by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Habits, Mindset, Opportunity, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 3 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Magic is about to happen
— From A Year Without Fear: 365 Days of Magnificence: 5-Minute Mind-Set Shifts by Tama Kieves
Someone recently described life as “a work in progress” and it deeply resonated with me. At some point or another, one or more areas of our lives are indeed works in progress, with all the chaos that this might entail: ups and downs, decisions, craziness… and lots of learning for sure! Our work is, in the words of Michelangelo, to discover the statue inside us and chip away the stone to reveal it to the world.
This made me think about a very brief but oh-so-beautiful idea from Tama Kieves, one of my favorite authors, that I’ll share in its entirety with you:
“In a Macy’s department store, I saw a sign in front of a boarded-up construction area.
It read: MAGIC IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN.
It didn’t read: DISASTER IN PROGRESS AND A LOSER CAUSED IT.
So, let’s place that MAGIC sign in front of the unpleasant aspects of our lives.
Reconstruction guaranteed.”
Next time certain parts of your life are under construction, shift your mindset and think of it as something beautiful and magical that is about to happen.
“It’s still magic, even if you know how it’s done.” –Terry Pratchett
And if you are in the New York City area on April 19, come hear Tama Kieves at the Business Library: guaranteed to cause some magic in your life! (It’s free.)
ACTION
TODAY: Examine which areas of your life are “under construction.” Shift your mindset and apply the “Magic is about to happen” sign instead. What would you like the outcome (that is, you) to be/do/have once this magic masterpiece is completed? Set that intention and take one action today that will start or further lead you down that path.
FUTURE: Resolve to change the “under construction” or “work in progress” sign in your life and business to the “Magic is about to happen” one. Visualize and determine what you would like the outcomes to be/do/have once the construction finishes. Set your intentions/goals and work towards them, yet be open to them changing and turning into something much better. How many times do we say, well, I set out to do this, and as it turned out, I ended up with this other thing/result that is so much better… You want to be open for the same to happen to you!
Know someone who needs some magic in their lives? Please share this post with them via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 59 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Age excusitis Part 2 – “I’m too young”
— From The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. (Read an excerpt here.)
Yesterday we looked at the “I’m too old” variety of age excusitis. Today we’re looking at the other side: “the ‘I’m too young’ variety of age excusitis does much damage too. Youth is a liability only when the youth thinks it is. You often hear that certain jobs require ‘considerable’ physical maturity… That you’ve got to have either gray hair or no hair at all… is plain nonsense.” While it’s true that insecure people try to block younger folks’ career paths using age as an excuse, true leadership will give young people as much responsibility as they think they can handle.
To cure youth against age excusitis, Schwartz gives three recommendations:
- “Don’t be age conscious.” Your number of birthdays doesn’t matter, what counts is your ability to get the job done. “When you prove you are able to handle the job… you’re automatically old enough.”
- “Don’t take advantage of your new ‘gold bars’… show respect [for the other people around you, regardless of their age]. Ask them for their suggestions. Make them feel they are working for a team captain, not a dictator. Do this and [people] will work with you, not against you.
- “Get used to having older persons working for you [and alongside you].” More and more leaders are very young nowadays, be comfortable with that thought. If you don’t think this is true, simply take a look at all the 30 under 30 and the 40 under 40 lists and awards in all business categories, you’ll be blown away.
“Remember: your age won’t be a handicap unless you make it one.”
ACTION
TODAY: Do you suffer from this variety of age excusitis in any area of your life? Are you holding yourself back because you think you’re too young? Whoever offered you the job or extended the opportunity thought that you were old enough and capable enough to do so, otherwise they wouldn’t have done it. Honor their belief in you and your skills. Be aware when this excuse pops up in your mind and then ask why 5 times (or as many as needed) to get to the bottom of it. Once you know what is making you create an excuse (Fear of failure? Fear of success? Dig deep!), you’ll be able to realize that age doesn’t matter and you can move forward and create the change you want. Promise yourself that you won’t let age hold you back!
FUTURE: When age excusitis pops up in your head, or when you hear it from someone else, simply be aware and empathetic, as we all go through this once in a while. Look forward to new horizons; invest time in doing what you really want to do. Remember what Schwartz said: “It’s [too early] only when you let your mind go negative and think it’s [too early].” No matter what, believe in yourself. As Tama Kieves (renowned author and speaker) says, “Opportunities do not come to fill a lack. They come as an expression of a fullness you already have… If you want to attract opportunities to you, use the ones you have.”
By the way, if you are in New York City on April 19 (6-7:30 PM) you are invited to see the wonderful Tama Kieves at the Business Library (New York Public Library) talking about her latest book Thriving Through Uncertainty: Moving beyond fear of the unknown and making change work for you. It’s free. Reserve your spot.
And if you know someone who needs to be cured of age excusitis, please forward this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Goals, Growth, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Time, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 55 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Age excusitis Part 1 – I’m too old
— From The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz, Ph.D. (Read an excerpt here.)
No matter where we are in life, at some point we are going to suffer from age excusitis or hear someone else complain about it. If we’re the ones that use age as an excuse not to do something, it sounds perfectly logical to us… yet if we hear it from someone else, we immediately know that it is simply a masquerade for fear or unwillingness, and most of the time it comes to our utter astonishment that the other person sees him/herself that way because it’s not how we see them. Hmmmmm, why can’t we see it for what it is? What can we do about this malady?
“It’s unfortunate. This excuse has closed the door of real opportunity to thousands of individuals. They think their age is wrong, so they don’t even bother to try.” Luckily, David J. Schwartz, the author of The Magic of Thinking Big, says, “Age excusitis can be cured… I discovered a good serum that both cures this disease and vaccinates you so you won’t get it in the first place.”
He tells the story of Cecil, who wanted to change careers. Cecil said, “I’d have to start from scratch. And I’m too old for that now. I’m forty.” Schwartz told him “you’re only as old as you feel,” to no avail, as sometimes there are people who respond “but I do feel old!” So, Schwartz asked him, “Cecil, when does a man’s productive life begin?” Cecil said at about 20 years old. Then Schwartz asked when it ended, to which Cecil replied at about 70. Schwartz said, “a lot of folks are highly productive after they reach seventy, but let’s agree with what you’ve just said… You’re forty. How many years of productive life have you spent and how many have you left?” It was only then that Cecil understood he still had over half of his productive years ahead of him and realized that “how old we are is not important. It’s one’s attitude toward age that makes it a blessing or a barricade.”
“Curing yourself of age excusitis often opens doors to opportunities that you thought were locked tight.”
Schwartz tells another story of a relative of his who wanted to become a minister, but was 45 years old, had three kids and little money. Fortunately, “he mustered all of his strength and told himself, ‘Forty-five or not, I’m going to be a minister.” Five years later he was ordained and many years after that he said to Schwartz, “if I had not made that great decision when I was forty-five, I would have spent the rest of my life growing old and bitter. Now I feel every bit as young as I did twenty-five years ago.”
“When you [get rid of] age excusitis, the natural result is to gain the optimism of youth and feel of youth. When you beat down your fears of age limitations, you add years to your life as well as success. […] Defeat [‘too old’] by refusing to let it hold you back.”
ACTION
TODAY: Do you suffer from “too old” age excusitis in any area of your life? It is not necessarily tied to business life. Maybe you are ok there but feel, say, that you’re too old to take on a new sport, class, or hobby. Simply be aware of this excuse and ask why 5 times (or as many as needed) to get to the bottom of it. Once you know what is making you create an excuse, you’ll be able to realize that age doesn’t matter and you can move forward and create the change you want. Promise yourself that you won’t let age hold you back!
FUTURE: When age excusitis pops up in your head, or when you hear it from someone else, simply be aware and empathetic, as we all go through this once in a while. Look forward to new horizons, invest time in doing what you really want to do and apply Schwartz’s mindset: “It’s too late only when you let your mind go negative and think it’s too late.” Think instead, “I’m going to start now, my best years are ahead of me.” Remember that you are not your past and that you can create a wonderful path forward by giving yourself an A.
Have you ever dealt with age excusitis? How did you defeat it? Want to share your experience? I’m sure it’ll benefit us all! Please leave a comment or let me know via email. And if you know someone who needs to be cured of age excusitis, please forward this post via email, Facebook or Twitter, thank you!
by Helena Escalante | Creativity, Goals, Growth, Habits, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Planning, Productivity, Resolutions, Tools
Estimated reading time: 2 minutes, 33 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Leaders and limitations
— From Common Sense Leadership: A Handbook for Success as a Leader by Roger Fulton
As I was going about finding an idea for today, I came across this one that I loved: it’s what leaders do when faced with limitations. Normally, I intertwine my thoughts and takeaways with the idea from the book. Yet, on this occasion, the idea is so brief, so concise and so perfectly written, that I’m taking the liberty of sharing it in its entirety here. Since we are all leaders, whether formal or informal, paid or voluntary, of large corporations or of our households… I think the thoughts apply beautifully to all. Enjoy!
“Leaders understand their own limitations, but they are not necessarily limited by them.
As an example, budgets can limit available resources, but a true leader will find a way to get the job done with the resources available. Staffing three shifts can’t be done with only two people, but a true leader will make the most efficient use of those two people to cover the shifts.
Time is always a limitation. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Yet a true leader will make the most efficient use of time available. Luckily there are some things that know no limits:
Dreams.
Human ingenuity.
Love.
Even though you may not be able to conquer the whole world, you can comfortably conquer a small part of it, even taking into account many of your limitations.”
ACTION
TODAY: Think of some limitations or constraints that you are facing in business or life, and put them to work for you. What are some creative ways in which you can deal with them? How can you make the most out of them? Fortunately there’s no limit to human ingenuity: set some time to brainwrite, and remember that there’s no such thing as a shortage of ideas.
FUTURE: Let’s turn limitations upside down and use them to our advantage. Try imposing a few limitations on yourself or your work to see if you become more efficient and effective. For instance, try to answer most emails in less than 3 minutes (the email game). Or try to finish a particular project or chore in 25 minutes. Need more time? Add another chunk of 25 minutes as opposed to giving it all your morning. How about cutting down meeting time from the calendar’s default of 1 hour to 30 minutes instead, and do it standing up to further keep it short? Cut your daily cooking time in half and devote the other half to playing a game with your family or to start working on a personal project. You can be as adventurous or as traditional as you can with this. Create some limitations and put them to the test, see if they work for you and if you become more efficient as a result of them. Then you can decide whether to keep them or not, or tweak and keep testing until you find the ones that work really well for you.
Know someone who would benefit from reading this post? Please share it via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Celebration, Collaboration, Creativity, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 38 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: Make it a Honey Day
— From The Art of People: 11 Simple People Skills That Will Get You Everything You Want by Dave Kerpen
Happy Easter! Happy Passover! Hope it’s a joy-filled holiday with your family if you celebrate it.
Growing up, I remember loving Easter because my mom made it very special: when we were little she decided that the Easter Bunny would bring us presents, above and beyond the traditional Easter eggs. So, in the Escalante household, besides Santa Claus coming in December and the Three Kings bringing presents in early January (yes, we Mexican kids have it so good in the holiday presents department!), the Easter Bunny would show up a few months later bearing gifts. One of my favorites was a fluffy, stuffed rabbit toy I called Ynnub (bunny spelled backwards… lots of neurons went into crafting that name…). To this day, decades later, the Easter Bunny continues to bring gifts and now includes my husband and our dog. (I love you so much, Mom, thank you! I know you’re laughing out loud reading this.)
I share this because it’s a perfect example of the topic that I want to talk about today: lovely, made up celebrations that delight and create beautiful memories. How can we make it special for our loved ones, our coworkers, our clients, etc? What kind of holiday or special gift can we come up with to recognize or celebrate an accomplishment, something special, or just because?
One of the best ones that I have come across was “Honey Day” as described in Dave Kerpen’s book The Art of People. Dave is the Chairman and Co-Founder of Likeable, a digital agency (with a great story behind it). He found himself at the office one day thinking it was another regular day… until Brian Murray, the Director of talent and recruitment announced: “Today is Honey Day. The entire day will be dedicated to appreciating the amazing work that Honey does for us.” Out came the balloons and ribbons and even a cake in Honey’s honor: surprise! Honey Comer-Cantrell is the VP of Client Services at Likeable today, yet back then, in Dave’s words, “From the little I know, Honey is a terrific employee. But she wasn’t a manager and hadn’t accomplished anything remarkable. That was the whole point… Just by recognizing someone who worked hard and represented the Likeable core values well, Brian sent a message not only to Honey but to the rest of the team and to would-be team members that this was a group that celebrated hard work and loved to surprise and delight. [… And while no one can] afford to surprise and delight everyone all the time, by surprising and delighting some people at random and unexpected times, you get everyone thinking that she could be the recipient of that special something… the next time.” (Meet Dave, Brian and Honey here.)
When was the last time you had a holiday created just for you? When was the last time you did something to make someone feel i-n-c-r-e-d-i-b-l-y special? Keep in mind that causing delight doesn’t have to cost any money. “It’s all about making people feel special and doing things a little differently to accomplish that.” Also, you don’t have to throw a big party or celebration, you can delight people on a daily basis in small ways too: a kind word, a nice email, a heartfelt compliment, a handwritten thank you note, a piece of candy, a magazine or newspaper clipping (or link via email) of something you saw that reminded you of them… any thoughtful gesture… they all go a long way to brighten up someone’s day.
ACTION
TODAY: Put your creativity hat on and make a list of the various ways—big and small—in which you can delight your family, clients, coworkers, etc.
FUTURE: From the list that you made, select the first way in which you will delight someone. Plan it and make it happen. Depending on what that is, you can schedule a few of these actions in your calendar to make them happen throughout the year. You can choose recurring dates, or at random—such as Honey Day—or you can even go as far as to create a unique tradition—such as the Easter Bunny presents. Enjoy!!
Happy delighting, and cheers to you for creating beautiful, indelible memories!
Know someone who’d be delighted to read this? Please share via email, Facebook or Twitter, thanks!
by Helena Escalante | Collaboration, Creativity, Leadership, Mindset, Opportunity, Planning, Resources, Tools
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes.
TODAY’S IDEA: Win-Win or No Deal
— From The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success by Brian Tracy
Following along the same path as yesterday’s post on Thinking “both,” I wanted to focus on its application in business by looking at Bryan Tracy’s Law of Win-Win or No Deal from his book The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success. This law states that:
“In a successful negotiation, both parties should be fully satisfied with the result and feel that they have each ‘won’ or no deal should be made at all.”
Tracy says, “Remember, you always reap what you sow. Any settlement or agreement that leaves one party dissatisfied will come back to hurt you later, sometimes in ways that you cannot predict.” And he goes on to tell a story of a tough negotiator who was boasting “about a hard deal he had wrung out of a [distributor] of his company’s products. He had demanded and threatened and negotiated an agreement that paid him considerably more, both in up-front payments and in percentages of sales, than any of the other clients for which this company distributed.”
The author happened to know the people on the other side of the negotiation well, so he asked them to tell the story from their angle. They confirmed the discomfort and toughness of the negotiation and said “they had agreed to pay higher prices and royalties on everything they sold, but they had not agreed to sell any.”
The deal backfired: “the businessman had negotiated a ‘win-lose’ with him winning and the others losing. But those on the losing side had no incentive to fulfill the implied commitment to market the products. They had no incentive to go forward with this person, and no reason to ever want to do business with him again.”
In a zero-sum game, someone always loses. In business it does not have to be that way: aim always for a win-win or no deal. Be clear in your intentions that what you want is the best for both parties. Now, “this doesn’t mean that you [or the other party] have to accept any arrangement that you consider second best.” On the contrary, “when you are determined to achieve a win-win solution to a negotiation, and you are open, receptive, and flexible in your discussions, you will often discover a third alternative that neither party had considered initially but that is superior to what either of you might have thought of on your own.”
ACTION
TODAY: If you are negotiating something today—even if its’ the smallest thing—that’s great! Think win-win, communicate it to the other party, and find out what it is that each of you wants/needs from the deal to consider it successful. Work together to make it happen. If you don’t have any negotiations on your plate now, think about one in the past where you experienced a win-lose (no matter which side you were on). The good thing about hindsight is that it’s always 20/20 and, with that view, you can reconstruct the deal (at least in your mind) to make it a win-win. Learn from it: what would you have changed for the better? How would you have structured the deal differently? Think creatively.
FUTURE: Think win-win from now on professionally and personally. Commit to doing deals where the Law of Win-Win or No Deal applies. Actively seek to find ways to achieve what each party needs and wants out of the situation in a satisfactory way and without feeling that you have to settle for less.
Know someone who could benefit from reading today’s post? Please share it via email, Facebook or Twitter!
