What do you do when your wife and kids are out of town, and you find yourself alone?
Besides catching-up on projects that I somehow avoided until now, I like to watch movies.
TiVo now links to Netflix,
and provides an instant viewing option. Upon opening that folder on the DVR, I saw a
bunch of things I normally wouldn't choose to watch on my own. One of them
was a movie called Saint Ralph. And I chose to watch it anyway.
My Dad had an "interesting" belief. He didn't watch scary or negative movies, because he felt that life was enough of a challenge on its own … and it was better to find things that raised our spirits. Well, I inherited that from him.
Don't get me wrong, I still I love drama and thrillers. But in the absence of compelling circumstances, I tend to prefer positive stories.
So a plot about a down-on-his luck Catholic High School student whose father is dead and whose mother is in a coma, doesn't sound like my type of movie.
But Saint Ralph was my type of movie. It made me think and I enjoyed it. The movie was lighter, funnier, and better than I expected.
On one level, it's a coming-of-age story about perseverance and faith through uncertain times. On another level, it's a well-written comedy about a quirky 14-year-old boy who gets it in his head that the only way to
save his mother is through a miracle (and the miracle he thinks will
save her … is for him to win the Boston Marathon).
It is a movie that asks, if you're going to dream for something, why not dream for miracles?
I was in Columbus Ohio last week for a series of meetings and strategic planning sessions.
I love getting away from the business in order to work on the
business. That means stepping back from day-to-day issues, to look at
the bigger picture. It also means getting back in-touch with goals and
intent.
In a sense, the process acts like a compass, which sets the general direction for the journey.
In addition, preparing for a series of meetings, like this, is a lot like working on a business plan.
Personally, I've found that that one of the primary benefits of
creating a business plan has almost nothing to do with the plan itself.
Working on the plan, immersing yourself in the ideas and possibilities,
and ultimately choosing what stays-in, versus what's filtered out …
there is magic in that.
Yes, the plan is important. But it is the planning that takes you from thinking … to feeling … to knowing. That's where the real benefit of business planning comes from.
A Good Sign.
Sometimes you hear a question and it takes the air out of an idea.
Other times a question helps you make a new distinction or consider an
alternate and better course of action.
At our planning sessions, last week, there was a lot of those
pushing, pulling, probing, and deep thought … yet it built momentum.
So, I felt like we were on the right track.
How to Tell You Are On the Right Track.
I
tend to be analytical. Yet, over time, I've come to believe that one
of the best tools to measure whether you are on the right track is how
you feel.
Have you ever gotten a phone call from someone, and when you saw or heard that it was from them, you wilted? In
contrast, have you ever become more animated and energized while
interacting with someone else? It is easy to recognize the difference.
Each person has different thoughts, people, or situations that trigger these positive and negative states.
In sports, this positive state is often referred to as being "in-the-Zone". It is also called "Flow".
It happens when someone is fully immersed in what they are doing, and
has a feeling of energized focus or awareness, full involvement, and
success in the process of their activity.
Being in Flow feels good. On some level, when you are in Flow, you know you're on the right track.
I was in Columbus Ohio last week for a series of meetings and strategic planning sessions.
I love getting away from the business in order to work on the
business. That means stepping back from day-to-day issues, to look at
the bigger picture. It also means getting back in-touch with goals and
intent.
In a sense, the process acts like a compass, which sets the general direction for the journey.
In addition, preparing for a series of meetings, like this, is a lot like working on a business plan.
Personally, I've found that that one of the primary benefits of
creating a business plan has almost nothing to do with the plan itself.
Working on the plan, immersing yourself in the ideas and possibilities,
and ultimately choosing what stays-in, versus what's filtered out …
there is magic in that.
Yes, the plan is important. But it is the planning that takes you from thinking … to feeling … to knowing. That's where the real benefit of business planning comes from.
A Good Sign.
Sometimes you hear a question and it takes the air out of an idea.
Other times a question helps you make a new distinction or consider an
alternate and better course of action.
At our planning sessions, last week, there was a lot of those
pushing, pulling, probing, and deep thought … yet it built momentum.
So, I felt like we were on the right track.
How to Tell You Are On the Right Track.
I
tend to be analytical. Yet, over time, I've come to believe that one
of the best tools to measure whether you are on the right track is how
you feel.
Have you ever gotten a phone call from someone, and when you saw or heard that it was from them, you wilted? In
contrast, have you ever become more animated and energized while
interacting with someone else? It is easy to recognize the difference.
Each person has different thoughts, people, or situations that trigger these positive and negative states.
In sports, this positive state is often referred to as being "in-the-Zone". It is also called "Flow".
It happens when someone is fully immersed in what they are doing, and
has a feeling of energized focus or awareness, full involvement, and
success in the process of their activity.
Being in Flow feels good. On some level, when you are in Flow, you know you're on the right track.
I recently went to a Tony Robbins seminar in Toronto. One of the highlights of the event was the Firewalk, which is a barefoot walk across red-hot embers.
Learning the technique is not really that hard (it is basically walking at
a normal pace, while not hesitating or tripping). The hard part is doing that knowing that there are burning embers under your feet.
It is breath-taking on several levels. The firewalk is cool in-and-of-itself;
isn't it? So, it doesn't have to mean anything beyond doing
it. Yet, there are some great opportunities to make it more impactful by leveraging what you make the experience mean.
For example you can use the
experience as a powerful memory, triggering feelings of being able to do
anything you commit to … or breaking through what used to be your limits. Or the firewalk can be taken as a metaphor for life … and being able to put yourself into a resourceful state, and choosing to take the right action regardless of what's happening externally or in your mind.
What Goes Through Your Mind?
I was scared the first time I walked on fire. Even though I knew it would do it, when I got to the front of the line, looked down, saw the burning embers, and smelled the smoke … my mind wanted to scream "NO"!! I had a whole lifetime of conditioning that touching hot things was dangerous, and certainly walking barefoot across hot coals made little sense to my logical mind, and even less sense to that primal instinct part of the mind that's there to protect me.
That's why many of the techniques used in the seminars revolve around getting into a peak state, and filling your head with phrases that you repeat again, and again, and again. If you're saying "yes", "yes", "yes" … There's no room for your brain to say "no".
Is It State of Mind … Or Science?
I'm not going to pretend I understand the science of why it's possible to walk barefoot for 30 or 40 feet across burning coals, without injuring yourself. But you don't have to be a scientist to guess that hesitating in the middle might have painful consequences. This video is well done and explains a lot.
.
It is Better the Second Time Around.
I've done the firewalk many times now, and still enjoy it. It's really interesting to watch the faces of people doing it for the first time. Some express abject terror, others pump themselves up into a manic state, while still others follow the crowd with a glazed look on their face.
This time, I tried something different than what I've done before. Instead of working myself into a peak state and charging across the coals triumphantly, I wanted to do it from a place of calm resolve. To me this is a different type of peak state.
In some ways it's about being more present to the situation and my own capabilities. Since I had done this before, being afraid would be somewhat irrational (however emotions do not have to be logical). I didn't want to numb myself to the experience by focusing internally, or by jacking-myself-up into a warrior state; instead I wanted to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of what was happening — and how cool it was to do this from a purposeful intent.
A Little Bit of Mastery Goes a Long Way.
As a trader, the winning, losing, and the uncertainty and certainly trigger fear, greed, and doubt. Learning to master these states, and keeping a clear head, leads to a much longer career.
It's funny, because I wasn't sure that going through this exercise again would have the same impact. It did, just for different reasons than I have before. I highly recommend it. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
I recently went to a Tony Robbins seminar in Toronto. One of the highlights of the event was the Firewalk, which is a barefoot walk across red-hot embers.
Learning the technique is not really that hard (it is basically walking at
a normal pace, while not hesitating or tripping). The hard part is doing that knowing that there are burning embers under your feet.
It is breath-taking on several levels. The firewalk is cool in-and-of-itself;
isn't it? So, it doesn't have to mean anything beyond doing
it. Yet, there are some great opportunities to make it more impactful by leveraging what you make the experience mean.
For example you can use the
experience as a powerful memory, triggering feelings of being able to do
anything you commit to … or breaking through what used to be your limits. Or the firewalk can be taken as a metaphor for life … and being able to put yourself into a resourceful state, and choosing to take the right action regardless of what's happening externally or in your mind.
What Goes Through Your Mind?
I was scared the first time I walked on fire. Even though I knew it would do it, when I got to the front of the line, looked down, saw the burning embers, and smelled the smoke … my mind wanted to scream "NO"!! I had a whole lifetime of conditioning that touching hot things was dangerous, and certainly walking barefoot across hot coals made little sense to my logical mind, and even less sense to that primal instinct part of the mind that's there to protect me.
That's why many of the techniques used in the seminars revolve around getting into a peak state, and filling your head with phrases that you repeat again, and again, and again. If you're saying "yes", "yes", "yes" … There's no room for your brain to say "no".
Is It State of Mind … Or Science?
I'm not going to pretend I understand the science of why it's possible to walk barefoot for 30 or 40 feet across burning coals, without injuring yourself. But you don't have to be a scientist to guess that hesitating in the middle might have painful consequences. This video is well done and explains a lot.
.
It is Better the Second Time Around.
I've done the firewalk many times now, and still enjoy it. It's really interesting to watch the faces of people doing it for the first time. Some express abject terror, others pump themselves up into a manic state, while still others follow the crowd with a glazed look on their face.
This time, I tried something different than what I've done before. Instead of working myself into a peak state and charging across the coals triumphantly, I wanted to do it from a place of calm resolve. To me this is a different type of peak state.
In some ways it's about being more present to the situation and my own capabilities. Since I had done this before, being afraid would be somewhat irrational (however emotions do not have to be logical). I didn't want to numb myself to the experience by focusing internally, or by jacking-myself-up into a warrior state; instead I wanted to enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells of what was happening — and how cool it was to do this from a purposeful intent.
A Little Bit of Mastery Goes a Long Way.
As a trader, the winning, losing, and the uncertainty and certainly trigger fear, greed, and doubt. Learning to master these states, and keeping a clear head, leads to a much longer career.
It's funny, because I wasn't sure that going through this exercise again would have the same impact. It did, just for different reasons than I have before. I highly recommend it. Feel free to contact me if you have questions or comments. I'd love to hear about your experiences.
I highly recommend seeing the new Disney – Pixar movie, UP, in 3-D. It was terrific … much better than I hoped or expected.
Frankly, when my son asked me to see it with him, I agreed reluctantly. As he later reminded me, Pixar movies usually are better than you'd guess.
The animation was as good as I expected. Yet, the 3-D effects were the best I've seen, because it seemed real and natural, rather than a gimmick.
On the surface, this adventure comedy is about an old-man trying to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Then soon after setting-out, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since a
wilderness explorer — 70 years his junior — has somehow become a
stowaway on the trip.
The story and underlying message were good and uplifting. And not just because the old-man choice of transportation was to tie thousands of balloons to his home.
It is worth the few extra dollars to see this in 3-D.
I highly recommend seeing the new Disney – Pixar movie, UP, in 3-D. It was terrific … much better than I hoped or expected.
Frankly, when my son asked me to see it with him, I agreed reluctantly. As he later reminded me, Pixar movies usually are better than you'd guess.
The animation was as good as I expected. Yet, the 3-D effects were the best I've seen, because it seemed real and natural, rather than a gimmick.
On the surface, this adventure comedy is about an old-man trying to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Then soon after setting-out, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since a
wilderness explorer — 70 years his junior — has somehow become a
stowaway on the trip.
The story and underlying message were good and uplifting. And not just because the old-man choice of transportation was to tie thousands of balloons to his home.
It is worth the few extra dollars to see this in 3-D.
It surprises me how many of
my thoughts cluster on a particular theme for a period of time. I guess it makes sense because I think and write about things
I notice that catch my interest. And as my focus changes from time to time,
what interests me changes. It is kind of like not being able to get a song out of your head … only it's about what you focus on.
I heard a good explanation for this at a Tony Robbins seminar this week.
He
has an exercise where you open your eyes and look around the room,
paying attention to anything that has a bright green color to it.
Try it, look around the room noticing everything you can remember that has green in or on it.
Then
close your eyes, and without looking around again, try to remember
anything that was red. You probably can remember a lot more green
things, than red things.
Tony calls this "reticular activation".
But it's just a fancy name for the same reason that if you buy a white
Lexus, all of a sudden you see white Lexus cars everywhere you go. The
things you focus-on show up more often in your life simply because you
notice them more often.
If you're curious, this week, the theme that I'm noticing in my personal, professional and business life is time, speed and pace. Here's a link to that post.
It surprises me how many of
my thoughts cluster on a particular theme for a period of time. I guess it makes sense because I think and write about things
I notice that catch my interest. And as my focus changes from time to time,
what interests me changes. It is kind of like not being able to get a song out of your head … only it's about what you focus on.
I heard a good explanation for this at a Tony Robbins seminar this week.
He
has an exercise where you open your eyes and look around the room,
paying attention to anything that has a bright green color to it.
Try it, look around the room noticing everything you can remember that has green in or on it.
Then
close your eyes, and without looking around again, try to remember
anything that was red. You probably can remember a lot more green
things, than red things.
Tony calls this "reticular activation".
But it's just a fancy name for the same reason that if you buy a white
Lexus, all of a sudden you see white Lexus cars everywhere you go. The
things you focus-on show up more often in your life simply because you
notice them more often.
If you're curious, this week, the theme that I'm noticing in my personal, professional and business life is time, speed and pace. Here's a link to that post.
Seth Godin argues the Internet has ended mass marketing and revived a human social unit from the distant past: tribes. Founded on shared ideas and values, tribes give ordinary people the power to lead and make big change. He urges us to do so.
I'm seeing more examples of Tribes. For example, Facebook and Twitter have become an important part of my day and business process. I am pleasantly surprised by how many people have offered ideas, opinions and insights that make a difference and move things forward.
Everything old is new again. Welcome to the tribe.
So a plot about a down-on-his luck Catholic High School student whose father is dead and whose mother is in a coma, doesn't sound like my type of movie. 
I was in Columbus Ohio last week for a series of meetings and strategic planning sessions. 
