“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.”

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“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.”

– Louis Nizer, trial lawyer

What percent of your day do you function as a laborer, a craftsman or an artist?

Consider which of these roles bring you the greatest satisfaction and fulfillment.

Exercise:

Make a definite choice to reduce those roles that diminish your joy and increase those areas that provide the most.

Share this insight with family members, co-workers, mentors, or a coach that could support your intention.

Swim With the Stream

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“Only dead fish swim with the stream all the time.”

– Linda Ellerbee, journalist

Image from fifteenminutescience.com

Image from fifteenminutescience.com

We have all heard phrases such as “Go with the flow” and “Take the path of least resistance” as ways to simply and effortlessly navigate life. When we take such advice, we are almost always carried along by factors not influenced or controlled by us, and we wind up somewhere we didn’t intend.

When we chart our own course and swim against the current, we strengthen our ability to navigate our own life’s journey and realize our deepest held desires.

Exercise:

Where in your personal and professional life are you being carried downstream by someone else’s current?

What issues have you come alive, so that you use your fins to swim upstream and realize your vision?

“Try to open a path through that maze, to put a little order in the chaos.”

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“Try to open a path through that maze, to put a little order in the chaos.”

– Isabel Allende, writer

Consider the current level of chaos in your world in the following areas:

  • Work
  • Home
  • Email
  • Clutter
  • Paperwork
  • People
  • Time
  • Money
  • Clothing
  • Kitchen
  • Garage
  • Basement
  • Health
  • Event planning
  • Vacations

Exercise:

Rate yourself in each of these areas on a 1 – 10 scale with 1 being low and 10 being high.

Consider tackling one area at a time by using a resource such as Georgene Lockwood’s The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Organising Your Life.

“How am I doing?”

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“How am I doing?”

– Ed Koch, lawyer and politician

Ed Koch, the former mayor of New York City who passed away last February, was well known for the quote above. This short question is perhaps the quickest and simplest possible example of a performance appraisal.

During their careers, many business professionals experience a wide variety of feedback vehicles, including the famous 360° feedback tool that can approach 100 pages in length. Who has that much time these days?

Koch used his simple question to ask the citizens of New York for feedback so he could make appropriate adjustments to his leadership to improve his performance and hopefully serve his constituents better.

Exercise:

Consider asking this question of those closest to you in your personal and professional life as it relates to the numerous roles you play.

If you take their coaching and adjust your approaches, looking for what works to your advantage and other people’s advantage, I’m sure you will experience greater success.

Please consider replying to let me know how we are doing with The Quotable Coach series. Thank you.

“How do I work? I grope.”

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“How do I work? I grope.”

– Albert Einstein, theoretical physicist

How about that? A man many consider synonymous with the term “genius” admits to pursuing his work in a non-linear and haphazard way.

Perhaps this groping was part of his genius. Maybe square pegs and round holes can fit in some way if we simply grope around to take more frequent quantum leaps in how we solve problems.

Exercise:

Select an issue or challenge you are currently facing and set up a “groping” session instead of a general brainstorming session.

Play with possibilities as if you were from another world where playfulness, novelty, and experimentation were the only objectives.

“Great minds like a think.”

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 “Great minds like a think.”

– The Economist

Image from The Economist

Image from The Economist

Based on research from the Jenkins Group, one-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. 42% of college graduates never read another book after college, and 80% of families did not buy or read a book last year.

Great minds, like great bodies, need exercise. Reading and thinking about new ideas is like doing cerebral sit-ups, toning our cores to have those six-pack abs we desire.

Exercise:

How will you exercise your mental muscles in the coming days, weeks, and years ahead to avoid the atrophy of the mind?

Consider taking the “use it or lose it” mental fitness challenge in Episode 10 of Brain Games, from National Geographic.

“Do what you love and love what you do. There’s no better way to a happier you!”

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“Do what you love and love what you do. There’s no better way to a happier you!”

– Dr. Seuss, children’s author

About a month ago, my wife Wendy gave me the gift of a “thought for the day” Dr. Seuss desk display. I have to admit that it wasn’t until I was stumped for a good quote that I sought the wisdom of the dear Doctor.

To me, the quote above is one of the most meaningful as it points to the very nature of how we spend our time, and the level of happiness we experience through our vocations.

Exercise:

Download the Yes Magazine Happiness Poster entitled 10 Things Science Says Will Make You Happy from:

http://www.yesmagazine.org/pdf/48/Happiness_Poster11x17.pdf

… or reply to me and I will send it to you.

“Try something different, try something new; you might find it likes you and you like it too!”

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“Try something different, try something new; you might find it likes you and you like it too!”

– Dr. Seuss, children’s author

How open are you to doing things in new and different ways? How frequently do you operate from the relative safety of your comfort zone? What are the benefits of trying something new?

Today I had an extremely engaging coaching session with one of my favorite clients. This young man is one of the smartest, most creative people in his organization, and boy, does he think differently!

I asked him, “How will your company make money in the future, and what new initiatives will have it remain relevant and a leader in its field?”

To make a long story short, he developed a template for a project to reinvent how the company currently operates, to potentially save the organization over a million dollars.

Exercise:

Consider taking a new and different action today in both your personal and professional life. Use the following sentence as a guide to help you try something new:

In _______ situation I usually do _________.  Instead, I am going to try ___________.

If you find this difficult, consider:

  • Trying a new restaurant.
  • Eating a new food.
  • Visiting a place for the first time.
  • Taking a class on a subject you always wanted to learn.

For extra credit, take a day off in the middle of the week and label it the “New day, new way” project, where you try as many new things as possible. Feel free to reply and let me know what happens.

“Opportunity does not knock. It presents itself when you beat down the door.”

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“Opportunity does not knock, it presents itself when you beat down the door.”

– Kyle Chandler, actor

Last week, my daughter Rachel completed the sixth year of her job with the Southwestern company. The company recruits and trains college and university students to sell high quality educational books, software and website subscriptions door to door. The average student works six days a week for twelve hours a day. That’s a lot of knocking!

By no means are these young people super-aggressive or pushy. Their consistency, persistence and overall tenacity usually produce remarkable results in both sales and character development.

Exercise:

Where have you been reluctant to knock on – and even beat down – the doors with your goals on the other side, to realize greater opportunities in your life?

make people laugh

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 “I learned that when I made people laugh, they liked me. This is a lesson I’ll never forget.”

– Art Buchwald, humorist (attributed)

Image from Flickr by Richard Foster

Image from Flickr by Richard Foster

While doing research on the subject of likeability, I came upon a list of attributes that include:

  • Being honest
  • Being humble
  • Expressing empathy
  • Being positive and optimistic
  • Being polite
  • Controlling anger and hostility
  • Being a great listener
  • And of course, having a great sense of humor

By demonstrating your sense of humor, you show a playfulness and general happiness that attracts others toward you.

Exercise:

Check out your humor level and restock it if need be. Consider humor websites, joke books, or even ask your friends and family for their best stuff.

Spreading a few more smiles around definitely pays off.