You Can!

Tuesday May 26, 2015 #728

“Nothing has ever been achieved by the person who says, ‘It can’t be done.’”

~Eleanor Roosevelt

The first step to achieving anything worthwhile is to take action.  The only certain path to failure is never starting, which usually is combined with a certainty that “it can’t be done”.  If what you want to achieve is worthwhile, begin with taking an action – even a small one – and you may surprise yourself at what is possible.  You needn’t be sure of success to start, but never believe success is impossible or taking any action will likely be impossible.  Act, and you can then determine if you believe.

Changing Your Mind

Thursday May 7, 2015 #723

“The foolish and the dead never change their opinions.”

~James Russell Lowell

In this constantly evolving world in which we live, we must have the character strength to allow new information and changing circumstances to challenge our opinions and beliefs.  Your position needn’t change, but by not listening and at least considering your opinions through critical thinking, you are robbing yourself the opportunity to learn, grow and adapt.

Today is the Day to Live

Tuesday April 14, 2015 #716

“There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow, so today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live.” 

~Dalai Lama

How often do you find yourself spending time either focused on the glories or painful memories of the past or fears or dreams of the future?  While there can be great value in positive memories or past learning, as well as in imagining the future we desire, for most people time spent in the past and future occupy far more of our attention than they deserve.  In this day, in this moment, lie your power to use the lessons of the past to take the actions necessary to achieve your future ambitions.  Focus most of your energy on taking action now, and fully experiencing the potential of today, and you will find you can truly live.

Unique Talents

Tuesday March 31, 2015 #712

“Everyone is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it’s stupid.”

~Albert Einstein

Each of us has innate skills and talents, as well as activities and interests we are most passionate about.  If we are fortunate, we are able to bring those skills and talents to work and activities that bring us joy.  If not, we may find ourselves trudging through a life in which our talents are not utilized, and our passions are not realized.  Too often, we expect people to be something they aren’t.  Or others expect this of us.  It is important for you to understand your unique strengths and utilize them in a way that brings you satisfaction.  If you are in a position of leadership, it is important to recognize the talents of each of the people in your team, understand what they are passionate about, and strive to match these to tasks and roles that maximize their contributions and engagement.  Don’t stay in roles that require you to be something you are not or do not make use of your unique talents, and do not ask this of others.

Your Inner Child

Thursday January 29, 2015 #698

“The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.”

~Aldous Huxley

Today, think about how you can bring a little bit of child-like wonder, playfulness, and naiveté to your life.  All of us face the significant challenges of adult life:  driving our professional careers, dealing with financial pressures, handling family issues, keeping up our health in our ever-aging bodies, etc.  It isn’t what we face, it is the attitude we bring to our normal daily trials.  The secret ingredient to seeing life as relatively joyful on balance is a sense of enthusiasm.  That enthusiasm can come if we can pause and find the child within us – seeing the possibilities ahead of us, and our capacity to hope, to dream, and to believe we can do anything!

Strength in Humility

Thursday July 10, 2014 #643

“Humility, I’ve learned should never be confused with meekness. Humility is being open to the ideas of others.” ~Simon Sinek

The weakest people I know are those who lack the character strength to listen to and respect those with opinions that differ from theirs.  To do so requires humility.  Humility, I believe, is one of the most difficult competencies to master as it relies on a bedrock of character strength.  The humble person is neither meek nor weak, but rather is confident that their character allows their beliefs to evolve over time, and is curious to actively seek out new perspectives, new knowledge, new ideas that challenge their thinking.

The way to grow the competency of humility is to intentionally seek out and listen to opinions different than yours.  Not necessarily to agree but rather to engage in thoughtful, respectful discussion or reflection and determine by your own thinking whether your beliefs should evolve.  Be strong, be humble.

Challenging Limited Beliefs

Tuesday July 8, 2014 #642

“A man who views the world the same at fifty as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.”

~Muhammad Ali

We all know people like this:  unable to open their minds to new ideas and inexorably wedded to outdated and often factually incorrect beliefs.  Out of stubbornness, fear, or misinterpretation of religious or other teachings, they refuse to evolve their thinking even in the face of irrefutable evidence or new thinking.  Is it possible you are guilty of this in some aspect of your life?

In its most benign form, this inability to change one’s opinions and habits shows up as unwillingness to learn a new piece of technology (phone, computer program, etc.), or buy a different brand of a familiar product (car, coffee, even underwear!).  Those are normal but still limiting impacts of this problem.  Are you “stuck” on one or more similar habits?  Do you really want to be like that annoying grandparent who refuses to learn how to Skype?

Where it gets serious is when we are unable to evolve our thinking and see that our beliefs in our employer, our partner, our politics, and even our religion need to be challenged.  Not necessarily to be changed, but to ensure continued alignment.

If we are truly unable, as Ali quotes, to evolve our thinking over our lifetime – we have truly wasted our life.

I challenge you to reflect on how or if you allow your thinking to evolve.  Do you allow or even seek out alternative viewpoints?  Do you check your habitual affiliations against how they are (or are not) evolving and the changing world around us?  Take this moment and consider if and where you need to challenge your potentially limiting beliefs.

True Belief

Thursday June 26, 2014 #639

“We think we believe what we know, but we only truly believe what we feel.” ~Laurence Gonzales

Logic and factual knowledge are great sources of strength you can and must use to bring context and understanding to ambiguous situations and problems.  However, the only thing that truly keeps us moving with commitment, drive and passion is our belief in ourselves, in others, and in our vision of the future.  And that belief is not due to logic or factual knowledge.  It is due to how we feel.

As leaders, we must provide our teams with a compelling vision of the future that they can believe in.  That vision must be grounded in fact, but even the seeming impossible can be achieved when people believe in their ability to do something great.

Determine your vision for your team’s success, articulate it with passion repeatedly, support efforts to make progress, and watch the magic happen.  And be sure to pay attention to how you and your team are feeling along the way.

The Power of our Thoughts

Tuesday March 25, 2014 #612

“A man is but the product of his thoughts. What he thinks, he becomes.”

 ~Mahatma Gandhi

It is a well-known and provocative idea, that we become the person we believe ourselves to be in our deepest thoughts. I do believe that our perception of ourselves is fully dependent on what we think and believe to be true. Those thoughts are heavily influenced by the people we choose to surround ourselves with (and those we don’t choose, e.g. childhood family), what we choose to read and watch and learn. These thoughts then lead to the choices we make spiritually, socially, and professionally. Except for the family you were born into, virtually all other factors of your life are the result of the choices you have made.

So the question then is simply, are you happy and engaged with the person you have chosen to be? If not, you have the power to choose today any of a number of actions to propel you toward redefining yourself and it begins with a single thought – to define yourself in a new and better way. Thoughts alone, of course only provide the dream. Actions take you there. But without the dream, actions create movement but not necessarily to a truly desired outcome. Think well, act wisely.

Making it Happen

Thursday January 30, 2014 #598

 

“If things are not going well with you, begin your effort at correcting the situation by carefully examining the service you are rendering, and especially the spirit in which you are rendering it.” 

~Roger Ward Babson

 

Already one month through 2014!  How is your year progressing so far in terms of your personal and professional goals and aspirations?  Chances are, some area of your life is being neglected, or at least not attended to with the focus you intended.  Before you begin thinking about what external forces are conspiring against you, I suggest you begin your reflection by looking at how you are servicing your goals, and whether your spirit is really in it.  Don’t give up on what you deemed important on January 1^st.  Rather, determine if these goals feed your most deeply held beliefs and aspirations.  If so, think how you can reenergize yourself and push on.  If not, cast aside those goals that do not serve you, and redouble your efforts on those that do.  In short, make it happen.