Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas to all. I hope everyone has had an enjoyable holiday season thus far and continues to find comfort in spending time with family and friends. As the year winds down, it is a great time to reflect on the past year and the things we were able to accomplish as well as those things we weren't. I know the list of things I would like to do in the coming year is long, but I've decided to take some advice I read recently on limiting the number of goals. I'll write more about that (on New Year's Day, of course.) May you have peace and love on this special day.
Monday, December 01, 2008
Thanksgiving
As the holiday season begins and Thanksgiving weekend has passed, I wanted to make a list of some of the things I was thankful for again this year. As I was driving in today, I was a sign that said something with the words "Gratitude" and "Attitude." (So much for details.) I thought that so much of gratitude is our attitude about where we are in life and what we have. We need to be grateful for all the things in our life - they are there to teach us something - and hold that attitude daily. It is not always easy to do, but if we can convince ourselves to be grateful each and every day, things certainly seem to go a lot better. So, here are just a few things for which I am grateful. Happy Thanksgiving and may the holidays bring fellowship and good cheer.
1. Life
2. Love
3. Family
4. Health
5. Challenges
6. Ideas
7. Friends and co-workers
8. Good food
8.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Act Now
The title sounded a bit like a sales pitch when I wrote it. Maybe it is. The idea behind this post came from an article written by a person well-versed in that area.
The premise of the article was to not put off things you could do today to protect yourself in a number of different areas in your life, including personal, professional, and health. The author wrote that his wife had mentioned some months ago that they had a security system at one of their homes, but not the one in which they were currently residing. A comment of "Yeah we really should do that," was not followed up on. Of course a few weeks later, they were robbed. The point of the article being, don't put off until tomorrow the important things you could do today.
As I read the article, I thought, I really need to post to the blog, I haven't written for a while; I'll do that later. Thankfully, the article reached out of the computer screen, smacked me and said "read that again, it says act NOW." So I did. As is the case so many times when we don't put off things, it felt good to do it. For procrastinators, it can be difficult. For others, not so much.
One of the tools I've started using is a calendar on the computer that sends reminders for events that are scheduled. I'm finding that as I get those reminders, I'm more prone to either act on them right away or "snooze" them for a short time if I'm in the middle of something. I think I will add this article to my bulletin board, highlight the quote about acting now that is at the end of the article, and repeat the mantra, "Act Now."
The premise of the article was to not put off things you could do today to protect yourself in a number of different areas in your life, including personal, professional, and health. The author wrote that his wife had mentioned some months ago that they had a security system at one of their homes, but not the one in which they were currently residing. A comment of "Yeah we really should do that," was not followed up on. Of course a few weeks later, they were robbed. The point of the article being, don't put off until tomorrow the important things you could do today.
As I read the article, I thought, I really need to post to the blog, I haven't written for a while; I'll do that later. Thankfully, the article reached out of the computer screen, smacked me and said "read that again, it says act NOW." So I did. As is the case so many times when we don't put off things, it felt good to do it. For procrastinators, it can be difficult. For others, not so much.
One of the tools I've started using is a calendar on the computer that sends reminders for events that are scheduled. I'm finding that as I get those reminders, I'm more prone to either act on them right away or "snooze" them for a short time if I'm in the middle of something. I think I will add this article to my bulletin board, highlight the quote about acting now that is at the end of the article, and repeat the mantra, "Act Now."
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Perceptions
I had a thought this morning as I reflected on an electronic conversation I had yesterday. As I sat working in Cody on our Body of Evidence document, I noticed it was snowing outside. I texted this back to Guernsey to find out it was sunny there. For some reason, it made me think of how perceptions can differ greatly in the same situation. Now, I realize we were in two widely separated geographic areas, but for some reason the analogy was there.
The stock market "corrections" is another example of how a persons' perception of things can determine how they feel about situations. One could look at the falling prices as an opportunity to invest in solid companies with good fundamentals at a time when emotion is overtaking the market. On the other hand, losing 40% (or more) of one's net worth may cause some to feel panic or confusion about what to do. I do understand as well that a person's situation will have a bearing on perception because someone who is relying on their savings and investments to live out retirement is in a different place than someone just starting out in their career. However, our perceptions will still determine whether we look at the glass as half full or half empty.
We do have a choice in such matters, and I believe we should exercise that choice in a positive manner. It reminds me of the elderly gentleman who was moving to an assisted living facility when asked how he thought he might like his room. "I love it," he said, without having seen it yet. Wake up every day with a similar thought - "it's a great day" (notice I didn't say "it 'will' be a great day") and the day and all that goes into it, will indeed be great.
The stock market "corrections" is another example of how a persons' perception of things can determine how they feel about situations. One could look at the falling prices as an opportunity to invest in solid companies with good fundamentals at a time when emotion is overtaking the market. On the other hand, losing 40% (or more) of one's net worth may cause some to feel panic or confusion about what to do. I do understand as well that a person's situation will have a bearing on perception because someone who is relying on their savings and investments to live out retirement is in a different place than someone just starting out in their career. However, our perceptions will still determine whether we look at the glass as half full or half empty.
We do have a choice in such matters, and I believe we should exercise that choice in a positive manner. It reminds me of the elderly gentleman who was moving to an assisted living facility when asked how he thought he might like his room. "I love it," he said, without having seen it yet. Wake up every day with a similar thought - "it's a great day" (notice I didn't say "it 'will' be a great day") and the day and all that goes into it, will indeed be great.
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Personal or Professional
A comment in the last post asked the question about personal vs. professional growth. As I thought about the question, I found myself thinking along two different lines. Reflection is so important for growth and I don't think most of us do enough of it.
The one avenue of thought I had was comparing personal and professional growth. I don't believe there is much of a difference. If it is true growth, I don't think there is. One might argue that a person could grow professionally and not personally, but to truly grow, there is only one way, and that is personally. Along those same lines, I don't think a person can help an organization grow if that person don't grow in some respect him or herself. This is how organizations can become stuck in the status quo. To me, it is similar to Einstein's comment about not being able to solve a problem "with the same mind that created it." If, as a leader, I don't grow (change) in some aspect, I don't think I can create the environment for growth or change in the organization.
My second line of thought had to do with perceptions. Our world is shaped by our perceptions. We see the world as we want and make judgments about what is happening around us based on that. I am reminded of the story of a man getting cut off in traffic who becomes irate and cusses and gestures at the person in the vehicle. Would his reaction have been the same had he known it was a family member rushing to the hospital? Would his perception of the situation change his reaction? More thoughts on that later.
The one avenue of thought I had was comparing personal and professional growth. I don't believe there is much of a difference. If it is true growth, I don't think there is. One might argue that a person could grow professionally and not personally, but to truly grow, there is only one way, and that is personally. Along those same lines, I don't think a person can help an organization grow if that person don't grow in some respect him or herself. This is how organizations can become stuck in the status quo. To me, it is similar to Einstein's comment about not being able to solve a problem "with the same mind that created it." If, as a leader, I don't grow (change) in some aspect, I don't think I can create the environment for growth or change in the organization.
My second line of thought had to do with perceptions. Our world is shaped by our perceptions. We see the world as we want and make judgments about what is happening around us based on that. I am reminded of the story of a man getting cut off in traffic who becomes irate and cusses and gestures at the person in the vehicle. Would his reaction have been the same had he known it was a family member rushing to the hospital? Would his perception of the situation change his reaction? More thoughts on that later.
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