Your Life is Your Business
John Wooden, record-setting coach of the UCLA basketball team and one of the most successful coaches in any sport, wrote, “Activity – to produce real results – must be organized and executed meticulously. Otherwise, it’s no different from children running around the playground at recess. Time, used correctly, is among your most potent assets. For many leaders, however, it seems otherwise. The months, weeks, and minutes are ill defined and almost intangible in their minds, evaporating without leaving a trace of achievement behind. In the mind of those leaders whose organizations get things done, time is tangible, a commodity as touchable as gold. The success of my leadership was directly linked to using time wisely. Respect time, and it will respect you.”
This is personal management of the highest magnitude. Note that any consideration of personal management necessarily involves a focus on what you are doing with your time. But it also involves other aspects, such as how you think, the management of your attitude, and your overall hunger to accomplish your purpose.
There are a few practical things to seek out in order to maintain the highest level of personal management, and thereby keep yourself fully locked into productive life habits:
- Informational Reinforcement – to stay sharp and continue learning and growing, one needs to be plugged into a source of information pertaining to the craft at hand. Read all you can about your pursuit. Listen to audio recordings as well. Peruse trade magazines and familiarize yourself with any and all websites of authority pertaining to your field. Find out if there are events or symposiums, concerts or competitions that you can attend and use as educational experiences. Gathering and digesting all the information you can get your hands on for your particular area of chosen mastery will keep you fresh and be a shortcut forward in your development.
- Relational Reinforcement – There is an old joke that goes like this: “Two idiots and one genius go into a room together. After a period of time, out come three idiots.” Beyond being funny, it clearly demonstrates the power of association with others. Choose your associations wisely (as the wrong ones can be incredibly wrong). Make sure you are hanging around with people who are experts in the endeavor you are pursuing. Find yourself a Mr. Miyagi and wash the heck out of his car, sand his floors until they shine, and paint his fence like Tom Sawyer’s friends. The reinforcement you get from mentors and experts in your field will quiet the voices of dissent around you who don’t understand what you’re doing or why.
- Self-Talk – in one of the odder techniques available, many of the top masters in their fields long ago had to learn to stop listening to themselves and instead begin talking to themselves. This is because our minds are quickly capable of “going negative” on us, and, believe it or not, our own words to ourselves are very powerful. For this reason, practice the art of positive self-talk. This can be done through affirmation statements and memorized phrases of encouragement (Bible verses are also good for this) to keep yourself focused and provide a quick re-centering when your wheels begin to wobble.
Sincerely,
LIFE and Leadership by Chris Brady 
Chris,
Great blog! Loved your start with the John Wooden quote. Something I’ve been working on most over the last couple years is meticulous execution. I have found when I’m slacking or not moving forward it starts right there. Also loved the 3 key pointers. Especially finding your Mr. Miyagi. So many of us want Mr. Miyagi to find us when we should be looking for him then seeking to pick his brain meticulously! I have never washed your car or waxed a floor but certainly would just to pick your brain more!
Chris,
Great blog! Loved your start with the John Wooden quote. Something I’ve been working on most over the last couple years is meticulous execution. I have found when I’m slacking or not moving forward it starts right there. Also loved the 3 key pointers. Especially finding your Mr. Miyagi. So many of us want Mr. Miyagi to find us when we should be looking for him then seeking his brain meticulously! I have never washed your car or waxed a floor but certainly would just to pick your brain more!
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Chris,
Thanks for the excellent article! What a great way to open the blog with that quote. Unfortunately for me I related too much to the kids at recess part, but thanks to the information available through Life Leadership and having access to a Mr. Miyagi I am heading towards personal management. While all 3 points have been helpful to me the last one, self talk, was probably the most empowering for me. Thank you for your continued pursuit to help all of us!
Danny K.
Carpe Diem
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Great article! Thanks for helping me how to keep up on taking care of myself.
Great post Chris! Time is one of those things that we only get a limited amount of and when it is used it is gone forever! Thanks for the tips on using it wisely.
Great article Chris!
I recently came across a blog that talked about how moving ones home location can quickly strip you of good habits and quickly replace them with new BAD habits. After having moved 2times in the past 2yrs I can confirm this to be true:). So, this was a great article to spur us on to re-focusing and becoming intentional with kicking out the bad habits to replace with good ones:). Thanks for all you do to help others grow into the fullest potential of themselves. Blessings!
I agree across the board, Chris. People often question self-talk but it really makes a difference. Being your own personal advocate can give you the focus and encouragement to accomplish your goals and move forward. I personally tend to skip educational experiences when I am busy the realize it was a poor decision. You need to keep your approach fresh and mind active by learning on a constant basis. An excellent reminder.