S² – for your inspiration and guidance
A bi-weekly personal note from ONE Way CEO and Founder, Mike Riggs, for those that desire more success and satisfaction (S²) in their personal and professional life. Each S² Note offers quick insight and brief commentary to help you achieve your potential and better handle life’s curves and swerves.
01.01.2020 – Be Now & Be Great.
An S² person – one that seems to be a magnet for success and satisfaction – makes sure that even daily minutia is taken on with intensity and passion. When he realizes that he is going through the motions, he gives himself a quick pep talk and refocuses on “being now and great.”
So what does this mean for you?
Don’t wait for the thrill of the grandiose to inspire you. Instead, bring internal inspiration to the insignificant.
12.04.2020 – Precious Time
An S² person – one with abundant success and satisfaction in his life – is very, very aware of the value of time. He knows that time is at the center of all happenings. He continuously strives to simplify his life, ridding himself of the things that simply don’t matter and are just a waste of his precious time.
So what does this mean for you?
Actually, it’s quite simple – cut out of your life the things that don’t bring value. Too often we are pulled in so many directions and commit to things that provide no return on our time investment. Ask yourself, “If I had one month to live, what activities would I fill my time with?”
11.20.2020 – Be Yourself
An S² person – one that is encountering abundant success and satisfaction in her life – is true to her core. She knows who she is and who she isn’t. She knows what she wants and what she doesn’t. She knows what she likes and what she dislikes. And, she is true to what she is. There is no falsehood in her being.
So what does this mean for you?
Figure out who you are. Then, be yourself. Stop worrying or trying to please others – you just need to make sure that you are pleasing to yourself and are true to your core values and beliefs.
11.06.2020 – Success takes work.
An S² person – one that is relishing in fanciful success and satisfaction in her life – knows that all the best things in life are the result of choosing to work through problems and obstacles; not pretending they don’t exist, looking away and hoping for a better tomorrow.
So what does this mean for you?
At the end of the rainbow is a pot of gold – really. But, finding the end of that rainbow takes work. Realize that built into all life’s struggles are character-building effort. There is no shortcut to the pot of gold.
10.23.2020 – Appreciate Your Blessings
An S² person – one that is enjoying unbelievable success and satisfaction in his life – knows that the appreciation and recognition of the many blessings in his life are what holds the actual value.
So what does this mean for you?
Don’t take things for granted. Even the smallest blessing has inherent magnificent value. But, you must first recognize it. If you don’t see the value, it won’t bless your life.
10.09.2020 – Beta mode – Continuous Growth
S² people – those experiencing incredible success and satisfaction in life – are in continuous “beta mode”, meaning they are in a stage of continuous growth and development. They are always working and trying to improve and get better. Beta is not a stage; it is a state.
So what does this mean for you?
If you’re waiting to arrive at that perfect place in your life, you’re going to be waiting a long, long time. Instead, commit to getting better and realize each attempt is just that – an attempt to improve upon the one before it. Go beta!
9.25.2020 – Smile at Adversity
An S² person – one that is experiencing terrific success and satisfaction in her life – has developed the ability to smile at adversity. Is she unaware of the doom that may loom? Of course not. But in spite of hardship, she realizes that how she reacts to difficulty is most important. The width of her smile will undermine the depth of her trouble.
So what does this mean for you?
Recognize that adversity is part of life. And when, not if, it shows up at your front door make sure that you greet it with a smile.
9.11.2020 – Face Your Problems Now
An S² person – one that is experiencing tremendous success and satisfaction in his life – knows that he must remove pebbles from his shoes before they cause blisters. Let’s face it, we all have small problems that arise regularly in our lives. But if those snags, or “pebbles in our shoes”, are left to fester, they will grow into much bigger problems.
So what does this mean for you?
Avoiding an issue or problem doesn’t make it go away. Instead, it will grow larger and larger until you’ve got a big problem on your hands. When you notice a small problem in your life, address it swiftly before it becomes a crisis.
8.28.2020 – Be Present
S² people – those experiencing extreme success and satisfaction in their lives – know that the sweet spot of life is experienced when they are completely absorbed in an activity of true passion. That absorption, in turn, rewards them with a time warp that slows everything down and presents them with the most precious element that life has to offer – presence.
So what does this mean for you?
Live in the now. Too often – and we’re all guilty of it – we spend our time either thinking about something that has already happened or something that is yet to happen. We very seldom find ourselves being right here, right now, totally present with what is happening in our lives. So, let the past be the past, let the future be the future, and totally absorb yourself in just this moment in time. That, is where life is.
8.14.2020 – Take Risk
S² people – those enjoying peak levels of success and satisfaction in their lives – know that life will have stretches of smooth road interspersed with periodic potholes. Do you? They also realize that it’s during those pothole periods that their character is tested and their future is shaped. Do you?
So what does this mean for you?
It is easy to have a smile on your face and a song in your heart when all is well — anyone can do that. It’s during times of trouble and tribulation that S² people really shine because they commit to staying positive and energetic. Don’t expect life to be easy and flowing all of the time. Instead, buckle up when trouble surfaces and tell yourself that you won’t get dragged into the muck.
7.31.2020 – Shine Bright. Stay Positive.
Friends,
S² people – those that are experiencing wondrous success and satisfaction in their life – are always willing to take the risk to make a fantastic future. They realize that they must embrace risk to find the financial, emotional, and spiritual security they desire. An S² person is keenly aware of the paradox that comfort-seekers are actually reducing their overall security by trying to be so secure. The only way to learn how to fly is to go the edge, spread your wings, and jump.
So what does this mean for you?
Take some risk. If you don’t, tomorrow will be much like it is today. If you want more in your life you’ll have to step out of your comfort zone and try something that makes your hair stand up and your heart pound. Go get some real thrill in your life.
7.17.2020 – Remain Curious
The brain is wired to be curious and creative. S² people – those experiencing high levels of success and satisfaction in their lives – commit to being continuously curious and find creative outlets and solutions to the daily challenges they face. Unfortunately, as people grow up and “mature” they stifle or deny their natural curiosity, and creativity seems to diminish.
So what does this mean for you?
Rekindle and feed your curiosity and creativity by making it a new habit to ask “Why is it done that way?” or “How could that be different in order to be better?” Live and thrive in the realm of “Why?” When you stop just taking things for granted your brain will be happier and you will be amazed at how many opportunities and creative solutions will show up in your life and work.
7.03.2020 – Adapt & Emerge
What interesting times in which we find ourselves. I found myself waking up today feeling like I was caught between a dream and reality. I think you know what I mean. And what I was left with was, “it is what it is and I must adapt.”
Adaptation is the single element that allows living things to survive. For those that don’t adapt to the challenges of their surroundings or circumstances, they just fade away and someone that can adapt will fill their role and survive.
So what does this mean for you?
It’s simple. Despite the muck we may find ourselves in, find the good, the positive, the joy, the love and get it in your head that you will adapt and emerge – with others – from this tunnel better, stronger and more capable. Together.