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C h e c k o u t A B M P 's l a t e s t n e w s a n d b l o g p o s t s . Av a i l a b l e a t w w w. a b m p . c o m . 23 LES'S FAVORITE QUOTES As those who are stuck working with me can attest, I have a handful of sayings—clichés, some may say—that are tried-and-true staples of my vocabulary. I like them (of course I do, why else would I say them?), but I can't say for sure that others feel the same way. Some are truisms I've heard over the years that have stuck, some are favorite movie quotes or song lyrics, and some have come from my kids. Some of these have been the basis for my blog posts. And now you get to hear them, and why and how they may relate to being successful in your career. "90 PERCENT OF SUCCESS IS SHOWING UP." This is a favorite of ABMP Chairman Bob Benson and me. We didn't get this one exactly right; it's attributed to Woody Allen and he said 80 percent—I guess we're easier graders. But it goes with our belief that being present—both physically and figuratively—is critical in life. In your practice, that's especially true. "FAIL TO PLAN, AND YOU PLAN TO FAIL." I heard this at a fraternity leadership conference in 1988 (I know, sounds like an oxymoron), and it has stuck with me ever since. I can't say I've always practiced it, but it's one of those swear-bys. "HAVE A DAY," AND/OR, "IT'S A GOOD DAY TO HAVE A GOOD DAY." These are from my eldest son Casey—the former, he once said when he was just a tiny guy. When I left for work, I'd always say to my wife, "Have a good day." When he was about 3 or 4, Casey decided he'd join in as well and said, "Have a day!" It just cracked me up and my wife and I say it to this day— and after recently turning 50, just "having a day" feels like an accomplishment as well. Casey, now in his early 20s, told me the latter was a common refrain he shared at the summer camp where he was in charge of the boys' program. It was his quiet way of setting the appropriate leadership tone; this old dog learned a new trick from the young pup. It's something we can all do easily. "BETTER THAN A POKE IN THE EYE." Are you sensing a trend here? Seems like a lot of these are validating or positive in nature. I am a firm believer in self- motivation and self-management. This one comes in handy when explaining that while things could be better, they could also be worse. Comes in handy when talking about finances—with staff or clients! "IF IT WAS FUN ALL THE TIME, WE WOULDN'T GET PAID," OR, "IF IT WAS FUN ALL THE TIME, WE WOULDN'T CALL IT WORK," OR, "WORK'S NOT HARD; IT'S JUST THAT WE HAVE TO DO IT EVERY DAY." Ahh, the favorite maxims repeated to coworkers, employees, children, or athletes I've coached. This collection is on the Sweeney Mt. Rushmore of clichés. This is a not-too-subtle reminder that work is indeed, work. "SHOW ME THE JOB IT'S OK TO DO POORLY." This one belongs with the last group as well, but this one is a little blunter and has been used throughout the years to occasionally light a fire beneath individuals in need of motivation to elevate their game. "THESE ARE THE GOOD TIMES PEOPLE." One of my musical inspirations is the quirky, fun band named the Presidents of the United States of America. It's difficult to listen to these guys and not be in a good mood. This is the title of their 2008 album, and their leader, Chris Ballew, described the phrase as something he likes to tell people, in particular the other band members, when they're dealing with something that might be perceived as suboptimal. I say this to myself a lot, along with lyrics from one of my current favorite songs: "… and all my problems … are so stupid … they're not even problems." These are the good times, people. visit abmp.com