“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?

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

Posted on July 15, 2014 by Barry

“Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many – not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some.”

– Charles Dickens, English novelist

Image from Flickr by symphony of love.

One of the single most important things we can do to live a more fulfilling life is to exercise our “gratitude muscles” daily. You might find it interesting to know that gratitude:

Makes you happier
Makes people like you
Makes you healthier
Boosts your career
Increases optimism
Helps you sleep better
Gives you more energy
Helps you be more resilient
Increases self-esteem
Helps you live longer
Increases your energy level
Reduces stress
Improves all forms of relationships
Makes you more attractive, because you will be smiling more
Makes you a more effective leader and manager
Improves decision-making
Increases productivity

Exercise:

Take at least one minute today to journal about all the things you are grateful for.

Consider sharing this exercise with your family, close friends, and colleagues to make the most of the synergies available within these communities.

A great quote from Mahatma Gandhi

Posted on July 11, 2014 by Barry

“I will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.”

– Mahatma Gandhi, pacifist leader of Indian independence movement

Image from Flickr by ginnerobot.

It is a common custom in many parts of the world to remove one’s shoes before entering the home of a friend or colleague, so as not to bring any unwanted dirt into their residence and thus soil their surroundings.

Gandhi is asking us to consider the idea that negative or undesirable thoughts from others are a pair of metaphorical “dirty shoes” that can leave unpleasant remnants in our minds, polluting our inner world.

Exercise:

How can you limit or completely stop others in your professional and personal lives from “messing” with your mind?

A great quote from Lao Tzu

Posted on July 10, 2014 by Barry

“The reality of the building does not consist in the roof and walls but in the space within to be lived in.”

– Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism

Image from Flickr by jillyspoon.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the wedding of my son Dan to his beautiful bride Carla. I am not a wedding planner, thank goodness, and I was amazed at how many venues it took to pull off this celebration.

Included were:

A restaurant to host the rehearsal dinner
The rooftop of the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art for the ceremony
The ballroom of a wonderful, supportive hotel
A breakout room for a Sunday morning brunch
And even a local dance studio where the family and guests got to learn swing dancing

In each case, loving, joyous spaces were created by everyone who attended.

Exercise:

How can you, and those you care about, make the spaces within the buildings you live and work in even more special?

“Our life always expresses the results of our dominant thoughts.”

Posted on July 9, 2014 by Barry

“Our life always expresses the results of our dominant thoughts.”

– Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher and theologian

Image from Flickr by mkismkismk.

I recently participated in a webinar on social and emotional intelligence, as part of my continuing coach education. Fundamental to this form of intelligence are the areas of self-awareness and self-management. A substantial part of these relate to what Kierkegaard refers to as our dominant thoughts.

Explore the two lists below to see if any of these topics relate to your thinking:

Work
Family
Community
Gratitude
Achievement
Excellence
Spirituality
Growth
Stress
Worry
Fear
Anger
Resentment
Envy
Upsets
Shame

Exercise:

Consider journaling about your dominant thoughts today to make a list of your own. Aim to have more of the good ones and less of the unhelpful ones, to support your own emotional intelligence journey and your desire to have a more fulfilling life.

The Quotable Coach book now available (thank you for your help!)

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Barry

I’m thrilled to announce that my book The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom is now available.

If you’ve been waiting eagerly for this announcement, here’s where you can get a hot-off-the-press copy:

Ebook: Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or your local Amazon store.

Paperback: My CreateSpace eStore.

If you’re purchasing the paperback version via my CreateSpace eStore, enter the code 42E47C9N for a 10% discount.

Many thanks to all of you who helped shape this book, voting and offering your feedback on the title and cover design. Thank you too for reading and supporting The Quotable Coach, whether you’ve been getting these emails for a couple of days or a couple of years.

If you’d like to know more about the book, which is an edited compilation of 365 of the best quotes from The Quotable Coach (so far), you can get all the details here.