You Can’t Get There From Here

I LIKE TO THINK — and hope, if you know me personally, you would agree - I’m an eternally positive and trusting person, sometimes to a fault. So, if you know me personally or have been receiving this e-zine for any length of time, you might think the kinda pessimistic and negative-sounding title for this FYI is incongruent with the person you’ve come to know.nnThe truth is: I believe you can be, do, have and get anything or anywhere you want in life by modeling the right behavior, attitude and strategies used by others who have achieved the outcome you desire.nnFYI ACTION IDEA: Whenever I want to accomplish a goal, I find the person or people who are the “best” at doing what I want to do, and I simply model their process.nnHow?nnI cover the B.A.S.E.S. I use the acronym B.A.S.E.S. to remind me of what I need to do to reach my destination and attain my goal.nnBehavior - Attitude - Strategy - Energy - SuccessnnSo far, so good? Good. But, over the past few years, I’ve taken it one step further.nnThe “one-step further” is this: I deeply assess the changes I have to make on a daily basis so I’m certain they are congruent with my overall life plan.nnI guess I’m still carrying around my Catholic guilt. So, in the spirit of that background, I’ll make -nnMy second confession today. Historically, one of the greatest obstacles I’ve had to overcome has been ME!nnCase in point: The first obstacle was my ego, which wanted to fly around the world and motivate perfect strangers!nnYou see, 8 years ago I made the decision to position myself as a nationally recognized “motivational speaker.” I wanted to fly around the world and give seminars and speeches to anyone who would listen. As a personal marketing strategy and to get hands-on experience, I booked national best-selling authors and speakers, paid their fee and flew them into Jersey to do seminars.nnIt worked! Corporations started calling. Before I knew it I was flying to Florida, Texas, and Puerto Rico. I was taking every speaking engagement I could.nnThen, about three years ago after Luke, my fourth child, was born, I realized that if I continued down this path my children would have a father they’d be able to see only in a “Media Kit” or on a “Promotional DVD”.nnThat idea did not work. It was NOT congruent with my overall life plan.nnI couldn’t fly around the world, spend two hundred nights in a hotel and expect my kids and wife to recognize me when I came home.nnMy own Dad has been a great role model for my life plan. Besides his unconditional love and support, he came to every single sporting event I ever played. When I look back today and attend one of my kids’ games, I realize the kind of commitment and personal sacrifice my Dad made to do that.nnTo remind me of the importance of spending quality time and being there for my children, I have a poster in my office that reads:nnPRIORITIESnA hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove … but the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.nnSo three years ago I made a decision and embarked on another personal and professional transformation. I had to ask myself some serious questions and change my thinking.nnThe fundamental question I asked myself was:nn“How can I redesign my life and my career, still do what I love, earn the money I need to support a wife and five kids and spend quality time with my family?”nnThe answer was in a quote from my friend Al.nnWe cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them. Albert EinsteinnnFYI - For Your Information and Inspiration: Here is the challenge you and I will have when assessing our overall life plan.nnWe’ll have to make changes. Most people don’t want to change; it’s uncomfortable and sometimes even excruciatingly painful to change. But I’m here to tell you: Very often -nnChange is a necessity. If your overall life plan is not working the way it’s supposed to, you must realize that, without change -nnYou Can’t Get There From Here!nnYou can call me Al: You can’t stay where you are now and expect to get where you want to go. It’s the definition of insanity and the primary cause of low self-esteem and self-confidence.nnWhatever you ultimately decide you want your life and legacy to look like, you must decide, find mentors and cover your B.A.S.E.S.nnBut most important: You must realize that nothing will change until you change. You can’t remain “here” forever. The train has to leave the station … the boat has to leave the dock … and plane has to leave the runway to begin the journey.nnBon voyage!nnMake It Your Best Year Ever!