FRIDAY REVIEW: PERSISTENCE
How persistent are you in your pursuits? Here are a few persistence-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.
“Persistence prevails when all else fails.”
Savor the Most Fleeting Delights
“Savor the most fleeting delights of your days.”
—Author Unknown
Image from theeatenpath.com
The word “savor” makes me think of appreciating of a fine meal with, perhaps, a glass of excellent wine.
Surely none of us would inhale that meal or guzzle that wine the way we would a burger and soda from a fast food chain!
Unfortunately, many of us race from one activity to another throughout our days, trying to be optimally efficient, and of course, highly productive.
What does running this rat race cost us in terms of our happiness and life satisfaction?
What would be the value and benefit of slowing down to truly savor and appreciate the delights of your day?
EXERCISE:
Consider creating a time log to identify where your time goes in a typical workday or weekend.
How and where will you do less, or stop doing some activities, in order to do more of, or start savoring, the things that delight you?
Walking with Giants
“A man has dreams of walking with giants. To carve his niche in the edifice of time.”
—Mr. Banks, in Disney’s Mary Poppins
I first saw Mary Poppins in 1964. I was seven years old. It was a cold, snowy day. Mom and I took several buses into downtown Philadelphia, to stand in line for the big event.
This technicolor miracle of Disney magic had people buzzing for weeks. Beyond the special effects was a heartfelt story of exceptional characters. Today’s quote by George Banks, the family patriarch in the film, is powerful coaching for young boys and girls, as well as the older generation.
EXERCISE:
What are your dreams? What niches are you carving? What giants do you walk with? How will you leave your mark on the edifice of time?
What efforts can and will you make in the years ahead to make an even bigger impact on the edifice of time?
A Pessimistic General
“I never saw a pessimistic General win a battle.”
—Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States
What battles are you fighting in your personal or professional lives? Along with optimal training and the best equipment possible, Eisenhower advises us to bring a “Can Do,” optimistic attitude to win the day.
All students of leadership would agree that articulating a hopeful and positive future is essential to engender the buy-in and alignment of our troops, family, and teams.
If the phrase, “What we think about comes about” is true, who would ever follow a reluctant, half-hearted, pessimistic leader anywhere? After all, they aren’t even sure they want to go themselves.
EXERCISE:
Where and in what ways can you be an optimistic “General,” leading yourself and others within your communities to a better future?
When Your Mind is Completely Open
“When your mind is completely open and ‘unfurnished,’ you will have plenty of space for creative thoughts.”
—Barbara Ann Kipfer, author of Self Meditations
Image from Oprah.com
It’s spring. Time to do some cleaning and uncluttering. With the warmer, longer days, by all means open the windows, get out your cleaning tools, and go for it!
Beyond your closets, garage, basement, and junk drawers, spend some time examining the issues, challenges, worries, and upsets that create congestion in your mind. Cleaning them out will allow room for greater creativity, enhanced well-being, and happiness.
EXERCISE:
Here are a few uncluttering techniques you can try. I have found many to be helpful:
- Discussions with a close friend or trusted advisor
- Conducting a “brain dump” exercise to identify and capture on paper the issues running through your mind
- Meditation to enhance mindfulness and self-awareness
- Prayer and/or discussions with a spiritual advisor
Actual uncluttering and giving things away helps a bunch as well!
Friday Review Greatness
FRIDAY REVIEW: GREATNESS
How do you define greatness in yourself and others? Here are a few greatness-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.
“Your greatness is measured by your horizons.”
“The seeds of greatness grow faster in the hearts of those doing work they love.”
“We discover greatness within once we learn to cultivate and celebrate it in others.”
Peace is not made at the council table
“Peace is not made at the council table or by treaties, but in the hearts of men.”
—Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the United States
Image from Flickr by Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
In the movie, Miss Congeniality (2000), Sandra Bullock plays an undercover FBI Agent posing as a contestant when terrorists threaten to bomb the Miss United States beauty pageant. Bullock’s character, Gracie, is the only female FBI agent who can “look the part” despite her complete lack of refinement and femininity. She prides herself in being “just one of the boys” and is horrified at the idea of becoming a girly girl.
Since the film was a comedy, the audience wasn’t alarmed. We all happily watched all the interplay of contestants and other characters. In one scene, the contestants were asked about their personal goals and aspirations. Almost every contestant mentioned world peace at some point in their response.
In today’s dynamic and often violent world, we sure could use more people working on world peace in their personal and professional lives. If all of us did our part, we would never need a council table or treaty, which as President Hoover points out, rarely works.
EXERCISE:
What heartfelt attitudes and actions can you share in your communities to bring about greater peace on earth?
Be a Gardener of Life
“Be a Gardener of Life.”
—Author Unknown
Image from Unsplash by Gaetano Cessati
It is springtime in Michigan. We delight in the longer days, warmer temperatures, and the abundance of new growth we see everywhere.
All around, people are tuning up their lawnmowers, raking out flower beds, buying grass seed, garden flowers, and vegetables they intend to harvest during the summer and fall.
Given today’s quote, I suggest we plant, grow, cultivate and harvest some additional crops, including:
| Patience | Forgiveness | Generosity | Optimism |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kindness | Service | Curiosity | Courage |
| Optimism | Mindfulness | Faith | Family |
EXERCISE:
Where and in what ways can and will you attend to your own life garden?
Feel free to respond to this post with other areas / seeds you intend to plant and harvest this season.
Will this make life meaningfully better
“Will this make people’s lives meaningfully better?”
—Dave Kashen, CEO at Worklife
Image from MAP Professional Development
As a coach for over 25 years, I have a great fondness for powerful and provocative questions. More often than not, I have a very strong preference for those deeply curious and probing questions that begin with who, what, where, when, why, and how.
Today’s quote is an exception in that it is closed-ended and requires us to determine if our answer is Yes or No.
Most people value making a difference and contributing to those around them. Perhaps we can all use this question to keep us focused on the priority of living an even more meaningful life.
EXERCISE:
Consider writing this question on a few Post-it-Notes and placing them where you will see them in your personal and professional spaces. Please feel free to write me about what value this exercise provided you and others over the coming weeks.
What would have drawn a wow 15 years ago
“What would have drawn a ‘WOW’ fifteen years ago won’t draw a yawn today.”
-Steve Wynn, CEO of Wynn Resorts
Image from ebay
My first “WOW!” experience with technology occurred about 50 years ago in a department store in the Philadelphia area. I came upon a 10’ x 8” LED calculator that added, subtracted, multiplied, and divided—that’s it!
I was completely mesmerized for almost an hour by this magic box that seemed to complete an infinite number of calculations at the speed of light.
This experience seems downright primitive compared to the technological advancements since then. Just look at the children around you, playing with phones, tablets, gaming stations, and many other magical devices.
EXERCISE:
Where and in what ways can you maintain or even expand that “WOW!“ factor in your personal and professional worlds, to experience greater success and youthful exuberance?