Lead The Field Part 2 of 4: Acres of Diamonds
October 30, 2009 by dr. lam · 5 Comments
We can learn a lot from stories because stories speak to us and stick in our minds and our hearts. Nightingale talks about the founder of Temple University, Russell Herman Conwell, a lawyer, an editor, and then a clergyman, born in 1843 who raised enough money to found this institution when students without funds asked him how they could attain a higher education. Conwell accomplished his record fund-raising activity by recounting this simple tale…
In Africa, a farmer heard the marvelous stories of untold wealth that other farmers were achieving by finding diamonds on nearby properties. Filled with lust, the farmer sold his property and began to travel around looking for diamonds. He spent his entire life looking for incredible riches but ultimately died a broken man. In a final act of desperation, the man threw himself into the river on his former property and drowned himself.
A day later, another man walked by the river and across the way saw this gleaming rock. He picked it up, brought it home, and put it on his mantle. A traveler came by one night, and the man opened the door to this stranger for dinner. After dining, the traveler walked by the fireplace and saw on the mantle the most amazing diamond he had ever beheld. He asked, “Where did you find this rock?” The man replied, “Oh, this is a pretty big one, but I have seen hundreds of them all around here by the riverbank.” The traveler replied, “Do you know that this is a diamond, one of the largest that I have ever seen and that it can make you richer than your wildest dreams?” The man replied, “No, I didn’t”.
Of course, the moral of this story is that we too often look for diamonds on other people’s properties when the diamonds are right under our feet. We just don’t know what a diamond looks like. We never tried to find out. We just kept looking around and around everywhere for the riches but they were always right in front of us. When we search endlessly from job to job, companion to companion, or whatever in an unsettled fashion we ultimately arrive at nothing. We squander the wealth under our feet because we are always looking elsewhere for it. And it does not exist elsewhere. It exists right here.
Lead the Field Part 1 of 4: The Magic Word
October 29, 2009 by dr. lam · 5 Comments
Earl Nightingale’s seminal work, Lead the Field, was recommended to me by a friend and colleague, Jeff Vitt, who said that not only did this book change his life but that he gives it away to all of those individuals for whom he wants to change their life. I am now hopefully going to change yours as well as the book has accomplished that for me.
Nightingale opens with the concept of “the magic word” that can be the defining element of any successful life, namely attitude. Sound familiar? That is probably because we have directly and indirectly covered this very important topic in numerous blogs. As most of my faithful readers know, repeating a topic is not redundant but necessary almost like a mantra. We can never get enough good medicine at least that is what I believe.
He tells a story of a couple that moved into his neighborhood and then shortly thereafter was surprised to notice that they were about to move again. Nightingale approached the husband and asked, “Didn’t you just move here?” The husband replies, “Yes, but my wife is unhappy here and wants to leave so we’re moving.” Upon further query, the man reveals, “My wife has not been accepted into this community. No one has extended a welcome to her so she feels unwelcome.” Nightingale then asks, “Did your wife ever leave her home to say that she was interested in making friends?” “Well, no,” the man replied and got the point immediately. The man admitted now, “I think I see that the other women felt that she was being reclusive when that was not her intention.” Should the women have come to greet her? Sure, yes. But when our attitude is closed, and we expect others to do something first we may not truly advance in life.
Nightingale contends that those who succeed in life (no matter what arena, personal and/or professional) do so because of their attitude. It is not that those who are successful just so happen to have a good attitude. It is their attitude that can offer them the chance for success. It is a prerequisite. He empowers this sense of attitude with two key thought processes: gratitude and expectation. He says that with gratitude he is always thankful for where he is, and expectation is simply that he always expects to succeed rather than waiting to fail.
He does not attribute anything to blind luck. Or more accurately, he says that luck is in short a combination of preparedness meeting opportunity. With an open heart, opportunity abounds everywhere. We just might not see it because we are not prepared and we are not open to those opportunities. We need to see those opportunities because we are prepared when they happen. As Viktor Frankl has said, when all freedoms are taken from you, you only have your attitude. That is what saved him during the days imprisoned in a Nazi concentration camp, and that is what can save you.
Eat That Frog! Part 9 of 9: Grow Yourself
October 28, 2009 by dr. lam · 5 Comments
Unfortunately, many of us need to be motivated by another person, to be inspired, to be driven, to be pushed. Only 2% of people really motivate themselves and serve as their own cheerleaders. These individuals are known as leaders. I believe that many of you who read these blogs do so out of your own volition for self improvement so you qualify as these self-motivated individuals.
When we stop growing we die. I like the saying, “When you are green you are growing, when you are ripe you are rotting.” Or as Tracy quotes Pat Riley, “Anytime you stop striving to get better, you are bound to get worse.” If we stop growing personally and/or professionally, we stagnate and start to rot. These blogs are intended for all of us to grow (including and especially me) so that we can become better human beings and pertaining to this blog series more efficient, motivated, productive, and contributing human beings.
Procrastinators work by having someone impose deadlines for them. Leaders impose their own imaginary deadlines to get things done. They have internal clocks that pressure them to perform. They must accomplish something by a certain date not because they were told that it was due on that date but because they feel they need it done by that date. How do you work? Do you work until the last second something is due or do you create your own internal due dates that follow a consistent rhythm? When people say, “Oh, I work well with deadlines,” they are in fact declaring themselves procrastinators.
When the pessimist encounters a problem, he sees a roadblock. An optimist sees an opportunity for learning from his/her mistake. I like the saying that I heard from a friend of mine, “We can only grow from our trials and tribulations. Without them, we don’t grow.” That is a truism. It is how I live my life. Of course, I am not always perfectly optimistic about every downturn but I am certainly improving by seeing negative experiences as actually being quite fruitful. As Viktor Frankl said, when all freedoms are taken from you your last freedom is attitude. Our attitude truly defines our core. When we have a good self image, self esteem, positive outlook, then almost nothing is impossible.
If we are not in the best physical shape, lack sleep, drink too much alcohol, work late, etc., we are not going to be our best and we simply can’t perform. Picture yourself as a professional athlete training to be at the top of your game. We all can work to make sure that we meet these rigid goals so that we can perform in our personal and professional lives so much better.
I hope you will continue this journey with me of self improvement and ongoing maturation so that we can become better people to serve ourselves and others that much better. I hope you can incorporate the many wonderful things Brian Tracy has taught in Eat That Frog! as I have.
Eat That Frog! Part 8 of 9: Cleaning the Space and Getting At It
October 27, 2009 by dr. lam · 7 Comments
Working at work rather than playing at work can help you get your work done so that you go home and have none to do. The more we are efficient at our work the less time we have to spend there. Even though I myself enjoy my work, I do not want to sit mindlessly at work for the sake of being there. In fact, my 5:30 pm yoga class compels me on most days to get out of the office on a timely basis. That habit has taught me the discipline of being more efficient at work so that I do not have to occupy my personal time at night with work activities. For example, if a patient does not show up or I have a few minutes at lunch hour, I will shoot a video on a topic that comes to my mind. I typically have the video shot, captured, edited, labeled, and uploaded by the time I am leaving my office. If not, I have 80 to 90% of that done so that all I have to do when I get home is hit a single button and leave my computer. Radical efficiency is everything.
How do we accomplish that? Well, first we need to clear the space in front of us and make sure everything is well organized for us to start work. Too often we have a cluttered work space or no work space at all. We are sitting right in the middle of office traffic so that we are prone to mindless conversations at work that only serve to undermine our productivity. Even a few interruptions can be enough to create a stoppage of work flow that can significantly undermine work efficiency. As we discussed, planning is everything. Having the right work space is one of the first steps in planning. However, if planning stalls progress, the other admonition of just starting should be recalled: a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Take that step.
Mindfulness Mondays 22: Inspire
October 26, 2009 by dr. lam · 4 Comments
I was recently doing a high school college-night fair and helping students decide about which college would be right for them. Of course, college is not right for everyone nor is my college right for you. However, for me I really enjoyed being able to give three presentations about my alma mater and share with these aspiring students the passion that I had about my school.
Toward the end of the night, I had this shy young Indian boy and his very sweet, smiling mother come to me and ask what he needed for pre-med requirements. I said that the first most important requirement was an open mind and an open heart for his future because medicine may or may not be the right vocation for him. In short, I wanted him to follow his burgeoning passion. Maybe something that he had not found yet but I did not want him to close it off due to societal, parental, internal pressures that compelled him to think and act in a certain way.
One of my life’s goals is to inspire those around me to be better than they thought they could. I guess that is a huge reason why I write these blogs. That is my passion. However, I remain fully cognizant of Wayne Dyer’s admonition: ”Don’t underestimate your ability to change yourself and don’t overestimate your ability to change others.” This week, radiate peace and joy, give counsel when needed, offer compassion, provide shelter, and be a mentor by inspiring others to be better than who they thought they could be. By doing so, you will help yourself be better than you thought you could be too.