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Today, let's take a look at Maslow's hierarchy of needs in reference to first things first.  Yesterday we talked about the sequence of things and building a strong foundation from which things can flourish.  Psychologist Abraham Maslow asserted that there were 5 levels of needs to be satisfied for an individual to be able to achieve peak human experience.  The hierarchy is shaped as...

There is an order to things and figuring out that order is key.  The thing about order is that sometimes things build on top of one another, acting as foundational support for the next level.  Sometimes things compliment one another and the order is more about alignment and fit, than sequence.  Learning usually comes in a sequential manner.  We learn to crawl before walking, an...

Wrapping up the week with building your success muscle of focus.  Let's admit it - Distraction is real.  Especially in this time of advancing technologies that seek to grab our attention if just for a few brief seconds.  You've likely had the experience of losing your train of thought. or being in flow and being interrupted only for it to take you quite a time to get back into flow...

Perseverance is the will and the drive to keep pressing forward despite whatever may be on the road ahead.  Tenacity is the will and effort to maintain a tight grip.  When moving toward your idea of success both perseverance and tenacity are two more of the success muscles you must build.  I don't like New  Year's Resolutions because I think many times they are made without giv...

Remember the story of the little red engine, that said, 'I think I can, I think I can, I know I can, I know I can?"  That is a story about building the success muscle of determination. The success muscle of Determination is all about growing belief in yourself.  It is important that you have a strong belief in yourself, as it will attract others to you, and it will help sustain you when...

A successful life doesn't occur overnight.  It is built over time, just as physical muscles of the body must develop over time through repetition and intention, so must our success muscles be developed if they are to last.  There was a show on TV that took successful people and gave them limited resources, if any, to accomplish a task, typically a task that had to do with financial gain....

Today I experienced another flight delay, so I recorded from the airport.  This week I want to talk about the importance of failure in building the muscles for success.  However, today I take time to speak about going with the flow when plans get altered.  The way I approach changes in my plan is that there is something to be learned, shared, or experienced.  Basically, I try t...

This week we've talked about the importance of connections in helping us to grow in authenticity and to help others do the same.  We've talked about sharing experiences in connection and the benefits that can provide.  I'd like to wrap up the week with a reminder about the transference of connections and the comforts they can bring. In life change is constant, new roles at work, new work...

Let's continue our talk on connectors and connections.  How we connect has a great deal to do with the strength and value of our connections.  Think about your strongest connections, they are likely people with whom you have shared or common experiences or interests.  I enjoy a good reality TV show, and I think it is because they are all thrown into a shared experience and have to f...

Are the best connections people that are very similar to us or people that are not similar?  Perhaps it is worth noting that every person is unique, no matter how similar they seem and every person has some similarities no matter how dissimilar they seem.  The value of connections usually lies in the strength of the relationship.  The strength of the relationship is tested over time...

Continuing the theme of connections.  Connections are important because they help us to see. Probably most important they help us to see ourselves in the reflection of others. Those around us can help us to identify abilities, patterns, and themes about ourselves, ironically allowing us to get to know ourselves better.  We must not blindly take on labels, but we can go through self-explo...

When I think about connection I think about people's relationships, but what I really like to think about is the connectedness of all things. there are so many lessons to be learned in the connective nature of things.  The key is that the connection is not always so obvious if we are not looking for it.  So we must look for it and in the connection, we will find value.  Perhaps what...

When I was young a wise person said to me that if I did not have a plan for myself, I would be a part of someone else's plan for their gain.  This was about taking the lead in your own life, figuring out the direction you want to go and influencing matters, and doing the hard work to make it happen.  Over the years that has stuck with me and given me pause from time to time to check in o...

Who we are surrounded by matters.  It gives us a chance to influence and to be influenced.  In business and personal life, the amount of intention we put toward who surrounds us is important.  Proximity has the ability to impact our lives positively and negatively.  It's a simple notion that plays out throughout our lives.  As a school-age child, I often had the privilege...

Recently I became the recipient of an incredible gift.  It was the kind of gift that gets more valuable with time and use. It was a gift that I knew others could benefit from, but I found myself worried about the packaging.  I was really worried, that because of the packaging others might overlook this valuable gift that could be so transformational. I tried to rationalize that just as I...

So just what is your "Best Self?"  What does it mean to be your best in authenticity?  Some identify being authentic with being more relaxed and casual about how they interact.  I wonder if one can be relaxed, authentic, intentional, and mindful while experiencing themselves in best self mode.  I am not quite sure I have it all figured out. However, I do know that living your b...

Get Rid of the Labels - or at least evaluate their accuracy. On my first journey into consulting work, I decided to sign up for some substitute teaching gigs on my off days.  I actually enjoyed the impact i was able to have in such a short time span.  On one occasion, I showed up to an elementary school and one of students was quick to tell me that "Johnny" was the troublemaker in the cl...

It seems the cure to boredom is pretty simple, take some action to engage in something.  Use boredom as a time to dream, plan, think and then take action.  If what you are doing is not keeping you engaged, try to understand why and make the change that is needed.  Sometimes we are capable of initiating our own change and sometimes we may need the help of others.  Some change is...

Even Subject Matter Experts ask questions.  Asking questions is a sign that we are open to learning and growing. Do you spend time around people or environments that ask questions?  Perhaps that might be something to observe.  Sometimes we approach questions from a scientific method of identifying a position or hypothesis and then we set out to question it understanding if what we t...

If you've been on a plane you have probably heard the instruction about putting on your own oxygen mask first, if the masks should be released.  This is actually not only about helping yourself, it places you in the best position to help others in the event of such an emergency.  You've also likely heard the phrase that you cannot pour from an empty pitcher.  This too is a reminder...

Providing clarity for others is a form of kindness.  However, what about giving ourselves that same opportunity to have clarity within our lives?  Do you take time to think about what you want, how you would like to feel, and what are the things you want to overcome and achieve in life?  Do we give ourselves the kindness of providing a Clear Concise Mental Picture?  Clarity is...

Today was the NCAA Basketball Championship and Kansas prevailed over North Carolina in a great game.  Though they entered the tournament ranked #1, they were down at half-time.  So let's talk about half-time.  I remember when I played basketball in high school.  The team wasn't great, but we did manage to win a few games.  In one particularly bad season on the Junior Varsi...

Live from Disneyland. Make decisions that are in alignment with your beliefs, goals, standards, and the legacy you want to keave. Figure out the questions you can ask to hold yourself accoubtable to making dwcisuons that align with who you want to be.

Sometimes people mean well but they are misguided. Creating a win-fail atmosphere in your workplace or personal relationships may be something to rethink.  Does your organization or relationship fare better when part feels like it is losing or shamed?  What is your goal in the competition?  Do you want everyone to perform at their highest levels?  Are you asking everyone to bri...

Stay BIG - Take Up Your Space.  It's Your Space and only you can be full in it! In our professional and personal lives, sometimes we try to fit in or go unnoticed when we were meant to stand out and be a part of something. We can question what value we may have to give or our worthiness to give something of value.  in that doubting, we overlook our uniqueness - the reality that we have s...