My Riffs

I know some really great people and am grateful for them today. In the business world there is a very accurate phrase that says, "your net worth is your network". But financial richness cannot compare to relational richness. I wouldn't trade my friendships for business network relationships. Friends can inspire, provoke, challenge and encourage in much more lasting and meaningful ways than making more money. The saying roughly says "...you'll be who you are in 5 years time, except for the people you know and the books you read...". The places you go could probably be added to that list too.  So making more money or getting a new position at work won't fundamentally better or change you, but making a new friendship or taking advantage of an existing one will. Very grateful for all my friends today. You all know who you are :)

Is has been said, "comparison is the thief of joy". It is natural and easy to compare yourself to others, but this often leads down the wrong path. Comparison can be used both as a copout to not do something or a as source of discouragement. Both are wrong and unnecessary. It is far more challenging to compare yourself against yourself. That is the best form of comparison, looking at where you are and comparing it to the best possible version of yourself. Strive to be that best possible version of yourself. Appreciate others' accomplishments but do not let others' accomplishments be a source of discouragement or an excuse for yourself. Hold yourself to the highest standard, based on your own benchmarks and potential, not anyone else's.

Sometimes it is extremely difficult to say no. Having the confidence to say no to some extra work, a new position or whatever it is, is extremely important at times. The activities and actions we partake in are equally important to the ones we say no to. Saying no to one thing means saying yes to another, potentially even greater activity. A yes to that request may dilute your efforts in other more meaningful activities.

An idea with no action or implementation has little value. How many products, services, works of art and etc never saw the light of day due to inaction? If you have an idea, put it out there. It may not be the best idea, but it may be a good one. Furthermore, it may lead to a great idea with some refinement once it is tested in the real world.

Anxiety/anxiousness is a natural human feeling. It can quickly turn into a bad emotion or feeling though. Anxiety accomplishes nothing. Make sure to use your anxiety as a launching pad to taking life into your own hands rather than sitting back and letting life dictate your feelings. Push back on the anxiety and don't accept it.

One of the worst states to be in is being comfortable. At first glance this may seem crazy, but comfort truly is counter to progress. Innovation, growth and learning essentially never happen from a place of comfort. Comfortable inherently means satisfied. Stagnant. Search for ways to be pushed from your comfort zone. Learn a new skill that your not already comfortable with. Learn a new language. Create something and publish it (painting, song, poem, etc). Start a business or project. Anything to get up from your place of comfort.

Before we can take our very first unassisted step we must have some level of balance. And this is only a foreshadow of things to come. One of the most important and less talked about life skills is balance. Balance is the key to longevity. Because life is a lengthy journey, we must constantly adjust our course to ensure our destination. Balance is often catalyst to those adjustments in order to keep us on the right course. A small imbalance disregarded will cause a large final destination miss. Too much of one thing becomes counter productive, too little and it becomes non-productive. Strike the right balance in all facets of living.

Rest is an important part of life. Take deliberate time to rest and other areas of your life will see increased results.

Hard times do not equal bad times. Challenging seasons and times are prime opportunities for growth, learning and formation. Economic hard times can present new opportunities like lower entry points into businesses and markets, great investment opportunities and they can teach better financial management. All these things would be difficult to do/learn when things are booming. The same principles apply and even more so for personal growth. We do not learn much when things are smooth sailing. Most often it takes hard and challenging times to cause growth. Knowing that can make the hard times much more tolerable. 

Isn't it? How often is the difference between success and failure, simply attitude? Attitude maybe more than anything shapes destiny. Attitude is more powerful than skill, money and education. Every action begins as thought. Attitudes steer thinking. Thoughts steer destiny.

The most important decision you will make is the next one, and then the next and then every one following... Every decision regardless of size sets our course. Each decision is a course correction with the sum of our decisions forming our destination. So every little adjustment is important; a small adjustment may make a big difference in the long run.

Good things come to those who wait... In a sense, yes. Patience does not mean inaction though. Patience often involves action; true patience removes the discontent usually associated with waiting.

Allowing your ideas and philosophies to be challenged helps you vet the good, okay and not okay ones. Look for opportunities to have your ideas and philosophies to be challenged. A good place to start is finding someone with opposite ideas and see if there is room for movement in your ideas. There is no shame in discarding ones thoughts, opinions and philosophies in favour of better. The best idea and philosophy wins, regardless of origin. This should be a continual exercise, not a one-time one. Some requirements to do this properly are: Introspection Honesty Self-awareness Fearlessness or overcoming certain fears 

Problems are opportunities. Opportunities to learn, plant, grow, influence... Problems are a deviation from your comfort zone but this is when innovation and positive change can happen. Susan Fielder said "Whenever you feel frustrated, welcome it. You're about to learn something." Welcome the problem and the frustration you feel as you work though the problem.

The truest global currency is time. Everything you buy and every action you take costs time. Invest wisely as re-investment quite often is impossible.