I’m going to keep this post brief.  Today I finally conquered one of my fears and now I am able to cross one MAJOR item off of my remodeling list.  If you remember back a few weeks ago I wrote about being a “90 percenter”, meaning that I am great a getting a project started and almost to the finish line, then stopping and leaving approximately 10% of the work left to go.

Well one of the items I had on my “10% list” list was the installation of baseboard. I’ve been dreading it for a year.  I was honestly scared of wasting my money, doing the work and having it come out looking like my dog Norm installed it.  Since I had no idea as to what I was doing, FEAR kept me from completing something that was very important to me, not to mention one of my final stops on the remodel.

Now that it is done and looks pretty ok… I started to ponder about all the other things in my life that have been put on hold simply because of fear.  Unfortunately the list was pretty big.  Not for long… from now on if something scares me, I’m going to make the choice to tackle it head on because the feeling of accomplishment is so much more fulfilling than pain and procrastination that comes with fear.

How about you?  What FEARS can you start crossing off your list today?

Have a great day!

In 2015 I made several New Years Resolutions.  Like most people, most of my resolutions didn’t make it past the first month, ummm day.  But one resolution has lasted.  In fact, it is the first time that any of my New Years Resolutions have made it to the end of that new year.

For years I heard people talk about the scripture in the Bible.  I heard many people, on both sides of the fence, offer their opinions that either supported or rejected the teachings. Yet when I asked them if they had read the Bible, I received the same answer over and over.  I’d hear things like, no but I grew up in a religious family or went to a Christian school or no but I go to church every week.  That just didn’t seem good enough to me so for 2015 I set a goal to read the Bible, I really wanted to know what it said.

After consulting several people I decided that reading the Bible from front to back was not going to work for me so I settled in on a Bible ap for my iPhone called YouVersion.  It’s a very robust ap and it is absolutely FREE.  I made the decision to go with the NIV version, so I could understand what I was reading. Next, I found a plan inside the application called “The Bible in a Year”, PERFECT, I was on my way.

Like normal, I started out the year with guns blazing.  I stuck to my plan everyday.  By February I was starting to miss a day here or there but I would make it up on another day by reading 2 days worth of material.  By the middle of summer I had fallen WAY behind.  I don’t know exactly how far but I remember it being July 1st, the halfway point, and I was less than a 1/4 of the way finished.  I felt pretty bad but kept going.  I decided that it was better to keep going and take 2 years than to stop and not read it at all.

In the middle of September I was on day 100 something and then something switched.  I decided to wake up early in the morning and read the Bible before I did anything else.  So I set my alarm clock and started waking up about an hour earlier than normal.  Something amazing happened.  My study became consistent and because there were no other distractions, I was able to read and read and read.  Instead of missing a day I was reading 4 or 5 days worth of scripture every morning.  I was still very far behind but it didn’t seem to matter anymore.  I was getting very interested and made the decision to commit to what I had started.  I promised myself that no matter what, I would complete the Bible in 2015.

One of the best features of the ap is that it will read the Bible to you, so I started listening to it while driving, on an airplane and when I just didn’t have the energy to read.  Today, I am proud to say that, I am right on track and will complete my 2015 New Years resolution with ease.

I find it very interesting that the first and only resolution I will ever complete, is reading the Bible.  I’ll be honest, it wasn’t always easy and there is a lot of it which I struggled to understand, really, really, struggled to understand. But overall, I am really glad that I took the time to read it as I now have a much better understanding of God’s word and his desires for us and how we should live.

In 2016 I will dig in deeper and spend more time understanding, rather than just reading.  In a future post I will discuss a few of my biggest “take- away’s”.  Until then, If you have never read the bible or want a refresher course, I highly recommend downloading YouVersion to your phone.  There are many plans available as well as a “verse of the day”.

I will leave you with something that I read this morning.  I think that it is a great piece of advice for defeating mediocrity.

Proverbs 28:19 Those who work their land will have food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

Have a great day!

Today my company is releasing an exciting new weight management program.  Many of us couldn’t be more excited!  I am very excited because as all of you know, I will benefit greatly from the loss of a few pounds!

With that said, I would just like to take this time to address one thing that is on my heart.  Since I was born, I had a nick name that was less than flattering.  As a new born, my father affectionately nick named me “chunker”.

As I grew older, my mother used to tell me that I wasn’t chubby, she said that I was “husky”.  All I know is that I was too big to wear Ger-animals like the other kids and even my clothes had a label on them that said “husky”.

By the time I was in 5th grade, I was labeled as the chubby kid.  Then in 6th grade I grew like a weed.  I was, by all standards, skinny yet my childhood still followed me.  No matter what I looked like, I always thought I was fat.

In high school my friends affectionately nick named me “mush” or “mushy”, mostly in reference to my last name, “Messerschmidt”.  Though I didn’t mind the name, I actually put it on my Letterman’s Jacket, it did make its way to my subconscious mind and regardless of how “in shape” I was, I always thought that I was overweight and well, mushy.

One time as a senior in high school, we had to wear a ridiculous outfit in marching band.  The waistband of the pants literally resided just below my nipples.  I remember two boys in class making fun of me because no matter how skinny I was, those pants were not flattering!

I have spent my life afraid to take my shirt off on a warm summer day, swim at a pool and have avoided the beach like the plague.  The reality is that I have NEVER been comfortable in my own skin, NEVER!

So as I suddenly and unexpectedly enter the weight management business, I would like to remind myself and you of a few things.

1. The idea of “losing” is not a positive thought.  It is 100% negative.  You do not have weight to lose, you have health to gain.
2. No matter where it is that you are “starting” from, you are a beautiful soul.  People will love you/me more for the way we make them feel and inspire them than they will for the way that we look.
3. Don’t compare yourself to others.  Be you and celebrate your victories, not matter how big or how small.
4. Love yourself and just have fun!

In closing I would like to give you this passage from Abraham Hicks.

All is well, and you will never get it done. Life is supposed to be fun. No one is taking score of any kind, and if you will stop taking score so much, you will feel a whole lot better — and as you feel a whole lot better, more of the things that you want right now will flow to you. You will never be in a place where all of the things that you are wanting will be satisfied right now, or then you could be complete — and you never can be. This incomplete place that you stand is the best place that you could be. You are right on track, right on schedule. Everything is unfolding perfectly. All is really well. Have fun. Have fun. Have fun!

—Abraham Hicks

This morning I would just like to express my gratitude to everyone that joined us yesterday in Brookfield.  For those of you that don’t know, yesterday I hosted an event called “Heal Your Past, Create Your Future” with Meg Daly and Yolaunda Keith.  There were guests in attendance that traveled 4-9.5 hours to be there!  On behalf of Yolaunda and Meg,  I would like to sincerely thank each and everyone of you that joined us for making the time and financial commitment to attend.  Because of you the event was a great success!

Thank You!

It seems that everyday I talk to someone that reminds me of an important lesson.

Today I want to write about something that may be the most challenging obstacle that most of us will ever face.  That obstacle, what or who are you willing to “leave behind” in order to get where you want to go?  Let me explain.

Most of us have a dream or at minimum a goal that we would like to accomplish.  Most often, to realize that dream or goal we have to learn new skills, meet new people, acquire a new attitude or change our current habits.  The problem is that as we change, other areas of our life, that we were not expecting, will also need to change or we will not reach our final destination.

Think of it like climbing a mountain.  When you were very little you started to collect all sorts of stuff as you started to climb.  As you grew older that sack on your back started to grow heavier and in order to keep going and growing, you had to leave some of your “stuff” behind.  I used to LOVE hot wheels cars but they were just to heavy for me to carry so I took them out of my bag when I turned 35.  (No worries, I put them in my son’s sack)

The problem is that some of the things that we are carrying are not that easy to let go of.  It may be an old friend, a bad habit or a a terrible memory.  Whom or whatever it is, if it is no longer serving you, it is weighing you down.  If it is weighing you down, that climb that you are trying to make will be extremely difficult if not impossible.

Today I would like to challenge you to join me in cleaning out some of your baggage.  Do so and have faith that whatever or whomever you release, God will replace with something or someone better. After all, wouldn’t it look pretty ridiculous for a 44 year old man to pull out his hot wheels cars and start playing with them while out to dinner at a fine restaurant?

Have a great day.

If I had a dollar for every time I heard someone say, “when I do something I go all in or not at all”, I’d be a VERY rich man.  I swear I must hear that statement 2-3 times everyday.  Since it seems to be such a common thing to say, I thought I would take a look at how having an “all or nothing” is actually quite harmful and can stop progress in it’s tracks.

I’m all in! At first glance that sounds like a statement from a committed person, right?  Actually my personal and professional experience tells me that the exact opposite is true.  In fact, when I hear someone utter those words, I cringe.

What I have found is that when you take on anything new, in addition too or are attempting to change old habits, going “all in”, is nearly impossible.  In fact, I believe that when someone makes that statement, they are actually saying it so they can leave themselves an excuse if things don’t work out and they want to quit.

Here are a couple examples.

Health

“I will begin my diet on Monday.  I will go all in.  I will stop eating all junk food and never eat at a drive through again”  I’ve made this statement to myself many times.  For the first few days or weeks I would do it.  I would successfully maintain the “new” me.  Then inevitably, I would find myself in a position where fast food or party food was my only option.  I would order, eat and regret.  Then almost immediately I would feel guilty and as though I failed myself and my goal, I had an excuse to quit.  Since I was no longer successfully “all in” I was immediately “all out” which ultimately ended up worse for my diet than if I had never started in the first place.

Career / Income

You proclaim, “I am going to start a new side business.  I will go “all in”!  I will make 10-20 sales calls per day and in 12 months I will be able to quite my full time job!”  Then 10-20 sales calls per day turns into 1-2 per day and suddenly you feel as though you have failed your goals. Instead of adjusting the time table that it would take for you to quite your full time job, the “I don’t have the time to do this” excuse is made and you quite all together.

In both of these examples, being “all in” was detrimental to the overall outcome. Therefore I would like to offer a suggestion.  In order to truly defeat mediocrity, stop going “all in”! Instead, allow yourself to make changes incrementally and consistently.

From this day forward, I promise to never go “all in” again.  Rather, I will take a new approach that consists of incremental and consistent steps taken daily. Because my decision can no longer be “all or nothing” it will always have to be “something” and therefore I no longer have an excuse to quit.  I hope that you will join me.

Have a great day!

Oddly enough, after I wrote yesterdays blog post, I stumbled on a very interesting concept that was perfectly in line with the post I had written just hours before.  Check this out.  It is from a man by the name of Todd Herman.  He has a video on the topic and a free workbook that you can receive by registering here.

In his video he discusses two different mindsets, the OWW and the WOW.

Here are a few pictures to helps describe the differences (if you can’t read the pictures register for his free workbook and watch the video)

I truly believe that the number one thing that stops people from getting what they truly desire, is mindset.  Learn to control how you think and you can do anything!  I highly recommend taking a look at what Todd has to offer as it is a very simple approach to getting your mind to work in a way that will make achieving new goals a positive experience rather than a painful one.

I hope that you take a look and I hope that you have a great day!

Yesterday I received a ton of text messages and phone calls from my business partners throughout the country.  The most interesting part wasn’t “what” the messages said but rather “how” it was said.  Here’s the back story… Our company is releasing very exciting new product.  We have been told what it is and when it will be released but there is very little additional information available until Dec 15th of 2015.

With that in mind, the messages that I was receiving on the topic were as different as the colors black and white.  As I was thinking about the tone of the messages last night, I realized that I had the topic for my blog today.  And for the record, this may be the single most IMPORTANT LESSON THAT ANYONE, REGARDLESS OF AGE, RACE, GENDER OR PROFESSION CAN LEARN.

The lesson? Mindset matters and you/we have a choice.  What I found really interesting yesterday was that there were two groups of people. Each group had exactly the same information to work with, yet their views on the subject were the polar opposites.

One group was excited about the new opportunity in front of them.  The other was frustrated that they  didn’t have enough information about the product.  One group was excited to hear the information that people who were in  a “test” group were reporting about the product, while the other group was frustrated because they were not in the test group and felt that they were at an disadvantage.  One group was excited to share the limited information that they had with their friends and family while the other group thought it was impossible to share something when they didn’t have all the details.

It didn’t matter what part of the country the people were from, what their age was, their race or their gender.  The only thing that divided them was how they were looking at the situation.  One group was happy, excited, and optimistic.  The other angry, jealous, mad, frustrated and confused.

I think that I was able to identify the differences in the groups because I have belonged to both at one point or another in my life.  The interesting part is that when I was in the happy, excited, and optimistic group, my life was great and I accomplished everything that I wanted to do.  However when I was in the angry, jealous, mad, frustrated and confused group, my life went the other direction.

Then one day, when things weren’t going so well, someone I love very much, punched me in the face with “truth” and luckily, I woke up.

For those of you in the angry, jealous, mad, frustrated and confused group, please don’t be mad at me for calling you out.  What you have to understand is that the only person you are hurting is YOU.  In order to get where you want to go, you MUST change your thinking.  END OF STORY.  If you don’t, nothing will change. (at least not the way you want it to)

I want to close with an old Cherokee Indian story between a grandfather and his grandson.  I read this story on a regular basis and use it as a compass to keep me on track.  I hope that you will too.  Here’s the story…

ONE EVENING, AN ELDERLY
CHEROKEE BRAVE TOLD HIS
GRANDSON ABOUT A BATTLE THAT
GOES ON INSIDE PEOPLE.

HE SAID “MY SON, THE BATTLE IS
BETWEEN TWO ‘WOLVES’ INSIDE US ALL.
ONE IS EVIL. IT IS ANGER,
ENVY, JEALOUSY, SORROW,
REGRET, GREED, ARROGANCE,
SELF-PITY, GUILT, RESENTMENT,
INFERIORITY, LIES, FALSE PRIDE,
SUPERIORITY, AND EGO.

THE OTHER IS GOOD.
IT IS JOY, PEACE LOVE, HOPE SERENITY,
HUMILITY, KINDNESS, BENEVOLENCE,
EMPATHY, GENEROSITY,
TRUTH, COMPASSION AND FAITH.”

THE GRANDSON THOUGH ABOUT
IT FOR A MINUTE AND THEN ASKED
HIS GRANDFATHER:

“WHICH WOLF WINS?…”

THE OLD CHEROKEE SIMPLY REPLIED,
“THE ONE THAT YOU FEED”

Have a great day!

This morning I took my dog Norm to the groomer.  The groomer that I use is inside the veterinarian clinic.  As we got closer and closer to the door, Norm started to pull back on his leash.  It was pretty obvious that he did NOT want to walk into that clinic.  Once inside he started to shake so I picked him up and I could feel his heart POUNDING in his chest.  I felt so bad for him!

As I was leaving the clinic I realized that Norm’s fear of getting a bath and a nice hair cut was absolutely ridiculous but in his mind the the danger was real.  But why?  Why did he associate the vet with fear and danger even though he always leaves there with a fresh cut, a treat and lots of attention from all the women that work there?

Then I realized that Norm and I aren’t so different.  I hate the dentist, even though they are very nice to me and I always leave feeling better than when I entered the office.  I dislike the idea of going to the doctor, even though when I go, I usually leave in better shape than when I entered.

When you think about it, it is pretty strange.  We fear things that are good for us.  We fear things that have the potential to improve us or make us better than we are.  In my business, half the day is spent counseling and encouraging business partners (and myself) to send a text or to pick up the phone and call a friend.  We all know that by making the call, we have the opportunity to help someone.  In fact, over the past several years, we have helped a lot of someones, yet for many of us, the fear of picking up the phone is real.  Hearts start beating, sweat starts beading and excuses start flowing.  We pull back just like the frightened dog at the groomer even though we know that we have nothing to fear and everything to gain.

In order to truly defeat mediocrity, I am going to have to learn how to recognize irrational fear.  Once I do, the key will be to NOT proceed with caution but instead to proceed with reckless abandon as I search for the great outcome that is waiting for me.  I hope that you will do the same.

Have a great day!

Last time I wrote, I spoke about being a “90 percenter”, (see previous post).  I have to be honest, coming to that realization bothered me.  It bothered me a lot!

Therefore, I have spent every minute of free time, since my last post, tying up loose ends.  I finished staining and varnishing a handrail, something that I have dreaded doing for a year!  I stained and varnished a door and doorway.  I finalized the construction of a kitchen cabinet then primed and painted it.  I painted the frame on a large exterior door, cleaned my basement, sorted through and threw away or donated old “stuff”.  I even took on and finished a new project!

During the finalization of these projects I realized something.  I realized that none of the projects were worth delaying.  I made them out to be much more difficult then they really were.  I believed they would take a lot more time than they did.  In fact, I probably wasted more time thinking or worrying about “doing” the projects, than I spent actually “doing” them.

If this is true, then wouldn’t the same be true in other areas of my life?  After an honest self evaluation, the answer is yes.  I have spent countless hours worrying about sales calls vs making them, worrying about having a tough conversation rather than having it, thinking about losing weight vs spending 30 minutes exercising and the list goes on and on.

How about you?  Do you find yourself “thinking” rather than “doing”?  How does it make you feel?  Does it add to your anxiety?  Does it make you angry?  Does it make you feel like a failure?  If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, I don’t think that you’re alone.  In fact, I’d say that you are like the majority of people.  So if this true, then in order to defeat mediocrity we/I must be willing to change these habits.

My challenge to you (and myself) is to consider one topic in your life that you have been “thinking” about doing vs taking the action and actually “doing” it.  Once you have identified the topic, DO IT!  DO IT  NOW, do not wait!  After you’ve completed your task I would like you to share, in the comments below, what it was and how it made you feel to complete it.

Have a great day!  I can’t wait to read your story!