Category: Reading - Coach to Expect Success

Having An Open Minded Mindset, Sure Does Help

10/19/2021

Listened to a great podcast recently where Ann Hiatt was a guest on John Lee Dumas' podcast, "Fire Nation". She had so many powerful things to say that it got me going in some great thinking directions, not only for myself, but also my students too. I had them listen to this podcast to help them see the connection to the week's Positivity Project connection to Open-Mindedness.

Check out the podcast HERE.

A few things that I connected from this podcast & I know will help me with what I want to do in my profession as an educator and a coach - First, there are so many "behind the scenes" things or "under the radar" things that I can do to build myself & my profession, stronger & having more of an impact. The little everyday things that go unnoticed by most - I can focus on them everyday, knowing they bring value to what I want to do. Waking up early, reading more, getting to work early & getting prepared. Making time for others to help solve issues & questions before they become problems. So many things that we all can do, that might not get other people to notice - but we know are the right things to do.

Second thing that stood out to me was the idea of staying ahead of myself as I learn new things, pick up new skills, be open to new opportunities, etc. There is this mindset of "reinventing" ourselves every so often. I certainly do not want to stay where I'm at as far as abilities & knowledge. It's become apparent to me recently that I want to keep learning new things, meeting new people, coming up with new ideas, etc., until my final day on earth. That's just me.

Finally - there are so many different paths towards success & that one way does not work for everyone. Success is such a broad definition for so people. One thing for sure that I'm seeing more and more (especially with my new position as an ESL Coach at school) is that my positive attitude / outlook / mindset, etc., is a difference maker. I see many people that are of the opposite mindset and I see the struggles they are having compared to others. Remember, having a positive attitude / outlook / mindset, does not mean you don't have problems. It means that you can solve them A TON better with a positive mindset than with a negative one. THAT IS FACT!

Commit & Figure It Out

8/26/2018

Amazing the thoughts and ideas that come to you when you choosing to put good stuff into your head. That's a key in life I've been finding lately. I get to choose what goes into my mind, thereby choosing the items I know that will have an influence on me. John O'Leary's podcasts help me in so many ways. I first connected to his book "On Fire" and now I'm hooked on his podcasts. His latest one got me fired up about a few things - find it HERE and listen to it - It got me going and I hope it at least gets you thinking too. There are so many things I need to commit to - It's about time I do those things. How about you?

One thing that I have really seen a difference in my life is the simple fact that I'm reading more. It is amazing to hear that so many people mention that throughout their lives on the importance of reading. I am finding how much of a key it is. Try it. You might like it. It's helping me to stay focused (which I need a lot of help with) and with that I'm able to commit and focus more on the things that I need to do. Thanks for listening and checking out my podcast too - find this episode HERE. Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on ITunes or other services where you find this show. Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/ on Twitter: @coachtosuccess and on Instagram at: @coachjohndaly

4 Tips To Get Out Of A Funk

8/25/2018

We all get into a funk every so often. Looking back throughout my life - it came about many times in the summer. I was off school and you might wonder why that would happen then? Probably since I was not being too productive most of the time. Letting myself down in many ways, not working on things that I knew I should be working on. Those bad habits I knew that I should improve upon, yet I wasn't. The 4 points in this article that I found - find it HERE - it's a great read that I think will help you with some ideas to get out of the next funk you are in. It helped me. It also helped to remind me that I do indeed have the power to get out of these darker moments in life. I don't have to let it affect me and hold me back. I am not denying them but I do want to take charge more when those moments come up in life - and they always come up for all of us. Listen to my podcast about this - find it HERE as it has some great things to think about the next time you are in a funk - and remember, there will always be a next time. So, check it out - you can always chime in with some thoughts, ideas or comments. Please take a few moments to subscribe & share this with someone, also leave a 5 Star rating on ITunes or other services where you find this show. Find me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/coachtoexpectsuccess/ on Twitter: @coachtosuccess and on Instagram at: @coachjohndaly

7 Tips for Developing Your Personal Philosophy

4/9/2018

What a FANTASTIC article I found in Success magazine - Click HERE for the article link.

The 7 Tips I found in this article ... heck.. they were even numbered for me so that there was no reason for me missing them... were things that I needed to see on a Monday morning coming back to school after our Spring Break.

First of #1 - Set Your Sail - The author mentions that "the winds of circumstances blow upon all of us" - and it all depends on our thinking, our personal mindset , how we respond to those changing winds -- all of those are how we can succeed where so many struggle. I know for a fact that I need to work on this BIG TIME!!

#2 - Learn from success and failure -- Remember, our personal experience is our best teacher... just as our past is our best mentor. We can also learn from others too - remember that success leaves clues. :-) I always need to remind myself that I need to have a clue in order to pick up the many clues that Success (and failures) leave all around us. ;-)

#3 - Read All You Can -- Books have always been, in my opinion, a cornerstone of success. There are far too many examples to not on how successful people have had reading being a part of that success. It's part of the clues that success leaves - other people sharing information that helped them in some way, shape or form by giving instruction, advice, inspiration, motivation, lessons, etc. I know I need to read more - how about you?

#4 - Keep a journal -- Now I did this ... the key word is DID... and I did not keep up with that. I had a gratitude journal going for a little bit - 9 months to a year maybe?? I know for a fact that I need to get going on that again and soon!!

#5 - Observe and Listen -- WOW... a reminder that I need for sure, since I know how important it is to do these but yet I struggle doing them. I love how this article brought up the points about who have surrounding ourselves and to not "... waste your time on the silly and the shallow." We do get a choice as to who we let influence us. ;-)

#6 - Be Disciplined -- Yep.... another eye-opening reminder for myself here. This is HUGE!! The old saying goes - "Discipline weighs ounces, regrets weighs tons." Putting some discipline in my life - especially when I was younger - could have paid off so much if I had done it. :-) But you know what, I can do it now!! :-)

#7 - Don't Neglect -- All the little things are so important because they lead to bigger things - ALL THROUGHOUT LIFE. Our health, our finances, our relationships, etc. The other 6 points are all part of not neglecting those things in our lives. I know I have to work on all of them for sure and the more I work on them, the better I know I will be.

New Year Coming... Thoughts On Success From Coach Wooden - Quote Of The Week

12/29/2014

"Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming." -- John Wooden

With all the things that we can do to improve ourselves, there seems to be a quote that is great to think about as we end one year and start off a new one. Coach John Wooden had so much success in basketball, but what everyone has to understand is that he had even more success teaching leadership lessons.

Success has so many puzzle pieces to it since it means different things to different people. Since it deals with doing our best to become all that we are capable of becoming, there has to be time spent on improving ourselves in many different areas.

Coach is right as success is indeed peace of mind. That is one thing that all of us need to work on is our mind and the things that come into our minds. Those things can make a distinct difference in what success we have going towards goals and dreams that we have. Reading is one of the best things we can do for ourselves. New information that gets our minds working on new ideas and thoughts, these things can really help us doing our best.

Doing our best has so much to do with what we are thinking about. This quote has got me thinking that I need to continue to work hard at doing my best, which in many areas in my life I am not doing and when I look back at those areas, it shows up to me as I don’t have the self-satisfaction knowing that I have not done my best. I can tell you though, that I’m looking forward to fixing that starting now. I don’t need to wait for the new year as I’m going to start today and then work hard to continue it into the new year.

Speaking of the new year – if we look at this quote and focus on all the parts that go with it (the exercise, eating right, fixing old habits and starting new ones, reading more, improving our relationships, etc.), all the resolutions should connect with Coach Wooden’s statement. The other big key, don’t just make them for New Years Day. These things should be worked on all year long. How does Coach Wooden’s statement connect with you?

Quote of the Week - March 10, 2014

3/10/2014

"Pay attention. Don’t just stagger through the day." -- Jim Rohn

This is one thing I've tried to do myself and try to get my own kids along with my students to focus on. Paying attention in life has it's ways of paying dividends and I think that for many of, we don't do this nearly enough.

I know for a fact that I have staggered through many days in my life without paying too much attention. Sure wish I could have a "re-do" or as we called it as kids a "do-over" - but I sure can learn from those times, that's for sure. There are so many days that all we feel like doing is to just get through the day - but if we spend just a few moments at the start of the day to get into that frame of mind of paying attention to what's going on - you never know what we will find.

I've started the last few weeks getting up in the morning and spending a few moments reading some type of devotional, scripture, goal setting, leadership, success passage, etc. It really has set my day off in a better direction and I know I need to continue that every day.

What are things that you can do to help you in this area? Paying attention to things day in and day out is so valuable to you and your life direction. I think it helps us to focus on the things that we know will help us go after those goals and dreams in our lives. So first - we need to have those goals and dreams of course. What else can we do to have this be a great benefit to us? Pay attention to those things, share them with me and others and that way it will help you focus on them too.

Quote of the Week - January 13, 2014

1/13/2014

"How you see your future is much more important than anything that has happened in your past." - Zig Ziglar

If you haven't gotten a chance to check out Zig Ziglar - I suggest you do. What a great inspirational difference maker he was. What a key too - he still is making a difference!

As I was getting ready for the upcoming week last night, I found his quote. It of course connected with me and I knew I needed to share it for the start of this week. Especially since we are only heading into the middle of the month of January - it's easier to focus on future things in our life since the new year is not really that old.

The things that have happened in our past have happened for sure. What we can do with it is the key. We can certainly dwell on those events, keep thinking about them and what happened so long ago but that is a recipe for causing ourselves problems.

Now - if we do look at what happened in our past, and we learn from it, and we get better from it along with applying those lessons to today's life. The sooner we can learn from our past and get better for today and our future - the better off we will be along with it will be much better for those people that are around us too.

This is something that I have always struggled with during my life and I am continuing to work on it. The one thing for sure is that I haven't given up yet, nor do I plan on giving up. I have found that I need constant reminders of learning from my past, applying those lessons to getting better and looking ahead is the key. So whether it's a little bit of reading something positive. Listening to podcasts everyday (of which I will be highlighting some in the near future), taking some quiet time for reflection, meditation, prayer, deep-thinking, etc. There are so many things that we can do to help us keep locked on our future - with learning from our past and not being locked in the past.

Another key on this point - the younger you are when you get it, the better off you will be. If you got some insights about this topic, don't keep them to yourself - share them with others. Drop me a note so I (and others) can learn from you.

Are You Investing in Yourself?

7/17/2012

Am I investing in myself? A good question to ask myself.

This is one question that we seem not to ask ourselves too often. During the summer, it’s a perfect time to find a little relaxing time to do just that.

Recently I was listening to one of my many audio books from John Maxwell and this exact question came up in one of his discussions.

There are so many different investments now a day. Stocks, bonds, real estate, mutual funds, etc; the list goes on and on for possible investments.

We need to make investing in ourselves a top priority.

Maxwell said that we basically cannot invest in other people unless we first invest in ourselves. A very true statement for sure that the sooner we realize is true, the better off we will be.

Part of the whole process of investing in ourselves is to clear the path to connect with ourselves.

What I mean is that if you are like me, there are issues that you have to “fix” before we can really maximize our investment into ourselves.

Please feel free to start working on these things before I did. I waited until I was in my mid 30’s and now I’m 46 and I am still working on things I know that I should have fixed already.

Take a look at my Top 25 book list on my website as that might be a good place to start to find some things that might give you some insights as to how to start this most important investment.

Then start out slow, maybe a book every month or two is a good start. I’m thinking about some things that I can do to help those of you that want to try and get into reading some books to help in this area.

As always.. please let me know your thoughts as I’m always interested in learning from others along with trying to help others too.

What is your Dash?

6/25/2012

What is your dash?

Summer is usually a time of year that we slow down a little bit. Rest, relax and reflect about things that are going on in our lives. Hopefully we are able to spend time with family and friends a little more during the summer than the rest of the year.

One thing to maybe reflect upon this summer, and I know I have to do this more often, is to think about our “dash”. I don’t mean running a race, which with my knee is a good thing that’s not what I mean. I’m talking about our dash as it connects to our life. There is an inspirational poem by Linda Ellis that I’ve used in my Leadership classes that I teach. The dash is that one little character that is between our date and year of our birth and the date and year that we die.

We all see the date of a person’s birth and the date that they die, but the dash in-between the two dates is what that person’s life was really all about. What do we spend our dash doing? What makes a lifetime fit into one little character? I ask that you check out her poem and there is a short movie clip on it too that you can watch. Then please, not only do I want you to start thinking about how you are spending your dash; but please let me know what your thoughts are. I’m looking for inspiration and help with some of my writings.

So please, if you can get back to me with some feedback on Facebook, through my blog, or by email. I would really appreciate any thoughts you had on this as I am really looking at personally improving my dash along with getting some help with things I’d like to write about.

Invest now? Are you crazy??

8/10/2011

Invest in these crazy times? Are you nuts?

So many things are happening with the economy lately, not just in the U.S. but around the world too.

It’s enough to make us want to not invest money into stocks for sure.

How about the banks, they are safe right?

Some are, but not a great return on your investment right now.

I’ve said it before.

And I’m saying it again.

It’s always a great time to invest in YOURSELF.

In fact not only is always a great time to invest in yourself, it’s a must that you invest in yourself.

Here’s a big reason why.

Nobody else will do it.

Here’s another big reason to do it.

Not many people invest in themselves.

You want to make yourself to be able to keep moving forward, keep getting better, keep learning, etc., no matter what is going on in the world.

By understanding those two points we can really move ahead of ourselves and most other people by acting on those two points.

It’s actually a very good insurance policy for yourself too.

One of the best ways to do it is to, just as the great Bob Proctor says “we need to turn off the radio, turn off the t.v. and get into a darn good book”.

Good books include books that make us better, that get us to see what we can do with our limited time that we really have.

They get us to think differently and then to start making the changes in our life that we must do in order to go in the direction that we want to go in.

It can be any type of different information that gets you going in a positive direction towards where you want to go.

Do your homework.

Think about one thing that you know you need to get better at. Or the direction you want your life to go.

Find some time to learn the thing or things that will help you in that area.

Just try it and see what happens.

Now is the time my friend to invest in yourself like no other time in history.

Any thoughts or questions on this, please, let’s talk about it and see what happens.

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