“Do your little bit of good wherever you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

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“Do your little bit of good wherever you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

—Desmond Tutu, South African bishop and opponent of apartheid

I have recently finished reading the book The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. One of the ideas he points out as a way to generate individual and organizational habits that lead to greater success is to focus on “small wins.”

Too often we glamorize only the big wins – you know, those “superbowl” sized accomplishments that are highlighted in the media – without recognizing all those little steps along the way.

Exercise:

Develop a “little bit of good” journal, scoreboard or notebook to capture all the ways you can and do make the world a better place.

Create a separate section to capture all the little bits of good others do for you.

Imagine the possibilities of seven billion people doing this exercise!

“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”

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“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.”

– Author Unknown

Many years ago, I attended a seminar where the leader suggested – very cynically – that the reason most people get up in the morning is because they did not die in their sleep. Wow, what a horrible thought!

This quote is why I, and perhaps many engaged, optimistic individuals, get up each morning – to make themselves and their world a bit better, each and every day.

With this sense of purpose – to improve their worlds – they awake with both the intention and the opportunity to influence their lives for the better.

Exercise:

How can you structure your professional and personal life in order to take what’s good and make it better, and take what’s already better and make it your best?

“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.”

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“Opportunities are like sunrises. If you wait too long, you miss them.”

– William Arthur Ward, inspirational author

As part of my personal excellence workshop, I often ask my clients, “What inspires you?” Quite often, their answers include aspects of nature, such as beautiful sunrises and sunsets.

How often do you wake before the sun rises, to pursue the opportunities life presents? How often do you sleep in and miss the beauty of the dawn’s early light, and the opportunities that go to those early birds?

Some people even go through their days half-asleep, due to their lack of engagement.

Exercise:

How can you live a more inspired and engaged life, and grasp all the beauty and opportunities before you?

Consider doubling the amount of times each day that you say “Yes” and cut the amount of times each day that you say “No” in half.

someday

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“Someday is not a day of the week.”

– Unknown

Someone once said that hard work pays off in the future, but procrastination pays off now. This is a funny thought, and it may even be true on a limited basis. However, people who procrastinate and put things off for someday in the future often look back on their lives with regret.

When people are asked about their regrets in their lives, in their old age, they rarely regret the things they did and often regret the things that they did not do.

Exercise:

Rather than dreaming about the things you will do in the future, consider:

  • Traveling to wonderful places.
  • Starting a business or changing your career.
  • Learning a new language.
  • Becoming healthier.
  • Saving for retirement now.
  • Engaging in a new hobby.

Start or revisit your bucket list and place an actual date next to each item on the list.

Try to check one of those items off this week, if possible.

“The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.”

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“The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do.”

– Andrew Carnegie, 19th century industrialist

Carnegie is famous for wealth creation in the steel industry in the late 1800s, for his extraordinary philanthropic pursuits, and for his interest in education. He was obviously a believer in the fact that talk is cheap and that actions speak louder than words.

One of the statements that I ask my clients to explore prior to beginning a coaching relationship is, “I am known for my courage, integrity, loyalty and work ethic.” This helps us consider the evidence these individuals have for being people of action and not simply of words. Since coaching is all about breaking patterns and taking new and different actions, this quality is critical to success.

Exercise:

On a scale of 1 – 10 (where 1 = low, 10 = high), how would you rate yourself as a person who truly “walks the talk”?

What will it take to increase your score at least two points – even if this gives you an 11?

“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

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“The foundation stones for a balanced success are honesty, character, integrity, faith, love and loyalty.”

– Zig Ziglar, best-selling author and motivational speaker

Have you ever tried to cross a small stream on rocks that were sticking out of the water? In my youth, we had this opportunity at summer camp and in the Boy Scouts. In both cases, we found some of the stones already in place – and in both cases, we needed to place other stones of the appropriate size and shape at the right distance to ensure our successful journey to the other side.

I like Zig Ziglar’s choice of foundation stones to stand upon: they are big, solid and stable.

Exercise:

What additional foundation stones would you add to this list, which will provide you with the additional footholds you need to help you on your journey?

“The race is not always to the swift … but to those who keep running.”

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“The race is not always to the swift … but to those who keep running.”

– Unknown

Over the years, I have known a number of friends, colleagues and clients who took on the challenge of running a marathon. The most inspiring was a friend named Jerry, who was in his late 40s and about 50 lbs overweight.

Each week of his extensive training program, he would email his friends and colleagues about his efforts and progress. He even gave us his cell phone number to call him during the race, to provide support and encouragement.

The result – Jerry finished the race. (The time? Well, let’s say that it was way over six hours.)

Another wonderful result for Jerry is that he now sees he can take on other life challenges, because he keeps putting one foot in front of the other.

Exercise:

What proverbial life races are you planning to run, and where will you need a little “Jerry” inside you in order to finish?

“Persistence prevails when all else fails.”

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“Persistence prevails when all else fails.”

– Unknown

I believe that most people create their own luck, through the work they do day in and day out. Today’s quote suggests that persistence is a key for us to guarantee greater success and achievement.

Unfortunately, persistence almost always looks like work, and the light at the end of the tunnel often appears faint.

Exercise:

In what areas of your life does your ‘why’ make you cry, or bring you close to tears? You can bet that you have discovered a domain of your life where both persistence and the resulting rewards of your commitments will be realized.

“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.”

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“Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul; the blueprint of your ultimate achievements.”

– Napoleon Hill, early self-help author

As a parent, I believe one of our most important jobs is to help develop the capacities of our children to dream and envision a bright and wonderful future.

It is exciting to imagine that we are all born with an inner blueprint that, through our capacity to dream, gets revealed and clarified along life’s journey.

This quote is encouraging all of us to exercise the muscles of our soul and fully realize our capacity to grow, in order to express our fully authentic self.

Exercise:

How can you revisit your exuberant and authentic inner child and recapture (or more fully discover) the blueprint of your soul?

Google the phrase “vision quest” and consider some of the various means to explore this idea further. Feel free to email me (barry@dempcoaching.com) regarding what you discover.

“Find inner peace and thousands will flock to your side.”

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“Find inner peace and thousands will flock to your side.”

– Serafim of Sarov, 19th century Russian monk

For over 30 years, my professional life has included some form of sales or business development component. The volumes of books, tapes, videos, CDs, and DVDs on the subject is enormous – and yet this simple statement may save us all considerable time if we make its message paramount to our efforts.

My interpretation of this idea is that people are attracted to something or someone when they realize that others have a highly favorable experience, or benefit.

Remember the scene from the movie When Harry Met Sally when the woman across from Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks said, “I’ll have what she’s having.” 🙂

Exercise:

What have you achieved or realized in your life that attracts others to you?

What is it that others have achieved and realized that attracts you to them?