Inspiration for your work & life » Confidence http://blog.givemore.com Work is more than a job. Work is how we make our lives and world better. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 10:15:43 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Curie on The Gift http://blog.givemore.com/curie-on-the-gift/ http://blog.givemore.com/curie-on-the-gift/#comments Fri, 09 Dec 2011 10:15:20 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/curie-on-the-gift/ “We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that
this thing, at whatever cost, must
be attained.”

- Marie Curie (1867–1934)
French physicist and chemist
two-time Nobel Prize winner

Give more reflection…

Think about your work (contribution).

Whether you feel lucky or not with what you’ve been given (or earned) as your opportunity to work, you’re ultimately just a steward of it for a relatively brief period in time.

It will be handed off to someone else at some point.

If you thought of that work as being put in a box to be given to someone else, what would you want the recipient to think when they opened it up?

Wouldn’t you want it to be something that’s difficult to improve on?

Wouldn’t you want them to crack open that box… look in… smile… and say… "Wow. That’s great work."

No Gomos. No D-grunts. Just Smove.

(gomo: someone who goes through the motions, d-grunt: someone who’s disgruntled… wristbands here)
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Have you seen Viktor Frankl’s (Holocaust survivor and author of the classic, A Man’s Search for Meaning – a GiveMore favorite) talk on inspiring others and ourselves (4.5 minutes)? The concluding thought on sparks and presupposing is great. Watch it here.
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212ers: Monday is Two-Twelve’s. A great day for a little extra effort.
(What’s 212?)

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/curie-on-the-gift/feed/ 0 Cowardly Lion on The Roar http://blog.givemore.com/cowardly-lion-on-the-roar/ http://blog.givemore.com/cowardly-lion-on-the-roar/#comments Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:15:25 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/cowardly-lion-on-the-roar/ “Be a lion, not a mowess…”

- Cowardly Lion
from the film, The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Give more enthusiasm…

There’s nothing more powerful to the workday than enthusiasm. It excites everyone to positive action…

  • you
  • your team
  • your suppliers/ customers/ patients/ students
  • you colleagues responsible for the delivery of something you promised
  • the receptionist who talks with your customers and associates first

As you work with your people today (and tomorrow) your level of enthusiasm will impact all of them (one way or the other). What do you want your impact to be?

TGIS (Thank God it’s Smonday*)
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If you’ve not seen them (outside the money hours or on a well-earned break throughout the week)…

Be inspired to think more and fear less (be a lion, not a mowess) with this favorite clip from the film Defending Your Life (about 5-minutes). I love this one.

1-minute Apple ad on "Thinking Different."
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Today’s quote tie-in: Last week, one of the few surviving actors who played a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz, died at 93 (Karl Slover). The guy was bad@ss. Some great illustrations of resilience and perseverance in this quick article at The Washington Post.

*Smonday: the first day of the week for a Smover.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/cowardly-lion-on-the-roar/feed/ 0 Roosevelt on The Judge http://blog.givemore.com/roosevelt-on-the-judge/ http://blog.givemore.com/roosevelt-on-the-judge/#comments Wed, 09 Nov 2011 10:15:50 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/roosevelt-on-the-judge/ “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.”

- Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962)
American first lady,
humanitarian, and UN diplomat

Give more thought…

You can draw value from a naysayer or cynic by remaining objective and positive in your thinking (yes, it can be tough).

Occasionally, they’ll point out valid hurdles or challenges you haven’t seen (even if they present it like an @ss). With their help, if you can remain objective/detached (and keep your ego in check), you’ll have a better chance of getting something valuable from the interaction.

Stay objective. Be no ego. Get value. (Seriously)

(5 ways to get your ego out of the way)
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How long’s it been since you evaluated your professional value? Here’s our quick 4-point self-evaluation.

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/roosevelt-on-the-judge/feed/ 0 Paul on Doing Good http://blog.givemore.com/paul-on-doing-good/ http://blog.givemore.com/paul-on-doing-good/#comments Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:15:47 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/paul-on-doing-good/ “Let us not become weary in
doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.”

- Paul the Apostle
Galatians 6:9

Give more math…

If you’re not earning the income you’d like to earn, ask yourself…

"Am I working like someone who makes $X thousand a year… someone who makes roughly $Y every money hour* of the day?"

Are you valuing your time at that level? If not, who will?

  • $50,000 = $25 every money hour
  • $75,000 = $37 every money hour
  • $100,000 = $50 every money hour (almost $1 a minute)
  • $120,000 = $60 every money hour (a dollar a minute)
  • $150,000 = $75 every money hour
  • $200,000 = $100 every money hour
  • $250,000 = $125 every money hour (more than $2 a minute)

Greater than $250,000 = You probably don’t need the reminder. ("Rich enough not to waste time.")

Forward this and help a friend see the light.

*money hours: hours during the workday where you can make good things happen (and that’s why you’re here… to make good things happen for other people)
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NO FLINTSTONING…

flintstoning (verb): 1. leaving the moment the whistle blows (or before) 2. mentally checking out early 3. sad 4. not Smovish 5. not 212 (what’s a flintstone?)

For those who need a little push to get going… Terry Tate might work. The ‘pain train’ kills me (at 1:15).

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/paul-on-doing-good/feed/ 0 Branson on Getting Over It http://blog.givemore.com/branson-on-getting-over-it/ http://blog.givemore.com/branson-on-getting-over-it/#comments Wed, 14 Sep 2011 10:15:42 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/branson-on-getting-over-it/ “I’m not the sort of person
who fears failure.”

- Richard Branson (1950 – )
English entrepreneur
chairman of Virgin Group

Give more risk…

Comfort. Risk. Both are enjoyable.

One we strive to create. One we try to minimize.

One can make us lazy. One can make us stronger.

When did you last risk failure? When did you last leave your comfort zone?

212 challenge… Step out of your comfort zone once more each week and create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement, challenge and possibility each year. This is what life’s about.

It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. By taking risks, we assure life isn’t wasted on the living.

212 commitment… Risk. Attempt. Fail. Succeed. Once more each week.

(from the book, 212° the extra degree® – what’s 212?)
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A little pump up for a well-earned break or outside the money hours… Here’s Eric Thomas on Work (the Hip Hop Preacher). It’s meant for students but it’s reminded me to work hard and focus more than once.

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/branson-on-getting-over-it/feed/ 1 DeGeneres on Trust and Confidence http://blog.givemore.com/degeneres-on-trust-and-confidence/ http://blog.givemore.com/degeneres-on-trust-and-confidence/#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:15:01 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/degeneres-on-trust-and-confidence/ “Never follow someone else’s path… unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path then by all means you should
follow that.”

-Ellen DeGeneres (1958 – )
American comedian and actor

Give more gratitude…

Do your people (team, colleagues, customers) know they’re important to you? Always? Sometimes? Rarely?

Remember… It’s your occasional words and continual actions that’ll help them know best.

To be sure it’s a closer to always thing, consider implementing a personal appreciation audit each month or quarter for your most important people – remembering that actions speak louder than words (but words are important too).

Love your people.

Thank you. Any number of banks would welcome your business. We're grateful you have entrusted it to us.

I saw this recently at an ATM. It’s better than nothing but I’m not sure I believed it. A good reminder to be real and be thinking how you can make sure your people know they’re important to you.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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]]> http://blog.givemore.com/degeneres-on-trust-and-confidence/feed/ 0 Shakespeare on The Mind Game http://blog.givemore.com/shakespeare-on-the-mind-game/ http://blog.givemore.com/shakespeare-on-the-mind-game/#comments Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:15:19 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/shakespeare-on-the-mind-game/ “Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win, By fearing to attempt.”

-William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
English writer

Give more enthusiasm…

There’s nothing more powerful to the workday than enthusiasm. It excites everyone to positive action…

  • you
  • your team
  • your suppliers/ customers/ patients/ students
  • you colleagues responsible for the delivery of something you promised
  • the receptionist who talks with your customers and associates first

As you work with your people today (and tomorrow) your level of enthusiasm will impact all of them (one way or the other). What do you want your impact to be?

TGIS (Thank God it’s Smonday*)
_____

If you’ve not seen them (outside the money hours or on a well-earned break throughout the week)…

Jessica shows us how to kick off the day (1 minute).

2 enthusiastic minutes (video) of my boys getting lost in their work.

For those who need a little push to get going… Terry Tate might work. The ‘pain train’ kills me (at 1:15).

*Smonday: the first day of the week for a Smover.

]]> http://blog.givemore.com/shakespeare-on-the-mind-game/feed/ 0 Waters on The Big Picture http://blog.givemore.com/waters-on-the-big-picture/ http://blog.givemore.com/waters-on-the-big-picture/#comments Fri, 15 Jul 2011 10:15:46 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/waters-on-the-big-picture/ “We can’t think narrowly. We
have to think in the biggest possible way.”

-Alice Waters (1944 – )
American chef and writer

Give more values…

If asked, what would you and your team say are your core values?

In the U.S. Marine Corps publication, "Sustaining the Transformation" (pdf), their’s are listed as Honor – Courage – Commitment. If you lead a team, the foreword (at a minimum) by General Krulak is time well-spent. It, along with the Fortune story "From Wharton to War", is great inspiration for creating a special team of people (as a leader with a title or not).

And that’s what you want to be a part of, don’t you? A special team of people?

So many great teamwork points in the Fortune piece. We love the "bino" request. If you’ve got teenagers or college students, consider passing it along to them and then discussing it (we need them ready when they join us in the world).
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(Food people: For a well-earned break or outside your money hours, here’s an archived story from 60 minutes on Alice Waters and her effort to encourage better food. If you’re a breakfast person, the 2-minute video to the side of the article will make your mouth water.)

]]> http://blog.givemore.com/waters-on-the-big-picture/feed/ 1 Schultz on Impact http://blog.givemore.com/schultz-on-impact/ http://blog.givemore.com/schultz-on-impact/#comments Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:15:24 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/schultz-on-impact/ “If you want to achieve widespread impact and lasting value, be bold.”

-Howard Schultz (1953 – )
American entrepreneur, chairman of Starbucks

Give more history…

Starbucks opened its first store in Seattle, WA in 1971. Schultz joined the company 11 years later as its director of retail operations and marketing.

It was a trip to Italy in 1983 that inspired the coffeehouse culture that Starbucks now has. Schultz convinced the founders to try the concept in 1984 and it did well.

In 1985, he founded his own company, Il Giornale, and used Starbucks coffee beans for his espresso beverages. Two years later he purchased the assets of Starbucks and changed the name of Il Giornale to Starbucks Corporation.

Today the company does more than $10 billion dollars in sales and has more than 15,000 stores around the world.

You being bold?

"Look around, leaves are brown
And the sky is a hazy shade of winter."
– Paul Simon (link to song)
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GiveMore area code & state abbreviation charts – US & Canada
(know where they’re located or where they’re calling from)

Third quarter printable calendars are up here and wallpapers are here.

]]> http://blog.givemore.com/schultz-on-impact/feed/ 0 Einstein on Gomos and D-grunts http://blog.givemore.com/einstein-on-gomos-and-d-grunts/ http://blog.givemore.com/einstein-on-gomos-and-d-grunts/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2011 03:15:05 +0000 Sam Parker http://blog.givemore.com/einstein-on-gomos-and-d-grunts/ “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition
from mediocre minds.”

–Albert Einstein (1879–1955)
Swiss physicist

Give less ego…

ego: noun: 1. the self 2. an inflated sense of self-significance

Imagine a world without ego. No…

  • Toes to step on
  • Feelings to hurt
  • Fair shares to grab
  • Territory to defend
  • Fault to allocate
  • Back to watch
  • Last words to get
  • Ideas to hold back
  • Embarrassment to bear
  • Battles to win
  • Knowledge to prove
  • Entitlement to have
  • Encouragement to withhold
  • Credit to seek
  • Grudges to hold
  • Jealousy to feel
  • Revenge to take
  • Hidden meanings to construe

Speak no ego. Be no ego.

(5 quick points to getting closer to less ego)

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Third quarter printable calendars are up here and wallpapers are here.

No Gomos™ wristbands are now available here (gomo: someone who goes through the motions)

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