Setting Stretch Goals: ALL IN, ALL THE TIME

Brent Gleeson, a former Navy Seal, posted this article on the net and it shows the importance of goals and goal setting. He gives new flesh to the idea of Burning Your Boats or the phrase, No Retreat, No Surrender...

Read On...

Whatever your ambition, you have a backup plan, right? Well, throw it out. If you want to accomplish something remarkable in 2013, you have to be fully committed.

“In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation's call; a common man with uncommon desire to succeed.” -- The Navy SEAL Creed
Sometimes setting goals requires putting yourself in a vulnerable position. You’re probably familiar with the term stretch goals. By definition, you’re stretching yourself beyond what your mind might think is safe.
After I graduated from SMU, I took a job as a financial analyst at one of the largest commercial real estate firms in in the world. I was bored and didn’t feel like I was challenging my mind or my body. My college buddy was determined to join the Navy, with the ultimate goal of becoming a Navy SEAL. Up to that point, I hadn’t even thought of pursuing that path in life. As we kept talking about it, however, I got excited about the prospect of giving myself the ultimate challenge. I quit my job and joined the Navy. I put myself in a totally vulnerable position: no job, no income, no guarantee of success. But it felt right. I was going to become a SEAL.
Maybe your stretch goals don’t call for an abrupt life change like mine did, but you should push yourself beyond your comfort zone, and proceed with the mindset that you will not fail. Here are a few tips that helped me with my goals:

1. Prepare yourself mentally and physically. When pursuing your stretch goals, eliminate as many obstacles as possible before you even start. SEAL training is the toughest mental and physical challenge the United States military offers. I knew I could control the fitness portion of training by showing up in the best physical condition possible. Before reporting to BUD/S (the initial six-month SEAL training course), I moved to Crested Butte, Colorado, for four months to train at 10,000 feet. It worked. My body never let me down during training. That freed me up to deal with the many other obstacles before me.

2. Make sure your risk has a reward. Don’t take risks for the sake of being bold. Take calculated risks that will generate a large return. I knew that becoming a SEAL would forever change the direction of my life in a positive way. SEALs are the most driven, goal-oriented people I have ever met. My training and service have made me a better leader and a more aggressive entrepreneur.

3. Don’t let other people talk you out of it. When I told people I was quitting a good job to join the Navy in pursuit of a highly unrealistic goal (90 percent of SEAL candidates fail), you can imagine the response. My plan was met with mass skepticism. Take all the advice that you want, but in the end, it’s your decision. Trust your gut.

4. Surround yourself with people who support your goal. When I set my goal of becoming a SEAL, I immediately surrounded myself with supportive people. My buddy and I moved to Colorado together to train. Align yourself with people who share a common vision. And identify trusted advisers--people who might not always agree with you, but will always support your decision.

5. Don’t have a backup plan. Prepare for success. I talk quite a bit about the importance of contingency planning, but with stretch goals, sometimes it is good to not have a backup plan. We have a saying in the SEAL teams: “All in. All the time.” Never once did I think, “Well if I don’t make it, I will just…” Set your stretch goals with an absolute refusal to believe you will fail.

Are you prepared to push yourself in 2013? Do you have an aggressive plan to get somewhere, rather than just a wish to end up there?

Talk to me on Face Book: Joe Ayes and share your ideas about the article or on Twitter: @JoeAyes

STEVE JOBS & THE SEVEN RULES OF SUCCESS

This article was posted by Carmine Gallo. He is a communications coach, a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. His latest is The Power of Foursquare.

I found this article awesome...

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.And I add, don't take a career because it is popular or gives you money. Pursue what gives you fulfillment and happiness.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President, John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision. Leave big, huge memories when you die...

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?  

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas. 

Great Ideas!! What do you think?

9 WAYS TO MAKE YOU HAPPY

I found this article on the net and I thought that it is worth sharing. Read it on.

Happiness is the only true measure of personal success. Making other people happy is the highest expression of success, but it's almost impossible to make others happy if you're not happy yourself.

With that in mind, here are nine small changes that you can make to your daily routine that, if you're like most people, will immediately increase the amount of happiness in your life:

1. Start each day with expectation.

If there's any big truth about life, it's that it usually lives up to (or down to) your expectations. Therefore, when you rise from bed, make your first thought: "something wonderful is going to happen today." Guess what? You're probably right.

2. Take time to plan and prioritize.

The most common source of stress is the perception that you've got too much work to do.  Rather than obsess about it, pick one thing that, if you get it done today, will move you closer to your highest goal and purpose in life. Then do that first.

3. Give a gift to everyone you meet.

I'm not talking about a formal, wrapped-up present. Your gift can be your smile, a word of thanks or encouragement, a gesture of politeness, even a friendly nod. And never pass beggars without leaving them something. Peace of mind is worth the spare change.
4. Deflect partisan conversations.

Arguments about politics and religion never have a "right" answer but they definitely get people all riled up over things they can't control. When such topics surface, bow out by saying something like: "Thinking about that stuff makes my head hurt."

5. Assume people have good intentions.

Since you can't read minds, you don't really know the "why" behind the "what" that people do. Imputing evil motives to other people's weird behaviors adds extra misery to life, while assuming good intentions leaves you open to reconciliation.

6. Eat high quality food slowly.

Sometimes we can't avoid scarfing something quick to keep us up and running. Even so, at least once a day try to eat something really delicious, like a small chunk of fine cheese or an imported chocolate. Focus on it; taste it; savor it.
7. Let go of your results.

The big enemy of happiness is worry, which comes from focusing on events that are outside your control. Once you've taken action, there's usually nothing more you can do. Focus on the job at hand rather than some weird fantasy of what might happen.
8. Turn off "background" TV.

Many households leave their TVs on as "background noise" while they're doing other things. The entire point of broadcast TV is to make you dissatisfied with your life so that you'll buy more stuff. Why subliminally program yourself to be a mindless consumer?
9. End each day with gratitude.

Just before you go to bed, write down at least one wonderful thing that happened. It might be something as small as a making a child laugh or something as huge as a million dollar deal. Whatever it is, be grateful for that day because it will never come again.

Wishing all a Very Merry Christmas

A Little Story on Courage

 LIZ SHARES...

I had gone for a walk in the fields. A friend of mine Jeff, whom I thought was a good, respectful and obedient boy, had some other plans when he saw me. He had earlier proposed to me to be his girlfriend but I felt that I was still too young and didn’t accept. I didn’t know that the opportunity had presented itself to him to show his true self. He had come from having a shower and after putting on his garments, he came to say talk to me. I was pensive because I didn’t want him to ask me again. I tried to remain calm and clear minded. He was ready to have sex with me but I could no put myself in such a risk. He suddenly pulled me into a room and started asking for sex. He was so mad and very aroused. I was in a situation that I almost gave in but something inside me told me to hold on. I waited for him to finish speaking and then he tried to caress me and wanted to kiss me. As he tried to reach for my mouth, I pushed him aside and told him that if he really wanted me, he should wait for the right time. Moreover, I stated that I respected his body and mine too and so should he. I made him understand the risks involved especially to me as a woman and also the fact that I was in Form One and him in Form Four. He grudgingly agreed and made a very surprising statement that greatly improved my self-worth, “I thought you were very easy but now I see that you are very strong.” I surely gained lots of confidence and pride despite the tough and tempting experience.