Diane Bolden’s Synchronistically Speaking

“It is always amazing how many of the things we do will never be missed.  And nothing is less productive than to make more efficient what should not be done at all.”

~ Peter F. Drucker

One day I had the opportunity to listen to Marshall Goldsmith, one of America’s finest executive coaches speak.  Though the man has a number of incredibly insightful things to say on any given moment, one thing he said that day made an impact on me that I still feel years later.  The audience was eager to benefit from his wisdom.  He took the stage and paused a moment before speaking.  Then he told us to hold onto our seats while he told us something we probably didn’t want to hear.

“Those ‘to do’ lists you are carrying around – your inboxes and piles of papers – all those thing you seek to get to the bottom of,” he said.  “You need to realize right now THAT YOU WILL NEVER EVER FINISH THEM ALL.”

I remember my heart sinking when I heard that news, though I knew in my soul what he was saying was true.  He went on to explain that once we grasp this little piece of knowledge we will be so much more productive, effective and creative.

His wise words echo in my mind when I feel I have become a slave to my productivity principles.  How many times did you feel that everything had to be in its place before you could really move forward – start on that project you have been putting off, write that book, return those calls, launch that campaign?  And how many times did you allow your need for perfection to keep you from acting at all?

Now, don’t get me wrong – I do believe order is important.  But it must be in service to our larger purposes, not a substitute for them.  Perhaps there is wisdom in a bit of chaos.  Maybe if we weren’t so preoccupied about planning out every little detail and needing to feel “in control” of it all, we could let go and allow our inner knowing to cut through the piles and tell us exactly what we need to focus on in each moment, whether that be a project or a person.  Perhaps there is inspiration just waiting for us to create enough space for it to get through.  We cannot do this by becoming busier, hunkering down and trying harder to do that which may not even need to be done at all.

The inspiring, confident, courageous voice of a leader often starts as a small still voice that competes for our attention among all the other things we think we need to be doing.  How will you quiet yourself for a few moments today to hear what it is telling you? 

Copyright Synchronistics Coaching & Consulting 2010.  All rights reserved.

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy Stepping Up to Strategic Focus, and Stop the Madness.  Download these and other articles for free at www.DianeBolden.com/articles. While you are there, you can subscribe to receive a new feature article each month.  You will also receive my free report on 10 Traps Leaders Unwittingly Create for Themselves – and How to Avoid Them.

The Power of Gratitude

“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.  It turns what we have into enough, and more.  It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity… It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events.  Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.”  ~ Melodie Beattie

Someone once sent me the above quote in a card.  I remember being very moved when I read it.  It speaks to our ability to interrupt what seems like a perpetual condition of restless yearning.  From such an early age, we become conditioned to always look for more – to achieve more, to have more, to become more.  With such an orientation, even the fruits of our labor are not fully embraced before we feel compelled to run off and do something else. 

Gratitude is a state of being rather than doing.  It is a matter of what we focus on.  All of our striving and yearning keeps us fixated on what we do not yet have, but desperately want.  It leaves us in a state of lack, feeling as though we must compensate for something.  Gratitude reverses that and allows us to soak up and truly experience the fullness of what is already ours.  In gratitude, we can fully appreciate the richness of life around us – no matter what it looks like.  From that state, we can more fully connect with those we love and appreciate and truly enjoy each moment as it unfolds. 

As I write this post, it is almost 7am on the morning of Thanksgiving in Phoenix, Arizona.  The sun has peeked over the horizon and my kids just wandered blurry eyed and fuzzy haired into the room, ready to greet a new day.  Many people are now engaging in preparations for a feast, to celebrate – if only for a day – the richness and bounty that is theirs.  But this state of appreciation and celebration does not need to stop after the day is done.

For all that we want, there is much that we already have.  As we shift our minds into states of gratitude, we are likely to act in ways that bring more to be thankful for.  As I love and appreciate the important people in my life, I become more loveable.  As I give my time and attention to others, I realize there is a place within me from which I have much more to give.  Even with the things I really want in life, I can begin to realize the small (and big ways) in which those things are already here – and be fully present to the manner in which they are already unfolding, trusting in life’s beautiful mystery.    

No matter who you are or what your current state of affairs, you have something to be grateful for.  It has been said that whatever your place your attention, energy and focus on will expand.  Perhaps this is the true art and power of gratitude – our ability to be in a place of joy and abundance and magnify it in such a way that it truly enhances the quality of our own lives, and everyone around us as well.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

 Copyright Synchronistics Coaching & Consulting 2009.  All rights reserved.

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy Give Presence.  Download this and other articles for free at www.DianeBolden.com/articles.  While you are there, you can subscribe to receive a new feature article each month.  You will also receive my free report on 10 Traps Leaders Unwittingly Create for Themselves – and How to Avoid Them.