Friday, December 10, 2021

Monday, December 6, 2021

How High is Your Ceiling


Sometimes, I scratch my head when people say something that I can’t believe is true. That has happened over the years when my wife, Joi says silly things like -

“I like to paint. It’s fun. I don’t like to do it all the time, but I like to paint.”

I guess it’s a perspective thing. 

I’m not particularly eager to paint and would prefer to pay someone to paint. Joi likes to paint and chooses not to pay something to paint. So, if it makes her happy, I let her paint, which leaves me in an awkward situation of meandering around the house feeling guilty that she is painting and I’m watching paint dry. 

I wonder if she hatched this evil plan to make me feel like a lazy husband?

It’s good she works out so she can keep climbing that ladder?

Is that paint on that expensive workout outfit?

Hmm… she does seem to be enjoying it. Oh well, happy wife, happy life - right?

I guess it’s a perspective thing. 

One day, Joi was painting my office. I walked into my world domination chamber and she was up on a ladder with a confused look on her face.

“How high do you think this ceiling is? 12 feet? 14 feet?”

No, honey. The ceiling is 10 feet high. 

“Really? It looks higher from up here. Are you sure?”

Yes. I’m sure. Everything looks different depending on where you are at the time.

It’s a perspective thing.

Joi continued painting, I started fixing lunch, and my mind settled in on two thoughts…

That experience is going to be a podcast and…

Perspective is everything in life. When you take a second to recognize that not everybody sees the world the way you see the world, everything gets better.



* This article was originally published here

Sunday, December 5, 2021

Do You Know Who You Are?


There’s a lot of talk about “ideology” these days, and it’s usually not in a good way. 

But what about YOUR ideology? 

Do you know who you are?

Before I go on, ideology is simply a creed, culture, dogma, outlook, philosophy, theory, or view. And let’s not forget ideas, principles, and tenants.

At the end of the day, an ideology is what you stand for in this world. And, if you do it well, it’s also how other people know what you stand for in this world. It’s also up to you to decide that for yourself. After all…

If you don’t know who you are and tell the world, the world will decide who you are and tell you who to be.

That’s why I have a living document that establishes who I am, what I believe, and serves as a foundation of growth and change as I live and evolve. I call it my “Who I Am” document. It’s all mine, and I share who I am with the world through my actions.

How do you see yourself?

How do others see you?

How do you act in situations?

What do you believe?

What kind of people do you hang out with?

What are the rules you follow for YOU?

This list is endless and should be. After all, you are a complicated and ever-changing person. 

Can I make you a promise?

It’s easy these days to seek sources outside of yourself to find out who you are on the inside.

It’s also easy to let the agenda of others infiltrate your thinking and pull you down a path that isn’t who you are meant to be in this life.

The very instant that you sit down and document who you are and want to be, nothing else will matter. And the more dedicated you are to documenting YOU… the more you will get to be YOU.

How do you do it?

That’s easy too. Just ask yourself who you are in every area of your life, document your answer, and live it every day.



* This article was originally published here

Saturday, December 4, 2021

Jean Paul Richter

"Never part without loving words to think of during your absence. It may be that you will not meet again in life."

* This article was originally published here

Ultimate Guide To Career And Job Success

Success • December 2, 2021, 12:00 am


Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Positive, Practical, and Peaceful


I have to admit that I get in trouble because some of the Scott logic that comes out of my mouth doesn’t sit well with lots of folks these days - and they let me know. 

One of the biggest comments…

“You seem like such a positive guy, and then it’s like something clicks in your head and go negative and ruin my day.” 

While I don’t think I ever go negative, I’ve heard that many, many times. 

Here’s the thing…

It would be easy for me to get caught in the feel-good trap of chasing positivity - if only for the sake of being positive. But I’m not interested in that. I am interested in the results. For me, that is a peaceful, content, joyful, and meaningful life. If you’ve been alive for more than a couple of decades, you know all of that is found lurking in the truth. That’s why I consider myself a practical positive guy, and you should too. 

I believe an optimistic attitude is a power in life; I also think that you can never be truly happy until you are willing to dig deep into the not-so-positive challenges in life. Until you do that, you’ll you blocked. That’s why you’ll always hear me cover both sides. Frankly, I’m not interested in what we can and will do in our lives, I’m interested in the millions of interactions, decisions, and feelings we encounter every day that become the life we will have lived someday.

Stephen Fry said, “sticks and stone may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Almost everything that freaks folks out begins with words that come from others and yourself. Keep that in mind because… 

When you choose to be positive, practical, and ground yourself in the truth, you will become at peace with everything around you - including yourself.



* This article was originally published here

Saturday, November 27, 2021

Friday, November 26, 2021

Somebody Need You Right Now


When I was a teenager, I was a weekend moviegoer, and it was the age of Rocky, Star Wars, and Jaws. Besides, with only three channels on television, getting out of the house was the top item on my to-do list.

As a kid with big dreams, it was easy for me to slip into the fantasy world of films and let my mind run for a couple of hours. By the end of the film, I was always excited to get on with life and become like the folks I watched in movies.

That’s when life got in the way.

Like many young folks, I graduated high school, charged into the world, and waited for Somebody else to lift me into my dreams. Well, things didn’t work out the way I expected. That’s when my mother-in-law gave me some very useful advice that I needed to hear —

“You know, right now, Somebody needs what you have to offer, but because you’re sitting around the house, they don’t even know you exist. Get out there and let them know you are here.”

I can’t tell you how many times in my life I’ve said to myself —

“Somebody out there needs what I have to offer. My job is to find them and let them know I’m here.”

It’s the same for you.

If Somebody needs what you have to offer, your job is to find them and save their day.

That’s how you write and star in your own life movie.



* This article was originally published here

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Eric Schmidt

"In a world where everything is remembered and everything is kept forever, you need to live for the future and things you really care about."

* This article was originally published here

Sunday, November 21, 2021

Be The Change You Wish To See in The World


People have always sought change for themselves, their life, or the world. 

There is a constant truth if you want to change; you must change before anything else changes.

Many intelligent folks agree -

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.”

Leo Tolstoy, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

What about Albert Einstein?  

“The world, as we have created, is a process of our thinking. It cannot be changed without changing our thinking.”

Do you want to change something about today, tomorrow, or the future? You must change before anything else changes.

Have you learned lessons from past experiences? You have already changed, and your future is better for it.

Rumi said, “Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.”

If tomorrow you want to be better than today and Yesterday, something has to change. That something is you.

If you want to make more money, serve more. Do you want to be happier? If you want this life to be well-lived, something has to change today. That something is you.

What if you want everything about your life to be perfect? Listen to Winston Churchill. “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”

It’s so simple.  

You Must Change Before Anything Else Changes.



* This article was originally published here

Phoenixermind

Success • November 19, 2021, 12:00 am


Saturday, November 20, 2021

John Green

"It has been my experience that maximizing income is a helluva lot less important than maximizing passion and fulfillment in your both professionally and personally."

* This article was originally published here

Thursday, November 18, 2021

Are You Tired Yet?


Many have said, "Life is a marathon, not a sprint." 

But what happens when you find yourself doing both at the same time? 

If you've been living on this planet for any length of time, you've figured out life is a long game made of day-to-day sprints. 

If you want a big bank balance, you make small deposits over time.

If you want to lose weight, you make small reductions over time.

If you want to get a promotion at your job, you do well every day. 

The challenge happens when you have not defined the marathon you are running. A lack of a specific goal can only lead to daily activity that may or may not get you to your destination. If that is happening to you, you may feel worn out, frustrated, and wondering when things will turn around. 

There's good news. That kind of thinking means that you are on the right track to success.

Certain stamina is required to reach any goal. And society today celebrates your ability to put in the hard work no matter what. 

There's only one problem. 

If it's not working for you, it's not sustainable behavior. Sooner or later, you will decide to make a change - usually abruptly.

Here's the truth; you will change when you wear yourself out. 

Reluctant, fearful, or hard-headed, you will only put up with a less than satisfying path in life for only so long. Eventually, when you wear yourself out.

When you've had enough, even if the timing is not perfect, you will change when you wear yourself out. 

You know it. I know it. Everybody knows it. 

So, what's the fix?

The marathon we call life will continue until it doesn't, and there are three things you can do to make it better.

The first is to define your destination with clarity. 

Next, match your daily activity with your goals.

Finally, accept that if things don't go your way, you're going to change directions anyway. 

You will change when you wear yourself out.

You may well skip the bad stuff, make an adjustment, and get to the good stuff right now. There's no need to wait.



* This article was originally published here

Friday, November 12, 2021

Painting Your Way to Success


Painting Your Way to Success

My wife and I are settling into our new home, and she has assigned herself the job of painting every inch in the house. Not because we couldn’t hire somebody to do the job. Strangely, it’s because she loves to paint. 

I’ll admit that I’ve felt a little guilty leaving her with a rolling brush and a couple of gallons while I find something more interesting to do - which is pretty much anything. Still, last weekend I offered to join the painting party and speed up progress in the largest and most challenging room, she accepted my offer, and off we went.

If I haven’t made it clear, I don’t love painting. The only thing more painful for me is listening to a boring conversation I’ve heard a thousand times before. Still, brush in hand, I began my journey that day while sharing my philosophy with my wife. 

That’s what she gets for locking herself in a room with me and a paintbrush.

While it played out over a couple of hours, here’s what I said —

I’m okay with painting. I am. In fact, I see every situation in life, like painting a huge and complex room. You know, a room with lots of windows, corners, and trim. One that requires physical contortions to reach every inch that you would never do in real life. If you want to get the job done. Heck, if you want to get anything done, you keep painting.

Keep painting. Keep painting. Keep painting.

As long as you keep painting, you’ll eventually be finished and get what you want. If you stop, not only is your room going to be a mess, you don’t get what you want.

So, whatever you are painting in your life, keep rolling until it’s done. No grind. No hustle and no glamour or drama. Just painting. 



* This article was originally published here

Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Leaders Look For Conflict


Leaders Look For Conflict

I admit the title, "Leaders Look For Conflict," might a little over-the-top. But I know that you want to be a better leader. I also know that you hate and don't want anything to do with conflict - especially since I can hear you saying —

"Why can't we all get along?"

I get it. Saying the word "No" is hard enough. Saying "Yes" when others agree or disagree with your choice can be more difficult.

"Why can't we all get along?"

The answer is that we can. However, the truth is that conflict will always happen whenever more than two people get together. Especially when there is a common goal, and everyone is on the same page. Conflict will always play a role in your success.

What?

We're on the same page, agree with each other, want the same result, and there's still conflict?

"Why can't we all get along?"

It's not that. It's just that no matter how positive your project is, everybody has a different idea of how to reach the outcome. Everybody has a different right way and wrong way.

As a leader, when you approach conflict as a simple "Y" in the road of progress, things change. It becomes a decision that is part of the process and leads to the outcome everybody desires.

Leaders, Managers, heck, Mom's and Dad's - anybody responsible for moving forward eventually learns to accept conflict.

Leaders don't get emotionally fired up, yell and scream, or freak out in some other creative way. Conflict is another step in the process.

The faster you can accept conflict, the sooner you can resolve the obstacle and reach your goal. Everybody will respect and appreciate you. They will also remember you for helping all involved achieve success.



* This article was originally published here