An Ocean Voyage Called Life
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published December 29, 2010
Life is a lot like an ocean voyage. We all have a journey ahead of us as we enter this world, but the journey called "Life" is different for everyone. When all is said and done, the twists and turns of your life are intimately tied to the actions you take and decisions you make. In a sense, we each get to choose the kind of journey we take. And we all have storms to endure that test our skills and threaten to sink our ships. Some of you find that your ships capsize easily during emotional storms. Others find a way to stay on board and keep their boats afloat no matter what challenges the seas of life present. It’s true that some seem to encounter more storms than others, but none of us can escape these storms entirely.
Sometimes these storms are predicted and you have time to prepare. For example, when you’ve been given notice that your job will be eliminated. However, other times these storms arise suddenly, like with accidents and illness. Nevertheless, the key to surviving these storms and maintaining your bearings is to keep a level head. Regardless of how often you find yourself in one of these battles, how you respond will determine the extent of the damage you incur. So the next time you feel the choppy waters of life churning, hunker down and persevere! These are more than just mere storms; they are also opportunities for you to gather strength, hone your battle skills and create character!
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com
MY THOUGHTS
well put. some may think nothing is new in this article. what caught my attention is the phrase "intimately tied" to our actions and decisions. it's a cop out to think that what happens to us is fate. that way we don't need to take responsibility for our actions. but God gave us the wisdom to make choices, to decide on which path to take. it's not God's intention for us to simply wait for His plans to be realized. His intention is for us to journey with Him and be the person He wants us to be. how long and how stormy the journey would be depends on how closely we journey with him. the "straight path" is truly the "path less chosen". it's easier to be crooked. there are no rules. no standards. you feel free. and yet it's the crookedness of life that makes us prisoners. and the true freedom we want can only be reached if we journey through the "straight" path. for sure there will be "choppy waters" here and there. but remember, with God you never journey on your own. you are the captain of your own ship. but you use God's map. even if you get lost. you will be found.
Friday, December 31, 2010
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Learning from our Failures
A Lesson Learned
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published December 27, 2010
I said something to a friend that seemed to jump out of my mouth without any conscious thought. He was telling me about his failure on a project he was working on, and said that he learned a lot in the process, but it turned out to be a big waste of his time. My response: “A lesson learned is never time wasted.”
That phrase is also applicable to you. Often, when people come up short of reaching their goal, they feel like a failure. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth, particularly if you’ve learned something important along the way. When you find yourself feeling disappointed or emotionally devastated because you didn’t reach a targeted goal, don’t just feel the pain and disappointment from it… learn from it! Failure is often the precursor of success, and as I told my friend, a lesson learned is never time wasted.
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com
MY THOUGHTS
that could be the hardest part about failing. sometimes we avoid the lessons. because learning means changing. it means going against your grain. it means doing something you've never done before. we don't want to learn because it's so much easier to be "just the way we are".
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published December 27, 2010
I said something to a friend that seemed to jump out of my mouth without any conscious thought. He was telling me about his failure on a project he was working on, and said that he learned a lot in the process, but it turned out to be a big waste of his time. My response: “A lesson learned is never time wasted.”
That phrase is also applicable to you. Often, when people come up short of reaching their goal, they feel like a failure. In my opinion, nothing could be further from the truth, particularly if you’ve learned something important along the way. When you find yourself feeling disappointed or emotionally devastated because you didn’t reach a targeted goal, don’t just feel the pain and disappointment from it… learn from it! Failure is often the precursor of success, and as I told my friend, a lesson learned is never time wasted.
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com
MY THOUGHTS
that could be the hardest part about failing. sometimes we avoid the lessons. because learning means changing. it means going against your grain. it means doing something you've never done before. we don't want to learn because it's so much easier to be "just the way we are".
Monday, December 20, 2010
Managers Should Behave Like Adults
Aspiring Managers: Learn to Behave Like Adults
By Steve Tobak | September 11, 2009
It’s relatively easy to be a successful child. All you’ve got to do is learn how to be cute, get attention, and cry when you’re hurt or hungry. Learning how to be a teenager is much harder; I’m not sure anybody’s good at it. I certainly wasn’t. As for becoming an adult, I’ve been working on that for decades and making very, very slow progress.
Everything gets harder as you get older, and becoming a good manager is no exception.
In fact, becoming a good manager is harder than all of those other phases combined. Why? Because, it not only depends on how much of an adult you’ve become, but how adult your employees are. Not to mention all the management and leadership skills that so-called experts and gurus aren’t even sure about - they debate this stuff all the time.
So, for all you relatively new, aspiring managers, and for those supposedly seasoned veterans who are honest enough with themselves to admit that they’re still trying to figure it out, here are three relatively critical but not necessarily intuitive tips I’ve learned by trial and lots of error along the way.
Try to act like a mature adult. As I alluded to above, the best managers are those rare individuals who actually behave like mature adults. What does that mean? It means being as honest, comfortable, and empathetic with your own issues and shortcomings as you are with your strengths and skills. Only then can you do the same for others, and that’s what good managers do.
Do the work - hands on. Work your tail off learning the basics of your trade and industry, whatever that is, while you still can - before you get promoted and lose the opportunity. Why? No matter how smart you are, that’s the only way to get hands-on experience that will engender respect from employees and help you to make effective management decisions down the road.
Become adept at 5 things: finance, selling, presenting, negotiating, and business communications.
Finance. I don’t care if you manage engineering, HR, IT, sales, whatever, you need to learn about finance. Why? Because that’s how companies are run and how business works. Period.
Selling. To sell your own programs internally you have to learn how to open doors, help constituents and peers to make informed decisions, and close deals.
Presenting. It’s hard to imagine your career going anywhere unless you can deliver an effective presentation. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t born with the presentation gene.
Negotiating. Negotiation skills are critical to resolving conflicts, driving consensus among peers and other key constituents, and developing your own career.
Communicating. Great managers are also great communicators; it’s a critical success skill. Unfortunately, they don’t teach you about business communications in school.
MY THOUGHTS
finance and selling? 2 of my most disliked areas of management. i don;t mind selling ideas. and i don;t why i cringe at the thought of selling commodities. and finance? i just can't get my finger on all those figures. one would think after working for a financial and a retail company, i would be over this issue by now! the problem is me of course. i have to want to at least like finance and selling. and the best way for this is to educate myself. i promise to brush up on these before the year ends.
By Steve Tobak | September 11, 2009
It’s relatively easy to be a successful child. All you’ve got to do is learn how to be cute, get attention, and cry when you’re hurt or hungry. Learning how to be a teenager is much harder; I’m not sure anybody’s good at it. I certainly wasn’t. As for becoming an adult, I’ve been working on that for decades and making very, very slow progress.
Everything gets harder as you get older, and becoming a good manager is no exception.
In fact, becoming a good manager is harder than all of those other phases combined. Why? Because, it not only depends on how much of an adult you’ve become, but how adult your employees are. Not to mention all the management and leadership skills that so-called experts and gurus aren’t even sure about - they debate this stuff all the time.
So, for all you relatively new, aspiring managers, and for those supposedly seasoned veterans who are honest enough with themselves to admit that they’re still trying to figure it out, here are three relatively critical but not necessarily intuitive tips I’ve learned by trial and lots of error along the way.
Try to act like a mature adult. As I alluded to above, the best managers are those rare individuals who actually behave like mature adults. What does that mean? It means being as honest, comfortable, and empathetic with your own issues and shortcomings as you are with your strengths and skills. Only then can you do the same for others, and that’s what good managers do.
Do the work - hands on. Work your tail off learning the basics of your trade and industry, whatever that is, while you still can - before you get promoted and lose the opportunity. Why? No matter how smart you are, that’s the only way to get hands-on experience that will engender respect from employees and help you to make effective management decisions down the road.
Become adept at 5 things: finance, selling, presenting, negotiating, and business communications.
Finance. I don’t care if you manage engineering, HR, IT, sales, whatever, you need to learn about finance. Why? Because that’s how companies are run and how business works. Period.
Selling. To sell your own programs internally you have to learn how to open doors, help constituents and peers to make informed decisions, and close deals.
Presenting. It’s hard to imagine your career going anywhere unless you can deliver an effective presentation. Unfortunately, most of us aren’t born with the presentation gene.
Negotiating. Negotiation skills are critical to resolving conflicts, driving consensus among peers and other key constituents, and developing your own career.
Communicating. Great managers are also great communicators; it’s a critical success skill. Unfortunately, they don’t teach you about business communications in school.
MY THOUGHTS
finance and selling? 2 of my most disliked areas of management. i don;t mind selling ideas. and i don;t why i cringe at the thought of selling commodities. and finance? i just can't get my finger on all those figures. one would think after working for a financial and a retail company, i would be over this issue by now! the problem is me of course. i have to want to at least like finance and selling. and the best way for this is to educate myself. i promise to brush up on these before the year ends.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Driver or Passenger?
Driver or Passenger?
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published December 14, 2010
When you boil it all down, there are basically two types of people in this world: drivers and passengers. The drivers take charge, grab the helm and take on a leadership role during periods of crisis. The passengers take direction well, excel in working closely with others and get the job done.
Even though we all exhibit both of these behaviors at times, you’re typically and consistently more one than the other. Today I ask you to consider this concept and think about the following question: When it comes to matters in your life, do you take on the role of the driver or passenger?
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com
MY THOUGHTS
in my life, i'm a driver most definitely. especially when no one else is taking the wheel. but once in a while, it feels good to let someone else do the driving. there's also a lot to learn from being the passenger. what i know about driving i didn't just learn on my own. i become a better driver when i remind myself of how it feels to be a passenger. but of course, i drive only up to certain point. and i try hard to use the map of the greatest driver of all. God is the one who's supposed to drive my life. and for as long as i'm in tune with Him, even if i get lost, for sure, he'll direct me to the right path.
Daily Inspiration
By John H. Sklare, Ed.D, Lifescript Personal Coach
Published December 14, 2010
When you boil it all down, there are basically two types of people in this world: drivers and passengers. The drivers take charge, grab the helm and take on a leadership role during periods of crisis. The passengers take direction well, excel in working closely with others and get the job done.
Even though we all exhibit both of these behaviors at times, you’re typically and consistently more one than the other. Today I ask you to consider this concept and think about the following question: When it comes to matters in your life, do you take on the role of the driver or passenger?
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
www.innerdiet.com
MY THOUGHTS
in my life, i'm a driver most definitely. especially when no one else is taking the wheel. but once in a while, it feels good to let someone else do the driving. there's also a lot to learn from being the passenger. what i know about driving i didn't just learn on my own. i become a better driver when i remind myself of how it feels to be a passenger. but of course, i drive only up to certain point. and i try hard to use the map of the greatest driver of all. God is the one who's supposed to drive my life. and for as long as i'm in tune with Him, even if i get lost, for sure, he'll direct me to the right path.
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