Quote of the week

"As if you could kill time without injuring eternity!"
- Henry David Thoreau

Quote of the week

"Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?"
- Foo Fighters

I love this song and I love this line, because it's asking two questions. Is someone getting the best of you, as in 'taking advantage of you'? Is someone getting the best of you, as in 'are you giving them your very best'?

Both good questions. Both questions that I haven't always been able to answer in ways that make me feel good. But it's a process, like most things. And I'm getting closer.

Is someone getting the best of you?

Spreading Good Fortune...

Chinese Lion Dance, Chinatown

Angie and I are in San Francisco this week.

I'm presenting at the ISPI (International Society for Performance Improvement) Conference 2010.

I'll be speaking about SMART goals, but really - like this Lion Dancer we saw in Chinatown yesterday - I'm hoping to spread good fortune. I've learned a lot about SMART goals over the past 18 months and we've seen some very powerful results from creating 'red hot' goals.

On Thursday, I'll be doing my dance in front of a room full of this countries best business performance consultants. There, I will pass along much of what I've learned. Hopefully, I'll also pass along a little of the good fortune that's come with the application of that knowledge.

Quote of the week

"I dread success. To have succeeded is to have finished one's business on earth, like the male spider, who is killed by the female the moment he has succeeded in his courtship. I like a state of continual becoming, with a goal in front and not far behind."

- George Bernard Shaw

Hmmm... he's probably not the first male to equate success with being knocked off by a female (nor the last). Despite that disturbing imagery, I resonate with the bit about 'continual becoming'.

One book I read about writing proposed that a 'villain' is just a fully developed character, while a 'hero' is one who is still developing. While not a complete definition, it's an interesting one.

So, what are you 'becoming'?

Quote of the week

"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by."
- Douglas Adams

This sounds a lot like me. When I set my own deadlines, there's a 90% chance that I will miss them. I need someone else to set deadlines for me - something real.

Schedule a workshop with an audience and I'll finish my class. Schedule a product review and I'll complete my plan. Set an arbitrary date, and you can expect a 'whoosh'.

What's your relationship with deadlines?