The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. That’s why banks rely heavily on a credit scores.  Its also why obtaining those often elusive goals is so dang hard.  So how can you create change? Here’s the 3 Critical Elements To Accomplish Anything!

A Written Goal

I mean a compelling and specific written goal with a due date.  By compelling I mean something you want to achieve and you know why you want to achieve it.  To simply say you want to “read the bible through” or “lose 10 pounds” doesn’t carry enough weight (pun intended) to get you to actually change your behavior.  You have to have a compelling “Why” or reason for moving in the direction of your goal.  Keep it positive.  Focus on what you want to gain and not what you want to lose.

A Solid Strategy

My good friend Mark Cole defined strategy this way.  “If your goal was to occupy Normandy your strategy might be to use the air force the navy and the marines for a Continue Reading…

Recently I was on a flight where the flight attendant delivered his safety instructions over the PA and finished with this statement, “Please be careful when you open the overhead bins because, in flight, shift happens”.  Clever, huh?  I don’t care if you’re a pre-school teacher or the Pope, in this life, things don’t always go as planned.

Here are 7 ways to leverage disruption and thrive when shift happens to you.

1. Don’t make things worse:  You won’t make your best decisions when things are on fire… so just don’t!  The easiest way to worsen any complicated situation is to make major life decisions before the shock of the situation has worn off.  If you just had a bomb dropped on you, give yourself some time to let the concussion wear off before you dive into a solution.  Making promises, good or bad,  or offering forgiveness too early may come back to bite you.  Promises made during disruption are almost always formed out of anger.  Premature forgiveness can lead to bitterness on your part or on the part of the person who thought they were forgiven.

2.  Decide ahead of time how you’ll leverage disruption: You must decide ahead of time how you’ll be affected and perfected through disruption.  Disruption that is certainly coming.  Yes I know that’s hard to do when you’ve lost your job or your marriage.  This isn’t an easy step.  Most of the time the lesson is only obvious in the rear view mirror, but still you have to be committed to the lesson.

3. Take as much responsibility as you can:  My pastor, Andy Stanley, claims that counseling has never been his strong suit but that he knows one thing with absolute certainty.  If he couldn’t get people to focus on THEIR CONTRIBUTION to the problem at hand, they weren’t making progress.  Continue Reading…

For the past few weeks one of the audio books I’ve been listening to is the Four Hour Body by Tim Ferris. (Caution there is some adult language and a couple of very adult topics included)

Overall the book has been pretty good but there has been one phrase that really grabbed me. Tim does a lot of strategic testing of supplements and exercise strategies using himself as the test subject. In one experiment he tried a certain dosage of a natural supplement and reported:

No Observable Effect Level Continue Reading…

Attitude 101

This is a post a friend of our family made recently.  I’ve changed some of the names to protect their anonymity but this lady is rockin some Jesus by using a temporary situation to glorify a permanent God!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012 8:35 PM, EST

I turned 41 today, and while I have learned a lot this past year and grown in many ways, let’s be honest…..what I’m really thinking is “Goodbye 40, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!!!!!!!!!”  Really ready to begin a new year.

It was a great day and began with me laying in bed a little later than usual.  It was pouring rain, and I spent a long time talking with God this a.m.  The sweetest way to begin any day!

Then, I made my daily trek…nothing says “birthday celebration” like a good dose of radiation!  I had my fifth treatment today.  (5 down, 28 to go!)  Still doesn’t hurt, still don’t have side effects, and still listening to 80′s music being played in the “radiation room.”  Lori went with me and got to meet a new friend I’ve already made there.  There is the sweetest little old lady named Mary who gets her treatment the same time as me each day.  We talk about everything except for cancer.  Her husband looks exactly like the old man in the movie “Up”, and he seems to take good care of her.  Mary thinks that I’m cute, and I think she is even cuter!  I already look forward to seeing her each day.  So, my radiation treatment that involves driving pretty far down to the hospital, sitting in a waiting room with other patients, and having to lay still on the radiation table in a dark room isn’t that strange of a birthday celebration if you think about it….basically, I got to go out of town, spend time with friends, and even lay down to rest!  It’s all in how you look at it, right? Continue Reading…

If you’re this far into the year and still fine tuning your goals for 2012 congrats!!  You’re in a very small crowd.  Here are a few things I’m working on that you might consider as you move through your best year ever.

1. Find Your Jesus Connection -  We all connect with God in different ways.  Do you know your way?  Make this the year to try some new things and figure out your unique formula.   (PS – God’s word is a good starting point,  I like Paul’s letters to Timothy because its like reading someone’s personal mail)
2. Be in the moment -  When you’re at work….work!!  When you’re at home, actually be engaged.  When you’re at church, serve.
3. Pursue a big dream  – Yes you can pursue a big dream and still be in the moment.  In fact, being in the moment is critical to having the staying power to reach a huge goal.  That’s how you eat an elephant, one bite at the time.  (BTW – Elephant isn’t a lean protein source)   Continue Reading…

I was listening to Lecrae’s “Don’t Waste Your Life” this morning at the gym.  These lyrics are worth reading through.