Early Momentum

Have you ever given thought to why you get paid for your work? I’m not talking about the specific tasks you do, but rather the purpose of your work in a general sense. At a high level, there are three reasons for any job being created or any service being paid for.

#1 We get paid to solve problems

The purpose of many jobs is to solve problems. We may talk in terms of filling a need, but a need is really a problem. In order to sell product a grocery store faces the problem of needing the shelves stocked. The clerk who stocks the shelves solves the problem and gets paid. It’s important to understand that if you wish to get paid more money then you should learn to solve bigger problems. Stocking the grocery shelves is a minor problem easily solved therefore it earns a modest pay. Contrast that with the problems that a brain surgeon must solve. Obviously if you’re having to see a brain surgeon you have a really big problem. The brain surgeon gets paid really big money to solve it for you.

When I first learned that solving problems equals earning money, suddenly I had a new outlook towards them. I learned to equate solving problems with bringing value. Problems are inevitable. People want to do business with those who are capable of solving them.

Leaders are problem solvers by talent and temperament, and by choice.-Harlan Cleveland

#2 We get paid to avoid problems

A dentist gives his patients routine cleanings to avoid the problem of cavities. A professional accountant is paid to help her client avoid tax problems or bankruptcy. When a house owner pays a company to install an alarm service it is to avoid the problem of being burglarized. For many people, much of their work is proactive activities designed to avoid problems. The bigger the problems avoided the bigger the pay.

The act of avoiding problems is perhaps the most thankless element of work. Yet imagine an amusement park without maintenance men or a new housing development without building inspectors. With most business it is only in the absence of major problems that we can spend our time focusing on opportunity.

#3 We get paid to create growth

Financial advisors make their money by growing their client’s investments. A major part of the business manager’s work is to grow profits. In many industries it is the salespeople who are the highest paid people in the company. The commissioned salesperson’s compensation increases relative to the growth they create through selling her company’s product. Take a look at most companies’ bonus plans and you’ll find they reward the growth of sales and/or profits.

Personally, I feel of the three reasons we get paid for our work, creating growth is the most rewarding. It’s like a payoff for your labor. Create much growth on your job or in your business and you will create much growth for youself in the process.

Don’t wait for extraordinary opportunities. Seize common occasions and make them great. Weak men wait for opportunities; strong men make them.-Orison Swett Marden

If you reflect on your work, you will find that your responsibilities fall under one or more of these categories. Understanding this and considering how you approach your work can go a long way in increasing your reward.

The role attitude plays in our lives is major! So it is important to understand what attitude really is. When broken down, that which people perceive as our attitude is in reality the sum total of our behaviors. Behaviors are visible. They come in the form of facial and body language, the words we use, the tone of our words, and our actions. When you hear someone say of someone else ”he has a positive attitude,” they have come to that conclusion based on the person’s behaviors.

Here are some examples of behaviors that can lead people to the conclusion of whether your attitude is positive or negative.

• frequent smiling vs. never smiling
• eye contact vs. rolling eyes
• learning from set backs vs. brooding over them
• a focus on future improvement vs. past failures
• showing appreciation vs not
• saying yes to reasonable coworker requests vs. saying no
• staying late when asked on occasion vs. not
• suggesting solutions to problems vs. complaining about them
• saying I can do that vs. I can’t do that

Attitude and personality are as important as experience and ability.-Brian Tracy

Most good bosses recognize that ability is much easier to teach than attitude. I would go so far as to say that someone who has what we would call a positive attitude is someone who will improve their ability where needed much faster than somebody who does not a have positive attitude. Since what we call attitude is really behaviors, in a sense it can be tought. Yet it is in large part an individual’s philosophy and internal decision-making that determines improvement in attitude. Therefore teaching someone how to improve their attitude is much different from teaching somebody how to drive a vehicle.

I’ve seen numerous examples of people who have the right credentials, experience and skills, in other words the right ability,  be overlooked for jobs or promotion because they didn’t bring the right attitude. Don’t get me wrong, results are still the name of the game. But the role a positive attitude plays in our success is major. The typical interview process is evidence of this. For all the talk of focusing on a interviewee’s past track record, if in the interview process the interviewer concludes rightly or wrongly that they have a bad attitude towards work or people there is likely zero chance they will get hired.

Attitude is not only important when getting your foot in the door. It is important all the time. Especially in business. The number one reason that employees quit a job is because of a bad boss. Essentially they come to the conclusion that the boss had a disrespectful attitude towards them. The number one reason why customers stop coming to a business is because they perceive the staff as being rude or inconsiderate. They have concluded that the business has a poor attitude towards customer service.

Winston Churchill said attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference. I agree. To drive this home, consider how Chuck Swindoll expounded on this idea.

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it. And so it is with you. We are in charge of our attitudes.-Charles Swindoll

Ability matters. But never underestimate the importance of having the right attitude! And never forget, your attitude is yours. You are in absolute control of it. It is the one thing nobody can ever take from you!  

how definition: in what manner or way

The word “how” is one of my favorite words. When it comes to the primary interrogative words of who, what, where, when, why and how, if I could use only one the rest of my life, I think it would have to be how. The word how opens the door to possibilities. It begins creative thought. When asked as a question it leads us to improvements.

How is a word that is used frequently by leaders and successful people. An average or underperforming person in an organization will gripe, gossip and complain tirelessly about an undesirable situation or occurrence. But what are the leaders and top performers doing? They’re not complaining because they are too busy asking “how?” How can I avoid this next time? How can I do it better next time? How can I learn from this? They are forward thinking, not stuck on what happened in the past. Forward thinking often begins with the word “how!”

Top performers also use the word how to exploit and improve on what is going well. How can I build on my strengths? How can I recognize my top players? How can I increase profits? How can I find people to take me to the next level? How can I bring more value to my work? How can I better serve customers?

Here’s a sure-fire way to get motivated. Set aside some “you time” and begin to apply the word how to the important areas in your life.  Put a question beginning with the word how at the top of a clean sheet of paper and then begin to brainstorm the answers. This is where solutions to your problems and improvements to your successes begin! In case you need it, here are some good questions to get you started.

• How can I become a better parent/son/daughter/friend/spouse?
• How can I reduce stress?
• How can I create some great experiences?
• How can I get better results on my job?
• How can I earn/save/invest more money?
• How can I live a healthier lifestyle?
• How can I reduce debt?
• How can I simplify my life?

Chances are you’ve never given this much thought to such a common word in your vocabulary. Yet almost all innovation, improvements, and prosperity stems from someone asking how?

Wow, we are already at the mid year point of 2010! I have found that with the passage of time comes an appreciation for just how fast it passes. It is so important in life to have regular mile markers on our life’s journey, points in which we reflect on, measure and reassess our progress towards our goals.

You do have goals, don’t you?

If yes, like many people you may have set or reset your goals at the start of 2010. Also like many people, through the passing of time you may have gotten off track in the last six months. If that’s the case, may this serve as a reminder to take another look at them. Are you still taking action towards those goals? Do you need to get back on track? Remind yourself why you set your goals in the first place and how they will improve your life when you achieve them.

If no, now’s a good time to create some goals. It amazes me that some people put off goal setting until New Year’s Day. Why would you wait? If you believe in goal setting, it’s important to realize that there’s no sense in wasting any amount of time in your life. If you’re not already saying “where does the time go,” you will eventually. Anyone would agree a year is a good amount of time, however I propose that we should place the same value on six months, a month, a week and even a day.

It is never too late to be who you might have been. -George Eliot

At this 2010 mid year checkpoint, ask yourself the important questions.

How much money have I saved or invested for my future financial independence this year?

Am I actively involved in an exercise program?

What have I done so far this year to improve my marketable skills?

How many unique and memorable experiences have I had so far this year?

Are the people I hang around with most taking me to the next level or are they dragging me down?

Am I a person who brings others to the next level or do I drag them down?

Be honest with yourself in answering these questions (and others that are important to you). Where necessary, change your actions and behaviors to keep you moving forward on the right path.

He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever.     -Chinese proverb

A mid year challenge

I challenge you to maximize the rest of 2010. I challenge you to enjoy the now while taking steps to improve your future. Remember, how you spend the rest of this year will determine the size of the goals you will set in the next year. Get around the right people. Make time for personal growth. Set routine blocks of time to review your progress toward your goals. Be a people builder. Stay ambitious but at same time remember to be yourself and make life fun!

How you respond to the challenge in the second half will determine what you become after the game, whether you are a winner or a loser. -Louis Camulti

With the recent passing of John Wooden, I am compelled to write a post in his honor. While he was one of the most successful players and coaches in college basketball history, he is equally as known for his greatness as a leader. My point here is not to highlight his basketball career, but rather to share some of his leadership philosophy that has influenced so many people including myself.

Years ago while in an airport bookstore, I purchased one of his books on leadership to pass the time. Later I had the opportunity to see him speak. I quickly found him to be one of the few people whose every idea seems so spot on when it comes to the subjects of leadership, teamwork and human relations.

The Pyramid of Success
When it comes to his leadership and teaching, John Wooden is likely most known for his “pyramid of success.”  It was his illustrative list of traits and values he considered essential to acquire lasting success. While he began it early in his coaching career, he gradually adjusted and added to it over the years. It is succinct and profound at the same time. We could all do a lot worse than to use it as a roadmap for our personal development plan.

John Wooden’s Seven-Point Creed
He was fond of sharing a seven-point creed for living which his father taught him when he graduated from elementary school. In it you will find the traits of integrity, excellence, generosity, self-development, wisdom, gratitude and more. 

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books including the Good Book.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings everyday.

The Four P’s
Wether in sports, business or any other endeavor, he considered the keys to successful execution to be what he called “the four P’s”. Planning, preparation, practice, and performance.

As a Leader, demand consistency
On the subject of consistency he had this to say: “I would not accept inconsistency-the pitfalls of repeated highs and lows. I wanted the individuals on our team to play the same way, game to game, that is, with the greatest intensity while executing at the highest performance level of which they were capable. Emotional ups and downs preclude this.”

Lastly, here’s just a handful of the notes I’ve made from his teachings.

• Before you can lead others, you must be able to lead yourself.
• There is no substitute for enthusiasm.
• The star of the team is the Team.
• Beware those who will do whatever it takes to win.
• Remember that a good demonstration tops a great description.
• Control emotion or emotion will control you.
• Sloppiness breeds sloppiness.
• Pride is easier to instill with the carrot (than punishment).
• Believe in the hidden potential of all.
• Long-term success requires short-term focus.
• Don’t make “woe is me” your fight song.

I could go on and on but in the spirit of brevity, if you are at all interested in learning more about his great leadership philosophy, I’ll leave you with two recommendations. First, get your hands on one of the many great books on or by him. Second, thoroughly check out his fantastic website.

It’s astounding to me how much talk we hear about time management. When you get down to it, time management is in fact an oxymoron. To manage time suggests that you somehow control or influence it like money or a business. In reality, time cannot be slowed down, sped up or multiplied. No matter what anyone promises you, you cannot “add two extra hours to your day.”

Everybody gets exactly the same amount of time in a day

Have you ever stopped to think that successful people and unsuccessful people in life both have exactly 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week and 365 days in a year? Successful people do not get two more hours on the clock. They have not figured out a way to extend their year by a month. No, everybody has the exact same amount of time to work with.

If you want to make good use of your time, you’ve got to know what’s most important and then give it all you’ve got.
Lee Iacocca

When we talk about time management, what we really mean to say is priority management

In reality, the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful is not how much time they have, but what they do with their time! Think about a top performer and an underperformer in your workplace. Observe each one of them in action for a day. Ask yourself, what is the top performer doing differently then the underperformer? All things being equal they will both work for about the same time in a day. However, you will find they are doing vastly different things during that time. They have set for themselves different priorities.

Imagine two similar individuals born and raised in the same neighborhood and attending the same school. One becomes financially independent, the other spends his life in debt living paycheck to paycheck. Chances are the person who went on to become wealthy at some point chose to take some of his time to learn how to become financially independent. He made it a priority to read a book, take a class, or have the right conversations with the right people to learn how to do it. Once he learned, he made it a priority to practice the behaviors and take the necessary actions to do what he learned. Ask yourself of the other individual who stayed in debt living paycheck to paycheck, could he have also made the same priorities in his life? It sure seems that he could have. But judging by his outcome, it seems instead that he had very different priorities.

Strategies for better priority management

Brainstorm on paper all the things you want to do and the things you need to do

I recommend you do this twice, once for work and once for your personal life. Next, number each item on the list in order of priority and then rewrite the list. Why? Because doing so is the starting process of effectively managing your priorities. Like they say, you can’t hit a target if you don’t know what it is.

Always ask before starting a new activity, “what is the best use of my time right now?”

This question is so much easier if you have done the exercise of setting your priorities. If “get to the gym three times per week” is higher on your priority list than “play video games” you’ll know what to do when you get home from work Wednesday evening if you haven’t been to the gym yet that week.

Know the difference between your personal priorities and your work priorities

Personal priorities are just that, personal. There is no right or wrong arrangement, it’s up to you and your values. Work priorities on the other hand are likely more pre-determined, but how you order them will greatly affect your success.

In order to best set your work priorities, consult two resources

One is your boss. Ask of her “What are the top 1-3 results you want me to achieve/focus on?” Additionally if you’ve made a priorities list you could show it to them and ask if they agree or how they would prefer you reorder it. The other resource to consult is the top performer(s) in your workplace or job position.  Ask them “what things do you do with your time that bring you the best results?” Observe them in action if possible.

It’s not enough to be busy, so are the ants. The question is, what are we busy about?
Henry David Thoreau

Remember, successful people don’t necessarily work harder than other people, but rather they figure out the highest value tasks to get done and prioritize accordingly.

In self-development circles, there’s a lot of talk about deciding to be the best at whatever it is you pursue. Often times you will hear something to the effect of “you can be number one if you just decide to!” While in some circumstances this may be very possible, most times this is too large of a goal for us to view as being realistic. As a result, we may not even bother to stretch ourselves in an attempt to be the best we can be. After all, only one can truly be the best. And even then, like a championship winning sports team, nobody stays the best for long. 

The exciting news is this. While it may not be possible to be the best, it is absolutely possible to be one of the best! Rest assured that being one of the best is a great place to be! When you become one of the best in your line of work you can bank on job security. When you become one of the best in your class, potential opens for scholarships and choices for the very best in schools. When you are one of the best, you experience more recognition, rewards, opportunity and personal satisfaction. 

Here’s how to go about becoming one of the best. 

Decide

Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work. -H.L. Hunt

 Amazingly the vast majority of the population will never even think about this concept. The thought of becoming one of the best at what they do simply never crosses their mind. By merely deciding for yourself to become one of the best you give yourself a step up on your competition.

Define

If your batting average is high enough, the Big League will find you.

 What benchmark do you need to reach in order to consider yourself one of the best? In most cases it’s a simple matter of defining some numbers to hit. A baseball player may choose to focus on batting average. A student on a GPA. A manager on productivity measurements. A salesperson on units sold. In most cases the statistics you need to determine your targets are readily available.  As a starting point, begin with a target that will put you into the top 20%. Being in the top quintile of that which you apply yourself to is a fantastic place to be. Once you are there, set the bar higher and go for the top 10%, 5% and perhaps even the top 1%.

Take action

Action is the foundational key to all success.-Pablo Picasso 

 Once you’ve decided a meaningful area of life which you want to become one of the best in and after you’ve defined how you will know that you have arrived, it’s time to take action! Monitor your results on an ongoing basis. Look for continual improvement. Resolve to change behaviors, gain new learnings, and ask for feedback along the way in order to accelerate you to your destination.

Remember the vast majority of the population is not intent on becoming one of the best at what they do. This means that if you decide to be one of the best your future is bright. And if you should become the best, all the better!

We spend a lot of time at work. For many people, that time is spent in a particular workspace. Your workspace may be an office, a cubicle or even a vehicle.

The typical workspace is adorned with posters, paintings, pictures of family, and miscellaneous trinkets. These things are great as they bring personality and color, however I would like to propose three additional things to add to your workspace. Each of these things are common in the workspaces of leaders and top performers. They are designed to inspire, encourage and motivate.

1. Pictures of role models-for inspiration
There is nothing like daily reminders in the form of photos of the people we look up to who inspire us to be at our best. This includes people we know as well as those we’ve never met. It may be a teacher, an athlete, an author, a speaker, a pastor, an entrepreneur or an entertainer. And by no means do they have to be a celebrity. For some it may be a neighbor or coworker. Having pictures of people who’ve positively influenced your life and who you have great respect for serves as a constant reminder to us of the kind of person we want to be.

People never improve unless they look to some standard or example higher and better than themselves.-Tyron Edwards

2. Items of accomplishment and recognition-for encouragement
This includes trophies, diplomas, letters of recognition, certificates of accomplishment or virtually any kind of award. When you’re in the middle of a tough day or when you are facing a seemingly insurmountable obstacle, it is encouraging to have reminders around you of your past accomplishments. It’s as though they speak to you saying you achieved great things in your past, therefore you can and will do so again in the future! If you don’t have a lot of these things in your life yet, begin to earn some. Start small if you have to. Even a kid can go join the reading club at the local library, read a few books, and get a certificate!

Please stop teaching my children that everyone gets a trophy just for participating. What is this, the Nobel Prize? Not everybody gets a trophy.-Glenn Beck

Pictures of your goals-for motivation
When you examine goal setting literature, you will find this to be a common recommendation. It really does work! I have a very successful friend who owns his own company. In his office he has a large bulletin board on the wall covered in pictures that represent his goals. The pictures include suits, toys, vacation spots and more. The pictures are ever-changing as he accomplishes a goal, and then updates the board. He says having a visual reminder of his goals in front of him throughout his workday is a constant reminder to work smarter whenever possible. Not just to accomplish his goals, but also in order to have the time to enjoy the good things in life.

In life we tend to get what we think about most of the time. What is it you wish to be, have or do? Whatever it is, you don’t have to look any farther than magazines or the Internet to find motivating pictures for your workspace. Keeping visual representation of your goals keeps you moving towards their accomplishment and a fantastic future!

When you think something, you think in picture. You don’t think a thought in words. You think a picture that expresses your thought. Working with this picture will produce it into your experience.-Grace Speare

  There you have my three recommendations to fill your workspace (or home, room, locker etc.) with. If you haven’t done it yet, perhaps it’s time to redecorate.

Hi,

I’m Dan Adam and I’m excited that you are checking out my blog Early Momentum as a resource for personal development! The mission here is simple. To equip young adults with a head start on success!

Most of what you’ll find here is directed to young adults who are either in school or just starting out in the working world. That said, much of what you’ll find here can be applied by anyone, of any age.

You can learn more about me and my philosophy elsewhere on this blog. But as a preview to coming attractions, I’d like to share with you some of the things you can look forward to here.

The very best in personal development ideas

I’ve been a student of personal development for over fifteen years. The concepts I’ve learned have helped myself and others greatly! You can look forward to a growing collection of practical, how-to ideas to aid you in your personal development.

Career information

For those considering which career fields to pursue, it’s important to know all you can about your options. Look for interviews from leaders in various industries and job sectors.

Resources

You can count on finding connections to some of the best resources available from websites to books to people.

Inspiration

Real life stories of success. Motivational thoughts. Positive topics. These things are as essential to our mental health as nutritious foods are to our body. You’ll find plenty of it here.

Please take the time to enter your email in the upper right corner to receive updates form this blog.  Also, join me on Twitter.

There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.

Aldous Huxley