As you are confronted with the reality that the first quarter of the year is just about history…I offer the following as an ideal way to reflect on your YTD performance and how to plan for massive abundance in the second quarter.Here we go…
Q2 is both shorthand for the second quarter of the year which is now just a few days away, as well a measurement for the QUALITY and QUANTITY of your first quarter performance.
However, before we dive too deep into those subjects, let’s take a quick detour and talk about a famous slogan which has deep roots in our subconscious.
My intention here is not to malign any company nor to denigrate a great slogan…it’s simply to use it as an example, one that leads the way to an important insight and potential breakthrough.
What follows, serves as a powerful example of a what I like to call the Q2 Effect.
JUST DO IT…as we all know is Nike’s signature slogan. It’s sends a loud and clear message to get off your behind and take action…NOW!
The problem however is that while well-intentioned, this slogan is purely one-dimensional and ONLY focuses on goosing the QUANTITY of one’s performance, but it falls short on measuring or inspiring the QUALITY of one’s performance.
To be perfectly clear, I’m not suggesting Nike go so far as to change their slogan to…
JUST DO IT WITH INTEGRITY or JUST DO IT WITH EXCELLENCE
However, I am suggesting that we use these slogan variations as an example of the ideal way to measure and take inventory of our first quarter performance.
The fact is the world is populated with people who understand what it means to JUST DO IT…
You can see that QUANTITATIVE philosophy demonstrated by far too many of our Politicians, Business Leaders, Bankers, Mortgage Lenders, and TV Executives to name just a few.
HERE’S THE RUB…
When the focus and measurement is ONLY on getting elected or reelected, on hitting the quarterly numbers, on increasing shareholder value, or on capturing more viewer eyeballs…those results are far often achieved at the EXCLUSION of excellence, quality, character, compassion and integrity.
So how does this apply to you…to the quality of your life as well as the quantity and abundance of your results?
The fact is…everything you do, every result your generate, every cause and effect relationship comprises of both means and ends…quality and quantity.
Is winning really winning when you are ashamed of how victory came?
Can you really consider yourself a success if the only measurement is based on QUANTITY, and zero attention is paid to the QUALITY of how those results were actually achieved?
The means by which you move through your life provide the working platform that supports your goals and end results.
Style, courtesy, honesty, excellence, integrity, and respect for others – these are the QUALITATIVE measurements that make for an inspiring life and legacy.
How can the ends or QUANTITY of your efforts be respected if the means or QUALITY of your behavior make you want to blush in embarrassment?
These are questions in need of contemplation.
THE TIME HAS COME…Q2 HAS ARRIVED
QUANTIFYING your first quarter results is as easy as looking at your checkbook, stock portfolio, sales performance, P&L statement, or your waistline.
Simply look at the goals you set back in early January and determine what’s changed, what’s improved and what remains the same.
More specifically, on what goals have you moved the needle?
Determining the QUALITY and means of your first quarter results requires a much deeper and rigorous self-assessment.
Retire into yourself and think about HOW you live your life and how you go about getting the results you achieved.
Also, consider these questions as it relates to the QUALITY of your life.
Since the beginning of the year…
How have you improved the quality of your life?
How have you improved the quality of your health?
How have you improved the quality of your marriage?
How have you improved the quality of your friendships?
How have you improved the quality of your conversations?
How have you improved the quality of your reputation?
How have you improved the quality of your work?
We must all accept the truth that behavior never lies…we must firmly embrace the idea that we are living in the era of behavior and that the rules of the game have fundamentally changed.
It’s no longer what you do or simply the QUANTITY of your results that matters most and which sets you apart from others…but HOW YOU CREATED THOSE RESULTS.
Taking pride in your work, building a stellar reputation and sleeping peacefully…all stem from your ability to improve HOW you do what you do.
That’s why you must focus on ways to out-behave your competition…and even more important, on out-behaving who you were yesterday.
I’ll wrap this up by stating the obvious…when measuring your performance ALWAYS remember to place a healthy balance on both the quality and quantity of your results.
Quantity without evaluation of quality is a moral misdemeanor, as it only takes 50% of the true measurement into consideration.
I designed the 100 Day Challenge to be a program that shows you how to live a life of victory with honor.
If after reflecting on your first quarter performance, you realize that it’s time to step up both the quality and quantity of your game…than mosey on over to the 100 Day Challenge.
Not only will you learn how to get more accomplished in the next 100 days than most people do over the course of ten years…you’ll learn how to drive those results using excellence and integrity as your North Star.
Enrollment opens on April 1st, and you can go here to get all the details.
I promise you, it will be one of the best decisions you make…one that can have profound consequences in every area of your life and career.
Everything Counts!
Gary Ryan Blair
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