Pursue

Pursue

Think about that dream you once dreamed; which days, weeks, months, or years later finally came true.

Consider that person or the people you became so fond of as soon as you met them, whom later became some of your closest friends or maybe even so much more.

Remember the time, effort, and energy you put into training for and/or preparing for that job or career you knew was the right one for you.

Think about the most meaningful relationships in your life today.

All four of these statements have two things in common:

·      It took a conscientious pursuit to achieve them

·      The pursuit, itself, kept you alive, energized, jazzed, and overcome with a sense of purpose, every single day during the pursuit.

OneMoreStep Thought – When life gets tedious, dull or simply no fun…consider your passions in life and pursue even more opportunities to make your passions part of your routine...everyday.

If it’s writing…write.  If it’s acting…act.  If it’s dancing…dance.  If it’s cooking…cook.  If it’s watching TV…DVR it up.

If you’re passionate about love…just love everyone, early and often.  If you’re passionate about sports…play them, watch them, blog about them, or research them. 

Too often we get caught up in “life” and we get lost in the shuffle.  We lose ourselves and forget what or whom it is that makes us happy, and tragically we stop pursuing those things and/or the opportunities to be around those people.  We then wonder why we’re in a funk…why we are so ‘down’…why we don’t have the energy we once had.

Sometimes, the OneMoreStep worth taking is to remember to pursue…and once we’re back in pursuit, that’s when we rediscover a sense of purpose.  That’s when we find our source of joy and inspiration, which not only makes us happier but it also reignites a feeling of happiness in those around us. 

That’s the whole point of the OneMoreStepRevolution by the way, to go OneMoreStep whenever possible, to make a positive difference in people's lives…let’s pursue it.

Two for the road…

One of my best friends, Matthew Glenn Olsen, sent me a text message last week, which was not only thoughtful on his part, but it was also thought provoking for me.   His message was one of encouragement, letting me know that he was happy for all of us – the fellas - because we’re all very happy with our girlfriends and wives. 

Matt reminded me, however, that all too often men stop pursuing the women they love once they become an official couple.  He encouraged me to never stop pursuing my girlfriend whom he knows I love very much, even though she and I have reached that “official couple” status.

So I did…and I will…because it’s in the midst of that pursuit when we find true happiness. 

This past weekend, I took my girlfriend on an old fashioned all-day date, which included a fun lunch, quality shopping time in some of her favorite stores, a Putt Putt Golf experience which she’s been wanting to do for weeks, dinner, and a movie.  Days like this used to happen all the time, earlier in our relationship, when we were both in major pursuit of a relationship with each other…

As we started out on Hole #1, and I saw the smile on her face…I remembered why this whole thing was worth pursuing in the first place.  When she’s happy, that makes me happy…and happiness is found in the pursuit itself!

This was great fun, until she won by 4 strokes...I'm now pursuing a rematch

I saw this quote on the wall in the entrance to Innoventions, an attraction at Disneyland, which also got my wheels turning on the OneMoreStep opportunity to pursue:  

The OneMoreStep 'thoughts' put into words --- It's less about crossing the finish line or reaching the top of the mountain...and it's ALL about pursuing the 'types' of work that "sustain our spirit".  In short, we should do what keeps us feeling ALIVE with a perpetual, renewed sense of PURPOSE every single day.  If we don't have that today, no problem...we can always PURSUE it!

Thanks, Matthew, for the reminder, to never stop pursuing...

Have a great day pursuing the work or the people that make you happy…and as you pursue, I hope you feel reenergized, jazzed, and truly overcome with a renewed sense of purpose.

"The journey is the destination..." -- Dan Eldon

Taylor

One more...

Speaking of my good buddy, Matt Olsen...and speaking of pursuing.  It's worth noting that Matt, since I met him in June of 1999, has always pursued LIFE.  He works hard, and he certainly makes sure fun is budgeted into his schedule...

This past weekend, Matt being Matt, participated in the BATTLE OF THE PADDLE, stand up paddle board competition in Dana Point, CA.  Just another illustration of how he not only pursues life, but quite literally, "The Salt Life", one of the brands he represents as the Director of Licensing for an apparel company.

What if everyone not only pursued, but truly lived their company's brand...

"It's all good...it's alright...just get'n high...on a Salt Life..." - Chuck Wicks: Salt Life, ROUGH

 

"I Think..."

“I Think…”

The two most frequently used words in corporate America and maybe even society as a whole are “I Think…" 

How often do we hear it? Partners, leaders, colleagues, and even customers say it all day long…day in and day out.  

The risk with beginning a sentence with, “I think” is that it assumes the person on the other end of the phone conversation, across the conference room table, across the aisle, in the audience, or in the classroom actually cares to know what we think. It assumes that we're already a respected and/or credible source of knowledge, on any given topic.  

The truth is…they may not even care.  Or even worse…they may not even respect us, let alone what we think.

OneMoreStep Thought for this week – especially for those of us who take pride in leading, whether we ‘have THE title" or not – is to simply change the “I think…” to “what do you think?”  

The word leadership can be defined many different ways, but I like this one (among others):

"Leadership is the activity of influencing people to cooperate towards some goal, which they come to find desirable and which motivates them over the long haul." – Ordway Tead, The Art of Influence

Most people become successful because once upon a time, they were really good at ‘something’..  Whether it’s selling, creating art of any kind, speaking, writing, dancing, adding and subtracting…some people are just really good at doing, whatever it is.

For true leaders, however, everything changes.  It’s less about what we do, and it becomes all about what we can inspire others to do.  It’s far less about what we think, and all about inspiring them to share what they think.  

Once we accept that ever-so-dynamic (and at times difficult) challenge of influencing…it’s less and less about us and ALL about them.  The mark of a great leader or coach or teacher or mentor (those who have accepted, with an open mind and heart, this leadership challenge) is no longer what we can do, but instead it’s all about how well can lead others to go do __________ something.

So it stands to reason, that if true leadership really is all about taking a group of people, transforming them into a TEAM, and then ultimately leading them toward a common goal with unified focus…leaders should ask “what do you think…” more than we boldly proclaim, what “I think…”

Great leaders facilitate collaborative conversations as opposed to dominating every conversation.   

Successful coaches take suggestions and input from their players and assistant coaches rather than taking the “my way or the highway” approach.   

The most inspiring teachers and professors take pride in being lifelong learners, and they take time to stop and ask students what they think as opposed to always pontificating with sentences that begin with, "I think."

What do you think?

Have a great day.

Taylor

One for the road…

Thanks to Arthur Keith, a former leader of mine and someone I’m proud to call a friend and colleague, who in the summer of 2007 taught me this very important “I think” vs. “What do you think” lesson.  Arthur was my Leadership Coach, in a Leadership Development Program when I was in graduate school. 

Arthur, I may have thanked you then, for this simple yet profound leadership nugget…but I’m sure I didn’t articulate it well enough.  So…thank you, again, for the very candid feedback and coaching six years ago.