Next Peak Podcast

In today's episode, Dr. Park and Clint discuss how overworking can lead to major health problems and even death.The Big Idea—A new global study published on May 17th, 2021, by the World Health Organization and the International Labor Organization says that working more than 55 hours per week is now the leading occupational hazard—and significantly increases the chances of early death.An article on Pencavel's analysis was subsequently published in The Economist entitled, "Proof that you should get a life."Here is a quote from that article:"Reducing hours, say, from 55 to 50 hours a week, would have had only small effects on output. The results are even starker when we are talking about very long working hours. Output at 70 hours of work differed little from output at 56 hours. That extra 14 hours was a waste of time."If you are working more than 50 hours per week, it's worth stopping to identify what your personal reasons may be.(1) Do you live on a budget and control your personal spending habits?(2) Do you long for the office to escape problems in your personal life?(3) How much of your identity is tied to status, position, career, or how much you earn?Take Action Now - Here are some steps you can take now to utilize your new knowledge:Set clear and healthy company policies.Model and encourage healthy work hours and vacation use.Get your needs for significance met in other areas of life.Help your kids find ways through college that don't involve massive student loans that leave them working hard and struggling for the next 30 years.Be careful with the size of your mortgage.Do a budget.Aim for 35 to 40 hours as a personal goal.If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

What do astronauts, Olympic champions, and Nobel laureates do differently that allows them to achieve at such a high level?High achievers share the same four attributes: intrinsic motivation, perseverance, strong foundation, constantly learning through informal means. The key to their success is that they do all four of these things at the same time. Dr. Ruth Gotian: Chief Learning Officer, Weill Cornell Medicine, Contributor, Forbes & Psychology Today, Thinkers50 Radar, Former Assistant Dean, Mentoring & Executive Director, Mentoring Academy, Global Speaker, Author, and Coach.She has been recognized by the journal Nature and Columbia University as a leadership expert focusing on professional ascension. Thinkers50 also recognized her as one of the world's top management thinkers in 2021. Her invited global lectures published articles in such journals as Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Nature, Academic Medicine, Psychology Today, and Scientific American, national awards, and educational activities all underscore her ability to aid professionals in strengthening their career development acumen. She draws excellent strength from helping others succeed, find, and develop their passion.She recently wrote, The Success Factor - Developing the Mindset & Skillset for Peak Business Performance.Top 3 Books Recommended by Dr. Ruth:(1) A Funny Thing Happened on The Way to Stockholm by Dr. Bob Lefkowitz(2) The Long Game by Dorie Clark(3) Think Again by Adam GrantTo access the resources shared in this episode, visit: www.ruthgotian.comIf you wish to Follow Dr. Ruth Gotian:Twitter: @RuthGotianInstagram: @RuthGotianIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

There are seasons of life where nothing is happening, and nothing is growing—these are desert seasons. No matter how hard we try, we don't see any progress. Maybe you are in a season like that now.There are years of parenting when it feels like no matter what you do, your child is lost. There are years of marriage when external forces press in so hard you don't know how you will make it. There are seasons of work where you may feel like your boss doesn't appreciate you, and all your hard work is not paying off. There are seasons of health where the best you can do is survive another day.While these times in life require extreme effort with seemingly no results, they often produce the inner "fruit" of grit, persistence, faithfulness, loyalty, discipline, love, and selflessness.In today's episode, Dr. Park and Clint discuss how to learn from life's lessons and the impact that it can have on who you become.If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

#HappySaturday! In this week's #PodcastEpisode, we have a little bit of a different topic for all of you. We talk a lot about goal setting and accomplishing things. But, one of the things that Dr. Parker Houston and Clint talk a lot about is parenting and how to become better at it. So today, we have the pleasure of speaking with Clayton Cranford with Cyber Safety Cop. Clayton is a retired Sergeant from the Orange County Sheriff's Department and founder of Cyber Safety Cop. Clayton is one of the nation's leading law enforcement educators on social media, child safety, and behavioral threat assessments. Clayton is the author of the definitive book on cyber safety for families, "Parenting in the Digital World."He teaches parents and students how to avoid online threats, such as cyberbullying, online predators, pornography, and social media addiction.He has served as a member of the Orange County School Threat Assessment Team, School Resource Officer, and Crisis Negotiation Team. He also supervised Orange County's drug abuse education program that has reached thousands of students in hundreds of schools throughout Southern California.Clayton shared, "The average teenager is online six to eight hours a day. However, that number was before COVID and the lockdown. Now we have children and teens who are online more than they are asleep. There are too many challenges that they have to face online. And, those pressures in those lead to severe problems. I travel all over the United States talking to parents, students, community leaders, and more. And what's crazy is that I may be the only person who talks about these topics within internet safety. People tend to shy away from it, but I have dealt with many families with children who were exposed at a very young age, and it's radically changed their lives. It's led to addiction, perceptions about sexuality, and health issues damaging for children. I have seen teen after teen that it has impacted their future and future relationships. There are some real issues there. It's a drug. It stimulates their brains in the same way street drugs do."Top Book Recommended by Clayton:(1) A Hunter-Gatherer's Guide to the 21st Century by Bret WeinsteinGet in touch with Clayton:Book: Parenting In The Digital WorldWebsite: Cyber Safety CopInstagram: Cyber Safety CopIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

"Some people live 80 years, but most people live one year 80 times." - Zig Ziglar In today's episode, Dr. Houston and Clint discuss "Checking the Dashboard of Life."The new year is a great time to look back on 2021 at what you did, your successes, your mistakes. And it's an opportunity right now to take the new year as an excellent marker to say, where can I course correct? Where can I be more intentional, proactive about where I want to go with my life, and not neglect these indicator lights. So if you've got something that's trying to get your attention, don't ignore it.One great way you can take stock of how your year has gone is to do a quick check of your life dashboard. Consider the following life accounts (add your own accounts if you want), and rank each of them from 1-10 for how satisfied you are with each area of your life (10 being the best). Then write down one or two things that would cause that account to improve. For example, if your health account is low, you might write, "lose 10 pounds." ✨ Life Accounts ✨ Health✨ Marriage✨ Parenting✨ Work✨ Finances✨ Personal Growth✨ Spiritual Life✨ Fun✨ FriendshipsIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your Work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

Christy Wright is the #1 bestselling author, personal growth expert, and host of The Christy Wright Show. She's also the founder of Business Boutique, which equips women to make money doing what they love. Regardless of where you are today, Christy will help you build confidence in yourself, strengthen your faith, and become the person God created you to be.In today's episode, Christy shared her journey of writing her newest book, "Take Back Your Time."Christy Wright said, "The black hole of insecurity cannot be solved by doing more."  "What if balance isn't so much something you do. How you balance it all perfectly. What if it's something you become where you could be balanced and still be busy, where you could become a balanced person in an out-of-balance world where balance looks more like peace, being confident in your choices, being proud of how you spend your time. Actually enjoying your life. I think that's what we're really after when we say we want balance, and it turns out the path to that is not productivity. It's not doing more waking up earlier, having a better time management app being more efficient, productive, multitasking. That's not what leads to the thing that we really want. And so I wanted to dig to the deeper issue below the issue, the deeper desires we have going on in us. When we talk about time, we talk about balance and say, Hey, let's talk about what's really going on and what really gets in the way. And let's fix it there. And then that, of course, will affect our calendar and the practical side of things. And so, in this book, I really set out to redefine this word, reclaim it and redefine it. And so the way that the thesis of the whole book is life balance is not doing everything for an equal amount of time. It's about doing the right things at the right time. And when you do the right things at the right time, You will actually feel that sense of balance you've been looking for, but here's the great news you get to decide what's right for you." - Christy WrightPatrick Lencioni said, "If everything's important, nothing is." Christy shared five action steps detailed in her latest book because we can not grow when we stay comfortable, and so you're going to have to get uncomfortable to grow.(1) Figure out what matters.(2) Stop doing what doesn't matter.(3) Create a calendar that reflects what matters.(4) Protect what matters with boundaries and say no.(5) Be present for what matters, be where your feet are, whenever you are there. Top 3 Books Recommended by Christy:(1) Ruthless Elimination by John Mark Homer(2) Get Out of Your Head by Jenny Allen(3) Surrendered Yes by Rebecca Lyons Get in touch with Christy:Website: Christy WrightInstagram: Christy WrightIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

Sometimes the people can look at their mind, body issues from not only really exploring their insight and their emotions but even looking at it from a spiritual perspective. What is life teaching you? What is God teaching you? How is God trying to get your attention through what you're experiencing?In today's episode, Dr. Houston and Clint do something slightly different. They both sit down for a "fireside chat" - Reflecting on 2021 & Setting Goals for 2022.If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

Dr. Michelle K. Johnston is a management professor, executive coach, and leadership expert helping leaders achieve results through meaningful connections. She is an award-winning professor studying leadership and business communication, and her research has shown a clear link between a team's effective communication and its positive financial performance.Michelle is a celebrated keynote speaker presenting at conferences and events nationwide. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from Louisiana State University, and she was named to the prestigious 100 Coaches group, which consists of the top executive coaches around the world.Michelle serves as the Gaston Chair of Business at Loyola University New Orleans, where she teaches in the graduate and undergraduate programs in the College of Business. Michelle's first book, The Seismic Shift in Leadership, is available for pre-order starting November 2021, and her podcast, Seismic Shift, launches in spring 2022. In this episode, Clint talks with Michelle about achieving results through meaningful connections. Michelle explains how today's leaders need more than power and control to get the best from their teams; they need to connect."Connection with yourself is the foundation of leadership success. It must start with you!" - Michelle JohnstonTop 2 Books Recommended by Michelle:Digital Body Langue - Erica DhawanThe Long Game - Dorie ClarkGet in touch with Michelle - https://michellekjohnston.com/If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

In today's episode, Clint Herndon and Dr. Parker Houston ask the question, "Are you overly gripping the wheel of life?"Too much focus on planning the future can fuel unhealthy needs for control and cause us to live most of our lives in a projected mental future—that may or may not ever occur.It robs us of the joy found only in the present moment and the serendipity of watching life unfold with events we could never have predicted or planned.To dig a little bit deeper on this topic, check out Dr. Houston's most recent blog: Are You Over Gripping the Wheel of Life?If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Interested in sending us a donation to help keep our podcast going? Check our Buy Me A Coffee. Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

Rusty Fulling serves as founder and CEO of Fulling Management & Accounting, Inc. in Olathe, KS. Since April 2000, Fulling Management & Accounting has been focused on helping business leaders make sense of their numbers, grow their profits, and gain peace of mind. Over the years, Rusty has been selected to participate in strategic leadership programs, including Kauffman's Entrepreneurs' Boardroom and HEMP (Helzberg Entrepreneurial Mentoring Program). He has served on business advisory boards with local Kansas City universities and is an active board member at his local church. Rusty and his wife, Pam, have been Olathe residents since 1989 and recently celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary.   In this episode, Clint chats with Rusty about team building and commitment to service. Rusty shared the acronym, G.R.A.C.E., which he uses within his business, and what makes Fulling Management what it is today. G: Growth, personal and professional growth. R: Representing our clients.A: Accountability.C: Champion Attitude.E: Eternal Impact.Clint discusses and asks Rusty, "How would you describe your current leadership style, and how has that evolved from 21 years ago?"Rusty shares, "I think top-down leadership, where you're acting more as the boss, is where I grew up in that mentality. I think evolving into more of a team lead leadership and tapping into the people you have around you has been just, that's been the catalyst of, I think, our growth and, so I would say, team-driven leadership, making sure it's team-driven from a culture standpoint. Yes. There's somebody at the helm driving it but and making sure that the ones you have around you, yeah. You're just leaning into them. So that's been huge."Top 3 Books Recommended by Rusty:I'd Choose You - John TrentWolves Can't Fly - Dan Meers (Mascot of the Kansas City Chiefs)The Mulligan: A Parable of Second Chances - Kenneth BlanchardGet in touch with Rusty Fulling - www.rustyfulling.comIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

In today's episode, Clint Herndon and Dr. Parker Houston discuss finding value in suffering, which is a tough topic, depending on the type of suffering you've been through. I want to acknowledge they're all different kinds.Dr. Victor Frankl, author of a Man's Seach for Meaning, said, "What is to give light must endure burning." - Dr. Victor FranklAs a leader, how you respond to suffering is essential. Learning how you help your team navigate suffering or tough seasons and how you help team members walk through devastating times in their life is a crucial part of leadership.Action Steps:(1) Do not be in denial.(2) Make sure to look for possible meaning in what you're going through.(3) Is life or God, if you're a person of faith, asking you to change something about yourself? Because in general, people often don't change without pain.(4) Spend time around suffering.(5) Fasting is a way to intentionally induce a small amount of suffering, whether you restrict food, social media, any screens. This can help you see how your body, mind, and spirit react to suffering and remind you that there are people who might be suffering more than you currently are.If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

This week, we had the pleasure of Ken Coleman to join us to discuss his latest book, From Paycheck to Purpose, which has just been released. Ken Coleman is the #1 nationally bestselling author of The Proximity Principle and nationally syndicated host of The Ken Coleman Show. Pulling from his own personal struggles, missed opportunities, and career successes, Ken helps people discover what they were born to do and provides practical steps to make their dream job a reality. The Ken Coleman Show is a caller-driven career show that helps listeners who are stuck in a job they hate or searching for something more out of their career.Ken will take you through the seven stages from paycheck to purchase. (1) Get Clear(2) Get Qualified(3) Get Connected(4) Get Started(5) Get Promoted(6) Get The Dream Job(7) Give Yourself AwayNow you're no longer working for income. It's about impact.Where can people start? There are three indicators that every human being comes into this world with they're inside of us. (1) Talent(2)Passion(3) MissionWhen we get the answers in those three buckets, we have everything we need to write a purpose statement and a purpose statement sounds like this.I was created to use what I do ______________________. To do work that I love _______________________. To produce results that matter deeply to me _______________________. When someone knows those three things and can write a purpose statement, now that purpose statement becomes a compass. Which points them in the direction they're supposed to go, and out there in that direction are multiple jobs, career paths, and even dream jobs that will allow you to live and work on purpose."When you're clear, you are confident. And when you are confident, you can be courageous to finish the journey." - Ken ColemanTop 3 Books Recommended by Ken:(1) Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty by Harvey Mackay(2) Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham(3) The Inklings by C.S. LewisGet in touch with Ken Coleman - https://www.ramseysolutions.com/ken-colemanIf this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

In today's episode, Clint Herndon and Dr. Parker Houston talk about how to become a true expert. In fact, you can learn quickly and become an expert sometimes rather quickly if your mindset is in the right place and if you have the right kind of posture, psychological posture towards whatever you're trying to learn or grow in.Socrates said, "I neither know nor think that I know."Dr. Houston discusses the Dunning Kruger Effect which says "Unskilled and unaware of it. How difficulties in recognizing one's own incompetence lead to inflated self-assessment."Incorrect self-assessment of competence derives from the person's ignorance of a given activity's standard of performance. One of our action steps is to know the standards of any particular area that you're in.Without the self-awareness of metacognition [It's just higher thinking, like being able to watch your own mental process], people cannot objectively evaluate their own level of competence.Self-Awareness is a vital part of being a great leader. It's a top skill. You can't get better at something unless you're very highly self-aware and you can see where you need to improve.Action Steps:Radically accept your brain's desire for certainty and routine. Ask for feedback. Overcome your ego. Find out about the current best practices in your field.Talk to people who don't share the same views.Stay open & stay curious.Consider looking for these kinds of open and curious learners when hiring. If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

On this week's podcast, we had the pleasure of speaking with Darrin Gray. Darrin serves professional athletes, coaches & alumni, and business leaders who support the worldwide sports ministry with Godly Leadership. The platform of sports leadership training provides pathways into boardrooms, classrooms, and sports locker rooms worldwide.He currently serves on the executive leadership team of Athletes in Action, Lions Lead, and Center for Serving Leadership at the Sagamore Institute ~ an action-oriented Think Tank.As Darrin says, "My ministry moves at the speed of relationship. And so those relationships are what I believe, define who I am."Clint and Darrin will discuss:How he transitioned from a sports journalist to a sports minister and leadership teacher.   How his relationship came about with Tony Dungy and what impact it had on his life.How do the NFL and other sport support their players with mentoring and character development as they enter their careers? Why anyone, athlete or layperson must find a great mentor, or how do they become one?Darrin also shares his favorite story of a pro athlete and how he has seen him grow and overcome challenges to become a solid, inspiring man.Darrin's calling was in the ministry of availability. Being present for other men so that they can ultimately get a clearer vision of who they are, what their purpose is, and how they can accomplish their goals. As Darrin stated, "The relationships, the people you surround yourself with will more often than not, determine your outcomes in life, and you tend to reflect the communities you're connected to. Top 3 Books Recommended by Darrin:Celebration of DisciplineCatcher In The RyeThe BibleChuck Noll once said, "Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else."If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us online at Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him online at Lead You First. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

When you're happy at work, you can feel more motivated and productive. It's important to be happy with your job. On this week's episode, Clint and Parker discuss "10 Tips to Finding a Job You Love."(1) Once your income is good enough, don't keep using it as the only standard for taking jobs. Just because you increase your income doesn't mean that it will also increase your happiness. Cal Newport, a computer science professor at Georgetown University who is also a New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including "So Good They Can't Ignore You," stated, "Sometimes you have to turn down promotions to maintain control." That has been some of the most useful advice.(2) Find out about potential bosses before you take a job. Leadership expert John Maxwell says you have two choices if you are already working for a difficult boss—find a way to support them—or leave.(3) Meet your future team before taking a job. Jim Rohn also famously said— "You are the average of the top five people you spend the most time with." And we spend an awful lot of time with our coworkers.(4) Find ways to apply your life purpose and values to your work. You may only need to change your perspective and not necessarily change your job. Dr. Wayne Dyer said, "If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change."(5) Know your strengths and how you can apply them. According to Dr. Tom Stanley, who spent his life researching millionaires, you are also much more likely to increase your income when you do something you love. People who love what they do will naturally persist longer and harder than those who hate what they do.(6) Maybe you need to change your mindset instead of changing jobs. Yale psychologist, Amy Wrzesniewski, found that people view their work as a job, a career, or a calling. And this can have a huge influence on how you feel about your work.(7) Does the job take you where you want to go in the long run? Sometimes you have to take a step back to move forward. Look ahead to what you want your life to look like in 10, 15, 20 years.(8) Ask your boss to change part of the job to match your interests. This is a common organizational term called job crafting.(9) Stop looking for the perfect job. Everything has its trade-offs. You're always going to have pros and cons. So maybe you need to look for an 80% good enough job and stick with that and not keep searching. (10) Don't be a victim, be the author of your life. It can be easy to blame your boss or organization, but the fact is, you are making a choice to be where you are.To learn more about this topic, check out Dr. Parker Houston's blog on "Happy at Work - 10 Tips For Finding a Job You Love."If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at LeadYouFirst. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

This week, Justin McGuire, Owner of California Pools and host of DIY Network's Pool Kings, joins Clint to discuss the challenges of managing people within a growing business. Clint and Justin discuss the following key points on management:(1) Encourage and help your employee, you are leading, to grow.(2) Don't overmanage.(3) Learn to manage your people at 'THEIR' level and not at you're level. You can not manage everyone the same way. It doesn't work. Manage each person based on their personality type and not based on you're personality type. Every personality has its own needs and nuances.(4) Don't allow your business to become transactional or a commodity. Instead, focus on building relationships.(5) Learn from your mistakes. Don't regret them, but allow them to help you grow as a person and a leader. (6) Appreciating every person on your team and what they have to contribute."Being a good leader isn't always what is best for YOU, but what is best for THEM." - Justin McGuire.Top 3 Books Recommended by Justin:(1) Profit First - By Mike Michalowicz(2) Turn The Ship Around! - By L. David MarguetTop Podcasts Recommended by Justin:(1) Founders Journal(2) Business WarsUntil next week, keep climbing your next peak!Connect with Justin McGuire on Instagram or his website. Watch Pool Kings on DIY Network.If you got something out of today's episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.

Perfectionists often postpone big things in an attempt to avoid mistakes or embarrassment, but this strategy can often be very detrimental. Not everything in every area or every decision has to be an A+. In some areas of life, C's are okay. When we are struggling with perfectionism, we tend to let that infiltrate all areas of our life. We often think that everything we do has to be perfect. It creates pressure on our life that not only does our work have to be perfect, but our kids have to be perfect. Our marriage has to be perfect. Our yard has to be perfect. Our house has to be perfect and so on. It seeps into every area of life. However, in all honesty, no one can obtain that. It's not possible. None of us are perfect. We don't have enough resources or enough time. We are not God. Done is better than perfect! Here are six steps to help you complete your tasks without being perfect:(1) Just start. Build up the positive momentum.(2) Your first version is never going to be your best work.(3) Not everything in every area or every decision has to be an A-plus.(4) Perfect doesn't even exist.(5) Get feedback as early as possible. (6) You gain confidence and self-respect when you finish things. Confidence and self-respect come from completing something.The idea is that whatever your theory is, whatever your work is, it is imperfect. It may get expanded upon, but you're laying a foundation.Finish something this week or month that you have been working on too long. Nothing takes up mental bandwidth and causes distress, like an unfinished project you keep working on. Give yourself the gift of completion! Dr. Parker Houston wrote a similar blog called "Perfectionism, The Secret Theif of Dreams." If this episode resonated with you today, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.Until next week, keep climbing your next peak.

In this episode, Clint talks to nationally recognized high school Coach Desmond Dunham. Coach Dez just launched his book "Running Against The Odds" and shares how he overcame the odds on and off the track. He reveals how running got him through the tough times at home, dyslexia in school, the lack of confidence, and the lack of clarity he had in life when his emotions were pulling him into a dark hole. Running taught him to persevere, through uncertainty, through depression, through relationship challenges. Coach Dez says, "There are going to be some times where you trip and fall. You're going to fail and have some tough times. But that is a test of who you are. We are very resilient. We were made to be resilient. We were made to adapt. As Martin Luther King, Jr. says, 'The ultimate measure of a person is not where they stand in times of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of challenge and controversy." Connect with Coach Dez on Instagram or his website. Purchase "Running Against The Odds" on amazon.If you got something out of today's episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on Next Peak Podcast. If you want to connect with Clint Herdon, you can visit his website at Next Peak CPA.

We've all heard the expression— "money can't buy happiness." That may not be entirely true. Psychological science suggests that how we spend can significantly impact how happy we are with our lives.Research shows that spending your money in specific ways is much more likely to improve your level of happiness and life satisfaction. Today, we will learn what those things are.Purchase experiences, not things. Spend your money on others. Align your spending with your values. Schedule things to look forward to. Live within your means. Buyback time with your money. Invest in yourself. Get rid of stuff and make more room for what truly matters.Remember, oftentimes the best things in life are free.Action Items:Take 15 minutes this week to identify one area you want to change above. Then experiment with a new way of spending right away. Write down what you experience.Use this list at your next family budget meeting to see how your spending habits line up!Suggested Resources:The Hedonic Treadmill Blog Post The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas StanleyThe Happiness Advantage by Shawn AchorTotal Money Makeover by Dave RamseyIf you got something out of today's episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.

Your future depends on the foundation that you are laying today. The higher you want to go, the more critical your foundation is. In this week's episode, Clint goes solo and shares why building a solid foundation is essential. You're either laying a good foundation, or you're laying a lousy foundation. If you have bad habits in your life, you're still laying a foundation, and it's going to fall apart at some point under stress.The areas we are focusing on building a solid foundation for today are: CareerFinances.RelationshipsSpiritual Life ParentingIf you got something out of today's episode, please subscribe, share it with a friend and leave us a review. You can find us on www.nextpeakpodcast.com. If you want to connect with Dr. Parker Houston, you can find him at www.leadyoufirst.com. Sign up for his weekly blog to receive some research-based tools that will help you transform your work and your life.