“The first key to greatness is to be in reality what we appear to be.”
Socrates
I’ve Been Thinking . . . about authenticity.
Reports indicate that after World War I, hundreds of shell-shocked French soldiers struggled to remember who they were. Military records failed to help these amnesia victims recall their names and be reunited with their families. Officials decided to hold an identification rally in Paris and announce the event throughout France.
Imagine the anticipation and anxiousness surrounding this effort. Thousands of people gathered in the plaza hoping to identify their loved one. One by one the soldiers made their way to a high platform and pleaded, “Please, please, can somebody tell me who I am?”
That anxious cry -- “Can somebody tell me who I am?” -- resounds throughout the world today. The ability to determine who we are establishes our identity in a world of copycats and allows us to be ourselves in a world intent on us being someone other than we are to attain success.
I thought about Socrates’ comment and the soldier’s pleas as I reread an October 26, 1992 article in the New York Times. You might think the article entitled, “Fragrance Engineers Say They Can Bottle the Smell of Success,” by N.R. Kleinfield is a fabrication but here’s the actual way a portion of it appeared:
“It was bound to happen. Someone thinks he is about to create the Honest Car Salesman in a bottle.”
I chuckled when I read that one of Detroit’s big three auto makers hired Dr. Alan R. Hirsch, a quirky smell researcher in Chicago, to devise a rather exceptional scent. The hope was that when the odor was sprayed on a car salesman, he would - yes - smell honest.
It sounds absurd. In fact, after she was done laughing, Dr. Susan Shiffman, a smell researcher and professor of medical psychology at the Duke University Medical School, remarked, “I was not aware that honesty had a specific smell associated with it.” But Dr. Hirsch, who refuses to name his Detroit client, is confident that he will have the Honest Car Salesman Odor devised within a year. “If he succeeds, he said, the auto maker will entrust the smell to its dealers, who will spray it on their salesmen, and then customers will catch a whiff and cars will fly off the lots.”
My first reaction was, “You have got to be kidding!” This unusual research is a marvelous indicator of a culture obsessed with “doing” rather than “being.” In an effort to get all you can, remember that what you do to be successful is far less important than knowing and being who you are. Authenticity will allow you to begin your journey to greatness. Refrain from artificial ingredients that camouflage the real you.
A modern day model of authenticity is Dolly Parton. In Parade magazine, she said, “People who know me know that beneath these big boobs is a big heart, and beneath this big hair is a big brain. Over time, people see me as a real person and stop staring at the anatomy.” Dolly Parton understands the obstacles she must overcome for people to see the real her. She is keenly aware that no matter what she achieves with her life, living her life consistent with what she really is will be the true measure of success.
Over time, people value the person who knows who they are and respects themselves for what they are. Be a genuine version of you.
“The easiest thing to be in the world is you. The most difficult thing to be is what other people want you to be. Don’t let them put you in that position.”
Leo Buscaglia
Monday, August 29, 2011
Monday, August 15, 2011
Don’t Shove It... Love It!
“The grass may look greener on the other side, but it still has to be mowed.”
B.C. Forbes
I’ve Been Thinking. . . how to make my grass greener.
When you have one of those days at work when the grass looks greener on the other side or you want to scream, “Take This Job and Shove It,” consider the advice of Dr. Nickolas Hall:
On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the section where they have thermometers. You will need to purchase a rectal thermometer made by Q-Tip. Be very sure that you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the drapes, and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed during your therapy.
Change to very comfortable clothing, such as a sweat suit and lie down on the bed. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Carefully place it on the bedside table so that it will not become chipped or broken. Take out the written material that accompanies the thermometer and read it.
You will notice in small print the statement reads, “Every rectal thermometer made by Q-Tip is PERSONALLY tested.” Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, “I am so glad I do not work in quality control at the Q-Tip Company.”
Puts things in perspective doesn’t it?
Let’s say you have reached the point where you want to ‘shove’ your job. It’s not energizing and inspiring you like you want. Consider your options:
1. Do absolutely nothing and hope for a magical intervention by the tooth fairy.
2. Leave your position so you don’t suck the energy out of other people.
3. Take some time to consider what you could do to transform your current job into something you would enjoy.
4. Figure out what your ideal job is and create it or go find it.
If you think the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it might be because someone is fertilizing it. I’m sure the water bill is higher there as well. The perfect lawn doesn’t just happen.
Neither does the perfect job.
Francis Ford Coppola once said, “If you love something, you’ll bring so much of yourself to it that it will create your future.” People who love what they do invest their heart, mind and spirit into everything they do. They are totally immersed and invested in what they are doing. How do you get there? Explore some new ways of thinking and approaching your job.
First, increase your competence. Find a way to get better at what you do. Take one of the basics of your position and become a master at it. Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt are convinced that, “Enjoyment comes from doing our best. At our best, we want to do and be our best, even when the work we are doing is not our first choice and does not give us the joy we want…”
Do yourself a favor and throw yourself wholeheartedly into becoming a master at what you do. Work as hard as you can to be the best you can be at what you choose to do.
Secondly, light yourself on fire. There’s an old Texas proverb that says, “You can’t light a fire with a wet match.” The world is full of soggy matches waiting for someone to come along and light their fire. Find a way to become your own personal arsonist. If you don’t set the kindling on fire, don’t expect anyone to do it for you.
Simply stated, each of us is responsible to take the initiative to create a passion for what we do. The fast track to this experience is doing what you love. If that isn’t happening for you try pouring your heart into what you do and see what happens.
Take it from Reggie Leach: “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
Another “love it” strategy is to focus on people. Ironically, when I unselfishly brighten another person’s world, my world becomes a bit brighter. Who needs you to show a measure of concern? What are the strengths of your co-workers? Show kindness to someone who is unable to return your gesture. Give up fifteen minutes in your day to build a better relationship with one person. You get the idea.
Ben Stein believes that, “Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.” Give it a try. If you are feeling a little disheartened about your life or job, find a way to enrich the life of someone else. You’ll be amazed at the result.
Finally, stretch yourself. Heighten your personal expectations. Challenge the walls of your current responsibilities. Be imaginative. Confront the status quo and take responsibility to work toward achievements uncommon to your position. Choose to make a difference. Dig in and find a way to produce the unexpected.
William Demille said, “I have always admired the ability to bite off more than one can chew and then chew it.” Feeling restless? Disillusioned? Bored? Uninterested? Try biting off a bigger challenge that stretches you to new levels of achievement. . . and most likely a greater love for what you do.
Don’t shove it, love it is a pursuit worth considering. We tend to enjoy whatever we are doing the most when we choose to find positive ways to engage our talents. Commit now to creating a renewed fascination for what you do.
“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”
Dale Carnegie
B.C. Forbes
I’ve Been Thinking. . . how to make my grass greener.
When you have one of those days at work when the grass looks greener on the other side or you want to scream, “Take This Job and Shove It,” consider the advice of Dr. Nickolas Hall:
On your way home from work, stop at your pharmacy and go to the section where they have thermometers. You will need to purchase a rectal thermometer made by Q-Tip. Be very sure that you get this brand. When you get home, lock your doors, draw the drapes, and disconnect the phone so you will not be disturbed during your therapy.
Change to very comfortable clothing, such as a sweat suit and lie down on the bed. Open the package and remove the thermometer. Carefully place it on the bedside table so that it will not become chipped or broken. Take out the written material that accompanies the thermometer and read it.
You will notice in small print the statement reads, “Every rectal thermometer made by Q-Tip is PERSONALLY tested.” Now, close your eyes and repeat out loud five times, “I am so glad I do not work in quality control at the Q-Tip Company.”
Puts things in perspective doesn’t it?
Let’s say you have reached the point where you want to ‘shove’ your job. It’s not energizing and inspiring you like you want. Consider your options:
1. Do absolutely nothing and hope for a magical intervention by the tooth fairy.
2. Leave your position so you don’t suck the energy out of other people.
3. Take some time to consider what you could do to transform your current job into something you would enjoy.
4. Figure out what your ideal job is and create it or go find it.
If you think the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it might be because someone is fertilizing it. I’m sure the water bill is higher there as well. The perfect lawn doesn’t just happen.
Neither does the perfect job.
Francis Ford Coppola once said, “If you love something, you’ll bring so much of yourself to it that it will create your future.” People who love what they do invest their heart, mind and spirit into everything they do. They are totally immersed and invested in what they are doing. How do you get there? Explore some new ways of thinking and approaching your job.
First, increase your competence. Find a way to get better at what you do. Take one of the basics of your position and become a master at it. Denis Waitley and Reni L. Witt are convinced that, “Enjoyment comes from doing our best. At our best, we want to do and be our best, even when the work we are doing is not our first choice and does not give us the joy we want…”
Do yourself a favor and throw yourself wholeheartedly into becoming a master at what you do. Work as hard as you can to be the best you can be at what you choose to do.
Secondly, light yourself on fire. There’s an old Texas proverb that says, “You can’t light a fire with a wet match.” The world is full of soggy matches waiting for someone to come along and light their fire. Find a way to become your own personal arsonist. If you don’t set the kindling on fire, don’t expect anyone to do it for you.
Simply stated, each of us is responsible to take the initiative to create a passion for what we do. The fast track to this experience is doing what you love. If that isn’t happening for you try pouring your heart into what you do and see what happens.
Take it from Reggie Leach: “Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire.”
Another “love it” strategy is to focus on people. Ironically, when I unselfishly brighten another person’s world, my world becomes a bit brighter. Who needs you to show a measure of concern? What are the strengths of your co-workers? Show kindness to someone who is unable to return your gesture. Give up fifteen minutes in your day to build a better relationship with one person. You get the idea.
Ben Stein believes that, “Personal relationships are the fertile soil from which all advancement, all success, all achievement in real life grows.” Give it a try. If you are feeling a little disheartened about your life or job, find a way to enrich the life of someone else. You’ll be amazed at the result.
Finally, stretch yourself. Heighten your personal expectations. Challenge the walls of your current responsibilities. Be imaginative. Confront the status quo and take responsibility to work toward achievements uncommon to your position. Choose to make a difference. Dig in and find a way to produce the unexpected.
William Demille said, “I have always admired the ability to bite off more than one can chew and then chew it.” Feeling restless? Disillusioned? Bored? Uninterested? Try biting off a bigger challenge that stretches you to new levels of achievement. . . and most likely a greater love for what you do.
Don’t shove it, love it is a pursuit worth considering. We tend to enjoy whatever we are doing the most when we choose to find positive ways to engage our talents. Commit now to creating a renewed fascination for what you do.
“Are you bored with life? Then throw yourself into some work you believe in with all your heart, live for it, die for it, and you will find happiness that you had thought could never be yours.”
Dale Carnegie
Monday, August 1, 2011
Stuck in the Stairway of Life
“You cannot expect to achieve new goals or move beyond your present circumstances unless you change.”
Les Brown
I’ve Been Thinking . . . how amazingly blessed I am to have uncanny, peculiar and untimely experiences that teach me valuable life lessons.
I recently attended a wonderful dinner on the roof of 101 Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. It was my first visit to this spectacular venue. The view of our nation’s capital was breathtaking as the sun set in the west and the lights of the city illuminated the skylight. The pictures I captured on my iPhone couldn’t do justice to the beauty observed by the human eye.
A couple hours into the evening I needed to use the restroom. The staff politely instructed me to take the elevator down to the ground level (we were on the 11th floor) and follow the signs to locate the restroom. I followed their directions and the signs posted. Success. Relief.
As I made my way back to the elevators, I suddenly learned the door to the lobby was locked. I knocked repeatedly but to no avail. I made the decision to run up the ‘11’ flights of stairs to the doorway leading to the roof where the dinner party guests were all gathered. Arriving sweaty, breathless and a bit panicked, I promptly learned this door was locked as well and no one on the other side was able to hear my repeated beating on the door. . . let alone my deep breathing.
I’m stuck. Two locked doors and an exceptionally warm, humid stairway had me imprisoned from the celebration going on outside. Being an impatient, action-oriented (and thankfully not claustrophobic) person I decided not to wait until someone discovered I was missing to be freed. Running down the stairs to the lower level (wishing I had on running shoes), I began pushing on doors.
Much to my delight a door opened to the alleyway on the side of the building. It wasn’t exactly a suitable place to hang-out for the remainder of the evening so I hastily made my way to the front lobby and pled my case with the security guards.
Minutes later I rejoined the dinner party. I’m sure the sweat dripping from the side of my face, my shiny brow and my relieved expression was no cause for curiosity with my dinner mates. Well, maybe one.
I’ve now had a bit of time to reflect on this brief adventure and the broader application of being “stuck in the stairway of life.” I wonder how many people are running up and down the same stairway everyday seeking a way out of their current circumstances. They are beating on locked doors unable to navigate their way to freedom or catch the attention of someone who might be able to help. Each day begins and ends repeating the steps they traversed yesterday. It’s frightening!
There’s little fulfillment existing in a stairway of stale air fed only by desperate panting and the odor of exasperated and exhausted stairway companions. This is a surefire prescription for monotonous, repetitive, even grueling but unproductive activity. It’s impossible “to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy,” as author Stephen Covey says we all want to do, when our life is derailed by circumstances seemingly beyond our control.
The answer is to persevere in finding the ‘alleyway’ to freedom. Find an opening, no matter how small that leads you out of the prison of predictable sameness. This dilemma cannot be resolved with the conventional thinking that got you into the bind in the first place. Liberate your mind to think outside the obvious stairway walls and get a fresh perspective on new, possibly even unusual or extraordinary options.
The elevator to the top is waiting . . .
Your primary job is to make any effort, overcome any obstacle, and scale any height to become the dynamic, unstoppable, irresistibly self-confident person that you are capable of becoming.
Brian Tracy
Les Brown
I’ve Been Thinking . . . how amazingly blessed I am to have uncanny, peculiar and untimely experiences that teach me valuable life lessons.
I recently attended a wonderful dinner on the roof of 101 Constitution Avenue in Washington, D.C. It was my first visit to this spectacular venue. The view of our nation’s capital was breathtaking as the sun set in the west and the lights of the city illuminated the skylight. The pictures I captured on my iPhone couldn’t do justice to the beauty observed by the human eye.
A couple hours into the evening I needed to use the restroom. The staff politely instructed me to take the elevator down to the ground level (we were on the 11th floor) and follow the signs to locate the restroom. I followed their directions and the signs posted. Success. Relief.
As I made my way back to the elevators, I suddenly learned the door to the lobby was locked. I knocked repeatedly but to no avail. I made the decision to run up the ‘11’ flights of stairs to the doorway leading to the roof where the dinner party guests were all gathered. Arriving sweaty, breathless and a bit panicked, I promptly learned this door was locked as well and no one on the other side was able to hear my repeated beating on the door. . . let alone my deep breathing.
I’m stuck. Two locked doors and an exceptionally warm, humid stairway had me imprisoned from the celebration going on outside. Being an impatient, action-oriented (and thankfully not claustrophobic) person I decided not to wait until someone discovered I was missing to be freed. Running down the stairs to the lower level (wishing I had on running shoes), I began pushing on doors.
Much to my delight a door opened to the alleyway on the side of the building. It wasn’t exactly a suitable place to hang-out for the remainder of the evening so I hastily made my way to the front lobby and pled my case with the security guards.
Minutes later I rejoined the dinner party. I’m sure the sweat dripping from the side of my face, my shiny brow and my relieved expression was no cause for curiosity with my dinner mates. Well, maybe one.
I’ve now had a bit of time to reflect on this brief adventure and the broader application of being “stuck in the stairway of life.” I wonder how many people are running up and down the same stairway everyday seeking a way out of their current circumstances. They are beating on locked doors unable to navigate their way to freedom or catch the attention of someone who might be able to help. Each day begins and ends repeating the steps they traversed yesterday. It’s frightening!
There’s little fulfillment existing in a stairway of stale air fed only by desperate panting and the odor of exasperated and exhausted stairway companions. This is a surefire prescription for monotonous, repetitive, even grueling but unproductive activity. It’s impossible “to live, to love, to learn and to leave a legacy,” as author Stephen Covey says we all want to do, when our life is derailed by circumstances seemingly beyond our control.
The answer is to persevere in finding the ‘alleyway’ to freedom. Find an opening, no matter how small that leads you out of the prison of predictable sameness. This dilemma cannot be resolved with the conventional thinking that got you into the bind in the first place. Liberate your mind to think outside the obvious stairway walls and get a fresh perspective on new, possibly even unusual or extraordinary options.
The elevator to the top is waiting . . .
Your primary job is to make any effort, overcome any obstacle, and scale any height to become the dynamic, unstoppable, irresistibly self-confident person that you are capable of becoming.
Brian Tracy
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