Category Archives: Uncategorized

Their opinion of your potential has nothing to do with your opportunity to prevail

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“Their opinion of your potential has nothing to do with your opportunity to prevail.”

—Brendon Burchard, High Performance Author

“What others think about you is none of your business” is a thought to consider, particularly when being judged harshly.

Consider your parents, teachers, bosses, and friends, and see how many of them sapped you versus zapped you over the years.

Unfortunately, many of these usually well-intended folks leave a negative wake and plant bitter seeds that can dramatically impact our self-worth and confidence.

EXERCISE:

Who are the negative, unsupportive, and even toxic people in your world that could be avoided?

Where and in what ways can and will you find the determination, grit, and tenacity to prevail in your most important priorities?

Consider working with a coach, mentor, or friend to support your efforts.

Friday Review of Posts on Vision

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FRIDAY REVIEW: VISION

How clear is your vision for yourself and your future? Here are a few vision-related posts you may have missed. Click to read the full message.

 

“Examine everything as though you had just taken off blinders.”

 

 

 

“It’s hard to see a halo when you’re looking for horns.”

 

 

 

 

“I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness because it shows me the stars.”

 

 

 

I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart

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“I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: Turn Back!”

—Erica Jong, American Novelist and Poet

Image of a skier doing an aerial jump

Image from Unsplash by Jörg Angeli

The majority of people I know don’t normally consider themselves as particularly brave and courageous. Many might look at the amazing firefighters in California and say, “That’s not me” or “I could never do that.”

I’d like you to consider that you might be at least a bit more courageous than you give yourself credit for. Examine times in your personal or professional life in which you stepped up to a particular challenging, heart-pounding situation and moved forward through the fear. Your commitment was far bigger than your comfort.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can and will you use the signal of a pounding heart to step forward rather than back to more fully realize your most important and valued commitments?

Be a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat

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“Be a lighthouse rather than a lifeboat. Guide by example, and let others find their own way.”

—Barbara Kipfer, author of 14,000 Things to be Happy About

Image of a lighthose on a clear day

Image from Unsplash by Courtney Corlew

To what extend do you consider yourself a leader? Perhaps you are a manager or executive. Maybe you have your own company or plan on starting one soon. What is your leadership style? Are you a lighthouse that shines your light as a vision to guide and inspire? Perhaps you operate as a lifeboat, constantly doing far too much of the heavy lifting and seeing it as your job to save people and carry them to safety.

Who are the leaders that have inspired you through their good examples and challenged you to always be and do your best?

The key word in the last sentence is “Your,” which points to the critical aspect of living an authentic self-directed life.

EXERCISE:

Where might a “less you” and “more them” approach to leadership be the best approach to realize greater fulfillment and success for everyone?

Note: If you happen to be a parent, please try this approach with your children. Feel free to reply to this post and let me know how things go!

Friday Review of Courage

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Friday Review: Courage

How do you define courage? Here are a few courage-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“Hope awakens courage. He who can implant courage in the human soul is the best physician.”

 

 

 

“The Roller Coaster is my life…It’s mountaineering; It’s wanting to get to the very top of yourself.”

 

 

 

“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”

 

 

 

Optimist Someone who figures that taking a step backward

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“Optimist: Someone who figures that taking a step backward after taking a step forward is not a disaster, it’s a Cha-Cha.”

—Robert Brault, Freelance American Writer

Image of a couple doing latin dance

Image from Unsplash by Isaiah McClean

As an optimist, I see life as a dance in which we all play a part in the magnificent miracle of living.

If we slow down a bit to observe our surroundings, and even our inner worlds, we will note different rhythms and cycles of give and take, up and down, back and forth. Perhaps it is these cha-cha’s of life that keep things in balance and simply bring workability to our world.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you more fully recognize and appreciate the steps backwards in life as integral and important aspects of a happy life?

Stillness is where Creativity and Solutions to Problems are Found

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“Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”

—Echart Tolle, Author of A New Earth

Image of a pair of headphones

Image from Unsplash by Lee Campbell

One of my favorite books is Seven Thousand Ways to Listen by Mark Nepo. How many ways can you think of to listen? The point to Nepo’s title is perhaps what Deepak Chopra describes as “Living the Questions of Life” and their ability to move you into the sacred answers of your authentic self.

With this in mind, the practice of being still, quiet, and more patient with life seems to be solid strategy to letting creativity blossom, and to let the answers to life’s questions and problems reveal themselves.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can you bring greater stillness into your world? How could this boost your creative efforts? How could it solve a few of those pesky problems that present themselves as you rush through your day?

Abundance is not Something we Acquire

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“Abundance is not something we acquire. It is something we tune into.”

—Dr. Wayne Dyer, late American self-help author and motivational speaker

Image of a woman holding a fan of American money

Image from Unsplash by Sharon McCutcheon

Take a look at these two lists in their relationship to the concept of abundance:

Extrinsic

Intrinsic
Money Love & Joy
Professional Designations Balance
The Perfect Body Kindness
Fame Quality Relationships
Material Possessions Serenity
Achievements Gratitude

EXERCISE:

What level of enduring fulfillment and satisfaction do you experience when you acquire the extrinsic items? What feelings do you experience when you tune into the intrinsic items?

What is your personal definition of living an abundant life?

Consider reflecting of Jeff Foster’s Deeper Meaning of Abundance

Friday Review of posts on distraction

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Friday Review: Distractions

Are you easily distracted? Here are a few distraction-related quotes you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save. They just stand there, shining.”

 

 

 

“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”

 

 

 

 

“Starve Your Distractions. Feed Your Focus.”

 

 

 

 

Every Small Positive Change We Make in Ourselves

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“Every small positive change we make in ourselves repays us in confidence in the future.”

—Alice Walker, Author of The Color Purple

Image of a man buttoning his suit jacket

Image from Unsplash by Hunters Race

Confidence is a quality most of my clients and the people I meet wish to increase. Although some may not always admit it, I’ve observed over time that most people have an inner critic that lessens their self-worth on many occasions.

For some reason, they often compare themselves to others and see big gaps, with others being far ahead of them. The leap to reach that level can often seem daunting or even impossible.

An alternative to giving up is the moment-to-moment and daily positive efforts for change we can all exercise. In doing so, we move closer to the future we see for ourselves – one step at a time.

EXERCISE:

Select one small positive change you wish to make in your personal or professional world, and stick with it for at least a week. Share your intention and specific action plan with others, so that you can be supported and reminded to stay on course.

If you continue this practice in the weeks, months, and years to come, I bet many of your friends and colleagues will admire the confidence they observe in you.