Undesirable Outcome

These days I am constantly reminding myself that there is no such thing as failure. There are only outcomes. When we think in this way, "failures" are opportunities to learn and grow. No one who did anything of significance allowed "failure" to paralyze them. Colonel Sanders was rejected 1009 times. And Thomas Edison...?!?! When you see "failure" as simply an outcome, you can change the outcome by making changes ---small or big--- to your behavior leading to that outcome.

CEO Next Door?

Click the title of this post and check out this article on corporate leaderhship. Really a different look at the big chair! Especially great for you entrepreurial types...

There is no normal. (part 2)

"More rewards go to the person who does what he or she loves." -Harriet Rubin, Soloing

There is no normal.

Just watched the 1995 movie, Angus...actually, I only caught the last half of it on cable. I loved Angus' monologue at the end. Posted it below. Hope it inspires you to be YOU...there is no substitute!

Angus: I'm still here, ASSHOLE! I'll ALWAYS be here!
[Begins to violently push Rick across the dance floor]
Angus: You push me down and I'll get back up again, and Again, and AGAIN, And AGAIN, AND AGAIN!
[Rick falls, hitting his head on the steps to the stage]
Angus: I could beat you RIGHT here, RIGHT now! But I DON'T WANT to be better than you, Rick! I DON'T WANT to be better than ANYBODY! I just want to be who I AM: a FAT kid, who's good at science, and fair at football. That's who I AM! I can LIVE with that. Why can't you?
Rick: Because it's not normal. YOU'RE not normal.
Angus: And who is? You?
Rick: You bet your ass.
Angus: So to be normal, we all have to be like YOU? There are 400 people in this room who are NOTHING like you, Rick! Some of them are fat, some of them are skinny. Some of them are short, some of them are tall. Some of them have braces, some of them have birth marks, or scars, or frizzy hair, or EARS THAT STICK OUT!
[Troy's head pops up out of crowd]
Angus: But most of them walk through these halls EVERY DAY, never telling anybody what they really think, or feel, or believe, because people like you, NORMAL people like YOU, have them TERRIFIED of being who they REALLY are. If YOU'RE normal, what does that make all of them? So which is it, Rick? Are you normal? Or are you just one of us?
Rick: Whatever I am, it's something you're never gonna be.
Angus: Thank God.

Apple does it again!

Apple just launched the new iPod nano. Thinner than a pencil, it can hold up to 1000 songs! They also have a new cell phone loaded with iTunes. But I think this nano is cooler.

The Evolution of Leadership

This was an interesting article from Wired. Click on the title above to go to the link.

I first heard about this concept from reading Howard Schultz' book about Starbucks. As the company grew, he had to reinvent himself as a leader. I think he is now on his 4th evolutionary incarnation as Chief Global Strategist for Starbucks Coffee Company. I think it's one of the best companies to work for.

Katrina!

My heart goes out to the thousands of people who have become refugees in their own country because of hurricane Katrina. The images reported by CNN make that part of the US look like a third world country.

I do have one observation though. These affected Americans complaints about their government's responsiveness to this calamity betrays an ugly sense of entitlement. It's as if they are entitled to demand help in this emergency. Coming from a region of the world where we are constantly hit by typhoons, floods, fires, terrorists etc. and where our government often finds itself helpless in national emergencies, I find USAmericans to be so spoiled.

Our Deepest Fear

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, whom am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
You were born to make manifest the glory of God.
That is within us.
It’s not just some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.

Return To Love
Marianne Williamson