365QOD-Day212

It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.- Teddy Roosevelt 1910

Many of us stop ourselves by saying that we are trying. Does that mean that you are doing?
No it does not.  I got a talking to by the author of  Pursuit of Happiness, Chris Gardner, about that word.

It is better for me to fail than to try.  By failing I have at least done something and it was not good enough.  I have a result and how I can nudge it towards success.

Trying=Lack of completeness

Today's question is:
"Is your legacy to be known as someone who followed somebody else's dream?"

365QOD-Day211

"Behavior is motivation filtered through opportunity"- Clay Shirky

If you saw a person who moved your heart, would you not pursue them?   If you created an idea for a billion dollar product, would you not build it?

We often pursue opportunities that motivate us.  Often they have a reward tied to them.

Now this is where we have to be very strategic.  Just because opportunity B seems exciting does not mean we stop doing A.

I am often very guilty of this. I have about 15 book ideas that I am working on.  It took an effort to stop and focus on finishing my first book.  The excitement on working on the other ones was greater than the passion to finish the first one.

My motivation to finish the book was not financial.  My motivation was to get the result.  Now that my baby
has been born it would be so easy to give birth to another one and another one.  NO!  My baby needs to learn how to crawl, walk, and then run.

What does his mean for me?  Learning how to sell through social media.The motivation that is filtered though the opportunity is to re-brand myself as an author and a speaker.


Today's question is:
"What opportunities are you motivated to pursue?

365QOD-Day210

I might not be someone's first choice, but I am a great choice. 
I may not be rich but I am valuable. 
I don't pretend to be someone I'm not, because I'm good at being me. 
I might not be proud of some of the things I've done in the past, but I am proud of who I am today. 
I may not be perfect but I don't need to be. 
Take me as I am, or watch me as I walk away!!!-Anonymous

I recently spotted this quote on  friend's Facebook page.  It spoke to me.
Often we feel that we are not good enough.  We lack this or that.

This questioning results in a weakness.  We become weak by feeling that we lack.  Even when we can not figure out what we lack, we still fell like we do.


The question is:
"How accepting are you of yourself and your life?"

365QOD-Day209

"I am not a pessimist.  I am a realist"- Anonymous

I am reading a book called Today We Are Rich.  In it the author discusses the idea of devil's advocate.

He strongly urges that we stop playing that role.  It does not do what we intent to do with it.  It challenges the creator of an idea in a condescending way.   As if they have not taught about what you will suggest.

A better solution is to be an angel adviser.  You want the person to succeed.  So you ask them what are some of the things that they have considered that might prevent them from hitting their target. Then you listen...Don't provide a reality check.  Just listen to what they have considered.  Maybe in the end you could nudge them towards a new idea.

Today's question is:
"Who are you serving as an angel adviser?"

365QOD-Day208

 "School is overrated"- a professor that should remain anonymous

In the article below, a tech mogul pays graduating students not to directly go to college. When you think about some of the richest people on the planet you quickly realize that he might not be that far off from the truth.

School is training of how to learn how to learn.  It forces students into memorizing, reading, reviewing, performing, and lastly testing oneself.  Not bad!

So why delay it?  Schools lack tying the current learning to executing.  Imagine if you took a math course.  Often this is just a requirement.  Most students are not passionate about the subject.  However, suppose you had a problem that you needed solved and you knew that by taking this math course you will be able to do so.  Your attitude would completely change.  You would sit at the edge of your seat looking for the nugget that would help you.

This is why it makes sense to have a project that you are working on before you start learning the tools to complete it.  The key part is you are "working on it".  You can't just imagine it and then take the class.  Having worked with it gives you insight into what you are missing

Today's question is:

"Have you ever struggled with something and then got the training?"

365QOD-Day207

"Prototype as if you are right. Listen as if you are wrong." —Diego Rodriguez #99conf

We are creators.  We are always making things.  Some prototypes are physical and some are on the computer.

When creating one has to believe that that which one is creating is "right".  As a painter must, a creator must always modify their design as if they were wrong.

Be careful! Modify BUT not too often BUT often enough to get the desired result.

Today's question is:
"What are you going to modify?"

365QOD-Day206

"Your work is your own private megaphone to tell the world what you believe." —Simon Sinek #99conf

Life is a canvas.  We have to periodically stop and reflect on the results we are getting.

Even though I have never pursued it professionally, I consider myself an artist.  My last paining was done in 1992.  I would quickly sketch the piece I wanted to work on...maybe 5 min.  Then I would provide the texture and improve the drawing.  Lastly, I would use colors to finish the piece.

My style was a combination of Mukai and Ty Wilson.  It was really a Ty Wilson with more colors.

My painting have hung on some of my offices of the years and unless someone took the time to notice the signature they taught they were bought.  I often collect from magazines or take pictures of things that move me and think that I should work on something like this.

As I said, I have not painted since 1992.  Why? The easiest excuse would be that I do not have the time.  The real reason would be that I have nothing to say in that field. 

Today's question is:
"What are you great in that you just don't do any more?"

365QOD-Day205

"Instead of reflecting on the past, predict the future." —Chris Guillebeau #99conf

When confronted by an unwelcome situation, I believe that one can always respond in two different ways: acceptance or non-acceptance of the situation.  What does this mean?
 
Acceptance means that we agree even if we don't agree with the situation.  Because of  our acceptance, we might not be at peace.  The acceptance could be a solution but not an optimal solution.

The non-acceptance path is often the one that is more challenging.  It forces one to state their position.  At times we even have to defend our beliefs in order to will the desired result in the situation.

So which one is better?  It depends on your values.  Ask yourself which response better predicts the future? We can not fight every little situation.  The battles must we worthwhile and hard fought in order to win the war(what is ultimately important to us).

Note that often reflecting on the past for too long moves us into acceptance.   Some things are worth fighting for.

Today's question is:
"What result are you predicting?"

Note: I have not read this book. 

365QOD-Day204

"Align your inner vision with your outer work." —Martin Ping #99conf

It is not uncommon that the things we want on the inside and what we are doing on the outside do not match.  When this happens we create a gap.

Unless the gap is closed, pain moves in.  It could be that we are out of balance by placing so much emphasis on one aspect of your life and ignoring another.  In a past post I wrote about life management as a Chinese acrobat balancing many plates. (What are your plates?)  Any one of them can be ignored for a bit BUT not for too long.  The plate will fall and might potentially get damaged.  You are getting a result that you do not wish to have.

Often when the gap is ignored one needs to spend a lot of time trying to get the plate moving while making sure another one does not fall.  This is difficult to accomplish.

Today's question is:

"Where is your biggest gap?"

365QOD-Day203

"There are two important dates in one's life" -Rodney Miller

Yesterday's post talked about the importance of our start date, end date, and the dash in the middle on our grave stone.

Recently I sat through a presentation by a senior manager who told a story he had heard from a JP Morgan Manager, Rodney Miller. 

The manager told a story that a person has two important dates in a person's life:
1. the day they are born
2. the day they understand why they were born

Today's question is:
"Do you understand why you were born?"

365QOD-Day202

"No way"-my response to bad news

The other day I got some news that broke my heart.

One of my former MBA students, Sonya, asked me to call her.  I thought it would be good news.  It was not.  Another MBA student Lynn, her best friend, was on her deathbed.

I have been a professor since January 1993.  I remember many of the thousands of students I have instructed.  Their group was very memorable.  I even went for a drink with them after our last night together.  Of course, they tried to have fun with me a bit by taking me to a meat market.  It was a good time had by all.

Lynn stood out from the group.  She had already achieved professional success by being a director of a hospital. For her the MBA was just a confirmation of what she already knew she was capable of.

Lynn is about the same age as me. I never asked so I am guessing.

As I drove to the hospital, I kept thinking about what do you say to someone at their prime that is lying in bed terminally ill.  Anything will fall short.

She was heavily medicated so I was not able to have a conversation with her.  I spoke with her family and told them about my memories of Lynn and Sonya and their group. 

I kept thinking that on our grave stones we have two days.  The day that we are born and the day that we die.  It is the dash that is most important.  It is not the length but the meaning we give it.

Today's question is:
"Your dash got longer today.... was it memorable?"


P.S. Lynn Weber was a Phoenix

365QOD-Day201

"Sell what?"- my response to owner#2 

I figured it would be hard for me to relate to this book.  Quite the opposite.  I had a hard time putting it down.

Many years ago a successful inventor tried to persuade me to buy his business.  His son was not interested in continuing the business and he saw me as an ideal replacement.  I did not buy it mainly because I did not have the money.  It was a great business that had many products and a very good reputation.

A year ago I talked with another business owner who was considering selling his business.  I was not interested in buying the business but something stood out quickly.  Unlike the first businessman who had products to sell, the second owner was in the business of providing a service.  Not a bad business BUT he was also the only salesperson and creative designer.  He is a one pony show.  Without the pony, there is no show.

While reading the book, Built to Sell, I understood how to evaluate a company as a buyer.  Very very good book. It tells a story of an owner who is working with an advisor to place his business in a position to sell.

What I mostly learned is that people often work in their business,owner#2, instead of on their business, owner#1.

Today's question is:
"Could you sell your idea/business/concept without you being a part of it?"

365QOD-Day200

Life is an opportunity, benefit from it.

Life is beauty, admire it.

Life is bliss, taste it.

Life is a challenge, meet it.

Life is duty, complete it.

Life is a game, play it.

Life is a promise, fulfill it.

Life is sorrow, overcome it.

Life is a song, sing it.

Life is a struggle, accept it.

Life is a tragedy, confront it.

Life is an adventure, dare it.

Life is luck, make it.

                                    Life is too precious, don’t destroy it.

                                    Life is life, fight for it.

                                                             Mother Theresa

I believe that whatever you believe you will make it happen.  If you believe life is X, then you will do X.  The do X part could be negative or positive. If you think life is hard, then you actions will confirm that.

 The only thought I can add to the piece above is

Life is what you make it, make it a masterpiece.

Today's question is: 

"What do you consider life to be?"

 P.S. THANKS for 200 days of support!  We march on.

 

 

365QOD-Day199

"The more passionate that someone is about something, the more you have to listen to them." —Beth Comstock #99conf

I recently read the Tell to Win book by Peter Guber.  It helps teach how to tell a good story by telling a lot of interesting stories. So what makes a good story?

Have you ever been mesmerized listening to someone?  Did they pull you in?  They told a story that you could not stop listening to.  They made you a part of the story.

What you saw was passion.  The magnetizing force of passion.   

Today's question is:
What are you passionate about that you can't stop talking about it?

365QOD-Day198

"Crazy is a compliment." —Linda Rottenberg #99conf

Isn't it interesting that as adults we would care if someone thought that we were crazy.  Why? 

I think that the reason for that is that we take ourselves way too serious.  As adults we are suppose to have all of the right answers.  Hell at times we might not even have a clue what the answer is BUT we are pressured as we should.

My wife drives me nuts when she tells me that I should have known that.  Or even better, when she prefaces it with ... you know so much... how can you not know that?

Or the best one is when I try to explain an idea that another person has and she asks why I didn't think of it.

Maybe we expect too much of others?  Maybe we expect them to know and apply when they might not even know?  Or maybe they simply think that an idea is crazy?

I think we need to give ourselves permission to think crazy thoughts.  They are usually at the extremes.

Crazy thoughts are kind of like picking fruit from a tree.  The best fruit is at the extreme end of the branch and at times you have to do some crazy maneuvers to get to the sweetest fruit.

Today's question is:
What crazy idea did you entertain today?

365QOD-Day197

"You talking to me?"-Robert  Deniro in Taxi driver

The thing we are passionate about often turns out to only be passionate to us.  We often fail to move others to join us on the journey.

The reason for lack of followers is that they do not see the benefit in your goal.  You must do some selling in order to move people to help you.  You must explain the benefit to them in order to get them to come along.
The tenth question deals with Significance.

Remember... it is not about you.

Today's question is:

Does my dream benefit others?

365QOD-Day196

"But I like it...."- a child's response when asked to stop doing something

As adults we lose the desire to keep working on tasks.  We lose the flow that allows us to continue working on something for hours.

Often times this is due to us being paid for what we do.  That is an external motivation.  Intrinsic motivation allows us to keep the flow and not stop.

Today's question is:

"Does working on my goal bring satisfaction?"

365QOD-Day195

"Nothing worthwhile is easy. If it is easy, then it is worth nothing."-RT during a Saturday EET class

We want things to be easy.  But there quote above says it all.  Often times the things that are easy are not highly rewarding.

I have always admired the quality of Tenacity.  The ability to get up and keep fighting, even when it seems not possible to win, is how I define tenacity.  It is like a dog that won't let go of a person even if it is been beaten.
It forms the seventh question towards determining if a goal is one you want to follow. 

Today's question is:
"Am I moving closer to my dream?"

365QOD-Day194

"BUT I want it."- a childish request

Sixth question deals with Price for reaching our goal.

Everything comes with a price tag.  Nothing is free.  Maybe that sounds negative but I believe it to be true.

Cost does not have to be monetary.  It could be in terms of time and or effort.  It might not cost me anything to do something BUT it will take time to do it.  If I place no value on my time then it is free.

How much is your time worth?  Easiest way to figure this out is to take your total yearly income and divide it by 2000.  For example, suppose your income is 40000 per year then your hourly wage is 40000/2000 or $20 per hour.  So anytime you think about doing anything, ask yourself, "Would I pay $20 to do this if it takes an hour to do?"   If the answer is no, then you better do something else that makes you at least that much.

For me, this theory completely fails when it comes to writing books.  The joy of reaching the end was priceless.  I am trying to re-brand myself as an author so in the immediate future the worth is not there BUT I believe it the long term it will pay off.

Today's question is:

Am I willing to pay the price for my dream?

365QOD-Day193

"If it wasn't for the people, management would be easy"- a tittle of a book (claimed by a former instructor of mine)

Fifth question is People

We have to realize that we do not live in a cocoon. There is rarely a day that we go through that we do not work with, work for, help others, or even get helped by others.   

My first book needed every single one of my friends that read it and contributed editorial thoughts.  Without them, it would not be as good as it is.  My name goes on the cover BUT their names are included in a THANK YOU page.

Today's question is:
Have I included the people I need to realize my dream?

365QOD-Day192

"Ideas are free.  If you don't have one just borrow one"- marketing executive

Fourth question of your goal is Passion

We all get ideas continuously(or borrow them).  So what?  We created them so we must own them?   Just because I come up with an idea does not mean that I want to follow it all the way to completion.

I marvel at Toyota getting one million ideas per year and executing 90% of them.  But is that reality for all of us?
You must want to follow through the idea.  If you are not compelled to get it done then it will not get done.

Today's question is:
Does my goal compel me to follow it?

365QOD-Day191

"We don't need stinking reality.  Fantasy is too plentiful"- a corporate culture

Third question deals with Reality.  Anytime we believe that one of our goals is someone else's goal then we are simply fooling ourselves.  If two people are involved, then it is possible that both are passionate about a goal, the first is passionate and second is not, the first is not and the second is, and lastly neither are passionate about it.

Therefore, there is only one in four chances that both individuals are passionate.


In should not be news that in life we often have to rely on others.  So getting realistic about whether you can control a goal is important.  Making sure that you can control most of the resources(time, money, etc.) is vital.


Today's question is 
Am I relying on factors within my control to achieve my goal?

365QOD-Day190

"Anyone, anyone?"- Anonymous

Last post dealt with the first goal question of Ownership.  So suppose you have decided that your dream is really your dream.  You want to do X.

Deciding is often the first step.  The second goal question deals with Clarity.  In order to be clear you must be able to clearly visualize what the end result will look like.

If for example you have a product you want to design, then can you see yourself or others while using it.  Nikola Tesla, the man to whom we owe much of our current electrical devices (industrial and home) ability to function, was known for being able to design products in his mind, modify them, test them, and lastly build them in the real world.

Today's question is:
Do you clearly see your dream?

365QOD-Day189

"THAT is NOT what I want"- a child's response

This response seems kind of funny until you realize that in life we often take on other people's goals.  How passionate are you about your company's goal to innovate?

If you said very passionate, I would be very surprised. It is someone's artificial goal.  It might not be your goal.

It seems to me that the key is ownership.  I might be helpful towards your goals BUT I will be passionate about my own goals.  This is test#1 in John Maxwell's book.(I am currently listening to it)

If you want to be passionate then make sure you are striving towards your own dreams.  Ownership is the key.  Parents can wish it, companies can demand it, BUT it is your life.  You have your own dreams. 

Today's question is:
"Which dreams do you have ownership of?"

365QOD-Day187

"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream" - a tattoo on back of Evan Rachel Wood

Sometimes reality and fantasy seem to be one and the same.  I believe that if you can visualize it in your mind then it is possible.  In my engineering work, if I want to install a new system I often times visualize what it will look like as if I was standing in front of it and then sketch a 3D version of it. Once I see it on paper then I begin to design the specifics of what needs to be done in order to achieve it.

I believe that this example is valid in life also.  If you can visualize a goal, see yourself achieving it, then it should be easy to visualize all of the objectives that you have to hit in order to achieve it.  I describes this procedure as GOSPAL in earlier posts.

Today's question is:
"Can you visualize your dream?" 

365QOD-Day186

"It is my opinion.  Am I not entitled to it?"-Anonymous

We have to be careful of our opinions.  They could be wrongly derived, nurtured, and kept for unnecessary reasons.

In the book Happy for No Reason author Marci Shimoff tells a story of a Cherokee elder talking to his grandson. 

Grandfather begins by telling the child that inside all people there is a battle.  The battle is between two wolves.

One of the wolves if known as Unhappiness.  This wolf is full of fear, worry, anger, jealousy, sorrow.  It posses self-pity, resentment, and inferiority.


Second of the wolves if known as Happiness.  It is full of love, joy, hope.  It nurtures  serenity, kindness, generosity, truth, and compassion.

The elder continued, "These wolves battle inside people every day."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then turned to the grandfather, "which wolf wins grandpa?'

The grandfather smiled and replied, "The one you feed."

Today's question is:
"Which wolf are you feeding?"

365QOD-Day185

"Now what?"- a question to myself

On Tuesday, August 2, 2011, my book The Result went on sale as a kindle edition.  It has been a journey to write, edit, re-edit, and finally finish.

As it is with any goal, there is a slight letdown.  This is like being in a fight and you got the guy down.  Do you stop?

The answer is NO!  I must now learn how to market and sell it.  I must learn how to get people to notice it.  Just because it exists does not mean anyone who might be interested in buying it will know of it.

As a matter of fact... now the hard work begins.  This was just the first battle in the war of branding myself as an author.  One battle has been won.  Many more battles ahead.  I must celebrate.

Today's question is:
"How do you celebrate major victories?"

365QOD-Day184

"We are continuously faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems"- Anonymous

Everything is hard until you have figured it how to do it.  Some people will even say that all it requires is practice.  The old saying is practice makes perfect.

I completely disagree.  Practice does not make perfect.  Perfect practice makes perfect.

In other words just practicing the wrong things perfectly still makes them wrong.  You must make each practice session perfect. 

In a past posts I discussed ideas from the book Mastery by George Leonard.  This is a wonderful book but it lacks information about what it takes to make practice perfect.  Thomas Sterner answers this question in his book.  He details what he did to improve his golf game.  He even describes how he improved as a piano tuner.  He suggests that we must have a specific goal on which we will work on during each practice session.  It should be a small manageable goal.  We should not be focused solely on the ultimate end goal.

A wonderful book!

Today's question is:
"What is your goal for today's practice?"

365QOD-Day183

"So you think you are thinking?"- my question to you

I recently read a story adapted from the Book The Shallows by Nicholas Carr.  It ends with this disturbing paragraph: 


"What we are experiencing is, in metaphoric sense, a reversal of the early trajectory of civilization: We are evolving from cultivators of personal knowledge into hunters and gatherers in the electronic data forest(web).  In the process, we seem fated to sacrifice much of what makes our minds so interesting"

WOW!  We are no longer cultivating knowledge.  The way I read it, we are not becoming better selves. We are not evolving.  We are not adding pieces to our toolbox just in case we need them in the future.

I also read into it that we are merely surviving day to day by gathering the necessary information, usually through the web, to just get through our jobs.  Quick and dirty.
Scary!

Today's question is:
"When is the last time you read just for the sake of developing  yourself?"

365QOD-Day182

"Our mantra: brutal prioritization, maniacal focus." —Jeffrey Kalmikoff #99conf

I once had a boss who had hired five consultants.  I was one of them.  We had a former CEO, a lawyer, a former CFO, and me. 

A great team BUT he was the worst boss.  He was abusive of us.  He would call me Saturday afternoon and ask me why I was not in the office.  At times he would call one of us at 5 a.m and ask if we had checked our voice mail.

A complete nut job.... but he did use to say something that I never forgot.  He would tell us that we lacked Focus, Urgency, and Discipline.  I wondered if he was correct?

In my daily log I still have areas where I write FUD and ask myself what is it that I need to focus on, what requires urgent attention, and what is most likely going to require discipline.

Today's question is:
"What are you going to FUD today?"