What Are You Worth

“Be undeniably good. No marketing effort or social media buzzword can be a substitute for that.” — Anthony Volodkin, Hype Machine founder

The grand folks at Despair.Com always provide an ironic twist to motivational posters. Such as the poster above regarding your 'worth' in a job.

It is easy to think we are irreplaceable when it comes to our job. If we believe in the idea that what we do is singularly necessary for the survival of a business, then life lays an easy trap for us to fall into.

"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." - Albert Einstein

What happens is you start focusing on why you should be kept around. When you do this, the trap has been set and self importance enters in. You allow yourself to become bigger then the job itself.

This is where you should stop and reassess the way you are performing your job. Your focus should be on doing those things which rise above what is expected of you; above that which is common place.

"Sometimes something worth doing is worth overdoing." - David Letterman

In the bigger picture of your job place, you really have no absolute control over what happens unless you own the business. And sometimes even that is not enough. Many times you are simply caught up in the whirlwind of circumstances of the business world.

What you do have control of is the ability to perform your job the best you can. Go beyond what is expected. Those who out perform, those who serve to those in authority will normally be the ones who remain and advance.

Be a person of complaint and chances of job loss increase.

Be a person who goes beyond and your potential increases.

Stay inspired my friends!

Unafraid to Change

"What is a human being, then?" "A seed" "A... seed?" "An acorn that is unafraid to destroy itself in growing into a tree." - David Zindell (1992) The Broken God

As a child, my formative years took place in the 1960s and 1970s. The 1960s have been described as the counterculture and social revolution; many times described as an era of irresponsible excess and flamboyance. The 1970s were influenced by social progressive values which began in the 1960s, such as increasing political awareness and economic liberty of women.

These were two decades which seemed radically different from what we might see as our western culture today. There were excesses and missteps that occurred along the way, but than again, change never comes cleanly. Change does not come in a nice tidy box with a crisply tied bow on it.

Change can be down right messy and difficult.

One of the things I do remember were the struggles women fought for equality in the workplace. There are still inequalities today but not what was going on back in those days. My mother battled these things in a changing culture. Fighting to be recognized in the workplace as an equal to the men around her.

Fighting for the rights which eventually opened doors for other women to step through. And yet, my mother would never see herself as a person who paved the way for women in the workplace, but she did. She set an example for many other women of her time.

Mom worked in retail and credit for many years. She made her way to becoming the store credit manager and eventually store manager. It took a course of years from 1967 to 1986. The business world was not fully ready for it and neither were many men and women with old outdated thinking.

Never afraid to step out; to achieve those dreams.

Today I see my own wife and daughters working, achieving things in life that seemed out of reach back in the 60s and 70s. Are all things fair and equal today? No, I am not suggesting they are. What has changed is no one should be afraid to reach out and pursue their dreams.

The achievements women like my mother attained reinforced the idea that dreams are possible. They also established the idea that you must shed fear and be unafraid to step out boldly in pursuit of those dreams. The idea of being unafraid is not only for women, but for everyone.

To reach your potential, you must shake your fears and strongly create movement in your life. To reach out towards a vision for a better life. To begin your walk down a path others have laid a foundation to build upon.

You will walk this path or possibly create a new one.

Let go of the fear, be unafraid.

Stay inspired my friends.

Synchronized Wednesdays

#WackyWednesday

“On my tombstone they will carve, "IT NEVER GOT FAST ENOUGH FOR ME.” ― Hunter S. Thompson

For no particular reason this Wednesday, here is a short video of synchronized motorcycle driving and the Italian Polizia.

Stay inspired my friends!

Revealing Heart

"The heart does not lie." - Vittorio Alfieri

Our true self is revealed by the actions of our heart.

No more true does this happen then when we have difficult times in our life.

In Sanskrit, the “heart” is referred to as Hridayam which means, “Here is the Center”. Hridayam or the Heart in this definition is thought of as the center of our existence. In ancient Eastern texts and scriptures, the heart is talked about in the context of physical health, mental health, spiritual health and vitality.

It is rare if ever we ask, “What is in your brain?”.

It is possible we might ask, “What is on your mind?”

Neither of these statements have the warmth of asking “What is in your heart?”

If we ask someone, “what is in your heart,” we are looking for true and direct communication with the other person. You might call this having a "heart to heart talk.” Which means having an open, truthful and mutually respectful conversation.

It is said the term heart literally means truth.

When we want to know the truth, we go to the heart of the matter. When I say to someone, “I want to speak my heart”, it means I want to speak my truth. I want to give my true feelings.

Jill Sweetman, Counselor and Life Coach, has said "Tough times expose our true heart." This is true and the nature of our heart is less surprising if we examine our own heart. It means looking inside and understanding what and who we are.

One's true heart will reveal itself eventually.

More times than not it does so during times when we are having difficulty. If your true heart is weak and hard, there is work to do in order to strengthen it. We prepare ourselves by understanding who we are. And it is our heart which reveals the true person inside of us.

Stay inspired my friends!