Doug Grady Interview – The Ripple Effect
Join my guest, Doug Grady and our conversation about the fundamental strategies & mindset to reclaim focus and increase productivity.
Doug has been studying and teaching the pathways to personal potential for over 20 years. Doug is a TEDx speaker, a highly requested keynote speaker and the author of The Ripple Effect. He also developed the life-changing program 40 Days of FOCUS.
Here’s some takeaways from his 40 Days of Focus program & direct from Doug’s Blog:
The start of a New Year is a great opportunity to hit the reset button. If you’re ready to look at your goals a little differently as well, consider the MORE LESS GOAL METHOD.
All you need is a journal and an open mind.
On one side of your paper write the heading MORE. On the other, write LESS. Now, take a minute to clear your head of any preconceived ideas of what these words mean and give yourself the freedom to analyze the different areas of your life. Reflect on your Family, Friends, Finances, Field, Health/Fitness, Faith, Service, and Community. Also consider your mindset, emotional well-being and the experience of life you want.
Ask yourself,
- What do I enjoy most?
- What do I want to experience more of?
- Who do I want to be around more often?
- Where do I want to be?
- What feelings do I want more of?
Maybe you want more time at the beach. It might be to spend more time with family. Or you may want to increase your reading or community service. Or you want to develop a personal attribute – like patience. Perhaps you want a sense of peace, joy or certainty more often. These go on your list of MORES.
Now, as we learned in school (we don’t need to discuss when), for every positive reaction there is an equal and opposite reaction. For each MORE there is often a corresponding LESS. For instance, you many want less debt, less anxiety or less time in the office. It is just as important to know what you would like to reduce as it is to know what you want more of.
By identifying your LESSes you make room for your MOREs.
Once you have your lists made, you will almost assuredly see a pattern or categories. Once you identify that pattern, you then create a discipline to make it happen. For instance, let’s say you want to save money (a MORE) and you also want to reduce debt (a LESS). What daily activity can you do that will help you accomplish this? Maybe it’s making a minimum number of prospecting phone calls a day. Or maybe it’s identifying one daily expense that you can eliminate (think that morning coffee or eating out).
APPLYING THE MORE LESS GOAL METHOD
Here are a few examples using the MORE LESS Goal Method:
- More energy, less fatigue —-> More water, less soda
- More peace, less anxiety —-> More quiet time, less social media
- More money, less debt —-> More lead generation, less eating out
- More growth, less stagnation —-> More reading, less social media
- More connection, less isolation —-> More quality time with friends, less television
Whatever you choose, I encourage you to set realistic minimum standards. You can start in 30, 40, or 60-day increments (I recommend no more than 90). For most people, a minimum standard for the entire year is too daunting (Read: Why do most New Year’s Resolutions Fail?). But starting a daily routine for 30-90 days will snowball into big accomplishments!
Revisit your MORES and LESSES list often. Pay close attention to how your disciplines support getting more of what you want and less of what you don’t.
