Much Given - Much Required

"With great power comes great responsibility." - Spiderman

Courtesy of Marvel Comics, that is one of my favorite superhero quotes. It verbalizes a principle that allows the cream of the crop to rise. This principle is what separates those who go after what they want in life, and those who just meander along while going through the same old routine. Which one are you?

I read a quote today from Jonas Salk that spoke volumes to me. He said, "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more." At first glance, my thought was, "Well, that's no fun." My brain went to all of those over-achievers I knew in college. You know...the ones who always ended up doing more work than everyone else and (occasionally) coming out with the same average grade as everyone else.

But my second thought was a bit more serious. I began to think of the "reward" of more work. I thought of my dad as a man who always taught me to give my very best and to set my mind to the task at hand. I thought of my wife and her expectation of quality and drive for excellence. All of the sudden, more work did not seem all that bad.

Humans were made for work. The reason for hobbies is because we are infinitely more valuable to society and those in our immediate circles when we spend our time doing fun work. Our minds stay sharp and our tasks stay focused. Hobbies make us into better people, teach us new skills, and enable us to enjoy life apart from our jobs. The principle of doing well at what you do and being entrusted with more is fantastic. Why? It gives people the chance to do what they were created to do.

Abraham Lincoln, a man whom I have come to admire through study of his life and decisions, once said this:

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

Commitment to quality in your work is invaluable to an employer, your inner circle, and your family. Will you be entrusted with more? Absolutely. Are you the person I want to be entrusted with tasks? Yes. Of how much more worth are you when you can be trusted to do a good job? You enjoy the work given you because it is a picture of your character and commitment to do things right. Bear in mind, this is not just me blowing smoke. This principle is one that Jesus expressed multiple times. A favorite that comes to mind is in Luke 12:47:

"And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating."

Work hard at what you're trusted to do and you will show forth your Creator more than anything else. That is of more value than any professional could ever be on his or her own. Keep this principle in mind and it will take you far in life. Guaranteed. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

5 Ways to Beat Bad Habits

Habits are what make us who we are. Think of a chain-smoker as an example. They define the way we live and are a pretty fantastic indicator of our decision-making. The interesting thing about habits is that, regardless of spontaneity levels, every person on the planet has them.

See, God created habits to make our lives easier. They reduce mental stress, increase productivity, and make life more enjoyable. A habit that is well-developed will take you far in life. Unfortunately, even with good habits and the benefits enjoyed by them, bad habits usually do not follow too far behind.

I mentioned smoking earlier, but just like everyone develops different good habits, we also all develop poor ones. Your bad habit could be as simple as biting your nail or cracking your knuckles. The fact is, in the life of a professional, bad habits have no place. They are wasteful of your time, energy, and motivation. So this post is devoted entirely to breaking them. After all, bad habits may die hard, but they still have to die.

1. Measure Motivation

I don't want for you to come away from this post thinking that breaking a bad habit is a piece of cake. In fact, if it were not difficult, you would not have the habit in the first place. This is where motivation comes into play. This step focuses predominantly on what your motivation is for avoiding the habit. Let's stick with smoking as an example for now.

If you are trying to quit smoking because you're sick and tired of having your couch smell like cigarettes, more than likely you will end up regressing. Why? Because of the addictive properties of a habit (see reasons for design above), motivation must be something that will actually drive a change. When you're craving that cigarette, the smell of your couch quickly becomes something that you can overlook. Even being healthy becomes poor motivation because "one more won't hurt."

Your actual motivation has to come from somewhere deeper and give specific meaning to why you're doing what you're doing. The reason you are going to stop smoking is because, by adding years to your life by being healthy, you will enjoy more time with your family and friends. That's real motivation. Make sure that, whatever your reason for wanting to cease your habit, that it gives a specific reason for you to continue.

2. Discover Your Triggers

This step is, quite possibly, the easiest to accomplish, but it is the most difficult to own. What do I mean by that? Someone who is addicted to dessert is triggered when their main course is finished and they let their eyes wander to the sweet stuff. That's pretty simple. But it is very difficult for that person to say, "Okay, I will not go around the dessert table anymore." As creatures of habit, we believe that they are controllable. I completely agree with that. However, most of the time when we feel like we have them under control is when they are the most out of control.

Find out what triggers your bad habit. Once you have made that discovery, avoid it like the plague. No getting close, no almost, and certainly no part-way. Avoid it. Totally. I have found that one of the best ways to avoid any of my triggers is to give myself a quick, "What are you thinking???" pep talk. If you can't bring yourself to avoid the trigger, breaking the bad habit becomes nearly impossible.

3. Forgive 

No one is going to be perfect 100% of the time. That is what makes us human. You will mess up and give in to your bad habit when trying to break it. Giving in is your body's natural tendency because it is in the habit of a particular action. You have to remember that, when that time comes, you can forgive yourself and move on. People who fail and then stay down are the only ones that actually get trampled. The rest get a little beat up, rise, and continue. Always remember that, when you slip up, the very second afterwards is a new moment to turn things around again.

I have a bad tendency towards beating myself up over failures. This is especially true when it comes to a particular diet or exercise regime. But forgiving myself reduces my stress level and helps me to keep going. It is not the end of the world. I will get back up and turn things around. I am motivated, I know my triggers and to avoid them, and I forgive myself when I mess up. That leads us to our forth way to beat a bad habit.

4. Replace 

The best way to completely drive a bad habit from your life is to replace it with a good habit. Think of someone who watches too much tv. The best way to stop watching as much tv is to replace that time with something like reading a book or exercise. This step varies from person to person because we all have different things that we like to do. Find something you enjoy (like a hobby) and pick it up. If you have something that you have always wanted to do like learn a foreign language or play a musical instrument, deciding to break a separate, bad habit is a great way to get started.

5. Reward

Set milestones and reward yourself when you have completed the above steps for a given period of time. Please notice that I did not say, "Indulge yourself." I am not, under any circumstances, suggesting that you go back to your bad habit. A recovering alcoholic should never reward himself at the end of his 12-step program with a drink. That is just a recipe for disaster. But if you have a small reward waiting for you, it becomes easier to push on through.

For example, when I first started exercising before my wedding, I told myself that if I reached a desired size, I would buy myself a suit with the tuxedo discount that I received. Now, I am not talking about any suit. I promised myself a suit that fit me perfectly. I wanted something that looked like it was custom made for me and accentuated the physical qualities which I had worked hard to achieve. Sure enough, I bought my suit after my wedding and recently had it re-tailored as another personal reward.

As you can probably see, breaking bad habits is not an easy task. But trust me. Getting that junk out of your life is well worth it. But that is something that is up to you. Find your own motivation - something specific that allows you to get up in the morning ready to rock n' roll. Know your triggers and stay away from them. But also be able to forgive yourself when you mess up. Take comfort in the fact that you have a brand new hobby or habit to replace the time spent on the old, nasty one. Smile as you think of the reward you have waiting for you when you reach your goal. And as always, stay classy.

-Andrew

Not Enough Room to Sit Down

"There is plenty of room at the top...the difficult part is getting out of the crowd at the bottom." 

- Zig Ziglar

I am currently reading Zig Ziglar's latest book entitled, Born to Win.Sadly, this was Ziglar's last book to write before his recent passing. This particular book is very much like the others he has written in relation to goal setting, motivation, and faith. But this book puts an emphasis on "getting to the top" that I had not noticed before in any of his other writings.

All of Ziglar's works are about getting to the top. They are filled with catchy phrases like: See you at the top! Another favorite of mine is, "You got to be before you can do and you've got to do before you can have." The phrase at the top of this post is another motivation quote from the man, himself. Ziglar is always quick to point out that getting to the top involves hard work and pushing forward constantly. The elevator to the top is out-of-order so we have to take the stairs. There is plenty of room at the top...just not enough to sit down. But Born to Win says it a little differently. 

Getting to the top is important. However, we do not get to the top by stepping on other people along the way. We get to the top by helping other people get what they want. See, when our goals and our visions are "others-centered" instead of "self-centered", we truly will not only see the top, but enjoy the benefits of being there. After reading this, I began to think of ways to put this into practice.

As you know by now, I am big on goal-setting. I believe that an unfocused energy tends to be wasted and a life that is concentrated tends to reach the direction in which it is concentrated. That being said, many of my goals revolve around what I want to learn and the kind of person that I want to be. But the actual focus comes when you measure your motivation for those goals.

For example, one of my goals for this month has been to invest in those around me. I can honestly say that this one has been the goal in which I have had the most success for the month. I have enjoyed quality time with my wife, taken family out to eat, and met up/reconnected with some old friends. All of this has taken place in the past month and have made me feel better about myself and my life than accomplishing any of the rest of my goals. 

I am still in the process of re-wording and re-thinking the rest of my goals to try and make them all "others-focused". The ultimate reason is because I strive to glorify God in everything that I do. If I spend all of my time on myself, I will not be the man that He created me to be. Service to others comes from a healthy self-image and good self-esteem. My challenge to you is to check your motivation and see the difference that focusing on others makes in your life. As always, the result is a better professional, a better human being, and a life that is more thoroughly enjoyed. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

Approved

A couple of weeks ago, I had the privilege of teaching the lesson on a Wednesday night to a room full of 4th-6th grade students. Let me begin my mentioning that I absolutely love that age group. They are old enough so that they mostly understand the message with the way I teach normally but still young enough to question. Any speaker that has to work on being more charismatic or keeping the attention of an audience should be forced to speak to a room of 4th-6th graders. If the speaker is not adequately holding their attention, the speaker is usually the first to know because they do not fake it like audiences more advanced in years.

Presentations tips aside, the lesson that I used was one from Ephesians 1. The overall point was to discuss what people had to do to be approved by God. We began the lesson by talking about different people. The question that I put forth was one asking the students to think about people that their parents would feel good about them emulating. I said that any person was fair game. Some named famous musicians, one named Jesus, and others named family members that they admired.

Next, we turned the tables. I wanted to get them thinking about people that their parents would not feel good about them emulating. Again, several famous musicians were named, several kids told about relatives, and others named their own parents as people that they did not want to be like.

The point was this. For most of us, it is fairly easy to get on our "approved" list, regardless of how high of standards we believe ourselves to keep. There are lots of people who hold a standard low enough to include anyone who is considered attractive by society. Many people are drawn to a sharp mind or a sparkling personality. More so than anything else, we are drawn to people who are like us. That is not necessarily a negative thing but simply how we are wired. It's much more appealing to be around someone who laughs at your jokes, follows your thoughts, and believes the same way that you do. Most of the students readily agreed. But to stop there would not be much of a lesson so we moved on.

I continued to point out that, although it was fairly easy to get on our approved lists, God's list was not so easy. That is not to say that God does not love everyone because I firmly believe that He does. His standards, however, are not nearly as low as ours tend to be. We went through Galatians 3 and Romans 1 to see that it is only through faith that a person can please God. But faith alone is not enough.

Hear me out on this one. My wife and I spent part of our vacation last week discussing religion with our lovely hosts at the bed and breakfast. It seemed like any time a tough question came up about what they believed, it was simply "a matter of faith." But the Bible teaches that faith in something specific is the only way to get onto God's approved list. Galatians and Romans showed us that it is only through faith in the only-begotten Son of God. Without faith in the right thing, it is completely wasted.

The lesson was a lot of fun to teach. So fun, in fact, that I just had to write it out in a post. Thanks for taking the time to read. Even if it was something you already knew/had thought about, the message of the Gospel is a good reminder for all of us. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

Disconnected

I mentioned in a recent post that I evaluate my personal goals monthly. For this month, I have been thinking a lot about my connections. I thought about my friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, and, most importantly, my wife. I came to realize that I socialize with my immediate circle fairly regularly and talk to close friends when I get the chance. But pulling out my phone one day at the office made me realize just how digitally connected to everything I am. I had a Facebook notification, a Google+ update, a new message on Twitter, and a text!

For most of us, I realize that this is probably fairly regular. But I felt the need to hone in and focus on what is really important to me and disconnect for a little while. Understand that, as a professional, I know the power and influence of social media. In fact, is it arguable that no company or professional should be completely digitally disconnected with the world. Benefits of social media include keeping in touch, revisiting old friendships, and marketing yourself to potential employers. I am not saying that I will be disconnecting from everyone. But I did strongly feel the need to take some additional time out of the day to disconnect. So the other day, I took a walk.

It was very pleasant as far a temperature and sunshine that day and the walk did not take more than about 30 minutes. But I was incredibly refreshed afterwards. I had kept my phone in my pocket and just took time to enjoy my surroundings while thinking about absolutely nothing. The funny thing is that after I came back in, I hit the ground running with the things that I needed to accomplish for the day. The result was, I believe, getting my work done more efficiently and more quickly than I would have if I had not taken that break. Before I took my walk, I had recently tried going a weekend without technology. Let me go on the record by highly recommending a weekend break. It gave me a deeper appreciation for simpler things in life, but also allowed me to get back on pace during the week.

I know that I probably sound like a complete hypocrite as a frequent blogger, twitter, and LinkedIn user. But in the same way that productivity is more sustainable with breaks sprinkled throughout, I feel like my online presence is best maintained with chances to disconnect. I would encourage you to take some time away from your computer and relax a little bit.

It does not have to be a walk. I highly recommend playing a sport because you should not be checking the internet during such an activity. Reading a good book also works really well. Books help you focus solely on the content of the story and not on anything else. Whatever you choose, make sure it is free of distractions and gives you a mental break. Those are the only criteria.

Not only do times of disconnection increase your productivity afterwards, they also increase your mental capacity as well. My wife will be the first to tell you that I am not a good multitask-er. I can't even hide the fact that I'm doing something else when I am on the phone with her. But I have found the value in having a single-track mind. I am very focused on the task at hand. I have seen the benefits of this, first-hand in my office.

There are several employees that I work with who multitask constantly. They have email, projects, and daily tasks all pulled up at the same time and work a little bit on each one. Contrast that with the way that I work. I spend the first hour of every day working on my daily tasks for the job. The people that I come into contact with on a regular basis know not to expect an answer to a phone call or an email response in that first hour. But during the second hour of my day, I focus exclusively on returning phone calls and answering emails. The result? I accomplish the same amount of work in half the time of my aforementioned co-workers because I focus on one task at a time.

Not everyone is wired that way. My wife, for example, is great at multitasking. She continually amazes me with her ability to talk on the phone and watch a movie while simultaneously absorbing information from both sources. But I have found that my best practices are the ones that enable me to practice focusing on one thing at a time. That's why I liked free-throws on the basketball court and why I enjoy golf now. My point in all of this is that the benefits of disconnecting every once in a while will be different for everyone. Discover what your benefits are and take a break. Your body, mind, spirit, and professional life will thank you. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

Take Out The Trash

Taking out the trash is one of my chores around the house. It's not that my wife can't do it on her own; I enjoy doing it for her in the mornings before she gets up. There may be a post coming soon about doing little things to show others that you love/care for them. But this one is not that.

I keep the trash fairly picked up around my house. My wife and I feel like we function best when our house is clean so we strive to keep it that way. We take the trash out because it smells bad and it consists of everything that we did not need for the week. Our house is kept clean because the trash clutters and has no place where we live. The minds of professionals are very similar.

Think about what goes in to your mind on any given day. Now think about how much of that stuff is garbage that has no place in the mind of a professional. While the term "garbage" is somewhat relative, there are a few examples that come to mind.

We often listen to conversations that we should never be part of. I don't mean eavesdropping but the verbiage that takes place during such conversations. They are usually filled with foul language, ugly stories, and gossip. For whatever reason, our minds have become to used to those things that it becomes second nature to listen and partake in the conversation. But such things merely fill your head with negativity that will need to be sorted through and thrown out later. If you don't want to smell trash, stay away from the dump. These conversations to which I am referring are the same way and should be avoided.

Another example is what we read. The reason that magazines are so popular is because they often require little effort to understand, can be read quickly, and are visually appealing to look at. But even though there is some worthy content in magazine format, it is often sprinkled throughout a slough of advertisements and chatter that has nothing to do with the actual substance. The internet is a great resource in these situations. Articles are great things and I highly recommend them. Using the internet to find what you are looking for allows you to sift through the trash and only find what you are looking for.

A final example that comes to mind is what we watch. I never thought that I would understand why adults always say, "There's just not much good on TV anymore." Now that I have started thinking about what our culture finds as entertainment, I firmly agree. The biggest thing about TV is that it keeps you from doing more productive things. But we can get into that later. Understand that I do not believe that all TV is bad. My wife and I have several shows that we quite enjoy watching. The commercials are usually a waste of time. But the point is to keep tabs on what you and your family watches. Visual images tend to stick in people's minds much more easily than any other. If you remember that images are much tougher garbage to remove from your mind than anything else, you learn to be more cautious about what images you allow to get there in the first place.

The mind is an incredibly powerful tool. As a professional, yours is, quite frankly, too valuable to have its space wasted by garbage. Avoid negativity like a plague because it is certainly more destructive than any plague that has ever existed. Keep your mind clear and it will reward you with increased focus and performance. Keep your visual entertainment under close supervision so that it is monitored. It is far too easy to visually stumble upon something that you never wanted/needed to have in your mind. Take the trash out and leave it there. It has no place in your mind. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

Vacation: The Big Easy

Vacation

This word is usually one that bears a sense of relief to all who hear it. It means a day off from work, time with family and friends, relaxation, and adventure. For me, this past weekend has entailed all three.

Before I go any further, this is not my usual motivational/advise/personal development sort of post...at least not in the format you're expecting. But hey, everyone needs a break every now and again, right? A change of pace is good for recharging. I recently had the privilege of that often, ever-fleeting term at the top of this post. My wife's birthday was this past week and I planned a surprise weekend getaway to New Orleans, LA for that momentous occasion. This post is for memories, history, and a great reminder to appreciate relaxing and the simple things in life. If that sounds like your cup of tea, by all means, read on.

Let me start by pointing out that, despite a sometimes-negative reputation, New Orleans is a fantastic place to visit. Historically speaking, it has a very rich heritage as the former center of commerce for the United States because of its close proximity to the Gulf of Mexico and the Mississippi River. The cathedral in the background of this picture is one of the most beautiful buildings of the entire city, in my opinion. Several Popes who have made the trip to the states have worshiped here. It is also just past Jackson Square. This delightful plaza was erected to commemorate the famed "Battle of New Orleans" during which general Andrew Jackson lead a small army to drive the British out of the city during the War of 1812.

We stayed in a little bed & breakfast near the Garden District. Our hosts had, to say the least, seen some tough times through hurricanes, lost family members, and racial struggles. My wife and I enjoyed their company and visiting. Getting to talk with natives of the city was a great way to learn and added a very personal touch to our trip. Invest in those you come into contact with. It will make you into a more caring individual if you take the time to listen to what people have to say.

This was the spread that my wife and I woke up to each morning of our trip. I am not usually much of a breakfast person, but this lovely addition to our meals was served around 9 AM and was substantial enough to count as more of a brunch. Sitting and eating with my wife is one of my favorite things to do. Sipping coffee with sunlight pouring through the window gives you a deeper appreciation for the company you are keeping and the food that you are enjoying. We tend to make our meals something to satisfy hunger pangs quickly. It was very refreshing to actually take the time to enjoy what we were eating.

Our first night was her birthday night. We got dressed up, ate at a fancy restaurant, and relaxed. After driving for the majority of the day, it was exactly what we needed. The food was excellent and the restaurant was a

small piece of history itself as it was located in a refurbished antebellum house on the river.

Day# 1 took place in the heart of the city: The French Quarter. After an awesome scavenger hunt/tour that my wife found, we were guided from Canal Street, to Bourbon Street, all the way to a small antique book shop. By the end of the tour, we legitimately could have walked the quarter with our eyes closed. It was a great way to see that part of the city and learn fun facts along the way. We worked our brains and our feet at the same time and had fun doing it. That is an unbeatable combo.

We met up with my best friend for coffee at Cafe du Monde. We ate our beignets on the river walk with a sun as warm as the conversation. Reconnecting with friends is one of my favorite things to do. Always keep in touch with those who mean the most to you. Those friendships are few, and far between. They are worth hanging on to.

We had so much fun on our tour of the French Quarter, on day# 2, we did another scavenger hunt tour for the Garden District. This is definitely the more peaceful side of the city. It is filled with beautiful sidewalks, historical houses, and (of course) lovely gardens. While we enjoyed the antebellum history, one of the most interesting things to us was the spray paint on the post in the picture to the left above. That was painted there by rescuers during hurricane Katrina. The spray paint was used as a marker to let other rescue teams know that the house had been checked for survivors. This particular marking was preserved in remembrance. It was really neat to think that we are living out modern history. Will those who come behind us speak of a generation full of passion, faith, and drive? Will they, instead, see a crooked and perverse people who the world would have been better off without? That choice is up to us. Make your days count.

A street show and a sunset were our last evening in the Crescent City. We felt like that last night really allowed us to experience the soul of the city. It gave us a chance to stop and listen to the rhythm of a city that had seen its hardships but had persevered and come out stronger.

We also got stopped by a parade. While keeping us out much later than we had originally intended, it gave us a chance to catch some beads and have a great time. My wife got a true New Orleans experience with that one, for sure.

All in all, it was a great weekend. The relaxation was much needed. More than that, were the people with whom I shared the weekend. They definitely made it what it was. This post does not nearly do justice to what that trip was like. Stopping to hear the jazz, walking in the sunlight, and sharing spiritual thought with our hosts all encompassed our weekend as well. There were also lots more pictures taken. Hopefully, you have gotten a small taste of what our mini-adventure was like. Take a vacation and see if you come back differently. Think about each individual component and develop an appreciation for the simplicity and the tiny "vacations" that come along with every day life. Stop and smell the roses. You will be a better professional as a result.

Until next time, stay classy. 

-Andrew

Self-Evaluation

During my time as a business major in college (I graduated with a degree in marketing), a concept that was constantly pounded into my head as a student was bench-marking. Every business textbook and every business professor I had touched on that subject at least once. The idea is that a successful business sets specific, attainable goals to be reached over a certain time frame. Bench-marking is simply a set of controls in place to monitor progress. You have an end result to achieve and your bench-mark tells you how far you have come and how far you have left to go. It was not until after I got out of college that I began seeing the real-life benefit of bench-marking.

Once I finished college, I found that my time was very easily wasted. I could spend hours after work doing absolutely nothing. I would go to bed and have nothing to show for the time that I was not working. I quickly discovered that it was because I did not have any specific direction on which to focus my time. Enter: Goal setting.

Setting personal goals for myself gave me a way to focus my time and energy in a productive way. I set multiple goals for different areas of my life like fitness, my hobbies, and my relationships. Goal setting helps me keep my mind on track when I have free time. It helps me to better myself as a professional. But this post is not about the importance of goal setting. We will deal with that in a later post. This post is about goal evaluation and bench-marking yourself.

The last day of every month is my goal evaluation day. I take a look at my personal goals and reexamine them. I chose a month because I have come to find that in that time frame, I have a pretty good idea of what is working and what is not. Think about how many 30-day exercise programs you have seen over the past year. The reason for the success of those programs is that a person has the ability to completely turn themselves around in 30 days. People get into shape, eat healthy, set goals, and become more friendly in a month's time. The biggest reason that I use a month as my bench-mark time is because when you do something every day for 30 days, it becomes a habit. Try it sometime. Commit to getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual and reading your Bible during that time. I promise that if done every day, your body will begin to wake normally at that particular time. Do you have to use a month? Not at all. Find out what works best for you.

Another reason that I bench-mark is because I can easily figure out my progress and what I want to save for later. What do I mean by that? I have always considered myself a fairly ambitious person. This means that my personality tends to try and tackle multiple things at once. But people who set too many goals often end up hitting none of them and become discouraged as a result. Bench-marking my goals helps me decide if I have too much on my plate and if so, what I need to get rid of. It also allows me to cross off goals that I have accomplished over the month. Let me be the first to tell you, there are very few feelings as rewarding as that one.

The final reason that I perform monthly self-evaluations is, quite honestly, because I get bored. If you were to look through my goals for the past three months, you would see three different formats. I like to be organized. But I also like to keep things in a way that I can easily remember them. For example, a couple of months ago I used bullet points to write down my goals. That worked fine but it was pretty difficult to read for me. The next month, I used a timeline. This was really fun because it let me think long-term and what I was shooting for in my daily tasks. I switched from that one because I did not like seeing things that far in the future that I could do nothing about. Next I gave myself a set of "life rules" to follow and map out my goals. The list goes on and on. The point is, find the format that works best for you. Change it up if you don't like it. Experiment and learn how you best remember your goals. That's really the most important part. If you remember them and keep them at the forefront of your mind, it is much easier to stick to them.

Make sure that you perform self-evaluations frequently. They boost your self-image. They let you know where you have come from and where you are going. They help you remember your goals and keep thinking about them. The best thing about bench-marking yourself is that it forces you to think about what is really important in your life and what is not. Try it out and bet on becoming a better professional because of the effort. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew

What did you decide?

A couple of mornings ago, I began my day as I normally do. I was out of bed by six, got in a good workout, and jumped in the shower around seven. Somewhere in all of that, my wife woke up as well. Now, I think it only fair to tell you, one thing that we have yet to figure out as a married couple is our productivity schedules.

What I mean by that is this: Everyone has different times during the day that are considered their "prime times." During college, I decided that my prime time was in the morning. I found that I worked best and concentrated most efficiently if I scheduled my classes in the mornings, worked in the afternoon, and wound down at night. My wife is just the opposite. She likes to take it easier with "mindless" tasks (like housework) in the early morning (her words, not mine), pick up the pace around ten, and be at peak performance later at night. There is nothing wrong with either schedule, they are just different.

All of that to say, after my morning workout and shower a couple of days ago, my wife was just waking up. I told her good morning and asked her how she was feeling. She responded with an incredibly profound, "I haven't decided yet." This answer made me chuckle at first but then I got to thinking about it. She was exactly right. Everyone has the right to decide how they are feeling when they wake up and how a day goes.

Think about it. When you wake up on vacation, days seem to be much more enjoyable than they are in your normal routine. One could argue that the change in attitude is intrinsically because of the vacation but hear me out. When you wake up ready to do something that you are anticipating or are excited about, you have infinitely more energy than you do normally. Since we can rule out vacation, it has to be your attitude when you wake up.

I won't go on record by stating that this approach to rising in the morning is easy. I can honestly say that my attitude when I wake up takes work on my part. But it is well worth the extra work to ensure that I have a better day and perform better professionally as a result. Here are a few of the ways that I have found that work for me in keeping my head clear and helping me decide that I will have a good day. Understand that I am applying these factors to the morning because that is my prime time. But you can take the same concepts and use them for your prime time just as easily.

First and foremost, I have found that my performance the next day is almost always directly correlated to the amount of sleep I get the night before. I have found that I need more than six hours for optimum performance the next day. Honestly, I can perform on no sleep at all from pure adrenaline. But if the task is any later then noon, I am completely worthless. Find out what gives you the best sleep whether it be reading before bed, working a little bit, and or a bath/shower beforehand. Sleep your brain into prime time. If your best hours are later in the day, never underestimate the power of a good nap.

The second performance enhancing factor for my prime time is some activity right before I really start. This is probably the hardest part for me. It takes a significant amount of self-control for me to want to get out of my warm bed, put on cold exercise clothes, and go exercise. But the competitive advantage I receive as a result always provides professional improvement. Even if it is just a walk around the block on a cool summer morning, if I can get up and get moving, I will work better. Numerous studies have been produced that show the brain works best when oxygen is flowing and endorphin levels (boosted by exercise) are high. Physical activity boosts mental performance.

Finally, don't neglect rewarding yourself afterwards. Spending a few minutes after prime time unwinding and relaxing help you hit the ground running when you have to push through the wall. For me, the afternoon is my most difficult time to work because I have worked hard all morning, and lunch has made me sleepy. If I can take a little bit of each hour and relax, I can start fresh during that next hour.

Again, these tips are not to be taken as universal truth. These are just what work best for me. Experiment. Figure out your best performance time so that you can "decide" how your day will go. The best decision is one that has been planned out. By planning your productivity, you manage your time more effectively and work harder as a professional. Until next time, stay classy.

-Andrew