Every couple of months I “wake up” and realize that I’m in control. It always bothers me when I loose that perspective, and it happens much too easily. Having that moment of clarity, that realization, understanding what that means, is a powerful experience. It allows you to look past the moment and take a different long view of your inner goals than you normally would.
Keeping that perspective for more than a few minutes or hours, though, is quite hard. Life intervenes, whether at work or home, and we have to deal with the responsibilities at hand. But that is how it should be. Being able to leverage those powerful moments when everything is very clear, however, is the key.
Sometimes you can prepare for those moments by taking notes or jotting ideas down – keep a journal maybe. When those moments arrive, take advantage of the clarity and motivation. Pull out that notebook, journal, or the ideas swirling in the back of your mind. Think on them a bit, write down your conclusions and ideas if it helps, doing so can help to empower you later.
Perspectives are how we view the world, ourselves, and our place in the world. It also affects how we view opportunities. Without the right perspective, some opportunities might be right in front of us, and we’d never know it. Learning what enables those moments of clarity will help you leverage those times for you and your family. Watch for those moments, learn how to bring them about and turn them into your normal frame of mind.
For me, the new year has become meaningless; other than a convenient marker on the calendar, it’s simply another day. Nothing changes today from yesterday, this week from last week. Even the celebration of a “new year” loses any significance. Maybe I’m getting old. 😉
What does gain my interest in place of this, is the significance of thought. The posts where people talk about what’s important to them and what influences them. Reading about what they’ve learned in the past and how to leverage that in the future holds my attention.
For the most part, new years resolutions are simply dreams that we feel guilty about neglecting. They’re important to us, but we never set goals or milestones, and plans on how to achieve them. So the ongoing learning of life-lessons is of more interest to me than coming up with resolutions that are abandoned as quickly as I click the “publish” button.
There are some great people I’ve read, met, and worked with in the recent past that I am grateful to have found. I’m looking forward to meeting more, reading more, learning from more, and working with more in the near future.
Blogging; it’s a constantly evolving environment that constantly brings fresh voices to the forefront and allows others to listen, learn, and contribute as they please.
Ever wonder where your enthusiasm goes after you’ve had an ‘aha!’ moment? You know, the moment when it all seems so clear. The one moment where you find the path through all the clutter, the distractions, the inhibition, the self-conscience fears?
That is (right or wrongly) what I’ve been calling the Aha! moment for myself. It’s happened more often this year than any other in my life, and it’s more frustrating then I can describe. I’m sure you’re familiar with it. I keep wondering how to leverage that moment, how to capture the thoughts. Obviously it’s time to keep a journal at hand and jot these ideas down when they come along.
I guess the big question I have is what do you do with your Aha! moments after they’ve passed? Do you try to work with the new thoughts, use them to improve yourself? Do they lead you to follow your dreams? Have you begun to question ‘why?’ a bit more because of them?
Obviously I’m asking more questions than I used to. The real measurement is if I’m growing (improving) from what I’m learning about myself and my worldview. That’s something I’ll find out later as I keep following the trail these Aha! moments reveal.
How about you – do you work to learn from your Aha! moments?
I’ll tell you one of the most important & introspective lessons I’m learning: it’s listening to what people say. It’s a critical one that many of us find ourselves in the middle of when working on our personal improvement strategies.
While I’ve only really become aware of my own efforts to improve my listening abilities, I figured out that I’ve been subconsciously working on this for some time. Don’t know exactly what triggered it to come to the surface, but it did – and makes a great deal of sense.
What’s also interesting to me is the effort involved in learning this skill. It’s so at odds with how we’ve I’ve processed information when listening to others in the past. To actually absorb the real meaning, the underlying urgency, the true understanding is what I’m after. Whether it be a friend, coworker, or spouse it is crucial that we really understand what is being communicated.
It may be one of the most difficult things a person can undertake to improve their "soft" skills. It also will go a long way to help you reach your goals. Just like many other aspects of personal improvement, this skill is also critical to you if you’re working on your personal brand.
The ability to listen is a trait that people remember. This is an important piece of your reputation and is part of what makes up your brand. You want people to remember things about you, and having people remember that you listen to their requirements, listen to what’s important to them, listen to their concerns is a big one.
How else can we provide value to others when only a portion of what they’re talking about is listened to?
I mentioned at the beginning that this is a skill that I’m "learning" – I’ll never learn it all. I’m constantly finding out how to listen better, and I’d like to know your tips. What more is there to this – I’d love to hear from you. Do you have tips, stories, or examples of how to improve one’s ability to listen? I’m all ears. 😀
I’d like to point you to Issue 2 of Personal Branding Magazine. While this publication is still quite young, there is significant traction with the authors, editors and publisher Dan Schawbel. This issue breaks new ground for the magazine with several new contributing writers, reporters, editing staff and sponsorships.
While this is a non-profit magazine with all proceeds going directly to The American Cancer Society, the quality and coverage is top notch. With articles from thought leaders and experts in personal branding, you will find many helpful ideas and techniques that will help promote your greatest asset – yourself.
Dan kicks off the excitement with a cover story on none other than GE’s Jack Welch. Also included is an interview with Philip Rosedale, the founder of SecondLife. With an updated format for easier reading, and many reader-suggested improvements, Issue 2 has been a work of professionalism, and the desire to provide you with real-world ideas and information.
@MAC_Arms Pay taxes when you make your money, pay taxes when you spend your money, pay taxes when you successfully invest your money, pay taxes when you save enough taxed money to afford a house, pay taxes to live in your house, pay taxes when you sell the house that you paid taxes on to
Yup, taxes are criminal and we need serious reforms. I've always said that if you want to see a tax revolt, make withholdings illegal and have Americans write a tax check every payday. They'll revolt for sure. You don't miss what you never had.
Sen. @berniemoreno says voter ID and proof of citizenship are simply common sense.
“We’re talking about a very low threshold — identify who you are and prove you’re a U.S. citizen when you register to vote. I think we’re getting closer to
