It's About Time...Really!

WHAT'S YOUR BIGGEST TIME CHALLENGE?

8% Having leisure/recreational time to spend with the family

9% Finding time to be alone

12% Carving out time together as a couple

34% Scheduling time to exercise

37% Too much time putting out fires and not enough on high-priority goals

Are You Asking, "Why Not?"

If someone you love calls you with an emergency, you rush to help, right? It's because your "why not" or your reason for doing it, is clear and important to you. You don't have to give it much thought. Your action and responses are automatic.

When your reasons for doing something are BIG enough, you'll have the necessary motivation to make sure it happens. If you want to run your first marathon, start your own business, run for a political office, write a book, take that trip you've always dreamed of, you first have to answer the question: Why not?" Your answer builds your case for staying on course to get to where you want to be.

So take the following steps to answer your "Why not?"

1. Write out your 'why not'. Ask yourself, "why do I want to...______." Write down your answer.
2. Be specific and clear. For example: "I want to become a teacher so I can give kids hope for their future." Or, "I want to start my own business so I can spend my life as I wish." Include how your life will improve if you hit your goal.
3. When you find yourself slipping on your goal, remember or reread your why. Or use it as your personal mantra.

So when you wake up in the morning and your feel hit the ground are you headed off to a day that answers 'why not?' Odds are that right now you know what "it" is that you want to do in your life. Why not?

The Pizza Boy

John Schnatter was a 15- year old kid who went from being a dishwasher to a pizza maker in a small sub shop. Now anything is better than washing dishes for a buck right? So Schnatter took to learning how to make pizzas right away to show his boss that he deserved a promotion and away from dish washing.
Today Papa John's Pizza is one of the largest pizza franchises in the world. Below is Schnatter's "Do's and Dont's" to building a strategy to being successful at whatever endeavor you may pursue.

DO...
Love what you do. "If you have a passion and you're proud of it, you will do a good job."

Be the best in your class and offer the best product. "We want to be the best pizza delivery company in the world and we think we can."

Teach people leadership. "It is very fulfilling to watch people grow," says Schnatter.

DON'T...
Give up too early.

Be afraid the confront the facts (especially the ugly ones) and tackle challenges.

Be arrogant. "When companies start to fall apart it's because they think they're smarter, they're not open and they don't watch trends," Schnatter says.

Reasons You Need a Best Friend

In conjunction with my latest blog article, here are some great reasons you need a best friend in life.

1. Comfort. A best friend is someone you don't have to fill in the blanks with. They already know all the inner details of your life. You can cut to the chase and get right to the meat of any discussion.

2. Connectedness. One of our most basic fears is being alone. Whether your best friend is around the corner or across the world, just knowing they are there provides a connection.

3. Unconditional Support. It's important to have someone in our lives we feel totally at ease with, someone we can be ourselves with, with no conditions for support.

4. Honest Opinions. Best friends will always be totally honest with you. They know you well and are able to tell it like it is. They have your best interests at heart.

5. Self-esteem Boosters. Best friends help us to develop our self-esteem. Having someone in our lives who believes we're important - someone who wants our opinion on things and who values our company--makes us feel wanted boosts our self-esteem.

6. A Fresh Perspective. A good friend can help us find those "A-ha" moments that lead to solving problems and fulfilling dreams. They share things with us that can open our eyes to new ideas and ways to think about the world around us.

7. Personal Growth. Having a best friend means sharing experiences. They know when to push us alittle, support us, challenge us to reach out to new experiences. Conversely, they know how to tell us that it appears where stuck in a rut.

8. LOYALTY! Loyalty means never having to worry about someone spilling your secrets or talking about you behind your back. Best friends = built-in trust. A loyal friend will be on your team no matter what. They will be honest with you, but won't betray you.

Who Needs a Best Friend...We All Do!

"Friends...Who Needs Them?"

This is the story of 3 Midwestern boys - childhood friends - growing up together in small town America. We started kindergarten together at Hilltop Elementary and crossed the stage in May 1971 from Lincoln High School.
My one friend was the epitome of the All-American boy despite the social and political unrest of the late 1960's and early 70's. Think of the "Ballad of the Green Beret" and you'll have the picture.
My other friend was "the" class clown. He went unopposed with that title. I mean how many students after repeated warnings from a 7th grade History teacher find themselves with their mouth duct taped shut?

Then something happened to all three of us....LIFE!

Like being shot out of a canon we went our separate ways. We each had different paths in life that brought pain, disappointment and joy. Sometimes the pain was so deep there was little hope of joy. We each found ourselves in different locales across the country. Time and distance had fractured our friendships that we had always believed would never be contested.
One friend faced personal challenges but persevered. My other friend...well...I'm not sure. he disappeared. Maybe deliberately.
Four years ago I attended what would be my first high school reunion...my 30th. I really went because my Dad had told me that my friend would be there and hoped I would also. I did.
When I entered the local country club (the first time in my life since I grew up on the wrong side of town) a former cheerleader at the receptionist desk jumped to her feet and shouted, "You're here! Oh my gosh you're here!" (Keep in mind that back in the day I never even got a look from her).
And then without missing a beat she said, "He's over there" and pointed to my friend. It looked like a scene from Love Story as we came together and hugged one another. This was a friend who once called me and asked for forgiveness if he had ever said anything hurtful back in the day. No forgiveness was needed.
Our other friend did not attend the reunion. Whenever I'm asked about him, where he is, what he is doing, what's happened to the class clown my answer is always the same: "I really don't know but if you hear anything please let me know."
In 1963 the three of us sat in Ms. Miller's 5th grade class. She was teaching that day how to know when the letters "i" and "e" comes before the other. "For instance" she said, "like the word friend. Remember that the last three letters are 'end.' Friends stay together to the 'end.'"
So Donnie take care of yourself. I know lately there's been a health concern or two. Maybe we can hook up at that 35th high school reunion and represent!
And Dave...just remember that Donnie and I are in the phone book. We both still think of you and hope you are well. Or hey just forget the phone call...just come join us at the country club in 2011 for that 35th reunion.
FRIENDS...Who Needs Them? We all do especially those friends who stick with you to the 'end."

Don't Forget The Simple Things

The other day I went to the gym to workout. Working out is just a normal part of my day even when my brain tells me all the 'reasons' why I should let it go that day. I know the director of the gym I attend and we often visit about what's going on in each other's worlds. As I prepared to start my work out routine, she walked up to me and in a tired voice asked:

"Tell me something good."

Pretty simple request right? So the first thing that came to mind was to tell her, "Well you have two great kids!" She looked up and with a slight smile responded, "Thanks I needed that." Maybe it brought her some perspective about not so much being a director but being a Mom.

I'm not too sure what's going on with many people today but boy they seem to be exhausted and overwhelmed. It was a long, cold, dark winter. The economy tanked. Anyone, no matter what side of the aisle you sit on, is probably fed up with all the health care bantering, finger pointing and accusations. As I talk to friends and individuals, most are fed up with their jobs.

I've talked with people who tell me they don't get to work any sooner than absolutely necessary.

One person who is trying to lose weight told me he stops on the way to work at a convenience store and eats an apple fritter and washes it down with a strong cup of coffee. Just what he needs...a good dose of sugar and caffeine to deal with his boss!

"Tell us something good."

Here's what I have to offer to each of you. First of all the good news is its FREE! And the odds are you really don't need directions or need to be taught. My guess is you have experience.

So here we go. The late Jim Valvano, coach of the 1983 National Champion North Carolina State basketball team gave what is widely recognized as one of the greatest speeches ever given...all without a prepared script, straight from his heart. Battling a cancer that just days later would claim his life, Jimmy V challenged everyone to do the following to get the most out of their lives. Here is a portion of that speech that if applied to each of our lives will do something good for us.

"To me, there are three things we all should do every day. We should do this every day of our lives. Number one is laugh. You should laugh everyday. Number two is think. You should spend time in thought. Number three is you should have your emotions moved to tears, could be happiness or joy. But think about it. If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day. That's a heck of a day! You do that seven days a week, you're going to have something special."

---Jim Valvano

I went to see the rock group Five for Fighting and lead singer John Ondrasik recently. It was a great concert. Ondrasik is a terrific song writer with meaningful lyrics. But he did something at the end of the concert I've never seen someone in a nationally known group do before. All of his band mates exited and Ondrasik stepped to the middle of the stage. He looked out at the audience and told them he understood people were tired, challenged, that money was tight and relationships stretched. "If I could offer you one last thing tonight," he said, "it would be hope." And with that he sang his last song of the evening, all about hope.

So go out and laugh, think about life, and cry when your moved. My guess is it will build the hope that lies in each of us!

WELCOME TO THE LIFEWORKS BLOG

The is the inaugural blog for my website and business LifeWorks! So fasten your seat belts, put your trays and seats in the upright position and prepare for takeoff.

For many of you blogging is second nature. For a minority of us, well like me, this is a new adventure. Growing up as a kid in north central Iowa in the 60's, waiting for the black and white TV to warm up so you could select from one of three channels was as good as life got. (Oh and you had to ask to turn the TV on). On a good weather night, you might pick up a fourth channel which was the Public TV channel out of Des Moines a good 70 miles away.

Then one Christmas, I moved up in the world of technology when my parents got me a Transistor radio. All you needed was a 9 volt battery and you could get all the AM stations you wanted. That's right AM...FM hadn't been born yet...and when it was they had all this funky music with weird DJs.

Well now I have a flatscreen, HD, stereo, cable, 48" TV. I have NO idea everything it can do. I think one night I "linked up" to the Space Shuttle. I have a computer which is a big deal when you consider when I was a kid in elementary school a piece of chalk and a blackboard was all we had. Prehistoric right? Oh that and a #2 pencil. America's schools taught millions of kids with the chalk, blackboard and pencils. A notebook was well a notebook.

Let me tell you what I don't have though. I DON'T own a cellphone. When I tell people that they don't believe me. How could that be possible? In today's world...really? No cellphone? My Dad who is 80 has a cellphone! He talks to his 82 year old brother on his cellphone.

I find cellphones for the most part annoying. If I'm to believe everyone, they have them in case of an emergency. They purchase cellphones for their children and their elderly parents for emergencies. We must live in a country in great disarray, confusion and crisis.

People think I'm a dinosaur...out of it...I need to "catch up". Truth is I'm not interested in catching up. I'd rather actually "talk" to people. If I have to walk 20 ft. in an office building to ask someone something rather than send an email, I'll walk the 20 feet.

The other day I was in restaurant. Sitting at a table next to me was a family of five and grandpa and granma. Sunday dinner I imagine after church. The father was on his Blackberry, two of the kids were playing games on their cellphones, and the other child had an Ipod on. Granpa was at the end of the table with no one to talk to as Granma and probably her daughter just sat. There was NO conversation going on. You should have seen the waitress trying to get their orders!

So I'm a firm believer in developing communication skills with the brain, ears, mouth, eyes and heart. And in future blogs that's one area we'll be going. We already have a generation of incredible technology and people who have no idea how to communicate with their family, spouse, children, co-workers, neighbors. Effective communication goes well beyond your finger and thumb tips. As you will learn in blogs to come, LifeWorks is all about helping people get the most out of their lives and relationships. As Seals & Crofts sang back in the 70's, "we may never pass this way again." So why not build meaningful relationships?

As a footnote...this very first blog is dedicated to my Mom. About 5 years ago she died a terrible and painstaking death due to pancreatic cancer. It was on Easter Sunday. She was my Mom, prsion guard, counselor, friend, enforcer, teacher, coach, and hugger. She was tough, she was loving. She was Mom...(and yes she had a cellphone!)