Tag Archives: Barry Demp Coaching

“Show them the doors that they didn’t know existed.”

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“Show them the doors that they didn’t know existed.”

—Paul Jun, on Mentor Programs, The Impresario

Image from Unsplash by Michal Dolnik

Being a mentor and a coach for others is one of the most satisfying and rewarding ways to spend a day. Teaching others and showing them new doors that lead to greater knowledge and opportunities is always accompanied with raised eyebrows and delighted smiles as new worlds emerge.

I have gained a sense of deep appreciation as I watch the parenting strategies of my daughter Rachel and her husband Chris as they direct and guide our three-year-old grandson, Weston. Each day includes new discoveries, new words, and new ways to play in and with his expanding world.

Wendy and I continue to mentor and coach our two children, now in their 30s. It is a pleasure to see how many doors they can now find and open on their own.

EXERCISE:

Who are the mentors and coaches that opened doors in your personal or professional life? How and with whom can you recognize their kindness and generosity by paying forward their gifts with someone deserving your special guidance?

“Choose to think of yourself as a founder.”

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“Choose to think of yourself as a founder.”

—Laszlo Bock, Work Rules

Image from Unsplash by Shannon Rowies

Founder is a title with a good bit of prestige. It carries connotations of leadership, creativity, determination, intelligence, and boldness. Founders start things and are courageous enough to take risks to create something new and better.

You can think of yourself as a Founder if:

  • You develop a plan to start something new or different
  • You establish a vision or mission for your goals
  • You seek and put together a group of advisors
  • You recruit others to help execute your idea
  • You garner the resources to fund your project

EXERCISE:

Where have you been a Founder in either your personal or professional communities? Where are you currently feeling the call to be a Founder once again, on some new opportunity bubbling up within you?

“Sit. Or stand. But never wobble.”

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“Sit. Or stand. But never wobble.”

—Zen saying

Image from Unsplash by Nasim Dadfar

Over the past year my little SUV has spent most of its time sitting in my driveway. I drove so few miles that I recently swapped out my snow tires from the winter 2020, when the pandemic began.

As of early April, with two vaccines in my arm, I have stood up and ventured out with a new set of tires and a few fluid changes.

It feels good to stand and step forward with greater hope and intentions for the future. What indicators are you seeing where others are also standing with positivity and purpose?

EXERCISE:

Where is your world — or the world — still a bit wobbly? Where is it time to sit, rest, and regroup, or stand up and step forward to help it regain its footing?

“Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life. Open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.”

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“Open your eyes to the beauty around you. Open your mind to the wonders of life. Open your heart to those who love you, and always be true to yourself.”

—Maya Angelou, late American poet, memoirist, civil rights activist

Only four presidents — John F. Kennedy in 1961, Bill Clinton in 1993 and 1997, Barack Obama in 2009 and 2013, and Joe Biden in 2021 — have included poets in their inaugurations. Maya Angelou was one of those six poets. I hope her nuggets of wisdom in today’s quote resonates for you.

EXERCISE:

Please take a look and explore the work of these six poets, and the messages for their time in history:

2021: Amanda Gorman, “The Hill We Climb”
2013: Richard Blanco, “One Today”
2009: Elizabeth Alexander, “Praise Song for the Day”
1997: Miller Williams, “Of History and Hope”
1993: Maya Angelou, “On the Pulse of Morning”
1961: Robert Frost, “The Gift Outright”

“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”

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“There is an eagle in me that wants to soar and there is a hippopotamus in me that wants to wallow in the mud.”

—Carl Sandburg, 20th Century American poet, 3-time Pulitzer Prize winner

Today’s quote does a great job of describing many of us over the last year. From my view, I’ve seen a bit more hippos with a large dose of mudslinging, highlighted particularly in the media.

Emotions have been running wild like roller coasters — leaving many of us sick to our stomachs, dizzy, and wanting to throw up.

What has your ride been like in your personal and professional communities? What has been your soaring-to-wallowing ratio over these many months, and how have these events influenced who you have become through this process?

EXERCISE:

How can and will you be more of a soaring eagle moving forward? How might you teach and support a few hippos in your world who want to fly?

“Discover the magic of searching for the ‘Second Right Answer.’”

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“Discover the magic of searching for the ‘Second Right Answer.’”

—Roger von Oech, author, inventor, and speaker

Image from Slideshare

Do you remember the game played by teachers and students when you were young? You know — the game where the teacher asks a question and immediately all the over-zealous students wave their hands in excitement — maybe with a few verbalizing to be called on to share their knowledge and show off a bit.

Certain subjects and topics in school play nicely into this game, where there is a single correct answer — and being quick on the draw with these single bullets of wisdom is usually rewarded. Consider all the game shows on TV that play into reward or punishment for the right or wrong answer.

As we enter the world beyond our traditional educational upbringing many of us notice that there are often a variety of right answers that can lead to numerous iterative versions of success. We are now encouraged to be far more creative and agile, thinking outside the box to discover new and perhaps even better answers just beyond the horizon of our knee-jerk thinking.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what personal or professional issues would digging deeper and longer to search for the second right answer magically provide even greater possibilities and opportunities in your life?

“One glance at a book and you actually hear the voice of another person — perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”

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“One glance at a book and you actually hear the voice of another person — perhaps someone dead for 1,000 years. To read is to voyage through time.”

—Carl Sagan, 20th Century American astronomer, astrophysicist & author

Image from Amazon

The book Cosmos by Carl Sagan was first published in 1980. It was a sensation, and Sagan became an astronomic hit (pun intended!). His work significantly popularized the explorer in each of us, to more fully examine our relationship with the universe and the role man has as a pioneer and adventurers of our solar system and beyond.

His word played a considerable role in bringing humanity’s voice, images, and the sounds of Earth to the rest of the galaxy, through the famous Golden Records attached to the Voyager probes launched in 1977.

When we look into space and see the cosmos, we are seeing the past based on the finite speed of light. Despite traveling 35,000 miles per hour, Voyager has only traveled a bit over 13 billion miles — well short of even the closest star in our Milky Way Galaxy.

EXERCISE:

What are the most influential books that made a lasting impact on your life? How have the voices of the recent and distant past taken you on a voyage through time to contemplate the thoughts and wisdom of man through the years?

“You will never have more time than you do right now.”

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“You will never have more time than you do right now.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Ralph Hutter

Time is the coin of life. Unfortunately, unlike money — which can grow and compound if wisely invested — our time on this planet, at least in physical form, is finite.

Once we take our first gasp of air at birth, our parking meter of life begins — with perhaps 27,375 days. Do the math — multiply your age by 365, then subtract the result from 27,375. You can play with this to explore the potential number of weekends, vacations, or even sunny days you have left, depending on where you live.

Now of course, you plan to beat the odds and live far longer than this average by eating right, exercising, and getting plenty of sleep. You also expect all kinds of medical advances to kick in and add a few more years with perhaps a nip and tuck here and there, to look younger — to the amazement of others.

EXERCISE:

The time is always now! What do you plan to do with this precious moment, and the next? Don’t wait!

Someday is not actually a day of the week.