1. The support and encouragement of the right coach and community around them.
2. The intrinsic drive they both embody is shown through the seemingly small acts repeated daily, which, over time, led to big results.
3. Being willing to do things differently, to get uncomfortable, to fail and go back to the drawing board and go all in again.

1. Failure is part of the process.
2. You cannot become an Olympian on your own.
3. Intrinsic motivation is required to do the mundane, small steps required daily to achieve greatness.

• Prepare Your Team for Success: Equip your team with the skills and mindset needed to tackle future challenges with confidence and innovation.
• Empower and Engage Your High Performers: Foster a culture of continuous improvement and motivation by investing in your top talent.
• Provide a Unique Team-Building Experience: Strengthen team cohesion through shared learning experiences that inspire collaboration and unity.
• Save on AYL24 Tickets and ALC Programs: Take advantage of cost-effective professional development solutions that deliver immense value, often more affordable than traditional workplace training sessions.

ALWAYS TAKE THE STAIRS….

It first started at the airport as a personal, fun challenge to myself….

Long travel days, especially those from Miami to the West Coast, mean a ton of sitting.  So, I started by walking more at each airport, taking two “laps” around the airport near my gate before sitting down.  Then, I added the stairs.  Anytime there was an option for stairs, no matter how tired or heavy my backpack felt, I would take the stairs. At times, only an escalator was available, so I’d turn them into stairs versus simply riding my way up.

I found this new challenge to be fun and very interesting.  I was almost always the only one taking the stairs.  The challenge then turned into an experiment in life where my default choice was to always take the stairs. This choice is not easy, comfortable, or even the desired choice, and sometimes my legs start to burn, and I lose my breath a bit, but it’s always worth it in the end.  When I’m finished, I tell myself, “I am a person who always takes the stairs!” 

This one seemingly small act of taking the stairs is just another discipline I follow in my life.  You see, success almost always comes from small, seemingly insignificant, tiny choices that we make daily.  These choices compound over time and ultimately yield an outcome of fulfillment, success, freedom, and inner peace.

Society likes to give a negative connotation to the idea of discipline.  The perception is that discipline is the enemy of our happiness.  Humans, by nature, are built to seek the path of least resistance.  It’s how our brains are automatically wired to seek safety and comfort. So, if you find yourself gravitating towards the path of least resistance, know that you are not alone.  Remember, I said that in my stair experiment, I am often the only one on the stairs?

Here’s what I know to be true in my life and in the lives of thousands of leaders we’ve coached over the years – what seems easy in life makes your life more difficult in the future. 

This concept of discipline and choice-making has been coined as The Pain Paradox.  This paradox states that easy short-term choices lead to difficult long-term consequences, and difficult short-term choices lead to great long-term consequences.

– Skipping your workouts and settling for fast food in the short term leads to being unhealthful and overweight in the long term.

– Not having those difficult conversations in the short term leads to unfulfilling relationships in the long term.

– Not keeping your small daily commitments to yourself in the short term leads to a lack of self-trust and low self-confidence in the long term.

I could go on and on here, but I think you get the idea.

My invitation to you today is to start with the stairs. If you have a choice, always choose the stairs, and be sure to tell yourself once you finish the climb, “I am a person who always takes the stairs!”

I promise that this one discipline in the short term will lead to long-term rewards.  Oh, I forgot to mention that being the one to set the example proves to create a ripple effect, too – my husband, Joal, always takes the stairs now, too!

Sending you lot of love and light,

Carmen

Join US in-person in September at The Amplify Your Life World Conference 

is Question: How many times this week have you told yourself, “I don’t have time.”

Really think about it. The reality is that we all have the same 24 hours in a day. Just like I do, just like you do. Nothing more, nothing less.

I began thinking deeply about this on Sunday when I found myself making the decision not to go to the beach, although I had indicated that I was so excited to go to the beach the day before. So, what changed?

Not much, other than I began to put internal pressure on myself for the handful of things I wanted to accomplish on Sunday, which left my subconscious to push me into the idea that I didn’t have time. I’d probably get all wet and sandy and have to shower again in the middle of the day and…..

…. I didn’t have time for that.

But in all honesty, I did. I had plenty of time for that, and so we went. And, I enjoyed every single minute of it!

This experience made me realize that the false sense of urgency society builds into us, combined with the pressure we internally put on ourselves make the response of, “I don’t have time,” is almost involuntary.

I invite you to join me this week and have some hard conversations with yourself. Accept that we all have the exact same amount of time and we can choose how we spend it. We can choose what we make a priority. Consider that maybe your stress and overwhelm are not because you have too much to do, maybe it’s just that you’re not clear on what you want and where you are going so you say yes to everything and everyone….

…and that my friends is completely exhausting, and only fuels that false belief that there’s not time.

Try this for a week:

1. Be aware of when you tell yourself, “I don’t have time for that.”
2. Check in. Are you focused on what truly matters in this season of your life?
3. Adjust, choose again, delegate, ask for help, let go… or a combination of those.
4. Use this mantra often: “There is plenty of time and money for everything!”

One last note….

…The things we usually say we don’t have time for are normally the rejuvenating, fun, and meaningful connections that we actually need more than anything!

Here’s to making time this week,

Carmen