Monthly Archives: June 2014

Brene Brown on Feedback

If you’re not in the arena also getting your ass kicked, I’m not interested in your feedback – Brene Brown OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

People may tell you what you think but you don’t have to listen.

In fact, if you’re trying something new or taking a big leap or making a big change, you don’t have to tell people. Sometimes it’s helpful to share so that you hold yourself accountable and you open up the possibility of getting support or outside help. But sharing also leaves you open to Naysayers.

To the Naysayers, recite this Brene Brown quote silently to yourself, smile outwardly and just go along your way.

Do you pay too much attention to people who have no business giving advice?

Chinese Fortune Cookie on Imagination

The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination – Chinese fortune cookieBack Camera

When you need to make a decision, how much time do you spend on gathering information v. brainstorming solutions?

Can you devote more time to imagining possibilities?

For an upcoming decision you need to make, can you think of 5 alternatives? How about 10 or 15? What is the “crazy” idea?

Stephen Covey on Control

If I really want to improve my situation, I can work on the one thing over which I have control – myself. – Stephen Covey

I am guilty of the blame game, myself – if only he had followed up on that, if only their budget wasn’t so restrictive, if only she wasn’t favoring her preferred vendors.OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Instead I need to stay focused on what I can do: How can I follow up? How can I rework my proposal to fit the budget? How can I get on the preferred list?

In what areas of life and career are you giving up control? Where do you assume “this is just the way things are”? What is your role in keeping (and therefore upending) business-as-usual?

Stephen Colbert on Life As Improvisation

Now there are very few rules to improv, but one of the things I was taught early on is that you are not the most important person in the scene — everybody else is. You cannot win in improv. And life is an improvisation – Stephen Colbert

Katie in Wizard of OzI love Stephen Colbert and I love improv, so I love this quote.

The best improvisational theatre is when everyone on stage is trying to make everyone else look good, do good work, and have a good time. If we just did that in our day-to-day, we would all have an amazing place to work and live!

How can you make others look good – at work, at home, at the next social event? How can you support your friend’s goal or your colleague’s work? How can you listen more and find opportunities to help?