Quantum Leaders are open-minded, flexible, and not opinionated. They accept that radical innovation requires elements of unchoreographed, accidental reconstitution of ideas and situations. They are open to new ideas and approaches, and can change views when presented with evidence. They are completely transparent, which expedites decision making. Quantum Leaders courageously open themselves up to others. It takes equal measures of confidence and humility to be vulnerable. Vulnerability in turn creates safety, liberating the organization from battles for survival, and helping everyone unleash innate creativity, drive, and self-organization. Quantum Leaders refuse to hide behind polite discomfort, instead creating safety for others to openly offer differing views. They are courageous with their authenticity. Being open means being curious instead of judgmental. They don’t make snap judgments about people, or snap decisions. When things get heated, they slow the process down and try to see the big picture of where each person is coming from, instead of getting caught up in the heat of the moment.

When communicating with others, Quantum Leaders are open to and curious about all possibilities. If a colleague comes across as irrational, ridiculous, or overreacting, they become curious, carefully exploring what might be behind his or her reality that they are perceiving as irrational, all the while suspending judgment. They know that judgment shuts off avenues of important discovery and learning. During this discovery, they can put aside their own emotions and pay focused attention. They can empathically imagine what must have happened for someone to create the reality that comes across as irrational, and can validate that reality for that person.

Quantum Leaders tolerate ambiguity and are comfortable with many shades of gray, instead of automatically closing their minds to other possible scenarios. Their flexibility and openness stems from their understanding that one’s perception is one’s reality, allowing others to own a different version of reality than one’s own. They understand that exposures to previous experiences in cumulative life experiences lead to different experiences of the same reality. As a result, they show humility, knowing what they think they know might not be the only or full representation of reality.

Many studies have shown that the amygdala response compromises the higher functions of insight, rationality, and innovative thinking. Fear shuts the body down in defense instead of opening the mind to possibilities beyond one’s perception of threatened safety. This state of openness and flexibility is also important because it facilitates healthy debate over diverse points of views, inviting the power of collective intelligence, which is critical for innovation. Research has repeatedly shown that collective intelligence yields better outcomes than even the most intelligent experts.

About Dr. Sunnie Giles:

Dr. Sunnie Giles is a new generation expert who catalyzes organizations to produce radical innovation by harnessing volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA).

Her research reveals that applying concepts from neuroscience, complex systems approach, and quantum mechanics can produce radical innovation consistently. Her expertise is based on years as an executive with Accenture, IBM and Samsung. Her profound, science-backed insight is encapsulated in her leadership development program, Quantum Leadership.

An advisor to the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, she also is a sought-after speaker and expert source, having been quoted in Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Fast Company, Forbes, and Inc.

Dr. Giles’ latest book, The New Science of Radical Innovation, provides a clear process for radical innovation that produces 10x improvements and has been endorsed prominent industry leaders such as Jonathan Rosenberg, Daniel Pink, Marshall Goldsmith and Sean Covey.

The post Self-Management: Open, Flexible, and Adaptable appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

The validation principle doesn’t stop after our schooling is done. In fact it’s a staple. It continues as we live our busy lives.

Rather than fight the validation process, make sure you join it! How? Go beyond the external validations and validate yourself. Some refer to it as accepting yourself. That’s a good start. But how about validating yourself? This is where you say, “I feel good about myself. I feel good about what I’m doing. I am adding value.”

Comparing yourself is a trap unless you use it to validate differences and diversity. Diversity is great if you validate yourself. It then becomes a form of enrichment rather than entanglement and entrapment. What you think and say about yourself is more important than someone else’s attitude about you. Why? Because you live with yourself.

So listen to yourself, because nothing happens to you without you making some internal comment about it. Make sure it’s validating. You will have important conversations throughout your day, but the most important ones are with yourself.

It’s all about value. If you are willing to stretch, grow, and become more, you are valuable to the core. Imperfection does not invalidate your value. As one man put it, “No one drowns by falling in the water. They drown by staying there.” It’s all about the process of building and re-evaluating YOU. It starts everyday where you are, working on the value of you. Each day you make a new validating declaration.

Nothing will make your value go up the way you can. Any attempt to gain it from others is fruitless. It starts with you. We use the term “appreciation” in the financial world in a correct way. It refers to increasing value. As you appreciate yourself, you are validating yourself—adding value to yourself. You are appreciating.

Validation is acceptance, authentication, and endorsement. You do it first, and others will follow. The order is important. This is why validation breeds confidence. The reverse order is not nearly as effective, and often never materializes.

Embrace your uniqueness. Learn to forgive yourself. Keep your personal accounts short. Treat each day as a new day—a fresh start to be what you were meant to be. The side effect is that you will begin to validate others. It’s hard to do for others what you cannot—will not– do for yourself.

CAUTION! There will always be people who will doubt what you do and how you are doing it. There are different ways of doing things, and your way is one of them. Validation = Competence + Confidence. Own your way. If there’s a better way, you’ll do that next time. There is no failure—only feedback and an opportunity to grow.

Focusing on everything that is wrong is toxic. Strength comes from focusing on what is right and moving forward. When NASA sends up satellites toward another planet, they calculate that it’s off course about 98% of the time. Yet it arrives at its destination. How? They take the feedback, focus on the 2% that it’s doing right, and then move in that direction with all the adjustments. Start capitalizing and validating what’s right and see how far that takes you.

It is estimated that we have 50,000 thoughts per day. Each thought produces a chemical reaction in our brains that in turn triggers feelings and emotions throughout our body. There is a strong relationship between what you think and how you feel. Thinking is kind of like breathing. You are always doing both and so you tend to forget you are doing it. It’s easy to be unaware of how much your thoughts dictate how you feel every moment of everyday.

This is where practicing validation becomes highly valuable. By learning to make sure your self-talk is of a validating nature you will focus on the right things and more effectively manage your emotions.

Just like the satellite, it’s a process more than a destination. Let’s keep it going in the right direction.

As you believe in yourself and validate yourself, you will be successful in life.

(Mick Ukleja is the co-author of the book Who Are You? What Do You Want?: Four Questions That Will Change Your Life)

The post Did You Get Your Ticket Validated? appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

Perhaps you’ve made great progress in your career, driven consistently to achieve higher levels of seniority. Or, you may have experienced disappointment in your quest for the “right” career trajectory. Either way, it’s likely you were excited about your job at some point, when you felt strong and sustained desire that propelled you forward. After an extended length of time, though, it is completely natural for passion to wane. However, you must remember there is always someone behind you wanting to make an impact. If you stutter too long, you may be passed by.

Don’t let yourself feel too discouraged! At this point, you may simply need to admit things have become stale, you have slipped into a state of boredom, or you have become increasingly afraid to take chances. Once you analyze how you arrived at this stage, you may find your current role is completely salvageable, and you simply need to reignite the fire that once burned inside you so brightly.

3 Ways to Reignite Your Passion

• Take time for yourself. This is an area overlooked constantly by many of the executives with whom I work. It is rejuvenating when you take time to do those non-work activities you enjoy. We all need healthy doses of “me-time.” If you have ignored yourself for too long, the net effect will be a decline in work energy. Step up your work game by stepping out of the office for something fun.
• Try something new. Anything. You don’t need to jump out of a plane or swim with sharks, but go to that painting or guitar class, try fishing, or learn to dance. Our ability to learn and grow is one of the hallmark blessings of being human! This could be your ideal time to learn a couple of new skills. As simple or short-term as it may be, this new activity will often spark creativity in other areas of your life.
• Up level Your Circle. Take every opportunity to learn your craft from the masters. Be sensitive to those people from whom you derive your understanding of life, learning, meaning, and inspiration. Choose your influences very carefully. What informs you, forms you, and your primary work outputs and creations will ultimately be a result of what, and who, is forming you.

Without passion, we are useless—little more than mindless automatons. With passion, however, we are walking, talking “magicians,” carrying with us the divine power to create, change, and transform everywhere we go. Commit yourself to reigniting the fire inside, and you will undoubtedly rediscover the magic that makes your career sing.

Pour your heart into personal growth at work, and you will sense more clearly whether it’s time to move on to a new role, or merely time for new perspective. If the heart represents your fire, it’s passion that lights the match. Bringing your best self to work is not just a gift to your boss or your company—it’s also a gift to yourself. Untie the bow.

Mark Nation is a globally-recognized management expert, leadership consultant, executive coach, author, and speaker. He is personally driven to discover what makes individuals, teams, and organizations amazing—those elements which power the heart and soul of individuals and businesses worldwide. His new book, Made forAmazing: An Instrumental Journey of Authentic Leadership Transformation, helpspeople to identify and optimize their unique talents.

The post 3 Tips To Reignite Your Passion At Work appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

Setbacks happen to all of us in varying degrees.  There is no perfect day unless you are on drugs! But the issue is not setbacks, detours, obstacles, or problems. It’s what we do with them.

To despair of even life itself when we encounter a major setback is common. The Golden Gate Bridge has been the scene of many a person who experiences a major setback of some sort.  This beautiful structure is orange to reflect light, especially during the dark days of fog. The majestic San Fransisco Bay was missed for centuries because the opening was too small. This magnificent structure bridges that small opening. The bridge, suspended by cables, hangs as an engineering feet that would cost over one billion dollars today.

Yet this monument of great achievement has a dark side. This masterpiece of ingenuity and creativity has been the scene of the final act for so many. The first person to jump did so three months after the bridge’s completion.  Over 1,200 souls have committed suicide using this swaying platform as their final memory to life.  What was going through their mind when they jumped? During that 4 second fall, speeding towards the water at 75 mph, what did they think?

By hitting the water at a perfect angle, a person can survive. Of the few that survived, each had one thought in common. They all said that the moment they jumped, the first thought that went through their mind was, THEY WISHED THEY HADN’T! Some of them went on to see their life become a testimony to significance.

So often a major setback – bad decisions, cancer, divorce, job loss, the death of a loved one, alienation from family members, bankruptcy, or an accident – puts the spotlight on our lives and shows us the way to a meaningful “second act.” If you think you are too small to be effective, then you’ve never been in bed with a mosquito.

The truth? Sooner or later we all hit the skids. It happens to everyone to varying degrees. At some point we all wind up with our backs against the wall and need to turn a setback into a setup.

We all get knocked down.  Successful people know how to pick themselves back up. So how do you do it?

Here’s your guide for turning setbacks into setups. These steps will help you make a comeback.

1. Refuse to Die! When you’re down some people will write you off. Do not let them define you. Refuse to fade into a life of perpetual inconsequence.

2. Manage your Fears! Comebacks have an inner sense of justice that refuses to be violated. Manage your fears by doing something about them. Identify them.  Write them down. Know them well so you can manage them. Which fears are real threats?  Deal with them and dismiss the rest.

3. Get Motivated! Pain, failure, loss, and embarrassment are great motivators. Embrace the pain and you will internalize the lesson.  Walk toward the barking dog.  It’s the only way to begin a constructive setup.  Use pain as fuel to drive your comeback.

4. Stand in your Strengths! Lean into your weaknesses, in the sense that you understand them and can manage them.  If you don’t, they will manage you. And, if they manage you, they will damage you. But don’t stand in them. Stand in your strengths and lean into your weaknesses.

5. Get Creative! There are lots of opportunities on how you chart your course. If you want help, just ask. People want to help you; they just don’t know it yet.

6. Visualize the Results! Don’t look back. Comeback people roll with the punches and keep coming back for more. Showing up for life is 90% of the battle.

7. Take a Chance! Good things come to those who risk. Be vulnerable! Stop thinking of risk as a one shot do or die situation where you put everything on the table with one role of the dice.  Start thinking of risk as a journey of exploration. We are programmed to think risk is one careless act rather than an approach to living. Life is an adventure and you were not meant to be “stuck”.

8. Enjoy the Journey! The ultimate reward for the person making a comeback is to see his vision come to life in the real world. Look at every obstacle, setback, rejection and constraint as an opportunity to redeem yourself. The only setbacks are when we respond incorrectly. There is a bridge attached to every setback. What you do on that bridge determines your future. A few jump. Even more choose to live there. Some make the effort to keep walking – not into the sunset – but into the setup.

PS. Don’t dwell on the past, the past doesn’t care. God never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.

The post 8 Ways to Build a Bridge From Setbacks to Setups appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

So, how do you transform a culture to meet your company’s needs today? How can you get employees or teams to behave the way you need them to in order to execute your strategies and enhance your performance as well as employee engagement and the customer experience?

We can do that only by improving the behaviors of people. That’s because culture is nothing more than the collective beliefs and habits of the people in an organization. That means we can transform cultures only by creating personal transformation in people. This becomes the challenging part, it is not easy to get adults to change their life-long habits and beliefs.

That was the challenge I personally faced more than 35 years ago as I set out to create a culture-shaping firm. The central question was; how do we change habits of already successful adults? How do we get a seasoned executive who is over-controlling and territorial to collaborate, delegate and coach? Over the almost 40 years of doing culture transformation work, I have learned what has worked when it comes to changing the behaviors of successful adults in a way that results in alignment of healthy behaviors throughout the whole organization, ultimately creating a total culture change.

So what has proven to work?

Think of someone you know who had major shifts in behavior almost overnight. The hamburger-and-fries-eating couch potatoes who start walking regularly and eating better probably had a health scare that got their attention. They had an aha! moment. No one arrives at a major life change intellectually. Change comes from an experience that gets people’s attention and causes them to stop and reflect and shift their mindset.

1) Unfreeze our underlying thoughts and beliefs
We call this key to change “unfreezing” because it challenges our underlying thought system, giving us the ability to choose a new way we want to be.

We call these aha! moments “inside out” learning, and have demonstrated that it is far more transformational than “outside in” learning. When we get that deeper insight and make a personal commitment to a new way of being, the changed behavior is much more likely to stick, especially when reinforced.

This insight-based learning is much more effective in shifting cultures than great communication programs, informational meetings or inspirational talks. People learn best when they personally experience something, as opposed to just hearing it, being told about it or reading about it.

2) Start at the top
Our other finding is this “inside out” learning approach works best when it is first done with those at the top of an organization. This is because of a phenomenon called, The Shadow of the Leader which states that an organization is heavily influenced by the leader’s behaviors and actions even if they have very little contact. So in order to make an effective change the first personal transformation needs to come from the top.

3) Help people make a personal connection to the change by understanding the reason for needed change

Another finding is that transformation efforts tend to work better when people understand why it is important to be changing the culture and what’s in it for them. It is human nature for us to be more committed to outcomes when we see the need . Because of that, employees should be clear on the benefit to them personally as well as the benefit to the organization.

4) Help people to connect to healthy values for work and life effectiveness by being at their best
There is one other secret to lasting change. The healthy values for an organization are also principles of life effectiveness for people. You don’t just change work behaviors, you change life behaviors. So, when people see that their insights are leading to better relationships at home as well as work, and a better quality of life, they want that to be a part of them. The behaviors needed in a healthy, high-performance culture also make great tools for people to live their lives. A winning culture includes collaboration, personal responsibility, learning and growing, respect, trust and many other important personal values.

About Dr. Larry Senn

Dr. Larry Senn pioneered the field of corporate culture and founded in 1978, Senn Delaney, the culture shaping unit of Heidrick & Struggles. A sought-after speaker, Senn has authored or co-authored several books, including two best-sellers. His newest is The Mood Elevator (August 2017), the follow up to his 2012 book, Up the Mood Elevator. You can learn more about Larry and his work at his website, www.themoodelevator.com.

The post Four Ways To Transform Your Culture appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

2 myths distort the process.

Myth #1 — Decisions should be made at the highest level.

Decisions made at the highest level are not always the best decisions for the organization. When this happens problems are not solved. They are temporarily postponed. If this person is surrounded with like-minded thinkers then the illusion of a good decision might lull them into feeling good about what they are doing.

Myth #2 – Good decisions result from consensus.

One element that fosters good decision-making is to see an issue from multiple angles. Without this there’s no divergence from accepted norms, no diversity of thought, and no dissension.

This doesn’t automatically happen nor is it our natural tendency. It must be intentional with built in mechanisms that insure more than one perspective. This fosters creative solutions.

Abraham Lincoln was the surprise winner of a viciously contested primary filled with personal attacks and attempted coup d’états. Lincoln won and then did something that surprised everyone. He put the very men he battled with on his cabinet. He called them his Team of Rivals. They provided a variety of perspectives and tension filled solutions that avoided the yes-man groupthink that mark so many presidential cabinets.

Now you might not put rivals on your team, but Lincoln’s point is well taken. There needs to be the right amount of creative friction to produce the creative tension needed to refine new ideas and challenge old assumptions.

A good leader will know the boiling point so that the tension doesn’t get overbearing or melt the team.

Here’s the real danger: the discussion on teams can shut down quickly, followed by an undue pressure to act on that decision without buy in from those doing the work. The result is sluggish execution that hits another domino where leaders now feel a need to micromanage and mandate.

Organizations need to have their own decision-making process in place that uses the organizations best asset—their people. In doing so the executive is now truly leading everyone on the team.

As you lead your team, try on these six guidelines for better decision-making.

1. Rethink Old Solutions. “It didn’t work before,” but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be tried again. Maybe with the current changes and some adaption it might work better.
2. Go Slow In Order To Go Fast. Don’t be in a rush. That can eliminate asking the right questions. Put down the stop watch. There is a time for expediency, but quick decisions aren’t always the best. If you feel there is an urgency, ask what is influencing that? Why the rush? Are we able to allow more research and input?

“Be quick, but not in a hurry.” John Wooden

3. Operate At The Intersection Of Order And Chaos. There is no need for ironclad control. Loosen the reigns on the discussion. Don’t focus on power. Focus on leadership that welcomes alternative solutions. Develop a culture that values multiple perspectives. Egos should be checked at the door, and dissenting views are not personal attacks.
4. Listen. The best way to do this is by asking clarifying questions. Let them know you heard them and take them deeper in their thinking.
5. Seek the right information, not more information. The best solutions come by spending more time defining the problem. Clarifying the problem, goal or objective crystalizes the information search.
6. Make “good enough” decisions. We seldom make the 100% decision. Sometimes a good decision now is better than a perfect decision later. This is essential to remember in today’s fast-paced world.

When it comes to decision-making, effective leaders know when to release control. They delegate and build confidence in others. They see their team’s successes as a way of leveraging their own leadership competencies.

The post 6 Ways To Make Better Decisions appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

Research has shown that too many choices can lead to discouragement, frustration, and ultimately a failure. Fewer choices = better results.

What we label a “lack of willpower” could in fact be too many choices.

There is a famous experiment on the purchase of jams entitled When choice is demotivating. When too many choices of jams (24-30), were presented, sales plummeted. When the choices were limited to 6, sales increased.

This goes against the premise that is promoted in our modern information society. We talk about options as though they were the key to success and satisfaction. It’s a false assumption. We need information like we need food. Yet too much food leads to obesity. It’s time to ban

infobesity: the relentless feast of online information

We want more choices because information is addictive.  Dopamine causes you to want, desire, seek out and search. Dopamine makes you curious about ideas and fuels your search for more information.

It’s nice to have options. Having a few options is better than having none. But too many choices can cripple our ability to succeed. The researchers call it “choice overload.” Reducing our choices can be beneficial.

Here are 4 ways subtracting our choices can become a plus.

1.Fewer choices deliver more satisfaction. Variety is the spice of life, but only to an extent. Too much variety can sour life. Making choices with our values in mind helps point out where the spice of life ends and sourness begins. When “limiting our options” is guided by what is important to us, our options bring personal satisfaction. These become value-based options instead of a smorgasbord of choices.

2. Fewer choices create energy. Extensive choices can have demotivating consequences. When the options are fewer we are more energized to participate. This is true whether we are shopping, joining, investing, or goal setting. The never ending choices do more immobilizing than motivating.

In one study, students were offered an extra credit paper for their class. They were instructed to choose from a list of topics. Some had a list of 6, and some had a list of 30. The fewer options consistently produced a higher completion rate as well as a higher quality paper. The energy level both to participate and produce was increased.

3. Fewer choices decrease second-guessing. Having unlimited options can lead to questioning our choices. In our “option-rich” environment we can find ourselves wondering about the choices left on the table. In another experiment students were given the choice of chocolates. Two groups were again tested – one with 6 choices and one with thirty. Both groups were happy with the multiplicity of choices. But in the end the group with more choices displayed a higher level of regret for not having made an alternate choice.

4. Fewer choices deepen learning. In today’s world the amount of information is endless! Too many things to learn means we don’t learn anything well. Deciding on what we want to master, and then taking it deep, is more empowering than dabbling in endless subjects and ideas just a click away — ricocheting from one thought to the next.

It’s hard to go deep in the fast lane.

What is needed for personal mastery is not more information, but interpretation – not more content, but context. Deciding what we will learn and filtering out the rest creates comprehension and clarity.

A culture always setting itself up for the “next NEW thing” can create chronic dissatisfaction.

Choices are not intrinsically bad. It’s the complexity that too many can create that causes us to quit – or not start. Streamlining our choices reduces the complexity that hampers good outcomes.

It’s an irony. Subtraction can become a plus. Like any art it improves with practice.

The post Harnessing the Power of Less appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

Who hasn’t been discouraged by lack of follow through or falling short of a desired goal or milestone? There are probably some good objective reasons why this occurred. But one that may go undetected is the surplus of options that we encounter. That might sound strange, for it seems at first glance that options are what allows us to choose well.

Research has shown that too many choices can lead to discouragement, frustration, and ultimately a failure. Fewer choices = better results.

What we label a “lack of willpower” could in fact be too many choices.

There is a famous experiment on the purchase of jams entitled When choice is demotivating. When too many choices of jams (24-30), were presented, sales plummeted. When the choices were limited to 6, sales increased.

This goes against the premise that is promoted in our modern information society. We talk about options as though they were the key to success and satisfaction. It’s a false assumption. We need information like we need food. Yet too much food leads to obesity. It’s time to ban

infobesity: the relentless feast of online information

We want more choices because information is addictive. Dopamine causes you to want, desire, seek out and search. Dopamine makes you curious about ideas and fuels your search for more information.

It’s nice to have options. Having a few options is better than having none. But too many choices can cripple our ability to succeed. The researchers call it “choice overload.” Reducing our choices can be beneficial.

Here are 4 ways subtracting our choices can become a plus.

1.Fewer choices deliver more satisfaction. Variety is the spice of life, but only to an extent. Too much variety can sour life. Making choices with our values in mind helps point out where the spice of life ends and sourness begins. When “limiting our options” is guided by what is important to us, our options bring personal satisfaction. These become value-based options instead of a smorgasbord of choices.

2. Fewer choices create energy. Extensive choices can have demotivating consequences. When the options are fewer we are more energized to participate. This is true whether we are shopping, joining, investing, or goal setting. The never ending choices do more immobilizing than motivating.

In one study, students were offered an extra credit paper for their class. They were instructed to choose from a list of topics. Some had a list of 6, and some had a list of 30. The fewer options consistently produced a higher completion rate as well as a higher quality paper. The energy level both to participate and produce was increased.

3. Fewer choices decrease second-guessing. Having unlimited options can lead to questioning our choices. In our “option-rich” environment we can find ourselves wondering about the choices left on the table. In another experiment students were given the choice of chocolates. Two groups were again tested – one with 6 choices and one with thirty. Both groups were happy with the multiplicity of choices. But in the end the group with more choices displayed a higher level of regret for not having made an alternate choice.

4. Fewer choices deepen learning. In today’s world the amount of information is endless! Too many things to learn means we don’t learn anything well. Deciding on what we want to master, and then taking it deep, is more empowering than dabbling in endless subjects and ideas just a click away — ricocheting from one thought to the next.

It’s hard to go deep in the fast lane.

What is needed for personal mastery is not more information, but interpretation – not more content, but context. Deciding what we will learn and filtering out the rest creates comprehension and clarity.

A culture always setting itself up for the “next NEW thing” can create chronic dissatisfaction.

Choices are not intrinsically bad. It’s the complexity that too many can create that causes us to quit – or not start. Streamlining our choices reduces the complexity that hampers good outcomes.

It’s an irony. Subtraction can become a plus. Like any art it improves with practice.

The post Harnessing the Power of Less appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

At home white noise prevents me from thinking about the most important details in my life, at least until recently. This summer I spent three weeks in the interior of Botswana. No cell phone. No calls thus no returned calls. No internet connection. No Facebook. For about two days I was antsy. Then the frustration subsided and turned into a peaceful presence.

Finally I have time to think about the real issues of life and death. We are born, we eat, grow, develop, breed, protect, accumulate, and die. Armand Hammer said it well, “I’d give all I have to be 30 again.” Dream on Armand. You can’t be 30 again. You can only be here—now. Out here in the bush the elements become a bigger issue. It’s cold, and I can see my breath. I am thankful for warmth. I am hungry and thankful for food. I have my health. When I am not injured, I am thankful.

Our Bushman Trackers provide guidance. Without them, we’d be lost. Our Professional Hunter (PH) makes it safer. Without him we’d be on the menu!! The manager, the cook, the service, the cleaning–usually taken for granted, but not now. And the elephants– huge bulls 2 stories high — with their keen sense of smell, alert me to the direction of the wind. I’m in touch with the elements like never before. To walk circumspectly is more than a catch phrase.

Going through the thicket, a thorn rips into my clothing, and occasionally my skin. I am much more aware of where I am going. I keep my eye on the target, while at the same time pay close attention to the step in front of me. Like life, there are occasional snags along the way– a step I’d like to have back as I notice the rip in my pants, the tear in my shirt with red liquid seeping through. My boot gets caught in a tripwire-like root. I get untangled, forget about it, and become more alert before taking the next step. There is no time for self-degradation. Intense tracking and walking—7 to15 kilometers (4-10miles) a day in the sun and tough terrain. Parts of my brain that don’t get much use are now firing.

I live in a 72 degree world. But in my tent at the Kukama Camp . . .I lay in bed and can see my breath (I’ve never slept with a hot water bottle before). By noon, the heat welcomed a few hours earlier, is now hotter than comfortable. You learn to adjust to the elements quickly. And that adjustment is not, at first sight, easy. Yet it is essential for success in this environment.

So what’s the point?

Life is full of adventures, and every moment of every day requires some kind of adjustment. Success demands it. Adjustment and growth are a requirement if success and fulfillment are to be grasped.

Intentional choices must be made or success will only be a dream. And when dreams collide with reality, reality wins! Success finds itself dependant upon growth. But there is no growth without change, and there is no change without loss, and there is no loss without pain. If you are going to grow, you will have to change, and change means you let go of some old things in order to grab hold of some new things.

It’s like swinging on a trapeze; the trapeze artist swings out on one bar, and then he has to reach out and grab the other one. At some point, he has to let go of this one to grab the other, or he’s not going to make it to the other side. If he thinks he can hold onto both, what happens? He loses momentum, gets stuck in the middle, and he’s going down.

Many professionals today are stuck in the middle, and are going down because they haven’t let go of old patterns, old habits, and old ways of thinking. We have to let go of our old ways—our fatigued and worn out approaches to success.

Tracking animals requires patience, boredom, intensity, confusion, courage, commitment, and no second guessing. So does tracking our idea of success. It won’t happen until we take the time to allow our souls to catch up with our bodies. All the distractions set us up to keep out of touch with ourselves. Instead of being in tune with our souls, we strive, stretch, scratch, and push ourselves beyond the red line of our physical, emotional, and spiritual tachometers to keep pace with a world that says, “you are inadequate. You need to do more, get more, own more, produce more, give more. You are not enough as you are.”

Pushing the pause button, for most of us, doesn’t seem like a doable option. In the southwestern United States, the Hopi Indians had a word for this: koyaanisqatsi (coy-on-is-cot-see). It means living out of balance. In other words, half alive and half here. It’s not that we don’t sense the problem. But kicking out the cord on the treadmill seems, at times, impossible. So we fall prey to the solution of running faster and pushing harder to find it. We don’t allow our souls to catch up with our bodies. Out of balance. Half alive. Half here.

Pascal put it bluntly. “By means of a diversion, we can avoid our own company twenty-four hours a day.”

It’s time to sit still—everyday. Enter your day slowly. Periodically practice the power of pausing. Taking a break means TAKING a break. Create uncluttered time. No one will do if for you. Dust off the sign “I’M CLOSED NOW”, and keep it within reach. Head for the bush and give yourself a chance to explore your OWN terrain.

Success requires it.

The post Pushing the Pause Button appeared first on Mick Ukleja.

Webster defines “Contentment” as the choice to be at peace with yourself and at peace with the world around you.

Contentment doesn’t lead to apathy.  It leads to energy, where I feel more rather than just trying to feel better.

There is a reason why the religions of the world basically say that all there is, is all there is, and all there is — is enough.  The ancient Scriptures remind us of a contemporary truth – that if we cultivate discontentment instead of contentment, then no matter how much we accumulate or achieve, we will not be fulfilled or happy.

Interestingly enough, science has affirmed this truth. Being thankful leads to:

• lower stress
• stronger immune system
• improved cardiovascular function
• increased energy
• less likelihood of depression
• deeper sleep
• stronger relationships
• deeper sense of purpose
• better coping strategies

Our culture tends to celebrate self-glorification. Therefore we set aside a day as a reminder to celebrate grateful hearts.  Gratitude lifts us above our own demands and broadens our peripheral vision so that we take delight in the gifts surrounding us.

How is this possible when there is so much suffering?

It’s instructive to remember the Massachusetts Pilgrims original harvest celebration was surrounded by disease, death, and deprivation.  And when Abraham Lincoln gave the proclamation for this National Day, it was 1863 in the midst of the worst conflict in American history, the Civil War.  Both were marked by extreme suffering.

Gratitude is not a map as much as it is a compass that points us to the realities of numerous blessings.  And it broadens our perspective so we can see the source of those blessings.

David Hume referred to gratitude as a Calm Passion. It doesn’t have the theatrical potential of anger, hatred, courage, or sacrifice.  We will never see a movie full of contented characters living lives of gratitude. Yet it is the very thing that makes life at the same time both livable and delightful.

Since it’s so important, what can we do to enhance it?  Here are 3 excercises:

1. Be yourself – This is a challenge in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else.  “I’m not pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, rich enough.” It’s a virus that fouls up our emotional hard drive.  It’s the temptation to change so people will like you.  Work on being yourself and the right people will love you.  As counterintuitive as it is, it will increase your gratitude and contentment.
2. Live the only place you can…today – It’s easy for all of us to try and live in another time and place.  Some lament about what they could have done or might have become.  The past is gone and the future doesn’t exist.  Think all you want about the past, but it won’t change a thing.  Don’t fantasize about vacation at work.  And don’t worry about all the work piling up on vacation.  Instead, live today, focusing on all the blessings unfolding before you.
3. Saunter into your day – The word saunter comes from the Middle Ages – saint terre.  Everything was considered sainted, including the earth. Therefore to saunter is “to walk on the earth with reverence for its holiness”. The opposite is to race. In the fast lane it’s hard to integrate or go deep.  When we take the time to live in the slow lane and reflect on the wonders of life, we surround ourselves with a deeper, more profound experience of contentment.  Don’t forget to saunter, i.e. enter your day slowly.

These 3 tips will help your gratitude muscle become stronger.  You will grow in your contentment and attract more success into your life—including grateful people.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The post 3 Ways To Exercise Your Most Important Emotional Muscle appeared first on Mick Ukleja.