Welcome back brew nation! It’s the “Friday Coffee Guy” coming to you with another edition of The Champion’s Brew, a weekly assembly of material I am reading, listening to, watching, or thinking about that is designed to equip and call you to uncommon leadership. I often add my own little spin based on my takeaways and would love your input as well. Any of the points especially impact you? Drop me a note at [email protected], or comment on the blog to keep the conversation going! I believe you will discover that the format is not only useful, but also that you can consume it within the time it takes you to enjoy your daily ‘brew’! Become a member of the Champions Brew Nation by subscribing here!!
Here is your weekly sip of what I have been reading, listening to or watching to equip me to:
- Think Positively – How bout a little challenge? This week, I read Make Success Mandatory by Jeremy Scott. He has been an online mentor of mine on my fitness journey the past 5 years and I was a guest on his podcast back in April where we discussed Healthcare and Leadership. I will be interviewing him soon as a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast and in preparation for the podcast, I purchased and read his book. I appreciate his no nonsense approach (which sometimes means his language is a bit free!) but I have learned a lot from him on my journey. At the end of his book, he poses a 7-day Mindset ‘Challenge’. Here is the challenge should you choose to accept it:
- Challenge 1 – For the next 7 days focus ONLY on solutions and NOT the problem. Ask yourself if this is an opportunity to step toward the person I want to BE. This could be in health/fitness, business, and leadership.
- Challenge 2 – Over the next 7 days change two that are currently “Shoulds” in your life to “musts”. It could be I ‘should’ work out 3 times this week, or I ‘should’ give feedback that I have waiting to give.
- Challenge 3 – For the next 7 days when you awake in the morning, ask the question, “How can I improve the lives of those around me today?
- Challenge 4 – For the next 7 days before you go to bed take a few minutes to reflect on what you are looking forward to the next day as it relates to your goals and dreams
- Challenge 5 – For the next 7 days reconnect with family and friends. Write down a list of 7 people who are important to you and make it your goal to touch base with each of them by phone or in person over the next week.
Let me know you accept the challenge, and I will put your name in a drawing to send you a copy of Jeremy’s book. It is a quick read, and I am sure you will get something out of it! Keep it simple. Often, we try to change too much at once and it becomes overwhelming. Pick just ONE of these challenges and make it happen!
- Read More – Or is it, Read ONE More? I recently finished Ed Mylett’s The Power of One More. I thought that the book was inspirational and some of the key points were very pragmatic and got me thinking differently. The premise of the book is simple. You are closer to living your best life than you think. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
- One More Association – “The people you spend the most time with are the people who will influence you the most.” This quote, to me, is a play on Jim Rohn’s observation about being the average of the 5 people you hang around with the most. Be very aware of those you hang with the most!
- One More Dream – “To live a better life, we must consciously choose to operate out of our dream state and not our past.” To do this, you must be intentional about investing time to outline and articulate your desired future state. I encourage each of my coaching clients to write our their vision of specific areas of their life 5, 10, or 20 years in the future so that they can focus on intentionally creating the life they want.
- One More Habit – “Contrary to what you believe and what you may have been told, the biggest separator in life is not motivation or inspiration. It is the habits you create to get you through those days when you don’t really feel like doing the things you need to do to be successful.” – In essence, we have a better chance at being successful if we do WHAT we need to do WHEN we need to do it, even when we don’t feel like doing it!
- One More Inconvenience – “Convenience and greatness cannot co-exist.” And, understand there is a significant difference between inconvenience and problems. The best and most productive people in the world pursue inconvenient things and handle them with a temperament of equanimity. When you can achieve mental calmness, composure, and control in difficult situations, you will have tapped into the right kind of inconvenience.
- One Last One More – “Sooner or later, everything ends. You can’t control the end, but you can control the story in between.” This is important. Every day we wake up is a gift. Our thoughts and our actions build the story of our life. Don’t wait too long. Recently, a neighbor of ours unexpectedly passed away at the age of 65. As I get older each day, that number sounds younger and younger! He was a man of faith and I know he is in heaven today. He had prayed for my father-in-law just 2 days earlier as he prepared for knee surgery. I am grateful for that last One More in my neighbor Tom’s life. Don’t miss the opportunity to write a great story every day you have the chance! We don’t know when it will be our last. That’s not meant to be depressing… it’s just a truth!
This book was a powerful and influential read. I would highly recommend it!
- Quote – “It’s desire that gets you going. It’s consistency that gets you good.” – John Maxwell
What you need to do:
Call to Action: So many good challenges in this week’s Brew. Just pick one. What is ONE MORE thing you can do this week to move you closer to living your best life? I know you have been thinking about it. Turn one of those should do it’s into must do it’s this week! Write it down and make it happen? No excuses – Make Success Mandatory!!
I hope you enjoyed this week’s edition of Champions Brew. If you did, I would appreciate it if you would share it with someone who might enjoy it as well and ask them to subscribe! I will make sure they automatically get this email every week.
Until next time eat healthy, read more, be a light and Grow Champions!
P.S. – Are you a podcast fan? Maybe the Uncommon Leader podcast is for you. Are you interested in being a guest on the Uncommon Leader Podcast? Do you have a story to tell? Email me [email protected] and let’s have a chat and set something up!!
