Tag Archives: Demp Coaching

The Spur of Competition

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“Without the spur of competition we’d loaf out our life.”

—Arnold Glasow, 20th Century American Businessman

Image of a bicycle race

Image from Flickr by Rob Annis

Growing up, few kids wanted to be called a “Loaf.” Although the word has many meanings, in today’s quote it refers to being a procrastinator, or lazy.

Sports, getting good grades, and even entering the working world were the spurs that had me leap into my days with energy and enthusiasm, striving for success.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional world would a greater spirit of competition spur you on to higher levels of success?

Optimism is a kind of heart stimulus

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“Optimism is a kind of heart stimulus. The Digitalis of Failure.”

—Elbert Hubbard, 18th Century American Writer

Image of a gallon jug of Optimism

Image form Pinterest

Digoxin is a drug extracted from Digitalis Lanata, a plant found primarily in Eastern Europe. It is used to treat heart conditions.

Consider how you or those around you define Failure. What if it were akin to a heart condition that could be treated effectively with a drug called Optimism? You’d probably keep a ready supply by your bedside, in your pocket or purse.

How would sprinkling it over yourself or those around you be just the cure to relieve the potential failures of life?

EXERCISE:

How can you more fully and generously share your most hopeful and optimistic qualities and characteristics?

Where can you use it to heal and strengthen your own heart, and the hearts of others? How can you use it to help yourself and others bounce back from the setback and failures that come along?

Behave toward everyone as if receiving a great guest

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“Behave toward everyone as if receiving a great guest.”

—Confucius, Ancient Chinese teacher and philosopher

Image of Disney's Beauty & the Beast

Image from Disney Movies

I enjoy Disney movies – how about you?

My favorite over the last few years is Beauty and the Beast. A highlight of the animated and live actor versions is the “Be Our Guest” extravaganza.

Imagine how special and delightful it would be with the extraordinary level of service, attention, and delicious morsels of food offered at such an event.

EXERCISE:

How would your personal or professional world improve if you were to treat each and every one as a great guest you held with the highest regard?

Friday Review Effort

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FRIDAY REVIEW: EFFORT

How much effort do you put into your daily tasks? Here are a few effort-related posts you may have missed.

 

“The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.”

 

 

 

 

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.”

 

 

 

 

“You can either throw in the towel, or use it to wipe your sweat.”

 

 

 

Confront Improper Conduct

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“Confront improper conduct, not by retaliation, but by example.”

—John Foster, 18th Century Irish Politician

Image of a gift tag saying "generosity is..."

Image from Flickr by Stewardship-TransformingGenerosity

Mainstream and social media are having a field day given the domestic and international conflicts that abound.

Confrontation is at epidemic levels, with no end in sight. It is clear that whatever we resist persists, and seems to be getting even worse.

Instead of retaliation and fighting fire with fire, what if we all consistently demonstrated only the most honorable, ethical, and moral character traits in all our personal and professional interactions?

EXERCISE:

Where and with whom would setting a good example improve your situation and perhaps improve the conduct of everyone concerned?

Hope Awakens Courage

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“Hope awakens courage. He who can implant courage in the human soul is the best physician.”

—Karl Ludwig Von Knebel, 18th Century German Poet

Image of a hand

Image from selfhypnosis.com

It is pleasant to consider the profession of coaching as a form of healthcare for the human soul.

So are the skills of teaching, mentoring, counseling, parenting, and even friendship.

What other types of relationships can you describe that induce, elicit, and awaken hope and courage in others?

EXERCISE:

How can and will you use your healing powers to generate greater possibilities and hopeful courage in those for whom you care?

Better to be Occasionally Cheated

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“Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.”

—B.C. Forbes, 20th Century Scottish-born American financial journalist

Meme stating "Assume Positive Intentions"

Have you ever been duped, cheated, taken advantage of, or just lied to about an important matter?

If you’re like many, it can be the cause of anger, frustration, and sometimes even embarrassment.

What is the cost of being too trusting?

What is the benefit of assuming positive intentions by those around us?

Unfortunately, many people become increasingly suspicious and take a “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me” perspective, building an “I’m No Fool” wall around themselves.

EXERCISE:

Where and with whom would an Assume Positive Intention (API) perspective make the biggest difference in your personal or professional world?

The Greatest Source of Happiness

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“Satisfaction of one’s curiosity is one of the greatest sources of happiness in life.”

—Linus Pauling, 20th Century American Chemist and Author

Image of a boy curiosity

Image from Flickr by Mohammad Abdullah

Rate yourself from one (low) to ten (high) as to your general level of curiosity.

Virtually everyone I ask to do this exercise places themselves in the six to ten range. A few even go beyond ten, to see what happens when they break the rules.

We humans are seekers, always looking around the corner or over the hill to discover what lies beyond our own knowledge and view of the world.

Consider our historic and current explorers.

Examine the risks we as a species have been willing to take to feed this craving, the boost of dopamine, and the feeling of happiness it provides.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you boost your happiness index by becoming a more curious explorer?

Please reply to this post with the actions you plan to take.

 

Friday Review Listening

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FRIDAY REVIEW: LISTENING

How well do you listen to yourself and others? Here are a few listening-related posts you may have missed.

 

“If we only listened with the same passion that we feel about being heard.”

 

 

 

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”

 

 

 

“You can’t judge my choices without understanding my reasons.”

 

 

 

 

Vital to Every Operation is Cooperation

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“Vital to every operation is cooperation.”

—Frank Tyger, Editorial Cartoonist

Image of a team

Image from BK Forex

What do elite Navy Seals, your favorite sports team, and a top surgical team have in common?

They are all examples of the impact and synergy of cooperation.

In these situations, the acronym TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) couldn’t be more appropriate and true.

I experienced this personally in the writing of my book, The Quotable Coach: Daily Nuggets of Personal Wisdom. Those helping me pull off this project included hundreds of people such as family, friends, editors, loyal readers, and of course, the insightful minds of those quoted.

EXERCISE:

Where is a booster shot of cooperation and teamwork required to pull off some vital operation in your world?