Tuesday, June 3, 2014

THE 2ND QUARTER S.U.R.G.E.

The second quarter has been in full swing since April and I delayed this post for a few reasons that I won't get into right now. Now that it's June, we're in the last phase of the 2nd quarter and that means it's time to make our presence felt in the game. It's time for What some call a second quarter push but I call a second quarter surge. Often times, the way we start can or cannot have an effect on the overall game. However, there are certain spots in our pursuit of happiness which can truly propel us into the next stratosphere if we are mindful, intentional and relentless in our approach.

I call it a SURGE instead of a PUSH because the definitions alone hold different weight. To push means to press upon something with force in order to move it away. To surge means to rise or roll with a heavy swelling motion, or to undergo a large momentary increase. Would you rather force your success away or would you rather rise to and roll with your success?

You may have actually had a great 1st quarter, but one quarter doesn't define an entire game or an entire year for that matter. In order for any growth or progress to occur we must objectively look at our body of work for all it's highs, lows, in-betweens, the good, bad and ugly. This is the moment that we uncover who we are, what we possess and where we are willing to go. The second quarter is the opportune to demand more from ourselves while it's still early in the game. The second quarter is the power quarter because it provides us an opportunity to take our good to better, our better to best, and our best to phenomenal. The 2nd Quarter can give us tremendous momentum if and when we take advantage of it. 

The 2nd quarter SURGE, simply put, is the process of Strategically Uncovering and Redirecting Gifts and Energy. Sometimes it takes a below average, average and/or even an above average quarter for us to stop and simply take inventory of where we are and why we are where we are. Whatever the case, we have the freedom to choose whether or not we will improve or enhance our performance. 

May I remind you that everyone was created with at least one gift and often times that gift is simply waiting to be uncovered. It's waiting to be claimed. Your gift is your winning lottery ticket that some of you have yet to go and claim. You are the winner but you're letting your ticket sit on the counter and collect dust. Everyone else knows what your gift is and where your gift is, but you won't redeem the ticket. As a matter of fact, other people are jealous because they can see your gift but you refuse to pick it up and use it. The key to winning in any quarter is uncovering your gift. The moment that you simply acknowledge and receive it, you automatically begin winning but it takes diligence and tenacity to grow your gift. 

Redirecting your gift is simply about knowing your gift inside and out from every possible angle yet being confident and bold enough to apply it in different areas of your life in order to make a more meaningful impact. Redirecting your gift means you have an obligation to share your gift with other people. As a result of your generosity those around you will be inclined to share their gifts as well. Ironically sharing your gift is the best kept secret to success when in,fact it, your gift should never be a secret. 

The secret to THE SURGE is the Uncovering and Redirecting portion. Ironically, it's the UR in the word that stand out. Remove the UR from the word and it has zero meaning and impact. Sound familiar? Let's think about it.... 

UR the gifted 
UR the talented
UR the beginning
UR the finisher
UR the catalyst 
UR the revolution
UR the question
UR the answer
UR the franchise
UR the victor 
UR the difference maker 
UR the game changer 
UR the powerful voice in your head
UR the master of your fate
UR the judge, the jury and the executioner 
UR the undisputed champion
UR the sole controller of your 2ND QUARTER SURGE

The possession arrow is in yoUR favor.

So what RU waiting for?  

REBOUND.RESET.RELEASE. 





Friday, March 14, 2014

MARCH MADNESS: 3 WAYS TO EFFECTIVELY CLOSE THE 1ST QUARTER




Get your brackets ready! It's that time of year. March Madness brings out every current, former athlete and wannabe coach and sports analyst in America. Everyone is super anxious for the field of teams to be chosen so they can enter their respective office pools in order to flex their basketball muscle and claim their spot as the undisputed bracket champion. I can't remember a year when the NCAA basketball tournament didn't live up to and/or surpass the hype of March Madness. From the cinderella teams to the dominant and storied programs, every game is critical, every possession is important, every strategy is intentional, every team has a unique story, every fan, alumni, analyst and bracketologist is hungry for victory and focused on making sure their bracket doesn't get busted. Sound familiar? It should. Imagine if we approached our lives as ferociously as people approach March Madness. 

Before the tournament starts, everyone has a formula that they use to fill out their respective brackets. Some look at stats, others look at individual scorers, strength of each team's regular season schedule, the head coach, margin of victory, etc. Whatever the strategy may be, everyone completely fills out their bracket and has faith that they will win. Imagine having faith in something that we have zero control over that's out of our reach yet we don't have faith in some of the things that are within our reach. See why they call it "madness"?

As we MARCH into the final phase of the 1st quarter, there are three ways to effectively close it and step boldly into the 2nd quarter;


1) FEARLESSLY FILL OUT YOUR BRACKET:


You want to win, right? Move up the deadline on those goals you've set and finish them ahead of schedule. As a matter of fact, add an additional goal to your original list of goals you set. Take risks on the action that will yield the highest reward for you. This is a time when you have to be selfish in your strategy. Take action that others might view as "crazy" or "overly ambitious". Let that gut instinct determine the end result that you want. This is the time when your heart and gut must be in complete agreement and are willing to stretch. Don't just write out your plans, write out your power and claim it.


2) MAXIMIZE YOUR MADNESS


When the MADNESS is at it's peak, no one misses a score update, an upset of a favored team, a landslide victory. Why? They re-structure their lives around the "madness". It becomes their priority, their focus, their obsession. Imagine if we rearranged our priorities and placed the same energy that we utilize on the "MADNESS" and place it into those daily tasks that we want to do and have to do. We would completely destroy our competition.

Become obsessed with finishing at the top, but moreover become obsessed with the fulfillment that finishing brings. Make the image in the mirror your biggest cheerleader and your most formidable opponent that pushes you to the edge of maximum competitiveness. Develop a sense of urgency, a "MADNESS", that leads you to record your daily wins and losses as you accomplish the predictable and unpredictable. Celebrate your small wins for the moment then wake up the next day like they never happened yet with a renewed and intensified hunger to go to the next level.


3) MARCH LOUDLY

As you examine and re-examine your bracket, boldly follow the path of most resistance and march deliberately toward the goals you've set. Your bracket should be the envy and wonderment of those around you. However, your footsteps should be so definite and powerful that your teammates and opponents are left in awe. Allow your footsteps to be so phenomenal that you can't duplicate them and those goals in front of you not only see you coming to accomplish them, but they tremble as they hear you approaching. Put the necessary blinders on that help you stay the course no matter how far away the actual goal is. March so loudly that all those along the way recognize the intensity and intention of your journey. No need to talk loud along the way. Allow your inner voice to be your inner victory. Your work and your footsteps will speak volumes louder than anything your mouth can utter. Allow your MARCH to be the ultimate routine for the championship run. No need to look at the time. The time is now. No need to look at your teammate(s), they're expecting you to close the deal. Well done is always better than well said. So get it done!

REBOUND. RESET. RELEASE.








Tuesday, February 4, 2014

FIRST QUARTER PUSH: 3 WAYS OUT OF THE RESOLUTION RUT

Right about now the newness of the New Year and it's resolutions have pretty much worn off. Right? Wrong? Am I judging you? Relax! It's not that type of party. The key to winning any game is about how you start before you start. That's not a typo. Are you confused? I hope not. Let me just get down to brass tax so you can get on with your day but more importantly this week, this month and ultimately this quarter. The resolution rut is a pain in the butt, but you have the choice to get yourself out it.

There are 3 ways out of the Resolution Rut;

1) Know The System:

Some leadership guru was quoted as saying, "stop setting goals and begin creating systems", and I honestly couldn't agree more. Seeing that we are all creatures of habit, we always want to achieve and surpass goals and get new results. The reality is we have a difficult time achieving and surpassing goals because we're not committed to new behaviors, habits or systems. Our minds allow us to envision the huge and impressive results without envisioning the detailed work that goes into reaching the goal. When we leave out the details of the process, we simply fantasize. Once you snap out of any fantasy, you pretty much perish any follow-up thoughts about what you were fantasizing about in the first place.

Unbeknownst to us, we have already developed systems for everything we do including but not limited to getting dressed in the morning, making meals, even cleaning and/or maintaining our spaces (home, car, office). Now, I didn't say these systems are perfect, nor did I suggest that they're effective, but they allow us to function at some level. Therefore, before we set goals, we must pay attention to the systems that we have in place and then objectively evaluate the outcomes as well as our feelings about those outcomes. Knowing the system means you know the plays that will work regardless of the predictable and unpredictable challenges. When you know the system, you're more confident. When you know the system you're more focused. When you know the system, you control the system. Knowing the system means you intentionally choose your play every single possession and understand that if the system fails, you can still run a variation of the original system. Rejection or failure of your system hopefully leads to an enhanced desire to get out of the resolution rut. 


2) Know Your Personnel

Once you create, run and know the system, be intentional about the resources you choose to help you run your system. There are people and things that are required for your system to run effectively, but it's up to you to make the adjustments that will allow the system to produce the desired results. Don't have resources in place that throw off the chemistry of your team. You can have a team full of talent but if there's no chemistry, there's chaos. Stop choosing certain resources because they're convenient or because those resources worked for someone else. The competitive edge of knowing your system and knowing your personnel comes from you being decisive about where you want to go and who you want to be once you arrive.


3) Dictate The Tempo

Stop rushing to get to the 4th quarter. You have no idea what challenges are waiting for you. Moreover, you don't know if the plays you're running or the personnel you're using in the 1st quarter will even be enough to compete, let alone produce the desired results during the 4th quarter. I'm not suggesting that you operate at half speed or that you not focus on winning during the first quarter. I'm not asking you to be nonchalant or unenthusiastic in your approach. As the sole controller you must demonstrate a balance of focus, urgency, critical thinking and patience as you encounter obstacles and challenges. Rather I'm admonishing you to tweak your system to produce tangible and excellent results every possession.

The first quarter is the warm-up quarter, however it's not be taken lightly. Your performance sets the tone for what you will do and how you will do it. It's up to you to have first quarter vision with 4th quarter effort and tenacity. Make every possession count by making every practice count. If your practice and your system are thorough, the first quarter push will look like hard work but feel like walk in the park. Get out the rut now by creating your systems first. Your goals will thank you.



REBOUND. RESET. RELEASE.