“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.”

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“To be interested in the changing seasons is a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring.”

– George Santayana, philosopher and writer

592Image from Flickr by thekeithhall.

Consider the following phrases:

  • Thank God it’s Friday.
  • I can’t wait until I retire.
  • I’m dreading going back to work.
  • I’ll be happier when…
  • I hate the cold and snowy winters.
  • The summer is too hot and sticky.

Rarely are people completely happy with their current situation. If they are, it is often episodic and temporary, due to the fact that things are always changing.

The people who seem to be the happiest make the most of every situation they encounter. These people usually bring along a positive attitude and a sunny disposition.

Exercise:

How can you accept and make the most of every situation today, to bring a little more springtime wherever you go and whatever you do?

“A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.”

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“A happy life must be to a great extent a quiet life, for it is only in an atmosphere of quiet that true joy dare live.”

– Bertrand Russell, British philosopher

591Image from Flickr by Jamie In Bytown.

If you research happiness, you will discover that most people who describe frequent experience of it include numerous quiet and reflective situations in their lives.

These include meditation, prayer, walking in nature, reading, journaling, and some other forms of reflective writing.

Exercise:

Examine your current life volume and consider turning it down a bit. Look at taking several blocks of quiet time daily to recharge, rejuvenate, and renew yourself.

Feel free to reply to this message with any of your own quiet pursuits that bring you greater joy and happiness.

“Because of a great love, one is courageous.”

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“Because of a great love, one is courageous.”

—Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism
590“Operating outside your comfort zone” is perhaps one of the most commonly used phrases in the coaching and professional development industries.

Unfortunately, the overuse of this concept means it sometimes sounds a bit trite, and it often gets overlooked or neglected due to its familiarity.

Today’s quote points to a primary reason why we decide to be courageous and stretch beyond our current state.

Exercise:

Examine the relationship of love and commitment as a source of courage in your professional and personal life. Notice where this courage mobilizes you to take the necessary risk to move outside your current self-imposed limitations.

For extra credit, consider emailing me (barry@dempcoaching.com) with some phrase you have heard, or used, as an alternative to “operating outside your comfort zone.”

For instance, I often use the question, “Where does your commitment supersede your comfort?”

Interview with Doug Gfeller, Part Four: Using Social Media to Build Your Online Presence

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In this fourth and final excerpt (8 mins) from my interview with Doug Gfeller on The Coaching Perspective, we discuss:

  • My use of social media, and my tips on using it to build your online presence.
  • How “GIG” (the “Great Idea Group”) encouraged me to use technology more proactively and effectively.
  • How I use LinkedIn effectively, and why the premium version may well be worth investing in.
  • The importance of using social media in order to contribute. If people associate you with value, they’ll come back and want more.

Click “play” below to listen to this part of the interview:

You can listen to the full interview, and other interviews with me, on the Podcasts page of my coaching website.

“For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

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“For once you have tasted flight, you will walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been and there you will long to return.”

– Leonardo da Vinci, Renaissance artist and inventor

588Image from Flickr by rafeejewell.

What are some times in your life where you were at the top of your game, where you excelled, or where, as Leonardo da Vinci would say, you “tasted flight”?

Coaching is a profession built on the idea of soaring and becoming our professional and personal best. Once we taste our potential, we have an even greater appetite to fly higher and further.

Exercise:

Choose two or three professional goals, and turn your eyes skyward as you seek opportunities to take flight in pursue of these goals.

Engaging the support of a coach, mentor, friend, family member, or colleague will help you fly higher and faster than if you traveled alone.

“Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness.”

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“Anything you’re good at contributes to happiness.”

– Bertrand Russell, British philosopher

587Image from Flickr by Kool Cats Photography.

Make a list of the things you excel at. Most likely, just thinking of these activities will bring a smile to your face. You probably lose track of time while engaging in these pursuits, and have the experience of being “in the zone”.

On the other hand, creating even a shortlist of those activities where you struggle or perform poorly will usually involve avoidance, procrastination, and a pretty grumpy you!

Exercise:

How would playing even more to your strengths and reducing your time spent in your areas of weakness increase your overall life satisfaction?

Be careful to note that it took considerable effort and practice to get good at these things in the first place, and please continue to start and try new things all the time.

“You don’t live in a world all alone. Your brothers are here too.”

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“You don’t live in a world all alone. Your brothers are here too.”

– Albert Schweitzer, German theologian and philosopher

Barry-Marvin-Rachel

(Me, my dad Marvin, and my daughter Rachel.)

My family and I recently had a vacation in the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania. This year, some additional friends came along to make it extra special. Of particular note were some of the many things we accomplished together to truly make our time a community affair.

In additional to numerous routine tasks, such as the preparation of meals and some cleaning and organizing projects, we supported my father Marvin (who is 88 today) on a three hour, six mile canoe ride down the Delaware river, and even took him to Camelbeach Waterpark where he experienced the adventure of some pretty thrilling water slides.

Exercise:

Where are you acting alone in the world and thus not achieving your fullest potential?

Where would supporting or working with others have you achieve even more remarkable things in your professional or personal life?

no matter where you go, there you are

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“And remember, no matter where you go, there you are.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

586

Image from Flickr by docoverachiever

As a positive, optimistic, and upbeat person most of the time, it troubles me to see a lot of negativity in the world. Two related negative traits I observe often are blaming and victimization. When people demonstrate these qualities, the focus is always on others as the cause of a problem, and themselves as innocent victims.

Confucius is suggesting, with this quote, that we are always present in these situations, and if you dig a bit deeper, a part of this current reality puzzle.

Exercise:

How can you take a larger percentage of responsibility for the events and circumstances that make up your world? Where would adjusting your perspective, attitude, or point of view provide a shift in the way that people and events affect you?

“Brevity is the soul of wit.”

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“Brevity is the soul of wit.”

– William Shakespeare, English playwright

585Image from Flickr by Lincolnian (Brian).

The Quotable Coach series has been running for about two and a half years: this is the 585th quote. We now have well over 1,200 daily subscribers and I have been welcomed as a guest blogger on a number of well recognized blogs such as Pick the Brain, here: www.pickthebrain.com/blog/4-short-yet-powerful-quotes-abraham-lincoln-help-grow.

It wasn’t always this way. My first attempt at blogging was pretty much a complete failure. In spite of sharing what I thought was my best stuff, we rarely even had 50 people read it. I believe that one of the reasons for this failure was that each post took several minutes to read. The Quotable Coach series, though, has been “nuggetized” to be read in less than a minute.

Shakespeare, who I’ve quoted on numerous occasions, would hopefully have appreciated the brevity.

Exercise:

How can greater brevity in your written and spoken communication enhance your ability to reach and get through to others in a wittier way?

Interview with Doug Gfeller, Part Three: Building an Online Audience, and the Value of Coaching for Individuals and in Organizations

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In this third excerpt (12 mins) from my interview with Doug Gfeller of The Coaching Perspective, we discuss:

  • My strategies for building an online audience, and the value of this, particularly in terms of impact.
  • How a book helps build credibility, even though it’s unlikely to make you a great deal of money.
  • The importance of being found through Google, and how a strong online presence helps with this.
  • How I help business leaders become coaches within their own institution, and how I work with professional coaches.
  • How having a coach and moving your life forward can help those around you, particularly family members.
  • The ways larger organizations are incorporating coaching into their processes.

Click “play” below to listen to this part of the interview:

You can listen to the full interview, and other interviews with me, on the Podcasts page of my coaching website.