In Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic Sherlock Holmes story,
"The Hound of the Baskervilles," there's a wonderful
conversation about whether the Lord of the Manor has
installed electricity in the castle. The reply is, "No,
Sir. He's decided to wait a generation or two to see if it
catches on."
I love that story because it lends perspective to our need
to rush and worry. As George and Ira Gershwin noted over 70
years ago, we live with a "need for speed." But I'm not
sure the need is as intense as we believe.
Phililp Humbert said, "Some things, like wine and wisdom, seem to mature slowly.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate being able to fly to
meetings in Chicago, I appreciate instant messaging and the
convenience of email. I love watching the news live, as it
happens, anywhere on earth. These are marvelous things and
they serve us well. As an investor, I love executing a
stock trade in seconds, and this morning I bought tickets
to Cirque du Soleil in about two minutes flat! What fun!
As a coach, my job is to help my clients be more
productive, achieve bigger goals, make more money or have a
larger impact on the world. It's amazing to see what we can
achieve with smarter strategies and better tools! We can do
so much more and go so much further than we have imagined!
Helping my clients achieve big, important goals is where
the joy is!
So long as doing more allows us to become more.
Many years ago, I think it was Ann Murray who sang about
the clowns at the circus and at the end of the song, she
asks, "Is that all there is?" I fear that at the end of
life, many of us will be left with the question, "Is that
all there is?"
I remember as a child, watching my grandfather whittle a
stick on his back porch after the day's work was done. The
cows grazed on a hillside with the sun setting in the
distance. He whittled, I watched, and we talked. There was
no radio or television, no iPhone or internet. We had plenty
of time.
Obviously, we are not going to turn back the clock. We are
not going to "wait a generation or two" to see if the
digital age "will catch on." We are not going to abandon
email or give up our cell phones.
But with all the options and opportunities in front of us,
it is essential that we ask, "How do I want to live my
life?" More than ever, we have an obligation to choose our
priorities.
It seems to me, the sequence is this:
1. First, decide your values and priorities. What's
important to you? What do you want more of in your life?
What do you want less of? Be clear!
2. Second, choose a strategy. How have other people
accomplished what you want to achieve? What skills,
strategies and partnerships worked for them? What didn't
work, and how can I improve on their results? Find out!
3. Execute your strategy. In the end, it comes down to
daily action. Once you know what you want and have a plan
to get it, the key is execution.
You can have just about anything you want in life. You can
live just about any lifestyle you wish. You can be or
become any one you choose. The only question is, "What will
you do with your one and only, glorious life?" Once you
answer that, the rest is just a matter of strategy and
execution.
The final note, however, is about "the gap." Many people
are clear about their values and their goals, but live with
a huge, frustrating gap between where they are and where
they want to be. They try. They work hard. They're smart,
but year after year, things don't really change. Usually,
it's about needing a better strategy--maybe just a slight
tweak, a slightly better system--and more consistent daily
action.
"The Hound of the Baskervilles," there's a wonderful
conversation about whether the Lord of the Manor has
installed electricity in the castle. The reply is, "No,
Sir. He's decided to wait a generation or two to see if it
catches on."
I love that story because it lends perspective to our need
to rush and worry. As George and Ira Gershwin noted over 70
years ago, we live with a "need for speed." But I'm not
sure the need is as intense as we believe.
Phililp Humbert said, "Some things, like wine and wisdom, seem to mature slowly.
Don't get me wrong. I appreciate being able to fly to
meetings in Chicago, I appreciate instant messaging and the
convenience of email. I love watching the news live, as it
happens, anywhere on earth. These are marvelous things and
they serve us well. As an investor, I love executing a
stock trade in seconds, and this morning I bought tickets
to Cirque du Soleil in about two minutes flat! What fun!
As a coach, my job is to help my clients be more
productive, achieve bigger goals, make more money or have a
larger impact on the world. It's amazing to see what we can
achieve with smarter strategies and better tools! We can do
so much more and go so much further than we have imagined!
Helping my clients achieve big, important goals is where
the joy is!
So long as doing more allows us to become more.
Many years ago, I think it was Ann Murray who sang about
the clowns at the circus and at the end of the song, she
asks, "Is that all there is?" I fear that at the end of
life, many of us will be left with the question, "Is that
all there is?"
I remember as a child, watching my grandfather whittle a
stick on his back porch after the day's work was done. The
cows grazed on a hillside with the sun setting in the
distance. He whittled, I watched, and we talked. There was
no radio or television, no iPhone or internet. We had plenty
of time.
Obviously, we are not going to turn back the clock. We are
not going to "wait a generation or two" to see if the
digital age "will catch on." We are not going to abandon
email or give up our cell phones.
But with all the options and opportunities in front of us,
it is essential that we ask, "How do I want to live my
life?" More than ever, we have an obligation to choose our
priorities.
It seems to me, the sequence is this:
1. First, decide your values and priorities. What's
important to you? What do you want more of in your life?
What do you want less of? Be clear!
2. Second, choose a strategy. How have other people
accomplished what you want to achieve? What skills,
strategies and partnerships worked for them? What didn't
work, and how can I improve on their results? Find out!
3. Execute your strategy. In the end, it comes down to
daily action. Once you know what you want and have a plan
to get it, the key is execution.
You can have just about anything you want in life. You can
live just about any lifestyle you wish. You can be or
become any one you choose. The only question is, "What will
you do with your one and only, glorious life?" Once you
answer that, the rest is just a matter of strategy and
execution.
The final note, however, is about "the gap." Many people
are clear about their values and their goals, but live with
a huge, frustrating gap between where they are and where
they want to be. They try. They work hard. They're smart,
but year after year, things don't really change. Usually,
it's about needing a better strategy--maybe just a slight
tweak, a slightly better system--and more consistent daily
action.
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