|
Keeping "Big Mo" Alive
Note: This QBQ! QuickNote is one that
should be read over and over—and kept handy. Remember, "Repetition
is the motor of learning!"
The man who hired
me into the training industry in 1986, my mentor and friend, Jim Strutton,
taught me important stuff like how to prospect for new clients, close
sales, facilitate training, and tell stories. He knows this.
What he might not remember is he also taught me how to watch basketball.
Growing up a wrestler, I never learned to appreciate the sport. One day,
years ago (probably while on a sales call together—he was an outstanding
coach), Jim said, “When you watch a basketball game, you want to watch
for momentum. The fun in the sport is the shifting of momentum.”
And I never watched a game of hoops the same again. No longer did I only
look for the passes, dunks, and scores. For me, it became more about
momentum.
Personally, I believe momentum is the kind of phenomenon that’s hard to
describe and define. It’s one of those “I know it when I see it” things.
I also believe momentum is critical to everything we do, from getting in shape
to completing work projects on time to making more sales. Very little is not affected by
momentum—or the lack of it. So though it’s difficult to explain
momentum—"Big Mo"—it's certainly worthwhile identifying what
can kill it.
Early in 2013,
let’s have a look at … Momentum
Killers.
Procrastination
As we write in QBQ!, procrastination is the “friend of
failure.” It crushes our momentum. People suffering from it tend to ask
Incorrect Questions (IQs) such as, “When will others take care of this?”
and “When will I have all the information I need?” But those with
momentum ask The
Question Behind the Question (QBQ): “What can I do today to
be productive?” In his book, 21 Questions for 21 Millionaires: How Ordinary People Create
Extraordinary Success, author Brandon Pipkin discovers most
highly successful people didn’t really have a grand plan when they
started out—but they sure got stuff done. The message? Do something!!!
Not doing
something right the first time
This might sound obvious, but having to redo anything is a pain. Each of
us has finite energy and time. Let’s not waste these resources doing
something wrong just so we can figure out later how to do it right. Let’s
ask these QBQs: “How can I learn new ways of doing things?” and “What can
I do to be my best?” Said, differently, be outstanding in all things—or
at least as often as possible. Remember the rule of a wise carpenter:
Measure twice, cut once.
Letting
frustration overwhelm us
Years ago when the Internet was not ubiquitous, I did something novel: I
bought nine movie tickets in advance online, paying one dollar per ticket
more for the service. Quite a step for this frugal fella. We then got
into the family van and started driving 15 miles west to a Denver
suburban theater. We never made it on that December evening. Traffic was
horrible. I tried side streets, main highways, two lane country roads—but
Christmas shoppers were out in full force! Why can’t people drive? So frustrating!
I surely had a goal of entertaining the family and not wasting $80, but
45 minutes into a 25 minute drive, I threw up my hands in borderline
anger and over the objections of people close enough to strangle me, I
turned the van around and we came home—to do nothing. I was not the
favorite father that night. I had let frustration overwhelm me. Where did
that frustration come from? From the source of all frustration:
blocked goals. As we say in our training program,
“stress is a choice.” Goals might get blocked and frustration might
reign, but if I had managed my stress better and not quit, things
would’ve probably worked out just fine.
Avoiding pain
We should never forget this truth: Inherent in the growth process is
failure. Nobody succeeds in a straight line. People who achieve big
goals—we call them “winners”—simply fall forward. Two steps forward, one
step back. They ask this powerful QBQ: “How can I experience some pain
today?” Not kidding, they really do.
Losing perspective
There are very few things that happen to us that we can call “tragic.” I
know tragic, as many of you do. When my mom died on a May afternoon at
age 51 of an aneurysm days shy of my 17th birthday, I came to
understand—and feel—tragic. But short of experiences like this, we humans
do make mountains into molehills—in
our minds. My good friend, Kevin Brown, says, “Life is fair—bad things
happen to all of us.” If you really want to know my thoughts on this
perspective thing, just read (or re-read) Becca Boo’s story. Remember
what someone once said: “I’ve had many problems—some of which came true.”
So go ahead, take a risk today.
Finger-pointing
and blame
We state this in Outstanding!: “All problems are in the
past, but solutions are right now. It’s hardly possible to find a
solution while we’re pointing fingers at other people, in part because
we’re stuck in the past. Whatever happened happened. It’s over and done.
Focusing on finding solutions rather than finding scapegoats brings us
into the present.” We can only possess momentum living right here, right
now. IQs: “Who did this to me?” and “Who is going to help me succeed?”
QBQ: “What can I do to solve the problem?” Now that’s personal
accountability!
Worrying about
what others think
Ah, yes, the ties that surely bind: The opinions of others. What our
parents, siblings, bosses, friends, and neighbors think is a metaphorical
shackle that hold us back from doing what we want to do with our lives. Many a
future actor, musician, or even salesperson has shared their dreams with
a powerful influencer in their life only to hear this retort: “Why don’t
you get a real job?” My counsel? IGNORE THEM! It’s your life. Make of it
what you will.
Playing the victim
Would you purposely go outside, wade into a swamp, and wallow in it? Yuck! And if nothing
else just think how hard it would be to walk through it, how much it
would slow us down. Well, victim thinking is a swamp that many choose to wallow
in even though it eats away at our soul, making us a lesser person. We
were created to create. We were made to work, to get things done. Not
wait for a handout or for “things to go my way.” Let’s step out of the
swamp of victim-itis and ask those accountable QBQs, “What can I do today
to contribute?” and “How can I make a difference?” Remember, when we play
victim we serve nobody—not
even ourselves.
—-----------------------------
I’m sure there are many more momentum killers, but that’s it from me. I
need to go get stuff done—as I’m sure you do, too. But, we’d love to hear
from you, so visit our QBQ.com/Blog and
join the discussion by sharing more Momentum Killers to add to our list
above.
And keep in mind that whether it’s winning a basketball game or
succeeding in life, it’s all about "The Big Mo."
PS: Shipping autographed "Parenting the QBQ
Way" books with FREE shipping here: https://qbq.com/store/products.php?product=Parenting-the-QBQ-Way!
John G. Miller
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment