For everything you have missed you have gained something else

Posted on by

“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.”

—Ralph Waldo Emerson, 19th Century American Essayist

Book Cover Image

I have some bad news.

You can’t have it all, despite what the media and marketing industry tells you.

I also have an abiding faith that you can have many of the things you deeply desire if you recognize and embrace the concept John Maxwell calls the “Law of Trade-offs.”

As an example, I am an early-to-bed-early-to-rise kind of guy. Given this habit, I fully recognize that I miss late-night events many people relish for their daily efforts. What I gain is the rest and added vitality to wake up refreshed, go to the health club, and be fully present to the clients I am committed to serving.

EXERCISE:

Where can you apply the Law of Trade-offs to intentionally choose things you are willing to miss in order to gain even more of the things you value?

Born to hopes and aspirations

Posted on by

“It is not for man to rest in absolute contentment. He is born to hopes and aspirations.”

—Robert Southey, 19th Century British Poet

Image of Life Below Zero screen

Image from zerodemands.com

How much time do you give to the TV or computer screen each day?

Most of us, including myself, enjoy the distractions and guilty pleasures they provide. I do, however, have a rule. In the time I give, I want to learn something or be inspired in some way.

With that said, I often watch the National Geographic Channel. One of my favorite shows is called “Life Below Zero,” in which people choose quite happily to live near and up to 200 miles north of the arctic circle in Alaska.

I am always amazed at how hopeful, energized, and fulfilled they seem to be. They live a life of their choosing, filled with hardships that include finding water, food, and shelter from an often brutal and potentially life-threatening climate.

EXERCISE:

Where are you resting and taking it a bit too easy these days? What deeply held hopes and aspirations would cause you to leave this comfort to realize the committed future you deeply desire?

Hard to See a Halo when you’re looking for Horns

Posted on by

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

—Cullen Hightower, late American quip writer

Image of a halo hanging on devel's horns

Image from VG24

Are you a good person?

Most of us like to think we are – and could even prove it through the kind and generous gestures we make throughout the day.

Take a moment to look at the variety of people in your personal and professional worlds. How many have the same size halo you see above your own head? Perhaps more disturbingly, how often do you see their not-so-pleasant horns, because you are focusing on their faults and shortcomings?

EXERCISE:

Abraham Lincoln once said, “I don’t like that man. I need to get to know him better.”

How can you, too, rise above your own fault-finding perceptions and discover far more halos in those around you?

 

Friday Review Discovery

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: DISCOVERY

What can and will you discover about yourself and your world today? Here are a few discovery-related posts you may have missed:

“We discover greatness within once we learn to cultivate and celebrate it in others.”

 

 

 

 

“All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered. The point is to discover them.”

 

 

 

“Your work is to discover your work and then, with all your heart, to give yourself to it.”

 

 

 

The More you Eat the less flavor

Posted on by

“The more you eat, the less flavor. The less you eat, the more flavor.”

—Chinese Proverb

Image of a small plate meal

Image from Unsplash by Kawin Harasai

The next time you sit down to enjoy one of your favorite meals, try this:

For the first ten minutes, eat only three to five mouthfuls, paying particular note to the texture and flavor of each bite you mindfully chew.

Next, take a “Thanksgiving Size” portion of the same meal, and chow away. Make sure you go beyond your level of satiety to the point of moderate discomfort. Pay particular attention to your awareness of texture and flavor.

EXERCISE:

Where and how would the practice of eating less in a more mindful manner bring you greater pleasure and perhaps a bit smaller waistline as a bonus?

Friendship Consists of a Willing Ear

Posted on by

“Friendship consists of a willing ear, an understanding heart, and a helping hand.”

—Frank Tyger, American Cartoonist and columnist

Image of four men sitting on the edge of a mountaintop

Image from Unsplash by Matheus Ferrero

During my signature Personal Excellence Training program, new clients identify the most valued and important professional and personal relationships they intend to enhance through our coaching efforts.

When it comes to deep and meaningful friendships, I notice my male clients have fewer than my female clients. Yet men and women alike say they have a sense of diminished fulfillment, in terms of friendships, than they had at earlier points in their lives.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “To have a friend we must be a friend.”

EXERCISE:

With whom can you make an extra effort to offer a willing ear, an understanding heart, or a helpful hand, to realize more of the close and caring friendships you desire?

Character is a Diamond

Posted on by

“Character is a diamond that scratches every other stone.”

—Cyrus A. Bartol, 19th Century Theologian

Image of cut diamond

Image from huffingtonpost

Diamonds are one of the hardest substances on earth, and will be here far longer than most other stones, which erode over time.

Character, or one’s personality traits, are the foundation for the strengths we attribute to others and ourselves as we operate within our personal and professional communities.

EXERCISE:

Rate yourself from one (low) to ten (high) on the personality traits that comprise your character:

Attitude Enthusiasm Ethics
Goal Orientation Listening Persistence
Self-Awareness Confidence Discipline
Adaptability Trustworthiness Responsibility

What actions can and will you take to strengthen your character to develop the solid reputation you desire?

 

preventative maintenance

Posted on by

“Whoever said, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ probably never heard of preventative maintenance.”

—Steve Kasper, retired Canadian Hockey Player

Image of a Honda Acura

Image from HondaReference.com

My primary mode of transportation is a 2005 silver Acura TL. I am pleased and proud to tell you it now has over 204,000 miles on it, and is still going strong.

A key reason for this automotive longevity is the yellow maintenance light which prompts me to immediately schedule routine preventative repairs to keep it running optimally.

EXERCISE:

Where are things breaking or beginning to show considerable wear in your world? Where would a preventative maintenance approach keep your world operating on all cylinders well into the future?

Friday Review Competition

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: COMPETITION

How do you view and deal with competition? Here are a few competition-related posts you may have missed.

 

“If a man does his best, what else is there?”

 

 

 

 

“If you wish to be out front, act as if you were behind.”

 

 

 

 

 

“The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential… these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence.”

 

 

 

 

Stay in Business

Posted on by

“I do not believe you can do today’s job with yesterday’s methods and be in business tomorrow.”

—Horatio Nelson Jackson, 20th Century American physician and automobile pioneer

The word “agile” is often used in the software development and project management arenas. Today’s quote points to the need for agile strategies for career development and advancement.

In their 2009 book, Agile Career Development, three IBM human resources innovators show how they support initiatives that benefit the individual as well as the organization.

Critical to this work is the need for adaptability, flexibility, and the ability to change in the marketplace to meet the needs of today’s clients and those in the future.

EXERCISE:

Regardless of whether you work for a multi-billion dollar enterprise, work for yourself, or are somewhere in between, how can you better take an agile approach to your own job and career development to remain in business tomorrow and for years to come?