Yesterday was Martin Luther King day in this country, where we remember the life and achievements of that great civil rights leader. At one point a young lady, a teenager, was asked what she thought of Doctor King and she said she really didn't know who he was or what he did. We sometimes for get that he died in 1968, the victim of a disgruntled assassin. That was 43 years ago. Hard to believe, isn't it?
But how could this young girl NOT know Martin Luther King?
Well, it dawns on me when I reflect that history is only rarely made, accepted or understood by youth. Today's youth don't have any more expectations put on them than to be 'unique', to "hang out" with their friends and pass school *somehow.* We, as a society, simply don't imbue them with a greater sense of duty and purpose. It's no wonder then, that those who sacrificed, fought and died for the rights of others are not held in high esteem. It isn't just MLK, either. Ask a young person if they've heard of people like Frederick Douglas, Mahatma Ghandi or Hubert Humphrey sometime....
Having traveled the globe, widely, I remain convinced that America's singular experiment in the "Rule of the People" is a landmark moment in time.
Given this, and maybe in spite of it, we tend to have a rather centric view of events in this country. We tend to think that the American experience is particularly noteworthy.
Well, we are not perfect; we don't always remember that we didn't get here by magic. Many sacrifices, often of blood and life, were part of our makeup. This is seen in our own civil rights movement, the culmination of two centuries of neglect for the displaced Africans that became a part of our nations people. Robbed of their homes and dignity, they were brought here unwillingly to serve the economic needs of a nation - then left to languish as second class citizens.
But, Alan Keyes, one of my favorite political activists said it best... "We may have gotten here on different ships - but were ALL rowing the same boat, now."
My point is that the history of human rights and, specifically, that of self-sacrifice for those down trodden, wasn't written in this country alone. There have been many great and wondrous things done to succor those in need - all over the world, in all times....
But in all cases, those offering the aid were giving themselves over to a greater power. They forgot themselves so as to aid their fellow man.
So I am left to wonder if we are teaching the next generation that such sacrifice is the greatest form of heroism? It isn't that Dr. King was black; some will make that assumption. It is that he died caring about a nation and it's people - that they might come together, at last, to form a greater whole. He, in fact died, focused upon that.
So, are we impressing THAT upon today's youth? Are we telling them that their highest purpose is not to live for themselves, nor to pile up riches or appear in the newest viral YouTube video? But, rather, that it is to GO and DO something worthwhile, to ACT in ways that make a difference for the betterment of all?
"I am of mixed heritage and so is my husband. But I love the fact that I am of one race, the human race." - Lynn Higgenbotham Beasley
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
Showing posts with label encouragement. Show all posts
15 December 2010
What are you doing to test yourself? How are you pushing yourself to greater things? In fact, ARE YOU doing this?
I have recently undergone HAZMAT Response training, wherein I (and my team) were trained to respond to the spill of hazardous, even deadly, chemicals. I mean, this was the real deal - we dressed in sealed space suits, we resolved toxic spill situations and for all intents, we saved lives. In the process, I found out what my associates were capable of, who "had my back," and when the chips were down who could be relied upon to act quickly, coolly and bravely in the face of a dire challenge.
This was very comforting and enlightening.
But it led me to wonder how many of us deliberately place ourselves in trying situations. I'm not suggesting that HAZMAT Response Training is the only answer, even if I think it would benefit anyone. But, ask yourself: "Am I forcing myself to do things that I am afraid of? AM I DELIBERATELY TESTING MY LIMITS AND TRYING TO REACH BEYOND THEM?"
If you are like most people - you are not. You move at a slow pace, you avoid risk and you look for the easy way to get somewhere. That is normal; it's what most do.
It's also why people don't leave the "dream phase" of their lives. We are told that we need to dream big, to be all we can be... but putting dreams into action requires us to often go into frightening territory. That part is left out of the promotional materials, somehow.
But it is this attribute, the willingness to face fears and challenges come what may, that sets the achiever apart from the dreamer. Every hero, every great and unknown success story, has this as an element of their life. Nothing was ever achieved merely by dreaming - it is the DOING that we remember. And while it may be fraught with dangers, real and imagined, it has to occur.
So again, ask yourself as you dream big, "When dreaming has run it's course, am I ready to face my fears, to sweat and to WIN?"
I have recently undergone HAZMAT Response training, wherein I (and my team) were trained to respond to the spill of hazardous, even deadly, chemicals. I mean, this was the real deal - we dressed in sealed space suits, we resolved toxic spill situations and for all intents, we saved lives. In the process, I found out what my associates were capable of, who "had my back," and when the chips were down who could be relied upon to act quickly, coolly and bravely in the face of a dire challenge.
This was very comforting and enlightening.
But it led me to wonder how many of us deliberately place ourselves in trying situations. I'm not suggesting that HAZMAT Response Training is the only answer, even if I think it would benefit anyone. But, ask yourself: "Am I forcing myself to do things that I am afraid of? AM I DELIBERATELY TESTING MY LIMITS AND TRYING TO REACH BEYOND THEM?"
If you are like most people - you are not. You move at a slow pace, you avoid risk and you look for the easy way to get somewhere. That is normal; it's what most do.
It's also why people don't leave the "dream phase" of their lives. We are told that we need to dream big, to be all we can be... but putting dreams into action requires us to often go into frightening territory. That part is left out of the promotional materials, somehow.
But it is this attribute, the willingness to face fears and challenges come what may, that sets the achiever apart from the dreamer. Every hero, every great and unknown success story, has this as an element of their life. Nothing was ever achieved merely by dreaming - it is the DOING that we remember. And while it may be fraught with dangers, real and imagined, it has to occur.
So again, ask yourself as you dream big, "When dreaming has run it's course, am I ready to face my fears, to sweat and to WIN?"
18 February 2010
The other day a young man, named Ryan, asked me what I thought he should do. He had many ideas about what he might do, and mentioned some of things he had dreamed of doing. He even had reasons why he wasn't doing other things because "..right now, I'm not able to do them," as he put it.
As we talked he began the familiar litany of reasons why he CAN"T do the things he mentioned. He had some great ideas, some real life changers. But his speech was peppered with a constant stream of why he cannot do them. Some of these negative notions had come from others, and some he had decided on his own.
After listenting to him I laid out the simple formula that could get him where he wnated to go:
1. First decide what your Prime Directive is.
This isn't so much what you want to do, but that which you know you should be doing. There will be time for big dreams later - at the moment, there are things you should be doing to advance yourself to the next step. Decide what that is.
2. Stop listening so much to the naysayers.
For example, Ryan had been told by his father in law that one of the hings he had looked into would only lead to problems, hardships and ultimately, failure. But I saw a different reality - if he gave that thing an honest effort of only 80%, he would make more money than he had ever dreamed of, gain prestige and obtain a respected position in the community. It was done before by others and wasn't earth shaking, meaning it was very possible. SO who should he be listening to?
3. Eliminate CAN'T from your own vocabulary.
Our internal dialogue should be guiding us to where we need to go - not knocking us back to the ground. The one person you should be able to trust is yourself. So focus on CAN phrases. Instead of saying, "I cant do that because..." say, "I can do it, and here's how, why, etc." Direct your mind to see the solutions and face the difficulties, as opposed to cutting off your own legs - - and doing nothing.
Winston Churchill once said, “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life... most of which had never happened”
If you are going to GO, DO and BECOME anything, you have to first be convinced that it is the right thing to be doing at this time. Then you have to choose your counsel well, from among those that realistically support you. And finally, you have to face the fact that you CAN do whatever it is you choose, as opposed to stopping before you start.
As we talked he began the familiar litany of reasons why he CAN"T do the things he mentioned. He had some great ideas, some real life changers. But his speech was peppered with a constant stream of why he cannot do them. Some of these negative notions had come from others, and some he had decided on his own.
After listenting to him I laid out the simple formula that could get him where he wnated to go:
1. First decide what your Prime Directive is.
This isn't so much what you want to do, but that which you know you should be doing. There will be time for big dreams later - at the moment, there are things you should be doing to advance yourself to the next step. Decide what that is.
2. Stop listening so much to the naysayers.
For example, Ryan had been told by his father in law that one of the hings he had looked into would only lead to problems, hardships and ultimately, failure. But I saw a different reality - if he gave that thing an honest effort of only 80%, he would make more money than he had ever dreamed of, gain prestige and obtain a respected position in the community. It was done before by others and wasn't earth shaking, meaning it was very possible. SO who should he be listening to?
3. Eliminate CAN'T from your own vocabulary.
Our internal dialogue should be guiding us to where we need to go - not knocking us back to the ground. The one person you should be able to trust is yourself. So focus on CAN phrases. Instead of saying, "I cant do that because..." say, "I can do it, and here's how, why, etc." Direct your mind to see the solutions and face the difficulties, as opposed to cutting off your own legs - - and doing nothing.
Winston Churchill once said, “When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had had a lot of trouble in his life... most of which had never happened”
If you are going to GO, DO and BECOME anything, you have to first be convinced that it is the right thing to be doing at this time. Then you have to choose your counsel well, from among those that realistically support you. And finally, you have to face the fact that you CAN do whatever it is you choose, as opposed to stopping before you start.
04 December 2009
HOW TO KILL YOURSELF
Rocker Tommy Lee once said, "We're not here for a long time, we're here for a good time!" You tell 'em, Tommy.
Many of us follow his lead every day by shunning the most basic principles of Darwinian evolution, trying to kill ourselves through food, toxins and all manner of reckless lifestyles. If you'd like to get in on the act with Tommy, here are the Top Ten surest paths to self-destruction. Who needs a life worth living, any way?
10. Sacrifice Sleep
Inadequate sleep (less than 7 or 8 hours a night) has been tied to many different health problems, including obesity, diabetes and cancer. Mental fatigue is an equal risk factor for vehicular accidents as alcohol. SO burn that candle at both ends. And just think of all the time you'd have for destructive behavior if you stopped sleeping altogether! Eureka!
9. Ignore the Doctor
If you don't want to hear the doctor denounce the rest of these tips for self-destruction, just don't go. Early disease detection and important medical consultation will surely get in the way of your Tommy Lee lifestyle.
8. Dumb Down Your Brain
Reading, doing crosswords, tackling sudokus and other brain stimulating activities are known to ward off the effects of Alzheimers and other forms of senile dementia. So, forget trying to be smarter if you want to live a short life. Just let your brain rot, instead. The rest of you wont be far behind.
7. Sex
Sex in itself isn't bad... it's how you do it that means life or death. The smart self-destructor doesn't use protection, ignores the partner's sexual history and shuns the annual medical exam. Twelve million Americans contract sexually transmitted diseases every year, many of which leave the victim infertile. Killing yourself and preventing new births? Now there's a win-win!
6. Drive a Lot
If you want to increase your chance of living to a ripe old age, fly everywhere. Driving kills more people, aged 1 to 35, than anything else. Stay home and this becomes a non-existent threat. But what fun is that?
So hit the road and hit the gas. While you're at it, text on your cell phone, eat fast food AND neglect to buckle up.
5. Drink a Lot
The occasional drink of alcohol, especially red wine, can be beneficial to your health. But if you want to do yourself in right, overdo the two-drink-per-day limit. If you're lucky, you might become an alcoholic, contract diabetes AND get liver damage, too!
4. Stress Out
Creating more stress in your life is a great way to invite all kinds of diseases to attack the body. Chronic stress inhibits the immune system and allows disease to attack. So, if you wanna check out early, worry about everything from the color of your socks to whether dinner will be ready on time.
3. Watch More TV
Not only is television entertaining, it keeps us on the couch for hours at a time. The average American spends a full 9 years of his life glued to the boob tube. You could go ride a bike or take a walk, but that might be healthy - an we can't have anything but a wasted, sedentary existence if we want kill ourselves.
2. Smoke Tobacco
Tobacco-related illnesses are America's number two killer. So, if you really want to die early and leave your loved ones behind, light up. Just one cigarette will immediately increase your blood pressure and decrease the circulation to your extremities. Imagine what you could do with a pack!
1. Eat Junk
Here you go, number one. This isn't to say that eating healthy will undo the other nine destructive life behaviors. But, last year, at least 400,000 Americans killed themselves based almost solely on what they ate. Looking for the most effective, probably most enjoyable way to do yourself in? Have another doughnut... hell have six a day. And make them cream-filled!
Taken from the LiveScience.com website
Many of us follow his lead every day by shunning the most basic principles of Darwinian evolution, trying to kill ourselves through food, toxins and all manner of reckless lifestyles. If you'd like to get in on the act with Tommy, here are the Top Ten surest paths to self-destruction. Who needs a life worth living, any way?
10. Sacrifice Sleep
Inadequate sleep (less than 7 or 8 hours a night) has been tied to many different health problems, including obesity, diabetes and cancer. Mental fatigue is an equal risk factor for vehicular accidents as alcohol. SO burn that candle at both ends. And just think of all the time you'd have for destructive behavior if you stopped sleeping altogether! Eureka!
9. Ignore the Doctor
If you don't want to hear the doctor denounce the rest of these tips for self-destruction, just don't go. Early disease detection and important medical consultation will surely get in the way of your Tommy Lee lifestyle.
8. Dumb Down Your Brain
Reading, doing crosswords, tackling sudokus and other brain stimulating activities are known to ward off the effects of Alzheimers and other forms of senile dementia. So, forget trying to be smarter if you want to live a short life. Just let your brain rot, instead. The rest of you wont be far behind.
7. Sex
Sex in itself isn't bad... it's how you do it that means life or death. The smart self-destructor doesn't use protection, ignores the partner's sexual history and shuns the annual medical exam. Twelve million Americans contract sexually transmitted diseases every year, many of which leave the victim infertile. Killing yourself and preventing new births? Now there's a win-win!
6. Drive a Lot
If you want to increase your chance of living to a ripe old age, fly everywhere. Driving kills more people, aged 1 to 35, than anything else. Stay home and this becomes a non-existent threat. But what fun is that?
So hit the road and hit the gas. While you're at it, text on your cell phone, eat fast food AND neglect to buckle up.
5. Drink a Lot
The occasional drink of alcohol, especially red wine, can be beneficial to your health. But if you want to do yourself in right, overdo the two-drink-per-day limit. If you're lucky, you might become an alcoholic, contract diabetes AND get liver damage, too!
4. Stress Out
Creating more stress in your life is a great way to invite all kinds of diseases to attack the body. Chronic stress inhibits the immune system and allows disease to attack. So, if you wanna check out early, worry about everything from the color of your socks to whether dinner will be ready on time.
3. Watch More TV
Not only is television entertaining, it keeps us on the couch for hours at a time. The average American spends a full 9 years of his life glued to the boob tube. You could go ride a bike or take a walk, but that might be healthy - an we can't have anything but a wasted, sedentary existence if we want kill ourselves.
2. Smoke Tobacco
Tobacco-related illnesses are America's number two killer. So, if you really want to die early and leave your loved ones behind, light up. Just one cigarette will immediately increase your blood pressure and decrease the circulation to your extremities. Imagine what you could do with a pack!
1. Eat Junk
Here you go, number one. This isn't to say that eating healthy will undo the other nine destructive life behaviors. But, last year, at least 400,000 Americans killed themselves based almost solely on what they ate. Looking for the most effective, probably most enjoyable way to do yourself in? Have another doughnut... hell have six a day. And make them cream-filled!
Taken from the LiveScience.com website
18 November 2009
You Dont Need Talent
Alright, having talent can't hurt. But what is really needed as you work your way throught life, trying to BECOME, is best illustrated by this quote from Andrew Carnegie:
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents" - - Andrew Carnegie
WOW! Talk about impact!. Mr Carnegie was good for that; any study of him, no matter how perfuctory, will show that. But read that again...
Talent doesn't matter as much as being able to get yourself out of your comfy chair and do the things you must DO. It is crucial, in fact, if you are to change yourself and your life - in other words, to GO, DO AND BECOME.
So think about what it is you want to BECOME, and get to work on it. Even if all you do right now is plan and align your thoughts, that is a start. It is the putting off of action - any action - that is the show stopper.
So get motivated and GO, DO and BECOME!
"People who are unable to motivate themselves must be content with mediocrity, no matter how impressive their other talents" - - Andrew Carnegie
WOW! Talk about impact!. Mr Carnegie was good for that; any study of him, no matter how perfuctory, will show that. But read that again...
Talent doesn't matter as much as being able to get yourself out of your comfy chair and do the things you must DO. It is crucial, in fact, if you are to change yourself and your life - in other words, to GO, DO AND BECOME.
So think about what it is you want to BECOME, and get to work on it. Even if all you do right now is plan and align your thoughts, that is a start. It is the putting off of action - any action - that is the show stopper.
So get motivated and GO, DO and BECOME!
13 November 2009
I’ve been reading the biography of Theodore Roosevelt as my quarterly and self-improvement project. This is the original work by Henry Pringle, considered the definitive source on “Old Teddy.”
I find it to be a fascinating look at a very fascinating individual. While TR was, by all accounts, rather “high maintenance” by today’s standards, he was also overcome with the fervent desire to do the right things by the country.
More than that, though, is the revealing look into the inner workings of politics provided by the book. Today, we clamor for transparency and disclosure in politics. But there was none of that back then. For the politicians of T.R.’s day, it was about deal brokering, special influence peddling and a fervent desire to dominate the opposition. The politicians of his day no more considered themselves "men of the people" than today's political luninaries.
The more I read up on it, in fact, the more I find there is little difference in today’s politics than in Teddy's day. Oh, we cling to a pretense of openness and we give lip service to honesty. But these aren't qualities and attributes we actually hold anyone to.
When Barak Obama won the election I was interested to see Democrats in Congress pumping their fists, red-faced and flushed with emotion. As they jumped and reeled in giddy triumph, I was more shocked to hear the shouts from these so-called leaders… “We’re gonna show them – Now it’s our turn to stick it to ‘em!”
No mention was made by any of them about serving the people of their districts, or looking out for the country’s best interests. No, it was retribution time in their minds, and a pound of someone's flesh was going to be taken.
NOTE: This vid clip quickly disappeared from the various media outlets. I don't think it lasted a day and I doubt you can even find it on YouTube anymore.
The more I learn about how the fabric of politics is really woven, the more I realize that it is the very lack of unity that makes us strongest. Think about it for a minute:
If we are all of one mind, sharing one voice in a society-wide group hug… then what we have is a monocracy.
Democracy and individual choice is gone. There is no dissent, there is no one to raise the red flag in a monocratic rule when something isn't right.
Frankly, I'm firm in the belief that it is not in us to be unified. To impose togetherness on us artificially is the height of ignorance, or requires total brainwashing of the indivdiual.
This is why, in the end, Utopia never works out and why so many promised reforms fall short. Sooner or later, someone wises up and revolts – individually and often enough collectively. The trouble is, it’s very hard to undue the harm done by the ersatz "reformists" of the world while they hold sway. Best to nip it in the bud, before it goes too far, and let us go on with our separate ideals.
That is what Teddy would have done.
I find it to be a fascinating look at a very fascinating individual. While TR was, by all accounts, rather “high maintenance” by today’s standards, he was also overcome with the fervent desire to do the right things by the country.
More than that, though, is the revealing look into the inner workings of politics provided by the book. Today, we clamor for transparency and disclosure in politics. But there was none of that back then. For the politicians of T.R.’s day, it was about deal brokering, special influence peddling and a fervent desire to dominate the opposition. The politicians of his day no more considered themselves "men of the people" than today's political luninaries.
The more I read up on it, in fact, the more I find there is little difference in today’s politics than in Teddy's day. Oh, we cling to a pretense of openness and we give lip service to honesty. But these aren't qualities and attributes we actually hold anyone to.
When Barak Obama won the election I was interested to see Democrats in Congress pumping their fists, red-faced and flushed with emotion. As they jumped and reeled in giddy triumph, I was more shocked to hear the shouts from these so-called leaders… “We’re gonna show them – Now it’s our turn to stick it to ‘em!”
No mention was made by any of them about serving the people of their districts, or looking out for the country’s best interests. No, it was retribution time in their minds, and a pound of someone's flesh was going to be taken.
NOTE: This vid clip quickly disappeared from the various media outlets. I don't think it lasted a day and I doubt you can even find it on YouTube anymore.
The more I learn about how the fabric of politics is really woven, the more I realize that it is the very lack of unity that makes us strongest. Think about it for a minute:
If we are all of one mind, sharing one voice in a society-wide group hug… then what we have is a monocracy.
Democracy and individual choice is gone. There is no dissent, there is no one to raise the red flag in a monocratic rule when something isn't right.
Frankly, I'm firm in the belief that it is not in us to be unified. To impose togetherness on us artificially is the height of ignorance, or requires total brainwashing of the indivdiual.
This is why, in the end, Utopia never works out and why so many promised reforms fall short. Sooner or later, someone wises up and revolts – individually and often enough collectively. The trouble is, it’s very hard to undue the harm done by the ersatz "reformists" of the world while they hold sway. Best to nip it in the bud, before it goes too far, and let us go on with our separate ideals.
That is what Teddy would have done.
15 July 2009
The Four Steps to DOING Anything.
In the movement to "DO" in our lives, i.e., to get out and create action, we often encounter stumbling blocks. Some we cannot do anything about, they just exist. We push on and keep moving to get past them - THAT is what ultimately makes us great.
But many of the challenges we face are simple and basic - and which we tend to blow out of proportion. The French philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, wrote in the 1500's, "My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened."
We worry, or we get caught up feeling inadequate or we just stall in place - paralyzed by what we see as insurmountable problems. But the truth is, we come equipped, for the most part, with the intelligence and the tools to do most anything we desire. What is needed, then, is a fingertip method to keep us moving past those "stalling moments" which paralyze it.
SO here is my favorite technique to keep from getting bogged down in problems. It is based in the balance between personal power and having none. When a person acts from personal power they see things for what they really are and they take action. They don't bog down in emotions, or trying to find reasons why something CAN'T work.
Power Position Solutions
+ Step One: Dream
This is the first step towards using power to control your outcomes. So if you want to DO something, Step One is to first ask yourself:
"If this situation were to turn out the way I want, what would it look like?"
Then, spend a moment or two imagining the OUTCOME you want.
But don't spend too much time at this dream phase. While it is sometimes comforting, dreaming is ineffective in itself.
But a dream that becomes vision is the first first step towards seeing a problem for what it really is. After all, you can't hope for change if you don't see the need for it!
+ Step Two: Acknowledge Reality
Okay, now you're getting somewhere! In Step Two, you must acknowledge reality. You are not an ostrich hiding your head in the sand - you are a human being, trying to make something happen!
So, in Step Two, stop and SAY out loud:
"This is the reality of the situation. These are the problems I face, the needs I have and the help I need if I am to achieve what I set before me."
Actually say this aloud to yourself, don't cheat and mutter it under your breath. If you need to go somewhere private to do so, then go ahead.
Don't hide from these things; don't be afraid to write them all down. The person who says, "It is, what it is," is far closer to doing something than one who only complains. Once you acknowledge the reality of your situation, you'll find that YOU begin to change for the better. Once that happens, you are primed to affect your own outcome.
+ Step Three: Find Solutions
This is where it all leads - ACTION. The other things are important but they only shine a light on an issue or problem. In themselves, they do nothing but illuminate what you must DO.
Step Three - Write down all possible solutions
Notice, saying them aloud isn't enough. Now you must write these things down. This is called 'brainstorming' and it is where you face ALL possible solutions... not just the ones you like.
Some solutions may be hard or require things you do not currently have, so you must work to make them happen. Often these are the right solutions, even if not the easiest. So you must write down your options and evaluate them on their own merit. DO not be afraid to enlist the aid of someone else, either. They may see things you don't.
But, once you accept and adopt solutions, you change the situation for good. It is no longer what it was - this is where opportunity opens up for you. So put the solutions you decide upon into action.
+ Step Four Get On With It.
This is the ultimate point of all this... to move forward. SO Step Four is to move on from the problem.
Once you have acted on your solutions, you can step forward. Perhaps it will take some more planning to get the actions well along. Or maybe you need some more resources or tools. That's okay, it;s al part of the solution. I will talk mre in a future post about the ways to put solutions into effect.
But remember, the final goal here is to place your problems on the "To Monitor" list.
This means they no longer absorb your energy and worry, but only require occasional input and minor effort to keep going forward.
As Winston Churchill said, "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
-------------------------------------------------------
Of course, there is nothing to force you to use the Power Position Solutions.
So what happens if you don't?
Well, every Power has its powerless opposite. While Power Position Solutions give you good reasons for what you do, the Powerless Position leaves you with little more than excuses. Simply put, nothing changes and you get nowhere. But, hey... at least you'll have plenty of arguments why.
Powerless Solutions
+ Wait and hope
Waiting an hoping is the first step to failing. Sadly, too many people think it is a solution by itself. While hope often gives temporary comfort, waiting is ineffective in itself. It also tends to place the results outside the individual.
That is, if things go good, it is because someone or something else did it, since all you did was wait and hope. If things go badly, well, then the same thing applies.
+ "I can't" - These two words are responsible for more frustration that any other. Once you begin uttering, "I can't..." phrases, you soon develop excuses as to WHY you can't. Before long, you convince yourself of your own inadequacy and develop elaborate rationale to back it up. All this emotional investment has it's own reward, since before long you are convinced that you cannot.
"Whether you believe you can, or you can't... you are right" - - Henry Ford
+ Blaming others - Once you convince yourself that you cannot... you then find others who are part of your downward spiral. Either they caused your failure or they are holding you back. This can be anyone, from your family to the President, even Society at large. But normally there is a face associated with this blame.
Regardless, once you've come this far, there is always someone else who is at fault besides YOU. Rather than acknowledging reality and searching for solutions, it is easier to put the blame on others.
+ Unaware/Unconscious - This is the ultimate Powerless Position. We call it denial, these days. You push the situation so far back in your mind and camouflage it in such a tangled web of blame and self pity that it is finally subverted. In the end, you turn your back on the problem and try to live as if it didn't exist.
--------------------------------------------------------
So as you move to DO and accomplish things in your life, remember that it is Power that gets you there. Try the four steps of Power Solutions and see if they don't kick start your efforts to GO, DO and BECOME!.
But many of the challenges we face are simple and basic - and which we tend to blow out of proportion. The French philosopher Michel Eyquem de Montaigne, wrote in the 1500's, "My life has been filled with terrible misfortune; most of which never happened."
We worry, or we get caught up feeling inadequate or we just stall in place - paralyzed by what we see as insurmountable problems. But the truth is, we come equipped, for the most part, with the intelligence and the tools to do most anything we desire. What is needed, then, is a fingertip method to keep us moving past those "stalling moments" which paralyze it.
SO here is my favorite technique to keep from getting bogged down in problems. It is based in the balance between personal power and having none. When a person acts from personal power they see things for what they really are and they take action. They don't bog down in emotions, or trying to find reasons why something CAN'T work.
Power Position Solutions
+ Step One: Dream
This is the first step towards using power to control your outcomes. So if you want to DO something, Step One is to first ask yourself:
"If this situation were to turn out the way I want, what would it look like?"
Then, spend a moment or two imagining the OUTCOME you want.
But don't spend too much time at this dream phase. While it is sometimes comforting, dreaming is ineffective in itself.
But a dream that becomes vision is the first first step towards seeing a problem for what it really is. After all, you can't hope for change if you don't see the need for it!
+ Step Two: Acknowledge Reality
Okay, now you're getting somewhere! In Step Two, you must acknowledge reality. You are not an ostrich hiding your head in the sand - you are a human being, trying to make something happen!
So, in Step Two, stop and SAY out loud:
"This is the reality of the situation. These are the problems I face, the needs I have and the help I need if I am to achieve what I set before me."
Actually say this aloud to yourself, don't cheat and mutter it under your breath. If you need to go somewhere private to do so, then go ahead.
Don't hide from these things; don't be afraid to write them all down. The person who says, "It is, what it is," is far closer to doing something than one who only complains. Once you acknowledge the reality of your situation, you'll find that YOU begin to change for the better. Once that happens, you are primed to affect your own outcome.
+ Step Three: Find Solutions
This is where it all leads - ACTION. The other things are important but they only shine a light on an issue or problem. In themselves, they do nothing but illuminate what you must DO.
Step Three - Write down all possible solutions
Notice, saying them aloud isn't enough. Now you must write these things down. This is called 'brainstorming' and it is where you face ALL possible solutions... not just the ones you like.
Some solutions may be hard or require things you do not currently have, so you must work to make them happen. Often these are the right solutions, even if not the easiest. So you must write down your options and evaluate them on their own merit. DO not be afraid to enlist the aid of someone else, either. They may see things you don't.
But, once you accept and adopt solutions, you change the situation for good. It is no longer what it was - this is where opportunity opens up for you. So put the solutions you decide upon into action.
+ Step Four Get On With It.
This is the ultimate point of all this... to move forward. SO Step Four is to move on from the problem.
Once you have acted on your solutions, you can step forward. Perhaps it will take some more planning to get the actions well along. Or maybe you need some more resources or tools. That's okay, it;s al part of the solution. I will talk mre in a future post about the ways to put solutions into effect.
But remember, the final goal here is to place your problems on the "To Monitor" list.
This means they no longer absorb your energy and worry, but only require occasional input and minor effort to keep going forward.
As Winston Churchill said, "To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.
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Of course, there is nothing to force you to use the Power Position Solutions.
So what happens if you don't?
Well, every Power has its powerless opposite. While Power Position Solutions give you good reasons for what you do, the Powerless Position leaves you with little more than excuses. Simply put, nothing changes and you get nowhere. But, hey... at least you'll have plenty of arguments why.
Powerless Solutions
+ Wait and hope
Waiting an hoping is the first step to failing. Sadly, too many people think it is a solution by itself. While hope often gives temporary comfort, waiting is ineffective in itself. It also tends to place the results outside the individual.
That is, if things go good, it is because someone or something else did it, since all you did was wait and hope. If things go badly, well, then the same thing applies.
+ "I can't" - These two words are responsible for more frustration that any other. Once you begin uttering, "I can't..." phrases, you soon develop excuses as to WHY you can't. Before long, you convince yourself of your own inadequacy and develop elaborate rationale to back it up. All this emotional investment has it's own reward, since before long you are convinced that you cannot.
"Whether you believe you can, or you can't... you are right" - - Henry Ford
+ Blaming others - Once you convince yourself that you cannot... you then find others who are part of your downward spiral. Either they caused your failure or they are holding you back. This can be anyone, from your family to the President, even Society at large. But normally there is a face associated with this blame.
Regardless, once you've come this far, there is always someone else who is at fault besides YOU. Rather than acknowledging reality and searching for solutions, it is easier to put the blame on others.
+ Unaware/Unconscious - This is the ultimate Powerless Position. We call it denial, these days. You push the situation so far back in your mind and camouflage it in such a tangled web of blame and self pity that it is finally subverted. In the end, you turn your back on the problem and try to live as if it didn't exist.
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So as you move to DO and accomplish things in your life, remember that it is Power that gets you there. Try the four steps of Power Solutions and see if they don't kick start your efforts to GO, DO and BECOME!.
16 June 2009
Is Your Life in the Dirt?
“All Men Are Kings Before Potatoes.” This has become something of a catch phrase for me, lately. I'm a gardener at heart, you see, so it is a natural expression of that pastime.
Few activities are as fulfilling as gardening. It is simple, often laborious work, but it gives you time to think and the results are immediate. Sinking a spade into the soil and turning the earth offers "real-time" feedback; the smell of the soil, the twinge as unused muscles awaken - your results are timely and visible. The Earth does not complain or talk back, either. It knows nothing of negativity... you work, it complies. Simple, basic.
It should be no surprise that I am inspired by Henry David Thoreau and his classic work, "Walden." In that book, Thoreau left the hectic, burdened world of 'civilized' people to live a simple agrarian life, without trappings. What his experiment ultimately proved was that whether you're a king or pauper, rich man or poor, you are on equal footing with the soil.
Gardens also are the epitome of dreams, since they are dreams, realized. All gardeners are planners and people of vision. They schedule, organize and endlessly rotate the features of their garden, manipulating the earth for one goal: TO prepare it for the greatness to come. By deliberately making their visions bear fruit, they hold in their hands the core of all achievement.
Turning the earth to cultivate your own food, is the purest distillation of the Human Charter I talk so often about. That Charter, to "GO, DO and BECOME" is at the core of every garden.
You GO out to the earth, laid before you and embrace it. There is no sitting down and hoping with the garden... you must get up and go there.
You DO, by planting and watering, cultivating and nurturing until it produces that which sustains you. "Garden" is an action word.
In doing all this, you BECOME far more than if you had you simply dreamed and wished for something to have occurred. It is the culmination of vision and applied effort, the highest purpose man can attain.
At the same time, it is a very fulfilling purpose. You see, it is all up to you.
In the garden, you are generally alone and it succeeds only because you make it work... or fail to.
It is the glorious paradox of the garden that this basic, unfettered work makes it such a life-changing force. Often, people scorn the garden as oafish, or arcane - but nothing is farther from the truth. What they cannot see is that in calling forth the powers of the Earth, you fulfill the core need of all humanity to GO, DO and BECOME. In the garden you meet the expectations of all society to do something useful with yourself..
SO, if you are feeling like you are wasting your life, getting nowhere or are unfocused, don't buy another self-help CD, or pay for another session with some "guru." Instead, shed these things, go dig in the soil and plant some tomatoes!
You will find that you are refreshed in both body and spirit and will see things in a vastly different way.
Few activities are as fulfilling as gardening. It is simple, often laborious work, but it gives you time to think and the results are immediate. Sinking a spade into the soil and turning the earth offers "real-time" feedback; the smell of the soil, the twinge as unused muscles awaken - your results are timely and visible. The Earth does not complain or talk back, either. It knows nothing of negativity... you work, it complies. Simple, basic.
It should be no surprise that I am inspired by Henry David Thoreau and his classic work, "Walden." In that book, Thoreau left the hectic, burdened world of 'civilized' people to live a simple agrarian life, without trappings. What his experiment ultimately proved was that whether you're a king or pauper, rich man or poor, you are on equal footing with the soil.
Gardens also are the epitome of dreams, since they are dreams, realized. All gardeners are planners and people of vision. They schedule, organize and endlessly rotate the features of their garden, manipulating the earth for one goal: TO prepare it for the greatness to come. By deliberately making their visions bear fruit, they hold in their hands the core of all achievement.
Turning the earth to cultivate your own food, is the purest distillation of the Human Charter I talk so often about. That Charter, to "GO, DO and BECOME" is at the core of every garden.
You GO out to the earth, laid before you and embrace it. There is no sitting down and hoping with the garden... you must get up and go there.
You DO, by planting and watering, cultivating and nurturing until it produces that which sustains you. "Garden" is an action word.
In doing all this, you BECOME far more than if you had you simply dreamed and wished for something to have occurred. It is the culmination of vision and applied effort, the highest purpose man can attain.
At the same time, it is a very fulfilling purpose. You see, it is all up to you.
In the garden, you are generally alone and it succeeds only because you make it work... or fail to.
It is the glorious paradox of the garden that this basic, unfettered work makes it such a life-changing force. Often, people scorn the garden as oafish, or arcane - but nothing is farther from the truth. What they cannot see is that in calling forth the powers of the Earth, you fulfill the core need of all humanity to GO, DO and BECOME. In the garden you meet the expectations of all society to do something useful with yourself..
SO, if you are feeling like you are wasting your life, getting nowhere or are unfocused, don't buy another self-help CD, or pay for another session with some "guru." Instead, shed these things, go dig in the soil and plant some tomatoes!
You will find that you are refreshed in both body and spirit and will see things in a vastly different way.
23 May 2009
Real Heroes
I listened to a radio show today about battle field medics and doctors in Vietnam. The horrors they described, the deprivations they endured were beyond re-telling. No words I can write would do their story justice. No one should be placed in such a position as they, trying to revive young men blasted to shreds, any one of which might be a neighbor, friend or brother.
Some of them came apart and lost it, never regaining their full sanity... no one of us can, or should, blame them. But most went on after the war to become "regular" people.
What impressed me the most was that these were ordinary men, thrust into extraordinary circumstances. They didnt ask for these things, but they endured and they went on. They coped any way possible and in the midst of the carnage, they did their job - they saved lives.
Many men living today, as you read this, owe their lives to these gallant men.
Most of these gallant men owe their own sense of purpose to the men they saved. For them, those they saved made it all worthwhile.
It's no surprise that most of these men have kept in touch over the last 40 years, saved and saviors alike. Only men who have carried each other in battle can know this connection.
No trite commentary, regardless of it's content, can supplant what these men have done, what they are. So I won't try. I'll simply stand in awe of them, this day.
Instead, I'd ask that each of you remember the servicemen and women who have tasted death itself for their family, their friends and a nation of citizens whom they will never know. God Bless them.
Some of them came apart and lost it, never regaining their full sanity... no one of us can, or should, blame them. But most went on after the war to become "regular" people.
What impressed me the most was that these were ordinary men, thrust into extraordinary circumstances. They didnt ask for these things, but they endured and they went on. They coped any way possible and in the midst of the carnage, they did their job - they saved lives.
Many men living today, as you read this, owe their lives to these gallant men.
Most of these gallant men owe their own sense of purpose to the men they saved. For them, those they saved made it all worthwhile.
It's no surprise that most of these men have kept in touch over the last 40 years, saved and saviors alike. Only men who have carried each other in battle can know this connection.
No trite commentary, regardless of it's content, can supplant what these men have done, what they are. So I won't try. I'll simply stand in awe of them, this day.
Instead, I'd ask that each of you remember the servicemen and women who have tasted death itself for their family, their friends and a nation of citizens whom they will never know. God Bless them.
24 April 2009
What You Gonna Do With It?
"From the time the fertile egg is laid, the chances of hatching depend on the care given by those who become responsible for it."
Eggs and hatching? What does this have to do with anything? Well, since this blog may be new to you, I'll simply say that one of the things in life that keenly interest me is the raising of chickens. While perhaps odd to some, in this modern, factory-farm age, I find there are still many lessons to be learned in the old-fashioned chicken yard.
While reading an older text on the matter of hatching eggs for breeding stock, I ran across the above passage. The more I read it, the more I realized how pertinent it is to each of us. This is all the more so to those who are not content to merely take up space, but who would DO something meaningful in life.
So, what can we learn from the fertile egg, from the chick and those responsible for it?
In this country and indeed in most of the world, we are each born into the means to do something great. Laid before you at your birth is a vast system designed to educate you, raise you to adulthood and make you into something. All over the globe, the cultures of man are biased toward individual accomplishment. From the tents of Berber herdsmen in Morocco to the Social Welfare Systems of the world's propeserous countries, the whole of mankind demands that you "do something with yourself."
Poverty or lack of opportunity is no excuse for doing nothing. Oh sure, it is easy to say society or the government or whatever scapegoat you chose is against you. But it is expected that you pull yourself up from what ever ignoble beginnings you started with and rise according to your place and cultural mores. History is full of people who have, you know, so what's your excuse?
No amount of wealth or privilige is an excuse for doing simply nothing, either. Just because you have everything you want, does NOT mean you can do nothing worthwhile. The world is also full of people, right now, who are rich and famous and do things to be proud of who are noteworthy for their accompishments in their own right.
Like the chick in the egg, we are all placed within our particular station in life, each to our particular purpose. We are given but one directive by those who invest in us, by those who take responsibility for us:
"GO. DO. BECOME."
There are forces which can be aligned against you, to be sure. War, starvation, disaster, poverty, disease... these all are realities of life. Some will die before they make a start, let alone get anywhere. It is like that.
But, if you are reading this, wherever you are, I suspect that such hindrances are remote from your particular station in life. Instead, I'll wager that many forces, people and systems have been aligned to ensure that you, like the chick hatched from the egg, arrives on this earth to fulfill your directive, to
"GO. DO. BECOME."
So, now that it is clear that much has happened - known and unknown to you - to give you someplace to start, the question then begs asking: "What are you Gonna Do About It?
"From the time the fertile egg is laid, the chances of hatching depend on the care given by those who become responsible for it."
Eggs and hatching? What does this have to do with anything? Well, since this blog may be new to you, I'll simply say that one of the things in life that keenly interest me is the raising of chickens. While perhaps odd to some, in this modern, factory-farm age, I find there are still many lessons to be learned in the old-fashioned chicken yard.
While reading an older text on the matter of hatching eggs for breeding stock, I ran across the above passage. The more I read it, the more I realized how pertinent it is to each of us. This is all the more so to those who are not content to merely take up space, but who would DO something meaningful in life.
So, what can we learn from the fertile egg, from the chick and those responsible for it?
In this country and indeed in most of the world, we are each born into the means to do something great. Laid before you at your birth is a vast system designed to educate you, raise you to adulthood and make you into something. All over the globe, the cultures of man are biased toward individual accomplishment. From the tents of Berber herdsmen in Morocco to the Social Welfare Systems of the world's propeserous countries, the whole of mankind demands that you "do something with yourself."
Poverty or lack of opportunity is no excuse for doing nothing. Oh sure, it is easy to say society or the government or whatever scapegoat you chose is against you. But it is expected that you pull yourself up from what ever ignoble beginnings you started with and rise according to your place and cultural mores. History is full of people who have, you know, so what's your excuse?
No amount of wealth or privilige is an excuse for doing simply nothing, either. Just because you have everything you want, does NOT mean you can do nothing worthwhile. The world is also full of people, right now, who are rich and famous and do things to be proud of who are noteworthy for their accompishments in their own right.
Like the chick in the egg, we are all placed within our particular station in life, each to our particular purpose. We are given but one directive by those who invest in us, by those who take responsibility for us:
"GO. DO. BECOME."
There are forces which can be aligned against you, to be sure. War, starvation, disaster, poverty, disease... these all are realities of life. Some will die before they make a start, let alone get anywhere. It is like that.
But, if you are reading this, wherever you are, I suspect that such hindrances are remote from your particular station in life. Instead, I'll wager that many forces, people and systems have been aligned to ensure that you, like the chick hatched from the egg, arrives on this earth to fulfill your directive, to
"GO. DO. BECOME."
So, now that it is clear that much has happened - known and unknown to you - to give you someplace to start, the question then begs asking: "What are you Gonna Do About It?
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