| “Never wish that life were easier, wish that you were better.” – Jim Rohn
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Posts Tagged ‘perspective’
Wish your life were easier?
Monday, October 31st, 2011Happiness. How much it too much?
Monday, August 15th, 2011| “A great obstacle to happiness is to expect too much happiness.”
- Bernard L.B. De Fontenelle |
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One Day
Tuesday, June 14th, 2011Recently, I have spoken to many people lately who have felt a ton of anxiety in their daily lives.
The reasons are all over the place – some personal and some professional. If I were to tell you some of their stories you would probably comment that some people are big babies while others have really difficult circumstances.
The interesting thing about anxiety is that it is always a result of our perspective. A job loss may be devastating to one person (someone in their first career with a ton of debt) and a blessing to another (someone who has always wanted to start their own company).
It all depends on how you view the circumstances.
Because perspective is so important, during stressful times, I often advise my clients, my friends and myself that you should change your perspective to focus exclusively on the day.
That’s it. Don’t worry about tomorrow, next week or next year. Just execute what’s in front of you.
You’d be amazed at how much your perspective (and your anxiety) changes when you’re only concerned with the next 24 hours.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which teaches small business owners how to build a business that runs without them. For more resources on business leadership, please visit reachmore’s seminars.
Perspective
Wednesday, August 4th, 2010When is the last time that you have been to a sporting event? Did you have good seats or bad seats?
Your view of the action probably had a great deal to do with how much you enjoyed the game.
It is the same with every single aspect of your life. By that I mean, your ability to be successful and enjoy your existence is directly related to your viewpoint or your perspective.
Consider the following examples.
Brian is a 7 year old boy who lives with his family in Fishers, IN. His dad is a doctor and his mother is an attorney who has decided to stay at home with Brian and his 4 year old sister until they are both in grade school. Throughout his school years Brian is provided with encouragement from his family, friends, and teachers . During the summers he has the opportunity to travel and attend many camps that provide him with great learning opportunities. As he nears the end of his senior year in high school, he has a choice of many different colleges to attend because he has maintained good grades and his parents have the financial means to pay for wherever he selects. In addition, virtually all of his friends will be attending college.
Tyler is a 7 year old boy who lives in a rundown neighborhood in Indianapolis. His mother works 2 jobs to pay the bills and he has never met his father. As a result, Tyler has very little supervision after school and spends this time getting into trouble. Throughout his school years, Tyler receives very little encouragement from anyone. His is constantly fed a message that has convinced him that the most he can ever hope for in life is a job at McDonalds. As he nears the end of high school, he realizes that he doesn’t have the grades to graduate and is considering just dropping out. Very few of Tyler’s friends will graduate High School and none will attend college.
Now imagine that you get a chance to meet both of these individuals the summer after their senior year. Can you imagine how different their perspectives on life will be?
Every time you are tempted to complain about a challenge in your life, I urge you to remember this example. A change in perspective can help turn any obstacle into an opportunity.
In addition, if you would like to learn more about how you can help kids like Tyler right here in Indianapolis please visit The Reach Foundation.
CJ McClanahan is the Founder of reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email CJ at cjm@goreachmore.com for the latest on reachmore’s revolutionary executive coaching program, Summit.
Enjoy the Ride
Wednesday, June 9th, 2010On my way to Gatlinburg, TN in April, I ran into some problems about 6 hours into my trip, and ran into the most massive traffic jam I have seen in 2010!
After working a full and tough week, I hopped into my car and drove all the way to TN for a quick getaway vacation. Apparently in Pigeon Forge there was a car show that night. I went from being excited about getting to my vacation destination early; to grumbling because it took me two hours to drive 12-miles through this car show.
In the middle of fuming about how tired I was, I paused and looked at the scenery around me. There were people walking up and down the street in their summer clothes, laughing and enjoying one another. There were rows and rows and rows of beautiful old and new cars. Their owners were standing close by with looks of pride on their faces, and a polishing cloth in their hands.
Everyone with a convertible had their tops down, there were tons of people in the backs of jacked-up lifted pick-up trucks, and tweaked mufflers sang the song of their over-eager owners pumping the gas pedal.
This was a party. I was in the middle of a party! So, instead of being mad about my situation, I decided to join the party! I put my top down, turned up my music, and participated in every bit of the car show.
I enjoyed the ride. Life and business are a ride, and we have to enjoy every moment of them.
There is a quote that says, “Success is a journey, not a destination.” Remember that saying as you go through your great days and your poor days. Success is equivalent to what you are doing right now, so put your top down and enjoy it!
Jamar Cobb-Dennard is the Vice-President of Business Development for Reachmore, which provides leadership coaching for small business and executives. Email Jamar at jamar@goreachmore.com for the latest on Reachmore’s newest seminar, Launch.