light where there is none

Posted on July 29, 2014 by Barry

“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?”

– René Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician (attrib.)

Image from Flickr by spcbrass

One of my favorite books that supports effective interpersonal and group communications is Six Thinking Hats, by Edward de Bono.

In his model, a “yellow hat” represents the optimistic individual who sees the light of possibility in things. The pessimist or “black hat” represents the negative perception on matters that often stops progress.

Of course there are four more hats to explore in our journey to more effective individual and group thinking, and I encourage you to pursue these as part of the following exercise.

Exercise:

What percentage of the time do you wear the yellow and black hats in your professional and personal interactions?

How can you increase your emphasis on the sunny side of things and diminish or remove that dark cloud that extinguishes the light of possibility?

You can find a one-page pdf summary about the six hats here, and you may wish to explore “putting on” one or more of the others: www.foodsec.org/DL/course/shortcourseFK/en/pdf/trainerresources/PG_SixThinkingHats.pdf

Interview with Doug Gfeller of The Coaching Perspective: How I Got Started as a Coach

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Barry

I had the pleasure of being interviewed by Doug Gfeller of The Coaching Perspective recently, about “Building an Online Audience.” I’ve split the interview into short segments and will be posting them here over the next few weeks. If you want to hear the whole thing straight away, you can visit the Podcasts page on my coaching website.

In this first part (11 minutes), Doug and I discuss:

My first profession teaching science — following in the footsteps of many of my family members who work in education.
Why I left this profession and worked instead in pharmaceutical sales, and what these two careers had in common for me.
How the 1992 Olympic Games inspired me to become a coach and support professionals in achieving “gold medal” levels of performance.
How I work as a coach, and how my business has changed since I started 21 years ago — particularly in terms of finding clients.
The typical clients who I work with and the length of time I normally work with them.

Click the “play” button below to listen to the interview:

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

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

Posted on July 28, 2014 by Barry

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

Image from Flickr by jurvetson.

Consider yourself a pebble of charcoal when you were born. Over the years, the countless tests and challenges you faced put you under varying degrees of stress and pressure. Under the right conditions, Mother Nature can transform this pebble of charcoal into a brilliant and precious diamond.

Exercise:

What life strategies do you need to develop and master to manage life’s considerable stresses, to bring out your personal brilliance?

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

Posted on July 25, 2014 by Barry

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

– Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher and transcendentalist

Image from Flickr by Tambako the Jaguar.

Chameleons are remarkable animals that have the capacity to change their “clothing” to suit their surroundings. Although many people believe they change coloring to blend in, some studies suggest that other factors such as light, temperature, mood, and even the desire to communicate with other chameleons can cause them to change their outfits.

People sometimes refer to friends and colleagues as “chameleons” who change, often inauthentically, their presentation to the world to adapt to their circumstances.

Exercise:

Examine your own orientation toward changing who you present yourself to be, in order to adapt and fit in with what is expected.

What authentic set of “clothes” makes you feel most at home in your own skin, just like a pair of your most comfortable jeans?

“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

Posted on July 24, 2014 by Barry

“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher

Image from Flickr by Genista.

One of my favorite magazines is Fast Company. It offers a regular (over)dose of what’s new, what’s happening, and what’s hot in technology, business, and design. Its focus is on three different franchises, including most innovative companies, most creative people in business, and masters of design.

Based on creativity, real-world impact, risk-taking, and successful execution, the people and companies profiled are without question building some of the world’s best mousetraps.

Exercise:

What are some of your vocational and/or avocational projects where you hope to attract the world to your door? What new or better mousetraps will you build to do just that?

“Sometimes, the only way to discover who you are and what life you should lead is to do less planning and more living – to burst the double bubble of comfort and convention and just do stuff.”

Posted on July 22, 2014 by Barry

“Sometimes, the only way to discover who you are and what life you should lead is to do less planning and more living – to burst the double bubble of comfort and convention and just do stuff.”

– Daniel Pink, business author

Image from Flickr by spatulated.

When was the last time you watched young children play? Rarely, if ever, have I seen them plan out any activity. They simple leap into most endeavors with enthusiasm and a bit of reckless abandon.

As you observe these events, note the level of joy, pleasure, fulfillment, and happiness occurring before your eyes, and listen to your own inner voice saying, “I want what they’re having.”

Exercise:

Instead of planning and sharpening the saws of life, where would “bursting the double bubble of comfort and convention” make the biggest difference in your professional and personal life?

“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

Posted on July 21, 2014 by Barry

“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

– Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

Image from Flickr by susivinh.

Have you ever purchased a book with the full intention of reading it and absorbing every morsel of value, only to have it stare at you from a pile on the shelf with more than a few other similar books? Me too!

Today, I’d like to encourage you to purchase my new book, The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom. My hope is that you will invest the one minute a day (or less) it takes to explore its content.

Please visit the following links and gain 365 nuggets of wisdom to support your personal excellence journey. Thank you!

Ebook: http://amzn.to/1jboDX7 (Amazon.com)

Paperback: https://www.createspace.com/4855547 (My CreateSpace eStore)

Enter the code 42E47C9N for a 10% discount on the paperback book via my store.

If you happen to find the book of value, I would sure appreciate it if you would write a review on Amazon or Goodreads.

Our Truest Life

Posted on July 18, 2014 by Barry

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”

– Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher, and transcendentalist

Image from Flickr by martinak15.

What does it mean to live your dreams? Where would you live? How would you spend your days? Who would be with you on this journey? What purpose would you fulfill? What memories would you make?

Exercise:

Answer at least one of the questions above and take at least one committed action toward living your truest life today.

Feel free to come up with your own questions on this subject, and keep selecting daily actions to live the life you once only dreamed about.

“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise. It makes you stretch.”

Posted on July 17, 2014 by Barry

“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise. It makes you stretch.”

– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

image of young girls stretching in ballet outfits

Image from Flickr by tom@hk

Just as a personal trainer helps stretch their clients physically to support their fitness goals, coaches stretch people beyond their comfort zones to achieve their professional and personal desires.

In both cases, the stretching beyond our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual limits provides a catalytic stimulus to support new growth and the development of capacities previously not available.

Exercise:

Where do you want or need to stretch beyond your current abilities to pursue and achieve even more than you previously thought possible?

“An optimist may see a light where there is none, but why must the pessimist always run to blow it out?”

– René Descartes, French philosopher and mathematician (attrib.)

Exercise:

“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

Exercise:

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

– Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher and transcendentalist

Exercise:

“Build a better mousetrap, and the world will beat a path to your door.”

– Ralph Waldo Emerson, American writer and philosopher

Exercise:

“Sometimes, the only way to discover who you are and what life you should lead is to do less planning and more living – to burst the double bubble of comfort and convention and just do stuff.”

– Daniel Pink, business author

Exercise:

“Buying books would be a good thing if one could also buy the time to read them in: but as a rule the purchase of books is mistaken for the appropriation of their contents.”

– Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher

“Our truest life is when we are in dreams awake.”

– Henry David Thoreau, American author, philosopher, and transcendentalist

Exercise:

“A good goal is like a strenuous exercise. It makes you stretch.”

– Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics

Exercise:

“All who joy would win must share it. Happiness was born a twin.”

– Lord Byron, English poetImage from Flickr by Freddycat1.

Exercise: