All posts filed under: Motivation

Empower Media Consumption 

Published by Colin Nanka

Control what you can control I’m tripling down on this theme in anxious times. It’s something I struggle with daily! There is so much angst, anxiety, and frustration in our world and news cycle. It can get overwhelming. My goal is to be in bed by 930pm each night for a good night of sleep. I was doom scrolling till 11 pm the other night and finally realized my thirst for information was counterproductive! When I do it right what has been helpful? Limit Twitter consumption to 15 minutes Do it midday or end of the workday and cut it off Put my iPhone away for Tess bedtime and bath time Watch a documentary or series in the evening and go to bed Technology is wonderful and related to social consumption it’s working against us. You need to be focused and disciplined on how to overcome. Defeating Average in controlling what you can control. Colin

Accept, Adjust and Adapt

Published by Colin Nanka

Are you anxious?? I am. Lots of uncertainty right now.  It’s easy to get caught up doom scrolling and sidetracked on things you can’t control.  What can we do? Accept, Adjust and Adapt Accept what is.  Naming your emotions, writing down what you need to accept to get through this tough time period will help get it out of your brain.  Adjust.  The same pre covid pre-political angst methods may no longer work. Change your routines and habits.  Journaling I want doing prior to this, now I do every day.  Adapt.  The new virtual world requires different skills. Have you modified your approach? My two examples.  I get outside three times a day no matter what and measure myself to it with a yes or no in my journal.  I added in 5-15 minutes of work to family time clearing mediation to reboot for the evening. That could also be a walk or a stretch, anything to clear the mind.  Defeating Average in the new virtual decade.  Colin

The Life That is Waiting For Us

Published by Colin Nanka

“We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” – Joseph Campbell Questions that help me find this essence. What would you do if you didn’t compare yourself to anyone else? What advice would your 20 years in the future self give you about your choices this year? What brings me energy? What brings me life? I hope these help you as you navigate your GPS to the life that is waiting for you. Defeating Average. Colin

The 3 W’s of 2021

Published by Colin Nanka

The turn of the calendar like a season in a year has natural energy change. This year feels like an aberration but it’s still there.  Get laser-focused on what you want and what you can control.  3 W’s What, Why, Who What What do you want?  What do you really want? Spend some time thinking and journaling on this daily.  Why Why do you want it? What will keep you going when obstacles rear their ugly head? Jot down a number of your why’s.  Who Who can help you? No one achieves anything alone. It takes an army.  Who are you going to enroll to help you? What’s in it for them? Who are:  Your accountable partners  Inspiration partners People you can lean on To Defeating Average Together.  Colin

Are you doom scrolling?

Published by Colin Nanka

I had a good laugh with a friend I caught up with last week. How’s your social intake I asked him? Do you mean doom scrolling? Exactly. It’s a tumultuous time in this country and around the world. I can feel the angst simmering under the waterline all week. Here is what I have found helpful: Admit it’s there. Call out the emotion. We all feel it. Control what you can control. I’m looking at social earlier in the day and cutting off in the evening Answer two things I am grateful for each evening before bed. We are all in this together. Have a great week. Colin

3 E’s for 2021

Published by Colin Nanka

As we look ahead to 2021, there are three things I think about daily. 1. Endurance How am I playing the long game? What am I doing daily that builds to long term capacity? 2. Excited  How am I keeping focused on what brings us life and energy daily? 3. EQ (Emotional Quotient) What am I learning every day to improve? What has failure taught me? What am I grateful for? To a productive new year. Defeating Average. Colin

What Are Your Operating Principles?

Published by Colin Nanka

I have been reading (listening to Audio Book) Ray Dalio’s “Principles” over the last week. As one of the most successful entrepreneurs and investors on Wall Street, Ray looks at himself and his company as a machine that can be designed to make smarter decisions using multiple points of data. I love his focus on operating principles that the machine works by. One example: Great ideas and methods are better than new ones. We often get distracted by new and shiny while proven classics are often more valuable. I encourage those looking to rewire for 2021 and our new virtual environment to give it a read / listen. Colin

What Turns Goal Setting Into Action?

Published by Colin Nanka

I have long been big on setting new years goals. They didn’t always happen. When I started sharing them with other people to get feedback and asked if they could check in on how I was doing or contribute ideas, I started to get better on execution. Here are your chances of following through on your goal: *Set the Goal – 6-8% Write Down the Goal – 25-30% Set, Written and Shared – 55-60% Set, Written, and Shared with an Accountability Partners – 85%+ Which begs the question? Who are you sharing your 2021 plans with? Who will you give permission to hold you accountable? To a much better year than 2020! Colin *Adapted from Goal Setting, A Motivational Technique that Works (Locke & Latham)

Habit-forming in 2021

Published by Colin Nanka

I’ve been thinking of what I have learned in 2020. Many say it doesn’t feel like 2020 will end in a couple of weeks but it does! It’s time to flip the calendar and look forward to 2021. That includes taking stock of what we learned and how we grew in 2020. You have definitely grown! We all have. Questions for you to ponder: 1. What was one thing that was challenging for you in 2020? 2. How did you meet that challenge and at least start to overcome it? 3. How can that serve and support you in 2021? 4. What is one thing you are most proud of in the last 12 months? 5. What would you like to be proud of by the end of 2021? Lastly, thank you for being on the ride with me this year. I am going to pause over the holiday, reflect and create my 2021 habits and goals. Defeating Average in gratitude. Colin

6 Days to Building Relationships

Published by Colin Nanka

A colleague asked me last week how to establish a relationship with someone on my team. I shared the old adage, it takes you 6 times meeting someone to build a relationship.  In a virtual world, it’s even harder. What are six things you can do in those meetings to build the bedrock of trust? Listen Summarize what people are telling you Follow up on key items in the meeting in 24 hours Ask about origin stories Ask about their values Share your values Here is to building a mountain of trusted relationships in 2021. Defeating Average. Colin