4100weeks

The fastest way to achieve your goals? . . . Don't give a shit.

Sometimes our goals don't align with who we are, and we are so focused on achieving them that we don't see it. Studying who we really are, where we have already been, what we have already done and comparing that with our goals can be an eye opening experience. George Carlin did this, and it changed his career . . . 

Here's to the crazy ones . . .

Below is a great drawing by Hugh MacLeod as a memorial to Steve Jobs, based on an old Apple commercial. Are you one of the crazy ones? The misfits? The rebels? I hope so, because it's time to change the world . . . 

Here's MacLeod's post on this drawing on his blog . . . gapingvoid.com

What is your sentence?

This is a great 2 minute piece on motivation and what motivates you. It is based on Dan Pink's great new book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.

How do you calibrate your definition of success?

Here is a brief overview of a very good article recently posted in the Harvard Business Review titled . . . How Will You Measure Your Life?

Clay Christensen, Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School, and one of the world’s foremost experts on innovation and growth, teaches a course that helps students understand what good management theory is and how it is built.

On the last day of class, Christensen asks his students to apply his principles and thinking to their personal lives and find the answers to 3 questions:

1. How can I be sure that I’ll be happy in my career?
2. How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?
3. How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail?

How can I be sure that I’ll be happy in my career?

• the powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements.

How can I be sure that my relationships with my spouse and my family become an enduring source of happiness?

• Create a strategy for your life. A company’s strategy is determined by the types of initiatives that management invests in
• Because they focus on tangible and immediate returns, companies shortchange investments in initiatives that are crucial to their long-term strategies
• A number of Christensen's HBS classmates come to reunions unhappy, divorced, and alienated from their children. Why? They didn’t keep the purpose of their lives front and center as they decided how to spend their time, talents, and energy
• Having a clear purpose in life is essential, but it was something you must think long and hard about
• Without a purpose, life can become hollow
• Your decisions about allocating your personal time, energy, and talent ultimately shape your life’s strategy.
• Allocation choices can make your life turn out to be very different from what you intended. Opportunities that you never planned for emerge. Be careful not to misinvest your resources.
• When studying the root causes of business disasters, you’ll consistently find a "predisposition toward endeavors that offer immediate gratification." When studying personal lives through the same lens, and the same pattern emerges: "people allocating fewer and fewer resources to the things they would have once said mattered most."
• Create a Culture. Culture, can be a powerful management tool. "It dictates the proven, acceptable methods by which members of the group address recurrent problems. And culture defines the priority given to different types of problems."
  
  Families, like organizations have cultures. "Those cultures can be built consciously or evolve inadvertently." Power is the most simple tool a parent can use to gain a child's cooperation. At some point (often the teen years) using power no longer works. Upon reflection, the parents realize that they should have built a culture at home where the child instinctively behaves respectfully toward others, listens to their parents, and chooses the right thing to do.
  
  "Like employees, children build self-esteem by doing things that are hard and learning what works." This must be designed into the family culture early on.

How can I be sure I’ll stay out of jail?

• Avoid the "Marginal Costs" mistake. "When we choose between right and wrong. A voice in our head says, 'Look, I know that as a general rule, most people shouldn’t do this. But in this particular extenuating circumstance, just this once, it’s OK.'"
  
  "The marginal cost of doing something wrong 'just this once' always seems alluringly low. It suckers you in, and you don’t ever look at where that path ultimately is headed and at the full costs that the choice entails."
  
  "It’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time. You’ve got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw the line in a safe place."
• Remember the Importance of Humility. A key characteristic of humble people is a high level of self-esteem. "They knew who they were, and they felt good about who they were." Humility is also defined "by the esteem with which you regard others." When you respect others, good behavior flows naturally.
• Choose the Right Yardstick. "This is my final recommendation: Think about the metric by which your life will be judged, and make a resolution to live every day so that in the end, your life will be judged a success." Rather than measuring by the individual prominence you have achieved, measure by the individuals you have helped become better people.

I Want To Do It All

This song by Terri Clark is all about 4100weeks - check out the lyrics

"I Wanna Do It All" by Terri Clark

I'm sitting in traffic
For the 5th year in a row
Wasting my time
Just to get
Where I don't even wanna go
I started jotting things down
On a krispy kreme sack
Everything I'd do
If I could leave this place
And never look back

I wanna do it all
Visit Paris in the fall
Watch the Yankees play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law
I wanna do it all

I want to drink tequila
Down in Tijuana
Say why not
When somebody says
Hey do you wanna
I wanna get my heart broke
Once or twice
Settle down with the love of my life
Rock little babies to sleep at night

I wanna do it all
Visit Paris in the fall
Watch the Yankees play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law
I wanna do it all

I wanna spend a day
Every now and then
Just doin what I want to do
When I wanna do it
Anytime I wanna do it

I wanna do it all
Visit Paris in the fall
Watch the Yankee's play ball
I wanna take it all in
Catch a few beads
Down at Mardi Gras
Start a tradition
Lay down the law

I wanna do it all
See Niagara falls
Fight city hall
Feel good in my skin
Beating the odds
With my back to the wall
Try to rob Peter
Without paying Paul
I wanna do it all
I wanna do it all
I wanna do it all

Navy Seals Philsophy Statement

Have you ever struggled with writing your personal or company mission, purpose or philsophy.  Look a the meaningful power in the composition of the: United States Navy SEAL Philosophy "In times of war or uncertainty there is a special breed of warrior ready to answer our Nation's call; a common man with uncommon desire to succeed. Forged by adversity, he stands alongside America's finest special operations forces to serve his country and the American people, and to protect their way of life. I am that man. My Trident is a symbol of honor and heritage. Bestowed upon me by the heroes who have gone before, it embodies the trust of those whom I have sworn to protect. By wearing the Trident, I accept the responsibility of my chosen profession and way of life. It is a privilege that I must earn every day. My loyalty to Country and Team is beyond reproach. I humbly serve as a guardian to my fellow Americans, always ready to defend those who are unable to defend themselves. I do not advertise the nature of my work, nor seek recognition for my actions. I voluntarily accept the inherent hazards of my profession, placing the welfare and security of others before my own. I serve with honor on and off the battlefield. The ability to control my emotions and my actions, regardless of circumstance, sets me apart from other men. Uncompromising integrity is my standard. My character and honor are steadfast. My word is my bond. We expect to lead and be led. In the absence of orders I will take charge, lead my teammates, and accomplish the mission. I lead by example in all situations. I will never quit. I persevere and thrive on adversity. My Nation expects me to be physically harder and mentally stronger than my enemies. If knocked down, I will get back up, every time. I will draw on every remaining ounce of strength to protect my teammates and to accomplish the mission. I am never out of the fight. We demand discipline. We expect innovation. The lives of my teammates and the success of the mission depend on me — my technical skill, tactical proficiency, and attention to detail. My training is never complete. We train for war and fight to win. I stand ready to bring the full spectrum of combat power to bear in order to achieve my mission and the goals established by my country. The execution of my duties will be swift and violent when required, yet guided by the very principles I serve to defend. Brave men have fought and died building the proud tradition and feared reputation that I am bound to uphold. In the worst of conditions, the legacy of my teammates steadies my resolve and silently guides my every deed. I will not fail."