Daily Boost Motivation and Coaching

Freedom and Growth Between the Lines Are you a fun-loving, carefree person who prefers to drift with the wind? Are you happier following the rules and staying within the lines? Whichever you are, happiness and success will arrive when you combine both: 1) Too much flexibility in life doesn’t allow for compounding your life experience. Like money in the bank, leave it alone once you know what works. 2) Too much structure will limit your ability to discover growth opportunities. Don’t get stuck. Donnie and Marie said it best in the ’70s, “I’m a little bit country, he’s a little bit rock and roll.” Combine the best of both.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Obstacles Into Opportunity Have you ever wondered how much easier things would be if you didn’t have to think so much? What if the future or your past didn’t matter? Imagine if you didn’t worry about the possessions, success, or drama of others. What would happen if you believed that YOU were in control?   Now, you are starting to think like a Stoic Philosopher. Stoicism is about paring down and simplifying. They eliminate unproductive traits that define the majority of the population. One of the most common is by turning obstacles upside down, creating opportunities, and seeing them as teachable moments. For a Stoic, every bad thing becomes a new source of good.   Marcus Aurelius said it this way,  “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in your way becomes the way.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Become The Person You Are Meant to Be People have always sought change for themselves, their lives, or the world. If you want to change something about your life, there is a constant truth: You must change before anything else changes. Many intelligent folks agree - Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” Leo Tolstoy, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” What about Albert Einstein? “The world, as we have created, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.” Do you want to change something about today, tomorrow, or the future? You must change before anything else changes. Have you learned lessons from past experiences? You have already changed, and your future is better for it. Rumi said, “Yesterday, I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I am changing myself.” If tomorrow you want to be better than today and Yesterday, something has to change. That something is you. If you want to make more money, serve more, and be happier next year, something has to change this year. That something is you. If you want this life to be well-lived, something has to change today. That something is you. What if you want everything about your life to be perfect? Listen to Winston Churchill. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” It’s so simple. You must change before anything else changes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Figuring Out Your Purpose Over the years, the most popular question I get from the MOVERS around here is -- “How do I find my purpose and face my passion?” If I were to expand on that question, it would be - “What can I do today to find my purpose and overcome the fear of living my passion?” In other words, it’s one thing to find it; it’s another thing to get yourself to do it. Today, we’ll focus on finding it. In my quest to live passionately, I always follow a 5-step process for discovering and facing your passion. It has never failed me. 1) Explore the possibilities that are available to you. The more, the better. Many things will interest you, and you should be willing to allow them into your life. 2) Pay attention to what grabs and keeps your attention. Don’t fight the feeling; just follow the urge to explore. 3) Deep dive into the things shoving themselves into your life and immersing yourself. 4) When you find yourself fascinated and nearly obsessed, you are heading a new path, even if it makes no sense. Don’t be surprised if it is nothing you’ve ever considered before. The formula is simple: Exploration + Fascination = Facing Your Passion. While the steps above can include several strategic steps, the more significant challenge is to allow yourself to follow what you find.  Once you find it, be sure you live it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Your WHY Doesn’t Need to Be First Scott’s Show Prep - 09/10/24 [OPEN] Motivational Chat I have a question.  Would you like nothing on your calendar and still get everything done? Go to PerfectWeekPlanner.com and download the easiest planner you’ll ever use. It’s free! [INTRO] Have you ever heard that you first need to know your WHY before you do anything?  What I want to know is WHY it is so important. Well, it turns out - it’s not… sort of… As a baby DJ in broadcast school, I spent a lot of time learning how to talk over the intros of songs while eating pizza and talking with teenage girls—that was my major. But I also learned a few things about journalism—just in case I needed to use my news announcer voice. Although the rules of journalism might not be practiced much these days, one thing still works. Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? If you know that information, you can tell a complete story. But what if you could apply the same information to your goal-setting activities?  You can… if you do three things: 1) Anytime you decide to set a goal, rearrange it so that it makes more sense for your action brain and less for your observing and learning brain. 2) Your new version should include what… why… when, and who I need to help. 3) The final piece is something you can ignore - because the HOW becomes automatic as soon as you shift that magical word and focus on your goals. You should try it - because it’s how you think about it anyway. Remember that you can get my show prep for every daily boost. Just go to ScottsShowPrep.com and subscribe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You Must Give Something Up to Get More Scott’s Show Prep - 09/09/24 [OPEN] Motivational Chat Let me whip out my show prep and get started. By the way, you can get my show prep sent to your inbox every day. Go to ScottsShowPrep.com to get it. [INTRO] Everybody is always talking about getting more of what they want - but they’re not getting it. Why? Because they keep adding to the stuff they already have —  [STORY]  Social/Streaming Media overuse. How hours a day of scrolling equals 18 full-time workweeks per year.] To be clear, adding more to your life is not necessarily the way to add more. Life is going to get in the way anyway. It makes no sense to keep tripping over your stuff or building a wall that blocks you from your goals. Instead of thinking of adding more to get more, why not follow this simple plan… [STEPS] 1) Do more of what you like and less of what you don’t like to do.  So. Simple. How do you do that? 2) You have to give something up. There is a cost to everything, a price to pay, and you can’t avoid it. You must give something up to get what you want. If you don’t, you haven’t paid the price. Not only will you be blocked, but it’s highly likely that something you love will be taken from you to pay your debt. I don’t like debt. 3) Once you have given something up and made space, start doing more of what you love - and defend it as your happiness depends on it.  Because it does. [WRAP] Yes. You can have it all, but not at the same time. The big question is… What are you going to give up today? [Free Stuff] Get a peak on the inside - get my show prep sent to your inbox every day. Go to ScottsShowPrep.com. Links Face Your Passion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How To Have an Empty Calendar Scott’s Daily Boost Show Notes — A letter I received about 10 minutes ago… “When you showed us your calendar a few weeks ago, I noticed how bear it was. You hadn't time blocked your podcast recordings, checking emails, calling friends, date night, learning time, developing course materials, Marketing activities, etc. I assumed you should time block every area of your life to ensure you achieve balance.” I believe work-life balance is a myth.  Isn't every minute of the day the same?  There are no work, play, happy or sad minutes—there are only minutes. I don't need to balance them because they are all the same. Since I have a pre-determined way that I want to live my life, it doesn't matter when I do it. Having said that…  Having a calendar that it booked every 10 minutes is one of the most stressful things I can think of having. I would bet it’s the biggest reason people get burned out or retire. In my view, a calendar's only job is to serve as a reminder system for any of those minutes that will involve other people — and not even all of those. I don't know about you, but I don't need a reminder to go on a date night with my wife. I know some people say you should schedule time for yourself on your calendar to ensure you get things done. But it seems to me I shouldn't have to schedule my own time — since is MY time.  I should have a clear understanding of the life I want to live, what I need to do, and the discipline to get it done—in the space between those pesky appointments. Let me be clear. I absolutely have days of the week and hours of the day that I broadly dedicate to things like work, play, learning, and relaxing.  Within those large blocks, I look at my task list and decide, based on Due Date and Priority, what I need to focus on that day. When that's done, I'm done. Larger projects are no different.  I simply look ahead to the days and hours I have available, set the Due Date for those times, and when that day arrives, get it done. Is that time-blocking? No. There’s no need to block my time because it’s already mine. All of my time is my time. I guard it, ensure I know what I need to do, and have the discipline to do it as quickly as possible.  I strictly control the time that others are taking. If I don't, I won't have more time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People You Will Meet Today Retrospective Thought — As I look back on the last 24 hours of my life, a single thought resonates with me. I shared it with others, and their worlds were rocked. What question is spurring this? — Why can people be so difficult? What’s the story behind it? — I’ve met so many people in the world who think difficult people can harm and stop them. It doesn’t have to be that way. Points to consider— People you deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surely. They are like this because they can’t tell good from evil. They are like you, with the same mind and possessing a share of the Divine. And so none of them can hurt you. Marcus Aurelius was an intelligent guy. Conclusion — Everybody you meet today is more like you than you would like to admit. The playing field is more even than you thought. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How Do Labels Impact Your Life? Note: Lately, I've felt that the Daily Nugget format I've been using for the last eight years has become a bit of a trap for me -- and I needed more flexibility. So, I'm moving away from a narrative format and toward providing the actual notes used during the show. I hope this will allow me to expand my ideas while giving you more motivation and actionable notes. And yes, you can expect this to evolve over the next few weeks. Retrospective Thought Have you ever wondered how having a label is impacting your life? While am I having this thought? I remember being asked, “What I do” by a potential customer - and I had no idea what to say. Points to consider Labels are a way to identify yourself to YOU… and identify YOU to the world. In the past, most people only had one way to identify themselves. That’s what they were known for. Today, people have too many labels. It seems that we have 1,000 mini-identities that we deploy depending on where we are, what we’re doing, and who we’re hanging out with. When did we become a computer app that forces us to tag ourselves with a label for everything we do? Conclusion If you could only put one label on yourself… One label that represented who you truly were on the inside…  One label that everybody instantly understood…  What would that label be? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don’t Share Your Plans In the last few years, it has become increasingly popular for people to share every little aspect of their lives with others. But, when it comes to getting what you want in life, keeping your plans to yourself is a powerful tool. Summer has been filled with lots of rest and relaxation, and when I arrived at my desk on Tuesday, I had two messages from clients that made me smile. The first said, "I decided to spend my weekend practicing what I do in private so that I will be praised in public." That's something I’ve said and done many times. The second client told me they had completed a new project over the weekend and heading in a new direction. When I mentioned they had never said a word to me about it, they said, "I know. I'm learning that nobody needs to know what I'm doing to do. I'll do it, and they can catch up." My heart smiled as I witness three powerful tools that impact my client's lives: 1) Practice in private until you are ready to share with the world. Nobody needs to know how you got so good at what you do. 2) There's no need to tell anybody what you are going to do. Just do it and then let them know what you've done later. 3) It's easier to get things done when everybody else is busy doing something else and isn't poking their nose in your business. Long holiday weekends and summer vacations are a great place to begin. You can do whatever you want with your life, and you don't need anybody's permission or approval to make it happen. Your destiny is 100% up to you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Shake Up Your Good Life Growth and change are what most people strive for in their life. It’s what drives you before you create your amazing life. It’s also what drives you to step up to the next level. In the last 18 years, I’ve spent producing the Daily Boost podcast, I’ve had the chance to speak to thousands of people. All of them were in various stages of change, and most had the goal of being happy.  But, there is an issue that keeps popping up. As people go about living and enjoying the life they’ve built, the natural desire for more growth kicks in, and they find themselves driving harder—usually without thinking about it. It could be about passion, but most times, it’s about making more money. One day, I talked with a friend about living a good life and how hard people work to mess up a good thing. That’s when he asked a great question - ”When life is good, why would you do something else only to make more money?” It’s not to say making more money is not a very good thing. It’s just important to make sure that you focus on what is right in front of you and remain balanced and happy as you grow. The happiest people in the world already know that.  Because a powerful force drives humans to grow at any cost, sometimes that costs them in ways they never see coming—both good and bad.  Enjoy what you have and grow to make things better. That’s a recipe for success, no matter how you see it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Committed to Your Goal Woody Allen said, "Half of success is showing up." I've thought about that quote many times over the years. There was something about its logic that didn't match up with my day-to-day experience. Don't get me wrong, no matter what you want to do in your life, showing up is the first step in getting it. But I've shown up many times and ended up going home with the prize that I so much wanted. I've also seen others convinced that they'll advance toward their goals if they show up. Instead, they end up disappointed with their results. So, if showing up is getting you halfway, what's the other half? It's knowledge, work ethic, communication, and people skills. And let's not forget your ability to commit to doing whatever it takes to get what you want. Some people don't show up, and some don't commit. Many do show up. Why don't they succeed? I remember the words spoken by my Paster moments before my wedding to my first wife, Sheryl. I was a 20-year-old kid, and he asked, "Do you know what makes a marriage work?" Without much thought, I said, "It's a 50/50 thing. As long as we show up for each other, it'll work." His response resonates with me to this day. "Success in anything is 100/100 thing. You show up and commit to giving it 100% of your effort all the time - and so does everybody else." So, yes. Showing up will get you halfway to your goal. But if you want to go all the way, you must commit to 100% and do whatever it takes to get what you want.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beyond Your Why Since the beginning of time, successful people have given this sage advice; you must set goals.  In the human mind, setting goals are the heartbeat of your life. Setting a goal will harness your focus, give you meaning and purpose, and drive you forward. It gets even better if you place a deadline. If your goal is essential, timely, urgent, you will likely do anything possible to get it. Yes, likely.  You may have also heard that understanding WHY you want to achieve your goal is critical to your success. "Knowing your WHY will allow you to deal with every challenge along the way,” is what they said. But sometimes, you fall short. Losing weight is a good example. Every year, millions of people set the goal of losing a few pounds. Most end up failing. But if you think about it, that makes sense. Nobody ever wants to lose anything. That's against every survival instinct you have in your body. When you set a goal that takes something away, your mind will fight you every step of the way.  So what's the fix? If your goal is to lose 10 pounds, focus on the real reason and the benefits you will receive when you reach your goal. That will become your mission beyond your why. It's not losing weight. It's feeling better inside and out. It's not losing weight. It's building your self-confidence. It's not losing weight. It's having unlimited energy and stamina. Any goal that focuses on loss alone lacks the positive motivation you need to succeed. No matter how bad you want it.  When you think about your daily process as steps on a mission beyond your why, everything changes. More success and happiness are in your future, and your possibilities are endless.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Goal, Pilots, and Donuts Have you noticed that airplanes fly crooked? Heading to their destination, winds attempt to blow them off course. That’s why pilots turn their aircraft into the wind. They call it Wind Correction. The same thing happens when you set a Goal. While you prefer the straight path, you will likely run into winds that will blow you off course. Your spouse disagrees with your plans. Your boss demands more hours. Your kids, friends, and responsibilities keep blowing you further away from your dreams. It’s time to start thinking like a pilot setting a flight plan to a distant city with a Kristy Kreme donut store about to turn in the ‘Hot Donuts’ sign. Keep an eye on your final destination. Always set goals that factor in winds that will blow you off your course. Make minor corrections until you get where you’re heading. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Common Sense Laws of Success Everything we do is guided by what we think is logical in our minds. I call my way of thinking Scott LOGIC. Is it common sense? Is it experience-based? Is it how I choose to live? Yes. But mostly, it is an endless list of thoughts that make my day better. Here are a few that will no doubt do the same for you. Life is long enough. But not for everybody. Recognize the difference. Life goes quickly unless you are bored. Stay busy. Life passes slowly when you are going fishing tomorrow.  Some people are too serious. Others are not serious enough. You get to choose who you are. Standing in another person's shoes before opening your mouth a best.  When you turn your phone off, it won't ring. Most things in life should be in moderation. Excess is good now and then. It takes a fraction of the time to read a good book than to write a book. That makes reading a book a good investment of your time. People who read more earn more. People who don't read don't understand why. Saying "I don't care" means you do care. Do you know what that is? Everything you experience is filtered through what you hold as the truth. Make sure you are correct in your thoughts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's Time to Get Off The Fence Okay, I'm feeling a little bit lazy today, so I will cut to the chase and bestow upon you the secret to success you've been seeking. Success requires that you do the hard work. It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that if you want more, you will have to do something to get it. Still, we live in a world that makes it seem like it should be easier, and it's not. Success takes a lot of hard work - even if you don't see it. Successful YouTubers make it look easy - after thousands of hours of trial and error. Musicians seemingly live their dream - after years of living in a tour bus and making pennies. Even people who do nothing but accept the generosity of society to make their way are working hard at a life you would never want. It doesn't matter what you want, good or bad, prosperous or not, happy or sad; it will take a lot of work to accomplish it. If you have a choice, and you do, why wouldn't you choose to work hard to bring goodness into your life? You become interested in making a change. The problem is interest is only the beginning, and you never get beyond your fascination. You decide what change to create and work hard to get it. Then, life gets in the way, and you stop. What's missing? Commitment. Life doesn't guarantee it, but you tend to get what you want when you commit to your mission. That's just how it works. I'm interested in many things and work hard at making magic happen in my life, the lives of my family and friends, and even yours. Only a solid commitment to how I spend my decades on this planet allows that to happen. Whatever you do - get committed, and you'll see how things change. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Empowering Emotional Triggers I love it when we miraculously put together the perfect day, and life decides to get in the way.  Well, it's not life, and maybe I don't love it, but occasionally, something or someone will cross your path and get in your way. I don't know anybody who doesn't get hit smack in the face with a situation that triggers a feeling deep inside their soul, stirs emotion, and results in a reaction or response that makes you say, "Why did I say that?" Of course, we are emotional creatures, so it makes sense that robust emotional responses are common for most of us. Still, common sense will tell you they don't always serve us. It gets even worse when people sedate their emotions to protect themselves. Not only do they miss great opportunities, but when they are triggered, it becomes an 8.0 earthquake. So, how do you deal with it? The way I handle it is to understand that triggers usually happen when I least expect them. Still, my ScottLOGIC tells me that once I experience the trigger and learn the lesson, a little discipline in my actions tends to smooth things out the next time.  Here's what happens. When I get triggered, a feeling emerges inside of me. Like me, the problem is that most folks jump from a feeling to an emotional response before their mouth knows what's happening. A better way is to recognize the feeling, pause, review the emotional dialog running in your mind, and then allow your thoughts to become your words.  Life improves when you have the discipline to recognize what you've learned from a previous trigger, audit your reactions, and deliver your response. Strangely, it becomes as if you were never triggered at all. Look, we live in a world filled with shoot-from-the-hip opportunities, many of which are purposely put in front of us to get a response. Please don't fall for it. Keep your mind on how you want to experience and see the world. You'll be amazed how all the drama goes away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stop Calling 911 on Yourself A few days ago, I was on with a client making significant progress toward smoothing out the rough edges of her career, relationship, and personal life.  When we began, she consistently banged her head into the wall in every area of her life.  Relationships were challenging, job performance was up and down, she had no personal life, and her vision for the future was non-existent. She was, in my words, being an arsonist. However, unlike most arsonists, she was also the 911 operator, drove the fire truck to the incident scene, grabbed a hose, and put out her fire. After a few weeks of working together, I noticed the pattern and called her out. She even surprised herself when she admitted that she was the cause of most of the issues in her life, but she didn’t know how to stop all the self-inflicted pain.  I gave her a different way of thinking about it - What if, instead of being an arsonist, you were in charge of preventing those life-getting-in-the-way moments? What if, instead of driving the fire truck, your job was to make sure it was ready to roll, even if it is never needed? What if, instead of calling 911 on yourself, you decided to help other people improve their lives through your interactions? “That sounds exciting. But how do I do it?” There are two steps: become aware that you are causing your issues and discipline yourself to stop doing what you know is not working for you. “Oh. Discipline. It sounds like you’re saying I need to grow up and act like an adult in charge of my own life.” Did I say that? I didn’t hear myself say that? Did you hear me say that? The very next week, we spoke on the phone, and she felt in control of her life for the first time. Yes, she was still a little shaky in her approach, but her self-confidence was returning. She was noticing, and so were others. Frankly, it was nice to see somebody go from firing things up to being fired up herself - and winning the day.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Escaping Your Past  My mind is constantly searching for a simple process for anything that will help me get what I want, and that usually comes down to something I talk about a lot: making a decision.  I speak about decision-making much of my day because it’s the most dynamic tool in your personal growth tool kit.  It should be easy — Almost everything you will ever want to do in life has already been done. The solution to getting what you wish to should be based on logic and proven steps. In other words, figure out what works and do it. But, as much as we can all agree that it should be easy, using logic to get what we want doesn’t have much to do with being a human—that’s where emotions and a more psychological approach come into play. “Come on, let’s just do what we know works?” You say. “No. I’m not feeling it. Let’s go with the flow and figure it out?” Logical vs emotional thinking is an epic battle that Stephen Spielberg could tell in a blockbuster movie. Oh, wait, it always is! Let’s take a side trip to the movies and prove my point. The Hero has a problem in a movie, and something has to change, but they don’t know what to do. Professionally speaking, they are an emotional mess, no matter how real it may be. Then, in a movie, their situation suddenly thrust them into taking action to solve their problem. Logic kicks in, and they get busy fixing life. But, in a movie, life gets in the way, their actions are not working, and their emotions take over. It seems that all is lost, but never fear. Before any good movie ends, our Hero figures out precisely what needs to be done. One. Two. Three. Victory is at hand. Somebody, please roll the credits. What’s the lesson in the story we are writing? Everything that you want to do has already been figured out. Your job is to set your emotions aside, go into logical mode, and take the fewest steps possible to reach your dream. They’re no need to wait. Hero’s, don’t wait. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Scared and Excited at the Same Time Over the weekend, I had a few hours to waste at a local car dealership and found myself in conversation with a very motivated young man. After seeing my email address, he asked a few questions about what I do for a living, and we were off to the races. Eventually, he said the same thing I hear many times a week – “I’m trying to figure out what I want, but I want more. That excites me AND scares me. Sometimes I wonder when I’ll get started and how long it will take — so I never get started.” Like I said, I hear that every week, and I have for years.  Here’s my answer. You’ll never stop trying to figure things out. Life is an endless cycle of figuring things out, getting comfortable, and getting uncomfortable, and figuring things out again. It never ends. You may as well play the game. Excitement and Scary can feel the same. Emotionally, they are not that different. If you find that it is one or the other, look deeper. If it’s both, I would move forward as fast as possible. You’ll get started as soon as you are more excited than scared. As long as you are excitedly moving toward your goal, how long it takes won’t matter. That’s something that is hard to remember… but it’s a good thing if you do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices