Aaron will be speaking at First Baptist Church of O’fallon, Illinois on Saturday, August 27th, 8 a.m. He will be speaking on the following topic – Making Investments for Eternity.
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Posts Tagged ‘do great things book’
Aaron will be speaking at the Men’s Breakfast at First Baptist Church of O’fallon on Sat. Aug 27, 8 a.m.
Monday, August 8th, 2011Tags: Aaron Broyles, do great things book, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Part 5 – Goal Setting – Create Urgency
Friday, July 1st, 2011Urgency is a potent force, because it is usually produced by some degree of leverage. Leverage leads to urgency and urgency leads to action, usually immediate action.
Think about this for a moment. Imagine the windshield wipers on your car have quit working. The weather forecast is predicting sunshine with no chance for rain for the next week. You know you need to get the wipers fixed, but how urgent is it that you get them fixed soon? Now imagine that your windshield wipers have quit working and a thunderstorm is imminent in the next few hours. Has the urgency changed? Of course it has, because the looming storm has created leverage. If you don’t get your wipers fixed in the next few hours, you will either be without a vehicle or in danger for the duration of the storm.
Here’s another example. A few years ago I was working in an office building and the fire alarms went off. I knew that I would have to exit the building, but I assumed it was only a test, so I was not in any hurry to leave. I checked a few more e-mails and casually left my office. As I entered the hallway towards the elevator, people were yelling from the other end of the hallway that the building was on fire. Can you guess how my urgency changed upon learning that news? I went from a slow, leisurely stroll to a full run for the stairs. The leverage of possibly dying in a fire created the urgency for me to take immediate action and get out of there fast.
If you can create urgency around your most important goals, then you will find yourself taking instantaneous action. The reason most people fail in their ability to accomplish their goals is because they never associate the necessary urgency to do so.
One way to create urgency is through the practice of setting dates. Setting a date can be a very effective means to creating urgency. Think about a time when you were in school and you had a term paper due or a big test coming. If you were like me, you probably found yourself working harder the closer you came to the deadline.
A deadline or date for achievement creates that pressure, and it gives you a clear picture of when you expect to accomplish your goal.
Another way to create urgency is to consider the consequences of not accomplishing your goal. One of my top goals is to have an outstanding relationship with each of my children. I have created several plans for how to be involved in the lives of my children, but these plans do not have an inherent urgency to them. Usually our most important goals are not urgent in nature, especially when we do not consider future consequences. One way that I create urgency around my goals with my children is to imagine how they will turn out as adults if I fail as their father. This process has produced incredible results for creating urgency in my life.
Urgency is the spark that ignites the fuel of your goals. Use it to create the necessary action you must take in the process of making your goals reality, and you will be on your way to do great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, do great things book, Goal Setting, Life Purpose, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Part 3 – Goal Setting – Make a Plan
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011Goal-setting experts report only 3% of the population do any kind of goal setting. For those few that are setting goals, even less take the time to create a plan for how to achieve the goal. You have to be able to map the trip from where you are now to where you want to be when the goal is accomplished.
Your plans will change. It’s alright to modify and adjust your plans. Your goals, on the other hand, should remain constant. I have a friend who’s a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. He says that when you determine your destination, you then create a flight plan. When the plane gets into the air and heads toward the destination, the pilot is constantly making adjustments. Every few minutes, adjustments are being made to keep the plane on course to its final destination.
Only in extreme and rare cases does a pilot change the plane’s destination, but it is very common for the pilot to make minor adjustments and modifications to keep the plane on course. Your goal setting practices should be very similar. Once you set the goals, they should be locked down. In some rare cases, you may decide to change a goal, but this should not be a common practice.
Your plans for accomplishing a goal must be specific. The more specific you can get with your goal planning, the more effective you will be at accomplishing the goal. For example, what if I told you that I had a very special gift for you, but you would have to meet me in order to get it? Suppose you are in St. Louis, and I am somewhere in California. How would you get to me? You would need specific directions. What if I only told you that I am in California? What are the odds that you would ever find me without specific directions? Slim to none.
The difficulty in being specific is that we don’t always know how to get to the destination we seek, so do not worry about your plans being perfect. They will not be perfect. I can promise you an imperfect plan is much more effective than no plan at all. You will learn from your mistakes and make the necessary adjustments until the plan finally comes together.
Map out the course you intend to take from where you are today to where you intend to be at the completion of the goal, and you will be positioned to do great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, Do Great Things, do great things book, Entrepreneurial Methods, Goal Setting, Leadership, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Part 2 – Goal Setting – Answering the “Why” question
Tuesday, January 18th, 2011In my last blog, I covered the first step to goal setting with the concept of “painting the picture”. Once you’ve identified your goal and specifically defined it, the next step involves asking why this goal is important to you. This is one of the most important steps in the entire process, because once you know why you are doing something, you will do whatever it takes to figure out how to accomplish it. Answering the why question is essential to defining the importance of the particular goal.
If I have a goal of eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis, then I have to know why this goal is important. Am I setting this goal, because I somehow think it’s what I’m supposed to do? I might say to myself, “I guess I should be healthy. Everyone lists that as important, so I guess it should be important to me as well.” That answer is not an effective “why” answer.
Instead, you need to really define why this goal is so important. I’ll give you an example. Health is an important goal for me. Unfortunately my family struggles with high cholesterol and high blood pressure. I’ve had several family members suffer from heart attacks at very young ages.
My health is directly tied to my family. I want to be healthy because I want to live to see my children grow up and have children of their own. I not only want to be alive, but I want to enjoy it. I don’t want to be confined to a hospital bed or medical equipment. I also want to have more energy in my life now. I have a lot of worthy goals that I’m excited about pursuing, but I can’t do that if I have limited energy and I’m out of shape.
Do you see how I’ve answered the why question? I’ve given very specific reasons that are important to me. Answering the why question is one of the greatest secrets to accomplishing great goals. You may have practiced this principle in your own life without even realizing it.
Many years ago, my uncle was in terrible shape. He ate terrible foods, never exercised, smoked, drank, and he rarely saw the doctor. In his early 40’s, he had a massive heart attack. Fortunately he survived, but his life was changed forever.
Once he recovered and was out of the hospital, my uncle was a changed man. He changed his entire diet. He started exercising every day. He quit smoking and drinking, and he never missed regular check-ups with his doctor. He lost an enormous amount of weight. He looked great, and you would have never guessed he was so out of shape a few years before.
So what happened to my uncle? I’ll break it down for you. He answered the why question. His goal was to get healthy, but the key to his success was that he knew why. Once you know why, you’ll do everything you can to figure out how. Do you see the power of this principle? Answer the why question, and you’ve got 80% of the goal setting process accomplished to do great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, Do Great Things, do great things book, Entrepreneurial Methods, Goal Setting, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Learn Several Powerful Strategies to Goal Setting (Part 1)
Wednesday, December 8th, 2010Goal setting can be an invaluable exercise that can literally revolutionize your life for the good. Most of the great entrepreneurs who have accomplished amazing things have been extremely effective at setting goals. While goal setting is important, it’s effectiveness can increase exponentially if you practice the steps that I will be outlining in the next several blog posts. You are about to learn several of the great secrets to effective goal setting.
The first step in the goal setting process is getting specific. It is imperative that you specifically define what your goal is. Generic goals are ineffective, because they fail to identify what you are really trying to accomplish. For example, you might have a goal to be healthy. If that is as specific as you get, then you really haven’t defined it. What does healthy mean, especially to you? A better goal would be, “I am going to increase my health by lowering my blood pressure and cholesterol to xyz levels, and I am going to lose 15 pounds. You might have a goal to become rich. Again, this is a very generic goal. Instead, you could have the following goal, “I will become debt free by paying off my house, car, credit card balance and student loan”.
The specifics outline exactly what you are talking about, and this step forces you to really think about what you want to achieve.
Once you’ve specifically outlined the goal, then you need to burn the image of that goal into your brain by using the strategy of “painting the picture”. Most people are visual, and it’s amazing how powerful a picture can be. Imagine you are planning a vacation to Hawaii, and you are trying to select which resort you will stay at. Would you rather have a written description of the resort or pictures? While the description is very important to identify the amenities, etc., the pictures are what move you emotionally.
You need to visualize exactly what accomplishing your goal would mean to you. It’s critical to see it in your mind as if it has already been achieved. Meditate for a moment on the completion of the goal. What does it feel like? Can you see it? Can you taste it? Imagine the rush of accomplishing this goal. Now find a picture that represents the goal. It can be something cut from a magazine or a picture that you have taken. This picture should instantly take your mind to the place of accomplishment. If you have a goal to spend better quality time with your children, then you might consider using a picture of you playing with your children.
Finally, you need to place your picture and goal in a place that you will see it every day. The daily reminder and visual impact of the goal will keep your focus on the task at hand. Many people will set goals and then quickly forget in the busyness of their lives. Painting the picture by itself is not enough. You have to look at that picture on a daily basis, so that you start internalize the value and importance of the goal. In the process of reviewing and visualizing your goal, you will start to focus. Focus is the secret ingredient that actualizes the efficacy of the goal setting process. As you continually focus on the goal at hand, your mind will commence a process of determining how to achieve it. In the next blog, we will cover the next essential step – answering the why question, and you will be further equipped to go out and do great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, Do Great Things, do great things book, Entrepreneurial Methods, Goal Setting, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Learn one of the best kept secrets to success – delayed gratification
Saturday, October 30th, 2010One common thread among great entrepreneurs and successful people is the idea of delayed gratification. Delayed gratification means that you are willing to make a sacrifice now for something great in the future. Unfortunately in today’s “fast food” society, we want everything now, not later. As a result, future opportunities are short circuited and squandered away.
The best example of delayed gratification is revealed in a study known as The Stanford Marshmallow Study”. Michael Mischel, a Stanford psychology researcher, performed a study that began in the 1960s with four year olds and marshmallows. Four year old children were given one marshmallow. Did I mention that these children were also very hungry? The children were given two options. They could eat the one marshmallow now or if they waited for 15 or so minutes until the researcher returned, they could have a second marshmallow only if they did not eat the first one.
This study revealed some very interesting results. About one-third of the children devoured the marshmallow as soon as the researcher left the room. Other children were able to wait a little longer before succumbing to the pressure. The remaining one-third of the children waited 15 minutes or longer until the researcher returned without eating their one marshmallow. The longer term results of this study are very telling.
The children that were able to view the longer term gain of two marshmallows while enduring the immediate pain of not eating the one marshmallow in front of them in the heat of the moment went on to experience a greater amount of success in their lives.
After the children graduated high school, the group that waited for the second marshmallow was more positive, self-motivating, and persistent in the face of trials and so on. These children had the habits of successful people and those habits translated into better health, higher salaries, and better marriages.
Which group do you fall into right now? If you are currently devouring your marshmallows the second they hit your plate, there’s good news. You have the ability to alter your approach in this area of your life, but it involves sacrifice. Sacrifice is a word that makes most people cringe, but I promise you that with great sacrifice, there is great reward.
Take a few minutes and identify two areas in your life where you lack discipline, and then ask yourself what needs to change. Are you spending more money than you make right now? Are you watching television in the evenings instead of spending quality time with your spouse or children? Are you not giving your employer or business everything you’ve got when you’re at work? Are you spending time reading the bible and praying? Is the treadmill getting lonely at your house? Think about it for a moment. Once you identify those two areas that need to change, then go and do it. Don’t worry about making big changes at first. Start small and build incrementally.
The great entrepreneurs almost always delay present benefits for a future benefit by committing to hard work now. Learn from them, and apply this principle in your own life. Take action today. Delay gratification. Procrastinate on another day. Step up and make it happen. You will position yourself to do great things in the future, and the gratification will eventually come. Trust me.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, Delayed Gratification, do great things book, entrepreneurial, www.aaronbroyles.com
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The Beginning of Great Things
Friday, October 22nd, 2010I’ve always wondered what it would be like to do “great things”. I’ve watched countless history channel specials and biography broadcasts of famous people in history who have done what the world generally considers as “great things”. I’ve always admired the great founding fathers of the United States like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Adams, etc. I’m amazed at the incredible accomplishments of these great leaders in addition to the countless others who fought for and established the great nation of the United States.
I am also inspired by the great accomplishments of the people who have changed our world with their intelligence, talent, bravery, leadership, sacrifice, hard work, wisdom and resolve. I think of Mother Teresa, Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Harriet Tubman, Neil Armstrong, Elvis Presley, Warren Buffett, Billy Graham, Babe Ruth, Sir Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh, Helen Keller, Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, Jr., Henry Ford, etc. How’s that for a list of amazing people?
Why are we so intrigued and obsessed with those who have done great things? What is it about these amazing accomplishments that we find so fascinating? Perhaps there is a desire in each one of us that longs for greatness, something deep within our soul.
Have you ever considered your own capacity for great things? Do you believe you have the potential, ability and will to capitalize on life’s opportunities in order to fulfill your purpose?
Let me ask you another question… If you could go do whatever your heart was designed to do with complete fulfillment, excitement, passion and adventure without the possibility of failing, would you do it? If your answer is yes, but the concept is not reality in your life, then it’s time rethink some things.
The culture today has twisted the definition of great things. The world says great things have more to do with fame, fortune, self-gratification, accumulation of things, power and popularity. Although fame and fortune and power are not inherently bad, they are completely irrelevant to authentic great things. In many cases, they are simply distractions to what’s really important.
Today I challenge you answer this one question. If there was one thing that you could do consistently well that would have the greatest impact on your life, what would it be? Ponder that question for a while and then answer it.
Once you’ve answered the question, make it your goal this week to put it into practice. You will be starting down the pathway to great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, Do Great Things, do great things book, Life Purpose, www.aaronbroyles.com
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Where am I going?
Thursday, October 7th, 2010When I was a junior in high school, my family and I took a trip to a lake in Indiana for a week of water skiing and fun. I brought a friend with me, and we took two cars. My parents and my brother were in one car, and my friend and I were in the other. I only had my driver’s license for about 9 months, so I was not accustomed to reading maps and watching for landmarks.
I just followed my dad all the way. When my dad exited off for gas, I followed him. When it was time to stop and eat, I followed him to the restaurant. I didn’t even know the name of the place that we were going or the name of the lake or town that we were heading to. I just knew it was a lake in Indiana.
When we were within an hour or so of our final destination, something happened. I don’t even remember exactly how it happened, but I lost my dad. One minute we were right behind him, and the next minute he was gone. My friend and I were probably having some deep conversation about music or cars or something that high school boys tend to talk about, but somehow I found myself with no-one to follow.
To compound the problem, we were now on a back road, off the main interstate. I felt like Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars. This was my status:
• I didn’t know where we were
• I had no idea where we were going to
• I didn’t have a map (navigation systems had not been invented yet)
• There was no cell phone
• I had never been in the area we were driving in
• There were no gas stations or places of business to stop at
• We had no game plan
Have you ever been in that situation before? I didn’t know if we should just pull over or keep driving or try to find some place to stop. It was total confusion. There was no way to communicate, and it was a guessing game. Even if I stopped for directions, what would I say? Can you help me get somewhere? I don’t really know where it is, but I sure could use some help.
Maybe you’ve never experienced a situation like that on a trip, but let me tell you something. There are millions of people living that situation out every day in their personal lives. They started off by following someone, probably their parents. There wasn’t a need to really do much thinking or planning, because those things were done for them on a daily basis. Maybe they went to college or perhaps they started a job out of high school. Maybe they never finished high school, or maybe they got one degree after another for years and years.
And then something happened. They realized they had no idea where they were, where they were going, how to communicate and no game plan of any kind. When you don’t have a target destination, then what do you do? You can take action, but what action do you take?
Most people take some type of action, regardless of the result. Action makes us feel that we are in control. It gives us a false sense of accomplishment. The problem is that action without a plan is simply aimless busyness.
In subsequent posts, I will detail a plan for creating a mission for your life, and you will be well on your way to doing great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, do great things book, Entrepreneurial Methods, Life Purpose
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Taking the risk out of risk
Thursday, October 7th, 2010“Do you want to be safe and good, or do you want to take a chance and be great?” – Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Cowboys Coach.
I think deep down there’s a part of every one of us that wants to throw caution to the wind and take a chance on being great. In theory it’s a great idea, but in reality, it means you would have to actually take the risk.
In my last blog, we walked through how to minimize risk, assess all the options, and maximize opportunity utilizing an entrepreneurial process. As your level of understanding and awareness around a particular situation increases, the potential to make a better and more creative decision increases exponentially. However, risk will always be present. I don’t care how thorough and complete your analysis may be, you are still facing some level of risk.
Let me present an additional approach to consider in parallel to the risk analysis approach presented in the last blog. In every situation, you can usually find someone who’s had some level of experience in a situation similar to yours. That kind of knowledge can be priceless, but it’s never perfect. Every situation is different and every person is unique, but there is one constant in the entire universe – God.
If there is a God and He created you, then don’t you think He would have the exact solution for your particular situation? Think about it for a moment. If God is all-knowing (and I know that He is), then He knows exactly how things are going to turn out.
As you analyze a particular situation or decision, take some time to consult the creator of the universe. It doesn’t mean things will be easy or perfect, but usually the great things aren’t easy. In the bible it says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:5-6).
I believe that if you take the entrepreneurial approach of assessing risk, and you begin trusting God for His best direction in your life and situation, you will put yourself in a position to do great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, Applying Proven Entrepreneurial Methods to Achieve Success in Every Day Life, do great things book, Risk
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Two Things I learned from Storming Norman on Leadership (part 2)
Monday, September 13th, 2010In my last blog, we addressed the principle of doing what is right, and today we will cover the second part of Schwarzkopf’s leadership advice – “When placed in command, take charge.”
I made the mistake early on in my leadership journey by letting the caboose drive the train, because I didn’t have enough confidence in my own judgment. Many inexperienced leaders tend to fear the consequences of their own decisions, and as a result, they allow the opinions of their followers to drive their decision making.
Here me now and do not forget this concept, when placed in command, TAKE CHARGE.
This is how you learn to be a leader. You will make mistakes, and your judgment will never be perfect. It’s acceptable to make mistakes, and most leaders do. You cannot lead if you elevate the opinions of your team above your own. There is great wisdom in seeking the thoughts and opinions of your team, but you are the one to call that final shot. Do not let anyone else make that decision for you.
Take in all the advice and opinions and then draw your own conclusion based on your decision. If the people you are leading sense for a second that you are indecisive and waffling on an issue, they will not respect you. In your effort to appease them, you’ll lose them.
People want to follow a leader who is not afraid to lead, but they will very rarely follow a leader who hesitates. It’s perfectly acceptable to seek advice and counsel prior to making a decision, but the one who is leading is responsible for stepping to the plate and making the final decision.
Do not apologize for your decisions, especially if you chose against someone’s advice. Advice is only advice, but the leader has to gather all the data together in order to make the best decision. This is the job of the leader, so don’t be afraid to do it.
I sometimes struggled with leading individuals who were more qualified or more experienced than me. I would sometimes wonder if they were “second-guessing” my leadership and direction. It was not until I learned this valuable leadership principle that I later realized that you will always be “second-guessed”. It comes with the territory.
Instead of worrying about what other people think is or isn’t the right decision, I started leading. I soon discovered that you don’t have to be the smartest person in the room to lead. I’m an excellent example of that truth.
I do want to emphasize how important it is to solicit feedback and advice from key team members who can impart critical information to assist in the decision making process. It is extremely valuable to have a team who can express their opinions openly and honestly without judgment.
The bible says, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed”. Your team should always feel safe that they can disagree with you and express their thoughts. But in the end, the leader calls the final shot. You cannot be successful any other way. When placed in command, take charge, and you will lead others to great things.
Tags: Aaron Broyles, do great things book, entrepreneurial, Leadership
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