Your best just got better

I'll admit it, I cried...and it came on suddenly!

So, living in Mexico (twice) and Argentina (once) I have to admit a special affinity toward anything "Latin-American." When Jodi forwarded me this and wrote, "Short 5 min film, very sweet" as the subject line, I figured I'd get to it when I had time.

Director : Alonso Alvarez Barreda
Running Time : 04:50
Year : 2007
Country : Mexico/ U.S.A
Category : Short film

So, I just watched it, and for the first 4.25 minutes, watched from a distance (and semi-distracted) until the end. And then, "WHAM"...my heart took a leap and tears started.

Please, if you wouldn't mind, take 4 minutes and 50 seconds and follow the story of a sign...I think you'll appreciate it.

 

HISTORIA DE UN LETRERO (THE STORY OF A SIGN)

Wow, what a cool note to read tonight!

As some of you know, I spent "one of my careers" as a high school teacher here in Ojai, California. Well, via Facebook, I'm reconnecting with many of the students who once worked with me in good 'ol room A-3 at Nordhoff High School. Here's a note I read this evening...(And, you know who you are, thank you for taking time to share this with me. There are just a few teachers in my own past that I wish I would have reached out to to say "thanks." This kind of a note means a lot...so, thank you!)

Mr. Womack,

Or is it appropriate I can call you Jason now?!? How are you? Things seem to be going well. I just checked your website, very nice.  You were always one of my favorite teachers, not only at Nordhoff but throughout my education. So thank you, your enthusiasm in teaching I thought was incredible.

I just wanted to drop you a note to say hello.  Things are well for me, Iam actually getting married this year.  Seems like yesterday I sat in your classroom. Wow does time fly!!  Anyway, all the best. Hopefully I bump in to you sometime.

Regards,

E.W.

What do you think will always be "right there?"

June...It's already June 13th...I kinda can't believe it. Almost half the year...gone!

The prompt for this post came to my mind at 1:45am (Yes, in the morning.) I woke up with the thought:

Are the little things, really the biggest things?

So, then the thought tracking kept on going, then the light switch, then my journal, then the pen flying across the page for another hour or so...

It's Friday, I wish anyone reading this a great "last-day-of-the-week;" my real hope, however, is that you'll pause for a moment and look around...

If you think something will always be "right there," especially if it's something that has always been right there, or something you've taken for granted...look at it one more time; carefully; completely; fully; intentionally. You just may find something that makes it "bigger."

Where does your time go?

I put together this short presentation as a way to quantify the importance of creating your own "organization habits." I think it's possible for people to gain back 30-45 minutes a day just by implementing an idea or two from this short presentation. Enjoy...

Waiting for friends in New York City

I took this picture on Saturday, after arriving from an all-morning flight (from Zurich) while waiting to meet some friends in the city.

Wow, thank you for the great news!

I'm about to call it a night...it's late here in California, and I've already got a full day planned for tomorrow, starting at 5am! But, I had to share this quick quote.

Oh, right before I do, I'd like to ask you to pause for a moment and think about someone in your life who gets you thinking; someone who pushes you to be your best; someone there for you, when you need someone to be there...

Occasionally, I get the opportunity to meet people and to "stay in touch" over the years. Clients turn in to acquaintances who sometimes turn into friends...here is a note I read in my e-mail inbox this afternoon...

The SUBJECT line was: "I love getting your newsletters!"

...and, here is what he had to say:

Thanks.  I enjoyed the videos also.  I got a promotion late last year.  In part I attribute that to the learning journey you started me on.  Keep up the good work!

USPS Deliver Magazine...do you get it?

Quite a while ago, I subscribed to this magazine and enjoy every issue. There have only been 20 so far! In the next issue, I will have a short "letter to the editor" included in the print version. Here's what I had to say...

An e-mail I could read every day...

So, we spent an evening last weekend with some friends that we really don't get to see enough...even though we only live two miles apart, our schedules don't always mesh.

Arriving at 3pm (not leaving until after 9pm!) a week ago Sunday, we got to spend some quality time together. The two girls (both under 5 years old) were a joy to be around. After I sent a thank you note to them for our evening together, this was the note I received... an e-mail I'll save for a long, long time...

We so enjoyed our time with you and Jodi.  You are such special people.  There are not many people in this world who are so appreciative and connected to the moment they are in, but you and Jodi are.  I marveled at how genuinely you relished attention on the girls...

At about 8pm or so, I offered to read a book before bedtime. Well, over an hour (and 8 books) later, we finally bid our adieu...it was wonderful!

Enhance your focus on the Most Important Things (MITs)

I was on an airplane earlier this month (no BIG surprise there...I've already flown about 35,000 miles this year, and it's only the middle of April!) and I met someone traveling on business. He was set to go from NY to London to Barcelona...and back home to New York, all within about a week.

The more we got to talking, the more interested we became in each other's businesses. He's in the fashion industry, I'm in the leadership development field. At one point, the conversation turned to the following topic: "But...how do you get everything DONE?"

I'm currently "in the middle" of three books right now (the first three on this list), each one giving me specific ideas on how to focus, how to prepare, and how to act on the MITs (the Most Important Things). And, I took some notes during our "flight-conversation." Here are the ideas we came up with for enhancing workflow habits and creating the time, space and focus to work on those important tasks and projects. Here is our list of three...what would you add?

• Turn off the computer monitor, and set an alarm to work on one "file" (or project, or area, or...) for 15 minutes. Read, write or plan until the alarm tells you 15 minutes have passed.
• At the end of the day, write 3 specific projects you want to work on the next day. Put that paper with your car keys or wallet - look at it before you leave for work, and decide: Yes or No!
• Ask someone to watch you work for an hour. Don't talk them, and don't do anything differently - just respond to e-mails, file papers, write notes...do what you normally do. At the end, ask them to tell you what they saw. How did you stay focused, and where did you lose focus?

"Why don't you just tell them what they should do?"

Ok, so this is a "little thing," that's actually a BIG thing, but some-thing I need to address regularly with my executive clients...

Often, clients will ask if I can simply put together a list of "productivity systems," and just share those from the stage. When we discuss the pros/cons of telling people what to do, I am challenged by the following prompt:

"If I show a system - some procedure - to the group, and they go to use it and for whatever reason it DOES NOT WORK, they may discount the entire presentation."

Those of you reading this who are invited to speak in offices like this one know that the opportunity we have is great: We bring information to people who may be able to use it in a way that enhances their communication skills, their personal organization strategies or their work/life balance experience.