365QOD-Day120

"There is no I in team." a common expression

I recently read a book about five dysfunctions of a team.  This article is of interest to me since I am currently working on a book titled I Hate You I REALLY HATE YOU!  How to Build a Functional Team When Everyone is Dysfunctional?

The First Dysfunction is absence of trust.  I would like to explore those five dysfunctions in the next five posts.

Lately I have been observing an interesting phenomenon.  An organization for which I work has been undergoing an re-org.  During the last year or so new top management has been brought in and they have chosen a new path for us to follow.

For the last six months the leadership has repeatedly stated that it is not a head count exercise.  But in the end that is exactly what it is turning out to be.

Interestingly many new high level positions were created and there is a large need for more people.  Many of the folks that received promotions, without a pay raise, are just as unhappy as the ones that were let go.  Amazing!  How do you piss people off by promoting them?  Easy, put them in roles that they do not want.  I happen to be in the HR department the other day and one person who is retiring told me that he heard a rumor that 40 senior people are so upset with the changes that they are going to retire.

So the people that moved up are not happy, people that went sideways are not happy, and definitively the people that are let go are not happy.  Why?  In one word...trust.  When you repeatedly say one thing but do the opposite people will not believe anything you say in the future.  Even the people who won the beauty contest no longer feel secure. 

Today's question is:
"What can a leader do to regain the trust of a team once it is lost?"

365QOD-Day119

"I can't believe it"-my expression

I was walking in the mall the other day when I came up to a booth that sold magnet bracelets.  I laughed.
The gentlemen told me to  lift and extend my right foot, and stretch both arms out.  He then proceeded to press down on my arm.  I easily lost my balance.

The gentlemen told me to hold a magnet in my left hand, lift and extend my right foot, and stretch both arms out.  He then proceeded to press down on my arm.  He pressed down on my arm as he had done before and I did not budge.  WOW!  I can not believe it.  It exceeded my expectation.

He then told me to put my cell phone in my other hand and repeated the experiment.  This time he was able to push down on my arm and it was easier to get me to loose my balance.

What his experiment proved that the magnet helped with the flow of energy and that cell phones deteriorated our energy.  Interesting...The bracelet was $75 but he offered bracelets for $20-25.

I did not buy it BUT I have not been able to get it out of my mind.  It is amazing that a magnet and cell phone would have that kind of an effect on our bodies.

Today's question is:
"What has puzzled you when you first saw it but later seemed less mysterious?"

365QOD-Day118

"What do you want?.... I don't know"-Typical conversation topic

When asked to define what we really want we are often at a loss for words.  The funny thing is that we can quickly spout out what we don't want.

Phrases such as:
"I hate my job because ...."
"I dislike my marriage because my spouse does ..."
"I hate it when my kid does ...."

are often very easy to spill from the top of our brain.

Interestingly, the opposite of these passionate statements is exactly what we want.

Phrases such as:
"I would love a job that would require ....and pay me ....."
"My spouse does ... that makes me happy"
"I love it when my kid does ...."

Putting the love phrases together gives us the ideal situation and want that is what we truly want.

Today's question is:
"What is that you hate in all aspects of your life?"

365QOD-Day117

"A is for..."-Dr. Rosemary Banks during a Honors induction ceremony

I sat through that speech many years ago and thought it was brilliant.  She managed to convey her message by simply going down the alphabet. 

I run at least once or twice a week during the week.  My runs are usually between 4- 5 a.m. (yes I did say a.m.) Often times while running I repeat a mantra to myself.  I have tried running with a music player BUT it is just not me.

The first part of my mantra is I say out loud I am Abundant.  I then continue on the inside with why I consider myself abundant. 
         I am abundant because of the people in my life. 
         I am abundant because of the jobs that pay me so well.
         I am... continue saying out what makes me abundant. 
This allows me to focus on abundance for that run and how it is a part of my life.  After 26 runs I repeat...

I  strongly believe that you need to come up with a positive, powerful words for each letter of the alphabet.  In the I am posts I will share my list with you. 

Today's question is:
"What does your A stand for?"

365QOD-Day116

"Many fear death...heroes only confront it once"-Anonymous

The other night I watched an OK movie.  I like Ed Norton as an actor and have seen him in many good movies.

The Leaves of Grass movie was OK.  However, even an OK movie can entertain and surprisingly educate.

In the movie the main character utters the following thoughts at his brother's funeral:
"Diogenes Laertius has recorded for us the Greek Philosopher Epicurus' thoughts on death. 

'It is irrational to ear an event, if when that event occurs we're not in existence.  And since when death is, we are not and when we are, death is not then it's irrational to fear death.'  One might just as well, Epicurus argued, fear birth."

I do not think I have ever been afraid of death.  Maybe of it occurring too early and not being able to complete the things that are important to me.  I have never thought of it in the terms that Epicurus thought of it.  I do agree with him that it is irrational to fear it.

What this passage made me think of is what other fears we have that are irrational.

Today's question is:
"What irrational fear are you holding on to?"

365QOD-Day115

"'I've but just a minute but eternity is in it'-Benjamin Mays

Recently I listened to a book called My Hero Extraordinary People on the Heroes Who Inspire Them. The above quote was one that caught my ear.  I believe that we take moments for granted. 

When we are approached by anyone (boss, co-worker, friend, spouse, child, etc.) we should be asking ourselves how to make the interaction positive and memorable. 

How?  Imagine a warm light on the inside of you as you approach that person and let its warmth guide your actions.  As the quote states, that minute could change eternity.

Today's question is:
"What can you do or say to the next person you encounter to make their day special?"

365QOD-Day114

"The quality of my life is the quality of my relationships with myself and others"-me

Once in a while, I like to take out a sheet of paper and brainstorm the relationships between key people and activities in my life.  In order to do this I create a square matrix for each of the key people, job(s) and assign a score from 1(very negative) to 5(neutral) to 10(very positive) on how they affect each other and how they affect your life.  I consider the interaction from each row entry towards each column entry including towards itself.  This includes a self-evaluation. If I am not too fond of myself at that moment I might give myself a score below 5 BUT if I just happen to think that I am the greatest thing since slice bread I might give myself a 10.

The happiness matrix(I have never seen this anywhere) looks like the one below:



Note that the matrix fields change depending on what is happening in my life.  

Once the matrix values are filled out, I consider the row which has the most negative effect on the column entries.  This is the most toxic relationship in my life.  Similarly, I also consider the most positive effect row on my life.  Then I usually spend some time thinking about how to improve the relationships.

Sometimes the results are obvious but at times they are rather revealing.

Today's question is:
"What is the most toxic relationship in your life and what can you do about it?"

365QOD-Day113

"Be Good To Yourself"-HH Day Spa ad

A few posts ago, Day 61, I proposed assigning a happiness score to each day.  Using this logic, a seven, 7, will be an average day.

Imagine it is early evening and you feel that the day was a 7.  What can you do to make it better?

Several years ago, while sitting on a beach pondering, I concluded that for me creativity is what makes my day.  If a day contains creativity then it was a great day.

If I want to improve my feelings toward a particular day all I have to do is do something creative before going to bed.  Writing a post would be an example of something that would improve my day.  It is creative and pleasurable.

Today's question is:

"What will it take to nudge your day to an 8?"

365QOD-Day112

"OK give it to me...The fifth, and last, question that could lead to my personal change."-wishful thinking

We tend to go through life on automatic.   How many times have you driven to work without remembering the trip?  You remember sitting in the car, starting to think about something, and the last thing you remember is pulling into the parking lot at work.

It is no different with reactions to people that are trying to talk with us.  We believe we know what they will say and almost on automatic we fill in the words with our minds.  The start of the conversation is known but how we got to the blur part is unknown.

Living life on automatic allows us not to have to think and often masks not facing something in our life.  According to Gay Hendricks it leads to a person feeling stuck, scared, or resistant in facing some aspect of one's life.

Today's question is:
"What is it I'm not facing?"

The ExperienceLife magazine article that this series has been based on can be found at:
http://www.experiencelifemag.com/issues/may-2010/life-wisdom/5-questions-that-could-change-your-life.php

365QOD-Day111

"I do and do and do ... and I still seems that I do not get anywhere"-often heard

We always consider what we are doing but just as important is what we should not be doing.  I am very guilty of this in my life.  Often I find it difficult to say no.  Even when I am swamped with work, I rarely turn down requests but instead I juggle my time to squeeze them in.

Maybe I am wrong?  Maybe I need to turns down most requests and focus on the few meaningful to me. 

Or maybe consider the stressful things n my life and eliminate even the smallest one.  I often find myself thinking and thinking the same thing over.  It might take less energy to just do it or not do it but stop thinking about it.

I am a firm believer that we live very complex lives unnecessarily.  We make things important that really are not.  My thinking about buying a vehicle took a six month of mental toll on me.  The end result was that I bought the vehicle(Chevy Equinox) that I originally thought I wanted.  The only difference was a slightly better price.  At what cost?  Six months of wasted productive time for a minimum savings(maybe $1000-$1500 at best).  Or $250 per month.  Or about $8 per day.  Was it worth it? No. I love the vehicle BUT I probably could have focused my energy on something more productive by being more decisive.

One better financial decision would have netted better gains in one hundredth of the time.

Today's question is:
"What is the one thing you should stop doing that would have the most positive effect on my life?" 

365QOD-Day110

"Oh this sucks"-Anonymous

When things go wrong, and they do, we immediately want to judge the experience as bad.   In an earlier post I referred  to a quote from The Zen of Happiness in which God appears to a person as says, "..everything that happens to you will be the best thing that could have happened to you.."

If we use this idea then even the bad things that happen to us will prove fruitful. Therefore, we should be looking for the benefit instead of the drawback.  As Robin Sharma, the author of The Leader Who Had No Title (Simon & Schuster, 2010), suggests that we must start thinking strategically.

Don't focus so much on what happened as to what you could do with the experience and the new opportunity that has been created.  Unfortunately, we often focus on the problem and not on the opportunity in front of us.

Today's question is:
"How can you leverage this experience to become even better?"

365QOD-Day109

"A belief is a feeling of certainty of what something means"-Tony Robbins

Second question deals with thoughts.

We hold on to beliefs that were based on an experience(s) that might have been long time ago.  Our ideas about those experiences are ingrained and often times automatic.  They might not even serve us well.  However these beliefs show up clearly in the thought patterns we repeat.

As Debbie Ford, author of The Right Questions: Ten Essential Questions to Guide You to an Extraordinary Life (HarperOne, 2004) suggests  we must first identify the pattern and then we can help snap ourselves out by asking the powerful question, “Is this thought empowering or dis-empowering me?”

This analysis is very important to do when confronted by failure.  Consider your thoughts and actions and drill down into the beliefs you have in order to take those actions.  And lastly, ask the question.

If a belief is no longer serving you but enslaving you then you must change it.  Now this is where it gets difficult.  You must change it by replacing it with a desired belief. One way is to have the brain(that forms the new belief) attach emotions(the feeling of certainty of what that new belief means).  Lastly, as suggested by the book Switch set up initial successes along your new path. 

We must identify the beliefs that keep us stuck and remove them by replacing them with more empowering ones.

Today's question is:
"Is this thought empowering or dis-empowering me"

365QOD-Day108

"It has to be true!"-Anonymous

I recently re-read (have you noticed a pattern?) an article I had printed out about a year ago.  The article title is "5 Questions That Could Change Your Life".  The article is from a wonderful magazine called ExperienceLife
http://www.experiencelifemag.com/

I want to explore the five questions and tell a story how they have applied to me.

First question:   "Is it true?"

I remember having an experience with a former boss.  He asked me what days I can work and what days I could not work in the evenings.  I specifically told him that Wednesday nights I could not work.  So what do you think he did? He scheduled me to work Wednesday nights.

I remember driving home that night pissed.  I had a course at another university on Wednesday nights and I would have to mid-class quit.  Not cool.  I drove home and felt like steam was coming out of my collar.   I knew I was stressed.

So, while driving (my drive was 67 miles long) I spent some time thinking.  What is it that I would have to believe in order for me to feel this stress?  Quickly I realized that I would have to believe to be true that my Wednesday night course had to be set in stone and could not be moved.  The worst thing that could happen is that I would have to bow out of the course and let my students down.

I went in front of my students and asked them if they were willing to move the course to any other evening and we found an accommodation that worked for all.  If I had not challenged my own thinking, I would have continued being stressed.

Today's question is:
"What is it that you might be believing, that isn't true?"

365QOD-Day107

"I've but just a minute but eternity is in it"-Benjamin Mays

I listened to a book called My Hero(Day ).  One of the phrases that caught my ear was the one above. 

We are always thinking that our end date is so far in the future that we seldom worry about our current interactions.  What are we are missing is the opportunity to influence eternity through the minutes we spend with others.

So how do we influence that minute?  I believe that we must approach each interaction with the idea of it ending positively.  Think of yourself as having a light on the inside of you glowing. 

When I teach courses I approach them with the idea that when the students walk out at the end of the day/night they will feel better about themselves.  As I always say, "they don't pay me enough to fail people, they pay me just enough to show up and influence them"

Today's question is:
"Are you using your minutes or are you wasting them?"

365QOD-Day106

"Do or Do not.  There is no try"-Yoda

A year ago I was walking towards a hospital in Chicago.  Standing on the corner was a tall black gentlemen.  I looked at him and smiled.  I asked, "Are you Chris Garner?"  He said, "Yes" and "How did you know?"

I had read the book Chris wrote Pursuit of Happiness.  I had also seen the movie in which Will Smith plays Chris and had seen him on TV once.

During our conversation I asked him what he was working on next and he told me that he had published a second book and working on a speaking tour.

He asked me what I was doing and I said that I was also "trying" to publish a book.  He got serious on me and said that there is no try.  Either you do or you don't. 
I felt like a hypocrite.

What was interesting to me about his admonition was that I had used the same line to demonstrate that try means nothing.  In a classroom I would often hold a marker and ask a student to try to take the marker out of my hand.  They easily take it and I roll my eyes and ask them what they are doing.  I remind them that I instructed them to try.

Once I get the marker back in my hand, I tell them to try again.   This time they are usually confused but again they take the marker out of my hand.  Again I ask, "What are you doing?"  I remind them that they are no try.

At the end I end the lesson with the quote.  Either you do or you don't.  There is no try.

A year later I am in the final stages of publishing the book he admonished me for... next month it should be out.

Today's question is:
"What are you trying to do?"

365QOD-Day105

"It is the same idea just applied on a bigger scale"

I was reading an article about Sue Gardner a director, who is the "Librarian to the World" and how she is trying to improve Wikipedia.  The article is in April 2011 issue of Fast Company.   These are the words I used to explain a concept to my wife.  (Recently I saw the site was fund raising  in order to stay free of advertising.) 
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/154/librarian-to-the-world.html

I told my wife a story of a C++ and Matlab programming course I instructed around 2001.  The Matlab software was very user friendly but the manual could have been improved.  I decided to to give each student several topic to write a single page and gave them a template to use.  This was done for extra credit.

The end result was that majority of the students did the assignment and I eventually put the results in a single file and send it back to them.  In other words my idea was identical to Wikipedia, minus the editing, except it was applied on a smaller scale.

Jimmy Wales had the same idea BUT applied it on a massive scale.

Today's question is:
"What small ideas are you implementing that you should be thinking BIG?"

365QOD-Day104

"There was nothing new in it" - financial writer

I sat in a park in Chicago yesterday and had a very interesting conversation with a financial columnist working for one of Chicago's largest newspapers.  The conversation was  all over the place: from Buffett to recent performance of silver, to writing a blog, to bubbles, etc.

I always ask her what is on her reading list and she mentioned the new book by Nouriel Robini.  She mentioned that she did not learn anything new.  I reminded her that he was one of the people that predicted the recent crash and now anything he writes will be golden.  She agreed.

I often wondered why a second effort is never as good as the first creation.  The example I offer is from music.  Many artists prepare for a lifetime their first CD.  When it is released and it earns them large success, they go on a tour, and are rushed into preparing a second CD rather quickly.  The soul of the artist is there but the quality is often times missing.  I marvel at the people who have created numerous albums with several successful songs on them.  

Today's question is:
"What did you do, the first time, that exceeded everyone's expectations, but your follow-up efforts were sub-par?

365QOD-Day103

"What do you do?"- this question bothered me for 8 hours because I did not want to be labeled by any of the easy descriptors I could offer.

About a year ago I was sitting in the Borders bookstore on Michigan avenue.  It used to be my favorite place to hang out, read, and create.

While there, a men next to me struck up a conversation.  He had a notebook that was over an inch think with no lines.


He keep his notebook with him all of the time and writes his thoughts.  I displayed my notebook which has grid paper and we both laughed. 
 http://ecosystemlife.com/products/detail/architect/?PHPSESSID=e43b47f3d6e35124a97f1a9928666aee




He loved his notebook and I loved mine.  In our eyes the one we were using was the most functional.  He could not influence me that what he was using would work for me nor could I convince him that what I was using would fit his needs.  

I watched a short film today online.  The name of the film is Influencers. 
http://influencersfilm.com/#/Film

Today's question is:
"Are you an influencer or are you being influenced?"

365QOD-Day102

3"If X occurs then do Y" - if then logic

Last night I was reading the Jan/Feb issue of Psychology Today and learned an important planning tool.
The tool is called the If-Then Solution.
http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/201102/the-science-success-the-if-then-solution

In the article the author, Dr. Heidi Grant Halvorson, discusses a technique that Peter Gollwitzer discovered for overcoming temptation and building good habits.  Most of us make wonderful plans, especially at the end of each year, to change aspects of our lives that we do not like or want to improve.

Often times these changes require willpower.  Well, the first time that cupcake presents itself you are strong and resist BUT within weeks you are mindlessly eating it and hating yourself for the lack of willpower.

Suppose you can replace the "I will not eat cupcakes and exercise more" resolution with a resolution of the following form:  If presented with a cupcake I will chose to drink a cup of coffee.  Now your brain has an option when presented with the X trigger and will do the Y choice.

"Amazingly, you are two to three times more likely to succeed if you use an if-then plan than if you don't.  In one study, 91 percent of people when used an if -then plan stuck to an exercise program, versus 39 percent of non-planners."

Often times once you have created an If-Then Solution the brain once triggered by the If part will unconsciously do the Then part.  Your plan will get carried out even when you are preoccupied.

Next time I get the chocolate craving that I get everyday(at least twice a day), I will take a walk around my office floor.  My If-Then Solution is:  If chocolate craving Then walk once around the office floor.  It should work.

Today's question is:
"What do you want that requires willpower that you can replace with an If-Then Solution?"

365QOD-Day101

"Ok.. $10"- a friendly wager between Alex and I

Last year Alex, my barber, asked me a question, "You used to be a runner, right?"  He was wondering if I would run in a 5k race at a nearby town.  I said that I had not run in years but that I would think about it.

A few days later I holding a water bottle trotted down a path which measured 5k exactly.  I ran a little, walked a lot, and eventually came back home.

I was stiff for a few days.  When I told people that I had tried to run 5k without training they reminded me that that was silly. 

So I backed off a little and decided to start by running three quarter of a mile without stopping. Success.  Then I ran it again followed by a 1.5 mi run without stopping, and again. 

Eventually I got up to the 5k level and ran in my first race in years.  With the time of 33:59 I finished the race.  SUCCESS!

I continued running and eventually got to 10 mi.  Then a had a few setbacks with my knees that I had to back off a little.

I stopped running after Christmas till April 9th when I went out and ran 1.5 mi.  On April 16th I ran 2.25 and on April 23rd I ran a 5k.  A little in pain BUT still holding up.

I am a runner again.  Why did I ever stop?

My wager with Alex is that I will cut my time from 34 to 31 and he will cut his 27 minutes down to 24.
The winner takes the prize.

Today's question is:
"What were you once, and can become again?

365QOD-Day100

"A milestone.. so now what?"

First of all I want to say THANKS to my loyal readers and followers.  You are the great lubricant that makes this machine move forward.  THANKS....

When I started this blog my goal, although I did not share it with anyone, was to not miss a day of posting and to have at least 1000 views by the 100th day.  ACHIEVED!

So what should I do to celebrate?  Write more posts?  Have a celebration dinner?  Go for a long run? All these are great ideas.

I am spending today reflecting.  A while back I was having a conversation with my son, Milan, about creativity and action.  During the conversation I said the following:
"If I had simply implemented 10% of the ideas I would have been able to retire by the time I was thirty."

Pretty impressive?  I don't thinks so.  We all get ideas.  Ideas are free and easy.  Implementing them takes time and effort and most off all focused persistent action (FPA).

I do agree that it is important to celebrate BUT also check in with my vision that one day this blog will be a book.  I realize that the only way that can be achieved is through FPA.

Today's question is:
"What are you applying FPA to in your life?"

365QOD-Day99

"GIGO"-garbage in garbage out

I watched a film a couple of weeks ago.  The title of the film was The Jone$es.

In the film an artificial family is constructed by a company and moved into a neighborhood.  Their purpose is to sell to the people around them without selling.  The way they do it is to influence people by their lifestyle, what they wear, what they use, what they do, etc.

For some of the people around them this influence had a bad result. One couple put themselves in deep financial trouble by keeping up with the Jone$es.

Today's question is:
"Are you keeping up with the Jone$es?

365QOD-Day98

"But senor, I have that life now"- a better ending

The other night I was teaching an MBA class when we started discussing life goals.  I offered a story of life planning that I had heard many years ago.  The story appears at
http://www.livelearninvest.com/the-businessman-and-the-fisherman-story/

The animated version is on YouTube at:

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7JlI959slY&feature=player_embedded

 and a text version is shown below(I have make the original story bold to differentiate it from my work):

The businessman and the fisherman story
November 8th, 2006 by Kenric  

"A few years ago, a very rich businessman decides to take a vacation to a small tropical island in the South Pacific. He has worked hard all his life and has decided that now is the time to enjoy the fruits of his labor. He is excited about visiting the island because he’s heard that there is incredible fishing there. He loved fishing as a young boy, but hasn’t gone in years because he has been so busy working to save for his retirement.

So on the first day, he has his breakfast and heads to the beach. It’s around 9:30 am. There he spots a fisherman coming in with a large bucket full of fish!
How long did you fish for?� he asks. The fisherman looks at the businessman with a wide grin across his face and explains that the fishes for about three hours every day. The businessman then asks him why he returned so quickly.
Don’t worry�, says the fisherman, There’s still plenty of fish out there.�

Dumbfounded, the businessman asks the fisherman why he didn’t continue catching more fish. The fisherman patiently explains that what he caught is all he needs. I’ll spend the rest of the day playing with my family, talking with my friends and maybe drinking a little wine. After that I’ll relax on the beach.”

Now the rich businessman figures he needs to teach this peasant fisherman a thing or two. So he explains to him that he should stay out all day and catch more fish. Then he could save up the extra money he makes and buy and even bigger boats to catch even more fish. The he could keep reinvesting his profits in even more boats and hire many other fisherman to work for him. If he works really hard, in 20 or 30 years he’ll be a very rich man indeed.

The businessman feels pleased that he’s helped teach this simple fellow how to become rich. Then the fisherman looks at the businessman with a puzzled look on his face and asks what he’ll do after he becomes very rich.

The businessman responds quickly You can spend time with your family, talk with your friends, and maybe drink a little wine. Or you could just relax on the beach."

 The author debates from both perspective..
"This is an interesting story to me because I see myself on both sides of this story.  I can see myself as the businessman.  Invest, build a business, donate your time now and make as much money today so you can do the things you want when you are older.


I can also see myself as the fisherman.  Work only as much as you need to and spend the remaining time doing things you want to do now.


What I find ironic is that when I was reading this I was agreeing with the businessman about buying bigger boats, starting a company and generating passive income.  But then, reading from the fisherman’s perspective he is currently enjoying his afternoons. He only works three hours a day and makes enough to enjoy his life.  It’s obvious that the enjoyment of his life is not money dependent.


For every investor there needs to be a balance.  I think that reading this story is very timely for me because in a few weeks I will begin working part time only, 2-4 hours a day, just like the fisherman.  I am pretty sure I can survive indefinitely working part time.  Now I will have half a day free, everyday.  Should I spend it working on real estate and business? or should I spend it like the fisherman, doing this I want to do for fun? Obviously, I’m going to do both, I just have to balance it out properly."

I like the author can see both sides also BUT I tend to lean towards the fisherman's side.  It is important to enjoy what you are given because future rewards are not guaranteed.  The end of this post is a wonderful question:

Today's question is:
"How many of you would take 50% of your current salary if you could work 8am-12pm everyday?"-Mark Albion

365QOD-Day97

"The Universe likes speed"-Joe Vitale

Mastery book's fifth key is called The Edge- Push the envelope

Often times we sit around happy with our results. It is good to celebrate success but if one gets too comfortable then they often times fall from that level. 

Early success could be a sign of being able to get the low hanging fruit and not an indication of your greatness.  Pushing the envelope and stretching yourself must be a part of your daily life.

No one is suggesting that you have to be a complete risk taker BUT leaning towards uncomfortable has to be a must.  As humans we like steady state.  We seek a lull in activity and like to know that our efforts are rewarded.  However, we can not get comfortable.

Our growth depends on the stretching beyond our current steady state position.  Remember that the best fruit is not found low to the ground but up high where one has to stretch to reach it.

Often times we are afraid to leap because we think that there is no safety net below to save us.  But  once the leap has taken place we often find ourselves on higher ground and better off.

Today's question is:
"Do you know where the edge is?"

365QOD-Day96

Mastery book part4 is Intentionality.

According to Webster, the definition if intentionality is to be "done by design".  In other words you intent to do something.  You have a goal and you are intending to strive towards it.

I am amazed at the thinking process of many students.  It is their expectation that the answer should appear after one operation.  If it does then they are happy.  But often solving problems requires the manipulation of an equation(s) to get them in the form that is needed to obtain the result.

I believe that it is no different in life.  Very few projects require a one step to complete them.  It would be nice BUT that is not reality.  Often times the path that we chose requires changes along the way.  The initial strategy which is your intent is often a good design but only through being adaptable while retaining the original intended goal will one reach the goal. 

Often times steps that we believe will take X amount take slightly more Y amount. 

Today's question is:
"What is your most important goal intentionality?"

365QOD-Day95

The third key is to Surrender.

It is important to note that one can surrender in two different ways: first way is to truly surrender to an authority, second way is to pretend to have surrendered.

If one is being instructed by a true authority of an instructor then allowing one self to be teachable is very important.  However,  truly surrendering does not mean that you allow yourself to be abused or idolizing the instructor.  It means to allow the instructor to guide you with the belief that they have your best interest at heart unless proven otherwise.

The second type of surrender is not a true surrender.  A person is trying to fool the instructor BUT in reality the only one being fooled is the person themselves.  By being so skeptical, the person puts unnecessary walls and never truly learns everything.  Often times the instructor can sense this deception and does not offer a complete knowledge transfer to take place.

Today's question is:

"Can you allow yourself to truly surrender?"

365QOD-Day94

"Practice makes perfect"- Anonymous

The second part of the mastery formula is dedicated to practice.  I completely disagree with the notion that practice makes perfect.

I remember teaching martial arts classes and just before testing we would encourage the students to spend a portion of the time practicing their form.  It was almost comical that small kids thought swinging their hands wildly while moving their hands and feet very fast was practicing.  Maybe they were practicing the correct form but their practice was poor.

The idea that practice make perfect can also be argued against based on the notion that maybe what you are practicing is actually wrong.  Continuing with the small kids example, they would practice and practice a wrong move inside their form without noticing it.  They were in a sense practicing the wrong thing and getting better at it.

Combing these ideas would wrongly lead one to believe that if one practices the wright things then they would develop mastery. 
Today's question is:
"How do you get better at practicing the right things?"

In a future post I will explore the idea of practice in more detail.

365QOD-Day93

"So, you want to be a master?  What price are you willing to pay?"-Unknown

George Leonard passed away few months ago.  I was saddened to hear of his passing.  Even though I never met him, I considered him a great influence on my life.

George Leonard wrote a wonderful little book called Mastery. Next five days will be devoted to the five principles for long-term success and fulfillment in it.   I will discuss my interpretation of thee keys.

The first key the author describes is Instruction.   The easiest way to identify instruction is whether it is good or bad.  We have all had instructors who were good or bad.

Finding a great instructor is very helpful.  The proper instruction could take one on one training, group, or via CD/DVD. 

In my opinion, all of us learn differently and you have to determine the proper format and sequence for learning that is unique to you.  For example, one Saturday morning I was teaching a lab in which we had to work on Aleks, software used to master statistics.  One of the student wanted me to demonstrate how to solve a problem(visual), followed by her directing another student(auditory) while that person solved  a similar problem.  Lastly, she needed to go on the board and actually solve the problem(kine-static).

This was her magic key...

Today's question is:
"Who is your favorite instructor?(what mode did they use?)

365QOD-Day92

"'Once you get started on a task you will continue doing it. The key is to get started. Emotion comes from motion. Once motion occurs then the emotion will follow"

I once asked groups of students what is preventing them from being successful. They were asked to write it down on a piece of paper, fold it, and pass it up.   I did this for many groups.

The number one and two answers were:
1. I am lazy
2. I am not motivated

When I totaled the responses and read them out loud, I wondered whether they were one and the same.

In my own life I have noticed that once I get started I do get motivated to continue.  For me the secret is to "Just Start" and then you will "Just Do It!"

Today's question is:
"What is the first step you will take towards your goal?"

365QOD-Day91

"With every heart beat you are one step closer to God"-sign on a church I pass by everyday

I pass by this sign everyday on my way home.  It makes me pause and ponder this everyday.

We are limited in the time we are given.  All of our grave stones have a start date and an end date.
Although those are important the most most important part of a grave stone is the dash between those two numbers.

It is everything.  It is why in my daily planner I write the day out of 21000(I plan to live till 101-see Day6).  To indicate to me that I am one day closer to my end date.  One heartbeat closer to God.  Or, in my case one day closer to God.

Today's question is:
"How will you spend your heartbeats today?"

365QOD-Day90

"We do not teach our people to be nice.  We hire nice people"-Hotel chain ad

I read this while reading a Jim Rohn article on not sending ducks to eagle school.  It makes sense to me.

We all have some natural tendencies.  If we can simply identify those in people, and especially ourselves, we would have a lot smoother path towards success.

For example, if we know that someone lies all of the time then the best thing we can do is to stop having that person in our life and especially in our business.

When leaders make announcement that they will NOT cut people and start the change process by cutting people then they are not to be trusted.  This is how company cultures get destroyed. 

Integrity is the gap between what we say and what we do.

Today's question is:
"What are 5 characteristics of 'you' and what are others trying to mold you into?"

365QOD-Day89

" 'No pain...no gain' Often times we think in terms of short term gain instead of long-term gain. This short term preference is dangerous. ..."-some bad advise

In my opinion, there are two types of investors: short term and long term investors. Another way to say the same thing is active vs. passive.

Most investors have been brainwashed into believing that they need to be long term investors.  You hear it on the news all the time.

Some statements that you hear often are: "Make sure you have a balanced portfolio and you will be OK", "It is just a short term correction", "The stock is on sale", etc.

Money is like a wife.  You can not ignore it and hope everything will work out in the long run.  Being a long term love investor is like saying to your wife, "Honey I love you!  I will love you for the next 30 years.  I will however not tell you I love you everyday. BUT in thirty years I will shower you with love"  How far will that take you?
 
Don't be silly.  You have to look at the short term, everyday, and make intelligent adjustments.  The key word is intelligent.

Today's question is:
"Are you making intelligent adjustments or are you sleeping today?" 

365QOD-Day88

"Every master has a master"- Anonymous

Everyday I try to add to my brain healthy positive items.  One man who has influenced me in my thinking has been Jim Rohn.  I would consider him a master of self improvement.

Often times he refers to another person who got him started in his thinking.  This person is Earl Shoaff.  To Jim, Earl must have been a master. 

Consider the quote below:
 "Life never, never withholds anything from anyone. Love, health, wealth, companionship. All these exist in infinite abundance. We alone are the ones that prevent our own good from flowing, simply because we are not aware of nature's abundance and the tremendous power dormant in each of us. Power, which unfortunately, remains untapped because we don't know how to release, and set in motion, the activities which function the laws of success."- Earl Shoaff

We are limitless.  With masters, we can get direction for our power.


Today's question is:
"On what giant's shoulders do you stand?"

365QOD-Day87

"OK..OK..OK.what is the second question"-An impatient student

Continuing with the Pierre Morency book ideas from yesterday.  The second question is even more powerful than the first.  As Joe described it,

Imagine that money is not an object for you.
You can snap your fingers and money appears.
You have no need for money.
You own 12 great homes all over the world.
You have just returned from your 14th exotic trip and it is getting old.
You own 28 luxury cars.

Today's question is:
"What do you want to do next?"-Pierre Morency

CAUTION: It is very easy to be dismissive of this question.  Don't!  Really..what would you do next?

P.S. I could not find the book for a decent price.  The price is inflated because it is from Canada.

365QOD-Day86

"Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it"- old advise

Long time ago when I was in my early twenties and working I often heard this expression thrown around by the "old timers".  I laughed with them but eventually started examples of it happening over and over again.  Enough for me not to ignore it and believe it.

I recently listened to a wonderful audio book by Joe Vitale.  In this 2 cd set he introduced a book by Pierre Morency.  What was interesting about the last segment on CD#1 was Joe refers to two questions that Morency poses in his book.  The first one is actually on the cover of the book and is the QOD.


Today's question is
"What did you ask for when you got up this morning?"-Pierre Morency

365QOD-Day85

"Yeah.. he is smart... BUT he has no common sense"-Unknown

In yesterday's post I discussed physical strength vs. functional physical strength.

Can the same thing be said for mental strength?  Just being a Jeopardy champion does not make you functionally intelligent. 

Same thing can be said for someone with a Ph.D. Just because someone has many degrees does not mean that they functional intelligence.  Functional  mental intelligence, in my opinion, would combine being book smart with common sense. 

A great example of someone who combined these would be Leonardo Da Vinci.  A modern version would be Martin Luther King.  Both men were educated based on the standards of their day but excelled at taking that knowledge and using common sense to apply their knowledge.



Today's question is:
"What is your functional mental level? (1=poor 10=great)"

365QOD-Day84

"Strength does not come from physical capacity.  It comes from an indomitable will"-Unknown

I have never been impressed with someone who lifts heavy weights and is bulked up.  In my opinion, that is not a realistic functioning strength.

That person is sacrificing functional strength for physical strength.  Functional physical strength, in my opinion, I am implying usable strength that can be used in any other sport different from weightlifting.

A great example of someone who had a lot of functional physical strength is Bruce Lee. He was not a very large man 5' 3" and weighed about 135 lb. but looking at his movies and books one quickly notices the immense functional physical strength.


When you study the style of fighting he developed one realizes that he was a close up fighter.  He did this because his eyesight was poor.  He also favored one of his legs because the other one was slightly shorter.  In other words he adapted to major physical difficulties and besides those developed into a great example of functional physical strength.

Today's question is:
"What is your functional physical level? (1=poor 10=great)"

365QOD-Day83

"Why aren't you doing it?"- a question posed to me by a reader


I was re-listening to a Tony Robbins CD the other day.  He talked about how our external world could only be changed though action.

So what prevents us from taking an Action?
                                                       Fear....
So how do we overcome Fear?
                                                      Decision
How do we make ourselves make a decision?
                                                      Conditioning(your body)
combined with
                                                      Emotion(your mind)

                                   How many times?                            24-36 times

In other words, do something unpleasant by thinking of it pleasantly and emotionally with your whole body about 24-36 times until you are conditioned to make the decision automatically...fear is gone and you will take the action.

Today's question is:
"Are you willing to, using your whole body and mind, do something you currently dread 24-36 times in order to succeed?"

365QOD-Day82

"Everything could be turned into a weapon" Sara Carpenter's favorite quote

Consider the last five posts.  I took an article I read that was five pages and created five blog posts. 

One of the things that I want to do is to convert information that I consume into posts.  So if anything seems cool and informative I will try to write an entry into the blog.  This blog is one of my weapons in my arsenal.

Over time this will build the blog up but also provide a basis for a book- another weapon.  I started labeling the blog entries and hopefully by the end of the year I have about 30 topics on which I have written at least 10 entries.

The blog and the books will be a part of my brand.

As we learned from Dr. Medina's Google presentation blog entry any two topics could be turned into a good one hour presentation. Again, improving my visibility and my brand.

Today's question is:
"What are your weapons?"

365QOD-Day81

"Ok, OK..enough about procrastination...can you talk about something else?"  This is the last of the four parts.

What is willpower?  The ability to make yourself do something even when you don't "feel" like it.

It is important to realize that willpower is not inexhaustible.  It can be exhausted rather quickly.  And when we do, then our ability to regulate our behavior is very low.  So how do we make it stronger?

One method of strengthening the willpower is to remind yourself of your values.  This process of self-affirmation will help to strengthen your willpower.

Another technique is to remember in an earlier step we talked about stop, acknowledge, and then Just do IT!.  In a sense this is no different that mindful meditation.  Attention is the first step in self-regulation.  By learning to keep focused attention will reduce the likelihood of procrastination by making the self-regulation muscle stronger.

Today's question is:
"Have you ever tried mindful meditation?"

P.S Dr. Pychyl's blog is:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay

365QOD-Day80

"Just Do It!"- slogan

In this third part on procrastinating we want to talk about reducing uncertainty and distractions.  If we can do this then the likelihood of success is increased.

First of all planning is very valuable.  BUT planning and taking action are not the same thing.  However, when we are confronted by a task that is aversive we have to recognize that this will increase the likelihood of procrastinating.

The procrastination is due to uncertainty with how to proceed.  This is due to a lack of structure for the task.  So we must make the task concrete in order to reduce the uncertainty.  In addition, when it is time to act we must stack the deck in our favor by reducing the number of distractions that will take us away from the task.

The distractions could be things such as email, computer screen, or simply the environment you are in.  Give yourself the chance at succeeding by removing yourself to a place where you will minimize the number of distractions and you will more likely not procrastinate.

Today's question is:
"Can you reduce the uncertainty and distractions with your task?"

365QOD-Day79

"No pain...no gain"

Often times we think in terms of short term gain instead of long-term gain.  This short term precedence is dangerous.

According to Dr. Pychyl, when we feel that the task we have to confront makes us feel anxious or overwhelmed we give in and look for something that makes us fee good.  We seem immediate emotional relief by walking away from the task OR leaving it for tomorrow.

It is important to realize that we can have those negative feelings without acting on them.  The key is to stay put for a minute and do not give in.  Acknowledge the feeling and get started with the task anyway.  This forward momentum will change your emotional state and you will progress towards the next step.

So... Stay Put, Acknowledge It, and the Just Do IT!  The secret is the first part.

Today's question is:
"Can you stay put for a minute?"

365QOD-Day78

"Once you get started on a task you will continue doing it.  The key is to get started.  Emotion comes from motion.  Once motion occurs then emotion follows"

Continuing with the idea of conquering procrastination.  One of the techniques that Dr. Timothy Pychyl offers is called Time travel.

As human beings we are often not just irrational BUT predictably irrational. Future rewards seem distant and of less importance than the task at hand.  This is often true when the actual task is fun and pleasant or even free of thinking i.e web surfing.

We have to take a look at a task and visualize a future where we form concrete mental images as if it is happening in the present.  You might visualize yourself actually working on a sub-task of the task and succeeding.  Visualizing your approach and the successful completion of that sub-task is helpful.

Once you are done Time traveling connect the present to the desired future by actually accomplishing the task or part of the task.

Today's question is:
"Can you visualize a future success of a sub-task?"

365QOD-Day77

"Even indecision and inaction are really decision and action"Timothy Pychyl

I was doing a little paper cleanup when I ran across a Psychology Today article I had copied from Sept/Oct 2009.  The article was about procrastination.  I re-read it.  No I was not procrastinating about reading it since then...funny :)

The best part of the article was a formula that was presented by Piers Steel.  He conducted a meta-analysis of 70 different studies.  His ultimate contribution is the utility formula which measures how likely you are to procrastinate on any given task:

Utility Function=E*(V/I)*D=EVD/I 

where
E(Expectancy)    is person's expectation for succeeding at a given task
V(value)             is importance/fun a given task presents
I(Impulsiveness)  is how badly you need the reward for finishing
D(delay)             is a person's need for immediate gratification, their sensitivity to its 
                          delay, how easily distracted you are

So before starting a task ask yourself and give a score on scale of 0(false)-1.0(true) for each category.

For example, suppose I want to run a marathon.  I might put my odds at succeeding at 50% so I assign a 0.5.  The value of the task is pretty high for me since it is one of my life goals so a 1.  The impulsiveness for doing it is about a 0.5.  My health would improve but my life would not change drastically.  Do I need to do it now?  It could wait till next year although my knees are starting to hurt more so I better do it this year..so a 0.7.  Putting it together gives   P=.5*1*.5/.7=  .357  or 36% chance of procrastinating... Cool

So if I want to reduce  the P value I can increase the .7 or decrease the .5 values.  I could increase my belief of succeeding by reading runner magazines and training more often.  I could decrease my I score by making it more of a scheduled routine activity.  Now I am armed with some ideas on how to reduce the likelihood to procrastinate.

Today's question is:
"What is something you are procrastinating about? (What are our numbers?)"

365QOD-Day76

"You are a champion..now what?".

I read an interesting story tonight.  It was from Competitor magazine.  The magazine announces local running races BUT often does a few great stories.

http://www.competitor-digital.com/competitor/201103/#pg1 

In an earlier post I spoke of Roger Bannister who broke the 4 minute mile.  He managed to do something that most people believed was impossible to do at that time without the human heart exploding.

Just when I thought I had heard most stories of pushing human abilities to the max I read about Daniel Komen.  He is a Kenyan runner who is the only human being to have run 2 sub 4 minute miles.  In other words he ran two miles in less than 8 minutes.  WOW!

http://www.competitor-digital.com/competitor/201103/#pg58 

That by itself would have been impressive BUT he won all kinds of other races.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Komen

But that is not why the story was interesting.  To me the story was interesting because he failed to quality for the 1996 and 2000 Olympics BUT in between them set all these records around 1998.  And after failing to get to the 2000 Olympics he disappeared from the sport in 2002.  He now lives comfortably in Kanya.

What caused me to write this blog is the idea that this guy did something more incredible than Bannister, which is by itself great, and yet I had never heard of him.  The story goes on to say that he did it for the money.  It was not a passion of his to run.  WOW!  He managed to set world records that still stand and he only did it for money.

Today's question is:
"How long can you perform at a very high level... just for the money?"

365QOD-Day75

"Everything in life follows the 80/20 rule"-Anonymous

Vilfredo Pareto's principle was that a minority of causes, inputs, or effort usually leads to a majority of the results, outputs, or rewards.  This is where the 80/20 rule comes from.

I firmly believe this rule.  I manage projects for a living and believe that majority of my gains will be based on a few of my projects.  That is where I must focus my attention.


What about the rest of life?  It fits nicely there also.  80% of my interaction will be worthless and wasteful.  However, 20% of my interactions will provide fruits.  So one in five encounters could change our destiny.

Next time you are in a middle of an activity or conversation, ask yourself if they belong in the 20% or the 80%.

Today's question is:
"How do we maximize the benefits from those 20%?"

365QOD-Day74

"Eventually everything will get done"- Anonymous

When it comes to the issue of quality then eventually is not good enough.  Most people would prefer good enough now over perfect in the distant future.

So, how do you know when good enough is good enough?  Consider for a moment that military folks never have 100% knowledge about the enemy.  I have read in the past that their decision process is based on knowing 70% of what is to be determined and believing that level is enough knowledge to move forward.

Why 70%?  If you think about it then it starts to make sense.  You must always have a bit of nervousness.  If you feel that you must know everything that you need to know then you will be paralyzed into not taking an action.

By accepting 70% you give yourself to take an imperfect action than to wait for a perfect time to act.  I believe that the same should apply in regular situations.  I have at times spent too much time thinking and not enough doing.

It is very seldom that we regret an action but often regret most inactions.  As the old saying goes.... there are more unwritten novels in a graveyard than in existence.

Today's question is:
"What are you waiting for? ACT!"

365QOD-Day73

"Everything happened in a blur"- an eyewitness

This morning I watched a very interesting presentation on the brain.
As Dr. John Medina put it in a presentation at authors@Google:
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK1nMQq67VI















He defined the brain as:
The brain appears to have been designed to solve problems, related to surviving, in an unstable outdoor environment and to do so in a near constant motion.

In the book he presents twelve rules:
 Exercise -                    Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
 Survival -                     Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
 Wiring -                       Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
 Attention -                   Rule #4: We don't pay attention to boring things.
 Short-Term Memory - Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
 Long-Term Memory -  Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
 Sleep -                         Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
 Stress -                        Rule #8: Stressed brains don't learn the same way.
 Sensory Integration -    Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
 Vision -                        Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
 Gender -                      Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
Exploration -                 Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.

What I found interesting about his presentation at Google is that he spoke for about an hour.  During that hour he only spoke about two of the rules.  Using the formula for the number of combination with n=12(number of rules) and r=2(taken 2 at a time)
                        C=n!/r!(n-r)!=12!/2!(10)!=12*11/2=66 different presentations of two topics.

So the moral of the story is to create a piece of work from which portions can be used to create a new whole. The old saying that the whole is a sum of its parts is not true. One can make the subsets whole pieces by themselves.

Today's question is:
"What product that you create from which portions can be extracted into a whole new product?"