Category Archives: Steadiness

Man is flying too fast for a world that is round

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“Man is flying too fast for a world that is round.  Soon he will catch up with himself in a great rear end collision.”

—James Thurber, 20th Century American cartoonist and playwright

Image from Unsplash by Alessio Lin

For many of us the world is moving way too fast these days.

Visualize a dog chasing its tail and replace this image with yourself or others in your communities.

Wendy and I recently visited some friends in New York and found the highways filled with many speed racers, darting between lanes to shave a few extra minutes from their commutes.

We saw a number of accidents which ended up slowing things down anyway, and many police pulling these folks over to fill up their municipality’s cash reserves.

EXERCISE:

How fast is your world moving?

How often do you feel like you are chasing your tail and about to have a rear end collision with yourself?

The Road Up and The Road Down are one and the Same

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“The road up and the road down are one and the same.”

—Heraclitus, pre-Socratic Greek Philosopher

Image of Mayan Ruin

Image from Flickr by Ryan Jones

When was the last time you took a hike up a steep hill or even a mountain? If you can’t recall, imagine climbing the tallest set of stairs you have ever faced.

What was the journey like going up? What was your level of anticipation of reaching the top, and what amount of effort was required?

What was your experience of going down? What was the level of effort required, given the assist from good old gravity?

Avoiding the “what goes up must come down” effect requires far more effort and energy in virtually all areas of life. Knowing what is important in your personal and professional worlds helps you maintain the steady climb that can take you to new heights of excellence.

EXERCISE:

Examine where you are on the roads of life in areas such as health, relationships, career, family, and faith. How will you continue the climb upward and avoid the factors that can easily take you in the other direction?

“Great people are not affected by each puff of wind that blows ill. Like great ships, they sail serenely on, in a calm sea or a great tempest.”

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“Great people are not affected by each puff of wind that blows ill. Like great ships, they sail serenely on, in a calm sea or a great tempest.”

– George Washington, first President of the United States

452Image from Flickr by Mr.Thomas.
Have you ever attended a cruise ship orientation? In addition to learning all the fascinating statistics about these floating cities, you will almost always find out about their technology – which includes a very sophisticated set of navigation and stability control capabilities.

It’s remarkable that the crew can get these great ships from point A to point B with minimal disturbance to the passengers’ enjoyment.

How often are you negatively affected by those small (and not so small) puffs of wind in your daily activities? How often do you experience bouts of seasickness that upset your day?

Exercise:

What factors in your world help create your own personal stability control center that can help you sail through life in a more serene and calm manner?

“Be steady and well ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.”

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“Be steady and well ordered in your life so that you can be fierce and original in your work.”

– Gustave Flaubert, French novelist

I like this quote very much. I think it captures me very well, especially as it relates to my career as a coach. I love my work and I find it even more interesting and engaging as the years progress.

Just a couple of weeks ago, I took a fierce and outside the box step to attend one of Sam Horn’s retreats in the Washington DC area. My work during this retreat is helping me bring more originality and creativity to my upcoming projects, which will include a book and perhaps other tools and resources based on The Quotable Coach series.

For me to move in these new and original directions, I find it extremely important for the rest of my life to be steady and well ordered, giving me a strong foundation to build upon in my vocational efforts.

Exercise:

In what areas and on what projects do you desire to be more fierce and original?

What steps can you take to bring greater steadiness and order to the rest of your life, to help you turn this desire into a reality?

One of Sam Horn’s latest books is Pop! Create the Perfect Pitch, Title and Tagline for Anything. Her work in this book will support you on the path to even greater success. I strongly recommend that you check it out here:

http://www.amazon.com/POP-Create-Perfect-Tagline-Anything/dp/0399533613