Run your day...

Or it will run you. There are two aspects to running your day that I wanted to touch on briefly. These are attitude and Planning.

Attitude is a very simple idea… a simple idea that is very hard to execute. When things go wrong or get out of control, we all get angry, frustrated, illogical and a whole host of other emotions. These emotions have the ability to completely trample us down if we let them.

“If we let them” is the key phrase. Getting out of control is something that we let happen to us. By definition it means that we have let things get out of our control. So when you feel these emotions coming on there are three things you need to do.

1) Be aware of it. Awareness of emotions is one of the great (and underrated) leadership skills. Learn to recognize when emotions are overwhelming your situation. If you do not spot this coming on, you will not be able to react until too late.

2) Remove yourself and breathe. Whatever is going on, call a timeout. If you can physically remove yourself than you should, if you cannot do that then figure out a way to slow down. Then take a second and take a deep, deep breath. Breathe in for six seconds, hold your breath for a count of two or so, and then breathe out for seven seconds. This is a trick athletes use to get their emotions in control during a game. It may sound hokey and new age-y, but try it the next time you are getting worked up and then you can make fun of it.

3) Small first step. Look around and see what is going on and then take the first, and smallest, positive step towards moving to a solution that you can find. Whether that is writing down possible solutions, listing out the possible causes or even writing down rewards you may enjoy once you have resolved the issue, it is key to take a positive step forward. A simple reminder that you are able to control your situation.

This last point reminds us of the second part of running your day. That is planning.

If you do not have a plan to your day, then – in short – you have no chance. You will get pulled around, and pushed around in every direction, every day. Take 5 minutes over the next few days, and think about how you approach your day.

Do you have a plan of attack? Can you describe a structure to your day? Do you know where you and your people are supposed to be and when?

The more concrete the answer to these questions, the more structure you have to your day. And the more structure you have to your day, the more you can be on top of, get done, and respond to.

We all think we have an approach to our day and time. And many times we do, but I urge you to take a moment and think about what structure and blueprint you bring to your day. When you build a house you have a blueprint and a plan. Our approach to running our days should be the same.

Take a moment and review the blueprint and plan you have for every day. Always good to review how you approach this vital task. Every day we wake up and face the challenge of getting the most out of those 24 hours.

Will you run that 24 hours or will it run you? With the right attitude and plan you know that the answer.

I also wanted to take a moment and wish everyone a wonderful Independence Day weekend. This is always a wonderful time to reflect on the blessings we have in our lives. We live in a country that allows us all to express our thoughts and intentions, not as silent hopes, but as audible and visible actions bound only by our ability to dream and willingness to act. The United States of America allows us the opportunity to act and take on the challenge of building a better life for ourselves and our families.

We should be grateful; grateful that we live in such a nation that allows each and every one of us to act and lead. We are blessed to live in a world that allows us an unfettered option to dream, and act upon that dream. This is an opportunity we should be appreciative of, and work to make it better now and for the generations that follow.