How to Avoid the Biggest Dream Killer

"Many people die with their music still in them.”

Oliver Wendall Holmes

While relaxing a few weeks ago, I happened to come across a movie titled You Don’t Mess With The Zohan starring Adam Sandler. Zohan, Adam’s character, had left his native country to pursue his dream of becoming a hair dresser in America. There was a pivotal point in the movie where Zohan became frustrated by his many failed attempts to land a hair dresser job and decided that he would settle for a sales position in his friend’s electronic store. 

The owner of the store declined Zohan's request pointing to three store employees as examples. The first worker came to America with a dream of becoming a race car driver, but gave up on it to work at the store. He then pointed to the next worker who dreamed of becoming a famous comedian, but never picked up a microphone. The third employee had dreams of becoming a great hand model, but ended up selling cell phones for a living.

The three employees let comfort become the enemy of their calling. What they thought was a temporary stop, became their permanent destination. They were victims of the biggest dream killer known to man. What can you do you avoid becoming a victim? Before, I answer this question; let’s get clear on the identity of the top dream killer. 
 

Fear of Failure

A fear of failure is the biggest dream killer and the most common reason that people procrastinate. If you commit to adopting the right perspective, your chances of achieving your dream increase. 

For example, I have a friend whose dream is to become a famous professional speaker. He recently joined four Toastmasters clubs. I thought this was over the top, so I asked him why he did it. He told me that being in four clubs will give him four times the failures of the average speaker and by quadrupling his failure rate; he will reach his goal faster! Noted author and speaker John Maxwell said it best when he said “Experience is not the best teacher, EVALUATED experience is.” Without evaluated experience, we will repeat the same mistakes and not reach our full potential. 

If you adopt this perspective on failure, you will not procrastinate in the pursuit of your dream. Like Zohan’s friend, I refuse to allow you to settle for less. I am your procrastination prevention partner. 

If you found this to be helpful, please share it by using the social media share buttons at the bottom. 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. To get additional information on the reasons that you procrastinate, get a copy of my ebook. 

One Moment In Time

“Give Me One moment in time, when I am more than I thought I could be, and all of my dreams are a heartbeat away and the answers are all up to me.”

Those are the words of one of my favorite songs by the late Whitney Houston. They remind of the following conversation between my friend Donell and I back from my college days:

“Donell, what do you plan to do when you graduate?" 

"Eric, my dream is to be an officer in the Marine Corp and to marry my girlfriend. What about you?" 

"I don’t know. I do know this; I am going to the frat party on Friday night." 

"Eric, you really need to get serious." 

"You're right but the good news is that we are still young and we both have plenty of time to figure it out."

Several weeks later I received a call from Donnel’s mother telling me that he had been killed in a car accident. In the midst of my tears and sorrow, I heard a voice that said, "Eric you don’t have as much time as you think.” 

Time is our most valuable resource. Think about it, you can lose all of your money and recover it tenfold, but once you lose time you never get it back. Today, you will learn a tip that will help you to maximize your time, minimize your stress, and be prepared for your defining moment. 

Be Positioned 
When I refer to being positioned, I mean to be positioned in your passion. A recent Gallup survey concluded that 70% of Americans hate their jobs. In other words, most people spend most of their time, to doing something they hate to do. For many years I was a part of that 70% number. On the outside, I was a young, BMW driving executive of a fortune 500 company. On the inside, I dreaded going into work every day. I was so unhappy; I was ready to quit my job without having a backup plan. Everything came to head one day as I was talking to my father about my situation.

“Dad, I am about to quit my job to find something else. I am coming over to work on my resignation letter." 

"Eric, what is your next move?" 

"I don’t know, but maybe quitting will give me the time to find out." 

"Son, moving back home with your Mom and I is not an option for you so before you quit, ask your self the following questions: 1. What are you passionate about? 2. What does success mean to you? 3. If you could make a difference for anyone or any cause, what would that difference be?"

After talking with my Dad, I decided not to quit. Several weeks later, my company offered me a corporate training position which introduced me to my passion of public speaking. This experience taught me that when you get clear on your vision, you will find your passion. 

Once you have indentified your passion, you have taken one step towards being ready for your defining moment. Next week I will share the next step so stay tuned! 

Sincerely,
Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. If you would like additional information on how to position yourself in your passion, read my latest ebook. 

The Biggest Time Management Mistake You Can Make

Most time management problems are really motivation problems in disguise. Procrastination, lack of balance and a failure to delegate are merely symptoms of a bigger issue.  From my experience, the biggest time management mistake that you can make is not being clear on what you value. 

This lack of clarity will cause you to procrastinate, and spend time with the wrong people doing the wrong things.  So, how do you become clear on what you value so that you have more time and experience less stress? 

Your 90th Birthday
Close your eyes and imagine that you have traveled forward in time to a 90th birthday celebration banquet being held in your honor.  Who is in the room and what are they saying about you?  You are asked to speak and you make the following statement:  “I have lived a great life because I achieved my dream to ….” Whatever comes after the word “to” represents what you value. The people that you imagine as being in the room and the words they use to describe your life are also a part of your value system. 

Your Personal Mission Statement
The next step is to create a written personal mission statement. Your personal mission statement is a statement that summarizes the core values and beliefs that you discovered in the 90th birthday visualization exercise. It can be as brief as three words or as long as three paragraphs. 

Taking the time to do this will imprint your purpose and values firmly in your mind and serve as the guide for future decisions. For example, my personal mission statement is as follows: “To serve God, provide for my family, and to inspire current and future generations through my writing and speaking.” My daily actions and priorities are a reflection of this mission statement. 

If you feel that you lack balance in your life, there are two possible root causes:

1. You have not clearly defined your personal mission.

2. You have made choices that don’t line up with your personal mission.

Completing the 90th birthday exercise and writing out your personal mission statement will give you a clear picture of what you value and keep you from making the most common time management mistakes.   If you found this to be helpful, please share this message via your social networks! 

Sincerely,
Eric M Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner

PS. I have written an ebook that will help you to maximize your time so that you are ready for your defining moment. Get your copy now. 

Have a Competitive Edge Without Competing

Getting caught up in the rat race is a sure way to waste time. The rat race is an unhealthy competition based on the incorrect belief that there is a limited supply of resources in the universe. The rat racer believes that success must come at the expense of the competition. I am reminded of the famous story of two store owners named Joe and John that were in a daily battle for sales and customers. Their businesses were across the street from each other, and if Joe got a sale, then John would try to get two. 

One night, Joe had an encounter with a Magic Genie. The Genie informed him that he would be teaching him a lesson by granting any request he had with the condition being that John would get double of whatever he asked. If Joe asked for wealth, John would get double the wealth. If he asked for a new customer, John would get two new customers. After much thought, Joe made the request to be struck blind in ONE eye! This humorous illustration teaches us that an unhealthy competition can cause you to lose your VISION and waste valuable time. How can you have a competitive edge without competing? 

The best way to gain a competitive edge without competing is to find someone who has the results that you desire and duplicate their processes. In professional football, the team that wins the Super Bowl is usually the most copied team in the league. The other teams observe their practices, playbooks, and processes because they realize that the fastest route to success is to duplicate a proven system. I recommend the following two areas as great avenues for duplication:

1. Coaches
Having regular conversations with a coach who is an expert in your field will save you valuable time. There are two important keys to consider when looking for a coach. The first key is to find one that has the results that you desire. Think about it, if you aspired to start a business, hiring a coach that has successfully started twenty businesses would save you valuable time and keep you from making expensive mistakes. Secondly, make sure the coach demonstrates a pattern of continuous learning. Many successful coaches are also clients of a coach that they seek emulate. You would gain the benefit of their mentor’s knowledge and experience as a bonus. 

2. Colleagues
Whenever we see a colleague succeeding in an area that we aspire to, the normal reaction is to try to compete with them. Instead, we must apply my WHO/WHY/WHAT formula by asking the following questions: Who is consistently the top performer in your company or market? Why do they always produce the best results? What do they do that you could duplicate, to get a similar result? The best way to find out what the top performer does is to ASK them. I apply this formula whenever I go into a new business situation. It has saved me valuable time and kept me from “re-inventing the wheel.”

Seeking out a coach and learning from a successful colleague will save you valuable time and give you a competitive edge without having to compete. If you found this week’s tip to be helpful, please share it using the social media buttons at the bottom of the page. 

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner 

Focus Forward

“Failure is in my history, but greatness is in front of me.”

This past weekend I was watching Back To the Future starring Michael J Fox. In this classic movie, Michael’s character Marty Mcfly, and his scientist friend traveled through time in their DeLorean automobile time machine. If they were unhappy with their results, they hopped in the DeLorean and went back in time to make corrections. Their DeLorean gave them the opportunity for a “do over” if they made a bad decision.

Have you ever made a hiring decision, and after 30 days, wished you had a DeLorean to hop into? Or maybe you gave a sales presentation, but were unable to land the account. What about the time you interviewed unsuccessfully for that position and had regrets about how you answered the questions?

I have experienced each of these setbacks and can relate to the regret that you feel when they occur. When you hang on to the regret you waste time that should be invested in moving forward. The question becomes, how do you maintain a forward focus in spite of a painful past?  The answers below will help you to make better use of your time and experience less stress.

Inquiry
The inquiry I am referring to is with you.  Whenever you experience a setback, you should make an inquiry by asking yourself the following question: “What did I learn from this experience?”  Next,  make a list of your lessons learned and anytime you are tempted to beat your self up, refer back to your list.  Noted philosopher Edmond Burke said these very famous words: “Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it."  Focusing on the lesson will position you for future success and keep you from repeating the same mistakes.

Improvement
The second key to maintaining a forward focus is to commit to daily improvement. Every day you should do something to get better at your craft and move towards your calling. For example, I have a daily reading schedule that results in me reading three books a month. If I had a major setback three months ago, I don’t dwell on it because I realize that I have read nine books since then. I am smarter today than I was three months ago based on what I have read.

According to modern medical research, the cells in our bodies completely regenerate and renew themselves every 11 months. This means that you are a new creature and the mistakes of your past were performed by the OLD you! Referring to your lessons learned list and committing to daily improvement will help you to maintain a forward focus and make the most productive use of your time.

Sincerely,

Eric M. Twiggs
Your Procrastination Prevention Partner