Strategic Discipline Blog

On August 1^st I wrote My Thoughts Gave Me Cancer.

Our thoughts can make us sick. Our thoughts can make us well.

From June 14 – 19^th I attended Dr. Joe Dispensa’s Neuro Change Solutions coaching training in Denver. This training is based on the methodology and practices from Dispensa’s book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, which I shared I’d used to achieve a miraculous recovery from Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2012. (You can read the 66 blogs I’ve written on this, however, to start at the beginning you’ll need to go here to reach the first blog, which is from February 26^th, 2012.)

Those were dark days for me. Six months later, on August 26^th, 2012 I shared One Thing – Chet Holmes Passing of Leukemia when I learned one of the speakers I’d written about Pigheaded Discipline and Determination - Chet Holmes - New Orleans Growth Summit, 23 - 0 Chet Holmes Sales Victory - New Orleans Growth Summit had lost his battle with AML.

Every time I see a story about someone who lost their battle to Acute Myeloid Leukemia, like this one about MLB Exec Billy Bean, who died last week, I realize how fortunate I am, and how filled with gratitude I am for the University of Iowa Hospital doctors and nurses who helped me, Alan Fendrich, who got me to read Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself, my friends, family and the Creator!

In 2014 I started to write a book about my journey through cancer. Many of you who read this blog have asked me about my progress. The book is written. I finished about 2 years ago. The publishing business has gone through a lot of changes since I first started writing, and my book coach Elaine Pofeldt, and I have been working to build a platform on social media, podcasts, and interviews to reach a tipping point where it will be advantageous for a publisher to market it. Self-publishing is also an option we may choose.

I’ve revised the book/chapters several times, and am still in the process of editing it, however, the past several years have been dedicated to building the “platform” which is a weakness of mine. Humility may be an asset in leadership and personality, but humility does not build a platform for publishers to notice you when it comes to promotion and marketing.

Since attending Dr. Joe Dispensa’s NCS training I determined I would like to dedicate my coaching practice, to help organizations learn how to effectively change, transform their organization, and achieve dramatic results. My life-changing experience of Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself during my Acute Myeloid Leukemia greatly influenced my belief, ardor, and passion for the methods and practices.

I’m currently going through the process of gaining accreditation in NCS coaching. I plan to maintain my Scaling Up coaching business; however, the Strategic Discipline blog will become more of a platform for Neuro Change Solutions, applying neuroscience principles to unlock the potential of individuals, teams, and organizations.

Next week I will begin sharing my story, the book I’ve written in 800 – 1500-word segments. This will allow me to share how I changed, help you learn from it, and especially help you understand how we must change to achieve any significant outcome we want!

The book has ten chapters including an afterword. Several of the middle chapters are quite long. I may edit and change the titles once I’ve published them here, but here is a quick look at what I’ve completed so far.

CANCER CURED BOOK OUTLINE

Chapter I – What do you feed?

Chapter II – Life Insurance

Chapter III - Why?

Chapter IV – CHANGE

Chapter V – Imprisoned or Released?

VI - Meditation: Patience & Focus

VII - The Most Powerful Force in the Universe

VIII - Support

IX - A Miracle Moment

X - AFTERWORD – THE GIFT

Successful Change – New Thoughts

Imagine learning you have cancer, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, with Monosomy 7. My first thoughts were despair, anger, and hurt. You’ll learn exactly how I reacted, what I said, and what a fool I made of myself the moment I discovered the prognosis.

Had I remained in those thoughts I would have submitted to the inevitability of the worst-case scenario – death!

I needed to have new thoughts.  

New thoughts lead to new choices. New choices lead to new actions and behaviors. New actions and behaviors lead to new experiences. New experiences lead to new feelings and emotions.

This is the process of change.

If I had continued to have those same, negative thoughts, I would have stayed in the same place.

I needed to follow the intention of THINKING/LEARNING, DOING/PRACTICING, TO BEING/NEW SELF/LIFE/REALITY.

It wasn’t easy. It meant traveling through something NCS calls the River of Change.

When you’re in the River of Change you feel uncomfortable. It’s uneasy, challenging, difficult, demanding, and formidable. You want to get back to your comfort zone, to the familiar.

It’s the only way to achieve lasting sustainable change. To push through the unfamiliar and live in the present moment where the unknown exists, and where you achieve anything of significance.

I’ll be sharing how I navigated this process, and how you too can learn to change in coming blogs as I share my book, Cancer Cured.

To create an environment where everyone is inspired to give their best, contact Positioning Systems to schedule a free exploratory meeting.

Let’s help you to turn your business into a growth organization!  

Growth demands Strategic Discipline.

Next blog I’ll be sharing a portion of Chapter One from my book Cancer Cured. It starts with a quote from Cherokee folklore, what do you feed?

Building an enduring great organization requires disciplined people, disciplined thought, disciplined action, superior results, and producing a distinctive impact on the world.

Discipline sustains momentum, over a long period, laying the foundations for lasting endurance.

A winning habit starts with 3 Strategic Disciplines: Priority, Metrics, and Meeting Rhythms.   Forecasting, accountability, individual, and team performance improve dramatically.

Meeting Rhythms achieve a disciplined focus on performance metrics to drive growth.

Let Positioning Systems help your business achieve these outcomes on the Four most Important Decisions your business faces:

Positioning Systems helps mid-sized ($5M - $500M+) businesses Scale-UP. We align your business to focus on Your One Thing! Contact dwick@positioningsystems.com to Scale Up your business! Take our Four Decisions Needs Assessment to discover how your business measures against other Scaled Up companies. We’ll contact you.

NEXT BLOG – CANCER CURED – What do You Feed?