Good Morning MOJO,
Don’t think anything else needs to be said…just watch this video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8
Make it a GREAT week!!!!
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
Good Morning MOJO,
He was only 43…and dead from a heart attack. The doctors had been telling him for years he had to start exercising, eating right and lose some weight or something like this might happen…especially after he developed diabetes. And every time he left the doctors office…after they added another medication to his cocktail for lowering blood pressure, lowering his cholesterol, keeping his diabetes under control, and the array of other crap he had, he would swear he was going to get his life and health under control. He would start out great for the first week, but then fall right back into his old bad habits of hitting the snooze bar in the morning instead of going to they gym and eating crap all day.
Sound familiar? It should…over 50% of our society struggles with it. We are an obese nation in the midst of an epidemic that no one wants to talk about. Everyone would rather talk about
So, what does this have to do with MOJO you ask? Well, I was almost that guy. 10 years ago, I had gone from 5’10” – 170lbs when I graduated college to 5’10” – 210lbs at 33. I had convinced myself it was okay. I was not much different than everyone else…I wasn’t fat…I just had “big bones”. Sound familiar?
A year earlier, the doctor was ready to put me on all of that crap to lower my cholesterol and blood pressure, but I talked him out of it and convinced him to give me 6 months to exercise, lose weight and see if I could do it on my own without medication. Six months past and of course I postponed the doctors appointment because I hadn’t done shit…nothing had changed. Finally, a year later I decided to go see him again and he was very concerned. But somehow I was able to convince him again to give me 6 more months. He told me that was it, and if I couldn’t do it, I had no choice but to go on medication “for the rest of my life” or I was not going to live a very long life. That was the moment I was at the intersection of the major “Y” in my life. And somehow I was fortunate enough to not just give in and take the easy road like most people, but take the hard road. It was the short term pain for the long term gain. I often talk about how life is a continuous series of Y’s in the road. The key is when you get to the Y’s, 99% of the time you don’t want to go with the flow…you don’t want to go with the pack because they will lead you off the cliff…you need to break away and go the hard way, up the mountain…in the end it is where all of the rewards are. And trust me, when I finally took control of myself, the rest of my life took off like a rocket...my relationships…my job…everything. Because to get more of what you want in your life, you have to work on you a lot more than the “stuff”. Unfortunately, because most people don’t ever have a breakthrough and take the right turn at the “Y” is why I think people go to their grave never getting what they want in their lives.
Reflecting back to that time nearly 10 years ago, the hardest part of the “old” Tom was everyone liked him, but did not respect him. He certainly could not inspire anyone. The old Tom was one of the top sales people in the company…he was managing one of the top offices in the country…everyone thought he had a great life, but it was always a struggle and hard. Everyone thought I was happy with my life, but it sucked except for my friends and family. I woke up everyday with anxiety, tired, depressed and was going to WORK!!! Not anymore…now I wake up everyday to play the best game in the world…the game of life!!
Today, I weigh 160lbs, I am on no medications and my cholesterol and blood pressure are normal. Look, I am not special…and if I can do it, anyone can. And as tough as it was to be that person 10 years ago, I am so thankful I lived that experience. Because it really makes me appreciate how I feel and the life I have today. And trust me…my life today is much easier than my life 10 years ago.
So, if you want to get more of what you want in your life, start with taking care of yourself. Once you do that it will be contagious in all the other areas of your life. The better you get, the better your life gets. Trust me…I experienced it first hand.
Make it a GREAT week
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
Good Morning MOJO,
You know who I am talking about…the people who pride themselves in their ability to stuff 20 pounds into a 5 pound bag. Think they can get more done and do it better than anyone else. They pack their schedule and to do list full…scrambling from one appointment to the next, to the next, to the next from the moment they wake up until the moment they drop and go to bed. “That is what you have to do to be successful…don’t waist time…pack that schedule”.
Boy I love it…you know, in a lot of ways I am the same way. However, when you do this, you have to be VERY careful. Because you know what happens when you stuff 20 pounds into a 5 pound bag? A lot of the “stuff” squirts out and gets all over the floor and makes a huge mess…and usually the person doing the stuffing does not take the necessary time to clean up the mess and leaves it for someone else to deal with. And…unfortunately, more times than not, the “stuff” is poor communication...it’s lack of planning…it’s anger…it’s lack of respect for the other people’s time…it’s anxiety…it’s impatience…it’s your mental and physical health…it’s the people on your team…it’s your family and friends…it’s those people and things you care about the most. The unfortunate part is most people who do this don’t realize it until it is too late.
Now, don’t get me wrong…this is not your ticket to sit on your ass and not do anything. It’s important to be efficient and get a lot done. It’s important not to waist a lot of time…it’s important to keep focused on what you want and to take massive action. But don’t forget that there is a big difference between quantity and quality. Too often people confuse being “busy” with being “efficient”. I see people everyday that at first glance appear to be working hard 8…10…12 hours a day. However, when you actually take some time to examine what they are doing, they are busy, but really only being efficient and getting stuff done 1…2…or 3 hours a day if their lucky. The rest of the time they are doing things, spending time with people and wasting time on “stuff” which on the surface may seem important, but really isn’t. Most people would get a lot more accomplished working 4 to 6 hours a day efficiently and quit doing all of the stuff that really does not matter. Then take some of that extra time to clean up the “stuff” off of the floor to make sure those friends, family and colleagues around you are not your collateral damage. Because, taking the time to clean up the “stuff” which squirts out the 5 pound bag will actually help you get more done than just continuing to “stuff” it. Cleaning up is being a good communicator with your family, friends and coworkers…being patient instead of impatient and irritable…being relaxed instead anxious and short…its listening instead of talking. And, when you have these things you are happier, more positive, much more efficient, and consequently get much more “accomplished”. Notice I said you get more “accomplished”…I did not say you get more “done”…because there is a difference.
So, stuff 10 to 15 pounds in that 5 pound bag and spend the rest of the time cleaning up your mess and making sure your bag does not rip.
Make it a GREAT week!!!!!
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
Good Morning MOJO,
You know who I am talking about…the people who pride themselves in their ability to stuff 20 pounds into a 5 pound bag. Think they can get more done and do it better than anyone else. They pack their schedule and to do list full…scrambling from one appointment to the next, to the next, to the next from the moment they wake up until the moment they drop and go to bed. “That is what you have to do to be successful…don’t waist time…pack that schedule”.
Boy I love it…you know, in a lot of ways I am the same way. However, when you do this, you have to be VERY careful. Because you know what happens when you stuff 20 pounds into a 5 pound bag? A lot of the “stuff” squirts out and gets all over the floor and makes a huge mess…and usually the person doing the stuffing does not take the necessary time to clean up the mess and leaves it for someone else to deal with. And…unfortunately, more times than not, the “stuff” is poor communication...it’s lack of planning…it’s anger…it’s lack of respect for the other people’s time…it’s anxiety…it’s impatience…it’s your mental and physical health…it’s the people on your team…it’s your family and friends…it’s those people and things you care about the most. The unfortunate part is most people who do this don’t realize it until it is too late.
Now, don’t get me wrong…this is not your ticket to sit on your ass and not do anything. It’s important to be efficient and get a lot done. It’s important not to waist a lot of time…it’s important to keep focused on what you want and to take massive action. But don’t forget that there is a big difference between quantity and quality. Too often people confuse being “busy” with being “efficient”. I see people everyday that at first glance appear to be working hard 8…10…12 hours a day. However, when you actually take some time to examine what they are doing, they are busy, but really only being efficient and getting stuff done 1…2…or 3 hours a day if their lucky. The rest of the time they are doing things, spending time with people and wasting time on “stuff” which on the surface may seem important, but really isn’t. Most people would get a lot more accomplished working 4 to 6 hours a day efficiently and quit doing all of the stuff that really does not matter. Then take some of that extra time to clean up the “stuff” off of the floor to make sure those friends, family and colleagues around you are not your collateral damage. Because, taking the time to clean up the “stuff” which squirts out the 5 pound bag will actually help you get more done than just continuing to “stuff” it. Cleaning up is being a good communicator with your family, friends and coworkers…being patient instead of impatient and irritable…being relaxed instead anxious and short…its listening instead of talking. And, when you have these things you are happier, more positive, much more efficient, and consequently get much more “accomplished”. Notice I said you get more “accomplished”…I did not say you get more “done”…because there is a difference.
So, stuff 10 to 15 pounds in that 5 pound bag and spend the rest of the time cleaning up your mess and making sure your bag does not rip.
Make it a GREAT week!!!!!
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
Good Morning MOJO,
Imagine trying to swim the length of a pool with a fifty-pound weight strapped to your ankle…or walking across a tightrope while a crowd below pelts you with sticks and rocks…impossible!!!!
Regardless of how much you wanted to succeed, you would be dragged down to the bottom of the pool or knocked off the rope in no time at all. Believe it or not, the very same thing may be happening to your goals….and if nothing is done to save them, you'll be dragged away from all of the things you want in your life.
Where Does the Problem Come From? We all have an incredibly powerful need to belong and be accepted…we want to feel loved and wanted by the people in our lives.
Can you remember a time when your need to be loved or wanted wasn't being met…when you felt unimportant…disconnected…alone? It's an extremely difficult emotion to deal with as we all know too well…and this is the cause of the problem. Our need to be connected and loved is so intense that we will sabotage our own success and dreams in order to maintain our precious connections.
Here is an example…imagine your goal is to exercise and get in shape…you simply want to take better care of yourself. It's a great goal and something you're really committed to achieving…and then it happens...
“That sounds foolish”…”Why would you waste your time doing that?”…”Who are you kidding? You know you can't actually stick to it”…
These are the weights that pull you down, the rocks that knock you off course…your friends and family, with the best of intentions, try to pull you away from your goals.
Why Would They Do That? Because of their need to stay connected with you. If you change and improve yourself, you'll be stepping into a new life and leave your friends behind…at least that's what they think. This is a frightening thought, and it drives the people in your life to keep you from changing.
Improving yourself also forces your close friends to examine their own shortcomings. If everyone aims low, no one can notice. But if one person steps up and aims high, everyone else has proof that they are settling for less. So, what do you do in response to these situations? Because you have a deeply rooted need to stay connected with the people around you…feeling that improving yourself will disconnect you from your friends and family, you'll slowly let go of what could have been a great change in your life.
“Maybe they're right, it was a silly idea. I don't know what I was thinking anyway.” Say goodbye to your goal...
Even if you are strong enough to stick with your objective, a constant barrage of criticism and doubt will make success near impossible. Change is difficult enough…but being surrounded by naysayers adds too many obstacles to the equation.
Consider this…if you want to create something extraordinary in your life, you've got to do what others closest too you are not willing to do. You've got to break free from commonly accepted ideas and practices…you’ve got to go out on a limb. The catch, of course, is that you risk your sanity and potentially some of your relationships in the process. It's never easy to be a non-conformist, or agent of change…you end up walking the fine line between crazy and brilliant. But if you want to look back on your life and smile, it's necessary from time to time.
Make it a GREAT week!!!!
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
Good Morning MOJO,
He finally broke down last night, and it wasn't pretty. Sad…exhausted…confused, he sat there looking at me, strangely detached and no longer caring much about anything…because he'd refused, day-in, day-out, to take good care of himself.
Sure, we'd seen it coming…the other people in our life usually do. And yes…we'd told him about it, but he wouldn't hear of it.
"I've got too much to do," he'd always say. His do for others and deny yourself attitude gone wacko and running his life. "So many people are counting on me...I've got to get it done and done now…I've got to make it happen whatever it takes."
So he pushed and drove and fought and scrambled and worked ungodly hours to make it happen and keep it together and push it over the top…and it looked like his life was working….until that Thursday afternoon when he finally burned out…and paid the price for too much work, stress, and crappy food…and too little sleep, exercise, fun and time with the people he loved.
What about you? Have you been getting a wake-up call and keep missing it? Has your wise self been sending you subtle and not-so-subtle warnings that you're pushing it and it's time to back off…time to start taking care of yourself?
Could be it's time for you to finally pay attention and begin doing the unthinkable and take really good care of yourself. Yeah…I know…you're too busy…got too much to do…just can't right now…you'll get to it. That's what we all say right before we crash and burn…and the unthinkable happens.
Better we should listen to the old farmer who said "If you want the eggs to keep coming, you better take care of the chicken."
Make it a great week!!!!
We must be willing to choose the path of character over the path of compromise!!!!
Tom Tognoli
COO, Founder
Regional President
Direct: 408.342.3001
Fax: 408.904.7762
Email: TTognoli@InteroRealEstate.com
Website: www.InteroRealEstate.com
