doug smith training

Sometimes it's too much to muster up a big effort. Maybe that's when a little effort gets us going. Even the smallest positive effort has a positive impact. Let's start with that. -- doug smith  

Possibilities are always expanding. Keep expanding, too.  -- doug smith

"It's called work for a reason." "Your motivation comes on Friday -- it's called a paycheck." "Are you going to complain about it or are you going to work hard enough to get promoted?" Does any of that sound old school to you? Do you bristle at the idea of down-playing motivation in your work? Or, maybe a better question is "how do you feel about your work?" I've never had a job that I didn't hate at first. Not because the work was bad (although honestly, sometimes it was) but because I hadn't yet connected with the job. Until I could find the joy in the work, the work was tough. There is joy in any job. While no job is perfect, every job includes our own feelings and what we bring to the work. If you can't find the joy in the job, maybe it IS time to find another job -- but don't be too surprised if that one is also disappointing. Work is work as long as you see it that way, and as a means to an end, the ends are limi

Some people assume that you get what you deserve. Others insist that in an unfair world, there's no way to balance things in your favor once they become stacked against you. True or not, those types of assumptions are not helpful.  Here's a better assumption (true or not...): You have earned whatever you have. Whether or not you get what you want next depends on how hard you are willing to work for it. It's better because it gives you control. Isn't that what you want? -- doug smith   

You are the number one specialist for your own attitude. Treat it well, love it fully, let it shine. Even when others try to disrupt or destroy your attitude, it is still within your control. How powerful is this? Sometimes it makes all the difference between misery and happiness. Why not choose happiness? -- doug smith  

Are you good at everything? Me, either. The list of people who are good at everything is short. That's OK. You don't need to master everything, but you DO need to master something. What are you working on to master these days? -- doug smith  

How hard should we work? How much does it matter? Work as though your work will make a difference and it will. To you, to others, to your organization, to the world. -- doug smith  

"I'm looking for my dream job." "What exactly is that?" "A job that makes me happy." "You think it's up to your job to make you happy?" "You know what I mean -- meaningful, rich, rewarding work where I can advance my career and be a success." "How does all that happen?" "That's the search." Yes, there is meaning in the search. And, yes we all want meaningful and rewarding work. Here's what I've learned about that: Find the joy in work and you'll find fewer things to complain about. Every job is a dream job when your dream is to serve willingly and with joy. It's simple, but not easy. Oh, and it is still up to you. If you want to you can find your dream job right where you are. -- doug smith 

I get a charge out of encouragement -- both when I encourage someone else and when someone else encourages me. It doesn't take much energy to provide encouragement, and the payoff is huge. A brighter day, a bigger smiler, a repeat of a task that was done correctly. Encouragement is free and the impact immense. However much you're encouraging others, what if you did it even more? -- doug smith  

Quick -- what can you do to immediately and dramatically increase your impact on your team? Encourage them. Provide as much positive feedback as you can. Listen to their ideas. Spend meaningful time with them and stay with them thru their mistakes and troubles. You didn't hire perfect people and they won't ever BE perfect -- when they are good and better than good, take notice. Share your enthusiasm, because they cannot read your mind. Encouragement is free and the impact immense. Maximize that impact. -- doug smith

Jazz it up! No, I don't mean add piano, saxophone, bass, and drums or whatever other instruments come to mind when you think of jazz -- I mean to spice it up, add some pizzazz, give it some drive. Give that goal the energy it needs by finding the real benefit to achieving the goal. What is it that you really want? What will this goal lead to? More influence? More power? More self-esteem? A better team, a better organization, a better world? Motivate that goal. A goal without motivation is a chore. A goal with motivation is...magic. -- doug smith

Inspire someone everyday. You can start with yourself. -- doug smith  

 "It's just too hard!" they said, "and I can't find the motivation." "Where do you think motivation comes from?" "Powerful speakers, wonderful leaders, carefully written goals...I don't know." "You probably DO know. All of that is true -- we can find motivation in our circumstance, in our leaders, in our goals, but even if motivation smacks us in the face with a big wet kiss, unless we do something about it, what does it really mean?" "Is that supposed to be motivating?" "Only if you want it to be..." "But things are so tough!" "Sure they are. Always have been. Not likely to change. If the world was easy the soft would rule. If you don't want to BE ruled, you might need to find some inner motivation -- especially when you need it." Motivation matters most when times get tough. Find your motivation wherever you can. The reality is, motivation comes from yourself. -- doug smith

It's easy to get discouraged. Work, people, even life throws more challenges than we expect or ever ask for. Keep going. Obstacles will slow you down and pull on your momentum until it screeches like the bad brakes on an old Chevy. Keep going. Tasks will blur together in a fog of business that makes that vision ever harder to see and follow. Keep going. Keep going. Your work is important, and it's just beginning. -- doug smith

Have you ever known someone who clearly hates their job? Their distaste reflects in everything that do, in the way that they treat their team members, and especially in the way that they treat their customers. Hopefully, that doesn't describe you. We all have tough times on the job, and most of us have started jobs that were not what we wanted to do. That doesn't prevent us from enjoying the work. How you look at your work matters. How you find value in the tasks that they do -- no matter how simple, difficult, or low-paying. I've had all of those conditions in jobs that I didn't like at first but gradually grew to love. How? By constantly improving. By treating people around me with respect. By having fun. There is dignity in work. There is value in getting things done. There is happiness to be found in serving others. Joy in the work is not just possible, it's natural.  Why run and hide from what is right in front of you: a better day created by doing better work.

Our character is defined by the values we live. -- doug smith

You don't have to let anyone talk you out of a goal. The goal is yours, the work is yours, the reward is yours. Own it. Experience it. Work it. -- doug smith  

It's hard to achieve a goal without first identifying a benefit to you of achieving your goal. Identify your motivation. That will get you moving and make ever task related to your goal much easier. -- doug smith

Is it hard to muddle thru when people keep talking about how hard it is and how senseless it all seems? Of course. But it is not senseless. And the hard stuff build resilience to make us stronger, smarter, and more open to change. Everything you've ever done has helped to make you better. Keep going. Keep growing. Stay strong. It's hard to resist a relentlessly positive outlook. Stay positive because positive prevails over negative. It might take a while, but positive wins. -- doug smith

Are you struggling with motivation? Do you know someone else who is? You do get to choose how motivated you'll be. Go big. -- doug smith