SigmaU Blog

I had a mental war in my mind the other day when I went to put on my snug jeans! Being under a tremendous amount of pressure and grief recently, I know I’ve fallen back into some bad habits and routines. As a result, the snug jeans are wreaking havoc on my waistline with fabric flesh wounds! Ever been there?

The internal dialogue was a battle of relinquishing control of this new bloat and bulge and purchasing jeans that ran a size higher or facing discomfort and making changes.

I’ll be honest. I bought the new jeans, wore them for two weeks, and today have decided to become friends again with the snug pair until they feel blissfully comfy again.

My hope is that in the discomfort I will find a new sense of discipline, which is difficult to start, but the most rewarding way to live.

This scenario got me thinking about the destructive path of compromise.

We don’t gain 100lbs overnight.

We don’t fall out of love in a week.

We don’t miss our sales goals and business projections due...

You have the time! Time is not your issue! This was something that came across in a booming voice during my motivational workout video the other morning. I’ll be honest, it initially triggered me. My first thought was, “Dude, you don’t know me and the expectations people have of me. You have no idea how many meetings I have today.” The imaginary verbal attack ensued! Perhaps it did for you as you read my opening line!

Ryan Blair famously said, “If it is important to you, you’ll find a way. If not, you’ll find an excuse.” It seems that it’s not a lack of time but a lack of clarity around the importance of a task or goal that derails us.

I recently uninstalled Instagram from my phone. It was no longer serving me, and I was appalled when my weekly report showed that I had spent 8 hours the previous week scrolling. I mean, come on, that’s an entire workday!

Immediately I reclaimed 8 freaking hours of my week just by removing the app! This led me to consider which other areas of my life ...

Is it perfection we’re seeking or judgment we’re fearing? 

When I coach clients, we talk a lot about courage. The highest performers in the world seek out ways to demonstrate courage. They take more risks and they are rewarded more often. This doesn’t mean that they do not fail. This doesn’t mean that they don’t get criticized. The big differentiator is that regardless of the consequences, they do it anyway!

It’s interesting that most people want to put on a persona based on how the world ought to view them when, in reality, there are people out there seeking to connect with the authentic you! They don’t want a paired down version of your sassy and feisty spirit; they want all of you, warts and all! 

Will you resonate with everyone? Not a chance! In fact, studies tell us that some people will like us, others will tolerate us, and a group of people will not resonate with us no matter what we do or say. Cool. So, we move on and serve the community we connect with in an authentic way...

If it doesn’t feel right, question it!

One of the things I love about working with high performers is their level of curiosity.  They know where they’re headed, they know what they stand for, and they consistently seek clarity.

One of the ways to differentiate a high performer from the rest of the pack, is their willingness to question the status quo.

The challenge is that we’re brought up in a system that requires us to follow along, often at times to our detriment. We’re taught to raise our hands and ask permission to use the washroom.  We’re taught to refrain from stirring the pot if our beliefs go against the grain.  I love working with high performers who question and think critically!

Here are some of the ways in which the highest performers leverage critical thinking to get ahead.

1. They get curious

High performers seek clarity on a regular basis, which means, they’re on the look out for what’s normal and then they go on a quest to challenge the status quo. They look to ...

The eternal optimist in me tends to avoid the negative and at times I must admit that I’d rather bury my head in the sand than face reality.

During COVID I started doing a lot of journaling. It brought clarity and increased focus and purpose for me. I’ve spoken about that in a recent blog (https://www.growwithsigmau.com/blog/Journaling).  One of the questions in my High-Performance Journal triggered me when I first saw it. 

The question is “A situation that might stress me out or trip me up today could be…” and the next question “And the way my best self would deal with that is…”.

I’ll admit, I didn’t want to answer the question at first. The question itself literally tripped me up! I resisted it because my rationale was to look for the good. If we look for the bad, we tend to find it.  While that may be true, when I started answering this question it placed me in a much better position to deal with life’s challenges!

Rather than avoiding what could go wrong, you position yourself...

Personal development is such an important and life-changing journey.  To pursue mastery of oneself requires deep reflection, challenging limiting beliefs and releasing lies we may have told ourselves up to this point in life.

Our words are incredibly powerful and what we say to ourselves matters much more than what others say to us. While others may wound our ego and hurt our feelings or sharp words may jeopardize relationships, the most important dialogue is internal.

I struggled for years with self-deprecating language, lies and stories that didn’t support my growth. Once I released the grip that these lies had on my life my world opened to more positivity living, healthier relationships and increased self-confidence.

Here are some of the lies that I told myself, see if any of them resonate with you…

• It takes money to make money.
• You’re only beautiful if you’re a size six.
• You’re not leadership material.
• Who do you think you are sharing your insights with others? No one will...

There will be times in life when our backs are against the wall or we’re working towards a huge goal that requires next level grit and determination.  We will need to PUSH!

How do you muster up the energy and momentum to push when required?

P- Personal Development

Originally, I was going to write positivity as the first P.  However, in order to generate positivity, we need to fuel our bodies and minds with the right things.  Working on our body, focusing on our health, regaining a sense of accomplishment by moving our bodies in a way that nourishes and builds self confidence will be key for staying on track during a big challenge.  The second is feeding our minds! Don’t overlook this. Listening to positive podcasts, reading inspirational books and ditching mindless social media scrolling is critical to build a solid foundation and stay motivated as you press on. Zig Ziglar famously said “People say motivation doesn’t last.  Well, neither does showering!”.  We need to be developing o...

I failed miserably lately BUT, here are the lessons I learned...

Let me back up a bit.  Back in August 2021 I started a program called 75Hard and as you guessed, it’s damn hard y’all.  It’s a physical and mental program to condition you to become resilient and disciplined.  It took a lot of determination. I lost my dad on day 23 of the program and was hell bent on making it to day 75, and did.  I promptly cried like a baby once I had completed it because I felt so proud of how I showed up during one of the darkest periods of my life.

Compromise compounds quickly

Fast forward a few months later and I started compromising.  Instead of eating clean every day of the week, which is part of the program, I “cheated” on a Friday. Instead of working out twice a day each day I started skipping my second work out. It wasn’t anything big that happened at once, it was small little seemingly insignificant compromises that compounded quickly and before I knew it, I was off course. Isn’t it true,...

Life can be humming along and then WHAM! You’re thrown a curveball. This can be a health crisis, losing a job, losing a loved one, a divorce, a natural disaster.  Curveballs are unexpected and knock us off our feet. For how long, is up to us.  There are a few ways in which you can manage curveballs, so you can still swing the bat when they come hurling your way.

1. Recalibrate

The first thing we forget to do when we’re in crisis is breathe.  There’s a reason why the EMS driver will tell you to count to ten and breathe. Our brains need oxygen to function and think clearly.  If the world is spinning around you, remember that you can control your breath. During the darkest days of the pandemic, when I felt like things were spiraling out of control, I came back to my breathing.  There are amazing exercises which you can look up online or simply stop, plant both feet firmly on the floor and take five deep belly breaths to recalibrate.

2. Assess without judgement

The next step would be...

1.  Quality people
2.  Quality content
3.  Quality consumption

Quality People

“You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.”

Who do you have in your immediate circle? Are they inspiring? Do they push you to be a better person? Are the conversations you ‘re having about dreams and goals and the future, or are they about other people? The five people closest to us have a tremendous impact on the way we think and ultimately our success.  If you’re not surrounding yourself with positive, growth-oriented people, then find a community where you can get that inspiration. If you haven’t joined us yet, feel free to hop on our Friday zoom calls here where #sigmapromotespositivity https://sigmapromotions.com/sigmapromotespositivity/

You know you’re in the right community when your associations make you want to be a better person. They are open and excited about your successes. They cheer you on and they inspire you with their habits and discipline. If you’re not sure, lo...