“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

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“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

– Orison Swett Marden, early self-help writer

We all have them: good days, and not so good days. If you would like to increase the number of good ones, work on your optimism muscle, always hoping for (and, yes, working toward) a better future.

Consider the difference between the hopeful worker on a Friday, looking forward to the weekend, versus the sad and blue individual on a Sunday evening, not so delighted about the Monday ahead.

Exercise:

Ask yourself these questions, whether you are in a good mood or not, to provide yourself and others with a tonic for a better tomorrow:
• What am I looking forward to?
• What can I work on today, to make my tomorrow better?
• How can I be a catalyst for others to have their tomorrows be great too?

“Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.”

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“Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.”

—William Shakespeare

Image from Unsplash by NeONBRAND

The pursuit of knowledge is a never-ending journey. Whether we wish to win the national spelling bee or master our own vocation, the inner journey to amass the necessary amount of information is daunting.

The journey within oneself can be mysterious and enlightening.

Commit to a personal journey of inner discovery and self-awareness. Discover your strengths. If you are not sure what they are, ask those close to you. Discover your unique abilities and talents. Discover your core values and fundamental beliefs.

Exercise:

Consider creating a daily self-discovery journal or log to capture your observations once a week. Share those observations with a close colleague or family member.

“Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.”

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“Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.”

– Horace, Roman poet

I remember, in my mid-30s, talking with some colleagues about our 401k program at work. The company had just developed an easy-to-use software program that helped people calculate their net worth based on their savings level, years of work, and a hypothetical interest rate estimate.

My colleagues’ goal was to retire, to stop working, to take it easy, to relax. By increasing their prosperity, though, they seemed to diminish their drive.

On the other hand, I’ve seen people who’ve experienced great adversity and very limited resources tap into their inner abilities and courage to accomplish great things no-one would ever expect.

Exercise:

Assuming you achieve your desired level of prosperity, how will you keep your passion and drive each and every day to fully realize your genius?

“Genius does take shortcuts, but it rarely escapes initial drudgery.”

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“Genius does take shortcuts, but it rarely escapes initial drudgery.”

– William Feather, publisher and author (attributed)

Have you ever noticed a person with great mastery or skill who accomplishes feats of brilliance with ease?

Whether that’s an inventor like Edison, an athlete like Michael Jordan, or performers like the Beatles, they all have something in common. They all experience the not so glowing moments of poor performance, drudgery, or failure.

The eventual “aha!” shiny moments so often come after massive amounts of preparation, without the accolades and standing ovations that we see in the media.

Exercise:

Where does your genius lie, beneath your seemingly mundane daily efforts?

How can you take delight in these efforts, knowing that there’s a great gift just waiting to be revealed?

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

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“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

– Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

How often do you find yourself on the playing field versus in the stands as a spectator?

As spectators to a sporting event, or even a business interaction, we find ourselves in a relatively safe spot where we risk little or nothing. When we actually suit up and get in the game, we are putting ourselves to the test. Will we win and achieve success, or will we lose and fail?

One sure thing is that without risk, without getting in the game, we will never truly test ourselves, grow fully, and turn our potential for success into glorious triumphs.

Exercise:

Where in your life and career can you shift from being a spectator to getting on the field, so as to experience the excitement of participating – and yes, the potential of defeat.

It’s better to be fully alive on the field than to simply survive in the stand. Live your life; don’t play it so safe that you never go anywhere.

“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.”

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“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.”

– Oliver Goldsmith, writer

When I was a young boy, I loved to play tennis. Although very short in stature, I was very quick on my feet, and would often out-hustle, and out-last, my playing opponents. I was actually pretty good!

One day, I noticed that I was no longer doing so much running around and actually had opponents on the run, due to the well-placed shots I was able to hit.

I continued to play with the same people, and found myself winning almost every match. The downside of this was that my skills plateaued, or actually declined a bit, due to the lack of skilled opponents.

In today’s tennis world, I would simply be moved from a 3.5 level to a 4.0 level and my growth would likely begin again.

Exercise:

Where in your life have you reached the top ranks of performance and plateaued in your growth?

Where can you find others with superior skills and ability to help you stretch your limits and take your growth to the next level?

Quality of Life

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“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

– Vince Lombardi, American football coach

Image from www.transformation-catalysts.com

Image from www.transformation-catalysts.com

I have had the honor of coaching over 1,000 individuals over the past 19 years.

The pursuit of excellence in all areas of their lives is a common characteristic. I even named my six-month coaching program “Personal Excellence Training,” where each person gets to plan and execute their own personal excellence journey.

Exercise:

List five to ten of the most important areas of your life.

The list may include family, career, health, finances, community, faith, relationships, education, service, leadership, sports, skills, hobbies, travel, or other things.

Answer the following question for each area you listed:

What would I accomplish if I fully pursued personal excellence in this area of my life?

“A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

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“A great pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”

– Walter Bagehot, businessman and essayist

In your day to day life, how often do you see people being critical or diminishing others with phrases such as “That will never work,” “You can’t do that,” “Why bother trying?” “It’s too difficult,” “There’s no use in trying.”

How often do statements such as these stop you in your tracks? Perhaps instead, as is the case with this quote, they generate the thoughts of “Oh yeah?” “Yes, I can, I’ll show you.” “Your thinking just makes me want it more.”

Exercise:

Where are your colleagues at work, family members, and even people who you call friends placing their limiting beliefs on you?

What will it take to exceed these limits, achieve your objectives, and tell yourself “I knew I had it in me all along!”

“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.”

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“Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, leader of the Transcendentalist movement

When I begin a coaching assignment, I include a core value exercise. A high percent of the time, my clients include the values of “personal growth” and “realizing their potential” on their list.

My personal journey into the world of coaching began when I watched the 1992 Barcelona Olympic games, where there were approximately 2,000 coaches supporting 5,000 athletes. It seemed that Olympic levels of achievement were highly correlated with the support of a coach to help each individual achieve their best performance.

Exercise:

What percent of your fullest potential have you realized, professional and personally?

Who are the people in your life that encourage and stretch you to do all you can?

“It’s what you learn after you know it all, that counts.”

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“It’s what you learn after you know it all, that counts.”

– John Wooden, basketball coach

Image of today's quote

When you hear a person say the phrase “I know,” it means that they have stopped listening. When a cup is full, it is impossible to fill it any further.

Consider the possibility that knowledge and wisdom are vital fluids that fill your life’s cup. What if the richness of life could only be held in your cupped hands? What a waste to limit yourself in this way.

Exercise:

How can you dramatically increase the size of your learning vessel, to allow greater knowledge and wisdom in?

How can you, as a scholar of life, have more of a beginner’s mind – and make your life count even more?