One More

That’s it… not five or ten, just one more makes all the difference. Trust me.

Our goals or targets or levels can be overwhelming. They sound big, look even bigger, and perhaps are the biggest ever set in front of you. There are ideas and plans and processes to help us achieve them. You may have people there to remind you of commitments, the work that still needs to be done, even point to the gap that remains. Accurate as some of this may be, the work gets complicated. The targets and goals, plans and processes, commitments and gaps all get lost.

Think smaller. Think really small.

There isn’t much that separates us from making things happen and lettings thing happen. It’s about decisions made, taking the initiative to control an outcome. It’s seeing something through versus leaving something to chance. The variance is minimal, the outcome is substantial. It’s as simple as taking one more step, digging in one more layer, and advancing your next...once more.

Ask one more question.

Have one more conversation.

Engage one more person.

Practice one more time.

Be one more, even just for today. Imagine the possibilities.

Food & Music

There aren’t many things that transcend our cultural backgrounds, native languages, or worldly influences more than food and music. No matter what language the song or menu is in, your senses help you connect to the emotion and feeling of both. What you see, hear, taste, smell, or feel have no boundaries, no limit to the expression or sensation they give you.

Still amazes me how simply a little cuisine and harmonies help us connect. They provide context with those that we have never met, give us depth to those we have never seen. They create a conversation that may have never been. Music and food organize a cause, bringing like-minded together. They give us substance, even meaning, represent a belief or transmit emotion. They express your art in so many ways. Regardless of who you are, where you are from, food and music are the great equalizer.

Thanks to the Internet our ideas of music and food can be shared with more audiences than ever. A platform to connect our feelings and emotion reaches further and associates with more people than artists ever dreamed. We can discover more, influence more, and learn more. Create new, experience new, feel new. Virtually travel to a time or place that gives us more. That is cool. We need more.

Food and music evoke emotion from each of us. We all have that song (or six) that shaped what we think or how we act. There is something that we cook that represents where we have been or what we have experienced. Who we are could be brought to life through song, created by a meal. Think about the influences in your life. What is your soundtrack? What is your dish? Share it with the world.

Unless

Sometimes the most important learning is so untimely, so deceptive, so indirect. Sometimes we aren’t adequately prepared to comprehend the lesson, distracted by the color or sound or production happening in the background. Sometimes we can’t see the forest beyond the trees.

Unless…

Unless the most important learning is untimely, deceptive, and indirect. Unless we adequately prepare to comprehend the lesson, not distracted by the color or sound or production happening in the background. Unless we can see the forest beyond the trees.

Unless we modify our lens, unless we learn fiercely, unless we alter our thinking, unless we listen diversely life may pass us by.

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.” - Dr. Seuss

Day 2

There is always day 1. The first day to begin something, take a leap, start work. In fact most days are day 1, brilliant thoughts that arise and come to life. Anyone can do that. Everyone does that. It’s the next day that means something.

The second day is the beginning of your next. The second day of creating, of learning, of studying, and constructing a foundation. It’s practicing a skill and initiating a routine. It’s being healthy and making good choices. It’s getting back in that seat, taking another swing, or making an additional call. A fight through the aches and pains knowing your molding and shaping your new habit. Successive days… Repeated performances… Building.

Perhaps life is about a series of day 2’s. We all have our choices on what happens next. Sure there is day 17, and day 47, and day 91… but first there is day 2. Make day 2 matter.

Thank You.

Two simple words, powerful in meaning, yet often forgotten.

Perhaps we take thanks for granted, assume that everyone does as their told just because, already knows their own milestones, or shares your exact same vision. Maybe our audiences are not worthy and haven’t earned enough to get their praise. Possibly this is a sign of weakness, fear of providing some gratitude will be the inch before someone takes a foot. Simply, they can read your mind and there isn’t a need.

Somehow I think some or all of us could use a few more thanks thrown our way. Better yet, we probably have an opportunity to dole out a few more ourselves. Surely we can make the time. Practice saying it today.

Mean it. Say it. Let it be.

Thank you.

In the Moment…Live for it!

You blink, you miss it. A moment to alter your next can change in a split second. Hesitate and the moment shifts, takes on a new flight, perhaps lost forever. Your moment can come and go just that fast.

On the other hand, you step into that moment, firmly in the light of what is about to happen… bliss. It feels like a moment that should have been, the justification of a struggle, an unexplainable euphoria. That moment is something meant to be, energetic & exhilarating!

Some moments can be prepared for, others come unannounced. They offer suspense, agony, thrill, excitement and pain. A moment can both give you a breath and take it away. A moment can win it all or leave you wondering what could have been. A moment can create legacy, expand learning, or ignite your movement. A moment can stifle a relationship, hinder communication, or impede progress. They accelerate thinking and defer knowledge, spur on change and hold back different. Moments are amazing.

Moments define us, the decisions we make in them and what happens after they occur. You can’t live in the moments that already occurred but you can set your eyes on the now and beyond. Trust me those moments are there and will be going forward, the question is… Will you live for it?

"Get Up... Get Into It... Get Involved..."

Great lyric written by the famed James Brown, sampled and brought to life in many songs ever since. Arguable it’s meaning when it was initially written, but impossible to deny the impact these words have had. Reading these lyrics, regardless of the context, their meaning challenges us to do something different. It’s all about making things happen.

Think about how you can “Get up. Get into it. Get involved.”  All it takes is one person, one little poke at the status quo, mundane, even predictable day that stands before you to change the trajectory of what is possible. Crank it up further and challenge your neighbor to do the same. Think about the impact you could have by leading the charge, influencing your peers, or rallying those who surround you to do the same to tackle something bold. 

Go make something happen. Go be different. I dare you.

"Get Up… Get into It… Get Involved!” 

The Weather

There is always chance of something or a percentage of that or an opportunity for this. It seems the weather is always unpredictable and the weather person never seems to be right. Not to mention how often the weather changes throughout the day. Those who live here in the Pacific Northwest can probably relate.

What if I said the weather was actually your choice? What if you could be the one to choose how clear the skies are? What if you had a 100% chance of something, a 100% of that, or a 100% opportunity for this? I think you do.

The weather is about perception, yours and mine. Some of us have scattered showers, some have a chance of rain, while others have clear skies. All of which is a choice. We decide how clear or perfect our weather can be. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of “rain clouds” in this world waiting for you, perhaps even looking for you to succumb to their negative weather. Don’t let someone else’s weather affect yours. We control how clear our skies are.

How do you stack your numbers?

We all have some number we review, examine, or dissect. We create what if scenario’s based on projected outcomes or re-evaluate a target, bask in the security they provide or question the actions taken. Numbers often define our success or failure. Not that simple, numbers say more.

Numbers are directional, pointing you down a path to engage more or change course. They paint a picture, define behaviors, or highlight leadership. They provide a tale of trials and errors, very specific evidence of actions taken or avoided. Its numbers that define our choices made, showcasing our level of involvement or lack thereof. Your numbers tell your story.

As you digest the numbers in front of you, how do you stack them? Where is the #1 spot located? What spot is your eye drawn to? Whose name, result, or input do you look to first? How you answer these questions (if yer honest) says a lot about where you spend your time, seeking out success or finding failure. How you stack your numbers is about how you take on the day, it helps build your mission next. What could happen if you changed the way you stacked your numbers? Do share.

Inner Fight

We have something inside of us that makes us do what we do… an inner fight.

It’s a book, a song, or a movie in our head that hasn’t been written yet. Maybe it’s a math problem, a painting, or a blueprint that hasn’t been authored. Or it’s a clothing design, an invention, or an amazing meal that hasn’t been created. Perhaps it’s something else… Regardless it’s an idea. Your very own oasis. It’s your inner fight.

Your drive, the flame that never burns out, an ache in our gut that advances us forward. Our inner fight gets us up in the morning and keeps us up at night. Makes us day dream, thinking about the “what if’s”. Our inner fight is perfect, clear, and beautiful. It’s rational, original, and creative.

Name your inner fight. Believe it. Share it. Be it.

Are You a Teammate or Team Member?

What’s the difference? Participation.

True that just by including the name TEAM into the title there is a sense of being a part of something. There is some inherent involvement included. Understand there is more to it. Think a point guard, distributing the ball, droppin dimes, or chalking up assists. Think involvement, partnering, working together. Think small, between the spaces, filling gaps. Think teammate.

Teammates show up differently.

Teammates study and analyze, strategically anticipate what’s next. Teammates help the next customer in line. Teammates say what they can do. Being a teammate is hard.

Team members show up differently.

Team members cram and react, tactically execute in the moment. A team member reluctantly involves others. Team members choose their next customer. Team members say what they can’t do. Being a team member is easy.

Are you a teammate or a team member? Would those around you agree? What could you do (differently) today to make sure you are who you or others want you to be? How could you be a better teammate and less a team member? Think hard and go do. Now!

“The participation in the success of others is my single driving force.”

(V- Thanks for being a great teammate!)