Cut Out the Dreaming!

I recently read a book that was just published on time management. Like Juggling Elephants, the book points out the need to pick and choose what we do with our time because there are so many opportunities and not enough time to do everything. The author encourages that one way of picking and choosing is that if you don't do something very well or that you can't excel at it, then you shouldn't do it all. You need to focus on what you do well and maximize those things. That got me thinking. Should you cut something out just because you don't do it very well?

If you are an organization and one of your products isn't performing very well and the market responds in kind by not buying the product then yes, you probably should remove that from your "line up" or quickly improve. (Although I know some companies that don't do things very well - poor product quality or terrible service - yet they continue to keep the doors open and make large profits.) I do believe organizations should pursue excellence and focus on what they do well, removing the distractions of what they can't excel at. Point well taken – mostly.

But on the other hand, when it comes to your personal life or your "self ring" should you really abandon something just because you are not "good at it"? For example, I am a terrible gardener. But, every year I plant a garden with the usual plants. Bugs eat my produce, I forget to water half the time, weeds grow better than my lettuce and the cost is probably more than if I went to the store and bought the same amount of produce that I harvest. But, I still find value in planting a garden every year. It helps me relax and it gives me time with my family as we work together planting, weeding, watering, etc. There is a sense of pride for me picking and eating something that I have grown. I am not good at it, but it provides value to me. I enjoy it!

Someone might not be a good parent, but does that mean you just give up on parenting because you are not good at it? Definitely not! I think a big part of the benefit in doing something comes in the journey as we work on things that we are weak at and struggle through trying to get better.

Be careful about removing something from your line up that you value, like your dreams, just because you are not good at it. Kobi Yamada said, Don't run through life so fast that you forget where you've been and lose where you're going. Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored every step of the way. Some of the things that we savor the most might not be the things that we do the best. Be careful about taking the life out of life.

Sentaku to Shuchu

While reading the online article, Defiantly, Panasonic Pushes A Vast Catalog, I came across an interesting phrase: Sentaku to Shuchu, which means "choose and focus." The phrase was used in respect to what major Japanese electronic companies like Panasonic, Sony and Toshiba need to do to stay competitive. Atul Goyal, one of the people interviewed in the article states, These companies need to think: what are their strengths, what are their weaknesses, and focus on their core strengths. Sounds like good advice for organizations OR individuals struggling with too much to do.

For the electronic companies, the advice is that they need to choose the products on which they can best produce and compete, and then focus on making them successful. The article regularly cites Apple, which in the electronics world, is everyone's icon of "Sentaku to Shuchu."

What about you? As you look at your potential task list today and the "acts" that could be part of your lineup, how will you choose which ones will get completed? Will you just create a "vast catalog" of mediocre acts? Or will you choose ones that will accomplish your highest values and goals? And what will you do to create an atmosphere where you can focus on creating the best outcomes possible with these acts?

The Choice-When You Are Not The Ringmaster

While standing in line to speak with a gate agent about a delayed flight, I overheard the person in front of me. It was a mother inquiring about her son, who was going on the flight alone. Due to the delay in the flight, she was concerned that her son would miss his connection and have to stay in Atlanta overnight-supervised by an airline agent. Any parent can understand her fears.

What was unusual was that the mother wanted the agent to guarantee her that her son would make his connecting flight. When the agent could obviously not assure her that would happen, the mother became very upset. The agent tried to improve the situation by offering the opportunity for the boy to take a flight the next day to minimize the chance of being stranded on his itinerary. Then the mother made lots of excuses about how much trouble it would be to have to come back the next day. Exasperated, the agent said, “It’s your choice-I have done all I can. It’s out of my control.” And to tell the truth, the same could be said for the mother.

It made me think of how often I want a guaranteed outcome-when its not within my ability to control. In those times I really need to make the choice of whether failure to achieve the outcome is worth the risk instead of paralyzing myself fretting over things I can not control. In the mother’s case, she had two choices-send the son on the trip and risk him being stranded for the night-or go home and try again the next day. Unless it was a medical or family emergency, I know which option I would choose.

The next time you’re not the ringmaster, remember your limits-and make the choices that ARE within your control.

Even A Good Decision Can Be A Bad One

Prior to the start of our training programs we frequently have a power point presentation of motivational or humorous quotes that rotate on the screen. Some are well-known (you miss 100 percent of the shots you never take-Wayne Gretzky) and some are more obscure (When you fall, pick something up-Oswald Avery).

The quote that often generates the most interest is the one, We make a decision and THEN we make it right. People will sometimes want to argue and say, "No, you make a right decision." Our comment to them is that the decision is just that-a decision-and it is by our planned course of action that we make it the right one-the one that is best for accomplishing our purpose. We can choose to start an exercise program (a decision) but then not support that decision with scheduled workouts or goals. The decision only becomes the right one when we focus our efforts to support and carry out the decision.

What are some decisions you need to make and THEN make them the right ones by aligning your "acts" and attitude to be successful with the decision? How would making them "right" affect your circus performance? There's another quote on our list that reminds us of the need to make the journey of right decisions... Character is the ability to carry out a worthy decision long after the emotion of making that choice is gone.

Last Minute Gifts

If you are looking for that last minute gift for the holidays, here are 3 ideas that are priceless:

1. Love-Tell them that you love them and then show them with your actions.


2. Perform a random act of kindness-daily.


3. Time. Spend one on one time doing something that the other person likes to do.

Sometimes the search for the "perfect gift" gets complicated and expensive. It actually can be the simple things that make the biggest impact this holiday season and throughout the year. The most precious gift you can give someone is your time.