Above Mediocrity

Problems Go Away When You Ignore Them, Right?

2011-12-31T10:27:00.000-05:00

In my daily walk of life, I tend to hear from lots of good people that seem to be struggling in different areas of life. They’re broke, or unmotivated, or in a job they hate, or they can’t find their passion, or they can’t get motivated to get healthy.

The challenge is that they aren't sure how or where to start.

I can relate, I feel their pain, because I have lived through it as well. I know the feeling of despair when you are unhappy with your life and don’t know how to change. When you’ve tried lots of changes, but couldn’t find the discipline to make them stick. When you feel crappy about yourself because you know you should get off your butt and start improving your life, but you’d rather put it off for another day.

Problems go away when you ignore them, right?

We all know the answer to that question. I also know that there is really only one way out of this mire of despair. It’s to take an action, no matter how tiny. You don’t need to fix everything in your life right now. You don’t even need to fix one thing. You just need to do one little, miniscule, almost nothing thing. Make a list. Go outside and take a walk. Get rid of some of your junk food. Clear off your kitchen table. Cancel something tomorrow so you can make time to create something, no matter how small. Don’t do all of these. Do one. Or half of one, or one thousandth. It doesn’t matter how small — the smaller, the better. Take that first step. Celebrate that first step. Love the step, not the destination. That step, even the motion of taking the first foot off the ground and moving it forward — that’s everything. That’s the truth, and you’ll not read it in many self-help books: put every microparticle of your existence into that half step, and be nothing but that half step, and love it with all you have … and your life has changed. With this half step, everything is different. You haven’t achieved any goals … but you’ve moved. You haven’t created something amazing … and yet, more than ever before, you have. You’ve created beauty and joy and movement where none existed before, where previously only constriction and paralysis and confusion lived. You have changed the world.

First Things First

Choose one little habit to add joy to your life. Just one, and tiny is miraculous. It can be writing or painting or making music for 2 minutes a day. It can be a ridiculously easy walk or jog or enjoying a bowl of fruit. It can be 2 minutes of thinking or reflecting in a journal. What ever you choose, enjoy it exponentially. Create this one habit, and you have a success. This is a foundation, a first step, to build on. Then you can do a second, and a third, but you can’t do those without a first. Don’t change your entire life. Just change this one little thing. You’d be amazed how much that matters.

I was.

You Can Still Get a Kindle By Christmas With Free Shipping

2011-12-19T10:17:00.001-05:00

For Christmas delivery, orders must be placed by 8 pm PST on 12/21

David Attenborough - Wonderful World - BBC

2011-12-14T08:59:00.000-05:00

A Year End Plea....For Coffee

2011-12-13T10:47:00.002-05:00

During your end-of-the-year giving, please consider a donation to Shane's Coffee Fund. All donations are NOT tax deductible, but they will help provide the desperately needed coffee that will keep Shane going with great posts for years to come. Through the generous support of folks like you during our time of need, we will be able to continue our mission of promoting quality blog posts while drinking good coffee. Just click HERE to help. Thank you.

Be Interesting, Be Exceptional, Be Above Mediocrity

2011-12-11T16:22:00.001-05:00

“Whatever you dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.” - Goethe

We live in interesting times.

We live in exceptional times. We’re blessed that way.

The world is changing rapidly and reality is amazing. The way we work is changing, the way we live has already changed. Entire industries are crumbling, and more are growing on their ruins. People are empowered to express themselves, to create, to become a part of a global conversation and transformation, in a way that has never existed before.

What will you do with that? What will your place be in this new, interesting world? Will you have a voice? Will you be a creator, or just a consumer?

Do something.

Do something above mediocrity.

Be a part of the conversation, and say something remarkable. Create something unique, new, beautiful. Build upon the works of others and transform it into your own.

Do What?

Write a book. Or an ebook. Write poetry and publish it on the web. Create interesting, lovely or funny videos, put them on You Tube. Be passionate. Write a web app that will solve a problem in people’s lives. Become a watchdog to replace the faltering newspapers. Explore the world, and blog about it. Try something you’ve always been afraid to try, and put it on video. Be yourself, loudly. Start a new company, doing only one thing, but doing it very well. Start a business that does a service you’ve always wanted, or that you are frustrated with in other companies because the service sucks. Put your heart into something. Say something that no one else dares to say. Do something others are afraid to do. Help someone no one else cares to help.

Make the lives of others better.

Make music that makes others want to weep, to laugh, to create.

Inspire others by being inspiring.

Teach young people to do amazing things. Write a play, get others to act in it, record it. Empower others to do things they’ve never been able to do before. Read, and read, and then write. Love, and love, and then help others to love. Do something good and ask others to pass it on. Be profound. Find focus in a world without it. Become minimalist in a world of dizzying complexity. Reach out to those who are frustrated, depressed, angry, confused, sad, hurt. Be the voice for those without one. Learn, do, then teach. Meet new people, become fast friends. Dare to be wrong. Take lots and lots of pictures. Explore new cultures. Be different. Paint a huge mural. Create a web comic. Be a dork, but do it boldly. Interview people. Observe people. Create new clothes. Take old stuff and make new stuff from it. Read weird stuff. Study the greats, and emulate them. Be interested in others. Surprise people. Start a blog, write at least a little each day. Cook great food, and share it. Be open-minded. Help someone else start a small business. Focus on less but do it better. Help others achieve their dreams. Put a smile on someone’s face, every day. Start an open-source project. Make a podcast. Start a movement. Be brave. Be honest. Be hilarious. Get really, really good at something. Practice a lot. A lot. Start now.

Purpose to Live Above Mediocrity.

Go Ahead, Start Stuff

2011-12-10T11:32:00.001-05:00

"Kids initiate. They create situations. They start ruckuses. All of them. Left to his own devices, the ruckus-causing initiator will continue to do so, forever. He won’t stop at five or ten or twenty years old. The essence of being human is to initiate. But we’re not left to our own devices. We are smothered by parents, snubbed by peers, scolded by teachers, organized by authorities, hired by factories, and brainwashed, relentlessly brainwashed to cease any troublesome behavior. So we do (most of us). Except for those who don’t. The ones who don’t—the troublemakers, starters, instigators, questioners, and innovators—are still busy starting things, big and small." - Seth Godin in Poke the Box

Perhaps

2011-11-26T22:00:00.000-05:00

A farmer's son received a horse as a gift one day. All the neighbors came by saying, "This is wonderful!" The farmer said, "Perhaps."

One day, the boy's horse ran away.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

A few days later, his horse came back with twenty wild horses. The man and his son corralled all 21 horses.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

One of the wild horses kicked the man's only son, breaking both his legs.

All the neighbors came by saying, “I'm so sorry. This is such bad news. You must be so upset.” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

The country went to war, and every able-bodied young man was drafted to fight. The war was terrible and killed every young man, but the farmer's son was spared, since his broken legs prevented him from being drafted.

All the neighbors came by saying, “Congratulations! This is such good news. You must be so happy!” The man just said, “Perhaps.”

Help A Blogger Out

2011-11-25T19:32:00.001-05:00

We are coming to the time to get that shopping list complete. Here is your chance to get those items checked off and help a blogger out at the same time.

If you click through to Amazon from the image above and then make a purchase, I get a percentage of what you spend.

This is a free way for you to make this blogger very happy…

Many other bloggers have the same deal with Amazon as I do. So you can go click on an Amazon link from your favorite blogger’s site, and you could be helping them out as well.

Thanks a lot!

Now go shopping… And remember, you are getting that list completed and helping a blogger out without it costing you anymore than you had already planned on spending. Not to rush you, but there are only a few weeks left so happy shopping.

Endless Possibilities

2011-07-28T10:26:00.001-04:00

What are you waiting for? The possibilities are endless!

Listen Up

2011-07-27T10:53:00.003-04:00

Do you have L.D.D.-Listening Deficit Disorder

In this day and age, there is a lot of noise out there and we tend to hear a lot of things. We have to ask ourselves, "Are we really hearing?" To effectively hear means that we must really listen to what the other person is saying.

It seems many have lost the art of listening to others.

Listening, if done properly, is very hard work.

We live in a world where there is a lot of people are talking, but few are listening. What often passes for listening is usually one person thinking about what they are going to say next.

Listening, like any other skill, requires effort and practice in order to get better at it.

Here are a few tips that I am putting into practice to help improve my listening skills. I use the acrostic H.E.A.R. I hope that this will be useful for you as well.

Have yourself fully in the conversation.
Don't be distracted with other things like continuing to work on the computer or watch television while you are involved in a conversation. It takes a lot of hard work to do this, but you will be glad that you did.

Engage the other person with a question.
I have found that conversations are more interesting and engaging when I do this. I am trying to discipline myself to ask more questions. Instead of just commenting when it’s my turn, I try to ask a question about something the other person said. Perhaps they said something that requires further explanation. Maybe you need an example. Regardless, a question can help the conversation go deeper.

Ask another question. Great questions are the prerequisite for great conversation. Sometimes, like peeling the layers off an onion, you have to peel the conversation back with even more questions. It’s good to ask questions. It’s even better to ask lots of questions. The more you listen, the more insight you gather and the more relevant your comments will be.

Realize the other person's point of view is shaped by more than words. Words are only part of the communication. Sometimes we need to experience the other person’s feelings to really understand. We need to listen with our heart as well as our mind.

Keep these simple but effective tips in mind and you may find your next conversation is far above mediocrity.

Start At The End

2011-07-26T08:00:00.003-04:00

When I was a kid, I loved mazes.

I loved to work my way through any and every maze that I could get my hands on. The thing is, I would always start at the end of the maze and work my way back to the beginning. Then I learned how to design mazes, and I would spend days designing the most intricate mazes that an eight year old boy could design. I even tried my hand at designing 3D mazes. I would make them as challenging as I possibly could by adding lots of dead ends and loops that would bring the would-be "mazer" back to where they had turned off of the course. What I learned early on in designing a challenging maze was that you had to start at the end with the right path and then add the twists, turns, and dead-ends to make it a finished product.

Thinking back on that, made me realize that the projects we take on and the goals that we want to accomplish in our lives work better that way too. You don't just hop in the car and go when it is time for vacation. You start at the end. You know where you want to go and what you want to do when you get there. With the end in mind you can now fill in the details in order to make that goal a reality.

This way of thinking works well with any project or goal that you have. Start at the end thinking about the outcome that you want, then go back to the beginning, where you are at right now, and fill in the middle with the details and actions necessary to win.

Thermometer or Thermostat?

2011-07-25T08:00:00.001-04:00

There is a big difference between the two. Which one are you?

A thermometer is used to measure, for the most part, what is wrong. They are indicators, like the miner's canary. If the canary died, it was pointing out that something was wrong. Most groups, families, or organizations are full of walking, talking thermometers. They are quick to point out or criticize when something is wrong. They are the ones that are always whining and complaining about everything that needs to be changed. "If I ran things around here, it would be a lot different," or something similar is the mantra of the human thermometer.

A thermostat, on the other hand, changes things. It is what synchronizes all of the surrounding environments. A thermostat doesn't point out what is wrong, but it does correct what is wrong.

My dare for you today is to stop being a thermometer and start being a thermostat.

Live above mediocrity and be the instrument for the changes that needs to happen in your environment.

React, Respond, or Initiate, It's Your Choice

2011-07-24T15:31:00.001-04:00

When things happen around us, most people choose to do the easiest thing, they react. Reacting is easy and doesn't require much(really any) effort. Reacting is not the best thing to do either because it carries negative consequences. You say, "What do you mean "negative consequences?" Let me see if I can put it in a different perspective.

You go to the doctor and he prescribes you some medicine, but it is the wrong kind of medicine. You have a reaction. Your body doesn't agree with the medicine and it reacts. Reacting is intuitive and instinctive and usually very dangerous.

You would rather have your body respond to the medicine. Response is always better than reaction.

But both reacting and responding fall terribly short of the best and the hardest thing to do, which is initiating. Initiative is really and truly difficult, but it is what true leaders do. They see the things others are ignoring or are indifferent about and they jump on it and initiate a change. They cause things to happen that others will either react or respond to. Initiators make change happen.

So today, if you want a life that is above mediocrity, I dare you to stop reacting and responding and go start stuff.

Sometimes All It Takes Is A Change In Perspective.

2011-07-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

Just a few of the somewhat mediocre things I come in contact with almost everyday while working in the machine shop. I wondered what would happen if I looked at them from a different perspective. Sometimes a change in perspective is all that's needed to take a common object above mediocrity.