“Don’t swing at every pitch. Wait for the right ones and then knock them out of the park.”

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“Don’t swing at every pitch. Wait for the right ones and then knock them out of the park.”

—Rohan Rajiv, author of A Learning a Day Blog

Image from Unsplash by Josh Hemsley

I recently had the opportunity to observe two different sporting events on the same weekend.

One—as you might guess from today’s quote—was baseball. The other was tennis.

When I compared the two, I noticed a significant difference.

In tennis, the receiving player tries to return every serve that makes it into the service area, no matter how fast or how much spin it may have.

In baseball, the batter has a number of chances to be more selective on when to swing at what’s being offered by the pitcher.

EXERCISE:

Where do you find yourself swinging at every pitch coming your way?

How often do you strike out or get on base, given your ability to discern which pitches are right for you?

How would more practice increase your batting average and add more home runs to your stats?

Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations

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Ring the bells of your days and sit in their reverberations.
—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Manga Vitriolic

The days go by in a blur for most of us. Whether we’re rushing around like chickens without their heads or the world around us is speeding by, it’s all a bit dizzying.

Living with greater mindfulness and intention slows things down so that we actually notice our surroundings and reflect on what is going on, moment-to-moment.

With our best focused efforts, we take in and appreciate the bells we ring and the whistles we blow to signal the marks we make in our communities.

EXERCISE:

Take some extra time throughout your day — or just at day’s end —to feel the reverberations of your efforts and the impact you’ve had on the world around you.

Consider giving yourself a quiet celebratory high five to acknowledge the good you’ve done before you head to bed.

Friday Review: Mistakes

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Friday Review: Mistakes

What is the biggest mistake you’ve ever made? What “mistake” turned out to be a good thing? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, risk-taking, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

 

 

 

“Just because you’ve made mistakes doesn’t mean your mistakes get to make you. Take notice of your inner critic, forgive yourself, and move on.”

 

 

 

“One thorn of experience is worth a whole wilderness of warning.”

 

 

 

It is easier to course correct once we’re on our way

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“It is easier to course correct once we’re on our way. When in doubt, focus on getting started. Momentum will make subsequent moves significantly easier.”

—Rohan Rajiv, Author of the A Learning a Day Blog

Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan

If you drove a car or a truck in the 1950’s you needed a good bit of upper body strength to turn the wheel.

Before the advent of power steering in the 1960’s, moving from ten to two had many folks break a sweat, especially if the vehicle was at a complete stop.

If you were moving and had some momentum, actions such as changing lanes and going around curves was considerably easier.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life do you need to course correct and change lanes?

Where do you want to take your life out of park, put things in gear and step on the gas to build the momentum you need to get where you’re going?

 

“Don’t let statistics do a number on you.”

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“Don’t let statistics do a number on you.”

—Fortune Cookie

Image from Unsplash by Carlos Muza

These days you hear a lot about big data and how the use of information collected has impacted all of us for both good and bad.

Here are some common statistics used in our daily lives:

  • Weather forecasting
  • Sales tracking
  • Healthcare spending and insurance
  • Monitoring traffic patterns
  • Financial models and investing
  • Manufacturing and quality improvements
  • Urban planning and population modeling

Unfortunately, we are learning more and more about how statistics are used to mislead and manipulate all of us. Areas in which things can go wrong include:

  • The use of misleading graphs
  • Selective data displays
  • Omitting the baseline
  • Distinguishing causation and correlation
  • Prosecutor’s fallacy

EXERCISE:

Where do you get your information on the subject of climate change? How fact based and objective are your sources?

Consider reading The Carbon Almanac as a source that is objective and easily verified.

What statistics and other sources of information do you currently trust, but could benefit from the use of greater verification?

You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people

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“You find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. Why not make an earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others?”

—Lydia Maria Francis Child, 19th Century American Social Reformer

Image from Unsplash by Tyler Nix

Who are the people in your life that always exude a cheerful disposition? Who are those that smile at you and seem to be genuinely happy to see you whenever you connect?

When you think of them how do you feel? What sensations do you experience, and how does your mood and attitude shift as you anticipate each encounter?

Shift things around for a minute and consider how many of these people would put you on their list of happy, peppy people? How do you brighten the room, or pull down the room darkening curtains when you show up?

EXERCISE:

Look up the books FISH and Make Their Day to see how you can brighten the lives of others. Don’t be surprised if you benefit from the boomerang of cheerfulness that comes your way in return.

See the humanity in others. We are all wrestling with our own stuff

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See the humanity in others. We are all wrestling with our own stuff that is making life messy and difficult.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Bud Helisson

To a certain degree we are all narcissists. We can’t help but look through the lenses of our own trials and challenges each day. Doing this can often create a separation between ourselves and others in our communities. We can come to think that the burdens we carry are somehow unique to us and are of far greater magnitude.

I recently watched the National Geographic series 9/11 One Day in America. and got a big wake up call at how our troubles pale in comparison. I’ve also realized in the past few years since Covid the wrestling done by most people is far more than I ever imagined.

EXERCISE:

To what degree do you take the time to fully embrace the humanity in others? Take a few extra moments today to be interested rather than interesting and see what you discover.

Friday Review Vulnerability

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Friday Review: Vulnerability

How vulnerable are you? How do you react to vulnerability in others? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.

 

 

“You don’t protect your heart by acting like you don’t have one.”

 

 

 

“When you connect with people from the core, you learn a whole lot more.”

 

 

 

Vulnerability is a source of so many wonderful aspects of life. You must, however, let go to receive them.

 

 

 

 

Desires that arise in agitation are more aligned with your ego

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“Desires that arise in agitation are more aligned with your ego. Desires that arise in stillness are more aligned with your soul.”

—Cory Muscara, instructor of positive psychology at the University of Pennsylvania

Image from Unsplash by Piret Llver

There is nothing wrong with wanting things. The idea that we can separate our desires into two categories seems like a useful exercise if we feel the need to do a bit of re-balancing.

What goals are you pursuing that create a sense of agitation and stress?

Where are you pursuing power, status, or other achievements viewed and scrutinized by others in your communities?

What are some of your quieter goals that bubble up in stillness?

These are likely the ones with no specific metric or scoreboard to measure yourself.

EXERCISE:

Create two lists of your ego and soul-based desires.

Consider letting your level of agitation or stillness guide you to which items deserves more attention.

Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor

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“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.”

—Truman Capote, 20th Century American novelist, playwright and actor

Image from Unsplash by the blowup

Wendy and I recently spent a week in Florida to help celebrate one of our dear friend’s 90th birthday. This special lady is only four feet eight inches tall and probably weighs only a bit more than my five-year-old grandson.

During our time together, I had numerous chances to discuss some of her challenging life events and pivotal moments that helped shape who she is.

It is often said that good things come in small packages—in her case, I’m sure that her keen wit, energy and enthusiastic love of life had folks come from near and far to celebrate her flavorful life!

EXERCISE:

How would a shift from seeing failure as a bitter pill to a tasty condiment give your life more flavor to savor in the years ahead?