What's With The Attitude?

I’m here to make some changes to my attitude. I think this is very important, so if any of this resonates, let’s make some updates and refreshes to our attitude to improve our lives.

Your attitude isn’t everything…but it’s important enough to ride in the front seat of the car of your life. Maybe not the driver…but at least riding shotgun.

I believe there are a few distinct ways to make our attitudes our greatest asset…not a hindrance or barrier, that perhaps we’ve let it be for entirely too long. Let’s take a look…

1. We need to take responsibility for our attitude. It’s not genetic or set in stone…it’s a personal choice. We have to decide that our attitudes are not a byproduct of our circumstances or outside ourselves…it always comes from within.

2. We need to evaluate our present attitude. Let’s make the decision now…if our attitudes aren’t as good as they should be, let’s take that responsibility and start to make some shifts. The key will be to look at yourself objectively and with some keen sense of self-awareness, and to separate yourself from your attitude.

3. We need to develop the desire to change. Most people desire improvement, but resist change. When improving our attitudes, we need to be ready for both. Change is never easy, and it requires a good amount of energy and perseverance. Cultivate the desire for change as a part of your daily routine.

4. We change our attitude by changing our thoughts. Your mind has some pretty incredible powers. What holds your attention holds your actions. This is why your attitude is within your control, because you do have the ability to control your thoughts. I love the saying,

   “you are not what you think you are, but what you think…you are.”

5. We need to develop good habits about our attitude. A lot of what we do every day comes from habitual behaviors. Over the course of time, we have developed a way of approaching life. If your attitude has been less than stellar, it’s time to make some changes to those behaviors. The good news is habits aren’t instincts, so it may take some time…but it’s subject to change.

So, if we take some personal responsibility for our attitudes…recognizing that it can change how we live…then we can make our attitudes our greatest asset. And then, watch how it affects our daily interactions and the projection of our success.

Here’s to you!

God bless,

-ABB

Pivots

What are pivotal moments made of? Is it one decision, or a group of them combined to actually make a difference for change? Sometimes I wonder how far I need to be pushed to make a pivotal decision.

Truth is: I’m really hoping I’ve been pushed far enough to make some changes professionally. The pivot is always in place, it’s just a matter of deciding to move that other leg. It’s a basketball reference, and the one that populates in my head when I think of pivoting my life and my career. Take what you’ve been given and move the other step.

Part of the shift is this piece right here…putting thoughts into place and documenting the journey. The other part is much more complex, and I’m looking forward to putting in the work and chasing after what I feel that I was always called to do.

Some days will be the rambling of a mind that’s searching for potential and purpose. Other days will be a record of the highs and lows that come along with building out a business and a brand.

The pivot has been a long time coming. And it’s just the first one in a long-tail game that I want to play for the rest of my life.

It’s Monday…let’s go get it!

-ABB

The Power of Passion

Passion is the motivation you need to write the next sentence…

Passion is the key to making hard work not feel like hard work…

Passion is the launching pad for greatness…

Passion is the stuff dreams are made of…

Passion holds the light at the end of the tunnel…

Passion is the difference between an average day and a meaningful day…

Passion cannot be vanquished for the elite performer…

Passion will not relent…

Passion encourages the best in each of us…

Passion is defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion…

Passion needs to be in the driver’s seat of your life…

Passion is not a hobby…

Passion can only be summoned by you…and can only be squashed by you…

Passion always requires courage to chase…

Passion enables us to overcome obstacles…

Passion shapes our existence…

Passion is energy…

Passion is love…

Dare to imagine what a life filled with passion looks like…dare to imagine the possibilities…dare to dream out loud, and to live with passion…to live your passion.

…Sometimes we need to define something before we live it…

God Bless,

-ABB

Comparing Notes

Yesterday, I encouraged you to own your dream…not the dreams of others. One of the real challenges in ownership is the tendency for comparison.

We look at other people chasing and pursuing their dreams, and it’s easy to fall into the trap of measuring our own hopes and dreams with others…especially in today’s social environment online.

I think that an important thing to realize is that everyone wants to be successful…but success has very different meanings to every individual. I think the best definition for success is doing the best you can with what you have, wherever you decide to start.

Success needs to be on your own terms. Your dream to get to that version of success will always need to be your own. I think that God has called you to be you, but He’s never called you to be someone else.

When we compare our success with others, we often short-side what God has planned for us. More time worrying about what Jim the Neighbor is accomplishing is taking away time from you pursuing what you’ve been put on Earth to do.

Be inspired by others…but allow it to shape your own unique path. There has never and never will be another you! That means that dream in your heart is completely and utterly unique. Chasing someone else’s version of it will derail or hamper that uniqueness.

“Find out what it is you want and go after it as if your life depends on it…because it does!” - Brene Brown

God Bless!

-ABB

Whose Dream Is It?

Your dreams are pretty powerful…but only if you allow them to be. That’s why I want to do a small series of posts on really going after what you’ve always been dreaming about.

Unfortunately all too often there are certain factors that keep us from following or pursuing our dreams. The first of these is the dreams of someone else.

Hopefully, you were raised in a home that dreaming was encouraged, and nurtured and cultivated as your own. But this is often not the case. Parents are living out their dreams through their children…or realism is far outweighing the opportunity to chase after the dreams of our young people.

In these formative years, people lose touch with their emerging identity (who they are and what they desire to do) and they adopt the desires of someone else’s heart. This is most often to gain approval, or because there are just a perceived lack of options.

If you’re able to dig yourself out of someone else’s dream, there is one vital aspect I need you to do for me: I need you to own it! Quit trying to please the person that has talked you out of pursuing your passion! You’ll never be able to achieve a dream that you don’t own!

So quit wishing…and quit waiting…let’s work on our dreams together! No more excuses…like:

“Dreams don’t come true for ordinary people”

“If the dream isn’t big, it isn’t worth pursuing”

“Now is not the right time to pursue my dream”

So I need you to drop the facade…bet on yourself…and lead your life instead of just accepting it the way it is…

Your dream is not your parents dream…it’s yours. You may succeed if no one else believes in you, but you’ll never succeed if you don’t believe in yourself.

So all this to say: when the dream is right for the person, and the person is right for the dream…it’s pretty unstoppable.

Go chase your dreams!

God Bless,

ABB

It's On The Leader (a.k.a. It's Your Fault)

I've had the great opportunity to work with managers and leaders over the years that run the full gamut of competency and ability.  And one thing that I know about leading...it's difficult.  People are challenging.  It's much easier to pass the blame or pass the buck than to take charge and take responsibility.  

But if there's one aspect that I believe holds leaders back from their full potential...it's that they don't understand that it's always the leader's fault.  

If there is an employee or team member that is complacent or unhappy, it's your fault.  If there are complaining guests, it's your fault.  If you can't come in on budget, it's your fault.  Do you see the theme here?

So...here's where we separate the great leaders from the mediocre ones...

Great leaders embrace the responsibility, and make it their mission to find opportunities in the problems.

Mediocre and bad leaders take the responsibility personally...or they get offended...or just simply ignore the problems.

Being a manager is appointed.  But being a great leader is a decision to accept the challenge that "everything rises and falls on leadership."  

Oh, and also an important side note...let your team take the glory...you take the criticism.  And then watch what happens to the team that you lead!

God Bless,

-ABB

Scheduling Today

How can we make this week different than the last?  What steps can we each take to move the trajectory of our lives on a different plane?  

Are you taking the time every day or every week to intentionally plan your life?  If not, what seems to be holding you back?  

I know that I have this tendency towards distraction.  It seems that I have the hardest time focusing on the goal and direction.  So to that end, I'm finally learning two things about myself:

1) I have to plan out my time to focus on the decisions and direction I want to take with my career and my goals.

2) I need other like-minded people to encourage me along the way.

If this sounds familiar, I want to encourage you today to spend 10-20 minutes every day planning and scheduling the short term goals of the day that will lead you to the long term goals.  And additionally, find a mastermind or small group of people that share your same interests and direction.  

I'm here with you along the journey.  And if there's anything I can do to help, please reach out to me.  

God Bless,

-ABB

Documenting

I'm trying to make a small shift in direction on my writing.  For a long time, I've been hitting my head up against a wall because I felt that I needed to create valuable content.  But that was hindering my ability to put things out into the world to share with others.  And I'm starting to realize that maybe I can offer more value by documenting my journey.  This gives me the chance to write on a much more consistent basis.  Perhaps in sharing the day-to-day ongoings of my story, both my writing improves, and you get a little something out of my random thoughts :)

So, that being said, I hope you get to see a lot more of me.  I'm trying to take a page out of the books of people I really respect and look up to (like Gary Vaynerchuk and Casey Neistat.)  No grand delusions of being fancy with this blog...just some thoughts that I'm wrestling with for that day or week, and some updates on my life and journey.  Should be fun for me and I hope a little entertaining for you.

Here we are...just to provide a little update, we're still in Charlotte but still feel like our calling and mission is in Central Florida.  There are still so many details that we need to iron out before we can make the move, so I'm asking for prayers for our family as we try to make all of this happen.  I'm really trying to step up my game on content (hopefully I'll be able to share some news on this in the near future) and social media presence.  

I wanted to leave you with this idea:  what if every thought of yours was a real, tangible thing?  What additional value would you place on your thoughts?  What would you change about what you thought about yourself and your life?  If you have any ideas on that, leave me a comment,I'd love to hear from you!

God Bless, 

Alex

Sometimes You Get The Chance

You know that thing you've been praying for and searching for, but maybe haven't been working towards as much as you'd like?  

What happens when you're thrust into the opportunity?  Can you make your dreams a reality?  

This is the place I now find myself in.  For years and years I've wanted to be able to break out on my own and focus on my business.  To be able to really have an impact on others, to add value to their lives.  So now that it's here, how do we take advantage of this good fortune?

I'm learning that focus has to be the top priority.  I know many of you are still doing your 9-5 thing, and your dream job has to be accomplished in the 5-9.  But I'm learning that for me, the focus I had on a day job rolled into the focus for my side hustle.  Now that the 9-5 is gone, I have to generate all of the focus on my own.  And thus far, this has been the challenge.

What I'm learning is that I have to put together a daily task list on Evernote.  It's on all my devices and syncs so naturally that I've found this to be the best fit.  Once I have my list, all of my focus goes to completing the tasks that put me steps closer to success in my business and my personal life.

Sometimes you get the chance to chase your dreams.  I don't want to take this one for granted.  I have a new zeal for purpose, and I want to help you find and discover yours as well.  Let's make sure we're being intentionally focused.  I really don't think it comes naturally for most people.  So let's create our own. 

I appreciate you as a reader more than you'll ever know.  If there's anything I can do for you or help you with here in the near future, please send me a message.  I'm really working on being a better communicator with you, so look for some improvements in that department.  

Talk to you tomorrow. 

God Bless,

-ABB (xyz)

Pre-Shot Routine (Masters Edition)

I love Masters week.  It holds such a special place in my heart.  Growing up as a kid, we would get to go to the tournament every week.  And I always remember my grandparents so fondly around this time of year.

And as a golfer, I can always remember my game getting so much better right after watching all of the greats in person, over a span of this week.

The best part about being there (as opposed to watching on TV) is the ability to watch the player’s pre-shot routine.

Everything is so meticulous…from the practice swings, to the visualization of the shot, to the stance and address.  And if anything interrupts the player, he will pause, and then go through the routine again.

It’s really something spectacular to watch.  And the best players never let the height of the moment keep them from going thru that same routine.

And how much does this mirror life?

In order to find success, you have to develop your routine.  You need to practice your craft.  You need to visualize where you want to go in each step of the way.  And you need to have the proper stance and grip on reality, in order to give everything in life your best shot.

When life distracts you for a moment, you need to get back to the basics and the remember what got you there in the first place.

Life imitates art.  Learn to perfect your pre-shot routine.

Enjoy the Masters.  Spring is here!

-ABB