How We Rise

Posted on February 3, 2016 by Barry

“We rise by lifting others.”

—Robert Ingersoll, 19th Century American Orator

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As part of my Personal Excellence Training program, each of my clients works on the key skill of increasing their relationship mastery. Without question, progress in this area has enormous benefits, producing qualitative and quantifiable results.

Some of the communication tools are:

Taking a sincere and full interest in what others think and believe
Listening with your full attention and honoring the value others have to offer
Limiting our desire to speak and respond too quickly so that the other person can fully express themselves
Being open and receptive to the views and contributions of others

EXERCISE:

How can you use the techniques listed here, and those you know well, to lift other people up in your personal and professional worlds? What benefit would you gain in doing so?

Something New

Posted on February 2, 2016 by Barry

“And suddenly you just know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.”

—Meister Eckhart, 14th Century German Theologian

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Happy New Year! I know I am a month late with that sentiment, but today’s quote gives me permission to tap into the special power this idea provides.

Examine how you experienced new beginnings in the past, and how you experience them today. Consider the following list, and feel free to add your own thoughts.

Visiting a new city or country
Trying a new food or restaurant
Starting a new job
Meeting new and interesting people
Learning something new
Shopping for new clothes, a new vehicle, a new home
Discovering new capabilities and talents within yourself

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you experience the magical power of beginning something new today?

Move On

Posted on February 1, 2016 by Barry

“Everything will change when your desire to move on exceeds your desire to hold on.”

—Alan Cohen, Author of Daily Dose of Sanity

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The ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes once said that if he were given a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, he could move the world.

Consider, today, your most deeply held commitments for a better future as your long lever, and your most important and foundational values as the fulcrum on which to place them.

One of my other favorite quotes is, your commitment supersedes your comfort.

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you experience the world-moving changes you desire by living each day more consistently with your most cherished commitments and values?

Hard Working People

Posted on January 27, 2016 by Barry

“Nice, Smart, and Hard Working People Succeed.”

-Author Unknown

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I often speak on the subject of success with various professional and civic groups as part of my business development efforts. In a presentation called Success: Best Practices, I engage the audience in 24 ideas I’ve discovered over the years. One of my favorites that relates to today’s quote is the acronym A.S.K., which stands for:

Activity

Skills
Knowledge

By increasing any or all of these qualities, we can all achieve even more. These characteristics also point to the smart and hard-working aspects in today’s quote.

I do very much like niceness as a critical element in building our social capital. This highlights the importance of relationship as a fundamental aspect of success.

EXERCISE:

How can you use the coaching in today’s quote to enhance your own success journey now and throughout this New Year?

Make it a Game

Posted on January 26, 2016 by Barry

“Making it into a Game.”

—Author Unknown

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One of the things we like about weekends, vacations and holidays is that they are almost always associated with considerable fun and enjoyment. It is not unusual to block out time during these occasions for games we enjoy.

Alternately, the majority of folks rarely experience work days as filled with fun. Studies by the Gallop Organization indicate that most people work in their areas of strength — and thus their areas of greatest satisfaction — less than half the time.

EXERCISE:

How could you “gamify” your current personal and professional work efforts? Create new rules and scoreboards to bring greater enjoyment— and perhaps added productivity — to your days.

Consider picking up a copy of the book Play by Stuart Brown, or Google the term gamification to learn how to make 2016 a fun and fulfilling year.

Walk Your Talk

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Barry

“You cannot talk your way out of something you behaved yourself into.”

—Stephen Covey, American self-help author

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Actions speak louder than words. They are all we really have to turn our dreams of a better future into a reality.

Consider a business leader whose behavior is inconsistent with the core values and corporate vision he claims to follow. Consider the individual who constantly brings up his interest in health and wellness, yet makes unhealthy choices and rarely engages in physical activity.

EXERCISE:

Where in your life can you bring greater alignment between your words and your actions?
To whom, beside yourself, will you make the promises? What added support will be required to ensure this new level of personal responsibility?

Don’t Let Yesterday

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Barry

“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.”

-Will Rogers, 19th/20th Century American Cowboy, Vaudevillian, and Humorist

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Imagine you are planning to take a hike, climb a hill, or even scale a mountain. Your goal is to go as far as you can and see all the beauty along the way. Unfortunately, you have chosen to carry a very heavy backpack filled with too many weighty issues from your past.

EXERCISE:

What can you do to lighten your load and carry fewer yesterdays, in order to make the best out of each and every day ahead?

More Than He Can Chew

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Barry

“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.”

-Herb Caen, 20th-century San Francisco Journalist

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What are some of the physical signs you experience when you take on a new challenge, go outside your comfort zone, and bite off more than you can chew?

Is it butterflies in your stomach? Cold sweats, a pounding heart, or a general feeling of fear and foreboding?

What do you do when you have these feelings?

Herb Caen suggest we embrace the lessons and accompanying wisdom provided by the circumstances, rather than retreating.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional worlds can you start taking bigger bites out of life’s apple to capture even more nuggets of wisdom?

Won’t Change You

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Barry

“If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.”

—Fred Devito, American Yoga Instructor

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What areas of your personal or professional life would you most like to change for the better? How long have you wanted these changes in your life? If your answer is “far longer than I care to admit,” a new approach will be required.

The New Year is just around the corner and a high percentage of people will be looking to resolve or achieve far more this time around.

One key to this success is to choose only a small number of challenging objectives that will cause you to stretch and grow, and to garner many more social and structural sources of support to virtually guarantee your success.

EXERCISE:

List one or two challenging goals for the New Year. Display them in multiple places in your personal and professional worlds. Solicit the rigorous support of a coach, mentor, family member, or friend, who will not give up on you to assure the lasting changes and results you desire.

Once this has occurred, select another priority goal and repeat the process, to have your best year yet!

When You Die

Posted on December 21, 2015 by Barry

“What if when you die, they ask: How was Heaven?”

-Author Unknown

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Close your eyes and imagine how heaven would look and feel. Take your time, explore all the vivid colors and inspiration beauty of this Utopian world.

Now imagine that you are a friendly alien visiting the earth for the first time, viewing this beautiful blue, green, and white world.

What if Earth were heaven? What if we were all too unaware to appreciate what was right in front of us all along?

EXERCISE:

Assume a “Heaven on Earth” attitude all day today, and consider sharing your thoughts with those you care about, or simply capturing your perspective in a journal or notebook.