- Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948)
Indian activist

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Give more luck…

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

- Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
American statesman, scientist, and printer

luck: noun: a force that makes things happen

You want more luck? Be the force that makes it happen…

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If (when) you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

That’s it. Now go be lucky (and make something good happen).

(inspire someone with a Push Your Luck pocket card or wristband)
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If you’ve never seen it and need a little push to get going… Terry Tate might work (video). The ‘pain train’ kills me (at 1:15).

As you’re prepping your mind for a new year, you might also enjoy my thoughts on the forgotten reason we do what we do. You can watch that video here. If you have kids, you might find this video helpful that I put together about helping students see the big picture (especially with the impending snow days approaching).

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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

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Give more resilience…

One thing that’s helpful to me when I catch myself shying away from taking a risk…

I remember that I’m not so important that a mistake or failure will likely have any lengthy impact or be that difficult to overcome with a little extra effort and time. (If you happen to be a head of state, a Supreme Court Justice, or a military general, maybe you need to be a little more careful.)
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resilience: noun: an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (from Merriam-Webster)

We all fail from time-to-time (our doing, someone else’s doing, something else’s doing, a combination of each). It’s life.

To be resilient…

1. Focus on results. Embrace the fact that results are what we’re all really after. Effort and attempts are great first steps, but we need to act with commitment to delivering (just like we want people to do for us).
2. Make lessons of failures. Minimize the tendency to make a failure or mistake anything more than a lesson on how not to do something. We need to learn from our mistakes and truly accept them as tuition for succeeding later. And yes… Our mistakes might put us in a bind at times and have some uncomfortable consequences but again, that’s real life.
3. Continue on. Smarter.
4. Reinforce. Support each other (and ourselves) by continually reminding and encouraging one another to deliver on the first three points.

That’s it. Let’s practice it more

(forward this quote or inspire someone with the resilience pocket card or wristband)
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Honda’s 8 minutes on how failure is a part of success (on the track and in business).

Only 30 seconds? Here’s Michael Jordan’s reminder.

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- Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)
American poet

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Give more focus…

Imagine the incredible results you’d have if you and your team really focused on a consistent basis.

You’d likely…

• contribute more
• waste less time ramping back up
• serve customers better (internally and externally)
• find more customers
• come up with more ideas
• plan better
• be less frustrated and stressed
• help others focus more (by interrupting them less)
• make more money (for everyone… including you)

Nothing’s guaranteed, of course. But it’s a better bet. (And in the long run, you’ll enjoy more.)

4 ways to knock out the bulk of distractions (for Smovers & 212ers only… two of the points get some people angry). Also… Links to a couple of my favorite supportive articles to better thinking and focus.
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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.

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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- Roger Federer (1981 – )
Swiss tennis champion

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Give more luck…

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

– Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
American statesman, scientist, and printer

luck: noun: a force that makes things happen

You want more luck? Be the force that makes it happen…

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If (when) you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

That’s it. Now go be lucky (and make something good happen).

(inspire someone with the Push Your Luck card or wristband)
__________

I can’t stand how good this 1 minute is from Nike. I’ve seen it over 50 times and it still gets me. A great weekly boost and reminder of what it takes to get lucky.

(US Open Tennis finals are this weekend.)

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

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- Mother Teresa (1910–1997)
Albanian missionary
Nobel Peace Prize winner

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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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If you’ve not seen it (outside the money hours or on a well-earned break)… Be inspired to think more and fear less with this favorite clip from the film Defending Your Life.
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flintstoning (verb): 1. leaving the moment the whistle blows (or before) 2. mentally checking out early 3. sad 4. not Smovish 5. not 212 (flintstone?)

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-Thomas Edison (1847–1931)
American inventor and salesman
frequently worked more than 40 hours straight

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Give more inspiration…

What if…

John and Abigail Adams had been more concerned with themselves and work/life balance than creating a democracy (if you’ve not seen the HBO miniseries – great stuff)?

What if… Abraham Lincoln (born on 2/12… coincidence? maybe) had quit trying after having a business go under and losing his first local legislative race (and then 3 congressional races and 2 senatorial races)?

What if… Martin Luther King didn’t have a dream and played it safe (and didn’t travel over 6 million miles giving more than 2500 speeches). What if he thought he was too young to have an impact (he did everything he did in a life of only 39 years)?

What if… Gandhi, Teresa, Roosevelt, Ford, Disney, Walton, Gates, Winfrey, Jobs, Stewart, and Ash hadn’t stepped up and worked hard. (What if the thousands of people who supported them hadn’t?) What if your police, military, firefighters didn’t?

What if… No one pushed it, risked it, and pushed it again (and again)?

Be obligated to your world (your people). Give > Take.

-Bono (1960 – )
Irish music artist and activist
from ‘Summer Rain’

Email this quote

Give more luck…

"Diligence is the mother of good luck."

– Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)
American statesman, scientist, and printer

luck: noun: a force that makes things happen

You want more luck? Be the force that makes it happen…

1. Prepare. Work hard to be ready for the opportunities that are important to you. Research. Practice. Perfect.
2. Be awake. Pay attention to the people, events, and things around you. Evaluate logically and trust your gut instinct.
3. Take action. Put yourself out there. Explore. Be vulnerable. Make contact with people. Take risks.
4. Expect positive results. Optimism improves your chances. If (when) you fail, embrace the lesson and continue on, smarter.

That’s it. Now go be lucky (and make something good happen).

(inspire someone with the Push Your Luck card or wristband)
_____

A flash from the past (outside the money hours or on a well-earned break)… The classic monologue from the film Dead Poets Society (1989) on the importance of now. We love this.

If you’re on Facebook, we’re consolidating our pages. You can now follow Sam and everything 212, Smovish, and Give More here.

then from another…

and then from another…

What would the pictures of your work look like?

(Don’t be a Gomo. Make good things happen for other people.)

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

One of the big reasons we’re here is to make good things happen for other people.

It’s simple but for some strange reason, it’s not always easy.

Over the last decade, the Gallup organization has conducted surveys to determine how into our work we are (as you likely know, it’s referred to as ‘employee engagement’). The averages over the decade…

• 29 out of 100 of us are engaged (smovers)
• 54 of 100 are not engaged (gomos)
• 17 of 100 are actively disengaged (d-grunts)

This last group actually ‘works’ to make things worse. Can you imagine how horrible it must be for someone to feel compelled to invest their limited time and energy in tearing things and people down?

Most of us (if not all of us) have been Gomos and D-grunts at times but true D-grunts and Gomos stay there (complaining, watching the clock, entitled, not making good things happen for other people).

Here’s my proposal…

As Smovers and 212ers (aware and responsible), let’s be sure we do our best to lead by example. If we slip, let’s remember we’re obligated to bounce back (Smovish principle #9).

Then, let’s all commit to encouraging someone who’s on the fence between Smoving and being a Gomo (and remind them it’s much more fun on this side). Maybe, if we each have a small success, the example will awaken and encourage even the D-grunts to reconsider their ways. How amazing would that be?

How do you save a Gomo or D-grunt? I believe it begins by loving our people which as you might guess, isn’t all hugs, kisses, and rainbows. It’s about sweeping away the eggshells (theirs and ours) and going for truth.

For those who’ve not read my essay, Love Your People, you can find it here (a 5-minute read at most). We’ve published it in a cool little booklet format with questions and thoughts that can help you get closer to loving your people more consistently (kind of a work/play book).

My presentation of Cross the Line might also be a helpful tool for encouraging someone. You can watch that here.

Gallup’s “State of the American Workplace” can be found here.

No Gomos Printable

No D-Grunts Printable

Get a No Gomos wristband here

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

With everything, there’s a line.

On one side of the line is a greater chance to make good things happen (better results, better relationships, more responsibility). This is where you’ll find all those people you admire.

On the other side, there’s less of a chance.

And with each line, there’s a choice. You want to cross the line or you don’t. You want the better chance at making good things happen (meaningful things) or you settle with the lesser chance.

Your choice.

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those times – those times when in the short run it’ll seem like you can’t cross the line (no matter what you do). But then, those misses (those hurdles) in the short run will sometimes help you over the line in the long run (in a way you couldn’t have seen). They’ll serve as lessons, giving you more depth to your experience – making you stronger and better prepared for bigger and more important challenges you’ll face in the future.

But you won’t know that at the time.
At the time, you’ll just see that line.
And it might seem like a wall.
But it really is just a line (a line you want to cross).
And it’s yours to cross, but you have to decide (make that choice).

It seems simple but…

Then there’ll be those people – those people who’ve decided they’d rather not cross the line and would prefer you didn’t either (and unfortunately, sometimes those people might be your friends). Maybe they’ll sprinkle in a little doubt or withhold a little encouragement at just the right time (or even encourage you to do the wrong thing). Maybe they’ll be a little less subtle about it and just step directly in your way.

And then, every once in a while, there’ll be you – that inner voice that’ll try to tell you you’re not that special and that making something exceptional happen is for other people. (What are you thinking?)

Then there’ll be the work – the work that’ll be the real challenge that some people never face because of those times, those people, or that inner voice that keep us from putting in the effort and bouncing back when things get tough.

But there’s the line.
And it needs to be crossed.
And you can cross it.

It’s up to you.

(Which side will you choose?)

“The difficult is what takes a little time; the impossible is what takes a little longer.”

Fridtjof Nansen
Norwegian explorer

The essay above and how to Cross The Line (Commit, Work Hard, Focus, Bounce Back) are available in the cool little booklet here. It also includes a coaching section of questions to help you Cross The Line more effectively (and some notes pages for your thoughts).

To learn more about how to use the Cross The Line message to support your company projects, goals, or upcoming meeting, visit this page.

Personal notes on Cross the Line

Watch & listen to the Sam’s Cross the Line™ presentation (4 minutes).

Connect with Sam (guy behind this stuff)…

Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | Twitter

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Copyright © 2010 by Give More Media Inc. This was written by Sam Parker. If you’d like to tell people about it somewhere (e.g., blog, newsletter, Facebook, social media), please reference Sam Parker of GiveMore.com as the author and link directly to the article. Excerpts are great but please don’t publish the article in its entirety without advanced written permission (email Sam using the address at the bottom of this page).

Cross the Line™ is a trademark of Give More Media Inc.