W.I.N. Wednesday: Stay out of the cheap seats.

“There are a million cheap seats in the world today, filled with people who will never be brave with their own lives but will spend every ounce of energy they have hurling advice and judgment at those of us who are trying to dare greatly.”

Brene Brown

Social media provides endless access to the cheap seats Brene Brown referenced in the above quote and endless opportunities for people in the cheap seats to “hurl advice and judgement” at others.

It is easy to be the critic. It is easy to be the opposition. It is easy to sling mud. It is easy to bask in the glow of hindsight bias and talk about what someone should have done. It is easy to spin the lie, “If I was there, I would have ………….”.

Stop.

We would all benefit from spending less time on social media worrying about what other people did or are doing and spend more time in self-reflection looking at our own lives and determining what we can do better.

We would all benefit from taking our own advice and not worrying about other people.

What’s Important Now? Stay out of the cheap seats. Focus on what you control, which is you, and control the controllable. Do the work every day to make yourself a little better than you were the day before.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Learn to be indifferent.

“Learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.”

Marcus Aurelius

Jumping on every bandwagon seems to be a new sport these days fueled by the endless social media commentaries. As former Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius apparently stated, “Learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.”

Some people have developed the ability to choose their battles, while others just seem to like find battles to jump in on or start.

If everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. After a while people will simply see you as the boy or girl who cries wolf all the time and will tune you out if the topic is important.

Learn to pause before you speak or leap. Ask yourself, “Is this really important?” “Is this worth commenting on?”, “Is this worth fighting over?” If it is, then stand up and speak up. If it is not, then sit down, be quiet and move on.

Sometimes you just need to heed the lesson from your dog and kick some grass over that shit and move on.

What’s Important Now? Learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: You can, but you don’t have to.

You don’t have to comment on every social media post you read.

You don’t have to buy into other people’s definition of success.

You don’t have to play the blame game.

You don’t have to eat the whole bag of cookies just because you ate one or two.

You don’t have to keep reading that book if you are not enjoying it or finding value in it.

You don’t have to always try to solve the other person’s problem.

You don’t have to post selfies of every workout.

You don’t have to try and be an expert on every topic.

You don’t have to try to outdo other people’s stories.

You don’t have to post a selfie with the audience in the background from every presentation you do.

You don’t have to believe everything you read.

You don’t have to put others down to build yourself up.

You don’t have to hold on to resentment and anger.

You don’t have to be up on the latest on every new Netflix or Amazon Prime show. (It is ok to spend your spare time reading.)

You don’t have to be on every new social media just because “everyone else is”.

You don’t have to seek promotion because other people think you should.

You don’t have to jump on the latest fitness craze or fad diet.

You don’t have to force your kids to go to college or university so they can be “successful”. There are great opportunities in the trades and simply going out and getting a job and gaining experience in the working world.

You don’t have to work 80-hour weeks to prove you are dedicated to the job.

You don’t have to go for beers after work to prove you are a “team player”.  

You can, but you don’t have to.

What’s Important Now? Focus on what you can do, what you want to do, and what’s the right thing to do, not what other people think you should do.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Your actions today will echo beyond your time.

In the Dare to Be Great leadership workshops I facilitate we discuss the concept of Be a Good Ancestorfrom the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team, as chronicled in the book Legacy: 15 Lessons in Leadership by James Kerr. The last lines of the quote I share are, “Our actions today will echo beyond our time. They are our legacy.”

The following quote from Dr. Andrew Huberman, a professor of Neurobiology and Ophthalmology at the Stanford School of Medicine and the host of the hugely popular Huberman Lab podcast, reinforces the message from the All Blacks regarding being a Good Ancestor.

“A lot of people get snagged on thoughts & feelings in their mind. It weighs them down. Remember: your nervous system, indeed you, leave no fossil record except your speech and actions. Thoughts & feelings matter (to varying degrees) but actions are your only legacy.”

Dr. Andrew Huberman

There are a lot of people “talking” on social media. Some are actively self-promoting, and some are actively running down and criticizing others, often to promote their ideas, programs and philosophies.

“Worry not who knows of you; seek to be worth knowing.”

Confucius

Instead of putting your efforts into endless self-promotion, put them into being worth knowing. Put them into learning, growing and the endless journey of small, incremental, daily improvements.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt

Instead of being the critic, seek to be the “Man (or woman) in the Arena” that Theodore Roosevelt wrote about. Let your actions speak for themselves. Let your actions be your legacy.

What’s Important Now? Your actions today will echo beyond your time. They are your legacy. Act accordingly.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: It would be easy to believe I am a failure if……..

It would be easy to believe I am a failure if I get caught up in the comparison game.

It would be easy to believe I am a failure if I get sucked into using other people’s definition of success.

It would be easy to believe I am a failure if I listened to those who say to be successful you need to have a university degree. Or those who suggest that to truly be successful an Associate or Bachelors degree is not enough, you need a Masters Degree or those who suggest that to be really successful you need a PhD.

It would be easy to believe that I am a failure if I listened to those who measure success by the rank, position, or title you achieve in your organization.

It would be easy to believe that I am a failure if I listened to those who measure success by the size of your home or how much money you make every year.

It would be easy to believe I am a failure because I do not speak to packed auditoriums with thousands of people in attendance like the “big name successful speakers”.

It would be easy to believe I am a failure because none of the five books we published became “Best Sellers”.

It would be easy to believe that I am a failure if I listened to those who suggest that to be successful as an entrepreneur you need to grow your company to over a million dollars a year in revenue and continually grow the number of employees.

It would be easy to believe I am a failure if I get caught up in the comparison game and get sucked into using other people’s definition of success.

It would be easy, but it would not be helpful. Fortunately, I have learned over the years to avoid those traps and false measures of success.

What’s Important Now? Avoid the lure and the trap of comparison and others definition of success.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The secret to feeling great about yourself.

"The secret to feeling great about yourself is not to be found in searching for people who are less than you and then show yourself superior to them, but in searching for people who are more than you and then show yourself worthy of their company."

Erik Naggum

I saved this quote when I first read it and have gone back to it several times to contemplate the message. The more I read it the more I believe it to be about the Growth Mindset; about the willingness to learn and grow. I believe it is about the willingness to be in the company of people who are smarter and more experienced that you and through your words and your actions say, “I am here to learn to from you.” It is about humility and vulnerability. It is about embracing the struggle, the effort, and the process.

Be selective about those you are searching for. Search for those who are willing to be wise and humble mentors. Seek out those who are themselves continually striving, struggling, learning, and growing. Seek those who are willing to say, “I don’t know.” and “I was wrong.” Seek those who are willing to learn from you while you learn from them.

“Worry not who knows of you; seek to be worth knowing.”

Confucius

You show you are worthy of their company by doing the work in advance so you are prepared to ask good questions. Once you ask the questions then listen to the answer and ask deep follow-up questions. You show yourself worthy of their company by doing the work when you ask for their suggestions on what to read, what to study and who to seek counsel from.

There may come a time when you need to move on and seek new people to learn from. When that time comes to move on be sure to show your gratitude to the mentors who have helped you move forward on your journey.

Be aware that along the way there will be others who seek to show they are worthy of your company. Be willing to embrace and mentor them. Be willing to learn from them.

What’s Important Now? Show yourself worthy through your efforts and your actions.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: What will matter.

Take time this week to read this powerful piece written by Michael Josephson and reflect on the message and how you are choosing to live your life.

What Will Matter 

Michael Josephson

Ready or not, someday it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises, no minutes, hours, or days. All things you collected, whether treasured or forgotten, will pass to someone else. 

Your wealth, fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. Your grudges, resentments, frustrations, and jealousies will finally disappear. 

So too your hopes, ambitions, plans, and to-do lists will expire. 

The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away. It won't matter where you came from, or on what side of the tracks you lived, at the end. It won't matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Even your gender and skin colour will be irrelevant. 

So, what will matter? How will the value of your days be measured?

What will matter is not what you bought, but what you built; 
Not what you got, but how you gave.

What will matter is not your success, but your significance. 
What will matter is not what you learned, but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity, compassion, courage, or sacrifice that enriched, empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence, but your character. 
What will matter is not how many people you knew, but how many will feel a lasting loss when you're gone.

What will matter are not your memories, but the memories that live in those who loved you. 
What will matter is how long you will be remembered, by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn't happen by accident. It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: How am I complicit?

“How am I complicit in creating the conditions I say I don’t want?”

Jerry Colonna

Spend time reflecting on your life and this question.

Really, take the time. The answer may be uncomfortable, but it is important.

It is only after you discover the answer to the question that you can act to change things.

What’s Important Now? Reflect – Acknowledge – Act

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Nobody’s going to do your life for you.

"Nobody's going to do your life for you. You have to do it yourself, whether you're rich or poor, out of money or raking it in, the beneficiary of ridiculous fortune or terrible injustice. And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard. No matter what unjust, sad, sucky things befall you. Self-pity is a dead-end road. You make the choice to drive down it. It's up to you to decide to stay parked there or to turn around and drive out."

Cheryl Strayed

Embrace the Struggle. 

Embrace the Suck. 

Look for the Learning. 

Look for the Good. 

Dare to Be Great.

"Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved."

Helen Keller

What’s Important Now? Self-pity is a dead-end road. Make the choice to turn around and drive out. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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"Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?"

Marcus Aurelius

When you actually make the conscious effort to ask the question “What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?” what you may discover is the insight that the reason you are frustrated with that person is because they reflect back a piece of you that you do not like. 

What’s Important Now? Do it. You may be surprised what you learn about yourself. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Read. Reflect. Think. Pause. Deliberate.

I am an advocate of reading non-fiction works from a variety of genres and encourage you to commit time every day to read. Reading non-fiction books for 10 minutes every day will result in you reading at least 10 books a year. Imagine if you committed 20 or 30 minutes every day. 

“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. Without books, the development of civilization would have been impossible. They are engines of change (as the poet said), windows on the world and lighthouses erected in the sea of time. They are companions, teachers, magicians, bankers of the treasures of the mind. Books are humanity in print."

Barbara Tuchman

But reading alone is not enough. You need to also make time to reflect on what you are reading. 

"Reading can teach you the best of what others already know.

Reflection can teach you the best of what only you can know."

James Clear

With millions of books to choose from it is easy to drown in information and get caught up simply trying to read as many books as possible. In addition to committing time to reading you also need to commit time to think about what you are reading.

““We are drowning in information,” biologist E. O. Wilson said, “while starving for wisdom.” If we don’t take the time to think—if we don’t pause, understand, and deliberate—we can’t find wisdom or form new ideas. We end up sticking with the first solution or thought that pops into our mind, instead of staying with the problem. But problems worth solving don’t yield immediate answers.”
Ozan Varol, Think Like a Rocket Scientist

What’s Important Now? Read. Reflect. Think. Pause. Deliberate. Apply. Learn. Grow. Repeat. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: The power of investing 1% of your day in personal growth.

I have written before about James Clear’s philosophy of committing to 1% improvement every day.  While 1% improvement can be hard to measure what if you committed to spending just 1% of your day on self-improvement? 1% of your day is 14 minutes and 24 seconds. (You could round it up to 15 minutes for ease of the math and the timer.)

Would you be willing to commit to investing 14 minutes and 24 seconds of your day to improve your mind, body and craft? Would you be willing to put a monthly calendar on the wall and but a large X through every day where you spend at least 14 minutes and 24 seconds in some form of self improvement with the goal to have an X through every day, every month? Would you be willing to invest the time up front to determine a plan on how you are going to be intentional in investing those 14 minutes and 24 seconds? 

It may be best to start with one thing you want to add to your daily rituals such as 14 minutes and 24 seconds of reading a non-fiction book, working on an online course, breath work, body weight exercise, meditation, building mental skills or writing. One thing, every day for 1% of the day equates to a large investment in just one year. Here is the breakdown of committing 14 minutes and 24 seconds every day:

·      864 seconds per day

·      315, 360 seconds per year

·      5256 minutes per year

·      87.6 hours per year

Is 14 minutes and 24 seconds something you could commit to do every day, even on the tough days? Is it possible that if you committed to investing just 1% of every day that you could exceed the 1% daily improvement that James Clear recommends? 

“Compound interest is the eighth wonder of the world. He who understands it, earns it ... he who doesn't ... pays it.”

Albert Einstein

Consider for a moment the compound interest effect from the investment of just 1% of your day to an area of growth and development for your mind, body or craft. That small investment, repeated daily will result in a huge return. Life happens so if you miss a day, simply start over. 

A W.I.N. Wednesday reader recently reminded me of a Calvin Coolidge quote that I believe fits very well here. Thanks Samuel.

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” 
Calvin Coolidge

What’s Important Now? Start small. Be intentional. Be consistent. Be persistent.

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Criticizing is easy and fast. Creating is difficult and slow.

"Criticizing is easy and fast. Creating is difficult and slow. The two hours you spent on a book or movie usually took two years to produce. Anyone can tear down someone else’s work. The true test of insight is whether you can help them improve it or build something of your own."

Adam Grant Ph.D.

It is easy to be a critic and criticize, find fault with and tear down the work of others. It is easy to be the opposition, and simply criticize the work of the other party without offering viable solutions. As Wharton Professor Adam Grant points out in the above quote, “Criticizing is easy and fast. Creating is difficult and slow.” 

It is easy to post something on social media running down the work, efforts, and decisions of others. It is far harder to do the research and seek to understand the thought process and efforts that went into making the decision. It is “easy and fast” to trash something in 140 characters that took weeks, months, or years to create. 

It takes far more effort and courage to create something and then put it out there for the world to see and judge. Judgement too often done with limited information and little to no insights into the work that went into the creation of the product. 

If you have the courage to create, then accept there will always be critics and haters. The critics will always find fault and the haters will always hate. Have the courage to show up, to create and to ship your work anyways. 

What’s Important Now? The world needs people who have the courage to create and the insight to help others build upon and improve upon what they have created. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Realize this and you will find strength.

“For what then matters is to bear witness the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

Victor E. Frankl

"You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."

Marcus Aurelius

“Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms - to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way”

Victor E. Frankl

What’s Important Now? Focus on what you control and control the controllable. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

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W.I.N. Wednesday: One of my greatest personal challenges.

"I always forget how important the empty days are, how important it may be sometimes not to expect to produce anything, even a few lines in a journal. A day when one has not pushed oneself to the limit seems a damaged, damaging day, a sinful day. Not so! The most valuable thing one can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room."

May Sarton, Poet

I understand the importance of rest and recovery, but I struggle with having “empty days” where I have no expectation for myself to produce something. 

It is one thing to know what to do and it is another thing all together to do what you know you should do. Too often we are knowers, not doers. 

I struggle with being intentional about creating days where I allow my psyche to “rest, wander and live in the changing light of a room”. This quote reminded me of the importance of giving myself permission to have those days and not waiting until my tank is empty to have "empty days".

What’s Important Now? Recovery is important for both the mind and the body. Learn to be ok with some “empty days”.  

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Are you shaming your past self or educating your future self?

In an insightful LinkedIn post by Adam Grant, he shared the following:

The point of reviewing your mistakes isn’t to shame your past self. It’s to educate your future self. Rumination is recycling your old thoughts about what went wrong. Reflection is looking for new insights on how to do it better.

So, where do you spend most of your time? In reflection or in rumination? It is easy to get sucked down the rabbit hole of rumination. It is easy to get caught up beating yourself up over mistakes, failures, and decisions that in hindsight we realize were less desirable. Usually, we do the best we can with what we have at the time. Sometimes that works out and sometimes it does not. 

When you ask people what the role of a critic is, they will say it is to look for and find fault. Sadly, most adults will say that they are their own biggest critic. The world has enough critics. As a result, we are saturated with media “stories” and social media posts that are continually pointing out the faults of everyone else. Sadly, many of those critics spend little or no time looking in the mirror. 

There is no value in being your own worst critic. Make the shift to be your own best coach. People will pay thousands of dollars to a coach to hold them accountable to do what they said they would do. The coach is there to pat them on the back at times and kick them in the ass other times. Be that coach for yourself. Focus on Feed Forward, “looking for new insights on how to do it better” rather than Feedback, “recycling your old thoughts about what went wrong”. 

“I cannot help believing that the world would be a better and happier place if we’d learn to talk more about what’s right than what’s wrong. We have so much to celebrate.”

Michael R. Parry

What’s Important Now? Spend time in reflection, seeking new insights on how to do it better. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Start by mastering this skill.

"People often think it's weird to get hyped about reading one page or meditating for one minute or making one sales call. But the point is not to do one thing. The point is to master the habit of showing up. The truth is, a habit must be established before it can be improved. If you can't learn the basic skill of showing up, then you have little hope of mastering the finer details. Instead of trying to engineer a perfect habit from the start, do the easy thing on a more consistent basis. You have to standardize before you can optimize."

James Clear, Atomic Habits

Showing up is a skill. Start by building the habit of showing up. Build the habit of showing up with an open mind and the right mindset and attitude. If I show up with a closed mind and a bad attitude then little good with come of that, and I will see this activity as something I “have to” do, instead of something I “get to” do. 

I get to workout early every morning. 

I get to read, listen and learn every day.

I get to teach leadership workshops and instructor development courses for trainers around North America.

I get to write three blog posts every week to share my thoughts and insights on what I am learning.

I get to interview smart, accomplished people for the Excellence in Training Academy and share that information with law enforcement trainers and leaders.

I get to eat in a manner that works best for me.

I get to choose my attitude. 

I get to choose the effort I put into my work. 

Every one of the things I “get to do” starts with showing up. On days I show up with a bad attitude they feel like “have to dos”, like chores, like burdens. Once I show up however, I can shift that attitude. 

Showing up is not a “one-time” thing. It is an “all the time” thing. 

What’s Important Now? Develop the habit of showing up. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Am I allowing that part of my brain to atrophy?

As you know I commonly share quotes and attempt to provide some sense of deeper or broader explanation or application. The following is an excerpt from Tim Ferriss’ 5 Bullet Friday newsletter February 18, 2022. The quote struck me as a cautionary note for me and I wanted to share it without further explanation or commentary. 

Quote I’m pondering —
“My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts, but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone, on which the higher tastes depend, I cannot conceive. A man with a mind more highly organised or better constituted than mine, would not, I suppose, have thus suffered; and if I had to live my life again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week; for perhaps the parts of my brain now atrophied would thus have been kept active through use. The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness, and may possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character, by enfeebling the emotional part of our nature.”
— Charles Darwin on his fading ability to find music, poetry, and art as emotionally evocative in his old age (Source: The Autobiography of Charles Darwin) 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Two questions to bookend your day.

In a recent blog post by Bill Treasurer, he talked about two questions Benjamin Franklin would use; one to start his day and one to end his day. 

The start of the day question was, “What good shall I do this day?”

The end of the day question was, “What good did I put into the world today?”

What’s Important Now? would be a very useful question to ask throughout the day to ensure you put the answer to the first question into practice, leading to a clear answer to the second question. 

The first question does not have to be daunting or overwhelming. Many people like great teachers, parents and coaches, health care workers, first responders, volunteers, mental health professionals, and many others do “good’ through their regular daily efforts and interactions. Others perform random acts of kindness, while others serve as mentors. 

It may also be as simple as a thank you note to someone whose efforts you appreciate or reaching out to someone from your past to let them know the impact they had on your life. It can be a few words of encouragement to someone who is struggling or being a good listener to someone who just needs to talk something out. It can be sharing your struggles to let others know they are not alone.   

What’s Important Now? Consider bookending your day with Ben Franklin’s two question and between the bookends focusing on “What’s Important Now?”. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

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W.I.N. Wednesday: Choose to make a difference.

“To make a difference is not a matter of accident, a matter of casual occurrence of the tides. People choose to make a difference.”

Maya Angelou

Do you choose to make a difference? Do you choose to make an impact in your piece of the world? Do you choose to live a life of significance? Do you choose to embrace the pursuit of excellence? Do you choose to embrace the struggle and the suck? Do you choose to look for the learning and the good? Do you choose to Dare to Be Great? Do you choose to embrace the growth mindset? Do you choose to show up every day and do the work? 

Or do you choose to put in time, embrace mediocrity, coast, try to fly under the radar, play the blame game and embrace a victim mentality?  

Making a difference in the lives of others is a choice. Making a difference in your workplace is a choice. Making a difference in your chosen field or profession is a choice. Making a difference in your community is a choice. Making a difference in your health is a choice. Making a difference in your knowledge and understanding is a choice. Making a difference in your attitude is a choice. 

What’s Important Now? Life is about choice. Choose well. 

Take care.

Brian Willis

www.lifesmostpowerfulquestion.com. 

ONE QUESTION BRINGING FOCUS AND CLARITY IN THE CHAOS AND COMPLEXITY OF TODAY'S WORLD.

If you found value in this post please share this with your friends, family and co-workers.