Water Drops

I’m sitting in traffic, literally just sitting there in the vehicle on the interstate waiting for the obstacle(s) to be removed. It’s raining and the wipers are on low, intermittent. I do a pretty good job of keeping my windshield coated with a water repellant so the beads of water tend to clear quickly.

As I am sitting there listening to some audio education on the CD player I’m watching the rain on the windshield. Very small droplets of water begin to gather and adjoin with other nearby drops. As the drops get bigger they move more. As they move and join with more drops they race down the windshield and disappear.

I liken this to the momentum that we experience in life. Here we are just hanging out. Then we grab onto something and get some movement going in our lives. We attract others and our momentum grows and we move faster. We reach a point where we are racing along at lightning speed as we make our progress.

As the drops move on the windshield they connect with others which help to move them faster. The direction is dependant on how the vehicle itself is moving. In my example I’m sitting still. If I were going 55 mph the drops would be moving in a different direction because of the wind resistance.

There are many factors in our lives that will play a part in how we, like the droplets of water, will navigate through our lives. Bottom line, you are in charge. You decide how many more droplets you want to acquire. You decide how fast you want to travel. You decide if you even want to go outside and dance in the rain.

Happy dancing! GO DO!™

Your comments are appreciated.

GO DO!™
By Tony Wolfe

Focus on Focusing

When do we usually realize that we need to pay more attention to something? When something (or someone) falls into disrepair maybe? When the gutters are falling off of the garage and you just can’t put it off any longer? When the relationship as dwindled to a point of “routine”? When business slows because of less networking and marketing efforts? All of these could be true.

How much are you focusing on how much you focus? Work with me on this. Sometimes we need help focusing, right? So, we have to get ourselves organized to a point where we can focus and be productive. Agree? Okay, so if you become focused on really concentrating on knocking items off of your list then your world becomes a brighter place, right? Of course it does.

The moment that you realize that if you were more focused on (insert your item here), that is when you are focused on focusing. You internally recognize that your process needs to change in order for you to be more effective in business, in your relationships, in life.

You become more productive as a result and you gain more self confidence because you are proving to yourself (and others) that you are capable of succeeding.

When we become determined and set our sights on achieving a goal, our focus is intense and that is when most of us do our best work.

Set priorities. Set goals. Focus. GO DO!™

Your comments are appreciated.

GO DO!™
By Tony Wolfe

Cracking Your Knuckles

I pop/crack my joints. Fingers, wrists, elbows, back, hip, knees, ankles, toes and neck. Yep. I’m a popper. Now you know. What is the relevance of this information? Glad you asked.
Habits/Routines and the effect on others.

Things we do, both consciously and unconsciously, have an effect on other people. Think of the contagious yawn. We see someone yawn and we yawn. Or, in a classroom when someone clears their throat or coughs and several others see the opportunity to do the same. Knuckle cracking is the sort of the same but a little different.

Some people are grossed out by hearing the sound of a joint being popped. I respect this, although, I do take pride in my pops. The louder the pop the more proud I am of it. I usually have the greatest sense of accomplishment in a pop with my right thumb. The joint where the thumb meets the hand, (the proximal phalange meets the metacarpal bone). By placing the base of my left palm directly over the top of this joint and pressing downward directly on the joint I can create a pop sound beyond imagination. I usually get one or two good pops out of this joint in a day. Each one is a victory!

I have specific techniques and processes to follow to get certain joints to pop. We learn as we go what works and what doesn’t work.

So regarding habits and routines what are you doing (or not doing) that has an effect on other people? Everything that you do has some kind of an effect on other people. Be it directly or indirectly, your actions do have an effect on others.

Does this change the way we behave? In most cases no. Should it change the way we behave? It depends on what we are doing (or not doing). This brings about another point. Not reacting or not acting on something is just as much of an action/reaction. Our choices have an effect whether we do something or don’t do something in our given situation. There is a price to pay or an award to receive when we react or don’t react.

Medical doctor Donald Unger conducted an experiment in which he regularly cracked the knuckles of his left hand for fifty years while not manipulating those of his right. No arthritis or other ailments formed in either hand, and he was awarded 2009's Nobel Prize in Medicine.

Your comments are appreciated. Tell a friend about GO DO!™

GO DO!™
By Tony Wolfe

Everyone Makes a Difference

I believe we would agree that we all make a difference in some way or another. The difference could be a negative or it could be a positive. It’s still a difference.

Passionate people tend to want to make that difference so that the world can be a better place. Remember Hands Across America on Sunday, May 25, 1986? It was a publicity campaign intended to raise money for charities (USA for Africa) and it ended up with nearly 5.5 million participants and raising about $20 million. That’s a lot of money and a lot of people.

The event actually got shorted somewhere around $35 million. People were supposed to donate $10 to participate. That’s 3.5 million people who didn’t donate but were participating anyway. That’s 3,645.8 miles worth of people who didn’t donate. The event was shorted more than it benefitted. How’s that for making a difference?

Had the 5.5 million hand-interlocked people formed one continuous chain, it would have stretched across the 48 contiguous US states. There were many breaks in the chain but the event was still declared a success. In my area (Southern Indiana), we stood in the rain, sang the song and were happy doing it. The Indianapolis 500 (same day) was rained out. We were one of the only areas in the entire country that did not have a celebrity somewhere in the chain. Jim Neighbors was just up the road a piece ready to sing Back Home Again in Indiana at the Speedway.

If you were one of those that held a stranger’s hand in the human chain but didn’t make your donation, you still can. Visit www.usaforafrica.org to do the right thing. There are plenty of folks who could really put to good use the missing $35 million.

GO DO!™
by Tony Wolfe
www.TonyWolfe.com

Getting Inside a Balloon

As a child I was intrigued by balloons. I often thought about being inside of one and what that would be like. Aside from the suffocation danger, I didn’t see why I couldn’t be in there. I would be isolated, yet I could still see out. The world would take on a strange transformation. Everything would be yellow or pink or blue. Everything would somehow be brighter but at the same time blurred. It wouldn’t be the view that you would want all of the time but it was cool at least for a few moments. Those few moments provided a child with the opportunity to let the imagination run wild and to see things in a different light.

Looking through a balloon still allows us to see tones and shades. We still have the ability to see objects and make them out. More things just sort of run together.

Imagine looking at the world through a balloon all of the time. Imagine being inside that balloon and just watching. Okay, now what? You are in there. What’s the big deal? Everything is one color. Wow. Why did we want for this?

We wanted for it because it was something new. It was an experience that we hadn’t experienced. It was the enjoyment of an adventure that we had not yet explored. But once we went, it became old news.

How many of you still look forward to new things? As an adult, do you still seek adventure? Do you still let your mind wander and allow yourself some time for “free thinking”? You should.

Whatever your situation, whatever your status in life, whatever you think about yourself, you should get inside your balloon once in a while and look at things in a different light. Oh, you’ll have to come out eventually, so don’t get too comfortable.

GO DO!™
by Tony Wolfe

Why We Breathe

Have you ever thought about why we breathe? Really, I’m serious. Stop laughing!

Of course we breathe to sustain life and provide oxygen to our brains and so on, but do you have to “think” about breathing? No. It’s just one of those things we do. It’s somehow built into the system of the human body. It’s automatic. Amazing stuff.

What else could fall into this category? What are some other things in our lives that just… are? Ooooh! Instead of thinking of the things that ARE in this category, let’s brainstorm on a few that could be or should be in this category. Sound fun? Of course it does.

Shall we begin with automatic acceptance? Would you believe the world to be a wonderful place if there was no prejudging? Make your evaluations of others when you reach the point of really knowing them. Face value often has no value. The inner workings are where one will find the true qualities of a person. Those qualities may be outstanding or they may really suck and you can walk away from that. You decide after you know them.

How about automatic praise? Giving others a pat on the back and saying, “good job”. Providing those words of public praise that elevate others is powerful. How often do we take the time to provide those supportive words and actions to those around us? Yeah, I know. Me too.

One more. Automatic respect. This falls into place when you do the other two. When you are accepting and when you give public praise you will automatically have respect for those individuals. You have found qualities within them to accept and you have observed an action that provides an opportunity to give praise. They are earning your respect as a result.

Here’s something to add to the coolness of this. When you do these things, you get all of these things in return. Yep! Sort of makes breathing even more fun, huh?

GO DO!™

Please tell a friend about this blog, follow and leave a comment. Feedback is very important!

Lights! Camera! What now?

At that moment when you are hearing the countdown, you are all dolled up and looking quite striking if I may say and you have that bit of nervousness that makes you wonder if you need to take that extra trip to the bathroom. Then, three, two, (the silent one) and finally, the point! You’re on! Or are you?

The question isn’t “is this your moment”, because it is. It’s show time! The question is, are you on? Are you prepared? Did you practice? In preparation, have you done this so frequently that you treat this just like any other rehersal run, and it’s spot on? Many don’t and then they wonder what went wrong.

When we go to the movies or watch a program on TV we are disillusioned. It’s as though the actors have just walked onto the set and miraculously know the lines, know where to stand and know exactly how to interact with each other. It is no miracle. They practiced. They did it over and over until they “got it”.

The beauty of their scenario is that if they flub a line or get the giggles, it just gets cut out. In our lives, we don’t have editing capabilities when we are “on stage”. We must get it right on the first take. Will that always happen? No. But how we react to when it doesn’t happen is a part of defining just who we are.

The more prepared we can make ourselves the better the chances of getting that standing ovation.

(applause)

GO DO!™

Please tell a friend about this blog, follow and leave a comment. Feedback is very important!

Watching… Are You Paying Attention?

We spend a lot of time in our lives just watching. What are we watching? Depends really. TV, movies, internet, people, plants, animals, planets… this list could go on and on.

During our “watching” what are we really seeing? And are we really paying attention to what we are seeing? Is what we think we see really what we are seeing?

It could become a matter of how we view things. How we were raised. What we believe in. Sometimes reality can take over and sway our thoughts into a whirlwind of never before seen or thought ideas. Scary huh?

Would you agree that there is a difference in “watching” and “being attentive”?

Please follow and invite a friend to follow. Your comments are very important.

GO DO!™

Knocking On Doors – Not What You Expect

One of the really great things about following someone’s blog is that you actually learn about them as a person. Through the sharing of life experiences, we actually get to know about what makes people tic… and toc. This is one of those moments.

I spent twenty years of my life as a death investigator. Yes, CSI/Quincy sort of stuff. As a Deputy Coroner, I investigated and determined the cause and manner of hundreds of people’s demise. Natural, accident, homicide and suicide. Those are the only classifications existing as to the “manner” of a death. Well, and the “unknowns/undetermined”. I investigated all of these.

I began this journey in my life in January of 1988. A few days later, I was standing over the body of a sixteen year old kid who was the younger brother of a very good high school friend. He had been killed in an auto collision. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was about to throw my badge and ID into the nearby field and say, “Screw this”. But I didn’t. I stuck with it. It was difficult. I went through the entire process of scene investigation, interviewing a few witnesses, photos, scene sketches, body recovery, autopsy, funeral and going to the family’s house after the funeral.

My high school friend saw me at the hospital the night of the incident and came up to me crying and kept apologizing to me. I was confused because I had no clue why he was apologetic to me. He said he was sorry that I had to go through this the situation. Well, that certainly didn’t help in my efforts to try to maintain composure. It wasn’t about me. This family suffered a tremendous loss and here he was apologizing to me. Talk about a heart of gold.

On another mid-Summer day several years later, I was called out on another auto collision involving a death. This gentleman had lost control, driven off the road and through a sign encased in concrete block and stone and flipped a few times. He was dead on the scene.

Through the scene investigation and a few phone calls we discovered that the deceased had an elderly father at home. A Sheriff’s Deputy and myself drove over to the father’s residence to give notification of the death. Both of us were dreading the knock but somebody had to do it. Seven raps on the door. No response. Seven more knocks, but a little harder. Still no response. Now, we are looking into windows and seeing some movement inside the house. Finally, the old man made his way to the front door. He had slowly gone to the back door because that is where he thought the knock originated. It just took him a while to get back to the front of the house as his later years had slowed him down quite a bit. Picture Tim Conway as that “old guy” character on Carol Burnett. Yeah, that slow.

The man looked at me (in plain clothes) and at the uniformed Deputy Sheriff as if we were from another planet. I began the process of asking questions to determine if we were in the right spot and talking with the right man. After introducing myself and the Deputy, my first question was, “Is there anyone else here with you?” He said he was alone at the moment but he was waiting for his son to return from running errands. The man spoke slowly and with a hint of confusion in his voice. I believe that was his normal state.

I asked his son’s name. He told me. It matched the name of the occupant of the car. I asked what make and model of car his son drives. That matched too.

I knew I was quickly approaching the time that I would just have to tell the man that his son wasn’t coming home, ever. I had all of the information and confirmation that I needed. I took a deep breath and explained to him what had happened. I still had not said that his son was dead. Blurting that out was not my style. When a Sheriff and a Coroner come knocking on the door, most of the time you don’t have to even say much about what, only who.

This man wasn’t catching on. He would listen, nod, answer questions but still was not picking up on exactly what was going on. Finally, I just had to spell it out for him. I told him that his son had an accident and was killed in the wreck. There. Done. I told him. But he still didn’t get it. He looked at me and asked, “You say he’s dead?”

I said, “Yes, Sir. I’m sorry. He’s dead.”

We went through this over a dozen times. I had given these types of notifications many, many times. But never this many times in one visit. The Sheriff had gone outside to make calls to try to get somebody there at the house to be with this man. There was no way we were leaving him there alone. We had asked him over and over if there was someone we could call to come to be with him and he kept asking, “You say he’s dead?” It was heart breaking.

Finally, a neighbor walked over and ask what was going on. Normally, the nosey neighbors are a pain in the rear, but this worked out very well. The neighbor offered to stay with the man until the old man’s daughter could arrive in about two hours. I verified with the father of the deceased that he knew and trusted his neighbor. He did, so all was well there.

Three and a half hours after our initial knock on the door we were leaving the man’s house. He still hadn’t gotten it. I thanked the neighbor over and over for offering his assistance. We left.

Are you familiar with the statement, “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger”? Well, need I say more? GO DO!™

Comments and feedback are important. Thanks!

An Embrace – More Than Just A Hug

I have a wonderful friend in Minnesota who, every time we see one another, I hug. When I say every time, I mean every time. If we have just hugged and we go our separate ways and then a couple of hours later we see one another again, yes, we hug again.

We do phone hugs, cyber hugs and even written hugs. Are we crazy? Some would say so. I sort of thought that had already been established and well documented.

While sitting in the airport in Pittsburgh, PA and I heard a voice yell out my name. I turned around and there she was, steadily traveling (while standing still) on a moving sidewalk (and standing to the right to allow those wishing to walk to do so safely on the left) making her way through the airport at double the speed to catch her flight back home. Without any hesitation at all, I got up, ran to her and while running along with the pace of the moving sidewalk, we embraced. During the hug she reminded me that I was crazy. This we knew.

It’s our thing. We support one another. The hug is as strong as the strongest of words that one could say to another in an effort to let them know just how much we care. We both know that. Yet, it’s a simple hug.

It’s a funny thing because when we see one another and we begin walking toward one another in preparation for the upcoming embrace, we both know that there are a few rules to the method of the hug. We must both lean slightly toward the right with arms stretched outward sort of like the wings of an airplane. The lean to the right enables us to connect our hearts during the actual contact/hug portion of this event. Our arms are opposite (up/down) so there is no collision of the wings, so to speak.

The power of this hug is beyond what either of us could describe to you in words. It stems from a moment of recognition that she needed that little boost at a particular moment in her life and there I was. So I gave her a hug. Then another. Then another. Now it is to the point of every time we see one another, she gets a hug. But so do I!

Realize also that we are only in the same places at the same times about three times a year. Those are the only times that the physical hug takes place. The emails, phone calls and cards occur on a regular basis. I haven’t asked but I would be willing to bet that she feels the same way that I do. Be it an actual physical, in person hug or one that is emailed, written or spoken, it’s just as powerful.

Who have you hugged today? GO DO!™

Please follow and leave a comment. Your input is very important!

Step It Up… Goal Setting 101

Where are you now? Where do you want to be? What activity will get you from point A to point B? Sounds simple, but it will require some work. There is a lot of self evaluation necessary to begin taking the “steps” toward reaching your goal(s).

Let’s look at the “where are you now” part. This first evaluation is crucial in identifying your starting point. Just like Dorothy had a definitive starting point with the yellow brick road, you also have a precise point where you would start the change required to succeed.

It’s often that first step that we are afraid to take. But how many times in your life have you taken that first step and then realized, “hey, this isn’t as bad as I suspected”? Exactly! Yet, we keep putting ourselves through this same process over and over and over. Why? It is because we are human. What can we do about that?

One of the crucial parts about a self-evaluation is self-honesty. We must be honest with and about ourselves and truly make the evaluation something from which we will grow. Going easy on ourselves for the sake of taking the easy route may be counterproductive. Buckle down and be blunt. Lay it all out there. You will make progress as a result.

So, defining where you are now is completed. Now what? Step two is defining where you want to be. Set SMART goals. Set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

Many people overlook the fact that they set goals every day and achieve them every day. We all do this consistently, but often neglect the short term and long term goals that we really need in order to gain success.

When we make that list of things to do for the day, we are setting goals. Expand on that. Create your list for a few days, weeks, months, even a couple of years out. Plan your course and work to stay on it in a timely fashion. Goals that we write down and review on a regular basis are more likely to actually get achieved.

Now, compare where you now are with where you want to be and begin to make the changes in your life that need to be changed in order for you to reach your goals. Viola! This will take constant monitoring, reviewing and adapting as you work your way through the process. Stick with it! Without any question whatsoever, you will be pushed outside of your comfort zone. Expect that. Stay focused and work through it.

Remember also that you can always keep adding goals to your list. Your list is adjustable. Life creates changes in our paths so adjust accordingly, but avoid making changes just because it is an easy thing to do. The idea is to grow in all aspects of your life.

As you cross items off of your list, add more that will create even more growth. It becomes easier as you GO DO!™.

-Please post a comment. Your feed back is important!

BUT... Changing Directions with Tact

“But” signifies a change in direction. Often the opposite direction. Have you ever said, “Yeah, but”? You are doing this, BUT you would rather do that. You see this, BUT you would have rather seen something else. You just heard this, BUT you have a totally opposite viewpoint.

I propose that we waste too much valuable time focusing on “buts”. There is no pun here. Really.

We each have our own ideas of what we believe to be valuable and not valuable. With that, comes the buts in our lives. Differences of opinion. Differences in the approach to resolve an issue. Differences in how much passion we posses which drives us to achieving those things in our lives that we want to achieve.

The buts get in the way. The buts create more conversation which takes more time because now we are probably engaged in somewhat of a debate about the topic. I’m not against debate. It’s healthy. We learn from debating. We grow as a result. I’m speaking more along the lines of when we know something works yet others want to “yeah but” it to death, that’s when it becomes frustrating and creates obstacles that now create a delay in the success of the larger goal.

Some things we just have to trust will work. Especially when so many others have achieved such success with a process. Even though it requires work to be done, we must still do that work in order to reach the goal.

This is neither rocket surgery nor brain science. Yeah, I know.

If you are engaged in conversation with someone and you say, “yeah but” it immediately says to them that you are about to take an opposing view. Perhaps a kinder and gentler way of digging deeper into this conversation would be to just ask a few questions without using the word “but”. Questions like, “Can you explain that in more detail?” or “How has that brought you success?” or maybe “Are you completely out of your freaking mind?” Okay, minus the last one, but you get the idea.

You can engage in communication, disagree, yet still avoid conflict simply by asking a few questions and avoiding the use of the word “but”.

Argue if you want, but I’m going to focus on GO DO!™.

Someday I'll... Just Get To It!

Someday I"ll...

Oh come on, people! For crying out loud! Woulda, coulda, shoulda. BLAH!

That someday must be TODAY in order for you to begin making the changes that you want/need to make in your life. How long have you been saying to yourself (or out loud), “I’ll get to that someday.” Or, “I know I need to do that but I just don’t have the time.” Or, “I’m just not ready to take that step just yet.” Well, when will you be ready?

What do you fear? The result of the effort? The changes in your life? The way people will view you as you are rising? Turn those fears into something that you will celebrate. Something that you will look forward to sharing with others as you tell the story of your journey about how you got to your new “place” in life.

It is true that we as humans generally don’t like change. We like for things to be easy and convenient. What if, and this is a big IF, but what if we could take a step off of that path most traveled and create our own path which would lead us directly to the life that we want? It would create some challenges for us, true. It could turn us into a different person, true. It might cause us to want to make additional changes in our life because we now have the confidence in knowing that we can do it.

Most of the obstacles in our lives are in our own minds. We tend to build those walls ourselves and then convince ourselves that we can’t get over them. We can. We can indeed. But how?

This is accomplished by making one conscious decision. To do it. That’s it! Just decide that you WILL accomplish this. Have a plan of action and, here’s the most important part of this process, IMPLEMENT THE PLAN. You can plan to do anything and everything but until you actually being the action to make it happen, it’s still just a plan.

You are empowered! You are skilled! You are about to get off of your ass and GO DO!™

Making Time – The Realistic Time Management Method

I chuckle when I hear someone say, “Make time for it.” It’s funny to me because deep down I know we can’t “make time” for anything. We don’t have the ability to make time. What we do have the ability to do is put other stuff to the side so that we can take care of this one thing that has now become a priority.

The time we have is the time we have. Period. We can’t produce any more of it and to be quite frank, we don’t even know how much of it we still have available to us. So, when somebody suggests that we make time to do this or to do that, we are really shifting our focus and putting our “things” in a different order on our to do list.

Have you ever spent time doing something and when it was over you said internally or perhaps even out loud, “That was a huge waste of my time,”? Yeah, we all have at some point. But because we don’t realize it until afterwards we don’t expect to feel down about the thirty minutes, hour or week that we know we are never going to get back.

Wouldn’t a time making machine be really cool? Okay, let’s dream for just a few minutes. Close your eyes and imagine… wait, don’t close your eyes. You won’t be able to read on. Just imagine (with your eyes open) that you have the ability to “make time”. How much would you make and what would you do with it? Would you share it? Would you hoard it?

The first question is, “What would you do with the time that you had the ability to produce?” The question to follow that question is, “Why are you not already doing those things in the time that you already have?”

Do the things that you know you should be doing and do them now. We all have a list, whether it’s written down or in our heads. So, what is on your list right now that you need to do? Those things are not going to get completed until you decide to complete them. And, after you decide to complete them, you actually have to put forth the effort and create the action that is going to enable you to complete them.

What is your next step? You already know the answer. GO DO!™

Shortcuts - Being Lazy Creates More Work

In true Andy Rooney style, have you ever wondered why people often spend more time and energy working to get out of doing work than if they had just done what needed to be done in the first place?

People who set goals, write them down, formulate a plan of action and then implement that plan are successful people, mostly. It takes dedication, persistence and the proper attitude to get into a mindset to accomplish those goals. It’s simple yet not easy.

As a general rule, we tend to try to take the easy approach to most everything we do. Think about all of the products and services that are available which cater specifically to making things easy. We work so hard at making things easier we often lose sight of the fact that if we had just done what needed to be done without looking for the shortcut we would have probably saved a lot of time and energy in process.

So, why do we keep doing it? It’s a mental block. We have convinced ourselves that shortcuts are good. They save us time, energy and money… so we think. Are shortcuts beneficial in construction? Are shortcuts beneficial in product design and manufacturing? Are shortcuts beneficial in relationship building? No, no and no. Why then would we believe that shortcuts are good in many other situations?

If you are traveling and you find a shorter route, then okay. I’ll give you that one. But, what have you missed out on by taking route A instead of route B? We don’t know because we didn’t take route B. If we took route B we don’t know what we missed along route A. WOW! What a mess!

So, in the interest of simplicity, (probably too late for that, huh?) we will just say that travel doesn’t count. It’s off the table and not even a consideration in this discussion. Problem solved.

Bottom line, we like to be lazy. We look for easier ways to accomplish goals with productive results. Just because we have done something using a shortcut doesn’t make us a bad person. However, be mindful of the route you took as well as the routes you didn’t take so that you can be assured that along the way, your shortcut didn’t cut you short.

Remember, it takes more time for you to go back, make corrections and fix shortfalls that it would if you just took your time and did it right the first time. GO DO!™

Tools – Work Smarter, Not Harder

In my area of the world, Louisville, KY, there is new construction taking place downtown. Immediately at the foot of the Clark Memorial Bridge (2nd Street Bridge) stands what will be the new KFC Yum! Center. It will house the University of Louisville Cardinals basketball team and provide a great venue for concerts, events of all types and will surely add more hustle and bustle to the downtown livelihood.

I drive by this site every Wednesday morning while on my to a weekly networking event and I notice the same things every time I drive by. You see, there is a stop light at the end of the bridge, so often I am sitting there waiting for my turn to go and I tend to look around. The men and women who are working on the project are walking from all directions to report for work this early morning hour. They all have their lunch, they all have on a hardhat and they all have on a brightly colored safety vest. From above, I’m sure they would look like a steady stream of ants marching in lines all headed toward the same destination.

Their formation and their timing isn’t what really strikes me. It’s their tools of the trade. Granted, many of their tools await them on the site, but they still have access to them at any time. Much like we have tools available to us, they also have a wide assortment of options enabling them to achieve their goal. Get the building built. Sounds simple, right? Not so much.

Let’s talk about some of their tools. First, the hardhat. On a construction site, stuff falls from above. It just happens. The hardhat protects the wearer from those small items that might come down on them. Granted, if a cable breaks and an I beam comes down on someone, the hardhat is not going to help the poor sap who just happens to be in the line of fire. He’s a goner. The hardhat protects from nuts, bolts, nails, etc. The bigger stuff? Well, best of luck.

The safety vest enables workers to be visible. Ah, to be seen. Important! But again, the falling tool chest from four stories above isn’t going to be thwarted by the vest.

With these two pieces of safety gear, the workers are preparing in two ways. The safety vest attempts to prevent an incident from occurring. The helmet protects the person when things go a little wrong. One is action to prevent and the other is action to protect.

What do you have active in your life or your business to prevent the wrong things from even happening? And second, what protection do you have in place and how prepared are you to react when things go really, really wrong?

If we would just use the simple tools that are available to us and pay attention to the details about the results, we could all celebrate more often. GO DO!™

Cutting the Grass

I despise yard work. Don’t know why. I just do. I wasn’t traumatized as a child with grass clippings or a pile of raked leaves. I just don’t enjoy it and never look forward to having to do it.

But I do it anyway because I know it has to be done. I put a positive spin on it. I focus on the end result. I imagine what the property is going to look like when I am finished. Not only do I imagine it, I finish it, walk across the street and admire my work. I celebrate, sort of. I won’t jump up and down screaming and yelling about it. That would supply the neighbors with additional evidence as to my mental state. But I internally celebrate with the warm fuzzy feeling of accomplishment.

We tend to live our lives in the same fashion. While this yard stuff is just one element of my life, I have other things that I don’t enjoy but I still do them. We all do. We do them because we focus on the end result. When we finish, we step back and celebrate our accomplishment.

Take visiting relatives for example. Some we love to see and others, not so much. For those in the latter category, we focus on the end result. That end result being when we are pulling out of the driveway, waving goodbye and smiling, thankful that we are finally leaving the hell that has had us imprisoned for the past two or three hours.

Oh, and just think if “Cousin Eddie” (see National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) wanted me to cut his grass. (see latter category above)

Bottom line here is despite the blood, sweat and tears that we must experience to get us through our everyday drab, if we focus on the end result, we can stand back, admire our work, respect our struggle and bask in the glow of our results. GO DO!™

Row, Row, Row Your Boat… With A Purpose

Recently, I attended an out of town conference relating to business and networking. Hundreds of others were in attendance with similar industry accomplishments, goals and hopes. While looking around and taking notice of the way others carried themselves and how they reacted to a variety of situations, I made an observation. We are all in the same boat.

I wasn’t struck by this with much force because it was a pre-existing known. What really did strike me was that not only were we in the same boat, we were helping one another with our oars, the securing of the anchor all the way down to stocking and carrying the cooler onto the vessel.

As I watched and listened I began to get overwhelmed by the amount of information that was in front of me. We only had three days and there was absolutely no way for any of us to talk with everybody on our list of desired because there were non-stop additions to the list.

Granted, many of us had been planning for months in advance to sit and talk about specific topics. But once we got there and met new folks that we had no idea were even going to be there, the task of time management became that much more difficult.

So, the time came for decisions. What are my immediate goals and what information did I expect to give (and get) during my meetings? How do I stay focused on my primary goals and expectations with so many great distractions surrounding me? Is there a definitive answer to this? Hardly.

The purpose of going is to be fed information to consider for implementation upon returning to our respective areas of the world. The approach is similar to the way one would eat an elephant. One bite at a time. Now, I’ve never eaten elephant and don’t plan to, but you get the idea here.

With each step we take, with every thought that bounces around in our heads, with every stroke of the oars, we must focus on one thing at a time in order to be productive. If our rowing team has similar goals and is rowing in the same direction and we do that in unison, we’ll get there quicker and more easily.

You see, working as a team keeps us focused. It creates accountability. Teamwork allows those who are strong and motivated to coach and help those who are striving to be better. When we raise others up through helping them achieve their goals, we silently take a step or two up ourselves.

So chart your course, prepare your crew and row, my friends! Row! GO DO!™

The Shaking of A Hand

I'm walking into a meeting/networking event and a bit timid because I have zero pre-existing relationships with anyone in the room. I'm the new guy. But wait, they don't know me either so that makes them the new guy to me.

I begin to roam the room hoping that an ambassador or an appointed connector will spot me and approach me to save me from my agony. It happens. A very nice lady walks directly toward me making eye contact and displaying a big smile with her outreached arm. She was walking at a fast pace directly toward me to give me a warm welcome. I'm looking forward to this. She looks fabulous and professional. I can feel her energy before she even gets to me. I extend my hand, she hers and we make that initial connection with a handshake.

We interlocked and maintained throughout the introductions. She was firm, yet gentle with the clasp of my hand. She wouldn't let go. Then, her other hand came into play. My right hand was now sandwiched between the two of hers. The usual up and down handshake protocol was in full force. I was unsure as to just when (or if) I was going to be turned loose. I wasn't necessarily uncomfortable but I was beginning to wish that I would be set free sometime soon.

She was letting me know, through both her words and the eternal handshake that she was happy to meet me and happy to introduce me to folks in the room.

Once released, I felt like a new man. I was now set free from my anxiety about being in a room full of strangers. I was escorted from one cluster of people to another being introduced as a visitor for the day.

I will remember that handshake forever. The impact that something as simple as a handshake can have is remarkable.

What impact are you having on people when you meet them for the first time? GO DO!™