Leaders read & consistently learn.  In looking at the most successful people who positively influence our world we know this to be true.  They challenge themselves, take risks, follow curiosities & stay connected with their passions to make a difference.  Their examples are everywhere & are an essential part of closing the loop on living purposeful lives to benefit others…giving back!  Actionable leadership keeps us engaged with answering two key questions; What are we doing for others? & How do our actions impact them?

Had the good fortune recently of carving out some time to finish a book that has made a quick impact on my life; “Triggers” by Marshall Goldsmith.  Saw a post advertising his book on super sale & immediately downloaded it.   It took a couple attempts to get momentum but once commitment was in my corner it was engaging.

The most powerful aspect of this book for me was that of self questioning.  Had heard about this technique from one of his VLOG posts & had been only half-heartedly going through the motions of daily questioning.  He states that “active” questions make the most difference because of how they frame the responsibility.  They typically start with something like this…

“Did I do my best to…..”

As you no doubt notice right away, the responsibility lies on us, not with anyone else. We have to reconcile how we did with whatever challenge we’ve chosen to put intent behind.  Happiness, engagement, goals, good deeds, positive thinking, listening, medical appointments, exercise, healthy habits, relationships; anything.

He dives into many things; aspects of self-discipline versus self-control & that we don’t improve without some structure & follow-up.  Great stuff but the habit of questioning ourselves to stay focused can be the structure needed to get better at anything.

Two tools here, daily & hourly questions.  Suddenly it dawned on me that to make progress personally the daily questions were not enough.  Had the self-discipline to start something new but lacked the self-control needed to affect positive change.  Hourly questions were the answer!

We all carry a powerful tool around in our pockets every day that can help, our phones.  Soon after finishing the book, I decided to set 12 alarms from 7AM to 7PM every day & re-wrote the label asking the active question I most needed help with.  Bam!  After the first few hours a noticeable shift was beginning to happen with my state of mind.  How could something so simple be so powerful?  Then this quote popped into my head…

“The utmost in sophistication is simplicity.”  -Apple

One caveat from Goldsmith here; if we don’t want to improve, no structure or person can help, only we make that choice for change.  It was time for me, so it’s working.  Also, in my studies in the field of education a professor noted a study that indicated it only takes 90 repetitions of anything to start a habit.  Good or bad, it’s our choice once again.

What’s my struggle?  Becoming a better listener & always positive.  It’s too easy for me to just “wait to talk” since I love an audience & not engage my brain on what’s being said, mannerisms, etc.  Also, when I focus on being positive it quiets me literally & figuratively.  In carpenter terms I’ve “measured twice & cut once”.  The struggle is real but I’m doing something to inch toward a better me.

The takeaway here is that we can be our own coach!  Asking ourselves the hard questions about what we need to stop doing & start doing instead can be the catalyst.  The successful journey to a more happy life lies in all of us!  The example we are for others can make a profound impact each and every day, we just have to make the choice.  It’s not really about us but it starts there & grows into serving others by our willingness to let go of all the stuff that doesn’t really hold value.

The person that emerges from this simple but powerful tool will yield a better you.  Jump in, the water is fine!

All the best,

Karl

PS  His book has an accompanying App for daily questions you can tailor to your needs.  Works great, just search “Daily Questions” in the app store!  Nope, don’t work or have an affiliation with Goldsmith.
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