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Have you been talking about your golf shot? Does the vision of success encourage you? In order for others to believe in you and success, you have to believe and get excited about it. Sharing your vision is one of the first steps. But it’s not all about the vision it ultimately comes down to the buy-in of the vision. George printed our tickets to get on the bus. Having this physical agreement for the team made the journey and path of the bus clear.

Rule #4: Invite people on your bus and share your vision for the road ahead.

If you remember for Rocket Fuel, they prioritized the importance of Same Page meetings. It is easy to get caught up in the day to day task of the jobs. Often times putting your head down and working is the worst thing for your team. Back to another analogy; if you start heading towards a destination and you are 1% off that difference won’t make that large of an effect 5 minutes in you’ll still be on the right path. But once you are 5 hours headed in that direction the difference now become noticeable. The vision needs to line up or else month or two down the road your team will not be headed in the same directions and fighting against each other.

Rule #5: Don’t waste your energy on those who don’t get on your bus.

You need people on your bus that are going to continually push you forward. It might be tough to face the difference at the beginning, but if there is no synergy at the start it will be a trainwreck at the end. You are either moving forward or moving backward. Which direction are you willing to take? Are you all on the same page and pushing each other to grow? The vision sets the tone for where you are headed and it needs support from everyone to get there. If people are not willing to get all in it is not worth it to have them slow down the bus for everyone else.

Who is on your bus?

The 10 rules for the ride of your life has continued to shape our team approach. This week we took the extra time to review our goals we set at the beginning of the year. We were moving forward but did not keep our goals front of mind. It was a good reminder to slow down and refocus to make sure our bus was moving in the right direction. Rule #2: “Desire, Vision, and Focus move your bus in the right direction.” In reviewing the goals as the team we looked at the big picture then we were able to break it down into what needed to happen now and this month to achieve it.

Visualization is a huge component of success. Visualizing success actually happening is what holds the majority of people back. Our minds are powerful and the mental part of achieving something is often the strongest obstacle we will face. Mentality towards a situation is often a huge block of what we can achieve. Think about what you want to do, not what you don't want to do. Rule #3 aligns with this form of thinking. “Fuel your Ride with Positive Energy.” Focusing on the positive outcomes and holding a good attitude is fuel to get your bus in the right direction. One of the big takeaways for our team was the practice of ending each day with success. The goal is to go to bed and think of something good that happened that day. Ending with a positive attitude creates that same attitude for the next day. It is easy to get ran down with the day to day issues but refocusing on what you are doing well will help overcome the negativity weighing you down.

The golf shot analogy was easy for us to understand. When going golfing you will make good and bad shots through the entire course. Once you’re off the course talking with other you only share about the great shot that you made. In celebrating that shot it naturally makes you want to play more; even though you know there will be bad shots from time to time. In life, we need to celebrate more of the good shots that we make and not stay focused on the bad. Are you visualizing making the great shot or do you get the old water ball out in fear that your swing might lead you to the water? Life is like the grip you have on the club. We tend to desire a tight grip on life with lots of control but any golfer would know with a tight grip you actually have less control. Relaxing the grip will result in a better outcome. Give up control and celebrate the great shots that you make.

The month of May our team is reading through the 10 secrets revealed in The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon. He shares the 10 rules for life, work, and team with positive energy. This again is nothing we have never heard but again good to hear and refocus on. Jon Gordon walks through the life of ‘George’ to show the stress of life and work and the change that is made when he meets a bus driver and passengers. Through the journey, he learns the 10 rules of how to enjoy the ride of life.

Everyone faces difficult challenges. Everyone wants to be the best. Everyone wants to be successful. Looking through experiences of other leaders, teams, successful business, and athletes Gordon uses the story of George to show the effect of energy. Sitting on the bus you look forward with a positive attitude to overcome the adversity that might come your way. This bus moves forward past all the negativity that your destroy your environment and your team. This book builds upon strengths of having a good attitude and positive outlook. The example of George is how the majority of team members feel stuck no longer moving forward. The rules he learns on the bus changes his life, his job, his marriage and his perspective.

One of the first rules is “You are the driver of the bus.” Ultimately, you are in control and you are only in control of yourself. When you take responsibility and sit in the driver seat about your energy and attitude towards each and every action. You are responsible for the direction your life is headed. It is easy to become complacent and let others take over and control your attitude. It is time to take charge and drive the bus. It is empowering when you become responsible for your dreams and end destination. Join us this month to learn the rules and see the change in direction from being on the energy bus!

“When you don’t do your best, you are denying yourself the right to be you.” - Don Miguel Ruiz

The four agreement - Always Do Your Best - is the most important. It guards against the self-judgment. You are only able to control yourself and your attitude towards a situation. If you are satisfied with how you are handling or approach an issue and you did your best then that is all you can do.

As an athlete, there will be opponents that might be more talented than you at times. Always doing your best is the heart of any competitor though. Just giving up because the competition is too strong will never make you successful. On the other hand, if you can walk away from the court or field knowing that you gave it your all and tried as hard as you could, then you can hold your head up high. There is nothing wrong with doing your best, even if your best is not always successful. There will be moments when success will not happen, no matter how hard you try. You will get in arguments, no matter how kind you are. You will eventually get hurt, no matter how careful you are. Just remember, alway do your best.

Applying the agreements help you live with abundance rather than sacristy. It is challenging for major of people wanting to be protective and frugal having control over every circumstance. You are the reason you can not get what you want.  Every moment will change and be different depending on your attitude and how to approach it. Are you content with how you had different situation and circumstances? If you strive to do the best you can avoid the judgment and regret.

Through the years we have developed habits of how we express ourselves. This often happens unconsciously. The step of applying these agreements you must make the conscious effect to notice how you respond. This will not happen over night and will take some time to change and become aware to successfully apply these agreements. Just like learning anything new for the first time, there will be challenges and struggles along the way. Those stumbling blocks will make you grow and should push you in the right direction to keep going. Keep pushing through to applying these one day at the time.  

Don’t make assumptions.

This is the third agreement of this book. The problem with making assumptions is that we believe they are true. Far too often we are afraid to ask for clarification on a situation which leads to negative assumption leading to suffering. This experience could be positive and make fantasies real then be leading to a fake dream. Having assumptions is asking for problems. Feelings get confusing and most of the time the assumptions lead to problems.

We think everyone else should be and are just like us. Meaning we assume everyone thinks, views, feels and judges the way we do. There is a fear and lack of freedom when we believe those assumptions. It automatically lowers the self-view which is dangerous. There will often be things you will not like about someone. If you try to change someone it will never work and they will never feel loved or accepted. If they change it is because they wanted to change.

Communications should be clean and clear. It will create freedom and what humans desire for all relationships. It is difficult to communicate honestly because others will take it personally and often we are not impeccable with our word. Each agreement could transform how you feel and view everything within your life. Find that freedom to run from the gossip and face the truth without assumption. Gain the clarity you need.

The Four Agreements digs into how we are telling the story. Our perspectives on a situation could easily change the outcome. Let these agreements refine your thinking to better your life and create happiness. Have you applied any of these agreements? How has it changed your perspective on those situations or individuals?

Find the truth and be brave enough to ask tough questions.

This book is a great concise read! It has already changed the perspectives we are approaching different situations with, both personally and professionally. Most of the time the picture we paint for ourselves is an inaccurate story of the actual situation. We often, especially in America, care about the opinions of other people far too much. The majority of the time those people don’t even know you or hold the same values in their lives.

The 2nd Agreement: Don’t take anything personally.

Opinions are just that opinions, they change from day to day and are inconsistent depending on who you are speaking with. Why should we believe full heartedly and read into someone's opinion? Being able to transform your dream of reality leads to freedom and the mastery of life. There is freedom when you are able to look past the opinions and actions of others and move forward. Don’t take everything personal.

Nothing other people do or say is because of you; it is ultimate because of themselves. There are so many other factors that pour into how someone treats us. Their actions and how they respond are mostly about them and rarely about how you are acting. It is learning to realize the root of the issue and not take things personally. What others say or do is a projection of their reality and how they are feeling, not about you.

“Write this agreement on paper, and put it on your refrigerator to remind you all the time: Don’t take anything personally.” - Don Miguel Ruiz

For the month of April, our team will be reading and actively applying the principles from The Four Agreements by Don Ruiz. This book is again about perspectives and how to refine your thinking to better your life and create happiness. It is broken down into four different agreements. 

Your life is nothing more than a dream and you are the one controlling how that dream plays out. … Gives the example of the smoking mirror. This is when you look into the mirror and all you see are the issues. The issues that you have created for yourself. You don’t really see yourself but you are clouded with the smoke between you and the mirror. The smoke that you have allowed to be there. 

From birth, we have been programmed from everyone and everything telling us what to believe and how we should act or behave in different situations. Life often causes fear which then puts you in a position of being unhappy. This book focuses on changing yourself to live in a positive dream. Changing your perspective to get rid of all stress and fear to create love and happiness in your life. 

The first agreement of the four is to be impeccable with your word. This is one of the most powerful agreements. It is all about living in the truth. Words create the reality and are more powerful than we seem to believe. Whatever we are willing to tell ourselves will become reality. Learning how to speak the truth and build up not only yourself but others as well can change your entire life. Run from gossip and lies. Realize the power of your words and use them in the direction of truth and love. Speak with integrity. 

This book has endless examples of how we create the story in our head instead of loving what is. What is the story you are creating in your head? Are you allowing that story to affect your life? The world is whatever you believe it to be. Our mind is a powerful thing that will cling onto what we perceive to make it the truth. Walking every situation through The Work will help us get back to the actual truth not what we are creating. Filter through the emotions and focus on the truth.

The Work is meditation. If you are caught up in a thought Byron Katie challenges to put it out on paper. Question the situation then find the answers within the truth. This simple tool can turn everything around for you.

1. Is it true? (Yes or no. If no, move to 3.)

2. Can you absolutely know that it's true? (Yes or no.)

3. How do you react, what happens, when you believe that thought?

4. Who would you be without the thought?

Turn it around: To the self. To the other. To the opposite.

This book may be repetitive of endless examples walking through how The Work changes situations. That is the exact point. No matter the situation, good or bad, we create our own story in our head. The majority of the time when we are sad or disappointed with something it is only because of the story that we have created. Take ownership in your thoughts and in the outcome. Turn the situation around.

Life has its ups and downs. Focus on only the things you can control and allow yourself freedom from what you can not. There are some situations that are not fair and will hurt, but Byron Katie points focus in on the response to those situations. Are you going to allow the story to spiral into negativity or do you take what you can control and run with it? Life will be much more enjoyable if you stay in your own business and control how you respond to the cards you have been dealt.

Choose to find joy in every day. Choose to love what is.  

What are you afraid of and fear in life? Have you ever wondered why that makes you afraid? Could it be that your reaction would never be justified if you got down to the truth of the matter? Do “The Work” on your greatest fear. Ask the question, “Is it true?” Work step by step and use this process. Then turn it around. Are you fearful because the situation or are you fearful simply because that is how you react naturally?

We all make quick judgements of what we see and experience. Far too often our judgement is wrong. Far too often we jump to conclusions way too fast. Far too often we let the situation affect us before even knowing the truth. Perception is reality. One might be taking notes on their phone at a conference, but to everyone else, it looks as if they are checked out and texting the entire time. Isn’t it funny that we judge ourselves on our intentions, but we judge others by the outcome. Get to know the truth behind the situation. Learn the intentions of others before you make that judgement and react.

The reality is, you can not control or change reality. Don’t try either because you will lose when you argue with reality. It is what it is. Learn how to make the best of it. The only thing you can control is how you chose to respond and react to the situation. Bad situations are going to happen in life because we live in a broken world. The question is how do you learn to love what is. The exercise of “The Work” reveals the deepest beliefs and shows the point of misunderstandings. Set yourself free through digging deeper and questioning your judgement on the reality.

Even in the little things try to change your mentality from “I have to…” to “We get to…” Often times, when we become the victim of a situation and have stress, it is because we look at the situation selfishly and take everything personally. Take the opportunity to make every single event as just that, an opportunity. We get the opportunity to change our reality of the situation and our judgement.  

“There is no lemon so sour that you can’t make something representing lemonade.”

Your life is whatever image that you project it to be. You may not be able to control the situation but it is up to you to change your responses and judgment to that situation. How you see things and interpret situations is how you perceive problems. Have you ever thought about how the misperception of a situation affects your life? It is so easy to get caught up in all the feels and stressful situations. Some problems pull you to the bottom of the ocean and where you are left without any oxygen. It is fatal if you sit at the bottom with your problems for too long. Take a step back to find the truth of the situation. There is always something that can be done or another way to handle a situation. Make a habit of looking at yourself compared to blaming everyone else and the situation.

“The pain shows you what’s left to investigate.”

One of the examples Byron Katie uses is having lint on a projector’s lens. We often only look at the big issue on the screen and try to fix it when in reality it is just the tiniest piece of lint projected into something big. How long do you sit in the issues looking at the screen when we never look inwards at how we are projecting it. Change your own mind on the issue and clear your lens. The analogy also is great in the fact that the lint can be so tiny but if you let it stay on the lens then it projects into something way bigger than it ever was in the first place or ever will be. The noises of this world are loud. Do you let the noise be positive or negative? There is a beauty that can be found in every brokenness. Do you choose to search for it or do we ignore it? Look at how you are viewing every situation and do the work through it. Make sure your response is appropriate and true.  

“Self-realization is not complete until it lives in action.”

This concept of looking inwards is beneficial in every relationship. When you get down to the root of what is happening often perspectives are different and that is where the issue occurs not because of the action going on. Byron Katie asks an import question: Whose business are you in? There is your business, someone else’s business, and God’s business. The majority of stress comes from not living in your own business. When you get into someone else’s or God’s business there is nothing you can control. You can not control how someone else is going to act. You sure can’t control God’s plan. Realizing that you can only control your own business is the only place where you can actually make a difference and work. Why do we tend to waste our time on other people’s business? Along the same time, we need to accept others for who they are.