Forever Young

Thursday April 23, 2009 #114

 “The idea is to die young as late as possible.” 

~Ashley Montagu

Why not take a short break from all that serious work you’re doing?  From the worries, concerns and anxieties?  Remember from your childhood, when you could simply while away the afternoon on your belly watching an ant colony go about their business?  Just take a moment to reconnect with your childish wonder and simple enjoyment of life’s mysteries.  Never stop being young.

Living Right 101

Tuesday April 21, 2009 #113

 “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” 

~Joseph Campbell

This excellent short lesson is from one of our fellow JAMmers:

Tough business all around and general feelings of scarcity and despair can affect even the strongest and the most positive of us.  Sometimes it happens so slowly you don’t even realize that you’ve been affected.

Take a moment to change your perspective — get out of your routine — let go, and trust.

Mike, my personal story is that after a dark Feb and March, my tenacious self decided to throw up her hands in April and, voila, everything is easier.  What happened?  I think that, because I usually travel every 6-8 weeks that the change of scenery, people, routines shakes up my thinking and keeps me propelled forward.

I didn’t travel this quarter, trying to save money, and really dug in and worked on a lot of deals over the past few months.  The more I heard “no”, or “not sure”, or “yes, but not yet”, the harder I tried and the more tired I felt.  I worked harder and harder and produced fewer results.  I became discouraged and irritable and didn’t realize it.

On Monday I decided to recalibrate and “let go”.  The energy has completely changed.  I have more of it and feel more positive.  I’m receiving a lot of “yes” and “certainly” and “for sure” answers and the stagnation has turned to a lovely creative and effortless flow.

This is Living Right 101 (go with the flow, right?) but when the current shifts, you need to be in tune enough to ride with the slack tide and not work against it.

Open your mind

Thursday April 16, 2009 #112

“Minds are like parachutes—they only function when open.”

~Thomas Dewar

These are changing times.  What our experience has told us to do to solve problems isn’t working.  It is time to open your mind to new paradigms, ideas, methods, techniques, tools.  Those who do will find this challenging period the start of exciting new opportunities and successes.  Those who don’t will suffer, at least figuratively, the fate of the skydiver with a faulty parachute.

Quench their thirst

Tuesday April 14, 2009 #111

 “Let’s put it this way:  In leadership, we have the water and they are thirsty. Our responsibility as leaders is to offer clean, cool, refreshing water. Their decision to drink it is theirs alone.”

~David K. Aaker

This quote from my mentor has always resonated with me and I hope it will do the same for you.  Imagine as a leader that your experience, wisdom, and vision are the cool, refreshing water which can quench the thirst of the people you influence.  While it is true that you can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink, it is also true that when the horse decides he is thirsty he will head for the nearest source of water.  If we want to influence we have to be ready and willing when the people around us need their thirst quenched.  Otherwise they will seek it elsewhere and it may not be the quality of water that as a leader, you want them to drink.

Think about the quality of the water you are offering.  And give it freely.