Creative Commons photo
Today’s post is to help you get a head start on your New Year, and not wait for the first, second, third, fourth, or even Monday the fifth.
EXERCISE:
Take five minutes to create a list of the top five things you must do the day you return to work after the holidays. Block out a chunk of time today to do just that.
For the greatest benefit, repeat daily.
Happy New Year!
Photo from Flickr by Karen Neoh
Rodin’s “The Thinker” is among the world’s most recognized works of art.
I wonder what Rodin would think about our 21st century, 24/7 world in overdrive.
Perhaps today his call for patience is an even more precious form of action that allows for better discernment, better decision making, and better actions.
With whom, and in what situations, would greater patience be the appropriate action in your life?
Please share your intention to expand your capacity for patience, to potentially reap greater benefits within your personal or professional communities.
Photo from Flickr by Robert Fitzpatrick
Malcom Forbes was perhaps one of the best known capitalists of the 20th century, famous for his namesake magazine and his extravagant lifestyle.
For his 70th birthday, he spent over 2.5 million dollars to charter a Boeing 747, a DC-8, and a Concord, to fly eight hundred of the world’s rich and famous from New York to London for an extraordinary celebration.
Think about how you currently acknowledge and reward those around you in your professional and personal life. How can you enhance these efforts to more fully recognize the worth of these special individuals?
Photo from Flickr by Catherine
I wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
I hope you will continue to use and share The Quotable Coach series as a tool to support yourself and others that may benefit you in the year ahead.
Share this with others by forwarding the message.
Photo from Boy Scouts of America
We tend to live our lives at a mad pace, with only a few moments each day to catch our breath.
When we do this consistently, our level of stress goes up, and our effectiveness and productivity go down. Another consequence of this rush-around world is that we rarely get to the big and important projects that we most desire.
Taking time to plan and build our own “ark of life” prepares us for the critical life events that come our way and make life worthwhile.
Examine some of the most important and urgent life issues that are just around the corner or over the horizon. How can you work backwards from these events, to be as prepared as possible and get ahead of the rainstorms of life that are coming?
Photo from Flickr Porto Bay Hotels
Are you a content person? If not, what will it take to satisfy you? Imagine that you are attending the world’s most sumptuous smorgasbord with all the finest foods and beverages, prepared and selected by the most famous chefs.
What will be your strategy to enjoy your meal to the fullest? What would happen if you ate and drank far more than you knew was prudent for your body?
How is the smorgasbord metaphor related to your choices in life? What trade-offs are you willing to make to have everything you truly need? What needs and wants will bring you the satisfaction and contentment you desire?
—Steve Wright, American comedian, actor and writer
Photo from Flickr by Zen Sutherland
Steve Wright is a comedian with a very quirky sense of humor who definitely sees life through some unique glasses.
His quote makes me think of the phrase, “wherever you go, there you are.” What makes this useful is that we can take even more responsibility and accountability to influence our world simply because we are an integral part of each situation in which we find ourselves.
Instead of being affected by our circumstances, we can become the cause of them.
How can you apply your own presence and capabilities wherever you find yourself to improve your existential world?
Photo from Flickr by Colin Davis
If you have been reading The Quotable Coach blog for any length of time, you may know that one book I find highly useful is Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono, in which a color is assigned to each of the six ways to think about any issue:
| White Hat | Objective Thinking |
| Red Hat | Emotional Thinking |
| Black Hat | Negative Thinking |
| Yellow Hat | Optimistic Thinking |
| Green Hat | Creative Thinking |
| Blue Hat | Orchestrative Thinking |
The person referred to in this quote is probably using the black and red hats together, and is missing the clear and more effective approach of using all six hats at once.
Consider reading The Six Thinking Hats so that you and those in your professional and personal lives can reap the benefit of clear and collaborative thinking.
Reply to this message and I will be happy to send you a one-page summary of DeBono’s book. Simply put “Six Thinking Hats” in the subject line of your reply.
Photo from Flickr by Quinn Dombrowski
Napoleon Hill is considered by many to be one of the greatest writers on the topic of success. His most famous work, Think and Grow Rich, has sold over 20 million copies. His work on personal beliefs and the role they play in success is legendary.
This quote goes a step further than his famous “Anything the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve,” in that it points to summoning the courage to act and take risks to achieve what we desire.
If you are “waiting for your ship to come in,” how can you suit up, jump in the risky waters, and swim out to it instead?
Photo from Amazon.com
Someone wise once told me that if you say something nice about yourself it is bragging, yet if others say the very same thing about you, it is the truth!
In my years of coaching, I have seen that there is no single critical factor more important to the building and sustaining of relationships than a genuine interest in others.
Those individuals who focus on themselves and being interesting rather than interested tend to repel people in their professional and personal lives.
How can you channel your effort and attention in the genuine service of others without calling attention to yourself, and allow others, if and when appropriate, to acknowledge and appreciate your efforts?
Also consider heightening your own focus and awareness on the remarkable qualities of others. Don’t be surprised if they reciprocate!