Photo courtesy of Marina del Castell
It’s How You Look at Things
June 11, 2014 By
Photo courtesy of Yohann Legrand.
Life is often times not about what happens to us but how we perceive what has happened to us. This is why some people can have a traumatic experience and they get depressed while others with a very similar experience go out and change the world.
I came across a talk from Janine Shepherd back in March that put this thought into focus. She was an Olympian training on her bike when a vehicle hit hurt and put her in the hospital. She would have multiple injuries that most people would have certainly thought her whole life was over. While she did have to give up her athletic career, she turned the accident into an opportunity to change lives through her speaking, writing, and determination.
You can view the video below of Janine’s speach. After watching it ask yourself when something rough is going on in your life “How can I turn this into an experience that helps me instead of hinders me?” That question can help you get through just about anything.
One Sheet
June 4, 2014 By
Photo courtesy of Sebastian.
What could one sheet of paper mean to you?
I was thinking about how many ideas, dreams, goals, and fortunes have begun on a single sheet of paper. To some it is an inconvenience in our digital world and to others it is a one cent item that just really doesn’t get much thought. But, what if you used just the one sheet to start a personal movement?
The movement might be personal change, the start of a financial goal, or the next big idea that shapes a culture. Next time you see a piece of paper right something down. You never know what it could be the start of.
What was an accomplishment that you achieved that began with a single idea on a piece of paper?
Put Me In Coach
April 30, 2014 By
I love when this song comes on. It reminds me of going to see the Charleston Wheelers play at Watt Powell Park years ago. I still remember Wheeler Bob hollering as you walked in the front of the stadium selling the programs.
As I have listened to it through the years I wonder how many people sit on the sidelines waiting for a “coach” to let them start something. You can be your own coach. All you need to do is get up and begin. It doesn’t matter what it is.
“Put me in coach! I’m ready to play today.” If you are ready to play go do it! Develop your action plan and figure out how you are going to put yourself into whatever game you want to play. A new job, a certification, a workout, whatever. Go get it.
What is a song that gets you moving and motivated?
Sometimes You Have to Think of the Box
April 16, 2014 By
Often times when we are trying to problem solve we are working so hard we don’t see the solution in front of our face. We are told to think outside the box but sometimes you need to look at the box itself. The container may just have the solution you are seeking.
In 1945 “The Candle Problem” was published. It was created some time before that by psychologist Karl Duncker. The premise of the problem you can see in the picture to the left. Participants were given a book of matches, a small candle, and a box of tacks. They had to find a way with these materials to put the candle on the wall and light it but the candle could not get wax on the surface below it.
Sometimes you just have to think of the box.
The video below is from Dan Pink where he discusses motivation and the candle problem in detail.
Write to Your Current Self
March 26, 2014 By
Photo courtesy of Torley.
I am sure you have an idea of what you want to achieve in the next 10 or 15 years. It may be vague or exact but we all have some place we want to be. Some want to be married with kids, others want to have a million dollars, and others dream of living on the beach enjoying their retirement.
Whatever it is you want to have or do in the future, write to your current self like you are sending the letter back through time. Write like you have already achieved the goal and how much you are enjoying it. Put this letter somewhere that you can find it later and see how accurate your future self was when the time comes along.
What is the one big thing you would like to accomplish in the next decade beyond anything else?
The Past Can Hurt and Heal
February 26, 2014 By
Photo Courtesy of Antony Mayfield.
It is true. The past can hurt quite a bit. The one thing to realize, and it may take some searching, is the hurt served you in some way. Maybe it got you out of a bad relationship, an addiction, or caused you to start the career path that you are on.
If you find out how your past served you it can also help you heal the emotional pain.
If you did something to harm another reach out to them to to try and attempt to make it better. Even if the person doesn’t accept you need to know that you tried. This can free you in so many ways and help ensure that you don’t make the same mistakes again.
Learn from your past but look forward to your future. Living in the past serves no productive purpose. Using it to learn from can be your greatest gift.
“The past can hurt, but you can either run from it or learn from it.” Rafiki – The Lion King
Page of Change
February 19, 2014 By
I always hear people say they want to make a change but they don’t seem to know exactly what they want. I am sure this has happened to you. You will feel like something just isn’t right but you do not know what you need, or want, to change.
Take out a piece of paper and a pen. Take the next three minutes and write out everything you would like to change in your life in the next one or two years. Don’t let the pen up from the paper. Just write, write, and write some more for the full three minutes. Set a timer on your phone if you need to.
Once you have finished circle the things you could change right now. Either make the change or decide you really don’t need to. Then do the same thing with the items that can take six months, one year, and two years. Mark off anything you have now decided you really don’t think needs to change.
At the end of this exersize you should have a bit of more clarity on what things you would like to change in your life. You can now set goals and work towards the long term changes.
Question: What kind of things would you like to change in your life?
The Ten Dollar Question
January 29, 2014 By
Photo Courtesy of Dave Dugdale.
Last week I asked the question”If someone walked up to you and handed you $10 with the stipulation you had to make someone’s life better with it what could you do?”
The inspiration came from Chris Guillebeau who wrote “The $100 Startup” which talks about starting a business for a hundred dollars or less. I was interested in what people could do with ten dollars to change someone’s life. Ten bucks seems like a small amount of money to make a big change but I wanted to make people think deeper.
Why think deeper? Because many people will do for others what they will not do for themselves. You might go buy a burger from a drive thru for someone who is hungry but would consider that splurging if you did it yourself. I wanted to make people think about how they could make a difference in someone’s life with $10 so you could maybe see how you could change your own life or circumstances with the same amount of money.
Fortunes have been made on little startup money. Lives have been changed with a kind word and a helping hand with no money at all. Take ten dollars and in the next week go and make a difference with it in your life. Start a business, make a donation, or start that retirement account you have been meaning to get to. Make a commitment to go out and do something with a ten dollar bill during the next seven days!
What Could You Do With $10?
January 22, 2014 By
Photo Courtesy of Eli Christman
That is a pretty straightforward question. If someone walked up to you and handed you $10 with the stipulation you had to make someone’s life better with it what could you do? What would you do?
See It As It Is
January 15, 2014 By
Photo Courtesy of Carnie Lewis
One of the important lessons I learned from Tony Robbins was to see things as they are but not worse than they are. We tend to take inconveniences and problems and blow them out of proportion to make them larger than life. Some do this to get attention and have significance while others do it to give themselves certainty that they can be a topic of conversation.
Whenever you are affected by any kind of difficult situation ask yourself:
* How bad is it really?
* What is the worst possible outcome that can occur with this situation?
* If that outcome happens, what am I going to do about it?
When you speak to others about your situation keep these things in mind. Tell them how it really is – not what you imagine it is going to be or the story you have told yourself about it. It will lower your stress/anxiety and give you a plan of action should the worst possible outcome actually happen.
First Monday of 2014
January 6, 2014 By
Photo Courtesy of Eva-Lotta Lamm
WAKE UP! It’s the first Monday of 2014! Today is the start of a new week in a new month in a new year. If you don’t get up and get started today then when will you?
If you have not started working on your 2014 goals today is the perfect day to get at it. Do at least one thing that gets you closer to achieving one of your goals today. Get up an hour early tomorrow and do it again. Then do it again. Then do it again. Keep it up and you will be knocking the goals down in no time!
Some people say they hate Mondays. I think it is better the embrace them as a new start! Today is your day. Own it.
Question to Ponder:
What is something you did today to get one step closer to achieving a goal? Leave a comment below with your answer.
Did You Make Progress?
December 11, 2013 By
Photo Courtesy of Christian Lambert.
2013 is just about to wrap up in a few weeks. I think it was a most excellent year full of some life accomplishments that I am thrilled to have brought to fruition with help of many others. Now, my question to you is, did you make progress?
Making progress isn’t about completing a goal. Taking a few steps toward a goal, a want, a dream or desire is making progress. Two steps forward and one back is still a step ahead of the game. Don’t be afraid of the one back. The one back isn’t a failure; just a course correction.
Change is going to happen all the time whether you want it to or not. Progress, on the other hand, is something you have to work towards. I hope you made progress this year and are ready to do amazing things next year.
What kind of progress did you make in 2013?
Random Acts Journal
November 13, 2013 By
Photo Courtesy of Jennifer
It is a time for thanks and with that in mind we are coming up on the season of kindness. A time when people generally are more giving of their money, resources, and time. However, we often forget about the numerous acts if kindness around us daily.
How often do we take for granted something as simple as another driver letting us in front of them when we are trying to get into a street? This, in its truest form, is an act if kindness. They didn’t have to let you through but they took a moment to do so anyway.
Think about these everyday acts of kindness. Get a small notebook from the dollar store and carry it with you for just seven days. Each time you witness something nice being done whether for you or another person write it in your notebook. At the end if the week tally up your number. I think you will be presently surprised by just how high the number is.
Challenge: Whatever number you ended up with I want to challenge you to do the same number of random acts of kindness over the next 30 days. These can be simple gestures of saying hi to a stranger or buying someone’s meal in line behind you. Change the world one kind act at a time.
Tappa Tappa Tappa
November 6, 2013 By
Photo Courtesy of Josef Grunig.
Catch the reference in the title? Yep, you rock!
Anyway, I wanted to write a quick blog about something I recently found. It is called EFT, Emotional Freedom Techniques, or, more currently, tapping. It is a concept that has been around for about 20 years and has recently gained some popularity.
In tapping, you tap on your meridian points to help alleviate pain and stress. I will tell you up front it feels a little strange to even try this at first. However, the more research I have done the more I find people who have benefited from the technique.
I have included a video below that shows you how to do it. Watch the video, research, and determine if this is something for you. You need to determine for yourself if you will benefit. I wanted to put it out there for my tribe because of the benefit I have found people getting from it.
If you give it a shot let me know in the comments below what you think. I will add it to my ongoing research.
