What's Your Intangibles

Years ago, I had an interview with a fast food chain, when I was looking to get back into management. During the interviewed, they showed a concern that I had never worked in a fast food environment. I explained to them that they can teach a monkey to cook, but having the ability to management is an intangible. They respected my opinion, and it even made the interviewer chuckle. They ended up offering me a job starting as an hourly cook with the chance to advance quickly. Needless to say, I declined the offer and waited for something actually in management to come along. 

So what is an intangible? According the the dictionary: 

Intangible

adjective

1. not tangible; incapable of being perceived by the sense of touch, as incorporeal or immaterial things; impalpable.

2. not definite or clear to the mind: intangible arguments.

3. (of an asset) existing only in connection with something else, as the goodwill of a business.

My definition is that it's the things that can't be easily taught. Drive, desire, tenacity, resilience, to name a few, are those things that I consider to be things that fall into the category of intangibles. You can't really measure these things, but the effect of them can be measured. You are able to see the results of someone's drive to succeed, their desire to be their best, the tenacity to make a way when there doesn't seem to be one, and the resilience to bounce back from a setback. These are the traits of winners and those who live life at their best.

I have spent over fourteen years in retail management, time and time again I have had my bosses compliment me on the intangibles that I possess. Whenever I have been called on to step up in times of need, I do what it takes to get the job done. When a weakness has been pointed out, I make the adjustments to become better, and when things have got tough, I push through and find a way to make the outcome in my favor. 

What are your intangibles? Figure out where your strength is and use it to begin to create the life that you deserve. Exploit your intangibles and make them work for you. To the best of my knowledge, there are no tests that you can take to help you figure out what your intangibles are, but push yourself and figure them out. You will probably surprise yourself when you find out that you are stronger that you imagined. If you feel that you are lacking these intangibles in an area of your life, you may need to change your perspective or you might just be chasing the wrong objective.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

Needed A Reset Button

I've had some personal and job issues going on the past couple of weeks that I allowed to take me off my game and out of my zone. I wasn't happy with the state of mind that I have been in the past couple of weeks and for that I apologize to those of you who are my faithful followers. I owe it to my myself and those around me to be better than I have been the past couple of weeks. I want the ability to share with you the real me, my struggles that sometimes knock me for a loop, my ability to bounce back, and my triumphs.

I want to share with you what I posted on my Facebook page today: 
Hanging onto limiting beliefs, regrets, grudges, and the past extremely limits your ability to hang onto your dreams, faith, hope, and love. We are capable of only holding onto so much in life. Why waste that space with things that aren't getting you ahead in life. Fill that space with the good things in life.

Over the past couple of weeks I allowed myself to hang on to all the things that I was struggling with instead of just letting them go and concern myself with all that is right in my life. I turned my focus to what was bothering me instead of what was going right in my life. I have an amazing family, I have a job, I have a house, a car, a dream and passion that I am pursuing, and yet with all that I allowed little things to take control. I allowed things that were out of my control to turn my smile upside-down at times. I knew that "this too shall pass" but I still allowed it to get the better of me. 

At the end of last week, things were starting to get better, so I began immersing back into those things that I need to do in my life. Maybe I just needed a break from something in my life? I spent a couple of days with my wife, son, step-daughter, and grandson, and mostly stayed away from the internet and took some time to reflect. My thoughts are now back on path and I am once again moving forward. I hope that this helps someone out and as many of you know, please feel free to contact me. Nothing makes happier than reaching out to others and making a difference in their lives. If you aren't sure how to contact me here is my information:
AIAOLifeCoaching@gmail.com
Facebook:AIAO Life Coaching

I'd love to hear from you. Let me know if there is a topic that you would like me to cover, if you would like me to come speak to your group or organization, you would be interested in learning more about Life Coaching, or even just to say HI.
Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big
 

It's Been One of Those Weeks

As you can tell from the title of this post, it's been one of those weeks. Without going into a lot of details, my job has been a little more stressful than normal and expected this week. I have done my job long enough that I can anticipate a certain amount of stress, especially being only eight days away from inventory. But, it has been the unexpected things this week and maybe a lack of sleep last night, that seemed to make me feel like I was about to break today. I understand that breaking isn't an option for me or even in me for that matter. But stress has a way of playing wicked games with our body, mind, and spirit. 

We all know how bad stress can be on our bodies. Everything from heart problems, weight gain, headaches, insomnia, and depression can stem from prolonged exposure to stress. Stress also plays tricks on our mind. When we get stressed, it can cause us to doubt our abilities, our relationships, our dreams, and our goals. When our bodies and minds are attacked like this, our spirit takes a beating as well. We lose motivation, determination to push through, and our abilities to hear our inner voice. 

Even though I know that this too shall pass, I had moments of difficulty today. Even though, I know that I am capable of so much more, I had trouble staying focused on the outcome rather than the trial. As I am writing this, I am finding it rather therapeutic because it seems to be helping my stress level. I know that these few days will pass and are more like a pebble on my highway of life rather than the boulder that it seemed like today. I kept reminding myself today that my life is more than my job. That I have a passion to pursue, goals to achieve, and dreams to fulfill.

So next time stress enters your life, and we all know that it will, stand strong, hold your head high, and weather the storm. Because, you are more than the situation and it's only there to test your resolve. I will end my day on a high note, with a smile in my heart, a burning passion in my spirit, and a confidence that tomorrow will be what I make it.

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

When Did You Succeed?

Success doesn't come when you win an award, a championship, get that promotion, or land that big deal. Sure the accomplishment feels great and you deserve all the accolades. You have earned the high fives, the cheers, and the applause. You have now reached your goal and are now living one of your dream. 

Success actually happened when you decided to step out in faith, believing that you could accomplish it, belief that you were worthy of that dream, belief in your abilities, and belief in yourself. It's knowing that the steps that you are about to take, using your current abilities and understandings, will take you closer to your dreams. It's all the effort and dedication that caused you to succeed. 


The more that you invest in you, the more confident that you become. The more confident that you become, the greater the steps that you can take and they don't seem nearly as risky. World class athletes are not world class because they chose to participate. They are world class because they practiced and believed in their abilities. We too can be world class, maybe not athletes, but citizen, parents, students, and leaders, by investing in ourselves. With constant and persistent effort we too can accomplish world class achievements. World class athletes are confident in their abilities because they have practiced their sports. They know that they deserve to be a champion. You deserve to be a champion in your own live!


Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big

Game Changers and Play Makers

Michael Jordan, Peyton Manning, Steve Jobs, Ray Kroc, Martin Luther King Jr., and the list goes on and on. These are just a few examples of people who changed the game. They were given an opportunity in life to pursue their passion and not only did they excel, but they changed how the whole game would be played in the future. Their legacy has and will continued to be felt for many more generations. 

You must become the game changer in your own life. No outside circumstance decides the ultimate outcome of your life, only you can determine what your life will look like. You can't wait for everything to be just right, to make the changes. There will always be somethings else. Family, finances, job, college, or your dog died, if you continue to wait for the perfect time, you will die before that ever happens. You are either in a problem, headed toward one, or just left one. Make up you mind that today is that day, despite all you have going on, the day that you begin achieving your dreams and goals. Make today the day that the way your game of life is played will be changed forever. Be you game changer.

Play makers are those who play the supporting role. They excel in an area(s) of life and are now in a situation to help others. You have the opportunity to be that play maker in someone's life. Become some one's play maker. I have had many opportunities to do this in people's lives and it is in fact one of my greatest accomplishments. I am always looking for those people who I can help, but those who push me to be better. Life is so much easier when we surround ourselves with play makers. Create a team around you that you can rely on to help, encourage, and make you better. And in return, you can do the same for  them. 

Change your game, from where you have been. This way you can look back in a year and be amazed at all that you have accomplished. Then go out and find the play makers that you need and find those who you can be a play makers for in their life. 

Dream Big...Pursue Big...Live Big