Word-Of-the-Week #664: Genius
April 27, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #664: Genius
Genius – a person with exceptional ability, esp of a highly original kind.
Are you aware of the talents you possess? Have you kept track of the times you had an inspiration that was incredibly original? Did you know it was genius or did you assume you “just got lucky?”
Steve Strauss, author of STEVE’S 3-MINUTE COACHING, once again has great insight to share.
Quote: Genius
(Quotes are capsules of information, reinforcement or enlightenment.)
“Talent hits a target no one else can hit.
Genius hits a target no one else can see.” – Arthur Schopenhauer
Coaching Point: Many people never know their talents and never practice them into strengths. Most highly successful people have developed their talents and use them, thus hit targets others can’t.
But talents have their outer limits. That’s because they’re about what you are in the world of form – your learning, memory, thoughts, processing speed and capabilities, the ‘stuff’ inherent to your physical and mental presence, your intellect.
Genius comes from other than that. Genius is commonly thought to be about ‘smarts,’ but it’s not. Genius is in the ah-ha, the flash of insight, the inspiration. Genius is non-linear. It’s about a highly developed awareness, an openness to receiving, and an absence of programmed mental barriers.
Everyone has had flashes of inspiration, thus everyone has experienced genius. But nearly everyone then assumes it was a passing phenomenon and they just got lucky. They wouldn’t realize that what happened is for a brief moment they ‘got out of their mind’ and opened up to genius.
What if you assumed you had complete and total access to all the information and wisdom of the universe? Would you then realize that you, too, are a genius, hitting targets no one else can see?
— Copyright 2017 Steve Straus. All rights reserved. — See all past issues from Steve and subscribe here.
This week’s focus is genius. How highly developed is your awareness? Have you ever seen things that no else could see? Did you see the movie The Founder? If not, I suggest you watch it, as I think Ray Kroc was a true genius when he saw the potential of McDonalds!
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Word-Of-the-Week #663: Sublime
April 20, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #663: Sublime
Sublime – 1) something majestic, impressive, or intellectually valuable. 2) of such excellence, grandeur, or beauty as to inspire great admiration or awe.
Have you ever wondered how some words have so many meanings?
I had the most exquisite piece of halibut and my first thought was that it was sublime. So then I looked up the word and I am including several quotes that came up on my web search. As you can see there are a multitude of different meanings!
- “An example of sublime is a beautifully presented, formal six course meal.”
- “One of the most beautiful things in the world is seeing a mommy with her kids. There’s nothing more beautiful, nothing more sublime.” – Johnny Depp
- “The sublime and the ridiculous are often so nearly related, that it is difficult to class them separately. One step above the sublime, makes the ridiculous; and one step above the ridiculous, makes the sublime again” [Thomas Paine The Age of Reason]
- “For sheer majestic geography and sublime scale, nothing beats Alaska and the Yukon. For culture, Japan. And for all-around affection, Australia.” – Sam Abell
- “Happiness is the sublime moment when you get out of your corsets at night.” – Joyce Grenfell Do you think she might have meant it was ahhh inspiring?
- “Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony is the most sublime noise that has ever penetrated into the ear of man.” – E. M. Forster
“Bradley Nowell, lead singer for the alternative band Sublime, died of an apparent drug overdose in a San Francisco motel just hours before the group was to perform a sold-out concert. The band’s drummer found Nowell, 28, dead in his room at the Ocean View Motel shortly after noon Saturday following a night of partying, said Jon Phillips, a manager of the group. Cause of death had not been determined, pending laboratory results, but when asked if Nowell had died of a heroin overdose as reported, Phillips said it was “probably the most distinct possibility.”
Do you think Nowell would have said the heroin was sublime?” Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself.
This week’s focus is what you find sublime. Would it be a great gastronomic experience? Would it be marveling majestic geography? Would it be taking in a superb symphony?
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Word-Of-the-Week #662: Perfectionism
April 13, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #662: Perfectionism
Perfectionism – a propensity for being displeased with anything that is not perfect or does not meet extremely high standards.
Would you consider yourself to be a perfectionist? Do you have extremely high standards? Are you displeased with anything that is not perfect?
“Perfectionism leads to procrastination leads to paralysis. Take one small step toward that thing you’re not doing today.” –Mark Strong
This week’s WOW comes from my family and their affliction of “Perfectionist Procrastination.” Mark Strong, New York Life Coach, brings insight for “Beating Perfectionism, Procrastination, and Paralysis.” He writes, “If you’ve been following Mark Strong Coaching on Facebook, you may have seen the quote above on our Wall. I’d like to devote this week’s blog to expanding on this important topic.
Is there something you’ve been putting off doing? Have you thought about what’s keeping you from it? Often when we resist starting and completing tasks, the culprit behind our inertia is perfectionism.
Maybe you don’t think of yourself as a perfectionist. But perfectionism wears many masks. It casts a wider net than the stereotype you may have of the detail-oriented person who has to have everything “just so.” You may have perfectionistic tendencies, but not realize that those are behind your procrastination.
Are you a perfectionist? Whether you consider yourself to be detail-oriented or not, do you sometimes find it difficult, or even painful, to start certain kinds of projects? Will you do almost anything else to avoid digging into that one thing? If so, think about the big picture of the project:
Is there someone on the receiving end of the project who you are worried about disappointing? Are you anxious that you can’t deliver on the outcome, because you think the end product won’t be as good as it needs to be? If so, you may feel nervous about taking the first step that you need to take, for fear of doing it wrong.
This is perfectionism at work. Perfectionism is what leads to procrastination, and in worst-case scenarios, 
paralysis. The goal is to nip this negative trio of “P’s” in the bud. If you can stop the first “P,” you’ll avoid the chain reaction that follows it.
Here’s what I coach my clients to do: Combat the three “P’s” of perfectionism, procrastination, and paralysis with the three “S’s”: Start with Small Steps. Here’s how:
- Do one thing. The next time you feel yourself resisting something important, take one action, no matter how small, toward doing it. By starting with small steps, you will avoid the overwhelm that can come from thinking about the project in total. Small steps get your feet wet; once you wade in, you may find it is easier than you thought to just dive in and start swimming.
- Count it all. Count everything you do toward your goal, not just the major steps. If you have a report to write, your first step might be sitting down at the computer. This may sound obvious, but you can’t start the report until you’re physically in front of your computer. Procrastination will keep you from making this simple move, finding every excuse possible to avoid it. Soon you will become paralyzed with dread about the project, and you will have even less time to do it, because you have put it off too long.
- Keep going. Once you have conquered the first baby step, push yourself to the next. In our example above, your next small step might be creating a file for your new report, and giving it a title. Now it has become a real project! Don’t stop—keep the momentum going. Are there calls you need to make, or research you need to do, before you can dig into your report? Do it now—don’t think about the end result of the report or who will be reading it. If you just do the next small step in front of you, soon you will get into the flow of the project, and momentum will trump the 3 “P’s.”
“Perfectionism is not excellence, it is procrastination based in fear.” – Alli Worthington
This week’s focus is on perfectionism and how it affects you. Do you sometimes find it difficult, or even painful, to start certain kinds of projects? Is there someone on the receiving end of the project who you are worried about disappointing? How would it feel to “Start with Small Steps” instead of thinking about the end result?
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Word-Of-the-Week #661: Busy
April 6, 2017 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #661: Busy
Busy – crowded with activity.
Is every moment of your day packed and scheduled? Are you afraid of down time, having an afternoon with no meetings, no phone calls, etc? Do you think “being busy” and deeply over committed makes you more important?
Once again, Neil Senturia has written a profound article “Why it’s good not to be busy, busy, busy.” He writes, “I never cease to be amazed by people. Ironically, even though I am sometimes thought of as wearing a relatively black hat, the truth is that I love people — just not all the time.
Recently I learned a new word — a “humblebrag.” This is a person who complains about not having enough time, while also mentioning that they are doing an Ironman, publishing a second book, giving a dinner party for 12 and leaving for Nigeria next week to help build a new water supply, and on the way home stopping in New York City just long enough to be on the “Today” show.
In the social status and wealth-perception world, this person ranks much higher than if he or she said they were going to a yoga retreat for a week to think about the future of mankind.
I have a friend whom I like a great deal. He is very, very busy. I mean every moment of the day is packed and scheduled. I recently read an article by Harvard Business School associate professor Anat Keinan, and the single line that jumps off the page is this — “some people boast the lack of spare time as a status symbol — even as an aspirational lifestyle.” In other words, I am really busy and thus I must be important and in demand — but of course, the reverse hook is maybe you are afraid of down time, having an afternoon with no meetings, no phone call, nada, zilch. What does that do to your self-esteem? Your self-belief mantra of “I am the scarce resource and therefore I am valuable” is clearly challenged. 
It used to be that leisure time was the mark of success, a round of golf, a late lunch, take the bride out to dinner etc. The way you used to show off power and wealth was to buy a luxury item (Rolex / Lamborghini). Now it seems that you show it better by being “crazy busy”— and deeply overcommitted, because everyone wants you — in fact they can’t live without you.
I will tell you that my best ideas come when I am riding my bike or playing golf — alone. I can talk to myself and no one thinks I am crazy. I think the process of creativity needs space —room to wander. Look, we all know that Einstein took naps.
So maybe William Wordsworth was right: “The world is too much with us, late and soon, getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” Pretty good stuff for 1802.
Keinan conducted an experiment about status. One group of subjects orders food to be delivered from Peapod, and the other group goes to Whole Foods to shop. Perceived status — you guessed it. If I don’t have time to shop, I must be really valuable and I am perceived to have more status, more so than shopping at the high-end market.
And finally, let’s take a look at happiness — which as you know, I think is highly overrated. But here comes another study, this time by Wharton professor Maurice Schweitzer. He finds that if you are really happy — and if you show it by being chipper and upbeat and optimistic – “you are perceived as naïve, not paying close attention and easily exploited.” These people can be taken advantage of, because they must not understand the reality of the basic misery of the human existence. (This last comment is courtesy of my best friend, Sigmund Freud.) Imagine the fear of being too happy.
As my readers know, I have been seeing a shrink for close to 45 years. Not the same one, of course. One was convicted of malpractice, one left me — packed up in the dead of night and went to Oregon of all places — one died, I fired one and I have been with the last one for 24 years. So I am getting pretty familiar with this happiness thing. According to Schweitzer, the bottom line for team building in a company seems to be that it is OK to be happy, but try to avoid being “very happy” — it might adversely impact your advancement. (You don’t see many CEOs with a goofy smile and laughing out loud.)
Rule No. 501: If you keep your head while all around are losing theirs, you have no idea what is going on. – Rudyard Kipling (revised)
This week’s focus is on how busy you really are and why. You do know that the process of creativity needs space—room to wander, right? When was the last time you rode your bike or played a round of golf? You do spend time outdoors doing something, right? How would it feel to not be busy and allow yourself some down time all alone?
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