The Agony of August

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I like to succeed at the endeavors I undertake.  Almost as importantly is I like to track my success and measure the results against my goals.  Lately I have been exercising on a regular routine in preparation for an event later this year.  But as we enter into the month of August I am stepping up my game on multiple fronts: 1) Eating healthy/daily exercise, 2) Living on a tight budget, and 3) Daily LEAD GENERATION.

Most of us have heard the phrase, “You’ve got to INSPECT what you EXPECT,” and this challenge will require plenty of monitoring on a daily and weekly basis to receive the results I intend.  Let me break down the three phases of my plan for August and what I have done to ensure the results are successful.

Eating Healthy / Daily Exercise

I began this little adventure back in June.  Amber and I made a commitment to each other to work out every single day during the month of June.  We agreed on a reward that each of us would receive upon the successful completion and then started our plan.  We kept each other motivated and held each other accountable.  30-days later……success!
But now it is time to step it up even more.  I am heading into Month 3 of my preparation to run the Tough Mudder race coming up in October to be held in Austin, TX.  We are again committing to a full month of daily exercise regimens that will include the Tough Mudder circuit training program (yikes) three days a week.   Also, this time we are tracking calories (both IN and OUT) by using the handy Livestrong.com Calorie Tracker App for the iPhone.  I have a very specific goal for weight loss and am committed to achieving that goal!  Watching the 2012 Olympic swimming team has me motivated to shed the spare tire and replace it with a six-pack (or at least a totally flat belly)!  I also want to set a positive example to my children and others who might be watching me……see the awesome Watch Me How site!

Time for a Budget

In my 41 years of life I don’t think I have ever truly “lived on a budget.”  Don’t get me wrong, I have been broke and eaten Ramen Noodles for dinner plenty of times (I have also been known to live on hot dogs and chips/salsa for months at a time); I just wasn’t holding all of my income accountable and spending it only on those items/categories that I had previously designated through my budgeting process.

I just finished reading Dave Ramsey’s “Total Money Makeover”  (TMM) and I came away with what he calls “gazelle like intensity” to get this plan started.  I have been an avid user of QuickBooks for many years but I was always looking back instead of looking forward.  I have now matched my QuickBooks budget with our TMM budget and Amber and I will review twice weekly where we are in relation to our budget.  We are using all our excess funds to pay down debt and we are on track to become 100% debt free in the next 6 to 12 months.  Just visualizing the feeling of success and freedom from this one is absolutely amazing!

Daily Lead Generation

If there is one thing that separates the ϋber-successful from the mildly successful it is the constant flow of new leads into the business pipeline.  Depending on your “product” there are many ways to generate new leads (TV ads, radio spots, billboard advertising, seminars, mailing campaigns, cold calls, warm calls, social media, networking groups, and the list goes on and on and on…..) and we here at KW Net Lease Advisos generate leads on multiple fronts.  But during the month of August we are on a relentless phone call campaign.  Not just me, but WE….every member of our sales team will be making a minimum of 30-calls per day to generate new business.  If this sounds easy to you I suspect you haven’t tried this type of lead generation activity on a consistent basis.  We do this once per quarter and have a contest amongst our team to see who can bring in the most new business over the month.  It is fun….but hard!  It can also be costly to those team members who fail to make their daily calls!!

I am a humble student of Gary Keller and the wisdom he often espouses.   I have heard him say on multiple occasions that “Success is simple…….it’s just not easy.”  It is not difficult to find a mentor, teacher, or trainer that can show you the simple path to great wealth and success.  The difficult part is doing what is required on a daily basis to attain the results.  It requires planning, action, and sacrifice.  It might require waking up earlier than you would like.  It might require that you turn off the TV.  It might require saying “No” to a purchase when you really want to say “Yes.”  It might require getting out of your comfort zone and asking for business when you would much rather just chit-chat.  And it might require a commitment to master your art (whatever it is that you do).

Are you committed to succeed?  I am!  See you in September!!!

By the way, in the short time it took me to write this blog I knocked out 100 push-ups (5 sets of 20 reps)!

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