Fresh Eyes

Pursuing excellence? Persistence is key to success

2010-02-19T11:38:00-08:00

Inspiration is guaranteed each and every Olympics.

Watching the best in the world compete in so many sports is a powerful reminder of what it takes to excel.

It reminds us, as well, that if you're pursuing excellence of any type, being able to push over, around, or through the barriers you inevitably find somewhere on the road to your goal is an important part of success.

Here are a few pursuit of excellence thoughts from others who knew the path, too:

I am not discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.
Thomas Edison

Nothing at all will be attempted if all possible objections must first be overcome.
Samuel Johnson

A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.
Seneca

We will either find a way, or make one.
Hannibal

Sometimes difference counts and sometimes it doesn't

2010-02-17T12:08:00-08:00

Egg buffet, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Some differences count in the final outcome.

And some differences don't.

I had no idea that eggs come in so many different colors - including light blue - but they do.

And if I want eggs for a photo, it's the visual interest of either strong differences or great symmetry that I want.

But if I'm making an omelet where the inside of the egg is what counts, then any of these fresh eggs will do.

What decisions do you have to make soon?

Which differences count in your final outcome, and which ones don't?

Grow new opportunities

2010-02-16T07:01:00-08:00

Watching the Olympics drives the lesson home:

You make many of your own opportunities, and for others, adapting well to whatever happens is the best course.

Here's what a few others have to say about opportunities and growth:

You can't build a reputation on what you are going to do.
Henry Ford

Life is not advancement. It is growth. It does not move upward, but expands outward, in all directions.
Russell G. Alexander

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.
Sir Francis Bacon

Gifts arrive of many types

2010-02-15T13:33:00-08:00

The gift of a great view, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Gifts can come in many different shapes and sizes over the course of life.

Some of the best ones have no wrapping at all.

They're the gift of a moment, a sight, a shared laugh, story or thought.

Like a beautiful cloud, they can be subtle, rapidly created, suddenly here, and just as suddenly, gone.

Such moments are ones you could miss if you don't see them for what they are...one of life's best, brightest, sweetest presents.

This is the view - a gift itself - that our son, a high school senior, and I shared during a leisurely lunch as we drove north up the California coast, returning home after college visits.

I knew when I took this photo that it was capturing a glorious day at one of the world's most beautiful spots.

But I knew even more as I caught it that this photo was recording an experience I felt very thankful for, Matt's and my shared lunch. Those opportunities will soon be more limited when he goes to college in the fall.

Catch the gift and be thankful for the beautiful, often fleeting, perfect moments that life offers.

They're so quickly here, and just as quickly gone.

The oasis of friendship and laughter

2010-02-14T13:01:00-08:00

It's easy to forget how energizing time with good friends can be.

We spent much of Saturday with friends we hadn't seen in a very long time in the "stretch out, relax, refresh" way we shared.

As one friend noted, in recent times when we've been together it was usually for organized events and celebrations of life milestones. There were in each case many guests, formal clothes, ceremonies, schedules to maintain, and little time for more than a hug, a smile, a "good to see you!" exchange of good wishes.

Those were times we were very glad to share with them. Yet they were not times to really talk, laugh, or catch up in any substantial way.

This time was like the long January beach weekend we used to share each year as our children grew from babies to teenagers.

It was an oasis of creative chatter and laughter and really catching up, a perfect counterpoint to the sometimes-rough-and-tumble of life.

Times like this with good friends refresh, renew, build a reservoir of great memories and create energy for life's challenges ahead.

Make time, take time for the oasis of good friends.

You never know quite what you'll see next

2010-02-08T23:30:00-08:00

Optical illusion, originally uploaded by jcgr.

Turn the corner - any corner - and what will you see?

What you expect? A standard sidewalk perhaps.

Or something unexpected? Here, an otherworldly scene of surprise and wonder met us as we made our way to an evening event.

Problem-solving perspectives

2010-01-30T12:23:00-08:00

Have a problem to solve? Or one you're trying to avoid?

How you approach a problem has a lot to do with how the problem-solving goes.

Here are perspectives from others on problem-solving...or not:

The problems of victory are more agreeable than those of defeat, but they are no less difficult.
Winston Churchill

Most people spend more time and energy going around problems than in trying to solve them.
Henry Ford

Don't get involved in partial problems, but always take flight to where there is a free view over the whole single great problem, even if this view is still not a clear one.
Ludwig Wittgenstein

There are no problems we cannot solve together, and very few that we can solve by ourselves.
Lyndon B. Johnson

When solving problems, dig at the roots instead of just hacking at the leaves.
Anthony J. D'Angelo

For a moment, a mirror

2010-01-28T23:45:00-08:00

For a moment, a mirror, originally uploaded by jcgr.

A problem - a puddle - becomes a source of beauty - a mirror reflecting the beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clouds, and stark winter trees above.

Customer feedback is a good thing (really)

2010-01-27T14:41:57-08:00

How is your customer support staff viewed in your company?

As the clean-up crew?

Hopefully not.

They are, in fact, stewards of gold.

The information they have from customers - if you choose to use it in this way - can provide you invaluable information about current products and services and how they really work (or not).

The information they can collect - if you seek it - can also provide great ideas for future products and sources of revenue.

Here's how others see customers' perspective and the information they can provide:

In the end, the customer doesn't know, or care, if you are small or large as an organization...she or he only focuses on the garment hanging on the rail in the store.
Giorgio Armani

Our business is about technology, yes. But it's also about operations and customer relationships.
Michael Dell

Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.
Bill Gates

I think we're having fun. I think our customers really like our products. And we're always trying to do better.
Steve Jobs

Statistics suggest that when customers complain, business owners and managers ought to get excited about it. The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for more business.
Zig Ziglar

Breaking through

2010-01-23T12:13:00-08:00

Pastels and silhouettes, originally uploaded by jcgr.

We're working our way through a heavy weather week in California.

Here a few pastel clouds I saw on a brief walk break up an otherwise a gray day.

A quick walk...at least for me...brings fresh energy and fresh ideas, every single time I take a walk.

What types of quick breaks most predictably bring lightness and fresh ideas and energy to you?