Expectations—we all have them from a very early age, yet many of us don’t learn how to set and manage them, if at all, until well into adulthood.

From the child whose birthday wishes are never quite fulfilled, to the spouse who always feels as if he/she is the one who’s giving more, to the manager whose team never seems to get it quite right—the expectations we set for ourselves and those around us have the power to influence our success and satisfaction in life.

Because expectations have such far-reaching, powerful consequences in every area of your life, I’m excited to share with you some of the best advice I’ve ever learned when it comes to setting proper expectations for yourself, those around you, and those you lead…read more

Think of at least one major accomplishment in your life that has really made you proud of yourself. Now, think of the initial commitment you made when you got started. On a scale of 1-10, how committed were you? Were you very committed or simply desiring something? There’s a vast difference between the two. When you simply desire something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed, you accept no excuses, only results.

A commitment is a binding pledge that obligates you to assume a position or carry out a course of action. Making a commitment to what you do—whether in your personal life or your professional life—is one of the most fundamental principles of success…read more

The definition of a rut is a deep groove, track or trench with no end in sight, which has been worn by a vehicle or habitual passage. It’s a monotonous routine where you keep trudging along, often losing sight of your own goals and uniqueness. This can be an accurate description of a lifestyle that so many people have fallen into, especially in this economic environment. Does it describe you?

My life experiences have taught me you can’t advance your life forward personally or professionally when you are in a rut. Ruts drag you down and prevent advancement.

If you don’t get out of the rut, you will be frustrated, discouraged, and unfulfilled. Your relationships will suffer and your performance will be adversely affected…read more

Author: Jessica Smith (Todd’s Daughter-in-law)

When you look into the mirror, what do you see?

In the classic Disney movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, the evil queen possessed a magical mirror that would answer any question she had. This queen was very vain and would often ask: “Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?”

Most of you know the story. For years the mirror would answer: “You, my Queen, are the fairest of them all,” One day it responded that the queen was fair but Snow White was the fairest of them all.

Now this mirror based its response on outer beauty, but as we all know, beauty is only skin deep. What is on the inside of a person is where true beauty lies…read more

I often hear people say, “I wish I could do that over again.” Or “I feel so bad about what happened; I wish I had never said anything.” Or “I wish I had never made that investment.” Or “I wish I had never dated that person.” When you make these types of statements you are wishing you had done something differently.

My Wish-I-Hadn’t-Done-That List

Like all of these people, I have done some stupid things. I have said irresponsible things that damaged relationships. I have handled myself inappropriately in business settings. I have thrown eggs at people’s homes and snowballs at cars. I have drunk too much. I have done drugs. I have made terrible investments and lost millions of dollars. I have lied to people. I have acted like a fool. I have been disrespectful to others. The fact is—and I am not proud to say—that just about any bad thing you have done, it’s possible that I may have done that, too…read more

What do you picture in your mind when you hear the word optimism?

The vast majority of us associate optimism with that familiar image of a glass of liquid—either half-full or half-empty, depending on how we view our lives.

In theory, someone who sees the glass as half-full is an optimist. When you are optimistic, you expect things to go well, and you dwell on the most hopeful aspects of a situation.

A pessimist, on the other hand, sees the glass as half-empty. When you are pessimistic, you expect thing to go poorly. You see the downside of most things and dwell on what might go wrong…
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