“I will accept your influence, guidance, and direction if (and only if) I believe that you and I share similar goals.”

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“I will accept your influence, guidance, and direction if (and only if) I believe that you and I share similar goals.”

—David Maister, former Harvard Business School professor

Image from Unsplash by Nik MacMillan

How coachable are you? How open and receptive are you to the guidance, direction and influences of others in your professional or personal life?

I begin working with all new clients with an all-day, one-on-one workshop in my office to clarify and fully align on the specific goals and objectives we intend to produce. With this up-front investment to align our objectives we can optimize the full benefit and value of our relationship.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you enhance the receptivity and coach-ability of yourself and those around you by doing the up-front work of assuring shared goals for your efforts?

“All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them.”

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“All kids need is a little help, a little hope, and someone who believes in them.”

—Magic Johnson, former Los Angeles Laker Basketball Superstar

Weston on his 1st Birthday

How often do you video chat with family and friends that live far away? A few weeks ago, Wendy and I were delighted to see our one-year-old grandson Weston take 10 steps at the encouragement of his mom — our daughter Rachel.

Our children are our future, and I have no doubt that Weston will be an extraordinary young man due to the hope, help, and belief we all have in him.

EXERCISE:

Who are the big and little kids in your world that need and deserve even more belief and support? In what ways can and will you more fully contribute to their growth and development?

Friday Review: Time Management

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FRIDAY REVIEW: TIME MANAGEMENT

How well do you manage your time? Here are a few time management-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“The bad news is time flies. The good news is you’re the pilot.”

 

 

 

“There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in their lives.”

 

 

 

“The time to relax is when you don’t have time for it.”

 

 

 

 

“You didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

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“You didn’t come this far to only come this far.”

—Mick Kremling, Daily Fitness Motivation

The only thing that stops us is stopping.

Sure, we all have our reasons for calling it quits, be it externally or internally driven.

Where have you stopped along your life journey? To what extend did you make a clear and conscious choice? Or was it some default setting related to discomfort or fear that stopped you from proceeding toward some important goal?

EXERCISE:

Where and on what important objective can you:

  1. Acknowledge how far you’ve come, and
  2. Summon the strength, courage, tenacity, and grit to persist and fulfill far more of your potential for greatness?

Feel free to reply to this post and let me know how far you go.

“For creative tasks, the best approach is often just to hire great people and get out of their way.”

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“For creative tasks, the best approach is often just to hire great people and get out of their way.”

—Daniel Pink, New York Times Best selling Author

Image of The Lone Ranger and Tonto

Image from myfavoritewesterns

Who are the people who help you live a full and productive life?

To what degree are you more like the Lone Ranger, living by the motto, If it is to be, it begins and ends with me?

Years ago, a former mentor shared the idea that leading a million dollar company required 10 people, but that 10,000 were required to run a billion dollar company. Today, these numbers are often considerably less, due to the amazingly creative people and exponential technologies making their way into our lives.

EXERCISE:

What current task are you struggling with that requires greater capabilities and creativity than currently available? Who are the Tonto’s and other great people in your world that could exponentially boost your productivity and success?

“People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals…”

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“People are not lazy. They simply have impotent goals. That is, goals that do not inspire them.”

—Tony Robbins, American self-help Author and speaker

Image of a white coffee cup inscribed "begin"

Image from Unsplash by Danielle MacInnes

Who are the lazy people you know personally or professionally? Where and on what occasions do you, too, have a lazy streak in which you prefer to disengage?

To what degree do you, and they, perk up and find energy to become fully engaged by other interests and abilities?

What are your most exciting and inspiring vocational and avocational interests—the ones where you find yourself “all in” and where time flies?

EXERCISE:

What changes can and will you make to super-charge the potency of goals for yourself and others?

Feel free to reply to this post with the inspired actions you take and the results that occur.

“Does refusing to go to the gym count as resistance training?”

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“Does refusing to go to the gym count as resistance training?”

—Author Unknown

Image of a guy in bed early morning

Image from Unsplash by Julie Johnson

How much sleep do you get on a typical night during the week? What about the weekends? For most people I know, the numbers vary considerably.

Yesterday morning, my body woke at the normal time, but given it was the weekend and I was extra tired, I passed up my morning workout and went back to bed for two more hours of needed rest.

My resistance to going to the gym was completely appropriate given that I needed more time to refresh and recharge after a full work week, which had already included numerous visits to the gym.

EXERCISE:

Where do you push, stretch, and challenge yourself to grow and expand your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual potential?

Where might stepping back and saying, “NO” to some of these growth opportunities be the best choice, needed to progress optimally through your life?

Friday Review: Waiting

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FRIDAY REVIEW: WAITING

What are you waiting for? Here are a few waiting-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.”

 

 

“The work will wait while you show the child the rainbow, but the rainbow won’t wait while you finish the work.”

 

 

 

 

“It’s better to bite your tongue than to eat your words.”

 

 

 

 

“I am more distress-avoidant than I am joy-seeking.”

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“I am more distress-avoidant than I am joy-seeking.”

—Malcolm Gladwell, Canadian journalist, Author, and public speaker

“Creative Tension” is a term coined by Robert Fritz in his book The Path of Least Resistance from the late 1980s.

Essentially, it describes the tension that exists between our perception of our current reality and our vision for the future. Fritz points to the desirable and attractive nature of a committed vision, which draw or pulls our reality closer to it.

A common example of this phenomenon is the TGIF (Thank Goodness It’s Friday) approach many people experience as they look toward the weekend. Unfortunately, this concept also applies to the less desirable future which many people experience Sunday night if the prospects of Monday morning are experienced with apathy or dread.

EXERCISE:

To what degree are you more joy-seeking than distress-avoidant in your personal and professional lives? What actions can and will you take to intentionally design more positive experiences in the days, weeks, and years ahead?

“Greatness comes by beginning something that doesn’t end with you.”

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“Greatness comes by beginning something that doesn’t end with you.”

—Robin Sharma, Author of The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari series

Image of the Great Wall of China

Image from Unsplash by Hanson Lu

The other night a close friend of ours placed a video call to me from The Great Wall of China. She was overcome with delight as she shared this 4,000 mile long structure that took about a thousand years to build.

Some other great human achievements include:

  • The Great Pyramid at Giza
  • Machu Pichu
  • The Taj Mahal
  • The Empire State Building
  • The Panama Canal
  • Man’s Landing on the Moon

EXERCISE:

What other great human achievements can you think of? What efforts and achievements have you begun and contributed to so far in your life? What personal and professional projects are you planning or beginning that will leave a legacy well into the future?