Category Archives: Aspirations

Where do you find yourself on the mountains of life? When is it time to rest and reflect on your view versus climbing onward?

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Where do you find yourself on the mountains of life? When is it time to rest and reflect on your view versus climbing onward?

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Chris Holgersson

With over a month of 2024 under your belt, how far have you climbed so far?

Are your feet still on the gas pedal with your head down moving forward, or have you slowed your pace to reassess things?

When we exert ourselves, it is expected that our heart rates will increase. Along with our pulse, our rate of breathing also rises to access the energy for the effort.

Considering that both our beating heart and breathing are continuous, lifelong functions, it is interesting to note that there is always a pause — however brief — between them, to have our bodies work optimally.

EXERCISE:

How often do you stop or slow down to rest and reassess your place in the world?

How and where would doing so help you grow and enjoy many more views along the way?

Friday Review: Aspirations

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Friday Review: Aspirations

What are your aspirations for your personal or professional life? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

“Go as long as you can, and then take another step.”

 

 

 

 

“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm. In the real world all rests on perseverance.”

 

 

 

 

“It is not for man to rest in absolute contentment. He is born to hopes and aspirations.”

 

 

 

 

 

Born to hopes and aspirations

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“It is not for man to rest in absolute contentment. He is born to hopes and aspirations.”

—Robert Southey, 19th Century British Poet

Image of Life Below Zero screen

Image from zerodemands.com

How much time do you give to the TV or computer screen each day?

Most of us, including myself, enjoy the distractions and guilty pleasures they provide. I do, however, have a rule. In the time I give, I want to learn something or be inspired in some way.

With that said, I often watch the National Geographic Channel. One of my favorite shows is called “Life Below Zero,” in which people choose quite happily to live near and up to 200 miles north of the arctic circle in Alaska.

I am always amazed at how hopeful, energized, and fulfilled they seem to be. They live a life of their choosing, filled with hardships that include finding water, food, and shelter from an often brutal and potentially life-threatening climate.

EXERCISE:

Where are you resting and taking it a bit too easy these days? What deeply held hopes and aspirations would cause you to leave this comfort to realize the committed future you deeply desire?

Go as Long as you Can

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“Go as long as you can, and then take another step.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Pinterest

How often do you hear yourself or others say, “I did my best”?

What percentage of the time is that statement true?

If you are like me and many others, we almost always leave a little in the tank, knowing that if we truly gave our all and failed, something terrible would happen.

Failing, knowing you could have studied more, worked harder, and gone farther somehow makes our less than optimal results seem OK. We say things like:

  • At least I passed
  • I was in the upper quartile of my class
  • I made partner quicker than most in my firm

EXERCISE:

Experiment today in taking one more step, doing one more rep of your exercise, making one more call, or working one extra hour. Reach out to one more friend or help one more person.

Notice the energy you experience, and don’t be surprised if there is still more in the tank, ready to go!

measure your life

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“How will you measure your life?”

—Clayton M. Christensen, Harvard Business Professor

Image of Book "How will you measure your life?"

Today’s quote stopped me in my tracks and caused me to sit down to examine its profundity. I then watched Mr. Christensen’s TEDx Boston talk from 2012, to see what this Harvard Professor had to say.

This is a question we must all answer for ourselves, based on many factors. I looked at the personal and professional achievements that measured me against others, and more importantly, against myself. My conclusion here was that personal development and growth have always been measuring sticks for me. What became more of a priority for me was the measure of family, and the development of close, collaborative relationships. In this area, contribution and making a difference in people’s lives was paramount.

When Clayton stated, in his talk, that God does not employ accountants and statisticians, I wondered what I’d like people to say upon my passing. This caused me to set about my efforts far more intentionally, so that I might fulfill my purpose.

EXERCISE:

Explore setting up a discussion group within your personal and professional communities to ask and answer this question for yourself.

I’d love to hear your thoughts, and what you discovered.

Friday Review: Aspirations

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Friday Review: Aspirations

What are your aspirations for your personal or professional life? Here are a few aspiration-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message:

Image from Flickr by Tommy Clark

Image from Flickr by Tommy Clark

 

“Far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations. I may not reach them, but I can look up and see their beauty, believe in them and try to follow where they lead.”

 

 

 

Image from Nasa

Image from Nasa

 

 

“I am seeking, I am striving, I am in it with all my heart.”

 

 

 

Image from picturespider.com

Image from picturespider.com

 

 

“Be the kind of person you want in your life.”

 

In the Real World

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“In the realm of ideas everything depends on enthusiasm. In the real world all rests on perseverance.”

–Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 19th Century German writer and statesman

image from iRuler.net

image from iRuler.net

Who doesn’t admire and become inspired by the enthusiastic leader with a great idea? It is pretty easy to get caught up in the possibilities of some new and better future.

When reality sets in, we all would note that only a very tiny set of these ideas ever come to fruition. Rigorous execution of a great or even good idea is priceless in our world of metrics and quantifiable results.

EXERCISE:

How can you use a “what gets measured gets done” perspective in your personal and professional world? Consider generating the necessary perseverance to have your best and most enthusiastically shared idea become real.

A Wonderful Thought

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“What a wonderful thought it is that some of the best days of our lives haven’t happened yet!”

-Author Unknown

image from searchengineland.com

image from searchengineland.com

Today’s quote caused me to pause a bit longer than I normally do as I look to the New Year ahead. Instead of looking at the year as a whole, or even fleshing out the priority goals and objectives I wish to tackle, I plan on looking at each day as a unique and precious gift.

One way to see the value of this exercise is to take a trip into your past to examine and pleasantly re-experience, through memory, some of the really great days and experiences. As you take the time to do this, count how many great days you can recall. The list will probably be finite.

EXERCISE:

How can you design the coming year, proactively and intentionally, to have as many remarkable days this year as you have had to this point in your life?

“The book that will most change…”

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“The book that will most change your life is the book you write.”

—Seth Godin, American author and entrepreneur

QC Book Cover

It has been just over a year since I published The Quotable Coach – Daily Nuggets of Practical Wisdom. The process, from my first blog post to published book, took over two-and-a-half years.

I have always loved quotes. I enjoy the inner journey as I look at my own life. The 30 months of developing the book were far different in that I found myself digging deeper, and wrestling more fully than ever before. It was, without question, the extra efforts that resulted in the most profound gains I’ve experienced, professionally and personally.

EXERCISE:

If you were to write a book that would result in substantial growth, what would be the topic? How can you begin this process today? Possible first steps could be a journal entry, a blog post, or a short story.