Sunday, April 26, 2009

Who Are YOU?

You are what you do… not what you say or think...  

Leaders lead… Winners win… Quitters quit… Teachers teach… 

Learners learn… Dreamers dream… Singers sing… Preachers preach… 

Fighters fight… Writers write… Readers read… Watchers watch... 

Players play… Dancers dance… Lovers love… Haters hate… 

Givers give… Takers take... Doubters doubt... Believers believe...

Who are YOU?

Monday, April 13, 2009

Lessons From The Cube



I carry my Rubik’s Cube around with me when I travel and when I teach. It serves many purposes: It’s a great stress reliever. It exercises my hands. It’s an attention getter. It makes me appear smart. Most importantly, it is a metaphor for countless things in Life.

Every time that I quietly start solving my cube in public, someone always needs to tell me, “I used to be able to do that!” Their story always ends with the same defeated declaration: “...But, I could never learn that now!”

Lessons from The Cube:
• We already have all of the pieces of ‘The Puzzle’… we just need to properly put them together
• Most of us already know how to solve ‘The Puzzle’ (because we’ve done it before or seen it done before)
• Lack of practice has resulted in us forgetting important lessons
• Some people’s first instinct when confronted with ‘The Puzzle’… is to cheat
• Your belief in whether or not you can solve ‘The Puzzle’… is the biggest determining factor of success

30 years after forgetting how to solve The Cube, I challenged myself to learn it again. After dedicated hours of study and practice… I am back to where I was at age 17… I have a ‘newly’ learned skill… and the proof again that I can do anything!  What 'old' skills from the past do you need to re-learn to be successful today?

Sunday, April 5, 2009

'Individual' Success

'Individual' Success is a myth!...  Countless people throughout history can be found who have achieved great accomplishments or skills.  Yet, even though only one person might get the credit, not a single example has ever been found when it was done alone.  Despite whatever hard work, drive, dedication or sacrifice a person or organization invested to achieve  a particular goal, unsung individuals and circumstances always existed to make it possible.

By understanding that fact, maybe we can be more humble in our fame... and show more appreciation to those who helped us along the way.  Maybe we will also search for opportunities to fulfill our obligation to Give Back as much as we can.

Who and what should you be thanking for your 'Individual' Success?