Tag Archives: The Quotable Coach

Be at war with your vices

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“Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man.”

-Benjamin Franklin, American Founding Father

Image from Quote of the Day

I like bargains and two-for-one sales. This quote is a three-for-one! In Ben Franklin’s time, the word “vices” perhaps meant “behaviors that do not better oneself or another.” Today, I suggest we consider them  “bad habits” instead.

The idea of being a better person points to our ability to learn, grow, and improve as individuals.

Exercise:

What bad habits/vices will you declare war upon? In which relationships will you make a stand for peace? In what ways do you intend to be a better person in this new year?

Friday Review: Commitment

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FRIDAY REVIEW: COMMITMENT

What commitments will you make and hold to in 2017? Here are a few commitment-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message:

 

“The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavor.”

 

 

 

“Today is when everything that’s going to happen from now on begins.”

 

 

 

 

“Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got.”

 

 

 

 

Hope smiles from the threshold

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“Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ‘It will be happier.’”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th Century Poet Laureate of Great Britain

Image from Ware Malcomb

Have you ever heard of the concept of “Creative Tension”?

It appears that Robert Fritz, the founder of this idea, mixed the positive nature of creativity with the frequently perceived negative nature of tension to coin this new catch phrase.

The creative aspect conveys a forward-moving, generative focus.

Tension, on the other hand, seeks resolution, and in this case, Fritz wants us to resolve the gaps between our reality and the desirable future to which we have committed.

EXERCISE:

Google the concept of “creative tension,” or check out this post about it online. See where it can propel you forward in the new year.

Ring out the false ring in the true

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“Ring out the false, ring in the true.”

-Alfred Lord Tennyson, 19th Century Poet Laureate of Great Britain

Image from Flickr by TechSavi

It’s such a cliche to say “Ring out the Old and Ring in the New!” this time of year.

Tennyson’s twist has considerable merit if we all wish to lead richer and more rewarding lives.

Lies, deceit, and general falsehoods diminish, deflate, and demoralize our lives, leaving us empty and defeated.

Truth, on the other hand, sets us free to experience lives of integrity, character, and dignity, where communities, families, and organizations can blossom.

EXERCISE:

In what personal or professional areas would ringing out the false and ringing in the true make the biggest difference for you in 2017?

The new year stands before us

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“The new year stands before us like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written. We can help write that story by setting goals.”

-Melody Beattie, American Self-Help Author

Image from Flickr by Babak Fakhamzadeh

Who doesn’t like a good story filled with excitement, adventure and extraordinary accomplishments?

A challenge for many of us is that we are often listening to the tales of our friends and colleagues rather that creating and sharing our own stories.

Let’s flip this challenge on its head by dedicating ourselves to being more prolific story-tellers in the new year.

EXERCISE:

Answer the following questions, and put a plan of action into place that makes you the main character in far more stories throughout 2017:

  1. What new and exciting places will you go to in the new year?
  2. What great professional achievement will you pursue and accomplish?
  3. What significant personal achievement will you realize?
  4. What community-based contribution will most benefit from your unique abilities and talents?

Friday Review: Reflection

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FRIDAY REVIEW: REFLECTION

Do you give yourself adequate time for reflection each day? Here are a few reflection-related posts you may have missed. Click on the links to read the full message.

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“It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way.”

 

 

 

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“I have always tried to make room for anything that wanted to come to me from within.”

 

 

 

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“The answers you seek never come when the mind is busy. They come when the mind is still, when silence speaks loudest.”

 

 

 

 

Make a Life

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“Don’t let making a living prevent you from making a life.”

—John Wooden, former UCLA Basketball Coach

Image of today's quote

Image from quoteaddicts.com

Who do you know in your professional circle who has a great deal of regret because they did what today’s quote warned us against?

Over 30 years ago I had dinner with Frank, the Senior Vice President of the pharmaceutical company where I was a rookie sales representative. He had a huge job running the U.S. sales for what was then a four billion dollar Fortune 500 organization with more than 1,200 sales people in 20 regions spread across The United States.

On the surface, he exuded great success and accomplishment. Yet at the end of our dinner, he confided in me that his marriage, his relationship with his children, and even his health had suffered due to his job. His coaching for me was to not make the same mistake.

EXERCISE:

How can and will you change yourself so that making a life and making a living can be part of the same great journey?

Great Flames follow little sparks

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“A great flame follows a little spark.”

—Dante Alighieri, Late Middle Age Italian Poet

Image of hand flicking a lighter

Image from Flickr by Jeffrey

When was the last time you experienced a spark of genius, or a really good idea?  What happened to this spark once you saw its small but brilliant glow?

Did it go out quickly, or in keeping with today’s quote, did you add more fuel and oxygen until it burst into flame?

EXERCISE:

Examine the projects and the people in your world that represent the sparks of possibility and greater potential.

How can you fan and fuel these projects and people so they can burn brightly and light the way for others?

Well begun is half done

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“Well begun is half done.”

—Cited by Aristotle as an ancient proverb

post-it-note with today's quote

Image from Data49

When was the last time you were super satisfied with something you had done or accomplished? Take a few seconds to bask in the joy and pleasure of that event.

What would it be like to feel that way all the time, or at least more often?

What gets in the way?

We all know that putting things off acts like an anchor on our lives. Not only do we not achieve what we deeply desire, but most of us do a good job of beating ourselves up about it. That places an even bigger and darker cloud over our lives.

EXERCISE:

Select at least one personal or professional project you will initiate and follow through on today to experience the satisfaction and exhilaration of Aristotle’s coaching.