Never Too Late

Simply in the Details

It had been a while since I had gone on a school fieldtrip with one of my children. I decided I would join my son's class to an event called "Ice on Whyte". Boy, I am glad I did. What a great time we had. I realized that all of life's lessons are simply in the details.

The field trip started with the children being given a block of ice and a pattern to trace out with a nail. My son whispered in his friend's ear and glanced at me with a smile - he was making his ice project for me. He worked with focus and diligence as he first traced the pattern and then chiselled away at a block of ice until it slowly started to transform. He had traced a heart and was chiselling it out of ice for me. During his chiselling he started to cry as a chunk of ice had broken off and his heart of ice was not the exact replica of what he had traced. I reassured him that it would be okay. He had never ice sculpted before so I explained to him that sculptors simply adjust the plan and fix up areas to compensate. You would never know an error or mishap occurred. My son composed himself and continued to chip away at the ice again. I was so proud of him for seeing the beauty of his work. A block of ice turned into a heart (of gold).

The kids played on a small ice slide until it was time to move on and see some of the ice sculptures in the park. Wow, they were beautiful! People from around the world came here and created these beautiful works of art. The big hit with the kids was seeing an ice sculpture of a well known Transformer – Bumblebee. What amazing detailed work.

I have adjusted the winning criteria from the ice sculpture competition to pertain to our daily lives, newsletters, and businesses. It is simply in the details. Here is what I came up with:

First Impression. Making a strong long lasting impression is something you should strive for when you network and connect with others. The first impression is a lasting one. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Let people remember you.

Utilization of Your Resources (aka Ice). How you use what you have, will determine what you get. Look into your networks and connections for people who you can help and who can help you. Can you delegate or contract some of your project work to others so you can dedicate your time to where you do your best work?

Technical skill. Do you have the knowledge or can you learn it? Is it best delegated to the experts? Commit to continuous learning to help you grow.

Attention to Details. When you pay attention to the details of your events, your emails, or your spoken word to others, you can see what sets you apart from them. Paying attention to details enables you to create your own way of doing things. It is the "little somethings" you do which make a difference. Maybe it is your follow up thank you card, phone message, or email letting people know you care.

Finished Appearance. Your confidence radiates when you walk into a room and you are well groomed, well-dressed, and you are prepared to meet new people or present your ideas.

Structural Technique. How organized and prepared are you to execute your plans?

Proportion to Symmetry. Are you providing valuable content to others or are only selling? Is it all about you or are you focus on serving others?

Design and Composition. Does your content flow? Is it well structured and chalk full of valuable information?

Creativity. Creativity is what captures the imagination of others. People will see possibilities they have not seen before when they are introduced to new ideas. New ideas generate more new ideas.

Artistic Impression. We are all artists of our own lives. We are constantly creating our lives each and every day. Can you adjust and move forward? Do not be so hard on yourself. Only the sculptor will know where the mistakes are. Keep chipping away and focus on your end result.

There are many times in our lives that our well thought out plans or intentions do not go as planned. We can get upset and stop what we are doing or we can stand up tall, re-compose ourselves, and focus on what we want as our end result. The choice is ours. By sticking with your plan, adjusting as you go, and staying focussed on your end result, you can chisel out your own dream or goal. My son's project started with a block of ice and turned into a sculpture of a heart. The heart and effort that went into the project made the difference...the rest was simply in the details.

What details are you paying attention to so that you can chisel out your desires?

Adding Sunshine to Blue Monday

The radio stations in Edmonton have been broadcasting that today is "Blue Monday". The third Monday of January is deemed to be the most depressing day of the year.  I believe it works out to be January 24. Apparently, psychologist Cliff Arnall came up with a formula:

Weather plus (+) Debt minus (-) Salary 

Times (x) time since Christmas to time to fail in fulfilling New Year's Resolutions

Divide (/) by Motivation to Take Action

This is also the time of year in which many people suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Symptoms of seasonal affective disorder may include irritability, moodiness, weight gain, decreased energy, increase in anxiety and despair, fatigue, and avoidance of social situations. For some people, this disorder can be debilitating and for the rest referred to as the "winter blues". Do not despair. There are many things you can to add some sunshine to your world on "Blue Monday".

Change Your Environment. You cannot change the weather but you can change your environment. Apply a new coat of paint to your office walls, hang new pictures, add a plant, or move the furniture around. Make your environment more inviting. Start spring cleaning early. Put a spring picture on your computer as a screen saver.

Chunk Down Your Debts. Create a debt reduction plan. Call your credit card company and ask for a reduction on your interest rate. The same process may be used with your internet, telephone, and television providers when reducing some of your charges. I do not guarantee these solutions for you but I know from personal experience they do work. Use what you have in your pantry for food staples, plan your meals, buy groceries with a list, and cook your own style of gourmet meal...pull out the fancy china for you. Why? You are worth it.

Increase Your Salary. Get a second job or spend less. Use your skills and talents to help you generate income doing things like typing/proofreading, walking a dog, babysitting, even snow shovelling (if you have snow).

Make Your Resolutions Stick. Write down your goals. Create action steps to achieve them. Make sure they are realistic. Ask for help or delegate to get things done. Resolutions stick when you are focussed. Let others know what you want to achieve so they can remind you of your commitment to yourself. Perhaps you can remind them of theirs.

Motivation. Surround yourself with like minded individuals. If weight loss is your goal, join a group who wants to lose weight or hire a personal trainer to help you with your goal. Keep a diary of your food intake and activity. Track your progress.Celebrate your milestones. Create your own exercise playlist of songs which pump you up and make you feel energized and alive.

Take action. Most importantly, take action steps toward your goals. Keep the momentum going. You want sustainability not an overnight set up and take down. Your determination and perserverance with carry you through any obstacles in your way. Many experts say it takes 21 days to break or make a new habit, I challenge you to go for 30 days instead and create a fire in your belly to succeed and persist because you really want what you are focus on.

Finally, add sunshine to your life with laughter and surrounding yourself with family and friends. Go for a walk. Go to an art gallery or a movie. Make a snow angel or have a snowball fight. Sing in the shower. Recite your dreams aloud. Tell a joke. Smile with your eyes.

For this is one day, which will not repeat itself, so live it up!

"Nothing is worth more than this day." ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Tomorrow is a new day - Tuesday!

Showing Up Trumps Where You Place

We were out of the house before 7am on a snow blown morning. My daughter was going to her first Junior Lifeguard competition. She was excited as she raced to the pool. Her enthusiasm was fantastic, even though she had expressed being a tad of nervous. Aren't we all a bit like that when we try something new? Some people even have fear. There can be a whole range of emotions. I believe this gives us our competitive edge. Enthusiasm, nervous energy, and practice channelled with focus offers peak performance.

As the events progressed, she became frustrated because she did not place as she had hoped. I listened attentively. Here was an opportune time for a lesson. When we try things for the first time, we cannot expect perfection. We need to strive for excellence by giving our best efforts. What matters most is that we "show up". How many people had the opportunity to compete? How many people actually did compete? You see, we all have opportunities that come our way but it is the choice to take action on those opportunities that makes the difference.


I went on to ask her if she had learned what she could do to improve her performance. She started to rattle off a list of things. If we reflect and review our performance, we can improve our game plan and our performance. It is important to learn from our lessons but far greater importance to look at our progress. Look at where you have come in the past year and how much you have grown as a person. Celebrate - You "showed up" and you are amazing!
I am proud of my daughter for "showing up", her accomplishments, and letting me share this lesson with you.

• Show Up

• Aim for Excellence, Not Perfection

• Give Your Best

• Reflect & Review

• Learn the Lesson

• Look at Your Progress

• Celebrate

We can be our own worst critic. Remember if you "show up", you have already gone further than those who chose not to. Showing Up Trumps All!

What Are You Waiting for?

Do you ever feel that you are waiting for something big to happen? Are you waiting for a big break that will skyrocket your career or business? Are you waiting for a knight in shining armor to come and sweep you off your feet? What would happen, instead of waiting around, you stepped into taking action and met your miracle or unexpected surprise?

You may have heard the joke about the man who kept praying to God to win the lottery. After several times, he heard the voice of God say, "Can you please buy a ticket?" You cannot win the lottery without a ticket. You cannot skyrocket in your career or business looking at a computer screen or daydreaming. You cannot meet the man of your dreams sitting on the couch at home and watching television. Perhaps you are waiting for someone to do something for you. If so, do they know you are waiting and for what? You could be waitng a long time.

This is why it is so important to take action and responsibility for the things we want in our lives. I believe miracles and wonderful things happen in our lives everyday if we stop and pay attention to them. I also believe your efforts are rewarded. There is a turning point which occurs in everyone's lives where they are pleasantly surprised at one time or another. Meet your dreams at the door.

BELIEVE

Believe. Believe, your dreams and goals to be real, tangible, and achieveable.

Envision. Envision achieving your dream or goal daily.

Live. Live your life looking for unexpected pleasant surprises.

Impact. Think about the impact achieving your dream or goal will have in your life and in the lives of others.

Empower. Empower yourself by listening to audiobooks, reading, or surrounding yourself with like-minded people.

Value. Value yourself and others. Give value to others and they will support you.

Energize. Get excited about your life and look forward to what awaits you.

Waiting lets your mind play tricks on you. You may start worrying about the "hows" or doubting in your abilities. What I do know is - everything happens at the right time. The right people will come into your life and the hows will be solved. We do not always understand the timing but it happens when God or the Universe believes it to be in alignment.  Step out and take action! Take an extra course, go out with your girlfriends, and buy your lottery ticket. You do not have to wait...the world is waiting for you!

Has waiting costed you an opportunity? Share your experiences with us!