How to Set Expectations and Get Results I can’t remember a time in my life when expectations didn’t significantly impact every minute and hour of every day of my life. No matter who you are, you have a million expectations inside your mind — and don’t get me started about expectations that others have for you.  Years ago, I developed an awareness of how expectations control our lives and settled on an engineering model to guide me along my path. The model is called the Feed-Forward/Feedback Model. The first step in the FFFM model is to become aware of everything happening in your life.  Next, set an expectation for any event, goal, relationship, or life situation that you have in your life. Once set, your only job is to observe whether you are getting what you desire. If not, and there is always an if not, notice the discrepancy and update your expectation based on real-life results.  Continue observing your result and making adjustments until you get the expected result. It looks like this: expectation, observation, discrepancy detection, change in exception, expectation. Life is not rocket science. It’s engineering. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Two Words That Will Change Your Life: Slow Down While recovering from Total Hip Replacement, I engaged with a client on a Zoom call. He shared one of his favorite sayings, “Slow is fast, fast is slow,” which made me angry. Why? First Responders practice “Slow is fast, fast is slow” all the time, so you never see them running to the scene. Pacing themselves is simply safer, more effective, and faster. A more real-life example of why it’s a good idea to experience a risk-taking, lane-shifting driver passing you five times only to end up sitting next to you at the stop light—or worse. The reason I was angry was because I had not yet listened to the advice I give high-performance and driven individuals every day of my life — “SLOW DOWN! Step off the hamster wheel of life, wait for the wheel to stop spinning, and only then, begin your journey to whatever you want.” What I realized in my recovery from THR was my pre-surgery hamster wheel was still spinning on pure adrenaline, even though my medications and mobility had forced me to a stop a few days earlier. Once I recognized what was happening, I breathed and began my slow journey back to myself. If you struggle to implement a plan, I can promise you that you are pushing too fast, and until you force yourself to STOP - everything will keep spinning out of control.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Total Control: Pre-Planned Responses Imagine if you could always know what to say in any situation.  Having the right thing to say is possible. The trick is to think about all the possible ways a conversation may go and create a Pre-Planned Response. The secret is to work it from every angle until you have covered everything possible. Leave no stone unturned. So, what happens when the conversation arrives? 1) You will be calm and collected. 2) You will not be surprised. 3) You will have the right thing to say. What happens if you are surprised?  It's impossible to predict what everyone will say. But you can focus on the unexpected because you have everything else covered. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mapping Your Success Have you ever heard people preach, "Get out of your comfort zone, try new things, always stretch!"  While true, it's only part of the story. Look at anybody who has achieved goals and maintained success over a period, and you'll find: 1) Motivation. Successful people do whatever they can to stay motivated. It's not an occasional thing. It's an always thing. 2) Accountability. Successful people accept responsibility and ask others to hold them to their plan. 3) Planning. Successful people understand that no plan survives the first battle. They plan, work, and adjust until they get what they want.  4) Systemization. Successful people believe success is sequential and built level-by-level. Once achieved, it is systemized and maintained.  5) Sustainability. Successful people know that everything has an expiration date. Continuous monitoring and adjustments allow for long-term success.  I call this system MAPSS. It's all you need to get anything you want in life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Productivity Efficiency I think it’s time we stop seeking more productivity. It’s too much work! I prefer being more efficient and effective.  Here are a couple of ideas that will help: 1) Say “No” to meetings if possible. If you must, keep them short and sweet. 2) Delay paying attention to incoming communication. It’s nothing more than somebody else’s to-do list. Do your stuff first. 3) Daily interruptions will never go away. You may as well expect and plan for them. 4) Only schedule up to 50% of your day. This will give you more time for unexpected events. 5) No more multi-tasking. Finish one task before the next.  The fastest way to be more productive is to make your ‘Did I Do It’ list as short as possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How To KNOW You Are a Success Have you ever had a crazy day that involved putting out fires and wondering when it would be time to go home? And did I mention you were doing what you love and want to be doing successfully? Why is it that life gets crazier when things go well? There’s a simple answer. No matter what you do, your life will change when enough people begin paying attention to you. Some folks will love you. Some will hate you.  Others won’t have an opinion but will say something anyway.  Many will be jealous. Lots will be proud.  It doesn’t matter what you do. You will know when you have succeeded when lovers and haters come out to play simultaneously. Focus on the lovers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop Driving Yourself Crazy  Whatever you desire in your life, everything starts as a thought. It will demand your attention. You have three options: 1) Deny it and keep moving. 2) Do it - put it into action. 3) Delay it and drive yourself crazy. Deny it. Do with it. Delay it. The quality of your life will be a result of your choice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You Don’t Need Plan B Have you ever wondered how the most successful people in the world get that way? Could it be their timing is right?   Do they “know” somebody?  Luck? That’s it. They get lucky! Maybe, but I think there is more to it. Every person I’ve ever known who achieved remarkable success did three things: 1) They recognized what they wanted and envisioned themselves living that life. 2) At some point, they commit and go all in. Their dream IS going to happen. There is no “Plan B.”  3) They practice never-ending flexibility and perseverance regardless of what gets in the way.  They keep going until they get what they want. Yes, it seems that you must pay a price for living the life of your dreams - and it's not money. It's YOU! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is Always a Way When life gets in the way, do you get frustrated about being blocked?   I used to be that way. Something changed. I learned long ago that getting blocked would be an everyday occurrence. And, the bigger my goals, the more blocks would arrive. I could live with endless frustrations - or find a better way. It came down to this: 1) Blocks have nothing to do with who I am. They could be self-inflicted or caused by others, but they still have nothing to do with me.  2) If you want something, there is always a way to get it. Always… always… always. You may not like the path, your ego may get in the way, or it may scare you, but there is always a way. The next time frustration gets in your way, blow it off and keep moving. There is always a way to get what you want. Find it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Living Your Default Mode Would you like to make life easier for yourself and everybody around you? It’s time to establish a “Personal Default Mode.” Success in all areas of life smooths out when you know what to expect of yourself. It gets better when others know what to expect of you. A “Personal Default Mode” is a consistent way of acting in different areas of your life. For example: 1) How do you respond to stress? 2) What happens when you don’t get what you want? 3) Is there a behavior you expect from others? Do they know it? Most things run on autopilot when you understand how you handle day-to-day situations.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices