If it acts likes a duck all the time, it’s a duck. It doesn’t matter if the duck thinks it’s a cat.

It’s still a duck as far as the rest of us are concerned.

I find myself telling people to ‘be’ who they want to be. I also find myself saying ‘act’ like you want to be.

The problem with ‘being’ though is it’s too ambiguous. What does ‘be’ actually mean? ‘Act’ on the other hand is actionable.

Doing is possible. But ‘being’?

You could spend your time wondering if what you say you are is really you. Or you could just act like that all of the time.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend. The weather here was gorgeous. And when the weather is gorgeous in NYC ice cream seems to be everywhere!

Let me introduce you to a very scientific term I like to call: “The Difference”.

One of my favorite lunch foods is tuna. I grew up on it. It happens to be very healthy too. (Of course, like anything, moderation is key. Gotta watch out for the Mercury.)

On the weekends, I like to make myself some tuna salad. I add mayo and celery and sometimes carrots. It’s delicious.

However, a long time ago, I remember hearing about light mayo so I started using it. “Oh tuna and light mayo, this is unbeatable now!”

Or so, I thought.

After a little while, I realized that I was no longer eating tuna fish. It was because I couldn’t stomach the taste of light mayo.

It took me a while to realize this but finally I chucked the light mayo and in came the regular mayo. Once again, I was as happy as ever with my tuna.

I realized “The Difference” right then and there. Some foods aren’t negotiable. Mayo is one of them for me.

But if you ask me to choose between a beef burger or turkey burger 90% of the time, I’m just as happy with the turkey burger.

If you ask me to choose between a whole wheat bun and regular bun, I’m just as happy with the whole wheat bun.

If you ask me to choose between frozen yogurt and ice cream, I’m just as happy with the frozen yogurt.

There’s many examples where the healthier version is just as good. Sometimes it’s even better! Many times, “The Difference” isn’t all that different. It’s worth it to choose the healthier version.

But for some foods “The Difference” isn’t worth it. No matter what, I need the real deal version.

What foods can you compromise on the full fledged version for a lighter version because “The Difference” isn’t that significant?

Examples:

Egg whites instead of whole eggs?

Turkey bacon instead of regular bacon?

Baked chips instead of regular chips?

Dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate?

Turkey hot dogs instead of regular hot dogs

Baked chicken instead of fried chicken?

Skim milk instead of whole milk?

Think about that this week.

Seek the difference when possible!

A few weeks ago I wrote about work. I’ll re-post below so we can reference:

Clients tell me sometimes they’re not in the mood for it. Sometimes, I’m not in the mood for it, either.

But what’s it?

Why do we need to be in the mood for something to do the work? And yes, it’s work. Existing isn’t work. But living? That’s work. Thriving? That’s a lot of work.

It’s called work because it’s difficult. Not because we need to be in the mood for it.

Very few people wake up each day in the mood to eat healthfully or in the mood to exercise. People aren’t usually in the mood to push themselves harder than they’ve pushed before or in the mood to be brutally honest with themselves which can be quite uncomfortable.

Of course, what we’re in the mood for is irrelevant to how our body performs or how we exist, live or thrive.

This week don’t pay so much attention to what you’re in the mood for. Pay attention to the work.

Then when you’re thriving, you’ll be in the mood to continue thriving.

That’s what I wrote a few weeks back. However, what if you’re working as hard as you can though?

(Although, I truly believe we can all work hard and try harder. I don’t think any of us can honestly look at ourselves in the mirror and refute that.)

But, if you think you are, how about this…

Instead of trying and working harder, how about trying different and working different?

How are you approaching today a little differently? How are you approaching your workout a little differently? How are you going to approach dinner a little differently? How are you going to approach after dinner differently?

Those are the questions to ask yourself.

I hope you had an awesome, fun, and active weekend! And if you didn’t that’s okay. It’s never to late to change. And if you did – you still might want more…

Enter one-minute excellence!

I can sense the curling of your lips. While such a catchphrase makes me shudder, too, it contains a gem waiting to be discovered.

How do you go on an effective diet? How do you stop smoking? How do you stop drinking?

In short, you do it, and it’s done. Then you work like hell for the rest of your life to stay on the weight-maintenance, non-smoking, or booze-free wagon.

A while back, I came across a line attributed to IBM founder Thomas Watson. If you want to achieve excellence, he said, you can get there today. As of this second, quit doing less-than-excellent work.

The idea is extremely profound.

Suppose you’re a waiter (I used to be one) and, for your own future’s sake (not because of pressure from the owner who runs the restaurant), you decide to set matchless standard for service.

How?

You do it. Now.

Sure, you’ll be clumsy at first. You’ll get a lot of it wrong. You’ll need to prepare, listen to CD’s, take classes, visit other restaurants to collect clues, hire a coach, and read and sign up for all the appropriate material.

And you’ll need to keep doing such things to maintain your edge (as an opera
singer or professional athlete does) until the day you hang up your corkscrew.

Nonetheless, you can become excellent in a nanosecond, starting with your first guest tonight. Simply picture yourself, even if it’s a very fuzzy picture, as the greatest waiter ever – and start accordingly.

Put yourself in lights on Broadway, as a world-class waiter; then perform what you set out to do.

Does it sound silly? Wild? Naive? Maybe, but it isn’t.

The first 99.9 percent of getting from here to there is the determination to do it and not compromise, no matter what sort of roadblocks those around you (including peers) create.

The last 99.9 percent ( I know it adds up to more than 100 percent – that’s life) is working like the devil to 1) keep your spirits up through inevitable storms 2) gain insight every day, and 3) practice that something, awkward or not, until it’s become part of your nature.

Once the fire is lit, assume you’ve arrived – and never, ever look back or do anything, no matter how trivial, that’s inconsistent with your new found quality persona.

Change IS that simple. Honest.