Cardiff D. Hall

RESULTS EXPERT & PRODUCTIVITY COACH (612) 594-2550

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5 Insider Secrets Of Today’s Top Athletes

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Top Athletes in their sport today achieving success share parallel attributes.

When you hear the words “top athlete” who comes to mind? A few weeks ago, I posted this question on my facebook page and there were a number responses.

I narrowed the list down to four athletes in different sports and then decided to dig deep into what are they doing to elevate themselves in their chosen job.

What I found was interesting, these athletes while in different sports share similar DNA to their dominance in their chosen profession.

So, can we as individuals working in roles not seen in the media, tap into the top athlete’s success DNA?  I believe anyone can.

Ok, are you wondering who made the list? Here are the top four athletes and the attributes you can instill in your life.

Love What You Do – Serena Williams

Serena Williams, winner of 23 Grand Slam singles titles and 8 runner ups to the Grand Slam. The Grand Slam consists of winning the: US Open, French Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open in one consecutive year.

Her winning percentage is 77% and she has beat 12 different players who have been ranked #1 in the World of tennis.

Her dominance on the court is fueled by loving what she does. In addition to loving what she does, she would forget to pick up her checks from winning tournaments.

“I never, never picked it up. So at the end of the year, the tournament director’s would literally hand me the check because I would never go get it.”

This type of action embodies her love for the game.

Do you love what you do? Would you do it even if you didn’t cash your checks?

Serena, being a champion understands to win consistently, requires a pure love for doing what she does.

Have A Competitive Mindset 

To dominate at the level Serena has, she has a mindset of perfection in every match. She works on and off the court to strive for perfection. The way she commands this type of mindset drives everything she does.

Last summer Serena had this to say on the quest for perfection, “I’m getting there. I don’t think I’m there yet. I feel like it takes time to get there.” “I’m always striving for perfection.”

Developing your competitive mindset begins with having the inner fire to get better every day. In addition to having that fire that burns from within, you need to understand what areas should I seek to improve in. Once defined, take immediate action and work at it, as you need air to breathe.

Be a Learner – Lewis Hamilton 

Lewis Hamilton, races in formula 1 or F1. He is a five-time Formula one champion winning in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.

Moreover, he is considered to be the best driver in his generation and widely the greatest driver in the history of F1 racing. He has held 83 pole positions!

In an article posted last September, Lewis Hamilton’s Quest For Perfection, he discusses his desire to get better and it starts by learning and applying what is learned.

When Lewis doesn’t win, he is seeking to learn more.

“Winning is definitely the ultimate goal, the lessons learned when I don’t win only strengthen me.”

Similarly, Lewis and Serena share the quest for perfection and the desire to continue to learn and improve.

What is something you recently failed at or are struggled in? What are the lessons you can apply to elevate your performance?

Develop a thirst to be a learner and apply what you learn to achieve success.

Written goals short and long term – Simone Biles 

Simone Biles, the 2016 Olympic individual women’s gymnastics all-around champion and four-time world all-around champion 2013-2015 and 2018. She is the only woman to have achieved this in her sport.

To become an all-around Champion in women’s gymnastics, Simone exceeded in every apparatus: vault, uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise.

At an early age, Simone’s grandmother had her write down her goals, short term, and long term. She would focus on the goals by taking little steps to achieve them. In this CBN News piece, Simon shares her goal journey.

Writing down your goals sounds easy, yet millions of individuals never take the time to write them down. According to Goalbond, only 3 out of 100 adults write down their goals.

Have you taken the time to write down your goals?

I know. TIME! You don’t have time right?

Listen to Grandmother and take the time to write down your goals. Above all, you owe it your future to find the time to write them down, just like this top athlete is doing.

Have a strong work ethic – Saquon Barkley 

Saquon Barkley, an NFL running back for the New York Giants earned Offensive Rookie of the year in the 2018 season and rushed for 1,307 yards (the 2nd most yards in his first year in the league.)

Saquon’s story is interesting in that he wanted to quit football at a young age. He wasn’t having success and he just wanted to stop playing. However, his father pushed him and he continued.

He went to work and put all his energy into getting better. He studied the game to learn and took action to improve his performance on the field.

Many times you see athletes on their field of play and believe they achieved success due to their God-given talent. This is not the case, they work harder and smarter mentally and physically.

What we don’t see is their daily routine. The way they conduct themselves, pushing to get better, learning, watching, taking action and using it to fuel their performance.

Will You Develop The Top Athlete Way?

Regardless if you have heard of all the athletes above or not, the guiding principles expressed can be applied in your life. The question is not if you have time to implement. The question is, will you allow yourself to perform in your profession and family roles as a champion?

Develop the fire within, love what you do, have a competitive mindset, be a consistent learner, have written goals and a strong work ethic and you can stand on top of the podium of life.

Share in the comments, which attribute will you embody.

ps. The Introspection to Inspiration Journal I wrote was featured in a news article. 

 

 

 

 

 

Life Lessons From A Doll House – Ya Really!

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Building an LOL Dollhouse teaches your life lessons.

Over the holiday season, I experienced several lessons. I was blessed to do a little building, as my daughter received the LOL mega gift, an LOL Surprise Dollhouse which of course required ASSEMBLY! 

During the two to three hour voyage, I learned five valuable life lessons.

Five Lessons

 

1. AVOID EASY FOR HARD

Be willing to do what is HARD. Opening up the directions, it was  recommended a power screwdriver NOT be used. WHAT???  I had to use the OLD fashion screwdriver. With over 100 screws to be put in place, I was attempting to find another way, however the solution was to use the screwdriver.

In the article, entitled, “8 Reasons You Should Do The Hard Things“, expresses great fundamental reasons why doing the hard this is the right thing.

2. Have Patience 

In addition to having to use a screwdriver to put in over 100 screws I had to have patience. Looking at the manual and trying to ensure each piece was placed correctly required time. For instance, I often looked at the front of the box and the manual several times before I actually fit the screws into the targeted placements.

At times, I’d place an incorrect board in place and then have to loosen the screws and replace it. In conclusion, don’t rush a project just to get it off your check list, patience is demanded for excellence.

3. Admit Your Mistakes 

After the house was built and I was feeling great about myself, however my daughter found a flaw!

In other words, the dollhouse wasn’t put together correctly.

Who Needs An Elevator In Their Dollhouse? 

The elevator was placed on backward! Yes, I had incorrectly placed the elevator on backwards, however it looked ok to me. However, to a nine year old girl, she could tell it wasn’t correct.

I studied the dollhouse, the manual and the box and discovered she was correct and I admitted my mistake and rebuilt it.

4. Remove Distractions To Focus 

Distractions are everywhere but today above all, there were many distractions. The TV was on, there was noise from toys, my daughter was testing out a new game and there were a few hands which wanted to help.

Therefore, with all the distractions, I had to make a decision to ask everyone to exit the dollhouse building zone, turn the TV off and sit in silence! After that, I was able to focus which increased my concentration.

Removing distractions brings about the essence of clarity and a renewed focus.

5. A Map/Directions Required 

While I stood up and viewed the product of my work on Christmas day, I came to the conclusion this dollhouse could not have been built without following the directions.

There were too many screws, boards and pieces to just “wing” it.

Following directions provided stability and above all, it made a nine year old daughter state, “This was my best Christmas ever! Thanks Dad for building the dollhouse.” 

Life Lessons Come In Strange Places 

I never thought I’d learn something so valuable putting together a dollhouse, but that is when lessons can come alive, if we choose to see them in our everyday experiences.

This year in 2019, look for life lessons in the routine, in the spaces you are least likely to find them.

They are there, you just need to stop, find them and apply what you learned.

PS. To help provide the map and lessons for your life, I’ve developed the Introspection To Inspiration Journal and Cards which will increase your productivity in 2019. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tide Turners AudioBook

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Do you listen to an audiobook?

According to a Good E Reader article entitled  Global Audiobook Trends audiobooks are the fastest growing segment in publishing.

Audiobook “Audible membership growth is consistent at 40 per cent year on year, as more consumers realise how well audiobooks can fit into their busy lives,” explained Tracey Markham, country manager for Audible.

I remember my first audio book, which I listened too. It was Grant Cardone’s The 10X Rule , which is over seven HOURs of listening! Where can you find seven hours to listen to an audio book?

How To Find Time To Listen To An AudioBook

Everyone who is living, is blessed to have the same of time. How you use that time is up to you. I found to listen to an audio book which is seven hours in length, I had to be intentional about finding time.

Here are a few ideas, which I used:

  • Listen while driving –hit play on your mobile device, shut off the radio/CD player and listen.
  • Listen while you are at the gym! Several years ago, if you told me this, I would have told you, “I need music to workout, not an audio book!”. I thought I needed music to work out, however I found I was using that as an excuse.
  • Listen to an audio book while you do outside or inside chores. I love doing the outside work and often will put on my headphones and listen to an audio book.
  • Listen while you take a walk or jog.
  • Listen while you eat your lunch. If you work in an office environment, find a space where you can be alone and just relax and listen.

I found by implementing all listening tactics, I was able to easily finish a seven-hour audio book in a week.

How I Found A Producer To Record The Tide Turners AudioBook

It was December 2016 and I met with my friend Bill for coffee. We were discussing what was next in our lives for 2017 and I mentioned, I wanted to create the audio version of Tide Turners.

He leans in and says, “ I have the guy for you. He does things like this and I know you would enjoy meeting him.”  Immediately I was overjoyed and thought, “Could my dream of having this version of Tide Turners come to life?”

The next week, I emailed Peter Borne at Airborne Creative Group and his wife setup a time to meet with him and to visit the studio.

I followed the directions to the studio and found myself driving to a Minneapolis neighborhood. I thought to myself, “I must have the wrong directions.” I parked outside a house and walked up. His wife answered the door and took me to side wing of the house and there it was, a RECODING STUDIO! His office!

audiobook recording studio

The Making Of An AudioBook

Peter explained the process to me and I was nervous and excited about the opportunity, yet I had never done anything like this in my life.

Questions entered my mind such as:

  • Can I read my own book?
  • What if I mess up and can’t get through it?
  • Can I focus long enough to complete this project?

All these questions swirled my mind however Peter made me very comfortable.

I put the playback headphones on, sat in the chair, spoke into a microphone and simply read the words on the print pages.

There were times while I was reading I’d make up my own words and would hear, “Let’s try that again” from Peter.

Recording Audiobook

Many times, I would get stuck. The words wouldn’t flow well out, which meant a restart. Time after time, I couldn’t make it through a difficult section and Peter would say, “Let’s take a break.”

The role of a Producer is to find the triggers which help the individual move past a difficult spot and he did that. He would say, “Try it like this.”

I would immediately implement what he directed me to do and get past the difficult part.

Peter and I started the recording in March and completed the recording in the beginning of June!

I remember leaving the recording studio exhausted, given my mind was 100 percent focused on the words and pronouncing them correctly.

Tide Turners AudioBook

“Doing the same thing over and over with no results and expecting change is like trying to remove the salt from the ocean.” – Cardiff D. Hall

How do you best absorb information, especially books? Written, Audio or both. Personally, I love both. I enjoy reading the book first and then listening to the same book.

Some would say, “That is a waste of time. You already read the book.” I’ve found that your mind will pick up on different things you missed. There is always something to learn by reading or listening to an book more than once.

I’d like you to sample of the audio book which is playable via MP3.  Click on the Audible Sample to listen to the introduction of Tide Turners.

The growth in audio books will continue and it offers a great way to absorb information to help you in the journey of life. All you need to do is to download and press play!

The Tide Turners Audio Book is available on Audible. If you do not have an account, you will receive a 30 day free trial when you sign up AND your first book is FREE on Audible. So, you can secure a copy of Tide Turners audiobook for FREE if you do not already have Audible.

Do you have a friend who enjoys audio books? Would you share this email with them, so they could listen to the introduction?

I want you to be a Tide Turner and become the person who is in control of life versus riding the waves and hoping to arrive at your desired Islands Of Achievement.

PS: I have a handful of free Audible download codes I’d like to give you.  If you are within the first five to respond to this, hit reply and type Free Audio Book  I will send you the code.

Are Setting Limits Good?

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Setting limits on yourself can actually depress your potential.

Do you realize you set limits on yourself? Everyday you set and decide the retrainsts for the day, week, month and year.

If you workout, you set the number of reps, what exercises you will do and the amount of time you will allocate to your workout.

So are confines bad?

Limits Teach Us Control

We need guardrails in our life to help guide the way and to ensure we don’t destroy our life. Setting guardrails help you live life in a functional way. Imagine if there were no speed limits on the freeway. For those who love to drive fast, this will appeal to you. For others, you feel it will protect yourself and loved ones on the road.

However, putting restrictions on every aspect of your life can be harmful, in becoming the person you were designed to be.

Limitations Can Hold Back Potential

Until the early 1950s it was said no human could ever a mile in under four minutes until, Roger Bannister ran a mile under four minutes on May 6th, 1954.

Roger’s record of running a mile under four minutes lasted 46 days, as others began surpassing his time. He proved it could be accomplished.

You might not realize it, but you have set a threshold on what you can do in your life, which is compressing your potential.

What Story Are You Telling Yourself?

Individuals proclaimed it was impossible to run a mile under four minutes and yet the impossible was broken.

What is the story you’ve been telling yourself? Everyone has a story.

Your potential is just outside what you have classified as your boundary. Will you be the Roger Bannister and breakthrough and pass the “yellow caution tape” or will you continue to tell yourself it isn’t possible?

Decide To Try

First, Roger made the decision to try, to do something which he believed he could accomplish. As a result you can do the same.

Where is your belief level? Do you believe it can be done? Take out a sheet of paper or journal on these questions pertaining to something you want to do, which is beyond the “yellow caution tape”.

  • What would it mean to you to accomplish it?
  • What do you need to make it happen?
  • Why did you accomplish it?

Finally, if you did this short exercise, your mind is actively working to find the proof to verify achievement. Focus on your responses and continue to activate the belief within yourself, to exceed the boundaries and thus reach your potential.

“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.”  – Roy Bennett

PS – Would you share this article with one person? 

 

The Truth Behind Reaching Your Goal

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To reach a goal there is something specific which must be done.

I had the opportunity to travel to Arizona this Spring. Looking out the window traveling in an Urber, I noticed the landscape was brown and dry. Also it contained a plant I don’t see in Minneapolis. The Cactus.

Did you know, the Cactus, which lives in the Southwest, can thrive in temperatures that rise above 100 degrees?

Other plants which are exposed to temperatures above 100, wilt away and cannot survive.

Have you given up on your goal?

As the month of March closes down, many people have simply given up on their goals or resolutions and thus, wilted away for another time, another year or perhaps never.

Just like the cactus, there is something every goal needs to survive.

Cactus need water to survive. So, how can cactus survive in the desert and not wilt away?

Cactus have the ability to conserve water they do receive and thus can survive months without water.

Action Is Needed

When you think of your goals or resolutions, there is one thing which is needed and that is action. Action in some form to generate movement towards the goal.

I recently came across a great article entitled, How To Create An Action Plan To Achieve Your Goals, which provide six things you need to do.

Without action over time, your desired target will wither away.

So, can a goal thrive on inconsistent action? Yes, however it will take longer for you to reach it.

Don’t Beat Yourself Up 

Ok, I want you to think of that “thing” you desired at the beginning of January. Did you work towards it and something happened?  Realize whereever you, you can restart!

Know there will be days where no action is taken, yet due to the progress made previously, just like the cactus conversing water, your goal has conserved action.

Wherever you are know your goals can not survive without movement.

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Take action whether consistent or not, however take action and your goal will be able to survive and thrive!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The One Thing To Boost Attainment Of Goals

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Achieving your goals using an “old school” tracker will enable you to see progress and help adjust your path towards your goals.

Goals 

Its the middle of January and yes it time to turn the attention to goals. I trust you have taken the time to physically write them down. If not, why? I know, not enough time. Bad excuse. Stop reading this and focus on you and create goals for this year.

According to the Statistic Brain, the top three new years resolutions/goals are: Lose weight/Healthier Eating, Life/Self Improvements and Better Financial Decisions.

You can design goals around these three areas if you don’t have them yet written down.

My Belief -Who Needs To Track Goals

For those who have followed these articles, you might recall that that I mentioned several years ago, I never wrote down my goals, given I held them inside my head.

Well, the same holds true for tracking my goals during that time. Given I had my goals in my head, why would I need to create something to track goals?

Looking in the past, I must confess I never accomplished any of my goals I held in my head. I was not measuring them and thus I was not respecting my goals. You can’t respect what you do not inspect.

The TRUTH  

According to the University of Scranton research, 92% of people who have resolutions don’t succeed.

Did you know on January 17th, its known as “Ditch New Years Resolutions Day. This is the day the masses decide, its just too hard or I don’t have time to work on it and decide to ditch their resolution or goal.

Honestly I had no idea this official day existed on the calendar! However having a day like this, can make individuals feel better by ditching their resolutions and goals.

But not you! You want to avoid this day and keep pushing forward.

How To Track Goals

When I started tracking my goals, I thought I needed a hyped up macro wizard spreadsheet, however that is further from the truth. Now if you love creating macros, by all means do that.

To get started look at your goals and ask yourself these questions.

  • What behaviors or actions must I do daily, weekly or monthly to support this goal? 
  • How often do I need to do these behaviors or actions daily, weekly or monthly? 
  • What will I do if I don’t do these behaviors or actions to support my goals on a daily, weekly or monthly? (Personally, I give myself a penalty of 25 burpees at the gym) 

Once you have honestly answered these questions design a tracker to measure your behaviors/actions to support your goals. You can create a tracker in Excel, Numbers or just on paper. The bottom line is that you track your goals in a way that fits YOU.

Personally I use an Excel. I created three excel spreadsheets to track my top three goals on a monthly basis. Find what works for you and utilize it on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Imagine you are boarding a plane and the pilot comes on and says, “Ladies and Gentleman, this is your Captain speaking. I don’t know how we will arrive at our destination today, however I think my First Officer and I know how to get there.”

Of course this would never occur right? However many people never take the time to understand how to get where they want to go and thus embrace January 17th and decide to give up on their resolutions and goals.

Decide to measure and track your goals, so you can boost your opportunity for achievement this coming year!

PS- When you develop your tracker, would you let me know by emailing me at cardiff@cardiffdhall.com – I have a resource I want to send you, to aid in your achievement of your goals.

 

 

 

 

 

How To Eliminate Worry By Changing Your Thinking

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Entering a new year can bring up anxiety and worry about what the year holds. Everyone loves a fresh start and in January you get to experience that. A new calendar brings new ideas, goals, focus and then worry can come into place.

Top Four Things People Worry About

What is the one thing you worry about consistently? Ok, be honest with yourself, there is something that is coming to mind. I know for me, I have an apprehension about my daughter’s future and college finances. If you have children you might have this same concern.

Here are the top four things, people have doubts on: Health, Savings/Financial Future, Aging and Debt according to the indy100. To view the list visit, complete list.

Have you ever focused on these four things? I know I have and just know, that it is ok to have a concern, however consistent anquish can lead to health issues.

Health Aspects Of Consistent Uneasiness 

There are harmful things which can arise in your health with consistent and lasting uneasiness. The mental and physical impact can be harmful.

The amount of attention given to that certain thing can lead to anxiety, which is a normal reaction to stress. With the chronic attention given to that thing, it can impact your daily life.

Impacts to your life might impact your appetite, sleep, job performance, relationships and habits. The result of these interferences can led to overeating, the abuse of drugs and alcohol which are harmful lifestyle habits.

WebMD wrote an article on the impact continued worrying has on your body.

The Emotional Attachment  

Having consistent focus on your worry creates an emotional response to what you focus on .

Once the negative thoughts enter the mind, it begins to swirl and is consumed to how you feel which is connected to your heart.

The emotional bond will continue to build if you are not selective in how you manage the emotion to the consistent focus.

I love this Chinese proverb, “That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent.”

With the right tools you can eliminate the shadow of doubt and avoid birds building nests in you hair, but it will take work.

Four Steps For Removal 

There are things you can do, to remove this root and uneasiness from your life, while it will not be easy, you can transfer it to a concern.

Where is your focus?

When it arises, are you focused on what can go right or what can go wrong. I’d like you to try something right now.

Close your eyes and calm your mind. Now I’d like you to look down with your eyes closed and begin to think. Do this for a few minutes.

Now I want you to look up with your eyes closed and begin to think. Do this for a few minutes.

What occurred? When you had your head down, you most likely thought of things which are not going well of past events which were not pleasant.

When you held your head upward, you probably had thoughts of things which you experienced joy, peace or happiness.

You controlled the thoughts, which shows that you have power to change your thoughts. When the thing arises, decide to look up!

Determine the root

Taking the time to examine why you consistently have the worrying, will allow you to take action to remove the root. Sometimes seeing a therapist or professional can help identify and remove the root.

I developed a document which is used to help individuals identify why they are seeking to accomplish a goal, called the “Why Source Root”. I will post the link to obtain the resource below.

Ask yourself seven times, “Why am I worried about that?” and when you answer the question seven times, you have identified your root.

Resist and Replace 

When you find the uneasiness leading you downward, replace your thoughts. You need to shift your energy. Consider taking ten breaths, go for a walk or run or listening to a positive message.

“Where you attention goes, your energy flows.” – James Redfield 

What do you believe? 

Have you every identified what you believe?

Take the things you are worrying about and write down what you truly believe.

The word believe is a powerful image. It will cause your mind to write down positive things, which might not be true yet, but you desire it.

Once you have written the list read it daily for the next seven days. This will cause the shift in energy and mindset regarding what you are focused on. Utilize your belief statements consistently.

Its a Daily Process  

The steps identified are designed to equip you in your journey, as the concerns listed above impact millions of individuals.

I love a group of verses in the bible which discuss worry. The below are portions of these verses:

“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life…Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Why do you have so little faith?” – Matthew 6:25-30 NLT

Decide to have faith, decide to implement the four steps to removing worrying from your life, which will bring a calmness to your mind and body.

PS- to secure a copy of the “Why Source Root” visit Why Source Root.

 

The Minimalist Guide To Your Productivity – Get Disconnected

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When you become disconnected from other people’s agendas, you accomplish much more and it frees your mind.

My Holiday Disconnect From Social Media and Email 

Over the holiday break, my family went on vacation to Florida. Our first trip out of our home for Christmas. When we decided to book the trip, my wife and I asked our daughter what she thought and she responded, “Only if Santa will come visit us!”

Well Santa did make an arrival to our hotel room and I also elevated our hotel room with Christmas lights and a fake small tree.

Indeed Santa arrived and the joy of Christmas was transported from our home, to a hotel room in Florida.

I made the personal decision to become disconnected from social media and email during this time. Never had I completely removed myself from other peoples agendas for seven consecutive days.

How To Setup Disconnected Days 

I love what Darren Hardy says about the Disconnected Day, “Disconnected Day: A day on creative production or rest and recovery off the digital communication grid.”

Sounds easy right? Just disconnect.

Have you ever lost your phone? What feelings did you have?

You can’t check email, alerts, texts, in fact you are completely lost without your phone.

Disconnected days can be used to focus on work or it can be used for relaxation and rest, however you must plan for these days.

  • Block off time on your calendar – schedule it!
  • Inform your family, friends, Mgr, anyone who might contact you and notify them about your disconnect day.
  • Select a place outside of your office to work for the day IF your disconnect day is focused on work. Places such as: a coffee shop, library or individual space to work for the day.
  • Setup an out of the office email notification, so it notifies individuals you are disconnected and will not respond to their email until you return.
  • Mentally prepare for this day, know what you want to accomplish and write it down.

Benefits of Implementing Disconnect Days 

While on vacation, it was Christmas morning and my daughter asked if she could go swimming at 9am. We headed to the pool without my cell phone and I can remember watching her swim and taking that memory into my mind. That memory will not be forgotten.

In a article written by Darren Hardy, he shares about the benefits of disconnected days he experienced.

The benefits of disconnected days include:

  • Allows you to focus on what matters.
  • Removes the emotional and psychological attachment of having to be “on-call”.
  • You get MORE done in less time.
  • Elevates your mentally joy given you won the day!

When I took the time to disconnect on vacation, I noticed things I hadn’t before, I was fully present.

2018 Challenge – Minimum of 50 Disconnected Days

Will you take the 2018 challenge and schedule at least 50 disconnected days in 2018?

Our minds are trained to look for the easy way to achieve our goals and if you implement this minimalist guide to productivity, by scheduling your disconnected days, you will elevate your probability to achieve your goals.

Personally, I am allocating one business day per month to focus on work and taking every Sunday off social media and email.

I’ve seen the benefits of the disconnected days and you will also!

PS- Do you have goals you want to achieve and desire to be around other goal seekers? Join my private Tide Turners VIP Achievement Group.

 

 

Five Reasons Productivity Slips Through Your Day

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If you are honest with yourselves there are things you are doing throughout the day, which reduce your productivity. Have you ever stopped to think about the small choices you make during the day which impact your progress?

Small Choices

Several years ago, I never paid any attention to the small choices I was making. The friendly conversation with the co-worker to discuss the news, sports or other events. I now realize phone calls, emails and phone alerts which come up, do have an impact on productivity.

Not having awareness of these small choices can derail your productivity and allow your time to be consumed with something other than you desire.

Five Productivity Arrows To Slow Your Progress 

You walk into the office, turn on the computer and you set aside time to get organized. All of a sudden the phone rings and you take the call and the person informs you an email is being sent, which requires your attention. Does this sound familiar?

Quickly you jump into the email, however this isn’t a quick return, it turns into a four hour project. Your day was just hacked by someone else’s agenda.

Other Peoples Agenda – 1st reason why productivity is slowed 

When you allow other people to control your agenda, you fall prey to following someone else’s priority for you.

“The inbox is nothing but a convenient organizing system for other people’s agendas.” – Brendon Burchard 

Allow that quote to sink in. When I first heard it, I was taken back and asked myself, “How can that be?” “I need to respond to my boss immediately”, so I thought.

I was accepting that email as direction to guide my day and I never asked, “When is the latest, the information is needed?”

Just like myself, a few years ago, I allowed whomever that was sending the email to direct my day and I was  constantly checking to see if I had any email to respond too. Can you relate?

Please know I am not saying to not check your email or respond to urgent needs. You need to gain alignment on when the individual truly needs the information and direct the response of the email within your schedule.

In a Forbes article, entitled The Way You Check Email Is Making You Less Productive, states that the average person checks their email 15 times per day!

Inability To Say No – 2nd reason why productivity is slowed 

Do you enjoy saying “No”? Many individuals don’t and like to be of help and say “yes”.

Saying “no” can feel like you are self centered or your priorities are greater than someone else’s.

I’ve felt this way however, once I realized by saying no to those things which were not on my agenda, it allowed me to get more accomplished.

When I was writing the manuscript for Tide Turners, there were many times someone would ask to have coffee to catch up and I politely declined, letting the person know I was focused on completing the manuscript for the book.

It can can be hard to say “no”, however you must understand saying “yes” is saying “no” to something else.

Undefined MIP’s – 3rd reason why productivity is slowed. 

MIP’s are your Most Important Priorities. Think of these as your filters for life. They are what drives you. One MIP could be family for you or perhaps health; these are the big things which are vital for you.

Without having defined MIPs. you have no filter and thus everything is somehow important. Having a filter directs your agenda, it elevates your priorities.

If networking is an MIP for you, then coffee meetings make it through your filter.

Define your MIPs and you will find there will be things which do not make it through the filter and thus not on your agenda.

Doing Everything – 4th reason why productivity is slowed 

Ever felt that you just need to get everything done? I know I have! 

There is a feeling that builds up with anyone who has this mindset of everything must get done. Feeling this way the person beats themselves up mentally and can arrive at this conclusion, “I’m not good enough” or fall into a trap of comparing themselves to others.

If you feel frustrated and overwhelmed by not getting it all done, there are several questions you need to answer at the end of each day, feature in an Inc.com article entitled Stop Beating Yourself Up For Not Getting Everything Done.

The Focus On Social Media- 5th reason why productivity is slowed. 

You probably knew this was coming didn’t you? Yes, the mobile device and the online messaging at work can easily derail your focus.

I want you to think about your day yesterday. Did you receive a text or message which took your attention away during a focus period of work to respond?

Well, according to the Business Insider.com, the typical cellphone user touches their phone 2,617 times per day.

Does that number just blow your mind? 

Scrolling through news feeds, checking alerts, responding to messages and texts during a focus period, halts all momentum in your productivity.

This past week, I was in a meeting and the other person was responding to texts when we were having a discussion. I became frustrated and it slowed our progress.

In my opinion this reason, the focus on social media is the arrow to destroy all productivity.

Tide Turners Time Management Maximizer Online Coaching Group 

Last week, I completed leading a five week online coaching group on time management and thus impacted productivity. Here are a few testimonials of what individuals discovered and received.

“I am much more aware of how I use time now. As a result of this course I really think twice if I pick up my phone to just “check something.” I am now able to really prioritize my activities into what is most important and really accomplish much more than what I thought was possible without feeling exhausted.” – Trista 

“This was a fantastic course and I got a lot of value in it. Cardiff really cares about each and every one of the students in the course and it shows! I am very proud of what I have learned and will continue to learn and implement many things that I learned in this course.” -Ainsworth 

I will be offering this again this year and if you want to be notified email me at cardiff@cardiffdhall.com and I will do so.

These five reasons are very real and if untamed, your productivity will continue to slip through the door and allow you to fall short of goals, dreams and your potential.

PS – Know productivity is knocking and those who answer walk through the door of success.

 

 

Goals – The One Thing Required To Reach Them In 2018

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The Review

Over the course of this year I found the one thing needed to provide the best opportunity to hit my 2018 goals.

At the time of writing this article, I did a review of my year and realized by looking in the rear view mirror, I didn’t fully hit my goals. However I am further ahead than where I started.

Have you taken the opportunity to look in your rearview mirror on your goals?

It’s a fact that three out of every ten adults take the time to write down their goals, which the Goal Band indicates.

Are you in the 30% of the adults who do or the 70%?

I can understand if you find yourself in the 70%, given I was there several years ago myself.

 

The Start

The 2018 year begins and the chase to achieve your goals is on!

You feel great about this year, given you have taken the time to write your goals and today you find yourself at the gym working on your one goal.

Your confidence is high. You feel great about the start and you’ve pushed away from the shore to reach your goals.

The Dip In Your 2018 Goals

January goes well for you and you are making process and then something begins. You don’t see the results you’d hope for and suddenly you find yourself in a dip.

You’ve seen the dip if you belong to a gym. Attendance decreases moving into February and March. Darren Beattie, fitness coach states 80% of the New Years Resolutions crowd drops off by the second week of February.

What occurred, is the individual reached the dip phase of their goals and decided not to make the climb back up the dip.

Have you ever experienced the dip?

Oh Well, Next Year

Given the work required to move up the dip and gain momentum, many people avoid doing the hard work to allow themselves to move forward past the difficulty.

The reason for this, is our brains are trained to look for easy. Our brains love short cuts and so it is why you seek the shortcut to your goals.

Have you ever noticed how restaurants want to make it easy for you?

I recently saw now McDonalds has McDelivery! Why?

To make it easy for you.  You can have your fast food delivered. (not healthy by the way).

That mindset of having your brain scan for ease, is why many individuals fail to ever come out of the dip and thus not reach their goals.

The Plan

In August of this year, I wrote an article entitled, 2018 Goals Why You Should Write Them Now and inside that article I offered individuals an opportunity to contact me and I would send them the 2018 goals development document.

That article has been the highest read article in the past few months and I am consistently receiving emails asking for the document.

Remember how our brains desire easy? Taking the time to send an email requesting the document isn’t easy for many. It sounds easy but the masses will not take time.

To give yourself the greatest opportunity to hit your 2018 goals, is the creation and implementation of a development plan.

High Performance 

High performance can be achieved when you take the time to create your development plan for your goals. Think of the development plan as your roadmap to get you through the dip and onward to the target.

I love what Brendon Burchard says, “What is easy to do, is easy not to do.”

Decide to create a development plan, so when you look in your rearview mirror in December next year, you will have a smile on your face knowing you achieved your goals or made significant progress.

PS – To get your 2018 Development document, visit http://bit.ly/2ji4shu