Tag Archives: Barry Demp Coaching

“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.”

Posted on by

“If you want to touch the past, touch a rock. If you want to touch the present, touch a flower. If you want to touch the future, touch a life.”

—Author Unknown

Barry, Wendy and their Grandson Weston

Some say the best coaching one can receive is the example others set through their daily actions. In that regard, my wife Wendy deserves a Nobel Prize for touching the lives of so many in her various communities.

As a wife, mother, grandmother, and especially as caretaker for the past 8 years of my 93-year-old father Marvin, I can attest to her ability to forward everyone she meets. Without her generosity and positive advocacy, many of us would lead far less abundant and fulfilling lives.

When Wendy was a little girl, her mother Dorothy would sing, “I love Wendy, she’s the girl for me,” and Wendy would sing back, “How about that?”

EXERCISE:

Who in your life has touched you and others deeply, helping you to realize a better future?

Where and with whom can and will you more fully touch the lives of others and set an example?

Friday Review: Problem-Solving

Posted on by

FRIDAY REVIEW: PROBLEM-SOLVING

What skills or strategies do you employ in problem-solving? Here are a few posts related to problem-solving you may have missed.

 

“There is a great difference between worry and concern. A worried person sees a problem and a concerned person solves a problem.”

 

 

 

 

“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

 

 

 

 

“From the errors of others, a wise man corrects his own.”

 

 

 

 

“You don’t need superpowers to be someone’s hero.”

Posted on by

“You don’t need superpowers to be someone’s hero.”

—Ricky Maye, writer and public speaker

Image from Unsplash by H. Shaw

I recently had a small basal cell carcinoma removed from my back. Once I got the OK from my insurance company (which took weeks), my dermatologist took a good sized chunk out of me, to make sure he had a significant margin of clean tissue. This left a two-inch boo-boo with numerous sutures.

The wound care instructions required periodic dressing changes which I was unable to do on my own due to the location of the wound. Unfortunately, my wife was out of town supporting my dad with his assisted living efforts. Vidal – and a few other folks who go to my health club – came to my rescue and patched me up.

EXERCISE:

Who are the heroes in your personal and professional communities? How can you more fully acknowledge and appreciate their contributions to your life? Where and with whom can you don your own cape to be a hero to others in your world?

“Happy millionaires do what they love.”

Posted on by

“Happy millionaires do what they love.”

—Ken Honda, Japan’s best selling zen millionaire

Image from Amazon

Someone once told me that money is a scoreboard for value. A second concept that I’ve taken to heart is: “Time is the Coin of Life.”

How are you spending your time, and what value are you creating in the world?

What is your current level of happiness and life satisfaction?

Research has proven time and again that intrinsic motivation – that based on deeply held values and beliefs – creates far more sustainable and lasting rewards than any external scoreboard could measure.

EXERCISE:

Consider taking a look at Ken Honda’s work, including his book, Happy Money. Lynn Twist’s book, The Soul of Money, is another excellent resource to help you live a more richly rewarding life.

“Look for the miracles within you and others.”

Posted on by

“Look for the miracles within you and others.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by NASA

As a former science teacher, I have always been fascinated by the natural world. Whether it involves looking through a microscope at the very small, or a telescope at the vastness of our universe, the idea of taking a different and deeper look at things always inspires me.

The same may be true when we look at each other.

How often do we examine only the surface layers of one another with our limited mental models and biases? What miracles might we discover if we took the time to refocus our life lenses on ourselves and one another?

EXERCISE:

Marianne Williamson’s A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of “A Course in Miracles” is a book you may wish to explore to discover and create a few more miracles in your life.

“There is a fragility to life. Behavior has consequences.”

Posted on by

“There is a fragility to life. Behavior has consequences.”

—Author Unknown

Image from PBS

The ten-part PBS series, Expedition with Steve Backshall, should definitely come with a huge “Don’t Try This at Home!” warning. Of course, there’s really no way you could, since his adventures take him to far-flung locations that take many days or even weeks to reach.

The photography is breathtaking. Steve and his adrenaline-infused team risk life and limb to go places and engage in adventures rarely or never done before.

In the episode called “Bhutan – White Water,” Steve’s kayak capsized in rapids for over four minutes in the freezing melt water of a high-altitude mountain river. Thankfully, he survived, due to a quick rescue by his crew.

EXERCISE:

Are any of your current behaviors a bit too risky, evoking potential serious consequence to the fragility of your life? Where within your personal or professional communities are you observing others you care about taking unnecessary risks?

“A level-headed person is one who doesn’t get dizzy doing good turns.”

Posted on by

“A level-headed person is one who doesn’t get dizzy doing good turns.”

—O.A. Battista, 20th Century Canadian-American chemist and author

Image from Unsplash by Dayne Topkin

There is no question that the world is a dizzying place these days. What has recently changed in your personal and professional communities that has turned your life upside down?

To help you stabilize your world and regain some footing, many folks are bringing new levels of empathy, compassion, and generosity to those around them. What good turns are you observing these days in your various communities?

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you both acknowledge and actively participate in these efforts to realize a more level-headed world?

Please reply to this post with some examples of the good turns you are seeing and doing to regain your footing.

“Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.”

Posted on by

“Perspective is worth 80 IQ points.”

—Alan Kay, American computer scientist

What would be the value of adding 80 IQ points in your professional or personal life?

What would be the value of being more focused and creative in your thinking?

What benefits would occur if you could significantly improve your communication skills and decision making?

If you would like to progress in these areas, challenging our habitual ways of thinking, which often limits us, is a good place to begin. For new worlds to emerge, perspective-shifting exercises and tools can open up far more possibilities and progress.

EXERCISE:

One of my favorite perception-shifting resources is the book, Six Thinking Hats by Edward DeBono. If you reply to this post, I will happily provide you with a one-page document to help you add a few more IQ points.

“Your fierce spirit and efforts will, in time, transform those boulders in your path into pebbles in the sand.”

Posted on by

“Your fierce spirit and efforts will, in time, transform those boulders in your path into pebbles in the sand.”

—Peg Streep, American author

Image from Unsplash by John Salzarulo

A respected fellow blogger, Rohan Ravi, who writes A Learning a Day, recently wrote a short commentary on the subject of values and virtues. His perspective was that although many of us espouse our values and heartfelt beliefs, quite often our actions do not fulfill these standards and become actual virtues.

EXERCISE:

Where is it most important for you to combine your fierce spirit with courageous actions in order to transform the boulders in your path into pebbles?

Who are the friends, colleagues, mentors, family members, or coaches that can support you in these efforts?