Do you ever stop and reflect on your actions? Are you able to step back and honestly reflect on your own behavior? I am not only referring to what you do, but how you show up. How aware are you of the impact your actions and behaviors have on those around you? Do they have a ripple effect on others?
Self-awareness
isn’t just knowing who you are, it is understanding how you show up in the
world. Be curious about yourself. That’s where real change begins.
Have a great week!
Are you open minded? I mean really open minded. Are you seriously open to learning another viewpoint? Or, are you steadfast in your opinion and always ready to defend your existing viewpoint? Consider this…
- The single most effective habit is the willingness to change your own mind.
I would like to focus on a key word in that statement, “willingness”. If we start out unwilling to change, it does not matter what we learn. Changing your mind is a powerful concept.
Be willing to change your own mind!
I wrote the below MMM back in 2020 at the beginning of Covid pandemic. Tomorrow marks five years from the date that both the NBA and Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo were shut down. Somewhat of a quarantine would follow. Five years later, it’s remarkable to reflect on how much the world has changed. Pre-pandemic, meetings, family gatherings, and even something as simple as a sneeze or cough were hardly given a second thought. The crisis reshaped nearly every aspect of our daily living, but we are amazing creatures! We have adapted, and in some ways, life is back to normal. In some ways not so much.
What have you learned since the spring of 2020?
2020
Trying Times
These times will test our souls. Our faith will be tested, but it will become our rock. Our resolve will be stretched but it will support us. Our businesses and the economy will be damaged, but they will survive. Our friends and families may be separated, but we will hold them tightly.
Leaders are purveyors of hope. Now is the time for us to step up. Our employees, friends and followers need to see hope in our eyes and positivity in our voices. It will not be easy. They need to hear us say the things above. They need to know there is an end to this and better days will come. They need to know this is survivable. It is time to instill hope. It is time to step up as leaders. It is time for us to pass the test of leadership.
Let’s do this together. Take one day at a time and lead with hope!
One of my favorite sayings about change is…
“The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.”
Over the years the MMM has frequently discussed change, the need for it, and our human reluctance to it.
This phrase is really meant to encourage change in an environment where people have gotten stuck in a rut. Change happens. The fact is nothing changes if nothing changes. Our challenge is to be pro-active and positive about change. Don't let your rut turn into a grave. Be prepared for change!
Where is your current
trajectory taking you? The ongoing
process of self-improvement is all about trajectory. We owe it to ourselves to check our current
direction and see if we are headed where we want! This requires honesty, transparency, and
objective self-analysis. Whether this process is pleasant or not, we should
take it seriously. Some changes require significant admissions and major life
changes. However, for many of us our
trajectory just needs to be tweaked. We
need to slightly increase our positive habits and back off the more negative
ones. Just because they are only tweaks does not mean they will be easy. Change is hard. Bad habits are hard to break, and good ones
are difficult to become routine. Change
is how you alter the direction your life is taking.
Think about where you
are headed and ask yourself these questions. Are you happy with that direction?
Could your trajectory use some adjustments?
In my mind, today is the four-year anniversary of the start of the
pandemic in the United States. On this day in 2020, both the Houston Rodeo and
the NBA shut down entirely. Not long after that the entire country was pretty
much in a lock down. For some of us it was a few weeks, for others it was much
longer. Every single person, business, organization, and activity in our world
was impacted. Many are still feeling that impact. Our world is not the same
four years later.
What have we learned? I will stay away from medical, political, or
socio-economic lessons. What have you learned as an individual? I have shared
these questions before. They are worth considering again. Actually, they are
worth considering frequently, not just in the wake of a pandemic.
· Are you going to have better family relationships?
· Have you learned a new craft or skill?
· Are you growing in your faith?
· Have you discovered new ways to give back in your community?
· Will you be more serious about saving 2-3 months of living expenses?
· Has your perspective about work/life balance changed?
· Do you have new goals and objectives for the balance of the year?
· Will you bring a new level of commitment and energy to your job or your business?
· Have you read a business or self-help book you have been putting off?
Let's make this easy. Make it your goal to do “one thing” different in 2024. Pick one thing that is important for you to change, or improve. Then develop a “one thing” plan to make that change not only happen but stick.
We all
know the annual resolutions regarding health and fitness, work goals or
personal habit improvements. If we try to fix all of these at one time, we can
be overwhelmed. I don’t know about you, but I have a long list of challenges in
those areas. I don’t need 15 goals. I need one goal to focus on. One that I can
work on in 45-60 days and then I can pick another one.
Pick one thing…
·
Do less of something (Quantify it)
·
Do more of something (Quantify it)
·
Stop something (Specifically how)
·
Create something (Specifically how)
·
Accomplish something (Specifically how)
Twenty-two years ago, our country was changed forever. Those old enough will remember exactly where
they were that morning. The attack, now
known simply by the date of its’ occurrence, was nothing like this country had
ever seen before, and hopefully never will again. The images were, and still are, horrifying
and unforgettable. We were unified as a
country, and we rallied together in the subsequent days, weeks, and months. Unfortunately, that unity has faded away, but
that is a story for a different day.
I have had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum
in New York City. It is a fascinating
collection of stories and memorabilia located at the base of the Twin
Towers. I found it to be incredibly well
done, powerful, but somber and reverent.
My granddaughter, who was not even born at the time of the attacks, was
riveted. She came home with an
understanding, and true feeling for that tragedy that she would never get from
a textbook. I encourage you to visit there
if you have the chance.
Don’t ever forget!
Many people
can lead in times of stability. It is times of crisis where things change. True
leaders emerge during challenging times. The status quo is not demanding on
leaders. Pressure situations are demanding.
In times of
trouble, people don’t follow a plan, they follow a leader.
Think about
it…
For some reason we seem
to have come to a place where complaining is accepted. All too often we play the victim, blame
others, point fingers and gripe. The fact that we complain implies that we
think the circumstances are someone else’s fault and out of our control. That
may be the case. However, the complaint itself is unlikely to change
anything. There are alternatives to
complaining.
Next time you feel the
need to complain, consider the impact of that.
What will be accomplished by complaining? More importantly consider your options. Might it be best to just remove yourself from
the matter? Are there ways you can take
the initiative to change and improve the circumstances? Maybe it is a battle not worth fighting and
an act of quiet acceptance is in order.
Be productive or be quiet!
“When you complain you make yourself a victim. Either leave the situation, change the
situation or accept it.”
- Eckhart Tolle
Have you set goals for 2023?
Are you a New Year’s resolution person?
Is change on your horizon? So
here is the thing about goals and resolutions…
Nothing changes if nothing changes. That sounds simple and obvious right? Well it is, but it is not so simple to put
into action.
Change and personal growth is hard. It takes work, dedication and
discipline. Most importantly it requires
a change in behavior. Nothing changes if
nothing changes…
Happy New Year and good luck with your 2023 goals!
Live
your life with arms wide open
Today is where your book begins
The rest is still unwritten
~ Lyrics from “Unwritten” by
Natasha Bedingfield
The past is useful. We can
learn from it, be proud of it and reminisce about it, but IT IS the past, and
it cannot be changed. Often, we spend
too much time in the past, reminiscing, second guessing, and replaying history.
We cannot re-write the past. We can only author our future. Like the lyrics from the song above, today is
where your book begins. In another part
of the same song, it refers to a “blank page before you”, each and every day is
a blank page, an opportunity to write the future, an opportunity to impact what
happens today. Those opportunities do
not exist regarding past events. They do exist for today and tomorrow. The days, minutes, and hours which are yet to
happen are blank pages. The rest is
still unwritten...
“Only
you can change you.” That is so
true. To implement change, you need to
be intentional and proactive. It takes
action and determination. Resolutions do
not instigate change. Goals do not
prompt change. Good intentions only go
so far. Nothing changes if nothing
changes.
Change
is not easy. We humans are resistant to
it. It is important to note that big
changes usually start with small steps. There must be an initial step, a
starting action item, a simple goal.
Make incremental changes to your diet.
Increase your workout frequency or intensity over time. Start a new daily habit of quiet time,
reflection, or prayer. Eliminate the
negative forces or distractions. Set a stretch goal in your professional
life. These are all easier said than
done. However, they have one thing in
common, they all require something to change.
Nothing
changes if nothing changes.
I
completed my 40th year in the post-college workplace this month.
Spare me the “old” jokes. As a good friend suggested, I prefer
“seasoned”. My first job in June 1982 was at InterFirst Bank in Conroe, Texas. I thought I
would spend my career in banking. Little did I know…
Your
path of life experiences makes you who you are. They may be good, bad, or
indifferent, but you are the culmination of those life experiences. Yes,
we can influence the direction of our lives. We can certainly change
course, grow, and improve. However, what we experience and learn along
the way plays a huge part in who we become. I never would have guessed
that after 15 years in banking I would end up in the manufactured housing industry.
I also would not have thought I would become an entrepreneur after age
50. Along the way I went through a divorce, had a bought with cancer,
lost my dad, a mother-in-law, and one of our adult children. There are too many
lessons and experiences to count. Many of them have provided the subject
matter of the MMM over the years. All summed up these lessons and experiences have
made me who I am today.
Embrace
who your life has made you. Make all of your life lessons positive ones
even if the experience associated with them was difficult. Don’t let
failures, disappointments, losses and missed opportunities get the best of
you. Make it a point to create positive experiences and do the same for
those that you lead!
There is a rawness and a
wonder to life. Pursue it. Hunt for it.
Sell out to get it. Don’t listen to the whining of those who have settled for a
second-rate life and want you to do the same. You can build a fire in the
hearth, stay inside, and stay warm and dry and safe…Or you can hear the voice
of adventure. Instead of building a fire in your hearth, build a fire in your
heart. Follow God’s impulses. Adopt the
child. Move overseas. Teach the class. Change careers. Run for office. Make a
difference. Sure it isn’t safe, but what is.
This MMM taken from Grace for
the Moment by Max Lucado.
Last Friday, March 11th, marked two years from the date
the NBA and The Houston Rodeo both shut down.
It was the beginning of a shutdown of businesses across most of the
country. A lot has taken place, and a lot has changed since then. Are these
still trying times? Sure they are, in some similar ways and some new and
different ways. Great leadership is still in high demand and hope is still our
focus. Below is the MMM from March 23, 2020.
Trying Times
These times will test our souls. Our faith will be tested, but it will become our rock. Our resolve will be stretched but it will support us. Our businesses and economy will be damaged, but they will survive. Our friends and families may be separated, but we will hold them tightly.
Leaders are purveyors of hope. Now is the time for us to step up. Our employees, friends and followers need to see hope in our eyes and positivity in our voices. It will not be easy. They need to hear us say the things above. They need to know there is an end to this and better days will come. They need to know this is survivable. It is time to instill hope. It is time to step up as leaders. It is time for us to pass the test of leadership.
Let’s do this together. Take one day at a time and lead with hope!
Happy New Year! Welcome to the
first Monday of 2022. Are you excited for the new year? I like this time of the
year, not necessarily for making resolutions, but for refocusing. It is a great
time to assess where you are professionally and personally and, to set new
goals accordingly (call them resolutions if you like).
What will you change,
accomplish or improve in 2022? Nothing changes if nothing changes, and it all
starts with a plan. Start by choosing one or two things, not thirteen or thirty.
Make them realistic, reasonable and significant. Focus on them and plan on how
to accomplish them. Everyone sets goals and plans differently, but those with
no plan at all never seem to change or accomplish anything.
What will you do for you in
2022?
There are some things in my life that I need to change, and I struggle
with actually making that happen. It is just
too easy to stay the way we are. Change
is hard, and it has to start with some specific action, because if nothing
changes then nothing will change. We must
start somewhere. Life is a process, not a
destination. It is largely about change
and adaptation to circumstances. It is
about how we improve ourselves over our lifetime. Change is difficult, and it is not required,
but it is advised. As this year draws to close, what change will you make
happen in 2022?
Twenty years ago, this past Saturday, our country was changed forever. Those old enough, will remember exactly where they were that morning. The attack, now known simply by the date of its occurrence, was nothing like this country had ever seen before, and hopefully will never again. The images were, and still are, horrifying and unforgettable. We were unified as a country, and we rallied together in the subsequent days, weeks and months. Unfortunately, that unity has faded away, but that is a story for a different day.
A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in New York City. It is a fascinating collection of stories and memorabilia located at the base of the Twin Towers. I found it to be incredibly well done, powerful, but somber and reverent. My granddaughter, who was not even born at the time of the attacks, was riveted. She came home with an understanding, and true feel for that tragedy that she will never get from a textbook. I encourage you to visit if you have the chance.
Don’t ever forget!
Stagnation should not be an option in life, but it is. As humans we must change, grow, develop, and mature. Failure to do so leads to stagnation, which in turn leads to boredom, failure, and frustration. The world constantly changes around us. The last fifteen months of the pandemic has led to even more change than normal, drastic, and unprecedented change. If we do not adapt to change, we will be left behind. That is true as much in our work world as it is in our home life. The business world of instant communications, corporate transparency and the world-wide economy is drastically different than it was just a few short years ago. In the same way, raising kids is not what it was just 5 years ago, never mind 25 years ago.
It is important that we embrace change in order to keep up with the ever-changing world, but more importantly to grow personally. We cannot control the change that takes place around us but changing ourselves is a choice. We can choose to change for the good. Below is a great quote on the topic of change and why it is so important in our lives.
"Change is the Law of Life. Those who only look to the past or present are certain to miss the future."
- John F. Kennedy
