Are we who we say we are, and who do we say we are?

Japanese owl symbolism
Owls are wise and in this size, also a choking hazard.

 

Are we who we say we are, and who do we say we are?

We have maybe a dozen important roles, many of them dictated by our life – spouse, partner, child, relative, neighbor, volunteer, and so on. Now think about what we do that pays our bills…

What would we say we do? And what would we say we plan to do when we stop (retire) doing that?

For example, I am a writer.

Live like you mean it!

Next Blog

 

Art and the artist

Poster showing customer appreciation
Randy Austin, my trusted auto mechanic, is an artist

 

Art and the artist.

Art is what we do. The artist is us.

We either see this as truth or we don’t.

Mid Life Celebration’s art is not about painting.

It’s about the art of balancing life’s five big choices. All day, everyday.

Simply being able to see this as truth is, well, art.

Be well and remain amazed.

Next Blog

 

Naggers Are Lovers

Randy Pausch in his book, The last Lecture, proposes that nagging people are really lovers. He didn’t say that, I’m just rephrasing what he wrote to make a point.

People nag others because they care, although it doesn’t seem so.

Stop what you’re doing and watch this.

When people stop nagging you, it means they’ve given up on you.

It’s an educated guess that you’ve never considered this angle before. Nagging seems so negative.

Nagging is actually positive.

Are you going to find ten minutes in your life to watch Will Smith’s passion and wisdom?

It will be the best ten minutes you invest this year.

We’ll there’s better stuff out there, but you’ll most likely never find it. I probably will. And then nag you to pay attention. Maybe.

Are you willing to take that chance?

Ten minutes.

Only a fool would pass on this.

I guess.

Four Tips to Be World Class

How does a person or an organization become world class, and stay world class? Here are four tips to do just that.  First, however we need to state the obvious:

It’s a double edge sword isn’t it?  If consistency is the hallmark or quality, and continuous improvement is the key to becoming (and sustaining) world class status, how do you balance risk and reward?

Let’s use this example from yesterday.

As a professional speaker, there are several goals for every presentation:

  • Give a speech to change the world
  • Never give the same speech twice
  • Ask great questions
  • Get the audience to reveal the key points

Let’s review from a different angle, what you just read:

  • Have passion and faith that impossible is possible
  • Be authentic, not going through the motions
  • Know where you want to go and be prepared to get there
  • Lead, don’t manage

The second set of bullet points states the common sense theories that we all nod our heads in agreement when we hear them.

The first set illustrates how I internalized these common sense things to make them work for my particular role in the business world.

Now it’s your turn. Take the four common sense bullet points and make them your own.  Tomorrow, I’ll share how practicing what I preach led to an amazing result.

You don’t have to any of this.  And maybe that’s a leader’s biggest challenge, doing what’s easier rather than what’s harder.  So here’s a fifth tip – being world class means out working your competition.  Most people hate to admit this.  And then they wonder why they aren’t world class.