Category: motivation

Categories
motivation

The Steps to Success

The Steps to Success

All of us want to succeed. But very few of us want to take the steps to success if that means we fail at something. I get it. Who says, “Yes! Give me more failure, please!”

William Whewell Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/william_whewell_126253, accessed February 1, 2022.

Honestly, until today I wasn’t aware of who William Whewell was. The guy was a renaissance man long after that era was over. He was an Anglican priest, scientist, polymath, and philosopher. Whewell gave us the words “scientist” and “physicist” among others. In short, he was a genius.

Yet, he also saw the value of trying, failing, learning, and trying again to succeed. We may be risk-averse, but without the possibility of failing, there is no path to success. Failure and achievement go hand in hand.

We each have a choice on whether to make something of significance or to avoid the risk of failure and appearing foolish. Each thought we have towards a goal has to be tested. Let’s face it. not every thought we have is going to succeed in the real world.

In a world full of manufactured goods, we are tempted to believe that since that product looks consistent and perfect now, there was never any failure involved. However, I have seen how much trial and error goes into a product and marketing campaign. No one gets it right on the first try.

An assembly line may create a consistent, perfect product now, but how did that product get to that point? Even the assembly line took some testing, failing, and readjusting before it ran smoothly.

Even then, it may not run perfectly one-hundred percent of the time. Has anybody heard of product recalls? Hopefully, a company learns and improves from each one.

So I encourage you to take some steps to achieve today. Be bold enough to try, make some mistakes, learn, and climb the steps to success.

Categories
motivation

Ambition and Happiness

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don't put off being happy until some future date.” Dale Carnegie

My wife and I have a cat that is perpetually seeking the perfect lap. She wants the person whose lap she occupies to have her undivided attention. Her goal is to rest on top of our arms so that we can’t do anything but pay attention to her. She has a disconnect between ambition and happiness.

The cat is rarely satisfied. She leaves our lap not because she is content, but because she has given up on having us submit to her desires.

Cat lying on top of a Bible
Miley, the Cat, on the Word ©2022 Kevin Spear

A lot of us are like that. We want something that is just out of reach. We are convinced we won’t be happy until we achieve a goal. Our ambition drives us to discontentment if we aren’t careful.

I too have ambition and If I am not careful, I can allow it to put off happiness. I can be so focused on the future, I miss out on what good things are happening today. A quote by Dale Carnegie reminds me how foolish this can be.

“Many people think that if they were only in some other place, or had some other job, they would be happy. Well, that is doubtful. So get as much happiness out of what you are doing as you can and don’t put off being happy until some future date.”

Dale Carnegie

We can get too busy to have fun. We try to hustle today to make things happen for tomorrow. But what if we are missing out on today’s blessings?

Don’t postpone happiness! We can pursue goals and have ambitions without sacrificing today’s well-being.

  • Count our blessings and write them down
  • Have a conversation with a loved one
  • If today is frustrating, ask “What does today make possible?”
  • Go for a walk and take in some nature

It is good to have ambitions. But don’t forget we have today to enjoy as well.

Categories
motivation

Character and Reputation

Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.

Thomas Paine was born 285 years ago today on January 29, 1737. He was a revolutionary and author of the pamphlet, Common Sense among others. He knew a few things about character and reputation. As I was reading some of his quotes, this one stood out to me.

“Reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what God and angels know of us.”
Thomas Paine

Thomas Paine Quotes. BrainyQuote.com, BrainyMedia Inc, 2022. https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/thomas_paine_117868, accessed January 29, 2022.

Reputation

Our reputations are valuable currency. They are the result of many decisions and actions we have made throughout our lives. We can earn part of it while other parts are the opinions of friends and enemies.

We can have a great reputation with those within our tribe and a notorious reputation with those who oppose our views. Influence comes from our words and actions. If both are in agreement, our reputation can give us authority and good stature. It may even give us fame and prominence.

When making any to hire someone, we value a good reputation. After all, when we search for a babysitter, we want someone who is dependable, good-natured, and great with our children. We value a babysitter’s trustworthiness.

However, our standing can fall due to the gossip and opinion of others. The tribe we associate with may change their views. One generation holds one view while the other has a different value.

We have both an individual reputation and one that others ascribe to our group. And yes, our group can change. While we were once part of the younger generation, we age. Elders once thought we were radical, but the younger generation may think we are fuddy-duddy. It happens fast!

While we can control part of our reputation, other parts are out of our control. In the end, it is simply what others think of us.

Character

Therefore, Thomas Paine’s quote reminds me how important character is. It is who we are behind closed doors. It is the choices we make when no one is watching.

  • Do we do the right thing every time, or only when we have an audience?
  • Are the words we speak in line with what we ourselves are doing?
  • Are we more concerned with our prominence than living who we really are?

Unfortunately, someone can have a great reputation, but lousy character… at least for a time. But I have seen so many people held in high-esteem fall because their true character was revealed. No one can keep up a charade forever. If our reputation is great, but our character is lousy, it will be revealed sooner or later.

My prayer is that all of us may have a good reputation and character. While the first may not always be in our control, the second is definitely up to us.

Categories
motivation

Carbon Copy

Carbon Copy

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by my dad’s office. I would see his typewriter and imagine pounding away at it and creating fun stories. But what really fascinated me was his carbon sheets. With it, I could draw or write something and the sheets would make a carbon copy of what was underneath.

The sheets were very useful in an age where there were no copiers or printers in a home office. Why this seven-year-old was fascinated with them, I’ll never know. After all, I could make a copy, but could I make something original with the sheets? After all, I never saw a carbon copy hung on a refrigerator door.

It took extra effort to make a copy. But even so, it was still a copy. And it wasn’t nearly as crisp or clear as the original. It took some effort to make a copy. It took even more effort to make an original from the sheets.

This quote reminds me when we try to copy others, it doesn’t feel quite as efficient as being the real thing.

“Do not be awe-struck by other people and try to copy them. Nobody can be you as efficiently as you can.”

Norman Vincent Peale (1898 – 1993)

Learning Instead of Duplicating

We can certainly learn from others. After all, I still love to read and pick up tips and tricks from others. In one of Dan Roam’s books, he talks about how Dr. Seuss influenced him as a child. I learned from Dr. Seuss, as well as Charles Schulz, and scores of other writers and illustrators. It’s great to get inspired and learn from others.

We can learn from others without trying to be carbon copies. We will know we are going too far in emulating our heroes and mentors when it feels awkward. Not every trick, habit, or quirk a hero has is worth emulating. Just because Steve Jobs wore black turtle neck sweaters doesn’t mean every software developer has to follow suit.

Learn from others, yet be your own person. The world doesn’t need more carbon copies of a celebrity, mentor, or rock-star software developer. We need the latest version of you!

Categories
motivation

Have Patience

Today, we will almost certainly need to maintain our composure. If we are parents of young kids, we’ll need it. Waiting for that business deal, or dealing with the workflow will require us to be patient. And someone who is inconsiderate, insincere, or just rude will require a little more from us. We all need a heaping dose of patience.

cartoon of a guy tapping his fingers impatiently on a table

One of those areas will affect some of us more than others. Yet, there is someone all of us will need great tolerance for. That person is ourselves. This quote reminds us we need to give ourselves a break.

“Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections but instantly set about remedying them – every day begin the task anew.”

Saint Francis de Sales (1567 – 1622)

Of all the people we need patience with, ourselves can be the hardest. We know our thoughts and actions. We can be hard on ourselves way too much. If we have high standards, we will most likely fall short.

Patience Keeps us Moving

However, we all need to give ourselves a break. Because if we aren’t patient with ourselves, we are going to get stuck. Our frustration with our own imperfections will keep us from moving forward.

Instead of mulling over why we did this or that, consider what it would look like to improve. That will keep us moving in the right direction instead of wasting all of our time berating ourselves for our imperfections.

Giving Ourselves a Break Let’s Us Helps Us Help Others

When we give ourselves grace, we are in a much better place to help others. It opens us up to empathy because we can acknowledge we aren’t perfect. High standards are good until it makes us intolerant of human behavior. What is the point of perfection if it alienates us from others?

When we acknowledge we still have much to learn, it helps us to have the patience and empathy to teach others.

Today, let’s give ourselves a little grace, learn from our imperfections and mistakes, and move forward. It can even help us teach others how to overcome some of the obstacles we have faced.