“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.
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