Tag Archives: Personal Development

The Hardest Work You’ll Ever Do

I hate to gossip.  But, this one is juicy.

I’m about to tell you the inside scoop on the toughest working relationship I have and the painstaking work I’m enduring to make the best of it.  I promise not to name names, but you can start guessing if you know me that well.

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First, a little background on the relationship is appropriate. 

My challenge is pretty simple really.  However, it’s a relationship years in the making with both ups and downs.  Great successes and challenging failures have resulted from this individual.

I’m trying to make this person the best they can possibly be, but I don’t exactly know where that ceiling is.  I continue to challenge and push, but no two days are the same.  I struggle with what sometimes feels like two creatures wrapped in the same person on a different day.

Here are some of the other challenges I have with the individual:

  • Can sometimes lack focus and have too many things happening at once
  • Works too much from time to time
  • Is always looking for more
  • Has a hard time letting go and delegating
  • Will not accept mediocre
  • Can be selfish
  • Is a picky eater (ok that’s not a real gripe, but it is true)

So who is this person and how can I stand to keep him around?

 

Any guesses?

 

It’s me.  Zac Keeney.

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The hardest work I’ve encountered in my career is responsibility for my own path.  It continues to be the hardest work I’ll do because I’m not satisfied with where I am today and what the future might hold.

Please don’t misunderstand this for being ungrateful.  I’m extremely thankful for all the people I get a chance to share the day with.  But success today is far from final.

I will promise my readers this.  No one else is going to take responsibility for your career or your future.  It’s on you and those you surround yourself with.  You and I hold the keys.

That is exactly why this is the hardest work you’ll ever do.  There is no one else to blame for your results.  IT’S ALL ON YOU!  If it were easy, everyone would be doing it and it would become a mundane task lacking joy.

The books to read, people to meet, challenges to take head on, and the passion to continue growing.  It is the hardest work you’ll ever do and it won’t end.  It will also be the most fulfilling because YOU OWN IT!

Yes, you will have many people help you along the way.  No one truly does it all on their own.  Thank them.  Offer to help them and repay your success with an obligation to send them down a similar path.

If you’re anything like me, my strong personality pushes back from time to time and I need a wake-up call or a swift kick in the ass to continue.  Just don’t give up!

ACTION ITEM: If you can look in the mirror and say the work you’re doing on yourself is sufficient, I challenge you to look for more.  What more can you do to challenge yourself?  It wasn’t meant to be easy and the product (you) isn’t finished yet.

 

How I Got Caught Recording Myself

What better way to start off this post than with a selfie recording in my office?

A Keen Mind Recording

Zac Keeney Recording

Yes, this is me (Zac Keeney) the author of “A Keen Mind” blog at work in my office while writing this post.  But I’m not here to talk about taking a picture of myself, I’m talking about using audio to record and prepare for your next BIG ASK.

I label a BIG ASK the next big thing you’re looking to do.  Maybe you’re looking to: get a raise, pitch a piece of business, ask for a promotion, or speak at a conference.  Most of the time, you’re going to need some help to accomplish any of these events.

The key to any BIG ASK is preparation.  Not only in your mind, but with what comes out of your mouth.   Maybe more importantly than what comes out of your mouth.

I’ve found one of the very best ways to do this is record yourself.  If you’re thinking this is going to take some investment into technology or something grand I hate to disappoint you.   The device you need is likely less than three feet from you or may even be in your hand as you read this post.

It’s your smartphone; 99% of them have a record feature.  Use it.

I was recently working on a presentation for a speaking engagement and my wife came downstairs into the office only to walk in on me giving my presentation.  I guess it looks kind of weird seeing someone talking into their phone, but it was worth it.

Step 1 – Recording.  I recommend recording a couple different times.  If you’re just starting out you won’t hit your flow right away and that’s the point.  Just record it.

Step 2 – Listen for the pain.  This is the fun step if you’re prepared for it.  I have a great deal of fun picking apart the errors or weak moments of storytelling in my audio.  The key here is to think you’re critiquing someone else.  It’s human nature to want to provide feedback.  Don’t believe me?  Just look at shows like American Idol.  We love to critique and provide our point of view.

Step 3 – Rinse and Repeat.   Record, listen, critique and practice again, but get better.  Your comfort level and confidence in performing the BIG ASK will come off second nature.  You’ll be in a state of flow after a few times and you should be really having fun with it.

ACTION ITEM: The next BIG ASK you have coming try recording yourself in advance.  I promise you’ll be more prepared and success will follow.

 

Know Thyself

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This post was the most challenging and most liberating posts I’ve written to date.  I needed to put into writing what I’d been thinking.  To be immensely successful personally, professionally, and spiritually in 2014 I needed to do an intense self analysis.  I needed to spend some time knowing what I am, and more specifically what I am not.

The purpose of this community is to sharpen our mental tools, be more positive, and to get better on a daily basis.   Negativity on the other hand makes the news and is around us at every turn.  This is NOT a negative post.  It’s an honest one.  There is a difference.  Below is a list of my challenges and how I choose to think about them in 2014.

Embrace Fear – I’m just as afraid if not more afraid as everyone else reading this post.  I’m most afraid of not being successful so I push on.  This is one of my biggest challenges and it prevents me from slowing down on a daily basis.  New ideas are needed.  New clients are needed.  New products are needed.  The more I embrace fears and take them head on, the stronger I become.  I will continue to be afraid, but I’ll embrace it and channel it as aggression with a focused direction.  I will not be consumed by fears I create.  The body and mind know the difference between real and created fears.

Be Myself – I’m guilty of always looking for more information and looking for a new angle.  It’s in my DNA.  A new book, podcast, or blog rich with information is always at my fingertips.  What I must remember is who I am, what do I believe, and what do I stand for.  How can I help others?  My friends and close relationships chose me for who I am, not who I’m trying to be.  What others think of me is their business.

Confidence Coefficient – I’m guilty of being cocky.  It’s in my DNA and a personality flaw I’m challenged with frequently.  I believe so much in achievement and confidence in my efforts it can quickly cross the invisible line into cockiness.  It’s really a double edged sword.  The more I win, the better and more invincible I feel (hence the confidence coefficient).  Without confidence however, winning doesn’t happen and I HATE losing.  I’m challenged weekly to remain confident without getting overly confident.  The key to maintaining a confident persona without getting cocky is to reflect frequently and to remember this.  The second I think I’ve arrived, I’ve already lost.

Be More Thankful – I’m an achiever addicted to winning.  I’m addicted to making the next move or knocking down the next big obstacle.  I don’t stop often enough to appreciate things.   Appreciate family, friends, relationships and a wonderful lifestyle.  I have so much to be thankful for, I need to stop and smell the roses more often.

Be There – I made a promise to myself in 2013 to “be there” more often no matter what for others.  Friends will need me.  Family will need me.  Peers will need advice.  Be there.  Nothing is as important as these pieces in my life so get moving and be there.  I found some of the most joy in 2013 by making this a focus.  It’s payed wonderful dividends.

Own My Talents – There can be much time invested and little return expected in focusing on what I’m not.  The same time however, will yield 10X returns if invested in what I am and where I can be most successful.   As previously stated, it’s extremely easy to find what we don’t have or what we lack.  To take a quote from Top Gun, “The list is long and distinguished.”  I’m going to invest (expecting a return) my time into what I’m really great at and watch the massive results happen!

Live Passionately – Compliments of the late Jim Valvano, “If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.”  Few things move me like his 1993 ESPY speech.  I often admire the vibrancy and passion Jimmy had for life and how he shared it.  He wasn’t afraid of his emotions and embraced every day with those he shared it with.  The reason I bring this up is I struggle to share my emotions.  I believed it to be sign of weakness.  If you ask my wife privately she’ll tell you I’m not the most open person with my feelings.   I don’t know if I’ll ever be great sharing my feelings, but I can get better.

Give – I’ve always been a bit selfish with my time.  I struggle to know why this is, but fall short on answers.  This is getting better and will be my best year ever in 2014.  I’ll give more time to others and not just give with monetary means.  I have a goal set to volunteer a specific number of times in 2014 and I plan on crushing it.  I friend of mine Juan Teran (who I asked if I could mention in this post) challenges me every time we speak to share more of ourselves with others.  I’m thankful for his challenge and I will answer the bell!

ACTION ITEMS:  I challenge you to do a similar self analysis.  Be realistic and honest, but not hard on yourself.  The goal is not to leave yourself battered and bruised.  I’d really love it if you could share one of your challenges with our community so we can all get better.  Lastly, if you know someone who will benefit from reading this please share.