Ep 49 - Your Legacy Starts Today

We’re thinking big in today’s episode! What’s your legacy? You’ll hear inspirational stories related to: the accomplishments of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, a world-class puzzle-making company, a beautiful quote by actress Cynthia Nixon, poet Audre Lorde’s explanation of the roles she plays, Tootsie screenwriter on storytelling,  of the classic film Tootsie’s experience of storytelling as a child, and a quote by entrepreneur and actress Taraji P. Henson.

Life Purpose Podcast Episode Notes:

Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Fondness for Antonin Scalia

3.30 RBG on Work Life Balance 

4:20 RBG and her imagination

6:00 Stave Puzzles: world-class puzzle maker

7:00 Cynthia Nixon

8:00 Audre Lorde

9:30 Tootsie Screenwriter on storytelling

11:00 Taraji P. Henson

Sara Safari Interview

“When they write the history of my reign, sweet sister, they will say it began today” - Viserys, Game of Thrones

These stories about living your life purpose, productivity, and mission were curated so you can start living your legacy now! 

Manage Your Busy Life Like a Delicious Three-Course Meal

Inspiration comes from the oddest places! I read an article in the New York Times today as I waited for my son at the skatepark and had to race home and write this for you.

The article wasn’t about personal productivity, work life balance, or time management. It was a chef’s process for composing a three-course meal and it absolutely connects with a crucial concept related to creativity and project management.

The author was inspired by the memory of a salad he ate while in Normandy, France. He explained that when you create a multi-course meal you must pay careful attention to balancing flavors and textures throughout the meal. The meal must have a progression and momentum to it. He chose to start light then delve into deeper flavors and end with something slightly sweet. He was inspired by old cookbooks, a walk through the super market, and a sudden flavor craving he sensed in himself.

This is very similar to my approach to musical composition and project management.

Project Management in Seven Stages

1. Identify the Spark

2. Gather

3. Brainstorm

4. Structure

5. Action

6. Refine

7. Celebrate

Once you have your spark or your primary inspiration, you must gather your materials. You can’t just bring them together - you have to connect with their innate beauty and value. If you want to be more productive - start cultivating beauty in your life. Tap into your passion and purpose and you’ll never have to complain about email in-boxes, to-do lists, and other paltry stuff.

Appreciate how your materials complement one another and how they contrast. How does one material or experience lead to the next?

The 3-course meal described in the article is: beet and tomato salad with scallions and dill, pan-roasted duck with wild mushrooms, and lemon tart with a touch of lime.

Now, consider taking this beauty-appreciating approach to your roles and the management of your busy life. Just like one course leads into the next in fine cuisine, you must enjoy the flow between all the hats you wear. Your roles are your materials - your main ingredients. What happens if you have shitty ingredients? Bad food. The same goes for managing your life. Choose your 16-20 roles very carefully.

Here’s an example of embracing the beauty of each role in a typical morning.

• Visionary: putting on my creativity hat when reading the paper and soaking in all the ideas

• Chef and Dad: making breakfast for my sons; timing, subtlety, sequencing, movement

• Writer: coordinating different elements and focus them into a coherent written piece

• Entrepreneur: allowing empathy to come to the surface while writing copy for my web site

• Meditator: surrender, stillness, openness, and a gentle focus

Exercise: Create a list of unique attributes you bring to each role.

Creativity and Cooking Articles

Project Management Stages
Art and Creativity in Cooking
Connection between cooking and innovation and creativity
Redefining creativity with cooking
Cooking and mindfullness

Approach your busy life with the love and care of a master chef composing a Michelin-star-deserving meal. Project management, work life balance, and creativity depend upon combining various elements into a whole that magnifies the beauty of all parts.

What I Learned About Goalsetting from The Twilight Zone

The original Twilight Zone series is a masterpiece. They made 156 episodes featuring countless actors including Burgess Meredith and William Shatner - two of my favorites. A while back, I set a goal for myself: exercise on the treadmill every day while watching an episode. I’d do this for 156 days in a row. And I’d post a blog post about a self-development lesson I gleaned from the episode. The first two days were awesome. On the third day, we lost power and I didn’t exercise, Then came bunch of other excuses.

I severely underestimated the commitment required to achieve my goal. We often don’t realize what will be required. My goal was simple and clear. enough. It was exciting and far-reaching. I was all in! But ultimately, I exerted on 1.28% of the effort required to fulfill the goal! Two divided by 156 = .0128 and when multiply by 100 to get our percentage.

This isn’t to say I can’t hop back on and continue with my goal. I’m always inspired by addicts who display the strength to start a new streak.

Grant Cardone has an exciting book called The 10X Rule: The Only Difference Between Success and Failure. and his main point is that we should multiply the effort and commitment we believe is required for any worthy goal ten-fold. Your goal will take 10x more effort, 10x more time, 10x more motivation, 10x more vision, and 10x more accountability.

I attacked my Twilight Zone exercise goal with baby effort and I came up severely short. With the above formula, you can figure out the commitment needed for any goal. Seeing that measly, pitiful number of 1.28% had an effect on me. Don’t get discouraged - hop back on - but with increased resolve.

Goalsetting Links:

Grant Cardone’s Goalsetting Book - The 10X Rule
Undermining Goalsetting and Goals
Mindtools Goalsetting Insights
Kanbanize Article on Underestimating Goals for Projects

Have a friendly relationship with the journey of your goals. When your goal whips your ass, come back tougher tomorrow. I loved what Sara Safari said as a guest on my podcast regarding goals: you have to become as big as your goal or vision in order to meet it. Yes! We must monitor the pacing and effort we’re using in the pursuit of our big goals. Trevor Lohrbeer, another excellent podcast guest, talked about adjusting pacing of one’s pursuits toward goals, as well. These are vital skills you need to achieve your goals and get on track with goalsetting and goal attainment.

Are You a Storyteller? Critical Thinking and Creativity are In-Demand in Today's Job Market

Murray Schisgal, playwright and screenwriter, passed away recently. He wrote Tootsie - the classic comedy starring Dustin Hoffman! His obituary described when he first learned he was a storyteller. As a child, he couldn’t fall asleep until he heard a story. So, he made up his own. He took the random scraps of the day - the experiences and events he recalled - and cobbled them together with a single thread and created a story.

That’s the simple process for starting an audio journal. Scribble down interesting thought throughout the day then explore them each night into an audio recorder. Five minutes and you’re done!

Critical Thinking Links:

Soft Skills and Critical Thinking Needed
HBR Critical Thinking Article
Defining Critical Thinking in the Workplace
Hiring Problem Solvers and Critical Thinkers

The act of connecting seemingly disparate ideas will help you practice these skills daily! Spend time connecting ideas - have a theme or motivational phrase for the week! Have a theme for the year! Reflection, critical thinking, and creativity are hot commodities in the job market!

Ep 46 - Kindness Starts with Me: An Interview with Amy Kraus, Motivational Coach for Kids and Parents

Amy Kraus, Founder of Kindness Start with Me, is a coach who empowers kids to love their authentic self. She shares awesome tips for self care, work life balance, time management, finding our authentic self, and much more.  

Related link:

Kindness Starts with Me

Ep 45 - Social Media Addiction with Johan Versteegh, Coach and Founder of Social Media Breakup

If you want to live your life purpose, you need to get control of your use of technology and social media. Many of us spend a great deal of time in front of screens. In this episode, social media addiction coach, Johan Versteegh, will share excellent strategies that will help you spend your time in the best way possible.

Related link:

www.socialmediabreakup.com

Peak Performance Tip: See Patterns, Not Details

When Jimmy Butler, NBA star of the Miami Heat, was asked if he prepares for specific opponents during playoff rounds, he said he didn't. Instead, he sees shapes. He sees patterns on the floor and reacts to them. He's focused on peak performance in the moment. He simply responds to the situation he's represented with and doesn't get bogged down with additional information to process. How do you access peak performance? What are your most common obstacles? How can you change how you naturally react to them?

Do You Start Projects and Never Finish? Here are Some Project Management Tips

The Seven Stages of Project Management

1. Identify the Spark - What’s the emotional connection you have with this project? That’s your spark! What’s exciting about the end result? Use it as fuel.
2. Gathering - Collect all of your resources in one place. It can be as simple as slapping a piece of duct tape on an old box and tossing items in it related to your project.
3. Brainstorm - Ask lots of questions - you’ll start to see what will be involved with completing this project.
4. Structure - What are the main segments of this project?
5. Action - Take action! Roll up your sleeves and do the physical work needed.
6. Refine - Do the detail work to make your project sparkle!
7. Celebrate! Woohoo! You finished your worthy project!

Related links:
Podcast Episode on Project Management

Blog Post on Project Management Tips

PS - Friend me on Facebook and you can join in on our great conversations related to time management, personal productivity, and project management.

Ep 44 - Unleash u Now with Michael Fabber, High-Performance Success Coach

This episode explores how to build a tribe and serve them with constant value. Michael shares his effective approach to social media that creates outstanding engagement. Also, he describes life-changing experiences he’s had with mastermind groups. As a bonus, Michael was kind enough to share some awesome business coaching at the end of the interview that you can apply today!

Michael Fabber is the Executive Director of the Joseph Patrick Fabber Memorial Foundation. It has a mission to prevent suicide, drug addiction, and bullying. He is a High-Performance Success Coach, author, entrepreneur, speaker, and owner of several businesses. 

Related links:

www.coachmikefabber.com

www.unleashunow.com

Ep 43 - Live a More Fulfilling Life by Reaching Your Potential : An Interview with Trevor Lohrbeer, Serial Entrepreneur and Day Optimizer web app creator

Trevor Lohrbeer is a serial entrepreneur with a mission to help others live a more fulfilling life by reaching their potential. He does this by creating software and mental models that help people reason about the world and solve existing problems in new ways. His current project is Day Optimizer, a web app that helps freelancers and solopreneurs convert their task list into a daily schedule to help them focus on their priorities and live a more balanced life.