“Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. There’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.”
Jim Rohn
At the close of the year I simply have one piece of advice for all of us who want to find success—and that is set and keep goals! Goal-setting is more than just a New Year tradition, or trend, or simple exercise. Goal setting if taken seriously is one of the primary and most powerful ways we can improve ourselves and reach our full potential.
We must set goals that will inspire our hearts, that will challenge our minds, and that will cause us to work hard and feel joy in the effort we are making. Goals have the power to change us and make us better. At this time of year, we can’t give in to the critics, we can’t give in to laziness, and we can’t be ashamed for setting goals and then truly striving to accomplish them!
Every goal we set whether big or small is good. Every effort we make to achieve goals we’ve set is better. And every goal we achieve after hard work, diligence, and effort is priceless. So, at this time of year, set goals, strive to achieve them, monitor your progress, and reach for the stars. Let your heart soar this New Year as it can be the best year ever if we decide to make it that way! The choice is ours. Happy New Year!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The Gift to Give
“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
Albert Einstein
During this special Holiday season I thought it would be appropriate to recount an analogy from nature I once read by Dr. Tim Wright. This analogy is about the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea gets its name from the fact that nothing is able to live there except bacteria. Because of the law of gravity, as it is located more than 400 meters below sea level, no water is able to flow out of the Dead Sea. Some water trickles in but never does anything ever flow out. Because the water is stagnant, it literally breeds death and creates a very harsh environment for wildlife to survive. Now contrast this stagnant water to fresh flowing water which gives and receives water freely and nurtures an abundance of life.
During the holiday season we often believe that receiving will somehow make us happy. We believe that the more we can obtain the better. However, we can choose to be like the Dead Sea or like the fresh flowing water. Like the Dead Sea, if we only receive and never give, our hearts can become stagnant and hardened. Indeed, when we refuse to give of our time, of our resources, and of ourselves to others, life around us can die. On the other hand, if we choose during this season (and always) to be like the fresh flowing water which willingly gives, we can in many ways help create life around us. And as the flowing water gives, it in turn receives and everything around it is blessed.
Often times we choose to be like the Dead Sea out of fear. We believe that we must hoard things for fear that there may be a lack of it in the world. Thus we are so scared of running out that we do not give. This “lack of abundance” mentality is ill-conceived. We must not fall in to this trap of believing that if we don’t give then we will have more—this is simply not true. Many studies have proven that those who give receive more. Indeed giving is a universal law that blesses our lives and brings abundance and happiness and this has been illustrated in nature, in the economy, and in everyday life. It is difficult to find a true giver who is not happy, and I dare say that there are none.
Thus, if we want more, we must give more. During this holiday season and always we should be proactive in giving and not worry about receiving as it will be a natural result of our giving. May you and your family find joy in giving during this most wonderful time of year!!
Albert Einstein
During this special Holiday season I thought it would be appropriate to recount an analogy from nature I once read by Dr. Tim Wright. This analogy is about the lowest place on earth, the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea gets its name from the fact that nothing is able to live there except bacteria. Because of the law of gravity, as it is located more than 400 meters below sea level, no water is able to flow out of the Dead Sea. Some water trickles in but never does anything ever flow out. Because the water is stagnant, it literally breeds death and creates a very harsh environment for wildlife to survive. Now contrast this stagnant water to fresh flowing water which gives and receives water freely and nurtures an abundance of life.
During the holiday season we often believe that receiving will somehow make us happy. We believe that the more we can obtain the better. However, we can choose to be like the Dead Sea or like the fresh flowing water. Like the Dead Sea, if we only receive and never give, our hearts can become stagnant and hardened. Indeed, when we refuse to give of our time, of our resources, and of ourselves to others, life around us can die. On the other hand, if we choose during this season (and always) to be like the fresh flowing water which willingly gives, we can in many ways help create life around us. And as the flowing water gives, it in turn receives and everything around it is blessed.
Often times we choose to be like the Dead Sea out of fear. We believe that we must hoard things for fear that there may be a lack of it in the world. Thus we are so scared of running out that we do not give. This “lack of abundance” mentality is ill-conceived. We must not fall in to this trap of believing that if we don’t give then we will have more—this is simply not true. Many studies have proven that those who give receive more. Indeed giving is a universal law that blesses our lives and brings abundance and happiness and this has been illustrated in nature, in the economy, and in everyday life. It is difficult to find a true giver who is not happy, and I dare say that there are none.
Thus, if we want more, we must give more. During this holiday season and always we should be proactive in giving and not worry about receiving as it will be a natural result of our giving. May you and your family find joy in giving during this most wonderful time of year!!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Where's Our Focus?
“A pat on the back is worth a lot more than a kick in the fanny.”
Charles Nirenberg
Earlier this week I was reminded once again how important it is for us to recognize and give attention to good behavior just as much as or even more so than bad behavior. I believe this is true in every walk of life. For some reason, it is so easy for us to take for granted the good and focus on the bad. Good leaders, effective leaders, often focus more on the good in others while letting the inconsequential bad things go. Thus, as leaders, whether at work or at home, to foster progression we need to look at both.
I have learned through experience that appealing to someone’s pride and pointing out the good makes it much easier for me to lead that person and perhaps help them change and overcome the bad. It is human nature to want to be recognized and appreciated. It is also natural to want to try harder and do better when we receive positive feedback and encouragement. This is especially true from someone in authority.
I am not suggesting that we must always turn a blind eye to poor performance or negative behavior. What I am saying though is that if we give at least equal balance to pointing out the good as well as the bad, our ability to truly lead and perhaps alter the behavior or performance of others will greatly increase. In the end, people want to know and feel cared for by others.
Regrettably I was reminded of the importance of this lesson this week because of my own inability to always do it. Pointing out the good as much as or more than the bad is not easy. If we learn to do this by consciously making the effort to do it though, I know we will be more effective and successful leaders.
Charles Nirenberg
Earlier this week I was reminded once again how important it is for us to recognize and give attention to good behavior just as much as or even more so than bad behavior. I believe this is true in every walk of life. For some reason, it is so easy for us to take for granted the good and focus on the bad. Good leaders, effective leaders, often focus more on the good in others while letting the inconsequential bad things go. Thus, as leaders, whether at work or at home, to foster progression we need to look at both.
I have learned through experience that appealing to someone’s pride and pointing out the good makes it much easier for me to lead that person and perhaps help them change and overcome the bad. It is human nature to want to be recognized and appreciated. It is also natural to want to try harder and do better when we receive positive feedback and encouragement. This is especially true from someone in authority.
I am not suggesting that we must always turn a blind eye to poor performance or negative behavior. What I am saying though is that if we give at least equal balance to pointing out the good as well as the bad, our ability to truly lead and perhaps alter the behavior or performance of others will greatly increase. In the end, people want to know and feel cared for by others.
Regrettably I was reminded of the importance of this lesson this week because of my own inability to always do it. Pointing out the good as much as or more than the bad is not easy. If we learn to do this by consciously making the effort to do it though, I know we will be more effective and successful leaders.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat
I recently finished reading Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat by Lou Pritchett. The author is a retired Proctor and Gamble Executive who shares many of his business and life “lessons learned” by sharing experiences during his many years of service in the corporate world. From the book, I’ve pulled a few of my favorite quotes that I wish to elaborate on.
#1 “You’re either moving ahead or losing ground.”
Lots of us like to think we can stay in one place, that we can settle down, and stand still. Like the author states however, I believe that at all times we are either moving forward or backward based on our daily decisions. We live in an ultra-competitive, fast-moving world where standing still is an impossibility—and trying to do so usually results in losing ground. We should remember that each day our decisions, even the little ones, either move us closer or further from our goals. Thus it becomes imperative that we are vigilant about our actions and always determine whether they are helping us to move ahead or causing us to lose ground.
#2 “Leaders make it easy to follow them.”
Good leaders are easy to follow. If we want to truly be effective leaders then we must set the example and pave the path we hope others will follow. Many leaders do not practice what they preach. They say one thing but then do another. Good leaders however do what they say they are going to do and thus gain respect through their integrity and good example. If it seems people are not finding it easy to follow us, we must examine what we are doing and make adjustments in order to be better leaders. People want to follow good leadership!
#3 “What we see depends on where we stand.”
The idea that we know it all, or that our opinions and perspectives are always right is silly. So much of what we believe and see truly does depend on where we stand. I remember visiting a colleague’s place of work once and I quickly noticed a very strange practice that greatly reduced productivity and the overall experience of customers. When I questioned this practice, I was told it was company policy. I was shocked to hear this and we investigated the matter together. As it turned out, it was not and then my colleague was shocked! Somehow from where he and his team were standing it was believed that what they were doing was a necessity. However, since someone was standing and seeing something else, they were able to rid themselves of this bad practice. We must not always take all we believe to be true as truth because so much depends on where we stand.
#4 “The barrier to what we can and cannot do is all self-imposed.”
Similar to the story above, often we believe we can or cannot do certain things simply based on what we believe to be true. Unfortunately, our truth or reality is skewed in one way or another. Many times our biggest hindrance to progress is ourselves and our self-perceived limitations. We must break down these barriers however and believe that all things are possible. 9 out of 10 times barriers exist simply in our minds. If we can learn to overcome them and truly believe that all things are possible, we will be successful. Let’s not put self-imposed limitations on ourselves!
These are a few quotes I enjoyed form the book Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat by Lou Pritchett. For a more thorough review on the book and to see how I rated it, please click here.
#1 “You’re either moving ahead or losing ground.”
Lots of us like to think we can stay in one place, that we can settle down, and stand still. Like the author states however, I believe that at all times we are either moving forward or backward based on our daily decisions. We live in an ultra-competitive, fast-moving world where standing still is an impossibility—and trying to do so usually results in losing ground. We should remember that each day our decisions, even the little ones, either move us closer or further from our goals. Thus it becomes imperative that we are vigilant about our actions and always determine whether they are helping us to move ahead or causing us to lose ground.
#2 “Leaders make it easy to follow them.”
Good leaders are easy to follow. If we want to truly be effective leaders then we must set the example and pave the path we hope others will follow. Many leaders do not practice what they preach. They say one thing but then do another. Good leaders however do what they say they are going to do and thus gain respect through their integrity and good example. If it seems people are not finding it easy to follow us, we must examine what we are doing and make adjustments in order to be better leaders. People want to follow good leadership!
#3 “What we see depends on where we stand.”
The idea that we know it all, or that our opinions and perspectives are always right is silly. So much of what we believe and see truly does depend on where we stand. I remember visiting a colleague’s place of work once and I quickly noticed a very strange practice that greatly reduced productivity and the overall experience of customers. When I questioned this practice, I was told it was company policy. I was shocked to hear this and we investigated the matter together. As it turned out, it was not and then my colleague was shocked! Somehow from where he and his team were standing it was believed that what they were doing was a necessity. However, since someone was standing and seeing something else, they were able to rid themselves of this bad practice. We must not always take all we believe to be true as truth because so much depends on where we stand.
#4 “The barrier to what we can and cannot do is all self-imposed.”
Similar to the story above, often we believe we can or cannot do certain things simply based on what we believe to be true. Unfortunately, our truth or reality is skewed in one way or another. Many times our biggest hindrance to progress is ourselves and our self-perceived limitations. We must break down these barriers however and believe that all things are possible. 9 out of 10 times barriers exist simply in our minds. If we can learn to overcome them and truly believe that all things are possible, we will be successful. Let’s not put self-imposed limitations on ourselves!
These are a few quotes I enjoyed form the book Stop Paddling & Start Rocking the Boat by Lou Pritchett. For a more thorough review on the book and to see how I rated it, please click here.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thoughts on Gratitude
It is the week of Thanksgiving and I would be remiss not to write about one of my favorite subjects and that is gratitude. In the past I’ve written about the overall positive impact gratitude has proven to have on each one of us. Grateful people are just happier and more successful. This year, I wish to focus on two different thoughts about gratitude.
“Not what we say about our blessing, but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” W.T. Purkiser
First, a lot of times we say and claim to be thankful and appreciative but often our actions demonstrate otherwise. If I’m truly thankful for my job, I will work hard at it and not spend my time complaining or just doing the minimum to get by. If I’m truly thankful for my family I will strive to spend time with them and always treat them with respect and love. If I’m truly grateful for my life, I will use my time wisely and not indulge in things that waste and destroy it. Too many times, it is too easy for us to simply profess we are thankful. Gratitude however is a lot more than simply saying it—it is showing it. And though saying it is important the true magic of gratitude is realized through our actions.
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." Epictetus
Second, gratitude is just as much about perspective as it is about anything else. Each of us can choose to have reasons to be grateful for or not. We can choose to think “this rain is ruining my vacation” or to think “I’m thankful it’s raining because it makes the earth so green and beautiful.” We can choose to say “life is unfair and unpleasant” or we can say “though life is difficult, I’m thankful for the good times it does afford.” In the end, being grateful is really about our prospective and attitude. In fact, it is truly amazing how two people with nearly the same blessings can have such different levels of happiness in life. While one never seems satisfied and happy the other is at peace and grateful for all that he has. In most instances, the disparity is caused by perspective. Those who find blessings and reasons to be thankful are happy and those who don’t, aren’t. Thus, if we are not feeling thankful or happy at any time, we really need to examine ourselves and change our perspective on life. As we do so, we will find greater satisfaction and success in life.
So, during this thanksgiving week let us give thanks through our actions and then change our perspective whenever we feel ungrateful. If we do these two things, I promise we will all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! Enjoy!
“Not what we say about our blessing, but how we use them is the true measure of our thanksgiving.” W.T. Purkiser
First, a lot of times we say and claim to be thankful and appreciative but often our actions demonstrate otherwise. If I’m truly thankful for my job, I will work hard at it and not spend my time complaining or just doing the minimum to get by. If I’m truly thankful for my family I will strive to spend time with them and always treat them with respect and love. If I’m truly grateful for my life, I will use my time wisely and not indulge in things that waste and destroy it. Too many times, it is too easy for us to simply profess we are thankful. Gratitude however is a lot more than simply saying it—it is showing it. And though saying it is important the true magic of gratitude is realized through our actions.
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." Epictetus
Second, gratitude is just as much about perspective as it is about anything else. Each of us can choose to have reasons to be grateful for or not. We can choose to think “this rain is ruining my vacation” or to think “I’m thankful it’s raining because it makes the earth so green and beautiful.” We can choose to say “life is unfair and unpleasant” or we can say “though life is difficult, I’m thankful for the good times it does afford.” In the end, being grateful is really about our prospective and attitude. In fact, it is truly amazing how two people with nearly the same blessings can have such different levels of happiness in life. While one never seems satisfied and happy the other is at peace and grateful for all that he has. In most instances, the disparity is caused by perspective. Those who find blessings and reasons to be thankful are happy and those who don’t, aren’t. Thus, if we are not feeling thankful or happy at any time, we really need to examine ourselves and change our perspective on life. As we do so, we will find greater satisfaction and success in life.
So, during this thanksgiving week let us give thanks through our actions and then change our perspective whenever we feel ungrateful. If we do these two things, I promise we will all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday! Enjoy!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Dippers, Holders, and Fillers
“We must be the change we want to see in the world.”
Mahatma Gandhi
I believe it was about a year ago that I remember receiving a very inspiring email about people and their spoons and buckets. The email told a story that I believe teaches some valuable lessons so I will paraphrase what I remember from that story.
Each individual person has a spoon and a bucket that we carry around with us each day. Each person’s bucket has water in it which represents our confidence, self-esteem, excitement, and optimism for the day. The water level varies day by day. With the spoon we carry each day, we have three options of what we can do with it. First, we can choose to be a “dipper” which is someone who dips into other people’s bucket and scoops out some water. Second, we can choose to be a “holder” which is someone who holds their spoon tight to their chest all day and does not use it at all. Last, we can choose to be a “filler” which is someone who uses their spoon to add fresh water to other’s buckets. Throughout each day we are probably all three at some time but we need to ask ourselves are we more often dippers, holders, or fillers? Ultimately, we decide whether we will be a dipper, holder, or filler.
I enjoyed this story (but did not do it justice in my paraphrasing) and I believe the lessons are powerful and obvious. Each day we have the amazing ability to either positively or negatively impact others. Each day we decide whether we will use our spoon to add to or take away or do nothing for the people we interact with. Imagine if every person was busily engaged in putting water into other’s buckets—our world would be a very different place!
This change in the world can start with us. We should think about our actions, words, and thoughts and determine if they are taking water out or adding water to other people’s buckets. Also, are we holding too tight to our spoon and not participating in the good we could be giving to others? As we strive to add water to others, our bucket will remain full as well and our happiness and satisfaction in life will increase!
Mahatma Gandhi
I believe it was about a year ago that I remember receiving a very inspiring email about people and their spoons and buckets. The email told a story that I believe teaches some valuable lessons so I will paraphrase what I remember from that story.
Each individual person has a spoon and a bucket that we carry around with us each day. Each person’s bucket has water in it which represents our confidence, self-esteem, excitement, and optimism for the day. The water level varies day by day. With the spoon we carry each day, we have three options of what we can do with it. First, we can choose to be a “dipper” which is someone who dips into other people’s bucket and scoops out some water. Second, we can choose to be a “holder” which is someone who holds their spoon tight to their chest all day and does not use it at all. Last, we can choose to be a “filler” which is someone who uses their spoon to add fresh water to other’s buckets. Throughout each day we are probably all three at some time but we need to ask ourselves are we more often dippers, holders, or fillers? Ultimately, we decide whether we will be a dipper, holder, or filler.
I enjoyed this story (but did not do it justice in my paraphrasing) and I believe the lessons are powerful and obvious. Each day we have the amazing ability to either positively or negatively impact others. Each day we decide whether we will use our spoon to add to or take away or do nothing for the people we interact with. Imagine if every person was busily engaged in putting water into other’s buckets—our world would be a very different place!
This change in the world can start with us. We should think about our actions, words, and thoughts and determine if they are taking water out or adding water to other people’s buckets. Also, are we holding too tight to our spoon and not participating in the good we could be giving to others? As we strive to add water to others, our bucket will remain full as well and our happiness and satisfaction in life will increase!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
It's All About Attitude
“The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.
Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than success, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” Chuck Swindoll
One of life’s greatest gifts is our ability to choose our attitude. No person, thing, event, circumstance, etc. can force us to have a certain attitude. We are in complete control. Sure bad things may frustrate us, shock us, anger us, but ultimately we control our attitude.
It is very common for us to not believe that we have complete control of our attitudes. We like to pretend or believe that others can cause us to have bad attitudes. Whether through their behavior or actions we blame others for our poor attitudes often times as a way to justify them. Deceiving ourselves in this way only hurts us though. In the end, the truth is that others can impact our attitude only when we allow them to—the choice is ours.
Let’s look at a simple example. When someone is rude to me at work, I can remain positive or I can give in to the rudeness and walk away with a bad attitude. Ultimately, however, the choice is mine. The rude person in no way “forced” me to change my attitude. In fact, many times we willingly succumb to bad attitudes essentially giving up or denying our ability to control them. Truth be told, if I have a bad attitude about anything, I can only blame myself regardless of what has happened.
It is empowering to know that we control our attitudes. And our attitude is so critical to our success and happiness in life. Next time we have a poor attitude about something, let’s take control of that attitude and change it! The power is within us! And doing it will help us live a more rewarding life.
Attitude is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failure, than success, than what other people think or say or do.
It is more important than appearance, giftedness or skill. It will make or break a company… a church… a home.
The remarkable thing is we have a choice everyday regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past…we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.
The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” Chuck Swindoll
One of life’s greatest gifts is our ability to choose our attitude. No person, thing, event, circumstance, etc. can force us to have a certain attitude. We are in complete control. Sure bad things may frustrate us, shock us, anger us, but ultimately we control our attitude.
It is very common for us to not believe that we have complete control of our attitudes. We like to pretend or believe that others can cause us to have bad attitudes. Whether through their behavior or actions we blame others for our poor attitudes often times as a way to justify them. Deceiving ourselves in this way only hurts us though. In the end, the truth is that others can impact our attitude only when we allow them to—the choice is ours.
Let’s look at a simple example. When someone is rude to me at work, I can remain positive or I can give in to the rudeness and walk away with a bad attitude. Ultimately, however, the choice is mine. The rude person in no way “forced” me to change my attitude. In fact, many times we willingly succumb to bad attitudes essentially giving up or denying our ability to control them. Truth be told, if I have a bad attitude about anything, I can only blame myself regardless of what has happened.
It is empowering to know that we control our attitudes. And our attitude is so critical to our success and happiness in life. Next time we have a poor attitude about something, let’s take control of that attitude and change it! The power is within us! And doing it will help us live a more rewarding life.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Are We Up to the Challenge?
This year at work, my team and I have been striving to earn one of the most prestigious awards in our industry. To win this award we must demonstrate excellence in every facet of our business.
A few days ago, we had been doing outstanding and seemed to be on the road to victory. With only 2 months left in the year, we were very confident that we could finish strong and obtain our goal. However, unexpectedly, we were dealt some very negative news that will most likely eliminate our chances of qualifying for the award. In a matter of moments, all of our hard work and dedication seemed to be erased and wiped out. We felt completely defeated, hopeless, and depressed.
As I’ve struggled to get over the bad news at work, many thoughts have come to my mind. And one that seems to stick with me right now is—challenges, obstacles, and hardship are mandatory in this life but failure and misery are optional.
I’ve come to realize that challenges will present themselves often at the most inopportune times in every aspect of our lives. Challenges are not saved for a lucky few, but are given to all of us. There is simply no way around them, only through them.
Challenges give us the opportunity to better ourselves and push ourselves to do more. Challenges force us to think different and sometimes act different. Challenges can bring us to a new level of understanding, achievement, confidence and ultimately satisfaction. Though challenges seem like terrible monsters in the present, often as time passes, we see them for what they really are which in most instances, they are blessings in our lives.
So, the amazing thing about life is that challenges are mandatory yet misery and failure are not. We have the power to choose to let the hardships of life destroy us or allow them to lift us up. We have the power to choose to wallow in despair or search for the silver lining. We have the power to choose to surrender to an unfortunate fate or create our own destiny. Ultimately in life, the power is ours to decide.
At work we’ve began to see this challenge as an opportunity, an opportunity to be better and learn from our mistakes. Though the news was unexpected and devastating, ultimately it is something that could have been avoided had we been more vigilant. Thus it has become an important lesson for us which will make us stronger, better, and more prepared in the future. Had we received the award without being altered of this issue, we would have missed a wonderful opportunity to grow and truly appreciate and enjoy the satisfaction that will come when our hard work finally does pay off someday.
In the end, challenges may make or break us but really the choice is ours. Preparing ourselves at all times and accepting the fact that challenges are inevitable will help us to overcome. I’m convinced that those who learn to best deal with and respond to challenges will find success. And in all reality going through them is really for our own good.
A few days ago, we had been doing outstanding and seemed to be on the road to victory. With only 2 months left in the year, we were very confident that we could finish strong and obtain our goal. However, unexpectedly, we were dealt some very negative news that will most likely eliminate our chances of qualifying for the award. In a matter of moments, all of our hard work and dedication seemed to be erased and wiped out. We felt completely defeated, hopeless, and depressed.
As I’ve struggled to get over the bad news at work, many thoughts have come to my mind. And one that seems to stick with me right now is—challenges, obstacles, and hardship are mandatory in this life but failure and misery are optional.
I’ve come to realize that challenges will present themselves often at the most inopportune times in every aspect of our lives. Challenges are not saved for a lucky few, but are given to all of us. There is simply no way around them, only through them.
Challenges give us the opportunity to better ourselves and push ourselves to do more. Challenges force us to think different and sometimes act different. Challenges can bring us to a new level of understanding, achievement, confidence and ultimately satisfaction. Though challenges seem like terrible monsters in the present, often as time passes, we see them for what they really are which in most instances, they are blessings in our lives.
So, the amazing thing about life is that challenges are mandatory yet misery and failure are not. We have the power to choose to let the hardships of life destroy us or allow them to lift us up. We have the power to choose to wallow in despair or search for the silver lining. We have the power to choose to surrender to an unfortunate fate or create our own destiny. Ultimately in life, the power is ours to decide.
At work we’ve began to see this challenge as an opportunity, an opportunity to be better and learn from our mistakes. Though the news was unexpected and devastating, ultimately it is something that could have been avoided had we been more vigilant. Thus it has become an important lesson for us which will make us stronger, better, and more prepared in the future. Had we received the award without being altered of this issue, we would have missed a wonderful opportunity to grow and truly appreciate and enjoy the satisfaction that will come when our hard work finally does pay off someday.
In the end, challenges may make or break us but really the choice is ours. Preparing ourselves at all times and accepting the fact that challenges are inevitable will help us to overcome. I’m convinced that those who learn to best deal with and respond to challenges will find success. And in all reality going through them is really for our own good.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Finding Luck
“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.”
Edward Gibbons
Doesn’t it seem that some people have all the luck and that no matter what happens, they always seem to come out on top? How do we catch all the breaks so that we can be happy and successful? The truth is everyone has challenges and obstacles in life but great leaders and successful people have a way of turning bad things to good. Below are some ideas of how we can ensure that the winds and waves are always on our side.
#1 Attitude
If attitude isn’t everything it must be close. Our attitude determines so much of our success. When things go bad, do we lose hope? Or do we think we can’t? If we can realign our thoughts and maintain a positive attitude then good things will happen. When we maintain an attitude of perseverance and we believe we can overcome anything that comes are way, we eventually will come out on top.
#2 Remain Calm
Unexpected things are going to happen in life and what may seem like a mountain today, will soon appear as a mole hill tomorrow. When the winds and waves of life change directions, we need to remain calm. And before we wave the white flag or even worse, abandon ship, we need to relax and put things into perspective. Too often we are too quick to throw everything away when something doesn’t go quite as we expected. But if we can remain calm and think before we react, we will find success.
#3 Focus on the Positive
Bad things happen all the time, it is part of life. But even when bad things happen, often times good can come of it if we look for it. Next time something bad happens, rather than dwelling on the negative, look for the positive that may come. Search for the silver lining no matter how difficult it may be. In almost all of life experiences, we can find something positive that will come of it.
#4 Take Ownership
There is nothing more empowering than believing that we control our destiny. Sure we can’t control the winds and the waves in life but we can control how we react to them. And when we react to them positively it will nearly always cause them to push us in the right direction. So much of our success and/or failure in life is due to our own reactions to life. If we take full responsibility for our actions and results at all times, then we will be an able navigator in life.
By striving to follow the four steps above, we can become one of those who seemingly get all the breaks or has all the lucky as we find success in this oft times stormy life.
Edward Gibbons
Doesn’t it seem that some people have all the luck and that no matter what happens, they always seem to come out on top? How do we catch all the breaks so that we can be happy and successful? The truth is everyone has challenges and obstacles in life but great leaders and successful people have a way of turning bad things to good. Below are some ideas of how we can ensure that the winds and waves are always on our side.
#1 Attitude
If attitude isn’t everything it must be close. Our attitude determines so much of our success. When things go bad, do we lose hope? Or do we think we can’t? If we can realign our thoughts and maintain a positive attitude then good things will happen. When we maintain an attitude of perseverance and we believe we can overcome anything that comes are way, we eventually will come out on top.
#2 Remain Calm
Unexpected things are going to happen in life and what may seem like a mountain today, will soon appear as a mole hill tomorrow. When the winds and waves of life change directions, we need to remain calm. And before we wave the white flag or even worse, abandon ship, we need to relax and put things into perspective. Too often we are too quick to throw everything away when something doesn’t go quite as we expected. But if we can remain calm and think before we react, we will find success.
#3 Focus on the Positive
Bad things happen all the time, it is part of life. But even when bad things happen, often times good can come of it if we look for it. Next time something bad happens, rather than dwelling on the negative, look for the positive that may come. Search for the silver lining no matter how difficult it may be. In almost all of life experiences, we can find something positive that will come of it.
#4 Take Ownership
There is nothing more empowering than believing that we control our destiny. Sure we can’t control the winds and the waves in life but we can control how we react to them. And when we react to them positively it will nearly always cause them to push us in the right direction. So much of our success and/or failure in life is due to our own reactions to life. If we take full responsibility for our actions and results at all times, then we will be an able navigator in life.
By striving to follow the four steps above, we can become one of those who seemingly get all the breaks or has all the lucky as we find success in this oft times stormy life.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Find Yourself!
“Strength isn’t something you have, it is something you find, usually one day at a time.”
Author Unknown
We often hear phrases such as “he’s a natural,” “she was born that way,” and “he’s just lucky” when referring to successful people. Many times we make the false assumption that people are just naturally talented or are naturally given something that we simply don’t have. Though I believe we all have different talents, interests, and abilities, I also believe that each of us has the capacity to be great.
The quote at the top of the blog illustrates something interesting. First, strength, or intelligence, or wisdom, or success, or courage, or really anything is not something automatically given to us but rather it is something we find through our actions day in and day out. We ultimately decide what we are!
For example, we wouldn’t say someone has strength unless we were aware of some things the person did that demonstrated strength. Or we wouldn’t call Michael Jordan a great basketball player if he had never picked up a ball. It was only after he practiced, played, worked-hard, and eventually proved himself to be worthy to be called a great basketball player that everyone recognized him as such.
Likewise, people are not given success, or strength, or courage, or wisdom rather they earn it by their actions. We don’t know we are a strong person until we overcome something that is difficult and prove it. Hence, we find our talents or good qualities as we practice them, usually one day at a time. Sure strength or courage may be a gift of ours that comes easier than other things, but if we do not exercise that gift, than are we really courageous or strong? We find our gifts and we find who we are in the “doing”.
For this reason each day is meaningful because it is a new challenge and a new opportunity for us to develop into the person we want to become. We aren’t necessarily automatically given who we are but we have the ability to create and find who we are. We can find strength, courage, success, or just about anything through our daily actions. Good traits are not automatic, we have to work at them and use them before we know we have them. And if we are not currently the person we want to be, or think we are, we have the power to change by altering our actions.
So what will you find today? Will you find strength, confidence, or success? Really, it is up to you. We have the power to shape our lives and become who we want to be! Because ___________________(fill in the blank) is not something we have, but _________________(fill in the blank) is something we find, usually one day at a time.
Author Unknown
We often hear phrases such as “he’s a natural,” “she was born that way,” and “he’s just lucky” when referring to successful people. Many times we make the false assumption that people are just naturally talented or are naturally given something that we simply don’t have. Though I believe we all have different talents, interests, and abilities, I also believe that each of us has the capacity to be great.
The quote at the top of the blog illustrates something interesting. First, strength, or intelligence, or wisdom, or success, or courage, or really anything is not something automatically given to us but rather it is something we find through our actions day in and day out. We ultimately decide what we are!
For example, we wouldn’t say someone has strength unless we were aware of some things the person did that demonstrated strength. Or we wouldn’t call Michael Jordan a great basketball player if he had never picked up a ball. It was only after he practiced, played, worked-hard, and eventually proved himself to be worthy to be called a great basketball player that everyone recognized him as such.
Likewise, people are not given success, or strength, or courage, or wisdom rather they earn it by their actions. We don’t know we are a strong person until we overcome something that is difficult and prove it. Hence, we find our talents or good qualities as we practice them, usually one day at a time. Sure strength or courage may be a gift of ours that comes easier than other things, but if we do not exercise that gift, than are we really courageous or strong? We find our gifts and we find who we are in the “doing”.
For this reason each day is meaningful because it is a new challenge and a new opportunity for us to develop into the person we want to become. We aren’t necessarily automatically given who we are but we have the ability to create and find who we are. We can find strength, courage, success, or just about anything through our daily actions. Good traits are not automatic, we have to work at them and use them before we know we have them. And if we are not currently the person we want to be, or think we are, we have the power to change by altering our actions.
So what will you find today? Will you find strength, confidence, or success? Really, it is up to you. We have the power to shape our lives and become who we want to be! Because ___________________(fill in the blank) is not something we have, but _________________(fill in the blank) is something we find, usually one day at a time.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today
This story was sent to me by AsAManThinketh.net. I believe it carries a good message and reminds us to focus on what we can control. I hope you enjoy it.
“There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed.
We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.
With its possible adversities, Its burdens,
Its large promise and poor performance.
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.
This just leaves only one day . . . Today.
Any person can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -
yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.
It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday
and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time."
Author Unknown
(To view a similar blog on the same subject on Burntham.com go to ‘The Most Important Day’ published 7/10/08.)
“There are two days in every week about which we should not worry.
Two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.
One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares,
Its faults and blunders, Its aches and pains.
Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.
All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday.
We cannot undo a single act we performed.
We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.
The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow.
With its possible adversities, Its burdens,
Its large promise and poor performance.
Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control.
Tomorrow's Sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds,
but it will rise.
Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.
This just leaves only one day . . . Today.
Any person can fight the battles of just one day.
It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternity's -
yesterday and tomorrow that we break down.
It is not the experience of today that drives people mad.
It is the remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday
and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.
Let us therefore live but one day at a time."
Author Unknown
(To view a similar blog on the same subject on Burntham.com go to ‘The Most Important Day’ published 7/10/08.)
Thursday, October 7, 2010
5 Reasons Why You Should Be Great
“Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.” Jim Collins
I recently finished reading (again) the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. In the book the author provides insights based on extensive research on what makes successful companies great rather than simply good or average. Using ideas from the book, I’d like to provide reasons why we should not settle for average or simply good but rather why we should strive to be great in life.
#1 It’s Not Harder!
Being great rather than just average sounds like a lot of work. And if you are like me, you already feel you are overwhelmed and stretched to your limits so how could you possibly do more. Well, being great is not necessarily about doing more but about doing things differently. It is not about working harder but working smarter. In fact, being great often results in less suffering and sometimes even less work than being mediocre.
Have you ever worked for a mediocre organization or played on a mediocre team where it seemed like every day, every minute, every decision was a struggle because at any minute you could lose! Striving for greatness eases tension, stress, and guilt that almost always comes with mediocrity and allows us to increase our effectiveness. Though being great does take a lot of work, it does not require anymore work than being mediocre.
#2 It Increases Self-Esteem
Striving to be great boosts our self-esteem. A natural consequence of attempting to be great is better results in life. And when we have better results, our self-esteem is given a boost. Many suffer from poor self-esteem because they too easily settle for mediocrity. If we can push through and find ways to be great, our self-esteem will improve.
#3 It Boosts Energy
Working toward greatness boosts our energy. As we build momentum and see improvements and success, we are naturally energized. Being great takes a lot of energy but that energy is often recycled and put right back whereas settling for mediocre drains our energy and leads to discouragement and dissatisfaction.
#4 It’s Fun
Everyone wants to be successful and wants to feel they’ve accomplished something. Thus, striving to be great is fun. Though it does take time, energy, and effort, the process is very rewarding.
#5 It Supplies Meaning
Finally, reaching to be great provides meaning in our lives. At the end of the day, each of us is looking for purpose and meaning. When we find something that is meaningful to us, the question is no longer why should I be great but how can I be great. It is impossible to be great unless doing it means something to us and is time well spent.
Hopefully, after reading this blog, the question is no longer why but how. Pursing greatness does not require harder work and it does increase our self-esteem, boosts our energy, is fun, and supplies purpose and meaning to our lives. Besides all of this though, the most important reason as to why we should strive to be great is because each of us can.
(For more ideas on how to strive for greatness, please refer to blog on 9/30/10)
I recently finished reading (again) the book Good to Great by Jim Collins. In the book the author provides insights based on extensive research on what makes successful companies great rather than simply good or average. Using ideas from the book, I’d like to provide reasons why we should not settle for average or simply good but rather why we should strive to be great in life.
#1 It’s Not Harder!
Being great rather than just average sounds like a lot of work. And if you are like me, you already feel you are overwhelmed and stretched to your limits so how could you possibly do more. Well, being great is not necessarily about doing more but about doing things differently. It is not about working harder but working smarter. In fact, being great often results in less suffering and sometimes even less work than being mediocre.
Have you ever worked for a mediocre organization or played on a mediocre team where it seemed like every day, every minute, every decision was a struggle because at any minute you could lose! Striving for greatness eases tension, stress, and guilt that almost always comes with mediocrity and allows us to increase our effectiveness. Though being great does take a lot of work, it does not require anymore work than being mediocre.
#2 It Increases Self-Esteem
Striving to be great boosts our self-esteem. A natural consequence of attempting to be great is better results in life. And when we have better results, our self-esteem is given a boost. Many suffer from poor self-esteem because they too easily settle for mediocrity. If we can push through and find ways to be great, our self-esteem will improve.
#3 It Boosts Energy
Working toward greatness boosts our energy. As we build momentum and see improvements and success, we are naturally energized. Being great takes a lot of energy but that energy is often recycled and put right back whereas settling for mediocre drains our energy and leads to discouragement and dissatisfaction.
#4 It’s Fun
Everyone wants to be successful and wants to feel they’ve accomplished something. Thus, striving to be great is fun. Though it does take time, energy, and effort, the process is very rewarding.
#5 It Supplies Meaning
Finally, reaching to be great provides meaning in our lives. At the end of the day, each of us is looking for purpose and meaning. When we find something that is meaningful to us, the question is no longer why should I be great but how can I be great. It is impossible to be great unless doing it means something to us and is time well spent.
Hopefully, after reading this blog, the question is no longer why but how. Pursing greatness does not require harder work and it does increase our self-esteem, boosts our energy, is fun, and supplies purpose and meaning to our lives. Besides all of this though, the most important reason as to why we should strive to be great is because each of us can.
(For more ideas on how to strive for greatness, please refer to blog on 9/30/10)
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Good to Great Rewind
I recently finished reading (again) Good to Great by Jim Collins. This has been a book that has been discussed (again) a lot lately at my place of work so I thought reading it again as a refresher to my memory was a good idea. The concepts and ideas in the book continue to be very relevant in helping anyone become successful in any walk of life. Below are some ideas I really enjoyed re-reading.
#1 People Count
Re-reading the book reminded me of the importance of people. Good people are so important to success in our lives. We must learn and have the discipline to surround ourselves with good people whether at work or at home. As the book states, if we know we need to make a change of the people we are around, act! And when we are in doubt of whether we should hire or hang around a certain person, we should keep looking. Having the right people in our life is very critical to our results and success in life.
#2 Simplify
In our society we are bombarded with things to do. As a result, many of us live with busy, overscheduled lives that stress us out and impede us from reaching our potential. The book reminds us that there is power in simplifying and focusing on what is vital. Rather than pursue many things and basically waste our energy, we should focus on becoming really good at the essential things and ignore the rest. In fact, the book encourages us to throw away the “to do lists” and replace them with “stop doing lists.” As we simplify, our complex world will become organized and our ability to perform well will become much easier.
#3 Greatness is a Choice
The author of the book states, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.” Thus, any and all of us have the potential and ability to be great. Being great is not determined by our skill level, knowledge, charming character, or even by being at the right place at the right time. Greatness is achieved by conscious effort and consistent good choices that lead to it.
# 4 Good is the Enemy of Great
In the end, good is the enemy of great. So many of us are satisfied with simply being good. When we are good we become content and our passion to become all that we can be fades. “Why push the envelope we ask ourselves, when we are at the same level as everyone else?” For this reason there are many that are good but few that are truly great. Having the desire, discipline, and drive to push for greatness is rare indeed.
Remembering that people count, to simplify, that greatness is a choice while good is the enemy of great will help us become successful leaders and successful people. If you are in business and have not read Good to Great, I would strongly recommend it. In my blog next week, I will discuss why we shouldn’t simply settle for good but why we should push for greatness.
#1 People Count
Re-reading the book reminded me of the importance of people. Good people are so important to success in our lives. We must learn and have the discipline to surround ourselves with good people whether at work or at home. As the book states, if we know we need to make a change of the people we are around, act! And when we are in doubt of whether we should hire or hang around a certain person, we should keep looking. Having the right people in our life is very critical to our results and success in life.
#2 Simplify
In our society we are bombarded with things to do. As a result, many of us live with busy, overscheduled lives that stress us out and impede us from reaching our potential. The book reminds us that there is power in simplifying and focusing on what is vital. Rather than pursue many things and basically waste our energy, we should focus on becoming really good at the essential things and ignore the rest. In fact, the book encourages us to throw away the “to do lists” and replace them with “stop doing lists.” As we simplify, our complex world will become organized and our ability to perform well will become much easier.
#3 Greatness is a Choice
The author of the book states, “Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness is largely a matter of conscious choice.” Thus, any and all of us have the potential and ability to be great. Being great is not determined by our skill level, knowledge, charming character, or even by being at the right place at the right time. Greatness is achieved by conscious effort and consistent good choices that lead to it.
# 4 Good is the Enemy of Great
In the end, good is the enemy of great. So many of us are satisfied with simply being good. When we are good we become content and our passion to become all that we can be fades. “Why push the envelope we ask ourselves, when we are at the same level as everyone else?” For this reason there are many that are good but few that are truly great. Having the desire, discipline, and drive to push for greatness is rare indeed.
Remembering that people count, to simplify, that greatness is a choice while good is the enemy of great will help us become successful leaders and successful people. If you are in business and have not read Good to Great, I would strongly recommend it. In my blog next week, I will discuss why we shouldn’t simply settle for good but why we should push for greatness.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Are You an Able Navigator?
“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigator.”
Edward Gibbons
-Able navigators face the same winds and waves as others yet they are successful.
-Able navigators never give up. They are focused and determined.
-Able navigators understand that it is easy to be a good navigator when the winds and waves are heading in the right direction.
-Able navigators have a “can-do” attitude. Even when it seems the task is insurmountable or impossible, the able navigator finds a way.
-Able navigators are resilient. Many navigators give up when the winds and waves are not at their back yet able navigators are persistent and ultimately come out on top despite the type of sea they face.
-Able navigators are not afraid to work hard or face obstacles. They understand that reaching their goals will often not be easy.
-Able navigators are confident and believe that with consistent effort, they will be successful.
-Able navigators do not wait for the winds and waves to be at their backs to begin their journey. They are determined to complete their mission regardless of circumstance.
-Able navigators are not fearful. While many stand on the beach waiting for better conditions, able navigators act. They are not hesitant, do not procrastinate, or look for excuses.
-Able navigators have a burning desire to be the best they can. They attack difficulties head on with the understanding that challenges will make them better in than end.
-While many navigators blame their failures on bad winds and waves, able navigators take responsibility for their results. Rather than blame the winds and the waves, they find ways to move through them and overcome them.
-Able navigators take intelligent risks that propel them to success and set them apart from their colleagues.
-Able navigators overcome challenges. They believe that when winds and waves are not blowing in the right direction true skill and character are revealed.
-The able navigator uses bad winds and waves as a catalyst to future success.
-It appears to many that the winds and waves must literally always be on the side of the able navigator because of their success. But the reality is not that winds and waves are always on their side but that the able navigator believes that they are because of his attitude and actions.
Are you an able navigator?
Edward Gibbons
-Able navigators face the same winds and waves as others yet they are successful.
-Able navigators never give up. They are focused and determined.
-Able navigators understand that it is easy to be a good navigator when the winds and waves are heading in the right direction.
-Able navigators have a “can-do” attitude. Even when it seems the task is insurmountable or impossible, the able navigator finds a way.
-Able navigators are resilient. Many navigators give up when the winds and waves are not at their back yet able navigators are persistent and ultimately come out on top despite the type of sea they face.
-Able navigators are not afraid to work hard or face obstacles. They understand that reaching their goals will often not be easy.
-Able navigators are confident and believe that with consistent effort, they will be successful.
-Able navigators do not wait for the winds and waves to be at their backs to begin their journey. They are determined to complete their mission regardless of circumstance.
-Able navigators are not fearful. While many stand on the beach waiting for better conditions, able navigators act. They are not hesitant, do not procrastinate, or look for excuses.
-Able navigators have a burning desire to be the best they can. They attack difficulties head on with the understanding that challenges will make them better in than end.
-While many navigators blame their failures on bad winds and waves, able navigators take responsibility for their results. Rather than blame the winds and the waves, they find ways to move through them and overcome them.
-Able navigators take intelligent risks that propel them to success and set them apart from their colleagues.
-Able navigators overcome challenges. They believe that when winds and waves are not blowing in the right direction true skill and character are revealed.
-The able navigator uses bad winds and waves as a catalyst to future success.
-It appears to many that the winds and waves must literally always be on the side of the able navigator because of their success. But the reality is not that winds and waves are always on their side but that the able navigator believes that they are because of his attitude and actions.
Are you an able navigator?
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Clearing the Clutter
This is a Burntham.com "Rewind". Post orignially published 3/24/08
How many of us lose sleep or are unable to fully concentrate at work, school, or at home because our minds can’t stop racing? All of us spend unnecessary time thinking about a plethora of different concerns, unfinished obligations, ideas, upcoming events, tasks, needs, worries, and countless other thoughts that pull us away from seeing the big picture. In the book, The Other 90%, the author offers a very simple suggestion of how we can better clear our minds and concentrate on what is most important. I have found this simple tip helpful and thus would like to share.
The simple tip is to get everything in our head out onto paper by writing it down. This is one of the best ways to clear our minds by eliminating those items that may be distracting us from what is truly important at the present time. If needs be, we can carry a day book or journal to write down these thoughts whenever we have them or whenever they may be distracting us for what is at hand. By doing this, we get these thoughts outside of our heads and put them in a “safe place” allowing us to fully concentrate on our greater goals.
When time permits, we then can review the items we jotted down and prioritize them and determine if they are truly important. We can determine what items may need to be moved to a task list, what items can be delegated to others, and what items can be removed completely. We can put the most pressing and important items at top and items that can wait near the bottom. This will help us organize and prioritize our lives.
By following this simple advice, we can keep our minds clear and focused on the tasks at hand. We can relax sooner, breathe easier, and enjoy life more. Effectively learning to clear our minds will allow us be more effective leaders and reach our full potential each day.
How many of us lose sleep or are unable to fully concentrate at work, school, or at home because our minds can’t stop racing? All of us spend unnecessary time thinking about a plethora of different concerns, unfinished obligations, ideas, upcoming events, tasks, needs, worries, and countless other thoughts that pull us away from seeing the big picture. In the book, The Other 90%, the author offers a very simple suggestion of how we can better clear our minds and concentrate on what is most important. I have found this simple tip helpful and thus would like to share.
The simple tip is to get everything in our head out onto paper by writing it down. This is one of the best ways to clear our minds by eliminating those items that may be distracting us from what is truly important at the present time. If needs be, we can carry a day book or journal to write down these thoughts whenever we have them or whenever they may be distracting us for what is at hand. By doing this, we get these thoughts outside of our heads and put them in a “safe place” allowing us to fully concentrate on our greater goals.
When time permits, we then can review the items we jotted down and prioritize them and determine if they are truly important. We can determine what items may need to be moved to a task list, what items can be delegated to others, and what items can be removed completely. We can put the most pressing and important items at top and items that can wait near the bottom. This will help us organize and prioritize our lives.
By following this simple advice, we can keep our minds clear and focused on the tasks at hand. We can relax sooner, breathe easier, and enjoy life more. Effectively learning to clear our minds will allow us be more effective leaders and reach our full potential each day.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
21 Day Magic
Developing good habits and stopping bad ones is so important for success in life. Habits become who we are and often determine what we do. If we can figure out a way to develop habits that contribute positively to our life, we will be well on our way to success.
A common question about habits is how long does it take to establish one? I’ve discovered recently that this is a highly debated topic. For me, I’ve always heard around 21 days. This 21-day idea was most likely created from a book by Dr. Maxwell Maltz entitled Psycho-Cybernetics. Dr. Maltz developed this theory when working with amputees. He discovered it took around 21 days for amputees to stop feeling phantom pain in their amputated limb. He also noticed that good habits were created after bombarding the mind for 21 days. Other professional however have argued that the magical 21 days to forming a habit is inaccurate. There have been a handful of other studies that have determined it takes 30 days, 66 days, or some other amount of days to form good habits.
In the end, whether it takes 21 days or some other amount of days to form a good habit I am uncertain. What I do know though is that if we set our sights on doing something for 21 days and are able to accomplish that, then we are well on our way to establishing a good habit. Once we’ve done something 21 days in a row, what’s going to stop us from 22 or 23 or 103? If you do not believe this to be true, I challenge you to try it. Try doing something 21 days in a row and see if you do not have a desire to do it that 22nd day, then 23rd, and so forth. Forming good habits takes self discipline and desire but it can be done. To me, a good place to start is by determining and committing to do something for 21 days and then each day after that it will become a little bit easier and easier. By doing this, I believe we all can form good habits. Good luck!!
Additional Thought: And what about breaking old habits? I believe this is a little more tricky. Our minds are powerful machines that remember incredibly well. Once we’ve formed a habit, that neurological pathway that has developed is hard to erase. For this reason, people can quit a bad habit for many months or even years but eventually fall right back in to the bad habit seemingly overnight. I’ve learned though that the very best way to break an old habit is to consciously replace it with a new one and then reinforce the new one a lot. If we can replace and reinforce rather than simply overcome and endure, we will have a greater chance for success for breaking a bad habit.
A common question about habits is how long does it take to establish one? I’ve discovered recently that this is a highly debated topic. For me, I’ve always heard around 21 days. This 21-day idea was most likely created from a book by Dr. Maxwell Maltz entitled Psycho-Cybernetics. Dr. Maltz developed this theory when working with amputees. He discovered it took around 21 days for amputees to stop feeling phantom pain in their amputated limb. He also noticed that good habits were created after bombarding the mind for 21 days. Other professional however have argued that the magical 21 days to forming a habit is inaccurate. There have been a handful of other studies that have determined it takes 30 days, 66 days, or some other amount of days to form good habits.
In the end, whether it takes 21 days or some other amount of days to form a good habit I am uncertain. What I do know though is that if we set our sights on doing something for 21 days and are able to accomplish that, then we are well on our way to establishing a good habit. Once we’ve done something 21 days in a row, what’s going to stop us from 22 or 23 or 103? If you do not believe this to be true, I challenge you to try it. Try doing something 21 days in a row and see if you do not have a desire to do it that 22nd day, then 23rd, and so forth. Forming good habits takes self discipline and desire but it can be done. To me, a good place to start is by determining and committing to do something for 21 days and then each day after that it will become a little bit easier and easier. By doing this, I believe we all can form good habits. Good luck!!
Additional Thought: And what about breaking old habits? I believe this is a little more tricky. Our minds are powerful machines that remember incredibly well. Once we’ve formed a habit, that neurological pathway that has developed is hard to erase. For this reason, people can quit a bad habit for many months or even years but eventually fall right back in to the bad habit seemingly overnight. I’ve learned though that the very best way to break an old habit is to consciously replace it with a new one and then reinforce the new one a lot. If we can replace and reinforce rather than simply overcome and endure, we will have a greater chance for success for breaking a bad habit.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Lesson of Two Marshmallows
Recently I read an interesting article in The New Yorker by Jonah Lehrer about a study with children and marshmallows. The research project’s intent in the beginning was somewhat vague however it developed into a study on self-control. During the study, children had placed before them a marshmallow and were told not to eat it. They were also told that if they did not eat the marshmallow, they could have two marshmallows to eat when the researcher returned. Of the 650ish participants, only 30% waited long enough to receive an additional marshmallow. Though uncertain what this study meant initially, later in life it was discovered that those who demonstrated the ability to wait, or be patient, were much more successful in life. (ie. better grades in school, better paying jobs, good/stable careers, healthier, happier with life.)
So what does this mean for us?! It means if we can learn to be patient and put off gratification, we can improve our ability to be successful. Patience is a virtue that is tremendously hard to develop in our “I want what I want and I want it now” society. The ability to be instantly gratified is becoming easier and easier with technology, easy credit, etc. Yet, learning to be patient and putting our desires on hold for a time—can be extremely valuable.
One example we see often in life is when two young people graduate from high school and set off on two different courses. Both need and want money but one chooses to start working while the other decides to sacrifice his current wants and needs in order to go to college. In the beginning, the one working seems to be enjoying life with a little bit of money, food, and time to spend with friends while the other feels broke, tired, and overwhelmed in school. In that brief moment, the one working is richer and perhaps more successful. Fast forward 10 years however and the one who went to college finds himself with a much higher paying more exciting job with a better education and opportunities for the future while the other one remains in his lower-paying dead end job. In the end the one who sacrificed in the beginning discovers that patience and self-sacrifice paid off.
Being patient is not easy as it requires self-discipline and active persistence. This includes actively working toward goals even when results do not come instantly. It includes continually putting forth great effort even when the current outcome does not seem worth it. It includes delaying immediate gratification for future results. It includes staying the course while others seemingly are finding success now. If we can do these things though as the marshmallow study proved, we will be more successful in life.
Thus, the marshmallow study is a lesson for life. Often we have the opportunity to cease what we want right now but by so doing we sacrifice long-term success and better results. If we can learn to focus on the future and think about how a decision today may impact us tomorrow, we can better wait and be patient in order to ensure we receive two marshmallows.
So what does this mean for us?! It means if we can learn to be patient and put off gratification, we can improve our ability to be successful. Patience is a virtue that is tremendously hard to develop in our “I want what I want and I want it now” society. The ability to be instantly gratified is becoming easier and easier with technology, easy credit, etc. Yet, learning to be patient and putting our desires on hold for a time—can be extremely valuable.
One example we see often in life is when two young people graduate from high school and set off on two different courses. Both need and want money but one chooses to start working while the other decides to sacrifice his current wants and needs in order to go to college. In the beginning, the one working seems to be enjoying life with a little bit of money, food, and time to spend with friends while the other feels broke, tired, and overwhelmed in school. In that brief moment, the one working is richer and perhaps more successful. Fast forward 10 years however and the one who went to college finds himself with a much higher paying more exciting job with a better education and opportunities for the future while the other one remains in his lower-paying dead end job. In the end the one who sacrificed in the beginning discovers that patience and self-sacrifice paid off.
Being patient is not easy as it requires self-discipline and active persistence. This includes actively working toward goals even when results do not come instantly. It includes continually putting forth great effort even when the current outcome does not seem worth it. It includes delaying immediate gratification for future results. It includes staying the course while others seemingly are finding success now. If we can do these things though as the marshmallow study proved, we will be more successful in life.
Thus, the marshmallow study is a lesson for life. Often we have the opportunity to cease what we want right now but by so doing we sacrifice long-term success and better results. If we can learn to focus on the future and think about how a decision today may impact us tomorrow, we can better wait and be patient in order to ensure we receive two marshmallows.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
A Critical Secret to Success
One of the most critical aspects of life that is often undervalued is the power of our simple daily decisions. Too often we believe simple choices are unimportant or irrelevant to our big dreams. For example, we fail to connect how eating an unhealthy snack today may contribute to our poor health tomorrow or how our wasted time today will impact our results in the future. It is important to know that small choices accumulate and overtime become our success or our grief.
Everyday small decisions are the road map to our success as they steer us indisputably toward our destiny. If we learn to make good simple decisions daily and consistently, overtime it will produce great results. This is an undeniable fact. Each day we are capable of making small yet exceptional choices that will shape our future in a positive way. As Robert K. Cooper explained in his book The Other 90%, “although we may dream about our future in splendid images, we must live our lives in practical everyday actions, one after another.” These actions are the bedrock for happiness and success.
Our life is not mostly shaped by an occasional large decision that may come our way from time to time, but rather by our daily small decisions. It’s in small decisions where success and failures are won. And as we make good small daily decisions, it will become easier and easier to make good large decisions when they do come.
Indeed it has been said that if we tell a man what we are doing today, he will be able to tell us the person we will be tomorrow. What we are doing right now matters! However small or insignificant right now seems, it matters!
So let’s start today, right now, to be conscious of our daily small decisions and believe they hold the key to our future. For what we do today, right now, will determine who we become tomorrow.
Everyday small decisions are the road map to our success as they steer us indisputably toward our destiny. If we learn to make good simple decisions daily and consistently, overtime it will produce great results. This is an undeniable fact. Each day we are capable of making small yet exceptional choices that will shape our future in a positive way. As Robert K. Cooper explained in his book The Other 90%, “although we may dream about our future in splendid images, we must live our lives in practical everyday actions, one after another.” These actions are the bedrock for happiness and success.
Our life is not mostly shaped by an occasional large decision that may come our way from time to time, but rather by our daily small decisions. It’s in small decisions where success and failures are won. And as we make good small daily decisions, it will become easier and easier to make good large decisions when they do come.
Indeed it has been said that if we tell a man what we are doing today, he will be able to tell us the person we will be tomorrow. What we are doing right now matters! However small or insignificant right now seems, it matters!
So let’s start today, right now, to be conscious of our daily small decisions and believe they hold the key to our future. For what we do today, right now, will determine who we become tomorrow.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
The Other 90% Rewind
“Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being. We all have reservoirs of energy and genius to draw upon of which we do not dream.”
Robert K. Cooper
The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper is a great book because it is so inspirational, and it encourages us to be so much more than we already are. I just completed reading it for the 2nd time, and I wish to share some of the important things that stuck out to me this time around.
#1
First, the author believes we only use 10 percent of our true potential. So think about who you are and what you have accomplished in life. I’m sure each of us has overcome some pretty incredible obstacles in life and has accomplished some pretty amazing things. Now imagine this is only 1/10th of what we are capable of accomplishing! Each of us has greatness inside of us. Bringing out that greatness is the difficult part, but we must believe we can be more, do more, and live life more. This book challenges us to raise our awareness and vision of who we really are and what we can become, and then it dares us to do it!
#2
Second, we must value others. We are in this life together to learn and grow by helping, caring, and loving one another. Thus, the book challenges us to make a conscious effort to show we truly value others. We must trust them, love them, and care about them more than we believe we have to or even want to. When we do this, our lives expand and our satisfaction and happiness in life increase--allowing us to become more than what we currently are. The author urges us to leave a legacy by loving others.
#3
Lastly, we are unique, and we have control of our lives. We have ownership over our lives, and we can determine our success and failures. The author believes our life is one-of-a-kind and that each of us has an individual and unique contribution that only we can make to this world. Thus the book challenges us to do all we can to fulfill that purpose and to believe we are special. No one ever has been nor ever will be exactly like you. Thus no one can impact this world in the same way you can!
The Other 90% is a great book that challenges us to be so much more than we already are. I encourage all of us to believe in our incredible capacities, value others, and take ownership of our one-of-a-kind life.
Robert K. Cooper
The Other 90% by Robert K. Cooper is a great book because it is so inspirational, and it encourages us to be so much more than we already are. I just completed reading it for the 2nd time, and I wish to share some of the important things that stuck out to me this time around.
#1
First, the author believes we only use 10 percent of our true potential. So think about who you are and what you have accomplished in life. I’m sure each of us has overcome some pretty incredible obstacles in life and has accomplished some pretty amazing things. Now imagine this is only 1/10th of what we are capable of accomplishing! Each of us has greatness inside of us. Bringing out that greatness is the difficult part, but we must believe we can be more, do more, and live life more. This book challenges us to raise our awareness and vision of who we really are and what we can become, and then it dares us to do it!
#2
Second, we must value others. We are in this life together to learn and grow by helping, caring, and loving one another. Thus, the book challenges us to make a conscious effort to show we truly value others. We must trust them, love them, and care about them more than we believe we have to or even want to. When we do this, our lives expand and our satisfaction and happiness in life increase--allowing us to become more than what we currently are. The author urges us to leave a legacy by loving others.
#3
Lastly, we are unique, and we have control of our lives. We have ownership over our lives, and we can determine our success and failures. The author believes our life is one-of-a-kind and that each of us has an individual and unique contribution that only we can make to this world. Thus the book challenges us to do all we can to fulfill that purpose and to believe we are special. No one ever has been nor ever will be exactly like you. Thus no one can impact this world in the same way you can!
The Other 90% is a great book that challenges us to be so much more than we already are. I encourage all of us to believe in our incredible capacities, value others, and take ownership of our one-of-a-kind life.
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Setbacks and Comebacks
“Every setback is a set up for a great comeback.”
Unknown
Recently I’ve had a few setbacks in life, as we all do from time to time. When we are faced with a setback, we have a decision to make. We can either let the setback slow us down, discourage us, and bring us down; or we can use the setback to learn, grow, and motivate us to try harder.
I believe it is important to know that setbacks happen to each and everyone of us. No one is unique enough or special enough to escape them. We all are blessed with setbacks that give us opportunities to learn and grow. And just because we experience setbacks, maybe even a lot of them, does not mean we cannot be successful.
Abraham Lincoln is often a common example of someone who experienced a lot of setbacks in his life; yet he never gave up, and he never gave in. Because of his determination and ability to shoulder and move past very difficult setbacks, he became one of the most famous people in the history of our country.
Like Abraham Lincoln, often times I think how we handle setbacks determines our success in life. If we deal with setbacks well and truly view them as an opportunity to have a great comeback, then we will be successful. However if setbacks depress us and ruin our drive to achieve, then we will not be successful. This does not mean we have to be happy and excited about everything that comes our way. Rather, it does mean we will always hope for a brighter day and retain the faith we will prevail as long as we keep pushing forward. It means we will keep trying until we reach our goals.
So how are you handling life’s setbacks? Do you truly view setbacks as an opportunity to improve? If we can change our perspective and understand that setbacks are simply a set up for a great comeback, then we will achieve great things!
Unknown
Recently I’ve had a few setbacks in life, as we all do from time to time. When we are faced with a setback, we have a decision to make. We can either let the setback slow us down, discourage us, and bring us down; or we can use the setback to learn, grow, and motivate us to try harder.
I believe it is important to know that setbacks happen to each and everyone of us. No one is unique enough or special enough to escape them. We all are blessed with setbacks that give us opportunities to learn and grow. And just because we experience setbacks, maybe even a lot of them, does not mean we cannot be successful.
Abraham Lincoln is often a common example of someone who experienced a lot of setbacks in his life; yet he never gave up, and he never gave in. Because of his determination and ability to shoulder and move past very difficult setbacks, he became one of the most famous people in the history of our country.
Like Abraham Lincoln, often times I think how we handle setbacks determines our success in life. If we deal with setbacks well and truly view them as an opportunity to have a great comeback, then we will be successful. However if setbacks depress us and ruin our drive to achieve, then we will not be successful. This does not mean we have to be happy and excited about everything that comes our way. Rather, it does mean we will always hope for a brighter day and retain the faith we will prevail as long as we keep pushing forward. It means we will keep trying until we reach our goals.
So how are you handling life’s setbacks? Do you truly view setbacks as an opportunity to improve? If we can change our perspective and understand that setbacks are simply a set up for a great comeback, then we will achieve great things!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Hard Things
My family and I recently returned from a trip to Utah—hence the dearth in blogs lately…During the trip we spent much of our time at a beautiful lake near the Bear River Mountains. One day our group planned various hikes through the majestic mountains with rugged terrain and peaks that soared to nearly 10,000 feet. With a pregnant wife and three young children my family decided we’d stick to the flat, even surfaced three quarter mile hike. However, at the last minute we decided to try the somewhat steep and rocky 8 mile hike—just to see how far we could make it before turning back. To my surprise, and with my 2 year-old son in arms nearly the entire trip, our family completed the eight mile hike together.
In life, we are often faced with challenges and opportunities that are difficult and often seem impossible. However, our potential and capacity is amazing. Many times we underestimate or do not realize what we can do. Many times we put self-imposed limits on ourselves and fail to venture to the unknown or dare to do the impossible. Whether it’s fear, a lack of confidence, complacency, or other reasons, we often hold back and do not push ourselves. For some reason, somewhere along our life journey, we begin to believe we cannot do hard things. I have learned through this hiking experience and others though that we can do hard things. We can do things that are beyond our own wildest imaginations, if we allow ourselves to believe and try.
At the beginning of the day I never believed my family could or would complete the trip. I thought it would be too difficult for us, but we did it. It wasn’t always easy, and at times I doubted we’d make it all the way; but we did. And because we did, we were able to view some of the most spectacular images and enjoy the peace and serenity of the mountains. We saw wild flowers blooming in colorful, luscious fields, majestic peaks soaring high above us in the air, a buck scampering across snow in search of food, and a calm crystal-clear hidden lake. The reward for our efforts was beauty and tranquility all around us, as well as a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And for my 5 and 6 year-olds, who walked the entire trip on their own, they can now look back on this experience and feel good about who they are and what they can achieve.
So what rewards are we missing, because we are unwilling to do hard things? And why do we deny ourselves of the incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving difficult tasks? Our potential is great, and each of us has the capacity to do great things. Let’s stop holding back, and start believing that we can do hard things!
In life, we are often faced with challenges and opportunities that are difficult and often seem impossible. However, our potential and capacity is amazing. Many times we underestimate or do not realize what we can do. Many times we put self-imposed limits on ourselves and fail to venture to the unknown or dare to do the impossible. Whether it’s fear, a lack of confidence, complacency, or other reasons, we often hold back and do not push ourselves. For some reason, somewhere along our life journey, we begin to believe we cannot do hard things. I have learned through this hiking experience and others though that we can do hard things. We can do things that are beyond our own wildest imaginations, if we allow ourselves to believe and try.
At the beginning of the day I never believed my family could or would complete the trip. I thought it would be too difficult for us, but we did it. It wasn’t always easy, and at times I doubted we’d make it all the way; but we did. And because we did, we were able to view some of the most spectacular images and enjoy the peace and serenity of the mountains. We saw wild flowers blooming in colorful, luscious fields, majestic peaks soaring high above us in the air, a buck scampering across snow in search of food, and a calm crystal-clear hidden lake. The reward for our efforts was beauty and tranquility all around us, as well as a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. And for my 5 and 6 year-olds, who walked the entire trip on their own, they can now look back on this experience and feel good about who they are and what they can achieve.
So what rewards are we missing, because we are unwilling to do hard things? And why do we deny ourselves of the incredible sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that comes from achieving difficult tasks? Our potential is great, and each of us has the capacity to do great things. Let’s stop holding back, and start believing that we can do hard things!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Improving Time Management
One of the most important skills in life is the ability to manage our time. Time is a limited resource and time truly is money. In the world we are constantly being asked to do more and more with less and less time, and I believe this trend will continue. For this reason it is imperative we are likewise continuously learning to manage our time better and better. In the end, learning how to maximize our time will lead us to become better leaders and more successful people. Below are a few tips for better managing our time.
First, we must plan. Having a plan in place will help us to manage our time much more effectively. In fact this is probably the single most important thing we can do to better utilize and maximize our time. For me, I have both a weekly and a daily plan. Normally, on Monday morning I plan what I need to get done and what I’d like to accomplish during the week—sort of a “big picture” plan. Then, each morning throughout the week I review the things I need to do and the things I’d like to accomplish for each day—more of a detailed plan. Having a plan in place will enable us to be focused and not waste time.
Second, prioritize. It will be impossible for us to do all we’d like to do, because we simply just do not have enough time. Thus, it becomes important we do the most important things first. Many people who struggle with time management fail to prioritize effectively or even at all, and thus find themselves running short of time to accomplish important things. Hence, part of our plan should include prioritizing things that “must” get done and things we’d “like” to get done. Once our list of “must do’s” is completed, we then and only then can move to the “like to do’s”. Learning to prioritize will allow us to spend our time more wisely.
Third, cut the fat. Are there things that we are involved in that really do not help us, build us, or move us toward accomplishing our goals? Do we watch too many TV shows, spend too much time on the Internet, or squander our time catching up on our favorite celebrities? All of us do it. All of us do things that do not build us up and therefore waste time! We must cut these things out! Each of us can identify things we freely give our precious time to that do not deserve it. This may not be an easy process, but it will pay off “big time” in the long run.
Fourth, do not waste it. Wasting even 5 minutes a day leads to over 30 hours a year. For this reason, each and every minute should be used purposefully. Find things which are helpful that you can do when you have a few minutes here and there; then do them! Again wasting even a few minutes a day really adds up!
Time management is such an important skill for each one of us in our ever increasingly busy world. As we use the tips above to management our time better, we will find more success and more time to do those things that are most important. Find ways to continuously improve your time management skills!
First, we must plan. Having a plan in place will help us to manage our time much more effectively. In fact this is probably the single most important thing we can do to better utilize and maximize our time. For me, I have both a weekly and a daily plan. Normally, on Monday morning I plan what I need to get done and what I’d like to accomplish during the week—sort of a “big picture” plan. Then, each morning throughout the week I review the things I need to do and the things I’d like to accomplish for each day—more of a detailed plan. Having a plan in place will enable us to be focused and not waste time.
Second, prioritize. It will be impossible for us to do all we’d like to do, because we simply just do not have enough time. Thus, it becomes important we do the most important things first. Many people who struggle with time management fail to prioritize effectively or even at all, and thus find themselves running short of time to accomplish important things. Hence, part of our plan should include prioritizing things that “must” get done and things we’d “like” to get done. Once our list of “must do’s” is completed, we then and only then can move to the “like to do’s”. Learning to prioritize will allow us to spend our time more wisely.
Third, cut the fat. Are there things that we are involved in that really do not help us, build us, or move us toward accomplishing our goals? Do we watch too many TV shows, spend too much time on the Internet, or squander our time catching up on our favorite celebrities? All of us do it. All of us do things that do not build us up and therefore waste time! We must cut these things out! Each of us can identify things we freely give our precious time to that do not deserve it. This may not be an easy process, but it will pay off “big time” in the long run.
Fourth, do not waste it. Wasting even 5 minutes a day leads to over 30 hours a year. For this reason, each and every minute should be used purposefully. Find things which are helpful that you can do when you have a few minutes here and there; then do them! Again wasting even a few minutes a day really adds up!
Time management is such an important skill for each one of us in our ever increasingly busy world. As we use the tips above to management our time better, we will find more success and more time to do those things that are most important. Find ways to continuously improve your time management skills!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
90/10 Rule
Recently an email has been flying around the internet about a rule called the 90/10 rule that is credited to Stephen R. Covey. The slide show in the email presents a scenario where a father in a business suit preparing for work has a cup of coffee accidently spilled on him by his daughter. We follow the scene from there by examining two very different hypothetical reactions to this incident.
The first reaction is one where the father gets very upset. He harshly yells at his daughter and then turns and blames his spouse for putting the cup too close to the edge. He then changes his clothes only to find his daughter still in tears at the table which then results in her missing the bus. The father then speeds in order to drop off his daughter at school. He receives a speeding ticket and ends up late to work which frustrates his boss. He has a bad day at work and can’t wait to arrive home. When he arrives home both his daughter and spouse are still upset at him for his reaction in the morning.
The second reaction is the father responding calmly. He tells his daughter it is ok and that he knows it was an accident. He quickly runs upstairs to change and comes down just in time to hug his daughter good-bye before she runs out the door to catch the bus. His spouse also gives him a kiss good-bye and he heads to work and arrives on time, his boss is in a good mood. He then arrives home to a happy spouse and daughter.
Both reactions in the above scenario are very common yet very different and thus result in different outcomes. This simple example helps us understand that we have the ability to positively or negatively impact our entire day based on our reactions to situations in life. If we understand the 90/10 rule, probably 9 out of 10 times our reaction will be the second.
The 90/10 rule is that 10% of life is made up of what happens to us while 90% is how we react to it. Thus, we have control over 90% of our life! In the above scenario the father had little control over the spilling of the coffee yet he had complete control over his reaction. Lots of things happen to us but more important than what happens is how we react. If we can discipline ourselves to react wisely, our results in life will dramatically improve.
The 90/10 rule is liberating and empowering knowing that we control 90% of our lives! We can take complete ownership for our results in life. Hence, our success is not determined by the outside world but within ourselves. We have complete control over our destiny. And if things are not going well for us, or if we are angry, sad, unsuccessful, miserable or maybe happy, ecstatic, content, etc. we really can only blame ourselves because 90% of life is a result of how we react to it. Don’t let people tell you otherwise!
A troubling trend in society is to shift blame and point fingers. Rather than take ownership and responsibility for our results we find excuses and blame others. We look outside of ourselves and allow the 10% that we cannot control to dictate our future as we become helpless and disbelieving. Rather than take hold of our destiny we allow it to be randomly determined by others. This is a troubling trend of our age however we do not need to be sucked in to it! We need to hold ourselves accountable for our results and face the fact that we are fully capable and have the ability to control them. Rather than look outside ourselves, we should first look inward to see how we must change in order to improve our outcomes in life.
We have the power within ourselves to make this day and everyday a great day. We have the power to change our world and determine our success. We have complete control over our destiny. Please remember the 90/10 rule as you strive to live life to the fullest.
The first reaction is one where the father gets very upset. He harshly yells at his daughter and then turns and blames his spouse for putting the cup too close to the edge. He then changes his clothes only to find his daughter still in tears at the table which then results in her missing the bus. The father then speeds in order to drop off his daughter at school. He receives a speeding ticket and ends up late to work which frustrates his boss. He has a bad day at work and can’t wait to arrive home. When he arrives home both his daughter and spouse are still upset at him for his reaction in the morning.
The second reaction is the father responding calmly. He tells his daughter it is ok and that he knows it was an accident. He quickly runs upstairs to change and comes down just in time to hug his daughter good-bye before she runs out the door to catch the bus. His spouse also gives him a kiss good-bye and he heads to work and arrives on time, his boss is in a good mood. He then arrives home to a happy spouse and daughter.
Both reactions in the above scenario are very common yet very different and thus result in different outcomes. This simple example helps us understand that we have the ability to positively or negatively impact our entire day based on our reactions to situations in life. If we understand the 90/10 rule, probably 9 out of 10 times our reaction will be the second.
The 90/10 rule is that 10% of life is made up of what happens to us while 90% is how we react to it. Thus, we have control over 90% of our life! In the above scenario the father had little control over the spilling of the coffee yet he had complete control over his reaction. Lots of things happen to us but more important than what happens is how we react. If we can discipline ourselves to react wisely, our results in life will dramatically improve.
The 90/10 rule is liberating and empowering knowing that we control 90% of our lives! We can take complete ownership for our results in life. Hence, our success is not determined by the outside world but within ourselves. We have complete control over our destiny. And if things are not going well for us, or if we are angry, sad, unsuccessful, miserable or maybe happy, ecstatic, content, etc. we really can only blame ourselves because 90% of life is a result of how we react to it. Don’t let people tell you otherwise!
A troubling trend in society is to shift blame and point fingers. Rather than take ownership and responsibility for our results we find excuses and blame others. We look outside of ourselves and allow the 10% that we cannot control to dictate our future as we become helpless and disbelieving. Rather than take hold of our destiny we allow it to be randomly determined by others. This is a troubling trend of our age however we do not need to be sucked in to it! We need to hold ourselves accountable for our results and face the fact that we are fully capable and have the ability to control them. Rather than look outside ourselves, we should first look inward to see how we must change in order to improve our outcomes in life.
We have the power within ourselves to make this day and everyday a great day. We have the power to change our world and determine our success. We have complete control over our destiny. Please remember the 90/10 rule as you strive to live life to the fullest.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Bringing Out the Best in People
“Brining Out the Best in People” by Aubrey C. Daniels is a great book on leadership and management. Though it repeats the same message over and over again throughout the book, the underlying message is so powerful and valuable that it is worth repeating. And that message is that reinforcement is the answer to human behavior.
As human beings, everything we do essentially is a result of some form of reinforcement. We do things because of the consequences that come from them. What happens immediately after we do something will determine whether we will want to do it again or not. Simply stated by the author, “people do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it.”
Thus, good leaders effectively provide positive reinforcement as a natural consequence to the “right” actions. As humans, when an action changes our world in ways we like, we repeat it and conversely, when an action changes our world in ways we don’t like we stop it. Hence as leaders, we can produce positive consequences for positive behavior therefore inspiring and motivating others to repeat the behavior.
Knowing and understanding the power of reinforcement is so critical to success in any situation; because when we learn to reinforce the right way, we can help influence human behavior. So, when someone does something we want them to do, we must provide positive reinforcement immediately. For example, when a child washes the dishes, what do we do? Do we ignore it, do we tell them to now go clean their room, or do we give them a hug and whisper thank-you in their ear? How we respond as parents will likely determine whether our children will gladly repeat a behavior or not.
One trap that many of us fall into is what the author calls extinction--meaning we stop noticing good behavior, then we stop reinforcing it. When this happens, a positive behavior is changed and before we know it we are asking ourselves what happened?! The trick to ensuring a behavior will persist is to continuously reinforce it.
“Bringing Out the Best in People” is a great book that teaches that reinforcement is the key to unlocking the power of human behavior. As we learn to frequently and positively reinforce others, we will become more effective leaders and will have more positive results in all areas of our life.
As human beings, everything we do essentially is a result of some form of reinforcement. We do things because of the consequences that come from them. What happens immediately after we do something will determine whether we will want to do it again or not. Simply stated by the author, “people do what they do because of what happens to them when they do it.”
Thus, good leaders effectively provide positive reinforcement as a natural consequence to the “right” actions. As humans, when an action changes our world in ways we like, we repeat it and conversely, when an action changes our world in ways we don’t like we stop it. Hence as leaders, we can produce positive consequences for positive behavior therefore inspiring and motivating others to repeat the behavior.
Knowing and understanding the power of reinforcement is so critical to success in any situation; because when we learn to reinforce the right way, we can help influence human behavior. So, when someone does something we want them to do, we must provide positive reinforcement immediately. For example, when a child washes the dishes, what do we do? Do we ignore it, do we tell them to now go clean their room, or do we give them a hug and whisper thank-you in their ear? How we respond as parents will likely determine whether our children will gladly repeat a behavior or not.
One trap that many of us fall into is what the author calls extinction--meaning we stop noticing good behavior, then we stop reinforcing it. When this happens, a positive behavior is changed and before we know it we are asking ourselves what happened?! The trick to ensuring a behavior will persist is to continuously reinforce it.
“Bringing Out the Best in People” is a great book that teaches that reinforcement is the key to unlocking the power of human behavior. As we learn to frequently and positively reinforce others, we will become more effective leaders and will have more positive results in all areas of our life.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Level 5 Leadership
One of my favorite business books, Good to Great, talks about Level 5 leadership. According to the book, this is the kind of leadership that separates great leaders from really good leaders. It is the kind of leadership that Abraham Lincoln demonstrated. It is the kind of leadership to which all who truly are interested in being great leaders aspire to be. Today I want to share some of the “secrets” or differences between these Level 5 leaders and others.
Show Horse vs. Plow Horse
One major difference between Level 5 leaders and others is their personal humility and willingness to work. Usually Level 5 leaders are very little known and have little desire to be in the lime light. Instead they quietly work hard producing great results. They resist showing off, drawing attention to themselves or telling the world how great they are. Typically leaders we know and hear about in the media and business magazines or even in our community or company are people who are not Level 5 leaders because Level 5 leaders naturally shun attention and personal recognition. Rather they quietly and methodically work at doing what needs to be done to ensure success.
Window vs. Mirror
Level 5 leaders look in the mirror and blame themselves when things are not going well. They take full responsibility for those they lead. On the flip side, they look out the window to praise others when things are going great. Level 5 leaders do not take credit for success but redirect praise onto others who they sincerely believe deserve the recognition. Unlike other leaders who place or shift blame when things are bad and then accept and embrace praise when things are good, these unique leaders do just the opposite.
Personal Greatness vs. Good-luck
Level 4 leaders usually attribute success to their personal greatness. Whether it was a tough decision they made, a new product that was developed under them, new strategies implemented, or whatever, these leaders will take credit for success. Often they use the word “I”. Contrarily, Level 5 leaders often attribute success to luck—lucky to be working in such a great industry, lucky to have talented co-workers and employees, lucky to have produced a popular product, lucky to have made a good decision, etc. Rather than draw attention to themselves, Level 5 leaders deflect it and usually use the words “we” or “they”.
Floundering vs. Soaring
Once a Level 5 leader leaves a situation, typically the group, team, or organization they were leading continues to soar. Conversely, often when a non Level 5 leader leaves those he is leading, most often the team flounders (and usually they crash and burn). Level 5 leaders have the ability to leave a legacy that is long-lasting and inspiring and continues to produce great results long after they are gone while Level 4 leaders almost always leave certain ruin in their wake. This is an easy way to identify Level 5 leaders from others.
Inspiring Charisma vs. Inspiring Standards
Level 5 leaders can often be described as quirky, awkward, and shy. Rather than use their personal charisma or charming personalities, Level 5 leaders resort to setting high standards that inspire others to give their best. Level 5 leaders create something that people want to be apart of and contribute to for long periods of time.
Personal Humility and Professional Will
In the end, the two traits that best separate Level 5 leaders from others is personal humility and professional will. They are humble enough to lead others based on high standards and values yet they have the ambition and will to work hard and do whatever it takes to be successful. These leaders are rare because often one of these contrasting traits will dominate the other. However, the ability to balance and possess both equally makes Level 5 leaders great!
So how do we evolve or become Level 5 leaders? It is a process that is difficult but possible. The surest way is by making tough decisions that are often counterintuitive. When you come to a decision and your mind tells you to go right because it the decision that is most beneficial to you, yet to the left appears to be in the best interest of others and the organization long-term—go left. Overtime, deciding most often to go left for the betterment of the higher cause when every part of you is pulling right for your own benefit, you will begin to be a Level 5 leader.
So what kind of leader are you? Let’s strive to evolve to Level 5 leadership and leave a lasting legacy that will bless our own lives as well as the lives of others.
Show Horse vs. Plow Horse
One major difference between Level 5 leaders and others is their personal humility and willingness to work. Usually Level 5 leaders are very little known and have little desire to be in the lime light. Instead they quietly work hard producing great results. They resist showing off, drawing attention to themselves or telling the world how great they are. Typically leaders we know and hear about in the media and business magazines or even in our community or company are people who are not Level 5 leaders because Level 5 leaders naturally shun attention and personal recognition. Rather they quietly and methodically work at doing what needs to be done to ensure success.
Window vs. Mirror
Level 5 leaders look in the mirror and blame themselves when things are not going well. They take full responsibility for those they lead. On the flip side, they look out the window to praise others when things are going great. Level 5 leaders do not take credit for success but redirect praise onto others who they sincerely believe deserve the recognition. Unlike other leaders who place or shift blame when things are bad and then accept and embrace praise when things are good, these unique leaders do just the opposite.
Personal Greatness vs. Good-luck
Level 4 leaders usually attribute success to their personal greatness. Whether it was a tough decision they made, a new product that was developed under them, new strategies implemented, or whatever, these leaders will take credit for success. Often they use the word “I”. Contrarily, Level 5 leaders often attribute success to luck—lucky to be working in such a great industry, lucky to have talented co-workers and employees, lucky to have produced a popular product, lucky to have made a good decision, etc. Rather than draw attention to themselves, Level 5 leaders deflect it and usually use the words “we” or “they”.
Floundering vs. Soaring
Once a Level 5 leader leaves a situation, typically the group, team, or organization they were leading continues to soar. Conversely, often when a non Level 5 leader leaves those he is leading, most often the team flounders (and usually they crash and burn). Level 5 leaders have the ability to leave a legacy that is long-lasting and inspiring and continues to produce great results long after they are gone while Level 4 leaders almost always leave certain ruin in their wake. This is an easy way to identify Level 5 leaders from others.
Inspiring Charisma vs. Inspiring Standards
Level 5 leaders can often be described as quirky, awkward, and shy. Rather than use their personal charisma or charming personalities, Level 5 leaders resort to setting high standards that inspire others to give their best. Level 5 leaders create something that people want to be apart of and contribute to for long periods of time.
Personal Humility and Professional Will
In the end, the two traits that best separate Level 5 leaders from others is personal humility and professional will. They are humble enough to lead others based on high standards and values yet they have the ambition and will to work hard and do whatever it takes to be successful. These leaders are rare because often one of these contrasting traits will dominate the other. However, the ability to balance and possess both equally makes Level 5 leaders great!
So how do we evolve or become Level 5 leaders? It is a process that is difficult but possible. The surest way is by making tough decisions that are often counterintuitive. When you come to a decision and your mind tells you to go right because it the decision that is most beneficial to you, yet to the left appears to be in the best interest of others and the organization long-term—go left. Overtime, deciding most often to go left for the betterment of the higher cause when every part of you is pulling right for your own benefit, you will begin to be a Level 5 leader.
So what kind of leader are you? Let’s strive to evolve to Level 5 leadership and leave a lasting legacy that will bless our own lives as well as the lives of others.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
The Power of a Poor Performer
Have you ever tried to work with someone who was not engaged in the task at hand? Most of us at some point in time in our lives has had this experience, and we know just how frustrating it can be. For this reason, just about everyone will tell you a poor performer has the ability to ruin an entire team. Hence, it is important for leaders to identify and eliminate poor performance as soon as possible because of the impact one poor performer can have on an entire team. Below are my top four critical items that are impacted by a poor performer.
Morale
Poor performers heavily decrease morale. When others are excited, working-hard, and are engaged, a negative, uninterested co-worker can quickly damage the mood of an entire team. In fact, poor performers can often convert others to follow their ways, and they can completely destroy the team’s satisfaction. In the end, most employees can deal with angry or upset customers, but nearly none of them want to put up with a poor performer.
Work
Poor performers make everyone’s work harder. Though a poor performer may be doing “something”, it rarely makes up for the overall negative impact their poor performance has on the team. Really, working with a poor performer makes everyone else’s jobs infinitely harder, and most everyone would gladly be assigned more work than deal with a poor performer.
Cost
A poor performer can cost an organization a significant amount of money. Besides the obvious costs of having to replace or train a poor performer, poor performers may provide poor customer service damaging customer loyalty and trust, create unsafe work environments leading to more work place injuries and turnover, or may carelessly waste equipment and supplies. In the end poor performers can cripple outcomes and can have a very negative impact on financial performance.
Leadership
Poor performers have the ability to destroy the leadership in an organization. Once a poor performer joins a team, good performers wonder why they are able to “get away” with their behaviors. As time goes on, if not handled appropriately, accountability in the organization will begin to be questioned. And if the poor performer is allowed to continue, good performers’ trust in leadership will be completely lost.
One last thing to consider as leaders is why the poor performance may be occurring. Many times poor performers want attention or are upset about a change or experience at work. Leaders should try to coach, train, communicate with, and guide poor performers to good performance as soon as possible. Many times a simple solution may be available which turns performance around. However, if this does not happen quickly, action should be taken to eliminate poor performance. In the end, good leaders take full responsibility and accountability for poor performers and ask themselves what they can do differently to avoid similar situations in the future.
In today’s competitive workplace, the willingness and ability of top performers to put up with poor performers is dwindling. Now is the time for leaders to become even more focused at identifying and eliminating poor performance. Leaders who are able to do this quickly and effectively will have a great impact on the teams they lead and the outcomes produced.
Morale
Poor performers heavily decrease morale. When others are excited, working-hard, and are engaged, a negative, uninterested co-worker can quickly damage the mood of an entire team. In fact, poor performers can often convert others to follow their ways, and they can completely destroy the team’s satisfaction. In the end, most employees can deal with angry or upset customers, but nearly none of them want to put up with a poor performer.
Work
Poor performers make everyone’s work harder. Though a poor performer may be doing “something”, it rarely makes up for the overall negative impact their poor performance has on the team. Really, working with a poor performer makes everyone else’s jobs infinitely harder, and most everyone would gladly be assigned more work than deal with a poor performer.
Cost
A poor performer can cost an organization a significant amount of money. Besides the obvious costs of having to replace or train a poor performer, poor performers may provide poor customer service damaging customer loyalty and trust, create unsafe work environments leading to more work place injuries and turnover, or may carelessly waste equipment and supplies. In the end poor performers can cripple outcomes and can have a very negative impact on financial performance.
Leadership
Poor performers have the ability to destroy the leadership in an organization. Once a poor performer joins a team, good performers wonder why they are able to “get away” with their behaviors. As time goes on, if not handled appropriately, accountability in the organization will begin to be questioned. And if the poor performer is allowed to continue, good performers’ trust in leadership will be completely lost.
One last thing to consider as leaders is why the poor performance may be occurring. Many times poor performers want attention or are upset about a change or experience at work. Leaders should try to coach, train, communicate with, and guide poor performers to good performance as soon as possible. Many times a simple solution may be available which turns performance around. However, if this does not happen quickly, action should be taken to eliminate poor performance. In the end, good leaders take full responsibility and accountability for poor performers and ask themselves what they can do differently to avoid similar situations in the future.
In today’s competitive workplace, the willingness and ability of top performers to put up with poor performers is dwindling. Now is the time for leaders to become even more focused at identifying and eliminating poor performance. Leaders who are able to do this quickly and effectively will have a great impact on the teams they lead and the outcomes produced.
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
One Simple Question
There are many ideas and strategies that will help us stretch ourselves and reach our full potential as human beings. Today I want to present one very simple strategy that if applied, can have a significant positive impact on our lives. The great thing about this tactic is that not only is it very simple, but it also does not take too much time. In the end this simple practice seems very doable for everyone regardless of busy schedules, difficult circumstances, or unique situations we may find ourselves in.
The simple strategy is to ask ourselves one question each day. In the morning, when we wake up we need to look ourselves in the mirror and ask, “What is the most exceptional thing I will do today?”
Asking ourselves this question each day will force us to reflect on how we can grow, how we can reach, how we can do something out of the ordinary each day. Maybe it is a kind word, or a friendly visit, or a small act of service. How big it may be or how small is unimportant. The important thing is that we are striving each day to be exceptional—to be our best in at least one simple way each day.
Sincerely answering this question will help us to do something special each day, and it will make us better people. Each day each one of us is capable of performing small but exceptional acts. These acts will add up overtime and will help us to be exceptional people. These daily positive actions will shape who we are and what we will become.
So, are you willing to give it a try? Asking ourselves this one simple question has the potential to greatly improve our lives!
The simple strategy is to ask ourselves one question each day. In the morning, when we wake up we need to look ourselves in the mirror and ask, “What is the most exceptional thing I will do today?”
Asking ourselves this question each day will force us to reflect on how we can grow, how we can reach, how we can do something out of the ordinary each day. Maybe it is a kind word, or a friendly visit, or a small act of service. How big it may be or how small is unimportant. The important thing is that we are striving each day to be exceptional—to be our best in at least one simple way each day.
Sincerely answering this question will help us to do something special each day, and it will make us better people. Each day each one of us is capable of performing small but exceptional acts. These acts will add up overtime and will help us to be exceptional people. These daily positive actions will shape who we are and what we will become.
So, are you willing to give it a try? Asking ourselves this one simple question has the potential to greatly improve our lives!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Video Games and Leadership
Video Gaming has become a multi-million dollar industry and even has fared much better than most industries during the recent economic recession. It seems video games are also stealing away the hearts and the minds of many of our younger generation. Indeed, many individuals are addicted to the entertainment video games provide. So why are video games so successful, so desirable, so addicting, and so widely used? I think I’ve discovered why, and in the process I have learned a valuable lesson that if applied, can help us all be more successful.
Video gaming is wildly successful because its users receive between 65 to 100 “reinforcers” a minute. (This study was highlighted in the book “Bringing out the Best in People” by Aubrey C. Daniels p 216.) This type of instant gratification is unprecedented and certainly can not be compared with the amount of reinforcement provided by most parents at home or teachers at school or supervisors at work. So, we can learn from video games. We can learn as leaders, as parents, as teachers, that we must greatly improve the rate and frequency of reinforcement we provide to others each day.
Currently, the rate of reinforcement that most people receive from others is tremendously inadequate. So when someone is doing something good, let them know! When people do things you like, tell them. When the performance of your work group is good, reward them. The problem is that naturally as human beings, we often look to correct rather than praise. Thus we often hear people complain to teachers, parents, or supervisors that it seems they only focus on the bad and ignore the good. Leaders who learn to provide quick and frequent positive reinforcement for those who are doing good will be wildly successful in their ability to influence and lead others.
And how often does positive reinforcement need to be? Look at the rate of reinforcement that our video games provide for a clue... Positive reinforcement must become second nature to us for that is the only way we can compete for the attention of others. Our reinforcement must be swift and often.
As proven by video games, people crave high rates of reinforcement. Thus we must learn from video games and strive to be much better at reinforcing. When we do increase our reinforcement rate, we greatly improve our ability to positively impact others. Thus we become not only better leaders but also better people.
Video gaming is wildly successful because its users receive between 65 to 100 “reinforcers” a minute. (This study was highlighted in the book “Bringing out the Best in People” by Aubrey C. Daniels p 216.) This type of instant gratification is unprecedented and certainly can not be compared with the amount of reinforcement provided by most parents at home or teachers at school or supervisors at work. So, we can learn from video games. We can learn as leaders, as parents, as teachers, that we must greatly improve the rate and frequency of reinforcement we provide to others each day.
Currently, the rate of reinforcement that most people receive from others is tremendously inadequate. So when someone is doing something good, let them know! When people do things you like, tell them. When the performance of your work group is good, reward them. The problem is that naturally as human beings, we often look to correct rather than praise. Thus we often hear people complain to teachers, parents, or supervisors that it seems they only focus on the bad and ignore the good. Leaders who learn to provide quick and frequent positive reinforcement for those who are doing good will be wildly successful in their ability to influence and lead others.
And how often does positive reinforcement need to be? Look at the rate of reinforcement that our video games provide for a clue... Positive reinforcement must become second nature to us for that is the only way we can compete for the attention of others. Our reinforcement must be swift and often.
As proven by video games, people crave high rates of reinforcement. Thus we must learn from video games and strive to be much better at reinforcing. When we do increase our reinforcement rate, we greatly improve our ability to positively impact others. Thus we become not only better leaders but also better people.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Important Memo!
A good laugh is always good. This is one of my favorites...
MEMO from Management
NEW OFFICE POLICY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
We have a new office policy in place, please read this then turn in your acknowledgment form to HR when you are finished.
Pay Raise Policy:
Each employee is entitled to an annual evaluation and pay raise however the following exception will apply:
1. If you come to work dressed too nicely, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
2. If you dress poorly, we will assume you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
3. If you dress just right, we will assume you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.
Vacation Days:
All employees will be given 5 vacation days a year. In an effort to coordinate schedules and allow employees to plan their vacation time the same days each year will be offered as vacation time to all employees. Thus, each employee is allowed the following 5 vacation days: Jan. 1st, July 4th, The 1st Monday in September, The 4th Thursday of November, and Dec. 25th.
Absenteeism:
It is no longer acceptable to be absent from work unless you die. This is an acceptable excuse for missing work. However, you are required to provide two weeks’ notice as it is your responsibility to train your replacement.
Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon after 4pm. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. There is now a strict 2 minute time limit allowed in the restrooms. At the end of 2 minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the “Chronic Offenders” category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company’s mental health policy.
Lunch Break:
• Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
• Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
• Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that’s all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
Smoke Breaks:
Each employee will be allowed 2 smoke breaks each day at work. The 1st must be taken at 7:45 before you clock-in and the 2nd must be taken at 5pm after you employee clock-out.
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive work experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.
MEMO from Management
NEW OFFICE POLICY EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
We have a new office policy in place, please read this then turn in your acknowledgment form to HR when you are finished.
Pay Raise Policy:
Each employee is entitled to an annual evaluation and pay raise however the following exception will apply:
1. If you come to work dressed too nicely, we will assume you are doing well financially and therefore do not need a raise.
2. If you dress poorly, we will assume you need to learn to manage your money better, so that you may buy nicer clothes, and therefore you do not need a raise.
3. If you dress just right, we will assume you are right where you need to be and therefore you do not need a raise.
Sick Days:
We will no longer accept a doctor’s statement as proof of sickness. If you are able to go to the doctor, you are able to come to work.
Personal Days:
Each employee will receive 104 personal days a year. They are called Saturdays & Sundays.
Vacation Days:
All employees will be given 5 vacation days a year. In an effort to coordinate schedules and allow employees to plan their vacation time the same days each year will be offered as vacation time to all employees. Thus, each employee is allowed the following 5 vacation days: Jan. 1st, July 4th, The 1st Monday in September, The 4th Thursday of November, and Dec. 25th.
Absenteeism:
It is no longer acceptable to be absent from work unless you die. This is an acceptable excuse for missing work. However, you are required to provide two weeks’ notice as it is your responsibility to train your replacement.
Bereavement Leave:
This is no excuse for missing work. There is nothing you can do for dead friends, relatives or co-workers. Every effort should be made to have non-employees attend the funeral arrangements in your place. In rare cases where employee involvement is necessary, the funeral should be scheduled in the late afternoon after 4pm. We will be glad to allow you to work through your lunch hour and subsequently leave one hour early.
Bathroom Breaks:
Entirely too much time is being spent in the restroom. There is now a strict 2 minute time limit allowed in the restrooms. At the end of 2 minutes, an alarm will sound, the toilet paper roll will retract, the door will open, and a picture will be taken. After your second offense, your picture will be posted on the company bulletin board under the “Chronic Offenders” category. Anyone caught smiling in the picture will be sectioned under the company’s mental health policy.
Lunch Break:
• Skinny people get 30 minutes for lunch, as they need to eat more, so that they can look healthy.
• Normal size people get 15 minutes for lunch to get a balanced meal to maintain their average figure.
• Chubby people get 5 minutes for lunch, because that’s all the time needed to drink a Slim-Fast.
Smoke Breaks:
Each employee will be allowed 2 smoke breaks each day at work. The 1st must be taken at 7:45 before you clock-in and the 2nd must be taken at 5pm after you employee clock-out.
Thank you for your loyalty to our company. We are here to provide a positive work experience. Therefore, all questions, comments, concerns, complaints, frustrations, irritations, aggravations, insinuations, allegations, accusations, contemplations, consternation and input should be directed elsewhere.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Great News for Everyone!
“The only thing that stands between a person and what they want in life is the will to try it and the faith to believe it possible.”
212 Degrees
“Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being. We all have reservoirs of energy and genius to draw upon of which we do not dream.”
William James
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
Malcolm S. Forbes
There is good news and hope for us all. Research suggests that all of us have the potential to be great! Ok so this isn’t exactly a news flash nor is the research new. In fact, many studies that indicate that each of us has the potential to achieve just about anything we work at dates back many, many years.
According to author Aubrey C. Daniels in his book “Bringing out the Best in People,” it takes 10 years of deliberate practice to become an expert at anything or roughly 10,000 hours of practice. If we break this down, that would be an average of 20 hours of practice a week for 50 weeks for nearly 10 years. Studies show that 96% of variance in performance can simply be attributed to practice thus eliminating the notion that people are just naturally born great. Hard work and practice make the difference between mediocrity and greatness. Consequently, each of us can become experts at something if we choose to!
If nothing else, it is important for each of us to know that our potential is great—that we can do great things. Indeed, each of us can accomplish anything we set our minds to. It may not be easy, or fun, or painless or even believable at times but the potential is there for all of us. Unfortunately, the bad news is that not everyone takes advantage of their opportunity. Let’s be different though and take advantage of our opportunity by doing all we can to be great!
212 Degrees
“Most people live in a very restricted circle of their potential being. We all have reservoirs of energy and genius to draw upon of which we do not dream.”
William James
“Too many people overvalue what they are not and undervalue what they are.”
Malcolm S. Forbes
There is good news and hope for us all. Research suggests that all of us have the potential to be great! Ok so this isn’t exactly a news flash nor is the research new. In fact, many studies that indicate that each of us has the potential to achieve just about anything we work at dates back many, many years.
According to author Aubrey C. Daniels in his book “Bringing out the Best in People,” it takes 10 years of deliberate practice to become an expert at anything or roughly 10,000 hours of practice. If we break this down, that would be an average of 20 hours of practice a week for 50 weeks for nearly 10 years. Studies show that 96% of variance in performance can simply be attributed to practice thus eliminating the notion that people are just naturally born great. Hard work and practice make the difference between mediocrity and greatness. Consequently, each of us can become experts at something if we choose to!
If nothing else, it is important for each of us to know that our potential is great—that we can do great things. Indeed, each of us can accomplish anything we set our minds to. It may not be easy, or fun, or painless or even believable at times but the potential is there for all of us. Unfortunately, the bad news is that not everyone takes advantage of their opportunity. Let’s be different though and take advantage of our opportunity by doing all we can to be great!
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
A Fact of Leadership
“If you think [being a leader] is easy, you are doing it wrong.”
Aubrey C. Daniels
It is often discussed whether leadership is an inherit or learned trait. My feeling is that some leadership skills do come more naturally to some but that no one can be a great leader without real effort. Likewise, I believe anyone can learn the skills necessary to become a leader. Yet still, some people think being a true leader is easy—and if they do, like the opening quote suggests, they must be doing something wrong. Leadership takes consistent, focused effort.
Consistency
Consistency is key to successful leadership and this means consistency over time. And not a day, or a month, or even a year—this means real time. Being consistent for a long period of time is not easy, yet great leaders are able to find a way to provide constancy day in and day out.
Consistency is critical to successful leadership because it builds trust. People in general have a lot of instability in their lives however, when they find someone they can rely on and trust, they generally want to follow that person.
Leaders who are consistent are also labeled as sincere and genuine meaning people do not believe they are being deceived by the leader or are being told one thing only to have the person do the other. When a leader is consistent in word and deed, people gain respect and appreciation for that person.
Focused Effort
Good leaders work hard. If a leader is not setting an example of strong work ethic, what makes them think their followers will work hard? Hard work day in and day out is required for successful leaders. They set the example for others to follow.
Leadership takes calculated effort. Not just effort but effort that is thought out and will maximize the benefits to the team. A lot of people can work hard, but it takes a special person, a leader, to work hard and smart simultaneously.
Focused effort takes patience, and diligence. Being a great leader or becoming a great leader does not happen over night. And regardless of our focus and effort, we all make mistakes. However, great leaders find a way to bounce back quickly and become better from what they have learned.
So, if you believe leadership is easy, or that people are naturally born great leaders, you are wrong. Every great leader must work hard and be consistent to be successful. Truly great leadership is not easy for anyone and the moment it seems easy to us, is the moment we must be doing something wrong.
Aubrey C. Daniels
It is often discussed whether leadership is an inherit or learned trait. My feeling is that some leadership skills do come more naturally to some but that no one can be a great leader without real effort. Likewise, I believe anyone can learn the skills necessary to become a leader. Yet still, some people think being a true leader is easy—and if they do, like the opening quote suggests, they must be doing something wrong. Leadership takes consistent, focused effort.
Consistency
Consistency is key to successful leadership and this means consistency over time. And not a day, or a month, or even a year—this means real time. Being consistent for a long period of time is not easy, yet great leaders are able to find a way to provide constancy day in and day out.
Consistency is critical to successful leadership because it builds trust. People in general have a lot of instability in their lives however, when they find someone they can rely on and trust, they generally want to follow that person.
Leaders who are consistent are also labeled as sincere and genuine meaning people do not believe they are being deceived by the leader or are being told one thing only to have the person do the other. When a leader is consistent in word and deed, people gain respect and appreciation for that person.
Focused Effort
Good leaders work hard. If a leader is not setting an example of strong work ethic, what makes them think their followers will work hard? Hard work day in and day out is required for successful leaders. They set the example for others to follow.
Leadership takes calculated effort. Not just effort but effort that is thought out and will maximize the benefits to the team. A lot of people can work hard, but it takes a special person, a leader, to work hard and smart simultaneously.
Focused effort takes patience, and diligence. Being a great leader or becoming a great leader does not happen over night. And regardless of our focus and effort, we all make mistakes. However, great leaders find a way to bounce back quickly and become better from what they have learned.
So, if you believe leadership is easy, or that people are naturally born great leaders, you are wrong. Every great leader must work hard and be consistent to be successful. Truly great leadership is not easy for anyone and the moment it seems easy to us, is the moment we must be doing something wrong.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Small Stuff
“You might have big dreams, but you must understand that your long-term successes are a direct result of what you achieve every day.”
Rick Pitino
Today all I have is a simple thought and it is that the little, simple, day to day things we do matter. Often we believe that a wasted 15 minutes here, or an evening that is contradictory to our pursuits now and again do not really mean much to our success long-term but they do. Without daily consistent action and habits, our long-term dreams will never be realized. We must “sweat the small stuff.” We must realize that 15 minutes each day adds up quickly, that actions that hinder our progress tend to linger, de-motivate, and eventually destroy. What we do each minute of each day either builds on or tares down the success we are trying to achieve. Find ways to spend each moment wisely—in pursuit of your dreams…
Rick Pitino
Today all I have is a simple thought and it is that the little, simple, day to day things we do matter. Often we believe that a wasted 15 minutes here, or an evening that is contradictory to our pursuits now and again do not really mean much to our success long-term but they do. Without daily consistent action and habits, our long-term dreams will never be realized. We must “sweat the small stuff.” We must realize that 15 minutes each day adds up quickly, that actions that hinder our progress tend to linger, de-motivate, and eventually destroy. What we do each minute of each day either builds on or tares down the success we are trying to achieve. Find ways to spend each moment wisely—in pursuit of your dreams…
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Motivation Through Rewards
Recently I’ve been reading, Bringing Out the Best in People, by Aubrey C. Daniels, and in it there is a section about making rewards effective. Many people and many businesses struggle with how to effectively reward people in a way that motivates them. In fact, when rewards and recognition are handled the wrong way, they actually can do a lot more harm than good. With this in mind, here are a few pointers from the author that I believe truly help in motivating others through rewards.
#1-Make Positive Reinforcement a Habit
Consistent and sincere positive reinforcement is the number one way to motivate others. In life we are often trained to look for and point out the bad whether we are parents at home or supervisors at work. And pointing out the bad constantly is very deflating to anyone, whereas doing the opposite, meaning pointing out the good, is uplifting. In fact, most often people don’t need rewards or gifts to be motivated—all they really need is sincere positive reinforcement and praise for a job well done.
#2-The Reward Must be Earned
If we are motivating through rewards, then there must be a strong, clear, and direct correlation between performance and the reward. There should be a clear understanding of what must be accomplished to receive the reward, and those achievements must be reached before the reward is given. It also must be something that requires some effort. If not, the reward will lose its value and its ability to motivate.
#3-The Reward Must have Personal Value
Have you ever received something you didn’t want or like? When we reward someone for achieving something, we must give them something that they want. When we have a “blanket” reward approach, people who are not interested in the reward are not motivated. Like shoes, one reward does not fit all; thus to make our rewards systems the most valuable, the rewards should be personalized.
#4-The Reward Must be Given Immediately
The closer we can give the reward to the time the behaviors to earn the reward occurred, the better. When reinforcement is immediate, motivation and the likelihood to repeat performance greatly increases. When we delay, people often forget or fail to correlate what they did “good” to receive the reward—even when you tell them! Thus, have the reward ready to give as soon as possible.
Often we believe that simply giving rewards is enough to motivate others. The opposite could not be more true however. When done properly, by following the tips above, rewards can be an effective way to motivate others; however when done poorly, rewards can actually decrease and completely eliminate motivation. Thus, we must be careful how we reward others. By following the simple steps above, we will become more effective leaders and more effective “rewarders”.
#1-Make Positive Reinforcement a Habit
Consistent and sincere positive reinforcement is the number one way to motivate others. In life we are often trained to look for and point out the bad whether we are parents at home or supervisors at work. And pointing out the bad constantly is very deflating to anyone, whereas doing the opposite, meaning pointing out the good, is uplifting. In fact, most often people don’t need rewards or gifts to be motivated—all they really need is sincere positive reinforcement and praise for a job well done.
#2-The Reward Must be Earned
If we are motivating through rewards, then there must be a strong, clear, and direct correlation between performance and the reward. There should be a clear understanding of what must be accomplished to receive the reward, and those achievements must be reached before the reward is given. It also must be something that requires some effort. If not, the reward will lose its value and its ability to motivate.
#3-The Reward Must have Personal Value
Have you ever received something you didn’t want or like? When we reward someone for achieving something, we must give them something that they want. When we have a “blanket” reward approach, people who are not interested in the reward are not motivated. Like shoes, one reward does not fit all; thus to make our rewards systems the most valuable, the rewards should be personalized.
#4-The Reward Must be Given Immediately
The closer we can give the reward to the time the behaviors to earn the reward occurred, the better. When reinforcement is immediate, motivation and the likelihood to repeat performance greatly increases. When we delay, people often forget or fail to correlate what they did “good” to receive the reward—even when you tell them! Thus, have the reward ready to give as soon as possible.
Often we believe that simply giving rewards is enough to motivate others. The opposite could not be more true however. When done properly, by following the tips above, rewards can be an effective way to motivate others; however when done poorly, rewards can actually decrease and completely eliminate motivation. Thus, we must be careful how we reward others. By following the simple steps above, we will become more effective leaders and more effective “rewarders”.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Enduring Well
Recently I learned about the life of a successful amateur athlete who once was strong, independent, successful, and active and is now facing an enormous amount of hardships in her life. Some of her trials include the recent and sudden death of her father, a shocking diagnosis of autism for her eldest son, sleepless nights with a young collicky baby, and frequent debilitating migraine headaches. What was once a seemingly carefree, nearly perfect, and enjoyable experience has turned into something nearly unbearable.
When I heard about this story, it made me think about how all of us are faced with challenges and adversity in our life. I’ve yet to meet someone whose life is “full of roses” and without opposition. Thus, how we react to adversity becomes imperative to our success in life. Often it is not so much about the challenges we face that determines our fate, but more about how we respond to the trials we are confronted with. Frequently in life the hardest times provide the greatest opportunities for growth if we allow them to, and in the end we become wiser, stronger, and more successful. In fact, I’ve found that successful people meet obstacles head on with remarkable levels of persistence, optimism, and endurance.
Endurance is stamina, staying power, the ability to exert ones self for a long period of time. I believe endurance is a marquee quality of a successful person. Life presents to each one of us a myriad of challenges yet consistency in doing well for a “long period of time” nearly guarantees success. Nonetheless, this is not easily done as it is a rare person who is able to sustain effort and focus when faced with life’s unexpected and unforgiving struggles.
Growing up I learned about enduring through hardships and often thought that when faced with difficulties I simply needed to press through it with patience—believing that when the problem was resolved, life would be blissful and joyful again. However I have learned that successful people learn to be happy and successful in the middle of the storm. They do not wait for calmer waters, but instead they find ways to be triumphant and victorious regardless of their circumstances. Often times in life the wind never stops blowing; so we can’t wait. We must make our best effort now!
So enduring and enduring well is something each of us should strive to do. Are we waiting for our trials to pass so we can then rededicate ourselves to our goals? Are we putting off our best efforts in hopes life will someday get easier for us? Or are we pressing forward despite the many mountains that stand in our way. If we can learn to “exert” ourselves toward accomplishing our goals for “a long period of time” no matter what may come, we will be extremely successful!!
When I heard about this story, it made me think about how all of us are faced with challenges and adversity in our life. I’ve yet to meet someone whose life is “full of roses” and without opposition. Thus, how we react to adversity becomes imperative to our success in life. Often it is not so much about the challenges we face that determines our fate, but more about how we respond to the trials we are confronted with. Frequently in life the hardest times provide the greatest opportunities for growth if we allow them to, and in the end we become wiser, stronger, and more successful. In fact, I’ve found that successful people meet obstacles head on with remarkable levels of persistence, optimism, and endurance.
Endurance is stamina, staying power, the ability to exert ones self for a long period of time. I believe endurance is a marquee quality of a successful person. Life presents to each one of us a myriad of challenges yet consistency in doing well for a “long period of time” nearly guarantees success. Nonetheless, this is not easily done as it is a rare person who is able to sustain effort and focus when faced with life’s unexpected and unforgiving struggles.
Growing up I learned about enduring through hardships and often thought that when faced with difficulties I simply needed to press through it with patience—believing that when the problem was resolved, life would be blissful and joyful again. However I have learned that successful people learn to be happy and successful in the middle of the storm. They do not wait for calmer waters, but instead they find ways to be triumphant and victorious regardless of their circumstances. Often times in life the wind never stops blowing; so we can’t wait. We must make our best effort now!
So enduring and enduring well is something each of us should strive to do. Are we waiting for our trials to pass so we can then rededicate ourselves to our goals? Are we putting off our best efforts in hopes life will someday get easier for us? Or are we pressing forward despite the many mountains that stand in our way. If we can learn to “exert” ourselves toward accomplishing our goals for “a long period of time” no matter what may come, we will be extremely successful!!
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Wickedly Successful
Recently while visiting New York I had the opportunity to attend the Broadway musical Wicked. The show was extremely entertaining and I loved it! One of the reasons I enjoyed it so much is because I feel there are a lot of important life lesson taught in the play. Today I would like to share four life lessons that can be learned from Wicked.
# 1 “Dancing Through Life”
One of the main characters in the show claims and encourages others to “dance through life.” Essentially what he means by this is that people should not worry about their actions or take anything in life seriously. In fact this character suggests that life is essentially pointless and believes the only way to live is to do whatever you feel like doing at any given moment. Unfortunately, I believe many in life retain this philosophy and fail to realize that living like this usually results in unhappiness and failure. Contrary to this characters belief, life has consequences. For this reason, we should be very conscious about our actions and decisions. Good decisions and actions lead to success and happiness where poor decisions and actions lead to failure and frustration. Further in the story, this character learns that what he once believed about life is not true, and he changes. He learns that life’s choices do have consequences and impact our results and happiness in life.
#2 “Accepting Limits”
At one point in the story the main character has an epiphany, and she realizes she had been limiting herself based on “societal boundaries” and what others told her she could and could not do. Many times we believe what society or others say about our abilities or possibilities as well, and thus we allow them to limit us—to prevent us from achieving greatness. Like this character, we must realize our future is “unlimited”, and we have the ability to achieve whatever we set our hearts to. Much like this character, we must come to believe in ourselves and realize we can “defy gravity” by accomplishing our dreams and goals. We can truly do amazing things when we overcome perceived limits or roadblocks that often only exist in our minds.
#3 “Be Careful What you Wish For”
Another character in the show receives presumably everything she ever wanted, yet she realizes there is still an emptiness inside or a lack of satisfaction. The reason is she selfishly went about obtaining the desires of her heart while disregarding all others. Thus, in the process of obtaining her number one objective, she sacrificed other things that were more important to her. Once she comes to this realization, she is very sorrowful and realizes perhaps her number one goal was not worth the cost. We can learn from her example by evaluating our goals to ensure they are inline with what is most important to us--so we don’t look back and regret what we sacrificed to obtain what we thought seemed important but really isn’t. We can also learn that although we can accomplish anything we set our heart to, it should never be at the expense of others. Finally, we can learn that to truly be successful and happy we must often put others first; and when we do, good things happen.
#4 “Things are Not as they Seem”
The overall lesson of this show is that things are not always as they seem. In the show, which is a spinoff from the Wizard of Oz, we learn that the supposed Wicked Witch of the West was not wicked at all, and that the “good” witch was not as good as perception would indicate. Thus, we can learn we must not be quick to assume or pass judgment; for often perception is not reality, and what we believe to be true may be just the opposite. Thus, we should learn that whenever possible we must be careful and strive to obtain facts before jumping to conclusions or passing harsh judgments on others unjustly. For often times, things are not as they seem.
Wicked is a great show with many great important life lessons that we can learn from. If we will strive to do more than simply dance through life, if we will believe our future is unlimited, if we will be careful of what we wish for, and if we will seek first to understand and not judge, our lives will be happier and we will be wickedly successful.
# 1 “Dancing Through Life”
One of the main characters in the show claims and encourages others to “dance through life.” Essentially what he means by this is that people should not worry about their actions or take anything in life seriously. In fact this character suggests that life is essentially pointless and believes the only way to live is to do whatever you feel like doing at any given moment. Unfortunately, I believe many in life retain this philosophy and fail to realize that living like this usually results in unhappiness and failure. Contrary to this characters belief, life has consequences. For this reason, we should be very conscious about our actions and decisions. Good decisions and actions lead to success and happiness where poor decisions and actions lead to failure and frustration. Further in the story, this character learns that what he once believed about life is not true, and he changes. He learns that life’s choices do have consequences and impact our results and happiness in life.
#2 “Accepting Limits”
At one point in the story the main character has an epiphany, and she realizes she had been limiting herself based on “societal boundaries” and what others told her she could and could not do. Many times we believe what society or others say about our abilities or possibilities as well, and thus we allow them to limit us—to prevent us from achieving greatness. Like this character, we must realize our future is “unlimited”, and we have the ability to achieve whatever we set our hearts to. Much like this character, we must come to believe in ourselves and realize we can “defy gravity” by accomplishing our dreams and goals. We can truly do amazing things when we overcome perceived limits or roadblocks that often only exist in our minds.
#3 “Be Careful What you Wish For”
Another character in the show receives presumably everything she ever wanted, yet she realizes there is still an emptiness inside or a lack of satisfaction. The reason is she selfishly went about obtaining the desires of her heart while disregarding all others. Thus, in the process of obtaining her number one objective, she sacrificed other things that were more important to her. Once she comes to this realization, she is very sorrowful and realizes perhaps her number one goal was not worth the cost. We can learn from her example by evaluating our goals to ensure they are inline with what is most important to us--so we don’t look back and regret what we sacrificed to obtain what we thought seemed important but really isn’t. We can also learn that although we can accomplish anything we set our heart to, it should never be at the expense of others. Finally, we can learn that to truly be successful and happy we must often put others first; and when we do, good things happen.
#4 “Things are Not as they Seem”
The overall lesson of this show is that things are not always as they seem. In the show, which is a spinoff from the Wizard of Oz, we learn that the supposed Wicked Witch of the West was not wicked at all, and that the “good” witch was not as good as perception would indicate. Thus, we can learn we must not be quick to assume or pass judgment; for often perception is not reality, and what we believe to be true may be just the opposite. Thus, we should learn that whenever possible we must be careful and strive to obtain facts before jumping to conclusions or passing harsh judgments on others unjustly. For often times, things are not as they seem.
Wicked is a great show with many great important life lessons that we can learn from. If we will strive to do more than simply dance through life, if we will believe our future is unlimited, if we will be careful of what we wish for, and if we will seek first to understand and not judge, our lives will be happier and we will be wickedly successful.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The Law of the Harvest
“The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.”
Vidal Sassoon
In life there are certain laws that can not be ignored, altered, or avoided. In the famous book The Secret, these laws are called "Laws of the Universe". Much like the Law of Gravity that implies that what must go up must come down; these Laws of the Universe are just as binding and true. Unfortunately however, they are often less thought about, taught, or even known. Today I wish to briefly discuss one of these “secrets” or universal laws that I call The Law of the Harvest.
The Law of the Harvest simply explained is that in life we will reap what we sow. Just as a corn farmer plants corn seeds in preparation to harvest corn so we plant the seeds of our successes or our failures in our life. We do this through our own personal actions and efforts. Therefore, what we achieve in life is a direct result of what we choose to plant.
Additionally, the Law of the Harvest teaches us that we must work! Farmers must plant in the spring and carefully and diligently work all summer in order to reap the reward in the fall. So we must work now in order to receive a future reward. Success in life very rarely is handed to us on a silver platter or just happens by luck or chance. On the contrary, success in life follows hard work.
Too many people ignore this “Law of the Universe.” Too many people want to plant today and reap tomorrow without much cultivation or work in between. Many others do not want to plant at all believing they are entitled to the harvest regardless of what effort they put forth. Unfortunately, regardless of what others may say or lead us to believe, the truth is that we will reap what we sow. If we do not put forth the effort, we do not gain the reward.
Finally, The Law of the Harvest rewards the diligent worker with more than just external value. There is nothing more satisfying to a farmer than having a plentiful harvest after great sacrifice and work has been exerted. Likewise, there is nothing more intrinsically satisfying in life than achieving a goal through hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. This indeed is one of the great Laws of the Universe for without work, what gratification would there be in simply receiving everything we ever wanted?! Thanks to The Law of the Harvest, we can feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we work hard to achieve success.
My concern for the future is that many ignore, do not know about, or do not believe this universal law. We must teach future generations and learn for ourselves that hard work=satisfaction in life. That diligent effort=happiness. That much labor=much joy. If you don’t believe this to be true, please give it a try. Much like gravity, often we must see it to believe it so put it to the test to determine if this law is true! Work hard and then reap the rewards!!
Vidal Sassoon
In life there are certain laws that can not be ignored, altered, or avoided. In the famous book The Secret, these laws are called "Laws of the Universe". Much like the Law of Gravity that implies that what must go up must come down; these Laws of the Universe are just as binding and true. Unfortunately however, they are often less thought about, taught, or even known. Today I wish to briefly discuss one of these “secrets” or universal laws that I call The Law of the Harvest.
The Law of the Harvest simply explained is that in life we will reap what we sow. Just as a corn farmer plants corn seeds in preparation to harvest corn so we plant the seeds of our successes or our failures in our life. We do this through our own personal actions and efforts. Therefore, what we achieve in life is a direct result of what we choose to plant.
Additionally, the Law of the Harvest teaches us that we must work! Farmers must plant in the spring and carefully and diligently work all summer in order to reap the reward in the fall. So we must work now in order to receive a future reward. Success in life very rarely is handed to us on a silver platter or just happens by luck or chance. On the contrary, success in life follows hard work.
Too many people ignore this “Law of the Universe.” Too many people want to plant today and reap tomorrow without much cultivation or work in between. Many others do not want to plant at all believing they are entitled to the harvest regardless of what effort they put forth. Unfortunately, regardless of what others may say or lead us to believe, the truth is that we will reap what we sow. If we do not put forth the effort, we do not gain the reward.
Finally, The Law of the Harvest rewards the diligent worker with more than just external value. There is nothing more satisfying to a farmer than having a plentiful harvest after great sacrifice and work has been exerted. Likewise, there is nothing more intrinsically satisfying in life than achieving a goal through hard work, sacrifice, and dedication. This indeed is one of the great Laws of the Universe for without work, what gratification would there be in simply receiving everything we ever wanted?! Thanks to The Law of the Harvest, we can feel a great sense of accomplishment and satisfaction when we work hard to achieve success.
My concern for the future is that many ignore, do not know about, or do not believe this universal law. We must teach future generations and learn for ourselves that hard work=satisfaction in life. That diligent effort=happiness. That much labor=much joy. If you don’t believe this to be true, please give it a try. Much like gravity, often we must see it to believe it so put it to the test to determine if this law is true! Work hard and then reap the rewards!!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
If Disney Ran your Hospital
If Disney Ran your Hospital by Fred Lee is an interesting book about a career healthcare professional who spends time working in the Disney organization and learns that many of the Disney business strategies and approaches, if implemented into healthcare, could greatly improve the industry. Thus, in this book, the author lists 9 ½ of these ideas or strategies and illustrates how adopting these same strategies in healthcare or in any business would advance results and enhance success. Below are four of my favorite 9 ½ strategies discussed in the book.
#1 Redefine Your Competition and Focus on what Can’t be Measured
Often we compare ourselves to our immediate competition, but not Disney. Instead, they compare themselves to the greatest organizations in any industry. Disney’s desire is not simply to be the best in their industry but to be the best in comparison to any company worldwide. Think about how this thought process could positively impact our results—especially if we are part of an industry that is known for poor customer service, or poor quality, or poor whatever... Likewise, Disney focuses most of its efforts on outcomes that are difficult to measure such as first impressions and special experiences. Rather than zeroing in on numbers, they attempt to evaluate feelings and emotions because to them, positive experiences, feelings, and emotions are what really drive customer loyalty.
#2 Make Courtesy more Important than Efficiency
In business, we constantly get hung-up on efficiency and often devalue, or even worse, push courtesy completely to the wayside. Thus we teach our people to be efficient but not courteous. In the Disney model, they preach that if customer service and courteous behavior come first, than the business will prosper. Through their success, and the positive impressions and experiences probably each of us have had with Disney, we can see the value in this strategy.
#3 Decentralize the Authority to Say Yes
Disney empowers employees to please a dissatisfied customer immediately. Unlike many business models, if you are a Disney employee and someone is upset, you have the power to determine what needs to be done to make that customer happy whether provide them with a free souvenir, cover their tab at the dinner table, or reimburse their money completely—each employee has the power to satisfy their customer without going to their boss or others. This immediate response to unhappy customers by all employees builds satisfaction and success.
#4 Harness the Motivating Power of Imagination
Disney encourages employees to imagine that each person is someone they know personally and like. Rather than serving, they are “on stage” each day with the goal of creating excellent experiences for each person they come in contact with. If an employee is having a bad day, is upset about something, or just doesn’t feel like working, they are encouraged to act—to imagine that they are having the best day and to perform and put on the best show possible. The Disney model believes that imagination has the power to change feelings which in turn changes behaviors. And through imagination our actions become easy, natural, and real. This power of imagination motivates employees to do their best each day and provides unforgettable memories for patrons.
These are simply four of the 9 ½ Disney strategies shared in this book. I believe the book does contain a small portion of the magic of Disney and that the ideas are creative and sound, and if implemented could improve any business. I encourage business leaders to read the book and discover the other strategies shared. And just imagine how life would be different if every company ran their business like Disney…
#1 Redefine Your Competition and Focus on what Can’t be Measured
Often we compare ourselves to our immediate competition, but not Disney. Instead, they compare themselves to the greatest organizations in any industry. Disney’s desire is not simply to be the best in their industry but to be the best in comparison to any company worldwide. Think about how this thought process could positively impact our results—especially if we are part of an industry that is known for poor customer service, or poor quality, or poor whatever... Likewise, Disney focuses most of its efforts on outcomes that are difficult to measure such as first impressions and special experiences. Rather than zeroing in on numbers, they attempt to evaluate feelings and emotions because to them, positive experiences, feelings, and emotions are what really drive customer loyalty.
#2 Make Courtesy more Important than Efficiency
In business, we constantly get hung-up on efficiency and often devalue, or even worse, push courtesy completely to the wayside. Thus we teach our people to be efficient but not courteous. In the Disney model, they preach that if customer service and courteous behavior come first, than the business will prosper. Through their success, and the positive impressions and experiences probably each of us have had with Disney, we can see the value in this strategy.
#3 Decentralize the Authority to Say Yes
Disney empowers employees to please a dissatisfied customer immediately. Unlike many business models, if you are a Disney employee and someone is upset, you have the power to determine what needs to be done to make that customer happy whether provide them with a free souvenir, cover their tab at the dinner table, or reimburse their money completely—each employee has the power to satisfy their customer without going to their boss or others. This immediate response to unhappy customers by all employees builds satisfaction and success.
#4 Harness the Motivating Power of Imagination
Disney encourages employees to imagine that each person is someone they know personally and like. Rather than serving, they are “on stage” each day with the goal of creating excellent experiences for each person they come in contact with. If an employee is having a bad day, is upset about something, or just doesn’t feel like working, they are encouraged to act—to imagine that they are having the best day and to perform and put on the best show possible. The Disney model believes that imagination has the power to change feelings which in turn changes behaviors. And through imagination our actions become easy, natural, and real. This power of imagination motivates employees to do their best each day and provides unforgettable memories for patrons.
These are simply four of the 9 ½ Disney strategies shared in this book. I believe the book does contain a small portion of the magic of Disney and that the ideas are creative and sound, and if implemented could improve any business. I encourage business leaders to read the book and discover the other strategies shared. And just imagine how life would be different if every company ran their business like Disney…
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Achieving Goals 101
“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential.”
Russell M. Nelson
This past weekend I was asked to teach a class about achieving goals. I felt a little inadequate and certainly nervous but went ahead and taught the course. I was surprised by the responses I received. People were thrilled by what they had learned, and in turn I was thrilled to know they actually learned something and found value in what I was teaching. The main points of my lesson centered around 4 steps needed to accomplish goals. I believe if we follow these four steps, success will come in only a matter of time.
#1 Write them down
I’ve heard that only 50% of people who claim to have goals in life actually write them down—yet those who write them down are 10 times more likely to accomplish them. Thus, the simple act of writing down our goals can go a long way in helping us achieve them.
#2 Plan
When setting goals, we must take time to plan. Are the goals we are setting realistic meaning we will be able to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to achieving them? For example, I once had a goal to improve a skill so I set a goal of practicing that skill one hour every day. Soon, I realized though that this goal was unrealistic. On Wednesdays I was booked my entire day with other obligations thus rendering it nearly impossible to accomplish my one hour for that day. This was poor planning on my part. At that point, I realized that if I only slightly altered my goal to practice 30 hours a month rather than one hour a day, I could be successful! I was able to make up for lost times on days that I had more time to dedicate to developing this skill. Rather than fail, with this new plan, I was able to accomplish the goal.
Let me give you another example on the importance of planning. Let’s say my goal is to exercise 45 minutes a day. To plan properly and to improve my chances of success, I should determine at what time each day I could commit myself to achieving this goal. Looking at my schedule perhaps I could set aside 8pm to 9pm each day as my time to dedicate myself to accomplishing this goal. Our lives are busy and failing to plan for the appropriate time, steps, or actions needed to accomplish our goals will lead us to failure. Thus, developing a plan from the get go will help us accomplish them!
#3 Review them Daily
How many times do we set goals, write them down, and then leave them where they will never be seen again? I know I’ve been guilty of this in the past. So, if we want to achieve our goal, we must review them daily!
#4 Measure Progress
This is perhaps the most valuable step for me. We must measure our progress toward achieving our goals daily. To do this, we must have a measurement tool we use that tells us how we are doing. I’ve become very proficient at developing my own measurement tools using Excel Spreadsheets based on my goals. These spreadsheets help me track my progress and give me a snap shot of how much further I have to go to get there. I believe utilizing an effective measurement tool to keep track of our progress toward accomplishing a goal is critical to success. (If you’d like more information or would like to see some examples of the measurement tools I’ve used, please contact me at burntham@gmail.com)
Though in much less detail than my class, this gives you an idea of my four steps to achieving goals. Nothing new per say and certainly nothing extraordinary, but I know that following these 4 simple steps will allow us to accomplish our goals. And as we learn to accomplish goals in life, we will more fully reach our potential which will have a great impact on the results we attain in life. Good luck!!
Russell M. Nelson
This past weekend I was asked to teach a class about achieving goals. I felt a little inadequate and certainly nervous but went ahead and taught the course. I was surprised by the responses I received. People were thrilled by what they had learned, and in turn I was thrilled to know they actually learned something and found value in what I was teaching. The main points of my lesson centered around 4 steps needed to accomplish goals. I believe if we follow these four steps, success will come in only a matter of time.
#1 Write them down
I’ve heard that only 50% of people who claim to have goals in life actually write them down—yet those who write them down are 10 times more likely to accomplish them. Thus, the simple act of writing down our goals can go a long way in helping us achieve them.
#2 Plan
When setting goals, we must take time to plan. Are the goals we are setting realistic meaning we will be able to dedicate the appropriate amount of time to achieving them? For example, I once had a goal to improve a skill so I set a goal of practicing that skill one hour every day. Soon, I realized though that this goal was unrealistic. On Wednesdays I was booked my entire day with other obligations thus rendering it nearly impossible to accomplish my one hour for that day. This was poor planning on my part. At that point, I realized that if I only slightly altered my goal to practice 30 hours a month rather than one hour a day, I could be successful! I was able to make up for lost times on days that I had more time to dedicate to developing this skill. Rather than fail, with this new plan, I was able to accomplish the goal.
Let me give you another example on the importance of planning. Let’s say my goal is to exercise 45 minutes a day. To plan properly and to improve my chances of success, I should determine at what time each day I could commit myself to achieving this goal. Looking at my schedule perhaps I could set aside 8pm to 9pm each day as my time to dedicate myself to accomplishing this goal. Our lives are busy and failing to plan for the appropriate time, steps, or actions needed to accomplish our goals will lead us to failure. Thus, developing a plan from the get go will help us accomplish them!
#3 Review them Daily
How many times do we set goals, write them down, and then leave them where they will never be seen again? I know I’ve been guilty of this in the past. So, if we want to achieve our goal, we must review them daily!
#4 Measure Progress
This is perhaps the most valuable step for me. We must measure our progress toward achieving our goals daily. To do this, we must have a measurement tool we use that tells us how we are doing. I’ve become very proficient at developing my own measurement tools using Excel Spreadsheets based on my goals. These spreadsheets help me track my progress and give me a snap shot of how much further I have to go to get there. I believe utilizing an effective measurement tool to keep track of our progress toward accomplishing a goal is critical to success. (If you’d like more information or would like to see some examples of the measurement tools I’ve used, please contact me at burntham@gmail.com)
Though in much less detail than my class, this gives you an idea of my four steps to achieving goals. Nothing new per say and certainly nothing extraordinary, but I know that following these 4 simple steps will allow us to accomplish our goals. And as we learn to accomplish goals in life, we will more fully reach our potential which will have a great impact on the results we attain in life. Good luck!!
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