Lifelong Positive Motivation

For those that don’t hustle seven days a week, I truly commend you. I wish my life was like that but my mind is not wired no matter how much I try. For the longest time I tried but all it did was put me into a depression working the Monday to Friday life. I hated Monday’s and was living for Friday’s. This didn’t make for a positive work/life balance nor did it make me happy. I thought it did but looking back I was truly miserable.

Now I work seven days a week and take time each day for my beautiful wife and family. This doesn’t make me better or worse than you. What it makes me is unique in how I work and push myself each day. Every one of us is wired differently and we all need to accept that. Acceptance is the key to success. Put yourself in everyone else’s shoes with every decision you make. The key to this is that we acknowledge our differences and be respectful of each other.

Many people, rightfully so, call this empathy. Empathy, the word, was something I wasn’t raised on or told about. I call it being human and treating everyone as equals as that is what I feel we are. I do not see anyone better than anyone else. We are all here on this planet for 100-years (or less). We need to take advantage of this time and leave the world in a better place than we arrived in. This is just being the way my parents raised me and I love them for it. I was taught to treat everyone as I would want to be treated, put yourself in the eyes of the other person and show the respect they deserve and be forgiving of others.

I own up to my flaws each and every day. I know what they are and I clearly state them to the world. I do this as by acknowledging my flaws I can grow from them. Here are five of what I say are my core faults and flaws:

1. I want everyone, and I truly mean everyone, around me to be happy. Whether this is people on my team, our clients, or our client’s customers. I will do whatever I can to make it happen. I know that the only life I can control is my own but I still do, and always will try to help those out around me.
2. Those that say one thing and their actions say another I see them as fraudsters and “users”. I need to accept that some people will lie, cheat, and steal their way to the top. That doesn’t mean I have to like it or allow them in my life but I should accept that this is who they are. I have learned when these individuals come up I think of something positive to say about them and end the conversation. I was always taught if you have nothing nice to say dig deep and say something nice as it shows that you are a good person.
3. Always saying yes. To a fault, I will always say yes even when I know I should say no. This is and will probably be the biggest failure I have. Old bosses would also say I am too nice which falls into this category as well. I agree with both of those. My past has defined me but I don’t think of my past. I only think of my future as the past cannot be changed but my future has yet to be written.
4. Letting Go of those that attack me or my company. Those that attack used to (keyword: used to) always got under my skin and it’s thick. Fat guy thick and I am proud of being a fat guy. I’ve pretty much gotten past this one and strive on it daily to further improve upon it. I actually now feel sorry for these people that are so focused on my life they cannot fully enjoy theirs. I have to accept that and I am working on that.
5. I am not perfect. I strive and push myself to be perfect yet I do know I am not perfect. I have more faults than I will ever be able to perfect. The only thing I can say I am perfect at is being imperfect so I have at least one perfection done and will probably end with having just this one.

Each of the above I work on every day and reflect on each week in my weekly self-reflection. Some days/weeks are better and easier than others. Every day I ask myself how I can better understand my team, our clients, our client’s customers, and how I can help address their needs. Their success is what builds my success. When I am able to see their pains and frustrations am I able to truly and deeply understand how to help them achieve their happiness.

I think my one guiding principle that always keeps me guided correctly is my cheerleader, my wife, our kids, and my family. It is with their support, motivation, and unwavering belief that I can change the world that I continue to push harder each day. It is when we follow our dream, believe in ourselves, and have a deep conviction to make the world better than I believe the world, and our own lives, will become better and have more meaning.

I wrote this not for you but if it helps you awesome! I wrote this for myself and put on my calendar to re-read it every year on today’s date. This will allow me to see how far I’ve come, where I’ve struggled, and how much further (and harder) I must push myself to be the best person that I can be. I know I can do it as I have a great team behind me. For those without a team, I will say “yes I am behind you” and that I “believe in you”. Now go get them and be the best you can be (from my Army days).