Tis the Season...

December is here, and if you’re operating to the calendar year, it’s a time when all your efforts for the past eleven months are coming to an end — a time of final pressures and final celebrations, and a time to prepare for new beginnings.

Without fail, no matter what I’m juggling, whenever I see a father and his daughter navigating the season I’m overwhelmed with a stream of cherished memories —

“What do you mean you don’t want to have your picture taken? But Sarah, we’ve been in line for thirty minutes. No please don’t cry; he’s really jolly, and he’ll give you a candy cane. Ok, ok… please just stop crying. Up you go”. Excuse us, sorry about that.”

“Yes, Santa Claus is coming soon. Want to go back and see him. No, please don’t cry. Ok, get down, you are getting too heavy.”

“Yes it is very pretty. Please don’t touch. Don’t touch. Ok, put it back”.

“He’s a holiday helper — no really. Here, take this and put it in the kettle. Ok, let me help, up you go. It’s the season for giving, say Happy Holidays.”

“I have no idea what to get your mom, we’ll figure it out later. Let’s get home and turn on the lights. Yes, they are very pretty — Tis the season.”

By my count there is twenty-eight days left to accomplish everything still needed to be done before a new year resets the clock — make sure it’s memorable.

iamgpe

The first (and maybe only) core principle for success...

I will have to say blog writing has become a little more difficult of late — the reasons when I look in the mirror seem to revolve around my inability to come up with a topic, sensing I have said it all before, being too busy (a lame excuse to be sure), possibly a lack of imagination on my part to expand out of my current way of thinking, or maybe the weather; all valid in my mind to varying degrees.

Maybe there’s a natural life expectancy for writing 500 work blogs around whatever I have some sort of opinion on — what I’m experiencing could simply be the natural order of things. However, maybe it’s possible that after writing blogs for such a long time I’ve naturally boiled everything down to what is most important — the key principles for whatever I think I know. And in that, naturally limited myself.

In effect through my blogging, I’ve identified what is at the core for increasing your chances for success, and now I have nothing else to say.

How you define success is your business, but it’s probably best to define it as achieving your goals. I suppose i could have titled this “The first (and maybe only) core principle for reaching your goal…” but frankly the word success offers more food for a person’s imagination (and interest).

As I reflect on past blogs, such as “A man who carries a cat by the tail…” and “The most effective way to do it, is do it”, I’ve come to the realization that I’ve incorporated many pithy sayings on the topic of action into my blogs over the years.

“Your beliefs don’t make you a better person. Your behaviour does”

“Talk is cheap”

“SSFFS” (Sell Something For Fuck Sake)

Et Certera

It seems, in one form or another (and I’ve started to tire of saying it), my perspectives revolve around the importance of taking action and doing something — by taking action you will progress, expand your knowledge, experience, and if you’ve linked your actions to your goal there’s a very high likelihood you’ll be successful. Don’t dream about it, don’t think about it, don’t eventually get to it, don’t wish it, and don’t talk about it. Action is everything, and based on all my blogs, it seems to be the only thing.

The first core principle for success — take action and do something that is aligned with your goal(s).

This has been a core theme over the years, and now there’s a realization that it’s either very, very important or maybe there truly is a lack of imagination on my part to expand out of my current way of thinking.

Either way, I did write a blog and I now have something important to think about.

iamgpe

Are you wearing your lucky rocket ship underpants?

At the very least I will introduce you to Calvin and Hobbes (or reintroduce you) — created by Bill Watterson, this iconic comic strip follows the exploits of a young boy named Calvin, and his sidekick Hobbes. Offering a view of the world through the lens of a young boy, their adventures are insightful, identifiable, heartfelt and very, very funny. I have at least three compilations on my bookshelf.

I only bring this up because I came across a Calvin and Hobbes strip I had in a file — when I looked at it I was awash with the feeling of being wrapped in a warm blanket… comforting. When I read it, I laughed out loud.

Calvin: You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don’t help.

Hobbes: Well you’ve done all you can do.

What makes this brilliant is how you decide to interpret Hobbes’ response — with empathy or sarcasm? If it’s empathy, the response is funny because rocket ship underpants aren’t really a solution, and if it’s sarcasm, it’s funny because rocket ship underpants aren’t really a solution. What makes this really funny though, in a knowing way, is there are times we’ve all felt we’ve done all we can do and things still aren’t going our way; stating quietly (or loudly) to anyone who will listen, “I’ve done everything I can do.” — and tethered to it, more often than we’d like to admit, the suggestion that “I’ve done everything I can do; it’s not my fault”. At best “lucky rocket ship underpants” is a euphemism for “I’ve tried everything I know, and no matter what I do, I can’t overcome the situation”, and at worst, it’s a euphemism for “I quit”; neither which overcome the situation.

There are situations (or problems) that will be bigger than your skills sets, capabilities and endurance, and create an uncomfortable choice: find a way or put on your lucky rocket ship underpants. Ever the optimist, I will say there is always a way, but it’ll definitely be something new, different, scary, and take you where you’ve never gone before (literally and figuratively). In fact it’s the only way.

And if you find yourself saying there is no way, as comfortable and cool looking as they are, you’re lucky rocket ship underpants will become a constant reminder of what you could’ve done. And none of us wear regret very well.

iamgpe