Special Edition - Done and Finished are not the Same Words

Good Morning...

As is a tradition (most of the time) I am submitting a special edition of the Weekend Update...in remembrance of the long holiday weekend!

As is important we should we should recognize the significance of why we went so far as to establish this day as important for us to divert our attention from the other important things in life...

Memorial day was not formally (legally) established until 1971...yet its celebration is over 100 years old!

It was originally established by a Confederate leader (A general I believe) to assist in the reunification of the United States after the succession attempt of the southern states...(now that is politically correct huh?)

It honored the solders on all side who fought the gallant fight...with commitment to the ideals that they believed were important to the liberty and freedom of their cause...

It did not honor the ideals (it does not make value judgements on what was fought for, but the personal characteristics...of those who fought...

In actuality...it goes beyond soldiers...but for everyone who commits to a cause and works diligently and persistently towards and end that they believe will benefit a larger good...

It honors selfless action...

It honors those who know that when they are "done" with what they have set out to do...they are only partway on their journey (it is not finished)!

"Done" with what you are out to do is a narrow and often self-serving perspective...

When you are done...it most often means that you have received what you needed from an activity...

This is like saying..."I am done eating..."  You have obtained the food you wanted...but there is more to your effort than fulfilling a hunger...

"Finished" includes ensuring that:

1- Whatever you do lasts (The eating example is kind of out)
2- Your activity has had minimum negative impact on the world, on a whole...
3- That your activity has made as much positive contribution to the world, on a whole...

When you eat and cook...you are done when you have finished consuming what you prepared for your meal...

You are "done" eating...but have you "finished" your activity?

Did you ensure that everything that you used to prepare the food is cleaned-up...how about the area?

This part of the activity is not done when all of the pots and pans...plates and silverware is in the dishwasher...it is finished when the utensils are clean and put in their proper places...

Have you asked everyone around you if they were hungry (needed food) and that your activity could help them?

Did you throw away any of the food you prepared?

The "done" perspective serves yourself...the "finished" perspective serves your world...

The "done perspective is immature...the "finished" perspective is mature...

Enough Said!

Memorial Day is a day to honor the personal characteristic of finished...an adult behavior that we should all strive to model on a daily basis...

Although apparent in our armed forces heroes and unsung (and faceless) heroes...

It is a day to recognize all of those who possess the rare leadership trait and ability to differentiate between the common and self-serving world of "done" and the lasting and unique beauty of "finished!"

We need to strive towards activities that are more than done...they are finished...

When we have grasped the difference...we too can count among those who are recognized on this day!

Happy Memorial Day!

Pura Vida!



 

The Real Secret to Success

Good Morning!

Many of you remember my 20 must read books.  Many of them are classics!

One that is a classic in its own right...yet considered a somewhat cheesy book is "The Greatest Salesman in the World"

It is quite old and probably out of print...but it sold millions in its day!

I was thinking about that book the other day and realized that "The Secret" and "The Law of Attraction" is nothing more than a simplistic version of a concept written about (in fictional form) years ago!

I was captivated by the book and the concept years ago!

I made its lessons (found in short scrolls) part of how I acted...

I followed the fictional prescription to the letter and even exceeded it...

And in many ways...it worked...as it promised!

If you have never read this book...do so...you can not help but learn something!

The first line of one of the "scrolls" starts with the phrase..."I will greet this day with love in my heart..."

That attitude and subsequent behavior will make all of the difference in your life...

If you start your day with love...it shows in your face and all of your actions...

It changes people's attitude and behaviors toward you...

'''GREET the day with love in your heart..."

***********************************

What goes around...comes around...

Another principal found within the law of attraction...

The fact of the matter is...if you are not getting what you need...you earned it!

It is a rare situation in which one's condition was not brought about by their actions...

It could be the result of a single act...or a series of acts...or a domino effect (that appears totally unrelated)...but the fact of the matter is...you get what you gave!

Even act whether a kind act or one of malice is an investment in your future!  Each one...in their own way will come back to haunt you...

If I have a choice...I choose to be haunted by good spirits!

There will sad times...will those who you made laugh in the past gather around you to cheer you up?

Is there anyone?

There will be lonely times...will you have friends that you can depend upon like they did?

Is there anyone?

There will be times that you are sick...will those who you comforted be there to comfort you?

Is there anyone there?

There will be times that you hunger and thirst...will those who you fed and sacrificed for return your favor?

Is there anyone?

As you think about what you do and who you do it to...remember that your actions are investments...

They will come back to you...many times in measures unimagined!

What goes around...comes around...

*************************************************

It has been an interesting week...

I can truly say that I achieved a significant and meaningful success each and every day...

Can you say the same?

Did you stop and take time to appreciate that success?

Did that success motivate you to loftier goals and personal performance?

They should...

You can do all of the hoping and dreaming in the world...

Over time the dreams will fade to a point that they match reality...

and then you can claim success...and be happy...right?

Not me!  I choose to keep my dreams vivid and strive to make them real before they fade...

Dreams, goals and aspirations change...they all ultimately fade...

They are precious gifts...treat them that way...

Nurture them...as if they have a fatal disease...they do...

But it is our purpose in life to tend to them and give them a life!

We have the ability to give them life...or provide the mortal wound...

Which do you choose?

*****************************************

Small thoughts today...with potentially huge consequences...

Have a great weekend...

Pura Vida!

 

Winners and Losers-The Harsh Reality

Good Morning!

There are days that are full of success...

There are days full of set-backs...

There are days that you just want to quit...

Things do not always go the way you want...

I am not telling you anything you don't already know...

I have those days...and I know that you do too!

**************************************
Lori was reading one of my blogs the other day...and her comment was that she "heard this all before..."

In a way it cut me to the core...in another way it pointed out that I am persistent in trying to get a few basic lessons ingrained before we move to the next level...

Although I try to share insights that help you move to the next level...I also want to ensure that those absolutely critical character elements are so embedded in your being that you can not help but succeed!

Success is less about knowing everything and more about using what you know absolutely consistently...

*************************************
I have always liked the line..."There are two types of people in this world..."

There are an infinite number of possibilities that can follow that lead in...

Categorization is an interesting tool...and part of the very nature of humans...

We tend to categorize, in an effort to simplify the perceived complexity of life...

AND IT WORKS!  From my perspective...it has been the ability to characterize that has kept the human race on this planet for as long as it has...

We seek epiphanies of the utterly obvious (I know you have heard that before)...

So....

...There are two types of people in this world...Winners and Losers...

...There are two type of people in this world...Successful and Unsuccessful...

As I think about this...there may be four...sub-categories perhaps...(I love this...it is starting to get a bit "cloudy")

1-There are those who try and win...

2-There are those who try and fail...but go down trying...

3-There are those who try and quit...

4-There are those who never try at all...

Where do we draw the line that drops those four sub-categories into the successful and unsuccessful categories?

Some people may draw the line after the first sub-category...claiming that the only people who are successful are those who achieve their goals...(The "Secret" people sell this)

There are others who draw the line after the second sub-category...claiming that it is better to have tried and failed than not to ever have tried at all...(I may agree with this...let's see)

There are others that may drawn the line after the third sub-category...claiming that all that matters is trying...and that quitting has nothing to do with a person's integrity and character...(I disagree)

And lastly, there are those who would draw the line after the forth...claiming that there "is no spoon!"  meaning that effort is an illusion...(If there is no such thing as effort...why live?)

The more I think about this...the more I believe that there is a line...

My supporting axiom is "you win some or you learn something...in either case...you were successful..."

I know...you have heard that one before too!...(consistent aren't I?)

That draws a distinct line after the second sub-category...these are the winners...the successful ones...

AND...there are winners...the ones who tried their best...but did not cross the finish line ahead of the hoard...
In a big way...life is how you perceive it and work...as long as you go down trying...

Quit or stop...and you have automatically and by conscious decision put yourself in the realm of losers...

Many will argue that oftentimes that quitting is the rational thing to do...

That old Kenny Rogers song about "The Gambler"

"...You got to know when to hold-up...know when to fold-up...know when to walk away and know when to run..."

I disagree...

Heroes and legends are not made by quitters...

Quitting is an immature response...that of a two year old...

It shows intellectual and emotional immaturity!

Quitting includes more than simply stopping your activity completely...

I learned long ago...that any activity should either leave the world better...or at least unscathed!

I was taught..."Don't leave a mess for others to clean up...literally or figuratively"

Leaving things undone is the behavior of a two-year old!

If you open it...close it...

If you take it out...put it away...

Leaving the world in a worse condition and expecting someone else to pick-up after you...is no different than a two-year old running from one activity to another and leaving a trail of clutter...or really no more mature than requiring a diaper change...

These behaviors communicate...

Laziness
Selfishness
Immaturity
Irresponsibility

Not good messages about a character is it?

This behavior is self-centered...I got out of it what I wanted...

It leaves trash in parks and on the highways...poisons in our streams...polluted air...

Activities are not complete until there remains no more work to be done from it...

Many complete their activities but few actually finish them...

The true colors of people can be seen even in the smallest of activities...they eat and leave dishes...

Walk in the door and drop cloths...or leave the door open...

If your presence causes work for someone else...your existence is immature and you are in that group...

You are like a two-year old!

This is harsh but true...

Adulthood and maturity is about existing in such a way that you contribute...not drain...on others and the earth at large...

If you are a drain on resources and others...then you are only "the kind of person a mother will love"...and at some point...even she will get tired of changing your diapers and picking up the messes you leave!

Where am I going?

It is less about where you draw the line between success and failure...

It is about redefining success...

Success is not all about getting what you want...and walking away...

It is more about getting what you want AND NOT leaving a mess for someone else to clean-up...

That mess takes on many forms...real or figurative...

Success is not true real...unless it is finished...

"Finished" means that nothing more has to be done to bring things back to equilibrium...which is what the world seeks...

Think about it...It may take on the form of forgiveness...

The mess you made in some other's life in your pursuit of happiness...your goals...

As a result of our changed view...there is a shift in the number of  sub-category 1 "successful" people.

Leave a mess and you have stopped too soon...which means that you quit!

That is the harsh reality...you may think yourself sucessful...just because you got what you wanted...or needed...but you quit short...see it for what it is...

Make each day count...REALLY COUNT!

Learn to contribute...

Learn to be really successful...

GROW UP!

Learn how to really put closure on everything you do...think beyond what you can get...

Leaders know how to finish...really finish...they are craftsmen of action...

We all have our moments...but do not let your moments be a burden on other or the world!

That is not leadership...

Enough Said!

Have a great weekend...

A single thought...that you have probably heard from me before...but from my perspective...one that can not go without saying...OFTEN!

Pura Vida!

Adding Legends to your Brand

Good Morning!


I hope that this week you have enabled a legend...

...or exhibited your own legendary performance.

The word "legend" is a cool word...not yet overused...and it is still carrying significant meaning for those who have grasped the real meaning of the word...

A "legend" generally includes the achievement of some seemingly impossible feat...at least for the common man...

"Legends" are the present reflection on a past event...There are good legends and bad legends...

Some legends show that the impossible event was achieved by chance...others through superior wit and planning...and persistence against the odds..

I hope that your legends were created through the latter...and not the prior...

An interesting characteristic about legends is that the ones that last are stories that relate to some cultural,  social or personal need that was met....by a hero or group of heroes...

They are relevant and usually end with the world taken to the next higher level...with the "side-liners" repeating the story in awe of the feat!

I have always believed that successful leaders should be set on creating a legend!

It should be a critical and essential part of their "personal brand"

Hidden within my push for inclusion leadership legends as part of one's brand...is a structure and a discipline...

It is not a difficult plan to follow...

1 - A leader should identify the areas that needs legendary performance...then...

2 - Select one and only one...

3 - Create a plan to achieve it...

4 - Set out (persistently) on the epic journey...

Once achieved...most heroes rest on their laurels...but that shouldn't your case...

Real legendary performance of a truly successful leader...simply sets the stage for the next achievement!

ANOTHER LEGEND that over-shadows the previous one...

Seeking legends is training ground...and a personal brand characteristic that is rare...

Seek to be rare...

Seek to make your performance legendary...you are capable...Legends are created through passion, capability...vision, planning and persistence...

That is what differentiates those few from the majority...

Do not seek to be simply one of the hoard!  You are more than that!

What is the legend that you aspire for and are living up to?

What is your story...

What do people whisper about you...when you are out of earshot?

Everyone actually has a legend...you need to ask yourself...do you control it?...or do others control it?

Is yours "ho-hum" or...or deprecating?

"Unbelievable...if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes?"

It is never too late to write that story and live up to it!

Enough said!

********************************
One of my most favorite shows is Myth Busters. It is on the Discovery and Science Channels...

I love the science and the testing...most of the time it is on the scanty side of proof...but the rigor is consistent and sufficient!

My favorite part is when they confirm the possibility of an urban legend...or some seemingly impossible myth!

This does not happen as often as it should!

The legends that we strive to create should be data supported...so that if challenged or tested...it can be confirmed...either by rigorous methods or by a quick review...

Legends created without proof are just good stories that will be constantly challenged by skeptics who will ultimately win...and in winning create a legend of their own...a bad one for you...a good one for them!

Leaders who do not already have a legend or are not striving to achieve a specific legend are not fulfilling their call...

If you strive for leadership...or if you simply strive to be at the top of your game...it is your obligation to create a legend...

You can achieve the seemingly impossible...through your wit...planning and persistence.

Leaders without REAL legends are not leaders...

Enough said!

****************************************************

...Certainty of death...little chance of success...What are we waiting for?

One of my favorite lines from the "Fellowship of the Rings"

The most important word in that phrase is one of the shortest...containing only 2 letters...

"we"

Legends, although critical to the brand of a leader...are not an individual endeavor!

They are made through the fellowship and kept alive by the same...

Although the result of heroic action...legends depend upon your fellowship...your "ring"

Personal legends are seldom told by the hero...

They are repeated by the fellowship...and often...

The fellowship unites in heroic vision, direction and action

The fellowship ensures the safety of "the others" with little regard to individual safety...

Loyalty and Trust are the highest character traits...

Heroic actions spring from those traits...and they are unwavering...

Each member would rather die than see one of the ring die...

Legends are made through unity and purpose...

A single breach of selfish action ruins a legend...

If a member looks out for their own well-being...it is at the cost of another...

Make no mistakes...there is no "and" in heroism...

Your personal brand needs legends...

It is an "all cards in" proposition...

Find your story and live it...

Make it epic!

Certainty of death...little chance of success...

What are we waiting for?

Enough said!

Have a great weekend!

Be like "Dyson" who fixes the obvious problems that others ignore...

Find your legend and add it to your brand!

Pura Vida!

When to Stop Dreaming...

Good Morning!

I know that during this week...you have stayed your path and held true to your tenants...ideals and goals...

That sounds so cliche and antiquated...yet it is advice that we should heed...some things are enduring and other things are not...

It is a mature discernment...

Your challenge is less about doing things and more about finding the enduring aspects of life and to staying true to them...

And ridding yourself of those things which are transient...only of temporary value...and ultimately meaningless...

Those tenuous things of one's life should be seen as simply stepping stones and you must be prepared to put them aside as if they never existed...let go of them...

It is the baggage that I have spoken of in the past...

A person can not enter a new and better level of existence without giving up the past...

Leave your bags at the door!

That is one of the keys to personal success...and authentic happiness...it is the REAL SECRET!

A spartan existence is not just a reference to physical existence...

Simplicity in all things is critical to maintaining the proper path...

Complexity leads to diversions...

Your resources are limited...defending your territory grows ever more difficult as you accumulate additional responsibilities...

This is just a random thought with deeper meaning...I hope!

*************************** 

So when do you stop dreaming?

The simple answer is...when you wake up!

Perhaps that is not the simple answer...but has deeper meaning than we realize!

I am in a philosophical mood today...when I think about it...when am I not?

Dreams are creations of our mind...conscious and sub-conscious apparitions...

There is a dream world...

And a world of reality...

We generally distinctly separate the two...

Have you ever had a dream (thoughts during your sleep) that haunted you the next day?

Have you ever had thoughts from your day that entered your dreams?

The border between the dream world and our real world is less distinct than we perceive it to be...

We have "dreams" and aspirations...whether we create them when we are conscious or sound asleep (unconscious)...we label them the same...

Some are based on internalized goals and others upon fears...

In a prior "Update" it shared my mother's advice...if you want to stop a dream...WAKE UP!

"Wake up" simply means transitioning to what we believe is reality...

Reality automatically kills dreams...better than "Round-up" kills weeds...and as the commercial touts..."They don't come back!"

The important thing for us to remember is that we define reality...by what we accept and what we reject!

You will continue to dream until you re-enter the realm of reality!

Whether it is from a conscious state to sleep...

or...

From your accepting or rejecting the world around you...you are in control of your dreams...

The world will throw everything it has at you to get you to wake up!

It is one of its subtle goals is to get you out of your dreams!

Dreams are a threat to reality...it changes it and reality opposes change...

That puts an entirely new meaning to the old cliche..."Dare to dream!"

A dream is a direct threat and challenge to reality...

Choose your dreams wisely and be prepared for attacks from every direction!

So when do you stop dreaming?

It is only when your dreams become nightmares!

When what you are dreaming is hurting yourself or others around you!

Only you can (AND SHOULD) decide when it is time to wake up...but not without feedback from others...

Choose wisely what you aspire for...

Your unconscious dreams may affect only you...and carry into your waking hours...

But your conscious dreams affect your entire world...

That is the only difference that I can see between the two worlds...

There is a time that you will be called to "WAKE UP!"

When you are...do so selectively...

Enough Said!

Today is a short and sweet kind of day!

I hope you have a restful weekend...and continue to dream!

It is the thing that success is built upon!

PURA VIDA!

Overcoming the Twists and Turns that Life Doles Out

Good Morning!

Just when you think...

...life puts another twist into the equation!

That is the way that it is!  When you think through "what life is all about," "twists and turns" are at the most elemental aspects of life itself...

It is not a human specific condition...

Even the most basic forms of life encounter "twists and turns"

Even a virus is up against challenges of the antibodies of the hosts that they infest...

Adaptation is the key to survival!

If a virus sat and complained or drove itself to complacency...it would become extinct...

Those that survive...adapt...and meet the challenge...

There are micro-organisms that thrive in conditions that would burn our skin off...(hot springs)

I could cite thousands of examples...yet...all point to adaptation as the key...

***********************

I was walking into an awards ceremony...to see Courtney receive an award...which was kept secret...until its announcement...

The night was planned to recognize the top students in the high school...

As I walked in...a mother daughter combo was in front of me...

The mother was complaining...

The daughter had a better perspective...and was responding to the complaints in a way...that we (as leaders) can take a lesson from...

"Mom...it is what it is...you can go through life with a bad attitude...of you can go through life...with a good attitude...Life is going to beat you to death no matter what...are you going to let it get to you...or are you going to be happy with what you got?"

It was rather cliche, yet this young girl (I later found out that she was a junior...from the award she won) is light-years ahead of the general population.  

This is one of the "chicken or the egg" conundrums that I have subtly referred to in the past...

Life is going to hand you a myriad of twists and turns...some will align with your passions...and most will conflict with them...

Do you seek out only those things that align with your passions and ignore the rest...or do you find ways to become passionate about everything that you encounter...?

********************************

I dislike loading the dishwasher...

I dislike mopping the floors...

Yet I do those tasks with a passion...why?

Because they are things that have to be done...and if I have to do them...I seek passion that leads to accomplishment...

I love doing things with passion...but not only the things that I am passionate about...

Passion is the key element to success...

As I think about it...does passion come first or second in this equation?

My answer is that it always comes first...

An interesting characteristic of real passion is that it does not have to spur from a specific like or dislike...

It can be conceived and born from adversity...or love...and as you think deeper...it actually be spontaneously generated!

Whatever you set out to do...passion has to be a foundational element in it...

If you are not doing things with passion...you are just doing things...

Many are forced into doing things because of a twist and turn handed to them by life...and they do it...complaining all the way to the finish line!

They miss an opportunity to be happy...

"I'll do it...but I am not going to like it..."

Like that junior student...life is going to beat you to death no matter what..."why waste your entire life complaining or unhappy?"  "It is what it is..."

Great leaders find and create passion around anything that they set out to do...

If it does not morally or ethically align with them...that and only that is the reason for them not to do it...

Otherwise...they do not waste their lives on doing things that do not promote happiness...their own and that of others...

They also realize that happiness and passion is to be pursued and utilized and if necessary...created...

**************************

Life is all about "twists and turns"

Don't you love it?

A fairytale life is written...not experienced...

When a twist arises...find a way to passionately challenge it...and turn it toward those passions that do not require effort...

It requires effort to adapt and thrive...

Take a lesson from our friends the virus!

Enough said...for today!