If You are Not Willing to Learn

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“If you are not willing to learn no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you.”

—Zig Ziglar, 20th Century American Motivational Speaker

Image of a man holding a large lightbulb

Image from Unsplash by Riccardo Annandale

The term “Coach-ability” is used frequently in my profession.

Individuals who are coachable have a voracious appetite for their own growth and development, a passion for learning, and of course, an open and receptive disposition.

Perhaps no other mindset or quality is attributed to achieving greater success than having this unstoppable determination to advance oneself and the world at large.

The technical term for trying to coach, teach, or mentor another individual who is close and unwilling to receive assistance, on the other hand, is “nagging.”

Only you and your perceptual filters can seek and find the coaching from others and the world around you. After all, being nagged by those hoping to contribute to you is a real drag.

Please conserve your energies and efforts with others in your communities that see you this way.

EXERCISE:

In what ways can you be far more open and receptive to the contribution of others, and learn all you can from these relationships?

How can you facilitate and engender greater coach-ability and subsequent learning with others in your personal and professional communities?

A Question is a Magnet

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“A question is a magnet… it draws information to you.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a man hiding in a box

Image from blibli.com

Children love the game of Hide and Seek. They are always curious about their surroundings. If you have been around kids lately, you have most likely been the recipient of a barrage of questions. They are human sponges, hoping to absorb as much information as possible to seek the hidden mysteries of their worlds.

Powerful questions are among the most important tools used by coaches, leaders, managers, parents, and other supportive individuals. Open-ended questions – those which cannot be answered with simple “yes” or “no” – tend to be the most magnetic.

EXERCISE:

How can you exercise and discover more of your own youthful curiosity to seek and find more answers to life’s most urgent and important questions?

One of my favorite books on this subject is A More Beautiful Question by Warren Berger.

Friday Review Self Awareness

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Friday Review: Self Awareness

Self awareness is critical to growth. Here are a few posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“Do not wish to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”

 

 

 

“If we take care of the moments, the years will take care of themselves.”

 

 

 

“Believe in yourself a little more.”

 

 

 

Talents and Deep Gladness

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“At what point do my talents and deep gladness meet the world’s deep need?”

Frederick Buechner, American writer & theologian

Aerial view of tropical rainforest with converging rivers, Guyana

Image from thefatherhoodcomission

Imagine two great rivers flowing from their source high in the mountains, where ice and snow melt into the purest waters possible. The names of these rivers happen to be “My Talents,” and “Deep Gladness.”

Many miles away, where the two rivers converge, is the ocean of “What the world needs most,” and the resulting delta could be the Island of Happiness, Fulfillment, and Life Purpose.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you best channel the naturally flowing aspects of your talents and deep gladness to generously contribute to the world’s deepest needs?

Good People Bring out the Good in People

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“Good people bring out the good in people.”

—Author Unknown

The United States prison system holds more incarcerated felons than any other country in the world. Unfortunately, the efforts at rehabilitation have been very poor, with over 70 percent of those released returning to prison.

In the last few weeks, I read a book titled A Second Chance by Catherine Hoke. In her remarkable Defy Ventures programs, some of the most violent criminals are given a second chance to lead productive, contributory lives by discovering their “generous hustle.”

Ninety-five percent of those who graduate from this program never return to prison, because the good in many people, like Catherine, brought out the good in them.

EXERCISE:

Where do you or others deserve a second chance to rise above and beyond mistakes of the past? Where can the good in you and others bring out the very best in one another?

Direction is so much more important than speed

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“Direction is so much more important than speed. Many are going nowhere fast.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a woman pointing the way for a man

Image from Unsplash by Thought Catalogue

In the battle between the urgent and the important aspects of life, urgency and the need to get things done fast seem to be winning.

Unfortunately for many, levels of life satisfaction and fulfillment are declining, often with considerable consequences to our health and overall well-being.

Perhaps some course corrections are in order for your personal or professional life, especially if you are pursuing paths others have mapped out for you.

EXERCISE:

Where can you slow down or even stop to look within to ask your sources of inner wisdom for directions before you gas up and head full speed ahead toward your life destiny?

Leadership is not about titles

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“Leadership is not about titles, positions, or flow charts. It is about one life influencing another.”

—John Maxwell, American Leadership Author

Image of a mentor and mentee

Image from Unsplash by Monica Melton

The subject of leadership has fascinated mankind for millennia. We can all recall fantastic accounts of great leaders, recorded in various ways.

Who are some of the greatest leaders you recall? Which of them makes the list for their noteworthy contributions?

Unfortunately, many of us consider leadership a rarity, with only a very select and limited list of people who deserve the acknowledgement.

If, however, we remove the need for titles and look to see who has influenced others, we discover that we, too, are leaders for ourselves and others on a daily basis.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you further your development and mastery as a leader with an even more positive and lasting influence on others?

Friday Review Connection

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Friday Review: Connection

Relationships are all about connection. Here are a few connection-related posts you may have missed. Click the link to read the full message.

 

“We build too many walls and not enough bridges.”

 

 

 

 

“A friend is a loved one who awakens your life in order to free the wild possibilities within you.”

 

 

 

 

“Our days are happier when we give people a bit of our heart rather than a piece of our mind.”

 

 

 

Live Simply Love Generously

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“Live Simply, Love Generously, Speak Truthfully, Breathe Deeply, Do Your Best. Leave everything else to the powers above you.”

—Author Unknown

Image of a field of red tulips

Life is complicated.

Or is it?

It seems the rules of the game are as long and laborious as the new tax code or other governmental regulations.

Far too often, we find our heads spinning and our spirits crushed by the overwhelming effort to sort through the complexities.

Who doesn’t crave far greater peace of mind, simplicity, and tranquility in our rat-race world?

EXERCISE:

Consider the five fundamental touch points in today’s quote as guides to inform your daily efforts to lead a far happier and satisfying life.

What would be possible if we all did this, and left the rest to the powers above?

Absorb What is Useful

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“Absorb what is useful. Discard what is not. Add what is uniquely your own.”

—Bruce Lee, 20th Century American Actor & Martial Artist

Image of a man capturing an idea in a net

Image from TED Ideas

Are you an artist, writer, or creator of some other form of content? If so, be prepared to be ripped off, pick-pocketed, and have your work stolen.

Unless you have been hiding your work under a rock or inside a mattress, you have shared it with others. If it is remarkable, or even just good, others will take it for themselves and hopefully build on it.

Protectionism, including trademarks, copyrights, and patents have their place. But with the world of increasing transparency and information just a click away, it won’t be long before someone reverse engineers or tweaks your ideas and makes them their own for a minute or two.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you absorb what is useful, discard what is not, and add your own unique ideas to contribute to and stand on the shoulder of those who came before you?

How might you coach and mentor others coming up the ranks, to more intentionally support their development and contribution?