The Heart of Work

by Tom Hinton

When I was a college student at the University of Maryland, I was very fortunate to land a part-time job in the Washington, D.C. area with a non-profit organization that served people with disabilities. My boss was named Robert. Despite the fact that Robert had been paralyzed from wounds he suffered in the Vietnam War, he was a positive and kind person who brought an abundance of excitement and positive thinking to the workplace. Even though he was confined to a wheelchair, Robert never let his physical limitations reduce his spirits. He was always upbeat and motivating. He was a great role model for us.

Robert expected good things from his employees and, in turn, he tried to instill in us a sense of responsibility to the organization and a commitment to give our very best, one hundred percent of the time.

Robert taught me several important lessons about leadership and how to succeed in the workplace. He believed that success in the workplace boiled down to two things --building positive relationships with other employees, and distinguishing yourself as part of the team.

When Robert talked about leadership, he was fond of citing the HEART acronym. He told us if we would lead with heart, we would always be successful regardless of the kind of business we managed or our rank or title. Here it is.

“H” stands for Humility. Never forget to check your ego at the door when you show-up for work. Always share the credit with those that got you there. If you are humble and give your team the credit for a job well done, it’s amazing how many people will want to be part of your team. Another part of humility is admitting you don’t have all the answers. Robert used to remind us that the best leaders solicit ideas and solutions from others because no two people see things the same. It’s just possible somebody else will have a good idea you didn’t think of! By the way, part of humility is acknowledging people for their good ideas. Humility is also putting the needs and interests of others first. Robert reminded us that the best leaders always put their teammates first. Great leaders are accustomed to being served last.

“E” represents Energy. When you arrive at work make sure you bring your best with you. Robert reminded us to put an extra jolt of energy and excitement in our voices when we answered the telephone or greeted a volunteer-member of the organization. He said that we should never forget that the person on the other end of the telephone line might be feeling down or in need of an emotional lift. Try to be the person who brings a little extra positive energy to the office because some people might have forgotten theirs.

Robert also told me that the fastest way to boost workplace productivity and results is to energize the workplace. Create a friendly, positive environment that invites people to give their best and enjoy themselves. Finally, Robert told us that there is no room in the workplace for toxic talk or negativity. Only positive energy would be allowed in his department. That’s why Robert never complained about the weather, the traffic, or his physical limitations. Although he was uncomfortable and suffered some physical pain, he never showed it. In fact, he always celebrated life to its fullest each and every day. Whenever we saw Robert wheeling around the office, we quickly realized that any complaints we had about life paled in comparison to what he had overcome.

“A” is for Abundance. Regardless of the cards life deals us, Robert believed that every person was capable of creating abundance in their life. He was a shining example of this. He took stock of his talents and attributes and did the best he could with them. If Robert awoke in the morning feeling sorry for himself or angry because he had lost the use of his legs, we never saw a hint of this. By the time he rolled into work, he had transformed any frown or physical discomfort into a smile and he was focused on doing the best he could.

Robert also taught us something else about abundance. It had little to do with money or possessions. When Robert spoke about abundance, he would always talk about the emotional aspects of abundance -- the heart and soul of abundance -- our ability to serve others. “The well of abundance never runs dry,” he was fond of saying.

“R” is for Respect. At work, we were frequently reminded to respect the needs of our members and each other. “Every human being deserves respect,” Robert would tell us. He also reminded us that there would be times during the day when someone would call our office and wouldn’t know how to ask for help. Perhaps it was their sense of pride or their inability to face their physical limitations. But, it was very important that we listen to each caller and give people a chance to work through their pain and anger. In the end, Robert reminded us, everyone wants to know you’re their friend; that you care about them as a person. This was Robert’s definition of respect. He understood that human dignity, when reduced to its lowest common denominator, amounted to kindness, caring, and understanding.

“T” represents “Think.” If there was one thing that got Robert hot under the collar it was when people opened their mouths before they put their brains in gear. Robert insisted that we think about what we wanted to say before we said it, and planned what we wanted to do before we did it! He encouraged us to write drafts before we sent a letter. Robert also suggested that we script-out our calls to prospective members before dialing the number so we didn’t get tongue-tied or lost in our thought process. It was good advice.

Robert, who served as a First Sergeant in his U.S. Army company, told us that when you are under fire in a combat situation, you learn quickly to think, or you might not survive. His military training and quick thinking saved his life when his company came under heavy enemy fire for several hours. Despite his wounds, he kept his cool and was able to drag himself and two wounded comrades to safety. His valor earned him a Silver Star. His story was a powerful reminder of why it’s important to train your mind and discipline your thought process so you can react calmly and quickly in any situation.

Twenty-five years later I still use Robert’s HEART acronym. I am also appreciative to have had the kind of boss who genuinely cared about his employees and was willing to give us many special gifts that would last a lifetime. Now, whenever I hear people talk about the heart of work, I think fondly of Robert and the heart he gave all of us who worked with him.

About the Author: Tom Hinton is the author of 10,000 Days: Finding Purpose, Peace, and Passion for the Rest of Your Life. Tom is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who helps his clients achieve personal growth and life balance. He can be reached at tom@tomhinton.com

How to Get Better Results in Your Life

by Tom Hinton

Seven years ago, I began my work day like most people. I woke-up to an alarm clock, showered, dressed, ate a fast breakfast, and made a mad dash to my office to beat the morning traffic. Once I arrived at work, my day was consumed with emails, phone calls, and everybody else’s “to do” list. On most days, I had to stay late just to get my assignments completed. Life wasn’t much fun so I made some major changes.

In 2001, while waiting to address a business conference, I heard another speaker tell the audience, “To succeed in business, you need to transform yourself. Then you can change your business from the inside out.” That thought stuck with me and, after a few weeks, I began to ask myself, “How do I transform myself?”

I stumbled upon a simple, but effective, three-step process that I’ll share with you so you can start getting better results in your life.

1. Ask Yourself What Works and What Doesn’t Work in Your Life?
If you’re really honest with yourself, this can be a very powerful question that sets you free and lifts some burdens off your shoulders. In examining my own life, I discovered several things that weren’t working for me. For example, I did not enjoy managing people. Once I set confronted my ego, I realized that while I’m a good manager as well as a fair and considerate boss, I did not excel at administrative duties, solving human resource issues, and hiring/firing people. Others, who were trained in this area, could do a much better job than me. I also came to the realization that when I spent my time writing, speaking, and creating new products and services for our company, our revenue jumped. So, I transitioned out of the administrative role and hired a capable person who could perform all those functions much better than me -- and, she enjoys doing the work! Now, I’m free and I don’t have to get involved in the day-to-day administrative corporate issues.

2. Devote Your Time to Doing Those Things You Love to Do.
I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression that “the best work in life is doing those things you love so much you’d do them for free; except, you’re good enough to get paid for doing it!” If you are not engaged in fulfilling work that you truly enjoy, begin today to make the transition into something that excites you and keeps you mentally and physically healthy. It’s a sad commentary on our society that fewer than 20 percent of working people love their job. How unfortunate. Consider all the human talent that is being squandered because people are working at jobs that really don’t like. How much more productive could we be if we just quit and started doing something that we felt passionate about? Imagine how much happier the world would be!

I have a good friend who told me, “Life is too short to waste your days doing something that you really don’t want to do.” My friend’s statement pushed me to take action and start doing the things I love to do. When I share this statement with my workshop participants, several people respond by telling me, “I can’t just quit my job. I need the income!” Others react by asking me, “Well, what would I do? Where would I live?” While these are valid questions and concerns, I believe they are the ego’s way of holding you back. Our egos only operate out of fear and love. Our ego isn’t interested in the here-and-now; it’s only interested in the past and the future because that’s how our egos control our behavior and actions.

However, if you listen to your Inner Spirit and allow yourself to transform your dreams from wishes to reality, you will find a way to start living your dreams. But, you must first let go of your old ways and habits. Your old habits and predictable life patterns are holding you back from discovering new possibilities.

Some of the best advice I ever got was from a coach who told me -- when I asked him whether or not I should accept a new job -- he asked me, “What’s the worst thing that could happen to you if you accepted the new job?” When I told him that “getting fired after two months would be the worst thing that could happen,” he then asked me, “If that happened -- if you got fired after two months -- what would you do about it?” I thought about his question and replied, “I’d go get a new job!” He just nodded and asked me, “So, what’s all the fuss about? Go for it!” I did and everything worked out just fine. I realized my ego was trying to hold me back by using fear and uncertainty to keep me in my current job. Fortunately, I listened to my Inner Spirit’s counsel and made the move to a new career path. And, all was well.

3. Have the Courage to Take a Few Risks in Life.
This leads me to the third step, taking risks. There’s a delightful new book series entitled, 1,000 Things to Do Before You Die. It’s about taking control of your life and visiting places around the world, doing exciting things, and living a life worth remembering. But, of course, first you need to be motivated or inspired to take action.

I understand you might be the kind of person who needs to summon up the courage to get off your sofa and venture outside into the unknown. That’s okay because most people are just like you. But, if you never take any risks, you’ll never know what it was like to really live! I’m not suggesting that you should bungee jump off the Golden Gate Bridge, but, you might want to actually go someplace other than sit at home or drive 200 miles to your sister-in-law's house on your next vacation! You might think about taking a cruise or visiting a national park, or treating yourself to a weekend spa experience. I guarantee you’ll never be the same! As Albert Einstein said, “Once your mind is stretched, it will never return to its original dimension.”

Oh yeah - one other thing. For those of you who are tightwads and don’t want to spend any money on yourself -- well, just remember this. You may as well live a little because you can’t take it with you!

About the Author: Tom Hinton is the author of 10,000 Days: Finding Purpose, Peace, and Passion for the Rest of Your Life. Tom is a dynamic and inspirational speaker who helps his clients achieve personal growth and life balance. He can be reached at tom@tomhinton.com

Getting Motivated and Staying Positive Every Morning

by Tom Hinton

It probably comes as no surprise that very few people wake-up feeling energized, invigorated, and positive. In fact, studies show that most people are grumpy and irritated in the morning. Furthermore, most people require their daily fix of caffeine or some other stimuli before they can even manage a smile or “good morning.” This got me wondering… why is it? Why aren’t people more positive?

While there are many reasons, I’ve whittled the list down to three primary causes as to why people begin their day feeling blah instead of great! If you’re among the “Blah Crowd” (and that’s not meant as criticism), ask yourself which one of these three reasons best describes your attitude or mindset when you wake-up in the morning?

1. I Can’t Get Motivated. Maybe it’s your tough commute to work, or the frost-coating on your windshield, or the fact that you partied late last night and you just can’t face that 6:00 am alarm clock. Perhaps, you just hate your job, or your boss is a jerk. These are all valid reasons why so many people would rather stay in bed than rise and shine!
2. I’m Not a Morning Person. I know people who don’t function before 11:00 am. They’re just not morning people. They enjoy staying up late into the night to read a favorite novel or watch the Late, Late, Late Show. And, beware! If you approach their office before lunch time, they might bite your head off or appear to be heavily medicated.
3. Life Sucks. If today represents “more of the same,” and you’re facing the same, old tiring routine, it’s understandable that you probably won’t be very excited about getting out of bed and jump-starting your day. I think this is the major reason why most people have the morning blahs. When life is dull, people are prone to be unmotivated and uninspired.

This is reality. If you can relate to any of these scenarios, perhaps it’s time to ask yourself an important question: What can I do to change my situation and start living the life I really want to live?

Here are three “triggers” -- as I call them -- you can use to change your life and start living the life you really want to live. I recognize that these are small triggers, but, nevertheless, they are significant steps you can take to get yourself motivated and ready to accomplish good things! See if they work for you and help you start living the life you really want to live.

1. Change the Way You Begin Your Day. It wasn’t too long ago that I relied on an alarm clock to shake me out of bed. No more! I made the decision to change the way I begin each day by becoming a morning person. I did away with alarm clocks and programmed myself to awaken each morning at 4:45 am. It wasn’t easy because, frankly, I wasn’t a morning person. But I made the conscious decision to change certain habits and patterns in my life in order to achieve better results. This is why I decided to get up early, exercise, and tackle my toughest daily goals before 7:00 am. It took me about two months to make this adjustment, but now, I am a morning person and I am accomplishing much more than before. By the way, it also helps me beat the morning traffic. My stress level is lower and I smile a lot more!

2. “BAG IT” Every Morning. Before I bounce out of bed, I take two minutes to complete the “BAG IT” Exercise. This wonderful exercise is something I learned from The Course of 10,000 Days™. Here’s how it works. The “B” is for Blessings. What three blessings do you have in your life at this very minute? The “A” is for Accomplishments. What three things did you accomplish in the past 24 hours that you can celebrate and feel good about? And, the “G” is for Goals. What are three goals you will set for yourself this morning and complete today -- so when you BAG IT tomorrow morning, your Goals become your three Accomplishments?

3. I Read my Affirmations. Now, before you yawn and tell me affirmations are old school and don’t work, hear me out. I can tell you based on my personal experience and my work with hundreds of coaching clients that affirmations are not only a very positive force, but they do work.

In fact, when you recite your affirmations repeatedly, your mind listens and begins to believe what you are saying. Affirmations are simply positive mental statements that you believe in. This is a key point, of course. You must believe in what you are saying. It doesn’t matter how you will accomplish something; it only matters that you believe it can be accomplished. The key to Affirmations is this: you are training your mind to think positive thoughts while focusing on what you want to achieve in your life. The “who, what, when, where, and how” is not important at this moment. Every time you affirm something that meets the “S-M-A-R-T” test, your mind begins to conjure up ways to make those affirmations a reality. The “S-M-A-R-T” test is something I learned years ago from Dr. Ken Blanchard. It’s an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant to your life goals, and Time sensitive (a deadline must be stated to achieve your goals). Here’s an example of a goof affirmation: “I am a healthy person who eats healthy foods, exercises daily, and takes excellent care of my body.”

So, tonight I expect you to program your mental alarm clock and start waking-up on your own. Okay, you might want to set your alarm clock just in case you need a few days to get it right. But, seriously, the only way you will get motivated and stay positive is if you choose to change certain outcomes in your life. This is the only way I know of that you can begin to live the life you really want to live!

Email me and let me know how it goes for you.

About the Author: Tom Hinton is a popular speaker and the author of 10,000 Days: Finding Purpose, Peace, and Passion for the Rest of your Life. For more information, please visit: www.tomhinton.com He can be reach at: tom@tomhinton.com