“Everything you want is on the other side of ‘hard’.” – CJ McCollum, NBA player McCollum is a story of overachievement.  He was undersized.  Played college basketball at a non-descript school.  Was a long shot to be an NBA player but worked his way to being a first-round draft pick and was a solid star in his 10th year in the league. I heard him describe his approach to the game and his development on a podcast called

I recently read the book Atomic Habits by James Clear, and it really got me thinking. It’s not new to the world, but it’s new to me. I recommend it. (It’s also available on audiobook.) He discusses what makes a habit work and describes how the discipline of habit-building should be one that everyone takes on. He says habits are “atomic,” which means each of us is comprised of dozens of small habits—sort of like how everything

Do you use checklists? I must admit, I don’t. I have written to you about the power of the checklist but have not yet incorporated it into my life. I read a book that reminded me of their power and it has me reconsidering how I approach it. The book is called Golf’s Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia, written by David Cook. It sounds exotic, but it isn’t really. A friend gave

Another good thought from organizational consultant Brian Kight. Let’s break it down:  “When strength is the mission…” I heard many years ago that successful organizations are strong, fast, and agile. Strong enough to face the challenges and embrace the opportunities. Fast enough to respond quickly when those challenges and opportunities arise. Agile enough to maintain footing in the uneven environments and circumstances we encounter. “Hard is the standard…” You don’t get stronger, maintain speed, or

If I had my druthers, all teammates would be working on some plan to get better at their jobs all the time. No exceptions. Here’s why. When you aren’t intentional about getting better, you will likely be drifting backward. Every day without addressing a plan to improve creates a gap further from your team’s best or personal best.  Intentional improvement will increase engagement. People have a higher self-regard when they are engaged in their work.

“The most important characteristic any of us have is our attitude. It’s a concept that permeates everything you do. We all bring our attitude to every situation.” – Jay Wright, championship coach What’s the condition of your attitude? It travels with you all the time. It always has an impact on the circumstances you encounter. We choose our attitude: Optimistic/Pessimistic? Hopeful/Defeatist? Supportive/Combative? Humble/Arrogant? Team first/Me first? There are countless choices. Neutral isn’t an option. You

I don’t know about you, but I try to be hopeful. Having hope is expecting that things will improve and be better. Psychologist Mark Goulston posted this list of “hope killers:” If you have no gratitude, you’re disappointed. If you have no confidence, you’re doubtful. If you have no faith, you’re pessimistic. If you have no belief, you’re skeptical. If you have no trust, you’re cynical. If you have no respect, you’re disdainful. If you

Whatever you’re not changing, you’re choosing. If you find yourself in an unhappy situation, what are you doing to fix this aspect of your life? Are you actively trying to improve things, or are you ignoring the problem? I was visiting with a friend. He found his job hard. He felt like his pay was unfair. He felt like his forward path was undesirable. Yet, he was still in the job. He had no plan to

I’m reading a book called Thank You for Being Late by Thomas Friedman. The book is rich with insights into the speed of change in today’s world. He notes that when changes were introduced back in the days of our parents and grandparents, it could take generations before the changes were incorporated into everyday life. Now, changes can be introduced and absorbed in four or five years. Examples abound. The smartphone is just ten years old, and

“Choices, chances, changes. You must make a choice to take a chance if you want anything in life to change.” – Zig Ziglar A common value we express is “happening to the world” before the world happens to us. It’s an active strategy. It demands that we not be passive. No doubt, stuff happens to us every day that we don’t see coming. Happening to the world says when stuff happens, we don’t stay down.