Newsletter for November 2008: The BIG Pieces Go in First

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This Months Thought

As you look at your calendar and set your goals for 2009, consider these twin principles of Balance and Big Pieces. Use this simple tool to increase your success (and your joy!) in the year ahead. Put the BIG pieces in first, and give them the necessary time, energy and focus to create the balanced, satisfying life you deserve.

The BIG Pieces Go in First 
Almost every human being wants "more" in life. We want more joy, more fulfillment, more money, or (in some cases) we want fewer troubles or less hassle. We wish we had more time, more friends, or more success. The problem is that too often we keep doing the same things over and over, wondering why things don't change.

One of my primary missions in writing This Months Thought is to share ideas that have worked for others, and to provide a monthly reminder to "keep on keeping on." Things DO get better for those who use (1) good principles, and (2) have tons of persistence!

With that in mind, here are two key principles that apply in almost every area of life or personal success:

1. Balance. We need to have "all four wheels on the ground" and keep the various areas of life working together. We all know people who fail at this, and it isn't a pretty picture. Some people make lots of money, but are unhappy - Elvis Presley comes to mind. Others achieve in some other area of life, but never handle the problem of "balance." We all know the tragic results.

2. Put the BIG pieces in first. There's a famous story about a speaker who put a large glass jar on a counter, put some large rocks in it and asked the audience if it was full. They said yes, so she added some small pebbles, and asked again. Once again, the audience said yes, so she poured in some sand. When the jar was full of sand, she poured in some water, then asked what the BIG principle was? Too many people answer "you can always squeeze a little more in." That doesn't work!

The correct answer is that if you want to get the big pieces into your life, you have to PUT THEM IN FIRST! If life is filled with water and sand and pebbles, you'll never squeeze the big pieces in later!

So, the question becomes, what are the BIG pieces?
 
I suspect every thoughtful person has their own list, but here are a few suggestions:

1. Spiritual Foundation. Regardless of ones religious beliefs, it’s been my experience that people who have strong spiritual values are happier and better able to cope with the stresses of life.  

2. Intimacy and Family. Families come in all shapes and sizes, but almost everyone wants our most intimate relationships to be happy, loving, and fulfilling. Love, intimacy and great memories don't happen in our "spare time." Schedule the big pieces first!

3. Health and Fitness. As far as I can tell, we get one body and we ought to take care of it, but few of us really do. Exercise. Eat your fruits and vegetables. Laugh often. Breath deeply. And when it hurts, see your doctor.

4. Work and Career. We want to do well, achieve much, make some money and leave a legacy. Be sure to do work you love, and get good at it! Have a career plan and follow it! Success is not an accident.

5. Finances and wealth. We live in a world full of money. People around us are wealthy, and there are fundamental principles that apply to making, keeping and managing money. Learn to use money wisely.

6. Fun and Recreation (Re-Creation). Life is to be lived! "All work and no play makes Jack (and Jill) a dull boy/girl." Pursue a hobby. Play with your kids. Make love. See a play. Go bowling, fly a kite. Take a nap. The "good life" is not only measured by the size of your bank account. It has everything to do with joy.

Quotes of the Month

"Your mind can only hold one thought at a time. Make it a positive and constructive one." -- H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

"I don't worry about whether or not I am happy now. Today is only chapter 1. We have yet to write the book." -- Lois Wyse


Strictly Business: 2009 is Already Here!

In business, my sense is that 2009 began several months ago and if you're just putting up your new calendars or setting budgets and making plans, you may already be behind the curve. In business, the future is already here.

Every football quarterback knows how to "lead" the receiver. You never throw the ball to where the receiver is; you throw to where he will be a moment from now. Duck hunters know about "leading" their target, and in space, the Apollo missions never left earth aimed for the moon; instead, they aimed for where it would be four days later.

In business, I'm convinced strategic planning and preparations are the most important of all management skills. Sales can be learned. Most manufacturing or production skills can be learned. But deciding where you're going and how you'll get there is entirely up to leadership. You must choose, and that's an awesome responsibility.

Over the next couple of months a few weeks are filled with holidays, celebrations, shopping, traveling and distractions. There are lots of reasons to be "busy" and that can be a terrible temptation.

Take time to think! In all the hoopla and busy-ness, take time to sit quietly. Get a 2009 calendar and plan the future. Sit down with your current results, go over the figures, evaluate your procedures, and make the hard choices. Do it now, before the new year begins.

And if 2008 didn't produce the results you intended, consider getting a professional coach. Do not let the future be merely a continuation of the past. Remember the old definition of insanity, that it's "doing the same things over and over, expecting different results." If you want different results in 2008 get new input, make new plans, and let me know if you'd like to talk about coaching. Together, we can make it happen! rodger@rodgerblaker.com

Humor: Basically Useless Information 

We go to great lengths to avoid telemarketers, junk mail and spam, and yet we live in the "information age" and can't get enough of the stuff. (Is that a definition of being addicted?) Anyway, here is some "basically useless information" to add to your collection. I make no guarantee that any of this is actually true - it was sent to me and I'm merely the conduit. Enjoy!

Here we go:

• A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
• A crocodile cannot stick out its tongue.
• A dragonfly has a life span of 24 hours.
• A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds. (How does anyone know that???)
• A "jiffy" is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second.
• A snail can sleep for three years.
• Almonds are a member of the peach family.
• Butterflies taste with their feet.
• "Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
• If you are an average American, in your whole life, you will spend an average of 6 months waiting at red lights.
• Leonardo Da Vinci invented the scissors.
• Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
• No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
• Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
• "Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.
• The cruise liner, QE2, moves only six inches for each gallon of diesel that it burns.
• There are 293 ways to make change for a dollar.
• Women blink nearly twice as much as men.