Living ‘Better!’
Jennifer brought an interesting perspective to the coaching meeting. “I’m tired of just getting good results in my life. I want GREAT results.”
Wow – that was a challenging opening statement. So I pushed her for details.
“My boss just gave me my annual review, and he said I was doing good work. He said I’m reliable and was meeting all of his expectations. And a week ago on our anniversary, my husband and I were talking about how content and happy we were together these last nine years.”
“Don’t get me wrong – I’m happy and comfortable both at work and at home. But I’m concerned that ‘comfortable’ is holding me back from what I could be or even must be if I was my highest self. So I’m looking to step it up, and I would like some advice on how to do it. What would you suggest?”
I recently attended an incredible four-day event called High Performance Academy. Program founder and leader Brendon Burchard covered this exact issue – exactly how to live at our highest self. Our ‘Charged’ self, in his terms. Leaving that event I found myself facing the same challenge as Jennifer. Everything was fine.
But ‘fine’ is often the enemy of my key mission of ‘Better!’
I silently repeat this mission to myself dozens of times every day:
Better! tomorrow than today.
Better! next week than this week.
Better! next year than right now!
Back to Jennifer and her request for advice. Here are the three things we agreed were essential to live Better! each and every day.
First: mind our health. Good health is essential to all pursuits. It is the very foundation on which we reliably brainstorm, plan and act. Poor health draws down the body’s energy; good health charges it back up.
Do you have thoughts of operating every single day at the highest level possible? Then take care of your self. Exercise, real food, plenty of sleep, hydration, minimal sugar, stress management – sounds like a ton of work. But it isn’t. It’s just how you live each day, making Better! decisions about how you will treat your body and mind at every decision point.
Get conscious about your health. Get healthy. Stay healthy. Simply – be healthy.
Second, define exactly what our highest self would look like. In our work, marriage, relationships, family, friendships. In every aspect of who and what we want to be. Think it through, say it out loud, write it down, and then take the first steps needed to head towards that goal. Better! Charged!
Third, bring the heat. Moving from ‘fine’ to ‘charged’ is not the time for modest efforts. It’s time for heat. For passion. For massive focused action. Nothing less will work. Not thinking about it; not dreaming about it; certainly not wishing it. Only action will work. Right now with the very next routine decision we need to make. What to eat, how much TV to watch, whether to go for a walk. Thousands of little steps lead to massive sustained change.
“Simple Steps – Extraordinary Results” – the subtitle of my first book Do What You Can.
As we finished our coaching meeting, Jennifer immediately signed on to these three things. Good health, clarifying exactly what she wants, and massive sustained action through Better! decisions every day starting right now.
How about you?
Let’s get started together.
John J. Hall, CPA
John J. Hall, CPA, is an author, speaker and results expert who presents around the world at conventions, corporate meetings and association events. Throughout his 35-year career as a business consultant, corporate executive and professional speaker, John has helped organizations and individuals achieve measurable results. He inspires audience members in corporations, not-for-profit organizations and professional associations to step up, take action and “do what you can.”