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There Are a Limited Number of Ideas

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So, What Makes One Better Than Another?

It’s less than two weeks until this year will be over. The end of one year and the start of another is often a time used for reflecting on the past and looking to the future. In last week’s post I referred to my working on goal setting and planning.

I made the process of reviewing and setting goals a part of my annual routine.

It’s on the calendar and done intentionally.

Another thing that coincides with this time of the year is inboxes being flooded with new and better ideas for goal setting and life planning. I currently know of 6-8 of these that have been bombarding my emails regularly and repeatedly. Most of them I have used or are familiar with.

One such plan is a course in Donald Miller’s Business Made Simple University called Hero on a Mission. This is a course that I went through years ago, before BMSU even existed. I still use parts of it in my current life planning system.

My friend and accountability partner Shep and I are going through the Hero on a Mission course together. Over the past several months we have gone through a variety of different types of courses and workshops. One discussion that continually comes up, regardless of the topic, is how they all seem to be the same thing.

So, what makes one better than another?

Why are there so many options if they are all so similar. And how can so many similar options be needed?

I think there are two basic reasons for all the different, yet similar options.

First, I compare it to reading the Bible. If you’ve ever read the Bible more than once, or even if you’ve just read select scriptures more than once, you probably experienced those same exact words having different meanings at different times.

I think this is just a matter of where we are in our lives when we read it. Different circumstances, problems, celebrations or experiences all contribute to seeing things from different perspectives.

This is one of the greatest things about the Bible and what makes it so timeless. It is always relevant yesterday, today and tomorrow.

I think goal setting and life planning is similar. It’s the same content over and over yet for whatever reason today it makes perfect sense. It has to do with where we are in our life journey.

The second thing is that we all connect differently. We could have heard something ten times before and then like magic it makes sense. We will not understand it when one person says it and then when heard from someone else…poof…it’s clear as can be. It comes down to who is presenting it.

There is a limited number of ideas.

When it comes to goal setting and life planning the most important part is to do something.

The Hero on a Mission would be a great place to start, but if this isn’t the right one for you, try something different. Or mix and match, using different parts from different plans, like I have.

Don’t just drift through life letting it happen to you. Knowing where you’re headed and what you want to accomplish. Take intentional action and have a great 2021

An Unexpected, Modern-Day Twist to The Christmas Carol

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It’s Never Too Late to Build A Better Life

An update of the December 29, 2018 post.

As I’m working on goal setting and planning for the new year, I’ve been reviewing the past several years. Looking back can be disappointing and discouraging if things haven’t gone as well as you had planned. And this year certainly didn’t go as planned

While thinking about places I fell short and opportunities I missed or ignored, it caused me to think about the Hallmark Christmas movie, “A Shoe Addict’s Christmas”. In this movie a woman, Noelle, accidently gets locked in a department store where she works. While waiting to be rescued a quirky woman, Charlie, appears. Over the next few days Charlie, a guardian angel, helps Noelle rediscover the life she has been avoiding, by visiting Christmases past present and future.

We all have situations that we can look back on and wish we had done something different. We can’t change the past, but what we do today will affect the future.

You may have heard the story (or some variation of it) that Charlie told Noelle in the movie. It goes like this, there was man who was out in the snow and someone came by in a sleigh and offered him a ride. The man refused. He said, “God will take care of me”. Later as the snow continued to get deeper another man in a sleigh came by and offered to help. Once again, the man refused. “God will take care of me.” The next time a sleigh came by the snow was up to the man’s chin. For a third time the man declined the help and said, “God will take care of me”. Then the man is in Heaven and asking God why He didn’t save him. God answers, “I sent three sleighs and you ignored them all”.

Too often we ignore the sleighs that God sends us.

As long as we’re still alive, even if we’ve missed or ignored sleighs in the past, it’s never too late to use the next one. It is up to us to decide. There is a balance of faith and doing. Dave Ramsey says to “Pray like it all depends on God but work like it all depends on me.” We need to take of the blinders off and be more observant of the sleighs. “God moves mountains to create the opportunity of His choosing. It is up to you to be ready to move yourself.”, “The Traveler’s Gift”, Andy Andrews.

If I don’t want to get buried in the snow, I need to shovel what I can when I can and take the sleighs when they come along. I was presented some sleighs this past year and took them.

Learn from the past, look to the future, live in the present.

Watch for the sleighs and make this year the best year ever.

It’s Time for Laser Like Focus

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The word "Goal" with a dart hitting the center of a target on the letter "o"

Learn from the Past, Look to the Future, Live in the Present

Over the past few weeks, we’ve looked at determining where you want your life to go and a plan for how to get there. It’s easy to get caught up in all the noise and not know which way to go.

One thing is for sure, if you don’t move, you’ll never get there!

The first week we looked at the importance of having a clear direction. We compared a life GPS, “Goal Prioritization System”, to a GPS used for reaching your destination in your vehicle. You need to start with your why.

The next week’s focus was how to determine “where there is”. This involves opening ourselves up to those big dreams that come by opening our heart to hear the still small voice of our Creator.

Third was cleaning up your dreams and making them a vision. It’s the action of giving dreams some form and a description. In this post I shared some of my big dreams and the process of turning them into a vision.

Last week we went into how to set goals so that you will have a way to measure your progress along the way. The first three weeks were more thinking and planning. This is critical to knowing the destination. In the fourth post we move into the action part of the system.

Now it’s time to get to the PRIORITIZATION part of the Goal Prioritization System.

To be able to reach the destination, we need to prioritize which things need done in what order, we need to be clear on our MISSION. A mission is a clear assignment to be carried out if we are going to achieve our VISION.

My purpose, “Help people find solutions for building their dreams through better business systems, quality construction projects and life lessons.”, is my why. This is what the still small voice spoke to my heart. My vision was shared in the week before lasts post. This is my where.

We have our WHY and our WHERE the mission is the HOW.

Our mission:

Bridge the gap between construction companies and customers.We do this by providing construction businesses with systems and training to make their companies more efficient and effective while educating customers in what to expect throughout the entire construction process.

With our vision and our mission, we know where we’re going and how we’re going to get there.

We’ve looked back and reviewed what we did wrong and what we did right. We can’t change the past…we can only learn from it and move forward. In the infamous words of Franco Bertollini in Gumball Rally…

“What’s behind me is not important.”

Life is like this movie. The drivers start out with a purpose and know their destination. Each team determines what the best plan is for them. As they race across the country they are faced with choices along the way, some planned for and some not. They may have to make split second decisions that will alter their route. But if they are going to achieve their VISION, those decisions need to be based on their MISSION.

We’ve learned from what we been through up to this point. We need to be flexibly rigid. Flexible when it comes to the future because we don’t know what is around the next corner. Rigid in decisions we make, based on our mission. All we can control is this moment we’re in right now. Learn from the past, look to the future, live in the present.

If our focus is on a clear MISSION, the choices in the present become easier.

Mile Markers on the Way to Your Destination

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It’s Important to Measure Your Progress as You Go

If you aren’t intentional about your actions, you will find yourself being distracted by shinny objects. This doesn’t mean that shiny things aren’t worth the distraction. What it does mean is…you lost your focus. Unless your mission for achieving your vision involves finding shiny objects…ignore it and focus on your destination.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve discussed how a Goal Prioritization System is similar to a GPS in your vehicle. If you put in the right information, it will help you reach your destination. How to determine your destination by opening your mind to big dreams and discovering what your purpose is. And then how to turn your dream into a clear vision.

Setting goals and taking action is the best way to reach your destination.

Just like taking a trip in your vehicle, you should always be aware of where you are in relation to where you are coming from and going to. You need to constantly be paying attention to your fuel level, where the fuel stops are, how fast you’re going, where the rest stops are located, etc. The same is true for traveling through life heading to your destination.

In the last post I shared my dreams for the future and the vision of where I plan to be in seven years. I’ve always been a big dreamer, but big dreams don’t happen without action. For me the next step is the hardest to implement.

Dreaming is a lot easier than doing.

Everything I do should be advancing me toward my dream destination. If not, then I shouldn’t do it. This is critical, but hard for me. By nature, I want to do it all. I need to be intentional about not chasing shiny.

To reach my vision it is going to require a lot of different pieces and specific measurements. For today’s example we’ll look at expanding my customer base.

In my vision I state:

…“reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world”…

How are we going to expand our customer base from 32 to “hundreds of thousands of people” by the end of 2027? To do this, we need a plan with some ways to track the progress.

If we can increase the number by 200% each year, this can be accomplished. That seems like a pretty big number…and it is.

  • 2020 – 32 x 200% = 64 + 32 = 96
  • 2021 – 96 x 200% = 192 + 96 = 288
  • 2022 – 288 x 200% = 576 + 288 = 864
  • 2023 – 864 x 200% = 1,728 + 864 = 2,592
  • 2024 – 2,592 x 200% = 5,184 + 2,592 = 7,776
  • 2025 – 7,776 x 200% = 15,552 + 7,776 = 23,328
  • 2026 – 23,328 x 200% = 46,656 + 23,328 = 69,984
  • 2027 – 69,984 x 200% = 139,968 + 69,984 = 209,952

At first this looks impossible. If you stop and think about it…all it takes is for everyone to just bring 2 new people to the group.

That doesn’t seem so impossible.

Let’s break this down some more. If we’re going expand our customer base by 64 people by the end of 2020, we need to add 8 new people each month from now to the end of the year. Up to this point this process is still fun…for me.

What really makes this process the most difficult is that the customer base is just one small piece of the overall vision. In addition to the customers we need to have something to sell that they want to buy. We need to balance the physical construction projects with the development of products and services. We need to keep the invoicing done and the bills paid. And on and on…

If one thing isn’t working, it’s time to try something new. Don’t give up. It is easy to be overwhelmed when looking at the big picture. It’s no different than taking a big trip. You have a dream, you determine the destination, you map out the route…

But if you don’t go by some mile markers, you’re never going to get there.

What is the Address of Your Vision?

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Clearing the Fog from Your Dream

You dream of your beautiful life out there in the future. You look around and see other people’s amazing lives. What are they doing that you aren’t? The dream that you have for life is so amazing that you question if it’s even a remote possibility.

When we have big dreams…I’m talking really, really big dreams, it’s easy to convince ourselves that they are unrealistic, and can never be achieved. God is a big God and He has big dreams. We’re made in His image…so wouldn’t we naturally have big dreams too?

If your dream is in alignment with God’s, then it definitely IS possible.

The first thing to remember is that everyone’s “amazing dream life” is different. Don’t try to be someone else. Your job is to be you, the best you, not them.

Last week I wrote about listening to God to determine your destination. Giving that dream an address is where the work begins. As long as it stays a dream, we don’t have to DO anything. We can just sit here and look at it, imagining how much fun it would be.

I have some pretty big dreams. Things that excite me when I think about them. Things that some people would see as frivolous, shallow or self-centered. Remember what I said earlier…everyone’s dream life is different.

My dreams for the future currently, in no particular order:

  • Be debt free
  • Add on and remodel our home
  • Travel
  • Own vacation homes
  • Own a NASCAR team
  • Own rental properties – houses, commercial, farmland
  • Build a lifted up 4-wheel drive truck for playing with
  • Have trailers, tractors, loaders, etc.
  • Keep Debby in an almost new vehicle of her choosing
  • Keep my truck maintained and repaired, in like new condition with a goal of putting a million miles on it
  • Build, repair and maintain our buildings, fences, yard, etc. at home
  • Own a plane with an office space and ability to haul my truck
  • Buy old commercial buildings and renovate them back to like new condition

I share these not in a braggadocious way, but to show you how to take the next step from these big dreams to a vision. Often the biggest accomplishments are not the dreams themselves, but the things learned as we work toward them.

My ultimate success is not determined by these dreams being achieved.

I need the address for a vision so that I can enter it into the Goal Prioritization System? I have to determine some specific things needed for these dreams to become a reality. Vision is the act or power of anticipating that which will be. It is something that is seen and perceived.

If I am going to turn my dreams into reality, I need to use my power and act in anticipation of what I perceive. I need to implement my vision.

My vision for 2027:

The business is reaching hundreds of thousands of people around the world helping them find solutions for building their dreams. The focus is on the construction industry and customers, but not limited to that. Solutions for building better businesses, dreams and lives are the same as constructing quality buildings and apply to everyone, everywhere.

The business is generating enough revenue to make it possible to do things that are changing the trajectory of my family, business associates, church, various ministries, worthwhile causes, organizations, the community, the country and the world. The eight-figure gross revenue is not spent or used in a flaunty flamboyant way or viewed as evil or wrong. It is used to enjoy life. It is managed in a way as to not spoil future generations, but rather to leave a responsible legacy. The revenue is not the goal, it is a tool being used.

These goals are achieved through construction, coaching, consulting and educating both in person and virtually. Making this size of impact requires the help of multiple people in a variety of ways. I am not able to do this alone and am blessed with an amazing team that helps carry the load.

My life is lived in abundance, not in scarcity thinking. I am blessed and generously share these blessing with family, friends, church, community and the world.

Now we have an address that we can enter into the Goal Prioritization System. This let’s us determine which direction to head. Next, we need to make sure we are ready to start the trip. Establish how far we can get on a tank of fuel, make sure we have a spare tire, find out where the fuel stops are and how far we can go on a tank of fuel.

Next week we’ll work to break the vision down into goals.

How Do I Even Know Where There Is?

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By Listening to the Still Small Voice That’s in Your Heart

We’re all looking for a road map to our destiny. We want a crystal-clear plan laid out so that we know what to expect around each and every turn. Life doesn’t work that way.

One certainty is…life is uncertain.

This isn’t what we want to hear. We want all the answers before we start the journey. So…if there is no certainty, why do we bother trying to figure out our destination? How do we know which direction to start? If we let it, this uncertainty causes us to stay where we are and not move.

If you don’t move you will never get any closer to your destination.

Last week’s solution was about getting from here to there. It compared a Global Positioning System to life’s GPS, a Goal Prioritization System. This system will help you to determine what your destination is and the steps to take to get there.

This system consists of four parts.

DREAMS   →   VISIONS   →   GOALS   →   ACTIONS

Knowing where your ‘there’ (destination or purpose) is starts with your dream. This consists of thoughts, ideas, images, sensations, emotions, that occur involuntarily in your subconscious. They are a part of you that comes from someplace outside of you. This is God’s way of communicating your ‘there’ (destination or purpose) to you.

In 1 Kings 19, Elijah was feeling overwhelmed and alone in his task. He was sure he had been doing ‘the thing’ he was called to do, but things didn’t seem to be going as planned. God spoke to Elijah in a still small voice and reassured him that he was headed in the right direction.

God is speaking to us. It may be a small inaudible voice, or it may be a smack in the head. We make the destination search more complicated than it is. We tend to over-think this process. The important thing is to listen and to hear what He says.

We need to do more than just listen with our ears we need to hear with our hearts.

How do we hear with our hearts? We take inventory of who we are by asking some questions.

  • What things am I good at? Skills that come naturally to me.
  • What things do I love to do? Things that I must force myself to take breaks from doing and would do for free.
  • What situations and life lessons have I learned? My unique experiences and situations are unique to me.
  • Different personalities work better in different vocations. What things fit with my personality?

These are examples of questions to ask ourselves. After answering these and similar ones we will know our destination. When we feel our destination, it is an amazing thing.

Now that I know where my ‘THERE’ is…. how do I get there?

At this point the destination is determined, but still a little fuzzy. How do we put an address to it so we can enter it into life’s GPS? This is done by turning that dream into a vision.

Next week we’ll turn the dream into a vision and give it an address.

How Do I Get from Here to There?

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With a Clear Understanding of Your Life’s GPS

A friend and I were recently discussing the sense of out-of-control overwhelm that we were both experiencing. There are so many important, valuable, worthwhile things to do. How will I ever get them all done?

My to-do-list is so long there’s not enough time to read it…let alone do it.

I’m tired of being stuck in this rut and am looking for a way out. Some of the things on our lists were classes and trainings. These should be something to help, but too often just becomes another thing on the list.

Most of us want a clearer direction, but don’t know what that is.

I’ve been thinking about this since our discussion…not to mention studying about it. As I was researching ways to better achieve goals it became clear that there isn’t any real difference in any of them. Sure, there are small nuanced differences but they’re really all the same.

Sometimes the same thing we heard several times before resonates with us this time. Who knows why? It may be the presenter, or the form of presentation, or maybe it’s just timing, who knows? An example of this recently is when I was going through Mark Shinnerer’s, Vision Building course and his comparison of a GPS to a life plan. There really are a lot of similarities in life planning and a GPS.

One thing that’s critical to achieving goals is in prioritization.

This is one of the places I struggle most. When looking at that huge long list of all those important, valuable, worthwhile things to do. Where do I start? This is where accomplishment gets lost. Too much time spent trying to decide.

Here are some GPS similarities:

When going from here to there, using a Global Positioning System, we put in the destination we want to go, and it gives us optional routes to get there. When planning to go from here to there in life’s journey we need to use a Goal Prioritization System. This system will help us determine the path we will take to reach our purpose destination.

  • Determine where you want to go before you start – Knowing where you want to go will make the trip more productive. This doesn’t mean that you can’t change the destination later, but it takes away from forward progress.
  • Choose which of the routes you’re going to take – There are options of shorter and more direct or longer and more scenic. There’s no right or wrong, just choose one and get started. As you are on your way you can change your mind and the GPS will reroute you.
  • Unexpected things out of your control happen – You may encounter road work or a flat tire. These things require some adjustment to your schedule and/or possibly your route. Remember these things happening are out of your control, but how you react to them isn’t.
  • Unplanned things that are in your control – When in route you may encounter scenic stops. You can choose whether to take the time to slow down and smell the roses. You might also come across someone who has had trouble. Stopping or not is also a choice you get to make.

Once you have a clear vision of your destination it’s up to you to get in gear and step on the gas, otherwise you will just sit there thinking about what might have been.

If you don’t move forward you will never reach your destination.

Life is Like Removing a Clothesline Pole

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You Never Know How Big the Hole Will be Until You Start Digging

Have you ever had a vision for something that you weren’t sure what needed to be done or how to do it? If you’re not careful planning and analyzing can lead to overthinking and overthinking is just another word for procrastination.

Overthinking has kept me from accomplishing things too many times.

My assistant Cathleen had a vision for creating a safe place in the small back yard for her young daughter to play. This vision included a trampoline and swing set. The problem was two clothesline poles in the way. Compounding the problem…they were set in concrete.

She started digging around the first one. She had no way of knowing how much concrete was around the pipe or how deep in the ground it went. After a few days of digging and more concrete than expected, the hole was getting pretty big.

She did not let overthinking stop her from moving forward with her vision. 

Some people would say that in her youth and lack of experience she bit off more than she could chew. She could have done more research and procrastinated over this for a while. She could have saved up some money and hired a professional. She did neither…she started digging.

The importance of getting this play area ready for Luna was the determination she needed to push toward the vision. After digging for a while, she could have quit, but she didn’t. She had an objective, she knew what it was, and nothing was going to stop her.

Determination and action kept her moving forward.

There was a point in the process where it was evident that she wasn’t physically going to get the pipe and concrete out of the hole. After some re-evaluation and research, it was decided to cut the pipes off. She needed some help with this, and I happened to have a cutting torch. After this was done the dirt was put back in the hole burying the concrete and a trampoline was set up.

Cathleen’s project is no different than any other endeavor we face. It may turn out to be bigger and more time consuming than expected. There may be unanticipated circumstances that raise questions and create doubt. We may need to incorporate some help to achieve our goal.

Moving forward and not overthinking is critical to getting things done.

By nature, I’m a thinker and planner. Too often I procrastinate by overthinking everything. This is compounded by a long list of things to think about and plan for. There are so many people to help and things that need done. It’s easy to be overwhelmed when standing in the shadow of a huge mountain that needs moved.

What makes the mountain ominous is trying to figure out every detail that we’re going to encounter before we start. Are we going to run into rock, how much, what will we do with it when we do…and on and on? Thinking keeps us from moving anything and the mountain just stands there.

When Cathleen saw her vision of Luna’s place to play, she started digging. She didn’t let the size of the mountain stop her. We need to take a lesson from Cathleen.

This isn’t to say that planning isn’t important, because it is. If we don’t have a plan the vision gets stuck as a dream. Like building any construction project, you need to have a plan, but nothing gets built until we move some dirt.

If you’re going to achieve your goals and accomplish your vision, you need to do some shoveling today.

Happiness Is…A Choice

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"Choose Happiness"

 

 

 

Choose to Be Happy

 

As the new year begins, we start filling up our already busy lives with more things to do. I think reviewing the past and looking to the future is a great plan and the new year is a fitting time for this. What we need to be clear about is what we’re going to spend our time doing and what makes us happiest.


We can choose to be happy or not.


“…happiness is not an emotional phantom floating in and out of my life. Happiness is a choice. Happiness is the end result of certain thoughts and activities, which actually bring about a chemical reaction in my body. This reaction results in euphoria, which, while elusive to some, is totally under my control.” Andy Andrews, The Traveler’s Gift.

 

 

“This is the day that the LORD has made. Let us rejoice and be glad today!” Psalms 118:24. Everyday is a day that we’ve been given, we have the power to choose if we’re going to be happy or not.


Happy is a much better way to spend our time and energy.


Not only is being happy a benefit to us, it also spreads to those around us. It’s contagious. Surrounding ourselves with happy people is much more enjoyable and productive.

 


Make choosing to be happy one of your goals for this new year and spread it around.

 

Figuring Out How to Accomplish Goals

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The word "Goal" with a dart hitting the center of a target on the letter "o"

 

 

 

The Focus Needs to Be on the Accomplishment, Not the Setting

 

 

We all have visions of what our dream life will look like and it can be frustrating and depressing when things don’t turnout like we planned.


In my last post I referred to Hallmark movies and how people tend to like them or not. The more I’ve thought about this the more it seems that those who like them are generally positive and those who don’t…not so much. (Keep in mind that I have done no scientific study about this.)


As I look back over this past year and my goals that were not accomplished, it’s disappointing. Sure, some goals were, but many weren’t. I find myself beginning to get negative. If I’m not careful I start believing that I can’t really do those things anyway, who am I kidding. It’s just some unrealistic fairytale dream, like a Hallmark movie.


Giving up is like dying while you’re still alive. Don’t give up!


So, it’s a new year full of new opportunities and possibilities. I don’t know about you, but I’m setting some new big amazing goals for 2020. What, you might ask, is going to make this year different than the rest? The others are in the past and can’t be changed. This new year is a clean page to write whatever I want on.

 

I have to be careful when putting my dreams on a new page. There are so many they begin to overlap and run off the edge. There are so many big wonderful things to do, it’s easy to continually dream more and bigger. What’s hard is clarity and focus. This year we’re going to clarify our mission and narrow our focus. One tool we’re using for this is Donald Miller’s, Business Made Simple.


A goal without clarity of mission is like a small boat without a rudder.


There are tons of goal setting systems and programs out there, I know because I’ve used many of them. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with any of them. Many of them I’m still using. What I am saying is that I need to clarify my mission. I’m tired of ending up wherever the current takes me. Goal setting is an important part of accomplishment, but the mission needs to come first.

 

 


I can set goals all day long, but if I’m not clear about the mission, I may be setting the wrong ones.


If I hope to accomplish that which I have been put here for I need to start with clarifying my mission first and set my goals accordingly.


If all goes well, we hope to have the new Solution Building web site operational later this week.