What can you control in your life?
Maybe a better question is, what do you try to control in your life? Anne Wilson Schaef said, "Trying to control our lives puts us in a position of failure before we start." When I was coaching high school basketball I would remind my players that the only things they had any control over while playing the game were their attitude and their effort. Everything else was outside their control. I wanted them to understand that no matter how hard they tried or wanted something to occur, they had very little control over the outcome, especially when other people were involved. They had no control over a referee making a bad call that forced them to spend most of the game on the bench. They had no control over having one of those games where there seemed to be a lid on the basket and none of their shots were going in. They had no control over a teammate missing them for a wide-open layup. The players needed to learn that by relinquishing control of the uncontrollable, they had a much better mindset to adapt to the positive and negative aspects of the game as they unfolded. The Stoic philosopher, Marcus Aurelius said, "The nearer a person comes to a calm mind, the closer they are to true strength." No matter how hard you want a square peg to fit in a round hole, it simply isn't going to happen...and the harder you try to control it, the more frustrated you become. "Radical acceptance," is a psychological term that refers to the practice of accepting the difficult parts of life. Once you come to terms with what you can't control, you can focus on the things that are within your control. By accepting the uncontrollable events and situations in your life, you empower yourself to make meaningful changes on focus on the things you have control over. Leave me a comment about your thoughts on the importance of letting go of the things that are uncontrollable in your life.
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Sustainable Excellence Xtras #125 - The Importance Of Being Brief When Asking For What You Want5/14/2024 Do you usually say more than you should or need to? Do you think that by saying more, you'll get what you want? The shortest inaugural address was delivered by President George Washington. It was just 135 words. The longest inaugural address was delivered by President William Henry Harrison. He delivered a 9000-word speech that took him two hours. While he spoke, a freezing wind chilled him to the bone. The next day, he came down with a cold, and a month later he died of pneumonia. Other than ensuring you don't die of pneumonia, delivering a short, concise message will make your communication more memorable. Brevity is important to get your message across and to get people to act on your request. A study done by Microsoft in 2000, found the average human attention span was twelve seconds. By 2015, our attention span was just eight seconds, a full second less than a goldfish. On the average web page, users will read only about 28% of the words. To get your message across and acted upon: make your message clear, keep it short, tell stories, and, if possible, use video content within the first eight seconds to grab the attention of your reader. The average attention span for reading online content is 15-20 seconds, so I should probably end this blog. Please check out the video below to learn the importance of keeping your message short and clear. Also, leave me a comment about your tips for generating communications that get acted upon. What would you consider the most important day of your life?
Would it be your birthday? Would it be the day you graduated from school? Would it be the day you were married, or the day your children were born? Mark Twain, the writer and humorist said, "The two most important days in our life are the day we are born and the day we figure out why." Why were you born? Do you believe there is a defacto reason you were put on this earth? Viktor Frankl, the Holocaust survivor during World War II said, "One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has a specific vocation in life to carry out, a concrete assignment that demands fulfillment." Frankl's comments make it sound like we have a moral obligation to determine and pursue our life's purpose. Many times, when people recover from a disease or an addiction, they set that day as their "new" birthday since they feel they are starting life over again. Some people believe that today is the most important day in our lives. They believe that because it is the only day that is certain. We can't go back and repeat any previous days, and tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Even a "bad" today can be used to set up a better tomorrow. As a result, we should make the most of every day. Regardless of the type of day you believe is the most important, the greatest meaning of your important day may not just be for you - it may be for someone else you aren't even aware of. Live every day to the fullest. Leave me a comment on what the most important day in your life is or has been. |
Author & SpeakerTerry is a sought after speaker who believes in the power of a story to motivate, inspire, and help others lead their uncommon and extraordinary lives. By combining his twelve-year cancer journey with his diverse business, athletic coaching, and hostage negotiating expertise, he delivers compelling yet relatable presentations for conferences, on-line events, panels, meetings, and seminars. Archives
May 2024
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