Turning the Big Six-OhWritten by Maureen Killoran, MA, DMin
August is my birthday month (yes, I'm a Virgo through and through) . . . and this year I'm turning Big Six- Oh.When I was younger, 60 was beyond pale. I gave my 7th decade little thought because on one hand I believed I was immortal, and on other, I expected that, long before I reached 60, I would die. But here I am, bright eyed and bushy-tailed, so to speak. To celebrate turning 60, I've created a Memory Map. I began with a big wheel, divided into six wedges, each representing a decade. Then, in each wedge I created a collage of memories -- and here's where real gift to myself came in: I allowed myself to CLAIM ONLY POSITIVE MEMORIES. The dark stuff is there, of course, it's always with us to one degree or another.
| | Sticktoitivity: Lessons Learned!Written by Harald Anderson
Walt Disney coined a special phrase for persistence and determination, he referred to it as sticktoitivity. I reflected upon this recently, because I stumbled across 20 old business cards from previous business ventures and jobs I had been associated with over last twenty five years. Those old business cards , certainly brought back a museum full of memories and mixed feelings. I had forgotten about some of those jobs that shaped my outlook as I pushed onward and upward. As I look back on all of those opportunities with benefit of perspective and age, one benefit I have derived is my own personal understanding of concept of success and failure. The majority of people are so petrified of failure that they paralyze themselves into inaction. The Japanese have a fascinating way of looking at success, …”Fall seven times; stand up eight.” A wonderful tribute to sticktoitivity! I have framed this statement for my office because it provides a fitting summary of most important ingredient to succeed. Perseverance and Commitment. Life constantly tests us for our level of commitment. As simple as this may sound it is one ingredient that separates winners from losers. The one skill that winners acquire, is an understanding that growth is only possible if you have courage to change what you have been doing, if it is not achieving result you desire. Sometimes success is learning how to fall and recognizing that from that fall you will learn to grow. And growth is what a fulfilling life is all about. When I worked as an investment broker many years ago I found that most successful traders I worked with often lost on 90% of their trades. Yet in spite of this terrible win/loss percentage their investments were incredibly lucrative. Might it be that they knew something about success that rest of us only pay lip service to? The one comment that I recall these superstars reiterating was that its not how much you make when you are right but rather how little you lose when you are wrong. Imagine losing on 90% of your trades and still being wildly successful. That is a fitting example of sticktoitivity! My best teachers have been my failures. My failures taught me that I was so petrified of failure that unfortunately failure became my focus. Not experiencing failure is quite different than experiencing success. My focus for years was on not experiencing failure….although I would’ve argued differently! The most important lessons that I have learned from successful colleagues is that road to success is often a path of experiments and tests. If someone is more successful than I am, only reason this is so is because they have experimented with how to accomplish objective they desire more often than I have. The inverse is also true, that those who are not successful have been too scared to experiment. My question is, where do you fit in this equation? What experiments have you been holding back on because of fear? How are you going to break mold and reach your potential?
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