“Big dreams create the magic that stirs men’s souls to greatness.” — Bill McCartney
Your Outcome: Immerse yourself in something great. Take your life to the next level. Do something great that matters for you or someone in your life. Go above and beyond your daily call of duty.
Welcome to day 27 of 30 Days of Getting Results, based on my book Getting Results the Agile Way. In day 26, we learned how to solve problems with skill. Today, we decide to do something great.
You Never Know What You’re Capable Of
You just never know what’s possible. My first book was downloaded several hundred thousand times within the span of a few months. It was unreal. What was even more unreal though was that I didn’t know whether I could even pull it off. After all, I had never written a book before.
You just never know what’s possible. My first book was downloaded several hundred thousand times within the span of a few months. It was unreal. What was even more unreal though was that I didn’t know whether I could even pull it off. After all, I had never written a book before.
When I first joined the patterns & practices team at Microsoft, they knew I could write articles, but they questioned whether I could write a book. When they asked me if I could, I said, “I don’t know but I guess I have to figure it out now don’t I — since it’s part of the job.” At that point, I decided that instead of focusing on writing a book, I would focus on solving significant problems. I decided to write the ultimate playbook for building secure ASP.NET applications. I decided I would give it my all, assemble a team of rock stars, and tackle the problem like it had never been tackled before. I set my eyes on the prize and, as Yoda says, “There is Do… or do not. There is no try.” As my Mom always said, “where there’s a will there’s a way” and that’s how I created the very first “Blue Book” for Microsoft, several years ago.
The lesson for me was that you just don’t know what you’re capable of, until you push past your limits.
From Ordinary to Extraordinary
Sometimes in life, you have to decide … at least one more time … to be The Little Engine that Could, even when you think you can’t. When you decide to do something great, your life takes on new meaning. You instantly chart a new course. Your life goes from ordinary to extraordinary. You decide that what you do will make a difference, that what you do will matter, and that will give what you do all that you’ve got. And, If you’re going to go down, then you’re not going down without a fight. But failure isn’t even an option. It’s not even on your radar. In your mind, you can see the prize … front and center … and larger than life. It’s the path and you’re on it. With all your might, and maybe even a little magic, you’ll move whatever mountain stands in your way. It’s onward and upward. It’s time to do something great.
Sometimes in life, you have to decide … at least one more time … to be The Little Engine that Could, even when you think you can’t. When you decide to do something great, your life takes on new meaning. You instantly chart a new course. Your life goes from ordinary to extraordinary. You decide that what you do will make a difference, that what you do will matter, and that will give what you do all that you’ve got. And, If you’re going to go down, then you’re not going down without a fight. But failure isn’t even an option. It’s not even on your radar. In your mind, you can see the prize … front and center … and larger than life. It’s the path and you’re on it. With all your might, and maybe even a little magic, you’ll move whatever mountain stands in your way. It’s onward and upward. It’s time to do something great.
3 Steps to Do Something Great
To do something great, it helps to have a recipe. Feel free to depart from the recipe, but here is it as a starting point to help you prepare and launch the “something great” that you will do:
To do something great, it helps to have a recipe. Feel free to depart from the recipe, but here is it as a starting point to help you prepare and launch the “something great” that you will do:
- Find Your Eye of the Tiger. If you’ve seen Rocky, you know what I mean. Your Eye of the Tiger is your fire in the belly. It’s you at your finest and it’s you ready to take on the world. The simplest way to find this “Eye of the Tiger” again is to remember a time in your life when you had your greatest victory. Remember the feeling you had, when you were unstoppable? Grab that feeling and hold on to that, and don’t let go. If that’s not working, then blast your favorite all time song – you know, the one that always makes you drive too fast. If you need help here, read my guest post on Finding Your Eye of the Tiger.
- Decide what great thing you will do. Don’t swat at flies. Get the dynamite out. Pick something great. This is your chance to say, “I’m going for it.” This is your chance to fight with all your might and make it happen. This is not a time to pick something mediocre. It’s time to knock the ball out of the park. It’s a time to pick something fantastic. Make it epic. It’s Frodo getting rid of that stinking ring. It’s Rocky getting back his “Eye of the Tiger.” It’s making like a Dead Poet Society and seizing the day. It’s Edward finding the joy in his life, Bucket List style. It’s Rudy against the odds, fulfilling his dream. It’s Danielson whipping out the Crank Technique with a final blow when he’s literally down on his last leg
If you’re not crying, or you’re not furious, or you’re not elated, or you’re just not feeling it, then you haven’t found it. It’s not about doing one more thing you can do. It’s doing THE thing you MUST do – finding your calling, the one that’s here now, and answering the door. - Make it a project. Call it a project. Have a vision for it. See the end in mind. Give it a start and a finish. In this case, make it a month. Bound it. Making it a month long project both gives you a high chance for success, but it also give you a good chunk of time to do something great. Making it a project gives it a special place in your heart and a special place in your mind. It’s a simple way to wake up your inner-giant and say, “Hey, this one really counts.”
This is you pushing and testing your limits. This is you focused on doing the great thing in your life that you’ve had on hold. This is you getting up to bat with skill on your side and the fire inside. Best case scenario, you exceed your own expectations. Worst case scenario, you moved the needle in your life.
Ideas of Great Things to Do
When you decide that to do, it has to be great for you. It’s for you that it has to matter. It’s your story. It’s your chance. That said, here are some examples of various things that other people have done within the span of a month that changed the course of their lives. Use it as a list to draw from or inspire you:
When you decide that to do, it has to be great for you. It’s for you that it has to matter. It’s your story. It’s your chance. That said, here are some examples of various things that other people have done within the span of a month that changed the course of their lives. Use it as a list to draw from or inspire you:
- Reshape your body.
- Find your fire.
- Write a book.
- Write a song.
- Make a video.
- Change somebody’s life.
- Overwhelm your greatest hurdle or breakthrough a barrier or a ceiling in your life.
- Change a habit or change the way you lead your life.
- Retool yourself for your current jungle of life.
- Get a new lease on life.
- Get your dream job.
- Make your dream job.
- Share your lessons learned with the world.
- Rekindle an old spark.
- Reconnect with an old hobby.
- Create the ultimate knowledge base on your passion.
- Learn a new skill.
- Finish off a pet project.
- Dust off an old dream or make your destiny happen.
- Turn the worst pain in your life, into your greatest opportunity.
- Be the father, mother, sister, brother, daughter, son, uncle or aunt, cousin or friend that you’ve wanted to be.
Why Make it a Project?
To do something great, make it a project. Making something a project helps you think about it in a tangible way. Give your great project a name. This is your project so call it whatever you want. I named one of my projects “J.D. 2.0”, based on my You 2.0 guide. Giving your project a name, helps create a stronghold in your mind. For a month, this project is your castle.
To do something great, make it a project. Making something a project helps you think about it in a tangible way. Give your great project a name. This is your project so call it whatever you want. I named one of my projects “J.D. 2.0”, based on my You 2.0 guide. Giving your project a name, helps create a stronghold in your mind. For a month, this project is your castle.
Do It For a MonthMake it a month long project. Start at the start of the month. End at the end of the month. You can also do a second run, but for now, give yourself a month. This isn’t a marathon and it’s not a “death march” or an “endless pursuit.” Just for this month, you do put all your eggs in this one basket. Concentrated effort amplifies your impact. Because it’s just a month, you can prioritize it over other things. Because it’s just a month, and not forever, you can give it your all. By making it your theme for the month, it helps you focus and harness all of your discretionary energy, focus, and time. This is your secret recipe for doing great things.
Do It Daily
To do something great, do it everyday. Carve out a little time more time each day, to invest in your great thing. You don’t know when your breakthrough might happen. Serendipity is a part of life and often a part of success … Tee up more possibilities in your life, a day at a time. Each day is another chance. Doing something every day, even just a little bit, gets easier as you go, and helps build momentum. Time and again, I found that daily action, even baby steps, is how I consistently got over humps or created breakthroughs.
To do something great, do it everyday. Carve out a little time more time each day, to invest in your great thing. You don’t know when your breakthrough might happen. Serendipity is a part of life and often a part of success … Tee up more possibilities in your life, a day at a time. Each day is another chance. Doing something every day, even just a little bit, gets easier as you go, and helps build momentum. Time and again, I found that daily action, even baby steps, is how I consistently got over humps or created breakthroughs.
Your Mental Model
While the strategies and tactics to make things happen are important, the most important step starts in your mind. It’s the mental pictures you hold, it’s the beliefs you have, and it’s the self-talk that you tell yourself the whole way through. For at least this month, don’t focus on your success. Focus on giving your best. Don’t focus on the scoreboard, focus on the pitch.
While the strategies and tactics to make things happen are important, the most important step starts in your mind. It’s the mental pictures you hold, it’s the beliefs you have, and it’s the self-talk that you tell yourself the whole way through. For at least this month, don’t focus on your success. Focus on giving your best. Don’t focus on the scoreboard, focus on the pitch.
Your ToolsYou’re making things happen with skill now, so let me remind you of your tools:
- Mindsets and metaphors. You can switch your mindsets by switching hats. Put on your explorer hat or your “solution” hat or your “thinker” hat or your “doer” hat. Use metaphors that serve you. The right metaphor can help you move mountains.
- Agile Results. Get the system on your side. By using the three stories each day, week, and month, you’re connecting you’re wiring your mind, body, and emotions to achieve great things, as well as deal with the setbacks, and bounce back stronger and faster each time. See the One-Page Guide to Getting Started with Agile Results.
- Stories and choices. By using stories and making mindful choices to drive your day, week, and month, you bring together everything you’ve got in an inspiration way to write your story forward and carve out meaningful results.
- Time. For once, time is really on your side. Agile Results automatically uses time as a foundation for building momentum and getting results. You automatically create a rhythm of results by pinning against time and riding the day, week, and month, like a wave or rolling snowball.
- Action. Taking action is what makes things happen. Action is your playground and where you test your ideas against reality. If you wanted to just think your way into something, then you miss the ride. It’s fine to be a dreamer. It’s fine to be a doer. How about being a doer with dreams or a dreamer that does?
- Reflection. Take the time to reflect on your results. With Agile Results this is automatically baked into Friday Reflection. You can also design your day, to cap each day with some reflection time. Learning and responding is how you get closer to your dreams.
The people that do great things, enjoy the journey, action and all, the ups and downs, and they enjoy the destination. The secret here is to drive your action from who you want to be and the experiences you want to create. Drive it from your life style.
Everybody has Flaws
Here is a lesson from one of my mentors on the power of doing great things — “There are no great people. There are people that do great things. Heroes fall.” It’s the “feet of clay” scenario. People aren’t heroes, they do heroic things. The point is, don’t miss the good because of the bad, and don’t get caught up in putting people on pedestals. Don’t put yourself on a pedestal either. Instead, focus on doing a great thing and giving it your best shot.
Here is a lesson from one of my mentors on the power of doing great things — “There are no great people. There are people that do great things. Heroes fall.” It’s the “feet of clay” scenario. People aren’t heroes, they do heroic things. The point is, don’t miss the good because of the bad, and don’t get caught up in putting people on pedestals. Don’t put yourself on a pedestal either. Instead, focus on doing a great thing and giving it your best shot.
You Can’t Fail
Stephen Covey, Randy Pausche, and others remind us that nobody regrets the things they did. They regret the things they didn’t do. Don’t let fear run your life. Especially fear of failure. What if you try and you fail? …So what. Guest what? If you have to succeed, then you’re playing the game of life wrong. Test your possibilities. Grow from it. Embrace the experience. That’s what life is all about. If you gave it your best shot, you . You grew yourself a little more, or maybe a lot. … but that you’ll give it your best shot.
Stephen Covey, Randy Pausche, and others remind us that nobody regrets the things they did. They regret the things they didn’t do. Don’t let fear run your life. Especially fear of failure. What if you try and you fail? …So what. Guest what? If you have to succeed, then you’re playing the game of life wrong. Test your possibilities. Grow from it. Embrace the experience. That’s what life is all about. If you gave it your best shot, you . You grew yourself a little more, or maybe a lot. … but that you’ll give it your best shot.
How To Stay on Fire
Don’t depend on external validation too much – that’s the best way to kill your motivation on a daily basis. Don’t hold your breath for your manager’s acknowledgment, or your spouse’s appreciation, or the audience’s applause. It’s a wonderful by-product, but it can’t be your driver. First and foremost, impress yourself first. Remember to connect it to your values and your internal bar … your internal rewards … and then you “balance” with external rewards and appreciation. That’s how to make great things or do great things and stay on fire.
Don’t depend on external validation too much – that’s the best way to kill your motivation on a daily basis. Don’t hold your breath for your manager’s acknowledgment, or your spouse’s appreciation, or the audience’s applause. It’s a wonderful by-product, but it can’t be your driver. First and foremost, impress yourself first. Remember to connect it to your values and your internal bar … your internal rewards … and then you “balance” with external rewards and appreciation. That’s how to make great things or do great things and stay on fire.
If You Get Knocked Down, Get Up Again
Giving something your best shot is within your control. The results are not. The best you can do, is give the best you’ve got, test your dreams with skill, and roll with the punches. And when you get knocked down, the single best thing you can do is get up again. You never fail unless you give up.
Giving something your best shot is within your control. The results are not. The best you can do, is give the best you’ve got, test your dreams with skill, and roll with the punches. And when you get knocked down, the single best thing you can do is get up again. You never fail unless you give up.
Quotes on GreatnessHere are a few words of wisdom to add to your mental toolbox of life:
- “As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world – that is the myth of the atomic age – as in being able to remake ourselves.” — Mohandas Gandhi
- “Ask yourself whether the dream of heaven and greatness should be waiting for us in our graves – or whether it should be ours here and now and on this earth.” — Ayn Rand
- “Do not despise the bottom rungs in the ascent to greatness.” — Publilius Syrus
- “Do not trust people. They are capable of greatness.” — Stanislaw Lem
- “Every day, people settle for less than they deserve. They are only partially living or at best living a partial life. Every human being has the potential for greatness.” — Bo Bennett
- “Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed.” — Peter S. Beagle
- “Great men are rare, poets are rarer, but the great man who is a poet, transfiguring his greatness, is the rarest of all events.” — John Drinkwater
- “Greatness is a road leading towards the unknown.” — Charles de Gaulle
- “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach his goals.” — Dorothy Height
- “Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength.” — Henry Ward Beecher
- “I always knew I was destined for greatness.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “If we cannot see the possibility of greatness, how can we dream it?” — Lee Strasberg
- “Illusions of grandeur are not the same as visions of greatness.” — Edwin Louis Cole
- “No one ever achieved greatness by playing it safe.” — Harry Gray
- “The greatest thing you can do in this world is to make the most possible out of the stuff you’ve been given. This is success, and there is no other.” — Orison Swett Marden
Today’s Assignment
- Find your “Eye of the Tiger.” Find one old memory or one mental picture to hold in your mind that gives you your Eye of the Tiger.
- Pick something great to do next month. Tee yourself up to start at the beginning of the month and end at the end of the month. It will be your theme or focus for the month. Make sure it’s great for you … even if “great for you”, means doing something that’s “great for somebody else.” Put that fire in your belly to good use. Above all, remember that great is in the eye of the beholder, and it’s all relative.
- Watch your favorite movie that always has a way of lighting your fire.
Share Your Stories
I like real stories from real people. That’s what life is all about.
I like real stories from real people. That’s what life is all about.
If you want to tell me about the great thing you’re going to do next momth, you can use the contact form on my blog or email me at “GettingResultsTeam” (at) “gmail.com”. Better yet, tell me “why” you’re going to do it. Tell me why it matter so much for you. It’s not what we do in life that ends up so meaningful, it’s why we do it. Nothing is more inspirational than somebody’s “why.”
I’ve really enjoyed the email folks have been sending me so far about their breakthroughs and their turnaround stories and even how for some people, just their ordinary days have become extraordinary. I’m also watching the goodness spread. I see friends inspiring other friends and it’s contagious. As one friend put it to me, their “pilot light is lit again!” I see people lifting each other up, and that’s how we all stand on the shoulder’s of giants.
Get ready to make next month one of the most exciting chapter in the story of your life, as you continue to write your story forward. It will be epic.
Photo by Fly Navy.
Photo by Fly Navy.
