I met Eddie Thomaz 5 years ago in a business leadership group that meets monthly to discuss the issues, challenges, and opportunities we face in our respective professions.  I was immediately drawn to Eddie due to his laid back and kind demeanor.  I was also incredibly impressed with Eddie due to  his ability to look at tough problems with curiosity and work analytically to deconstruct the dilemma and then reconstruct the issue with a possible solution.  He also played in a band that opened for the Smashing Pumpkins.  The guy is freaking cool.

Eddie was the featured guest on The Pursuit of Growth Show recently, (CLICK HERE TO LISTEN) hosted by yours truly and Sammy Gonzalez.  Eddie shared a ton of awesome wisdom, helpful tips, and actionable routines based in the realm of personal and professional development.  I have a list of great takeaways from our conversation that I plan to incorporate into my lifestyle, including the benefits of cold showers, daily meditation, and servant leadership.  But he shared one point that I could not stop thinking about the entire next day.  Eddie mentioned that every day, in addition to the many goals and tasks he plans to accomplish that day, he selects a high arching theme that governs his goals, thoughts, and actions.  For example, one day he might select “listen” as his top goal.  Throughout the day he continuously challenges himself to make sure he is incorporating this theme throughout his waking hours.  Other examples may include “communicate, serve, fearlessness, or fun!”

I personally work diligently to pursue my yearly, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals.  I love that I now have the knowledge to add a theme to each day that will help me accomplish my daily goals with the right focus and mindset.  For example, since I’ve incorporated Eddie’s advice, I now look at my daily tasks and goals each morning and ask myself, “What theme will support and govern my journey today?”  “Act bold, overcome fear, silence the critic inside your head, open up conversations, and have fun” were themes that I selected over the past several weeks.  This new habit gives me the ability to look at my plans for the day and honestly focus on the characteristics, mindset, and skills that will ensure I’m giving my best.  I’ve realized this is especially important when I have a day full of challenges where I might revert back to poor habits.

Throughout the day, I intentionally reflect on this governing goal to motivate myself and more importantly move my thinking back to the clarity and confidence it instructs.  It’s so simple, and it works!!  For instance, “silence the critic inside your head” was a hugely beneficial governing goal several weeks ago.  I faced a day full of many challenging decisions, and I was tempted to fall into the trap of second guessing myself and focusing on all the negative outcomes that “might” occur.  Focusing on my governing goal helped me quickly eliminate the critic inside my head and replace the negativity with optimism, thoughts of opportunity, confidence in myself, and the ability to learn and grow from any setback.

While this is a very new habit in my life, I’m already reaping the benefits.  Thanks Eddie, for a great piece of advice!

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