Personal Success

Tying Loose Ends

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It’s December 5. We are almost at the finish line of 2016 and I have some loose ends to tie: complete my children’s book and edit my novella (Nanowrimo). These are my writing goals for this month.

Jillian Michaels says, “It’s when you’re uncomfortable that change happens.”

When it comes to writing, I enjoy the research phase. I also love the writing phase where I just throw it onto paper. But when it comes to editing, I get…uncomfortable. All those monkey mind thoughts I fought while writing come back and it prevents me from finishing.

Working out and changing your diet is uncomfortable.

Interviewing for your dream job is uncomfortable.

Making new friends is uncomfortable.

Disconnecting from friends who don’t act like your friends is uncomfortable.

Discomfort leads to change and growth! Who cares about perfection? It’s not important. In fact, it can be your enemy. Finishing is the most important thing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bewitching Bento Box

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I took my daughters out for our weekly lunch following violin lessons. We frequent the local hole-in-the-wall Mexican place (Los Betos) which is amazing and Five Guys or go out for pho. Today, I suggested a new place, Yoshi Bento, in Phoenix.

We were really hungry. The place was not fancy at all, but the food at the next table looked amazing. The girls ordered chicken teriyaki bento and I ordered the salmon. The spicy cabbage salad took Josie by surprise. She noticed how eating from another compartment complemented the spice.

What is it about the bento box that captivates? I think it’s the obvious care in preparation. The bento box is made with fresh ingredients and each compartment has its own flavor and texture: buttery and soft, salty and crunchy, fuzzy and sweet, slick and piscine.

Anything made with care and consideration is noticed and appreciated. It is presence realized.

 

 

 

Remedy for the Blues

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by Ryan Moreno

I made the mistake of reading some news today. BIG mistake. What a downer. How dispiriting! But tonight, my family attended my daughter’s high school dance performance. Over 20 different acts, ranging from beginning to highly advanced performed in quick succession. And instantly, my spirits lifted. Kids of all ages, of all body types, and of all skills danced their hearts out. The audience was comprised of friends and families who hooted and hollered their encouragement, calling kids by name.

Dance. Art. Music. Literature. These are activities that require self-discipline, practice and focus. When you observe or participate in the arts, you are party to a deep, spiritual practice of love and harmony.

If you’re feeling “blah” or down, I highly recommend that you attend a local live show – preferably put on by children – immediately. Your spirit will soar.

 

 

 

Do You Have an Android?

 

Check Point Software Technologies

Apparently, nearly 1 million Androids have been hacked, according to Mashable. The malicious malware installs apps on your phone which steal authentication and falsely rate their apps highly.

As an Android owner, I was naturally concerned! There is a way to test whether your phone has been comprised. Visit: https://gooligan.checkpoint.com/

You will be prompted to enter your email address (related to your Play Store account) and it will check to see if you’ve been compromised.

Read the Mashable article for the fix.

I am unbreached. Yay!

 

 

Workshop Wisdom

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by Roman Mager

I attended a workshop on educational leadership today. I walked away with lots of good stuff but one quote that stuck with me was:

Get what you want. Find a way.

Being a leader means helping others lead, really. Supporting others to be the best they can be is one of the biggest objectives and one of the most challenging.  One vital channel to this goal is to make others feel appreciated and help them in their jobs.

Make your staff feel valued by obtaining resources that they need or want for their work. Show them that you appreciate what they do and that you consider it important. “Get what you want. Find a way.”

This is really the secret to success, isn’t it? What do you want? How can you find a way to get it?

 

 

 

The Indomitable Bruce Lee

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When I was a young teen, my father gathered my sister, brother and me and told us we were going to start taking Tae Kwon Do lessons. He didn’t ask what we thought about it or if we wanted to do it, he told us we were doing it. My father was an extremely strict father. Tiger Moms these days are mere kittens compared to my father back then. So we didn’t even groan or try to get out of it.

We began. The entire time, I kept wishing I was taking dance instead. But no, martial arts it was.

My sister and I were young teenage girls and we had to spar grown men and believe me, they didn’t “take it easy” on us. JoAnne and I learned to use our elbows to defend ourselves against their powerful kicks. It worked! Martial arts was big back then because of a guy named Bruce Lee.

Our tenets were: Courtesy, Integrity, Perseverance, Self-Control and Indomitable Spirit (CIPSI).

We lived those tenets. All three of us earned 1st degree black belts.

There were no Asians in magazines back then. Or TV. Even “Kung Fu” starred a white man named David Carradine. It turns out Warner Bros. stole Bruce Lee’s concept and believed a full blooded Asian on TV wouldn’t work so they hired Mr. Carradine.

Bunk!

What did Bruce Lee do? He went to China and made “The Big Boss” which made him an international star.

This is what you must do when you face rejection. When you face sexism. Racism. Any kind of bigotry. Go out and be Bruce Lee. That is, embody his spirit. 

Always be yourself, express yourself, have faith in yourself, do not go out and look for a successful personality and duplicate it.

Bruce Lee

New Beginnings

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photo by Ray Hennessy

We’re a little over a month to the New Year, but it’s never too early to think of New Beginnings. I’m not into countdowns, as that takes your mind out of the present moment. However, I believe reflection and assessing the areas of your life can be important in getting what you want. Perhaps everything is great: your marriage, the kids, and your health. But your career is flagging? Or maybe your career is going great, but your relationships are strained?

Here is a “life wheel:”

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Can you identify the areas of current strength and happiness? Which area(s) would you like to address? Pinpointing your target areas is the first step to improvement.

And remember…only you can make it better!

 

 

 

 

Hustle!

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Afraid that you’re getting old and haven’t reached the “pinnacle” of your career? Anxious that your lofty goal seems out of reach while your milestone birthdays are being thrown at you? Never fear!  Published in Science magazine this month, a study of over 2,800 scientists showed that most wrote their “break through” career paper after 20 years of work.

There is little correlation to age and “success.”

In fact, there are many careers that require a passel of years of experience and learning, such as “law, psychoanalysis, history, or philosophy” and the average age of summit success came at 48.

Einstein once said that if you haven’t made a discovery by the time you’re 30, you never will. But data shows that the age where scientists are making ground breaking work is getting older and older, because there is more for them to learn before they reach the area of discovery. Makes sense!**

The most important factors for success are:

  • ability to create time to work;
  • ability to collaborate successfully; and
  • to make sure your work gets in front of the right people at the right time.

So keep working and protect your work time.

 

Sources: 

http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/11/can-you-be-too-old-for-success.html

**http://www.nbcnews.com/id/45198217/#.Uo-c-tJDsc8

 

 

7 Benefits to Gratitude

 

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Practicing gratitude improves your life in a multitude of ways.  According to Amy Morin, a psychological business writer for Forbes.com, reflecting on all that you have to be grateful for benefits you in the following ways:

  1. Opens the door to more relationships.
  2. Improves your physical health (fewer aches and pains)!
  3. Improves your psychological health (reduces your emotional toxins)!
  4. Enhances empathy and reduces aggression.
  5. Helps you sleep better.
  6. Improves your self-esteem.
  7. Increases mental strength.

 

Reflecting on gratitude is a form of living in presence.

Happy Thanksgiving, all.