From A.J. Cronin, physician and novelist

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“Life is no straight and easy corridor along which we travel free and unhampered, but a maze of passages, through which we must seek our way, lost and confused, now and again checked in a blind alley.  But always, if we have faith, a door will open for us, not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us.”

– A.J. Cronin, physician and novelist

How did you get where you are today? How many twists and turns, roadblocks, forks in the road and dead-ends have you found on your journey? The shortest distance between two points may be a straight line – however, life virtually never works out this way.

A not-so-funny thing is that we often get upset when our intentions are thwarted and our expectations are unfulfilled, in spite of our knowledge of how life works. Perhaps our job is simply to look within ourselves in faith, and take the first step.

Exercise:

How has following your internal GPS helped you make some of your life choices?

During those points of decision, how were you able to turn a dead end into an open door?

The voyage of discovery

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“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.”

– Marcel Proust, novelist

Imagine seeing life from the perspective of:

  • An infant, toddler, fifth-grader, or teenager
  • A millennial
  • A Gen-X-er
  • A Boomer
  • A senior citizen
  • A person of the opposite sex
  • A person of a different religion, race, or cultural background
  • The eyes of a more analytic, or more creative, person

… you get the idea!

Exercise:

What expanded value do you discover when shifting your perspective?
How can you continue to look at the world through many sets of eyes in the future, to expand and enhance your life?

Meet The Quotable Coach [Video]

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In this 7 minute video you’ll learn some interesting facts about Barry Demp (The Quotable Coach), including:

  • What my dream job would be … if I wasn’t a coach. 🙂
  • What my favorite quote is, and what it means to me.
  • How I started my first business at the age of eleven.
  • Why I left a Fortune 500 company to become a coach, 22 years ago.

To find out more about my coaching, you can visit my site Barry Demp Coaching.

“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

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“There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something better tomorrow.”

– Orison Swett Marden, early self-help writer

We all have them: good days, and not so good days. If you would like to increase the number of good ones, work on your optimism muscle, always hoping for (and, yes, working toward) a better future.

Consider the difference between the hopeful worker on a Friday, looking forward to the weekend, versus the sad and blue individual on a Sunday evening, not so delighted about the Monday ahead.

Exercise:

Ask yourself these questions, whether you are in a good mood or not, to provide yourself and others with a tonic for a better tomorrow:
• What am I looking forward to?
• What can I work on today, to make my tomorrow better?
• How can I be a catalyst for others to have their tomorrows be great too?

“Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.”

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“Of all knowledge, the wise and good seek most to know themselves.”

—William Shakespeare

Image from Unsplash by NeONBRAND

The pursuit of knowledge is a never-ending journey. Whether we wish to win the national spelling bee or master our own vocation, the inner journey to amass the necessary amount of information is daunting.

The journey within oneself can be mysterious and enlightening.

Commit to a personal journey of inner discovery and self-awareness. Discover your strengths. If you are not sure what they are, ask those close to you. Discover your unique abilities and talents. Discover your core values and fundamental beliefs.

Exercise:

Consider creating a daily self-discovery journal or log to capture your observations once a week. Share those observations with a close colleague or family member.

“Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.”

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“Adversity reveals genius, prosperity conceals it.”

– Horace, Roman poet

I remember, in my mid-30s, talking with some colleagues about our 401k program at work. The company had just developed an easy-to-use software program that helped people calculate their net worth based on their savings level, years of work, and a hypothetical interest rate estimate.

My colleagues’ goal was to retire, to stop working, to take it easy, to relax. By increasing their prosperity, though, they seemed to diminish their drive.

On the other hand, I’ve seen people who’ve experienced great adversity and very limited resources tap into their inner abilities and courage to accomplish great things no-one would ever expect.

Exercise:

Assuming you achieve your desired level of prosperity, how will you keep your passion and drive each and every day to fully realize your genius?

“Genius does take shortcuts, but it rarely escapes initial drudgery.”

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“Genius does take shortcuts, but it rarely escapes initial drudgery.”

– William Feather, publisher and author (attributed)

Have you ever noticed a person with great mastery or skill who accomplishes feats of brilliance with ease?

Whether that’s an inventor like Edison, an athlete like Michael Jordan, or performers like the Beatles, they all have something in common. They all experience the not so glowing moments of poor performance, drudgery, or failure.

The eventual “aha!” shiny moments so often come after massive amounts of preparation, without the accolades and standing ovations that we see in the media.

Exercise:

Where does your genius lie, beneath your seemingly mundane daily efforts?

How can you take delight in these efforts, knowing that there’s a great gift just waiting to be revealed?

“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

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“Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.”

– Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

How often do you find yourself on the playing field versus in the stands as a spectator?

As spectators to a sporting event, or even a business interaction, we find ourselves in a relatively safe spot where we risk little or nothing. When we actually suit up and get in the game, we are putting ourselves to the test. Will we win and achieve success, or will we lose and fail?

One sure thing is that without risk, without getting in the game, we will never truly test ourselves, grow fully, and turn our potential for success into glorious triumphs.

Exercise:

Where in your life and career can you shift from being a spectator to getting on the field, so as to experience the excitement of participating – and yes, the potential of defeat.

It’s better to be fully alive on the field than to simply survive in the stand. Live your life; don’t play it so safe that you never go anywhere.

“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.”

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“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.”

– Oliver Goldsmith, writer

When I was a young boy, I loved to play tennis. Although very short in stature, I was very quick on my feet, and would often out-hustle, and out-last, my playing opponents. I was actually pretty good!

One day, I noticed that I was no longer doing so much running around and actually had opponents on the run, due to the well-placed shots I was able to hit.

I continued to play with the same people, and found myself winning almost every match. The downside of this was that my skills plateaued, or actually declined a bit, due to the lack of skilled opponents.

In today’s tennis world, I would simply be moved from a 3.5 level to a 4.0 level and my growth would likely begin again.

Exercise:

Where in your life have you reached the top ranks of performance and plateaued in your growth?

Where can you find others with superior skills and ability to help you stretch your limits and take your growth to the next level?

Quality of Life

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“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

– Vince Lombardi, American football coach

Image from www.transformation-catalysts.com

Image from www.transformation-catalysts.com

I have had the honor of coaching over 1,000 individuals over the past 19 years.

The pursuit of excellence in all areas of their lives is a common characteristic. I even named my six-month coaching program “Personal Excellence Training,” where each person gets to plan and execute their own personal excellence journey.

Exercise:

List five to ten of the most important areas of your life.

The list may include family, career, health, finances, community, faith, relationships, education, service, leadership, sports, skills, hobbies, travel, or other things.

Answer the following question for each area you listed:

What would I accomplish if I fully pursued personal excellence in this area of my life?