motivation

February 1, 2021

Up the Pace! Change This Place.

 

Reading The Splendid and the Vile about the WWII bombing blitz on Great Britain, I was struck by how everyone noticed Churchill’s accelerated pace of doing business. His aids were encouraged to run through the halls contrary to proper British protocol. The speed of government went into overdrive.

To win, Churchill knew that passionate action was the only hope; hesitation and inaction was defeat and literal death.

passion quotes If you're not passionate then you're wasting your time. | Passion quotes, Inspirational quotes motivation, Quotes to live by

Right now, doing whatever we have been given to do with passion will change our lives and the lives of others for the better.

There is always much more at stake than we can ever imagine. Someone needs you today.

November 30, 2020

Belonging or Bologna?

Years ago a corporate trainer asked, “What best motivates people here?” I answered, “Belonging!” but everyone thought I said “Bologna!” The leaders gasped.

(I was a cynical employee but not quite that cynical.)

Turns out that according to Daniel Coyle’s book The Culture Code, belonging is the number one predictor of team success. According to research, all humans are so super-sensitive to “belonging cues” that this one element is actually the main ingredient of the “chemistry” we seek with friends, family, teams, romantic interests, neighbors, and bosses, etc.

Ralph Loura on Twitter: "#Oktane18 habits of successful cultures: Habit #1: Zero Tolerance For Brillian Jerks. Habit #2: Admitting Weakness. Habit #3: Use Corny Mantras.… https://t.co/IskncGmtVF"

In any relationship, one of the best ways to help someone feel that they belong is to be vulnerable and admit mistakes. Not only does this show strength, it also keeps half-truths and cover-ups from becoming the relationship’s default culture.

Authenticity = Safety

Safety = Trust and Productive Power

The Culture Code: 3 Skills of Top Performing Teams (Coyle) | Power Moves

June 29, 2020

Nothing to Look Forward to?

 

Disappointed

Blue

Aging, fading

With nothing to do

 

Diversions

Fleeting

Tedious tasks

Unrelenting

 

Yet there remains

A hidden way

Around the pain

And blah today

 

A slight smile

At the waving trees

Or a simple nod

At memories

 

An old laugh

A former friend

Bubbling up

From deep within

 

Carves a space

For tiny deeds

For someone else

Who might have need

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again | Picture Quotes

June 21, 2020

An Embarrassing Waste of Adrenalin

I pledge allegiance to living stress-free

Remembering worry never works for me

And neither has angry fretting (unfortunately)

I pledge allegiance to living stress-free

Because controlling people and things 

(I don’t control) is the job of Kings

Not me.

Truthfully

My worry and stress helped not one single soul

Just pulled me deep into a sucking hole

Where there was no benefit for anyone–

Only an embarrassing waste of Adrenalin*

*Some of us, who insist upon worrying, believe, erroneously, that the opposite of worrying is not caring. However, this is not the case. Often, surrendering is the only wise way to effectively care…and much more efficient.

First published 2017

April 16, 2020

Renew and Refresh Your Quarantine

Music puts the pieces together: Music Therapy Quotes

Get up and ask Alexa or Google or the radio or the TV for what you need.

Wash your hands for 20 seconds in hot water and wash your soul in music for 20 minutes.

Spring clean your day and protect us all from more of the sad virus.

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. -Berthold Auerbach

March 6, 2020

Directionless?

I just remembered something that could keep me motivated when I have no goals in sight: be a better person than I was yesterday.

But an effective challenge must be measurable. How many times did I…

  1. Stop myself from complaining?
  2. Listen instead of blurt?
  3. Turn a conversation to caring vs. criticism?
  4. Pray for, or send good thoughts to someone I didn’t particularly like?
  5. Control my anger?
  6. Keep my promises to myself and others?
  7. Be generous vs. selfish?
  8. Go out of my way to help someone?

The list could go on and on.

But starting with something is better than being stuck in a boring rut.

And…if I am holding myself accountable for improvement, it is the right direction.

July 9, 2019

What Really Matters?

Image result for gentleman in moscow quotes

Some of the most discouraging things we must deal with in this life have to do with the “unfairness” of life on our planet:

  • Acclaim doesn’t always come to those who earn it
  • Untimely death, tragedy, and obscurity rob well-deserving humans of love, fame, and fortune
  • Exemplary character and noble sacrifice often get second billing to that which is far less valuable
  • Arrogance and greed of a guilty few can spoil things for an innocent million

Image result for gentleman in moscow quotes

We can despair, fret, and hate others for these realities.

Or

We can get on with life and do what we were born to do.

Not for a certain outcome.

But because it is who we are.

(This is also the worthy theme of the Dwayne Johnson true-story film, Fighting with My Family.)

June 17, 2019

Imprisoned Angels Are Standing By

Did you wake up with a sigh?

Imprisoned angels are standing by

Disappointed and feeling low enough to be shackled again
with the ubiquitous weight of months and weeks?

Imprisoned angels are standing by

Invisible

When looking down or

Walking past a wall of books without opening one
Or going back to bed
Without searching YouTube or TED

Yet 

Pick up a book
Any book
And let the power out

Or open the sky
With only one courageous click

Because 

Imprisoned angels are standing by

 

Release “the angels of hope” by borrowing joy, strength, inspiration, and power.

Borrow. Please.

(I wrote this poem after challenging my own blahs with, “just open a book, any book, to any page.” I did and was surprised by joy.)

May 31, 2019

Waiting at the Wrong Window

So often I find myself waiting “at the window” for someone to wave permission, acknowledgement, or assurance to me.

I am looking for encouragement from what others say rather than from an inner assurance that I am doing what I was born to do; what I have been given to do, in the best way I know how at this moment.

Tesla encourages me with his tenacious spirit despite his failure to succeed in his lifetime.

And Van Gogh.

And so many others who died before the finish line.

Charles Yelverton O’Connor, the master engineer of a state-of-the-art pipeline that brought water to Western Australia took his life in 1902, after endless criticism and perceived failure.

The pipeline continues to operate today and is an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

April 19, 2019

Breathe Life Back into Whatever Is Dying within You

Breathe life back into whatever is dying within you.

Relationships? A breath of fresh air comes with focus on the things we delight in about someone.

Goals? Fresh eyes for your whys.

Work? Life-breath for work comes with wholeheartedness.

Projects? Fresh air flows in with questions versus abdication. (i.e. What would it look like if it were easy?)

I tried it the other day when I was sighing about my stranded suicide prevention project.

I asked myself:

  • Is it a worthy project? Yes.
  • Have others given their energy for less worthy projects? Yes.
  • Do I have confidence that it can help others? Yes.
  • Is there one step I can take today on the project? Yes.

And, voila, the project has new life.