Posts Tagged ‘Inspiration’

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So Humbling

Friday, August 13th, 2010

Last night I took the opportunity to watch the meteor shower. It was a very cool experience, something that I will definitely do again next time. Being under the bright starry sky, watching rocks burn up as they travel through the Earth’s atmosphere just reminded me how tiny and insignificant humans are in the grand scheme of things. How arrogant it is to think that all that was ‘created’ for us to enjoy?! We are such a tiny spec of existence that the Universe wouldn’t even know if we were gone.

Trying to picture all that space, those astronomically huge distances, and how most of it is emptiness gives my brain a cramp. It’s not easy to imagine infinity. I can see how people develop fascination with the sky. It is so beautiful and so surreal that it is highly intoxicating. And today, most people will never experience this. People clump together in cities that are full of bright lights that make it impossible to see the sky at its full glory. And let’s be honest, how many of us leave our cities far enough to escape the lights of the civilization? Very few do it on the regular basis. Most hardly leave at all.

Until Monday,

V

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Measuring Progress

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Changes often happen in our lives so slowly that we don’t even notice the progress. It’s only when we look back to a time in our distant (or maybe not so distant) past that we get an idea of how far we have gone and how much we have changed.

Kids provide a good example. Parents typically don’t see how much their kids really grow and change. Friends of family who tend to visit once or twice a year really notice the difference. It’s that same with many other areas in life.

Whenever you try something new, it is difficult at first, and obviously gets easier as you do it more. The only way to appreciate your growth is to have a frame of reference to where you were in the past. Seeing the growth serves as a good reminder of where you have been and provides motivation to keep moving forward. So find a way to keep track of your progress – it will help you appreciate where you are and will serve as the fuel to keep trucking along.

Until next time,

V

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Something To Think About

Friday, August 6th, 2010

I have a poster in my room at my parents’ house that has a bunch of really good quotes about life. Some are better than others, but a few are truly striking. There is one in particular that I find really thought-provoking. It is by Paul Bowles, who was an American composer and author.

“Because we don’t know when we will die, we get to think of life as an inexhaustible well. Yet everything happens only a certain number of times, and a very small number really. How many more times will you remember a certain afternoon of your childhood, an afternoon that is so deeply a part of your being that you can’t even conceive of your life without it? Perhaps four, five times more, perhaps not even that. How many more times will you watch the full moon rise? Perhaps twenty. And yet it all seems limitless.”

And on that note…until Monday.

V

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First Thing In The Morning

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

Today I have a success/achievement tip for you – benefits of which I you’ll be able to experience for yourself the first time you apply it. How’s that for quick results? Anyway, here we go…

If you have something that you want to do but never get to it, do it first thing in the morning before you do anything else. Anthony Robbins called this ‘the hour of power’ where you take the first hour after you wake up and use it as ‘your time’ for that important activity that you never get to. It can be reading, writing, playing a musical instrument, or going for a run. The activity does not matter – what matters is that you get it done.

This surely requires some discipline, especially if you have to be at work at a certain time and need to wake up an hour earlier to create that time cushion. And it is a lot easier to sleep that extra hour when you know you can too – I would know :) . But all that is still easier than finding time for your activity later in the day. Something always seems to creep up and get in the way. That is why you do your task first thing in the morning before anything has a chance to get in the way. Give it a try and see for yourself….

Until next time,

V

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The Nature Of Conversations

Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

I am a total sucker for a good conversation. This weekend I had a great pleasure of spending some time with a friend who is the most intellectually stimulating person that I know. A good dinner, couple bottles of wine, and good conversation led to a very memorable evening. Thinking of that reminded me of something I’ve noticed before – what different people tend to talk about.

There is a great quote by Admiral Hyman Rickover that seems to beautifully and elegantly capture what I have observed over time. The quote goes like this: “Great minds discuss ideas, average minds discuss events, small minds discuss people.”

When I compare the topics of conversations that I have with people who I truly enjoy spending time with to the conversations that are neither here nor there, the quote totally applies. And people who gossip all the time? Well, I keep far away from them.

Until next time,

V

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Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs And Commerce – Part 2

Tuesday, July 20th, 2010

Last Friday I summarized the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and pointed out that a similar hierarchy applied to business as well.

When a person starts a business, especially if it’s their first one, they start at the bottom of the ‘pyramid of needs’. This person will do almost anything to get things moving – they will cold-call, randomly visit other businesses, leave flyers, go to networking events, and take on pretty much any job that comes their way. This is similar to the ‘Physiological/Safety Needs’ described by Maslow, only applied to business.

As the business grows, establishes itself, builds a reputation, and clients start coming in, the owner becomes more selective. He or she will stop doing the really uncomfortable things, like cold-calling for example, and will maybe just get someone else to distribute the flyers. The owner may fire some annoying clients and start filtering the incoming prospects so that the business gets to serve a higher ratio of ‘better’ customers (whatever that means for the given business). This is where the business meets the ‘Esteem Needs’ of self-esteem, confidence, and achievement.

When the business becomes a powerhouse to be reckoned with, it will likely develop a bigger purpose. It will want to try to revolutionize the industry by doing something no other company has accomplished, or possibly even tried. It will set grandiose goals and come up with an inspiring mission statement. At this point, chances are, the business only focuses on what the company culture as a whole is really passionate about. It is working on the ‘Self-actualization Needs’.

There is a strong parallel between the individual needs and the ‘business needs’ because it is people who run businesses. As the business grows, more of their individual needs are met, which shifts them up the pyramid, which also shifts their business focus.

Until next time,

V

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Loving What You Do

Friday, July 9th, 2010

What a difference it makes when you are excited and motivated by what you do. It is a rather obvious statement in and of itself, but the implications are pretty serious. I don’t know about you, but I’ve been on both ends of the ‘excitement’ spectrum. There were times when the things I was doing felt like a total grind and there were other times when I couldn’t wait to get working on something. The difference in the quality of experience, and in how I perceived life at those different times, is tremendous.

It would be amazing if every day work was that challenging, that exciting, and that motivating. If you have achieved that state, that is incredible. Chances are that regardless of what you do, there will be days that feel like a drag. However, iif most of the days are the opposite, then you have probably achieved something that most people only dream of.

I do believe that every person has had the two types of days, even if the days of great excitement were not due to work (though if it was work-related, that should be easier to explore and analyse). Looking into what factors made the day so great should provide you with some valuable insight into what you may want more out of your work. Then, hopefully, as you integrate more of those factors into your daily job requirements, you’ll have more of the times when your vocation becomes your vacation.

Until Monday,

V

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Good Grades Myth

Wednesday, June 9th, 2010

We have all heard the “get the good grades, a good education, and then your life will be set” from our parents or our teachers or someone else. I have heard it countless times, and even bought into it for a good part of my life. Good grades are often a must if you are pursuing an academic career. Overall, a degree can definitely open some doors for you, but only doors in a given building where a degree is required (and remember, “C’s get degrees,” so good grades are not a necessity). That being said, I definitely do not subscribe to the idea that good grades or degrees are essential to successful, fun, and fulfilling life.

An interesting article was sent to me earlier, and it is well worth a look. It is entitled “100 Famously Successful People Who Skipped College“. The level of success that these people have attained in their careers is astounding and many of their stories are very inspiring.

While formal education is not a prerequisite for success, ongoing education in your field is a must. In this context education encompasses all the possible ways that you can improve your knowledge, skill, or ability on a given subject. It can come in a form of reading books and magazines, finding things online, attending conferences and trade shows, or listening to experts in the field talk (just to name a few). It is by being the best in your field that you’ll make yourself very valuable and irreplaceable to your customers or employers.

Until next time,

V

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Overnight Success Anyone?

Wednesday, June 2nd, 2010

I don’t know about you, but I love hearing about/reading about/watching programs about success stories. It does not matter what field it is in – personal life, professional, or otherwise – as long as an individual overcame obstacles and the odds to reach a goal, I appreciate it. And at the first glance it seems as if many success stories are created overnight. But like that quote goes, “it takes 20 years to become an overnight success,” we often do not get to hear about the journey leading up to the overnight success. People who share their own stories rarely leave that part out; it’s just that the audience overlooks it.

I’m sure many of you are familiar with Michael Jordan – you know, that guy who to this day is one of the best players to ever touch a basketball, and arguably the best player to ever do that. The unbelievable thing is that in high school he did not make the basketball team. Go figure. But through a lot of practice, blood, sweat, and tears, he made it to the top. Most people, in my experience anyway, when thinking of Jordan, think about the 90’s and the 6 NBA Championships. People do not think about all the years that it took Jordan to get to that point.

Since we tend to only hear the ‘end of the journey’ portion of success stories, I think that one can develop certain beliefs about how long it should take to succeed at a given task, and get discouraged quickly if difficulties are encountered. So as long as there are indications that you are on the right track, keep pushing and working away, and it is a matter of time before you get your own “overnight success” story.

Until next time,

V

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Taking Risks

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Do you consider yourself a risk taker in your personal life? How about in your professional life? Or are you careful all the time? There is definitely that trade off between staying safe and having some awesome experiences.

I know people who are very careful and always think twice before doing anything remotely dangerous. I actually used to be a lot more like that, except that at one point I said “what the hell, let’s do it”, and took my first leap of faith out of an airplane. To this day, that was arguably the best experience of my life. I took calculated risks a few more times that led to really awesome experiences – bungee jumping and riding a motorcycle are a couple of examples. There is an inherent risk that goes with such activities – I could hurt myself badly or even worse, and it is usually for those reasons that people never attempt anything remotely ‘dangerous’ and hold themselves back from experiencing something special.

Same type of behaviour easily carries over into other areas of life. One could be afraid of getting their heart broken and thus will stay away from any sort of romantic relationship. Or one could be concerned about the financial stability and never take a chance at a more exciting and fulfilling career.

What kind of risks have you taken that led to some wicked experiences? And on the flip side, what areas of life could you take more risks in to get some wicked experiences?

Until next time,

V

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