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

Monday, November 8, 2021

Stoic Happiness


Stoic Happiness

I'm a fan of Stoic Philosophy. While it may be over 2,000 years old, its practicality is still useful.

These rules to live by will help you have a happier life:

1. If you're going to learn and succeed, be humble. There is always someone smarter, more successful, and wiser.  

2. Find the right scene. Choose your friends and situations. If you want to rise in life, you can't allow yourself to be held down by others.

3. Protect your time. Seneca said, "We're tight-fisted with property and money, yet think too little of wasting time, the one thing about which we should all be the toughest misers." Life is short.

4. Never do anything out of habit. Always think about how you can do things better and always question yourself. 

5. Keep it simple — do your job. Approach every task as if it were your last because it very well could be. 

6. Adapt and learn from failure. Using your success to justify complacency is common. It's also easy, which is why most people do it. You can do more and be better.

7. Live below your means. The more you need to work to maintain your needs, the less you will enjoy what you have.

Everything in life comes down to keeping things simple and mastering the basics. That's how you get the success you deserve.



* This article was originally published here

Friday, November 5, 2021

Get Off The Fence And Get What You Want


Get Off The Fence And Get What You Want

Okay, I'm feeling a little bit lazy today, so I'm going to cut to the chase and bestow upon you the secret to success you've been seeking. 

Are you ready?

Success requires that you do the hard work. Bam!

Hmm… I think I'll take my advice and rethink that lazy thing. I want to set a good example.

It doesn't take a scientist to figure out that if you want more, you will have to do something to get it. Still, we live in a world that makes it seem like it should be easier, and it's not. Success takes a lot of hard work - even if you don't see it.

Successful YouTubers make it look easy - after thousands of hours of trial and error.

Musicians are seemingly living their dream - after years of living in a tour bus and making pennies after their agents get paid.

Even people who do nothing but accept the generosity of society to make their way are working hard at a life that you would never want.

It doesn't matter what you want, good or bad, prosperous or not, happy or sad; it's going to take a lot of work to accomplish it. If you have a choice, and you do, why wouldn't you choose to work hard to bring goodness into your life?

You become interested in making a change. The problem is, interest is only the beginning, and you never get beyond your fascination.

You decide what change you would like to create and begin working hard to get it. Then, life gets in the way, and you stop. 

What's missing?

Commitment. Life doesn't give guarantees, but you tend to get what you want when you commit and go all-in on your mission. That's just how it works.

I'm interested in many things and work hard at making magic happen in my life, the lives of my family and friends, and even yours. Only a solid commitment to how I spend my decades on this planet allows that to happen. Whatever you do - get committed, and you'll see how things change.



* This article was originally published here

Monday, November 1, 2021

Empower Your Emotional Triggers


Empower Your Emotional Triggers

I don't know about you. I love it when we miraculously put together the perfect day and then life decides to get in the way. 

Well, not life, and maybe I don't love it, but occasionally something or someone will cross your path and cross your wires.

I don't know anybody who doesn't get hit smack in the face with a situation that triggers a feeling deep inside their soul, stirs emotion, and results in a reaction or response that makes you say, "Why did I say that?"

Of course, we are emotional creatures, so it makes sense that robust emotional responses are a thing for most of us. Still, a little common sense will tell you that it doesn't always serve us. It gets even worse when people sedate their emotions to protect themselves. Not only do they miss great opportunities, when they are triggered, it becomes an 8.0 earthquake.

So, how do you deal with it?

The way I handle it is to understand that triggers usually happen when I least expect them. Still, my Scott LOGIC tells me that once I experience the trigger and learn the lesson, a little discipline in my actions tends to smooth things out the next time. 

Here's what happens.

When I get triggered, a feeling emerges inside of me. Like me, the problem is that most folks jump from a feeling to an emotional response before their mouth knows what's happening. A better way is to recognize the feeling, pause, review the emotional dialog running in your mind, and then allow your throughs to become your words. 

Life gets better when you have the discipline to recognize what you've learned from a previous trigger, audit your reactions, and deliver your response. Strangely, it becomes as if you were never triggered at all.

Look, we live in a world filled with shoot-from-the-hip opportunities, many of them purposely put in front of us to get a response. Don't fall for it. Keep your mind on how you want to experience the world and stick with it. You'll be amazed how all the drama goes away.



* This article was originally published here