This past weekend I had the opportunity to meet with four of my good friends. We meet at least once a year in California to recharge, refocus and reunite with each other. Each of us are passionate about impacting the world through our unique genius. One friend is a fashion designer, the other is a successful entrepreneur, one is a pastor and the fourth works to change the lives of youth in the inner city. Now to show you how important this meeting is to each of us, two of us were not in California the day before, all of us had long days before we met at 8pm for what ended up being a 7 hour meeting, which was only ended because the preacher had to serve at his church in a few hours, so we had to end our time together, plus the restaurant had closed 2 hours earlier as we stood out side continuing our talk. Out of all the wonder things and ideas that came from this meeting was a statement that was made by my friend the entrepreneur. In the middle of all the sharing of our goals, visions and dreams he stopped us and said “One thing I wanted to say to all of us before we leave is that for the rest of the year we must eliminate ALL distractions and become increasingly razor sharp toward our most meaningful ideas and goals.” There was a pause and a silence from each of us. I know for me, I knew exactly what he was saying and the urgency in the message. Many times when you become successful, there is a great demand on your time, ability and resources. It is critical that you maintain a laser focus on your main goals. Be careful not to fall for what appears to be opportunities, but are really distractions. I shared with my friends how easy it is to get off track once you achieve a certain level of success, but the key is to stick to that singular, major goal. So I wanted to share what we decided in the group to do. These simple ideas will help you Kill the Distractions in your life and business. #1 Have a genuine talk with those closest to you and really share what is important to you and how they can support you and how you can support them moving forward. #2 Evaluate what is on your plate and ask how it got there. Many times we take on projects, concerns and other people’s issues because we want to help, but really this becomes a major distraction. #3 Revisit your goals list and simplify it. Identify what is really important to you to accomplish with your life. Ask yourself, “I’m I pursuing my dream or someone’s dream for me?” #4 Connect with the RIGHT people. People that can really assist you in accomplishing your goals, dreams and visions for your life. One last thing I shared with the group was that while I lived in Europe, the distractions were a lot less than here in America. There are so many things, people and options pulling for your attention. Remember that whatever you give your “Attention” to is what you will “Attend” to and that is what will get accomplished, so ensure you give your attention to what you really want and what really matters to you. What are some ways you stay focused? Please share your ideas! Wishing you a focused and distraction free year, Dr. Will About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out!
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I see them everywhere, in Starbucks, in the store, at the mall and yes sadly even driven their cars. I call them the focused unfocused professionals. They really think they are accomplishing a lot, but actually they are wasting time and not producing at high levels. They are busy, but not productive. They are wired like a circuit breaker, they have the iphone, ipad, they are talking, texting and just about everything imaginable. If you asked them they would tell you that they are multi-tasking or getting the most of out their time. But the science proves our minds just don’t work like that. I recently read an article that stated we are distracted most of the day, and this distraction leads to less production throughout the day. So here are three tips to help get the most from your day: #1 Write down three major things that you will accomplish each day. No sense in creating a list of 100 things that you do not have the time or energy to do. This just makes you feel unproductive at the end of the day anyway. #2 Set a time when you will check emails and reply. Read the email once, reply right back. Delete the email if need be. Never let emails stay in your inbox, create folders for recurring emails like newsletters and so forth. #3 Have a plan in place to be effective during your non-work times such as lunch, drives to work and home. Use this time to listen to audio books or to meditate. Use this time to shut down. Turn everything off and just relax and recharge. When you focus on less, you really will accomplish more. I like to give myself 90 minutes to work on a project. I give my full attention to that project. I take a 10 minute break and if the project needs more time I will give it more time, but usually 90 minutes is enough time. Learn to get more from your day and not just make it through the day. What are some tips you have for staying productive? Please share! Remember to Live Genius!!! About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! What would your company, small business or organization look like if everyone operated and functioned as a CEO? I’m not talking about a double head dragon, but what if everyone saw the bigger vision of the company. If at their level, whatever level that may be, they made better decisions, they operated in excellence and efficiency. When you think about the best CEO’s or the role of the CEO, what comes to mind? Terms like focused, intelligent, decision maker and so on. So how do we get everyone in the organization to function like a CEO? There are three ideas I know work because I have used them over the last 15 years with great success. When I was in the Army, I was thought to always operate two grades or levels above my current position. This concept has served me well and always helps me to see the bigger picture. Here are three quick ideas you can do to create C.E.O’s at every level: CHALLENGE individuals to not only be doers, but thinkers. Most team members are taught to do a job, but not to think about the job they are doing. This causes people to just learn enough not to be fired, but they fail to improve on the processes that are being used. When you challenge team members to explore better ways to complete task, even the daily routine ones, you equip them to become more efficient. Genius CEO’s know how to manage their time well; by challenging your teams to do the same you create a CEO minded team member. EMPOWER team members not only to succeed, but to fail as well. What I mean is remove the fear of what will happen if I make a mistake. Every CEO I have talked to has taken risk and made mistakes. Many of them have told me it was the mistakes that made them better leaders. Working in an environment where every one is afraid to take initiative kills innovation. I tell my teams all the time, there is not a mistake we cannot overcome. Hopefully you have hired good people and when a mistake is made, it was not from being careless, but from taking risk and trying to make something better. OBSERVE the teams work and give early feedback. This will prove to be invaluable in the long run. By helping team members see the bigger picture and how decisions are made will help them make better decisions at their level. Create a dialogue to find out why a certain decision was made. Seek to find the best decisions and let the best decisions win. If you implement these ideas, you will be on your way to creating C.E.O’s at every level. How do you empower your team or organization to perform better? Share your ideas below… Don't forget to LIVE GENIUS!!! About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> Every Monday I share my thoughts on leadership and life. My simple philosophy is that the better leader you become the better you can lead your life. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! In my almost 37 years of life, I have been privileged to work with, learn from and study some amazing leaders. Leaders I call Genius. As I approach my 37th birthday I set down to really think about what I have learned from these awesome teachers. Below you will find a summary of what I have learned from these Genius Leaders.
About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> Every Monday I share my thoughts on leadership and life. My simple philosophy is that the better leader you become the better you can lead your life. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! This month I turn 37 and I wanted to share some ideas that help me to stay on track and keep me motivated. Motivation is like a nice hot shower, it feels good at the time, but the affect wears off after a while. So you must develop a motivational plan, you have to have motivation ready, just like carrying a piece of gun, there when you need it. I hope these ideas help you stay motivated and this is one of your best years ever!
About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> Every Monday I share my thoughts on leadership and life. My simple philosophy is that the better leader you become the better you can lead your life. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! Ok, so a bear wasn’t really in my room, but that’s what it feels like when I look at my desk sometimes with all the work staring back at me. Before I even get started I feel tired and overwhelmed. What is a productive minded person to do? How do you tackle that humungous workload? The three tips I share with you will help you get the bear out your room and that workload monkey off your back Three easy tips to make that workload look a lot smaller… #1 Develop an organizational system that works for you. Some people suggest using the ABC method or the Red, Yellow and Green method of organizing. A system that places the most important things in the “A column or Red column” and so on. But the key to being organized is finding a system that works for you, if it doesn’t work for you, you won’t use it, so find a system that works for you. Google “time management tools” and find one you like. #2 Be realistic, look at your day, how much time do you really have. Can you really accomplish the 20 things you have on your list today? Most likely not, and at the end of the day you feel like a failure, which in turn makes you feel drained. Then you add those 20 things to tomorrow’s list, now you are staring at 40 things to get done. Look at how much time you have for the day and choose the “high value return” task to complete for the day. Giving your best efforts to 2-4 tasks a day will make you feel highly energized and proud of yourself. #3 Simply ask for help. This could be in the form of delegating some task or partnering with someone to learn something new. Many times we will spend hours trying to learn a new gadget when we could have invested far less time by asking a friend or colleague for help. Asking for help is one of the best time savers on the planet. Use these three tips to maximize your time and efforts and avoid procrastination. What are some time management tools you use? Here’s to a great week!!! About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> Every Monday I share my thoughts on leadership and life. My simple philosophy is that the better leader you become the better you can lead your life. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! So we are headed into the fourth quarter of the year. A great time to review what you have accomplished thus far. I know for me I have had some hit and misses, but overall a good year. Taking the time to review your results will prove invaluable to you. This practice sets the ultimate achievers a part from the crowd. Already 274 days have passed, that's 6,576 hours. With 90 days remaining in the year, we can correct what is not working and reinforce what's working for us. Five critical areas we should review this week: 1. Relationships We are continuously involved in three types of relationships; personal, professional and casual. Take a look at the top 2-3 relationships in each category and see how you are performing and see how each are adding to your life. For some you may be underperforming or over extending yourself. Just make sure you are adding in a positive way, and receiving in a positive way. 2. Personal Development If we are not growing and developing, then we are dying. Personal development is not an option. From January 1st how have you grown? How can you tell? Write out three ways you know you have grown this year. 3. Finances For many the last year may have been financially tough. What changes can you implement now that will put you in a better position next year? Make a decision right now not to allow the upcoming Holiday season to put you at a financial disadvantage. Maybe you need to start preparing the children for a different type of Christmas this year. I know it may be tough, but opening up the conversation now will ease the pressure of waiting to the last moment. 4. Employee or Employer Status Whether you are an employee or employer you shouldn't have to wait for an end of the year review to find out how you are doing. Especially if you are an employee doing something now could save your job. As an employer, make the tough decision and ask a few of your employees or customers to give you some feed back, it will make you a better leader and employees and customers feel more connected to you. 5. Systems For Success I am a firm believer that the systems we use produce our success. Whether you are intentional about the systems you use or not, you are still using a system to achieve success or a lack of success. When I talk about systems I'm talking about how we do what we do and how we manage the results. For a quick example, when was the last time you and your mate went on a date? If you can't remember, or don't have it written down some where you are you using a failing system for investing quality time with your mate, you are relying on your memory to keep track. So this week create systems that cause you to win in life and business. These five critical areas of review are essential to stay on track in life and to measure your progress. Can you think of some othe areas? What systems do you use to manage key areas in your life? Please share with everyone! About Dr. Will Hi, I'm author of the critically acclaimed book, Genius Potential: Learn to Identify, Develop and Release Yours! I am the CEO of Will Moreland International, LLC a think tank that is dedicated to developing world class leaders in life and business. I also speak on leadership, personal development and organizational excellence. To learn more about me >>> Every Monday I share my thoughts on leadership and life. My simple philosophy is that the better leader you become the better you can lead your life. I look forward to connecting and interacting with you. Click on the RSS feed to ensure you don't miss out! I was teaching a group of young leaders the other day and the question came up, “How do you stay on the right path? The young leaders wanted to know how can you avoid making ethical mistakes. I shared with them my simple formula for evaluating my actions, decisions and behaviors. It’s a simple acronym that helps me remember to make the best decisions and follow the best practices in life. I call it the S.H.I.P Principle! It stands for “Standards, Humility, Integrity and Philosophy.” Whenever I get ready to make a decision or take an action I ask myself does it line up with my S.H.I.P Principle. If it doesn’t pass the test, then I walk away. We are all headed somewhere in life, whether we set a definite course or not, we are headed somewhere. Some people are aimlessly traveling through life without any directions or guidance. This leads to a life of regrets and wasted time and energy. When you think of the word ship, it could apply to a cruise ship, cargo ship or a war ship, all used to carry something or transport something. I would like to also add a life ship to this list; you are the carrier of purpose, genius potential and great talent. But it can all be damaged in a matter of seconds. Some of you may remember the track star Marion Jones. A highly celebrated athlete that lost everything in a matter of seconds because of a choice she made. In an interview Marion said “If only I took a moment to think about my decision, I wouldn’t have gone to jail.” When you think about the S.H.I.P Principle, it will make you stop and ask the important questions. Does what I’m about to say or do line up with the Standards I have set for myself. Everything I try to do is done in a sprit of Humility and servitude, so I ask myself does this action line up. Next I ask myself is it in keeping with my Integrity. Lastly, does it measure up to my personal Philosophy and beliefs in life? If it can pass the S.H.I.P Principle then I am safe. The young leaders walked away with a quick way to evaluate their decisions and actions. What do you use to measure your decisions and actions? Leave a comment. Dr. Will Author, Genius Potential America’s #1 Leadership Life Trainer Leading a life you love is all about being F.R.E.E. There are four essential things you must do to lead a life you love, and not a life you are enduring. Life at it’s longest is short, so make sure you live it F.R.E.E! This morning I had a great conversation with a lady at Starbucks that is getting ready to leave her safe zone for her F.R.E.E. Zone, she is mustering up the courage to leave a safe job and job security to live her truth. Which is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself in this life. Many will call you crazy, but in the end you will be F.R.E.E and really enjoying your life. I have come up with four key essentials to living life F.R.E.E. #1 FOCUS If you have never taken the time to ask yourself what really makes YOU happy, I mean, if you had to live with you, by yourself for the next 100 years on an island, what would you want to do everyday? How would you want to invest your time? What would make you happy? If you have never taken the time to sit down in a quiet place and find your truth about you, I suggest you do this ASAP! Take out a piece of paper and write out all the things that make you smile and laugh. Write down the ideas, thoughts and plans you think about everyday at your desk when you should be working. Answer this question, “If I had all the money I needed would I still work at this job for the next 20 years?” If your answer is no, you need to rethink some things. Once you have finished this list, this becomes your FOCUS LIST; this is what you should be working on accomplishing. Whatever it takes to make this list true in your life is what you should be focusing on. #2 RESEARCH What do you need to do or who do you need to become to lead the life you love. Is it a career change? Does it require a new degree? Does it require a move? Maybe you need to make some new connections; maybe you need to let some people go. Once you finish your FOCUS LIST, now you need to research what you need to do. This research may mean talking to people you trust about how you truly feel about the life you have settled for. The time you invest researching what your next steps will be are very critical to leading the life you love. Whether you make life changes or not, the same time will elapse. Five years from now you will be the age you would have been whether you change or not. Why not invest the time doing what is needed and becoming who you need to be to lead the life you love. From your research, you are now able to craft out a plan of action. During the research phase you may need to seek out help, counsel and guidance. This can come from mentors or you may need to hire a life trainer to help you navigate these uncharted waters. #3 EXECUTE You have written out your FOCUS LIST, done your research, it is time to execute your plan. This is where life can take a new turn for you or not. Many people know that changes need to be made for them to truly enjoy life, but they allow fear to grip them and keep them from making the changes they need to make. Before, during and after the execute phase you need to build your support team. People that have traveled the journey you are about to travel. Avoid people who have allowed fear to grip them and try to discourage you from taking steps toward a more fulfilling life. Some of these people are good intentioned people, but unfortunately, past failures, mistakes and being safe have trapped them in the cycle. The cycle that many people find themselves in after years of being on the life thread mill, doing the same thing, but hoping life will eventually bring joy. This will be a scary time for you; you are walking down a new street, moving into a new neighborhood. You will make mistakes, you will be unsure of yourself and nervous about the decision you have recently made, this is what I call the side effects of following your dreams. But trust me, it’s all worth it. You will be learning new things, meeting new people. Take it all in and learn as much as you can. #4 ENJOY This is what it is all about, enjoying the life you live. We are responsible to add to the world our GENIUS POTENTIAL, contribute more than you receive, make someone’s life better. But you can only truly do this from a place of fulfillment. When you lead the life you love, it becomes easier to assist other people on this life journey. I encourage and invite you to live the F.R.E.E. life. Free to explore, free to live, and free to give back. Implement the F.R.E.E. System into your life today and lead the life you love!!! Dr. Will Author, Genius Potential America's #1 Leadership Life Trainer This is a photo I took at my local book store the other day. I didn’t count how many magazines were on the stand, but as you can see, quite a few. Filled with articles upon articles all wanting to be read by you and I the consumer. Companies have added hundreds of advertisements to pitch their products to us, and so much more. As I walked by the stand, I could hear each magazine screaming “Buy me, buy me, buy me!” Everywhere we go we are being bombarded with a thousand choices. Choices that will either enhance our lives or waste our time. With the limited time, energy, and focus we each have, how do we manage our time and make better choices. Choices that will impact your life for the better in positive ways. When we break down our lives there are about five key areas that we need to focus on and manage. They are faith, freedom, family, focus, and finances, these are the areas that govern our lives and when managed correctly can produce a harmonious life. Let’s look at each area briefly, then I will share with you a few tips on how to make better choices to get the needed development in each area. FAITH Faith is the spiritual area that we all need to feed and develop. This directly speaks to your inner man, the spiritual part of you. We are tri-part beings, spirit, soul and body and each needs to be attended to. FREEDOM Freedom speaks to what lifestyle you choose to live. This is a serious area that you need to give thought to and make the necessary adjustments to lead the life you love. If we are not personally happy with our lives, every area of our lives will be affected. FAMILY Family is what I call home base; home base needs to be protected, natured and cultivated. Family is an essential ingredient to wholeness, happiness and wellness. Placing high value on this area will produce great joy. FOCUS Focus deals with what you are trading your life and time for each day. What significant vision or dream are you living for? How are you releasing your Genius Potential into the world? FINANCES How we manage our finances and create wealth for ourselves and our families plays an enormous role in our lives. Finances determine what experiences you will have in life, what you are exposed to and the quality life you enjoy. Failing to give each of these areas the proper attention will cause you to have headache and heartache in life. So how do we bring them into harmony, how do we develop each area? Over the years I have used three tools to help me and my clients produce high results in these key areas. When these three tools are incorporated into your life, they produce awesome results, and results are the name of the game. My experiences have taught me when I combine the use of mentors, time management and active church participation, my life runs very smoothly. Having mentors, using your time effectively and attending a great church will greatly assist you in developing the quality of life you want. MENTORS Mentors, trainers, coaches, or advisors, whatever terminology you choose to use help reduce the learning curve in your life. These individuals can assist you in answering some of the difficult life questions and provide tips, tools and practices that will help you navigate life’s journey. They can help you in developing your focus area and finance area. Just ensure these individuals have the results in their lives you desire. TIME MANAGEMENT Learning excellent time management will help you cut down on all the people and things calling for your attention. Everything and everyone do not warrant your time. I constantly ask myself, “How is this helping me develop?” Whether it’s a conversation, reading an article or watching something on T.V. every thing must qualify for my time. Time is a precious commodity you can not get back. ACTIVE CHURCH PARTICIPATION There was a recent study that showed regular church attendance can add years to your life. Not only that, but if you attend a good church, not a perfect church, those don't exist, but a well rounded church can help assist you in many of the keys areas. Many churches have great services that can help you with your faith development, family development and in the freedom area by helping you develop some core values you are going to live by. There are many voices calling for your attention in the world, you can greatly assist yourself by selecting a few voices you trust and follow them. This will cut down on confusion and give you a clear path to follow to success and significance. Dr. Will Author, Genius Potential America's #1 Leadership Life Trainer |
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