Tag Archives: Barry Demp Coaching

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home

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“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

—Matsuso Basho, 15th Century Japanese Haiku Master

Image from Unsplash by James Lee

There’s no place like home is a saying of great comfort for most of us. It was Dorothy’s famous statement upon her return from visiting the land of OZ.

We all know about her journey to see the wizard and all the characters and experiences she had along the way. Perhaps she—and we—missed a lot along our journeys by holding on to an I’m not there yet perspective at the many places we found ourselves on our paths.

What if, instead, we saw each of our journeys as one of many homes, and experienced each moment of our life as the perfect place to be?

EXERCISE:

Where and when do you feel most at home?

How would expanding this view to include all your everyday journeys to have an even more richly rewarding life?

Although the best coaching may be offered by good examples

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Although the best coaching may be offered by good examples the next best may be found in bad examples. It is up to each of us to discover the lessons in both.

—Calm App Reflection

Who are the people in your life that set a wonderful example of living a rich and meaningful life?

How would you describe their character and best qualities?

How has their example impacted and influenced your personal and professional efforts?

Where in your world do you see terrible examples of how to live?

Where do you see people acting in ways that are contrary to what you value and believe?

How have their bad examples taught you valuable lessons that led you on a far better path?

EXERCISE:

Take an extra close look at the good and bad examples exemplified by people in your various communities.

What new or different choices and actions will you make and take from these observations?

I’ve got to accept limitations

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“I’ve got to accept limitations before I can discover my possibilities.”

—James Baldwin, 20th Century American Writer

Image from Unsplash by Guillaume de Germain

I played a good bit of tennis in grade school and high school. I was very steady, and consistent in my ability to run down and return most shots. My primary strategy was to keep a rally going until my opponent either got frustrated and beat themselves, or crushed me by hitting winners.

Fast forward a few decades and add some pounds and a bit of arthritis and knee pain.

These days my racket endeavors to keep the blood flowing and my competitive spirit engaged are focused on ping pong. With a little more rehab, I’m pretty sure the possibilities of pickle ball are in my future!

EXERCISE:

Where have you recently discovered some of your own limitations?

What new possibilities and potential are you discovering to pivot and keep the pep in your step?

 

How can you prioritize the accumulated wisdom

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“How can you prioritize the accumulated wisdom of humanity over the impulses of the past 24 hours?”

David Perell, writer, podcaster, and writing instructor

Image from Unsplash by Igor Mike

How healthy is your diet? How about your mental diet? How much fast food and fast information have you consumed in the past 24 hours?

To get your daily fix, what percent of incoming sources included tweets, texts, email, podcasts, or other sources of media?

Where and how often do you also consume nutritious sources of wisdom? To what degree do each of these sources help you to lead a more productive and meaningful life?

EXERCISE:

How would applying more sources of wisdom to your daily efforts act as guiding lights to illuminate your life?

When you see somebody taking a photo of their friends

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“When you see somebody taking a photo of their friends, offer to take the shot for them so that they can be in the picture.”

—David Perell, writer, podcaster, and writing instructor

Image from Unsplash by Cristina Zaragoza

With the availability of better and better smart phones, I have been seeing far fewer actual cameras.

The days of family portraits seem like a thing of the past. Except for weddings and other significant celebrations, our cell phones do a pretty good job.

To be included in photos with our friends many folks lean on a selfie strategy. Even with very long arms and those awkward selfie sticks, the results can often fall short.

EXERCISE:

How would offering to take a photo for others or asking for some assistance yourself create even better memories with family and friends over the holidays and in the coming year?

It is good to have a compass to point the way

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It is good to have a compass to point the way. Hold your expectation lightly and be prepared for unexpected roadblocks and detours.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Jamie Street-

Throughout the Christmas holidays, many young children pointed their compasses toward the north pole and Santa. With high expectations for what they hoped to find under the tree, they have been pointing their recent efforts to both good decisions and behaviors.

Most of us have been disappointed by things not always turning out as we’d hoped. To navigate around various setbacks and point the way, it is helpful to keep our visions and values in mind.

Regardless of the direction we are headed, we can almost always “course correct” and find ways to give ourselves the gift of a more rewarding life.

EXERCISE:

What internal compass do you use to point the way?

How can you hold your expectations lightly and be more prepared for life’s unexpected roadblocks and detours?

The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands

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“The place to improve the world is first in one’s own heart and head and hands, and then work outward from there.”

—Robert M. Pirsig, late American writer and philosopher

Image from Unsplash by Gia Iris

The paralysis of analysis is very real.

When we examine all the needs of the world the options appear endless.

Where do we begin? We always have the option of working on ourselves first, and then expanding our work outward from there. If we all choose to do this, all those other worthy endeavors would be covered by the remaining eight billion others doing the same.

EXERCISE:

In what specific ways can and will you work to improve your heart, head and hands? As you do, where else will you choose to make a difference in the world beyond?

I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands

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“I’ve learned that you shouldn’t go through life with a catcher’s mitt on both hands. You need to be able to throw something back.”

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

Image from Unsplash by Chris Chow

Baseball is an interesting metaphor for life.

A high percent of the game is focused on the pitcher/catcher exchanges. With fast balls clocking in at up to 100 miles per hour, the catcher clearly needs a very cushioned mitt to avoid serious injury. Without a free hand to return the ball to the pitcher, the game would grind to a halt.

The umpire plays an important role in calling balls and strike, assessing each throw offered to the batter for consideration. If the batter takes too many strikes, they’re out of there.

EXERCISE:

What is your current ratio of catching to throwing in your personal and professional communities?

What adjustments between taking and giving will help you win more of the games you currently play?