“Fall in love with the problem…”

Posted on September 3, 2015 by Barry

“Fall in love with the problem, not the solution.”

—Kaaren Hanson, VP of Design /Innovations/ Intuit

QC #853

Through the course of our lives, we have all developed strategies for success which we apply to the daily challenges we face in our professional and personal worlds.

As long as these default solutions work reasonably well, we rarely seek alternative solutions that may actually work far better.

When we embrace, and even fall in love with, the problems we face, we generate a higher ability for innovation and creativity, discovering possible solutions that were previously unrecognized.

EXERCISE:

How might falling in love with your problems help you release some of the “sacred cow solutions” you have used over the years? What new and potentially more successful solutions would be possible?

“Your mind is a garden…”

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Barry

“Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds, you can grow flowers, or you can grow weeds.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by My Photo Journeys

At this time of year, the northern hemisphere is harvesting many crops. Due to advances in farming technology, our ability to grow food throughout the year has greatly expanded.

Today’s quote suggests that our minds are always very fertile. We can all do a better job selecting and planting only the most optimal and positive thoughts to help us harvest a healthy and abundant life.

EXERCISE:

Examine how much time you commit daily to your own growth and development. Be specific in minutes and hours. Examine, too, how much time you spend in the weeds of negative or toxic thinking, in your personal and professional worlds.

What actions can and will you take today to harvest far more flowers and considerably less weeds in your world?

Don’t try to keep up with…”

Posted on September 1, 2015 by Barry

“Don’t try to keep up with the leaders. Lap them.”

–Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by William Murphy

Who are the leaders you most admire in your professional or personal lives? What makes them remarkable? What makes them stand out from the crowd?

These special people play an important role for many of us, in that they set the pace, or the bar, of achievement for those a bit further back in the pack. They can also set the proverbial “glass ceiling” for themselves, and those who almost never dare to look beyond.

EXERCISE:

What does “lapping the leaders” look like in your life?

What special talents and abilities can you tap into? How can you exceed your own expectations and set a new standard of excellence for what is possible for yourself?

“Every wall is another fence…”

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Barry

“Every wall is another fence that thins the herd.”

-Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine

Photo from dailycamera.com

If you enjoy physical challenges, check out the NBC reality show, American Ninja Warrior.

Contestants drop like flies as they attempt to move through a series of challenging and sometimes diabolical physical tasks across a difficult obstacle course.

Many of the courses include a “Warped Wall,” a 14-foot high obstacle that is quite daunting, and quickly thins the herd.

EXERCISE:

Examine the professional and personal walls you face each day. Where can you develop additional strengths and capacities, scale more walls, and “thin the herd” in your favor?

“The growth and development of people…”

Posted on August 24, 2015 by Barry

“The growth and development of people is the highest calling of leadership.”

-Harvey S. Firestone, American businessman, founder of the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company

Image from freightdawg.com

Personal growth and development are among my top core values. Not so surprising is the fact that a very high percentage of people seeking the support of a coach share this commitment.

There is a magical power that reveals itself when we pursue our own personal growth, and support the growth of those around us.

What would be possible if each parent, teacher, and student would embrace and demonstrate these values?

EXERCISE:

How will you pursue your own development as a leader by supporting the growth and development of others today?

“You can’t reach for anything…”

Posted on August 19, 2015 by Barry

“You can’t reach for anything new if your hands are still full of yesterday’s junk.”

—Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman, and motivational speaker

Image from bradbyers.com

Imagine you are learning to juggle, starting with three balls. Your initial efforts are awkward, but you quickly learn that you must release one ball in order to catch the next, then quickly toss that one, too. You just can’t hold on to anything for long without losing the momentum of the entire batch of balls.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life are you required to juggle people, priorities, and projects in order to have more of what you desire? In such cases, you must release some of them temporarily. What if your job here is to make sure you release those that represent yesterday’s junk so that you can have more of the quality balls in your life?

“The tiny seed knew…”

Posted on August 18, 2015 by Barry

“The tiny seed knew that in order to grow, it needed to be dropped in dirt, covered in darkness, and struggle to reach the light.”

—Author Unknown

Image from www.scottthor.com

Today’s quote builds on the one about the mighty oak that once was a nut that simply held its ground.

Here, along with persistence, we must often accept and manage the dark, dirty, and difficult aspects of life. Eventually, we emerge into the light of becoming all that we can be, which can appear a bit “nutty” to us, and to others, along the way.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you more fully embrace the challenges and barriers that stand in the way of your sprouting and growing into a mighty oak of a person?

“Never put off for tomorrow…”

Posted on August 17, 2015 by Barry

“Never put off for tomorrow what you can cancel.”

—Darren Hardy, Publisher of Success Magazine

Image from diamondresortsmembers.com

Time management is perhaps the most universal issue facing the majority of clients seeking the support of a coach.

Who hasn’t read books and blogs, or attended at least a few workshops or seminars on time management?

The proverbial “to do list” has killed more trees, or now takes up a good deal of our hard drives, with no end in sight! Unfortunately, the more we add to these lists the “behinder” many of us feel.

EXERCISE:

Today is the day I’d like you to take out your red pens and scissors, or use your backspace and delete keys to literally cancel things from your list. This powerful act of saying “NO” once and for all to certain tasks will be challenging at first. This is due to our habit of dragging the weight of the world around. Select and cancel at least one task, meeting, or other commitment each day this week. Eventually you will get to the point where many items never make it to your list in the first place.

“Never let the fear…”

Posted on August 14, 2015 by Barry

“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.”

—Babe Ruth, American baseball player whose Major League career spanned 22 seasons

Photo from thegreedypinstripes.com

Perhaps no baseball player in history will ever achieve as much notoriety as Babe Ruth, who began his 22-year career 101 years ago, in 1914.

Among the many interesting facts about Babe was his unique method for keeping cool during hot summer games, wearing uniforms made of wool. His trick to provide relief for an inning or two was to chill cabbage leaves in ice, then put the frozen leaves under his cap!

Surprisingly, Ruth is ranked 113th on the all-time strikeout list, with 1,330 strikeouts. Compare that to Reggie Jackson, who had 2,597 strikeouts. Perhaps it was his quote and the cabbage that did the trick?

EXERCISE:

Where is the fear of striking out in your professional or personal life stopping you? Where do you most need to get up to the plate and swing away? What strategies will help you keep your cool in the process?

“Don’t quit your day dream”

Posted on August 12, 2015 by Barry

“Don’t quit your daydream.”

-Author Unknown

Image from Unspash by Icarus.jpeg

For many of us, the act of daydreaming is about longing to be somewhere else, doing something else. This often flies in the face of our day jobs—jobs that have become, for some, unfulfilling or even toxic.

When we daydream, there is a heightened sense of excitement, and a desire to live and work more consistently with our most authentic beliefs and desires.

In many ways, the coaching process encourages each individual to be true to themselves, giving them greater access to more of their personal power, gifts, and inherent talents. Who wouldn’t want far more of that?

EXERCISE:

What would be possible if you lived more consistently by the phrase, “Don’t quit your day dream” instead of “Don’t quit your day job”?

What specific actions can you take today to do just that?