Daily Boost Motivation and Coaching

Everybody has a lot to do. If you use a To-Do list to keep up - and it's stressing you - it may be time to replace it with a "Did I Do It List." 

To-Do Lists transform you into an expert at chasing checkmarks. Chasing anything is stressful - and there is a better way:

1) Never commit to more than you can get done in one day. That takes awareness and honesty.

2) Once you know what you need to get done, add it to your "Did I Do It List" and use it for reference throughout your day.

3) Always double-check that you are accomplishing tasks you determined as vital before taking on additional items.

A focused path produces fewer random tasks. Using a "Did I Do It List" will focus you on your goals and create quick results.

Get the Daily Boost FIVE days a week and supercharge your motivation!

As a child, I wondered why I couldn't always have my way. Mom and Dad were so mean! I couldn't wait to grow up, move out, and experience being an adult. Everything would be different - or so I thought.

After stepping into the adult world, it didn't take long to realize that not much had changed. It turns out it wasn't my parents. It was life turning down my requests. Life was getting in the way. What was even worse was that I was getting in my way.

I've joked over the years that if I'm the Boss of me, so why don't I do what I say? Eventually, I realized having a big ass goal, being on a mission, and most importantly, motivation on demand was the solution.

Motivation is a powerful, if not fleeting, tool that we all need. But we need to understand how our minds generate motivation—

Your physiology dictates your feelings. The easiest way to break free of a slump is to stand up, take a step, and REPEAT. Movement wakes your body up, guides your emotions, and makes anything feel possible.

Focus fuels your fire. If you're feeling unmotivated, you are also drifting in the wind with no direction. Shifting your thoughts in a positive direction and toward what excites you will break you out and get you moving.

Setting big ass goals with further fuels your focus while it also serves to define your purpose. There's nothing more motivating than having a goal to pursue.

When life gets in the way, remember that the words you say create the emotions you feel. Negative self-talk will drag you, and everybody else, down. Everything changes when you make the words you say to yourself, internally and externally, positive and uplifting.

In the end, you're human, and your brain isn't wired to stay motivated all the time. However, when you give it a helping hand, it will always help you get what you want.

Get the Daily Boost FIVE days a week and supercharge your motivation!

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Everything we do is guided by what we think is logical in our minds. I call my way of thinking Scott LOGIC.

Is it common sense? Is it experience-based? Is it how I choose to live? Yes. But mostly, it is an endless list of thoughts that make my day better. Here are a few that will no doubt do the same for you.

Life is long enough. But not for everybody. Recognize the difference.

Life goes quickly unless you are bored. Stay busy.

Life passes slowly when you are going fishing tomorrow.

Some people are too serious. Others are not serious enough. You get to choose who you are.

Standing in another person's shoes before opening your mouth a best.

The reward for hard work is more work. The reward for being lazy is more lazy.

When you turn your phone off, it won't ring.

Most things in life should be in moderation. Excess is good now and then.

It takes a fraction of the time to read a good book than to write a book. That makes reading a book a good investment of your time.

People who read more earn more. People who don't read don't understand why.

Saying "I don't care" means you do care. Do you know what that is?

Everything you experience is filtered through what you hold as the truth. Make sure you are correct in your thoughts.

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Identify Opportunities From Obstacles

When you boil it down, all the activities that keep you busy every day lead to one destination—happiness.

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that none of us are chasing misery.

But what happens when you have too many options and keep choosing those that throw you off course?

My dog, Levi, and I have had a standing appointment with Mindy for years. She's a dog agility world champion and knows a thing or two about training champions. She's also very good at teaching us to negotiate a field of obstacles successfully while running as fast as we can.

When we begin to run a course, we aim to complete it as fast as possible with no mistakes. Follow the numbers from lowest to highest correctly, and everything will end well.

But life gets in the way, even in dog agility.

Mindy is an expert at setting traps designed to distract and pull us off course. Since a dog can't read numbers, I must discriminate between the correct and the false path. The wrong choice will cause us to go off course and not reach our goal.

If you live an active, growth-oriented life, you will encounter distractions. Many are placed in front of you by well-meaning people. They look like opportunities. In reality, they are obstacles that will cause you to veer off course—potentially for years.

You will go off course if you take a job that is not aligned with your goals.

If you negotiate a deal on a new home that leaves you underwater, you are off course from the start.

If you enter into a relationship that doesn't match your values, you will have no numbers to follow.

Setting well-defined goals is the first step in knowing the difference between opportunities and obstacles. It is a skill that will serve you well.

Everybody heads down the wrong path from time to time. It takes time to recover. The fewer times you do that, the faster you reach your goals.

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Clear Your Clutter, Clear Your Mind

I’ve noticed in my life that humans are hoarders when it comes to keeping stuff that works and doesn’t.

They keep hanging on; their life depends on it.

Now, before I go on, I think there are two situations at play here:

1) Hanging on to what has worked well but needs to go so you can do more of what you want to do.

2) Hanging on what doesn’t work in hopes that it will work well someday.

Both can go on for years, leading to frustration as you long for something else.

I was on the phone with a client this morning, and we ran into that situation. We began dealing with it a few months ago, and it’s still rearing its ugly head in her life.

After exploring it from every angle—

Should I keep it?

Should I put it to the side and come back to it?

Should I toss it and start over?

Should I... should I... should I.

I finally said the only thing that came to mind -

“The mere fact that you keep questioning it tells me you want to drop it. You’re just worried about what comes next, which is strange because what’s next is what you want.

Let me ask a question—

How would you feel if you dropped everything holding you back and woke up in the morning with a clean slate and ready to move?”

She smiled. You know, with that almost embarrassed look that people get when they can’t pretend anymore. She was busted, and she knew it. That’s when she said—

“I’m not going to lie. That would feel great!”

We had a “moment,” and everything changed. I suggested a 30-day cooling-off period, but with the understanding that she is moving forward and not backward.

A few hours later, she sent me a note. It said, “I don’t need 30 days. Thanks.”

It’s simple. When making a life decision, if you stay, you can’t go; if you go, you can’t stay.

Make your choice.

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