Midweek Motivation is a weekly episode featuring the wisdom and stories of host Tommy Cakes. In this episode, Tommy discusses the 3 P’s to Success for projects and major efforts. It is up to you: if you want to have success, you have to plan for it and perform.
In case you are having trouble understanding the audio file, the following is a translation of the audio file from host Tommy Cakes. To listen to the podcast, please click on the links or player below:
Who is Tommy Cakes?
Live on the Small Scale Life Podcast, it is Midweek Motivation featuring Tommy Cakes.
Hey, how are you? I am Tommy Cakes. Who am I? I’m a guy from someplace, friends with some people and doing some things. Don’t worry about it!
What I can tell you is that I am in the import and export business.
- I import knowledge
- I export that information at premium prices!
I will give you a little coastal cosmopolitan insight and motivation weekly on Small Scale Life.
Introduction – 3 P’s of Success
It has been a while since I have been on the Small Scale Life Podcast. I have been a busy boy doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that, traveling around the country taking care of business. I look forward to staying home and getting some of my own projects done. I want to have a level of success getting those projects done too!
One thing that I have been finding is that a lot of us (myself included) can get bogged down and struggle to get things done. It can just be overwhelming at times with a long to do list. I don’t know about you, but when my list gets too long, none of it gets done. I punt on the whole list and just shut down, and then nothing gets done. This creates conflict with others including your boss, your partner, your spouse and all the other people who depend on you?
How do you get through that shut down mindset, get things done and achieve some level of success?
Midweek Motivation Lesson – 3P’s of Success
As I look at tasks today, I see that there are three P’s of Success: Purpose, Planning, and Performance
Purpose
In order to achieve success, you have to develop a purpose for why you are doing this effort. Kevin Geary from Rebooted Body calls this “a strong why.”
- Why are doing this project?
- Why are you trying to lose weight?
- Why are you trying to get out debt?
- Why are you running this marathon?
- Why are you training for this triathlon?
In other words, what’s the point? Why do you care so much?
Developing a strong why will carry you through the tough times, when things aren’t going right.
Trust me: you will have those days when everything is going wrong, you want to throw in the towel and you want to quit.
Develop your powerful whys, your purpose, and write them down. When those tough days come, take them out and review your purpose. You might stumble and/or fall, but you’ll be less likely to quit.
Planning
Back in the day, I worked with some good people at an office. I worked closely with this lady name Karen who would always remind us and our boss:
“Poor planning and preparation equals poor performance.”
In my own life, I have found this to be true 100 percent of the time. Even those people who “magically pull stuff off” are doing more planning and preparation than you realize. Those people who take the time to plan and prepare have more success at tasks.
Take some time and work out a plan. Write down the steps of your plan and start to follow those steps. You can adjust those steps as you learn, do and grow (right?) and gain experience.
Performance
Work the plan. Stay on target and do it! Keep repeating the steps of your plan and develop a routine. A routine can become a habit in time (as long as it is a good routine that works). Keep adjusting as you improve and hit plateaus.
Success doesn’t happen overnight. Sometimes it can take time, and in some cases, a lot of time to successfully complete projects. Rome was not built in a day; you did not gain and will not lose 100 pounds in a month; and the Colorado River did not carve out the Grand Canyon in a year.
You need to work slowly and methodically on your project or effort. Keep your purpose in mind and follow your plan.
Don’t get discouraged by tiny results. Don’t freak out. Achieving success takes steady and constant pressure and work. Think of that water eroding the rock that makes up the sides of the Grand Canyon: it takes constant and consistent pressure.
If it is worth doing, it will take time to achieve success. The key is to execute.
Good luck as you are starting your next project or major effort. Remember to develop your 3 P’s of Success.
This is Tommy Cakes, and it is time to head back to the lounge. We’ll talk to you next week! Bada boom, bada bing!
Additional Note: The Cover Photo
Runners walking to the Starting Line in the Zumbro 100 Endurance Run in driving snow – April 2018
The cover photo shows the runners walking to the starting line for the Zumbro 100 Endurance Run on April 13, 2018. These runners would attempt to run 50 miles in a wicked Minnesota blizzard. At times, the runners would face driving snow, subzero temperatures and up to 70 mph winds on the bluffs overlooking the starting line/finishing line and camp.
While many would start, few would finish. Our son Danny finished second in the 50 mile race! It was a great achievement.
Failing to use the 3P’s of Success in this environment could be fatal. Always plan and prepare for the worst; you just never know what life, or Mother Nature, will throw at you.
Special Thanks from Tommy Cakes
I would like to thank Greg Burns from Natures Image Farm and Doneil Freeman from Freeman Family Farms for the INSPIRATION to do this Midweek Motivation Podcast. You two ARE the wind beneath my wings!
Also I would like to thank Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) for the “Kool Kats” theme music. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/.
Badda boom, badda bing! Dat’s how we do it!