With so many life commitments like family, school, work, community organizations, travel, personal goals … (Breathe) …. home repairs, sporting events, family reunions, eating with friends and, I'm quite sure I'm missing some, it seems like 24 hours in a day can be laughable at times. Oh, and not to mention, you have this little thing called "success" always lingering over your head… but no pressure.
Now, there's many ways that people will tell you as to how to define "success", but one aspect of the word that we can reach a consensus on is this, success does not happen on accident. It is the result of purposeful planning and execution. And a lifetime of success, first starts with a day-to-day routine for success.
According to leadership expert,
John Maxwell, the first step in determining your daily routine is figuring out what really matters to you. Each individual has to define what priorities are central to their goals and beliefs, but Mr. Maxwell shares his personal pledges:
1. Attitude: I will display the right outlook daily.
2. Priorities: I will act on the things most important to me daily.
3. Health: I will follow healthy guidelines daily.
4. Family: I will communicate with and care for my loved ones daily.
5. Thinking: I will practice good thoughts daily.
6. Commitment: I will make and keep proper promises daily.
7. Finances: I will properly manage dollars daily.
8. Faith: I will deepen and live out my faith daily.
9. Relationships: I will initiate and invest in solid relationships daily.
10. Generosity: I will model kindness daily.
11. Values: I will embrace good standards daily.
12. Growth: I will seek improvements daily.
Maxwell goes on to suggest that we should dogmatically follow these daily routines in congruence with these priorities.
Prepare the Night Before
If it’s going to be successful, my day has to start the night before. Before I go to sleep, I do two things. First, I reflect on the day that’s ending. You will never make the most of the day that’s coming until you evaluate the day that has passed. Who did I help? What did I learn? Did I do my best?
Second, I look at the next day to see what I need to accomplish. I know I can’t be at the top of my game every minute of the day. So I look at my schedule and to-do list and decide what will be the main event. Then I make certain I can give my all to that most important thing.
Don’t try to prioritize your whole life. Just prioritize the day. If you can figure out the best possible way to spend four, eight or 12 hours, you can be successful.
Ask the Right Question in the Morning
Because I wake up knowing how I will spend my day, I’m able to hit the ground running. That leaves me with just one question to consider each morning: How can I add value to people today?
Asking this puts me in the right frame of mind as I approach my responsibilities. I want to make a diff erence. If I look for ways to add value to those I encounter, I will likely be satisfied with how I use my day.
Give Your Best
Parts of my day are routinely the same: I prepare at night. I get my mindset right in the morning. I try to carve out time to exercise in the afternoons when I’m at home or in the early mornings when I’m on the road. And I do things to help me grow personally (more on that shortly).
The rest of the day varies. Sometimes I’ll be speaking to live audiences. Other times I’ll be in meetings with leaders of my teams. Or I’ll write. Or I’ll be recording or thinking through future projects.
Whatever the day holds, I try to give my best. Success in life and leadership consists of being good in the moment. If you can be totally present physically, emotionally, mentally a nd spiritually, you b ecome a “100-percenter,” and those people are the ones who rise to the top and make a diff erence.
The best “100-percenter” I ever met was Bill Clinton. I got the opportunity to meet him at the White House during his second term. In our short time together, he focused completely on our conversation and made me feel important.
Learn
If you do everything I’ve listed, you w ill be able to add value to people and have a successful day. But how do you sustain that over the long haul? By adding value to yourself every day.
The “Rule of Five”—
five things that I do every day:
1. Read. I am constantly feeding my mind. I try to read one or two books every week. Some I skim. Others I fully digest. I also listen to podcasts and other audio messages, t he b est of which I h ave transcribed.
2. File. It’s not enough just to read. The No. 1 timewaster for most people is searching for lost items. Whenever I find a good quote or idea, I file it. That way I can retrieve it within seconds or minutes.
3. Write. I help others primarily through books and speeches. That means I need to write continually. Look in my briefcase or on my desk and you’ll find files of material I’m working with to create new lessons and ideas.
4. Think. Perhaps the most valuable thing I do every day is stop doing and just think. I evaluate experiences, weigh opportunities, consider how to help my team and ask God for guidance.
5. Question. Good questions unlock doors and reveal opportunities. I feel so strongly about this that I wrote a book called Good Leaders Ask Great Questions, which will come out in October.
I would consider the words of John Maxwell along with the greats like
Napoleon Hill,
Robert Kyosaki, and
Zig Ziglar. You can apply these and
many other of his several book titles to your career… I know I will be applying these to mine. If you have a question about this or any real estate related topics, please feel free to
contact me at any time. I also appreciate your referrals. And always remember, when it comes to real estate,
Think Hurst 1st!
