Category Archives: Action

The faintest pencil is better than the strongest memory

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“The faintest pencil is better than the strongest memory.”

⏤Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism

Image of a pencil on a table

Image from Flickr by Chris

Sam Horn was one of the speakers/conversation starters at a coaching conference I attended last year. One of her favorite sayings is “Ink it when you think it.” She always has a notebook in her hand.

Productivity guru David Allen, who wrote Getting Things Done often advises his readers that brains were meant for thinking, not as a storage device for information of limited value.

EXERCISE:

How would an “Ink it when you think it” strategy foster less stress and far more productivity in your life?

Nobody in the history of the world has ever washed their rental car

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“Nobody in the history of the world has ever washed their rental car.”

⏤Author Unknown

Image of a car in the shower

Image from ultimatecarwashanddetail.com

Are you familiar with the “Endowment Effect”?

I wasn’t either, until I learned that it is our tendency to undervalue things that aren’t ours, and to overvalue things because we already own them.

Do you, like many people, have drawers, closets, or even entire rooms filled with items that you haven’t used or worn in years? What are these items worth to you, and what might it be costing you in having them take up space in your world?

Consider what you would actually pay for these items, if you didn’t own them already.

EXERCISE:

Imagine that you are planning to change your place of residence. The two criteria I’d like you to consider as you go through the things you own are:

  1. You will be downsizing your living and storage space by 25-35 percent.
  2. You must pay a substantial extra fee to bring all non-essential items along.

What would stay, and what would go?

What actions will you take based on your answers?

Great ideas have a very short half-life.

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“Great ideas have a very short half-life.”

-John M. Shanahan, Creator of Hooked on Phonics

image of biz card with the quote on it

Image from ofilispeaks.com

When was the last time you read a book, listened to a podcast, or attended a workshop or seminar? What percent of what you learned did you retain, or better yet, put into practice?

Without going into a lot of brain science and learning theory, it is clear that if ideas are not acted upon quickly, they never make it into long-term memory, much less into tangible results.

One of my past coaching clients even named her company Info-to-Action, for just this reason.

EXERCISE:

What personal or professional idea at the top of your priority list is about to expire through inaction or procrastination? How soon will you put this info into action?

Action Review

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FRIDAY REVIEW: ACTION

What does it mean to take action in your life? Here are a few action-related posts you may have missed. Click the links to read the full message.

“Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”

 

 

 

 

“It is hard to fly when something is weighing you down.”

 

 

 

 

“A person’s actions will tell you everything you need to know.”

 

 

 

 

The Day’s Resolutions

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“I think in terms of the day’s resolutions, not the year’s.”

-Henry Moore, 20th Century British Sculptor and Artist

Image from cakewhiz.com

Why do we do it?

You know what I mean. Why do we make New Year’s Resolutions, knowing darn well that as much as 90% of them are abandoned by the end of February.

Perhaps it is because a year is a pretty long time, and it’s hard to set out on a journey whose goal is so far off. It almost guarantees that obstacle and barriers will slow us down or stop us completely.

Today’s quote is like the one about eating an elephant one bite at a time, or that every journey begins with a single step. Perhaps daily resolutions are the way to achieve what we deeply desire—one day at a time.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what priority issues would making 365 daily resolutions help you make 2017 your best year yet?

Grab a Star

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“Most look up and admire the stars. A champion climbs a mountain and grabs one.”

—Author Unknown

Image of man on mountaintop grabbing stars

Image from CDP Safe

What stars are you reaching for these days? To what degree do you leap out of bed each morning, eager to jump into your personal or professional quest?

Perhaps you, like many, simply examine and admire the efforts or accomplishments of others through social media, or more traditional methods.

You may also compare yourself to others and get excited to summon your own “Go For It!” perspective.

EXERCISE:

What personal or professional mountains will you begin or continue to climb today, to grab your own star with the heart of a champion?

Talkers are no good doers

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“Talkers are no good doers.”

—William Shakespeare, Richard III, Act 1, Scene 3

Image of Shakespeare with the quote

Shakespeare sure had a way with words!

I had to re-read today’s quote several times, letting it percolate for a while before I chose it for today’s post.

What was your first interpretation?

What other meanings might it have for you?

I first thought about an individual being all talk and no action. Next, I considered whether talkers, or those too busy being interesting to be interested, were bad people, arrogant, with excessive egos.

What is the message you prefer, or relate to the most?

EXERCISE:

What are your views on people who talk far more than they listen?

What would others say about your propensity to talk versus listen?

What relationship does this issue have with what actually gets done, and what you learn?

Feel free to respond to this post with your thoughts and perspectives.

“The fire which seems extinguished…”

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“The fire which seems extinguished often slumbers beneath the ashes.”

—Pierre Corneille, 17th Century French Dramatist

Image of Smokey the Bear

Image from smokeybear.com

Smokey the Bear is an American advertising mascot, created to educate the public about the dangers of forest fires. His famous slogan, “Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires” has been revised with the recent wildfires that burned across California.

Today’s quote relates to the flames of our personal or professional lives, and how many people appear to have had their “fire” extinguished.

Coaches and other supportive people often help these individuals discover the slumbering embers below layers of ash. They help find the kindling and fuel action to get the flame burning brightly again.

EXERCISE:

What fires are smoldering beneath the ashes of your life? How can you find the people and resources to make them burst into the flames of a more fulfilling and accomplished life?

when the universe celebrates success

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“When the universe celebrates success, are you a joint partner or a spectator?”

—Laurent Carrel, Author

Photo of Marvin P.

Marvin P.

I recently had an inspiring conversation with Marvin P, a friend at my health club. Marvin is now 80 years young. He’s been a softball fanatic for as long as I’ve known him.

Each season, he mentions that he is slowing down a bit more as we discuss his running, fielding, and course, batting abilities. On this particular occasion, he shared that his travel team had just won the 2016 national championship in his age division!

EXERCISE:

In what areas of life is it time to get out of the stands and onto the field, to pursue and celebrate your personal and professional championships?

The Perfect Moment

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“Don’t wait for the perfect moment. Take the moment and make it perfect.”

—Author Unknown

meme about the perfect moment

Image from blogs.reading.ac.uk

In the past few months, I’ve read several blog posts on the topic of perfection and excellence, all focused on the debate between quantity and quality.

The real question is, how are you wired?

Do you go for perfection through extensive planning, strategizing, thinking, and rethinking?

Or do you jump in and get started making something that can be tweaked along the way?

Given many people’s desire to do it right the first time, some of us wait for the “perfect moment” to begin. Beginning, and the idea of doing many experiments from which we can learn seems to be the way things are headed. Albert Einstein said, “ How do I work? I grope.”

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you stop waiting for the “perfect” moment, and instead make more moments perfect?