thoughts Contentment Contentment is not something that can be given to us. It is not something bestowed by another person or things but rather it is learned. We learn contentment, or find it, only through
thoughts Optimism and Your Choices “Unless you believe that the future can be better, you are unlikely to step up and take responsibility for making it so.” — Noam ChomskyOptimism isn't optional, it's a requirement for living and for
leadership Am I a Leader? "I never thought of myself as a leader but as I turned around, there were people following me. When did that happen? How did it happen? What do I do now?" I've heard
thoughts Personal Commitment to Excellence I had a friend pass this along to me and it landed with me (actually, made the hairs on my arms stand up - that's saying something to me).I am the sum
purpose Learn to Work Hard I was having a discussion the other day about a young man that's trying to figure out what to do after graduating high school; is it college? He may not be ready for
thoughts Recognizing Frustrations Recently I realized that frustration is rooted internally. We regularly blame externalities for this feeling but those are just the triggers for our inner challenges. Far too often though, we don’t recognize
thoughts Focus to Rise Leaders rise above context rather than just living in it. The don't contribute to the chaos. It’s not only our job to navigate ourselves and others while in the emotion but to
culture What is Culture? Culture is the intersection of people and values such that it produces behaviors. Sometimes those behaviors are positive and beneficial; other times they are negative and destructive. Ultimately, its these behaviors that shape
thoughts Connection vs Effective In interacting with those around you, look to be connected not just effective. Connection can bridge the rough spots that inevitably will show up. Focusing on being effective means you'll hit those bumps
life Gifted Kids are a Gift Gifted is typically defined as 2 standard deviations above the mean (statistically). That's nerd-speak for "way out there" and often times that shows up when you talk to the kids. I'm
life So busy! In reading this great post by Omid Safi, The Disease of Being Busy a lot resonated with me. Far too often I've answered the question, "How are you doing?" with "
thoughts Stop Trying to be Happy As I've continued my gratitude practice, I've come to realize that more and more of my challenges come from focusing on the wrong things. When we guess at what would make us happy,
culture Great Quote... "Maybe rounds down to a "No" when you're talking about culture. It's far to easy to make excuses than do the hard thing - say No. Especially when it comes
thoughts Why You're Not Wrong...Just Different "I'm a logical person and I arrived at my conclusion because it's right.” "You arrived at a different conclusion; it's because you're wrong.” People start from different places. We all have
thoughts Systems Thinking (and a little money thrown in) I just read this article Thinking in Systems and was impressed by both the way that Matt illustrated how systems are adapted, from a gaming perspective, so you KNOW that's dear to my
thoughts Programmed to See the Lack A math professor walks into class one morning and starts the day by writing a 2 column chart on the board. He numbers them 1 to 10 in the top row and then
thoughts Screw Finding Your Passion Ran across this post and had to share especially given the alignment with "So Good They Can't Ignore You" (a book I'd rank in my top 5 of all time) Screw
thoughts Quotes Here's a couple of interesting quotes I've run across recently: "Trust is a peculiar resource; it is built rather than depleted by use." -- Unknown This makes me think of working
thoughts Life is a Mix Life is a story. It’s not a set of facts or a compilation of data but a complicated interplay of the small and the large. Sure, those the facts and stuff are
thoughts Walk the Walk But Don't Talk They say that the best way to inspire others is to model it and I have to agree. Modeling something is like magic; while people may be amazed or wonder how you do
thoughts Be Accessible Have you ever heard of having an “open door” policy? More than likely. Have you ever found that to be a lie? Sadly, more than likely. Often times companies, or individuals, like to
thoughts Controlling Emotion and Mindset Emotion is always a reaction and, therefore, cannot be intentional. Mindsets can be either reactionary or intentional but intentional is typically better. I say typically because if you were to see a snake
thoughts Always More Efficient *** What is something you should do less efficiently so that you can do it more thoroughly? *** We are always working to be more efficient - we attempt to multi-task (yes, I know it's
thoughts Time For Work Disclaimer *** This is a perspective I'm currently exploring and so I'm arguing both sides. You've been warned. *** Family When we need time for something it must be taken. It cannot be replaced or
thoughts Excel is a Cul-de-sac In my recent transition, I've had to become even more intimate with Excel as a tool of my job. Previously I've used Excel in crazy ways, as a data source for an ODBC