Expect the Sting of Bees

Posted on by

“In seeking honey, expect the sting of bees.”

—Saudi Arabian Proverb

Close-up image of a bee's stinger

Image from almanac.com

Who doesn’t want all the sweetness life has to offer?

Unfortunately, many are fueled by the media and seek short cuts or the path of least resistance. They expect a magic pill or believe a stroke of luck will provide their heart’s desire.

To say life just doesn’t work like that is an understatement. All we need do is dig the tiniest bit beneath the surface of virtually any sweet success to discover many a bee sting.

EXERCISE:

What sweet success are you striving for, personally or professionally, that is without question worth the stings of setbacks and potential failure?

What strategies could you employ to negate or become immune to such irritations and pains?

Creativity is Inventing

Posted on by

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, risk-taking, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

—Mary Lou Cook, late Peace Activist

During the Personal Excellence Workshop that begins each of my coaching programs, my clients list their personal strengths. I am somewhat surprised that less than half of them include creativity in their list.

When prompted about their level of creativity, they humbly deflect, stating things like, “On Occasion / Not Really,” or “That is why I do _____ for a living.”

I suggest that we all are far more creative than we believe and that we all create our lives each and every day, for better or for worse.

EXERCISE:

How can you take Mary Lou Cook’s coaching to increase your daily level of inventing, experimenting, risk-taking, rule breaking, and mistake making to expand your creative capacity and make your life a lot more fun?

When You Run Away

Posted on by

“It’s when you run away that you’re most liable to stumble.”

—Casey Robinson, Screenwriter/Producer

Image from findapsychologist

I’m not completely sure if today’s quote is always true, but watching action films and TV shows, I see the main characters often fall when they run away from their pursuers. Perhaps in film and TV land this is to create more suspense. Invariably, though, they stop, turn around, and summons the courage to take on the bad guys and win the day.

EXERCISE:

Where are you currently in retreat mode? What is causing you to stumble? What attitude shift or other resources are required to turn things around so you can move forward professionally or personally?

 

Friday Review: Mistakes

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: MISTAKES

How do you view the mistakes you have made? Here are a few mistake-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

“We should learn from the mistakes of others. We don’t have time to make them all ourselves.”

 

 

 

 

“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”

 

 

 

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

 

 

 

 

Small Joys versus Big Happiness

Posted on by

“Many people lose the small joys in the hope for the big happiness.”

—Pearl S. Buck, 20th Century American Novelist

Happiness is big business. Whether it’s that new home, new car, or new body we want – or even that deal on Amazon Prime – we are bombarded with what the world suggests will make us happy.

Deep down, we all know the temporary boost we experience with these “happiness events” quickly fade, and it is more often the simple pleasures that make our lives far more joyful.

EXERCISE:

Please consider sending me a list of 5-10 of your simple pleasures, and do your best to incorporate them into your days.

If you would like a bit of prompting, consider review Andrea Reiser’s Huffington Post article titled 101 Simple Pleasures to Boost Happiness.

 

Too Few Accomplish Twice as Much as Too Many

Posted on by

“Too few accomplish twice as much as too many.”

—Malcolm Forbes, Publisher of Forbes Magazine

“The more the merrier” may be a great strategy for a party or special occasion, however this approach can have considerable drawbacks.

Consider the times you had to make an important decision by committee. How did it go? How long did it take? What were the results?

I am all for the idea of people participating in that which they create. My experience in coaching executive leadership groups and project teams leads me to believe that keeping the group to only those essential participants, the better.

EXERCISE:

Choose a high-priority personal project. Then, limit the group working on it to the vital few.

Feel free to reply to this post and let me know what happens to your level of productivity and effectiveness.

A Lot of TRY

Posted on by

“In every triumph there’s a lot of Try.”

—Frank Tyger, late editorial cartoonist

One definition of the word triumph is, “being victorious in a noteworthy achievement, or a level of exultation and joy over generalized success.”

It is also associated with winning and prevailing in some significant challenge, gaining mastery, rejoicing, and celebration.

In 1965, there was an ad touting, “Put a tiger in your tank,” promising optimal acceleration and performance if you used Esso Gasoline. Trying is the proverbial tiger in your tank, to boost you to new levels of achievement.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you take Frank Tyger’s coaching and put more “try” into your personal and professional efforts towards triumphs in your life?

If You Think You’re Tops

Posted on by

“If you think you’re tops, you won’t do much climbing.”

—Arnold Glasow, 20th Century American Businessman

In his 2001 classic business book, Good To Great, Jim Collins and his team of researchers found distinct patterns of behavior that drove leading companies to excel.

One key characterization was Level 5 Leadership, demonstrated by:

  • Extreme personal humility
  • Intense professional will
  • Shunning the spotlight of celebrity
  • Channeling ambition toward the goal of building something great
  • Setting up others for success
  • Consistent, diligent effort and honesty

EXERCISE:

How would the development and engagement of your own Level 5 Leadership efforts keep you climbing? How would it support your personal and professional “Good to Great” journey?

 

Friday Review: Priorities

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: PRIORITIES

What are your priorities? How do you prioritize your priorities? Here are a few priority-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

 

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule but to schedule your priorities.”

 

 

“The essence of self discipline is to do the important thing rather than the urgent thing.”

 

 

 

“My brain has too many tabs open.”

 

 

 

 

 

Act Nothing in Furious Passion

Posted on by

“Act nothing in furious passion. It’s putting to sea in a storm.”

—Thomas Fuller, 15th Century English historian

Image of a boat in rough waters

Image from SafeHavenMarine

Except for the Coast Guard and maybe a few king crab fishermen, no one in their right mind would intentionally go to sea in a storm.

Being “lost at sea” in a toxic relationship is something we all want to avoid.

Stormy relationships, personally and professionally, are often the result of disagreements that rarely work out well for either party. You can see this destructive force in action with a quick look at the great wars, and even our current political state of affairs.

EXERCISE:

Consider the thought, “When Furious, Get Curious” to work out any stormy disagreements to navigate toward calmer seas.