Amazon bestselling author and motivational speaker Jeff Yalden opened Episode 31 of The BOOM Podcast with a shout-out, thoughts and prayers for those affected by hurricanes Harvey and Irma, and the recent earthquakes in Mexico. [Hurricane Maria struck after the release of this podcast episode.]
“Not to make light of the situation or to be insensitive in any way, but when adversity hits, we deal with it and move forward. That’s what we do,” Yalden said, adding a request to his listeners and readers around the globe to send a prayer and a thought for the people affected.
During times of adversity and when people are suffering, we all tend to come together and help if we can, but when things get back to normal, Yalden said we once again get aggravated, short-tempered and angry about many things that really don’t matter.
“Sometimes we forget about the little things like appreciation and living in gratitude,” he said, and encouraged every one of us to employ a daily mantra: Remember What’s Really Important.
What’s important is being present and engaged – and it’s imperative that you take care of yourself first so that you can then be of service to others.
Every day, Yalden has been laying out the principles in his brand-new workbook and planner, The BOOM 28 Day Boot Camp: Creating a Life of Success.
These principles will change your life, but only you can do the work.
Have you been doing the work? If so, you are ready for Day 17:
Have a Sense of Urgency
Your written plan should now contain a time frame – so commit to your time frame and your routine for greatness.
Your time frame should be structured so that you don’t allow yourself to become distracted.
“When we talk about having a sense of urgency, we’re talking about making this a number-one priority,” Yalden said. “This is self-care – tackling the obstacles, the tasks that you have to do in order to achieve the plan that you have in front of you.”
When Yalden was in the tenth grade, he remembers sitting in an assembly, listening to a speaker. At that time, he thought the speaker was the worst.
“I wanted the speaker to fall off the stage and break his leg so I could go back to class. That’s how bad the speaker was,” he said.
But thirty years later, he can still remember part of that speaker’s presentation – and he realizes now that the same speaker was awesome. Funny how a little perspective can change things, and what that speaker was talking about fits very well into this discussion about having a sense of urgency.
Let’s say two people are going after their goals. In this case it’s you and it’s Yalden. You both have plans in place. You are both waking up motivated and are putting in consistent, daily work – improving every day and getting closer to your goals.
“All of a sudden, you start to like the party scene,” Yalden said. “As you start going out on Friday nights, I stay focused on what I need to do to accomplish this dream – this plan that I have in place. You are staying focused too – but you start to like the parties, and your friends become a little bit more of a priority.”
Do you see what just happened there?
“I want you to have this sense of urgency that you are staying focused on what you need to do – and that becomes a priority. That is more of a priority than you wanting to go out with your friends. That is more of a priority than you wanting to go out to dinner – or that’s more of a priority than you wanting to sleep in.”
The person who takes on the sense of urgency is going to get where they are going faster than another person who makes excuses.
Your WHY must be greater than your excuses.
“Listen: Balance. Boundaries. Priorities. Obligations. All of that comes before rights and privileges.”
Find out why Jeff Yalden is North America’s Number One Youth Motivational Speaker. Go HERE.
Jeff’s speaking calendar fills up fast. To book him now for your event, organization or school now, call 800-948-9289.
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