“If the ladder is not leaning against the right wall,
every step we take just gets us to the wrong place faster.”
– Stephen Covey
I remember the first time I read these words. They had a profound effect on me.
I was a busy young professional working in a multi-national
and I had just started down the road of seeking more meaning
from my career and life.
I’d never even considered that I was climbing a ladder that was
against a virtual wall.
Yet I was. The wall was what success looked like to me and the ladder
was my pathway there.
Included in this post is a video of me telling the story of ‘The Rocks In The Jar’, which has proven to be a powerful metaphor for helping clients make real change in how they approach their work and personal lives.
I’ve also added…
“Nothing is so dear and precious as time.” – French Proverb. I was working with a client when they pointed out that one of the changes our work had made to her working life was that it had added 30 days of ‘Strategic Rock Time’(Important/Non-Urgent Time) to her career and life.
How?
“If you are not willing to learn, no-one can help you.
If you are determined to learn, no-one can stop you.”
– Anonymous
Over my career to date, I’ve had the fortune and pleasure of working with
very successful men and women.
A question I get asked often is what traits do they have that stand out?
Apart from the obvious traits like setting goals, focus and mindset there are 3 behaviours that come to mind:
Over the past year, I’ve used the facilities of a local gym/leisure centre close to me. As you’d expect you start to notice people who train regularly at the same time as you. There’s one guy who seems to be there all of the time. He is pretty consistent and dedicated. But what I find fascinating is that he has put on a lot of weight (fat) since he’s been going to the gym.
“If a ship does not know which port it’s sailing to,
then no wind is favourable.”
In 2008, Dr. Gail Matthews of the Dominican University of California recruited 149 participants for a study on assessing the power of writing goals versus not.
The participants ranged in age from 23 to 72, with 37 males and 112 females.
Participants came from the United States, Belgium, England, India, Australia and Japan and included a variety of entrepreneurs, educators, healthcare professionals, artists, lawyers, bankers, marketers, human services providers, managers, vice presidents, directors of non-profits, etc.
The research confirmed the power of three things:
“Any man who can drive safely while kissing a pretty girl is simply not giving the kiss the attention it deserves.”
Albert Einstein. I was recently re-looking at an interview I did on Ireland’s national television station, RTE, about productivity and using your time better. I remember laughing at myself afterwards, as I spent about
I spent 2 days and 2 nights last week in Glendalough a business retreat with 10 business owners (part of my Thrive Forum). The intention was to take some valuable time out personally and also reflect on business and life.
“Whatever women do, they must do twice as well as men
to be thought half as good. Luckily, this is not difficult.”
– Charlotte Whitton
In the spirit of International Women’s Day (8th March),
I thought it would be appropriate to lead with something like this.
As a father to a young girl (Jane, aged 7 3/4), I look forward to
a world where everyone is rewarded equally for their
performance – regardless of gender.
“Insufficient facts always invite danger.”
– Spock, Star Trek: the Original Series
You may have heard that Leonard Nimoy, the legendary actor
who played Spock passed a few days ago at the age of 83.
Growing up in the 70’s in Ireland, I have to say watching the
adventures of his character, Captain Kirk and that of the team
of the Star Trek Enterprise was always a highlight of my school
week and a great distraction from reality…
