“A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it.”

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“A possibility is a hint from God. One must follow it.”

– Søren Kierkegaard

How often do you dream or daydream? How often do you ask yourself questions that begin with “What if…?” “How can I …?” or simply “What’s possible here?”

Martin Luther King had a dream. John F. Kennedy saw a man going to the moon. Orville and Wilbur Wright saw man-made flight become a reality.

Man is a journeyer; our species has a restless urge to go beyond its limits. What about you?

Exercise:

Ask and answer the question, “What is possible today?” each morning. Take a moment to choose at least one of your answers and follow it.

Feel free to share with me what successes you achieve, by replying to this email.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

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“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

—Viktor Frankl, Austrian neurologist and Holocaust survivor

Image from Unsplash by Maria Thalassinou

Very few days pass by without each of us experiencing at least a few upsets. It is very common for our desires to be unfulfilled or our expectations to be thwarted by outside events. One way to navigate these bumps in the road is to look inward at our attitudes, so we can maintain our footing and continue to move ahead.

Exercise:

What are a few upsetting or undesirable situations in your professional or personal life that you are unable to change at this time?

What do you need to do to rise to the challenge of changing yourself, in order to make the best of these difficult circumstances?

“There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual renovation of the world, and the new display of the treasure of nature.”

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“There is, indeed, something inexpressibly pleasing in the annual renovation of the world, and the new display of the treasure of nature.”

– Samuel Johnson, author, literary critic and lexicographer

We are in late spring in Michigan, and it is sure a sight to see. With some much-needed rain, it appears that all the trees, grasses and flowers just took a big drink and decided to put on a full display of their beauty.

For me, this vivid display is a huge eye-opener – however, I’ve realized that it takes a veritable explosion of such beauty to get my attention.

Exercise:

Take at least a full minute each day to fully take in the treasure of nature – no matter how big or small. I hope this small act will provide you with a boost of inspiration and passion to take throughout your day.

Consider displaying photographs of nature at work and home and perhaps bring a bit of nature indoors to enjoy throughout your day.

“I get a chance to be anyone I want to be.”

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“I get a chance to be anyone I want to be.”

– Johnnetta McSwain, author of Rising Above the Scars

As many people know, Oprah has had a phenomenal career of over 25 years, living by the motto “Live your best life.” McSwain’s quote points us to the opportunity to be whoever we wish. One way to explore the possibility of your best future self is to identify people who you respect and begin to practice and express their most admirable skills and qualities.

Exercise:

Develop a list of three to five people in both your professional and personal life, and capture the admirable qualities about each of these individuals. Consider sharing your intentions with each of these people so that they can support your development.

A bonus to this exercise will be an improved relationship with these individuals, due to the acknowledgement they will likely experience.

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”

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“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”

– Peter Drucker, management consultant and author

One of the most important elements of a coaching relationship is the gift of feedback. Many (if not most) of life’s greatest lessons occur following experiential learning, rather than head or book lessons. Drucker, who is considered by many as one of the great pioneers of modern leadership and management, knew this well over the course of his distinguished career.

Exercise:

Practice the following three-step self-coaching exercise to gain greater insight into your efforts and increase your effectiveness:

Step 1: Ask yourself what is working or not working regarding your current efforts.
Step 2: Reflect on what your desired goal or outcome is beyond the current status.
Step 3: Brainstorm alone or perhaps with a friend or colleague some new or different actions that will likely get you to your goal.

Feel free to repeat this process as often as needed.

“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”

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“Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy.”

– Saadi, medieval Persian poet

Photo by Tyler Milligan on Unsplash

A common characteristic of hard-driving “type A” people is impatience. Often, this quality leads to considerable success. It can, however, also often have a dark side.

I’m currently reading Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain. There’s considerable evidence from her research that introverts often demonstrate greater patience and often greater mastery of tasks that require patience and persistence in practice.

Exercise:

In what areas of your personal and professional life would greater patience support greater success? Watch Cain’s “The Power of Introverts” TED talk or consider reading the book … if you have the patience.

“A bad habit never goes away by itself: it’s always an ‘undo-it-yourself’ project.”

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“A bad habit never goes away by itself: it’s always an ‘undo-it-yourself’ project.”

– Abigail Van Buren, founder of the “Dear Abby” column

Many researchers would say that we are our habits. All we need to do is observe the over 95% failure rate of New Year’s resolutions to see how entrenched they are. Depending on your age, you have 20, 30, 40 or more years of practice engaging in these bad habits – no wonder they seem so resistant to change.

Exercise:

Begin your “undo-it-yourself “project by replacing a bad habit with a good one, using the following 4 steps:

Step 1: Select a bad habit you wish to break which is keeping you from a high-priority goal.
Step 2: Identify the new habit you desire by observing individuals who’ve achieved this goal.
Step 3: List the exact behaviors they consistently engage in and copy their effort as closely as possible for at least 3 weeks
Step 4: Enlist additional social and structural support to ensure your success.

Feel free to get back to me and let me know what you were able to achieve, by replying to this email.

“Every problem introduces a person to himself.”

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“Every problem introduces a person to himself.”

– John McDonnell, coach

What are your current problems, challenges, or the places in your life where you are stopped in your tracks? What is your current situation that has you see these issues as problems? If some hypothetical super-person with capabilities and capacities beyond your own was faced with a similar situation, would these issues be a problem for them?

Exercise:

Consider your current problems as an opportunity to become more aware and clear about your own limiting beliefs, perspectives and perhaps capabilities.

Consider ways to expand your capabilities in your current view of yourself as a super-person who easily tackles such matters.

“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand but in playing a poor hand well.”

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“Success in life comes not from holding a good hand but in playing a poor hand well.”

– Denis Waitley, motivational speaker and writer

Have you ever watched the World Series of Poker on television – you know, where the winners walk away with millions? If you have, a notable thing about these tournaments is that the viewer actually gets to see all the cards of all the players.

Rarely does the winner always get the very best cards. Almost always, the winner is the person who makes the best of the cards they are dealt.

Exercise:

If your life was a game of poker, where your five cards included such areas as work, family, health, faith and community, how could you make the most of these to always have a winning hand?

“The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency.”

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“The hallmark of excellence, the test of greatness, is consistency.”

– Jim Tressel, football coach, author and educator

The pursuit of excellence is no accident. Greatness has never been achieved by anyone overnight. Explore the lives of people who demonstrate brilliance in their fields, and what you will find is people who passionately and committedly make consistent efforts towards their goals.

Every great journey begins with the first step, but we only arrive at our destinations by taking the next, and the next, and the next … you get the idea.

Exercise:

Read an autobiography of someone you admire and see what it took for them to succeed. Google your favorite business leader, athlete or performer to discover how they got where they are today.

Where could you be even more consistent in your effort to more quickly and completely realize your priority goals?