OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
11 Ways To Think Positively And Achieve Your Goals
1. Avoid absolutes and exaggerations. Correct your internal voice when it exaggerates. For example, "I always eat too much" can be changed to, "I’m getting better at how much I eat."
2. Halt negative thoughts immediately. If you saw a person yelling insults at someone else, you'd probably tell them to stop, wouldn't you? Sometimes putting a stop to negative thinking is as easy as that.
3. Look for the positive. This is a big one for me. Did you know that love is a word derived from the Sanskrit word that means looking for the good? Be loving toward yourself (and others), and instead of focusing on what you think your negative qualities are, accentuate your strengths and assets.
4. It's OK to blow it. All people have weaknesses, and we all fall off the path at times or don’t do things as well as we think we should. Focus on what you’ve gained from the process and how you can use it in the future.
5. Don’t bully yourself! Don’t hold yourself to standards that you wouldn’t expect others to meet. It’s great to want to do well, but expecting yourself to be better than the best and then punishing yourself when you fail is a vicious cycle. Using expressions like “I should have” is just a way of punishing yourself after the fact. Stop it! Live in the present and move forward. Don’t drag the past along for the ride; it gets heavy. Learn more by reading Eckhart Tolle...The Power of Now saved me.
6. Encourage yourself. Instead of focusing on the negative, replace your criticism with encouragement. Give constructive suggestions instead of being critical. Giving praise will also encourage others to praise you, and this builds up your confidence to continue on the path. Try it and see!
7. Lose the guilt. You’re not to blame every time something goes wrong or someone has a problem. Apologizing for things and accepting the blame can be a positive quality — if you're in the wrong. You learn and move on. But you shouldn’t feel responsible for all problems or assume you’re to blame whenever someone’s upset. Many of us know people who seem to start almost every sentence with the words, “I’m sorry.” I challenge you to remove the word “sorry” completely from your vocabulary. Every time you say, “I’m sorry,” you reinforce the idea that you’re less than you should be in your subconscious mind. If you’re wrong, use the words “I apologize” instead and stop telling yourself and everyone around you that you’re sorry.
8. Only you are responsible for you. Keep this in mind...you’re responsible for you; it's great if you also influence others positively, but you’re not responsible for their thoughts, feelings and actions. It’s OK to be helpful, but don’t feel the need to be all things (and do all things) for all people.
9. Be kind to yourself. Do something nice for yourself sometimes, either in thought (give yourself a compliment) or action (treat yourself to a massage). Practice this more and more...it works!
10. Let it go. You don’t need to be all things to all people or please everyone. Give yourself permission to decide you’re doing the best you can. Remind yourself when you're doing things well — don't wait to hear it from someone else.
11. Focus on what's possible. The new year will last twelve months. You will have 52 weeks in which to choose your priorities. You will have 365 days to decide where to focus your time, your attention and your efforts. You will have thousands of opportunities to choose, to try, and to learn. Twelve months is a huge amount of time! In twelve months you can achieve miracles.
During these twelve months the sun will move, the earth will tilt, the seasons will change. You cannot control these things. But you can control what time you get up in the morning. You can choose your attitude, your friends, your reading material, your diet, your focus and your goals. You can, to a remarkable degree, create the life you want. Choose well. Use your power.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Are We Enjoying The Journey?
“There is a tendency to feel yourself rushed, in other words, ‘we have very little time for this.’ And that, above all things, takes the joy out of your journey, doesn’t it?” – Abraham-Hicks
One of the most life-enhancing abilities we can develop is the process of enjoying the journey. We want so much to be living the reality we seek that we sometimes forget that Life IS the Journey and the Journey IS Life. I wonder though if some of us are so goal oriented that we forget the journey that we are on. There is no one who is on this journey alone. All of us have people that care for us, unique environments that surround us and challenges and decisions that can and will define us. Have we come to appreciate the day to day blessings that come by interacting and working with special people and families? Do we strive for our goals at a pace that prevents any interaction and appreciation of what happens before our very eyes if we are conscious enough to notice it?
Years ago, I became aware of a strong tendency to postpone joy and, since then, have been slowly but surely reprogramming myself to enjoy the moment. One particular incident where I was busily not enjoying the journey was so excruciating that I swore it would be the last time. Trying to push forward and do what I thought was the right thing, I reverted to my old programming. I turned off my Emotional Guidance System and made completing the deal more important than enjoying my life. I tuned out the warning that I was in a state of resistance, completely forgetting that resistance always means resistance to Well-Being.
The result was that I felt tense, exhausted and irritable – and the end result of that undertaking didn’t even go well. I took it as a wake-up call and a reminder that, if I’m not listening to my guidance system, it is amazingly easy to wander away from Well-Being and end up far from where I want to be. The discomfort of that experience got my attention and, believe me, I now focus on enjoying each precious moment of my Life.
Many times we miss so much because we are going through personal trials that blind us to other's needs and desires. Even under substantial stress we should be able to appreciate someone else's needs or wants if we look for it. Have we surveyed what is at our disposal and how it helps us to become a complete person? Do we realize that we are more than just the sum of all our individual parts? When we combine with all the elements around us, we receive strength beyond our resources! For some reason, this is even more worthwile during the summer months. I guess it's easier to take your time in the sunshine than it is when you're becoming drenched by the rain.
Point is...don't diminish the journey and the impact that it should have. All of us have the opportunity to do something small but important that enhances someone else's life and at the same time, ours as well. If we can take the time to think about, feel and express our gratitude and appreciation for life (for others and ourselves) we can literally transform our experience, as well as of our lives and relationships, in a beautiful way.
Until next time...
One of the most life-enhancing abilities we can develop is the process of enjoying the journey. We want so much to be living the reality we seek that we sometimes forget that Life IS the Journey and the Journey IS Life. I wonder though if some of us are so goal oriented that we forget the journey that we are on. There is no one who is on this journey alone. All of us have people that care for us, unique environments that surround us and challenges and decisions that can and will define us. Have we come to appreciate the day to day blessings that come by interacting and working with special people and families? Do we strive for our goals at a pace that prevents any interaction and appreciation of what happens before our very eyes if we are conscious enough to notice it?
Years ago, I became aware of a strong tendency to postpone joy and, since then, have been slowly but surely reprogramming myself to enjoy the moment. One particular incident where I was busily not enjoying the journey was so excruciating that I swore it would be the last time. Trying to push forward and do what I thought was the right thing, I reverted to my old programming. I turned off my Emotional Guidance System and made completing the deal more important than enjoying my life. I tuned out the warning that I was in a state of resistance, completely forgetting that resistance always means resistance to Well-Being.
The result was that I felt tense, exhausted and irritable – and the end result of that undertaking didn’t even go well. I took it as a wake-up call and a reminder that, if I’m not listening to my guidance system, it is amazingly easy to wander away from Well-Being and end up far from where I want to be. The discomfort of that experience got my attention and, believe me, I now focus on enjoying each precious moment of my Life.
Many times we miss so much because we are going through personal trials that blind us to other's needs and desires. Even under substantial stress we should be able to appreciate someone else's needs or wants if we look for it. Have we surveyed what is at our disposal and how it helps us to become a complete person? Do we realize that we are more than just the sum of all our individual parts? When we combine with all the elements around us, we receive strength beyond our resources! For some reason, this is even more worthwile during the summer months. I guess it's easier to take your time in the sunshine than it is when you're becoming drenched by the rain.
Point is...don't diminish the journey and the impact that it should have. All of us have the opportunity to do something small but important that enhances someone else's life and at the same time, ours as well. If we can take the time to think about, feel and express our gratitude and appreciation for life (for others and ourselves) we can literally transform our experience, as well as of our lives and relationships, in a beautiful way.
Until next time...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The One Question You Should Ask Now
Why do you do what you do?
WHY gets to the cause of things. The answer is your purpose or belief. It explains why you get up in the morning, why should I follow you, why should I buy from you.
Your why is what inspires people. It gives clarity. Everything you do—your HOWs and WHATs—flows from your WHY. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. It was their natural ability to start with why that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things.
Why is vital to leaders. It inspires action through inspiration instead of manipulation. Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, says, “To lead requires those who willingly follow. It requires those who believe in something bigger than a single issue.” He distinguishes between leaders in name and those who actually lead. The difference is the why. It is possible to motivate people by external factors like a tempting promotion or fear. General Motors, for the last 70 years, has been the leader in their industry, but for the most part, did not lead. Sinek explains:
Your job is not to fully understand the world, but simply to enhance it. Make it better because you were here. Whether that be through an entertaining performance, a beautiful sculpture, a simpler solution, a kind gesture or a global movement. Grow where you are planted and branch out to connect with and help others.
I do what I do because it has a contributing factor to the betterment of others and the world. As Zig says...you can get everything you want in life if you just help a few other people get what they want. It all extends from inside you and your WHY.
Most organizations usually communicate from the outside in—the clearest to the fuzziest. Have you noticed we say WHAT we do, we sometimes say HOW we do it, but we rarely say WHY we do what we do. But not the inspired companies. Not the inspired leaders. Every single one of them, regardless of their size or their industry, thinks, acts and communicates from the inside out.
All great leaders have charisma because all great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves.
Begin your year by asking WHY. Remind yourself everyday...then communicate it through everything you do. Let WHY be the inspiration to your Hows and Whats. Success comes when you are clear in pursuit of WHY you want it. How does one idea do so much? Simple. It doesn’t matter what you do, it matters WHY you do it.
Follow your dreams and pursue them with a passion.
Your why is what inspires people. It gives clarity. Everything you do—your HOWs and WHATs—flows from your WHY. People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers might have little in common, but they all started with why. It was their natural ability to start with why that enabled them to inspire those around them and to achieve remarkable things.
Why is vital to leaders. It inspires action through inspiration instead of manipulation. Simon Sinek, author of Start With Why, says, “To lead requires those who willingly follow. It requires those who believe in something bigger than a single issue.” He distinguishes between leaders in name and those who actually lead. The difference is the why. It is possible to motivate people by external factors like a tempting promotion or fear. General Motors, for the last 70 years, has been the leader in their industry, but for the most part, did not lead. Sinek explains:
Great leaders, in contrast, are able to inspire people to act. Those who are able to inspire give people a sense of purpose or belonging that has little to do with any external incentive or benefit to be gained…. Those who are able to inspire will create a following of people—supporters, voters, customers, workers—who act for the good of the whole not because they have to, but because they want to.Most successful people have spent thousands of hours perfecting what they do. They have a vision of the future and their place in it. Otherwise they wouldn’t have bothered with all the work it took to get there. Yet most successful people would tell you that they loved the process — the challenge, the passion, the fun! They’ve found a vision of the future that compels and excites them, and that’s the difference. That’s why they are where they are. Make sense? Growth doesn’t occur without change and reaching out. Only when you step out of your comfort zone will you be able to reach out to help others. Encourage those around you to tap into their hidden potential, there lies greatness inside all of us. Wake it up!
Your job is not to fully understand the world, but simply to enhance it. Make it better because you were here. Whether that be through an entertaining performance, a beautiful sculpture, a simpler solution, a kind gesture or a global movement. Grow where you are planted and branch out to connect with and help others.
I do what I do because it has a contributing factor to the betterment of others and the world. As Zig says...you can get everything you want in life if you just help a few other people get what they want. It all extends from inside you and your WHY.
All great leaders have charisma because all great leaders have clarity of WHY; an undying belief in a purpose or cause bigger than themselves.
Begin your year by asking WHY. Remind yourself everyday...then communicate it through everything you do. Let WHY be the inspiration to your Hows and Whats. Success comes when you are clear in pursuit of WHY you want it. How does one idea do so much? Simple. It doesn’t matter what you do, it matters WHY you do it.
Follow your dreams and pursue them with a passion.
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