How We Rise

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“We rise by lifting others.”

—Robert Ingersoll, 19th Century American Orator

Image from joinabrightfuture.com

Image from joinabrightfuture.com

As part of my Personal Excellence Training program, each of my clients works on the key skill of increasing their relationship mastery. Without question, progress in this area has enormous benefits, producing qualitative and quantifiable results.

Some of the communication tools are:

    • Taking a sincere and full interest in what others think and believe
    • Listening with your full attention and honoring the value others have to offer
    • Limiting our desire to speak and respond too quickly so that the other person can fully express themselves
    • Being open and receptive to the views and contributions of others

EXERCISE:

How can you use the techniques listed here, and those you know well, to lift other people up in your personal and professional worlds?  What benefit would you gain in doing so?

Something New

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“And suddenly you just know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

—Meister Eckhart, 14th Century German Theologian

image from Linkedin.com

image from Linkedin.com

Happy New Year! I know I am a month late with that sentiment, but today’s quote gives me permission to tap into the special power this idea provides.

Examine how you experienced new beginnings in the past, and how you experience them today. Consider the following list, and feel free to add your own thoughts.

    • Visiting a new city or country
    • Trying a new food or restaurant
    • Starting a new job
    • Meeting new and interesting people
    • Learning something new
    • Shopping for new clothes, a new vehicle, a new home
    • Discovering new capabilities and talents within yourself

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you experience the magical power of beginning something new today?

Move On

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“Everything will change when your desire to move on exceeds your desire to hold on.”

—Alan Cohen, Author of Daily Dose of Sanity

Image from Joomlaworks.net

Image from Joomlaworks.net

The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes once said that if he were given a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, he could move the world.

Consider, today, your most deeply held commitments for a better future as your long lever, and your most important and foundational values as the fulcrum on which to place them.

One of my other favorite quotes is, your commitment supersedes your comfort.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you experience the world-moving changes you desire by living each day more consistently with your most cherished commitments and values?

 

Repeat Back Report Back

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“Repeat Back / Report Back”

—Tony Mayo, Executive Coach

Image from Linkedin.com

Image from Linkedin.com

Effective communication is perhaps the number one priority for most companies or organizations. It is also a top priority in virtually all our personal worlds as well.

Consider all of the shortcomings and outright failures of communication you observe on a daily basis. In general, the problems are caused by misinterpretation, misconception, and the ever popular assumptions we all have.

When working with others, repeating back to them what you have heard and what you understand will enhance the communication and assure all parties are on the same page. Reporting back to one another allows you to modify plans and efforts along the way, to keep you from getting off track.

EXERCISE:

Where and with whom in your personal or professional worlds would practicing Repeat Back / Report Back improve your communications and overall effectiveness? Consider making this a habit by using this technique daily.

“Do More Great Work!”

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“Do More Great Work!”

—Michael Bungay Stainer, Sr. Partner at Box of Crayons

Do-More-Great-Work-3d

QC #955

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am currently reading the book Mastery by Robert Greene, with great fascination. The subject of mastery has intrigued me all my life. This brilliant analysis includes stories of a wide variety of historic and current masters, and how their life journeys evolved.

Fundamental to the majority of these stories is a clear and authentic passion for the type of work or activity the subjects pursued. Each person tapped into their own gifts and unique abilities, and combined them with an unstoppable drive to pursue, develop, and contribute their talents to the world.

EXERCISE:

What does doing more great work mean to you? How can you do less bad work, or stop both the bad and even some good work, to make room for more great work in the year ahead?

Consider making the book Mastery a must read for 2016.

Another favorite I am sure you will enjoy is Do More Great Work by Michael Bungay Stainer, author of today’s quote.

Hard Working People

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“Nice, Smart, and Hard Working People Succeed.”

-Author Unknown

QC #954

Image from funds2orgs.com

 

I often speak on the subject of success with various professional and civic groups as part of my business development efforts. In a presentation called Success: Best Practices, I engage the audience in 24 ideas I’ve discovered over the years. One of my favorites that relates to today’s quote is the acronym A.S.K., which stands for:

Activity

Skills
Knowledge

By increasing any or all of these qualities, we can all achieve even more. These characteristics also point to the smart and hard-working aspects in today’s quote.

I do very much like niceness as a critical element in building our social capital. This highlights the importance of relationship as a fundamental aspect of success.

EXERCISE:

How can you use the coaching in today’s quote to enhance your own success journey now and throughout this New Year?

Make it a Game

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“Making it into a Game.”

—Author Unknown

Image from blog.bufferapp.com

Image from blog.bufferapp.com

One of the things we like about weekends, vacations and holidays is that they are almost always associated with considerable fun and enjoyment. It is not unusual to block out time during these occasions for games we enjoy.

Alternately, the majority of folks rarely experience work days as filled with fun. Studies by the Gallop Organization indicate that most people work in their areas of strength — and thus their areas of greatest satisfaction — less than half the time.

EXERCISE:

How could you “gamify” your current personal and professional work efforts? Create new rules and scoreboards to bring greater enjoyment— and perhaps added productivity — to your days.

Consider picking up a copy of the book Play by Stuart Brown, or Google the term gamification to learn how to make 2016 a fun and fulfilling year.

What I Might Be

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“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

—Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher

Image from beyouonlybetter.com

Image from beyouonlybetter.com

We all want to be ‘right’ – to have the correct answer, to know the truth. We think that will bring us clarity, stability, and peace of mind.

But what if being ‘right’ only serves to put us in a safe and limiting box?

When we define something, we limit it. Perhaps we could instead distinguish ourselves by being open to the possibility of who we could be rather than placing limits on who we are.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you disengage from self-limiting beliefs?

If you find this difficult, ask a family member or close friend for their perspective.

Lose Yourself in Service

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“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

—Mahatma Gandhi, Indian Independence Leader

Image from blog.bcwinstitute.org

Image from blog.bcwinstitute.org

We’ve all heard statements such as “givers gain,” and “shift your life from success to significance.”

But how do we do it?

Today’s quote challenges us to lose ourselves in a good way, to find our flow and purpose, what we might call our true north.

When I ‘give,’ I grow and feel I’m living a more expansive and true life. When I ‘get,’ I feel good too, but it’s not the same experience or at the same level.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you serve others so that you both lose and find yourself in the experience?

The Stream and the Rock

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“In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins – not through strength, but through persistence.”

—The Buddha, Indian Spiritual Teacher

Image from Flickr by Nicholas A. Tonelli

Image from Flickr by Nicholas A. Tonelli

Most of my elementary school teachers would have described me as an average-to-good student with a bit of an attention problem.

Starting in the eight grade, I realized that although I was average-to-good on the standardized tests, I was able to outwork others to achieve what I wanted.

This “magic quality” has been a key to success throughout my life.

EXERCISE:

Where can you apply the power of persistence to outwork others and achieve your goals?