“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.

“Don’t fight forces: use them.”

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 “Don’t fight forces: use them.”

– R. Buckminster Fuller, architect and inventor

As a former science teacher, I have always been interested in the forces of nature. Consider wind energy and wave energy, two forces of nature we often face in our outdoor activities.

If you happen to play golf, you know what it is like to drive a ball into 20 mile per hour headwind versus having the same breeze at your back.

In terms of water energy, have you ever tried to swim or boat against the current or through an oncoming wave?

Exercise:

Explore the personal, professional, social and cultural forces around you to see how you might use these energies versus fight against them to move forward in your life.

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

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“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.”

– Jim Rohn, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker

As many of the readers of The Quotable Coach series know, one of my core values is health, and one of my habits is daily exercise.

The other day, I watched a special 3-month-long boot-camp session at my club and saw how the trainer and the participants created a rigorously, supportive and highly-disciplined environment to bridge the gap between each participant’s goal and the accomplishment of real objective results.

Exercise:

What areas of your professional or personal life are lacking the discipline needed to reach your goals?

Hire a coach (or drill sergeant) to support your efforts with a customized “boot-camp” to grow and strengthen your discipline muscle.

An alternative is to find a personal or professional partner and provide support for each other.

Choose yourself

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“Choose yourself.”

– Seth Godin, author and entrepreneur

In recent months, I have met with numerous executives to explore next steps regarding their career advancement. Two of the most common options include advancement within their existing organization or creating an exit strategy to pursue greener pastures with another company.

Unfortunately in some cases, the entryway into the C-suite may be blocked, or the phone simply doesn’t ring with those plum assignments. In some cases, even after considerable networking and outreach efforts, they have yet to be picked for the team.

Exercise:

Take out one of your business cards and turn it over to the blank side. Write your name then the title “President” or a title of your choosing just under it.

By choosing yourself, you virtually eliminate all the current internal barriers that may be stopping you. Now all you need to do is overcome the external constraints to play your own game and make your ideal career a reality.

“The journey of a thousand miles begins and ends with one step.”

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 “The journey of a thousand miles begins and ends with one step.”

– Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism

We have all heard this famous quote a thousand times.  What about all those steps in between?

Of course we would all acknowledge the important of taking the initiative with the first step toward our goals. Once we have done so, we are at a new beginning point, ready to take the next first step.

In the beginning, it may be difficult to move toward our goals – however, with persistence and the development of this habit to act, we will be much more likely to find ourselves taking that last step to reach our desired destinations.

Exercise:

Identify at least one professional or personal goal that you deeply desire, where you find yourself procrastinating or simply stopped in your tracks.

Brainstorm alone or with others the first, second, etc. steps toward its achievement.

Before you know it, you will have arrived.

Please reply to this message and let me know the goals you choose to pursue – and what happens.

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any [other] one thing.”

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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any [other] one thing.”

– Abraham Lincoln, 16th President of the United States

One of the questions I ask all of my coaching clients is, “What makes someone an excellent coach?”

People often include such attributes as:

  • Superior listening skills
  • Genuine caring
  • Diversity of expertise and experience
  • Optimism
  • Integrity
  • Commitment

Although all great qualities, this question – which happens to be a trick – has very little to do with the coach. The critical factor is you or in this case, the person being coached.

As Lincoln points out, your resolution to succeed and willingness to do the work is paramount to achieving your goals.

Exercise:

Assess how strong your resolution is to pursue and achieve greater results in your personal and professional life. What added support do you require from within and from those around you to ensure your success?