I wanted to share with you something that I discovered while I was watching an excellent video online. I learned about the concept of initiative and taking action and how simple it can be to catapult yourself past immobility. Having said this, keep in mind that initiative is as essential to success as a hub is essential to a wheel. And initiative is precisely taking action when we know it ought to be done but no one is asking for it to be done. Most of the time, when we elect to put aside some action that needs to be taken, we are anticipating that our effort may not give us exactly what we desire from it. Whether our desire is instant gratification or simply a journey of smooth sailing we often anticipate one or both of these things will evade us and we are caught up in immobility due to fear. When we accept that our efforts will at some point deliver to us that which we are working toward, we can more easily surpass any fear that stumps us.
Taking action that results in achievement truly does require us to gradually overcome the bumps and tough spots along the way, but by continually putting forth effort in this manner, we can achieve numerous things that are very much worth the work.
I'd like to share with you a powerful example of how initiative can propel a person into high achievement. Two men who initially came to know one another while in high school, were each doing their own thing in their adult lives, but they did manage to keep in contact. One day the two men decided that since they recognized a need in the computer industry they would take it upon themselves to write a simplified version of the programming language called BASIC. For two months they worked on the rewriting of BASIC, and then contacted contacted the computer engineer who designed the computer that used the language. The simplified version worked, and the engineer was so impressed with the work that the two men were given a contract with the production company. Soon they were adapting other programming languages for the computer and by that summer they formed a company they called Microsoft. Without initiative, a person will remain caught up in a life of less than average quality. With initiative, comes great reward.
Thank you for taking initiative in reading this post.
Joe Clinton.
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Senin, 24 Januari 2011
Minggu, 30 Mei 2010
Celebrating Spunky Ethel & All Bodacious Moms
Copyright 2006 Mary Foley
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that this little Irish girl - whose grandmother nicknamed herself Spunky Ethel - wrote a book entitled "Bodacious!" Spunky Ethel is my bodacious mother of origin and her legacy continues to this day through all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially the female ones.
Bodacious moms are a powerful influence. I have very clear memories of my grandmother picking me up after school, and taking time to focus on me and my world. Sitting at the Roses discount store lunch counter, she taught me how a little love and chocolate cake can melt away the stresses of grade school. Later, as a teenager, I remember one hot day pulling up in front of her home to find her perched outside, drinking a can of beer through a straw…with all the class and charm of her elegant dinner parties of years before. She had spunk all right; she was living life on her own terms.
Spunky Ethel passed this independent thinking to my mom as well. I remember my mom telling me stories about her mom encouraging her to take solo bus trips downtown as an adolescent. My mom describes it as a wondrous, enlightening experience that grew her understanding of the world and her confidence. Like any parent, Spunky Ethel wanted her daughter to experience even more opportunity as a woman. Though Grandma was only able to attend a few years of college, she made sure her daughter would be able to graduate. I can only imagine how proud they both must have been when my mom received her diploma at graduation.
My mom passed that same strong sense of self-worth and the ability to create the life you want to her daughters. When I was growing up social norms regarding women were dramatically changing, but nothing guaranteed that I'd seek my own place in these opportunities. My mom (and dad) instilled in me the responsibility to decide what I wanted to do and then use the best of my abilities. That's why my book's dedication reads: "For my parents Charles and Donna Foley who believed I could be anything I wanted." "This too shall pass" was one of Spunky Ethel's favorite phrases. How right she was, not only regarding the moment's circumstances, but also concerning our time together. She strove to make each encounter meaningful. And it was in those encounters that I learned what it meant to be a bodacious woman. To Spunky Ethel, my bodacious mom, and all bodacious moms out there, I salute you!
Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised that this little Irish girl - whose grandmother nicknamed herself Spunky Ethel - wrote a book entitled "Bodacious!" Spunky Ethel is my bodacious mother of origin and her legacy continues to this day through all of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, especially the female ones.
Bodacious moms are a powerful influence. I have very clear memories of my grandmother picking me up after school, and taking time to focus on me and my world. Sitting at the Roses discount store lunch counter, she taught me how a little love and chocolate cake can melt away the stresses of grade school. Later, as a teenager, I remember one hot day pulling up in front of her home to find her perched outside, drinking a can of beer through a straw…with all the class and charm of her elegant dinner parties of years before. She had spunk all right; she was living life on her own terms.
Spunky Ethel passed this independent thinking to my mom as well. I remember my mom telling me stories about her mom encouraging her to take solo bus trips downtown as an adolescent. My mom describes it as a wondrous, enlightening experience that grew her understanding of the world and her confidence. Like any parent, Spunky Ethel wanted her daughter to experience even more opportunity as a woman. Though Grandma was only able to attend a few years of college, she made sure her daughter would be able to graduate. I can only imagine how proud they both must have been when my mom received her diploma at graduation.
My mom passed that same strong sense of self-worth and the ability to create the life you want to her daughters. When I was growing up social norms regarding women were dramatically changing, but nothing guaranteed that I'd seek my own place in these opportunities. My mom (and dad) instilled in me the responsibility to decide what I wanted to do and then use the best of my abilities. That's why my book's dedication reads: "For my parents Charles and Donna Foley who believed I could be anything I wanted." "This too shall pass" was one of Spunky Ethel's favorite phrases. How right she was, not only regarding the moment's circumstances, but also concerning our time together. She strove to make each encounter meaningful. And it was in those encounters that I learned what it meant to be a bodacious woman. To Spunky Ethel, my bodacious mom, and all bodacious moms out there, I salute you!
Jumat, 19 Februari 2010
A Little Testosterone Goes A Long Way
What can a Bodacious woman learn from a man and still stay Bodacious? In honor of Father's Day, we'll celebrate some of the men's Bodacious behaviors.
Copyright 2006 Mary Foley
In June we celebrate Father’s Day, a day when it’s ok for all men to be a guy. Scratch, sniff, or click, it’s all acceptable.
When it comes to men, I’ve been around plenty. Starting with being surrounded by guys in engineering school, then my 10 years at AOL and now as an entrepreneur, I've had lots of opportunity to interact with and observe men. I’ve come to appreciate some of the ways men operate that serve them well in business and in life.
“What?!” I hear some of you saying. That’s right, but read on.
I'm not about to adopt ALL of men’s behaviors. No way! I like my female attributes. And, besides, I can't be a guy nearly well as men can; they have that born-with-it advantage. Still, a little testosterone goes a long way. So, in celebration of Father’s Day, here are some of men's "testy" behaviors that bodacious women could benefit from stealing:
1. LET NEGATIVE WORDS BOUNCE OFF: Men have a wonderful ability to not allow negative sticky notes to well…stick to them. "John, that report is missing a key conclusion." "What do you mean you can't get it done by Friday, Frank? Don't you know how important this account is?" These kind of words seem to roll off their back. I say “seem” because I'm sure they have some impact but men don't show it. They don’t absorb these words into their very being. Instead they decide if the words have merit. If they do, it's a problem to solve, not a huge character flaw that requires counseling.
2. SAY NO WITHOUT GUILT: Men don’t seem nearly as concerned about making others happy as they are about taking care of their needs. Sound selfish? It doesn't have to be. Consider that if they were so concerned about everyone else's needs they couldn't provide — financially, emotionally or otherwise — to those they care most about. They'd disperse their efforts to the point that they'd be ineffective. The only way to keep focused is to freely say no to anyone or anything that's not enabling you to achieve what's most important.
3. ACT AS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING, even if you're not quite sure: I have to admit, I was alarmed and disturbed when I first noticed this behavior. "They are lying through their teeth!" I thought. Then I took a second look. These men were delivering on what they said they would. And they acted so confident that I assumed they knew this stuff like the back of their hand. A male friend revealed to me that he didn't always know how he was going to accomplish a project; he just believed he'd figure it out. I finally realized it was a matter of believing in yourself and being resourceful. Lying had nothing to do with it.
4. FEEL FREE TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF AND BELIEVE HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE: I immediately think of a couple on their first date. He wants to impress so he tells her all the wonderful things about himself so she'll admire him. Sometimes he's successful, sometimes not, but one thing I do admire is that he's willing to proudly show his colorful feathers. That's risky; he might get rejected. But he knows he'll never get recognized if he doesn't try.
5. DON’T READ MUCH PAST WHAT’S THERE: Most women think men are a bit dull and simplistic not to notice all the hidden messages in Sue's tone or David's words. And compared to the typical female radar, they are! But, this also allows men to not get caught up in all the energy draining sludge of what-ifs and hurt feelings. As women we can't completely go against our natural wiring but we can stop it from working against us. Differentiate between the facts of a situation and what else you intuitively picked up on that may also be true. Don't jump to conclusions about these ambiguous items; just keep them on the list of possibilities. Above all else, mentally move on to the next thing.
Copyright 2006 Mary Foley
In June we celebrate Father’s Day, a day when it’s ok for all men to be a guy. Scratch, sniff, or click, it’s all acceptable.
When it comes to men, I’ve been around plenty. Starting with being surrounded by guys in engineering school, then my 10 years at AOL and now as an entrepreneur, I've had lots of opportunity to interact with and observe men. I’ve come to appreciate some of the ways men operate that serve them well in business and in life.
“What?!” I hear some of you saying. That’s right, but read on.
I'm not about to adopt ALL of men’s behaviors. No way! I like my female attributes. And, besides, I can't be a guy nearly well as men can; they have that born-with-it advantage. Still, a little testosterone goes a long way. So, in celebration of Father’s Day, here are some of men's "testy" behaviors that bodacious women could benefit from stealing:
1. LET NEGATIVE WORDS BOUNCE OFF: Men have a wonderful ability to not allow negative sticky notes to well…stick to them. "John, that report is missing a key conclusion." "What do you mean you can't get it done by Friday, Frank? Don't you know how important this account is?" These kind of words seem to roll off their back. I say “seem” because I'm sure they have some impact but men don't show it. They don’t absorb these words into their very being. Instead they decide if the words have merit. If they do, it's a problem to solve, not a huge character flaw that requires counseling.
2. SAY NO WITHOUT GUILT: Men don’t seem nearly as concerned about making others happy as they are about taking care of their needs. Sound selfish? It doesn't have to be. Consider that if they were so concerned about everyone else's needs they couldn't provide — financially, emotionally or otherwise — to those they care most about. They'd disperse their efforts to the point that they'd be ineffective. The only way to keep focused is to freely say no to anyone or anything that's not enabling you to achieve what's most important.
3. ACT AS IF YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING, even if you're not quite sure: I have to admit, I was alarmed and disturbed when I first noticed this behavior. "They are lying through their teeth!" I thought. Then I took a second look. These men were delivering on what they said they would. And they acted so confident that I assumed they knew this stuff like the back of their hand. A male friend revealed to me that he didn't always know how he was going to accomplish a project; he just believed he'd figure it out. I finally realized it was a matter of believing in yourself and being resourceful. Lying had nothing to do with it.
4. FEEL FREE TO TALK ABOUT YOURSELF AND BELIEVE HOW WONDERFUL YOU ARE: I immediately think of a couple on their first date. He wants to impress so he tells her all the wonderful things about himself so she'll admire him. Sometimes he's successful, sometimes not, but one thing I do admire is that he's willing to proudly show his colorful feathers. That's risky; he might get rejected. But he knows he'll never get recognized if he doesn't try.
5. DON’T READ MUCH PAST WHAT’S THERE: Most women think men are a bit dull and simplistic not to notice all the hidden messages in Sue's tone or David's words. And compared to the typical female radar, they are! But, this also allows men to not get caught up in all the energy draining sludge of what-ifs and hurt feelings. As women we can't completely go against our natural wiring but we can stop it from working against us. Differentiate between the facts of a situation and what else you intuitively picked up on that may also be true. Don't jump to conclusions about these ambiguous items; just keep them on the list of possibilities. Above all else, mentally move on to the next thing.
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