Happiness

Thursday May 21, 2009 #122

“Happiness is like a butterfly which, when pursued, is always beyond our grasp, but, if you will sit down quietly, may alight upon you.”

~Nathaniel Hawthorne

From JAMmer HO:

I was reading an essay on happiness…something that seems to elude me at times…and came upon the above quote and the next:
 
“Happiness consists more in small conveniences of pleasures that occur every day, than in great pieces of good fortune that happen but seldom to a man in the course of his life.”  ~Ben Franklin  

(Ben didn’t know about lotteries where we waste our dollars hoping on the big win along with several hundred thousand other suckers.)

Explore. Dream. Discover.

Tuesday May 19, 2009 #121

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.  So throw off the bowlines.  Sail away from the safe harbor.  Catch the trade winds in your sail.  Explore.  Dream.  Discover.”

~Mark Twain

I know you’ve read similar advice before.  You “get it” intellectually.  You know you should break out of your routines, try new foods, meet new people, take risks, have an “adventure”.  But you haven’t been able to connect your intention to action.  Enough!  Think of one small thing you can do that will be evidence to yourself that you can, indeed, explore, dream, and discover.  Do it.  Now.  It’s the start of a new day, and a new you.

The power of our emotions

Thursday May 14 2009 #120

“Emotions are like gasoline – they can both be dangerous and destructive, but extremely powerful when controlled or harnessed properly.  We can take advantage of this emotional energy under our control to help us become more productive, if we can capture its value.”

~Mike Poulin

I came across this quote in a recent article by my friend Dr. Susan Biali entitled “Harness Your Emotions & Take Back Your Life.” 

I encourage you to click the link and read the short article, particularly if you have a tendency to react first, and think later.  Each of us can think of times when we allowed our emotions to push us to make a comment or take an action which we would later regret.  By learning to control and harness the power of our emotions, we become better leaders and more effective in all our relationships.

Dr. Susan Biali is an award-winning medical doctor, media wellness expert, author, speaker, life coach and flamenco dancer.  Dr. Biali teaches others how to discover themselves, create vibrant health, and design the life of their dreams.  Frequently featured in media across North America, Dr. Biali is the weekly wellness expert for the national television program The Daily, and is currently developing her own television show with a team of producers. She has appeared on MSNBC, The Good Life Network, and in Self, Fitness and Hello! magazines, and was even invited to perform flamenco dance on E! Entertainment Television.  Her new book, Your Prescription for Life, will be released by New York’s Beaufort Books in January 2010.  http://www.susanbiali.com

Tools for talented people

Tuesday May 12, 2009 #119

“Take away my people, but leave my factories, and soon grass will grow on the factory floors. Take away my factories, but leave my people, and soon we will have a new and better factory.”

~Andrew Carnegie

As leaders, we often think we can reach our goals by installing the latest software tool or instituting processes and governance, or designing a better building or machine.  These things surely help – but only as tools for talented and well-trained people to utilize.  So don’t forget about tools and process, but ensure your top focus is on finding, hiring, and retaining the best possible talent.  Only you and your people can make goal attainment possible.

Moving ahead through persistence

Thursday May 7, 2009 #118

“The few who look forward, while always knocking on new doors, no matter how futile it may seem or how insignificant their progress, will carry the many who just keep waiting for things to get better.”  

~Mike Dooley

Sometimes it feels that despite all our efforts that we just aren’t moving forward.  We get to the place where we are exhausted and feeling defeated.  If you are there or even close to being there, I exhort you to take a few deep breaths, perhaps a day off, and then come back for more.  The only way forward is through persistence and continuous effort – no matter how small.  And know that you will be miles ahead of the masses who are standing still waiting to be carried forward.

Leadership that inspires

Tuesday May 5, 2009 #117

 “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.”  

~John Quincy Adams

Think about all you did yesterday.  Were your actions such that people dreamed, learned, did and became more?  Today is a new day.  Commit now to demonstrate through your actions your own ability to dream, learn, do, and become.  Are you up to the challenge?

Ready, Fire, Aim

Thursday April 30, 2009 #116

 “Ready, Fire, Aim is a rule that reduces the cost of failure, increases the chances of success, and recognizes the damaging impact that the space of time has on any idea – even the good ones. If you have a great idea but lose time trying to “get it right” before you test it, what you will discover is that it will often actually depreciate as you plod along trying to make it better.”

 ~Michael Masterson

Don’t confuse this with Fire, Ready, Aim.  It is critical that you spend the time and resources to understand a need or problem, develop your own expertise, think through some of the possible outcomes and plan for them.  Get 80% there and then get on with it and act.  You can course correct once you start, knowing that you are pretty close to the bull’s-eye already.  The value of the remaining 20% will often go to zero by the time you act.

Details, Details, Details

Tuesday April 28, 2009 #115

“To create something exceptional, your mindset must be relentlessly focused on the smallest detail.”

~Giorgio Armani

There are many things we set out to do well.  Most of us want to do so at an exceptional level.  Why do we so often fall short of exceptional?  It is likely due to a lack of focus on the truly important.  The reality is we only have so much time and resources (talent, energy, intellect, and money) to allocate to each of these efforts.  Because we must relentlessly focus on the smallest detail to create something exceptional, we must carefully choose what we will focus on.  

Think about the key areas of your life:  work, family, community, spiritual.  Pick one activity/task in each that is the most important – that if done exceptionally well will have the greatest impact.  Choose today and start on the path to exceptional.