What did you overcome to get here?

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Recently, I turned away a potential new client. Our conversation was a litany of excuses, can’ts, and shoulds.  And problems, problems, problems.  He wasn’t willing to let me help him find even the tiniest steps to prosperity. It was sad.

I believe it’s because, on the way up, most people are rewarded for problem-hunting. Over years and years…we are classically conditioned to seek out and fix what’s wrong: with our products, our company, our team and ourselves. Most leaders work their way up the income and influence staircase by finding and fixing thousands of problems. That’s a lot to overcome.

Here’s what the potential new client couldn’t see: the downward spiral starts with problem-hunting. And fix-ation. And finger pointing.

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We leverage the phrase Carpe Diem (Seize the day) in our work because I believe today is the day that anything can change.  Yes, every job has challenges — many self-inflicted.  Yes, every business has its issues. Every family is off kilter. Yada, yada, yada. We are all amazingly flawed; both personally and professionally.

Andy yet, each of us can decide at any moment to move ourselves forward.

You can create your own positive momentum today. We help hundreds of people do this every year through coaching. Pause for a moment and think about all of the difficult things you have overcome to be here today: no pay raise for a couple years? The flu? Trouble with coworkers? Competitors who don’t play fair? Draconian boss? Customers who no longer want to pay for what you provide?  All of the above?

But shazam! Here you are today: beautifully gifted, looking unfiltered into the promise of a new day. You’ve overcome so many things. If you aren’t dead, you still have your health…and if you have someone to call, you are not alone. You have positive momentum whether you know if or not. You have so many reasons to celebrate yourself.

Can you make today the day you stop the downward spiral? Start by celebrating what you overcame to get here and build plans for a better, more rewarding day. Carpe Diem.

Good leaders learn to overcome fix-ation and make a habit of celebrating all of the obstacles they overcame to get to where they are today.  They leverage the strength, confidence and joy from all of the lessons learned to build a brighter future — starting today.

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Goodness Pays is the theme of the Good Leadership Breakfast this spring: the series starts on February 15 with a very special speaker. Mark Bergman is a relentlessly positive person who’s overcome many things along the way to becoming a successful inventor and philanthropist. He’s a masterful “blender” of the Seven Fs: please accept my invitation to meet him.

And drop me a note: what obstacles are you celebrating, because they got you here today?[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]