Tag Archives: Barry Demp

“Even Socrates, who lived a very …”

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“Even Socrates, who lived a very frugal and simple life, loved to go to the market. When his students asked about this, he replied, ‘I love to go and see all the things I am happy without.’”

— Jack Kornfield, American author and Buddhist teacher

Photo from Flickr by Carlos Blanco

Photo from Flickr by Carlos Blanco

Nearly three years ago I began writing the Quotable Coach series. Six hundred and eighty-three posts later, I recall one of the very first quotes I selected: “The Best Things in Life are not Things.”

Consider exploring the nugget of wisdom by Jack Kornfield to examine the happiness Socrates found from leading a simple life.

EXERCISE:

What are your current sources of happiness? How might traveling lighter and living without some things make you even happier in the year ahead?

“Create each day anew.”

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“Create each day anew.”

—Morihei Ushiba, founder of the Japanese martial art of aikido

Photo from Flickr by Kevin Simpson

Photo from Flickr by Kevin Simpson

When I was a young child, Etch-a-Sketch was one of my favorite toys.

You could draw almost anything just by twisting the two knobs at the bottom.

Imagine for a moment that your professional and personal life was created anew each morning, and that overnight someone or some power would shake it to clean the slate for the new day.

I am sure that with today’s technology there are many far more advanced toys and tools to create whatever you wish—perhaps in color or three dimensions.

EXERCISE:

How can you design your commitments and vision for a better future for yourself and those around you, to live each day as a masterpiece?

“A year from now you may wish…”

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“A Year from now you may wish you had started today.”

-Karen Lamb

Creative Commons photo

Creative Commons photo

Today’s post is to help you get a head start on your New Year, and not wait for the first, second, third, fourth, or even Monday the fifth.

EXERCISE:

Take five minutes to create a list of the top five things you must do the day you return to work after the holidays. Block out a chunk of time today to do just that.

For the greatest benefit, repeat daily.

Happy New Year!

“Patience is also a form of action.”

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“Patience is also a form of action.”

—Auguste Rodin, French Sculptor

Photo from Flickr by Karen Neoh

Photo from Flickr by Karen Neoh

Rodin’s “The Thinker” is among the world’s most recognized works of art.

I wonder what Rodin would think about our 21st century, 24/7 world in overdrive.

Perhaps today his call for patience is an even more precious form of action that allows for better discernment, better decision making, and better actions.

EXERCISE:

With whom, and in what situations, would greater patience be the appropriate action in your life?

Please share your intention to expand your capacity for patience, to potentially reap greater benefits within your personal or professional communities.

“It’s always worthwhile to make others…”

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“It’s always worthwhile to make others aware of their worth.”

—Malcom Forbes, publisher of Forbes magazine, promoter of capitalism

Photo from Flickr by Robert Fitzpatrick

Photo from Flickr by Robert Fitzpatrick

Malcom Forbes was perhaps one of the best known capitalists of the 20th century, famous for his namesake magazine and his extravagant lifestyle.

For his 70th birthday, he spent over 2.5 million dollars to charter a Boeing 747, a DC-8, and a Concord, to fly eight hundred of the world’s rich and famous from New York to London for an extraordinary celebration.

EXERCISE:

Think about how you currently acknowledge and reward those around you in your professional and personal life.  How can you enhance these efforts to more fully recognize the worth of these special individuals?

“It wasn’t raining when…”

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“It wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.”

—Howard Ruff, financial adviser and writer

Photo from Boy Scouts of America

Photo from Boy Scouts of America

We tend to live our lives at a mad pace, with only a few moments each day to catch our breath.

When we do this consistently, our level of stress goes up, and our effectiveness and productivity go down. Another consequence of this rush-around world is that we rarely get to the big and important projects that we most desire.

Taking time to plan and build our own “ark of life” prepares us for the critical life events that come our way and make life worthwhile.

EXERCISE:

Examine some of the most important and urgent life issues that are just around the corner or over the horizon. How can you work backwards from these events, to be as prepared as possible and get ahead of the rainstorms of life that are coming?

“There must be more to life than..”

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“There must be more to life than having everything.”

—Maurice Sendak, American illustrator and writer of children’s books

Photo from Flickr Porto Bay Hotels

Photo from Flickr Porto Bay Hotels

Are you a content person?  If not, what will it take to satisfy you? Imagine that you are attending the world’s most sumptuous smorgasbord with all the finest foods and beverages, prepared and selected by the most famous chefs.

What will be your strategy to enjoy your meal to the fullest? What would happen if you ate and drank far more than you knew was prudent for your body?

EXERCISE:

How is the smorgasbord metaphor related to your choices in life? What trade-offs are you willing to make to have everything you truly need? What needs and wants will bring you the satisfaction and contentment you desire?

“I have an existential map. It has…”

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“I have an existential map. It has ‘you are here’ written all over it.”

—Steve Wright, American comedian, actor and writer

Photo from Flickr by Zen Sutherland

Photo from Flickr by Zen Sutherland

Steve Wright is a comedian with a very quirky sense of humor who definitely sees life through some unique glasses.

His quote makes me think of the phrase, “wherever you go, there you are.” What makes this useful is that we can take even more responsibility and accountability to influence our world simply because we are an integral part of each situation in which we find ourselves.

Instead of being affected by our circumstances, we can become the cause of them.

EXERCISE:

How can you apply your own presence and capabilities wherever you find yourself to improve your existential world?

“No man can think clearly when…”

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“No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched.”

—George Jean Nathan, 20th century American drama critic and editor

Photo from Flickr by Colin Davis

Photo from Flickr by Colin Davis

If you have been reading The Quotable Coach blog for any length of time, you may know that one book I find highly useful is Six Thinking Hats by Edward De Bono, in which a color is assigned to each of the six ways to think about any issue:

White Hat Objective Thinking
Red Hat Emotional Thinking
Black Hat Negative Thinking
Yellow Hat Optimistic Thinking
Green Hat Creative Thinking
Blue Hat Orchestrative Thinking

The person referred to in this quote is probably using the black and red hats together, and is missing the clear and more effective approach of using all six hats at once.

EXERCISE:

Consider reading The Six Thinking Hats so that you and those in your professional and personal lives can reap the benefit of clear and collaborative thinking.

Reply to this message and I will be happy to send you a one-page summary of DeBono’s book. Simply put “Six Thinking Hats” in the subject line of your reply.