Changing the Game

What happens when what you thought would work, doesn't? What happens when what you planned just simply isn't working? The questions are simple. The answer is the same for both, but it is really hard. You have to change. You can't just keep doing what you have been doing that clearly is not working and expect to get a different result. You have to change something.

Here is where it gets difficult. When do you change? How long do you go with something before you give it up? I am encouraging you to read or listen to Seth Godin's little book, The Dip, this week. He does a good job of helping you work through that dilemma. So, I am going to leave that to him. I am going to focus on the challenge of making change. Once you have determined you need to change things, what do you do? Here are some of my suggestions.

Get some new thoughts. Look for someone who can help you think differently. Remember, you are doing what you are doing because you are thinking what you are thinking. You have to change your thinking patterns in order to get into new performance patterns. Read something new. I have some great reading recommendations for you on my website at http://www.tappegroup.com/. You can read my book, The Power of Purposed Performance and you will find a significant reading list at the end.

Change your pace. Whatever you are doing now, do it differently going forward. Start earlier. Take short motivation breaks during the day. Single-task instead of multi-tasking. Stand up when you are on the telephone. Get a headset. Take a walk everyday for the sake of your health. Pick it up. Sit up straight. Stand tall. Get your head up.

Prepare more effectively. Practice before you perform. Prethink the questions you are going to ask. Ask them out loud to yourself. Ask them to a colleague or friend. Work out the rhythms and the tones.

Cut down on your daily lists. Make sure you get your day done everyday. Leave more margins in your day. Stop leaving things undone. Do what you say you are going to do even to yourself. It is a matter of integrity.

Make sure you are making people better around you. Serve others. Pay it forward. Staying into others and getting out of yourself will serve to keep you emotionally healthy. It is the best investment you could make in yourself.

So, when you realize things are not working. It is time to make a significant choice. Change something. You can do it. I can do it. We have the power. It is not natural. You may not feel like it. It will have to be done on purpose. You choose. 

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Making History

Most of the time we talk about studying history. When someone does something incredible, they are talked about as "making history". It happened with the election of the first African American President. It happened when the all time home run record was broken in professional baseball , even with the steroid asterisk noted. The first man in space then on the moon and I don't know what will be next in that race. You get the point. I just think we have "making history" all wrong.


I think history is something we make every day. In fact, we have just made it. Every choice we make every day of our lives represents the history that we are writing. Years ago, I made the choice to change a career path altogether. I left a business career that had every appearance of being successful. I moved into a life direction more oriented toward discovering what my life was really meant to be. I found myself coaching tennis for a small West Texas University with a NCAA II program with no scholarships and no real history of success as a tennis program. I coached in that program for 3 years. I played a very small part in what has become something really special. I celebrated that history with a room full of people who have been part of writing that history for the past 30 years. It was unbelievable. Memories. Stories. Victories. Defeats. Laughter. Tears.


Here is the point. You are making history every single day of your life. You are a history maker. You are writing a story, and it is a story that is not just about you. It is a story that includes you and a lot of other people that you have not met yet. Maybe one day you'll meet them just like I did. Or, maybe you won't get to in this life. But, remember this. You are making history. Just make the determination right now that you are going to make history today and tomorrow and the rest of your life on purpose! You are changing the world.