Let's Get Up Early?

I was reading on the internet when I bump into this article. This is an awesome article about waking up early and how it impacts productivity, thus success.  

For 15 years, Starbucks President Michelle Gaas has set her alarm for 4:30 a.m. to go running. Gretchen Ruben, popular author of The Happiness Project (Harper Perennial, 2011) wakes up at 6 a.m. and works for an hour before her family rises. Time-management expert Laura Vanderkam highlights what makes mornings special and how we can use them more efficiently in her book What The Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast. Here are a few benefits to getting out of bed earlier. 

You are less likely to get distracted in the morning. An entrepreneur's day fills up fast. If you wait until the afternoon or evening to do something meaningful for yourself such as exercising or reading, you’re likely to push it off the to-do list altogether. “There are going to be reasons why you can't tackle a personal priority at 4 p.m. -- things have a lot less likelihood of coming up at 6 a.m.," says Vanderkam.

You have more willpower early in the day. Even if you aren't a morning person, you may have more willpower in the early hours than later in the day. "Willpower is like a muscle [that] becomes fatigued with over-use," says Vanderkam. During the course of the day as you're dealing with difficult people, making decisions and battling traffic, you use up your willpower, leaving you feeling depleted toward the end of the day.

Mornings give you the opportunity to set a positive tone for the day. If you've ever slept in past your alarm clock or forgotten your kids' lunches on the counter, you know that starting off the day with a failure can bring down your mood and affect your productivity at work. Vanderkam says waking up earlier allows you to start the day with a victory and set the tone for a happier and more productive day.

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If the thought of waking up at sunrise makes you cringe, Vanderkam recommends these four steps to transform even a habitual night owl into a morning person.

1. Keep a time journal. Vanderkam says one of the reasons people say they don't like mornings is that they stay up too late. She recommends keeping a time journal for a week to show where you may be using your time inefficiently. Vanderkam finds when many self-professed night owls look at their time journals, they often find they aren't spending their evening hours productively or doing anything particularly enjoyable.

2. Imagine your perfect morning. Imagine what you would do if you had an extra hour in the day. Would you exercise? Read the newspaper rather than simply skimming the headlines? "[Getting up earlier] isn't about punishing yourself. You will not get out of bed if you don’t have a good reason to do it," says Vanderkam.

3. Plan your morning. Once you have decided what you want to do with your extra time, plan how to execute it, and set as much up as possible the night before. For example, if you want to exercise in the morning, lay out your clothes the night before, or gather the ingredients for your breakfast.

4. Build the habit slowly. Vanderkam says you will likely hit the snooze button and sleep in if you try to switch your habits drastically. So instead of setting your alarm for 5 a.m. when you normally get up at 7: 30 a.m. set the alarm for 10 minutes earlier each day. To make sure you don't lose sleep, go to bed 10 minutes earlier each night. If you have trouble hitting the sack on time, set a bedtime alarm.

Having seen all this, Let's get ourselves to wake up early now!

Stay Productive. Are you?

The New York Times recently ran an article about how email can make people less productive. However, misuse of email is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Here are 10 actions that you can take today that can make you at least twice as productive as your colleagues.

1. Avoid meetings that lack an agenda.

Meetings can only be productive if people know why they're meeting in the first place. An agenda provides focus and purpose. The lack of an agenda guarantees meandering conversations that dive into rat holes. They're a waste of your (and everyone else's) time.

2. Never pick up on an unknown caller.

Unless you're working in telesales or product support, there's no reason why you should ever take a call from somebody you don't know. After all, when was the last time you took an unexpected call that was truly important? Days? Weeks? Months?

3. Permanently turn off your voice mail.

A voice-mail message consumes minutes of your time (more if you have to replay) to communicate information you could absorb from an email in seconds. Explain in your outgoing message that you don't use voice mail, and instead provide your email address.

4. Hone your email program's sorting rules.

It takes time and energy to change gear to sort through (and respond to) a long list of disconnected messages. Most email programs allow you to route different types of messages into folders, where you can review and respond en masse rather than piecemeal.

5. Periodically disable email and texting.

When you must do creative work or absorb complex information, the last thing you need is your computer and phone chirping and beeping for your attention. Whatever it is, it can wait until you've finished the task at hand. Trust me.

6. Give social butterflies short shrift.

For some people, a day at work means an endless coffee klatch. They wander the halls searching for somebody, ostensibly to discuss business but really just to chat. Don't let these time leeches hobble your success. Just say no. If necessary, get rude.

7. Reward your body with high-quality fuel.

What you eat determines your energy level, and your energy level determines how much you can get accomplished. Sugary treats provide a quick energy boost but then create an even deeper dip. Heavy foods take energy to digest, leaving you with less to use.

8. Take a five-minute walking break every hour.

The human body is not designed to sit for hours at a stretch. Attempting to do so inevitably creates aches and pains that leech your energy as your body tries to compensate and heal them. So get up and move! Use a timer if you have to.

9. Make your decisions more quickly.

Most people waste an extraordinary amount of time obsessing about (and second-guessing) their decision making. However, you're always better off making a good-enough decision quickly than waiting for an imaginary best decision.

10. Completely disconnect for 12 hours every day.

If you stop pretending to be productive when you're eating and sleeping, you'll be far more productive when you're actually working. Being always available is an unfailing recipe for stress, illness, and bad decision making. Give it rest.

I Want The Best, How About You?

One of the habits I consistently observed within those star performers and extraordinary leaders are their commitment to world class. They drive the highest quality class, live in the best house and wear the finest clothes. Their philosophy generally seems to be " I stand for being the best so it only make sense that I should invest in the best." And they held the belief even before they are successful.

Greatness is a state of mind. You need to believe in your potential and power before you can bring them to life. You need to feel like you are extraordinary before you can become extraordinary. I call this "emotional blueprinting" To see spectacular results in your external life, you have to emotionally create a blueprint of your vision within your inner life.

One of the best way I have discovered to achieve this feeling is to ensure that you surround yourself with the highest level. I remember reading a book years ago, written by Al Koran, called Bring out the magic in your mind. One of the ideas that stayed with me is : In order to be successful, it's important to go where the successful people are. Even if you have on $10, go have a coffee at the best restaurant in your city. His point? Your surrounding shape the way you feel. And the way you feel drives what you do. Feel world class and you behave world class.

Invest in the best. Buy the highest quality goods you can possibly afford. Better to buy one superb pair of shoe than three cheap ones. "Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten." When I just started out, I took part of my first pay check and invest in a great watch. It wasn't a rolex or cartier but it was a good one. My thinking was that it would last for years, make me feel successful while I wore it and actually end up saving me money because it would rarely need repairs. One of my friends who always looked for the cheapest deal laughed at me. But I turned out to be right. He changed 6 watches along the way, and mine is still working great!

I am in no way encouraging a senseless addiction to material things. All I am saying is that if you are serious about standing for the best. Rewarding yourself with the good things sends a message to the deepest and highest part of you. One that say I am worth it and I deserve it. It will inspire you to reach even higher, work even harder and be even better. To anyone who says that our self worth should be so strong that high quality goods won't affect how we feel, I respectfully suggest that such a statement misses the reality of human nature. Every one of us like nice things, they appeal to our senses just like a beautiful sunset, magnificent mountain.

The best investment we can have is to be the best. You might not agree but I owe you the truth. My tastes are simple, I just want the best, how about you?

Why Am I Important?

I saw this story online. This is something light for everyone during this Holiday Season! Have a good read and...Why am I important?

 

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A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full.. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two Beers from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand.The students laughed..

‘Now,’ said the professor as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things—-your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions—-and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car.. The sand is everything else—-the small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ he continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and mow the lawn.

Take care of the golf balls first—-the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the Beer represented. The professor smiled and said, ‘I’m glad you asked.’ The Beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of Beers with a friend.

 

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I hope you have a good laugh and found out on your focus area for the important stuff. Cheers to Holiday Season!

The Power of Focus

There's a great power in focusing on what you want. This may seems like such an obvious statement, yet most of us miss it. Dreams can come true. You can get to a place called Extraordinary in your career. You can find love deeper than you have ever imagined. You can realise world class vitality and find lasting fulfilment. But you need to focus. The person who tries to do everything accomplishes nothing. Most people try to be all things to everyone. And so they end up nothing to anyone. Confucius nailed the point: " Person who chases two rabbits catches neither."

What you focus on grows. What you concentrate on is what you see more in your life. Think about that line. Focus on financial mastery and you'll see your economic life improve.

Focus on being more loving and your relationship will improve. Focus on your physical dimension by exercising and following a superb diet and your health will improve. Focus. Focus. Focus. That's what the best of the best do. Tunnel vision around their biggest TO DO. They stick to their knitting rather than scattering their brilliance. A few months ago I read about a billionaire interview. They asked him what was the single best thing he did to get to his financial mastery. "I made this goal my sole reference point," came his reply.