Glad to Be Gumby (Flexible)

Flexibility cannot be emphasized enough in leading, getting along or thriving with manageable stress.

Planning and preparation are crucial for creating stellar experiences. However, flexibility is essential in making sure most folks have the intended experience.

Preparation allows for improvisation.  And improvisation allows folks to have the intended experience.

Everything is beautifully connected when we plan ahead.

No More Ready, Fire, Aim!

I love action!  But I really only love informed action.  Ready, aim, fire works well for me.  Ready, fire, aim makes me very nervous, as there's a huge opportunity to miss the target.  We all know folks who are so obsessed with doing something that they miss the chance to take the best action.  Ready incorporates attitude, ability and resources - the perfect first step.  However, when we fail to take time to plan and narrow the options to those with the best chance of success (aim), we can waste a lot of time, talent and resources (firing) at the wrong target.

Luck

I've long loved a quote I originally found attributed to Shiller, but have subsequently found as Louis Pasteur's (though "favor" replaces "luck") - "Luck favors the prepared mind."  It so inspired me that I created and framed this counted cross stitch quote.

Years have unfolded and I've created my own version - "Luck favors the curious, optimistic, caring and prepared!".

Ask before Telling

We can get so caught up in sharing our knowledge and experience that we lose the chance to establish a real connection.  It is incredibly important to be prepared for a meeting.  However, we sometimes forget that appropriate preparation includes planning the questions to ask as well as the tell (information we will convey).

Overcoming Obstacles

We deal with various obstacles every day.  The evening and morning thunderstorms that threatened to cancel my morning walk reminded me that we often gain by dealing effectively with obstacles.

Delaying my start time by 30 minutes provided a chance for a rain-free window to begin my walk.  My nylon jacket repelled the short sprinkles that fell for a few moments as I reached the point furthest from home. And my hood diverted the drops falling intermittently from rain-soaked branches.  Constantly zig-zagging around deep puddles provided a new view of my familiar route and added 5 minutes to my journey.  Five more minutes is a 20% increase in my normal 30 minute walk time.

It would have been easy to rationalize aborting my exercise routine this morning.  By dealing with these minor obstacles, I have the satisfaction of completing an important task, increased health benefits from more time in motion and another reminder that even when we're prepared things often take longer than we anticipate.

Don't Leave Home Without...

Most of us leave our home every day.  I don't know about you, but I try not to leave home without:

• my smile
• a plan
• a positive attitude
• being appropriately dressed
• my keys, sunglasses, wallet and Blackberry
• directions

What must you have when you leave home?

4 Steps of Gift Giving

To encourage myself that I'm making progress in getting ready for Christmas, I've broken gift giving into a four step process:

• Inspiration
• Acquisition
• Preparation
• Celebration

Gift-giving is joyous when you have inspiration for an appropriate gift.  Sometimes even when we determine what we'd like to give, acquisition is impeded by availability.  When substitution is required, the process starts over.  Creativity or simplicity can mark the preparation phase as we wrap our acquisition.  And my favorite step is celebration.  Though it's not always possible, I love spending time with the recipient as she or he unwraps the gift. 

My Christmas list is in various phases of completion.  And since I've already had the joy of celebrating with a very special group of friends, I have those beautiful memories to add to special gifts I've received.

Once a Debutante

It's hard to believe that Julia's debutante season began one short year ago.  It was an exciting year filled with presentation balls and parties.  There were numerous chances to visit with lovely friends and the opportunity to make many new acquaintances. We overlayed this whirlwind of activity into our naturally full schedules, proving that there's always time for fun family celebrations.  We have many memories to treasure.

As we drove into the club last evening for the first presentation ball of this season, we were once again merely relaxed attendees.  But this time we saw the presentation through fresh eyes.  We could fully appreciate the preparation, emotions and nervous energy of the 25 debs and their extended families.

As is the case with many noteworthy events, what we observe at show time is only the tip of the iceberg.  We are sometimes oblivious to the reality that only because of the careful planning and execution by so many others, we have the chance to be beautifully entertained.

Luck

One of my favorite quotes has always been, "Luck favors the prepared mind". I appreciated the quote long before I knew to credit it to Louis Pasteur.  How fortunate we are that Pasteur applied his remarkable ability to develop pasteurization of milk and the first rabies vaccine.  Regardless of our skills, passions and abilities, our chances of success improve greatly when we are mentally prepared to address a challenge.

Fully Present or Barely There

As we try to pack more and more into each day, we often find ourselves racing from meeting to meeting.  For most important meetings the agenda is shared ahead of time to allow us to be prepared to contribute when the meeting begins.  However, showing up is all that some attendees do.  Barely there, is better than absent.  But being fully present is the way to make meetings effective.  Allotting the scheduled meeting time is only part of the total commitment.  When we accept an appointment, we also have the responsibility to come prepared to actively engage.

Preparation

Preparation distinguishes those who excel and those who don't. It's easy to spot in an academic environment with class discussions, papers, tests and quizzes quickly showing the difference among those who've prepared well and those who've done just enough to get by.

Athletes and musicians are elevated to elite status by talent, passion and practice (preparation).

Candidates interviewing for a job are evaluated based upon their preparation: experience and fit for the open opportunity. Their ability to communicate how what they've done demonstrates the likelihood that they'll excel in the new environment distinguishes the successful candidates.

Leaders who are most prepared are able to steer their organizations successfully regardless of the economic climate. Preparation comes not only from experience, but also a willingness to continuously learn, adapt and passionately execute.

I've often said that parenting is about being prepared to treat each child as a unique individual with specific interests, abilities and needs.

When we conscientiously prepare, we are able to deliver against ever-changing expectations, situations and options.

What are You Waiting For?

What are You Waiting For?

A stoplight
An appointment
Your turn
Test results
The mailman
A loved one to open the door
The checker in a check-out line
The ladies’ room
A flight to depart
A flight to land
An introduction
A sale
A train
A cat to come in
A cat to go out
The opening bell
The closing bell
Monday
Friday
A program to begin
A commercial to end
A question
An answer
A birthday
An anniversary
Breakfast
Lunch
Cocktail hour
Dinner
The game to start
The game to end
The alarm clock
Bedtime

Waiting anxiously is a waste of time.

Anticipate, plan, prepare, live, do.

Relish each moment!