Force the Future – Everyday is an Interview

Anticipating and Preparing for Negative Conversations: A Key to Stay Calm and Focused

I hate negative conversations. When I am unprepared and in a negative conversation, I get emotional. I am neither rational nor productive when this happens, and the outcomes are always frustrating. However, instead of avoiding negative conversations, I work hard to anticipate and prepare for them.

Anticipating negative conversations takes time to learn. I do not want to waste my time thinking that every conversation will be negative. I use my past experience to predict which ones will be negative and prepare for them.

Preparing for a negative conversation allows you to stay calm(er) and more focused during the presentation. A negative conversation aims to correct things to force the future you want by realigning the present course of action with your vision. This cannot happen if you are unprepared and emotional.

#Just Be Better

#Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

#Be Prepared

Front Loading

Significant tasks require great effort.

When I have a goal that I want to accomplish, I front-load the work.

Why?

1: Life Happens – Life events will always interfere with the best-laid plans

2: I want to get to the part of the journey where I make the journey to my destination a habit. – The journey is the most important part of the goal. It is what you will learn about your goal, your flexibility, and your resilience. Making the work to achieve the goal a habit will help you get closer to who you want to be, which is why you have goals.

Embrace this positive mentality this week, and let’s see how it transforms your journey towards your goals. I’m hopeful and optimistic about the positive changes it will bring.

Just Be Better

Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

#FrontLoading
#GoalSetting
#ProductivityTips
#HabitBuilding
#LifeHappens
#Resilience
#JourneyToSuccess
#PlanAndAchieve
#StayFocused
#PersonalGrowth

Be Prepared #3

Do not waste other’s productivity (or allow them to waste yours!).

It goes without saying that you should always be punctual. If you will be late, you must communicate it as soon as you realize it. Be prepared. Prepare your schedule and stick to it. Prepare by knowing who to contact if you are running late. Do not make it a habit. Do not waste other people’s time or productivity.

In meetings, stay on point. I have been in too many meetings where someone feels extra special and decides to take a tangent because they are feeling “smart” for the moment. They are wasting everyone else’s productivity. They are not smart; they are selfish. Don’t be that person, and don’t accept that person’s distraction. Be prepared for what to say and how to say it so the meeting gets back on track. Otherwise, you allow them to have power over your productivity (and future). Do not allow anyone to have power over either, ever.

#Be Prepared

#Just Be Better

#Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

Be Prepared #2

What do you do, and how do you act during an emergency? Are you prepared to handle it? The more prepared you are, the calmer you will be.

In an emergency,

Do you know what to do?
Who to call?
Have you practiced?
Have you planned?

No matter the scenario, the more you prepare, the better you deal with the situation.

Case in point: Who would you call if there was an emergency at work? I am not just talking about first responders. I am talking about communicating with those in your work community who can help you. Do you have any first responders you work with? Anyone with medical training? Who can direct the first responders to the emergency? Who can take charge? Who can follow? Know who these people are so you do not have to figure it out when push comes to shove.

Your mind must focus on one challenge if you want to maximize success. To better accomplish this, be prepared by thinking through the situations and formulating solutions.

#Just Be Better

#Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

#Be Prepared

Be Prepared

Nothing is worse than saying no to an opportunity because you didn’t complete everything else that needs to be done. Procrastination will interfere with opportunities and take away your ability to grow. Front-load everything you can so that when “Life Happens” or “Opportunity Knocks,” you are ready to say yes.

#Just Be Better

# Stay Healthy, Stay Strong

Force the Future #6 – Compete

If you want to Force the Future, you must always compete—not just when things are good, not just when you are winning, not just when the weather is good, not just when you had a good night’s sleep.

You must always compete.

Competing is the process. It is the journey. It is what allows you to force the future.

# Force the Future

# Just Be Better

# Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

#ForceTheFuture
#CompeteAlways
#ContinuousImprovement
#NeverSettle
#Persistence
#Resilience
#GrowthMindset
#ChallengeYourself
#StayDetermined
#SuccessMindset

Force the Future #3

The best route to success is forged with your preparation. Preparing has significantly influenced my accomplishments, and not preparing is one of the biggest reasons for my failures. I believe in “Force the Future” because it encourages us to prepare for the future we want by working today to develop the habits we need to be successful. No matter what you desire for your future, the better your preparation, the better your chances for success. If you want it in the de, force it by preparing for it today.

#Just Be Better

# Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

Force the Future #2

People continually tell us to learn from the past. I agree with this but to a point. So often, I see people spend so much time learning from the past that they forget to focus on the future, much less the present. Sometimes, you must put aside learning from the past to force the future.

In working with an individual who was unhappy with last quarter’s results, we mapped out strategies to help him reach his goals in the next term. At the end of the meeting, he told me how much the previous results had affected him. I informed him this was an excellent opportunity to learn from the past and develop the skills and strategies to succeed moving forward. However, we were not going to dwell on the past and address what had happened in the previous quarter until we saw the results of the following two terms. You could see the relief on his face, knowing he could put the past behind him and focus on forcing the future.

When you have negative results, learn from them, but not at the expense of forcing the future.

#Just Be Better

# Stay Strong, Stay Healthy

Force the Future #1

Too often, people tell me they are scared of what the future will offer them. Maybe they will get an awful disease; they will not find the “one” to spend the rest of their lives with; they will not reach their goals; they will not be able to afford the future they want; they will not get into the school of their dreams, etc. These concerns are legitimate, but worrying about the future will not help you thrive and survive. To have a better chance of succeeding in the future, you must start those habits today that will influence your future most. I term this idea as Force the Future.

How do you force the future? The solution is easy: develop those habits and skills today that will force the future. Forcing the future does not mean you will get everything you want, but it does mean you have more say in influencing your future successes.

Case in point, if you are worried about living your future life as a fat person, spend the time now to develop healthy eating habits. If you are worried about financial security, start putting money (if you already do, add more) aside in an interest-bearing investment. If you are concerned about the effects of a bad habit you have, start doing your research on the habit to find the best strategies for stopping it before it influences your future. None of these guarantees success, but it forces your future to work harder to overcome the foundations you have laid for it.

#Just Be Better

# Stay Strong, Stay Healthy