Enjoy Your Champions Brew for Friday, July 23, 2021

Welcome back to the Champion’s Brew and thanks for subscribing!!!  The Brew is  a weekly pick-me-up designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership.

Here is your weekly drink of what I have been reading and experimenting with to help me to:

What You Need to Know

• Network Well: I read this post recently from Inc Magazine and a Harvard Study on “Following the Rule of 3-questions to become more likable”.  While it certainly seems like it should be easy, more often than not I sometimes find it difficult to ask more than one question.  It takes time and it takes being present.  I had a few takeaways myself from this piece:
  • Ask a first question WORTHY of an answer. – Guilty as charged. Kinda goes like this:
    • ME: How you doing?
    • Individual: Fine, and you?
    • ME: Fine, thanks.
    • Silence….. Ugh…

A better question might be, “How are things going in your work area today?”

• • Ask a GENUINE follow up question. – How do you do it? What do you like about it? What advice do you have?
  • Avoid the temptation to weighin – Keep the focus on the OTHER person. Sometimes they don’t want your viewpoint, or your advice.  They want someone to listen and help!
  • BONUS: – Call them by their first name! – One of Dale Carnegie’s first rules in How to Win Friends and Influence People – remember their name!

I would have preferred the title of the article been “3 Questions to help build influence” rather than “be likable”, but either way, it hits home.

• Exercise Daily: – One of the biggest challenges for me at the start of my fitness journey was making the time to exercise during the day. I had to get dressed, drive to the gym, actually workout, and drive back.  I can think of MANY excuses to NOT exercise in that total loop:
  • “Gym will be too busy”
  • “Won’t be able to find a good parking space”
  • “I might run into someone I know and have to talk” (NOTE: see above point on how to be more likable!)
  • “The equipment I want to use won’t be available”

I was the king of bad excuses.  Then, my trainer at 180 Fitness in Roanoke, Margaux Bellinger, introduced me to the Body-weight EMOM – The what?  She taught me how to work out at home in 15 minutes and I didn’t need any weights… I would just use my body and an app on my phone!  Well, there goes all THOSE excuses!!

What is an EMOM, you might ask?  It is a series of exercises that you complete Every Minute On the Minute  for a specified period of time… say 15 minutes!  Here is an example of what you could do:

1. 1. Set your EMOM app for 15 minutes!
   2. Start the clock.
   3. Do the following set of exercises.
      1. 12 body weight squats (rest with the amount of time remaining in the minute)
      2. 20 jumping jacks (rest until end of minute 2)
      3. 10 push-ups (rest until end of minute 3)
      4. Back to squats and repeat for 4 more cycles
   4. By the end of 15 minutes, you will have done 60 squats, 100 jumping jacks, and 50 push-ups. Not bad!!

(Of course, I have to say to consult with a physician before you start any workout program so that you are healthy enough to do this)!  But it really can be that simple!

• Build Faith: Part of my morning routine is to read a daily devotional. One of the books that I use for this is The Uncommon Life Daily Challenge.  Recently, Tony Dungy shared how his mom used to often say, “Your word is your bond.” A truly short quote, but wise, nonetheless.  Moms have a way of getting their point across.  Your word is your character.  Many companies and individuals have Integrity as a core value.  When I interpret that into a behavior, it is my expectation, that if you are in integrity, you keep your word.  If others can trust you, they are more likely to keep their word with you as well.

What You Need to DO:

Question to ponder and act on:  Reflect on the relationships that you have (family, friends, co-workers).  Is there a commitment that you have made that you haven’t kept your word?  Remember, “Your word is your bond.” – If so, go back and make it happen.  You’ll be better for it.

If you did enjoy the Champion’s Brew, I encourage you to share it with your friends.  If this email has been forwarded to you, be sure and  subscribe and I will make sure you automatically get this email every week.

Also, did you see the launch of the Uncommon Leader Podcast this week?  If not, go this page and check it out.  Let me know what you think.  Also, you can find it on your favorite podcast platform like Spotify or Apple Podcasts!!  Or, to get it in your email, you can subscribe here.

Until next time, go and Grow Champions!