What do we live for

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Barry

“What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?”

—George Eliot, pen name of Mary Anne Evans, 19th Century English novelist

Image of a woman holding coins and a note stating "make a change"

Image from Unsplash by Kat Yukawa

One of my most remarkable clients is the CEO of a local non-profit organization called Forgotten Harvest – the second largest food rescue organization in America. Last year, he and his team – and large numbers of volunteers – provided more than 40 millions pounds of food, valued at over 70 million dollars, to people in the community experiencing “food insecurity.”

Recently, he was interviewed on a top radio station in town about his work and the life journey that brought him to his role in this important organization.

Through this interview, I gained an even more vivid picture of his life and his fundamental purpose to make a positive difference in the lives of others within his communities.

EXERCISE:

What is your life purpose?

How do you currently contribute and make life less difficult for others?

What additional efforts can and will you take to more fully realize an even greater purpose with your life?

There’s no ceiling on effort

Posted on March 6, 2019 by Barry

“There’s no ceiling on effort.”

—Harvey C. Fruehauf, President of HCF Enterprises

Image from Canva

Are you at the absolute pinnacle of success in all areas of life? If you answered “no,” or “not really,” today’s quote may get you a bit closer to your goals.

I’ll share with you three key attributes to success I learned from a wise coach and mentor early in my life, when I worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a sales person.

It uses the acronym: A.S.K. to point to the elements that lie within us or that can be developed to reach higher levels of achievement in virtually any are we desire.

The “A” stands for activity. It points us to the fact that the level of effort we put forth on any particular task is up to us. I like the idea that there is no ceiling or limit placed on us, and that through persistence, tenacity, and grit, we can all achieve far more of what we most desire.

It is through such massive efforts we can progress on to the “S” and “K,” which stand for skills and knowledge.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what important personal or professional goal can and will you raise the ceiling on your current efforts to gain the skills and knowledge to reach new levels of success?

Education today

Posted on March 5, 2019 by Barry

“Education today, more than ever before, must see clearly the dual objectives: Educating for living, and education for making a living.”

—James Mason Wood, 19th Century English Zoologist

Recall the days you got your school report card. What subjects did you study, and how did you do? To what degree did your studies prepare you for life?

Take a moment to look at your career-related studies and perhaps your performance review process for your current work or vocational efforts. How are you doing in these areas? How much do these efforts help you live your life?

What has your educational journey – beyond the focus on career development and making a living – looked like over the years? Who were your teachers, and what grades would you give yourself in the domains outside of work?

EXERCISE:

Give yourself a grad for each of the following subjects in your life – and feel free to add a few more “electives” to pursue your own advanced degree in living:

Health	_______	Relationships	_______
Emotional Intelligence	_______	Fun	_______
Adventure	_______	Continuous Learning	_______
Community Involvement	_______	Faith/spirituality/Religion	_______
Joy	_______	Meaning/Purpose	_______

Where can and will you focus your educational efforts in living today and in the future to get a “PhD in Thee”?

Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas

Posted on March 4, 2019 by Barry

“Plant the seeds of beautiful ideas in your mind and water them with belief and action.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Joshua Lanzarini

The X Prize Foundation’s tag line is “We Make the Impossible Possible by Incentivizing Great Minds to Make a Difference.”

The Foundation and its supporters believe that the solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges will only be reached through the ideation and realization of critical solutions by pioneering individuals and organizations around the world.

Some of the current projects include:

Discovering the mysteries of the deep sea
Empowering children to take control of their own learning
Transforming the lives of low-literacy adults
Transforming CO² into valuable products

EXERCISE:

What beautiful ideas for a better world inspire you?

Regardless of the size and scope, how can your belief and motivation to act help you and others reap the harvest of a better world?

Friday Review on Action

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Barry

FRIDAY REVIEW: ACTION

What prompts you to take action? Here are a few action-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full messages.

“The world will never discover a person who is hiding in the crowd.”

“It is hard to fly when something is weighing you down.”

“Don’t step over dollars to pick up a dime.”

Tweeting has taught me the discipline to say more with fewer words

Posted on February 28, 2019 by Barry

“Tweeting has taught me the discipline to say more with fewer words.”

—Adam Grant, American psychologist

Image from twitter

The social media site Twitter was launched in 2006 with the original format of only 140 characters. Toward the end of 2017 this limit was doubled for all languages except Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.

Regardless of your views on this platform, hundreds of millions of users find it an engaging medium to communicate their views on matters of both modest and significant interest.

Adam Grant, the author of books such as, Give and Take, Originals, and Option “B” with Sheryl Sandberg, has over 200,000 Twitter followers who obviously resonate with his concise and to-the-point nuggets of wisdom.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional communities would saying more with fewer words have the greatest impact and value? Where can this “Less is More” communication strategy be applied today?

Remember to say what you mean

Posted on February 27, 2019 by Barry

“Remember to say what you mean, but don’t say it meanly.”

—Elizabeth George, American writer of the Inspector Lynley mysteries

Image from Unsplash by RawPixel

I am currently working with a young manager who is preparing a performance review for a colleague who is falling considerably short of the expectations for the job.

He had begun writing his report, and noticed how harsh it appeared. He felt fearful and anxious, considering the likely impact on this individual, whom he must work with each day.

His request for coaching was related to his need to communicate the poor performance in a way that would support openness, and encourage improved performance. He didn’t want to crush this person’s spirit and have them withdraw.

EXERCISE:

Where in either your professional or personal life do you need to say what you mean in a far more acceptable way? Consider one of my favorite books, Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott, to help you. Two additional resources for your consideration on this subject are Crucial Conversations, and Crucial Confrontations.

What comes easy won’t last long

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Barry

“What comes easy won’t last long, and what lasts long won’t come easy.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Dallas Reedy

Are you a builder?

All of us are, to some degree.

Take a trip into your memory banks to revisit the sand castles, school projects, tree houses, do-it-yourself projects, and perhaps even a business, you have begun or completed.

How much time and effort went into each example? Which of these have stood the test of time?

If you enjoy the idea of building extraordinary things, consider checking out the series Impossible Engineering on the Science Channel. Each episode details how giant structures and record-breaking buildings are built, how they work, and how they have shaped our modern world.

EXERCISE:

What are some of your most important personal and professional projects?

How will you maximize your efforts and levels of commitment to make sure they are built to last?

The purpose of Art

Posted on February 25, 2019 by Barry

“The purpose of art is washing the dust of daily life off of our souls.”

—Pablo Picasso, 20th Century Spanish Painter

Image from Tripadvisor

Some weeks ago, a close friend came over to help me repair a ceiling fan. Given my limited handiness and my desire to not electrocute myself, I reached out for some coaching on the matter.

Beyond the repair, I was a bit embarrassed by the amount of dust that had accumulated on the blades and bulbs.

Unless cleaning your house from top to bottom brings you joy and you do it often, dust is bound to accumulate. In the same way, if we neglect our inner world, our souls can get a bit dusty as well.

Although most of us would not see ourselves as a Picasso, we all have an artist within us that can help wash off the dust of daily life.

One of my favorite art forms is cooking. Various foods and seasonings represent the spectrum of flavors for each meal.