Tag: self-help

The Limits

Limits, everyone has them.  Have you been properly introduced?  

The limits remind us of our humanity and introduce humility.  This can create an urgency like no other.  You begin to see that you don't have all that time you thought you had.  This is good.

I heard a story once of a man who lost his wife.  He gave some sobering advice:

"Save nothing for special occasions."

In other words, every day of your life is a special occasion.

Here is a post a I wrote some time ago that will unwrap this idea more.

Don’t Make Excuses

A few thoughts ruminating through my head tonight:

  1. Is your organization bureaucratic?
  2. Is your organization run like a cult?
  3. Is your organization bloated?
  4. Is your organization relying on cutting expenses to give the appearance of growth?
  5. Is your organization paying you for your time or your results?

If the answer is yes to any of the above, then summon the courage and be creatively discontent.  Point out what's wrong and be outspoken (in a professional/respectful manner) about how to create a new paradigm.

By the way, this only works if you're an asset.  Mediocrity earns you no rights.

It’s Called Falling In Love, Tiger

First, no judgement from me on Tiger Woods.  I'm made of the same stuff.  Temptation and mistakes are a one-out-of-one statistic.

I couldn't help but scratch my head when I heard a sports personality comment on Tiger Woods' situation.  He basically stated that Tiger should have kept himself single because the temptations would be too great for him to handle…considering his fame and fortune.

It's called falling in love.  And everybody wants that whether they know it, want it, hate it, deny it, or find themselves with a broken heart over it.

Unfortunately, most of media is focusing on endorsements, who the women were, website statements, and pure gossip.  A broken heart didn't make the headlines.  This says much about where we're at.

I'm confident only the broken hearted can understand what if means to be…

What Are You Hanging Onto?

Whether it's social media stardom or the next viral marketing campaign, your identity can easily be sucked in.  You may ask what does it matter?  It matters much.  Examine where your identity rests and you'll know what you're hanging onto.

The greatest artists, thinkers, and entrepreneurs are the ones who have a graceful indifference to their craft.  By that I mean they pour themselves out not thinking of what may come next.  It's beautiful to observe.

Maybe they're content to let eternity judge the quality or significance of their work.  It really doesn't matter…see Steve Jobs, Miles Davis, Nelson Mandela or Mother Teresa here for a flesh example.

The answer to this post's question is nothing.

Hang onto nothing and change the world.

Don’t Be Charmed By Security

Even with the economic conditions here in the States, specifically the employment situation, many still seem to be charmed by security.  I'm alluding to security in the form of career/work.  Now certainly, some have all but concluded that security is a myth.  But I find many career/work pilgrims are disturbed by current trends.

I used to be in that group, but am now a freak of the not-so-weird variety.  Why?  I entered my period of mass disruption almost 4 years ago.  Back then many felt certain about the future.  Now…

Well, let's face it, life (all things in) has never been certain.  And that's part of our problem.  We bought the marketing message of "too big to fail."  I know we're better off with a sense of not taking anything for granted.  Especially since that's the way business and life were supposed to be conducted/lived.  Leaders of the highly developed nature know this to be true.

We just haven't done a good job at handling success and good times.

Now's the time to embrace uncertainty and insecure times.  Watch your values shift and find out what right alignment is all about.  I think the following might open up for you:

  1. God knows what he's doing.
  2. Family and relationships trump everything but #1.
  3. You don't need as much as you think (trust me, the economy will be ok).
  4. You'll demand more of your organization.  For example, your paid for your results, not your time.
  5. Taking a pay cut in order to do something impacting will seem right as rain.

So Many Masks, So Little Time

I've written and taught about wearing masks before, but this post (The Joy of Quitting) from Seth got me thinking.  What if we burned our masks (the type that suck away our authenticity) in some great fire?

Politicians tend to be prone to mask wearing.  Ironic as that may be, since they really are supposed to be servants of the citizenry.  This is soberly played out in the video clip link of President Nixon in Seth's post.  The pre-speech interaction and honesty is worth the view.

When you wear masks to "project" or to deceive, you are taking a poison pill.  A pill that takes life very slowly…over time.  Most would agree that it's not worth the cost. 

Have you come to that conclusion?

Here are a some stakeholders who stand to benefit when the masks are discarded:

  1. Your family.  Believe me, they are longing for you to show up.
  2. Your career.  Are you really doing what is consistent with your wiring?
  3. Your next entrepreneur venture.  The potential benefactors of your ideas are worn out from empty ideas by mask-wearers.
  4. Your customers.  Too much coming at them-everyday-for you to be anything less than authentic.
  5. Your organization.  They may see potential in you that you're afraid to face.

The Calling-Red Pill Versus Blue Pill

Came across this post (via Dan Schawbel on Twitter) from Yahoo Hot Jobs and felt inspired to include the video clip above.  It's from the Matrix.  The classic scene between Morbius and Neo, where a pill of blue and a pill of red are offered to Neo.  Essentially, stay dead with the blue or wake up with the red.

My intention here is to alert you to #5 on the list from Yahoo.  I totally disagree with the writer's assertion that not everyone is called to something.  Granted, some may not know, some might have forgotten or some may be trying to kill it.  But everyone has a calling.

Sadly, we live in a culture that stands in opposition to your calling.

God weaved the vision in you and I.  The crux is what we allow "the Matrix" to take away or kill.  Every story is hinged on this conflict.

Updates and Such

Thought I would inform you all of my wanderings:

  • Been working on a new model (for me anyway) to venture into.  Totally unrelated to Epic Living, except it has the "help" element.  Been a struggle and has taken longer than I expected.  I undertook this new venture to help stop the financial bleeding that Epic Living has been experiencing since the beginning of 2009.  Yes, I am not immune to the perfect storms of the American economy.
  • Been grieving more deeply about my dad and his absence.  This one is ongoing.  Can't deny the void, and I don't quite see what will grow from that right now. 
  • Trying to re-learn some of my family leadership roles.
  • Learning the heart of being-leadership versus doing-leadership.  A contrarian art if there ever was one.
  • Learning every day not to take anything for granted.  Seems that God really wants me to understand this.  My dealings with living and dying have awakened this sleeping giant.  I'm waking up every day looking for the gifts given from above, and then act upon them, even when they break my heart, don't make sense or cause me to be afraid.
  • Learning more about the honesty of wine-really.

More to come…

Why I Write-Updated

Thought it was important to update this post.  Originally written in 2008, it's a daily reminder that trust is important in words-written or spoken.

"I have never thought of writing for reputation and honor.  What I have in my heart must come out, that is why I compose."

                              -Ludwig Von Beethoven

You may not need this post, but I'm going to proceed anyway.  In the blogging world many talk about how to increase subscribers, increase hits/page views, or how to monetize the blog itself.  Each of those efforts have merit.  But why should someone who blogs want results like an increase in subscribers?  I think many of us in the blogosphere have missed something in our motivations.

In a celebrity obsessed culture it is easy to get carried away by attention and notoriety.  We forget what an authentic following means versus momentary infatuation.  You could have a thousand subscribers, but does that really mean that something is being flipped?  I don't think so.  In my last days in corporate America I had a number of people who were "subscribers."  Funny thing though, when I was escorted out my subscriber list fell dramatically.  Did my ideas change?  Did my expertise diminish?  No, to all of those things and more.  But my cache did.

So when I write (books, columns or blog posts) I make sure it comes from my heart.  That way I can sleep at night knowing I didn't write in order to make a sale for a sale's sake.  Believe me I had enough posing and posturing in corporate America to last me two lifetimes.  No sense in resurrecting those tired positions for the sake of numbers.  Besides, I really want change to be my partner.

If you're writing/communicating through a blog or some other portal, give people authentic content.