You can do anything you really want to do for 90 days. Just 90 days. Planning your work seems to happen 90 days at a time. Planning to train for a major event seems to come close to 90 days of preparation. When I am working, I tend to focus on my marketing plans 90 days at a time. Our world seems to revolve around 90 days. Think of spring, summer, fall, winter. All about 90 days unless you live in ND, where winter is a tad longer and summer a tad shorter.
Think about all of the things you do that you do well. Whether you realize it or not, I'll bet that you stuck with it for 90 days at a time to do it well. This can be broken down for everything you do. Think of kids for instance: If you work with your child to help them create a 90 day plan for something, I'll bet that if you stick with it for the full 90 days your kids will adapt that plan for the rest of their lives. You may not see the results immediately, however some day you will.
Eating habits are another area where a 90 day plan would really be beneficial. Create a plan to eat healthy for 90 days and document how you feel daily based on what you eat. Just 90 days, that is all. You will be amazed at the results. It is easy to do, yet it is easy not to do. If you knew without a doubt that if you did this for 90 days that it would change your life, then do it. If you should, and you could, then just do it.
Budgets: I work with a lot of people and most do not live by a montly budget. Knowing where your money is going every month is critical to money management and happiness dealing with money. I also believe that it is a must teach to your kids. Try this for 90 days: Track where every dollar goes for 90 days. Look at your monthly bank statements and save all receipts, write down everything you pay cash for. Even the small things. Then each month categorize where the spending went. After 90 days you will have a good idea of what is coming in and what is going out, more importantly...WHERE IT IS GOING! Once you do this for 90 days, you will be committed to following the program forever. This process is truly rewarding and helps you appreciate money. Money is to be controlled by us and used by us, not the other way around. Don't let money get in your way of happiness and the pursuit of a great life. Pay yourself first, share, then spend the rest.
The whole 90 day planning process will take practice. You may want to start off with some easier plans first, you may want to start several in different areas of your life. Either way, get started now. If you would like more info on how to implement a 90 day plan, please email me at: aunesj@gmail.com and I will help you.
To you abundance,
Steve Aune
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Community
What does it takes to get thousands of strangers to work together over the course of a week putting in long stressful hours while achieving a common goal. FIGHTING A FLOOD.
This was my first battle with a flood and I have to say that while the damage is significant, it cannot compare to what the community of Fargo-Moorhead and plenty of others in the area did to fight the rushing water. It has been six weeks since our last crest and there are still dikes, sandbag walls, yards needing repair. It will all come together.
Six weeks ago it was pandamonium. Day in and day out, filling and placing sandbags. Wading through water to help out people who needed to get their homes protected. While it was stressful, it was also amazing at the same time. A truck of sandbags shows up in a neighborhood and no one had to make a phone call. People started showing up just because they saw a semi load of bags. Pretty soon there are hundreds of volunteers helping to unload and place the sandbags in the neighborhoods. I cannot tell you how cool that was to be a part of the community. Pretty awesome stuff.
Now we have a different fight...what type of flood project should our community put in place to prevent this from happening again? Not only is there damage to roads, yards, facilities, soccer fields, etc. There have been people that did not work for over a week and did not get paid. There are business that were asked to close and missed out on several days of revenue. There has been undue stress put on families being displaced due to an evacuation or their home was flooded. There were fatalities of elderly when they were relocated from their care facility. There are numberous people, me included, who are rehabbing their bodies due to the physical stress that was put on them. Think about the major impact all of those things had on our community!
I have a vested interest in what is happening with our flood prevention projects since I provide protection for homes. What is scary to me is that we were getting pretty close to making some decisions to move forward with flood prevention projects. While I understand that the emotions of losing your home, or fighting to protect your home while there is a dike in back of your house and a contingent one in front of your house, can be very strong, I think homeowners need to really evaluate why they feel they need to live on the volatile river? Now that we had a SCARE like the one we did, more people from our governmental entities are getting involved and from what I hear the process of a prevention project is slowing down. It will be 7-10 years before we see a solution to completion.
That means that for the next 10 years thousands of homeowners will be required to carry flood insurance until a project is completed. The effect of what just happened here will have worn off and the ones who were significantly impacted by the flood along the river will most likely fight even harder to keep their spot until the next crest. Where's the community in that? I guess we should pray for a 20 year drought. That would really help out the Ag community and put our little economy in an uproar.
With a community of 180,000, we will never come up with a solution to please everyone. Those folks who will end up being collateral damage(not to say it lightly) will be taking one for the team to save the hundreds of thousands in the process and that is real community. We would thank you for that. What would it take for that to happen?
In ten years when I write again on this topic, I hope to say that we are protected to 45 feet!
To your Abundance!
Steve Aune
This was my first battle with a flood and I have to say that while the damage is significant, it cannot compare to what the community of Fargo-Moorhead and plenty of others in the area did to fight the rushing water. It has been six weeks since our last crest and there are still dikes, sandbag walls, yards needing repair. It will all come together.
Six weeks ago it was pandamonium. Day in and day out, filling and placing sandbags. Wading through water to help out people who needed to get their homes protected. While it was stressful, it was also amazing at the same time. A truck of sandbags shows up in a neighborhood and no one had to make a phone call. People started showing up just because they saw a semi load of bags. Pretty soon there are hundreds of volunteers helping to unload and place the sandbags in the neighborhoods. I cannot tell you how cool that was to be a part of the community. Pretty awesome stuff.
Now we have a different fight...what type of flood project should our community put in place to prevent this from happening again? Not only is there damage to roads, yards, facilities, soccer fields, etc. There have been people that did not work for over a week and did not get paid. There are business that were asked to close and missed out on several days of revenue. There has been undue stress put on families being displaced due to an evacuation or their home was flooded. There were fatalities of elderly when they were relocated from their care facility. There are numberous people, me included, who are rehabbing their bodies due to the physical stress that was put on them. Think about the major impact all of those things had on our community!
I have a vested interest in what is happening with our flood prevention projects since I provide protection for homes. What is scary to me is that we were getting pretty close to making some decisions to move forward with flood prevention projects. While I understand that the emotions of losing your home, or fighting to protect your home while there is a dike in back of your house and a contingent one in front of your house, can be very strong, I think homeowners need to really evaluate why they feel they need to live on the volatile river? Now that we had a SCARE like the one we did, more people from our governmental entities are getting involved and from what I hear the process of a prevention project is slowing down. It will be 7-10 years before we see a solution to completion.
That means that for the next 10 years thousands of homeowners will be required to carry flood insurance until a project is completed. The effect of what just happened here will have worn off and the ones who were significantly impacted by the flood along the river will most likely fight even harder to keep their spot until the next crest. Where's the community in that? I guess we should pray for a 20 year drought. That would really help out the Ag community and put our little economy in an uproar.
With a community of 180,000, we will never come up with a solution to please everyone. Those folks who will end up being collateral damage(not to say it lightly) will be taking one for the team to save the hundreds of thousands in the process and that is real community. We would thank you for that. What would it take for that to happen?
In ten years when I write again on this topic, I hope to say that we are protected to 45 feet!
To your Abundance!
Steve Aune
Friday, March 13, 2009
Driven
It has been almost a month since my last post. Wonder why?
I did get pretty busy with what I do for a living and I didn't do much by way of working towards my ultimate dreams.
Ever since I can remember I have been driven to exercise and try to stay in shape. Ever since I can remember, something has always happened that caused me to falter. It could have been excuses, moving, busy, etc. One that really sticks out is INJURY! Why, when I am on a roll working out, do I get injured and fall off the exercise wagon train? I have been asking myself that question a lot lately as my injuries continue to mount. About a month ago I got slammed into the boards playing broomball by some beheamoth far larger than me. Crushed my shoulder, separating it and leaving me in agonizing pain for a few weeks. It has been a month now and I can do some exercises, just no push-ups, triceps, limited biceps, and some back work. So I get to do a lot of core training and legs.
To top it all off I have a nagging foot injury that will not go away. It is like a bruise on the ball of the foot, right behind the 2,3,4 toes. Really painful after running, plyometrics, and leg work.
What is different this time around is that I am committed to keep on keeping on with my workouts. I have changed my routines so that I am still doing something everyday to keep the focus on the task at hand. I do more stretching and core work which is really helping out all areas of my body. Core is the one area that I thought I have figured out by doing situps and crunches. Well, that is only 1/6th of what the core really needs. Core is more like: Abs, Obliques, Adductors, Abductors, hip flexors, glutes, low back, etc. Very large muscle groups that all need to be worked together to get the results that you need, and it takes time to work them properly and it takes time to get the results you want.
I have far less instances with back pain or where I feel vulnerable. My core is so strong now, with a long way to go, that I am committed to keep on working it. Another newer workout for me is plyometrics. WOW is that a fun workout. So given all of my mishaps with nagging injuries, this time I am DRIVEN to keep on keeping on so that I will be in the best shape of my life forever! And I feel GREAT!
So this morning it was a balmy -12 outside, I got bundled up at 5 am, and hit the icy streets. It is really nice running that early in the morning. There is very little traffic, few distractions, just me and Bailey, listening to John Maxwell. It was a great run. When I got home after a mere 4 miles, I started the 1.5hr Yoga routine. I am learning to really enjoy Yoga, as difficult as it is for me to say that. When I first started I was so weak it was pathetic. At least now I can make it respectable and enjoy it. When you really get into it and focus on your breathing and let everything else leave your mind, it is incredibly relaxing. I never thought I'd hear myself say that about Yoga.
The moral of the story is even when you are down, figure out a way to keep on keeping on. Your health is the one thing that will make you happier in later years. Get healthy now before you regret it and you are forced to try and get healthy because of a condition. Consider how much more energy you could have? Consider how much better you will feel about yourself. Consider how much more fun you could have without the restrictions of being out of shape. Consider the reduction in health care costs it could give you!!!!
Get DRIVEN to make a difference starting today.
To your Abundance!
Steve Aune
I did get pretty busy with what I do for a living and I didn't do much by way of working towards my ultimate dreams.
Ever since I can remember I have been driven to exercise and try to stay in shape. Ever since I can remember, something has always happened that caused me to falter. It could have been excuses, moving, busy, etc. One that really sticks out is INJURY! Why, when I am on a roll working out, do I get injured and fall off the exercise wagon train? I have been asking myself that question a lot lately as my injuries continue to mount. About a month ago I got slammed into the boards playing broomball by some beheamoth far larger than me. Crushed my shoulder, separating it and leaving me in agonizing pain for a few weeks. It has been a month now and I can do some exercises, just no push-ups, triceps, limited biceps, and some back work. So I get to do a lot of core training and legs.
To top it all off I have a nagging foot injury that will not go away. It is like a bruise on the ball of the foot, right behind the 2,3,4 toes. Really painful after running, plyometrics, and leg work.
What is different this time around is that I am committed to keep on keeping on with my workouts. I have changed my routines so that I am still doing something everyday to keep the focus on the task at hand. I do more stretching and core work which is really helping out all areas of my body. Core is the one area that I thought I have figured out by doing situps and crunches. Well, that is only 1/6th of what the core really needs. Core is more like: Abs, Obliques, Adductors, Abductors, hip flexors, glutes, low back, etc. Very large muscle groups that all need to be worked together to get the results that you need, and it takes time to work them properly and it takes time to get the results you want.
I have far less instances with back pain or where I feel vulnerable. My core is so strong now, with a long way to go, that I am committed to keep on working it. Another newer workout for me is plyometrics. WOW is that a fun workout. So given all of my mishaps with nagging injuries, this time I am DRIVEN to keep on keeping on so that I will be in the best shape of my life forever! And I feel GREAT!
So this morning it was a balmy -12 outside, I got bundled up at 5 am, and hit the icy streets. It is really nice running that early in the morning. There is very little traffic, few distractions, just me and Bailey, listening to John Maxwell. It was a great run. When I got home after a mere 4 miles, I started the 1.5hr Yoga routine. I am learning to really enjoy Yoga, as difficult as it is for me to say that. When I first started I was so weak it was pathetic. At least now I can make it respectable and enjoy it. When you really get into it and focus on your breathing and let everything else leave your mind, it is incredibly relaxing. I never thought I'd hear myself say that about Yoga.
The moral of the story is even when you are down, figure out a way to keep on keeping on. Your health is the one thing that will make you happier in later years. Get healthy now before you regret it and you are forced to try and get healthy because of a condition. Consider how much more energy you could have? Consider how much better you will feel about yourself. Consider how much more fun you could have without the restrictions of being out of shape. Consider the reduction in health care costs it could give you!!!!
Get DRIVEN to make a difference starting today.
To your Abundance!
Steve Aune
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Resolutions Continued
About a month ago I wrote about the new year and how many of us are excited to start off the new year with all of these new "resolutions" that we want to start to improve our lives. In reality, you just don't change your life. I believe you evolve with the choices you make. The time it takes to make your "change" a consistent and permanent habit is a lot longer than most will follow. Something will come up to side track you or challenge what you are doing. This is the first big test of the universe. You must push through the test and realize that what you are doing is so you can be the best you.
So why do you want to change to make your life better? Your "WHY" must be right with what you want to accomplish. If your WHY is not big enough, then you will most likely not stick it out.
Let's look at exercise for example. A lot of folks use better health, better fitness, more exercise, diet, etc. as one of their "resolutions". The reason WHY you want to accomplish that has to be much bigger than you think. There are too many temptations and excuses that will get in the way if your WHY is not big enough.
I want to maintain a fit, healthy lifestyle. I want to do that so that I can live everyday with more energy and enthusiasm for life. I want to stay fit and healthy so that as I age, I will not be as impacted like others and I will be able to continue to do the things that take high levels of energy and stamina. Things that I enjoy doing, like: Travel, hiking, biking, skiing, hockey, playing with the kids, someday playing with grand kids, running races all over the world, volunteer work, fund raising, and ultimately inspiring others to do the same.
I have my challenges to face as well, we all do. One thing I will not allow is excuses. Excuses like: I don't have enough time or I will make up that work out tomorrow. All that means is that it is not a priority in your life. After about 3-4 months you will have lost your enthusiasm to exercise & eat healthier, then you will be back where you were. Which may be where you are happy anyway. You will exercise when you feel like it, be sore and then exercise when you feel like it. You will eat unhealthy and make the excuse that you will eat better tomorrow. It's a viscious cycle.
We are a product of our environment. The habits you practice everyday today will impact your life in the future. You will not know when it will impact you, but it will. Every decision you make will have an impact in the future whether positive or negative. So when you exercise you have to know that you may not know the significant impact for 30-40 years. However someday you will look back and say one of two things:
1. I am sure glad I stayed in shape.
2. I sure wish I had stayed in shape.
Which one do you want to say?
Dr. Kenneth Cooper, he coined the terms cardio/aerobic back in the 60's, said: " it is much more fun and enjoyable to stay in shape than it is to try to get back into shape." How true is that? I have been in and out of shape in my life and I can tell you that as I get older it is way harder to get back into shape. I am much happier and feel a lot better about myself when I am exercising consistently. I call it loving thyself.
So getting back to "resolutions"...how many of us have already used excuses to get in the way of a lifestyle change that we believed would improve our lives? I bet a lot. Think about exercise and how long it takes to make it a habit...at least 6 months of continuous exercise to make it a habit where your body craves it. 6 MONTHS!! Most people think that is an eternity let alone accomplishable. They want a quick fix. I'll work out just enough to not gain weight. Guess what, it will catch up to you in your forties for sure where you start losing muscle mass like crazy. You may not be gaining weight, however all that muscle is turning to fat and you are going backword really fast. You may not realize it until your fifties or sixties, but you will realize it. We all need weight training just to maintain muscle mass as we age.
If time is your hangup, then figure out how to sneak in a 30 or 60 minute walk or workout in. There is always time. Watch less TV or watch while exercising. I once asked one of my mentors if he watched a championship hockey game and he said: "Yes, I rode my bike trainer during the whole game!!" That was very inspirational to me. I tried to do that during a whole game and it is really, really, hard. Do you think he is in great shape?
10 years ago I made the decision to make exercise important in my life. About 5 years ago I got really serious. Then 3 years ago I started getting up even earlier to get in longer workouts when I needed them. Dean Karnazes gets up everyday at 4am and runs for 3-4 hours. EVERYDAY! If he can get up early to workout, so can I. Jenny and I now make sure that exercise & living a healthy lifestyle comes first. Without good health, how can we enjoy everything else?
These are lifestyle choices that are part of life's journey. Make wise decisions everyday and choose that ones that will make a positive impact in your future.
Make the lifestyle choice now! Keep the resolution alive!
To your health and abundance,
Steve Aune
So why do you want to change to make your life better? Your "WHY" must be right with what you want to accomplish. If your WHY is not big enough, then you will most likely not stick it out.
Let's look at exercise for example. A lot of folks use better health, better fitness, more exercise, diet, etc. as one of their "resolutions". The reason WHY you want to accomplish that has to be much bigger than you think. There are too many temptations and excuses that will get in the way if your WHY is not big enough.
I want to maintain a fit, healthy lifestyle. I want to do that so that I can live everyday with more energy and enthusiasm for life. I want to stay fit and healthy so that as I age, I will not be as impacted like others and I will be able to continue to do the things that take high levels of energy and stamina. Things that I enjoy doing, like: Travel, hiking, biking, skiing, hockey, playing with the kids, someday playing with grand kids, running races all over the world, volunteer work, fund raising, and ultimately inspiring others to do the same.
I have my challenges to face as well, we all do. One thing I will not allow is excuses. Excuses like: I don't have enough time or I will make up that work out tomorrow. All that means is that it is not a priority in your life. After about 3-4 months you will have lost your enthusiasm to exercise & eat healthier, then you will be back where you were. Which may be where you are happy anyway. You will exercise when you feel like it, be sore and then exercise when you feel like it. You will eat unhealthy and make the excuse that you will eat better tomorrow. It's a viscious cycle.
We are a product of our environment. The habits you practice everyday today will impact your life in the future. You will not know when it will impact you, but it will. Every decision you make will have an impact in the future whether positive or negative. So when you exercise you have to know that you may not know the significant impact for 30-40 years. However someday you will look back and say one of two things:
1. I am sure glad I stayed in shape.
2. I sure wish I had stayed in shape.
Which one do you want to say?
Dr. Kenneth Cooper, he coined the terms cardio/aerobic back in the 60's, said: " it is much more fun and enjoyable to stay in shape than it is to try to get back into shape." How true is that? I have been in and out of shape in my life and I can tell you that as I get older it is way harder to get back into shape. I am much happier and feel a lot better about myself when I am exercising consistently. I call it loving thyself.
So getting back to "resolutions"...how many of us have already used excuses to get in the way of a lifestyle change that we believed would improve our lives? I bet a lot. Think about exercise and how long it takes to make it a habit...at least 6 months of continuous exercise to make it a habit where your body craves it. 6 MONTHS!! Most people think that is an eternity let alone accomplishable. They want a quick fix. I'll work out just enough to not gain weight. Guess what, it will catch up to you in your forties for sure where you start losing muscle mass like crazy. You may not be gaining weight, however all that muscle is turning to fat and you are going backword really fast. You may not realize it until your fifties or sixties, but you will realize it. We all need weight training just to maintain muscle mass as we age.
If time is your hangup, then figure out how to sneak in a 30 or 60 minute walk or workout in. There is always time. Watch less TV or watch while exercising. I once asked one of my mentors if he watched a championship hockey game and he said: "Yes, I rode my bike trainer during the whole game!!" That was very inspirational to me. I tried to do that during a whole game and it is really, really, hard. Do you think he is in great shape?
10 years ago I made the decision to make exercise important in my life. About 5 years ago I got really serious. Then 3 years ago I started getting up even earlier to get in longer workouts when I needed them. Dean Karnazes gets up everyday at 4am and runs for 3-4 hours. EVERYDAY! If he can get up early to workout, so can I. Jenny and I now make sure that exercise & living a healthy lifestyle comes first. Without good health, how can we enjoy everything else?
These are lifestyle choices that are part of life's journey. Make wise decisions everyday and choose that ones that will make a positive impact in your future.
Make the lifestyle choice now! Keep the resolution alive!
To your health and abundance,
Steve Aune
Mentor
Too often in my life I have reflected on my relationships with other people without realizing the impact they had on me as a mentor. Neither of us probably even recognized what was happening, yet it was. Other times in my life I totally knew that I was being mentored, or groomed, and how impactful it was to me. I am not sure if I fully paid my respects to my mentors at the time, however I will as of this writing.
What is a mentor? Better yet, who is a mentor?
Mentors come in all shapes and sizes. They appear for different reasons. A good mentor will watch you struggle to help you learn first hand, the lessons they are teaching. Mentors support you in what you are doing, challenge you do it better, and prepare you for the results. Mentors push you through "The Dip". "The Dip" is times where you are struggling and the universe is testing your dedication and passion to what you are doing. A good mentor will not do it for you, however they will hold you accountable and tell you like they see it.
The best mentors are not friends. Friends tend to not tell it like it is. Some friends can pull it off, however most will just say you are doing well. Keep it up. When deep down I am looking for something deeper, something a little more challenging to move my past my DIP. I think of my best mentors and they all have different strengths and they all impacted me in different ways, yet they all challenged me to do it better.
As I write this I am overwhelmed with emotion over all of the mentors that I have had over the years, and the ones that I still have. Truly amazing how they have touched my life. I think one of the reasons is that I listened. I modeled myself after what they taught. Not what they did, what they taught. I believe in them. I trust them. Think of all the different mentors you can have...Health, Family, Spouse, Kids, Business, Personal Development, Sports, Spiritual, Friendship, the list goes on and on. Who do you know that could fill those roles?
Then you have to be careful with what you do about what you are being taught. You still have to be YOU. Don't turn into something you are not. This is very important. Read books, however use them to educate yourself, learn, gain perspective, entertain, don't let them be your only belief system. You must figure out for yourself what works, what does not. What you like, what you dislike. What you are good at, and what you are not good at. Be honest with yourself, and truly evaluate yourself.
The most rewarding thing you can do, in my opinion, is be a mentor for someone else. Not your kids, someone outside your comfort zone where you are challenged to be prepared to make an impact every time to talk. You have to be ready to lead by example, every second of every day. You will have to do your own homework as much as they will have to do theirs. Most of all, you have to be honest with them and hold them accountable.
A person could start with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Great opportunity to get involved, work with some kids, and mentor them to be more than they think they can be. You could also start by what you do everyday. Some people call that a job, or what ever you call it. Volunteer to mentor someone in what you do. Don't do it for monetary purposes, do it because you have something to give. I've written about passion, what are you passionate about, mentor someone in that area. The list goes on and on.
Find a mentor. Find someone who you feel would be able to provide you with honest advise and feedback. Someone who will challenge you, and hold you accountable. Someone who wants to do it because they want to share their experience and teach others. Someone who will tell you like they see it. You may not know this person yet, however if you ask enough people and put it out there to the universe, your mentor may just find you.
As you read this, if you are a little uncomfortable with the idea of a mentor, then you need one more than ever. As you read this if you don't think you need one, then you most likely need one more than ever. If you already have a good one, keep em!
I owe the thoughts on this topic to my good friend/mentor Chanda! Thanks for holding me accountable!
To your Abundance Attitude,
Steve Aune
What is a mentor? Better yet, who is a mentor?
Mentors come in all shapes and sizes. They appear for different reasons. A good mentor will watch you struggle to help you learn first hand, the lessons they are teaching. Mentors support you in what you are doing, challenge you do it better, and prepare you for the results. Mentors push you through "The Dip". "The Dip" is times where you are struggling and the universe is testing your dedication and passion to what you are doing. A good mentor will not do it for you, however they will hold you accountable and tell you like they see it.
The best mentors are not friends. Friends tend to not tell it like it is. Some friends can pull it off, however most will just say you are doing well. Keep it up. When deep down I am looking for something deeper, something a little more challenging to move my past my DIP. I think of my best mentors and they all have different strengths and they all impacted me in different ways, yet they all challenged me to do it better.
As I write this I am overwhelmed with emotion over all of the mentors that I have had over the years, and the ones that I still have. Truly amazing how they have touched my life. I think one of the reasons is that I listened. I modeled myself after what they taught. Not what they did, what they taught. I believe in them. I trust them. Think of all the different mentors you can have...Health, Family, Spouse, Kids, Business, Personal Development, Sports, Spiritual, Friendship, the list goes on and on. Who do you know that could fill those roles?
Then you have to be careful with what you do about what you are being taught. You still have to be YOU. Don't turn into something you are not. This is very important. Read books, however use them to educate yourself, learn, gain perspective, entertain, don't let them be your only belief system. You must figure out for yourself what works, what does not. What you like, what you dislike. What you are good at, and what you are not good at. Be honest with yourself, and truly evaluate yourself.
The most rewarding thing you can do, in my opinion, is be a mentor for someone else. Not your kids, someone outside your comfort zone where you are challenged to be prepared to make an impact every time to talk. You have to be ready to lead by example, every second of every day. You will have to do your own homework as much as they will have to do theirs. Most of all, you have to be honest with them and hold them accountable.
A person could start with Big Brothers/Big Sisters. Great opportunity to get involved, work with some kids, and mentor them to be more than they think they can be. You could also start by what you do everyday. Some people call that a job, or what ever you call it. Volunteer to mentor someone in what you do. Don't do it for monetary purposes, do it because you have something to give. I've written about passion, what are you passionate about, mentor someone in that area. The list goes on and on.
Find a mentor. Find someone who you feel would be able to provide you with honest advise and feedback. Someone who will challenge you, and hold you accountable. Someone who wants to do it because they want to share their experience and teach others. Someone who will tell you like they see it. You may not know this person yet, however if you ask enough people and put it out there to the universe, your mentor may just find you.
As you read this, if you are a little uncomfortable with the idea of a mentor, then you need one more than ever. As you read this if you don't think you need one, then you most likely need one more than ever. If you already have a good one, keep em!
I owe the thoughts on this topic to my good friend/mentor Chanda! Thanks for holding me accountable!
To your Abundance Attitude,
Steve Aune
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Leadership
I have been a leader in some form my whole life. If you think about it, everyone is and has been a leader, and whether they know it or not, they always will be a leader.
The older I get, the more I read, and learn about leadership, the more I realize that I am my own leader first. I must choose to lead my life, not just live it. Think about how powerful that is. I read that from John Maxwell in “Leadership Gold”. Great stuff. What I enjoy about John’s writing is that he is constantly learning and growing and ultimately he changes what & how he writes about leadership.
Perry Hurth, team lead at Keller Williams Realty, came to my good friend/biz partner Jorin and I with this great idea of taking John’s monthly message and creating a learning environment for other professionals to get together and listen to John’s message on leadership via his Maximum Impact program. Seems really simple. We had over 40 people showing up for a while, then it dropped off to about 20 where it is now and we have been doing this for over a year now. Each month we ask ourselves why more people would not take advantage of this free opportunity to learn from John Maxwell on Leadership. Are they too busy? Do they already know this stuff? Do they subscribe and get it that way? Are they on another program?
A big part of me thinks that they have an understanding of how to be an effective leader and would rather spend that one hour doing something else. Instead of pushing themselves a little harder and analyzing themselves a little more critically, they would rather do something that does not challenge them. I can tell you that they will be challenged anyway, whether personally or professionally.
It is not for me to decide why they do not attend. We are not offering this to people for our benefit, we do it for them. We are not offering it for profit, we do it because most people are not taking an hour a month for self development, let alone daily. We want to help our community and its future leaders. We want to give first, Perry is so good at that philosophy. He is always all about how can we provide more benefit to them. It is never about himself heis leading by example every single day.
Leadership is not about me. It is about them. A leader is demanding and has high expectations. Those expectations are for themselves first, then their expectations turn to them. They probably have higher expectations for them, than they do for themselves. A leader is also caring and compassionate. We care about people and the decisions we make and how they may affect people. What we cannot control is how those expectations are received. At the end of the day you must ask yourself, “Would I hire myself today or fire myself today?” Don’t wait for someone else to tell you that. Will you make a difference every day? Will you do your very best every day? Will you hire yourself every day? Can you be that critical of yourself? If you provide the right leadership to yourself, you be automatically be inspired to have a super fantastic day, and make a difference.
So, lead your life. Lead your BEST LIFE. Don’t settle or just live. Be a constant student of people who are great leaders. Take on more responsibility to lead. Not for your benefit, for theirs. Don’t wait for the economy to change. Don’t wait for the weather to break. Don’t make excuses. Choose to take charge and take responsibility for everything.
Sit down and write out how you want to lead your life:
What do I want to do?
What do I want to be?
Where do I want to go?
What do I want to see?
What do I want to have?
With whom do I want to share?
Guess who I got that from? Yep, Jim Rohn.
Most of us will not take the time to do the exercise and then sit down and start the daily habits necessary to lead the life you are dreaming of, or admiring, or jealous of. Just like eating that apple a day.
Don’t criticize, condemn, complain, or whine.
Lead your life,
Steve Aune
The older I get, the more I read, and learn about leadership, the more I realize that I am my own leader first. I must choose to lead my life, not just live it. Think about how powerful that is. I read that from John Maxwell in “Leadership Gold”. Great stuff. What I enjoy about John’s writing is that he is constantly learning and growing and ultimately he changes what & how he writes about leadership.
Perry Hurth, team lead at Keller Williams Realty, came to my good friend/biz partner Jorin and I with this great idea of taking John’s monthly message and creating a learning environment for other professionals to get together and listen to John’s message on leadership via his Maximum Impact program. Seems really simple. We had over 40 people showing up for a while, then it dropped off to about 20 where it is now and we have been doing this for over a year now. Each month we ask ourselves why more people would not take advantage of this free opportunity to learn from John Maxwell on Leadership. Are they too busy? Do they already know this stuff? Do they subscribe and get it that way? Are they on another program?
A big part of me thinks that they have an understanding of how to be an effective leader and would rather spend that one hour doing something else. Instead of pushing themselves a little harder and analyzing themselves a little more critically, they would rather do something that does not challenge them. I can tell you that they will be challenged anyway, whether personally or professionally.
It is not for me to decide why they do not attend. We are not offering this to people for our benefit, we do it for them. We are not offering it for profit, we do it because most people are not taking an hour a month for self development, let alone daily. We want to help our community and its future leaders. We want to give first, Perry is so good at that philosophy. He is always all about how can we provide more benefit to them. It is never about himself heis leading by example every single day.
Leadership is not about me. It is about them. A leader is demanding and has high expectations. Those expectations are for themselves first, then their expectations turn to them. They probably have higher expectations for them, than they do for themselves. A leader is also caring and compassionate. We care about people and the decisions we make and how they may affect people. What we cannot control is how those expectations are received. At the end of the day you must ask yourself, “Would I hire myself today or fire myself today?” Don’t wait for someone else to tell you that. Will you make a difference every day? Will you do your very best every day? Will you hire yourself every day? Can you be that critical of yourself? If you provide the right leadership to yourself, you be automatically be inspired to have a super fantastic day, and make a difference.
So, lead your life. Lead your BEST LIFE. Don’t settle or just live. Be a constant student of people who are great leaders. Take on more responsibility to lead. Not for your benefit, for theirs. Don’t wait for the economy to change. Don’t wait for the weather to break. Don’t make excuses. Choose to take charge and take responsibility for everything.
Sit down and write out how you want to lead your life:
What do I want to do?
What do I want to be?
Where do I want to go?
What do I want to see?
What do I want to have?
With whom do I want to share?
Guess who I got that from? Yep, Jim Rohn.
Most of us will not take the time to do the exercise and then sit down and start the daily habits necessary to lead the life you are dreaming of, or admiring, or jealous of. Just like eating that apple a day.
Don’t criticize, condemn, complain, or whine.
Lead your life,
Steve Aune
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Inspiration
On this Historic Day where we swore in our new President, I see, hear, and read, about all of the people that believe that now that we have a new President, they will be happy, better off, inspired to do more.
What’s up with that? I’ve never let anyone dictate my happiness, success, or inspiration.
I know what you are thinking, I must be a Republican. Doesn’t matter. In my opinion Government is supposed to protect me so that I can live the life I choose to live. Government provides ground rules for living and doing business. Government should never be the answer to your inspiration. If it is, take a really hard look at yourself and decide to hold yourself accountable for EVERYTHING! I choose to have an abundance attitude toward life!
Sure Government can do a lot of good, especially ours. However the private sector does WAY more good for those in need, those less fortunate, research, etc. WAY more.
Inspiration is such a powerful word. Definition:
Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.
The condition of being so stimulated.
The Greek version defines it as: “God Breathed”.
When you get inspired, you get passionate about something, you actually might do something(action), thus God Breathed through you to inspire you to move forward. That’s just my opinion, I believe that God inspires a lot of people who never take action. Picture the heart attack victim who just got a second chance at life due in part to our medical technology. Do you think that person might be inspired to change his/her lifestyle to prevent a premature departure? I’ll bet most are, however some won’t. Some just don’t get God’s message.
Jim Rohn is so good at communicating this stuff too, it’s like the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Business, Politics, and Life, fall into a sequence very similar. If you want to blame your current situation or attitude on business, politics, or the season, then know that the financial market will come around to change in the near future, so will the political parties, and my guess is that you will still be where you were prior to the change. The change must come within you. Everyone around you is experiencing the same thing you are, what they do about it that makes all of the difference.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
I am working really hard on that one for this winter. I chose to live where I live, now I need to learn to embrace the winter weather and enjoy it rather than bitch or complain about it. Which happens to be what almost everyone else does. Think about the attitude effect on people due to all of the negative comments about the weather, all day long, everyday, while the current conditions are perceived to be bad? I guess it give us something to complain about where most will agree. Sad.
In one of my past writings I talked about the book “The Ultimate Gift”. If you have not read it, read it. I just read “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg & John David Mann. It is a must read for 2009. I will write more on that in the near future.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
If you come to this blog to get inspiration, I hope what you find is that you are in control, not me. Find your passion, get inspired to do good things, LIVE a happy and prosperous life.
To your Abundance Attitude,
Steve Aune
What’s up with that? I’ve never let anyone dictate my happiness, success, or inspiration.
I know what you are thinking, I must be a Republican. Doesn’t matter. In my opinion Government is supposed to protect me so that I can live the life I choose to live. Government provides ground rules for living and doing business. Government should never be the answer to your inspiration. If it is, take a really hard look at yourself and decide to hold yourself accountable for EVERYTHING! I choose to have an abundance attitude toward life!
Sure Government can do a lot of good, especially ours. However the private sector does WAY more good for those in need, those less fortunate, research, etc. WAY more.
Inspiration is such a powerful word. Definition:
Stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity.
The condition of being so stimulated.
The Greek version defines it as: “God Breathed”.
When you get inspired, you get passionate about something, you actually might do something(action), thus God Breathed through you to inspire you to move forward. That’s just my opinion, I believe that God inspires a lot of people who never take action. Picture the heart attack victim who just got a second chance at life due in part to our medical technology. Do you think that person might be inspired to change his/her lifestyle to prevent a premature departure? I’ll bet most are, however some won’t. Some just don’t get God’s message.
Jim Rohn is so good at communicating this stuff too, it’s like the seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter. Business, Politics, and Life, fall into a sequence very similar. If you want to blame your current situation or attitude on business, politics, or the season, then know that the financial market will come around to change in the near future, so will the political parties, and my guess is that you will still be where you were prior to the change. The change must come within you. Everyone around you is experiencing the same thing you are, what they do about it that makes all of the difference.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
I am working really hard on that one for this winter. I chose to live where I live, now I need to learn to embrace the winter weather and enjoy it rather than bitch or complain about it. Which happens to be what almost everyone else does. Think about the attitude effect on people due to all of the negative comments about the weather, all day long, everyday, while the current conditions are perceived to be bad? I guess it give us something to complain about where most will agree. Sad.
In one of my past writings I talked about the book “The Ultimate Gift”. If you have not read it, read it. I just read “The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg & John David Mann. It is a must read for 2009. I will write more on that in the near future.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.”
If you come to this blog to get inspiration, I hope what you find is that you are in control, not me. Find your passion, get inspired to do good things, LIVE a happy and prosperous life.
To your Abundance Attitude,
Steve Aune
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