Think Huge by Mark Arnold

Seize Your Opportunities

This past Sunday my family took me to the Dallas Mavericks basketball game for my birthday celebration. As an original Mavericks ball boy, I’m an avid fan. That night the Mavericks were playing one of their heated rivalries, the San Antonio Spurs.

It was an amazing game—the Mavs won by one point in overtime. During the course of the game, Dallas led by as many as 18 points. So Gregg Popovich, the San Antonio coach, pulled his starters and inserted his bench players. What happened next? San Antonio came storming back, tied the game, took the lead and almost won the game in overtime.

What struck me during the second half (besides a bit of heartburn from the nachos) was that San Antonio’s bench players used the most of their opportunity to play. They not only saw an opportunity, they seized it. Are you seizing the opportunities you have professionally and personally? Here are some examples of opportunities you can seize:

• Professional—You can read as much as possible about your field or profession. You can learn a new skill. You can take an online course to improve your education. You can volunteer to help on a project. You can teach your co-workers something you know. Becoming proactive on the job demonstrates that you are seizing opportunities.

 

• Personal—You can spend more time with your kids. You can go on a date with your spouse. You can help around the house. You can do an outside activity with the family. You can save money and go on a special vacation. You can actively listen and engage in conversations. Becoming proactive at home demonstrates you are seizing opportunities.

Opportunities don’t just “happen.” In many cases, you have to seize them yourself.

Think Huge!

Do a Think Huge Adventure in 2012

(Note: Above picture was taken several years ago on a white water rafting trip our family took; our girls have since grown to teenagers!)

Most of us have started the New Year with either resolutions or goals. Hopefully you are still on track in January to make those potential accomplishments a reality by the end of December (that sounds like a long way off but it will be here before you know it).

In reviewing your 2012 goals, do any of them include some type of adventure? They should.

Thinking huge means “going many steps beyond where you are today and pushing past your comfort zone.” If you apply the thinking huge definition to your 2012 goals, that means doing something out of the ordinary. Doing something adventuresome. For example, for my beautiful wife’s birthday this past week we went zip lining as a family. My wife had never done it. After completing the full zip line course and sailing through the air hundreds of feet above ground she said, “It was such a sense of accomplishment.”

Thinking huge means having adventures—now. Don’t wait. Take your kids with you—or don’t if leaving them behind means you’ll have more fun!

The next 12 months offer an ideal time to do something different. Do something bold. Do something you’ve never done. Do something that pushes you. Do something on your “bucket list.” Just do something! The one thing you should never live with is regrets.

Here are some things you can do in 2012 that are adventuresome:

• Go zip lining—Like we did, it’s a fun and fast way to sail through the air. Plus, it helps you get over your fear of heights. Screaming is optional.
• Go hiking—Get outdoors and enjoy nature. You take an overnight excursion, hike the Grand Canyon or simply find a local trail or two. The inspiration for Think Huge came on my hike up and down Mt. Whitney (highest peak in continental United States).
• Run a 5K, 10K, half marathon or marathon—While you don’t have to race, enter an event that will force you to train. There is a real sense of accomplishment when you cross a finish line.
• Do something on the water—Kayak, canoe or inter-tube down a river. Personally, I hate water sports. But you may love them. If so, get out and get wet.
• Take a vacation to a new spot—Have you been going to the same vacation destinations every year? Maybe 2012 is the year you can go somewhere new. There is something magical in first time experiences, including first time vacations.
• Travel—The current economy is hard on most family travel budgets.  However, seeing a new part of the country or world is a true adventure. Expand your horizons by traveling.
• Fill in the blank—I left this one blank because your interests are different than mine. But find something that will push you beyond your comfort zone. Something that once you’ve completed it you can say, “I never thought I’d do that.”

So as we make our 2012 tasks list, let’s make sure it includes an adventure.

Think Huge!

Welcoming the New Year with Glad Hearts and Enjoyable Moments

Note: The following post was written by Taylor Wells, Communications Director for On The Mark Strategies.

“Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”
- Benjamin Franklin (writer, inventor, Founding Father)

Although the phrasing may be a bit shop-worn, it really is hard to believe yet another year has passed. These celestial chunks of time we’ve adopted to help mark the passing of the ages seem a lot more manageable in smaller pieces. Seconds, minutes, hours, even days are all chewable. It’s the years that seem to stick in our collective gullets, swallowed only with healthy doses of nostalgia, relief, trepidation and maybe even a few more bars of Auld Lang Syne.

While there are a million authors out there sharing a million well-intentioned stories this time of year, this one couldn’t help but add a few thoughts of his own. Call them an elegiac for time passed. Think of them as panacea, balm for the soul at the end of the annual race. To me, they came in the early morning hours of the last day of the old year, as a torch of promise was passed from 2011 to 2012. Instead of stumbling about for an appropriately effete title, I’ll pass them along as simply as they visited me: Things In Life To Enjoy (in no particular order; sprinkle liberally with your own heart’s calling).

A Good Book

Hardback, paperback, e-book. Whatever format best suits your tastes, dive daily into the rich and varied offerings of the printed word. Whether you’re a history fan, a thriller buff, an arts aficionado or all of the above, embrace reading, learning and enrichment beyond your current boundaries. From the Library of Alexandria to the Library of Congress to your corner used bookstore, books may contain knowledge, but set us free upon cracking their covers.

Music

Make time to enjoy music! Man has raised his voice (and later, instruments) for millennia in praise, excitement, fear and exultation of all manner. An eclectic taste is helpful here, so revel in the joy of notes and voice in the formats that speak best to your heart. Musical spokesman for all things eternal and human, Beethoven, remarked: “Music is the one incorporeal entrance into the higher world of knowledge, which comprehends mankind but which mankind cannot comprehend.”

Childrens’ Laughter

Music in itself, the laughter of children passes a humbling and promising song to adult ears. We seem at once to connect to long-lost parts of ourselves and to the hope of tomorrow. The pure and undiluted pitch of laughter shared by children is as sweet and moving as any symphony. Whether it comes from your own children, grandchildren or is carried lightly in the air while passing a park or playground, inhale deeply this elixir of youth, potential and innocence.

 

 

Coffee

It’s on my desk right now. Odds are if you’re reading this at work (especially in the morning hours) you have a mug on yours, too. There’s something calming, bracing and ritualistic about our love affair with coffee, that some say has its roots in Colonial America and a rejection of all things royal (tea, for example). Add cream, milk, sugar or drink as nature intended (black!).

Hints of Seasons

In Texas, summer falls like a cruel and unrelenting hammer. Winter, even in our northern-most reaches, is usually a mere weeks-long flirtation with chill. Maybe that’s why the approach of mid-seasons (spring and autumn) holds such a dear spot in many Lone Star State hearts. As winter recedes, longer days, open windows and the crack of baseball bats engross the collective psyche. In a similar vein, the gentle approach of autumn, with its northerly winds, crisp air and (you guessed it!) football assure us that the seasons are proceeding as they should.

Whatever moves you, whatever quickens your pulse, pace or productivity, make time to enjoy it in this New Year. In twelve months we’ll all be a year older (and hopefully wiser) with nothing more dearly added to our makeup than these moments.

The team at Think Huge wishes you the very best for a blessed, prosperous and fulfilling New Year. Now it’s time to cap off the festive run that began on New York City’s streets Thanksgiving morning with that other beloved bookend of the holiday rite: 21 straight hours of The Twilight Zone!

“If in any quest for magic, in any search for sorcery, witchery, legerdemain, first check the human spirit.”
- Rod Serling (writer, narrator, novelist)

Recharge Your Batteries

The year 2011 is almost in the books. It is hard to believe but at the time of this writing there are only 10 days left in the year. Many of us are already winding down and may even be on vacation. Some are already traveling to grandma’s house. No matter what is left on your 2011 “To Do” list I would suggest adding one more item: recharge your batteries.

As I’m writing this post, I’m fighting a cold. I’ve probably been running so much this year (starting a new business, trying to be a good husband/father with an increased travel load), that my health finally caught up with me. I was guilty of not recharging my batteries throughout the year.

Maybe the bears have it right. They hibernate during the winter. While we probably can’t totally shut down everything, it would help us to put our personal and professional lives in dry dock for a few days.

The next 10 days offer an ideal time to slow down. Whether you have to work or have the luxury of taking a few days off, I encourage you to slow down life’s pace.

Here are some things you can do in the next 10 days to recharge your batteries:

• Sleep late (and longer)—We are not getting enough sleep. Earlier this year, I blogged that “Sleep is a Weapon.” The principles in that post are never more true than the end of December. Extra sleep could even take the form of a nap (when was the last time you took a nap—and listening to a webinar while at work doesn’t count!).
  
  
• Play games with your kids—If you have kids, they need you. They need your time. Spending time with them communicates love. My proverbial work “to do” list always gets in the way of spending time with my girls. I need to turn off the computer, close the office door and go hang with my kids.
  
  
• Read a book—How many books did you read this past year (no, I’m not talking books about vampires or spies). How many business or self-improvement books did you read? As you wrap up 2011 I would encourage you to spend some of the upcoming extra time you might have curling up with a good read.
  
  
• Slow down work pace—The reality is many of us are still at work. We don’t have any vacation time away from the office. If that is the case, then maybe you can at least slow down the office pace just a bit. Have a little longer conversation with your co-workers. Spend some extra time goal setting for 2012. But no matter what you do, don’t rush.

So as we wind down, let’s recharge.

Think Huge!

Start Thinking of 2012 Goals Now

December. A month to celebrate, shop and spend time with family. We may slow down at work and speed up at home (to get all the shopping done). But whether you tap the brakes or hit the gas pedal in December, we typically aren’t thinking about the upcoming year. We’ll let the New Year’s Resolutions begin in January.

But now is the perfect time to begin thinking of your 2012 goals. You may want to review what you fell short on this year (personally and professionally). You may also want to think about some of the lifelong ambitions you have put to the side lately.

If we wait until January to start planning our goals we waste precious time. Giving proper thought to what we want to accomplish in our work and personal lives requires true thinking time. You don’t want to rush through your goal setting process and just jot down some random ideas. Instead, you should take your time. So take this month for that goal setting time.

Setting your 2012 goals in December means that when January 1 rolls around you are ready to go. For example, instead of thinking about your exercise goals, you can start working on them immediately. Instead of thinking about what you want to achieve professionally, you can start down that path right away.

December is indeed a great month to reflect on the previous year: what we achieved, how we changed, what we missed. But it’s also the perfect month to set the stage for 2012 by setting our goals now.

Think Huge!

What Happened To Thanksgiving?

 
 
 

Note: This post is written by daughter, Elizabeth.This is actually a repost of what she wrote this time last year. It was so good I thought I would run it again (yes, I'm biased). This is the same daughter that will be going to Baylor next year (majoring in Journalism with a PR specialization: same as her father).

Yesterday our family enjoyed a peaceful Sunday at home, which at this time of year naturally involved watching a little football.  Actually, to be honest, for me “watching a little football” usually translates into doing homework during the game and only looking up for the commercials (sorry Daddy!). 

As I viewed the commercials yesterday, I was astonished to find the number that already sported festive color schemes, familiar Christmas jingles (already stuck in my head), and “limited time only” holiday bargains.  It feels like just last week we were bombarded by bags of candy and spooky costumes for Halloween.

So this bears an interesting, and, in my humble teenage opinion, quite disturbing, question: where did Thanksgiving go? 

It happens every year, and each year escalates to another level.  Our consumer driven society spends countless dollars disguising their homes and children into haunting creatures in October, and then one short week later begins singing Jingle Bells and preparing to deck the halls with eight little reindeer. Even though Christmas is almost two months away.  All the while people forget perhaps the most important holiday, which just happens to fall in between Halloween and Christmas: Thanksgiving.

If we forget to celebrate Thanksgiving and simply move right from eerie costumes to wrapped packages, we forget to remember the truly valuable things in life.  We forget to invest ourselves in the people around us, who, when all the gifts are unwrapped and turkey eaten, will be the only ones still around tomorrow to make life worth living.

Though I may only be sixteen and even naïve in some people’s eyes, I have been taught to Think Huge by thankfully savoring every moment of life and, most importantly, the people in it.  So here is my bit of advice:   

This Thanksgiving, try something new.  And, no, I don’t mean a new green bean casserole recipe.  Think Huge and really take the time to invest in all the people at your Thanksgiving table.  Honestly ask them how they’re doing and actually listen to the answer.  Maybe go around and share something you’re thankful for or a goal for the upcoming year.  Whatever you do, savor the day and the people in it before planning where to go shopping on Black Friday.   Think Huge by giving back to the people around you and let them know how much you are thankful for them.

And to my wonderful family, I love you so much and am so thankful for you! 

Think Huge!

A Gratitude Tradition

Last year one of my wife’s co-workers started a “gratitude tradition” at their school (my wife is a first grade teacher). She simply sent an e-mail to the teachers asking them to list three things for which they are grateful. While totally voluntary, the response was heart-warming. It helped personalize the school staff and build morale.

Each person who participated gave three things they are grateful for. Pretty simple. So this year during the Thanksgiving season they are doing it again.

Here is what my wife wrote for the three things she’s grateful for:

1. Two teenage girls who still call me "Mommy," give me fashion and hair advice, and somehow still really want to hang out with me.
2.  My boyfriend...who just happens to be my husband of 23 years.
3.  My team…who I can pray with, confide in, get advice from, laugh hysterically with, and share a common goal to do what is best for first graders.

You can easily implement a gratitude tradition professionally and personally. At your place of business, encourage your co-workers to e-mail three things they are grateful for this year. Before carving the turkey on  Thanksgiving dinner have each person go around and share three things for which they are thankful.

Cheesy—yes. Corny—yes. Unbelievably wonderful—absolutely yes! Don’t be too cool not to show those around you that you are a real person and that there are many things to be thankful for this year.

By the way, here are the three things I’m grateful for:

1. My loving and beautiful wife—who truly makes me a better person.
2. My teenage daughters—who always put a smile on their proud father’s face.
3. My clients—who have helped me launch a successful speaking and consulting business.

What about you? What three things are you grateful  for?

Think Huge!

Giving 100 Percent All The Time

Do you always give 100% to your family and to your career? If we are honest with ourselves, the answer is probably “no.” While the phrase “giving 100% effort” is a cliché, it’s something we should strive for every day. But the reality is we settle for less than 100% professionally and personally. After all, 90% is an “A.” So what’s the big deal if we just give less than 100%?

If 99.99% were good enough:

• 12 newborns would be given to the wrong parents daily
• 880,000 credit cards would have incorrect cardholder information
• 18,000 pieces of mail would be mishandled every hour
• 2 million documents will be lost by the IRS this year

Giving 100% personally is part of thinking huge. Give your best to your spouse, children and significant others. I don’t know about you, but too many times I give so much to my business that by the time I get home I have far less than 100% in the tank to give my wife and kids. They deserve my best. They deserve my 100%. Make sure you are listening, engaging and helping your family.

Giving 100% professionally is part of thinking huge. Give your best to your boss, your clients and your co-workers. Too many times we can let external matters affect our job performance. If we have a fight with the spouse before work we are in a bad mood all day and we don’t do as good of a job as we should. We don’t give our 100%. Work deserves my best. It deserves my 100%. Make sure you are completing your assignments, listening to your boss and helping your co-workers.

Your family and your career both need your 100%. And that is where it gets tough: giving 100% to each. If we split ourselves, then we give 50% to each. That would be an “F.” Instead we should give 100% to each while we are there. When we’re at home, be at home. When we’re at work, be at work. But don’t just “be” at those places. Give your all. Give your 100% to both work and home.

Think Huge!

Make the Last Two Months Count

It’s hard to believe we’re in November. Where did the year go? As Fall continues to roll along, many are enjoying one of their favorite seasons. Fall festivals, changing leaves, cooler temperatures, the first snow (hard to believe!), and Thanksgiving mark our calendars.

As November starts, we may already be thinking about the holidays and even planning for next year. From a business perspective, I’m already working on many 2012 plans. Personally, my mind is a bit filled with the thoughts of what 2012 will hold for our family as our oldest daughter embarks to college.

But the reality is we still have two months left in 2011! There are several things I can and still need to accomplish this year. The reality is November and December offer the perfect time to accomplish some key tasks.

Professionally, the last two months are ideal to complete unfinished business. If you’re like me, there are a few goals with your business you may not have reached yet. Instead of putting them off to next year, how about doubling our efforts and get them done now? For example, there were a few business books I wanted to read but didn’t get to; now is the ideal time to finish. I also was a little inconsistent on sending personal cards to people. I can play catch-up the next few months and make sure I write the right people.

Personally, the last two months are also ideal to focus on the home front. With the holidays, you typically get more time with family. Take advantage of those vacation days and plan special events for your family. Don’t dread the holidays—embrace them. For example, I travel a lot but by the end of the year the travel slows. So it presents the perfect time to slow down and catch up with my wife and girls. We were also a little lax as a family with our “think huge” projects. So we can play catch up in November and December to make sure we get them done.

Don’t tap the breaks on 2011. Remember the words and motto of Lance Armstrong: “finish strong.” While it’s never too early to start planning for next year (after all, one of the “Think Huge” principles is “think vision”), let’s live in the present.

Think Huge!

Taking Enrichment Days

Last week my wife and I went to the Texas State Fair. On a Friday. Yes, we both played hookey. Or as my wife noted, we “took a marriage enrichment day.” It was wonderful. We both have incredibly busy professional lives not to mention the juggles on the home front we have with two teenage daughters. We don’t always take the time we should to focus on our relationship.

So we ate a ton of fried food (final count: two corny dogs, one funnel cake, one order of fried guacamole, one homemade lemonade, several pieces of free toffee, and a few free “burger bites). We also had a total and complete blast just being best friends.

When was the last time you took an “enrichment” day? At least every six months or so you should pause personally and professionally to focus on the important people around you.

Here are some personal and professional examples you can do:

Personal

• Take a week day off to spend with your spouse or significant other. Burn one of those precious vacation or PTO days just to play with each other.
• Go camping with your kids. There is something magical about being in the outdoors that brings families together.
• De-plug for a whole day. That means no TV, no e-mail, no texting, no phone calls, etc. Just take a day without technology and clear your mind.
• Do a new activity with your loved ones. While we go to state fair every year, this was the first year we rode the sky tram. It was fun just to do something different.

Professional

• Take some time to brainstorm outside the office. It’s important to “get away.” Even from the office, the computer and the million things on your task list.
• If you manage people, do something unique with your staff. Take them on an extra-long lunch, do a fun activity with them, meet with them without an agenda, etc.
• Catch up on your reading. If you are not taking time to read, you are not growing.
• Engage with your co-workers outside the office. Go to happy hour, grab a cup of coffee at Starbucks, or meet for breakfast. But get to know them away from work.

My wife and I are still recovering from all the fried food we ate. However, we’re already looking forward to our next enrichment day in the Spring.

Think Huge!