“Big shots are little shots who kept shooting.”

Posted on September 29, 2014 by Barry

“Big shots are little shots who kept shooting.”

– Christopher Morely, American Journalist, Novelist, Essayist and Poet

What are your favorite examples of people who achieved great success through the power of persistence? Some of mine are Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and of course, Michael Jordan.

What are some of your own personal stories where you stayed the course to achieve some important professional or personal victory?

Consider how you might break your “big shot” wins down into daily “small shot” behaviors you can easily practice on your journey of personal mastery. If this exercise is one you enjoy, both the journey and the results will reward you.

EXERCISE:

Consider picking up a copy of one or more of the following resources to enhance your resolve to keep shooting to realize your most deeply held desires:

Three Feet From Gold by Sharon Lechter & Greg Reid
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson & John David Mann
The Power of Persistence by Justin Sachs
The Dip by Seth Godin
Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden

Want your own copy of “The Quotable Coach”? Click on the image below.

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

Posted on September 22, 2014 by Barry

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

-Author unknown

Photo from TopPilotTraining.com

Examine all the roles you currently hold in your personal and professional worlds. If you are like many people, you may have to use toes as well as your fingers to count everything.

In what percent of these roles are you serving and supporting others? If you find the number approaching 80, 90, or even 100 percent, consider how much energy you have at days end for the most important person in your life – YOU!

There is wisdom in the flight attendant pre-flight instruction:  Please put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others.

EXERCISE:

Take some time today to be a bit more “Self-ISH” (not selfish) by taking care of your own well-being and not leaving yourself behind, so that you can be your very best as you serve the people and organizations in your community.

“You have to believe in yourself.”

Posted on September 18, 2014 by Barry

“You have to believe in yourself.”

– Sun Tzu, Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher

Photo from Flickr by Jennifer

I am writing this post on a Sunday – the day many people practice their faith by attending church or another religious institution.

Many faiths believe that God created man and at the same time gave us free will and the ability to create our own lives through our beliefs and actions.

Central to our ability to manifest our world, Sun Tzu might suggest through this quote that a deeply held faith and belief in ourselves is essential.

EXERCISE:

Take note of the areas in your life where you have the strongest belief and faith, and notice what results you have achieved.

How would an even greater belief in yourself make the biggest difference in your personal or professional life?

To Conquer Ourselves

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Barry

”It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

– Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Photo from Flickr by Popeyed

Sir Edmund Hillary is one of the world’s most famous mountain climbers. His adventures to the top of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, are legendary.

Hillary knew that we must first face and climb our internal mountains if we are ever to surmount the challenges we face in our outer worlds.

EXERCISE:

What external mountains do you need to face or climb? How will you summon the courage to conquer the internal barriers that appear to keep you safe and limited at base camp?

“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

Posted on September 11, 2014 by Barry

“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

– René Descartes, French Philosopher and Writer

Photo from Flickr by William Warby

There is no such thing as an “overnight success,” but there is a formula to become one. Before you argue the inherent contradiction in that statement, consider this:

An “overnight success” is the result of the journey of personal mastery, which is built on continuous self-improvement gained through experiential learning over considerable time. The “formula” IS the journey, which demonstrates itself through the phenomenal capacities we achieve beyond those of our previous selves.

EXERCISE:

Envision the simple, ordinary, and daily problems you are solving today. How might they be the beginning or early stages of your journey of personal mastery, in some aspect of your professional or personal life?

“Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.”

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Barry

“Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by Travis Hornung

The spring and fall seasons here in Michigan require a “clean-up process” of leaves and other plant-related debris. This includes the need to climb up ladders and clear out the gutters on our roofs.

Imagine taking on this task and being told you had to leave your hands in your pockets as you climbed. Would you do it? Of course not!

Notice when, in your personal or professional life, you take on tasks half-heartedly, thereby leaving your hands in your pockets.

Exercise:

Where would grasping the ladder of success with both hands make the biggest difference for you today?

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

Posted on September 5, 2014 by Barry

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

– David Bly, American politician and member of the House of Representatives

Photo from Flickr by Tim Buss

The world is filled with “get rich quick” schemes, like the miracle diet that will let you lose weight effortlessly, and many other supposedly low-effort, high-result strategies. The problem with just about all of them is that they simply do not work.

I really like the word “striving.” It causes me to think of pursuing a noble and passionate cause when I’m “all in” and won’t stop until the goal is reached.

For me, though, it is not simply the goal that is the source of this striving. My passion, inspiration, and fundamental purpose for being mobilized into action are also essential.

Exercise:

What are the important goals and hoped-for harvests in your professional and personal life that inspire you to strive and do the hard and challenging work required of you today?

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

Posted on September 4, 2014 by Barry

“Out of your vulnerabilities will come your strength.”

-Sigmund Freud, Austrian neurologist and founder of psychoanalysis

Brené Brown, from her TED talk (see link below).

In recent years, the subject of “vulnerability” has received a great deal of media coverage due to the work of authors such as Brené Brown.

In two of her recent books, The Gifts of Imperfection and Daring Greatly, which are based on considerable research, she clearly debunks the idea that vulnerability is weakness and indicates that it is far more correlated with courage and strength, as Freud suggests.

Exercise:

Where would being vulnerable in either your professional or personal life demonstrate the strength of your commitment to something of great importance to you?

Consider watching Brené Brown’s TED talk, The Power of Vulnerability

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

Posted on June 13, 2014 by Barry

“Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed.”

– Maria Montessori, Italian physician and educator and founder of the Montessori educational method

Image from Flickr by Dermot O’Halloran.

Have you ever supported a young child with any of the following tasks?

Walking
Getting dressed
Tying their shoelaces
Riding a bike
Swimming
Making a sandwich
Making their bed
Feeding themselves
Potty training
Completing a puzzle

What was the learning process like? How much or how little assistance was necessary?

Exercise:

How can you offer others in your professional and personal life (not just young children) only the support they truly require to accomplish their goals, in order to maximize their own experiential learning opportunities?

“Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Barry

“Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

Image from Flickr by backpackphotography.

As part of my Personal Excellence Training program, I use various assessments to determine the likelihood of success for each person.

One of the traits associated with success is initiative. People who are motivated self-starters take it upon themselves to proactively move in the direction of their goals – such as completing a new project, finding a new customer, or securing a raise or promotion.

Exercise:

Where in your professional or personal life would a booster shot of initiative make the biggest difference for you today?

Secure the support of friends, family, colleagues, or a coach to stretch and grow this ability in yourself and you will have many more roast duck dinners in the years to come.