Community Bankers of Iowa Monthly Banker Update September 2013 | Page 15

Most of us know by now that we should be exercising on a regular basis. Do you really know why exercise is so important? Not only does working out help shed a few pounds, but it can help you sleep better, reduce stress, and improve intellectual clarity. Physical activity allows us to feel different about ourselves. The same can be said of mental exercise. Exercising our goat promotes a healthy immune system necessary for overcoming what sometimes gets in our way and inevitably holds us back. It will tone our minds and allow us to focus our thinking on what will take us to the next level. One thing that holds us back from realizing our full potential is our own mind. Internal brain chatter replays over and over in the subconscious mind. Most of us go through life not even aware of this internal processing, which directly affects our external actions and decisions, which results in our external conditions. In The Road Less Traveled, M. Scott Peck includes a telling story about his personal ineptitude in fixing things. Anytime he attempted to make minor repairs or put something together, the result was always confusion, failure, and frustration. Then one day he saw a neighbor repairing a lawn mower. “Boy, I sure admire you,” Peck told the man. “I’ve never been able to fix anything like that.”

Unfortunately, many of us list our priorities based on where we run out of steam. When that happens, other people are planning our lives. To avoid this, focus on your strengths, the things that make best use of your skills and God-given talents. You might also focus on what brings you the highest reward. Do what you enjoy most and do best. The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor scarcity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. It is beneficial to apply the Pareto principle to your priorities by placing 80 percent of your effort on the top 20 percent of your activities. Give your attention to the areas that bear fruit. It takes discipline to practice your priorities. Don’t do the easy things first or the hard things first or urgent things first. Do first things first, the activities that give you the highest return. In that way, you keep the distractions to a minimum. Many of us, unfortunately, feel like boats at the mercy of the winds and waves. We have no ballast when the winds rage and the waves churn. Continued on page 14.

Steve Gilliland was the keynote speaker during the First General Session at the “That’s because you don’t take the time,” the neighbor anCommunity Bankers of Iowa’s 42nd swered. Management Conference & Annual Convention, held July 17-19, 2013 in After reflecting on that statement, Peck decided to test its validity. The next time he faced a mechanical challenge, he took his time Okoboji, Iowa. and focused on the problem. Much to his surprise, at age thirtyseven, he succeeded. After that, he knew he was not cursed, Thank you to everyone who Joined genetically defective, or otherwise incapacitated or impotent. If Team Main Street and attended the Anhe wanted to go to the next level of that area of his life, he could nual Convention! do it if he was willing. “You will become as small as your controlling desire, as great as your dominant aspiration.” - James Allen Many of us are simply okay with where we are without realizing what holds us back. Like plankton, we go wherever the sea current carries us. Take into account your priorities and set your own agenda for your life. Living without priorities exposes your goat to extraneous distractions that can hold you back. Removing distractions is no small matter in our culture, but it is critical because, as W. Clement Stone says, you can “keep your mind off the things you don’t want by keeping it on the things you do want.” Gilliland is one of the most in-demand and top rated speakers in North America. Gilliland is also an accomplished author. His book Enjoy The Ride™ has been on the publisher’s best seller list for five consecutive years. As a follow-up to Gilliland’s presentation, part seven of his “Hide Your Goat” series is published in this issue the “Community Banker Update.”

September 2013

.

www.cbiaonline.org

13