Did you know the secret of your success actually lies in your daily agenda?
Most people say they want to be successful but they aren’t willing to make the daily decisions necessary for that to happen. I get it that you’re busy, but we really need to go the extra mile and keep discipline in our lives.
Of course, I’m not saying you can’t have some special treats from time to time. A slice of pumpkin pie is fine, but eating the whole pie only leaves you trying to lose weight. Again!
My mentor and friend, New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell, shares 12 impactful tips each of us can benefit from in his book Make Today Count. I only have enough space to share four. Let’s get started:
Attitude
I believe your attitude controls whether you have joy in your life or not. Yes, bad things happen to all of us, and often we can’t prevent those bad things from happening, but we can choose what kind of attitude we will have. Here’s my tip to help you do that: Before you let that chip on your shoulder weigh you down, think about how life could be worse and count your blessings.
Name five things you’re grateful for immediately. This gives you perspective. If you really want to make sure your attitude is in check, tell someone else what you’re grateful for. Saying it out loud helps you truly believe it.
Relationships
I’ve always been a people person. I love letting my friends know how important they are to me. For decades, I’ve been sending greeting cards to the special people in my life, and it doesn’t have to be a special occasion. I try to mail at least one card every week. Yes, I actually put them in snail mail. Through my consistency at doing this, can you guess what the unexpected benefit has been? People send me cards, too, and they always seem to arrive exactly when I need encouragement.
John Maxwell recommends giving respect to everyone while expecting to have to earn it from others. When you set that expectation, you won’t be disappointed.
Another way to enhance the relationships in your life is to commit yourself to adding value to others. It doesn’t cost a thing to give someone a genuine compliment. I appreciate you. Gee, you look fabulous today. Thanks for all you do.
I realize that sometimes, people are difficult. John Maxwell taught me to love them anyway. I’ve heard him say many times, “Hurting people hurt people.” Once I understood that, it got a lot easier to focus on trying to add value to everyone I meet.
Values
Create a list of the values you want to be at the core of who you are. Then, make the decision to live those values each and every day. Here’s the part that can get hard sometimes: Live out your values regardless of your feelings. You may have heard the saying, “Nice guys finish last.” I don’t see it that way. Nice guys actually are just choosing a very different race in life. I think they’ve figured out how to evaluate each day in light of their values.
Growth
Do you see your potential? I believe it is limitless. Let me lend you my belief in you for a moment. You have the ability to do more, be more and make a greater impact on our world. And our world needs you to make things better.
In order to do that, you have to make a commitment to change. Set growth goals. Learn how to enjoy the journey. Put yourself in a growth environment and make it a priority to grow in some way each and every day. This is how you will make today count!
Make today count
Did you know the secret of your success actually lies in your daily agenda?
Most people say they want to be successful but they aren’t willing to make the daily decisions necessary for that to happen. I get it that you’re busy, but we really need to go the extra mile and keep discipline in our lives.
Of course, I’m not saying you can’t have some special treats from time to time. A slice of pumpkin pie is fine, but eating the whole pie only leaves you trying to lose weight. Again!
My mentor and friend, New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell, shares 12 impactful tips each of us can benefit from in his book Make Today Count. I only have enough space to share four. Let’s get started:
Attitude
I believe your attitude controls whether you have joy in your life or not. Yes, bad things happen to all of us, and often we can’t prevent those bad things from happening, but we can choose what kind of attitude we will have. Here’s my tip to help you do that: Before you let that chip on your shoulder weigh you down, think about how life could be worse and count your blessings.
Name five things you’re grateful for immediately. This gives you perspective. If you really want to make sure your attitude is in check, tell someone else what you’re grateful for. Saying it out loud helps you truly believe it.
Relationships
I’ve always been a people person. I love letting my friends know how important they are to me. For decades, I’ve been sending greeting cards to the special people in my life, and it doesn’t have to be a special occasion. I try to mail at least one card every week. Yes, I actually put them in snail mail. Through my consistency at doing this, can you guess what the unexpected benefit has been? People send me cards, too, and they always seem to arrive exactly when I need encouragement.
John Maxwell recommends giving respect to everyone while expecting to have to earn it from others. When you set that expectation, you won’t be disappointed.
Another way to enhance the relationships in your life is to commit yourself to adding value to others. It doesn’t cost a thing to give someone a genuine compliment. I appreciate you. Gee, you look fabulous today. Thanks for all you do.
I realize that sometimes, people are difficult. John Maxwell taught me to love them anyway. I’ve heard him say many times, “Hurting people hurt people.” Once I understood that, it got a lot easier to focus on trying to add value to everyone I meet.
Values
Create a list of the values you want to be at the core of who you are. Then, make the decision to live those values each and every day. Here’s the part that can get hard sometimes: Live out your values regardless of your feelings. You may have heard the saying, “Nice guys finish last.” I don’t see it that way. Nice guys actually are just choosing a very different race in life. I think they’ve figured out how to evaluate each day in light of their values.
Growth
Do you see your potential? I believe it is limitless. Let me lend you my belief in you for a moment. You have the ability to do more, be more and make a greater impact on our world. And our world needs you to make things better.
In order to do that, you have to make a commitment to change. Set growth goals. Learn how to enjoy the journey. Put yourself in a growth environment and make it a priority to grow in some way each and every day. This is how you will make today count!
Amy Burkett
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