Category Archives: Attitude

The Right Path is Not the Easiest

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“Sometimes the right path is not the easiest one.”

—Grandmother Willow, in Disney’s Pocahontas

Image of Pocahontas with Grandmother Willow

Image from The Disney Diva

Take a few minutes to go back in time to your high school and college years.

Identify the teacher and the course that made the biggest difference.

I’ll bet that in many cases the lessons learned or the impact gained still influences your life today.

What was the level of effort required to excel and achieve the benefits?

How significantly were you challenged to go beyond the path of least resistance and conventional thinking, to reap the reward you experience to this day?

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional world are you taking the easy path that just doesn’t feel right?

Where would summoning your courage, boldness, persistence, and tenacity on a path you know is right make all the difference to your future success and happiness?

Be a Gardener of Life

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“Be a Gardener of Life.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Unsplash by Gaetano Cessati

Image from Unsplash by Gaetano Cessati

It is springtime in Michigan. We delight in the longer days, warmer temperatures, and the abundance of new growth we see everywhere.

All around, people are tuning up their lawnmowers, raking out flower beds, buying grass seed, garden flowers, and vegetables they intend to harvest during the summer and fall.

Given today’s quote, I suggest we plant, grow, cultivate and harvest some additional crops, including:

Patience Forgiveness Generosity Optimism
Kindness Service Curiosity Courage
Optimism Mindfulness Faith Family

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways can and will you attend to your own life garden?

Feel free to respond to this post with other areas / seeds you intend to plant and harvest this season.

Will this make life meaningfully better

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“Will this make people’s lives meaningfully better?”

—Dave Kashen, CEO at Worklife

word "make a difference" handwritten on blackboard

Image from MAP Professional Development

As a coach for over 25 years, I have a great fondness for powerful and provocative questions. More often than not, I have a very strong preference for those deeply curious and probing questions that begin with who, what, where, when, why, and how.

Today’s quote is an exception in that it is closed-ended and requires us to determine if our answer is Yes or No.

Most people value making a difference and contributing to those around them. Perhaps we can all use this question to keep us focused on the priority of living an even more meaningful life.

EXERCISE:

Consider writing this question on a few Post-it-Notes and placing them where you will see them in your personal and professional spaces. Please feel free to write me about what value this exercise provided you and others over the coming weeks.

the truth you believe in

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“The truth you believe in and cling to makes you unavailable to hear anything new.”

-Pema Chödrön, American Buddhist nun

Image of Pema Chödrön

Image of Pema Chödrön from calmfulliving.com

When was the last time you had a discussion with a friend, family member, or colleague in which they said, “I know” one or more times?

Consider that at such moments their beliefs and opinions are firmly cemented into their minds. Unfortunately, in many cases, they have literally stopped listening to any other perspective.

Turning this situation around, how often do you say “I know” to others, or just covertly think it to yourself?

EXERCISE:

Where and on what subjects are you clinging too tightly to your own point of view or perspective, making you unavailable to new possibilities?

How would an “I don’t know / I’m not sure / I’m curious” perspective create the greatest value?

It is high time to step out of your own shadow

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“It is high time to step out of your own shadow.”

-Dr. Laurent F. Carrel, Author of Messages from Melanie

Image of a shadow of a palm tree

Image from Flickr by Matthias Uhlig

What do tall buildings, trees, and dark clouds have in common?

Given today’s quote, the answer, “They cast a shadow” would be correct. Shadows can be of great benefit, reducing the damaging rays of the sun or offering a bit of relief from oppressive heat.

We humans, as thinking, self-aware creatures, have the ability to create our own sunshine and yes, cast shadows of doubt, fear, pessimism, and general gloominess throughout our days.

EXERCISE:

Where and in what ways are you casting your own negative shadow on your world? What actions, attitudes, and strategies could you use to reach for the sky, and let in more light, enthusiasm and possibility?

The Center of the Universe

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“When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.”

-Bernard Baily, DC Comic Book artist

Image of a nebulae

Image from nasa.gov

Early man believed that Earth was the center of everything, since they observed moons, planets, and stars revolving around it in the night sky. As science advanced, we learned that Earth is actually in an elliptical orbit around the sun.

With further advances in science⏤particularly in astronomy and astrophysics⏤we now know that we are a small speck on a small planet in a small solar system tucked away in the far corner of one out of two trillion galaxies in the universe.

And yet, many people believe they are the center of the universe, and that the world should somehow work out in whatever way they desire. History has clearly proven this idea ridiculously untrue, yet many still want to believe it.

EXERCISE:

How would seeing yourself and others as part of the oneness of all things provide you greater peace of mind and contentment? Consider the fact that we are all stardust, and that we have an important role to play in this infinite universe.

Each night, when I go to sleep, I die

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“Each night, when I go to sleep, I die, and the next morning, when I wake up, I am reborn.”

⏤Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement in British-ruled India

Image of a man sleeping on the sofa with his bulldog

Image from Flickr by Andrew Roberts

When I first read this quote, I felt pretty down at the thought of dying each evening, with a sense of finality that something⏤in this case, my day⏤was over.

Many of us experience similar feelings when our weekends, vacations, or other happy times come to an end.

Consider that the same is true for bad times, and uncomfortable events we may want to wish away.

To wake up and be reborn each new day excites me with the possibilities of new and wondrous things I can intentionally do, with a fresh perspective and a fresh canvas to draw upon.

EXERCISE:

How can you interpret today’s quote to make the very best of each new day you are fortunate enough to experience?

Your assumptions are your windows on the world

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“Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”

—Isaac Asimov, Science Fiction Writer

Image of "The Four Agreements" book cover

Have you every read The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz? If not, please order a copy today.

The third agreement in this masterpiece is “Don’t Make Assumptions.”

Unfortunately, we all tend to make assumptions about everything and everybody. This is often the root of much dysfunction, chaos, and general unhappiness in our world.

EXERCISE:

Where would greater openness and clarification of issues, personally or professionally, let more light in so you could lead a more fulfilling and satisfying life?

One Can Change the World

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“Let us remember: One book, one pen, one child, and one teacher can change the world.”

—Malala Yousafzai, Pakistani Activist/youngest ever Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

Image of Malala Yousafzai

Image from mirror.com.uk

At some point in life, we all ask ourselves: What is the meaning of life? Why are we here?

Many of us find great satisfaction and meaning realizing that our lives have purpose, that it is to make a difference, and in some way—big or small—to change the world.

What books have you read recently? What letters, emails, or blog posts have you written?
What child’s life have you impacted or touched in some meaningful way?  How have you taught, mentored, or coached others in your life? How have you benefited from those around you sharing their life lessons?

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways do you intend to change your world or the world in 2017?

how you interpret the world

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“Be careful how you interpret the world: it is like that.”

—Erich Heller, 20th Century British Essayist

image of flowers through a magnifying glass

image from Flickr by marco magrini

We humans are interpretation and opinion machines. As we navigate our worlds, we continually assess our environments and relationships through special filters we have created. Our perceptions really do create our reality and our experience of the world.

As talk show host Dr. Phil often says, “How’s that workin’ for you?”

What is your level of fulfillment, satisfaction, and general happiness with things as you see and interpret them?

EXERCISE:

Make an effort to expand your filter choices as you view your world today. Consider trying on a more hopeful, optimistic, open, forgiving, or creative perspective and see what happens.