Perception is reality

 

Good Monday morning, or is it Tuesday?  Or maybe a Tuesday that seems like Monday? 

 

Often perception is reality and for that reason today may feel like Monday all day.  In reality it is not. It is the Monday of this work week for us, and I hope your Memorial Day holiday was fabulous.

 

Perceptions becoming reality can be hard to understand especially if you are a black and white factual personality. It is important to remember that how people perceive situations and perceive other people often forms the realities of how they think.  If you deal with people, and we all do, you will always be dealing with their individual perceptions. Oftentimes, it does not matter what you think or what the facts may be.  People have their own perspective, that does not make them wrong, just unique in their viewpoint.

 

Have a great day...(Monday or Tuesday or whatever day you perceive it to be)

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

 

We make a lot of decisions in life, in fact, life is all about choices. We often place a lot of emphasis on the act of the decision itself and it is certainly important, but the decision is just the first step. Follow-through and implementation are always the hard parts of any decision. The best decisions in the world can be doomed by poor implementation.

Consider hiring decisions, you can hire the perfect person for a job, however if they are not properly on-boarded and trained they will likely fail. How about a new product line or adding an additional business location? The decision can be right for business and represent huge potential, but if the project is rolled out poorly or not well executed, the decision does not matter.

Think about the decisions in your personal life. How are you doing with implementation and follow through?

*Part of this MMM concept was borrowed from “At The Table” podcast.

Mother's Day

 

If you did not talk to your mother on Mother’s Day, do it today.

If you have not recently told your mother that you love her, tell her.

If you have not seen your mother recently, plan a trip.

If you need to reconcile with your mother, do it.

If your mother is not in your life or no longer alive, love someone like a mother.

If you need to forgive your mother, do it.

If you need to ask your mother for forgiveness, ask.

If you are a mother, bless you.

 

In loving memory of Barbara Ward Taylor (1940 -2008) - My mother-in-law lost her battle with lung cancer just one week before Mother’s Day.  She was a loving mother, wife, grandparent, friend and family member.  She had a wonderful zest for life and a love for people. 

White Space

 

There is a design concept called white space. It refers to not overcrowding a design and allowing space between components. The concept is used by artists and graphic designers to create more comfortable and pleasing designs that avoid clutter. Think of a wall with a group of pictures or a magazine photo layout. Too little white space can feel uncomfortable, making the content difficult to absorb or understand. Visually, we need white space.

We should apply the concept of white space to our calendars. I manage my days, and my life for that matter, in an Outlook calendar. I don’t like having a day that is back-to-back appointments booked all day long, or a week with little or no open time. We need white space in our schedule. We need blocks of time to be productive and blocks to recharge. All jobs and schedules are different, but we all need some open time in our lives.

At the end of the day, it is your calendar. Design your calendar like an artist, create your white space!

PS: TJ – Please note above!

Growth & Grace

 

If someone were to ask if you feel like you have grown over time, how would you answer? Are you different than you were six months ago or even a year ago?  Most of us would answer with a resounding, “Yes!” I believe we improve with age, much like wine. Perhaps we become wiser, calmer or even more generous. So why do we look at others and judge, or assume, the person they are today is who they will always be? We do not know who they will become or what they are capable of doing in the future. We also do not know what they may have been in the past. Maybe instead of being skeptical because we do not like what we see, we should have faith knowing they too will learn and grow in time. 

How are you improving overtime? Better yet, how much grace are you showing others going through the same growth process?