You can do five pretty easy tasks, pretty quickly. They won’t have much impact, but you’d have ticked them off the to-do list and that’d feel pretty good. Today. Or you can do that one hard task. It’ll make a difference, but it demands more time and effort, and you’ll feel uncomfortable – today. What will count for more, what will feel better, tomorrow? Continue reading More, quicker, easier – kind of
I remember when I was 18 getting back from a three mile run and feeling exhausted. I more or less collapsed on the stairs when I got in the house. Today, at 45, I enjoyed nearly 13 miles with a good friend and after getting home took my dawg out for a good walk. I’ve put in a lot of training since I was 18, … Continue reading What do you want to be better at
The day itself has gone well, but the head has been unkind. “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you’re probably right.” Some days you challenge the noise, but it doesn’t feel like you’re winning. No matter. Keep going. You can. Continue reading One of those days
I re-read this line with some skepticism: Currently, self-service support channels are severely underused, with only 26% of employees having ever used one. One of the books in most pleased to have read is A Field Guide to Lies and Statistics – I’ve thought more clearly around quoted numbers and percentages ever since. In this instance though, how 26% was arrived at isn’t as contentious … Continue reading Numbers don’t lie, do they
Today, under the heading “I will focus on” in my journal, I noted: Acknowledging that my feelings may be a poor guide to how things really are. I’m often surprised at how strong and real my feelings are, but how they don’t align to a detached view of a given situation. Indeed, we don’t always see things as they are, we see things as we … Continue reading Real feelings and reality
I read today that it “is no coincidence that Einstein, who made the most discoveries, also made the greatest number of mistakes”. Elsewhere, Neil Pasricha has written this as “lose more to win more”. Time and again, successful folks pass on the message that there is no straightforward road to success. We must be open to failure, course correction, and new information. Humility helps. Courage … Continue reading Mistakes and losses
Sometimes it’s really tempting to be abrupt, demanding, and transactional. You see it in others and you’ve seen it get results. This is short term thinking. The extra effort you put in to build relationships, value input, and extend trust – that has long term rewards. It doesn’t always pay off, but with persistence and openness you’re going to build a crowd you want to … Continue reading Nice, but persistent
A good friend is looking to get back into going to the gym soon, but that’s not a fun way for me to get healthy. As I’m looking to run/walk another long challenge in July, I’m spending lots of time outdoors and bashing up and down steep hills to get fit. Not everyone’s cup of tea. We both want to be fitter and healthier, but … Continue reading Outcome vs activity focus
Bob McKinnon’s weekly blog spoke to me directly today, posting about Frustration. He quotes an article from Psychology Today – “The majority of anger and frustration in life, no matter what the situation, has at its basis one simple thought: It shouldn’t be this way.” But, it is this way. The article offers tips on what to do when you can although sometimes there isn’t much … Continue reading Shouldn’t be, but is – now what
I was listening to AFP’s podcast today with Laura Jane Grace, and they discussed picking up old half-written songs to finish them off. Succinctly – the magic that could’ve been is rarely to be found again. It’s a way in to finding more magic, but you can’t quite capture what was there at the time. This feels true to me if I try and finish … Continue reading Picking up drafts
