13 Sep Finding and Grabbing Motivation by the Throat

Guest Post --Michael L. McCrimmon - http://www.m2li.com/

Having worked with top executives, and now a coach / motivator of executives for top C-Level positions, I pretty much know a good one when I see one. I also have learned to trust my intuition when it flashes red about someone that claims to be a good executive, but really isn't one. You see, most of the times in life, if you have to tell someone you're good at a thing, you probably aren't that good (different than self-promotion).

In today's USA Today, there is a list of the top 5 CEOs based on what they will get paid to leave if their companies get involved in some type of merger / acquisition activity and they are no longer needed.

#4 on the list is Marissa Mayer, Yahoo CEO. You remember Yahoo right? Barely? I know but still, if Ms. Mayer's services are no longer needed, she will receive the lump sum of $158 million to go away, also known as a "golden parachute".

<rolling eyes>

I won't go into how little I think of her, as Yahoo has almost become a trivia answer on Jeopardy, but remember don't hate the player, hate the game.

Shift gears for a second back to the idea of motivation. Now since this is my story, I can spin it anyway I want to, but most people who know me, would probably agree that I could put a suit on, go to Yahoo, and do better than her, without breaking a sweat. Yet, she is the one who has millions in the bank, and has a golden parachute.

So, I drop my tent on that fact, this morning. Tough love for us today, me included. If you don't have $100,000 liquid in the bank today, you are barely toiling above the poverty line, actually. If you are over 50 and don't have close to 1 or 2 million in your 401K, you aren't that well prepared for a "decent" retirement.

Harsh isn't it. Truth hurts. While we clown around arguing about racism, Trump, disrespect of President O, and who got into a fight on Housewives of Atlanta, others are taking money to the bank in a wheelbarrow and don't care if some blows off the top as they push the wheelbarrow.

Flash back to me now. Writing a book is hard. Extremely hard if you want a good book, not just "a book" so you can claim to be an author. I did one of those already. It was pretty good, but this one I'm working on, is going to be my signature piece and something I want to be of value for generations to come.

Writing takes concentration. It takes discipline. It's not fun. And so in the few hours of each day that I have to write, it's easy to get distracted by friends calling wanting advice, whatever happens on FB or in the news, and before I know it, it's time for me to pickup the Deuce from school and then the rest of my day becomes domestic.

Marissa is worth millions... I"m not. How can I fix that? I submit for your consideration, that each of us has more in the tank to dedicate to that thing that we are trying to accomplish... I want to add a zero to my net worth and my bank accounts in one year.
Each of you has a goal that just looms out there on the horizon that sounds good, would drastically change your quality of life.

With three weeks, left in December, let's get focused on what change in our daily activity, our direction and motivation would need to occur, for us to be shot out of a cannon, and this time next year, be patting each other on the back for having had a blowout 2016, and actually done something we can be proud of.

Think it can't be done? Look at Marissa Mayer... she's killing the game. Next year, I plan on being the example that you can point to about someone who killed the game.

Maybe that can be you standing next to me in that picture. To get different results, you have to do different things. Lastly, sometimes no matter how much you like things like they are, you may have to break that mold and think and do things differently.

Sounds hard, doesn't it... Just look around you.. people are doing it every day. Isn't today a good day to get serious and decide you will "have some of what they are having"...

Catch you later. Three Greens!

P.S. I'm serious, and people who know me, know when I start talking like this, big things usually happen... but you have to get serious, and I don't know about you, but I'm serious. It's my season... make it yours too...