Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later

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“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.”

– Og Mandino, 20th Century American motivational author

Image from Flickr by symphony of love.

Image from Flickr by symphony of love.

Asking people to do their best, to seek excellence, on a key project or top priority seems like the ultimate cliché of coaching. Blogs, books, and quotes related to this simple idea abound.

What does doing your best truly mean? For most of us, it often seems impossible, given the image we have in our minds about how our “best” can look.

Consider the idea that we all have a “best continuum,” in which what we’re capable of varies depending on the day or time. Consider, too, that your actions are like planting seeds and tending a garden, where all efforts count and add up.

Exercise:

What does your best effort look like today? Take a moment to acknowledge and appreciate yourself, knowing that the sum total of all your daily bests will bring you the harvest you seek.

“It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.”

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“It is more important to know where you are going than to get there quickly. Do not mistake activity for achievement.”

—Mabel Newcomer, economics professor

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Image from Flickr by joeflintham

Today’s quote makes me think about the words “effective” and “efficient.” Many people today aim to quicken their pace at lots of daily activities – including eating, work, and most forms of interpersonal communication.

A critical downside of our multi-tasking, fast-paced society is that we are often focused on doing things efficiently, without being sure we are accomplishing what we intend to achieve.

Exercise:

During your day, take a few moments to ask yourself the following question: Is what I’m doing (or about to do) moving me toward my desire?

By focusing on where you truly want to go, you won’t mistake activity for achievement.

“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”

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“Do not wait until the conditions are perfect to begin. Beginning makes the conditions perfect.”

– Alan Cohen, American author

534Image from Flickr by evoo73.

Inertia is a key concept in physics. It represents the resistance of any physical object, including us, to any change in its state of motion. The word “inertia” comes from the Latin word for “sluggish”.

Momentum is also a key concept in physics. It describes objects in motion and is defined as the mass times its velocity. To change an object’s momentum, we must exert a force on it.

Exercise:

Where are you currently waiting in your professional or personal life for the conditions to be perfect? How can and will you overcome this inertia and generate momentum toward your goals, to make these conditions more perfect?

“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”

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“Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves.”

– Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

533Image from Flickr by Dhinal Chheda.

Whenever the subject of great presidents comes up, Lincoln is almost always included. As part of The Quotable Coach series, I have quoted him more than any other president.

Daniel Day Lewis won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of this remarkable leader in the 2012 movie Lincoln. Of particular note was Lincoln’s ability to be tactful in working with members of both parties during some of our country’s most challenging times.

Exercise:

How can you use the ability to better “describe others as they see themselves” to demonstrate greater tactfulness and build stronger relationships in your professional and personal life?

Consider renting Lincoln to allow you to observe Lincoln’s mastery for yourself.

“Attitude is the current that defines our dreams, enriches our thoughts, and shapes the landscape of our lives.”

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“Attitude is the current that defines our dreams, enriches our thoughts, and shapes the landscape of our lives.”

– From Successories, www.successories.com

532Image from Flickr by Celestine Chua.

Over 35 years ago, when I began my second career in the pharmaceutical industry, I distinctly remember a multi-day seminar I attended: “Adventures in Attitudes.” This is a bit surprising, because few learning and developmental experiences are such lasting experiences.

I really like the idea of our attitudes being metaphorical streams and rivers that sweep us toward our dreams, carrying along the enlightening sediments of knowledge and wisdom that literally shape the landscape of our lives.

Exercise:

Take your own “Adventures in Attitudes” journey. Please consider visiting the two following excellent sources of attitude quotes to further define your dream, enrich your thoughts, and shape the landscape of your life:

www.brainyquotes.com/quotes/topics/topic_attitude.html

www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/attitude

affectionate communication of insight

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“Humor is the affectionate communication of insight.”

– Leo Rosten, American novelist

Image of women laughing

Image from Flickr by eschipul.

Stand-up comedians have one of the most difficult jobs on the planet. Imagine waiting 23.5 hours just to stand in front of a packed room with the job of making everyone laugh on cue for 30 minutes, at 11:30 pm!

The masters of this art have an uncanny ability to touch our head, heart, and funny bones with a surprising insight into our inner lives that’s rarely discussed.

Finding those universal notes that harmonize with everyone in the audience is magic, and the resulting synergistic laughter overtakes everyone – causing belly laughs, gasps, and in the best cases, the inability to catch our breath.

Exercise:

How can you learn to develop this special form of communication to deepen your connections with others and attract new people who share  common but hidden affinities and attributes?

“No road is long with good company.”

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“No road is long with good company.”

– Turkish Proverb

530Image from Flickr by Brisbane City Council.

Yesterday morning at my fitness center, I moved from an elliptical machine to a specialized rowing machine called a Concept 2. This particular machine gives you a serious whole body workout if you give it your best.

Fortunately for me, there are only two machines, right next to each other, and my friend Mike just started using the other. As you might guess, the time spent on this rowing journey didn’t feel nearly as long with his good company.

Exercise:

Who are the people in your professional and personal life that make life’s long and challenging journeys seem shorter and more worthwhile?

Who, on the other hand, are those individuals who make those journey feel even longer?

How can you foster and attract more of those people in the first group and diminish or remove those entirely in the second group?

“Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.”

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“Love is a fruit in season at all times and within reach of every hand.”

—Mother Teresa, Catholic saint and Nobel peace prize winner

Image from Flickr by Skyseeker

I do the majority of the food shopping in my family. When I was a young boy, my mom would often take us to the supermarket where we would get a little coaching on how to pick the best produce – including the ripest and sweetest fruits, in season, of course.

Today’s mega-markets have all types of fruits in all seasons due to the advent of worldwide distribution channels. In many ways, these varieties seem a bit less tasty due to the processing required to have them make their considerable journeys.

Love, as Mother Teresa suggests, is the choicest fruit and is always at hand in every season. We don’t even need to go to the market to fill our lives and homes with its sweetness and abundance.

Exercise:

Love not only makes the world go round but also makes the ride worthwhile. How can and will you sweeten your life and the lives of others today, and throughout every season?

Committed but Flexible

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“Stay committed to your decisions but stay flexible in your approach.”

– Tony Robbins, motivational speaker

528Image from Flickr by Shar Ka.

One of my primary goals as a coach is to support the organizations I work with in building coaching cultures. Very few people would disagree with this commitment to help each individual and the organization as a whole realize their fullest potential.

Critical to this journey are the skills of inspired leadership and empowered management. My experience over the years has shown that, with sufficient collaboration and cooperation, creating alignment toward these common objectives is very achievable – yet complete agreement with all the tactics necessary to realize their over-arching future rarely occurs. As today’s quote points out, staying flexible in your approach is essential.

Exercise:

Today, and in the days and weeks ahead, focus on your receptivity to “buying into” important group goals. Inform the people around you that you are absolutely open and willing to be flexible in your approaches to reach these new objectives.

“Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

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“Man who stand on hill with mouth open will wait long time for roast duck to drop in.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

527Image from Flickr by backpackphotography.

As part of my Personal Excellence Training program, I use various assessments to determine the likelihood of success for each person.

One of the traits associated with success is initiative. People who are motivated self-starters take it upon themselves to proactively move in the direction of their goals – such as completing a new project, finding a new customer, or securing a raise or promotion.

Exercise:

Where in your professional or personal life would a booster shot of initiative make the biggest difference for you today?

Secure the support of friends, family, colleagues, or a coach to stretch and grow this ability in yourself and you will have many more roast duck dinners in the years to come.