Another Level

By Terry Ford

Are you living your best life?

Are you being the best you that YOU can be?

 

Another Level takes you on a journey of self-reflection, and offers up practical ways to make incremental changes in your day-to-day life, that are geared towards upgrading its quality and positive impact outward to the world.

 

Whether you are a high performance person looking to upshift gears, someone who has been temporarily mired in a recent funk, or someone looking for a total re-calibration of your life—

 

Another Level will take you there!

• Language: English
• Publisher: TTwelve
• Release date: Nov 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223641155

Book preview

Introduction

Wherever you go, there you are.

When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

You either do or do not, there is no try.

Pick your quote, as there are many out there when it comes to redefining yourself and truly committing to a change. Some of them focus on an altered and enhanced mental state, others focus on an increase in work ethic or effort. Regardless of the quote or mantra, nothing truly changes until there is a legitimate shift in mental and physical behavior.

We are all bound by the same twenty-four hours in each day, but not everyone uses their hours wisely. Some individuals flounder about, content with doing the absolute minimum to get by. They will sit and idly watch as the years pass by. Then there are the honorable and responsible, who work hard and live a quality life. While happy at times, they can’t help but wonder if there’s more to life besides the nine–to-five workday, the mortgage, and the grocery store. Finally, you have the driven individuals. Those individuals who relentlessly pursue the next tier of life for themselves and their families. Even within these categories, there are varying levels of operating that define each and every human out there. Regardless of what level you are at, there is always another level to ascend to.

My goal in writing this book is to spawn some new ideas into your thought process when it comes to evaluating your life, making a change, and striving to maximize your potential. I do not claim to have the answers to life’s questions at the ripe age of thirty-six, but I do believe I have experienced enough and committed enough to my endeavors to be able to speak with credibility on the subject.

I write this book as a sales professional, and so nuances of that profession may become evident, situationally, through this book. My goal, however, is to focus on behaviors, habits, and mindsets that can be applied to any human being in any setting, and under any circumstance. Included among these are the freebies. The things you can do that require no monetary output, no extra courses, certificates, or diplomas. They are instead the things that you can simply do. They are things that will increase your personal brand and effectiveness as an individual in our society.

Many of the books you will read or mentors you choose to follow, will have a formula or coaching steps on how they achieve success and how you can too. I am no different, at least as it pertains to the formula aspect. I am unique in that much of what you will go on to read is a fresh way of thinking, a simpler way of thinking, and a model you can use to create the life you want. Start with enhancing the person that you are.

The Ford formula: A + E + F = S

You are smirking to yourself saying, I didn’t sign up for algebra, Terry. You did not, and I would not insult your time and faith in me by tossing you a math problem to solve. So, allow me to expand upon the abbreviated formula itself.

Attitude + Etiquette + Follow-Through = Success

This is my formula. This is the basis to which I attribute the successes I have had and those that lie ahead of me on my journey.

Simply put, it starts with attitude. How you view things, your feelings, your mindset, how you perceive external factors, and your situation that collectively frame how you view the world.

Next comes etiquette; your approach and how you deliver your personal brand to the world. It amazes me how many highly talented and intelligent people lose points here. Something so easy to condition and maintain, but all too often is an afterthought.

Finally, follow-through matters because it is directly related to credibility and effectiveness. Without follow-through, would any of us ever get anything done?

At the end of the day, we live in a results-based world. As a student, we have our grades, GPAs, and certificates, documenting our progress and scoring our aptitude. Those in the military have their mission objectives and standards, and my fellow salespeople all carry the pressure of a specific measurement in the form of a quota by which we are measured. Regardless of the road, you must work to get to the next checkpoint. I use the term checkpoint instead of finish line to relay this message because successes and achievements are a never-ending journey. Your ability to execute it is your follow-through.

You never fully arrive in life but rather reach a point where a new standard, goal, or objective becomes the next target. Reread the formula, think about what it means to you, and then let’s dive in to see how our thoughts align.

I hope that whatever personal or professional level you currently operate at, you can extract value from this book and find the next gear you can shift into. I also hope that you may maximize the talents and potential you have been given in order to reach another level.

SECTION 1

ATTITUDE IS THE STARTING LINE

Life is seldom only about what happens to you. Rather, it is about how you react to what happens to you. Taken a step further, what is your perception of the things that have yet to happen? That is attitude . Attitude also compounds over time. The outlook for an entire day can be mapped by attitude when you first get out of bed. If negative, you are likely to trudge through your morning routine, reluctantly begin your work process, find yourself in a sluggish mode, while also very likely passing that negativity outward in your interactions with others. Now start the day positive; grateful for another morning. Your mood changes. Your day changes. It all starts with positivity.

I think of it this way: Your biggest hero and your biggest detractor are both visible in the mirror. Which person do you see? Who do you want to see?

I believe that each of us has unique abilities given to us to maximize and benefit the world. Like how no two people have the same fingerprint; no two people have the same combination of abilities and talents. The only variable is what everyone chooses to do with these talents. Sadly, some waste it. They let time pass by and aimlessly drift without direction or application of those talents and abilities. Then there are those who coast. They use their specific talent to do just enough to get by or keep them ahead of the pack in certain areas. These individuals are at least using what they have been given, but certainly not maxing it out. Finally, there are those who are all in. They press forward with the full usage of every ounce of their abilities. As a result, they are far more likely to reach the goals they have set for themselves and realize the dreams that were once just a figment of their imagination.

Picture the best version of yourself and move yourself towards that.

After all, your mindset is one of the few things you can truly control. You cannot control the weather, the geopolitical climate, occurrences of misfortune, or even your health. You perhaps may be able to influence each of those, and perhaps, set the game day conditions for them, but you do not control them. Your mindset is entirely different, freedom of thought and freedom of choice are very important values, and as such, should be handled with care.

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