the Super Bowl, and it took a total team effort to do it. No single player could win the game.

In almost every significant endeavor, it is the work of team of people that gets the job done. A head coach needs a staff of competent assistant coaches to put a solid team on the field. A quarterback requires the protection of a good offensive line in order to complete a significant number of passes. Even the best players in the sports world need a room full of team members, coaches, and trainers to produce a successful, winning organization.

Let me ask you a question, "Whose help do you need to accomplish your significant dreams?" If you don't need anyone's help, I doubt your dream is as significant as you think.

Remember this, "One is too small a number for significance."

How Important Is Your Dream?

How important is your dream to you? Wilbur and Orville Wright had a dream of building and flying a heavier than air machine. Scores of other inventors had the same dream, yet what set the Wright brothers apart was what they were willing to do on a daily basis to realize their dream of flying.

Here is what they did on a daily basis to realize their dream of flying:

·         They devoured the aviation literature of the day.

·         They exhaustively studied the flight of birds.

·         They built a kite model of their design and studied its flight.

·         They developed a wind machine to study the effects of wind on the wings of their design.

·      They flew their design first as a glider.

·       Finally, they designed and mounted an engine on the plane and successfully flew it at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.

·       They experimented with the plane and learned how to fly greater distances and at greater altitudes.

·        They improved their design enabling the plane to be piloted with turns and other maneuvers.

·         They trained others to pilot their design.

·         They effectively marketed their invention and aggressively protected their patents and copyrights.

The dream of flying is what motivated the Wright brothers, but it was their personal work ethic that drove them to devote a portion of every day to making their dream a reality.

Again, how important your dream is to you?  What you are willing to do today to make it a reality?

Past...Future...Present...The Order Is Important

I hear a lot of discussion about time management. I am of the opinion that time doesn't need anyone's help. Time has managed to elapse at a steady pace without my help. The bottom line is that I cannot manage time, I can only manage myself. It is up to me to take the 24 hours with which I am blessed each day and utilize it in a manner that results in personal growth, cultivated relationships, and increased productivity. With that in mind, I offer the following time utilization principles:

• The past is a place for reflection, not a place of residence. Reflect on the past and seek to learn lessons from your experiences that which will enable you to move forward. The most significant thing about the past is that it has passed. Learn from it, and move on.
• The future is a destination to be pursued, not a destiny to be endured. Look ahead to determine where you want to be and what I to become. Develop the strategies that will enable you to achieve your significant goals. Then pursue them with enthusiastic determination.
• The present is a place for continued progress from the past toward the future. Future success is determined by what you are willing to do today to move toward achieving your significant goals and dreams.

Learn lessons from the past. Create dreams for the future. Use today to move toward experiencing those dreams.