Category: Personal Growth

Perspective. A Little Something Extra.

“The more we narrow the definition of beauty, the more beauty we shut out of our lives.”  – Jim C. Hines

That quote appears in a fantasy novel. In this particular section of the book,  one of the main characters is thinking about the other characters in the book. This sentence intrigues me for several reasons. First, I think it is true.

Second, it reflects a chicken or the egg puzzle. Did the author craft this part of the story to make this point, or did the author have this thought while crafting this part of the story? We may never know, but just like the chicken and the egg, we get to enjoy both. We can appreciate the story, and we can appreciate the egg.

The third reason this sentence intrigues me because it gets at a very important point about our lives. We live day to day from our own perspective. Our view of the world is unique to ourselves. If we are not aware of the limits our reality, then we are not aware of our potential. We limit ourselves. I find it important to always challenge our own thinking.

I did not expect to find this quote in this book. Many people probably have read that sentence and not spent time thinking about the implication. But it is a great example of what we can find when we take the time to pause, become aware, listen, and think.

It also shows us that not all great ideas have to come from a textbook, or a professor. There are lessons all around us.

Are You Willing to Travel the Road to Success?

In a recent interview, when asked what he does in his spare time, Elon Musk said, “usually it’s work more.” Without a doubt, success is hard work. Most of us are not willing to put in the required work to reach the heights of success like Elon Musk.

Many people I coach have specific goals they want to achieve. Some are held back contained within their comfort zone. Others never test their limits because they just aren’t willing to put in the effort.

Successful people tend to be very focused and intent on achieving their goal. What we look at someone that is highly successful, we sometimes don’t see the  sacrifice they have made. They may have sacrificed time, money, relationships, or hobbies.

Successful people still have those things. But along their journey they gave up something to stay focused on their goal.

We all want success, but there is a limit to how much we are ready to sacrifice. Having a limit is fine. Knowing that sacrifice is required, and our limit, shouldn’t we be able to make better decisions?

The Ugly Truth About Productivity

We use electronic calendars, to-do lists, email, text messages, and other tools to improve our personal productivity. But the ugly truth is that regardless of your level of organization, productivity is a result of your actions.

When we look at productivity, we can divide our time into three areas: thinking about the work, organizing the work, and doing the work. All three are important, but productivity is based on what you actually do. Productivity is maximizing the work.

If you are like most people there are actions that are difficult. There are activities that would be very beneficial, but we shy away from them because they are outside our comfort zone. We fear rejection. We fear failure. We fear what others might think.

As a coach I recognize that we all have a barrier between what we want to achieve and where we currently are. Most people have a difficult time pushing themselves through the barrier without help or support. A coach plays a powerful role in the ability of a person to do more.

Think about some of the big goals you have for your career or your life. What actions are you not doing that are required to achieve these goals? Would a coach help you step out of your comfort zone, and move forward? If you would like to know more about using a coach, just let me know.

Knowledge or Skill: Is One Better?

Knowledge and skill are very different. If you have a recipe for Chicken Marsala but have little cooking skill, your dish will be lacking. If you are put in a kitchen and possess good cooking skills, you probably would struggle making a new dish without a recipe. A recipe provides the proven formula for success. For a great dish you need both knowledge and skill.

Last week I wrote about my first experience of being an official mentor. I was not prepared, and I did not know I was not prepared until things went badly. I lacked both knowledge and skill. It made me reflect on how it is important to consider both when you want to learn something new.

Sometimes I lean more towards gaining knowledge and at other times more towards building skill. It also depends on what I am learning. I am determined to be more focused on how I do both. It will accelerate the learning process.

People that don’t know how to cook, do not spend time looking at recipes. Good cooks like to look at recipes and occasionally learn a new dish. A chef will spend time experimenting and developing something new, but they still get ideas from other recipes.

I think this is a good analogy to think about. If we are learning a new process, a new language, a new system, or a new hobby, we should ask, “How are we gaining both knowledge and skill?”