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I went to Disneyland last week for a long awaited family vacation.  We were excited to get off the plane and be greeted by the sunny hot weather of southern California after leaving Vancouver’s grey wet skies.  The sun was shinning, the palm trees were swaying, and our hotel pool…was being painted.   The staff at the hotel “felt our pain” and were able to upgrade our room to a much larger family suite.  We were initially very upset as the pool is a big part of our vacations, but the willingness of the staff to work with us and  find a solution helped cool us down.  Besides, we had access to the pool right next door so we could live with the compromise.  What impressed me though, was the helpful attitude of the hotel staff.   In fact every Disney employee we encountered had the same pleasant and helpful attitude toward us…and especially our kids. 

 

Being a person who is always evaluating employee performance and quality of service, I was happy to see this trend repeated everywhere we went no matter what time of day.  It didn’t matter if it was the hotel manager or the guy cleaning the street at the end of the day, everybody had the “Disney attitude”.  Disney understands that their people contribute as much, if not more, to the visitor’s experience as the rides and Disney characters do.  Almost every Disney employee took the time to bend down to eye level and have a short, friendly conversation with my kids no matter how busy it was.  This focus on customer service is one of the reasons why the Disney organization has continued to grow during times of recession.   Disney also knows that if they “wow” you enough with customer service, you forget you’re paying $3 for a bag of chip and $8 a beer.

by Mary Mershein

On May 16, 2008, it was announced that major renovations, including a new retractable roof, would begin on BC Place Stadium at an estimated cost of $150 million. The BC Place Stadium was re-opened in September 2011 with actual cost of repairs a whopping $563-million.

On March 5, 2012 The BC teachers went on strike asking for a 3% increase in salary. The B.C. Teachers' Federation estimates this increase will cost $1.3 billion over 3 years. The B.C. Public School Employers' Association estimates $2.1 billion. In three years the actual costs will be known. Will they bear any resemblance to either of these estimates?

The dictionary defines an estimate as a calculated approximation which is USABLE. Is an estimate which varies so much from actual usable?

Wall Street estimates the new Apple iPad will sell 1 million units on March 16, 2012, the day it is scheduled to go on sale. If it sells more than 1 million will that mean Apple management did a great job or that they under estimated sales with bad data?

John Sculley was CEO of Apple from 1983 to 1993. Under his management sales at Apple increased from $800 million to $8 billion, in constant growth that exceeded all estimates. Steve Jobs did not work for Apple during this period of spectacular growth. He left Apple in 1985 and did not return until 1997.

When Jobs took over Apple in 1997 as CEO, Apple had revenues of $7 billion. Five years later, revenues were down to $5 billion. All estimates predicted this was the end of Apple and Steve Jobs.

But it was actually just the beginning.

From 2002 to 2012 Apple revenues exploded to $108 billion. This is achieving more than 10 times the growth of John Sculley. Today Apple is now more profitable than Microsoft with half the number of employees. Who estimated this? Who predicted in 2002 when Apple was a money loser on the brink of bankruptcy that it was actually on the brink of spectacular growth? Perhaps it was Steve Jobs. He did not estimate sales and profits. He estimated a vision of amazing products that the world wanted. It was this vision that made Apple.

It is a requirement under the rules of accounting to disclose estimates made by management in financial statements. However, vision, the most important of estimates, does not appear in financial statements.

What kind of vision do the leaders of your organization have? Do you have a vision that can grow a company from bankruptcy to $100+ billion in 10 years?

©2012

Mary Mershein, CA is a professional accountant with a master’s degree in management who believes common sense is our greatest financial analysis. Additional common sense can be found at www.moosemoney.wordpress.com.

Had an interesting conversation with a manager today.

• He has some big goals. That is good.

• He has some desire to succeed in his new position of management. That is also good.

• He has no tools to develop people.

Without developing people, new goals of bigger numbers are like Fantasy Island – you know it exists but you can’t get there from here!

His response in the past is to move some people out, hire new ones and start over. He likes to think he is tough enough to succeed – he shared the stats on his turnover rate like it was a positive example of how strong he was.

Hmmmmm. Maybe not the best plan….

Since most people are not familiar with what it takes to develop people, we suggested some “Maximum Impact” options which included transformational content – and timely help with specific application. A plan of “life on life” mentorship, and yes even a “money back” satisfaction guarantee.

Got this interesting response.

“This is not a good time for us to do something like this.”

Do you ever have that moment when there is a sudden inner dialogue in your head? Thoughts fly through that you know you will never say out loud?

My inner voice:

1. No, a good time would be 5 years ago – but since we can’t go back and repair the damage done to dozens of people that have failed here and left beat down, don’t wait another minute!

2. Oh were you thinking that developing people is something that is supposed to be easy? Something you can do when you have nothing else on the schedule? When would that be, exactly?

3. Did you think it will be like rolling downhill – taking the path of least resistance? Sure, sure this is something that we can do part-time in the summer, when half the people are on holidays and the other half barely working 3.5 days a week.

4. Don’t be afraid! We can help you with this – your people are dying for some help and we can help you get it for them…

My outer voice:

Thanks for your call….sure we can talk later….of course, yes, let’s do that.

My inner voice:

Sorry people, please forgive me.

I did not get through to this guy and there is no help coming.

Just bigger goals, bigger push, but no new understanding of what works.

by Mary Mershein
Founders Chris DeWolfe and Tom Anderson launched MySpace in January 2004. Six months later Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp./Fox bought MySpace for $580 million. By 2007 Myspace had 300 million users and was valued at $12 billion
.
During the spectacular growth Myspace users came to include businesses selling products, most notably bands selling music. As Myspace commercialized, the original users stopped coming. In June 2011 Murdoch sold Myspace for a paltry $35 million.

Today we see Facebook undergoing a similar trajectory. In February 2004 it was a place for students to make friends online. Eventually new members were anyone or anything. Facebook commercialized when companies joined as “friends” transforming Facebook into a marketing and customer relations tool. Now your boss is on Facebook reading your personal conversations.

As with Myspace, commercialization caused the original users of Facebook to leave. By June 2011 Facebook lost 7 million users in the US and Canada and growth slowed. It continues to slow in other countries. Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg, announced a sale of Facebook on February 1, 2012 through an IPO. The IPO values Facebook at $75 billion.

But only time will tell if Facebook joins Myspace as a ghost town in cyberspace.

In contrast, January 27, 2012 marked the 132th anniversary of the patent for the electric light bulb. General Electric, the company that Thomas Edison founded in 1892 with his light bulb invention, has grown to over $750 billion. That is the equivalent of growing by $75 billion every 10 years for 100 years. Or, maintaining roughly the same growth as Facebook for 100 years.

After 132 years in business General Electric still sells light bulbs. After only 8 years, Facebook is no longer a website dedicated to students.

In January 21, 2011, President Obama invited the CEO of General Electric, Jeffrey Immelt, to become his economic adviser on fixing America's economy. Mark Zuckerberg was not invited.

Leadership is not about only starting, building, selling a successful business. Superior leadership is about a vision to create an enduring business.
What kind of vision do the leaders of your company have? The kind that means it will be around in 100 years?
©2012

Mary Mershein is a Chartered Accountant with a master’s degree in management who believes common sense is our greatest financial analysis. Additional common sense can be found at www.moosemoney.wordpress.com.

I came out to my car Saturday morning and found a ticket on my windshield.  I was pretty “ticked” off to use acceptable blog language.  The city had warned me that if it snowed more than 2” all cars needed to be off the road so the snowploughs can do their job.  Fair enough.  The problem was it called for rain and a balmy 5 degree Celsius temperature.  Hardly winter weather.  “Not a problem,” I told myself.  Ill just go to city hall Monday and explain that they have an over zealous by-law officer handing out tickets like confetti at a wedding.   Besides, I had a seminar to do that morning and it was time to put on my game face and practice what I preached. 

 

Unfortunately, it wasn’t that easy to put the matter out of my mind.  I knew I couldn’t do anything until Monday, so why waste time and energy thinking about this injustice.  I kept throwing it out of my consciousness and it kept creeping back in.  It was like wrestling a 200 lb gorilla.   Eventually, I was able to replace the “ticket incident” with more positive and useful thinking, but it surprised me how much a part of me wanted to hold on to this.  Ego?   Pride?  Who knows?  Regardless of why I kept replaying the incident, it did go away with some effort.  Not right away, but it eventually evaporated and allowed me to put my time and energy towards more useful activities. 

 

All too often people don’t change mental directions when faced with similar situations.  Sometimes we need to force ourselves out of these harmful meditative states.   Eliminating these thought patterns as soon as you are conscious of them will give you more time for more productive thinking as well as protect against torpedoing your mood for the rest of the day.  You’ll be happier and the people around you will be happier.  I went to city hall the following Monday and showed them the errors of their ways.  I saved myself $50 that day, but more importantly I saved myself a perfectly good weekend. 

Companies don’t need a great leader! from Mary Mershein

Great leaders maximize their own personal goals.

There is nothing wrong with this. However, if the goals of these leaders are not in line with the goals of their company, these great leaders become bad for their company. 
Consider the British newspaper “News of the World” established in 1843. It was the biggest selling English newspaper in the world with a circulation of over 8 million at its peak compared to the Wall Street Journal which had a peak circulation of just over 2 million. 

 In 2007 the editor of News of the World, Clive Goodman, admitted to publishing articles obtained by phone hacking and went to jail. In 2011 the newspaper paid fines to the victims and shut down. The parent company News Corp. made 20% return on investment in 2011. The executives, including CEO Rupert Murdoch, profited while the newspaper was destroyed.

So how does an organization ensure management and the company both want the same thing?

The answer is communication. Rupert Murdoch and the other executives at News Corp. testified before a parliamentary select committee in November 2011 that they were unaware of any wrongdoings.

The higher up a manager is in the organization, the less connection there is with staff. Once you reach the Executive and Board level decision makers receive almost all of their information funneled through a few individuals. Sometimes they employ analyses which cannot show the entire picture of what is truly going on. This is how situations are created where those in charge benefit from the demise of the company.

However, when people talk to people, face-to-face, on a regular basis it is much harder to disguise the truth. There are no numbers to manipulate. There are no one-sided stories. Any deviations between what the company wants and what the individual wants become evident and can be corrected before harm is done.

Companies don’t need a great leader. Great leaders are individuals working towards their own goals.

Companies need fraternities. These fraternities are groups of leaders all working together for a common cause.

And the next time you attend a leadership training course, don’t go alone! Take the Board of Directors and the CEO with you.

©2012

Mary Mershein is a Chartered Accountant with a master’s degree in management who believes common sense is our greatest financial analysis. Additional common sense can be found at www.moosemoney.wordpress.com.

In February 2003, a group of tourists excitedly waited to embark on a hot air ballon trip over the beautiful Californian wine country. One tourist decided to help out the ballon crew by holding unto the basket as they were about to light the ballon's propane burner. As soon as the burner was lit, the ballon un-expectantly soared high into the air carrying the helpful tourist with it. In seconds the ballon went upwards, 10…100…and finally to 300 feet in the air before the tourist could no longer hold on and fell to his death in front of 30 other people.

As tragic as this story is, it is not the first time this has happened. In fact ballon crews are trained never to let both feet leave the ground.

This rule is not limited to the world of ballooning. We see this analogy in many other areas of life. The entrepreneur who finds himself deeper and deeper in debt and feels that sales will soon pick up and he'll be out of the red. The gambler who is in the hole and thinks his only chance is to continue betting in order to get that big win. The person who is married to an abusive partner and tells herself that her partner will change his ways.

As human beings, I think we all need a level of optimism. Lord knows I live on it. But we need optimism that is balanced with reality. How the situation really is…one foot on the ground. Our ideas, aspirations, and thoughts should be looked at in an objective manner, or better yet, seek input from someone who will. The old rule, safety in numbers is good to remember here as we may unconsciously seek out the opinions of those who we feel will support our ideas or stroke our egos. Look for several trusted sources to review your plans and ideas with. The more objective the individual the better.

There is always a certain amount of risk in any new venture, relationship, or path in life, but limiting your risk and knowing when it's time to cut your losses (or maybe not to start at all) is invaluable information. We need to be willing to take at least one foot off the ground if we want to grow and improve our environment, but having a clear cut off point or a turn around time is essential.

Once you get more information, experience, and stability in your new endeavour, then you can swing that foot on the ground into the basket and enjoy the ride.

 

Is this the end of the Internet?  By Mary Mershein

Companies are in business to make money.

Nowhere in financial records is there a place for ethics, morality, law abiding or decency.  Income statements recognize only financial gains and losses.  As a result, corporations are encouraged to maximize profits with actions that may not always be in the best interests of the public. 

This may include dumping pollution in the environment (Feb 2011 Chevron fined $8 billion for damage to the Amazon), hiring labor at slave wages in poor countries (July 2011 Nike employees in Taiwan earn 50 cents an hour) or treating staff so ruthlessly they want to commit suicide. (Jan 2012 Foxconn employees in China) 

Leaders of such companies include the richest people on earth who are frequently admired and respected despite these seemingly immoral transgressions.  In their situation, the end justifies the means.  So why do leadership courses continue to preach ethical behavior?  Why would companies, bent on profit, want ethical leaders? 

The answer is sustainability.  History proves over and over that a single minded pursuit of profit eventually leads to downfall. 

Google’s “Don’t be Evil” philosophy was created in 2004. It was challenged when it went up against China’s censorship policies.  When Google threatened to leave China in 2009 rather than comply with China’s censorship demands, Google’s share price fell by 8%.  

Google backed down and complied with China’s demands.  Later in 2009 Google dropped its “Don’t be Evil” motto.    

In 2011 Google faced censorship demands by India but this time there were no threats by Google to leave the country and no drop in share price.  Now, in January 2012 South Korea is considering adding its own censorship demands.   What country is next?  In the pursuit of profit how far will Google go?  When does this result in a censored internet? 

Will a censored internet even be viable?

Ironically the end of an open internet would mean the end of Google.  

We still need ethics and leadership courses to prevent decisions that result in short-term profits at the expense of the long-term viability of the company. 

What kind of decisions does your company make?

 

What kind of decisions do you make?

 

©2012  

 

Mary Mershein is a Chartered Accountant with a master’s degree in management who believes common sense is our greatest financial analysis.  Additional common sense can be found at www.moosemoney.wordpress.com.

When my clients are trying to wrap their heads around what I call in business coaching "breakdowns" they start to think of a nervous breakdown. While a nervous breakdown is actually a type of breakdown it is quite dramatic from what we mean by breakdown in general.

Breakdowns and breakthroughs exist with each other. You can't have one without the other. Like night with day, 2 sides of a coin, etc.

So what is a breakdown?

A breakdown is anything that gets in the way of what you say you're committed to. The actual commitment you make produces the breakdown. So there's nothing inherently good or bad about them. You want them because they're cemented to breakthroughs.

The ordinary person can't create breakthroughs because they reject them by refusing to accept the breakdown it's attached to.

You deal with breakdowns in 3 steps...

1. When you notice that circumstances are occurring to you in such a way where you can see that you're not going to get what you're committed to -declare a breakdown while giving up your focus on trying to change your circumstances.

2. Engage in the inquiry: "What's missing -the presence of which would make a difference?" or "What can I add, create, or invent that would have what I'm committed to naturally manifest?" Speculate and write out as many "missings" as you can.

3. Pick one of your "missings" and take ACTION on it right away.

I wish you many breakdowns today and this next week so you can experience amazing breakthroughs!

Coach George

 

Why do companies fail?

Historically the typical company was a manufacturer whose greatest asset was the equipment that produced the products that made the sales.  Today we are in a different age, an information age, where our products are innovations produced by our people. 

Today’s equipment, such as phones and computers, has very little to do with company value.  Instead, they are simply tools for our team to use to generate the real value of ideas.  But while equipment is recorded in the accounting books as an asset, people are expensed as wages overhead, a burden to the company profits.  Was Steven Jobs a burden to Apple profits?  The accounting books say he was. 

When equipment is upgraded and enhanced with new features, the costs are treated as a betterment, an asset on the balance sheet.  When people are trained so that their capabilities are enhanced, the costs are expensed, a detriment on the income statement.  Clearly the system of accounting has not kept up with the times. 

Companies that are “profit driven” and “bottom line focused” don’t spend money on developing staff because the accounting system punishes profits when they do.  Machines are reviewed to ensure they are running properly and have routine maintenance and upgrades to keep them in top working condition.  How many companies do the same with their staff? 

And yet companies depend on their staff to make sound decisions to direct the company towards a viable future.  

In 1975 Kodak invented the first true digital camera.  But its competitors embraced the technology innovation and by 2010 sales of digital cameras were $7.2 billion in the US alone.  As of January 2012, Kodak is near bankruptcy - stuck in the film processing age.   

Will your company be next? 

 

Our special thanks to Mary Mershein CA for this insightful thought. It takes an accountant to point out the truth - the value is in the people!

 

It has started.

 

It’s everywhere.

 

It has people running, with their hands over their ears, eyes tightly shut.

 

You recognize the din – it’s not banging pots at midnight or ubiquitous fireworks that create such a response in us - it’s the plethora of advice, challenges and motivational articles designed to help us make the most of the next 12 months!

 

I am tooting on my own little noise maker as the calendar page turns to January… adding to the cacophony of blogs, coaches, articles, teachers, sermons… and yes even parental lectures.

 

I will be brief – a short attitude adjustment – because what we believe is true, and what we think everyday as a result of our “truths” has everything to do with how we perform in 2012. No matter what we say, it is what we actually do that reveals our innermost convictions.

 

So what are you thinking?

 

On a scale of one to 10 rate these simple attitude statements                           (10 is “essential” 1 is “nonsense”)

• I assume the best about others, their intentions, their efforts…
• I act in a generous manner to others….
• I am grateful every day…
• I accept I am a gifted person with something to share with the world…
• I know my purpose is more than eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work…die.

That’s it for today - just 5 attitudes

.

There is enough noise out there about change/improve/perform. I am not inviting you to change. I don’t have to - change is already happening, constantly, inevitably.

 

I am inviting you to control the direction of the changes happening within you this year. As a result, for you, 2012 won’t be about simple change.

 

It will be about transformation.

 

So what was your score – remember transforming action comes from these transforming beliefs – the attitudes build on each other - in reverse order to the list above:

 

·         Faith – My purpose is beyond the physical – there is something more.

·         Acceptance - I believe in myself and my mission to touch the world

·         Gratitude – I humbly appreciate all the blessings in my life

·         Generosity – I have been given so much, so freely, I am free to give

·         Freedom – I accept others without fear. And without fear:

 

                                            … I can love.

 

And that is the most powerful attitude of real leaders everywhere.

 

Happy New Year!

 Have you ever heard an athlete say that they were “in the groove”?  That their mind was so clear that everything seemed to “flow”?   Whether an athlete, artist, or banker, we can all experience that “flow.   And much like a running water tap, when the pipes become clogged with obstructions our flow is disrupted and the flow dwindles to a trickle.  Where do the obstructions come from?   We put them there.  I believe most of our obstructions come from three major areas; stress, anger, and fear.  To ensure success and flow in our personal and professional lives, we need to ask ourselves some hard questions because it is only us who can bore through our system to remove any obstructions holding us back. 

 

Stress and tension - Ask yourself what issues or people in your life are a source of stress for you?  I’m deliberately using the word “source” as opposed to “cause” because we need to understand that it is us who determines the meaning we assign to a situations or event.   When we say we are stressed “because” of this person or situation we remove a certain amount of ownership from how we are feeling.   Who or what is a source of stress in your life today and what are three things that you can do to alleviate the stress and tension you’re currently feeling?

 

Anger (and its cousins un-forgiveness, resentment, jealousy, and depression when turned inward) - Anger is another emotion that blocks our pipes and interrupts our flow.  Where is your anger directed and how much energy and time is it taking away from your life?   Does the focus of your anger even know (or care) that this is causing you so much disruption in your life.   Why is it important to hold onto this anger and what would happen if you simply stopped caring about the situation or person? 

 

Fear – Fear of the unknown and self doubt will also trip us up and take away the flow from our lives.  What are the fears holding you back in your current situation?  Often the antidote for this obstruction is simply facing your fear head on.  There is nothing external that will take away this fear.   It will not change over time nor will you receive new information that will assist in taking away your fear.   The only way to alleviate this is to decide when you will face your fear and drive through it.

 

When we have honestly looked at our lives and asked these straightforward questions, flow returns to us.   Cleaning out the pipes and the obstructions with it, enables us to get our flow and become a more effective person with greater focus.  So take the time to ensure you are in a position to get flow back into your life.  Ask the questions that need to be asked.  Remove the debris that needs to be removed.  

What makes the New Year new?

Human beings DECLARING it new -that's what makes it new. You and I agree with the story that somehow January 1 every year is new.

We seldom stop to think about it -but EVERYTHING in society is invented and created by us humans. Someone had an idea and then tells another. That person agrees and then the two of them spread the story to the rest of the tribe. Pretty soon we believe things like the world is flat and you'll fall off the edge. Then we changed that to the world is round. What is round? Round is something made-up to describe a shape. And on and on it goes.

The power in knowing that everything's invented is that you start to look at the world in a wonderful mystic sort of way. The possibility springs to life that you and I could actually INVENT our own lives and create a new ending for humanity.

Why not?

My son wants to go to Stanford and study psychology there. One of his acquaintences urged him to have a more "realistic" goal in mind. "Who says what's realistic?" he asked. "And why should I accept their view of what's real?"

Sometimes our assessments of what's so limit us and we make choices based on these assessments. Nothing's wrong with the whole process and I'm not even suggesting that anything's wrong with how we made everything up either. It's just a distinction that gives us some possibility. Possibility to create.

As the end of the year draws near let this realization that all is invented rumble around inside you as you start to speculate on what you want to create in 2012.

I know I am!

Christmas time seems to be when most of us are ok with loosening our wallets and hearts. We rationalize that it’s ok to give something to that guy with the card board sign asking for change. Maybe he really is going to spend it on food. We all have our views on why and who we give our hard earned money to. Someone once told me that they don’t like to give money to people on the streets because they might use it for drugs or alcohol. He claims that he instead takes them to a restaurant and buys them a bowl of soup. Great idea…my sceptical nature wonders how often he actually brought someone to a restaurant. All the time…once a year…once…ever?

Interestingly enough, the true benefit of giving falls on the giver and not so much on the givee. When a person gives they feel good about themselves. I think most of us want to help. But here is the secret, don’t tell anyone you gave. When you do an act of kindness and keep it to yourself, it shows that you weren’t looking for an external return in praise from others. You gave to someone out of pure kindness without the connotations of positive feedback and accolades from others. Your mind registers this and tells your conscious and unconscious mind that you are a “genuine good person.” All other incentives have been removed. It’s you being you.

So whether it’s giving money, a coffee...or even soup, don’t waste an opportunity by telling people about your generosity afterwards. You both get something you need. You’ll feel better about yourself and they’ll feel better…however that happens.

When I sit with my clients who are struggling with selling or creating a business agreement -I've noticed a HUGE missing over there in their world... It's the ability to live inside of their client's shoes, to get into their world. There are some powerful questions that can help you do this and I want to share them with you. I can't remember where I got these and I just want the reader to know that I didn't create them -I stole them! :-)

 

The magical 8 questions to ask yourself ABOUT your client that get you inside of their world are...

 

1. What keeps them awake at night?

2. What are they afraid of?

3. What are they angry about?

4. Who are they angry at?

5. What are their top 3 daily frustrations?

6. What trends are and will occur in their businesses or lives?

7. What do they secretly desire most?

8. Why won't they buy from me?

 

Once you go through these and answer them you will have some raw data to create a powerful marketing piece and to generate a powerful story that will really get the attention of your target market!

 

Happy Creating!

Coach George

 

In the now famous Steve Jobs commencement address, he offered advice that you have surely heard before: 

“You've got to find what you love…. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.

And the only way to do great work… is to love what you do.”

All worthy leaders, all great managers, all exceptional employees are doing it for the love. Love drives us. We are energized when we know what we are about and we can focus on what we love – it’s our mission, our purpose, our “gift” to the world. When the going gets tough, it’s the love of our craft, that exercising of our gift, our vision perhaps, that keeps us engaged.

This is why cyberspace superblogger Seth Godin writes continually about art – it’s his shorthand, his code word for “doing what you love,” what you would do even if you weren’t getting paid.

While he was alive, Dutch “post-impressionist” Vincent Van Gough painted over two thousand paintings, including 37 self-portraits from 1886 to 1889 alone.

He could not help it – he had to paint - and yet he did not sell one painting while he was alive. He did not stop; he could not stop as long as he was living.

This is a key to finding out what you love to do – not simply shrug and say “sure I like my work, I like most anything… I’m just a versatile person,” or “I make the best of the situation”

No… the question really is “what can you not stop doing if you are going to be truly you?”

If the “REAL YOU” was going to burst out of your skin like the green hulk, what would the “REAL YOU” be doing – even if you were never going to sell one part of it, never going to make a living from it?

Scott Belsky, author of “Making Ideas Happen” quotes artist Jonathon Harris on one more aspect of acting on our passion.

“Love is the only thing that’s going to pull you through and get you to finish… but here is also a paradoxical and interesting fact: The thing you actually end up making is going to be such a failure compared to the original feeling that you had, the original vision you had. The feeling of it is so pure that you can’t make a real thing that has the same feeling and so you’re inevitably going to be disappointed by it.”

Harris says it’s love that ensures some level of disappointment at the end. And for a time, for the unaware, that may be true. But we can mature, and cope with our feelings of love and imperfection.

After his death from self inflicted gunshot wound, Van Gough’s art was recognized as a national treasure, impacted thousands of artists, and millions of art fans. Self-portrait Without Beard, sold for $71.5 million in 1998 in New York making it one of the most expensive paintings of all time.

It was painted in late September 1889, as a simple gift for his mother, on her birthday.

He did it for love.

 

 

 

A couple months ago I purchased a set of electronic drums.  I had been a drummer in years gone by, but had to sell my drums because they were too loud and we had a baby on the way (…a baby that turned out to be much louder than my drums).   The great thing about electronic drums is that you can wear head phones when playing allowing you the ability to play any time of day or night without bothering people.  I soon found myself practising daily and have since turned into a pretty good drummer.   I was curious to why it seemed I was able to make such a significant improvement in my skills in such a short time on the electronic drums?  When I was younger, my playing never seemed to get better after the first year or two.

 

Thinking back to when I was playing my acoustic drums, I realized that I was very conscious of how loud they were.  I practiced with the knowledge that every beat was being broadcast through out the neighbourhood.   When I played poorly or made a mistake I was convince everyone in listening distance was evaluating and judging my performance.   Maybe even having mini meetings among themselves to discuss how bad of a drummer I was.  This motivated me to play only what I was good at and avoid anything that might be too tricky.  No mistakes.  No opportunity for the neighbours to breakout into mini meetings regarding my skills.  

 

A few things have changed since that time.  I’m a more confident individual, I understand that people aren’t thinking about me as much as I thought they were, and my drum playing is now safe and soundless in my private headphone world.   Consciously or unconsciously, I have taken the breaks off my playing and am trying new things and experimenting with new beats.   I have given myself permission to make mistakes all day long and no one knows except me.   The beats eventually get better and tighter over time.

 

Why is this important?  We often let the fear of making a mistake hold us back from making enormous gains in life.   When we lose the fear of making mistakes, we tend to be more relaxed, creative, adventures, and often experience our biggest growth.  Certainly there are areas in our lives that if we knew we could not fail we could make monumental changes.   We could overcome the major hurdles and issues in our life that have been holding us back.   A new freedom is acquired when energy is spent on trying new things and making improvements in your life instead of worrying about the opinions of others.   Give yourself a since of freedom allow yourself to make mistakes.   Lots of mistakes.

 

 

 

The other day I was driving home and decided to take a different route then I normally do. I found myself driving through one of the most beautiful neighborhoods I have ever seen. The lawns were manicured to perfection. The houses had exquisite design detail and some even had a gate and intercom system (well la-de-da!). I found a great looking park with a playground my kids would love. There were trail heads leading into interesting looking woods and a fantastic looking golf course which I looked forward to playing on. My decision to take an alternative route, to try something different, had resulted in a new awareness of what was available to me. Something that may not have been revealed to me otherwise.

Often we find ourselves staying on the beaten path because it is something we know. We find comfort in the familiar. Sometimes at the expense of enjoying new experiences….and places. When we stay too close to what we know, we never know any more. Luckily, I learned to be a curious person from my mother and have grown immensely as a person because of it. Trying new sports, activities, and even foods, have expanded my horizons and added countless dimensions to my life. Losing the fear of the new and unexplored has opened so many doors and opportunities that I shudder at the thought of how my life would have turned out had I not done so.

My suggestion to those reading this is to expand your horizons and move out of your comfort zone from time to time. You didn’t know you liked pizza until you tied it. What else is out there that could be an all consuming passion in your life if you just make the decision to explore? Is it learning how to play a musical instrument? Is it taking that improve class? Maybe just signing up for that running group that meets 3 times a week. Who knows the experiences, changes, and people that it may bring into your life. You may be missing all sorts of incredible experiences. In fact, my 88 year old mother just recently discovered the joys of naked sky diving and loves it. I’m kidding…….she’s only 86.