Commitment | Intero Mojo

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Monday Morning Mojo: I am so busy you can count on me to get it done

By Tom Tognoli | February 20th, 2012 0 Comments

You ever notice when you really need someone you can depend on…someone who you know will come through no matter what, it is the busiest person. The person who on the surface seems like there is no way in the world they can handle one more thing. You know why? Because the idle ones have too many excuses…to many substitutes…too many shortcuts. Almost everything in life is that way. Unfortunately most of us will never know our true capacity for achievement because we never challenge ourselves to perform at our best every day.

This is most obvious when we are presented with an opportunity that really interests us. No matter how busy we are, when there is something we want to do…something we like to do, somehow we will find the time to pursue it…right? On the other hand, those things that we don’t like or those things we don’t want to do are easily postponed and eventually forgotten. Successful people are not procrastinators…the most successful and effective people have a sense of urgency. They just grab a hold of it and get it done!!!! They set deadlines and force themselves to establish priorities by what is most important and not by what they like to do the most. Deadlines….that is the magic word. Unfortunately, way too many people never set a deadline to accomplish those things which are most important. They put it on the proverbial “list”. You know “the list” I am talking about. The one you write crap down on that you never have any intention on doing. Because those things we don’t put on “the list”, we usually just dive in and get done…usually before the deadline…right?

Remember, we are not naturally wound to do all the things we need to do to be successful in life…personally, professionally…health…etc. Because usually those things required to be successful at any area in life, involve doing something we don’t naturally like to do…at least not in the beginning. Otherwise everyone would be getting everything they want in life…right? Here are a few examples…

Exercise versus Watching TV
Saving Money versus Spending Money
Salad versus Cheeseburger and fries
Showing up first and leaving last versus Showing up last and leaving first
Getting up early versus waiting until the absolute last minute like the rest of the world
Making that tough phone call versus blowing it off until…

Here is the interesting thing though…if you make a commitment to do what is required to be successful, you will eventually become addicted to the success and then the pain of doing what is required will actually become something you thrive on. I think it takes 90 days to make this happen. At 90 days, it has been my experience that is the point when you go from feeling good that you accomplished it to the point that you feel like crap if you don’t. That is the key and that is when you know you have changed that area of your life. It’s at that point when if you don’t do it, it would be like not brushing your teeth or taking a shower…that just would not happen. At least I hope!!!!

When you see other people that have what you want…it is not that they are more gifted…it is that they are more disciplined and accountable to doing those things required to be successful. So, here is what we all need to do…if there is something we need to get done, even if it does not require a deadline, SET ONE!!!!!! You will be amazed at how much you can accomplish in a short amount of time if that is all the time you have. Remember, work/life expands to meet the time allotted. We all have the same 24 hours in a day.

JUST DO IT!!!!!!!

Have a Powerful week!!!!

Thoughts on Leadership | Leaders Know How to Attract Attention

By Gino Blefari | September 1st, 2011 0 Comments

To accomplish anything in life as a leader, you’re likely going to need help from other people. Regardless of how talented or accomplished you are, you can’t always assume that you can count on attracting and retaining the attention of others. It will be more and more challenging and rewarding to hold onto the attention of those who matter to you.

Attention provides leverage. The more people leaders can attract and motivate to join them on a challenging quest or initiative, the more impact they are likely to achieve. So, what are effective ways to attract and retain the kind of attention that helps leaders to address the challenges they face? Here are four steps that build on each other.

1. Embrace mystery - Frame the more difficult problems that are relevant to you and need to be solved. Help people to understand why these are such significant problems and why so many people have been unsuccessful in trying to solve them. It probably will not attract the people looking for easy answers, but it can attract those who are naturally curious and looking for stimulating challenges.

2. Focus inquiry – Don’t try to suggest answers. Frame interesting questions instead. Help people gain perspective by posing questions that intrigue and motivate them to start investigating the mysteries that lie ahead.

3. Excite the imagination – Provide some “what if?” scenarios to illustrate the possibilities that await those who manage to come up with creative answers. Paint the pictures but make it clear these are only pictures. Stimulate people to pursue the questions with a lot of energy and creativity.

4. Be authentic – If you are not genuinely engaged in addressing these problems yourself, you will not be able to sustain the attention and effort of others to come up with creative solutions. On the other hand, if you are on a quest yourself, leading by example, you could have a contagious effect and the encounters you have can help both sides to learn from each other.

Do these techniques actually work? Well, think of how Martin Luther King excited and mobilized a broad group of people to tackle some very challenging social problems. On a completely different level, one leading tech company in Silicon Valley regularly attracts the attention of the venture capital community by sharing its most difficult technology problems and suggesting that they would buy the start-ups that come up with creative solutions to these problems. Or look at the way professional astronomers have mobilized a global network of passionately engaged amateurs to learn more about the vast universe beyond this planet.

This kind of attention is priceless and powerful. All leaders need to find ways to generate it and harness it. This is not just an opportunity, but increasingly an unavoidable obligation. Leaders are all experiencing increasing economic pressure as individuals and institutions. In this kind of environment, leaders not only need leverage, but also need to more rapidly improve their performance.

Leaders get better faster by working with others. To do this, they first need to attract their attention. If they fail to attract that attention, they will not get better faster in an increasingly competitive global economy, and they could be overlooked. That is why attention is becoming more valuable at the same time that it is becoming rare.

Wednesday Wellness | Practice Perfect Technique.

By Tammy Parkinson | August 31st, 2011 0 Comments

Bonnie Kathleen Blair (born March 18, 1964 in Cornwall, New York) is a retired American speed skater. She is one of the top skaters of her time, and one of the most decorated athletes in Olympic history. Blair competed for the United States in four Olympics, and in her Olympic career won five gold medals and one bronze medal.

Once interviewed, she indicated she never trained for power or speed, but technique. If she perfected her technique, then when race day came, she always knew she would skate her best.

In our daily habits, are we perfecting our technique, or are we always hoping to win the race, by being faster and stronger at any cost?

I’ve learned that when we push hard to “win” we usually compromise safety and often can injure ourselves at a devastating cost.

If we can tighten up our finesse, our technique by how we train, such as running in better alignment with our body, or slowing down our yoga practice to stretch our muscles safely instead of “pushing” the pose, or even fine tuning our “practice” of how we order our meals at restaurants, then we will get into such a rhythm of technique that when “race day” comes, everything else will fall into line safely and efficiently.

Since I learned this “mantra” of Bonnie Blair, I have given great thought to how I train when I water ski, cycle, workout with my trainer and when I practice yoga. It was a powerful statement for me to train a different way…in all areas of my life. I hope this can offer you some insight to your daily habits as well and as some say… “slow down to speed up”!

Monday Mojo| Amy’s Inspiration

By Tom Tognoli | August 29th, 2011 0 Comments

It’s been 5 years since my cousin Amy passed away from breast cancer at the age of 41. In the final year of her life she received Monday Morning MOJO every week and loved it. We shared thoughts back and forth via e-mail many times after I would send it. This is the MOJO I wrote after she passed away on my flight back home from her memorial service. I have made a commitment to send this out as a Monday Morning MOJO every year at this time as a tribute to Amy and her life. I think there are great thoughts in this MOJO that one can never hear too often.

I walked into my home on Saturday night from one of the most emotionally draining experiences of my life.

Attending and presenting a reading at the funeral of my 41 year-old cousin, Amy.

Amy was beautiful, healthy and living the American dream. She had a storybook marriage and two beautiful daughters (12 and 14) when tragedy struck sixteen months ago.

In the words of her daughter, “It was a clear blue spring day -well, at least it was outside, because inside it was raining. We felt sadness and disbelief from the bad news. Not just regular bad news – but the kind where your life seems to fall apart in just two simple minutes. We listened closely to mother as she whispered, ‘Its cancer,’ and immediately feelings of shock, anger, and fear rushed through us all.”

Under her tears her daughter said faintly “Just never lose faith. Nobody knows what it’s like until it happens to them. And when it’s YOUR Mom how you view the world begins to change. You look at the mountains and now see their magnificence, just as seeing my Mom smile became everything to me. I started to appreciate life so much more. During those final months we would spend time gazing at the night sky, and I treasure everyday what she would say, ‘I love you more than all of the stars in the sky.’ Looking back at how it used to be, and how it would have been, and how it’s going to be without her by my side – truly it will never be the same.”

Her words I repeated over and over in my mind. It felt as though someone had shook me – forcing my eyes open to see the world for what it really it was. Forcing me to take a hard look at the ultimate truth, the truth that has the power to wake us up and make us live before it’s too late.

“Amy is gone,” the truth told me quietly, “and someday you will be, and so will all the people you love – it’s just a matter of time.”

So I ask you – are you doing what you want to do right now with your life, or are you putting off living your hopes and dreams because you think there will always be a tomorrow? If my cousin were here she’d tell you differently, she’d say “there will come a time when tomorrow doesn’t come, and you are wasting your time if you are not loving and laughing and enjoying your days now, while you can.”

This leaves us with a choice – we can delete this message because we find it too depressing, or we can let this message be a force that pushes us over the tipping point into the life we dream of. That is most often what it takes, something so strong it carries us past our fears and doubts and the terrors that come when we think about finally doing the things we’ve been dreaming about for so long.

Let Amy be your inspiration this morning. And realize she had a great life, doing the things she loved, with the people she loved – and she would want you to do the same.

I’ve heard it all; it’s just not possible, I’ve got obligations, responsibilities, and don’t forget the economy, and of course the- I can’t just DO what I want – I’ve got a job, bills, yada yada yada…

All those excuses mean nothing when your time comes, and who knows when that might be. All I know is the days are passing quickly and now is the time to do what YOU KNOW you need to do. Don’t put if off, or you may just be too late.

We will miss you Amy.

Wednesday Wellness: The Mentally Tough Shall Prevail…

By Tammy Parkinson | August 24th, 2011 0 Comments

What differentiates someone who succeeds in life versus one who doesn’t? Luck? Genes? Money? Well, maybe for some, but I believe that those who are the “toughest” are the ones who ultimately succeed.

Now, when I say tough, I’m not referring to physical strength. Rather, I’m talking about mental toughness, or mental fortitude. Fortitude is defined by Webster’s Dictionary as “Calm Courage”, and it takes a great deal of “calm courage” to succeed–whether it is on the physical playing field, or the playing field of life.

There are some people who are innately strong–both physically and mentally. Take the Tarahumara Tribe of Indians, who are known to run for days on end, in the grueling heat, traversing treacherous landscapes as a way of life, and as a way to have “fun.” Can you hear me laughing out loud? Yup. This is indeed fun for them, and they live their lives to run and run to live. In fact, Christopher Mc Dougall wrote a book about this band of people called, “Born to Run.”

But what about the rest of us, the mere mortals who find running two miles, or even two blocks, a daunting task? What makes us different than the Tarahumara?

Well, it turns out that the only thing that separates us is our mental fortitude. Indeed, these calm people run because they are not just physically strong, but they are MENTALLY strong. And we can all glean a HUGE lesson from this.

We all face challenges in life–some of us want to lose weight; some want to run our first marathon, 10K, 5K or simply walk a mile; some want to gain upper body strength; and some want to come back from injuries–ranging from near-crippling to something perhaps more simple like a sprained ankle. Whatever your particular challenge may be, in order to overcome it will require not just strength of body, but strength of mind.

Why is this so?

For me, I spent nearly 10 years racing endurance events ranging from mere marathons to Ironman distance triathlons–a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run, or a marathon. And yes, they were all in one day. And yes, they all followed each other sequentially. And yes, we “raced” to finish–we competed not simply completed. And how did we do it? We persevered.

From these years, I learned that I have far more fortitude than I ever thought I had. There were many times when I “beat” men and women who were stronger than me physically, but not stronger mentally–I never, ever gave up or give up. And I have carried this very important lesson into other areas of my life, so that when I tore my Achilles and chose not to run for a year (after much agony), and even when I’ve faced financial adversity, or break-ups or the loss of loved ones, I’ve KNOWN that I have enough “strength” to get through anything, because I will not give up. I have that calm courage.

The truth is, we all have that calm courage. Sometimes, we just don’t realize that we have it and that we can use it ANYTIME we want.

How do we persevere? Just like how we finish a marathon–by putting one foot in front of the other. Over and over and over again….You can do IT, whatever IT is. Simply call upon that calm courage and persevere. And I guarantee you, you will succeed.

Written by Stacia Carney
CPT Body Firm Los Gatos, CA

Thoughts on Leadership: Leaders Continue to Give Back

By Gino Blefari | March 31st, 2011 0 Comments

Today business is about more than just making products or money. It’s about making a difference. Leaders all around the U.S. who serve our communities have been recognized as givers and encourage individuals of all financial means and backgrounds to give back. We are continuously inspired by the example set by these leaders who give generously to make the world a better place.

Bill Gates, who is one of the world’s most admired technologist and philanthropist, asked local leaders a few weeks back to consider this very concept and follow his latest pursuit of giving back.

At this private reception, Gates and Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith asked more than 100 local business leaders, mostly from the tech industry, to use their businesses as a way to donate to their community and positively impact others but to also improve their personal and professional career as well.

This has been the mission of Intero from day one; to parlay the profits we earn from our core services of helping people buy and sell homes as well as providing mortgages and insurance to fuel a culture and create an atmosphere that inspires our people to continuously grow personally and professionally.

A center point of our philosophy is the Intero Foundation that subscribes to the universal law that you “must give in order to receive.” For us, that also translates to contributing to the local communities where we live and do business.

One of our core values is commitment, and we therefore take great pride in belonging to a company in which everyone is encouraged to donate to the Intero Foundation. We earn our living by serving our community and this gives us an opportunity to give back to them.

As a company and as individuals participating in the Intero Foundation, we believe in the importance of giving back to our communities. It also serves as a foundation of leadership. As Winston Churchill explains, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Helping others reach for a new day rejuvenates us in many ways.

As we give without expecting to receive – be amazed how the universe will reward your generosity.

Monday MOJO: Who are you becoming?

By Tom Tognoli | February 7th, 2011 0 Comments

Good Morning MOJO,

Why does life throw challenges and crisis at us? Because that is the only way we will change. It is the only way we will rid ourselves of evil, bad habits, greed, ego and the wrong priorities. It’s human nature wanting to stay the course, not to rock the boat, and usually the only way we will change is if we are forced into it by some outside influence, i.e. financial crisis, death, illness, catastrophe. We have to look at these kinds of challenges as an opportunity to reprioritize what is important.

Too often people become consumed by what has been taken away and not focused on being thankful for what we have and the opportunities of tomorrow. Step back for a moment, the reason things get taken away, the reason life throws us challenges and crisis is because it is the only way we will wake up and quit overlooking those things which are really most important in life…our F-5 – Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finance. Challenge and crisis gets thrown at us because it is the only thing that will slap us in the face hard enough to get our attention. Think back in your life to a time of crisis, yes you may have lost something or someone, there may have been a scare in your life of some kind, but with that a door opened. A new person appeared when you looked in the mirror, usually a better person, a more thankful person, a more humble person, a more caring person, and a person with better priorities.

In every crisis and in every challenge there is an opportunity, we just have to find it. But, until we let go of the pain and anger of what we have lost, and focus on all that we have which is really most important, the agony will not stop. And, once we do focus on what we have, life will be even better than it was before. This year, make a commitment EVERYDAY to give thanks and be grateful for everything and everyone you have in your life. Quit being consumed by what you have lost, or the pain will not stop and we will not be able to move forward towards accomplishing greatness. If we can do this, not only will the pain stop, but life will be better and we will be more at peace than ever before.

Remember, life is about who we become and how we grow when faced with challenge, with crisis, with pain. It is what life is all about. It is when we grow. It is why we are here. Who are you becoming?

Thoughts on Leadership: Consistency Anchors a Leader in a Strong Position

By Gino Blefari | January 13th, 2011 0 Comments

In the middle of January, many of us experience post-holiday winter blues that can prevent us from getting work done. The excitement of the holidays is over and many of us face bills that have piled up, dreary weather and shortened days with little time out in the sunlight. We find ourselves off course and unable to make consistently positive leadership choices.

Exercising consistency in your leadership style means you are following a routine no matter how boring it may appear. Being a consistent leader right now at the beginning of the year means:

A level playing field.
What is important today is also important tomorrow.
You don’t chase the latest trend or project.
Your bad mood doesn’t cause you to act radically different.
People know what to expect from you.
You’re committed to being more productive.
Start each day at zero.

Just last night I returned from the Mike Ferry One-on-One Retreat in San Diego where Mike presents distinct ideas for becoming more productive. Each day there was a specific theme that showed a parallel between being a great Realtor and a great leader. Both have the same concepts and require you to be consistent in your commitment to becoming the best.

For example on day one, Mike presented the following set of questions regarding commitment and asked us to rate ourselves on a scale of 1-10:

How committed am I to becoming a more productive and profitable agent?
How committed am I to becoming a better salesperson?
How committed am I to developing the disciplines necessary?
Am I willing to do whatever it takes to win in 2011 to have my best year ever?

Four great questions; of course everyone answers yes when asked if they want to be more productive, more profitable and a better salesperson until they realize what it actually takes to achieve that goal. And that’s where the dilemma is, everyone wants to be more productive, more profitable and a better salesperson but very few, as Mike points out, are willing to do whatever it takes.

The bottom line, as Mike Ferry explains, either you are going to do what it takes to be committed to become the best or you are simply not willing to become the best.

One could argue that different types of organizations need different types of leaders to become the best and that these leaders both influence and are born of the company culture. Regardless of the style or type of leader, they must be consistent.

Consistent behavior is the trademark of a great leader. Consistency is important in our daily actions and reactions, whether personal or professional. As leaders, it’s important to manage all aspects of our behavior.

Consistency begins with an alignment of our beliefs, thoughts, words and actions. When these are integrated, it’s much easier for us to be consistent in our behavior. When we live by our values and constantly pull from our inner resolve, courage and integrity, it’s easy for us to manifest our actions in a clear and consistent manner. As a leader, even when dealing with the most difficult of challenges, it’s important to maintain consistent behavior – not only for our own self-control, but more importantly, for the benefit of others. This not only simplifies our lives, but also can decrease our stress levels.

Our effectiveness as leaders is directly tied to the level of trust we cultivate with others. When we exhibit consistent behavior, actions and words, we create a safe environment. We become predictable, not boring. A feeling of safety or security is one of the highest of human needs, and anything we can do as leaders to create that type of environment will be welcomed.

In what ways do you demonstrate consistent behavior? Are there any areas where you might exercise more consistency, not only to strengthen your purpose as a leader, but also to provide a safe environment in which others can thrive?

You might take this opportunity to ask close colleagues or family members for input about their observations. Even a small improvement in this particular quality of leadership can dramatically change and improve your interactions with others.

Consistent, dependable leadership choices provide a solid foundation for your people – enabling them to weather storms and operate at their peak performance. You don’t have to be perfect, and you’re allowed to have bad days. What you cannot do is permit outside conditions to fundamentally change you – causing you to shift whichever way the wind blows. Be the anchor that your organizational ship requires.

Monday Mojo: The Answer to the Bazillion Dollar Questions is….

By Tom Tognoli | November 15th, 2010 0 Comments

Everyone threw in $50 and the winner will get over $1,000, second place about $600 and third place will get about $400.

We are a little over half way through a 3 month Biggest Loser Contest with a group of about 50 people at Intero. Everyone started out awesome and we lost over 300 pounds in the first few weeks as a group, but then it happened, the nastiest, most insidious disease in the world hit many people in the group – complacency. As the novelty wore off and complacency started to creep in, the pounds stopped coming off as quickly. Then in some cases the pounds started to creep back on. Many, just threw in the towel and stopped doing their weekly weigh-ins and called it quits. Why couldn’t they stick with it? Why could they do it for a few weeks, but not for a few months or better yet a lifetime? That is the biggest question in life. That is the bazillion dollar question. WHY??

We are an instant gratification society and unfortunately if we don’t get what we want quickly most of us do not have the discipline to do what is necessary for the long haul. That is why the top 2 to 5 percent at almost anything in life end up with the majority of the results/prize. They are the ones who understand the power of the slight edge. They are the ones who have the discipline to fight off complacency.

Unfortunately almost anything worthwhile in life does not happen instantly. It is the ability to stick the course for the long term, long after most others around you have called it quits and thrown in the towel. This action creates the massive breakthroughs/results.

Now there are a several people who have inspired us all in The Biggest Loser by kicking the crap out of complacency and have kept up their commitment and hard work. A couple of those great examples are Kelli Dixon who has lost over 12% of her body weight in about 8 weeks and looks amazing. Then there is Tom Hasco who has lost over 14% of his body weight. He says we have saved his life. I can tell they both feel awesome. They actually have a glow about them I have never seen before. It is INSPIRING! Kelli and Tom along with several others have answered the bazillion dollar question – they are not only the ones who are experiencing the results, but they are the ones who are going to win the prize.

The most important thing you can do to be a winner and fight off complacency with anything in life is to make sure you are spending the majority of your time with other winners and people who are incredibly discipline and positive. Spend the majority of your time with people who have what you want because we are going to be like the people we spend the majority of our time with.

Remember the key to success at anything in life is not how you start, but it is how you finish.

Check out The Slight Edge.

Wednesday Wellness: All or Nothing…

By Tammy Parkinson | September 1st, 2010 0 Comments

The other day I was going to my workout and was caught in some heavy traffic. Hesitant to make it to my appointment late, I considered not going at all and saving myself the face to face embarrassment of being 20 minutes late. I ran through all the excuses in my head of why calling and canceling my appointment with my trainer would serve me, as well as my trainer, best. I mean, why bother going late, if I could only train 40 minutes instead of 60? Isn’t that a waste?

I think the real reason I tried to talk myself out of it was that I didn’t want my trainer to be disappointed in me. Talking myself down from the ledge, I knew that he wouldn’t. In fact, he’d be MORE impressed that through a challenging day, I still showed up. So…I DID. I relished the 40 minutes I had and felt fantastic afterwards and (after the first 2 minutes), didn’t miss a beat!

Now, do I wish I would have been able to make the full hour? Of course! But, in life, we often run into so many obstacles which throws us off our schedule, that if we always gave in to the “all or nothing” mantra most of us would do “nothing.” In fact many of us do just that…Nothing!

I can think of multiple situations where either I or a client of mine was running late. Quite honestly, if a client of mine runs late, I’m ok with it; as long as he or she is also ok with it and it doesn’t make me late for someone else! I’m always happy when someone “shows up.” That shows commitment.

In my perfect world, I would wake up, energized and full of zest and arrive early for every appointment. I have and I try and do just that! However, as much as I try, sometimes “life” gets in the way and when it does, I reconnected and think how important it is to do what I can and simply show up, even though I wasn’t on time. When I have done this I’m always glad I did!

Posts Tagged ‘commitment’

Monday Morning Mojo: I am so busy you can count on me to get it done

Thoughts on Leadership | Leaders Know How to Attract Attention

Wednesday Wellness | Practice Perfect Technique.

Monday Mojo| Amy’s Inspiration

Wednesday Wellness: The Mentally Tough Shall Prevail…

Thoughts on Leadership: Leaders Continue to Give Back

Monday MOJO: Who are you becoming?

Thoughts on Leadership: Consistency Anchors a Leader in a Strong Position

Monday Mojo: The Answer to the Bazillion Dollar Questions is….

Wednesday Wellness: All or Nothing…

Gino on success

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