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Many years ago, a man was sitting in quiet contemplation by a riverbank when he was disturbed by a beggar from the local village.
“Where is the stone?” the beggar demanded. “I must have the precious stone!”
The man smiled at him. “What stone do you seek?”
There is an old Zen story about a king who wanted to teach his people a lesson. He placed a large boulder in the middle of the main road, completely blocking entry into the city. Then he hid and observed their reactions. The king watched as person after person came to the impediment and turned away or tried halfheartedly before giving up.
When he was 14, he received a C-minus in music. His teacher specifically commented that he “had no aptitude for singing.”
A senior monk, named Tanzan, and a junior monk, named Ekido, were traveling together through the countryside. They soon came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross, they saw a young woman also attempting to cross.
Once upon a time there was a Chinese farmer whose horse ran away. That evening, all of his neighbors came around to commiserate. They said, “We are so sorry to hear your horse has run away. This is most unfortunate.” The farmer said, “Maybe.”
Mastering the inner game is the key to sustainable personal and business success. It’s possible only by a deep understanding of what the inner game is all about and what success within it really looks like.
Curing your intention deficit disorder is key to realizing your fullest potential.
It is possible for you to become a much more powerful creator. But it’s only obtainable through real inner work.
As an example, a CEO client of mine who was also acting as the head of sales complained that he hadn’t closed a new deal for several months. He believed this problem was due to their product and marketing departments.
Your self-concept is probably the most important aspect of your life.
Why? Because it includes everything you believe is true about you. Everything you believe about what you’re capable of and what is possible for you. Your self-concept is visible everywhere in your life; it generates your current results.
Ben is 30 years old and the CEO of a high-growth and venture-backed Canadian tech start-up.
As I studied him deeply when speaking to me in our first session together, I noticed that he was yawning frequently. He had dark bags under his eyes. During a pause in our conversation, I asked him about it:
“All things are created twice. There’s a mental or first creation, and a physical or second creation to all things.” – Stephen R. Covey, “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People”
Thoughts create things.
The device you are using to read this first existed as a concept in someone’s mind. These words first existed in mine. Take a look around and literally everywhere you’ll see ideas that originated within a mind.
“The state of your life is nothing more than a reflection of your state of mind.”
– Wayne W. Dyer
There was once a man named Ali who owned a large farm with many orchards. Ali was perfectly content with his lot in life until one day, when a local priest told him how the Almighty had created diamonds, and how one stone the size of his thumb was worth enough to purchase an entire country. As the story goes, Ali went to bed a poor man. He sold his farm and set out to seek a fortune in diamonds.
“If a man is called to be a street sweeper, he should sweep streets even as a Michaelangelo painted, or Beethoven composed music or Shakespeare wrote poetry. He should sweep streets so well that all the hosts of heaven and earth will pause to say, ‘Here lived a great street sweeper who did his job well.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
There are no musts in life. Only choices and consequences. Everything you do (or don’t do) is a choice.
So, before taking action on something ask yourself – “Do I really want to do this?”
You don’t have a time management problem.
You probably think you do, but the reality is that everyone has the same amount of time. In fact, and you may want to take a deep breath here: you have plenty of time.
What you may have is an “integrity” problem.
“There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing.” ― Aristotle
You don’t have a time management problem.
You probably think you do, but the reality is that everyone has the same amount of time. In fact, and you may want to take a deep breath here: you have plenty of time.
What you may have is a “people pleasing” problem.
“ Seeing is not believing; believing is seeing! You see things, not as they are, but as you are.”- Eric Butterworth
You don’t have a time management problem.
You probably think you do, but the reality is that everyone has the same amount of time. In fact, and you may want to take a deep breath here: you have plenty of time.
What you may have is a “mindset” problem.
“ Be quick, but don’t hurry.”- John Wooden
You don’t have a time management problem.
You probably think you do, but the reality is that everyone has the same amount of time. In fact, and you may want to take a deep breath here: you have plenty of time.
What you may have is a “purpose” problem.
A senior monk, named Tanzan, and a junior monk, named Ekido, were traveling together through the countryside. They soon came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her cross to the other side. The two monks glanced at one another. They had taken vows never to touch a woman.
James* is a client and the CEO of a successful medium-sized consulting firm in Vancouver, B.C. He is in his 50s and has done quite a bit of personal growth work in the past, including working with several executive coaches. Despite this, he still finds himself stuck on the same topic.
“I know exactly what to do. I’ve known it for a long time. I’ve had the same vision and plan in front of me before, but for some reason I just can’t execute.”
He looked at me with deep concern in his face.
“What’s going to be different this time?!”
“In all of my experience, I have never seen lasting solutions to problems, or lasting happiness and success, that came from the outside in.” – Stephen R. Covey in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Are you a business leader struggling with too few opportunities for growth, a lack of interest in your ideas, or the sense that you don’t have enough time or resources? Are you in any way unhappy about the results, including your inner experience, that you are producing?
The past is gone. The present is unfolding even as I type this. Your thoughts, your emotions and your bodily functions arise spontaneously. You can learn to influence them, but you cannot control them. In fact, the only thing you can ever control are your choices. And specifically, how you choose to respond to whatever is happening in the present moment.
