By Tony Weldman
What techniques and methods do you use day to day to stay continuously motivated, focused and proactive when fear, hardships and procrastination have the best of you?
My daily approach changes constantly, but there are a few things that I am sure I make time for:
- I’m a big believer in taking time to let your mind wander and dream – even if it’s when you’re at the gym, or driving to the next meeting. At Shine Illumination, my team and I create huge Instagramable installations and experiences at public spaces, like retail centers, hotels or harbor boardwalks. It requires creativity and pulling inspiration from anything and everything. That time to mentally wander and breath is so important to what we do.
- I also listen and read about what’s going on around me. I always want to know what other successful people are doing, whether it’s about a new morning routine or business process. I regularly attend seminars and listen to various speakers to learn about how others have succeeded – this keeps me motivated no matter how busy we are. Taking time each day to learn about ways of improvement keeps me, my team and my company moving forward.
- I also believe in doing more every day that others around me are. I never want to just come to work, do my work and then leave. At least 20 percent of what I do daily is specifically for growing myself, my team or my company.
- Time management is extremely important in any business. However, when we have to install décor at 150 properties (including animated displays and tens, often times hundreds, of thousands of lights) in two weeks, we have to be extremely methodical and efficient with our time management to fit a month’s worth of work into 14 days (while still finding time to sleep!). It can be the most daunting challenge when you’re staring that deadline in the face. But we manage to get it done successfully every year!
- The last thing that I’m very conscious of on a daily basis is the people that I surround myself with. I’m a big believer in retaining those that benefit and support me, rather than hold me back. Every day, I assess my surroundings and identify any ways to improve it.
What is your definition of success?
Success is to be measured not so much by the position one has reached in life, but by the obstacles one has overcome while trying to succeed. This means that I don’t really care how much money someone has made or what their position is. In my opinion, someone is defined as successful by how they overcame the challenges put in front of them.
