Tag: Wisdom

The era of prosperity-on-auto-pilot is over

David Kanigan curated this quote from Hugh MacLeod about the current economy…

“Hardly a mor­ning goes by these days without me hea­ring some story…about Ame­ri­can eco­no­mic woe…

The Great Con­ver­gence is upon us, and our friend, the Inter­net is acce­le­ra­ting the pro­cess…

The good news is, if you have a talent, the world wants it, and it has never been so easy to show your talent to the world…

The bad news is, espe­cially for us fat & lazy Ame­ri­cans, is that the great, century-long era of Prosperity-on-Autopilot  is over…

The world still wants serious talent. And it still wants peo­ple doing the grunt work: pushing mops, dig­ging ditches, wai­ting tables, ans­we­ring pho­nes, flip­ping bur­gers etc…

Learn how to work hard, work long hours. Find something you love, and then excel at it. Above all else, learn how to create, learn how to invent. That’s your only hope, really.

Source: The Era of Prosperity-on-Auto-Pilot Is Over – Lead.Learn.Live.

Continue reading “The era of prosperity-on-auto-pilot is over” →

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That other “F” word

Adaptation of above image illustrating an Inte...

Nicholas Bate talks about failure…

We need courage to help us with failure. There: we’ve said it. Failure which is often harder to drop into a conversation than the term explicit sex. But we do need failure. Not failure the result: losing the business, losing the girl, failing the interview. But failure the process: learning, improving, iterating, removing slack, becoming lean, becoming fighting-fit, installing effectiveness, developing wired-in muscle memory, just knowing, getting really really good, broadening, widening, gaining wisdom, picking yourself up and smiling and trying once again. Yeah, that. The whole process requires lots and lots of crappy failure. And we don’t like it: we want approval, we want love, we want accolades. But hang on a minute: no, you don’t. You really want to grow, you really want to discover who the heck you are, you really want to see just what your limits are. You want to start creating your personal greatest works. And you do all of that by failing. Repeatedly. With tears at times. With jeers at others. But stay in the game. The right girl is quietly noting you. The rumours are reaching that elusive agent. Quarter 4 target was a bit of a breeze; just don’t tell HQ in California. The thing is you will fail at whatever you try to be good at, be it juggling (balls will drop) to blogging (posts will bore) to interviews (CVs will fail to impress) to start up pitches (we’ve heard it all before). But from failure you will learn so much more, so much more than success. You really do need courage to stay in the game. It’ll be worth it when you get a real score, a real success. Fail enough and you will get what you want and you will become free. Plus you will get the girl who wants to hang out with a grown-up. Not a kid in a wannabee T-shirt.

Source: That Other F Word – Nicholas Bate

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More on being your own hero…

Kute Blackson’s post made me think of another epic post on ‘being your own hero’ written by friend, client and Harvard Business Review author Nilofer Merchant on the deification of Steve Jobs and the lessons it holds for us…

So, it’s with that life context that I am watching the beatification of Steve Jobs. Google the term, “Steve Jobs tribute” and you get back 5 million plus results. And I’m fairly sure that’s an undercount. There’s a good reason for this; the Hero Narrative has deep roots in our culture. We find it in history books and religions, in our sports teams and, yes, even in our corporate cultures. We obsess. We deify, as if there is a single defining idea of how innovation works, what makes a leader great, or how success happens.

This is not new. It is the idea of The One and it shows up in many ways: Who will be the next leader of the free world? What nation will be the next superpower? Which visionary company is the single conqueror of industry? (It’s Amazon, it’s Google, it’s Facebook, it’s Apple!). And we have it in management disciplines with debates like: isn’t it better to have one smart person than lots of ordinary people working for our organizations?

But I wonder if this framework is wrong.

Continue reading “More on being your own hero…” →

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There is a hero inside you

Hero

Lifecoach Kute Blackson writes…

Real heroes aren’t angels in the sky. They don’t float amidst cotton candy clouds. Real heroes don’t need to climb Mt. Everest, jump from planes, or walk on fire to prove their strength. Real heroes aren’t named Woods, Kobe, or Cruise. They don’t run from life in order to find peace. Real heroes deal. They know how to take responsibility for whatever befalls them—or whatever they’ve caused.

Real heroes are those who dare to enter situations fully, carrying peace with them. Real heroes are those who have the courage to love, laugh, and live full tilt. Despite the hand they’re dealt. Despite who did what to them. Real heroes are those who dare to live larger than what scares them, embracing their brothers and sisters with open hearts.

There is a HERO inside you.

Deep in our hearts we all have a longing to: Play like Mozart did at four. Play like Miles Davis jazzed. Play like Michael Jordan jumped. Play like Martin Luther King peaced. What would happen if you played like that? What would your life look like if you played like Nelson Mandela persevered? Or like Einstein intuited, Buddha meditated, Mother Theresa loved, Picasso painted, Jesus miracled, Janis Joplin crooned, Barishnikov danced, and Pele played? What could you do? Who would you be if you didn’t let your fear, your past, or your limitations stop you?

It’s your time. It’s your life. NOW.

Real heroes know that no one’s coming.

Because they’re already there.

Because you’re already here.

You are the hero you’ve been waiting for.

I dare you.

Source: There is a Hero Inside You [Blog] « Positively Positive

No one is coming. How will YOU respond?

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On technology and relationships…

Ouch! I started watching this TEDtalk thinking this didn’t apply to me but the longer Sherry Turkle talked the more I heard her describing me…

Our fantasies of substitution (with tech) have cost us… – Lead.Learn.Live.

To illustrate her point, I find myself posting this video before I’ve even heard her conclusion and I’m tweaking this post while I could be sitting in bed with my wife drinking coffee…

“Let him who has ears to hear“…

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Discover what works for you

Melody Beattie writes:

There is no quick fix, no panacea that will work for every person. Success rarely happens overnight or in five days. Even the Twelve Steps are only suggestions. Although proven to work, the details and decisions about how we apply those Steps in our lives are left to each one of us.

And few things happen overnight, except the beginning of a new day.

Listen to your mentors. Examine what’s been tried and true, and has worked and helped countless others along their paths. The Twelve Steps are one of those approaches. But don’t be taken in by false claims of overnight success and instant enlightenment along your path.

True change takes time and effort, especially when were changing and tackling big issues. We can often get exactly the help we need at times from a therapist, book, or seminar— the best things in life really are free and available to each one of us. The Twelve Steps, again, qualify in this area.

Discover what works for you.

Trust that you’ll be guided along your path and receive exactly the help and guidance you need. Then give it time. There really isn’t an easier, softer way.

God, give me perseverance to tackle my problems.

Source: April 8: Discover What Works for You | Language of Letting Go

Melody Beattie’s work on codependency works for me and has been a tremendous help over the past year as a supplement to the work I am doing in Celebrate Recovery. What is working for you this Easter as you think about resurrection and rebirth?

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Tackle “impossible” with this three-pronged approach

Im-possible Goals

Philip McCluskey shares an inspirational story of attacking goals from a physical, spiritual and mental perspective in his post with a focus on

  • Taking responsibility for your power
  • Believing you are worth it
  • Creating your own good days
  • and trusting the Universe.

Go to the source if it sounds interesting to you; Tackle “Impossible” with This Three-Pronged Approach [BLOG] « Positively Positive

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Your starting place does not define you

Personal Best

“Your story is where you take it to, not where you start.”―Tony Robbins

Let’s be honest and get a few things out on the table:

Your starting point does not define you.

Your starting point is a neutral data point.

What matters is where you want to go rather than where you are right now.

Your starting place is just that—where you start. Nothing more and nothing less. It’s neutral.

Jeff Bezos started Amazon in a garage. Steve Jobs started Apple in a garage. Many people think a garage is a pretty terrible place to start a business. However, both visionaries built incredibly successful companies that have since changed the world and our view of what’s possible.

Iyanla Vanzant, an author and self-help guru, went through a divorce, lost her daughter to cancer, and lost her home. She is now a NY Times bestselling author and will soon have a self-empowerment show on Oprah’s network (OWN). Although, we tend to classify our starting place in an extreme way, it’s just a starting place. No need to be dramatic.

“We can think, speak, and bring the best possible outcome into existence by focusing on where we are going, not on where we think we are.”—Iyanla Vanzant

Do yourself and everyone around you a favor, please stop being so tough on yourself because your starting place is difficult…

Source: Your Starting Place Does Not Define You [BLOG] « Positively Positive

Go to the source if you want more…

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On clutter…

My cluttered desk

If we don’t clear the clutter from our lives, we aren’t able to let new feelings, experiences, projects, visions and relationships flow in. We often can become so focused on wanting to add so much more to our lives that we don’t realize that what we get rid of can have the most profound impact of all.

via Clearing The Clutter – Both Inside And Out!.

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Find a "Comfort Food" for your mind

Gretchen Rubin writes…

One common happiness question is: How do you give yourself a boost? If you’re feeling anxious, blue, angry, scared, what can you do to soothe yourself?

A few days ago, I posted 5 myths for fighting the blues. Okay, those don’t work very well. So what does?

One suggestion: find a “comfort food” for your mind. Know what you can do with your brain that will give yourself a comforting break from your worries, at least for a little while. By doing so, you’ll re-charge your battery, find it easier to stay calm and cheerful, find it easier to take action to remedy your situation—and you’ll sleep better. But this is easier said than done.

We all suffer from “negativity bias,” that is, we react to the bad more strongly and persistently than to the comparable good. (What do you remember better, a compliment or a criticism?) Research shows one consequence of negativity bias is that when people’s thoughts wander, they tend to begin to brood. Anxious or angry thoughts capture our attention more effectively than happier thoughts.

So if you’re feeling blue, look for ways to pull your mind away from your worries onto positive topics…

Source: The Happiness Project: Find a “Comfort Food” for Your Mind.

Go to the source if you’d like to read the rest of Gretchen’s post…

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6 Keys to live your truth and love your life

Key & keyhole with light

6 Keys to Live Your Truth and Love Your Life [BLOG] « Positively Positive

Go to the source if to read a great post from Terri Cole…

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Good Friday…

From Jon Swanson’s blog…

Jesus Christ died. The son of God was crucified on a cross. We’ve heard the end of the story – He was raised again and lives forever.

But on Good Friday we celebrate His death. “Celebrate” sounds like the wrong word to use. Why should anyone be happy about such a cruel event? The reason we can celebrate is why Jesus died. Because of his death, our sins are forgiven. We don’t have to live under the troubling guilt of the wrongs we have done to others, to ourselves and to God. The consequences of our actions may well remain, but our internal guilt can be totally wiped away. God says in Isaiah 1:18, “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow.”

However, we need to turn away from actions that are keeping us from accepting God’s forgiveness. Acts 3:19 says, “Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.”

The movie, The Passion of the Christ will stay with me a long time. The scenes of the pain Jesus went through to die perhaps the worst possible death are very haunting. Seeing Jesus suffer truly did bring tears to my eyes. I would recommend that you watch the film, if you haven’t seen it yet. It’s good to ponder the cost that Jesus paid for our gain. Just going through Good Friday like any other day is all too easy to do, with the busyness of our lives. Take at least a few moments to reflect on what Jesus did for you and thank Him for it. Pause your routine and go to a different room or outside and express your feelings to God. Bask in His forgiveness.

Today is a Good Friday.

Source: Good Friday | 300 words a day

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On power…

Mastin Kipp of The Daily Love shares this…

If you are looking for reasons why you aren’t enough – you’ll most likely find them. If you look for reasons why you should quit – there are plenty of them there. If you look for reasons why it’s not working out – yup, you guessed it – that’s there, too. But, just because you find the evidence, this doesn’t mean it’s actually true. It just means you found something “out there” that, based on the meaning that you are giving events and circumstances, correlates with something you are looking for. The power here is that the MEANING we give the events of our lives is what controls the outcome – far greater than circumstance.

Source: Here’s How CRAZY POWERFUL You Are!

Go to the source if you’d like more…

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On balancing energy…

Kristin Barton Cuthriell has an excellent post on balancing energy. She says…

What would happen if you were to drive your car without ever stopping to refuel?  You guessed it.  You would run out of gas.  Your body is no different.  If you continue to run, without taking time to refuel, you too, will stop.  Your body needs to maintain a balance of energy to function properly.

We are going to take a moment to talk about this balancing of energy; balancing the energy coming into your body, input energy, and energy leaving your body, expenditure energy.  Optimal wellness depends on maintaining a healthy balance of these two different types of energy.

Lets look at some examples of both input energy and expenditure energy.

Source: Balancing Your Energy | Let Life in Practices

Go to the source if you’d like more and follow her blog if you like what you see there!

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Stand up to your fear of abandonment

Melody Beattie writes…

Many of us have a fear of abandonment. Some of us let it rule our lives. We’ll do anything just so that person doesn’t walk out and leave us alone.

I spent many years letting fear of abandonment control me. After a while, I finally wore out that belief. I just got sick and tired of worrying about whether I was good enough for that person.

Then a new thought set me free: If you don’t want to be my friend, or my lover, or my employer, I don’t want you in my life.

No more emotional blackmail. No more stress. No more having to second-guess what that other person is feeling.

Are you spending your time worried about someone leav­ing you? Does your fear of being abandoned leave you feel­ing like an underdog in your relationships? Let it go. Stand fast. And listen to what I’m about to tell you: If that person doesn’t want to be in your life, just let him or her leave. Do you want someone in your life who really doesn’t want to be there? Of course not. Let him or her go.

Once you adopt this belief, it’s easy to send the bad rela­tionships packing, and the good people want to stay.

God, help me believe that I deserve only the best of relationships.

Source: April 5: Stand Up to Your Fear of Abandonment | Language of Letting Go

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Dare to be selfish

pamperyourselfJason Moskovitz writes…

This is not a call to be careless or to be preoccupied with yourself. This is not a call to be full of yourself. I would argue that many of us are far less than full of ourselves. I urge you to fill your self up MORE.

We all have mothers. Many of them are naturally giving—often to a fault. In this day, mothers often find themselves parenting, working, and socializing at the same time, with less support from our communities when compared to traditional times when it literally took a village to raise a child.

Whether you are a parent, an artist, an athlete, or a giver of any kind—many of us can give too much. Maybe we give as part of our nature, maybe we focus on the needs of others as a way to distract from our own needs and desires.We burn ourselves out. We empty ourselves.

Now is the time to become self-centered. Focus on what makes you happy. Focus on what you want. Be that strongest link that holds your family, your workplace, and your community together for the long haul. Here are nine things to assist in filling yourself up…

Source: Dare to Be Selfish [BLOG] « Positively Positive

I have found recently that if you don’t take care of yourself in a healthy way it’s hard to take care of your responsibilities in a healthy way. Go to the source if you’d like to see the 9 ways…

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A powerful three-step algorithm for happiness

Leo Babauta

Another powerful post from Leo Babauta…

Today I’m going to share a really simple secret that can make your day instantly better. If you’re feeling down, it can make you happier, all day long.

It’s something I’ve been trying myself, with great results.

It’s three steps, and anyone can do them. This is an algorithm that can be repeated over and over, all day long. It starts with a basic assumption: that we are all human beings capable of goodness, of love, of pain, of broken hearts and passionate love. That we all have bad days, that inside our jaded exteriors is a person who just wants love.

It is based on my observation that we take other people for granted, and that we judge others and become irritated with them for almost no good reasons, and we expect everyone to make us happy or at least behave the way we want them to, and if they don’t, our day is ruined. That’s crazy. People are living their own lives, and aren’t trying to please us or act in accordance with our expectations, and once we accept that, we can be happy.

Here are the three steps. They might sound silly to some of you, but I urge you to give them a try. For just one day. Even just an hour. They are powerful, and they work.

Source: » A Powerful Three-Step Algorithm for Happiness :zenhabits

Go to the source if you’d like the 3 steps…

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5 Excuses that keep you unhealthy (and how to destroy them)

Cartoon mountain pass symbolizing path of leas...

Matt Frazier of No Meat Athlete shared this on zenhabits…

Each and every one of us, as a human being, is hardwired to choose the path of least resistance. We’re programmed to conserve energy for when we might need it and to avoid risk wherever possible, because that’s what it took for our ancestors to survive (and reproduce) in a world full of unknown dangers.

Today, it’s why the status quo — tested, predictable, familiar — is so comfortable. And it’s why we find change so difficult, even when our very lives depend on changing.

I’m referring, of course, to our health. Continue reading “5 Excuses that keep you unhealthy (and how to destroy them)” →

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If your happiness is based on always getting a little more than you’ve got…

Seth Godin

…then you’ve handed control over your happiness to the gatekeepers, built a system that doesn’t scale and prevented yourself from the brave work that leads to a quantum leap.

The industrial system (and the marketing regime) adore the mindset of ‘a little bit more, please’, because it furthers their power. A slightly higher paycheck, a slightly more famous college, an incrementally better car–it’s easy to be seduced by this safe, stepwise progress, and if marketers and bosses can make you feel dissatisfied at every step along the way, even better for them.

Their rules, their increments, and you are always on a treadmill, unhappy today, imagining that the answer lies just over the next hill…

All the data shows us that the people on that hill are just as frustrated as the people on your hill. It demonstrates that the people at that college are just as envious as the people at this college. The never ending cycle (no surprise) never ends.

An alternative is to be happy wherever you are, with whatever you’ve got, but always hungry for the thrill of creating art, of being missed if you’re gone and most of all, doing important work.

via Seth’s Blog: If your happiness is based on always getting a little more than you’ve got….

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Bio as Bible: managers imitate Steve Jobs

In the latest ‘drive-by’ management trend, the deification of Steve Jobs continues…

Mimicking Mr. Jobs’s keynote style and adopting catch phrases like “one more thing”—the words Mr. Jobs often used to introduce products—may make bosses think they’re operating more like the genius himself. But it has provoked plenty of eye-rolling among staffers. “Some employees are teasing me about when I’ll start wearing black turtlenecks,” says Mr. Thammineni, referring to Mr. Jobs’s signature item of clothing.

“It’s not to that point of being annoying yet, but it might get there,” says Dominique Levin, vice president of marketing at Totango Inc., a software company based in Mountain View, Calif., and Tel Aviv. Her boss, CEO Guy Nirpaz, devoured all 656 pages of the book in three days, then bought copies for his employees—including Hebrew translations for employees in Israel—so they could discuss the book at company meetings.

Source: Bio as Bible: Managers Imitate Steve Jobs – WSJ.com

Jobs was a brilliant but an assaholic! Managers should be careful about who and what they choose to emulate…

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Just frikkin’ do it already…

Are you glued to the computer all day like me? Get inspired by Gemma Stone…

Since I saw her video post last December, I have been trying to work walking into my life. I used to poo-poo walking as not being exercise ‘enough’ but lately my wife and I have been ‘power’ walking for 40 minutes a day and the benefits are amazing!

I use an app called Endomondo for my smartphone that tracks my distance and time and I use Pandora to give me some upbeat music to keep the pace up. Stop making excuses and join me! Everyone in your life will thank you…

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