Sometimes you hear something for the first time, and it takes a while to sink in. Other times you may hear something for the first time and it slaps you in the face, stinging on contact. I just absorbed one of those slaps — and it stung.

Here’s what I heard: Have you ever got tired of the smell of your dead dreams?

When something dies, there is a stench that follows. Within a short period of time, whatever dies starts to rot and begins to give off a foul order. It’s called the smell of death.

Dead dreams are no different.

Dreams which were once alive and thriving in your heart promoted a general feeling of well-being and hope for the future. The problem is that dreams are not self-sustaining. Without action to fulfill dreams, they die.

Most dead dreams died because of in-action. Just as if you don’t water a plant, it dies. Some die for lack of passion while others die for lack of hope.

When dreams die, something dies inside of you — your attitude changes and your willingness to serve others dissipates.

On the contrary, when a dream is alive inside of you, it flourishes on the inside and overflows in a way that makes you want to serve and actually attracts others to you.

The good news is that if you have dead dreams stinking up your attitude and generally giving off that foul smell of death, there is hope.

Here are five things you can do:

1. Make a list of all of your dead dreams (this could be a smelly job)
2. Determine which dreams you would like to resuscitate and record them on a new list
3. Write a statement of purpose for each dream you would like to resuscitate, including why it is important for you to bring that dream back to life
4. Determine the next action to take to begin the process of resuscitating each dream on your list
5. Set a due date for each action… and get it done!

Soon you will hear a faint heartbeat… before long you will have fully resuscitated dreams!

If so, join the “Me Too” crowd. We have all failed from time to time. Accomplishments don’t just happen. They are intentional and require work.

By definition, an accomplishment is an act or instance of carrying into effect or fulfillment. Sounds simple enough, but for every accomplishment, there are a lot of things in play.

I call it the 3-H Effect — Head, Heart and Hand.

Head
Someone once said that everything is created twice. The same goes for accomplishments. Before any physical accomplishment can take place, it first must happen in the mind (head) of the person wanting to bring about the accomplishment. At Building Champions, we call it Vision. It all happens in your head first.

Heart
Next comes your heart. This is where commitment takes place. This is your filter. The thought may be processed in your head, but without a commitment from your heart, nothing will be accomplished. It’s your heart that keeps your head in the game when times are tough.

Hand
The hand component of the 3 H’s represents action. Nothing happens without action. An idea in your head and an intent in your heart mean nothing if action is not taken.

So all three must be present for any amazing accomplishment.

If you are currently failing to reach an accomplishment, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Have I really thought this through?
   In other words, ask yourself if you have your head around this accomplishment.
2. Have I really poured my heart into this accomplishment?
   Is your heart engaged or just along for the ride?
3. Am I putting my hand to the task?
   Are you taking appropriate and timely action?

If your answer is NO to any of the three questions, STOP! You are only spinning your wheels.

If you can’t plug all 3 H’s into the equation, the math just won’t work.

Ponder the Quote…

It’s catchy, but is it true? I can think of examples of where first to market isn’t even in the market today.

How about this thought instead: The one who adds the most value in a win/win proposition in the market owns the market.

Your thoughts?

Sometimes in life we, as adults, go for the “Happy Meal” concept. We want the prize (quick success), with little to no investment. So at times we make bad choices and end up with what turns out to be an “Un-Happy Meal”.

Have you had that experience in any area of your life or business? I certainly have.

You can avoid the “Un-Happy Meal” experience by following these 4 simple steps.

1. Learn from the past. Journal your answers to the follow questions:
   • What result in your life or business are you un-happy with right now?
   • What caused you to be un-happy?
   • What have you learned from that experience?
   • What will you do to avoid that experience in the future?
2. Pursue your vision. Sometimes we choose the prize that requires little to no investment because we don’t have a vision of anything better. Take time to write your vision for your life. If you need help, you can download a free Life Plan tool here. Invest the time to know what you want in life before you make the leap for something that won’t make you happy in the long run.
3. Be Disciplined. I don’t like discipline, but I love what I get from being disciplined. Jim Rohn said “Discipline is the bridge between thought and accomplishment.” Being consistent in the little disciplines can make a huge difference over time.
4. Keep Score. Have you ever been to a sporting event with no scoreboard? If you are playing to win, you must know the score. Determine what you need to track on your journey to a successful and happy life, and keep score!

Bonus: Ask for accountability. Find someone who cares and share your commitment with them — you won’t be Un-Happy!

If success is your destination, there are 4 things you must do to be certain that you are on the right path.

Let’s look at the 4 Do’s…

1) You must know what you SHOULD do.

This is the baseline, the bare minimum. Being clear about the things you “should do” is important because it is the starting point for any successful endeavor. Anything less than the bare minimum represents failure.

2) You must know what you CAN do.

This is your capacity to perform or produce. Knowing what you “can do” allows you to compare your capability to performance or production standards. In Every Day is Game Day I discussed the concept of Known Potential vs. Unknown Potential. The “can do” is your current Known Potential. Knowing what you are currently capable of allows you to formulate a plan of action to do what you are able to do right now, while working on improvements to increase your capability for the future.

3) You must know what you WANT to do.

This is your vision. Being clear about your vision or what you “want to do” is vital to your continued success. When you can clearly articulate what you see for the future, you can also identify the gaps between where you are now (“can do”) and where you want to be (“want to do”). It is only when you know the desired end result that you can plan to achieve it.

4) You must know what you are WILLING to do.

This is your investment, and this is where many people fall short. They know what they “should do,” they know what they “can do,” and they may even know what they “want to do.” But when it comes to the willingness to take action, many people lose their way.

Taking action without knowledge can lead you down a path to mediocrity. Taking action with knowledge can lead you down a path of excellence and success.

Action Plan:

1) Consider one of your major goals and write it at the top of a page.
2) Create a section for each of the “4 Do’s” and capture what you should, can, want, and are willing to do as it relates to your goal.
3) Using this information, put your plan together and take action.

John was a hero to me. My dad thought so much of John that he asked him to meet with me to talk about what to expect after graduation. I still remember how impressed I was that John took the time to meet with me. Even during that first meeting, I could see why so many people respected him and his wisdom.

John had a special gift with people. I was blessed with the honor and opportunity to work along beside him and learn directly from him. There were so many times when I witnessed him having very difficult conversations with people, and yet he always found a way to turn it to a positive. He knew how to connect with people and demonstrate that he truly cared about them.

Last night, as I attended his visitation, so many people had come to pay their respects that the funeral director had to re-route people through a maze of twists and turns so that the long line would flow smoothly. Why would so many people show up at a funeral home on a Tuesday night?

They came because John cared enough to invest his wisdom, his people skills, and his heart with others.

John taught me so much. Even now, during coaching sessions, I think about how John would handle certain situations. If I were to have a Hall of Fame of people who have impacted my life in a positive way, John would be one of the first inductees.

We all have a short list of people who have had a major impact on our lives.

Who is on your short list, and why?

Is it possible you could be on someone else’s list?

If boiling water is taken away from the source of heat, it will return to room temperature. If an ice-cube is left out of the freezer, it will return to room temperature. There is a “set-point” (room temperature) that water will reach if there is no source to keep it hot or cold.

We all have set-points in our lives that will remain the same unless we have something to help us change.

If you are overweight, chances are that you didn’t gain that weight yesterday… but it has become your set-point. If you are in debt, you probably didn’t get in that debt overnight… but it has become your set-point. Perhaps you have become so busy working long hours that you find it hard to invest time with your family….and this has become your set-point.

In order to achieve a significant shift in your life, you need to change your set-point. And in order to change your set-point, you need to change your mind.

You see, the state of water is regulated by specific laws of nature. The state of your life, for the most part, is regulated by the thoughts you think and the actions you take.

Jennifer weighed 300 pounds. While at an amusement park with her family, Jennifer was seated on a ride and was about to shut the safety latches…but couldn’t because she was so big. The attendants had to ask her to exit the ride. Jennifer said the embarrassment she experienced in front of her family and other people at the park was the last straw.

Jennifer changed her mind that day… and somewhere deep inside, her set-point changed.

What do you want to change?

Why do you want to change?

Is it a big enough “Why” to get you to change… or are you still waiting for the last straw?

You can’t change the physical laws that affect water, but you can change the set-points that affect your life by following these 4 steps:

1) Write on an index card what you want to change in your life and why.
2) Below that, write what you will do to make the change, and how you will track your progress.
3) Share your goal, why you want to reach that goal, what you will do and how you will track your progress. Ask for accountability.
4) Take action and don’t give up!

What set-point will you change today?

It’s called RIGHT NOW.

Everything you did or didn’t do yesterday affects where you are RIGHT NOW. Everything you do or don’t do RIGHT NOW will affect where you will be tomorrow.

You will never get back the 10 seconds it just took you to read the first few lines of this post. They are gone forever. RIGHT NOW just became BACK THEN.

The present goes by so fast that we frequently find ourselves living in the past or the future, and it isn’t productive to dwell in either place all the time. If you do, you’ll miss the opportunities right in front of you.

Take time to revisit the past, so you can learn from your mistakes and celebrate your successes. But don’t spend so much time there that you sacrifice your own future.

Take time to imagine the future, so you can create strategies and plans to make your dreams come true. But don’t spend so much time there that you never take an actual, practical step in that direction.

Don’t neglect the time you are spending on RIGHT NOW.

You may be surprised by the beauty of the moment.

There’s no doubt that this year’s Kentucky basketball team is talented. But at one time, each of these superior athletes was just a kid playing basketball with other kids in their neighborhood.

I think about the kids who play along the road of my commute, using a basketball hoop set up in their driveway. To them, it’s the most important arena in the world. Many times I have watched these kids play as I drive by. Sometimes it’s just one kid out practicing alone… and many times he misses.

However, one time as I was driving by, I saw him make an amazing shot that found nothing but net. That shot was a thing of beauty!

I can’t help but think about how many times he must have tried and missed that shot before he finally made it. But to him, making that shot was worth all the failures that came before.

What shots do you need to take?

What is holding you back? Are you afraid you’ll miss?

If there is something in your life or business that you want to take a shot at, then take it! Don’t let the fear of failure hold you back, because most people fail many times before they succeed. You may have to persist for what seems like a long time, but as hockey legend Wayne Gretzky once said, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”

The clock is running… don’t let the buzzer sound before you take your shot!

– Jeffrey J. Fox, from How to Become a Rainmaker (p. 71)

Ponder the Quote…

Sometimes people don’t ask enough questions because they don’t want to appear dumb — when in fact, the only dumb thing is to not ask a question that really needs answering.

Are you asking enough “dumb” questions?