Category Archives: Success

“To teach is to learn twice.”

Posted on by

“To teach is to learn twice.”

—Joseph Joubert, French Esssayist

Photo from Flickr by Duane Schoon

Photo from Flickr by Duane Schoon

Have you ever considered that learning is a multi-step process? Do you recall times in your education when you would read, re-read, and literally memorize information to prepare for a quiz or test?

What happened to this information when you tried to recall it even a few weeks later? If you are like most people, non-essential information is wiped clean from your “cerebral hard drive,” to make room for information that is essential, or critical, to your existence.

EXERCISE:

A simple yet powerful technique to deepen and sustain things you wish to learn and master is contained in these three steps:

  1. Watch others who are very skilled at some behavior.
  2. Try to practice those skills for yourself.
  3. Teaching this skill to others will cement and sustain the lesson.

Remember it this way: Watch One, Do One, Teach One.

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”

Posted on by

“A hunch is creativity trying to tell you something.”

– Frank Capra, American Film Director

Photo from Flickr by Dania J

Photo from Flickr by Dania J

Do you have them?  Hunches, that is.

Sometimes they are called intuition, instincts, gut feelings, or inklings.

For some reason, almost everyone has them, but they tend to be elusive in our ability to harvest them at will.

Over the last decade or two, the subject of creativity and non-linear thinking has gotten considerable attention, particularly in our ability to harness it to fuel the economic engines of business.

All you have to do is generate your own list of the most innovative and creative companies that have become mega stars and economic powerhouses.

EXERCISE:

How can you bolster your own capacity to tap into your own hunches to further develop your own creativity muscle to enhance your personal and professional worlds?

Two books I recommend on this subject are:
A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink
Blink by Malcom Gladwell

Feel free to reply to this message to share some of your own favorite hunch-expanding ideas and resources.

 

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

Posted on by

“Mistakes are the portals of discovery.”

-James Joyce, Irish Novelist and Poet

Photo from Flickr by Don McCullough

Photo from Flickr by Don McCullough

Many years ago I attended a presentation by Benjamin Zander, who, along with his wife, authored “The Art of Possibility”.

At the time, he was also the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, where he worked with and literally orchestrated the talents of some of the finest young musicians in the world.

His presentation was light, joyful, and even a bit zany. Of particular note was his suggestion that instead of trying to always do things perfectly, we allow and delight in the learning that can occur from making occasional mistakes.

He coaches his proteges and helps them joyfully discover and learn from the mistakes along their artful journey toward musical mastery.

EXERCISE:

How can you bring your own lighthearted and even playful fascination to the efforts and mistakes you make on a daily basis to expand your own portals of personal and professional discovery?

“Big shots are little shots who kept shooting.”

Posted on by

“Big shots are little shots who kept shooting.”

– Christopher Morely, American Journalist, Novelist, Essayist and Poet

photo from Flickr by Simplistic.designs

photo from Flickr by Simplistic.designs

What are your favorite examples of people who achieved great success through the power of persistence? Some of mine are Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Mahatma Gandhi, Winston Churchill, and of course, Michael Jordan.

What are some of your own personal stories where you stayed the course to achieve some important professional or personal victory?

Consider how you might break your “big shot” wins down into daily “small shot” behaviors you can easily practice on your journey of personal mastery. If this exercise is one you enjoy, both the journey and the results will reward you.

EXERCISE:

Consider picking up a copy of one or more of the following resources to enhance your resolve to keep shooting to realize your most deeply held desires:

Three Feet From Gold by Sharon Lechter & Greg Reid
The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson & John David Mann
The Power of Persistence by Justin Sachs
The Dip by Seth Godin
Take the Stairs by Rory Vaden

Want your own copy of “The Quotable Coach”? Click on the image below.
TQC-cover-welcome

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

Posted on by

“Be there for others but never leave yourself behind.”

-Author unknown

Examine all the roles you currently hold in your personal and professional worlds. If you are like many people, you may have to use toes as well as your fingers to count everything.

In what percent of these roles are you serving and supporting others? If you find the number approaching 80, 90, or even 100 percent, consider how much energy you have at days end for the most important person in your life – YOU!

There is wisdom in the flight attendant pre-flight instruction:
 Please put on your own oxygen mask before you assist others.

EXERCISE:

Take some time today to be a bit more “Self-ISH” (not selfish) by taking care of your own well-being and not leaving yourself behind, so that you can be your very best as you serve the people and organizations in your community.

“You have to believe in yourself.”

Posted on by

“You have to believe in yourself.”

– Sun Tzu, Chinese military general, strategist and philosopher

Photo from Flickr by Jennifer

Photo from Flickr by Jennifer

I am writing this post on a Sunday – the day many people practice their faith by attending church or another religious institution.

Many faiths believe that God created man and at the same time gave us free will and the ability to create our own lives through our beliefs and actions.

Central to our ability to manifest our world, Sun Tzu might suggest through this quote that a deeply held faith and belief in ourselves is essential.

EXERCISE:

Take note of the areas in your life where you have the strongest belief and faith, and notice what results you have achieved.

How would an even greater belief in yourself make the biggest difference in your personal or professional life?

To Conquer Ourselves

Posted on by

”It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.”

– Sir Edmund Hillary, the first climber to reach the summit of Mount Everest.

Photo from Flickr by Popeyed

Photo from Flickr by Popeyed

Sir Edmund Hillary is one of the world’s most famous mountain climbers. His adventures to the top of Mount Everest, the tallest mountain in the world, are legendary.

Hillary knew that we must first face and climb our internal mountains if we are ever to surmount the challenges we face in our outer worlds.

EXERCISE:

What external mountains do you need to face or climb? How will you summon the courage to conquer the internal barriers that appear to keep you safe and limited at base camp?

“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

Posted on by

“Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

– René Descartes, French Philosopher and Writer

Photo from Flickr by William Warby

Photo from Flickr by William Warby

There is no such thing as an “overnight success,” but there is a formula to become one. Before you argue the inherent contradiction in that statement, consider this:

An “overnight success” is the result of the journey of personal mastery, which is built on continuous self-improvement gained through experiential learning over considerable time. The “formula” IS the journey, which demonstrates itself through the phenomenal capacities we achieve beyond those of our previous selves.

EXERCISE:

Envision the simple, ordinary, and daily problems you are solving today. How might they be the beginning or early stages of your journey of personal mastery, in some aspect of your professional or personal life?

“Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.”

Posted on by

“Success is a ladder that cannot be climbed with your hands in your pockets.”
– Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by Travis Hornung

Image from Flickr by Travis Hornung

The spring and fall seasons here in Michigan require a “clean-up process” of leaves and other plant-related debris. This includes the need to climb up ladders and clear out the gutters on our roofs.

Imagine taking on this task and being told you had to leave your hands in your pockets as you climbed. Would you do it? Of course not!

Notice when, in your personal or professional life, you take on tasks half-heartedly, thereby leaving your hands in your pockets.

Exercise:

Where would grasping the ladder of success with both hands make the biggest difference for you today?

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

Posted on by

“Striving for success without hard work is like trying to harvest where you haven’t planted.”

– David Bly, American politician and member of the House of Representatives

Photo from Flickr by Tim Buss

Photo from Flickr by Tim Buss

The world is filled with “get rich quick” schemes, like the miracle diet that will let you lose weight effortlessly, and many other supposedly low-effort, high-result strategies. The problem with just about all of them is that they simply do not work.

I really like the word “striving.” It causes me to think of pursuing a noble and passionate cause when I’m “all in” and won’t stop until the goal is reached.

For me, though, it is not simply the goal that is the source of this striving. My passion, inspiration, and fundamental purpose for being mobilized into action are also essential.

Exercise:

What are the important goals and hoped-for harvests in your professional and personal life that inspire you to strive and do the hard and challenging work required of you today?