Doing Your Best – Every Day.

After making sure you have the right equipment and materials you need to do your job right, the next most important factor that will determine how successful you are at your job is how you answer the following question:

“Do I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day?”

This question is definitely my MOST favorite of all those in the Gallup survey, and I could talk for forever — well, at least an hour — about the importance of being able to answer with a clear and resounding…

“Yes!!!”

When Gallup surveyed over 2 million people over 25 years, they found that only 20% of the participants answered “yes” when asked this specific question. This means 8 out of every 10 people surveyed are working in jobs where they do not have the opportunity to do what they do best every day!

What an unfortunate WASTE of talent and opportunity.

Every one of us is given a unique combination of talents and abilities that allow us to make a wonderful contribution to the world in which we live. However, it is our responsibility to find/build/follow a career path that allows us to put these talents and abilities to use as frequently and consistently as possible.

When you accept anything less, you miss out on an opportunity to experience a great sense of joy, satisfaction, and feelings of great personal/professional fulfillment.

How did you answer the question above?

I hope you answered “Yes” — but the odds are you answered “No, I don’t.”

If you don’t have the opportunity to do what you do best every day, the obvious next question is “Why not?”

Think about how much you’re missing, and how much you’re putting up with instead.

It is common for most people to see work as a frustrating, constraining, unpleasant, stress-inducing event — and to consider that “normal.” This is only normal when you are doing work that isn’t aligned with your natural talents and abilities (and you work with other people who are out of alignment too).

On the other hand, people who get to do what they do best on a regular basis find work to be a great source of energy, joy, and satisfaction — even when they are working “hard” throughout the day.

How you live your life, and what you choose to do to make a living, is up to you. And why choose anything less than a line of work that allows you to put your unique talents and gifts to use each and every day?

It is also true that your company or organization also suffers when your talents and the role(s) you fill aren’t a good match for your natural talents and abilities.

If often wonder how much time, energy, and money are WASTED trying to overcome the problems associated with employees who are miscast in their current jobs?

Vast sums of money are spent trying to TRAIN people to develop talents that they don’t currently have, and probably never will. Massive amounts of time are spent trying to help employees overcome their “weaknesses” or to become more “well-rounded.”

All of this goes on while only 20 percent of those in the workplace put their natural, God-given talents to use on a daily basis. This missing 80 percent is where the greatest opportunity lies, and is overlooked each and every day.

Maybe it’s time to take a hard look at your current career situation, and honestly evaluate whether or not it provides you with the opportunity to be your very best. I know it’s scary, especially in these times — but there will ALWAYS be plenty of excuses to stay in your comfort zone.

Before this year comes to an end — and we move into 2010 — I encourage you to devote a Saturday afternoon to reading Seth Godin’s book, The Dip (http://snipurl.com/t6g2x). Seth is a great author and knows what he’s talking about.

You’ll be glad you read it — and you’ll be ready to do your best every day in 2010!

~dp

30-Minute Workout Playlist

Here’s my current high-energy playlist for a 30-minute strength-training workout.  Is just right for a three set routine of bicyle-crunches, leg-lifts, push-ups, and dumbbell curls.

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1. Devour (Shinedown) 3:48 min
2. Sound Of Madness (Shinedown) 3:53 min
3. Cry For Help (Shinedown) 3:20 min
4. Second Chance (Shinedown) 3:40 min
5. I Own You (Shinedown) 3:37 min
6. Energy* (Shinedown) 3:24 min
7. I Dare You (Shinedown) 3:53 min
8. Junkies For Fame (Shinedown) 3:28 min

(* parental advisory notice on this song…probably not one you want to sing along with the kids in the car on the way to church sunday mornings.)

Here’s the playlist I use for my 45 minute cardio workout on the EFX machine at Oz.  Most are techno or dance mixes without lyrics to any of the songs, as I’m usually reading a book or some type of report (makes the time go by faster).

1. Better Off Alone  / Zombie Girl vs. Barbie Nation (Nanou) 3:16 min
2. Insomnia / Sensation White Mix (Re-Quest) 6:28 min
3. Sandstorm (Darude) 3:45 min
4. Boomerang (Cirrus) 5:58 min
5. Bittersweet Symphony Remix (Moby) 3:25 min
6. Traffic (Tiesto) 4:09 min
7. Feel The Beat (Darude) 4:18 min
8. Janeiro / Armin Van Buuren Remix (Solid Sessions) 9:37 min
9. Days Go By / Radio Edit (Dirty Vegas) 3:42 min
10. Ocean Flight / Etasonics’ Over the Ocean Remix (Oversea) 7:25 min

Is longer than 45 minutes, but I skip a song every now and then.  Enough to work up a good sweat a couple times a week.  Hope to see you at the gym! 

Beginning With The End In Mind.

It seems like people who move through life with a sense of power and purpose always have a strong, compelling vision for what is possible.

When you have a strong vision of what is possible in life, every day becomes another opportunity to move closer to making that vision a reality. You have a sense of hope, wonder, and amazement for what lies ahead.

Having a compelling vision is like having a preview of what is possible, something that transcends the petty concerns and insignificant inconveniences of the present moment. It gives you a clear sense of what to do (or not do) next. It keeps us going when we don’t feel like going any more.

(I’m not talking about the manifestation type of visualization popularized by The Law Of Attraction, The Secret, and other metaphysical teaching. I think that’s a bunch of crap. This is about beginning with the end in mind, having a clear sense of direction, and simply engaging life in a way that leads toward that end.  More in line with Covey’s Seven Habits.)

Others may not understand, and may even question your vision. That’s fine — most criticism will come from people who lack a vision for their future, and don’t know how to respond to someone who does.

Sure, sometimes what we had in mind doesn’t come to be. Sometimes it’s worse. Often times it’s better than what we were anticipating. But the fact that there are no guarantees in life shouldn’t keep us from living with a vision for what is possible.

Questions…

- What is your vision for your life (personal, family, work, etc.)?

- Are you making progress in fulfilling this vision? What are the obstacles? Are they real or self-imposed?

- Is your vision pulling you forward, or are you forcing your way through life? Why?

Special Report Available For Download

Okay it’s official. My new special report on why you SHOULDN’T start your own business is finally ready for download. Can be found at the following…

http://www.StartUpBusinessReport.com

WARNING: This report may completely dash your hopes and dreams of starting your own business. And it contains information that is personally embarrassing. But the truth must be told — even if it is a little bit ugly.

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Do You Know What Is Expected Of You?

The number one factor that will determine how successful you are at your job is how you answer the following question…

“Do I know what is expected of me at work?”

What is your answer?

And I’m not just talking about whether or not you have a job description with a list of roles and responsibilities.

The question is, do you know exactly what your employer expects you to accomplish for the benefit of the organization, and on what basis will your performance be evaluated?

If you don’t know the answer to this question, how can you possibly succeed or excel at your work?

A successful career is built on matching your personal talents, skills, and knowledge to a specific set of roles with clear expectations. Without a clear understanding of what is truly expected of you at work, you are missing a crucial part of this success equation.

You may be working hard and doing many wonderful things for the organization, but if you aren’t accomplishing what is expected of you or what you will be evaluated on, you may be wasting a lot of time and effort.

Not knowing what is expected of you at work is also a huge emotional drain. You are always left wondering how your value to the organization will be measured, and what you should be spending your time doing.

However, when you know what is truly expected of you, you can focus your talents, skills, and knowledge on exceeding those expectations, and proving your value within the organization.

I say exceeding – not simply meeting expectations – because that is exactly what you will do when you are applying your strengths in a career role you have a deep passion for and truly enjoy.  It doesn’t take a lot of hard work to see impressive results — you just need to make sure you have all of the right ingredients in the mix.

Take a few minutes and write down what you think is expected of you at work. Then talk with your supervisor or employer and see if you’re right.

You either are or you aren’t – or possibly somewhere in between — and you will be much better off knowing where you stand, rather than simply guessing at what is expected of you.

All the best!

~ Dave

New Year Opportunities?

An interesting thing happened yesterday on my way to Starbucks for my morning triple-grande no-whip mocha – and I thought I’d share it with you to illustrate an important principle.

While on my way for my daily caffeine infusion, I happened to stop at an intersection that is usually a green light, but yesterday it happened to be red. As I was waiting for the light to turn, I glanced out the window to my left and noticed on a hilltop (about a mile away) a big, beautiful white house on the side of the hill.

What’s so interesting about a white house you ask?

Actually, the house itself wasn’t all that interesting. What I found more interesting was that I had never noticed it before. Even though I have driven this particular road HUNDREDS of times over the last 12 years, I have never, ever noticed the beautiful white house on the side of the hill.

Never new it even existed. Never even crossed my mind to think about whether or not any houses were built on that side of that hilltop. And yet that big, beautiful white house has been there for who knows how long, without my knowing.

So what’s the principle you ask?

The principle is that perspective means everything when it comes to living life. How you and I see things, and what goes on in our minds each day, plays a HUGE role in how we live our lives – and the quality of life we live.

The big white house has been on the hill for quite a while, but it wasn’t until I stopped today, turned my head in the right direction, and focused my attention on the hilltop, that I noticed it. Even though I have traveled the same path for years and years, it wasn’t until today, with the right set of circumstances and the proper PERSPECTIVE (view of things), that the house came in to view.

The question that follows is, “How many opportunities in life might you be missing because of your perspective?”

Are you running on auto-pilot (like I am most days when I drive that stretch of road) and possibly missing out on the great opportunities that exist for you both personally and professionally? Opportunities that are available to you if you would just stop, catch your breath for a minute, and take a look around with a clear mind and a fresh perspective.

I encourage you, as we move into a brand new year, to open yourself to the possibility that great opportunities exist for you… if you are willing to notice and pursue them.

~ Dave

*** Why the weird photo? Because it’s a negative exposure of a pic Alexander took while we were at Em’s game…a different perspective than we’re used to seeing.

Your Values And Your Work

Many people have asked why I believe personal values play such an important role they are selecting a new job or career path. To answer this question, it may help to take a look at what we mean by values. Your values are those things that matter most to you in life.

Examples of different things you might value would include family, friendships, achievement, money, freedom, variety, security, and prestige. Every person on this planet has values, and these values differ from one person to another.

Understanding your values is important from a career perspective, because what is expected or required of you at work can often conflict with what you value most. If you place a high value on variety, and enjoy doing different tasks on a regular basis, you might become frustrated working on an assembly line.

Likewise, if you value security and stability, you might want to think twice before setting-out on a career path as an independent consultant. Keep in mind that you may have values that differ between your personal life and your professional life.

Some people enjoy a great deal of variety in their free time (i.e. fishing, gardening, and reading), but desire a job that doesn’t change much in terms of form or function. Others might prefer just the opposite… a job with a lot of variety, but a simple and consistent personal life.

These examples illustrate why it is so important to have a clear understanding of your own personal values, and how they relate to your work. Most jobs are functional in nature, not based on or designed around personal values. Organizations simply have roles that need to be filled and tasks that need to be accomplished.

It is up to you to determine whether or not the role(s) you play at work are in alignment with your values. It is unfortunate that many people are willing to ignore or overlook their values as part of the job-search process. Doing so ultimately leads to frustration and disappointment with your professional life.

Whether you are currently looking for work, or already have a job, it is important to go through the exercise of identifying your values. Having a list (written or mental) of what matters most to you in life will give you a basis for making good, long-term decisions in what can be a confusing, ever-changing world.

While work is important, and we all bear the responsibility of living a productive life, I encourage you to hold dear to your values. Far too many people have sacrificed their values in the name of their work, and are filled with regret later on in life.

Someone once suggested that we should design our work around our lives, rather than our lives around our work. This sounds like pretty good advice to me.

~ Dave

Finding Your Ideal Job

How can you know if your current career or job is where you are most likely to find the professional success you desire?

Answering this question is where the Authentic Vocation Model can be very useful. This model consists of eight core elements, each of which encompasses a different aspect of any given profession.

The first element – Life Purpose - is the topic of this post. Having a clear understanding of your life purpose is a key starting point in finding your Authentic Vocation. If the term “life purpose” seems a little too hard to get a hold of, you might think in terms of “core theme” or your “personal mission.”

Determining your life purpose is not mandatory for enjoying your work or being successful at your job. It will, however, give you a better sense of what you want to accomplish with your life, which in turn may help you determine what career path will be most rewarding in the long run.

Consider the following examples….

On your next vacation, you might decide to grab your wallet, your toothbrush, a change of clothes, and head-out on the open-highway… with no particular destination in mind. You could stop at various sites along the way, enjoy the people and the food, and have a good time overall. There would be nothing wrong with a vacation that had no specific destination at the outset, it would be more like what we might call an adventure.

As an alternative, you might decide that you want to spend time at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. You grab your map and determine your route, and which cities you’ll pass through along the way. Because you know your budget and your time-frame, you are able to plan which hotels you’ll stay in, how far you’ll travel each day, and what attractions you want to visit while you’re there.

While knowing your destination (as in the second example) isn’t required in order to have a fun vacation, it does give you a better sense of where you’re headed, and what you want to accomplish along the way.

Knowing your life purpose allows you to approach your career path with a similar type of thinking. By knowing what you want to accomplish with your life, you can start looking for what types of work will allow you to do so most effectively.

If your purpose in life is to help find a cure for cancer, pursuing a career in sports-marketing probably won’t give you a lasting sense of fulfillment. You might have a fun time meeting athletes and selling team-memorabilia, but it won’t do much to fulfill that internal desire to help the sick.

My favorite quote that helps describe exactly what it means to find your life purpose comes from the book, “How To Find Your Mission In Life,” by Richard Nelson Bolles:

“To exercise that talent which you particularly came to earth to use… in those places or settings which God has caused to appeal to you the most… and for those purposes which God most needs to have done in the world.”

Take some time and think about why you’re here and what you most want to accomplish in life. Then ask yourself if your current line of work work is helping you get closer to making that come true.

~ Dave