Inspired by Change

Tuesday August 4, 2015 #746

“You can look for external sources of motivation and that can catalyze a change, but it won’t sustain one. It has to be from an internal desire.”

~Jillian Michaels

This week my family and I have made our move to Hawaii.  This has been a major change for me professionally and for me and my family personally.  We have loved Hong Kong so I found myself on a journey to become motivated about the move.  It was only when I stopped looking externally for motivation and spent time reflecting on the professional opportunity and the personal advantages that I finally got excited!  Luckily I have been in the “excited” phase for quite a while now so the move has been energizing and I am thrilled to launch this next chapter.  (You’re probably wondering how moving to Hawaii was ever not an exciting proposition – that story for another day!)

What changes are you facing?  Are you wasting your time looking outside for sources of motivation?  Try looking inside and find how you can make the decision to embrace the change and get inspired about it.

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.

Curiosity

Tuesday April 28, 2015 #720

“Oftentimes the thing that makes the difference between a good student and a poor one, a good learner or a bored human being, is just a little curiosity. If you have it, cultivate it, feed it. Never let it go. If you do not have it – get it. Wonder, watch, ask questions, be alive. It’s just that simple”

~Marjorie Pay Hinckley

The difference between sustainable, recurring success and a pattern of failure often comes down to a question of curiosity.  Spend a little time today in critical reflection of your own thought patterns, habits and behaviors.  Do you accept information and decisions at face value, or do you ask questions and clarify intent?  Do you hold on to your opinions and beliefs long after the basis of these have been refuted or challenged?  Or do you allow your beliefs to evolve through an ongoing habit of questioning, reading, listening, and learning?  It is your choice.  You can be stuck in a pattern of mediocrity and even ongoing failure, or you can take control of your destiny through critical thinking, intelligent inquiry, and flexibility to change and evolve.  Be curious!

Be Kind to Yourself

Tuesday April 21, 2015 #718

“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent.  They believe that self-criticism is what keeps them in line.  Most people have gotten in wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.” 

~Dr. Kristin Neff

Today’s JAM is a guest post by JAMmer LB.  He provides an interesting insight into the need to be kind to ourselves as we navigate the challenges of life.

Indulgence is a virtue that goes well beyond the field of management. In a business world in quicker and constant change, managers and leaders are asked to take more risks and make quicker decisions, which can lead to more mistakes, and sometimes self-discontent or frustration. 

Indulgence towards others is a cardinal value, but indulgence towards oneself is a trait that high-demanding professionals may sometimes overlook. 

Failure is a component of success and every day is an opportunity to get better. Indulgence towards oneself is not about being complacent; it is just about applying life lessons with a bit more kindness.

Risk Taking

Thursday April 9, 2015 #715

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

~Mark Zuckerberg

Most of us are taught at home, at school, and at work how to plan effectively to minimize and avoid risk.  This has been an ineffective way to prepare for today’s reality of exceptional speed and change, and frankly has never been a good strategy.  Change has always been a constant, and the difference today is the speed of that change.  What we must all develop is the capacity and courage to take frequent and appropriate risks.  The environment around us is changing so rapidly that we must move more quickly than may be comfortable and this requires taking risk.  We can and should prepare for our decisions regarding risk through developing intellectual curiosity, learning as much as possible and paying attention to what is happening around us.  The risks we take will be necessary and more likely to succeed.  Standing still and avoiding risk is not an option.  Prepare as best you can, but act, even if it is risky.

Evolving Beliefs

Thursday March 26, 2015 #711

“I can’t understand why people are frightened by new ideas. I’m frightened of the old ones.”

~John Cage

We live in a time of accelerating change which, because of most people’s abject fear of change, creates anxiety and bad behavior.  Often this translates into closed communities of like-minded folks who fight to keep their way of thinking unchanged.  This is most obvious with religion and ethnicity but also is seen in corporate silos and even family factions.  This can lead to xenophobia, prejudice and discrimination.

In my view, other than core ethical areas such as honesty and human kindness, we are at our best when we allow our beliefs to evolve.  When confronted with differing views, rather than finding fault, seek to understand. You do not need to adopt the other viewpoint, but neither do you need to be afraid of it or fight against it.

Change is the only constant – learn, understand, evolve.

Danger of Success

Tuesday March 24, 2015 #710

“Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops.”

~Thomas J. Watson

Most people, teams, and organizations react in the same way to success:  An assumption that they have the right formula for success and so they decide to use that formula again and again.  Logically if you consider the extraordinary level of change occurring in our macro and micro economic environment today, it is obvious that the formula for success today can’t possibly be relied upon to continue to work.  Interestingly most people will never understand this.  They keep trying the same formula and are surprised, even devastated, when it doesn’t work.  The key is to pay attention to your environment.  Observe, learn, and adapt.  So be part of the unique few who not only understand this but act on it:  reinventing success daily through their curiosity, observations and ability to test new ideas.

Making Dents

Thursday February 26, 2015 #703

“The world is more malleable than you think and it’s waiting for you to hammer it into shape.”

~Bono

There are many times when it may feel like the world is conspiring against you and everything seems so difficult.  It is easy in these times to feel defeated and lose confidence in your ability to change your circumstances.  Almost always this is an illusion.  You can always find small actions you can take to begin making dents in seemingly impenetrable obstacles. Your will and your capability are your hammer.  Dents become cracks, which open to a new path through to a winning result.  Find your will and swing your hammer!

Happy New Year!

Thursday January 1, 2015 #692

“New Year’s Day. A fresh start. A new chapter in life waiting to be written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Answers to be discovered and then lived in this transformative year of delight and self-discovery. Today carve out a quiet interlude for yourself in which to dream, pen in hand. Only dreams give birth to change.”

~Sarah Ban Breathnach

On this New Year’s Day, I wish for you a year of significant, if not dramatic growth for yourself and all that you hold dear in your professional and personal life.  That growth will not come without purposeful and persistent action on your part.  Don’t wait for good things to come to your door!  Get out in the world and push yourself forward to the amazing potential that is within you.  Perhaps more importantly, be intentional about helping others accelerate their own growth.  You have amazing talents and gifts that if shared, will give others hope, challenge their thinking, and spread the potential for improved circumstances across your family, community, and workplace.

My best to you and yours as you launch your best year ever!

Changing Your Thinking

Tuesday December 30, 2014 #691

“You are where you are right now because of your best thinking. If you want something different, change your thinking.”

~Tony Rush

You are an amazing talent. You are driven to succeed and keep yourself in action daily toward achievement of your professional and personal goals.  And yet…  You’re not satisfied with your progress or achievements.  What is happening?

Today’s quote asks us to stop, reflect, and rethink both our goals and our actions.  Take the time today to assess the goals you have laid out for your personal and professional life.  What have you experience and learned this last year?  How have your capabilities grown or changed?  Who has come into your life, or left it?

Does any of this require rethinking your goals?  If so, make the change today and begin altering your actions to move toward your revised goals.  If not, but you are still not satisfied with your progress, it is time to change your thinking – about your goals, about your capabilities and resources, and about the very actions you have been taking.

Experience, reflect, learn, change, repeat….