Tag: change

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motivation

Keep a Dream Alive!

Keep a dream alive

Dreams are important. They are crucial to change. I was thumbing through my notebooks and found this quote from 2012. I don’t see anywhere online where this Zig Ziglar quote is attributed, but it sounds like something he would say.

The reason the Israelites wandered forty years in the wilderness because they lost their dream.

Zig Ziglar

What a powerful quote! If you don’t know the story of the Israelites’ forty-year detour, it began when twelve spies venture out to assess the land they were about to conquer. Ten came back with a report that the land was fertile, but the occupants were too much to conquer.

Two spies reported with God’s help, they could conquer the land. The people listened to the ten spies with a negative report instead of the two that had faith. As a result, It took another forty years before they could return and conquer the land.

God gave Moses the dream and he cast that dream to the people. They thought they were ready until they faced opposition. As a result, it took forty more years of vision casting before the people were ready.

It reminded me of a dream I had six years ago that ended badly. When that happens, the temptation is to give up, lick my wounds, and coast. But a life without a dream is like being in a barren, dry wilderness. The wrong lesson is to learn to be comfortable in the wilderness

Yes, keep a dream alive!

Keep dreaming! Maybe the last couple of years have been hard on you too. Resist the temptation to just live in comfortable discomfort. If a dream ended badly, consider how that dream can be modified. Or dream a new dream! There is reason to keep hope alive and move forward.

Categories
motivation

One step from irrelevance

broken car by the tree
Photo by Tom Fisk on Pexels.com

This article by Evans Baiya in Fast Company reminded me that we are one step from irrelevance.

Either we will be the catalyst for innovation or resist it. While change is hard for many of us, it is powerful. But many don’t like any change. We’d just as soon let the car get filthy and let nature take its course.

Cartoon of a man an woman staring at a car. The man says, "I can't wash it now and destroy life! There's sprouts growing in the dirt."

We can resist change and pay a price, or we can be innovators and reap the benefits of being part of the solution. Change is happening. Do you embrace it, or are you one step from irrelevance?

Categories
Bible Proverbs

Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the LORD determines our steps. Proverbs 16:9

We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.

Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)

Proverbs 16:9 reminds me while it is good to plan, there are things I cannot predict, nor prepare for.

That may not feel very comfortable. Good and bad things happen every day. Layoffs, tough breaks, and a worldwide pandemic are just a few items that don’t make us feel great.

We can debate why things happen or if they ever should occur. But in the end, It is foolish to fight the unexpected things we can’t influence.

Lots of change will come into our lives.

  • Some of it will be good
  • Some of it will be uncomfortable
  • There will be unexpected twists and turns
  • One or two can be happy accidents
  • Others can feel tragic and unfair
  • Then there will be some that will make us shake our heads and roll our eyes

I choose to embrace the change God brings into my life. I will continue to plan and prepare for what I can foresee. But there are events, mishaps, and surprises no one can predict. It is best for me to know what I can control and make positive changes, while I let go of what is simply out of my jurisdiction.

Categories
Leadership motivation

Are You Still a Great Leader?

smiling adult businessman at table with gadgets holding presentation
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels.com

COVID-19 has changed business in monumental ways, including the traits of effective leadership. The other day, I read an article on Inc.com entitled, If You Don’t Make These 5 Changes, You’re Not a Great Leader Anymore by Bill Murphy, Jr. He followed a study that tracked emergent leaders. It found that today’s effective leaders take actionable forms of leadership are more likely to be seen as great leaders.

The findings in the article state that there are five necessary qualities to be an effective leader in today’s climate:

  1. Monitor More
  2. More Feedback
  3. Coordinating Teamwork
  4. More Altruism
  5. Recognizing a New Paradigm

What I got out of the article is that effective leaders change with the times. Much of office leadership today is done virtually. A good leader observes what continues to work and experiments with the factors that no longer serve him or her.

People change, technology changes and situations change. The leader that acknowledges this and changes as well will continue to make great strides. Leadership takes responsibility and changes with the times.

What are you changing today to keep your leadership effective?

Categories
motivation

Seth Godin on the truth about rubylith

When I read Seth Godin’s take on change and advancements in graphic arts, I was taken aback by how right he was.

When I was in college, and early in my graphic arts career, rubylith was the only way to get solid areas for plate making. We would use it to allow space for halftone photos. The following video shows how it was done:

How graphic artists used rubylith and amberlith

This was the only way to effectively create layouts for graphic arts… until desktop publishing came along. Frankly, I was very glad when computer took over graphic arts. Rubylith was time-consuming. If I made one mistake, I would have to start over. Programs such as Aldus Freehand and Adobe Illustrator became my friends. I still use Adobe Illustrator today.

There was nothing wrong with using rubylith, especially when it was the only way to achieve some effects. But now Adobe Illustrator makes that work easier and faster. When the transition began, I remember several graphic artists that were not fans of the new way. Many eventually came around. Some held on to the bitter end when they were forced to retire or explore other careers.

Now that I am in the second half of my career, I would like to think that when something better comes along, I will embrace it. The change was good then. I see systems and techniques in my current role that have worked well. But could there be something better that we haven’t explored or have been blind to? Are we holding on to another type of rubylith?

No matter how old you are, I encourage you to embrace change. I can understand why artists with decades of traditional layout experience resisted change. But it didn’t serve them well. If there is a new way to do things, check it out. it may be the best thing that ever happened to your career or even your life.