Category: motivation

Why September 3rd is the new New Year’s Day.

Happy New Year! That’s right, Tuesday September 3, 2024, is the new New Year’s Day. I know you’re wondering, what the Dick Clark is this guy talking about!?!

Allow me to explain.

January Ain’t Even Right

Americans traditionally celebrate the new year at the worst possible time. In January you are stumbling out of the most hectic and stressful time of the year. Which makes it a poor time to set new goals, quit bad habits and reinvent yourself.

new year s eve ceremony champagne sparkling wine
New Year’s is a great time for drinking. Not for resolving.

Think Fall Once And For All

The simple fact is that the fall, not spring, and certainly not January 1, is the best time for new beginnings.

It’s Grow Time!

If you were a tree, today is when your next ring would start to grow. Preschool starts in the fall. So does kindergarten, middle school, high school and college. Which means fall is the start of the next chapter for kids, parents and teachers alike. In fact, the day after Labor Day is the first day schools everywhere are back in session and fully engaged.

photo of four girls wearing school uniform doing hand signs
We’re all back to school now like Rodney Dangerfield.

Back To Full Strength

When summer break is over for kids, summer vacations are over for adults. Which means that starting today, we are all back to work. Our businesses are operating at full strength for the first time in 3 months. Factories are humming. Offices are buzzing. And farms are farmy.

white laptop
Let’s do it, do it, do it.

Can I get An Amen?

Churches now begin their regularly scheduled programs. So if you see a church, and see a steeple, open it up and you’ll see all the people.

altar arches architecture art
Take me to church.

The new television season starts now. (Remember television?)

Both NCAA and NFL football kickoff now too.

This is a great time of year.

100% Battery Life

For those of you who used your summer vacation days well, you are hitting September 3rd fully recharged. Not only did you take the last three months to fill up on Vitamin D, travel, relaxation and inspiration, you got a three-day weekend to top it all off. #noexcuses

This is where we are right now.

Go Team Go!

At The Weaponry, the advertising and idea agency that I help lead, we are fully engaged. We’re all primed, rested and ready. Your team should be too. Let’s push hard. Have fun. And make this the best year ever. And here you thought today was just another Tuesday.

Key Takeaway

Fall is the very best time of year for growth and development. Now that your tanks are full and you are refocused, it is time to treat this like the new beginning you almost missed. Set new goals. Drop a bad habit. Pick a new challenge. Plan your next chapter. Grab that next rung. Or build your own ladder.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.\


+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

When you feel the heat of inspiration it’s go time!

I have heard countless times that time is our most valuable commodity. I believe this. After all, you can’t buy it. It constantly running out. And despite what Mick Jagger said, it’s not really on your side. (No it’s not.)

But right up there alongside time on the Mt. Rushmore of Most Valuable Commodities are inspiration and motivation.

They light your fire. Like Jim Morrison.

They lead to growth and improvement.

They create the empire state of mind that builds empires. Like JAY-Z and Alicia Keys.

They change the world.

Yet to be effective, both inspiration and motivation require you to act. To move. To do! Do! Do! (Not da-da-da.)

Unfortunately, both forces burn bright for a moment, then the moment’s gone. Like dust in the wind.

Which means when you feel the powerful heat of inspiration and motivation you have to go.

You have to cook while the heat is on, Glenn Frey.

You have to jump on the action you feel inspired to take.

Take steps to start that business.

Start writing that book.

Plan that remodel.

Create that art.

Build the prototype.

Plan that travel.

Create that event.

Get to the gym.

Enroll in that class.

Reach out to that person that could change your day. Or your life.

Acting on the heat of inspiration is how I started The Weaponry.

It’s how I wrote What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?

And it is how I worked out last night at 10 pm after a 15-hour work day.

Key Takeaway

Take advantage of those precious sparks of inspiration and motivation. They don’t last long. But if you take action while your mind is in the red, the impact can be felt long after your time is up.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Baby, you are a firework!

You are a firework.

Like Katy Perry said.

You are packed full of potential.

Potential to soar.

To shine.

To blow up in the best way possible.

You have the potential to create a big bang, Sheldon.

To turn heads like The Exorcist.

To make people ooh and ahh.

You have the ability to fill others with wonder.

To make people smile.

To grab the attention of those near and far.

Yes, the ability to glow, sparkle and light up the world is all inside you. Even if you are not a natural-born arsonist.

But like the firework, your potential requires a spark to ignite.

Your potential must be directed upward so that it soars instead of skids.

And it requires patience, like Axl Rose said.

It takes time to reach the height you are after.

It requires a steady stream of energy to prepare, propel and position yourself for your time to really shine.

But keep going.

Keep burning.

Keep climbing.

It will be worth the work.

And worth the wait.

Happy 4th of July.

It’s halftime of 2024. Time to evaluate your progress and make adjustments.

Today marks the midpoint of 2024.

We have completed 6 months. We have 6 months left. And because this is a leap year, you can actually divide the year into neat 183-day halves. Today is like that point in the song I’m Gonna Be where the singer had walked 500 miles, and he still has to walk 500 more just to be the man who walks 1000 miles to fall down at your door, having crushed his daily step goal.

This is an important day to check in with yourself and evaluate how your 2024 is going.

At Halftime 2024 are you winning? Are you losing? Do you know the score? Do you even know how to keep score?

Whether you wrote down specific goals or just had a general sense of how you wanted the year to go, it’s time to reflect and compare your 2024 to the 2024 in your head.

If you have no idea how to evaluate your 2024, because it didn’t come with a simple Yahtzee-like scorecard, here’s a sample checklist of mine you can use.

In 2024 How Am I Doing?

  • Physical Health
  • Finances
  • Personal Growth
  • Personal Life
  • Career
  • Business
  • Life Goals
  • Travel
  • Spiritually
  • Core Relationships
  • Mental Health
  • Community
  • Presidential Election Decision (Oy…)

If you are where you want to be in those areas, congratulations! You are having a great 2024. You will start the second half of the year in a strong position. Carry that momentum into next year. Or better yet, build on it. And give yourself a headstart on a great 2025. (And if you are feeling great about your vote for president right now I would love to see your decision tree.)

If you are behind where you want to be in 2024, the good news is the year is only half over. There is plenty of time to create a great year. But the best way to make that happen is to use halftime as an inflection point. Which means it is time to Reflect, Refocus, Recommit and Re-energize yourself for a strong second half.

3 books to consider ordering today as part of your 2024 game plan:

  1. Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
  2. The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller & Jay Papasan 
  3. What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?: 80 Important Life Lessons The Universe Is Trying To Share With You by Adam Albrecht

Key Takeaway

Midpoints are a great time to evaluate progress. Take a few minutes today to compare the year you are having to the year you want to have in key areas of your life. If you are not having the year you want, now is the time to make changes. Remember, time is your most valuable asset. Don’t waste it. Take advantage of the next 183 days. And make this your best year ever.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

My two-word formula for success at anything.

I have spent my whole life alphabetically advantaged. Adam Albrecht appears near the top of every list whether you decide to organize people by first name, last name, or the more rarely-used, 3rd letter of the first name.

I love my initials. AA. I sign my emails and notes with -AA. It’s symmetrical and primary. It would work well as a name for a ranch. (The kind with cattle, not the kind that Paul Newman makes.)

My favorite batteries are AA. My favorite company swag comes from American Airlines. And if I ever become ambitious enough to start drinking alcohol, and then ambitious enough to stop drinking alcohol, I am going to join AA, and wear all of their swag. I’ll be the most non-anonymous AA member of all time.

But AA is not just my initials. It is also shorthand for my formula for success.

That simple yet powerful formula is Action & Analysis.

To be successful you have to take Action. You have to verb. You have to do. You have to try. Action is the fuel that creates results.

But once you have taken Action, you have to perform an Analysis. You need to study the results. You need to evaluate the outcome. You need to learn what worked and what didn’t. You have to learn which jokes landed, and which ones were only funny in your head. (It was the 3rd- letter-of-the-first-name thing wasn’t it?)

Then you adjust your aim, reload, and fire more action at your target. Then analyze again. And repeat.

Action & Analysis is a simple formula for success. It has been proven in action, and through analysis. And it never fails.

Key Takeaway

To become the best version of yourself you need Action and Analysis. Do what you think you should do. Then analyze the outcome. Adjust according to your learnings. Then take action again. Success leaves clues. Failure steers us. Reflecting on experience leads to wisdom. Repeat the process over and over and over. All the way to success. -AA

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Remember that even your small steps move you forward.

There are days when you can put massive effort towards your goals.

You have time.

You have energy.

You have inspiration.

You ate your Wheaties for breakfast.

You’re cranking the Rocky theme song on repeat on your Airpods, headphones or boombox.

Those are days that you feel like you are taking one giant leap forward for you-kind.

But…

On other days you don’t have the same resources.

Your schedule is challenging

Your energy is low.

You can’t find your Airpods. And your boombox is out of batteries.

Your motivation has secretly been replaced with slowtivation or notivation.

On those days, lower the bar.

Do something small.

Invest a few minutes instead of hours.

Move forward a few inches instead of miles.

Read a page, not a book.

Spend a few quality minutes not the full day.

Remember, small steps save the day.

And they set you up for bigger, better steps forward tomorrow.

Key Takeaway

Don’t be an all-or-nothing person. All-or-something keeps you moving forward. Do what you can. Support your habits. Maintain your momentum. Tomorrow, you will be glad you did.


*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Here’s the most underrated influence on your growth and improvement.

Comfort vs Discomfort

It is one of the most interesting battles in the human experience.

We have an innate drive to seek comfort. To find safety. To avoid suffering, pain and awkwardness. Which is why we keep those pictures taken during puberty tucked safely away, only to resurface in wedding reception videos.

But if we give in to our desires for comfort our world shrinks. Our growth stops. And we squander our time on a couch, in bed, or on a lounger at the beach attempting to explain away our shrinkage.

But there is another epic force within all humans. The desire for growth. The yearning for self-improvement. The hunger for badassery. (Which science has proven to be even greater than the hunger for whatever you gave up for Lent. #peanutM&Ms)

The Power of Discomfort

Human growth is stimulated by discomfort.

That discomfort comes in many forms.

Putting yourself in new and novel situations.

Pushing your body physically to the bounds of your strength or stamina.

Trying new unnatural behaviors and responses.

Attempting techniques that feel foreign.

Applying the non-intuitive.

To become the best version of yourself, abandon the safe and face the threatening.

Because each time you do, you grow. You learn. You expand. You strengthen. You improve. And you increase in valuable ways.

Helen Keller, one of the greatest growth artists in human history (but a terrible driver) put it this way:

‘Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, ambition inspired, and success achieved.’ -Helen Keller

Question for you:

How much time, energy and thought do you put into making yourself comfortable? Compare that to how much you focus on creating personal discomfort. As you change that ratio you will change your life.

Key Takeaway

To become the best version of yourself it is important to get comfortable with discomfort. Seek it out. Create it. Embrace it. Because discomfort is the condition that precedes all growth and improvement.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Want to be an overachiever? Here’s the simple formula.

My friend Steve recently left me an interesting voicemail. He called to talk about some of my kids’ recent successes. But I couldn’t answer when he called because I was busy with kids’ stuff. It felt like I was living the lyrics from a sappy country song that you might use for a graduation or wedding video. (I will totally be making that video, with that song.)

When I listened to Steve’s voicemail, the following line stood out:

‘Wow! From what you have been sharing on social media lately it looks like your kids are really overachievers!

-Supportive Steve

Specifically, the word overachievers donged in my head. (Kinda like the dong you hear every time you see Long Duk Dong in 16 Candles.)

I know that Steve was being kind. And, yes, I share my 3 teenage children’s successes on the socials. But I never thought of my kids as overachievers. So I asked my wife Dawn if she thought our children were overachievers. She laughed and fired back an emphatic No! So I knew I wasn’t crazy. Or a bad dad. (At least not for this.)

So I found myself analyzing the word Overachiever. Overachieving is really about exceeding expectations. That is not what is happening with my children. In fact, my 3 kids are generally at the standards we have set together.

This is a result of 4 important factors.

  1. We have discovered and supported our children’s talents and interests.
  2. We have set reasonably high standards.
  3. We think long-term, and set long-term goals
  4. We believe in the power of compounded effort.

As a result, our children have put a significant amount of effort into various combinations of academics, music, and athletics. (There also has been a significant amount of effort put into not emptying the dishwasher.) And you get out of life what you put in.

The Not-So-Secret Formula

The key to achievement is to identify your talents and interests. Then work consistently to develop them into strengths over a long period of time. This means several years. Or decades. When you do you will pull away from those who dabble at the same activities.

Because when you doggy paddle you don’t make much progress. But if you learn a basic swim stroke, and apply it repeatedly, day after day, year after year, you can swim across an ocean. And when you get to the far shore, people will say, Wow! You swam across a frick’n ocean! How did you do that? The answer is simple. ‘I learned a swim stroke, and just kept repeating it until I ran out of water.’

Success is usually some combination of the following two areas:

1. Gaining strength or stamina

2. Refining technique

Both of these things are done slowly over time. Most people don’t have the patience to stick with these activities long enough. They become bored. Or distracted. Or don’t feel like the effort is paying off fast enough. But if you stick with your activities long enough you will find yourself in another world. Thanks to the compounding effect of your efforts.

So what is overachieving? It is simply normal achieving, done consistently over a longer timeframe.

Key Takeaway

To become an overachiever, find your talents and interests. Do the little things you need to do to improve in those areas. Practice your technique. Work on your strength. Build your stamina. And then just don’t stop. Eventually, those efforts will carry you past all of those who put in less effort, inconsistent effort, or stop working altogether. When you surpass those who achieve the norm, you will be considered an overachiever. And people will call you to congratulate you.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

Why no one else can see the most important work you do.

Your self-improvement work is not obvious work. It is not showy. No one can watch you do it. It would be pretty boring to watch in a zoo. Or in a red-light district. Because it happens on the inside. In fact, the most important work you do is changing your mindset, your beliefs and your habits. And not just changing. Upgrading.

Upgrading Yourself

Upgrading your thoughts is big. Upgrading your responses is huge. Upgrading your whole operating system changes everything.

This is why education is so important. It exposes you to new ideas that you can incorporate into your own thinking. But it is not enough to educate. The application is where the value appears. So you must first understand that there is a better way, then act in that better way. This is the basic plot of the movie Billy Madison. (This classic film also includes important reminders of the power of nepotism and some top-shelf potty humor.)

The More You Learn…

Develop the habit of learning new ideas. This is done through curiosity and a desire for self-improvement. It will lead you to seek and find new and better sources of information. You’ll find it in classes, books, articles, podcasts, blogs, videos, experts, and fortune cookies. (And even in books about fortune cookies.)

Apply Your Knowledge

Once you have better information, it becomes knowledge. Applying your knowledge in your various roles makes you a more valuable contributor.

Think about everything that you know you should do today. Eat right. Sleep well. Exercise. Read. Work in focused and productive ways. Invest in your relationships. Invest your money. Give back. See a doctor. Floss. Close your barn door. You and everyone else on the planet know that you should be doing those things.

But are you doing them?

There are two types of people:

  1. People who know the basic actions they should take. (This includes nearly everyone.)
  2. People who take the basic actions they know they should take. (This includes far less than everyone.)

This means that basic action is the great separator of people. But go beyond the basics. The things everyone knows they should do. Self-education helps you level up. It helps you discover the other things should you be doing if you want to be even more valuable in your career, as a spouse, parent, or friend. What is the next level of health and fitness? What is the next level of investing? Or productivity? Or spiritual enlightenment? That knowledge comes from more curiosity and more self-directed learning.

Just like a pyramid, that may or may not have been built by aliens, there are fewer and fewer people at each level as you ascend. Which means that the success pyramid is really a matter of attaining knowledge and then applying that knowledge. To take a full step higher you have to do both: attain and apply. Because it is the person who applies their new knowledge and self-improvement that is ultimately successful.

Key Takeaway

Always be learning. Educate yourself on new and better approaches to all areas of life and work. This is the invisible work of self-improvement. Then put that knowledge into action. And when you do it will change your life in ways that everyone will see.

*If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.

How do you score points every day?

Rapper Ice Cube is known for his hardcore gangster rap. As a member of NWA, he was the lyricist behind such classic hits as Fuck The Police, Gangsta Gangsta and Straight Outta Compton. As a soloist, Ice Cube penned more angry songs like, Natural Born Killaz, AmerciKKKa’s Most Wanted and We Had To Tear This MothaFucka Up. It seems Ice Cube could use a hug.

But Ice Cube’s biggest hit was the smooth groove It Was A Good Day. In the song, Cube recounts the events of a good day. In fact, the whole song is simply a long list of good things that happened to him in a single, ordinary day. In this positive recounting of a good day in South Central L.A., with no barkin from the dog and no smog, we can all learn a valuable lesson about good days.

Creating Good Days

To enjoy good days you need to know what a good day looks like to you. Because once you know what success looks like you can set up a routine to rack up good day points from the moment you wake up until you go to sleep at night. That’s what I try to do every day, like everyday people.

My Good Day

My day starts like Yung Gravy with a strong morning routine. (Floss 3 times baby I’m so clean.) When I wake up, the first thing I do is put a big smile on my face. When I do, I not only feel good right away, but I also give myself a point for day.

Then, if I get out of bed within one or two minutes of my alarm I give myself another point. I make my half of the bed and get more points. I walk to my bathroom and I do a little bit of light stretching. I weigh myself. And I take a long drink from the water bottle I set next to my sink the night before. For each of these activities, I give myself points. If my weight is good I get bonus points. Bing Bing Bing.

The rest of my day works the same way. If I am sitting at my computer by 6:10 am writing I am racking up points. When I publish a blog post, I earn more points. Then I make breakfast and pack my lunch at the same time. I give myself points for both eating well and saving myself money for not going out to eat. Cha-Ching-Ching

I give myself points for leaving for the office by a certain time each morning. When I sit down at my desk at my office I earn more points for creating my Daily Success List. Then I rack up more points for crossing things off that list, like Listerine.

In the evening I earn parenting points for things like coaching my daughter Ava’s track and field team, or my son Magnus’ football team. I rack up points helping with homework and driving my son Johann to piano or saxophone lessons. And for having a good conversation in the car along the way home.

I earn spouse points by spending meaningful quality time with my wife Dawn. That could be as simple as having a good conversation, watching a movie or a TV show together, taking a walk, or planning an upcoming adventure. You have to earn the spouse points every day. It’s fundamental. Like hitting your free throws, sinking your 2-foot putts or wearing deodorant.

I rack up points by eating well, exercising and reading. I earn points when I reach out to a friend or family member. And when I spend quality time with my 2-year-old Border Collie, Lola. I earn points when I laugh or make other people laugh. I earn extra points if milk sprays out of someone’s nose.

Finally, I earn points by wrapping up my day with brushing and flossing. And by filling my water bottle for the next morning so I can do it all over again. And if I get to bed by my predetermined time I get bonus points. Not only because I met my own expectations for the day, but because I put myself in a position to have a great day again tomorrow.

Key Takeaway

A good day is not about extraordinary events. It is simply a day spent doing the things you value. It is a day when you execute your habits and routines. A day when you live the way the ideal you lives. Give yourself points all day long for living up to your own expectations. You will find great rewards in keeping your commitments to yourself and others. You will enjoy the process of improving yourself and your relationships with your family and friends. You will score career points through your productivity and steady accumulation of results. And by keeping a mental tally of all the positive actions you take throughout the day when you lay down to sleep at night you can take great comfort in knowing that today was a good day. And you made it happen.

If you know someone who could benefit from this message, please share it with them.

+For more of the best life lessons I have learned check out my book, What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say? from Ripples Media.