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Success

What a loaded word! Ask 15 different people what success means to them, and I would guess you’ll hear 15 different answers. I suppose that’s the beauty of it all, in a world as diverse as ours, we continue to build opportunities to learn about each other.

The purpose of this post is for you to take a couple of minutes, and hopefully a few more over the next day or two, to consider YOUR definition of success.

I was gifted a book by a client some time ago, “Managing for Results,” written by one of my heroes and mentors (unbeknownst to him!): Peter Drucker.

If you can create a window of about 30 minutes, drop by the bookstore and scan this book (if you have followed this blog you know that I share very specific tools and strategies for people to speed-read, increase comprehension of what they read, and actually implement the ideas they get from experts into their actual and every-day life).

The Weekly Overview

I did my weekly overview on a plane ride recently...

In a seminar last week, I talked about (like I always do) how great the weekly overview really is.

It is my:

- time to get back to it all
- time for me, to meet with me
- time to focus on what I think is important
- time to renegotiate what's not so important

and on, and on...

Thank you, Dave Shields

Blogging from the coffee shop this morning, I just finished reading "The Race" by Mr. Dave Shields.

One of those "gift books" from a client some time ago (before last year's Tour de France!), I finally opened it on Monday and finished this am. It continues to surprise me - and, I know, by now it shouldn't! - that once I just begin (a project, a book, a conversation) working on something, I finish it pretty quickly.

Anyway, here are some lines that stand out to me from The Race:

page 21- "In any bicycle race there are three key mental states. Sometimes you need to pay riveted attention to what's going on around you. Other times you should allow your thoughts to wander to rest your mind. And once in a while you must focus on the past to increase motivation."

Isn't a day at work much the same???

Ask to see their waiting for list!

I had a great month in July – several seminars, a few days of leadership consulting, and three articles submitted to editors for publication. Here is an observation I made throughout the month: People forget what they said they’d do.

Now, it’s not a calculated effort; no one sets out to over promise and under deliver on commitments to their boss, their colleagues, their family or their customer…it just happens. In the speed-of-light life that we all live in, it is easy to forget what we promised ourselves (and to others!) we would do.

So, here’s a tip: Ask to see their waiting for list!

What do YOU do with "wasted time?"

Here's a link to an article I wrote for Training magazine. Please click over and check it out...it's a short (and good!) one.

What are you waiting for? (Or...is it ok to wait for someone who is late?)

I was waiting to meet with someone recently. As the time neared for us to sit down over coffee and tea, my mobile rang. ³No Caller ID.² After a brief moment of consideration, I answered anyway.

Turns out the other person was unfamiliar with the place we were meeting, and needed me to clarify the directions from where they were, to where they wanted to be.

So, with 5 minutes until we were supposed to meet, and though she was about 15 minutes away, I gave the best directions I could; and then hung up the phone. Sitting there, I found myself going through two distinct thought processes:

I was surprised she was more prepared. Had she not looked up the directions on the internet? Had she not planned to leave extra time for the just-in-case event that there was a detour or other problem along the way?

How amazing in this culture of over-promising and under-delivering that she would pause, think about the ramifications, and call me regardless of the potential judgment I might cast her way.

Ultimately, the meeting was a huge success. I am proud that I was able to let the judgment and negative perception building go long enough to think with the smarter part of my mind!

(And, this experience strengthened my belief in and habit of pre-planning, making good on promises, and leaving early for the next appointment ALL THE TIME.)

How are you getting "from here to there?"

If you're looking for some information, ideas and guidance on getting "from here to there," I highly recommend perusing my friend Cyril Rayan's book (click here). We met last week at the San Francisco Ferry Building for an amazing conversation over lunch.

After we shared our respective stories of how we got to where we are, and the directions we feel called to move in, we had time for a quick photo. Here we are over the bay!

My first 1st in a triathlon!

Back in July (on the 28th in fact) I brought home a first place medal from the Admiral's Cup Triathlon. Overall, I placed 10th; in my age group, I came in first place!

I started training for and competing in triathlon 7 years ago, and it was quite special to "hit that mark" on one Saturday in July. I was surprised, I admit, that I came in first; this has been a tough year for training as we're starting up our new business, and I'm traveling a bit more sporadically than ever before.

Regardless, on that Saturday I had a great race. Not only was the day PERFECT (see the other picture below), the race course and organization was well put-together. This is a race I've done before, though I'd never placed this high in the rankings.

What do I use my brain for?

Ok, I put this in the Category of "The Little Things." But, really, I get that this sums up "The Only Thing."

I've identified the two things that keep my brain the most busy - day in and day out. Below, you'll find my secret:

Change: from the outside in, or...

For every life change we make/experience, there is a driving force to cause it. More often than not, the impetus for change is an external one.

An outside influence can act as an acceptable and motivating change. Have you ever:

Gotten a promotion? Been asked to marry someone? Bought a book or attended a seminar because someone suggested it to you?

When those types of things happen, we change along with the times.

So, my current "curiosity focal point" is: What do you do when the impetus for change is internal? How do you change when it's not big, a priority, or absolutely, positively necessary?

For the next few days, write down the things you think about changing. At the end of a week, process your own process to see what, if anything, you could start doing differently next week to experience a few of those changes...