Tag: culture

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Focus on What’s in Front of You

I like to think about the big picture.

I always try to connect the dots and think outside the box, by shifting and putting things back together in a different light.

This is a positive skill because it allows me to understand the dynamics of how the world works.

Though, as with many things, you can over-do it. This type of mindset can hold you back. It’s often hard to make progress when your head is constantly in the clouds at a 10,000 foot view.

It’s super important, especially when you’re responsible for the outcome of an initiative and there are others involved, to keep everything in perspective. BUT, you have to focus on what’s in front of you.

If you lose sight of what’s going on today and what the next step is, you can look as far into the future and at the biggest picture possibly, but you’ll never get there.

This is why “taking baby steps” is such a common expression. Many people scoff at baby steps because it sounds like you’re not making that much progress.

Think a little differently. Who said you can’t take the baby steps super quickly?

A ton of baby steps adds up to the big leaps.

Keep your eyes high in the sky, but keep your nose to the grind.

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Setting Clear Expectations

Expectations.

They come from others, they come from yourself and overall they can be very stress-inducing.

 

It’s understandable why they result in stress. Stress is a natural response that drives action. Correctly set expectations help drive behavior in order to accomplish goals. So, expectations are a vital part of any goal or relationship so that the parties involved are able to communicate and understand the future.

With that being said, expectations can also cause a destructive form of stress. This occurs when the expectations are not clear. Without a benchmark, how can you measure success? There is no way to assess your progress or understand your priorities. Without clear expectations, people begin to expect too much of themselves or others and relationships (both internal and external) are put at risk, while progress towards goals takes a hit.

 

This is something we are focused on as a team here at Elite. Here’s what we’ve learned over the course of our Summer ’17 community projects.

 

  • Clarity drives accountability
    • It’s easier to make excuses when you leave yourself grey area.
    • You are more inclined to accomplish a task when your team knows what you’re working on.
  • People know what to expect
    • You won’t surprise them for the worse
    • Efforts that go above and beyond will be noticed more
  • Prioritization and planning are improved
    • It makes it easier to decide what to do next
    • You can decide whether or not you have enough time to commit to the task

 

So take the extra time, whether with your own life or your team, and make sure you’re setting clear expectations.

 

 

 

 

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Do What You Say

 

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You should do what you say. It builds trust.

It gives value to your words and let’s others know they can depend on you. It also allows you to depend on yourself.

When people talk about building trust, they often focus on relationships between people. Thus, they fail to highlight the importance of building a trusting relationship with oneself. One could argue that self-trust is more important. First off, it doesn’t seem to follow that you can truly trust other people without first trusting yourself. In addition, you spend more time with yourself than you do with anyone else. That time should be of the highest quality and with the highest level of honesty possible. This is a fundamental piece of the growing process, and if you fail to be honest with yourself, you open yourself up to be dominated by circumstance.

 

You should do what you say.  It allows you to take control.

It improves your planning, both formally and informally as you have a better idea of how much will power you have. It also helps grow your will power.

When you are in the habit of making plans that you don’t truly plan to keep, your sense of both time and will power can become blurred. You will lose sight of how long things truly take and big goals begin to seem like a quick burst of effort rather than an all-in commitment. It follows that with a clearer understanding of how much effort things take, we can better gauge our own will power capacity. As we understand how much we can reliably do, we can grow.

 

You should do what you say.  It feels good.

 

#DoWhatYouSay #EliteDET

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Take Small Bites

Today is the day that all of the gyms fill up with dreams.

People want to improve themselves and be the best they can, so they set ambitious goals. They want to look good in their swimsuit this year. They tell themselves that this is the year that it finally changes — that this is the year they finally follow through.

Somewhere in the back of our heads, we know we’re overstepping our bounds. We know that not much has actually changed, just the number on the calendar.

Still, we press on. We dream on. We want 2017 to be the year it all changes.

We buy new shoes, new clothes and a fancy membership to a fancy gym. However, we forget to make the biggest investment — We forget to invest in our goals.

Our “goals” are ultimate and grandiose. We want this year to be perfect, and that’s our “goal.”

Our goals should be realistic, so our subconscious won’t be filled with doubt and so that we can actually make consistent progress.

It’s OK to have a dream. It’s actually really healthy. However, it needs to be supported by a structure of smaller attainable goals that can be put into action.

Look at the big picture and take small bites.

Make 2017 a year of progress, not perfection.

G.R.I.N.D.