Do You Have A Couple Of Minutes

I've had the opportunity to work with a number of business leaders over my career.  In their roles they are tasked with making many tough decisions, the kinds of decisions that keep you up at night and consume your thoughts during the day.  Many of these decisions have great impact on the people they serve today and those that will be a part of the organization in the future.  They often can be misunderstood because of how they choose to show up.  

Likewise, I have had the opportunity to interact with many people needing help.  When I take the time to understand the person and their circumstances, it allows me to exercise meaningful kindness and respect.  And it changes me by broadening my perspective.

Things aren't always as they appear because we tend to judge things from our frame of reference.  In order to truly understand anything, we must spend time to understand it, study it, experience it.  We must ask questions that allow for clarity and full explanation. And sometimes even in our studying, there may remain unknowns that impact or influence the reality of a situation or circumstances.  However, acknowledging that we may not have all the information we need to make good decisions is a good starting point for learning and understanding.

Our lives are a series of lessons.  Sometimes we repeat lessons before all the learning sinks in.  

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with a business person who worked in retail banking.  This person's hours were reduced due to the pandemic.  During that time he was able to enjoy his new family and help around the house.  He also started a side gig to make use of his new found flexibility and supplement his income.  He is now back at the bank full time and is thankful for the the time he had and the lesson he learned about priorities.

His life lesson was around using his time to re-evaluate his perspective around how much he valued his family and how important being present is to relationships.  He also learned about the loyalty and care of his employer. He has a revised perspective about how work can support a lifestyle he wants instead of building a life around what is left after work.  He also learned that his take-aways from his experience are different than others in similarly situated circumstances.  He also learned that it's important to surround yourself with possibility thinkers if you aspire to move beyond your current circumstances. Finally, he learned that we all have the ability to make things happen, and that waiting without action usually doesn't create the change we desire.

It was a great conversation and good reminder that life lessons are all around us, if we choose to be a learner and a doer. Take in the lessons in your circumstances and use the learning to propel you forward.

Yesterday it was announced that the Queen of England passed away.  Previously it had been reported that she was under doctor's care and that her family had joined her. There has been an outpouring of love and support for the the Queen's family.  What resonated with me at this time was the impact the Queen had on so many contrasted by the common experiences of life of family and loss.

While we may not have the birthright of influence like a royal family, we all will leave a legacy, a legacy that it is our responsibility to build.  What is the impact you want to have on this world? The more we are intentional about our choices, the more opportunity we have to build a positive legacy.

The second thing I was reminded about was the common experience of the passing of a loved one and the ritual of reminiscing and comfort. We likely have all experienced the loss of a loved one or the loss of something dear to us.  There is a common mourning process that follows.  It is in the common life experiences that we can better relate to one another.  I was reminded that when it comes to living, we have a lot in common on which we can build connection.  While we can celebrate our differences, we should also find connection in the commonalities of our life experiences.

So as you go in to the weekend, take some time to think about the impact you want to have, the legacy you want to leave, and how we can build connection  through our common and shared experiences.

We grow when we have the opportunity to stretch and expand.  When we keep ourselves and others in a box bound by a current skill set we can become stagnant.  To ensure we have skills that remain relevant to changing circumstances, we must remain open to continuous learning and growth.  Learning and growth is accompanied by some failure, which can help us to refine our approach.

Sometimes as managers, leaders, and parents, we like to see others grow without experiencing discomfort or failure.  When we take this approach, it may have the opposite effect on growth, and lead to stagnation and dependency.  It can sometimes be difficult to allow people space to fail and grow - but it is necessary. We must exercise understanding of the learning journey and share our stories and wisdom with those who might benefit.

When we allow space for new experiences, allow people to learn through the inevitable failures, and when we lead by example, we support the growth of those around us in addition to supporting our own growth.

We often hear the phrase, "Putting in the work."  But what does "putting in the work" actually mean and what does it look like?

Putting in the work implies going through a process of change, growth, and work in order to advance toward a goal.  One can put in work that is physical or one can put in work on a mental or psychological level, and make advances. The meaning of this phrase is that change and advancement take time.  It is unrealistic to expect overnight mastery or success.  However, when one has intention, focus, and commitment to a goal, and keeps at it until that goal is achieved, that is how one puts in the work.

Putting in the work is a practice of discipline. When disciplined, we condition our body to do what our mind desires.  When we are disciplined, we also consistently show up and put effort toward our desired goal. Success is built upon consistently putting in the workl

I had a great conversation with a friend of mine who has overcome a lifetime of challenges.  The challenges my friend faced are the kind many of us can unfortunately identify with, ranging from being the target of insults and exclusion as a child to unwelcome sexual assault, and people taking advantage of the benevolence and kindness my friend offered in personal and business relationships.  However, my friend has chosen to put in the work in order to resist the label of victim, and instead has chosen to focus on an identity of one who intentionally learns, grows, contributes, and thrives. 

It's so easy to take on labels others give us, not recognizing the limitations holding such a label places on our actual potential and ability to see more, do more, realize our fullness.  It's important that we take inventory of the descriptors or labels we use for ourselves and others.  Many times those labels are really just experiences and circumstances we can grow from or that allow us to connect with others in a unique way.

We must remember that we ultimately define ourselves.  Why not define ourselves from a a perspective of fullness instead of limitation?  Think of the possibilities and encourage others to do the same. Get rid of the limiting labels. 

Today we're talking about some important aspects of Labor Day.

Labor Day reminds us to recognize those who perform work that serves us...and to do our best to serve others through our work.  Remember not all work is  "employment-based."

Labor Day also reminds us of the importance of taking time to rest from our labor in order to be able to perform to the best of our potential and ability.

Have a great Labor Day and be sure to like and share this podcast so that others can also enjoy it and join us on our journey of learning and leading more fulfilled lives.

Encouragement is important.  It is like a healing balm or energy that is shared.  It helps bring out the best in others.  It also helps us to see things from a positive perspective.  Encouragement helps us realize potential.

Today I share a few stories on important times of encouragement in my life, from different time periods that had a positive impact.

!. Tell It Like it Is

2. Baseball Coach - I believe in you

3. Mom's Encouragement - You Can Do What You Put Your Mind To

4. Boss Encouragement - You have great insight

5. Friends - You Have been an encouragement and inspired growth

Today, take a moment to genuinely encourage someone in your circle of influence. It will have positive impact that extends beyond the present moment.  Encouragement is important.  It helps bring out the best in others.

Procrastination, if you don't do it yourself, you likely know someone who does do it.  I personally only have to look in the mirror to see someone who practices a selective art of procrastination.  I like to think it is only around things that are not important or don't really matter.  however, if that is truly the case, why do these things stay on the "to do" list? 

Recently I heard some thoughts on procrastination and they got me to think.  So when we procrastinate around something we have the time to do, but instead choose to do something else, is it truly arrogant in that we think we will have more time to do it some other time or we believe it is not important and can wait?  This was the perspective that was shared on procrastination, and I thought that it seemed to be true.

Procrastination is a pretty good measure of both how much something is prioritized at that moment in time and how much it may seem to matter in the future.  People procrastinate about many things, like getting a medical exam.  In the moment it seems like it might be able to wait - but perhaps the waiting makes things a little worse.  People also procrastinate around deadlines, sometimes they squeak things in and sometimes they miss an opportunity.  If it really mattered would you be willing to risk not getting something done?  Procrastination certainly seems like it can be telling about what we prioritize to be of value in a moment and if it is important and remains on a list, it tells us a bit about our arrogance in believing we will live long enough to get it done - or perhaps to allow it to diminish in importance.

In the end all this thought on procrastination reinforced the idea to be aware of the choices I make, why I make those choices, and the impact my choice will have.  It was also a little prod to remind me, if it is on the list and I have the energy and means to do it, why not just do it?!  Procrastination does not move things forward, and to maintain the momentum of life, we must keep moving forward with as minimal drag as possible.

We often take time to check in with others, which is great.  However, it's important that we take time to check in with ourselves. This is something i have found very helpful.

Take some time to be intentional about checking in with yourself?

How are you feeling?  How do you want to feel? 

Do you need to give yourself the gift of time to think or do something that increases your level of joy?

What things truly matter to you?  Are you living consistently with the values you espouse?

What are the goals you have for yourself, big and small?

What do you want to change?  What do you want to keep doing?

Be a Friend to you.  Be kind to you.  Check in with yourself, be honest with you, and keep evolving.