I'm not a deep and meaningful kind of guy. No, honest, I know I have this blog and that I live on Facebook and Twitter, but even so, I don't consider myself a 'sharer'. But here's the rub, I found an article that gives such resonating advice about stopping thinking like a victim, and to react and act like a hero, that I am going to share it with you here, in it's entirety:
If you don´t see yourself as part of the problem, you cannot be part of the solution.
Every culture teaches this through a similar story. Joseph Campbell, anthropologist and advisor for Star Wars, called it “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” The hero starts his journey feeling at the mercy of external circumstances. By the end, he realizes he is in control of his destiny. He knows that he can choose how to behave, learn and grow.
Teaching accounting at MIT, I saw how numbers shape perceptions.
Coaching leaders all over the world, I learned how stories shape lives. Good stories inspire you; bad stories disempower you. The worst stories are the ones that have you as a victim.
Heroes are not just mythical characters. They are examples of you at your best. Here are five suggestions to always remember who you are.
1. No problem -- Take the challenge
There is no such thing as a problem. What you call "a problem" is not a thing independent of you, but a situation you don´t like. It is “a problem for you.” To deal with it more effectively, put yourself in the picture. Think of it asyour challenge. Take the difficulty as an opportunity to show your true colors.
I often catch myself saying, “the real problem is…” followed by the thought, “…that you don´t agree with me!” Equally often, my counterpart argues that “the real problem is…” that I don´t agree with him. Unless we recognize and give up these bad stories, we will each push hard to overcome the other. Push versus push equals stuck: a very expensive stalemate where we both spend tremendous energy for no result.
2. Drop “Who's responsible?” – Be response-able
You didn't do it. So what? You are suffering from it. People and things are out of control. It is tempting to blamethemand play the part of the innocent victim. Don't.The price of innocence is impotence.That which you blame you empower. Become the hero of the story; focus on whatyoucan do to respond to your challenge.
The inspiring question is not, “why is this happening to me!” but “what is the bestIcan dowhenthis happens?”
I once coached a financial services executive who would always blame external factors: regulation, competition, the economy, his employees, his boss, his peers. All these forces did impinge on his goals. It was the truth, but not the whole truth. The truth that he refused to accept, the one that blocked his growth, was that he wasable to respondtothese forces. (See the coaching questions I use,here.)
3. Forget what you don´t want – Focus on what you want.
Consider an issue that troubles you. What would you like to have happen? I ask this every time I coach. Infallibly, I learn what my client would like tonothave happen anymore. This is a bad end for a hero´s journey. Avoiding what you don´t want will take your energy away from achieving what you do want.
Your brain doesn't compute “no”. What you try to avoid you unconsciously create. If you don´t believe this, try to not think of a white bear right now and notice where your mind goes. Define a positive outcome precisely. Ask yourself, "What do I really want?" and visualize it in as much detail as you can. This will force you to put some flesh on the conceptual bones. Furthermore, ask yourself, “How would I know that I got what I wanted? What would I see? What would I feel?” In this way you will be sure that your vision has observable standards by which to measure success.
4. Take one eye off the ball – Go for the gold.
It’s not about hitting the ball; it’s about winning the game. Set your mind on what you are ultimately trying to achieve. Build a chain from means to ends, taking you from getting the job, to advancing your career, to feeling professionally fulfilled, to being happy. The ultimate goal and measure of success is happiness.
“What would you get, if you achieved X, which is even more important to you than X?” Ask yourself this question and discover that you never ask for what you really want—and neither does anybody else. We all ask for what wethinkis going to give us what we really want. Have you ever bought set of golf clubs hoping they would make you play better? And what would you get, if you played better, which is even more important to you than playing better?
5. Failure is not an option – Succeed beyond success.
Commit fully to achieve what you really want. Know that you deserve it and give it your best. This will make you more likely to get it. Success, however, is not the most important thing. To be a hero, pursue your goal ethically, as an expression of your highest values. Success may give you pleasure, but integrity leads to happiness.
Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it (your final) target, the more you are going to miss it. For true success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and carry it out to the best of your knowledge." --Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.
I work in internet advertising. Yes, I get paid to watch YouTube, go on Facebook, LinkedIn and Google all day long. A tough life, but someone has to live it!
Anyway, I came across this amazing video the other day, espoused by many as the pinnacle of video advertising (oh, and it may not be fir for watching at work or at home);
Its back, time to get the good wine out of the fridge, get the cheesy pops out of the cupboard and put your feet up for an enthralling Season 3 of game of Thrones.
Whats going to happen? I have no idea,. but it looks AWESOME
And for the more serious Game of Throne fans out there, if you haven't already seen them, a couple of sessions with the actors and producer regarding the new season, and seasons past.
Its been a busy few weeks here, President Obama came to visit, and its always nice to have guests! Spring is on its way too, which has caused some very 'interesting' weather - last Friday we reached 88F and this Friday? Rain. Yup. We're all discombibulated.
So we're at that time of year again. Passover! We clean the house, as best we can, and get ready for more days outside, and less days huddled around the radiators.
Herewith, 2 videos extolling the Passover Festival.
An interesting question, no doubt. The internet is a place where everyone can place and retrieve any information they want. Simple enough? Oh, but how they do it, what tools they use and how we ourselves interface with it is something else altogether.
Mila Kunis is a star in her own right, having really brought to life the annoying character of Jackie in That 70's Show and then furthered her acting credentials in the critically acclaimed movies Black Swan and Ted.
Obviously bored with a day or 5 of interviewers asking her the same questions about her latest film she seizes the opportunity to be original, funny and truthful when a novice journalist goes off script.
I think we can all agree that she really is a cool person at heart and not just another woolly brained actress from Tinsel Town. I'm going to be keeping an eye on this starlet from now on. Well done Mila!
Yes, that would be George Galloway (born 16 August 1954), a British politician, author, journalist, and broadcaster, and the Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford West. Now, I don't normally get in to politics as I firmly believe that 99% of politicians are incompetent fools who ought to get a real job. This Member of Parliament really annoyed me. I'm British ( you can read my blogpost 'I'm British' here). Anyway, I also believe in Israel's right to exist. As does the UN, the USA, and the rest of the Western World. Who doesn't believe that it should exist? Well, Iran, Iraq, Syria, the Taliban, Hizbollah and Hamas and a few more 'special' countries. Oh, and George Galloway MP. Watch what the putrid little puss-ball has to say here.
This isn't some backwater technical college, this is in Oxford University.
Personally, I love the way that after he and his secretary leave, he receives a wide variety of cat calls.
Some history about Galloway:
George Galloway was expelled from the Labour party after being found guilty of four of the five charges of bringing the party into disrepute. The charges faced by Galloway were that:
· he incited Arabs to fight British troops · he incited British troops to defy orders · he incited Plymouth voters to reject Labour MPs, · he threatened to stand against Labour · he backed an anti-war candidate in Preston.
A report by the then-majority Republican Party staff of the United States Senate Committee on Investigations published in October 2005 asserted that Galloway had given false or misleadingtestimony under oath when appearing before them. The report exhibits bank statements it claims show that £85,000 of proceeds from the Oil-for-Food Programme had been paid to Galloway's then-wife Amineh Abu-Zayyad.
On 20 March 2009, Galloway was advised by the Canada Border Services Agency he was deemed inadmissible to Canada on "security grounds" due to his involvement in the Viva Palestina aid convoy to the Gaza Strip following the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict.The Gaza Strip is governed by Hamas, which is on Canada's list of terrorist organisations. This resulted from a personal donation of £25,000 made by Galloway ten days earlier.
The Canadians ruled (and maintained on appeal) that this constituted explicit support for Hamas, although Galloway argued it was not the case as the money was intended to be used for aid purposes.
On 20 August 2012, Galloway provoked controversy and criticism with his comments on the legal case against Wikileaks' Julian Assange. Galloway stated that the allegations, even if true, "don't constitute rape" because initiating sex with someone who is asleep after a sexual encounter the previous night isn't rape.
According to The British barrister, Felicity Gerry, this is not correct under English law.Galloway's comments were criticised by anti-rape campaigners as 'ignorant' and 'very unhelpful'. Respect leader Salma Yaqoob described Galloway's comments as "deeply disappointing and wrong".
Galloway was then fired from his job as a columnist on Holyrood, a Scottish political magazine, for refusing to apologise for his remarks
On 27 November 2012, Galloway branded Zionism “a blasphemy against Judaism and against God”, praised the legitimacy of Hamas and publicly called for the dismantling of Israel. This call was made during an anti-Israel demonstration. Galloway has said: “We do not hate Jews. We hate Zionism, we hate Israel, we hate murder and injustice. Israel blasphemes against the Torah by calling itself a Jewish state.”. This call was followed by a call for the outlawing of dual British-Israeli citizenship as well.
Galloway does not answer questions about his religious beliefs saying that this is a "personal matter".The New Statesman issued an update noting that Galloway does not deny being a Muslim convert, and that he failed to clarify how by his own admission he had a 'Nikah' (a Muslim marriage ceremony) despite the fact that non-Muslim man cannot marry a Muslim woman under Islamic law.
Don't aim at success--the more you aim at it and make it (your final) target, the more you are going to miss it. For true success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one's personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself. Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and carry it out to the best of your knowledge." -- Viktor Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning.
