Ann Ulrich's Blog BOLD CAFFE!NE

Excellence: How Contagious Are You?

Ann Ulrich — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 17:57:44 +0000

When it comes to Excellence… what end game, goal, purpose, impact are we achieving by simply being Excellent?

How are we positively impacting people, situations, outcomes and lives if our Excellence isn’t shared, passed on, spread infectiously to others?

IMAGINE: What if our Excellence was not only Infectious… but also Contagious…

A HANDFUL OF BOLD NUGGETS: SPREADING CONTAGIOUS EXCELLENCE!

1. When you can articulate success… you can replicate success! (Discover, develop and deliver your BOLD Exclamation Point.)

2. Take one inspired thought… apply courageous action… and move your own mountains! (You’ll inspire others around you to move their own, too.)

3. Build respect, relationships and results internally first… to build the rock-solid foundation you need before reaching out externally! (Get strong inside before taking it outside.)

4. Create room for serendipity, whitespace and downtime! (Your refreshed energy will translate into your next success.)

5. Hold yourself accountable by making *I Own This* your new self-leadership mantra! (Your mirror message reads: Success is up to ME. Own this.)

6. Social Generosity is the antidote to your rat race rush life! (Stop long enough to help someone else get ahead.)

7. Your genuine SMILE shared early and often breeds optimism! (Your Beautiful BOLD S.M.I.L.E. = Your Sincere Means of Igniting Leadership and Excellence.)

Go ahead… make our day… infect us all… as you:

KEEP SPREADING YOUR CONTAGIOUS EXCELLENCE!

______________________________________________________

Is That Inside Or Outside Your Boat?

Ann Ulrich — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 01:41:41 +0000

Are you confidently (or courageously!) making decisions, focusing your time, energy and effort on matters that truly are within your control?

Or do you spin in place, struggling with indecision, re-thinking it over and over… when you really might just need to simply let it go?

In *That’s Outside My Boat*, Olympic reporter and journalist Charlie Jones was disappointed to be assigned to the rowing and kayaking competitions. Who attends those? (I would!)

He decided to give this bummer assignment his best shot anyway.

BOLD CAFFE!NE: Give a bummer situation your best shot… keep your peripheral view open… see where it leads!

While asked how they handle high winds, rough water, or a broken oar, the athletes consistently responded, *that’s outside my boat*. They clearly did not waste time, effort or energy on things outside of their control.

BOLD CAFFE!NE: Think like a competitive athlete: Learn to let go of things that truly are outside your boat/outside your control.

On the other hand, the athletes took charge of their individual training efforts, mindset, laser focus, and the resulting positive impact on their performance, goal and outcome (crossing that finish line first!). When it comes to preparing for competition: *that’s inside my boat*.

TAKEAWAY: Stop and ask yourself if the decision, situation or issue you’re facing or struggling with is actually inside? or outside? YOUR boat.

Inside your boat? Step up, be accountable, and take responsibility (Own it!) Soon you’ll be setting new goals, getting laser-focused, creating new success as you chart your course based on those areas you actually can control…

And…. Aaahhhhh….

Dig deep, find peace, strength, courage and renewed confidence as you FREE YOURSELF TO LET THE REST GO!

_____________________________________________________

Do We Really Need Valentine Validation?

Ann Ulrich — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:42:37 +0000

Ok, call me a cynic.

Or blame it on being married 32 years and so therefore my fire must have gone out, right? (it hasn’t, ask my husband ;)

Why do we look to Hallmark, chocolatiers and florists to validate our love, passion or lust… based on our ‘get’ this one day each year?

Do you really need to receive something on Valentine’s Day to know how special you are??

I hate to think someone will feel ‘less than’ (or worse, greater than!) if the package that arrives at the office is for the cubicle next door… Or a surprise on the doorstep actually sent for the neighbor down the street.

If nothing arrives for you, will it wreck your day? Really?

Then why not be the sender? Make your own AND someone else’s day!

(My friend, a leader at Ambius.com, would love your order. That was not a commercial, just an outstanding online resource if you need one.)

Let’s not let any day on the calendar determine our happiness or sense of value.

That is entirely up to us.

Own this.

__________________________________________________________

Self-Leadership: Move Your Own Mountains

Ann Ulrich — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:45:34 +0000

The cool thing about self-leadership? It’s up to you.

The tough thing about self-leadership? It’s up to you.

When you want to create new success, moving forward without waiting for anyone else’s green light as your GO, try this:

Take one inspired thought… Now apply courageous action…

When you COMMIT and are willing to DO THE WORK you will forever MOVE YOUR OWN MOUNTAINS!

___________________________________________________________

Eliptical Wisdom: Getting The Goal

Ann Ulrich — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:52:25 +0000

Getting up and on the Eliptical isn’t the hard part. Finally second nature, it’s what I do to start my day a few mornings a week.

Our condo workout room is pretty quiet at 5am. It takes just a minute to set the TV, fan, water and as my final all-systems-go: I ceremoniously tighten my pony tail.

The hard part comes a few minutes in. When calories burned shows around 100. Early on I sometimes bailed around 200. 500 seemed elusive and hey, it was just a number I made up anyway…

Now I’m used to seeing 100cals, groaning less, seeing 250 and thinking hey it’s almost 300… about then I try to laser focus on max’ing my muscles and breathing and sweating… and suddenly I’ve pushed past 500.

What keeps me going and committed? Trying to never lose sight of my goal: Feel Younger, Be Stronger. And specifically how does that goal calculate on the Eliptical? 500 calories burned.

No matter how I get there, intervals or straight away, I have one simple goal: hit 500.

So here’s my Eliptical Wisdom On Getting The Goal – any goal – business or life:

1) Know 2 Goals: the big picture (mine is Feel Younger, Be Stronger) and how you’ll measure so you know you hit it (my Eliptical goal: blast 500 calories)

2) Set yourself up for success – first establish, then commit to your routine making it repeatable or you’ll risk over-thinking it each time.

3) Do the work.

4) Celebrate.

5) Check your peripheral view and help someone else cross their finish line.

_________________________________________________________

A-Game Or Good Enough?

Ann Ulrich — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:40:11 +0000

Ever feel like every project, every activity, every task requires no less than you bringing your A-Game?

No wonder we get exhausted, burntout, disillusioned…

There are times when *Good Enough* is better.

You decide.

Trust your Priorities as your guide.

_________________________________________________________

Re-Calibrating The Elusive Balance

Ann Ulrich — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:05:42 +0000

When you know there’s too much… figure out what’s missing.

_________________________________________________________

Best Message I Ever Posted On My Mirror

Ann Ulrich — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:04:37 +0000

Over a year ago, I decided to forever from that day forward *Feel Younger, Be Stronger* each year, re-committing on my birthday.

I’ve stayed on track and know, without a doubt, that posting this most powerful message I’ve ever posted on my mirror… (my former You Can Do This! and WOW! Keep Going! mirror messages don’t hold a candle to this one) … and reading this many times each day, helped me focus:

THE POWER OF MY COMMITMENT IS STRONGER THAN ANY DISTRACTION THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE DERAIL ME !

I titled it FITNESS. Why not post the same message on YOUR mirror and title it with whatever goal YOU really truly want to achieve.

It’s not magic.You have to really WANT it.

And above all, you must be willing to DO THE WORK to get there.

Post yours and let us know what happens!

_______________________________________________________

How Do You Wear Your Passion?

Ann Ulrich — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 16:49:08 +0000

I wear my passion on my sleeve and when I have no sleeve I wear my passion on my arm.

Not saying that’s always good. Or welcome. But I am saying I feel ALIVE.

Here’s how I see passion: You either express it or you hide it.

Either way it can come back to bite you.

And if you’ve lost your passion (we all do at times) then you might be living, but are you feeling alive?

How do you wear your passion? You get to decide.

_____________________________________________________________

BOLD CAFFE!NE Blog launches soon…

Ann Ulrich — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 19:54:21 +0000