Ask yourself - What have I accomplished in last week? Month? Year? Write down you answers so that you can see just how voluminous your response is.

In our fast paced society, it can be easy to always ask "What's next?" But stopping to celebrate our successes can be invigorating, providing enthusiasm and energy needed to tackle that next project.

Step 2: Share

Farmers offer their harvest to others. It could be that extra tomato given to neighbor or acres of soybeans sold for profit. Either way, produce must be used or it has no value.

Now look at you list of accomplishments. What have you learned that you can share with others? How can things you have "harvested" be used to serve community -- either on a volunteer basis or for profit? Regardless, there is value in what you've reaped.

Happy Harvesting!

Now, be honest. A minute ago, if I had asked you that question, you may have thought that peacock was “right” answer. After all, we like to think of ourselves as beautiful, colorful, and proud—someone to be admired.

A sparrow? That little brown job? Boring.

So…how do you feel about sparrows and peacocks now?

The cool thing about Excellence is that it doesn't require stuff. It's available to everyone, whether you are sparrow or peacock. All you need is your mind and time to use it.

Take note of how much time you spend worrying about your things. If it turns out that your stuff is taking over your mindspace, realize you have a choice. You can CHOOSE to worry less about it, or you can CHOOSE to pare it down.

Guess what? It's easier to pare down than to stop worrying.

Albert Einstein is one of my favorite thinkers. One of his Three Rules of Work is this: "Out of clutter, find simplicity."

Use your mind--and maybe your muscles-- to take control of your stuff. Clean off your desk. Clear out a closet. Tackle your garage. Be ruthless, and then be generous--donate those unneeded items. Don't you feel better just thinking about it?

Fill that newly available mindspace with thoughts worthy of that beautiful mind of yours. You'll have fewer headaches, and more time for Excellence.

And maybe you'll have something more inspiring to talk about when someone asks how you are.