Tag: growth

The Relentless Reviser

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henri matisse-young-sailor I & II (1906)

The path to excellence.  Study the best in the field. Develop lifelong habits. Continuously revise and improve. (Kaizen.)  Practice.  Have a critical eye with your own work.  Be sure to focus on the process as it is as important as the output. Pursue your field of passion despite the views of your critics.  There are no shortcuts to excellence – it takes incredible focus and effort.  Same old, same old?  Yes.  It worked for Matisse.  And it will work for you and me.

Henri Matisse (1869-1954), along with Picasso and Duchamp, was regarded as one of three artists who helped define art and sculpture in the 20th century.  There is a Matisse show on view at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until March 17th, 2013.  There is an exceptional review of the show in wsj.com titled The Relentless Reviser.  Below I share excerpts from the review that are applicable to many of us in our fields: Continue reading “The Relentless Reviser” →

Still, in the Hunt for the Holy Grail…

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PrintI’m productive. Efficient. I’ve been told by many – obsessively productive and efficient.  I chew up tasks and spit them out.  Yet, one can always be more productive, right?  I’ve been in a life long search for the Holy Grail of a Zero Email Box solution at the end of each day.  A search for the best To-Do program.  A hunt for a better way to manage projects. A race to squeeze more into each day.  I believe being more productive is possible. Within reach.  Just within the ends of my fingertips.

So, when I came across Robin Sharma’s post titled “Become The Most Productive Person You Know”, I was like Zeke on his bone – on it.   When Sharma opened his post by stating: “I want to help you create explosive productivity so you get big things done (and make your life matter)…”, I was giddy.  I was delirious with anticipation. Imagine that – I WILL ACHIEVE “EXPLOSIVE” PRODUCTIVITY.

I’ve graded myself from “A” to “F” on each of his 21 Productivity tips and self-categorized my competency into three buckets: “Utter Failure”, “Journeyman” and “Master.”

My initial reaction to Robin Sharma’s tips was that I could be more productive if I stopped reading these “How-to” posts. Then after I settled in…I saw that there was some value in the exercise.  And he did manage to highlight some nagging areas of personal concern (more consistent exercise, email addiction, extreme multitasking, need to take breaks to refuel.)

My Overall Score:

  • Master: 9 out of 21 (43%)
  • Journeyman: 3 out of 21 (14%)
  • Utter Failure: 9 out of 21 (43%) – Wow! Shocking.  So, my search for the Holy Grail will continue.
    You’ll find each tip below (or an excerpt) along with my grade/reaction.

Continue reading “Still, in the Hunt for the Holy Grail…” →

What successful people do in their first hour of their work day?

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sunrise #1

  1. Don’t Check Your Email For the First Hour.  Seriously.  Stop That.
  2. Gain Awareness, Be Grateful
  3. Do the Big, Shoulder-Sagging Stuff First
  4. Choose Your Frog (Tackle the terrible, weighty thing)
  5. Customer Service (Internal or External)
  6. Ask Yourself If You’re Doing What You Want to Do*

*When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

~ Steve Jobs @ a Stanford commencement speech

See full article @ Fast Company

 

 

Tall man but short character…

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dalai lama

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Two words…

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keep going

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