Stressed. Overwhelmed. Disconnected.
Those are a few of the feelings that described me towards the end of last year.
For a guy who prides himself as “having it all together” and helping others to be more effective leaders, this was really troubling.
I couldn’t concentrate on anything fully, and I felt like I could never catch up with my engineering work, Engaged Marriage, my fitness and (worst of all) my home life.
Can you relate to feeling SO busy that you struggle to enjoy the people and projects that you care the most about?
It was pretty terrible, and I knew that something had to change.
Looking Back (Not Fun)
I took off a few days around Christmas with the hopes that I’d be able to clear my head.
No dice.
As I reflected back on 2015, there were definitely lots of successes and things to be proud about.
But I knew I fell short in many ways, too. Not just in business but in my connection to Bethany and our three kids.
Plus, the extra 20 pounds around my waist was feeling especially heavy.
I pulled out my trusty Moleskine journal and took a look at the Big Plans I had for 2015, and the SMART goals I had set early in the year.
I had about a 20% success rate, and I realized that even the best of intentions don’t mean much when you fail to follow-through.
#FAIL
The Turning Point
I remember it clearly…while mindlessly scrolling my Facebook feed while waiting for a haircut, an ad caught my eye.
It said something along the lines of “You’re Wasting 80% of Your Potential” – and based on my annual review, that raised an eyebrow.
When I clicked over, I realized I had heard this guy on a podcast with Amy Porterfield recently. He was all about high performance and breaking free of overwhelm by using smart systems.
My kind of guy.
His name is Todd Herman, and he’s become a mentor to me in 2016 (even though we’ve never met or even personally conversed).
You can read more about him on his blog, but here’s a quick summary:
Todd’s spent almost 20 years serving as one of the world’s most sought after peak performance coaches… working in the trenches to help over 10,000 Olympic athletes, 9 Fortune 100 Companies, billionaires, and even royal families achieve the epitome of success in their fields.
Todd is also a devoted husband and Dad to two little girls – again, my kind of guy!
I started following Todd and not just learning but APPLYING his advice, and it was a real game changer for me.
There’s a lot I could share, but these three simple things made the biggest difference for me…and our family.
These 3 Things Changed My Life Big Time
1. I Broke Free of “Old-School” Goal Setting
I’m a big fan of goal setting, and I’ve done it all of my adult life (and even as a kid). But I found that as life got busier and more complicated, my success rate in actually meeting my goals was pretty dismal.
I got away from thinking in terms of “right now” or “this year” and I quit allowing my brain to be fooled into thinking that setting a goal was an achievement in itself. Instead, I adopted Todd’s achievement system, switched to 90-day goal horizons with 2-week “sprints” and my success soared.
RESULT: I created, launched and delivered our new flagship program at Engaged Marriage in less than two months (total). And it happened while working full-time, expanding the EM team and spending more quality time with my family.
It’s called Total Marriage Makeover and it’s by far the best thing we’ve ever done to help busy couples enjoy the marriage of their dreams.
2. I Quit “Context Switching” ALL the Time
I didn’t have a name for it until Todd gave me one, but Context Switching was an absolute productivity killer for me, and I bet it is for you, too.
Our culture’s love affair with multi-tasking is a complete farce, and I guarantee you will benefit from changing how you work. I thought I was a productive guy, but giving my to-do list a makeover and knocking out big items using Todd’s “block and tackle” approach was a game changer.
RESULT: Once I switched HOW I work, I found I needed to work less to get more done. That’s a sweet change, and in my case it allowed me to spend more quality time with Bethany and our kids.
An important distinction – it’s not just about quantity of time either. Because I felt accomplished in my work, I was far less distracted and could really, truly focus on my family.
3. I Started Focusing on Performance…Not Potential
This is really the overarching change that’s occurred in my approach to business and life. It’s a mindset issue, but actually putting it into action is much less abstract.
It takes some effort to break old habits, but I found that Todd’s approach was practical and systematic. So even when I wasn’t sure about the outcome, I learned to trust the steps and the payoff was immense.
RESULT: I’m achieving success like never before. I’ve literally done more in our business in the first quarter of 2016 than we accomplished in all of 2015 (or any other year).
And again, this goes way beyond entrepreneurship.
Family, faith life and friendships have been enhanced so much.
So, life’s easy now, right?
Of course not. The reality is that things have gotten pretty strained again lately.
I’m ready for a mid-year refresher in the “Wisdom of Todd” and I’d LOVE to have you join me.
Introducing the 2-Week “Sprint to Success” Challenge (Free & Fun)
I just found out that Todd will be releasing some free training next week, which is awesome.
I already know that I’ll be following it closely and implementing what I learn to get back at the top of game with my business and especially my family life.
Would you like to join me?
We’ll check out the free training together, share what we learn/do, and I will add some of my own coaching and experiences for your benefit.
I’ve set up a private Facebook group where we can collaborate over the next two weeks and improve ourselves.
This is especially perfect if you’re an entrepreneur (or want to be), but you’ll benefit a lot if you’re looking to set and achieve any big goals.
Click here to join my FREE 2-Week Sprint to Success Challenge
After you click over, just look for the button that says “Join Group” and click it. I’ll then approve you and we’ll be able to start sharing our goals and achievements.
I’m excited to see you inside as we kick off summer together so you can enjoy a better, more engaged life!
Click the image to join our FREE private Facebook group!
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