Roombas are robotic vacuum cleaners. The roll around the floor vacuuming your room while you're away. They are successful because they keep moving after they encounter an obstacle. They If they didn't do this, they'd just suck. They are successful because they succeed. Most ladders have many rungs. We succeed from rung to rung to make to the top of the ladder. The word "Succeed" is derived from the latin, succedere: to go up or follow after. I usually think about … [Read more...]
How are you making it easier?
June 7, 2012 by
I'm beating this horse this week. The girls stopped eating. We found out their bottles flow rating was too low. Babies won't work too hard to eat. They'd rather not eat ... then drive their parent crazy as the scream because they're hungry. We bought them new nipples. They make it much easier for the girls to eat. They started eating more than before and 3 times faster. It's easy to get caught up in make the tool or the process 'perfect.' If it makes people work too hard, they … [Read more...]
What will you give?
June 1, 2012 by
Will you give yourself permission to be uncomfortable today? Will you give yourself permission to be more than who you were yesterday? Will you give yourself permission to dig a hole for you to get out of tomorrow? Will you give yourself permission to seek that spark of an idea? Will you give yourself permission put your ideas together? Will you give yourself permission to reveal your ideas to the world? Will you give yourself permission to ignore … [Read more...]
What if you asked differently?
May 17, 2012 by
What if I fail? One the most common reason we don't take action is the fear of "what if". What if they say no What if it doesnt go well What if they don't like me What if they ask questions and I don't know the answer What if I look dumb Here are some more "what ifs" to ask: What if you look back in 10 years and your in the same place you're in now What if you become irrelevant What if you have nobody to blame but yourself By avoiding the first set of what … [Read more...]
The under-used, not so secret way to a life of riches
April 4, 2012 by
I was on my way out the door this morning. Jen grabbed me. She took me by my shoulders. She put me square in front of her. She looked me dead in the eye. And started speaking. "Thank you for getting Ellie up this morning and starting to feed her.""Thank you for taking care of Evie.""Thank you for making the bottles.""Thank you for making lunches.""Thank you for putting toothpaste on my toothbrush.""Thank you for filling my perfume bottle."My eyes moistened. My breathing … [Read more...]
Wish You Were Here
April 3, 2012 by
I get lost in the act of wishing. I wish I played tennis more. I wish I were more extroverted. I wish I played guitar better. I wish I did a better job of marketing this blog. I wish those jeans I got a couple of years ago weren't so tight. I wish I were more comfortable (and effective) at networking. I wish that I wrote (and published) more often. I wish I were taller. I wish I called my mom more often. I wish I didn't have a commute. I wish I had published a book by now. I wish I … [Read more...]
Mind over matter
March 27, 2012 by
Shawshank Redemption was nearing the end. I watched Red travel on the bus going to Fort Hancock, Texas. It struck me. No one on that bus was listening to a Walkman, iPod, reading something on their phone or tablet. It was a long, quiet ride from Maine to Texas. A bit over 30 years ago, Sony invented the Walkman. It was a first. You could take your music with you. And block out the rest of the world with stereo headphones. Jogging and walking no longer had to be a slow silent slog. The … [Read more...]
The biggest secret to time management
March 19, 2012 by
A few months ago, I tried to fit left over soup in a container. Jen told me that it wouldn't fit. I insisted it would. I cleaned up soup that overflowed from the counter. She gave me "that look." Once again, I had tried to fit too much in the container. Time Management is a multi-million industry. People spend more time learning how manage time than they spend practicing how to manage themselves. Time is a fixed container. It is out of your control. You can't slow … [Read more...]
One question to get the most use from your stress
February 15, 2012 by
Studies show that bad stress causes harmful reactions in us. It literally kills us slowly. A key distinction between good stress (Eustress) and bad stress (distress) is whether we see ourselves as capable of exerting ourselves on our situation to affect it. When we focus on what can't do, we create bad stress and get stuck. When we focus on what we can do, we create new options through or around our challenges. We look at what we can control. We cultivate good stress. … [Read more...]
Are you going broke?
December 15, 2011 by
I was talking with friend last night. She talked about how it's hard to keep priorities this time of year (Christmas time). She's busy going to 47 Christmas parties, buying gifts, spending time with friends, and somewhere in there ... she works. We talked about weight gain, staying on budget, and sticking to goals. They're all related. Have you gained 5, 10, 15 lbs lately? Check your finances. When your weight goes up, you're probably spending more money. Check your work, too. If … [Read more...]
