The Daily Briefing

In recent weeks I've had a dramatic change to my daily routine on Monday through to Friday. It all started on Boxing Day, the 26th of December 2023, and I have not stopped running hard since! No holidays!

This might have to do with my long pause in publishing this article. But if I had been better organised, that would not have been an issue. I certainly have plenty to share!

So, back to the topic of my routine. I found my morning routine to be the subject of a discussion among friends recently.

The main point I wanted to bring out today in this article was what one of my friends said. Sometimes this friend needs to turn up to work at 6 am.

She said something along the lines of "I wait in bed until the last possible time and then, shoot off..."

Yeah, it made me chuckle too.

Now, there is nothing abnormal about that behaviour. I've done plenty of that myself over the years.

There was a time when I didn't even get up until 8 am or later, if possible.

There was also a time when I effectively retired from regular work when I was in my 40s. I don't recommend it.

The reason why I am thinking and writing about all this is that I just read about the USA President's Daily Briefing. It is the first thing they do in the West Wing Office.

I read about it in chapter 8 of the brand new book, The Alone Advantage, by Terri Savelle Foy. Brian Tracy of Brian Tracy International , Ed Mylett Les Brown (Not he New Zealand Politician), and certainly John Maxwell of Mastermind Group Study on Leadership Gold by John C Maxwell are all key influences in this book.

As an aside, when I started to listen to Terri on YouTube, it caused quite a stir at home. The family were used to me listening to her Father, Jerry Savelle.

To ease the surprise at home I just started referring to her as "Barbie". It was about the time of the latest Barbie movie coming out, too.

So don't despair, this Barbie knows a thing or two about "Eureka Moments" and she says they often come when you're alone.

Now with the confession that I am reading Terri Savelle Foy out of the cupboard, I will continue with my point by quoting page 59 of the 1st edition of the book.

"An interesting story that supports this comes from Robert J Morgan: "When the president of the United States arrives in the West Wing each morning, the presidential Daily Briefing is lying on the Oval Office desk. The PDB is usually about 15 pages long and is accompanied by a visit from a high-ranking official... who provides face-to-face insights*.

I thought that would be cool. Imagine if someone had spent the previous day scouring my calendar, my farm, my bosses' priorities, my past errors, my frequent foibles... and they gave me a 15-page report to give me a heads up. Every morning.

It'd be like having a briefing with a guardian angel.

But would I make time, even with my before the birds stir work start time?

Do you get great ideas that don't propel your life to where you want it to be?

When it comes to bringing those ideas to life, your brain is already at "no". You don't have to do anything to let those ideas slide into a forgettable memory.

Neil Smith posts and writes articles to connect ideas, people and products. He is a farmer by choice. He has a fulfilling full-time job, off-farm. His beautiful wife and children help him farm goats, and make and market handmade soap. www.PalmOilFreeSoap.com and www.GoatMilkSoap.co.nz

This newsletter is about curating dreams and eureka moments. Why do we need to curate our dreams? They'll slip away unless you do.

The world is already at no. You don't have to do anything to get it. You have to do a lot to get to a yes. That's why I curate those eureka moments, to displace despair.

Neil is a member of Link.Ability - For those serious about LinkedIn. Should you join it too?

#uniqueness #tobeyourbest

*Robert J Morgan, Mastering Life Before It's Too Late: 10 Biblical Strategies for a Lifetime of Purpose(New York: Howard Books, 2016) 113.