Tip #6 from Daniel Pink’s Drive cannot be overstated: Just say no. Pink informs us that management guru Tom Peters creates a “To Don’t” list. These items zap energy and time away from goals.
In today’s fast-paced, highly-distractable world, staying on point is an obstacle in and of itself.
“What you decide not to do is probably more important than what you decide to do.”
Make a list of what detracts from your goals and work. Web-surfing? Netflix? Cleaning? Responding to emails? Don’t do it!
I had to download all of my images (which I had scanned) from my hard drive to my Google Drive for security purposes. I would hate to lose them should my computer die! This took awhile. I then placed half of those images into my CreateSpace Dashboard. It’s been a super long day/night and that’s all I can get done for now. It seems silly to create a whole blog about it, but I am (hopefully), I’m inspiring you to do even just a little (whenever you can) toward reaching your goals.
When you’re tired and just want to veg with Netflix…
When you just want to take a bath and go to bed…
When you just want to surf the Internet reading mindless junk…
do one small thing towards your goal instead.
Good night!
I’m a newbie to self-publishing. I wrote about my children’s book a couple nights ago and I’m going to share my learning process with you in this blog. My hopes are two-fold:
Coincidentally, (and doesn’t the universe provide when you with what you need when you express your desires out loud?), I was reading Choose Yourself by James Altucher and he has a chapter on self-publishing! He recommends using CreateSpace.com. I know there are a kajillion other sites and ways to do this. I’m going to try this first. They have a step-by-step process built in for you and you can then sell through Amazon.com.
Tonight, I signed up. Each night, I will do something to get closer to publishing and share it here. But for now, I have to make lesson plans for the week. I spent most of today cleaning and taking my daughters to the mall. One had Girls Day Out (she had a fantastic time with three friends) and the other needed to pick out a Homecoming dress. Done!
I also made progress in re-typing a short story I wrote over 13 years ago (I lost the Word doc, but had a hard copy).
As long as I make consistent progress in these areas, I’m happy. As a wise woman once said:
You can have it all, just not at once.
Oprah Winfrey
Today was the first day of school!
For their time capsule, I had students answer some questions about personal preference and their current lives. They always get a kick out of their answers when they get their papers back in May.
One of the most telling signs regarding success in class is their answer to this prompt:
My personal goals for this year are:
By “personal,” I mean goals that are not school-related. “Maybe you want to run a 9 minute mile, or wake up at 6am each day….or stop eating so much junk food,” I offer.
Here are some examples of what I received. Which student(s) do you think will do well this year?
Dear Garmin,
A couple months ago, I received my Garmin Vivofit tracker. Thank you. It has put my OCD mind (a little) at ease because now I can confirm (and double and triple confirm) the number of steps I have taken and need to take, how much sleep I received the night before (including deep and light sleep hours) and, with the chest strap, I can track my heart rate and how many calories I burned.
Great.
But we need to talk. You and I know who purchases your products. People like me: control freaks. Obsessive, compulsive perfectionists. We sync our trackers just to watch our progress several times a day. We lock ourselves in the Starbucks bathroom and do a quick jog until the red line of shame goes away.
So why – oh why – do you torture me when I am stuck in the optometrist’s office for a three hour appointment (the doctor had to check not only my eyes, but the health of my two daughters’ eyes, too)? Why do you state the obvious?
By the way, when I walk more than usual, I don’t receive a “Wow, you’re exceeding your average – way to go!” You don’t send me a message appreciating the fact that it’s 108 degrees out there and that I still managed to surpass my goals. Please, go easy. Take mercy on us tracker users. We’re a damaged breed.
Compulsively Yours,
CCW
What if you added this to today’s goals:
“….with presence and care.”
For example, “Today, I will attend present at the sales meeting with presence and care.”
Or,
“I will work with my subcontractors to complete this project with presence and care.”
I believe you will see a difference in how your day goes, for the better.
My daughter Josie (often the illustrator for my blog), created this clay dog tonight with presence and care.
Cool, huh?
These don’t work. There’s no way to reach lofty goals except to work hard. In fact, exceptional goals all require one factor: Grit.
Angela Duckworth coined the term when she distinguished the difference between her 7th grade public school math students who excelled those who didn’t. She also noticed this difference between her colleagues and herself – some of her co-workers had become experts over 20 years studying the same subject. Although she was always achievement-minded, Duckworth felt her work was much less focused on any one area. She defines this special characteristic “grit” – “a passionate commitment to a single mission and an unswerving dedication to achieve that mission.” (Paul Tough, How Children Succeed)
Duckworth created a 12 question grit survey. Answers to questions such as: “New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones” were answered by a 1 to 5 point scale responses (1 = not like me at all to 5 = very much like me). Although the surveys were self-administered, they found the results to be quite accurate and indicative of future success. In fact, they administered it to 1200 military cadets at West Point. Out of several other tests used to predict graduation rates, Duckworth’s 12 question survey was the most predictive.
Why does this matter? Perhaps because so much has always weighed on IQ or “intelligence.” If one can harness the power of grit, one can achieve anything.
Fossilized remains show us what living creatures were doing at time of death. We can learn from fossils: climate, diet, relationships, social structures (even of insects).
Chances are, you won’t be an actual fossil. Unless you’re caught up in something really dramatic, sudden and devastating, like the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in Pompeii (79 A.D.) However, you will leave a legacy. What will it be? Works of art? Enlightening music, film or novels? Or a career of corruption? Maybe you will leave lives richer for your kindness?
My great, great, grandparents lived in Korea. Everything they did affected their children, which affected their children and so on until you have me. Here. In America. My father made the decision to not be like his father, who basically failed at fatherhood: gambled, left the family in debt, etc. My father chose to do the opposite. Because of his decisions and hard work, my siblings, mother, father and I are able to live in the Land of Opportunity.
Whatever you do, whatever you leave, it’s not permanent, but it does count.
Citations:
*http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk/blog/_archives/2013/09/page/2
**http://tinyurl.com/hrmzu4d
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The importance of developing excellent habits in order to reach lofty goals is well-known. However, James Clear and Charles Duhigg (The Power of Habit) have studied the efficacy of habit-making and, after reading their work, I found 2 findings especially enlightening and helpful:
Clear admits that although the (commonly held) belief that it takes 21 days for a habit to hold sounds better than 66, it’s actually inspiring to know that it takes longer. If you “fall off the wagon” within the 21 days, you know that you haven’t failed. You just get back up and continue the work.The habit hasn’t formed permanently yet. Don’t give up!
Personally, I feel a difference between saying “I want a,b,c, to be a new habit” vs. “My rule is a,b,c.” It feels permanent and there is no wiggle room.
In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point.*
I interviewed the Vice Principal and Co-Founder of Eastside College Preparatory School today (Helen Kim). Trying to write a blog post about the interview in 20 minutes (which is all I have tonight!) would not begin to do her or her school justice. Not even close. But I will write about one very important aspect of her work with low-income students who are college-bound: growth mindset. One of the most critical factors for success in helping her students reach their monumental goals is to have them perform self-assessments and self-reflection. One of the questions they most pose of themselves regularly (each quarter, minimum) is: Do I have a growth mindset?
Asking this question is very powerful. Instead of believing success in certain areas are “fixed,” its premise is that through hard work and focus, one can achieve lofty goals. The question empowers the student.
Eastside College Preparatory School consistently and vigorously trains their students to love learning and to be resilient. THIS is the key to success! Of course, academic basics and content mastery are important, but without love of learning, one is apt to quit when the going gets rough. And believe me, the going is going to get rough.
In a world that seems to be going a bit loco, it is truly heartening to know there are people like Helen and her staff who work tirelessly, selflessly and energetically to help others in need.
*http://mindsetonline.com/whatisit/about/
Kismet 