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Problem Attachment

Do you ever get attached to a problem? Oh, I have. A problem can get so close to you that you don't remember living without it. It can ease its way into the fabric of your life and your work and you develop so many work-arounds that it just seems to fill a void.  You don't need to fill that void. A problem is much easier to solve if you don't fall in love with it. Let go. Look forward. Set a goal. Get busy. -- doug smith

Start With A Question

How do I know when I'm wrong? Have you ever thought about that? I know when I'm right -- don't you? But, there's my question. Don't I always feel like I'm right? Why else would I feel what I feel? Why else would I think what I think? There have been times -- well, OK, YEARS when I have clung to an idea that I thought was completely right only to discover later that it was not as clearly right as I thought. Things are usually more complicated than we give them credit for. What once made sense, over time, can take on new meaning or change completely. We're going thru a LOT of that now. Things are changing faster and faster. Ideas are morphing and transforming and fizzling and sizzling all over every day. What do we do with all that?  The more we cling to something that is wrong (inaccurate, unhelpful, disrespectful) the less good it does us or anyone else. Why do we do it? Sometimes, we don't know what we don't know.  It's like a moment in time, on

Why Do We Need Coaches?

Who has been your most valuable coach? I've been so lucky to have worked with fabulous, focused coaches. A great coach helps you stay motivated. An attentive coach holds you accountable. I haven't always been happy with what my coaches have had to say, but I have always benefitted from their feedback. We need coaches because it's so easy to neglect our goals. When, what we want, is to work those goals. Keep working. Listen to your coach. -- doug smith

Make the Solution a Goal

Is there a problem on your mind? What if that problem is just a prompt for a goal? Then you know what to do: - set the goal - get busy -- doug smith

Room to Breathe

The best goals give you room to breathe. Set a goal. Work the goal. Stay flexible and nimble in the process. The best goals give you room to breathe. What goal are you working on today? -- doug smith

Creative Spark

Tease a little creative spark out even when darkness covers over you and that spark will light the way. -- doug smith

Commitment Outranks Brilliance

Have you ever known someone who is brilliant and yet doesn't get stuff done? They have wonderful ideas. Their concepts are fascinating. Their insights might even be useful. But until someone actually does something, brilliance is just a tease. In project management, problem solving, achieving your goals - in LIFE, commitment outranks brilliance. How committed are you to your goals? -- doug smith

More Than Ambition

What does ambition give you? I suppose that it depends on what you want, but it certainly gives you a start. It doesn't get it done, though. Ambition needs fuel. Ambition needs attention. Ambition needs work. Ambition responds best to seriously hard work. How is that working for you today? -- doug smith

Quote: Finding the Best In Others

"You bring out the best in yourself by looking for the best in others." Gene Bedley

Goals Need Action

Goals are achieved thru clarity, persistence, assistance, and action. What have you done on your most important goal today? -- doug smith

Fail Fast

I've been following Pat Flynn's income stream whenever I can lately and learning much about online businesses. He often says that we need to be comfortable going from "disaster to master" in our efforts to build success. Before you get to mastery, you make a bunch of mistakes along the way. And, he's right. My experience has been that you WILL make lots of mistakes along the way. We learn, we grow, we do better the next time. Overcoming the urge to be perfect before moving has been one of my biggest challenges. Imperfection is part of the experiment. We try, we fall, we get back up. We learn, we grow, we do better the next time. It never stops -- and that's half the fun. -- doug smith

A Good Four-letter Word

won't ask what your favorite four-letter word is. Let's keep it clean. But I will share my favorite four letter word: DONE After a great project, with hard work, and shared effort, checking that punch list last box brings a smile to my face. DONE After that, I like another four letter word (no, not that one!) -- GOAL. Setting goals, working goals, helping people achieve their goals: it's what I do. All of that means that to hit that great word DONE in connection with your GOAL you've got to do the work. Act relentlessly on your plan and navigate the trouble that's bound to come. Come to think of it, that's another great four letter word: WORK So there you have it. Set the GOAL. Do the WORK. And get it DONE. Waiting for someone else to do what needs to be done does not get it done. It's up to you. -- doug smith