Be An Example

 

There is plenty of advice being passed around out there these days. Social media has created a lot of experts and it facilitates an increased amount of opinion sharing. Much of that has no tangible actions associated with it. Advice and opinions need to be replaced by lives of example. We know that humans learn by the examples they see and interact with daily. It is true of our children, our co-workers, and followers. A life lived by example is a life of influence.

 

There is nothing wrong with genuine, sincere, and well-meaning advice. I wish it was all that way. If you really want to impact someone’s life, don’t just tell that person, show them by how you live your life.

 

Remember, a pint of example is worth more than a barrel full of advice.

Life is a Team Sport

 

We are not meant to do life alone. People are not really capable of doing life alone. We need community. Humans need teamwork. The trials and tribulations of our lives are challenging. Each of us needs all the support, advice, hugs, and cheers we can get.

 

The business world of life is certainly not a solo sport. None of us individually possess all the skills required to produce results. We all have strengths and weaknesses, and we all work differently. The sport requires that we combine our different skill sets and working styles to accomplish common goals.

 

Don’t try to do life alone. There is no special prize for that! Take the time to recognize what you are good at, and what you need help with. Lean on your team! Life is a team sport!

 

*Some of this MMM material is taken from The Working Genius Podcast – Patrick Lencioni

ABCs of Life

 

I was getting ready for work one day last week and found myself gazing at an “ABC” list of life advice sign in our home.  It is a list of great life suggestions we received from some wonderful friends.  The “G” caught my eye, as I have clearly done that!  More importantly, the “Y” jumped out at me. In this contentious world we need more of this. In glancing at the rest of the list, there are several that I need to be more conscious of doing, maybe the “N”. What about you? They don’t all apply to everyone, but most of them do. Life is short, here are 26 things to do while you can…

Avoid Collagen, Bloom Late, Celebrate, Dance At Weddings, Eat More Chocolate, Fall In Love Again, Go Grey, Hold Hands, Inspire, Jettison Grudges, Kiss Like You Mean It, Laugh, Mend Fences, Nurture Friendships, Open Doors, Perspire With Aplomb, Quit Whining, Rekindle Romance, Spoil Babies, Teach Someone To Read, Upset Convention, Volunteer, Wear Red, eXpect Joy, Yield Gracefully, Zing

Friends

Last week we talked about the importance of friends.  We need support and advice from friends.  The best of friends also challenge us.  Truly great friends will encourage us to change course.  They point out our poor decisions.  They care about us becoming better versions of ourselves.  Do you have friends who will be honest with you?  When you veer off course will they tell you?  We want and need friendships like this. 

 

Are you this type of a friend?  Like we said last week, friendship is a two-way street.  That means we have a responsibility to be honest with friends.  We owe it to them to openly communicate and encourage them to grow.  Certainly, they need our support.  Sometimes that support needs to take the form of a challenging conversation.

 

Have great friends and a be a great friend…    

Friends

People are not meant to live alone. Friends and relationships are a huge part of our lives.  We may want to think we are independent and can live without those around us, but we all know that we cannot.  These times of social distancing and limited community events can be challenging for friendships, but we need one another now more than ever.  We need support and advice from friends.  We need the sharing of life with others.

Friendship is a two-way street.  It is as much about being a friend to someone as it is about having a friend.  Some friends come and go.  Others become fixtures in our lives for a lifetime.  Certain friends are placed in our lives at specific times for specific needs we may have at the time.   My life has been blessed with wonderful friendships.  Many of those have outlasted job and family changes over many years.  I can only hope to have been a friend to others in the way described by this insightful young girl.

 

True friends are the ones who see the pain in your eyes,
when everybody else is fooled by your smile.
--Kimmy Robbins, (14 years old)

ABCs of Life

I was getting ready for work one day last week and found myself gazing at an “ABC” list of life advice in our bedroom.  It is a list of great life suggestions we received from some wonderful friends.  The “D” jumped out at me, since I had done that the weekend before. The “G” had also caught my eye, as I have clearly done that!  In glancing at the rest of the list, there are several that I need to be more conscious of doing. What about you? They don’t all apply to everyone, but most of them do. Life is short, here are 24 things to do while you can…

Avoid Collagen, Bloom Late, Celebrate, Dance At Weddings, Eat More Chocolate, Fall In Love Again, Go Grey, Hold Hands, Inspire, Jettison Grudges, Kiss Like You Mean It, Laugh, Mend Fences, Nurture Friendships, Open Doors, Perspire With Aplomb, Quit Whining, Rekindle Romance, Spoil Babies, Teach Someone To Read, Upset Convention, Volunteer, Wear Red, eXpect Joy, Yield Gracefully, Zing