Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below
Christine Comaford sees this problem time and time again. From U.S. presidents to billionaire CEOs to budding entrepreneurs, the problem that continually arises for leaders throughout all stages of growth and development is answering a deceptively simple question: What do I want? Answering this one crucial question is the first step to reaching any desired outcome. But for so many, the answer is elusive. In fact, most people are pretty good at rattling off in full detail all the things they don’t want, but when it comes to describing what they do want, the specifics are remarkably fuzzy. Getting clear on the exact outcomes you’d like to achieve, and knowing what you have to give up (or postpone) in order to reach those goals, is the key to success because there are no achievements that come without corresponding trade-offs. “Many people actually don’t know what they want, or they don’t know the cost of it,” Comaford says in this interview. “And if you don’t know the cost of it, you can’t create it.” At the age of 17, Comaford entered a Buddhist monastery where she stayed as a monk for seven years. Afterwards she had careers with Microsoft, Adobe, and Apple, and became an angel investor for such start-ups as Google, and even wrote two New York Times bestselling books. It was this unconventional set of lives that would lead her to become a high performance executive coach. She now has “a 360-degree ability to understand business not just as a set of strategies but also as a complex web of human interactions.” She seeks to help a person with the simple question of what do you want?, and if you struggle to answer this question she takes you through the Outcome Frame which is a series of six questions: what would you like?, what will having that outcome do for you?, how will you know when you have it?, where when and with whom do you want it?, what of value might you risk or lose?, and what are the next steps?. These six questions will help guide and shape your drive and give you strength. I suggest that you write these six questions and place them where they can be seen, and even take the time to review them at least monthly. The more you remind yourself the more you can re-align yourself. Personally, I look at my life through the lens of eternity and legacy. I use Church of the Highlands‘s Steps to help me understand my relationship and relationships in general. The four steps are: Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference. I believe once you understand your purpose and live in it, you’ll have a sincere desire to make a difference in this life and not just in this world.
Don’t you just love it when this happens? You go to another room in the house for some reason and there you are, but you can’t remember why. Or, you shake someone’s hand and forget their name before you even let go. Oh, and my favorite: running into the grocery store to pick up two or three items, only to head home without the most important ingredient–which was why you went to the store in the first place. That’s just annoying. The symptoms of poor short-term memory can be caused by preoccupation, distractions, lack of focus, and a weakened memory muscle. Sure, it gets worse as we age, but people who are overwhelmed struggle with forgetfulness at any age. Entrepreneurs certainly fit into this category. None of it is totally out of your control. Try these slightly off-beat ways to exercise your memory muscle and you could see an improvement in weeks. The nine unusual techniques are: chew gum while learning, move your eyes from side to side, clench your fists, use unusual fonts, doodle, laugh, practice good posture, eat a Mediterranean diet, and finally meditate. Laughter is a medicine that is good not just for your body but your soul as well. After watching a funny video for 20-minutes, cortisol levels were lowered for participants. Since this hormone is associated with stress, which is known to negatively impact the memory, a good dose of daily laughter will prove beneficial for your overall health. Finally, meditation is a simple practice that anyone can do. Even if you spend five minutes to slow your day and breathe deeply you cause your mind to focus in a new and different way. Regular meditation improves your ability to focus, and even pass tests. I can testify to this as it definitely affects my focus and short-term memory when I fall off my meditation track. This may be why: Studies at Harvard Medical School revealed that people who meditate have more control over alpha rhythm–a brain wave believed to filter out everyday distractions, allowing more important things to process. This is only one hypothesis. Meditation is known to significantly increase blood flow to the brain and multiply storage mechanisms, ensuring that your brain retains the ability to store new memories now, and as you age. Meditation over time becomes a practice as natural as breathing. There are also different types of meditation that you can explore. Just take a moment and be still.
If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.
This week, I’ve included BE THE HERO – Motivational Video [ JOE ROGAN] from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.
“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”
Proverbs 28:26 MSG
Pursuit of Excellence 
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