doug smith training

What makes you happy the most? I've heard people say money, or fame, or traveling, or competition, or exercise...whatever makes you happy is good, right? But what makes you happy the most? (Pause here to reflect...) Being yourself. Right? Being able to be WHO you are WHEN you want, without adjusting to placate or get paid, isn't that the best? It still takes courage to be who you are once you know who that is. Ah yes, reason number 200 why courage is so important to a leader. But what if we change? Of course! Be who you are and when you change, be the new you.  Just don't let anyone else tell you who you are. -- doug smith

  Some goals aim for achievements, and some goals establish healthy habits that contribute to achievements. Both contribute to achieving your goals and both are essential. To achieve your goals, equip yourself for success. -- doug smith Action Plan Look now at your number one goal and identify at least one much-needed but not yet supplied resource. Figure out how to get that and your success chances rise.

As a sports fan I hate it when a favorite team member leaves the team. I do remember when an athlete would spend an entire career with one team. They felt like part of the family. Their bright moments seemed to shine in our memories like common threads of a larger family. Today that is rare. Players come and go often before we get to know them or appreciate their gifts. It feels the same in the working world. People come and go and we never hear from them again. The knowledge they acquired is gone from the team. The spirit they stirred is mixed up with forgotten signals from the past. But, have you ever had a team member leave and then return? It's high risk of course. They do not return as the same person they were before they left. There are new bruises, new scars, and even new skills we hadn't seen from them before. One of the risks is that in returning they soon realize why it was that they left in the first place. It's even possible that things did not get better, and ...

There's nothing quite like a deadline to bring out the creativity in you. -- doug smith  

All goals lead somewhere. Do yours lead you where you want to go? No matter what anyone else says, you're the one who is in charge and in control of your goals. -- doug smith  

Advice can be tricky. Have you ever heard advice that says "forget the past" or "release what was"? That could be helpful. That might be good therapy sometimes. And, sometimes it is a big mistake. The more we pretend the past doesn't matter the more likely it is to haunt us. We cannot change the past -- true. Should we ignore it? Or better yet, should we learn from it? -- doug smith Reflection: What does the image of that broken bridge remind you of in your past?  Are you finished dealing with that part of your past? What did you learn?

A moment of doubt need not last. Your focus is under your control. -- doug smith

Have you ever been absolutely convinced of something, so certain that you would defend it or explain it or insist on it to anyone -- only to later discover that it was wrong? I have, and it doesn't feel great, does it? We can all fall into a habit of believing our beliefs so strongly that there's no room for learning. What feels most comfortable seems most true. Only, not always. Certainty is no measure of truth. No matter how true something seems, check for evidence. -- doug smith Call to Action: Write down one sentence on something that you are absolutely certain about. Now, write down three pieces of evidence for that certainty. What do you think?

What's next?  Everyday there is some new challenge and everyday there are multiple ways to handle each challenge. People are waiting for answers without even understanding the questions. Where does that leave you? The best we can ever do is to make things better. Start with one thing at a time and grow. I don't do nearly enough of this, but I'm willing to ramp it up. How about you? Lead the way to something better and people will follow you.  -- doug smith Call to Action: Make a list (a very short list!) of problems you'd like solved or projects you'd like to do. Prioritize the list. Start working on number one. Do something.

How secret is that secret? Secrets are told when people think that no one is listening. Some one is always listening. That's how secrets get out.  -- doug smith 

I am not good at celebrating, and yet celebrating is motivational. Because of that, I need to PLAN to celebrate or it will pass me right by. That also means that in order to see the plan to celebrate thru, there must be something worth celebrating, which means doing the work to achieve the goal. Your goal is easier to achieve when you make energizing progress and then celebrate it. It's not either or -- it's both and: progress (doing the work) and celebration (rewarding yourself and others for that success.) What do you think? --  doug smith  

It's amazing how many problems stop being problems once we are centered and calm. -- doug smith