JAMES McPARTLAND'S BLOG

Access Point <The Gift of Gratitude> "Gratitude is one of the best barometers of presence." - James K. McPartland The research tells us that we have anywhere from 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts a day. Up to 90% are the same as yesterday, and close to 80% are negative. We often think about what went wrong in the past, and experience levels of anxiety as we anticipate what is ahead of us. All of this goes on in the "now" moments of our lives. Like any skill we want to master, gratit

Access Point <CHANGE THE WORLD> "Our world changes when we change our own experience of it." - James K. McPartland We often interact with people as if they see things the way we do, when the truth is we each see the world through our own distinct lens. We look at life through our personal "belief window", one that has us filter events by our learned set of rules, opinions, and feelings.There is value in occasionally examining our beliefs and behaviors, seeking to understand i

Access Point <Who Will You Blame Your Life On Today?> "Blame is like accusing the mirror for the content of it's reflection." - James K. McPartland Blame is when drama is used to gain attention, and to direct attention away from ourselves. We become victims and powerless to the prey of others as we trade presence for pretense. All of this occurs when we are not ready to accept responsibility for the quality of our life experiences. It is the worst form of betrayal - betrayal

Access Point <Empowered or Overpowered?> In life, what is undistinguished rules us. In our daily dialogue with ourselves, we become master story tellers of how "life is" and how "people are", always reinforcing (or justifying) the steps we are taking (or are not taking) in our lives. Each us know what we know. We know what we don't know, with an example being that I know -that I know- that I do not know how to fly an airplane. And, the area that ultimately catches up to us in

Access Point <Obstacles? What Obstacles?> "In the great game of life there are no obstacles, only conditions of the game. Obstacles are often immovable, conditions consistently change. Play to win under the conditions, versus playing not to lose against the obstacles." - James K. McPartland We will always face challenges, no matter what we pursue. It is a natural part of life. What matters most is what we see, hear, and act upon when the opposition rears its ugly head. How we

Access Point (6) "Exceptional performance requires considerable investment - you can not withdraw what you have not put in." - James K. McPartland Many of us have been told, or trained, to tithe the first 10% of our income. Only few have been taught to invest 10% of their income into personal growth and development. For most, traditional education ends when we are in our early 20's, from there the percentage of time (let alone money) in focused learning diminishes year after

Access Point (5) "It takes longer to think your way into a new set of behaviors, than to behave your way into a new way of thinking." - James K. McPartland Our head is a dangerous place to get trapped in as we tend to live into the stories we tell ourselves. Reading just five pages, walking for only ten minutes, writing the first paragraph of that first chapter, making one phone call, or simply cleaning out a desk drawer is all it takes to shift our thinking of capability and

Access Points (4) "Our thoughts, words, and actions - when reinforced with the emotional intensity of our feelings - create our life experiences." - James K. McPartland What an amazing gift we possess and, in our own reality, get to see the results of these creations each and every day. Scientific research has demonstrated that our brain changes, in an almost identical fashion, from either the physical or mental rehearsal of an activity. Simply put, our emotionally charged th

Access Points (2) "In the great game of life, we either play to win or play not to lose. And, no matter the outcome, we can never win when we play not to lose." - James K. McPartland Airplanes deteriorate faster when not in use than when being used in the way that they were designed for. And while ships may appear safer in the harbor, that is not what they were built for. You have great gifts, talents, and skills that you were uniquely created to use. And, like in the prece

As mentioned on the inaugural edition of "Access Points", I am writing a personal book of quotes. Many of you were kind enough to send me your thoughts, and I am inspired by your support and heartfelt encouragement. As a result, you can now expect to receive "Access Points" weekly, and an "Access Performance" newsletter monthly. The weekly format is designed to be a brief dose of thought-provoking inspiration, the monthly edition is published as a story of an individual who

"High Performance People" know the power of endurance. To move from what we get and what we do - to who we become - is the "gift" we get to give away for the rest of our lives... #highperformance #endurance #gifts

No matter if my work is with a CEO, a professional athlete, or an aspiring young professional, high performers come to know that managing their thoughts is the vital first step in the pursuit of their dreams. What we focus on expands and where our thoughts go - our energy flows. Each morning, high performers are deliberate in how they establish priorities, visualize where they want their actions to lead them, delete negative thoughts, and prepare for victories. Further, they

"Judging a person does not define who they are... it defines who you are." We recently changed our company name to "Access Performance", to reflect my belief that most leaders have inside of themselves all they need to perform at a high level. It is often not a question of finding external solutions as much as it is gaining access to the tools we already possess. When we are not getting the outcomes we are looking for, we often attribute this to what others have done (or are

“When nothing seems to help, I go and look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred and first blow it will split in two, and I know it was not that blow that did it – but all that had gone before.” – Jacob Riis, Photographer and Journalist In my work with leaders, professional athletes, and executives, I am often asked the “how” question: HOW do we grow, HOW do we get stronger, HOW do we g

“You must honor your word and stand up for something or else you are going to get run over by everything.” – Unknown Author In each company I work with, and with every executive I encounter, the concept of integrity is a key topic of our conversation. By definition, this means doing what you say you will do, in the way and manner it should be done, and communicating to others if the commitment can not be made. All too often we say yes, give our word, or allow our communicatio

“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.” – Jack London, Author I have learned, and have frequently observed, that a key attribute to a high performance and successful life is a bias towards action. And, no significant accomplishments can be realized in life unless one takes serious action. As a student of human performance, I have been consumed with understanding why it is that two equally capable people (teams, companies, or families) can have v

“High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.” – Charles Kettering, Inventor I recently conducted a senior executive workshop on the topic of building a “High Performance Culture“. Aside from the CEO (who was not present), these folks are the decision makers and leaders for this growing company. Part of the workshop was focused on interference, and what could be preventing (or could prevent) the company from hitting their financial projections. As