Tag Archives: growth

“Success is never owned…”

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“Success is never owned; it is only rented. And the rent is due every day.”

-Zig Ziglar, American author, salesman, and motivational speaker

Photo from zazzle.com

Photo from zazzle.com

When was the last time you had a really tough day? Have you ever found yourself saying things like:

    • After all these years, I expected things to be easier.
    • It’s time for my ship to come in. Surely I’ve earned it with all my hard work.
    • I’m pretty tired. I was hoping to slow down by now.
    • Life sure feels like a roller coaster.

Virtually no one lives a charmed life or stays on top of the success ladder perpetually. Perhaps it is these everyday challenges and adversities which actually make our self-earned successes so sweet.

EXERCISE:

How can you take a “Pay as you Go” attitude to suit up and do what is necessary so that you can experience the success you’ve earned when the day is done?

“Teaching others scales right back to us.”

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“Teaching others scales right back to us.”

—Seth Godin, Author

Photo from Flickr by winnifredxoxo

Photo from Flickr by winnifredxoxo

I have always had a passion for learning. As a child, I remember vividly my mother coming upstairs to read after our evening meal and some family time. Although she had only a high school education, she had the most expansive vocabulary of anyone I knew.

My own family, and my wife’s, were educators, so it was not surprising that my first career was as a teacher. After a few years, I shifted to business and found myself in teaching roles within the company. For the past 22 years, I have continued to be both student and teacher as I pursue my professional efforts as a coach.

Over the years, I’ve learned by watching others, applying what I’ve learned, and learned the most by sharing what I learned with others. The lessons always scaled back to me with even deeper meaning and impact.

EXERCISE:

How can you learn what you most desire by watching people you admire, practice what you learn, and scale these lessons back to you even more by teaching others in your professional and personal life?

As Seth Godin said in his latest book, What to Do When It’s Your Turn, “Teaching rewards us all.”

“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

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“Don’t compare your beginning to someone else’s middle.”

– Jon Acuff, New York Times Bestselling author

Photo from Flickr bykevandotorg

Photo from Flickr by kevandotorg

Have you or do you know anyone close to you who started a new job, hobby, or sport?

Although we all know cognitively that it takes time to build competency and eventually mastery, many people compare their own beginning skill level to others who have been on this or a similar journey for some time.

They see where they are limited or falling short because the comparisons they make are not equal, and actually unfair.

EXERCISE

As you strive toward excellence in any area of life, be inspired by the mastery and  capabilities of those you admire, yet compare your current capabilities only to those of what you were capable of yesterday.

Growth and comfort seldom ride the same horse

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“Growth and comfort seldom ride the same horse.”

—Author Unknown

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Image from Flickr by Montgomery County Planning Commission

When I was a small boy, I went to a carnival where I had the opportunity to ride a pony.  The initial aspect of walking in a circle at a slow pace was enjoyable – however, I found that my bottom got a bit of a jolt when we worked our way up to a trot!

At the start of a new year, very few of us wish to kick things off at a walking pace. Our goals are far more ambitious – and we must gallop forward to reach them with urgency.

Today’s quote suggests that we be prepared for a rough and sometimes bumpy ride to reach our destination before the setting sun.

Exercise:

Identify between two and three primary goals you have for 2014 where you are fully prepared for the possibility of a rough ride.

Share these goals with a coach, mentor, colleague or family member who will support your efforts to reach your destination.

From the Inside

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“If an egg is broken by outside force, life ends. If broken by inside force, life begins. Great things always begin from inside.”

– Jim Kwik, learning expert

Image from Flickr by Nathan Unstead

Image from Flickr by Nathan Unstead

In many ways, the coaching process can be compared to helping individuals or organizations come out of their shells.

Just as a bird forces itself to emerge from its shell, the coaching process, with its powerful questions, taps into the power of people’s commitments to help them break free of the confines of their own limits.

Exercise:

Select one area of your life today where you plan to break out of your current constraints, to spread your wings and fly.

Press reply and let me know what happens.

“One can choose to go back toward safety, or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

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“One can choose to go back toward safety, or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again.”

– Abraham Maslow, psychologist

What would you do today if you were laid off from your job unexpectedly? Most of us would be jolted from our experience of relative stability into full alert, maybe even panic.

On the other hand, what if each morning, you had a new job or career, where you got to lead and influence your day? What new results and difference could you make? It’s up to you to pursue safety or growth, courage or fear. Your choice!

Exercise:

As you go throughout your day, reflect on the following thoughts:

Faced with X, I usually do Y. Instead, I’m going to choose Z which will support my growth.

Consider writing me back and let me know what “Z”s you took.

#112: “One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.”

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– Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr, doctor and writer

Yesterday I attended a barbeque with friends and family. My father, at age 85, attended, as did a little three-and-a-half year old boy named Luka. Luka enrolled my dad and others into playing baseball.

I actually got to see Luka’s mind and abilities expand over the hours – resulting in significant pleasure and joy for everyone there.

Exercise:

How have you embraced the pleasure and joy of learning for yourself, and expanded your world?

What ideas do you have to share with others, to expand their worlds too?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#101: “Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or nation.”

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– Oscar Wilde, writer and poet

This quote seems a bit contrary to the idea of being happy with who you are and what you have, and living in the present. It does, however, point to a significant driving force for most of us – namely, the desire for growth and progress.

Exercise:

Where in your professional and personal life do you experience dissatisfaction or discontent? Which of these areas can be influenced and improved through your efforts?

Select one or two of these and make the needed changes to realize the progress you desire.

Find a coach or an accountability partner to help increase your chances of success.

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#42: “There is nothing noble in being superior to some other person…”

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“…The true nobility is in being superior to your previous self.”

– Hindu Proverb

We live in a competitive world. Just look at sports, politics, even war. We seem hell-bent on defeating others, even to the point of death.

Rarely is there any nobility in this. Is it noble to stand over your vanquished foe and think I’m better than you, I’m a winner, and you’re a loser?

This proverb suggests that there is honor in rising above our primary adversary, ourselves – to be smarter, stronger, more courageous, and more loving. The effort to rise above our previous, more limited, self is noble and no-one is made smaller through the process.

Exercise:

In what areas of your life are you committed to becoming superior to your previous self?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#41: “If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher…”

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“…I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.”

– Confucius, Chinese philosopher

I have a passion for learning and personal growth. My personal antenna and receiver are often on high alert to the knowledge, wisdom and behavior of others.

One of my favorite questions to ask coaching clients is “how would you describe your best future self?” If they are unclear about the meaning of this question, I often suggest that they identify the qualities of the people they admire – such as integrity, courage, loyalty, and enthusiasm. They can also identify the qualities that they least admire – such as greed, dishonesty, arrogance, and pessimism.

Exercise:

Who are the people that can help you discover and develop your best future self? What are their qualities (good or bad)?

Where can you begin your future journey today?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.