Raise your hand if you’ve ever played Musical Chairs? With the exception of those of you with really young children, it’s probably been awhile!
Do you remember the core premise?
Yep, there are always more people than there are chairs.
That’s why you have a minor panic attack when the music stops – you aren’t sure you are gonna get a chair!
Life is exactly like Musical Chairs.
Here is what I tell my children (15-year-old twin sons and a 12-year-old daughter):
You want to make the basketball team? There will be a lot more kids trying out than there are spots on the team.
You want to go to prestigious college? There will be a lot more students applying than those that will get accepted.
You want to create an online business? There will be millions of businesses started this year alone and only a very small percentage will survive.
I don’t say share this to discourage them in any way.
I share it to let them know that all of those things are within their reach if they put in the work and develop the skillsets and mindsets to deserve them and earn them.
How do they do that?
How do they increase their chance of ‘getting a chair’?
How do they improve the odds that they will make the basketball team, get into a prestigious college, or start a successful business?
They focus on doing the following 6 things:
- Be coachable: Listen with your eyes. You hear with your ears; you listen with your eyes. Be open to feedback and make a commitment to being a lifelong learner.
- Be a good teammate: Be an energy giver. Fill other people’s buckets. Be kind. Be respectful. Show people you care. Be the type of teammate you want to play with.
- Do your best: Working hard is a choice. It’s the most fundamental decision you make each morning. You put your signature on everything you do with your effort.
- Have fun: Find what you love. Find what you are good at. Find where those two things intersect. Spend as much time there as you can!
- Take care of your body: You only get one. Eat healthy foods. Move around. Find activities you enjoy. This is not about looking a certain way – it’s about feeling a certain way (your best).
- Make good decisions: Your life is the summation and accumulation of every decision you make. If you want a good life, make good decisions. Takes years to build trust and a moment to ruin it. Do more of what works and less of what doesn’t.
Doing these 6 things consistently… you will increase your chances of getting what you want from life.
Keep in mind, doing these 6 things consistently will not guarantee you will get what you want, but not doing them all but guarantees you won’t.
