Are we facing MOSTLY an economic crisis or a character crisis right now? I wonder!
Undoubtedly the economy is a mess. But wasn’t it the greed, arrogance and self-absorption on wall street along with the get-rich-quick mindset, greed and selfishness on main street that got us here.
And, as people are responding now, don’t we see fundamentally a response that flows from character or lack of it?
Think about it… fear, blaming others, denial, worry, dishonesty, inappropriate anger (I think there is plenty of good anger needed right now)?
And the biggest issue to me.. how do we start to make adjustments based on good character.. taking responsibility, kicking in the work ethic, caring for others in need, being generous, providing positive solutions, etc.
Are you focusing on what is really important to YOU?
It’s easy to get off course here. One CEO said it this way – “life is all about juggling balls…. the key is to know the difference between the rubber balls and the crystal balls. The rubber balls will bounce; the crystal balls will break.”
So what are the crystal balls in your life? For me it is faith, family, friends and fitness overall. I spoke to a two large business conventions in Russia in the past couple of weeks and talked these 20,000 leaders about how to work on life balance and gave them this exercise.
I used this video of pictures to show them how I did this exercise myself.
These are the core priority areas of my life – faith, fitness, family, friends, finances, firm (work/professional) and fun (re-creation). I’ve sought to take these in this order and show snapshops of my life that reflect these.
Take pictures or find some that best describe what is most important to you. Then, think about these areas, set long term goals and then weekly proactively build activities and build them into your schedule.
Now develop your own pictures of those things important to you – your crystal balls. Then, comment below and upload your snapshots or movie (mine is a simple movie through iPhoto) to youtube, vimeo, facebook, etc. and put in your URL below.
I’ll send a free ebook of mine on Life Balance to the best entry.
How is the harmony in your relationships – your family, colleagues, clients, others?
Well, most of us struggle with that.
My wife, Mary and I spent an incredible evening at the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow hosted by a client who had us speaking at a large convention of about 12,000 business owners.
The night was magical, even though I’ve never been a ballet kind of guy.
The dancing was stunning, the artists impeccable, the venue supreme and the music breath taking.
It reminded me of George Bernard Shaws comment, “in the right key you can say anything; in the wrong key nothing. The only delicate part of life is establishing the key.”
So listening to the orchestra even while tuning up here’s what I learned. Take a look and see what you think.
You must listen to the people/instruments around you.
You need to constantly make adjustments.
It’s OK to get out of key but you need to quickly get back in.
Look, life is so busy, so crowded, so overwhelming that you just need to stop and stop often (even if it is for a few minutes every day) and smell the roses.
Here’s some thoughts ….
take the a short walk in the woods or around the block
notice a child laugh
utter a prayer
meditate on some great truth
really listen to someone
have a good belly laugh
smell a rose really
look around and enjoy the beauty of creation.
This video blog is my experience as my wife, Mary and I walked through the beautiful Gorky Park in Moscow the other day.
Tell me what you do to smell the roses in your life.
What is your life mission that encompasses your personal and professional life. In this podcast I talk about this based on the quotation below by Albert Einstein.Listen to the podcast here - What’s Your Mission?
Action Step:
Write our your mission statement and share it with your spouse and a friend. Then march to that mission with the rest of your life.
Quote of the Week:
“Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury – to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best for both the body and the mind.” - Albert Einstein
What are you think about right now? What did you think about today? This week? Routinely?
I want you to learn to think deeply about life, your future, what you value, who is important in your life and the kind of impact you are having personally and professionally.
Take 30 minutes just to think about these things today. Take some notes. Come away with at least one insight about yourself, your life and/or your future.
Are we facing MOSTLY an economic crisis or a character crisis right now? I wonder!
