The Evolution of Success

“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” ~~Ursula K. LeGuin~~

Success is a moving target. It keeps evolving. As I achieve a goal or reach a destination, I find there is always more that can be achieved and reached. The way I achieve said success, then, needs to evolve as well. My destination keeps changing and therefore so must my path.

I often write about enjoying the journey. So, it seems fitting that today, what would have been my “attitude” day, that I was inspired to write about this. It’s sometimes hard to keep that positive attitude when you feel overwhelmed by change. But, since I strongly believe that it is “mission critical” to stay positive and rise above the stress I work hard to maintain that attitude.

I also strongly believe that change is good. It keeps us moving, helps keep us motivated, and often drives us to be the best we can be. Change keeps me on my toes, keeps me sharp, and enables me to adapt, learn, and grow. While it can be scary, when you trust your instincts, believe in yourself, and do your best, it can also be very empowering.

So, here’s to change! Here’s to the evolution of success! Here’s to enjoying the journey!

I’ve been doing a lot of research on transformation lately. Transformational Leadership, Culture Transformation… so I thought I was going to be clever and coin the phrase “Transformational Success”. Turns out others have already done that… but I am going to adopt the phrase. I look forward to where it will take me, and I look back with pride at how far I’ve come.

I urge you to look at your path. How have you defined success for yourself in the past? Is it still the right definition for you? If it is not, how can you transform the definition to better suit you? And, how can you alter your path? I believe you’ll find the evaluation enlightening, freeing, and exciting!

Note to my readers: I haven’t written in a while. I am contemplating changes to this blog as I contemplate changes in my own journey. I will always write to motivate others. That’s my passion. That being said, if there is anything that you would like to see more of, less of, or not at all, please feel free to let me know. I value your input and thank you for the support over the last few years.

Goals: Doing the Math

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it's a moving target.” ~~George Fisher~~

The first quarter of this year is coming to a close today. I spent some time last night reviewing my goals for the year. I’m on track for most of them, but certainly not all. In fact, in an odd turn of events, most of the goals I set up for the first quarter itself have not been achieved, but I’m much further along on my mid-year goals than I thought I would be… And, some of the things I thought would happen by year-end are not even on my radar any longer. It’s time to adjust! My weekly to-do’s have been coming along nicely, and I’m certainly getting things done, so I really have to examine if my to-do’s are in fact in line with my goals. It’s an interesting exercise. If I do A, B and C, will they really help get me closer to where I want to be in a year? Or, should I try A, D, and F instead? Do things actually need to add up to what I had originally expected? Or, are my daily activities leading me down a different path? And, is that a path I could pursue?

I’m giving myself a performance evaluation. It’s been eye-opening so far, and also somewhat cathartic. I highly recommend you give it a try. There’s no better time than today.

“The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three; and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.” ~~Winston Churchill~~

Goals: Maybe you should dread success

“I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of continual becoming with a goal in front and not behind” ~~George Bernard Shaw~~

Things that make you go, “hmmmmm”…. I don’t think I’d say I dread success, but I certainly agree that success is not the end, and in fact, only the beginning of the rest of the journey. Goals get adjusted. Sights get set even higher. Dreams get dreamier. The more you achieve the more you know you can achieve. It’s a fantastic adventure and one that doesn’t end until, well, until you end. And, since I’m definitely NOT a male spider, I’m continuing my path to success… however I define that today.

Preparation: It's just necessary!

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them." ~G.B. Shaw, Mrs. Warren's Profession, 1893~~


I’m re-reading Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi (with Tahl Raz). It’s a fantastic book in which tips and tactics on building a great network abound. I’m at the part in Chapter Three about conducting an internal review; a self-assessment to figure out where your passion and abilities intersect. It’s an exciting preparation for goal setting and I’m really looking forward to the journey.

Preparation comes in many forms…It’s not always pleasant, and it’s not always easy, but it’s always helpful. In fact, I’ll go as far as saying that it’s always necessary. We may not understand it. We may not like it. We may not want to do it. But when we do, and we’re prepared for anything and everything, there’s no stopping us!

What are some ways you prepare?

Motivation (and Congratulations!)

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” ~~Oliver Wendell Holmes~~

This post is really about how quickly things can change. I originally wrote about a friend’s day, but due to her “big announcement” not yet being public, I removed the original post by request.

Let’s suffice to say that you should never give up! No matter how your day starts, there is a great chance that it will get better. And, if it doesn’t, there is always tomorrow! It doesn’t matter how bleak things look, I do believe there is a light at the end of the tunnel… and that the tunnel simply leads to another. Keep moving in the right direction, enjoy the journey, and maintain your momentum. Life is good, and even when it feels like it’s not, getting through the day sure beats the alternative!

Congratulations again my friend. You know who you are!

Goals

“If you have a goal in life that takes a lot of energy, that requires a lot of work, that incurs a great deal of interest and that is a challenge to you, you will always look forward to waking up to see what the new day brings.” ~~Susan Polis Schultz~~

And when you keep that goal in mind while remaining flexible in your plan to achieve that goal, the new day can bring so many different things…and you never know what you’re going to get! (Remember that box of chocolates???)

I attended a phenomenal networking event last night. I met some amazing people. I had no idea what to expect when I walked in the door, but I am so thrilled that I attended! I had several fantastic conversations, and I will discuss some of them in the days to come I’m sure, but one really struck me. I was speaking with Lawrence Eisner, ESQ (www.LBEisner.com) about how different people make sense of the chaos in the world. It was fascinating. Some people organize things by geography, remembering occurrences by where they took place. Other people may relate everything to music or art. The premise was that *innately* something helps you put order around what could otherwise be chaotic; that you are born with a way to cope. I had never really thought about it, and actually had a hard time identifying how I make sense of my world. Larry got it! I am a connector! I always have been. I put people together. I remember things by who they happened with. I discuss people by talking about who they know. I introduce people to other people and help make lasting friendships and partnerships. It is second nature to me. And, it’s showing up now! I gravitated to social media tools like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, because they allow me to continue to be the social connector, but now on a larger scale. And I still group people together by who they know or associate with. That may seem like an obvious thing to do, especially on Twitter, but it didn’t seem so obvious at our table last night. My goals on Twitter were vastly different from others’ goals. I am on Twitter with the sole intention of connecting and engaging. I am on Facebook with the primary goal of keeping the people in my world motivated. I am on LinkedIn, and teach people how to use LinkedIn so they can build their networks and get more people to know about them. I’m all about connecting, and it all makes sense to me. More importantly, it’s helped me make some sense of my journey!

How do you make sense of your world? I think once you figure that out, your path to achieving your goal will become much more clear! It did for me!

Goals

“It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life does not lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy of life lies in having no goal to reach.” ~~Benjamin E. Mays~~

Sometimes I lose sight of the goal. Sometimes I forget why I do what I do and I wallow in the self-pity that I create. Sometimes it takes just getting off my a$$ and doing “it” anyway to remind me of why I do what I do and how much I love doing it.

Today, I am grateful for the woman who called me yesterday, out of the blue, and asked for my help. She was referred to me by someone else she didn’t really know, and had the courage, strength and conviction to pick up the phone and ask a perfect stranger for assistance. I respect that tremendously. And, in offering her some basic job search advice and the names of some networking contacts, my mood changed. My attitude shifted. I love helping people! That’s why I do what I do. So, thank you person who shall remain nameless because I didn’t ask you if I could blog about you… Thank you, also, the person who gave you my name in the first place.

My goals, all of them, even the one in my long term 20-year plan, are about helping people and having fun while doing so! Sure, there‘s some level of selfishness in there… I deserve to have fun and to be happy.  So, here’s to my goals and to the journey of discovery along the path to reach them!

Goals

“The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get.” ~~Jim Rohn~~

Who I become, not where I go, is the important part of my journey. Hmmm… I may quote myself on that one!

Motivation

“The willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life is the source from which self-respect springs.” ~~Joan Didion~~

Two topics I love rolled into one quote; accepting responsibility and self-respect. I really like this one. I’ve never thought about self-respect as tied to being 100% responsible… but it makes perfect sense. I certainly respect myself more when I take responsibility for my self and my actions. I certainly find it easier to be 100% responsible when my ego is intact. I wanted to explore this further. I even went as far as looking up the “root word” or suffix “resp” to see if there were some deeper meaning, and I found this, the suffix for breathe is: “resp” (respiratory, respirator, respiration)… hmmm… very interesting. So here’s a leap of faith: being 100% responsible for yourself helps you build your self-respect, which in turn helps you breathe (read: live). OK, it really is a leap, but one I’m willing to take.

“They cannot take away our self-respect if we do not give it to them.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

Don’t give up that power. Be responsible for your own actions. Build your sense of self. Be proud of who you are. Live. Breathe. Enjoy!

Preparation

“Sometimes it seems your ever-increasing list of things to do can leave you feeling totally undone.” ~Susan Mitchell and Catherine Christie, I'd Kill for a Cookie~

Preparing for the day ahead is sometimes a challenge. It frequently takes too much self control and discipline for me to stop what I am doing right now, and plan for later. Sometimes it’s easier to plan for the week, month, or year ahead, because they seem so much more abstract. I’ve decided that while I know it’s a very good thing for me to have a plan and be as prepared as possible for the immediate tasks at hand, it’s sometimes just as much a good thing for me to have no short term plan at all, and just go with it. My long term plans are solid. The preparation to help me achieve my longer term goals has been ongoing. I know where I want to end up and feel really good about how I am going to get there. So, when I find myself stressing out about the utter lack of planning I have done for tomorrow, I can handle it. I simply remind myself that sometimes the best things happen by accident.

“Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.” ~Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne

“Some of the secret joys of living are not found by rushing from point A to point B, but by inventing some imaginary letters along the way.” ~Douglas Pagels, These Are the Gifts I'd Like to Give to You

Preparation

“When a man does not know what harbor he is making for, no wind is the right wind.” ~Seneca~

Preparation: any proceeding, experience, or the like considered as a mode of preparing for the future.*

Preparing for what future? That may be the question. I had a conversation late last week about the importance of a plan; of being as prepared as possible, but directing the possibilities with that preparation. It was interesting. It was sort of a “chicken or egg” conversation. If you don’t know where you want to end up, how can you plan your path to get there? Contrarily, some of the best things happen when there is no plan. Synchronicity! Spontaneity! Surprise! So, while I agree with Seneca, maybe a better way to look at it would be that no wind is the wrong wind either.

*"preparation." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 26 Jul. 2010. .

Motivation

“Nothing diminishes anxiety faster than action.” ~~Walter Anderson~~

I’m going to semi- (and probably mis-) quote my dad again. It’s not the first time I’ve heard him say it, or, maybe it really was… Anxiety (fear) is the same emotion as excitement. The day I wrote about changing my internal dialogue (http://hireeffect.blogspot.com/2010/07/preparation.html) we had this conversation. And, it’s been on my mind ever since. I think I’m really getting it.

I love feeling excited about things; whether it’s a meeting with someone I haven’t seen in a while, or it’s a celebratory event, that kind of excitement is a lot of fun. Well, why can’t the anxiety I feel about the amount of work that lies ahead, or the challenges I’m facing be called “excitement”? Why not choose to feel “excited” about all the things I have on my plate? Why not choose to have my work be a source of fun? Anxiety really does go away when you “just do it”. And it’s so much easier to do things that you’re excited about than it is to do things you’re anxious about. What will you have fun with today?

Attitude

“Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.” ~~A.A. Milne~~

It’s all in how you see things. Choose to see the positive instead of the negative; choose to see the possibilities instead of thinking things are impossible; choose to see the challenge instead of feeling stressed. Enjoy the journey! And, don’t worry about what anyone else thinks… you take care of you; the rest will take care of itself.

Goals

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn.” ~~Author Unknown~~

I would like to shake the hand of the person who first said this. That would be, to me, even more empowering and inspiring than the quote, and the quote is awesome!

Goals, desires, even dreams can grow and change; we’ve discussed that. But it is possibly even more important to remember that WE change too. And, sometimes we have to in order to achieve our goals, desires and dreams. People change. That’s a fact. We grow; we move; our circumstances create new feelings and emotions. We may change hobbies; jobs; thoughts about vacations or spending habits. We may change styles; political parties…we may even change friends. Such is a part of life.

If you have a dream, don’t let anything stand in your way from realizing that dream. It’s ok to focus on yourself once in a while. In fact, some will argue that in order to focus on anyone or anything else, you have to focus on yourself. I’m pretty sure that was the topic of a previous post.

So, make the turn. Take the chance. Be true to yourself. And, the rest will fall into place.

Motivation (many quotes and a few affirmations)

“I make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes.” ~~Sara Teasdale, from "The Philosopher" ~~

It’s sometimes hard to stay motivated when you’ve hit a “plateau” whether it’s about your diet, building your business, or staying on top of your job search, but we know we need to keep going, even when we don’t feel like we’re making progress. It can be even more difficult to stay motivated when we feel like we’ve made a wrong decision, or we start second-guessing our decisions. We can get stuck. I think then, it’s even more important to stay motivated and keep going. As Thomas Edison once said, "I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward." I really like that sentiment, and coupled with the knowledge that, "We have a choice every day - to act on yesterday's good intentions or get an early start on tomorrow's regrets," (via Robert Brault), I am committed to not losing steam!

Some affirmations on this topic might be:

I work well with what I am given and make the best of any situation.
I am encouraged by my learning process and know I am on the right track.
I am enjoying my journey.

Happy Friday, everyone! Enjoy your weekend and make the best of your time. And, remember the words of John Lennon, “Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”

Goals

“Success is 10% inspiration, 90% last-minute changes.” ~From a billboard advertisement~

Don’t be afraid to adjust your goals! You never know what life is going to throw your way, and if you won’t even consider the possibilities because they might upset your current plan, who knows what you may miss. Remember to enjoy the journey, do your due diligence, keep an open mind and your eyes open too, and you never know what you might see!

Goals

“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” ~~Jim Rohn~~

I mentioned yesterday that dreams are critical to success and that if you knew how to get there, or knew how to do it, it would be a TO DO, not a dream. Something else I learned from Brad Sugars two nights ago was that once a dream gets within 5 years of happening, it becomes a goal.

Accomplishing goals requires planning, and then requires action. Here’s what I learned yesterday and today; planning requires discipline. I have ideas about what I want. I have visualized my future. I know my 20 year plan. But I have no idea how I’m actually going to REALLY accomplish my next goal. I have broad stroke thoughts on how I’m going to get there, and I have my nitty-gritty TO DOs to get my daily work done. What I don’t have is a real plan. I have a lot of work to do, and today, with you as my witness, I am beginning to plan the way to accomplish my goals, devoting myself to the discipline needed, and frankly, calling my coach!

I know I don’t have to do this alone. I am grateful to my network, and to all of those who support me.

Have you tapped your network today?

Attitude

“A cloudy day is no match for a sunny disposition.” ~~William Arthur Ward~~

A positive attitude really can make a difference! A friend of mine posted on Facebook this morning about the person who serves her coffee with a smile, and how that smile and a kind word help get her going in the morning. Coincidentally, it’s that same friend who, no matter how bad things may get for her, will always tell you that she’s well, and always has a smile on her face.

I quoted recently that “attitudes are contagious” and I believe that! Let’s start an epidemic!

I have an overwhelming need to quote another favorite kids’ song:

"Zippity doo dah, Zippity ay,
My, oh my what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine coming my way,
Zippity doo dah, Zippity ay. "

Attitude

“There are exactly as many special occasions in life as we choose to celebrate.” ~~Robert Brault~~

Choose to make it a great day! Choose to celebrate the small successes. Choose to celebrate the fact that you woke up this morning. Choose to celebrate your family, your friends, your path and your journey. Choose to view your current situation as an opportunity for learning, no matter how bad, or how good your current situation is. Choose kindness and compassion. Choose to give and be helpful. Choose to give back. Celebrate life. Celebrate you!

Motivation

“I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum.” ~~Frances Willard~~

Momentum: an interesting word. Dictionary.com defines it as “force or speed of movement; impetus, as of a physical object or course of events”. Linguistically, and I am NOT a linguist, so if you are, cut me some slack, please; I think “momentum” is moments building on moments. Days are made up of moments. Moments are truly momentous…

Here is an excerpt from “Moments in the Woods” from the musical Into the Woods:

"Just a moment,
One peculiar passing moment...
Must it all be either less or more,
Either plain or grand?
Is it always "or"?
Is it never "and"?
That's what woods are for:
For those moments in the woods...

Oh. if life were made of moments,
Even now and then a bad one-!
But if life were only moments,
Then you'd never know you had one.

Let the moment go...
Don't forget it for a moment, though.
Just remembering you've had and "and",
When you're back to "or",
Makes the "or" mean more
Than it did before.
Now I understand-

And it's time to leave the woods."

So, go make your moments!