Matching Your Values to Your Words

Microphone 
 
Do your words match your values?  Not to perfection, but do you live out what you tell the world?  Is your story verifiable?  This is important because if they don't match-up, your wasting time.  And time is a gift.

I had a conversation with my wife last night about a couple we know that is heading for trouble.  The irony is they know it.  But being unsure of what to do, they just keep going.  The husband is very successful in the career and money sphere.  And his pursuits are steering the ship.  I consider him deluded.  If you asked him he'd say he values his family.  Huh?

Now the deal is this.  Everybody has been given the management role in regards to their life.  So I'm not in charge-except in my own life.  That said, I don't think the couple I mentioned desires the negative outcomes of their actions.  I see them like so many others when it comes to their circumstances.  Many people feel like they have no options.  But We do have options, and a lot of them.  But are we willing to do the work that will leave us vulnerable, in pain or afraid? 

This is the Rubicon.

I know it's a harder road to be focused on your words matching up to your values, but think about the following:

  1. Who or what deceived us into believing that relationships, missions, careers, etc., are supposed to be a breeze to deal with?
  2. The life you want will never be handed to you in a box wrapped in red ribbon.
  3. Maybe others are watching you for the inspiration to go forward.
  4. As hard as it may be to hear, often we spend way too much time trying capture the butterfly of happiness.  Maybe we should be still for a second or two and let the butterfly come to us.
  5. Our values are who we are.  This is true even if you try to deny it.
  6. Voices from the past are a part of history, leave them there.  Stop trying to resurrect what is, and should be, dead.
  7. You are responsible-fully.

Positioning

We all know people who are good at positioning for insincere purposes.  This is probably why the word has a fairly negative connotation.  But what about positioning for sincere and "right" reasons?

It could be a game-changer for you.

Whether you're looking for your next job opportunity or pitching a VC on a great business idea, positioning is vital.  Consider it the backdrop for your story.  If your intentions are sincere, then you should want to position the story (compelling and not like the everyone else) for your audience.  Seems to me it would take the edge off of the blues we can tend to experience while pursuing our dreams. 

It's worth it if you want your life to count.  Understand this; if you were looking for any employer, any VC, any business partner, then positioning would be a complete waste of time.  But my guess is you want it to be right.  The question is whether you're willing to go through the fire to find what you're looking for.

After the fire, you'll find the place you were looking for.

8 Areas For Your Attention And Commitment

What if you gave five minutes to your 8 key areas of life today? 

It's 1:12 PM EST where I'm at, so for those of my subscribers in Europe and Asia you should apply this on your next day.  But for the rest of us, we can fit this in today.

We're talking 5 minutes.  A total of 40 minutes out of 24 hours.

Here are the areas:

  1. Body
  2. Mind
  3. Spirit
  4. Money
  5. Career
  6. Learning
  7. Family
  8. Social

I fully understand that your career is getting 8 or more hours of your attention, but the point is not perfection or equal distribution of time.  The point is attention and commitment to your whole life.  I'm recommending starting small in-order to find great.  I believe with some effort and desire you might find out how precious your life really is.

Leave a comment and let the community know how your experiment went.

 

 

Take Time for Your Life

Take Time for Life Logo 

In recent months I've written and video posted about our new experience Take Time for Your Life.  Our "beta" launch was in late February and we've had some early success with individuals and organizations.  I am gratified by this.  The experience is now ready for launch in the webosphere.  Our first webinar will be conducted in late April.  Live events are in the planning stages as I write.

The why (very important) behind the experience is simply this:

    To have the life you want, you must take time for and manage your whole life.

The Take Time experience moves you from talking about the desire for a breakthrough to actually experiencing a breakthrough-multiple one's at that.  Our approach is focused on you, your way and your life.  We truly believe your the best person to define your life.  And most important the Take Time experience gives you the tools (online resources, subject matter experts, life-specific educational experiences, interaction with me, webinars, live events, live chat) needed to move you to breakthrough.

I am very excited about what this experience will mean for you.  I hope you will join us on the journey.  Your life matters, so give it the time it deserves.

Defining A Blue Sky Experience

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How do you define a blue sky experience? Is it some place over yonder? Is it a person? I see it as a moment. Just one moment.

Even in a business like mine where you work hard to get people engaged, I always take a step back and consider those who claim they have no time, shrink back in fear or laugh off the thought of what a blue sky experience might mean.  I guess you can't escape all of the things that get in the way of blue skies.

Since we began our partnership with Take Time for Your Life, it has become very clear about what's at stake.  Think of the premise of the words "take time for your life."  The urgency is great here, we actually are in the business of helping people put their life first.  Not their career, not a degree, but their life.  A life that includes career, education and more.

So the blue sky experience requires you to put your life first.  It requires you to understand that you only have so many times to see it feel it, embrace it.  It requires you to understand that the blue sky experience was given to you as a gift of sorts.  A wonderful gift.

I am an experiential writer and guide, so you need to know that I'm not just poking around here.  The picture in this post was taken in a moment today.  A moment I almost passed up because I thought I had so much work to finish, and I did.  But I turned around.  About an hour after I took the shot, I had to remind my mom that theattorney needed my dad's death certificate to finish her estate plans.  Admittedly, my blues increased substantially.

Enjoy your blue skies when you see them.  

What A Florist Taught Me About Life and Work

Spring_Crocus 

I've taught people about the idea of "doing" what makes you come alive many times in my work.  You've either witnessed it in other people or discovered it within yourself.  Regardless, it's priceless and leaves a mark on you.

A couple of weeks ago I went to a florist in my city to buy my wife flowers.  I went to this small business because a couple of friends had just purchased it and I wanted to give them my business.

When I walked in I greeted Amy and congratulated her on the purchase and asked her how things were going.  She talked about the various marketing ideas she had, the changes to the look and feel of the store that were to come and how crazy things were going into the Valentines Day holiday.  But there was one thing she said that left a big mark on me.  The following are her words:

    "When I'm in the back working on arrangements, that's my place, that's my time to be."

Here's what I learned, and am still learning, from her words:

  1. Knowing who you are versus who you are not makes a big difference.
  2. Epic Living is defined by the individual and looks different for each person.
  3. Our Life is screaming out to us to pay attention.
  4. You have to have the vision, the willingness to act and the patience to experience your dreams.
  5. Entrepreneurism is a road filled with opportunity and risk.
  6. Doing a work that requires you to show up is essential.
  7. It's very important to listen to the stories of others.

I'm sure there's more I could add to the list, but we all can utter the words Amy did if we truly are willing to go on the journey.  It's my life's work to help you.

My Way Of Life-Everyday

The following is a quote that describes my pursuits-every day:

"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."Theodore Roosevelt

Top Finds/Discoveries For 2009

Almost a tradition here, so the following are my finds/discoveries for 2009:

  1. Love is stronger than death.
  2. The way of entrepreneurism has many twists and turns.  I'm learning to be comfortable with what I don't recognize.
  3. Brancaia Tre…2006 to be precise.
  4. Tony Cefalu.  He's the real deal.
  5. Pennington Insurance Services, LLC (a little self-promotion never hurts).
  6. Those that love you need time to process change, just like you do.
  7. I still miss my dad.
  8. Started eating this food on a regular basis and its made a difference.
  9. Legos (really), they've opened a window into how precious the moments are with my son.
  10. Marcella'sis the restaurant where I celebrated my 18th wedding anniversary.  I was wide awake in a dream.
  11. Running became a way of life.
  12. I found this discfrom Gino Vannelli.  He reworked a lot of his old favorites.  A beautiful voice set to beautiful music.
  13. This organization stuck with me, even though I haven't given them a dime in almost four years.  Integrity filled with love matters.

I'm sure there's more, but I didn't think you'd make it to 25.  Cheers to your new year!

Looking In The Mirror

The following spoke volumes to me this morning:

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I
might learn to humbly obey.
     I asked for health, that I might do greater
things;
     I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.
I
asked for riches, that I might be happy;
I was given poverty, that I might
be wise.
     I asked for power, that I might have the praise of

            men;
     I was given weakness, that I might feel the need
of God.
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given
life, that I might enjoy all things.
     I got nothing that I asked for,

     But everything I had hoped for.

I am, among all men, most richly
blessed.

    -Author Unknown