Monthly Archives: November 2014

Dave Barry On Potential

If you had to identify, in one word, the reason why the human race has not achieved, and never will achieve, its full potential, that word would be:  “meetings.  – Dave Barry

If you didn’t laugh out loud at this quote, then check your pulse. Even if you didn’t think it was LOL funny as I did, you probably still agree. Who wants more meetings?

What meeting can you cancel in the next month? Perhaps you and a colleague get called into similar meetings, and you can each attend half and trade notes.

What other task on your to do list can you cancel? Sometimes things just end up as a must-do out of habit. Take the time to reconsider all your tasks and decide anew if it stays or goes.

William Feather On Happiness

Some people are making such thorough plans for rainy days that they aren’t enjoying today’s sunshine. — William Feather

I’m very guilty of this one, as I am a worrier. (I also harbor grudges so if I’m not worrying about the future, I’m stewing about the past!).

Are you so focused on problems that you can’t see solutions, opportunities, or lucky breaks? If you find yourself focusing on what you cannot do, ask yourself, “How can I…?”

Are you spending more time planning for contingencies than preparing for success? You want to play offense, as well as defense. Assume that the project goes well – now reverse engineer what you did.

Are you always planning for the future or lamenting the past that you are not fully experiencing the present? I have found that improvisational theater keeps me in the moment because it requires a high degree of listening. Find a pursuit outside your day-to-day that forces you to exercise different skills.

Christopher Reeve On Possibility

So many of our dreams at first seem impossible, then they seem improbable, and then, when we summon the will, they soon become inevitable. – Christopher Reeve 

This is so true of big goals. Graduation seems daunting to a child, but we’ve done it multiple times – elementary school, middle school, high school, college, and beyond. It is impossible and then inevitable. Saving money sometimes seems futile till you check your account balance years later and realize that the drip savings have become significant. I just celebrated my 20th wedding anniversary – in high school, when we met, I still remember wondering if we’d ever start dating!

What would you do if you believed your goals were not impossible, but inevitable? What would you start? Start this now.