For years I got out of bed in the morning and went about my day doing things.

I had a list of things to accomplish, and that is pretty much how I went about my day.  It was pretty much a whirlwind-filled day, or as some say—a rat race!

One day I woke up and thought:  “What am I trying to do?”   I thought:  “I have to slow down and get focused on what I am trying to do versus letting the world drive me to do a bunch of stuff that may not even be that important in the end.”   Most of what I used to focus on was a list of work.  That work did not often enough include people and what they wanted and needed.

I know now—more than I ever did—that unless you know clearly what you are trying to do you will not spend your time wisely.   Yes—you will get a lot of things done . . . but will they really contribute to what you are trying to do?

I know that the main thing in my personal life I am trying to do is to maintain good health and a very strong relationship with my family.         I know that in my professional life I am trying to build a strong healthy organization where individuals can accomplish whatever they are capable of.   Think about this.

What are you trying to do for your children as you raise them?   I would submit that what you should be trying to do is to get them ready to be responsible, independent citizens who are honest, ethical, and highly responsible by the time they reach the age of 18 and leave home.   When you know what you are trying to accomplish, you are able to make the right decisions every day.  Make sure your children are not happy all of the time. Discipline is a vital part of creating an adult leader. Give them love and discipline and you will be quite happy how they turn out.

In both of these parts of my life, at home and at work, I now know that what I am really trying to accomplish each day is to create a healthy environment where people are made to feel special, respected, treated as individuals, developed, involved, and listened to.   I know that if I can use my position and authority to create a healthy environment our entire organization and my family will be able to succeed in what they are trying to accomplish.  Helping others get what they want is a pretty good feeling.

I can tell you it is a lot better feeling than just getting what I want.   One of the big outcomes of creating a healthy environment is that you help others have good self-esteem, and you help build their self-confidence, which are the two building blocks for future success in all parts of life.

One of the ways that you can use your authority and position to do this is to make sure that you have the organization structure organized properly.  The second way is to make sure that you are developing great leaders.  The third way is to make sure that you are focused on training and development for everyone.

As I wrote my first book Creating Magic I focused on this subject a lot.  I did the same as I wrote my second book, The Customer Rules which will be published in February 2013.  Remember that being committed to something and being interested in something are two different things.

Begin with the end in mind.  Visualize the future state of things.  Visualize your health and how you want to feel at 60, 70, 80, and beyond.  Visualize how you want your children to behave and be viewed by others at 10, 12, 16, 18, and beyond.  Visualize how you want your relationships to be with those special people in your lives in 5, 10, 20 years, and beyond.

YOU are the person who has the most control over how all of what you are committed to will turn out.  FOCUS early on all things if you want them to turn out the way you want them to a long time from now.   What should you really do today that won’t pay off for a long time?   THINK About This!   . . . Lee

PS: I just returned from speaking to the Navy Seals in Coronado, California. My eleven year old grandson, Tristan, came with me. They let him do their obstacle training course on the beach and took him for a high speed ride in one of their rubber rib boats they use on missions. What an impressive group. The Seals take the word training and commitment to a new level Tristan now thinks I am a pretty cool grandfather and I intend to keep it that way. His parents can discipline him while I make sure he has fun. After the obstacle course and the boat ride, Tristan found my speech pretty boring.