Category Archives: Improvement

Associate with people who are likely to improve you

Posted on by

“Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”

—Seneca, Stoic philosopher of Ancient Rome

Image from Unsplash by Joshua Hoehne

How would you like to….

  • Improve your hand-eye coordination?
  • Enhance your mental alertness?
  • Improve your ability to concentrate?
  • Burn more calories?
  • Make more friends?
  • Improve your balance and reflexes?

If these attributes sound pretty good, you just might want to take up the sport of ping pong!

I am currently in Florida, with a terrific group of very active folks who help each other improve all these abilities, six days a week.

EXERCISE:

Where do you have a sincere desire to improve a particular skill?

Who are the people who challenge and stretch you beyond your current capabilities?

How can and will you make the time to associate with these people more often?

the change was adjustment without improvement

Posted on by

“…. the change was adjustment without improvement.”

—Toni Morrison, late American novelist

Image from Unsplash by Firmbee.com

Where have things changed in your life over the past couple of years? Where have some areas improved, stayed about the same, or regressed?

Coaching encourages people to control what is controllable and be willing to break old patterns so new and improved results can emerge. If improvement is not observed with various initial adjustments, what then?

Do we simply accept and adjust to our new reality or go back to the drawing board to devise a new plan with changed behaviors where success and improvements can occur?

EXERCISE:

Where would an “If at first you don’t succeed try, try again” strategy offer you the progress you seek? Consider the support of friends, family members, colleagues, mentors or coaches to support you in making the necessary adjustments.

“Anything we are doing, we can do better.”

Posted on by

“Anything we are doing, we can do better.”

—Google’s Operating Assumption

mage from Unsplash by Markus Winkler

Each year for the past decade I have reviewed the book, Your Best Year Yet by Jinny Ditzler. One of its many exercises is to list all the roles you currently play in your personal and professional communities. The exercise then challenges you to determine your intentions for each role in the year ahead.

Taking time to examine our efforts and progress in the previous year shines a spotlight on our capacity, willingness, and promise to do and be better.

EXERCISE:

Given this year is well underway, how can and will you “spring” forward with greater intention, focus, and effort to improve in at least one area of your choosing?

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”

Posted on by

“What you do today can improve all your tomorrows.”

—Ralph Marston, 20th Century professional football player

Image from Unsplash by Glen Carstens-Peters

The critical word in today’s quote is “can.”

There is, of course, no guarantee that today will improve all, or perhaps more realistically, most of your tomorrows.

With the right attitude, planning, and of course, inspired effort, the likelihood of a more positive and successful future is inevitable.

EXERCISE:

What attitude-enhancing efforts will you bring into your day today?

What planning did you do yesterday, or this morning, to assure you are working on your top personal and professional priorities?

What inspired and committed actions will you take today to guarantee many better tomorrows?

Something that will inch you closer

Posted on by

“Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.”

—Doug Firebaugh, home-based business consultant

Image of a one-inch ruler

If you are reading this post in the morning, I hope it inspires you to take a particular action or two to improve yourself and your world.

Select a single area of focus in which the effort and hopeful outcome will bring a big smile to your face when you rest your head on your pillow tonight.

Inching closer to your personal and professional goals reminds me of what some people call the “One Percent Rule.” This rule encourages us to strive for a one percent improvement on some worthy task or objective.

EXERCISE:

In what area can and will you provide that extra one percent to inch you closer to a better tomorrow?

Friday Review Improvement

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: IMPROVEMENT

Where do you focus when you think of improvement? Here are a few improvement-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.”

 

 

 

 

“It is better to prevent than to cure.”

 

 

 

 

“If there is a single lesson that life teaches us, it’s that wishing doesn’t make it so.”

 

 

 

What’s Important Now

Posted on by

“W.I.N. – What’s Important Now”

—Author Unknown

Image from behappy.me

Image from behappy.me

When people enter a coaching relationship and set their course on a better professional and personal life, winning, or their definition of winning, is the goal.

What does winning the game of life mean to you? What would you like to improve? What new areas would you like to explore? What obstacles and barriers would you eliminate or overcome?

One of the primary reasons we don’t always achieve all that we desire is because we become distracted by unimportant matters that take up too much time.

EXERCISE:

Let’s say that the 80/20 rule is a fact, and that 20% of what we do each day that we consider important produces 80% of our desired results.

What winning results could you produce if you would focus 40%, 60%, 80%, or ultimately 100% of your efforts on what is most important? Do the math!

“As I unclutter my life, I free…”

Posted on by

“As I unclutter my life, I free myself to answer the callings of my soul.”

-Dr. Wayne Dyer

Image from Flickr by Megan McMillan

Image from Flickr by Megan McMillan

We are entering fall here in Michigan; winter will soon arrive. With the change of season, many people begin spending a bit more time indoors due to the reduction of daylight and, of course, the colder temperatures.

Some people experience lower energy, reduced motivation, and a general hunkering-down at this time, awaiting the next spring. A possible remedy for such feelings and renewal of the soul could be, as Dr. Dyer suggests, an “uncluttering” project.

EXERCISE:

Examine some of the areas of your life that could benefit from considerable uncluttering and simplification. Consider your physical space, your personal and professional relationships, your use of technology, and even cognitive noise that affects us all.

What inside work will you do to better aid you in pursuing the inner calling of your soul?

“When you are a parent…”

Posted on by

“When you are a parent, it’s crucial you realize you aren’t raising a ‘mini-me,’ but a spirit throbbing with its own signature.”

-Dr. Shefali Tsabary, keynote speaker and author

Photo from Flickr by Aaron Brinker

Photo from Flickr by Aaron Brinker

I love the idea of all parents having masterful coaching skills to support the growth and development of their children. The primary reason for this opinion is the fact that coaching is primarily an inside-out approach, which is often far more desirable and effective than an outside-in approach.

I’ve found through my own parenting efforts that both my children appreciated and flourished in their development when they had input and some influence on their lives. In other words, people – including young people – are more likely to participate in that which they help create.

EXERCISE:

How can you use a coaching approach in your parenting efforts to bring out the unique signatures of your children? If you are not a parent, how can you use an inside-out coaching approach to support others in your personal or professional worlds?

“A good deed brightens…”

Posted on by

“A good deed brightens a dark world.”

—Author Unknown

Image from fridaylight.org

Image from fridaylight.org

Imagine you are standing in a pitch-black room in which you cannot see your hand in front of your face.

A person enters the room with a lit candle. You can now see your hand, and of course, the smiling face of your visitor. Soon a second, third, and fourth individual join you, each bringing their own candle to further illuminate your room.

Many times, when we look at our lives, the lives of others, and the world in general, things can appear dark and foreboding. We might not even see a light at the end of the tunnel.

EXERCISE:

Where and with whom can you offer your own good deeds to brighten up the world of those around you? Please note how often this process brightens your own world as well!
Imagine the brightness and illumination if everyone focused on doing this more, each and every day.