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Your Path to Breakthroughs: Insights from Jan McDonald

From hopeless drunk to 30 years sober and helping hundreds of individuals and organizations unlock their ‘and then some’, I distill all the lessons gained from those transformational life experiences and share them with you in this space.

I invite you to explore these insights as way to help you breakthrough the challenges that are stopping you from becoming who you want to be.

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5 Things to Do Daily For Success

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you're the pilot."

--Michael Altshuler

If we want to design our life and live it according to our calling and our own personal dreams and desires, we need strategies. Good strategies take into account your top priorities. If we don’t prioritize those things that are most important, the urgent will get in the way of what is important. I know if I don’t have a list of the most important items that I want to accomplish on any given day, my time gets frittered away by the unimportant. 

Here’s a question for you?  As you look ahead to the next 6 months, what is a primary area in your life or work that you would like to experience growth in? How are you going to make sure that happens?

John Maxwell has a strategy called the Rule of 5.  It is a list of five things that you do on a daily basis that moves you closer to your goal.  Let me illustrate the principle behind this rule: 

I have a tree that I want to chop down in my back yard. I also have a million other things to do as well as chop down the tree. One way to get that done is just go out and chop at that tree everyday just 5 times. In time, you will drop that tree. It doesn’t matter what the size of the tree is—a larger tree will take more time than a smaller tree.  This is the power of compounding. That which you do daily is what you get done. A few things done right everyday, is better than a lot of things done right every day.   
 

The point is to study the few activities you do that generate most of the results and gain an understanding of what the build-up activities are which lead to those results. Then plan each day around those daily disciplines.


Whether you are creating a Rule of 5 for your organization or yourself, the following few tips will help you get started.

1.  Write down your main goal. This will be your guiding light as you create your Rule of 5. Your Rule of 5 are the steps you must take in order to achieve your goal.

2.  Build your “important” list. This can be done in a variety of ways:

a: Make a to-do list for your day. Include everything that must be done that day, as well as items you aim to complete over time.

b: Write down a list of everything you do to be successful. This can range from reading and writing to engaging with team members and building relationships.

3.  Rank the items in order of priority. If various items are similar, you can categorize them to help with the prioritization process.

4.  Highlight the top 20 percent of your priorities and make a memorable list of 5 things that allows you to allocate the majority of your time to those things.

5.  Print your Rule of 5 and hang it where it is frequently seen.
 

Repetition is key.


After completing these 5 steps, confidently live out your Rule of 5 every day… even on weekends, and even when you’re busy.  That is how you make sure you grow in the area that you desire.  Gandhi said, “If we don’t prioritize our life, somebody else will.”  I have certainly found that to be true.

Go and grow!

Jan

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Fear is Meant to Serve Us

"Everything that you want is on the other side of fear."

--Jack Canfield

It’s true. Getting outside of our comfort zone is uncomfortable because it’s not predictable. Uncertainty can produce feelings of anxiety, doubt and head trash (negative self-talk.)

“I don’t think I can do this. Can I do this?  Am I smart enough? Do I know enough?” These statements that reflect self-doubt don’t reflect our capabilities,  I think they are fear-based.

We need some mental management to stop these feelings of fear and doubt from creeping in and dominating our thoughts–because our dominant thought pattern is where our energy flows. The more we think about our doubt and fear, the bigger it gets. Our logic leaves us because the fight or flight response is invoked. We know that all the blood drains out of our brains, so we can go to battle or run.  

Let’s look at fear in a different way as a tactic to manage our fears, doubts and anxieties, and our head trash. Let’s perceive fear as positive rather than negative. 

The purpose of fear is to serve us. Fear does not define what is possible for us or tell us what we can or can’t do. It’s not a flashing red light that says, “Stop, do not proceed. Don’t go there.” Okay, it’s different if we are at the edge of a cliff, but we’re talking comfort zone here. 

Fear is a blinking yellow,  proceed with caution light. It’s telling us that we’re entering a place that we haven’t entered before. Fear is the just the border of the reality that we’ve experienced. This happens every time we try something new.  We proceed with caution. When we were learning to walk, we hung onto that coffee table for dear life. Our first steps were very tentative. We didn’t just jump on a bicycle and automatically learn to ride. We were very cautious at first.  It was the same with learning to drive. 

And now we do all those things perfectly, don’t we? 

The next time fear rears its vicious head, take a deep breath and challenge it. Ask yourself, “Is what is on the other side of fear more important?”  Let your vision, your goal, your dream be your dominating thought. It will grow bigger and stronger than your fear.

Thank fear for putting you on high alert so you can proceed with caution. Fear’s job is to mitigate the scary and difficult thing to which you desire to move forward. Tell it, “Your work is done, Fear, be gone.” 

Remember, fear does not define what is possible for us or what we can or can’t do. It is telling us to proceed with caution and we can learn to do it perfectly!  Do that, because you deserve to achieve your goals and dreams. 

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Tips to Overcome Self-Sabotage

"Make sure your worst enemy is not living between your own two ears."

--Anonymous

I’m preparing the class “Discover Your Power Within” and self-sabotage is a concept that we discuss. The idea for this content came about because there are areas where I sabotage my success and I wanted some answers.


While preparing, I came across some wisdom shared by prior participants.  So as not to blow anyone’s cover, I’m not going to be using any names of the geniuses behind this email…unless, of course, it’s me:)  

Self-sabotage is cunning–most of the time we are not aware that we are doing it. We get caught
in the web of our subconscious mind and old programming. 

The first brilliance shared by one prior participant was that overthinking was sabotage. This person called it “ruminating,” like when a cow chews its cud.  Overthinking the problems, rather than the possibilities, is paralyzing. Taking action is not even on the radar screen. The words used to describe this sabotage, “The possibilities only happen when I take action. All the things that I think are problems would not be problems if I would act, even if I didn’t know how it would turn out. It never turns out the way I think it will anyway.” Someone said that more than 90% of things that we worry about never happen anyway. 

Another person shared that sabotage had to do with age and they became aware that they were using this to hold them back in areas.  It was tough to learn new software and technology. Accompanying that was eating unhealthy things at night, which totally undid their weight loss program.  “I’m older–I deserve to be able to eat this way.” 

Another participant shared about self-talk and the lies we believe about ourselves that cause us to sabotage. 

We also came to the conclusion that sabotage is selfish.  WHAT?  How could that be?  

We don’t live on an island, others are impacted by our behavior.  Think about some of the habits or conditioning that we have. We don’t think we are worthy to have the good in life. We procrastinate because there’s always tomorrow. We compare ourselves to others. Maybe we fear intimate relationships, so we push away those we love. We drink, eat, tweet and Facebook too much. We can’t control our anger in conflict. Think of this list in terms of relationships and the resulting impacts on them.

Lastly, we all came to the conclusion that it is selfish to the One who created us. Your worldview may call that One the Universe, the Source, Intuition or whatever. I call Him God. God has given us all of these talents and gifts so we can make a positive difference in His world. When we behave in ways that are “less than” who we know we can be, we are hiding our brilliance, gifts and talents under limiting beliefs that don’t serve us or anyone else for that matter.  

Here’s  a couple of short tips to help you overcome sabotage: 

1. Watch for self-sabotaging behavior and pause momentarily the next time you recognize it. Identify the feelings behind it. Why am I doing that yet again?  Why am I reacting this way?  What do I want to get from this behavior?  How’s that working for me?  Most of the time it isn’t working. 

2. Create an positive affirmation statement to combat the negative thinking that is taking place in your mind.  How do I want to feel? How would I rather respond instead? Imagine yourself overcoming, because you can. You get to choose our thoughts and actions. 

Self-sabotage is a tug of war between our subconscious and conscious mind. Until we make the unconscious conscious, we can’t win the war.  

If you need help with self-sabotage, email me. If you want to hear more or participate in Discover Your Power Within, let me know that, too. The details are coming soon. 

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What Are You Planting?

“Your thinking, more than anything else, shapes the way you live. It’s really true that if you change your thinking, you can change your life.”

--John Maxwell

In my former home, I spent many a Saturday sitting on my stone path pulling weeds and grass from among the steppables, ground covers that you can walk on. I really didn’t mind doing this because gardening, including weed pulling is like Valium to me. It’s calming, gives me time to think and the dog loves it, too.

While out there, I often thought of how much the stone path reminded me of my mind. No, not that I have rocks in my head, which maybe true sometimes, but what I sow in my mind is often what I reap in real life.

“How the mind is fed, shapes the life that’s led,” Christian Simpson (a coaching mentor.)

Like the stone path, or any garden for that matter, it can be gorgeously cultivated or shamefully neglected. What we plant, grows. Just as I used to intentionally cultivate my stone path to keep it free from weeds, allowing the ornamentals to flower and flourish, I need to tend the garden of my mind.

If I don’t plant seeds of truth, growth, and possibility, an abundance of weed-like seeds of lack, limitation and mediocrity will take hold and continue to produce after their kind.

I can allow my current circumstances to permeate my mind garden and believe that “that’s just the way I am” or “that’s just the way it’s going to be,” or I can plant seeds of expectation of good things to come. I can sow seeds that will ultimately change my life.

I need to remember that my current circumstances do not define me. My current circumstances are the product of what I have been planting in these last years. The very cool part of all this is that I can weed my mind. I am lord over my thoughts and I can change them. And when I change what seeds go in, I change what I become without. Yippee!

To the right is a picture of the stone path. It was so beautiful, but it took constant vigilance to maintain that beauty. (The new owner took the plants out and rocked the whole path:(

So it is with our minds–it takes constant watchfulness and care.

What are you planting? What thoughts are you nourishing? How are you cultivating the rich, fertile soil of your best asset, your mind?

This is something for me to think about, as well, as I head out to plant the empty flower pots in my current home.

If you’re stuck struggling with old thoughts, I’m happy to coach you out of that struggle!

Thinking great thoughts,

Jan McDonald

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Leaders Add Value By Serving

The Law of Addition--Leaders Add Value by Serving Others

--John C. Maxwell

I was discussing DISC behavioral styles with a couple the other day. We agreed that some personalities can be difficult to work with depending on the styles involved. Thank goodness, there are different styles, or the world would be quite boring. 

I loved my staff when I was a CEO! They all had such different personalities styles which made work very fun and interesting…most of the time. There were times when we knew what the other was going to say or do, and then there were times when we just didn’t get each other.

It’s was in those “just didn’t get each other” times that made it really difficult for me to remember that leaders add value to their team members. In those times where I didn’t understand or I wanted to judge rather than accept, I needed to make certain the other person felt valued—even if I didn’t want to.

Every communication that leaders have with followers is relational and all relationships either add to or subtract from a person’s life. To lead well, we need to be intentional about adding value to others lives. When we add value to the lives of others, not only does it become reciprocal, but we model behavior that they can emulate. Think about the positive impact that can have on our teams!

I believe that knowing and understanding other people’s personality styles is a definite value add! This helps us to serve and accept the other person for how they are wired rather than judge them because of their differences. 

John Maxwell provides some other guidelines to help us add value to others:

1.  We add value to others when we truly value others.
We need to value people and then demonstrate that we care in such a way those we influence know and feel it.

2. We add value to others when we make ourselves more valuable to others. We can’t give what we don’t possess. We need to continue to grow and become more, so we can have more to offer. When we stop growing, we stagnate, and…that sometimes stinks…or can make us a relational subtractor. 

3. We add value to others when we know and relate to what others value. My son didn’t always live with me when he grew up. When I first read this chapter on The Law of Addition, I was convicted that I didn’t really know what Ben valued in life as an adult. So I asked him. That was one of the most amazing conversations we had, and it opened up many doors to closer communication between the two of us. It taught me a great lesson in leadership, as well. Knowing what my followers value, helps me lead them from those perspectives. That demonstrates that I care.

Some questions to ask ourselves this week:

Do we have a servant’s attitude when it comes to leadership?
Do we become impatient or resentful when required to meet others needs?
Do we judge others because they are different than us? 
Do we know what those who follow us value?
Do we believe that certain tasks are beneath our dignity or position?

I don’t know about you, but this has given me much to think about. I need to make adding value to others part of my lifestyle.

Learning addition again,

Jan

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What Does Love Mean For You?

"Without love there can be no connection, no future and no success together."

--John Maxwell

I actually wrote this on the Friday before Easter and I thought of what a grand emotion love is. I know, this seems kinda mushy, but imagine a life without love. Research says a baby’s brain will not develop properly in the absence of love. Wow, that is powerful!  Love is very powerful. Look at your own life experiences. Can you recall a time when you felt unloved?  How did that make you feel?  Depressed? Lonely? Anxious?

Imagine a life full of love! Do you have that now?  Are you content with the amount of love you have in your life?  Are you giving love to others?  Are you receiving love?  If you aren’t completely happy with your relationships both giving and receiving, then it may be beneficial to learn what options you have to create that life.

If you’ve been reading my emails, you know you can sit down right now and begin the process of creating that perfect life you desire–the life that is full of love and compassion and whatever else you want. I don’t use the word need because what we need and what we want are very different.  We all need food, shelter and water and according to research, love.  And we want many more things like comfort, warmth, relationships, fulfillment, purpose, and material things. 

So let’s focus on love for the moment. To achieve the love you want in your life, grab a piece of paper. Don’t use your computer or other device, as there is something magical to actually writing down your wants and mapping out your life.

Take the piece of paper and define the perfect scenario or definition for love.  What does it mean to you?  Take as long as you need and write as much as you can.  Describe it in detail.  If it means a foot rub every night from your significant other, than write that. Maybe love means your car gets washed and vacuumed. Write whatever comes to mind and keep writing until you are satisfied that you have defined Love.

Now, evaluate your current relationships.  Do they match what you define as love?  Are you satisfied with the love you are getting and,  just as importantly, are you living up to your definition of love?  Are you giving this love to others?  It goes both ways. 

Know that you can’t change someone else, but truly look at how you are expressing yourself now.  People copy each other – if you give love unconditionally and expect nothing in turn, those closest to you, those who care and love you will reciprocate this love. Personally, I have found that unconditionally loving all the time is something that I need to work on. (Geesh, did I really write that out loud?)  You will find your relationships will become deeper and more satisfying as you focus more on your giving and less on your receiving.

Love is a wonderful thing – it needs nurturing and developing and now is the perfect time to start.

Lovingly typed, 

Jan

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The Best Gift We Can Give One Another

Are Dennis and I the only couple that speaks–okay–yells at each other from 
different parts of our home?

Do we all genuinely have the interest to want to know the answer to this question when we see someone, “How are you doing?” Do we all genuinely want to know the answer to this question when we see someone, “How are you doing?”

When was the last time you were misunderstood? Or when has someone told us something and we didn’t hear? When was the last time you asked a question and when you answered the other person was looking at their cell phone the whole time? 

I don’t remember where I read this, but in one of John Maxwell’s books, he says that the best gift we can give, the best way we can add value to another, is to listen to them. 

When was the last time someone actually listened to hear what you were saying…they weren’t thinking about how they were going to reply?  Did they seem really interested in what you were saying? 

I have to confess that when I am in the middle of a task, my listening skills can fly right out the window. Or I perceive that someone is taking way too long to finish their thought and I interrupt and finish it for them. OOOOOKAAAAYYY.  

Let’s look at some ways that we can add value to others by giving them the gift of listening.  

1. Put down our cell phones, close our computers, turn off the television and shut the iPad. Give the other person the gift of our full attention. When I am in the middle of something, I have learned that I need to ask the person if they can wait a moment until I finish what I’m doing. If I don’t, I will still be thinking about my task and won’t be focused on what they are saying.

2. Maintain eye contact–that prevents us drifting out of the conversation.  

3. Refrain from judging. Judging prevents clarity in hearing their thoughts and we expend our energy forming an opinion rather than really hearing. Slipping into judger mode or becoming defensive causes the fight or flight response in our body.  You know what that does…all the blood drains out of our brains into our extremities so we can flee the situation or put up our dukes.  How good is our listening or even our thinking when that happens?

4. After the other person has spoken, repeat back to them in the form of a rephrase. These recapping statements are tentatively spoken. We can start with, “I heard you say,” or “Did I hear this right?” Then rephrase or recap what you heard.  This gives them the opportunity to elaborate in the case that we heard incorrectly, or they weren’t clear in their sharing. 

5. Be curious. Listen for the words behind the words. Seek to understand the full meaning of what they’re saying, and by all means, don’t interrupt or finish their sentences. 

When someone listens to me with their full attention, I feel appreciated, cared for and valued. I think I may have written this for me, but I hope you’re getting  some value, as well.  Big smiley face here.  You always know where I’m struggling from these emails…or what I’m teaching on the next week:)  Challenge yourself this week to listen like this…give the gift of your full attention. 

I bet you have other suggestions to add to my list.  Please email me if you do!  

I’m listening, 

Jan

Jan McDonald

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Steps to Effective Delegating

“You don't have to do everything, even Batman had Robin.”

--Anonymous

When I work with executives, delegating can be a tough concept for them to grasp.  I’ve been there. I didn’t enjoy giving up control, especially when I knew it would be faster and easier to do it myself. Besides, nobody could do it as good as I could.  Big smile here, because when I began to delegate, I found that my team members often had better ideas and better ways of doing it.

As the leader, the buck stopped with me. I enjoyed sharing in the success of a task given to someone else. However, if a mistake or there was failure, ultimately I was held accountable for it.

I found these four brilliant steps to make delegating uncomplicated in the Maxwell Daily Reader:

1. First, I do it. I learn to do the job. I need to understand the why as well as the how.

2. I do it–and you watch. I demonstrate it while you observe. I explain what I’m doing and why as you watch the process. As a task oriented person, I need to make sure that I’m detailed enough, so I ask questions to make sure you understand well. You are able to ask as many questions as you need, as well.

3. You do it–and I watch. I give you permission and authority to take over the job, but I stay with you to offer advice, correction and encouragement. This helps me to trust you with the job AND you develop trust in yourself as you complete the task with excellence.

4. You do it. Once you are proficient, I step back and let you work alone. You are drawn up to a higher level because you learn to trust yourself and I am freed up to move on to higher things.

Does this way of on the job training take time? Absolutely. But it is so worth it. When I learned to delegate in this way, my staff rose to the occasion to accomplish the tasks I had given them. Many times, these tasks were out of my strength zones but within the talents and strengths of others.  I was freed up to achieve the goals for which I was hired, like visioning, strategizing and future planning.  Delegating became a “win-win.”

And it still is!

Jan

Jan McDonald

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There is Always a Solution

The meaning of the word problem in the original Latin language means “to put forward.” It precedes, or comes before, a solution. I believe if we are gifted with the sight to see a problem, we will have a solution.  We could say that the putting forth of a problem is what is necessary for us to move forward into the land of solution. There is always a solution…in fact there’s usually always more than one solution. If we don’t think, “can I? ” and think, “how can I?” instead, that opens up our minds to think about opportunities!


“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” 
                                                                                                                     –Einstein
 

We have to think differently. Problems are normally viewed as negative, but if we change our attitudes and and think about problems as possibilities and/or opportunities, everything changes.  I love this story!

An old gentleman lived alone in New Jersey . He wanted to plant his annual tomato garden, but it was very difficult work, as the ground was hard. His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament:

Dear Vincent, I am feeling pretty sad because it looks like I won’t be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I’m just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. I know if you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would be happy to dig the plot for me, like in the old days. Love, Papa

A few days later he received a letter from his son.

Dear Papa, don’t dig up that garden. That’s where the bodies are buried. Love, Vinnie

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Papa, go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That’s the best I could do under the circumstances. Love, Vinnie 

Yep, there’s always a solution! Do you need some solutions?

Do you want to build your company culture?  
Do you want employees to get along better and understand their co-workers?  
Do you have leaders that are not really leading and you need them to?

You can find the solutions at the 1/2 day “Uplevel the Effectiveness of Your Influence” Workshop, March 30th!

Register here: https://www.jan-mcdonald.com/leadership-workshop

Finding solutions, 

Jan

Jan McDonald
Maxwell Leadership  Certified Team

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We See Through Our Own Filters!

"Some stories in our heads were told to us by others. Some we created ourselves."

--Me (from Self Image Mastery Class)

A woman was waiting at an airport for her hours-long flight. Since her flight was delayed, she had several hours on her hand. So, she went to the airport shops and bought a book and a bag of cookies. She sat next to a man and started to read the book she had bought.

While she was engrossed in her book, she saw that the man beside her boldly grabbed a cookie from the cookie bag. She ignored the incident to avoid a scene.

She munched some cookies from the bag and went back to her book. But the man seemed to have enjoyed the cookies way too much; he took some more cookies from the pack and started munching them.

By the passing time, she was getting increasingly irritated as the cookie thief finished her cookie stock. Every time she took a cookie from the bag, he took one. Finally, when the last cookie was left, the man nervously took that cookie and broke it in half. He offered the other half to the lady and smiled. The lady snatched the other half of the cookie from his and thought,

“this guy has some nerve that even after eating a half bag of my cookies, he didn’t show any gratitude.”


She had been so galled by the man and was relieved when her flight was called. She gathered her belongings and headed to the gate, refusing to look back at the thieving ingrate. She boarded the plane and sat in her seat, reading her book. She reached her hand in her baggage; she was surprised to find a bag full of cookies in it.

“If my cookies are here,” she moaned in despair,  “the other one she was eating from was his bag of cookies, and he tried to share.”

While she was flushed with anger about her cookies, the man was happily sharing his cookies with her. She was filled with feelings of guilt and regret. But, It was too late to apologize.

OUCH!

How many times have I only looked at a circumstance or person through my own eyes?  I created a story in my mind of what was going on or who they were and I was wrong.  I assumed something or jumped to a conclusion that was incorrect.  I don’t have enough fingers and toes to count. 

I have spent some time in airports this last month and as I was watching people, I took notice of where my thoughts went. OMGoodness! The assumptions I made! 

It’s normal for us to see things on the negative side. It’s because of the way our brains are wired. When we criticize or belittle ourselves or others in our minds, we tap into the body’s threat-defense mode. It’s the fight or flight part of our brain from cave man days. These days, we’re not fighting lions and tigers. Most of the time, we’re fighting the stories that we tell ourselves.

Here’s an idea: How about we begin to change the uncertain meaning that we add to people and things? 

1. We can do this by asking questions about the circumstances and individuals that we are impacted by.  Is what I’m thinking true? What are the facts to what I’m telling myself?  We can ask the other person their perception, too. 

2.  If we don’t know the answer, and can’t find out the truth, let’s declare “noble intent.” Let’s believe the best about the other person or the circumstance. Let’s tell ourselves a good story! That will be so good for our attitudes. We can do that because we have the power to change our thoughts. 

Imagining the good (most of the time:),

Jan

Jan McDonald
Maxwell Leadership Certified Team

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What Is Your Personal Mission?

"Outstanding people have one thing in common: An absolute sense of mission.”

--Zig Ziglar

I’m re-reading a book by Peter Drucker called “Five Most Important Questions.” While writing this book in 2015, Drucker noticed that not much was written on personal mission statements.

His organization did a large study on the relationship between happiness and meaning with both organizational and personal satisfaction in life.  They found that both happiness and meaning are important when creating a personal mission. In this study, happiness is defined as personal enjoyment of the work itself, not just the results. At the  high end of the scale, loving what you do creates happiness.

By meaning, Drucker refers to the value that you give to your work. At the high end of the scale, you deeply believe that the results of what you do matter and are important. They also found that individuals have different and unique definitions of happiness and meaning. No one can tell you what makes you happy or what is meaningful to you. These answers come from the heart.

Their research also showed that the only way to have high degrees of satisfaction with life and work was to engage in activities that produce happiness and meaning at the same time.

Does what you do make you happy?  Do you believe what you do matters?
 
What is your mission?  Here are some steps to create more satisfaction in your life and work:

1.  Create a clear personal mission for yourself. Drucker says it should be short, clear and fit on a t-shirt.
2.  Look into your heart and do what really matters to you.
3.  Make sure the process of achieving your mission is one that you love. Do what makes you happy. 
4.  Analyze how you spend your time. Spend the majority of your time doing things that simultaneously bring happiness and meaning.

I love coaching, speaking and training and deeply believe that what I do matters.  My priorities have changed a bit this year…I believe I need a personal mission statement rewrite to reflect that.  Such a statement helps prevent personal “mission drift” just like a mission statement does at any organization.

How about you? Does yours need a rewrite?  Or do you have one?  If you don’t, what do you think about establishing one?  If you need help fleshing it out, give me a call.

Thinking, 

Jan

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Words That Kill Innovation

“If I had asked people what they wanted they would have said faster horses.”

--Henry Ford

 When I was the CEO of a non-profit, I wanted to be on the cutting edge and serve with excellence. I was always looking for better ideas or even new ways of doing things. I’m still that way.  I look back on our exponential expansion and marvel at the things that we accomplished.

We found one sentence that could nip a great idea in the bud, “But we’ve never done it that way before.” Our answer to that statement became, “Yes, isn’t that exciting?”  Okay, most of the time:)

If we are going to improve and change, we can’t keep doing whatever it is that we are doing the same way.

I’ll never forget when someone donated a motor home in 2013 to convert into a mobile clinic. Waaaat? I had no clue about anything regarding motor homes, let alone retrofitting it to use as a mobile clinic. That mobile clinic impacted three outlying communities that wouldn’t have had our services otherwise!
 
How did we transition? How did we innovate? Here are steps we took that may help you:

1. We found someone else who had already done it and asked them for help. We found out how they did it. It gave us knowledge that we didn’t have. That knowledge moved us forward more quickly than if we had tried to go it alone.

2. We brainstormed it. We were amazed at the fresh ideas that came from throwing ideas out and writing them on a flip-chart. We always heard, “I never thought of it that way before.”
 

“Capital isn’t so important in business, experience isn’t so important…. What is important is ideas. If you have ideas, you have the main asset you need, and there isn’t any limit to what you can do with your business and your life.” 
Harvey Firestone


3. We kept looking at the result of what we wanted to accomplish. We focused on the goal and not the obstacles. Concentrating on the why and the what, brought the how ideas out of the woodwork.

4. Last, but certainly not the least, we learned to embrace change (actually, embracing change became our mantra way back in 2009.) Change is going to happen anyway and it takes so much energy to fight. So we decided to harness that same energy to achieve our goal.

That statement, “We’ve never done it that way before,” brought a smile to those of us who were on that team. We knew those words and the corresponding steps to take could cause positive change and dramatic growth—not only for our organization, but for us individually!

Embracing change,

Jan

Jan McDonald
Maxwell Certified Leadership Team

For more leadership tips, follow my facebook page @janbayermcdonald

I also have a private group for Christian Professionals with more personal and professional growth tips: 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/476876726881845

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Our Beliefs Have Power

"Until you make the unconscious conscious, it will rule your life and you will call it fate.”

--Carl Jung

That has to be my favorite quote. Our beliefs have so much power and most of them live underneath the radar screen of our conscious thought. They can propel us into great success or they can hold us back. I was listening to my speaker mentor, Roddy, as he was explaining how beliefs are formed, changed, and why some are stronger than others.

There are levels of cognition, which is the mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. These levels point out how we can go beyond the level of available information and reach conclusions and beliefs that aren’t helpful to us. These conclusions may be accurate, but they may not be either…and either way, they can control our lives.

We interpret or process our experiences in these different levels and in different ways. It’s not what happens to us, it how we process. We, not the experience, are the variable here. Our habitual thought patterns can lead to erroneous conclusions without thinking. The quote in the picture is from an ancient Greek philosopher, so this concept has been around for a long time. 

I’ll give you an example. I was preaching a sermon some months ago and someone in the front of the sanctuary had fallen asleep. Hahahaha, yes, that happened to me. Can you believe it:)

There are four levels of cognition, what I like to call mental gymnastics, that my mind can take me through during this experience.

1. Description—I can just observe and describe without attaching meaning or emotion to it. It’s a very simple, “I’m preaching and she’s sleeping.”  It’s very healthy because this is what’s real.

2. Interpretation— “I’m preaching and she’s sleeping because she’s bored.” I don’t know that she’s bored, but I make that assumption. I am taking this beyond available information, still without emotion, but I draw my own conclusion. Is this a certainty?

3. Inference—this level is beyond available information and emotions are starting to come into play here. I’m beginning to take it a bit personal. “I’m preaching, she’s sleeping because she’s bored with my preaching.” Okay, it could be true, but is that definite?  Could there be other reasons that she’s sleeping?  Of course, maybe she partied all night (wait, this is church) or maybe she was up with a sleeping baby.  How do I know?  I don’t know, do I?

4. Evaluation—this is where I go way beyond available information and make a judgement with emotions.  “I’m preaching, she’s sleeping because she’s bored with my preaching, because I’m not a good speaker…I never prepare enough…I’m a loser…I’ll never be good…and that’s just the way I am.” The power of this level of cognition to impact my life is great, and  because of the emotion behind this thinking, a belief has formed.  The belief that I have formed is not really a reflection of reality, is it? I have no evidence. I have pieced that belief together in my own head. I have drawn my own conclusion. If I accept that without reflecting or without really looking at the truth of it, is that going to influence my life? Yes, absolutely.

Vladimir Lenin quoted, “If we repeat a lie often enough, it becomes truth.”  There are beliefs that we have told ourselves that we need to challenge.  Remember, the world was flat for a very long time and everyone believed that…until Kopernicus challenged it.

We weren’t born with beliefs, we were born with a clean slate. Our beliefs have been learned, and some of them might not reflect reality. This is shown by the fact that two people can process the same experiences in totally different ways.  It’s not the event that causes the negative feelings, it’s what we believe about the event. If we want to change the results that we are getting, we need to change our beliefs. When we change the belief, we change the negative feelings.  The beliefs that hold us back need to be challenged and evaluated for the truth in them.

Watch for your mental gymnastic levels this week.  I know I went to level four this morning already. If you need some help identifying and changing some beliefs, I’m happy to be there for you.

Ever learning,

Jan

Jan McDonald
Maxwell Certified Leadership Team

For a friend to subscribe, here is the link

https://jan-mcdonald-llc.mykajabi.com/opt-in

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Why Personal Growth Is So Difficult

“When we first embark upon a growth goal, it's intangible. It takes patience to see results. "

--Jan McDonald

I had a flat forehead moment the other morning. I realized that I have a hard time being joyful when I’m not moving in the direction of a tangible result. Personal growth is not something I can check off my “to do” list. Yes, I can check off my daily learning and reading, so I can grow in those characteristics that I need so I can achieve my tangible goals. But how do you check off being gentle or empathetic, which are two of the characteristics that I want to grow in this year.  (Don’t laugh…Dennis is ecstatic.)

I think this is why personal and relational growth is so difficult. We can’t see immediate change and we forget about it, unless we keep the goal in front of us constantly.


                                              John Maxwell says this, “We can’t grow without until we grow within.” 


If we want our businesses to grow and thrive, studies have shown that we need to grow in leadership skills. The summary of studies done by Harvard, Stanford and Daniel Goleman (another leadership guru) tells us that 80% of our career success comes from our leadership skills, specifically character, values and people skills.  Only twenty percent of our success is attributed to our job skills. 

It’s these “soft” skills that have the most impact in our lives. It’s these skills that determine our effectiveness and ability to influence others. These are the skills and growth goals that have the most beneficial effects in our lives. These are the skills that make us into powerful leaders and are transformational for our relationships.

We may not see the fruit of these skills quickly, but my experience has been that explosive momentum occurs if we have the patience to keep on keeping on.  Personal and relational growth may seem difficult, but like Steven Covey says, “There’s no greater investment.”

If you need some help creating and being accountable to growth goals, I can help. I’m just an email away. 

Go and grow. It’s worth it,

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What Is Your Legacy?

“Please think about your legacy because you are writing it every day."

--Gary Vaynerchuk

Dennis and I live far away from our adult kids and grandkids. One of the questions we asked ourselves on Christmas was, “How can we leave a legacy when we live so far from our children?”  That led to a conversation about leaving a legacy in general.  Legacy is a deep thing to ponder when goal setting. Who do I want to become? What will my signature be on the life I leave behind?  I know my children have some scars from the life that I led before I sobered up.  (Ha! Don’t l most children have some kind of scars from childhood?)

Since everyone leaves some kind of legacy, what kind of legacy can we leave starting now? We need to be intentional about deciding what kind of legacy we’re going to leave and how we’re going to accomplish that.

First, decide what kind of legacy we want to leave. Most people generally just accept their lives, they don’t lead them.  Are we living the preferred vision for our lives or have we settled into our comfort zones?  What values do we live by?

“Someday people will summarize your life in a single sentence.
My advice: pick it now.”

                                                                                          –John Maxwell

Second, live the legacy we want to leave.  We  have to live the life we say we believe in. I don’t think that legacy is taught, I think it’s more caught.  We need to model what we desire to see in others.

Third, who do we want to carry on our legacy?  This question is not only if we are leading an organization, business or non-profit. This is for Moms, Dads and the rest of us, too. We all have a sphere of influence. Yes, not everyone will carry on our legacy, but there will be those who will step forward of their own accord because they like what they see.

Fourth, make sure we pass the baton.  The best leaders don’t just live for today, we live with tomorrow in mind.  Steven Covey says that we need to begin with the end in mind. Pour into those that desire your gifts and knowledge and want to carry those on.

We all hope that our lives matter in some way. We want to be remembered for the good that we contributed to the world. Our lives may not be world-changing, but our fingerprints will be all over those lives that we have touched.

Yes, I know, this is a lot to think about for New Year’s Day. It’s the beginning of the year and it’s a great time to envision what we desire to be different in 2023…and beyond.

Blessings on your New Year,

Jan

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Imagine Your 2023

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."

--Zig Ziglar

Every year on December 1st, I take the month to go through my journal to review and reflect on the past year.   I am astonished at how much I have learned. I’m also amazed at the lessons that I have missed and need to focus on learning those.  Those unlearned lessons become a goal for next year–because it’s becoming the person that I need to become to succeed on my journey. 

I know, my last email was about reflection, (https://www.jan-mcdonald.com/blog/is-experience-the-best-teacher ) but I love this time so much, I had to share! My reflection time includes looking at what was great about the last year, what was not so great, what goals I achieved…or not. Then I spend time dreaming about what I want the next year to look like.  When I have that picture, I write down goals to get what I desire. Many times, it’s just revamping or re-dating those goals I didn’t quite accomplish. Sometimes, I see a whole new vision within my purpose.

Join me in imagining your 2023 and executing a plan to get closer to the life for which you yearn. My whole desire in writing these emails is to help us develop our leadership ability, especially leadership of self.  I am delightfully amazed at how something so simple has transformed my life and relationships, and I can see that for you, too.  AND I truly desire for you to be able to accomplish ALL of your dreams and goals.

This plan I am giving you is not going to be difficult. It’s meant to get you started.  

Step 1—Get away by yourself. After you’ve turned off your cell phone and your technology notification beeps, close your eyes. Really think about what you want your life to look like? Who do you want to become? What do you want your relationships to look like? How much money do you want to make? How is your health?  Could that use improvement?  If you could not fail, what would you attempt?  What does your spiritual life look like? These are just a few questions to get your own brain thinking.

Step 2—Write down a simple sentence or affirmation describing the picture in your head of the aspirations that you have decided upon. One of my affirmations is “Loving, patient, creative, persistent and gentle are the qualities that describe me.” (okay, stop laughing. I said to imagine who you want to become:)  Write them in the present tense, like you have already achieved them. Your brain is a goal-seeking mechanism—it wants to do what you tell it.

Step 3—Attach a date to your potential achievement of that goal. When do you want to achieve millionaire status?  When do you want to pay of that credit card?  When do you want to be 10 pounds lighter? It is difficult to put a date on becoming patient or disciplined because “becoming” is a process and unfortunately it doesn’t happen overnight. I wish I could tell you differently.

Step 4—Write every one of your affirmations on two 3 X 5 cards. Keep one card by your bed and the other in a place where you will check it in the daytime.  Read them twice a day. I found this to be important for me, especially in the area of developing personal characteristics. Reading them aloud, reminds me of the direction I am  moving toward. It helps prevent the “Squirrel!” distractions that may take me off of my chosen path onto a squirrel trail.

Step 5—Plan backward from the end goal to break it down into bite-size pieces that are attainable.  For example, if you have a weight loss goal that you want to achieve in 6 months, how much do you need to lose per month? Break that down into daily tasks that are doable.  Do that for each one of your goals.  Put those goals somewhere, in your calendar or in your phone, so you can track them.

Step 6—Just get started. This step includes telling someone you trust that will cheer you on.

TADAH! You did it!  It wasn’t that hard, was it?

Let me inform you of a couple of pitfalls surrounding goal setting that I have experienced. I never have all the answers to this question “how do I get there?”  I decided not to let that stop me.  Just getting started gives me more ideas on how to proceed. 

I had to stop fearing failure—goal setting is a learnable skill. I didn’t jump on a bike the first time and succeed.  Even if I fail, I will be closer to what I want. If I don’t hit a target, I reflect on what caused it, re-set and/or re-define the goal and move forward.  It’s a learning process.

What if I succeed? That used to scare me, too. If we have the idea, if the dream is ours, we are fully resourced to achieve the goal. I don’t believe God gives us a dream or idea that is legal, moral and ethical and then doesn’t give us the ability to achieve it.

Setting a goal is really about changing ourselves for the long-term. Jim Rohn quotes, “The ultimate reason for setting goals is to entice you to become the person it takes to achieve them.” So, go ahead,  show the world who you want to become or what you want to achieve. You are so worthy of whatever it is you desire to have or become.

If you need assistance, I am just an email or phone call away. 

Go for it!

Jan

Jan McDonald
Maxwell Certified Leadership Team
 

Follow me on facebook @janbayercdonald for more tips on leading. 

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