Thought For The Day

"The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions. " ~ Confucius

The Importance of Centering

Leaders are called to many tasks ... and those come in all shapes and sizes. One huge task that we have to make though are the tough, and difficult decisions and talks that well, are not popular or you know will disappoint others.

A good leader makes the tough and unpopular decisions when he knows it is the best course of action ... even if people will get hurt.

There are many ways to go about this, and over time, I've probably swung from one end of the spectrum (not wanting to make a decision at all) to the other (making the tough decision and just being callous about it wanting to get it out of the way). Either way, people get hurt more... and I have learned that there is a better way ... that is the way of compassion.

Compassion is defined as "a deep awareness and sympathy for another person's suffering". For those of you who are Christian (and I say this only because I am and cannot speak for other religions), you know this well, because this is taught from the very early stages of religious teaching. To act with compassion is to consider another person's suffering as if it was your own.

I have found that to speak or deliver bad news ... make the tough decision as early as possible ... can be done with compassion, and doing so makes it easier for you and the person who is on the receiving end of the difficult decision. Making tough decisions is not easy and it probably never will be. Honestly, I prefer it that way. I ought to worry when making tough decisions becomes an ordinary event. I wouldn't want to ever be that way.

The key to being able to do this, for me at least, is quiet. Remove yourself from the noise, to an extent, isolate yourself and meditate. Spend the time and effort necessary to go through the impact of your decisions, so that when you actually deliver the sad news, you speak sincerely with compassion, and are better prepared to act and accept the response from the other side.

Some guiding thoughts...

Have a great day!

Make Changes ... One Day At A Time

People are a resilient bunch. We tend to be faced with changes, and it takes a while before we respond. There remains that part of us that denies to ourselves that change is happening. I'm not going to enter into a discussion that early recognition and response is better than later. I'm just telling it as I see it.

Change happens. One day, we open our eyes, and say to ourselves, things have changed. Now I need to change to respond. These changes don't need to be huge changes. Think weight gain. Think road rage. Think your messy desk. Or, it could be larger more life impacting things like a change in your relationship with a loved one, or perhaps your level of satisfaction at work, or even your performance at work.

So, you wake up one day and you find yourself so far away from where you were ... or where you want to be, and you tell yourself, I'm going to change. Good! That is the first step.

But, as we all know, it's tough because once we set out with a roadmap, the next question is how to make the "new" whatever you are doing into a habit. Everyone seems to say that 21 days is the magic number for creating habits. I know this is tough. But, here's what I keep telling myself day after day after day.

Just one more day. And, just like listening to a child who is first learning her numbers ... eventually, you hit 21.

Just one more day. That's all you have to do today.

Have a great day everyone!

Thought For The Day

"Ideas are elusive, slippery things.
Best to keep a pad of paper and a pencil at your bedside,
so you can stab them during the night before they get away."
— Earl Nightingale

This is absolutely true. There are times (even waking hours) when I find myself busy doing something routinary (like filing or putting things away) when I get one of those flash bulb moments. You know the feeling ... here you are with basically nothing on your mind, not really concentrating on anything at all because you're performing a mindless task, and there it is! Like a flash, you get a thought. It's brilliant, you think! Should I act on it now? Should I write it down? And you tell yourself ... nah! it's so good, how could I ever forget it? And, for a while you relish in this brilliant idea ... you play with it and develop it. Then, just as quickly, someone enters the room and poof! that idea is gone. At first you're in shock! How could that be, you ask yourself? It was fantastic! But, search search search, and it won't come back ... well, not immediately anyway.

That's the wonder of these thoughts. They come out of nowhere and go wherever. And, I DO man wherever. These ideas, I call them opportunities. Someone once said that an idea is a dime a dozen. I believe that's true. The universe sends these things out ... and depending on what our inclinations are, I believe they find someone attuned to those thoughts / ideas. But, the proof is in the pudding ... the ideas work for the people who not only nurture them, but ACT on them. So, act we must ... but, since I'm filing or folding shirts, let me write it down first!

Thought For The Day

THOSE WHO CREATE GOOD FELLOWSHIP AMONG OTHERS
WILL NEVER BE SHORT OF FRIENDS.

Can't really stress this enough. You know how there are those people that are just fun to be with? ... who, when you are with them, leave you with a feeling of positiveness and goodness? There is so much discord in this hectic and stressful world. Be the difference and help forge friendships and strengthen relationships whenever possible!

Have a great day!

Thought For The Day

Remember that the tone of your voice often conveys more accurately what is in your mind than do your words.

This is so true. I find it incredibly useful to center myself with a few minutes of quiet before speaking to someone about sensitive matters. In this way, I let go much of the personal emotion first, allowing myself to be more objective and choose the proper words to convey the message correctly. Many times we forget that communication happens in so many levels, words being the more superficial.

Have a great day!

Thought For The Day

“Don't dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next. Spend your energies on moving forward toward finding the answer.” ~Denis Waitley~

When things go wrong, there are those people who get stuck asking why. Now I'm not saying that it's wrong to know what went wrong. Indeed, you should take stock of the mistakes that resulted in any undesirable outcome. You really shouldn't make the same mistakes twice. It's worth the long hard and sometimes harsh truth to figure this out. But believe me, after you've figured it out, decide not to make the same mistake again, and move on!

I've been among people, some close friends of mine, who often find themselves stuck at the problem, rather than the solution. What a sad place to be, really. It's a waste of time (theirs and those of us who have to listen to it) especially when the person/people doing this are leaders.

If you find yourself there, remember this quote, and move on. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in the past, and you already know where that lead you to.

Have a wonderful and positive day!

Thought For The Day

I subscribe to a bunch of daily blasts of positive thoughts. They help center me at the beginning of the day and give me something to think about while I go about my day at work. Every now and then, I get messages that "fit" together. It never ceases to amaze me how that happens ... and further reinforces my belief that we are all connected.

Here are the messages I received when I opened up my email.

The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. - Mother Teresa

A friend is one who knows all about you and still respects you. (credits: Napoleon Hill Foundation)

Have a great day!

A Life Goal

Every now and then you think to yourself ... What is this all about?... What am I all about?

And, at different stages in my life, my personal goals have changed. There is ONE, however, that hasn't.

I want to live my life to have positively impacted my sphere of influence as much as possible, and leave this world a better place then when I arrived.

What's your life goal? What are you doing today to make it real?

Crush It! by Gary Vaynerchuk

I just read the first chapter of Gary Vaynerchuk's new book, Crush It! which is available through Amazon.com

Crush It! is about living your passion and how today's technology is making it possible for everyone. You just have to figure out what you want, want it enough, and then do it! The paradigm of doing business has changed. No one has to be stuck doing something they don't want to do. Technology has changed how money is made and how money flows. The models have changed. Where power resides has changed. Technology has changed that.

This looks like a great book!

Gary Vaynerchuk talks about exactly the reason why I decided earlier this year to just follow my passion. There is absolutely no reason to be stuck doing what you do not enjoy ... being at a job that does not make you happy. When I stepped back last year to see the momentous changes that were happening on the social networking sites, I saw precisely the changes he discusses. Other than just the message to yourself to start making changes in your life and living the life you want; another interesting insight for businesses is that this change has already started and there is really no stopping it. If you want your business to survive ... to be able to continue to compete, it is imperative that you change your business too. Time has gone where the company owner, corporation, organization can hide behind a face or image. In this day and age, you have to interact. You must be transparent. That's my view, by the way. Let's see what he has to say about that (if at all) in Crush It!

Here's a video link to Amazon.com of Gary Vaynerchuk's message.

Thought For The Day

The key element to attracting into your life what you want most begins in an intense desire for it.

Think back to all the events in your life where you got something you wanted. It could be that bike when you were a kid. Perhaps it was your first car. Your job. Maybe even the relationship you wanted. Anything. Then, reach even further back, and you will see that it all began with that spark of emotion of desiring it in your life. Emotions are what separate a simple want from something you REALLY want. It differentiates that urge for a burger from the kind of desire that makes you think and positively work towards that particular goal. When that emotion is tapped, you send out an energy from within yourself that works to bring that want into your life. So get excited about it, dream of it, and with gratefulness, accept it!

My First Post ... Hello World!

Hello World!

I'd been considering putting this blog up for years, but never really got around to doing it.

This blog is a journal of sorts of a journey through life ... a journey I share with everyone ... especially now that we are beginning to realize just how interconnected we all really are.

It seems almost appropriate that I got my act together now that in the last week we have all been reminded about climate change and our participation in all the disasters that have been happening around us.

But ... as in the Home Project video launched in June 2009 ended ... It's too late to be a pessimist...

There are just too many positive and inspiring things happening around us that give us something absolutely concrete to hold on to.

So, let's all BE INSPIRED NOW!