While teaching a project management class last night, we got into a discussion about social media, technology and how communicating can overwhelm you due to the many ways we now communicate. Many of the younger (under 30) students said that they had a hard time managing their communications because of the myriad of ways that people communicate today. It was not too long ago that people joked about being addicted to the “crackberry”, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Today we communicate by E-mail (old school), texting, instant messaging, phone calls (really old school), twitter and other social media tools. These make us more accessible than ever before, and if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself texting, twittering, instant messaging and emailing all at the same time. With all these demands for your time coming at you at once, it can be overwhelming. Here are some tips to getting your life back under control.
I was taking a walk during lunch the other day near downtown Sacramento. As I was walking, I looked up and saw… oranges! Later during my walk along the river, I looked down and saw turtles! Ok, some of you may think I’m losing my mind. But I was having a trying day and was in a sour mood. So, when these little things came along, they just lifted my spirits. I wasn’t expecting to find an orange tree in downtown Sacramento. I wasn’t expecting to see turtles basking in the sun. Then I started to think, why don’t I expect the unexpected in other areas of my life?
As I think about life, many of us expect… the expected. When things are tough, we expect them to get worse. We get in the habit of looking at the ordinary and get used to living in mediocrity. The oranges and the turtles reminded me that life can also throw beautiful things your way, when you least expect it. The thing is, you have to stop what you’re doing, and take a look around you. If I hadn’t looked up, I wouldn’t have seen the oranges. They were there all the time. I even walked by them on a walk the other day, and didn’t even notice them. I’ve also been down the river before, so I probably have walked by turtles basking in the sun before.
The point – if you’re having a bad day, or a bad time. Stop. Look up. Take a walk. Open your eyes. God gives us gifts every day – and we often overlook them.
For you Star Trek fans, I’m sure you’re familiar with the Kobayashi Maru scenario. In both the original Star Trek series and the movie that was released in 2010, Kirk faced a computer simulation developed by Spock while at Starfleet Academy. The simulation was created as a “no win” scenario to teach the cadets that there could be a time where there is no way to win. That nothing you could do would lead to victory.
As leaders, not just in the military, we must understand that winning may not always be an option. As a leader, how you deal with this scenario will determine the direction of your career. You will notice that while you may face a no-win scenario, that doesn’t mean you must admit defeat. If you are facing defeat, follow this link – Overcoming Defeat. If you appear to be facing a no-win scenario, here’s what you should be doing. Read the rest of this entry »
I spoke at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting this morning… and was shocked by some of the comments I got. My topic was “Unsticking Your Business – Overcoming the Top 10 Reasons for Business Failure.” As I began to speak, I was interrupted with a question in the middle of my introduction. I listed the Top 10 reasons for business failure, and “the economy” wasn’t on my list. Someone asked, “don’t you think that maintaining (surviving) is a good thing in this economy?” My answer was no, and some people took offense to it. Find out why…
Economic Signs Suggest a Bleak Road Ahead. That’s the headline I read when I signed onto the Internet this morning. When I read those words, I had two choices. I could be scared and depressed. Or I could look out my window and instead of seeing dried plants in my yard I could see beyond to the promise of flowers next season. I bet you are rolling your eyes at my second option.
Every January, I reflect back on my life and ask myself, how can I make it better? I look at my successes and failures over the past year, and look for ways to move forward. There is an old adage that goes something like this…
If you ain’t growing…. You’re dying!
Do you want to grow? The alternative is pretty dismal. So what’s it going to be? I know some of you are frustrated with your lack of growth last year. Perhaps financially, spiritually, or physically. You made resolutions in 2009, and not many came through for you in 2010. So what about 2011? How can you make those changes to improve your life?
I’m sitting here enjoying the beautiful weather this morning while I nurse a good cup of coffee. As I look out the window I see a lot of people sitting in lounge chairs talking and sharing. Some are working. Some just hanging out. The season is changing. The heat of the summer is gone and fall is here. As I ponder about that, I’m reminded that change is inevitable. I’m in my 50s now…. and times are different than even a few years ago. The economy is worse off than it was just 3 years ago. My kids are older. Our financial situation has changed. The political landscape is challenging. The world is struggling to deal with terrorism. So… in the midst of all these changes, how do we keep our sanity and some semblance of hope?
Before you read the rest of the post. Watch the following video from Napoleon Dynamite:
I had a great experience this week while volunteering at Breakaway to the Arctic Freeze, Bayside Christian Church’s Summer Extravaganza for kids (3000 kids + 2000 volunteers = two fun weeks!).
Here is a video of part of what Breakaway was all about.
I was the speaker every night for about 150 4th graders. The themes we talked about were:
Chosen For a Purpose
Trouble Happens
Hope
Love
The Future
I want to share what I told them about their future. If you are frustrated with your life and feel like your future is bleak… you need to read this…
Last night my daughter was in tears as she recounted something that happened to her yesterday. I was wondering what could be so terrible that she would cry so hard. I went down the list…. Did you hurt someone? Did someone hurt you? Did you get a ticket? Did you get into an accident? Did you take some drugs? Did you yell at someone? Did someone else yell at you? Did you have a fight with your boyfriend? Did you drink and drive? On and on I went. She kept saying… no. no. no. She even laughed a couple times. Turns out what she was so upset about wasn’t that big a deal when put in perspective.
This past weekend I had an adventure! I helped my son move from Medford, Oregon to Reno, Nevada as he got a promotion at the Guitar Center. The weekend was hectic as we drove from Sacramento to Medford, packed, drove from Medford to Sacramento, spent the night, drove from Sacramento to Reno, unpacked, then caught a Greyhound back to Sacramento. We braved the snow over the mountains near Mt. Shasta, raced a winter storm to Reno and unloaded in the snow. It was fun.
While we were packing in Medford, we made the decision to leave some things behind.To move and make room for new things, we had to leave some other things behind. This sounded like a great metaphor and reminded me of mental baggage we carry around with us.
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