Attitude Adjustment, Performance & Productivity, Personal Development

Any Success Starts With You

Let's be brutally honest for a minute. No excuses. No whining.

Here is the truth; any success you have in this life starts with you.

How much work are you willing to put into your goals? Patrick Allmond has a post about working on the weekends called "Want Success Faster? Treat Your Weekends Like Your Weekdays". Have you read it? I wonder how many people agreed with the idea, but then give the excuse that they deserve the weekend to relax?

Here is the truth; any success you have in this life starts with you.

Afraid of what might happen if you make a change? Do it anyway. Remember jumping off the diving board for the first time? How many times did you jump off the board that day? You overcame the fear to discover the joy of doing something you wanted to do. What joy are you missing today because of fear?

Or are you too comfortable? You talk about a goal. You think about a goal. You might even take a few steps toward achieving that goal. But life is comfortable, things are good. Reaching for something better may disrupt your life. Comfort = Fear. You are right, it will disrupt your life. And no, I can't guarantee you will succeed, or tell you how long it will take. What I do know is that striving for our goals adds depth and joy to our lives.

So, it is time to be honest. No excuses. No whining.

Here is the truth; any true long-term life success starts with you.

Let's get to work.


Bio:
Jamey Boelhower is a husband and a father of six. He is currently an Instructional Coach and as adjunct professor for Central Community College, Nebraska.

You can read his regular blog “It Is All Connected” by clicking here. And you can follow him on twitter at @jdog90.


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Generating Wealth, Performance & Productivity, Personal Development

Upcoming Job Transition? Don’t Mess Up These Three Areas

On average, we will change jobs 11 times by the time we turn 50 according to the United States Department of Labor. Much of the job-hopping is early in our lives, but even in our forties we change jobs twice. Going through a job transition can be difficult. There are three areas to plan for during a job transition, Money, Time, and Stress. Every job transition is unique, so the goal of this article is to highlight ideas for you to consider making your transition as positive as possible.


Plan for the increase (or the decrease) in salary.

Everyone knows they should have a budget. I have a budget, but in real life my budget is a guideline, some months are worse than others. When dealing with a job change a budget has to be more than a guideline. If you are in the situation of trying to find a new position, your finances will be stressed. Planning ahead, six months at least, can help prepare you for that transition.

What if you are getting promoted or have found a higher paying position? You might think Money doesn’t factor in, but it does. If you don’t plan for the increase in pay, you will find yourself wasting money when you could be using that money to benefit your financial goals. Can a debt be paid off sooner? You can save for a future purchase. Having an increase in salary can benefit more than just your monthly take home pay; don’t waste the opportunity.


Factor in the changes to your time/schedule.

Every day has exactly the same amount of time; it is our life that is hard to balance in those 24 hours. The two main areas that take up our time are job and family. A job transition will challenge this balance.

Again, you might think having a promotion or moving to a better position has no affect on this dynamic, but it does, especially at the beginning of your new position. There is always a learning curve with a new position. It takes time to get into the groove of a new job. Also, new positions create new expectations to your routine. It might be something as simple as what time you are expected to begin your workday. This changes your routine. Being aware of the time commitment at the beginning of your new position and the other time factors of your job will help in dealing with balancing the rest of your life outside of work.


Be aware of friendship changes ... and stress.

The other two factors play a role in your stress level. If you plan ahead with for those, it will help keep your stress in check. But there are other factors that can affect your stress you might not have considered.

One of the great aspects of life is our friendships. A job transition will change these relationships. A promotion may make you the supervisor of your friends. Changing a position will mean developing new relationships, but also it will make sustaining relationships with coworkers from your other position difficult. Your social circle will change with your job.

Our jobs or careers usually reflect our personal goals. Many times changing a job means we are moving toward achieving our goals. This gives us a boost to handle different challenges because we are accomplishing our dreams. Sometimes, though, a job transition reflects a hurdle to our goals. Or challenges us to reconsider our dreams. This can be a difficult time of self-reflection. A job transition can be a time to evaluate our personal goals.

Preparing for a job transition is important.
Each transition is unique, but keeping in mind time, money, and stress will help you make the move easier.


BIO:
Who is Jamey Boelhower?

Jamey Boelhower is a husband and a father of six, TIS, coach, and teacher for Sandy Creek high school in Nebraska. He is also an adjunct professor for CCC Hastings.

You can read his regular blog "It Is All Connected" by clicking here. And you can follow him on twitter at @jdog90.


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Attitude Adjustment, Personal Development, Staying Healthy

Three Reasons Why You Need To Pick Up A New Book Today

The November 14, 2014, Inc. article, “22 Top CEOs Reveal Their Favorite Books,” shares CEO’s favorite books, but it reinforces an idea that English teachers have been saying for years, to succeed you need to read. As an English teacher for the last 15 years, I have found that reading is important for three reasons. 

1. Expands Your Horizons.

In our fast-paced culture, where most information comes in small chunks and from people who think just like us, getting a fresh perspective is a challenge. Books provide that challenge because the content cannot be consumed in seconds. Reading takes time, time to think and feel. Even if the book is from an author we like, the story or idea is developed so that we can digest it deeply. Sometimes the idea challenges our thinking, other times it confirms our views but that gives us confidence that we are on the right track. 

2. Reduces Stress.

I have already mentioned the idea that books make us slow down and slowing down helps reduce our stress. There is a joy to reading that we lose when we succumb to the hectic pace of life. Do you remember reading something and you just had to share what you just read? I have laughed out loud. I have cried because of a book. Going through these emotions or connecting with a friend over a book brings us back to ourselves, thus reducing the stress our faced-paced life can inflict on us.

3. Spurs Action.

This benefit has been hinted at, too. Reading leads us to action. Yes, sometimes it is the simple action of contacting a friend to talk about the book, but many times the action enriches our lives. Books generate new ideas. Books give us courage to change aspects of our life or work and lead us to live a better life than before. 

So, have you read any good books lately? Share your reading list with us in the comment section.   

Bio:

 Jamey Boelhower is a husband and a father of six, TIS, coach, and teacher for Sandy Creek high school in Nebraska. He is also an adjunct professor for CCC Hastings. 

You can read his regular blog "It Is All Connected" by clicking here. And you can follow him on twitter at @jdog90.


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Attitude Adjustment, Performance & Productivity, Personal Development

How To Start Living A Stress Free Life

Life is Stressful.

Another traffic jam. Deadlines approaching. Son has a band concert tonight. Life feels out of whack, too much to do but not enough time. Everyone has times where life feels overwhelming. We become stressed out. But there are two simple, but difficult steps to gaining control of your life: making a list and making a decision. 

Step One: Prioritize.

I am not going to profess to be an expert at this step. There are many theories on how to prioritize your life, but I’m going to keep this simple. You will need a writing utensil and a couple of pieces of paper. At the top of the first page write the word “Now.” Take a few minutes and brainstorm everything that is important to you now. It can be people, jobs, material things, and goals that you want to achieve in the near future. Try not to judge anything you write down, just write it. On the other paper write the words, “Long Term Goals” or even “Bucket List” and repeat the brainstorming step. Now, take a break. Grab a coffee or even come back to the list the next day because my advice becomes difficult. For both lists rank the items from most important, number 1, to least important (the last number will be decided by your lists).

Step Two: Courage.

We all go through seasons in our life. Our “Now” list will change. So will our long-term goals. We do need to readjust, keep that in mind as I discuss the hardest step in this process. We only have time and energy to spend on the top five things on the “Now” list. We can only accomplish a long-term goal by moving it to the “Now” list. To eliminate most of the stress in your life, have the courage to make decisions based on fulfilling the top 5 things you have on your “Now” list. Again, it’s simple but very difficult to do because we want to do it all, to have it all. But our emotional life becomes a burden when we don’t live up to what we say is important to us. The harsh reality is that we only have so much time and energy. Too many of us spend these limited resources on people, projects, or things that didn’t even make our list, let alone were in the top five. It will be difficult, but if you keep the top five things on your “Now” list in mind as you make your decisions, you will find your stress level is down, and your joy is increased. 

Bio: 

Jamey Boelhower is a husband and a father of six, TIS, coach, and teacher for Sandy Creek high school in Nebraska. He is also an adjunct professor for CCC Hastings. 

You can read his regular blog "It Is All Connected" by clicking here. And you can follow him on twitter at @jdog90.


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Leadership Lessons

Three Rarely Talked About Attributes Of A True Leader

It doesn’t matter if you are the CEO of a Fortune 500 company or a T-ball coach. Life presents us with leadership opportunities. I have been in education for 15 years. I’ve been a head coach for football, basketball, and track. However, the one role that has taught me the most about leadership is being a father of six. Fatherhood has taught me three important lessons on what it means to be a true leader. 

The most important lesson about leadership is quality time.

People want to know they matter to you. Time is the greatest indicator of value we have to give. But what I’ve learned is that quality matters more than quantity. At this moment I am a teacher and football coach. I spend two hours at home during the workweek that I can give to my family. I have more time on the weekends, but I have work responsibilities, too. There is no way I can give time to every child, every night. I don’t even try. 

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I DO make sure my children have my full attention - no cell phone. I make the conversation about what is going on in their life. Or with my younger kids, I let them choose the book to read before bed, and I make sure I tell them, in some form that I love them. 

You might not want to start a staff meeting with the words, “I love you, guys.” But you can tell people they matter to your organization by turning off your phone before you engage in conversation. Ask questions about life outside the office. It is not easy to give time to everyone, but it is worth giving people quality time as a leader because people want to know they matter. The next lesson is developing the right routine.

This lesson is not about steps that make things run smoothly. It is about connecting to the purpose of the routines we establish, whether it is having a monthly meeting or doing tackling stations every practice. 

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Here is an example; people are always amazed that our family is always on time. We have a morning routine that allows us to be on time. My wife and I get up an hour before our kids. We wake our kids with enough time for them to have breakfast and get ready for the day. When we have a rough morning, instead of yelling at the kids, we reinforce that we need to be on time. It doesn’t always make the morning easier, just that the kids do understand why, and we stay on schedule. 

In leadership positions we create routines, but many times we don’t communicate to others why we are doing it. Sometimes we even create routines because others have done it that way. Spend a little time investigating the routines you have. Can you express why they are there? Are there things you want to improve? Implementing a new routine, with a clear understanding of why, will help in that area. One aspect of being a true leader is achieving outcomes; connect how you achieve those outcomes with the why. 

The last lesson, and maybe the hardest, is to take care of yourself.

We all know we should eat right, exercise, and drink more water. This is hard to do in the simple busyness of life. Add a leadership role to the schedule, and now it seems to be impossible. But it must be done. 

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This summer I went to see my doctor because I was just not feeling right. I knew it wasn't the flu or allergies. It was a blood pressure reading of 165/120. Hypertension. Easily fixed with medication and improving my eating and exercise. This is where being a dad really made an impact. When I got home my little girls all wanted to know if I was OK. All I could think of was how I needed to be here in good health to see my kids grow up. 

We can’t be great leaders if we are not at our best.

Being at our best means taking care of ourselves; especially for the people we have the honor of leading. 

Bio:

Jamey Boelhower is a husband and a father of six, TIS, coach, and teacher for Sandy Creek high school in Nebraska. He is also an adjunct professor for CCC Hastings. 

You can read his regular blog "It Is All Connected" by clicking here. And you can follow him on twitter at @jdog90.


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