Plant Your Feet

I loved to played basketball as a kid. I am fairly tall and as a result played mostly down under the basket. I remember as I was learning the fundamentals of the game that I had a coach who would get after me for not "taking an offensive foul." You see, I loved to try to block shots instead. Taking an offensive foul means that you get in front of a player with the ball, plant your feet and then allowed the player to knock you over. If your feet are planted, a foul is called on the other player and your team gets the ball. But like I said, I would jump in the air instead and try to knock the ball away…sometimes resulting in a foul on me. I can still hear my coach yelling, "Plant your feet! Plant your feet."

Abraham Lincoln once said, "Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm." I am pretty sure that he wasn't talking about basketball. Instead, Mr. Lincoln makes a couple of key points with this little line on how we should live our lives.

Point 1 – Be sure that you put your feet in the right place. It is important to study and learn and identify what you stand for. What is important for you? What do you believe in? Write it down. Commit it to memory. Review it daily or weekly so that you don't forget.

Point 2 – "…then stand firm." There almost always comes a moment of truth when your values are tested and you have the choice to stand firm, waiver or even step aside. Pain and heartache can occur when you waiver or step aside. Decide to stand firm! Plant your feet and take the charge.

Where's The Passion?

Do you ever feel like you wake up, do some stuff and then go to bed? When was the last time you really felt passionate about what you were doing in the day? Consider some of the reasons why you may not be feeling energized about your daily schedule:

• Sometimes the juggling elephants routine (trying to do too much) can take the excitement out of what ou are accomplishing because you are so overwhelmed


• It may be that you haven't stepped back in a while and reminded yourself about the importance of what you are doing. Ask yourself the question, "Why am I doing what I am doing?"


• Are you focusing on the right stuff? Are you leaving out the activities that excite you because you are so caught up in the "thick of thin things?"

Consider the quote by Henri-Frederic Amiel: Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark. You are the latent force and there is great promise just waiting for you to light the fire. Add passion in your daily activities and get cooking!

Getting More Standing Ovations in 2012

Before you simply start tackling the bazillion emails in your inbox or trying to get your thoughts around 2012, why not take a short intermission and begin developing a plan to get more standing ovations in 2012? To get started, download our 3 Ring Worksheet and do two things:

• In the rings at the top, write your purpose statement or desired outcomes for each ring in 2012. Don't list specific tasks or acts, think more about outcomes or your overarching purpose.


• List the key projects (acts) under each ring that need to be completed this year for you to best accomplish your purpose or achieve your desired outcomes.

Having done these two things, you can start 2012 as a better Ringmaster of your circus!

Have I Done Any Good?

"Do a good turn daily," is the slogan for the Boys Scouts of America. But it is also a great motto for non scouters. Sometimes we get so caught up in making "ends meet" that we become internally focused and forget to look outward. Doing good and helping others can require work and a shift in your mindset. There are opportunities to help all around us but taking the next step to act on those opportunities is sometimes the difficult part.

Some time ago, I was driving in heavy rush hour traffic. I came upon an accident that had recently occurred. I only saw one car and a young woman who was standing outside the car. It was obvious that she was very upset and I thought to myself, "I sure hope someone stops to help her." Immediately a second thought popped into my mind, "Why not me?" The thought was so powerful that I found myself pulling over to the side of the road and assisting the young woman who was a victim of a hit and run. After the highway patrol arrived, I climbed back into my car and proceeded home. I know the young woman appreciated me stopping to help. I felt good inside for stopping. I also had the thought that if that was one of my daughters, I would sure hope that someone would stop, help and comfort them.

What can you do today that with make a difference for good? What can you put in place each day as a reminder to "do your good deed"? It doesn't have to be a big thing. It could be as simple as a kind word or a smile. Create a sign to remind you. Look for the opportunity. Do it. Make it a daily habit. "Why not me?"

Time Management and the Caveman

I had to laugh out loud when I saw the article in Time Magazine entitled, Should You Eat Like A Caveman? As you can expect from the title, the article deliberated the benefits/challenges from seeking a diet more like that of our ancestors (Actual eating regimen is called the Paleo Diet). You can make your own decisions about its merit. What the article did get me to thinking about was using that same philosophy for managing our time.

So, with respect to those in the past here's my humorous attempt at the wisdom of time management offered by the caveman:

• Get your work done while the sun is shining. When it gets dark, it's hard to see and you won't be as productive. We have to prioritize and seek to accomplish tasks when we can most efficiently complete them. Doing otherwise is not helpful.
• Always keep a club, spear or stick with you. You never know when something may attempt to consume you-or at least get you off track. We have to guard our time. There are a million other things waiting to take away your ability to focus. You may not "beat" them off you, but having a prioritized schedule and knowing what is important helps minimize their ability to attack your schedule.
• Gather enough food for today, but don't try to horde it-you have no way of preserving it. You simply CAN'T save time. You have to make the most of the time immediately in front of you. You can spend less time on one task and have more time for another, but when the day is over (remember first bullet point) it's gone. Each day must be used wisely.

Granted, our lives are million times more complex than those of a cavemen. But, there are some timeless truths that span across all generations. Now excuse me while I go out hunting for a wooly mammoth.