FRIDAY REVIEW: EXPECTATIONS
What expectations do you carry for yourself and others? Here are a few expectation-related posts you may have missed.
“Accept this moment as if you had chosen it.”
“Do your expectations fuel you or deflate you?”
“We see the same events through different lenses. We live in the same country but in different worlds.”
“We see the same events through different lenses. We live in the same country but in different worlds.”
—Ted Koppel, British-born American broadcast journalist
Image of Ted Koppel from Wikipedia.org
When Ted Koppel speaks, people usually listen.
As a 42-year veteran of ABC News, he became the anchor and managing editor of ABC News Nightline in 1980 — one of the most honored broadcasts in television history.
As a member of the Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Ted has won every major broadcasting award, including 40 Emmys. In the United States, he has received over 20 honorary degrees from well-regarded universities.
How are you and others seeing current events? Where are your lenses the same or considerably different from others in your communities? Where are people treating one another like aliens from different worlds? What are the answers to help us come together as one country?
EXERCISE:
What steps can we all take to be a more united country? Ted Koppel might suggest we start with a new pair of lenses to look for all the things that unite us.
“When you get tired learn to rest, not quit.”
“When you get tired learn to rest, not quit.”
—Banksy, an anonymous England-based street artist & political activist
Image from Unsplash by Adrian Swancar
How tired are you at this very moment? How tired have you felt physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually this past year? Besides your overall levels of energy, how would you rate your health, mood, ambition, motivation, and productivity?
These days, few of us are at our best. Some of us may be at one of our lowest points ever, with many having quit due to exhaustion and burnout.
Banksy’s coaching at such times is to rest, to take better care of ourselves, and to help others do the same.
We all may also wish to lower our expectations of ourselves and others, embrace our humanity, and know that our best can differ from time to time.
EXERCISE:
Where would more sleep, a few more naps, and more “you time” for rest and recharge keep you moving forward even if it is at a more moderate pace?
“Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction.”
“Sometimes in the winds of change we find our true direction.”
—Author Unknown
Image from Unsplash by Eunice Stahl
Few of us are sailing the high seas or doing much boating these days. All of us, however, have seen dramatic climate changes in the weather, and in society. To what degree are you being buffeted or pushed around by the winds of change?
Alternatively, how are you learning to adjust your personal and professional sails and rudders to navigate toward safer harbors and a better world?
How is a meteorologist different from a sailor? Which of these professions reports and forecasts the changes occurring — and which uses that information to direct and adjust their efforts towards desired destinations?
EXERCISE:
How can and will you take more mindful moments during these dynamically changing times to clarify and pursue your path?
“Go beyond the expected.”
“Go beyond the expected.”
—Author Unknown
Image from EmpireOnLIne
One of our family’s most beloved film series is Toy Story. We have seen most of the films multiple times. Now with our two-and-a-half-year-old grandson Weston we have many more exposures, including action figures and his Woody and Buzz Lightyear pajamas.
When asked to describe Buzz, virtually everyone can repeat his famous “To infinity and beyond” phrase with bold enthusiasm. It uplifts and motivates all of us to channel our own superpowers, do great things, and exceed our own current potential.
EXERCISE:
Where and in what ways can you go well beyond the expectations others have for you in your personal or professional communities? What bold and significant actions can and will you take today to reach beyond your own perceived limits and exceed your own expectations?
FRIDAY REVIEW: STILLNESS
FRIDAY REVIEW: STILLNESS
When and in what way do you bring stillness into your day? Here are a few stillness-related posts you may have missed.
“Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.”
“If you add a little to a little, and then do it again, soon that little shall be much.”
“Find the Energizers.”
“Find the Energizers.”
—Erika James, Dean at the Wharton School
Image from Unsplash by Federico Beccari
What comes to mind when you think about energy?
Where do you look when it comes to outside sources?
The source at the top of my list is our sun, which makes life possible for many reasons. Beyond its miraculous properties which include supporting photosynthesis, powering our weather, and helping us produce vitamin D, its mere presence each morning is often the starter gun that kicks off our days.
As we head into winter in the northern hemisphere, the levels and duration of sunshine decrease, which can frequently reduce our own levels of energy and vitality. What do you do to remain fully charged and energized?
EXERCISE:
Make a list of all the energizing strategies you can think of. Talk with friends, family members, and others in your personal and professional communities about their best ideas.
Take particular note of which of these special people energize your world the most with their sunny personalities.
“Both faith and fear may sail into your harbor. But allow only faith to drop anchor.”
“Both faith and fear may sail into your harbor. But allow only faith to drop anchor.”
—Author Unknown
Image from Unsplash by Matthew Wheeler
When was the last time you went boating?
What is it like to watch the comings and goings of vessels as they enter and leave their assigned marina slips?
What is a typical speed during these maneuvers? What happens to the boats and the passengers when someone exceeds the limit?
EXERCISE:
To what degree are you experiencing the wake and excessive wave action of fear in your life and in your communities?
Where would the slow, stabilizing attribute of greater faith calm the seas of this world and make for safer harbors?
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
“Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.”
—Jessica Howell, American actress and producer
Image from Unsplash by Zdeněk Macháček
Consider the concepts of entropy and order.
The first is about how things pursue a random path of coming apart. The second pertains to things coming together in a more organized state.
Where have some of the good things in your life and our world fallen apart? How many of these issues are related to entropy, bad luck, or perhaps our lack of attention and effort to bring order to these matters?
Where are things beginning to fall together—not by chance, but by individuals and communities of shared vision and values choosing to create their own good once again?
EXERCISE:
Where and how can you play a bigger, more positive role in your world so that better things will fall together? Consider placing the following quote by Desmond Tutu somewhere you will see it often—and consider reading my post about it from a few years ago.
“Do your little bit of good whoever you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”
“How are you doing at keeping up with yourself?”
“How are you doing at keeping up with yourself?”
—Author Unknown
When someone asks How are you doing?, where do you go to look for your answer?
Far too often, many of us look to compare our lots in life with those displayed in the media. This comparison with others can be a slippery slope, often leaving many feeling stressed, anxious, and even depressed.
Many authorities suggest that a more empowering and positive approach is to focus primarily on bettering oneself and only competing with the person you were yesterday.
EXERCISE:
What actions and efforts are you taking these days to not only keep up but exceed your previous self?
Consider engaging the support of a coach, mentor, friend, or family member to increase the likelihood of success.