What kinds of situations cause you to react? Here is a process to train yourself to respond instead.
Practice! Pick a situation in which you have a tendency to react, recall the thought which started the reaction and decide what thought are you going to substitute it with when that situation happens again.
To Your Intentional Success!
This is my interview June 9, 2014 on Dave Campbell’s radio show, Clarity from Chaos, on the Doublewide Network.
We got through about half of the Intentional Success System™ to help both organizational leaders and employees develop the attitudes, knowledge and skills to become more intentional about creating a great place to work.
Leave us some feedback about what you thought of the show.
[audio:Joe Price Interview_ClarityFromChaos_6.9.14.mp3]
To Your Intentional Success!
To Your Intentional Success
In Stephen Covey’s book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,” his first habit is to ‘Be proactive.’ Covey states, “This is the ability to control one’s environment, rather than have it control you, as is so often the case. We don’t have to function on ‘auto pilot. Proactivity means that, as human beings, we are responsible for our own lives. Our behavior is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. We can subordinate feelings to values. We have the initiative and the responsibility to make things happen”.
Steven Pavlina writes it this way: “If a reactive person were to captain a ship, the ship would flow with the currents. This person would be preoccupied with studying the currents, trying to predict where the ship will end up as a function of the currents. If the currents are good, this person is happy. If the currents are poor, this person feels stressed. On occasion this person might attempt to set a destination, and if the currents are good, the ship will arrive. But if the currents are poor, this person will bemoan them and give up the destination for an easier one. If a proactive person were to captain a ship, however, the ship would go wherever the captain wanted it to go. This captain would still note the currents, but they’d merely be used for navigational purposes. Sometimes the ship would flow with the currents; other times it would steam against them. It matters little whether the currents are good or not; this captain will reach the intended destination regardless of the currents. The currents can only control the time of arrival and the exact path from starting point to final destination. But the currents have no power to dictate the final destination; that is entirely the captain’s choice.”
Substitute the word “intentional” for “proactive” and you have the essence of Intentional Achievements. As you can imagine, there is also more to being the captain than to just understanding the currents. There is a whole course of study and years of proven application to demonstrate you have the knowledge and ability to safely sail a ship from one port to another. In the movie Captain Phillips, he used his intuition, creativity, training, leadership, experience and courage to stay off the pirate assault. In the midst of a terrifying and dangerous situation, he was still able to use these characteristics and skills to stay focused on his mission and remain in control. He was always thinking ahead to how he would lead and direct the actions and movements of himself, his crew and his assailants. That is the epitome of not letting the circumstances control you; to control one’s environment–being Intentional.
Don’t flow with the currents. Be proactive. Determine where you want to be and use your intuition, creativity, training, leadership, experience and courage to steam against the currents which would try to keep you from achieving your dreams and goals. Be Intentional. It is entirely your choice.
To your Intentional Success!
I’ve talked many times about one of the most inspiring and influential characters in history who was not always the epitome of upstanding behavior, exemplary interpersonal skills or the perfect example of the kind of life we we would want to fully emulate. His substantial contributions to us include bifocals, the lightning rod, the library and fire stations, electrical terms we now take for granted like battery, charge and discharge, and so much more–not to mention his impact on society and politics.
By early accounts of his life it would have been hard to believe he would be described at his death as the “Greatest American Diplomat.” Even though he was a great example of the rags to riches story, there was a time in his life he was brash, severely overweight, a drunkard, and most would rather cross the street then to face him face to face. He was known for telling people exactly what he thought of them and strived to win every argument he was in no matter who it hurt.
It wasn’t until someone in his life respected him enough to pull him aside and talk straight with him about how he was affecting others that this American hero decided to make some significant changes in his life. He began writing down some resolutions that would guide and direct his life. He would write these out on a weekly basis and study them to see how he was doing in these areas and how he could improve on them the following week. There were 13 ‘virtues’, which became his resolutions for improvement.
He committed to giving strict attention to one virtue each week so after 13 weeks he moved through all 13. After 13 weeks he would start the process over again so in one year he would complete the course a total of 4 times. He tracked his progress by using a little book of 13 charts. At the top of each chart was one of the virtues. The 
charts had a column for each day of the week and thirteen rows marked with the first letter of each of the 13 virtues. Every evening he would review the day and put a mark (dot) next to each virtue for each fault committed with respect to that virtue for that day. Here is the list of the 13 virtues he used to become the man we remember and admire today:
1. TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.
2. SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.
3. ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.
4. RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.
5. FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.
6. INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.
7. SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.
8. JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.
9. MODERATION. – Avoid extreams; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.
10. CLEANLINESS. – Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.
11.TRANQUILLITY – Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.
12. CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dulness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.
13. HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.
You’ve probably figured out this was Benjamin Franklin. As you can see, these are some pretty powerful guidepost Ben Franklin created for his life. Slowly but surely as 
Ben Franklin studied and practiced these principles he started to mold his life into what he wanted to become. What is powerful about this change, is that once he started to see results in his life, he wanted to share his principles with others and start to mastermind with others, so they could accelerate the process of improvement.
What are you consistently doing to become the person you want to be? Do you have a set of principles or ‘virtues’ you practice every day to make powerful improvement in your life? Do you have a circle of like-minded people who help each other and hold each other accountable for results? I encourage you to be more Intentional about this. You may not become the next Ben Franklin, but you could! Even if not, think of who and where you could be.
To your Intentional Success!
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Every morning, or whatever time you wake, you’re gonna have to roll out of bed, get ready for the day, and do something: most likely work.
Equally, once work is done you’re going to decompress or relax. Think working out, enjoying entertainment, pursuing a hobby, socializing, or some combination of the four.
Throughout the process, and throughout the day itself, people can be divided into two camps; those who are relatively happy and those who aren’t.
Who’d you rather be?
Make no mistake, there’s a whole range of different factors that can affect how one feels. Family, friends, media, the weather, a chance encounter, etc. all can contribute to momentary moods.
However, the major difference is if you look forward to professional tasks or not, if you’re happy about setting foot within the workplace or merely relieved when stepping out. After all, you likely spend half your waking hours doing what you do. And believe it or not, that outlook can dictate a whole lot of other factors:
Health
First and foremost, people happy with their careers and hobbies are more likely to watch after themselves, follow their doctor’s advice, and enjoy a whole range of activities.
Relationships
People disengaged with work often bottle their emotions and feel suffocated. Generally, but not always, this impacts day-to-day familial and friendly relations in one of two ways:
Neither is exactly conducive to true social satisfaction.
Hobbies
Those who aren’t happy with work can likely overdevelop a need for entertainment or escape, not only leading to social isolation but disregarding other career paths.
TV and novels can be fun, but can also quickly develop into quicksand.
Productivity
Those satisfied with work are likely to be more efficient and proactive, no matter if that means tracking down leads or designing a building.
Creativity
While they exist, Walter Mittys are rare and they’re usually less happy than you think. Near everybody needs to be occupied, not preoccupied, to be creative in a constructive manner.
Energy
Those who enjoy what they do not only put more energy in their work, but other endeavors as well. Why? Because they’re happy.
Dissatisfied? Starting from Square One Isn’t Always the Answer
Contribution is one underrated aspect of career fulfillment.
Been an accountant for twenty years, absolutely loath numbers, and willing to make some sacrifices? Well then becoming a forest ranger or teacher might be right for you.
However, a change of setting might be the ticket too. Perhaps switching organizations from a bank to a nonprofit, or vice-versa, will generate the fulfillment you’re looking for.
All such endeavors require self exploration and goal actualization. And y’know what? An outside perspective can be just the galvanization you need.
To your Intentional Success
