How Good Do We Have To Be?

by | Sep 23, 2007

The following is a quote from a great book How Good Do We Have To Be? by Harold S. Kushner:

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“When we do something wrong, because we are human and our choices are so complicated and temptation so strong, we do not lose our humanity. However, we do lose our integrity, our sense of wholeness, of being the same person all the time. We create a situation where part of us, our good self, is at war with another part of us, our weak and selfish side. We lose the focus, the singleness of purpose, that enables us to do the things that matter to us. That is when we need the religious gift of atonement and forgiveness (making our split selves at one). But  should we ever conclude that there is no point in trying to be good enough, that is when we lose everything. Being human can never mean being perfect, but it should always mean struggling to be as good as we can and never letting our failures be a reason for giving up the struggle.”
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Isn’t this an interesting thought?  All of us are imperfect. We all will make mistakes, commit errors, hurt others, and fail. This is inevitable and part of our individual paths to knowledge, wisdom and growth. 

The question is – what do we do with these failures? Where do they go inside us?

We all know people who carry around guilt and use it as a weapon. We know people who attempt to blame everyone else for self-made challenges.

A valuable lesson to learn is the trick of  looking closely at things that go wrong for the gifts they bring. Sometimes these gifts are well hidden and we must dig deep to find them. Then allow yourself the freedom to release the wrongness in whatever way works for you. Ask forgiveness from yourself, others who are affected and from God, the Universe or whatever you might call the source of all our power. This forgiveness allows us to carry on without the burdens that are so heavy to carry and add up so quickly to create an overwhelming load.

This applies to wrongs done to others as well as to ourselves. We, as humans,  are not perfect and do not want to be. Life is however, perfect as it is!  

And never stop trying! We all know and have heard many times there are only two ways to live. You are either dying or growing. There is no standing still in life. Your choice! 

So then – How good do we have to be?  What do you think?

Why Are We (You) Really Working?

by | Aug 23, 2007

I have spent a lot of time lately thinking about why we work and it’s relationship to happiness. Yes I know it is to get money – and for a very special few there is that satisfaction of working just because they absolutely love what they are doing.

However we are talking about the mainstream and I will leave it to you to decide where you fit.

The people I coach and consult seem to be working for money. Always more money to live a better lifestyle, to send kids to great schools, to live in good houses in good neighborhoods (with good schools), have a decent car, health insurance, and save for the future.

To accomplish all that, many people work way more than 40 hours a week, and a lot commute to work taking up another hour or two a day.

That leaves the nights for kids, spouses or partners, and relaxing to get ready for the same tomorrow. Weekends are spent for the most part catching up at the house, or the cabin, or the car(s), attending kids events, and possibly even a getaway.

And, lest we forget, the one or two weeks vacation out of every 52.

How many are saving for the future? Few, if polls are to believed at all.

I guess my point is this. What is the point?

It seems to me we are losing the kids as there is not enough time left for them. The kids are being raised by teachers, who are overwhelmed and underpaid.

Not many people are saving enough for a ‘retirement’ no matter how hard they struggle.

Values and morals are plummenting as evidenced by TV, music and video. Violence is common and almost accepted as the norm.

And millions of people tune into ‘reality’ shows because they do not have a reality of their own.

All of this I see daily although our family has not had programmed TV in our house in 15 years, nor do we get newspapers or magazines (except National Geographic), our two children have been homeschooled from the very beginning, and we live on a horse farm where labor and participation by all is mandatory.

Which brings me back to happiness. What is it and how do you define it – for you?

Does your work help create happiness in your life? Or take it away? How do you define happiness?

I would love to know. Please leave your comments here.

Until next time.

Don’t worry, be happy!

Miami

Learning to let go

by | Aug 2, 2007

One of the challenges I have found in entrepreneurs (which includes me) is the ability to let go. We tend to want to do everything ourselves.

Either we think it is the only way to get it done correctly, or that we can do it quicker, better, or cheaper.

That is crazy. We are just control freaks!

What we do best in create a vision of the future and inspire others how to get it.

If we spend the majority of our time doing all the things we should be letting others do, we are not clarifying and communicating vision. And on top of that we are holding others back from realizing their potential.

Either way it hurts someone. You or them.

Let go of something today. Find someone else who can do it and pay them. It might be uncomfortable at first, and more work as you have to show them how you want it done, but in the end you have given someone else a job, and freed yourself up to do more of what you do best.

You do know what that is don’t you?

I’m working on another product I think you will find fascinating. Several years ago I was taught a phenomenal way of communicating by simply looking at someone.

 

Building Business And Personal Growth

by | Jul 5, 2007

Last week I wrote about the need to maintain relationships to reach business and personal growth goals and offered a call to share an easy to use, very inexpensive solution.

I wondered what others had to say about it:

“Strange is our situation here upon earth. Each of us comes for a short visit, not knowing why, yet sometimes seeming to divine a purpose. From the standpoint of daily life, however, there is one thing we do know: that man is here for the sake of other men.”
— Albert Einstein

“The soft stuff is always harder than the hard stuff.”
— Roger Enrico
Vice Chairman, Pepsico

“Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.”
— Mother Teresa

People don’t want to be “marketed TO”; they want to be “communicated WITH.”
– Flint McGlaughlin

This very simple solution is: sending written personal cards.

Who do you want to reach out and touch?

 

 

I can show you how I do it!

A priority on happiness

by | Jun 25, 2007

How important is happiness to you?

When I wrote the book BeDoHave in 2002, I believed happiness was found through defining and creating success for us as individuals. The book lays out the steps I use to help clients find happiness so as a reader you could do the same.
(it’s available at www.bedohaveu.com)

I have since learned there is one crucial element not covered sufficiently well in the book because I simply wasn’t as aware of it as I am now. That is relationships. I said then being happy was not about acquiring or having. In fact happiness is much more about sharing and giving.

Not only is personal happiness and success built around relationships with others but so is business success. Try doing business by yourself sometime. That is a challenge!

As a person who tends to stay at home, and away from the places most opportune to meet people, I have limited my ability to create and maintain relationships to maximize both personal and business growth needs. Realizing this, I have lately been taking advantage of opportunities to get out and meet others.

But how do I build and maintain a relationship begun in this manner?

Earlier this year I was introduced to a simple online system that beautifully solves this dilemma for me.

On Tuesday July 17 at 730 pm EST you are invited to join in on a conference call where I will share with you one way I have learned to improve happiness. Both personal happiness in everyday giving and business happiness in how to build and maintain relationships in a very simple and inexpensive manner taking less that ten minutes a day of your time or an assistants’ time.

Mark your calendar now! The phone number to call is 1-218-486-1300 and the access is 298866. You will want to be in front of your computer (and on the internet) for this one hour sharing.

See you then!

Miami

p.s. I am working hard to get a very special guest on the call.
I’ll know for sure in the next several weeks.

pps This whole line of thinking has greatly influenced my future plans. Over the next few months I am making drastic changes in all aspects of my life, leading to a very special and exciting event for us in late fall this year or early next year. Interested in happiness? You will absolutely benefit from following this journey!