Things I want to punch

Intentionality: This bird gets it!

Forget passion. Instead, what do you want to punch, asks Leap Frog author and acquaintance Nathalie Molina Niño. She knows a thing or five about this. She has started, funded, or grown numerous companies, among other countless achievements. 

Her recently-published book is directed at women entrepreneurs, but it's a good question for all of us to think about if we want to make the world a better place, improve our own experience, or make a difference in some way. 

Do what you love? 

The huge focus of the last decade or so on following your passion or doing what you love makes sense for some, but not everyone is clear about what that is. Some of us never dreamed, and some have no time because we're working too much or caring for others. Even if we are clear, we may be clueless about how to prioritize it or, ideally, make a living at it. 

So instead, consider: What do you want to fix? What would you like to be different? What makes you mad? Getting clear on this might just lead you to uncover those beneath-the-surface passions. We don't need to be visionaries to change the world, start a business, or even find more satisfaction in our lives. What makes us mad could be enough. 

...we have endless opportunities

Molina Niño suggests we list the 10 things we want to punch. That's where the opportunities lie. Who can't come up with a list of 10? The book is filled with hacks for self-employment or for those who want to scale their business; it's also loaded with success stories that can be applied to life experiences outside of self-employment.  

Corporate culture is one of those things that's had my back up for most of my working life. I have long felt that corporate life is unhealthy—yet that's where I spend most of my days. I found evidence of that again just this week. 

Empowerment? Not so much... .

Here's (just) one of those things I'd like to punch. I had my annual review, an archaic process that ultimately exists for two reasons: a paper trail for performance issues, and compensation—what your pay should be. The implied or stated intent, however, is to help employees grow, improve, and stay focused on objectives. 

There are better ways... 

There wasn't anything wrong with my review. I do my work, and I do it well. But I find even good reviews undermine that intent because 1) someone else decides my worth, what I'm good at, and my 'growth opportunities' largely based on their bias and opinion (and of course, company needs, not mine), and 2) there are better ways to motivate and offer feedback. True, I gave them permission in exchange for a paycheck. If 'driving performance' to increase earnings is the organization's modus operandi, which, frankly, is true of nearly all corporations, there are better ways. Some of the larger Fortune 500 companies already know this and do it differently. 

Research shows that when we're able to live more purposefully and authentically, when we experience more satisfaction, we're actually more productive, at work or in life overall. Most of us already know what we do well, where we have room to grow, and at least have an inkling of what we want our life experience to be like. But we settle, often for the 'security' of a paycheck or because that's what we know. 

We don't have to.  

Ask why

An exercise during a recent online workshop asked us to find the 'why' behind the choices we make and actions we take. It asked us to go deeper than the traditional 'ask why five times' per the Lean process from which it derived, and instead ask seven times to find our ultimate intrinsic motivation. 

While I haven't gone that deep yet, one layer of my why is to help people change the way they experience work, and to humanize the workplace. I do this with some coaching clients, and to a lesser degree, in my communications role. But Nathalie's question, the deep dive into why, and my review, piqued my curiosity about how I might take this further. I don't have answers yet, but it feels worthy of exploring.  

Anger motivates 

Did you read my recent post about anger? Anger is information, and it's loaded with energy. Certainly there are more things I want to proverbially punch, and I'm sure you have a few, too. This is good—it means you can use that information to change the world for the better. 

We don't need to impact or influence thousands or even hundreds of people. One small change in ourselves, be it action step or mindset, also leads to change in our immediate sphere, and that leads to the butterfly effect that radiates outward and ultimately creates positive change in the world. We have more power than we think we do. 

Do what's yours to do

We don't have to want to change the world, but most of us have something in our lives we'd like to be different, whether at work, at home, or when we're out in the world, even among friends and family. 

We don't even have to know exactly what it is, or how to do it. What we must do is notice what isn't fair, isn't right, or doesn't work. As noted, even the smallest action can create big change. 

Know your value, know your worth. Then do what shows up in front of you—whether it's an idea, a cause, an action step—because it will. And if you know why it's important to you, you can't be stopped. 

So what makes you angry? What do you want to punch? 


If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching—you can find out more here.

Never too late--don't wait!

Right before Seattle's 2019
#Snowmaggedon

As long as you're breathing, it's highly likely there's still time—time to fulfill those bucket list dreams.

Whether you have a legacy to carve, a book to write, a trip to take, a mountain to climb, a new role to play, very little, certain physical limitations aside, is truly impossible. 

Some of our dreams may look a little different now, may require some alteration. But impossible? Only if you believe they are.  

What matters most? That's a question I ask myself a lot because it helps me stay on track. 

When you're 80 or 90 years old, in the winter of your life with more years behind you than ahead, what do you want to see when you look back at those years? 


What motivates you? 

Most bucket list items require a willingness to let go of what was for what could be. They typically aren't part of our day-to-day, so they probably require a little risk taking, a bit of stretching, a sidestep out of our comfort zones. 

But as we cross those items off our list, we're stronger, better, smarter. We never stop growing or learning... unless we choose to. 

I'm all about meaningful learning and development, adventure, and freedom. These drive me, move me to action, and make life worth living for me, whether I'm learning a new skill, reading about a moment in time or a bold new future, absorbing a culture, walking a city end-to-end, hiking a woodsy island trail, exploring an unfamiliar destination, or quelling my curiosity about people and their motivations...  

At work, doing the same thing again and again is a motivation killer. But I'm old enough now that I mentor more than I'm mentored, so it's up to me to create opportunities to learn and stay engaged.  

What kills your motivation? What stops you from moving through your bucket list? Are you waiting for someone to pave the way or show you how? 

Don't wait. 

Don't wait... I think that's the advice my older self would give my younger self. To quote Nike, just do it. 

You've probably seen many of these before, but I'm going to put them out there as a reminder: 

• Fans of Little House on the Prairie, a popular 70s TV show, may not be aware that the first of this series of books was published by author Laura Ingalls Wilder when she was 64, encouraged by her daughter to document her early pioneer years. Mom and I never missed this show when I was a kid. How tame it was by today's standards! We all have stories... and you have yours to tell. 
• Famous chef Julia Child didn't learn to cook until she was in her 30s, and didn't publish Mastering the Art of French Cooking until she was 49. She was 51 when her public television show, The French Chef, debuted. And she wasn't even French. 
• The king of fried chicken, Colonel Sanders, didn't start his franchise behemoth until much later in life—he developed his beloved recipe when he was well into his 60s. 
• The oldest person to climb Mt. Everest was retired Japanese schoolteacher, Katsusuke Yanagisawa, who was 71, and the oldest to summit Mt. Rainier, Bill Painter, did so when he was 81. 
• The world's oldest female body builder, Ernestine Shepherd, now in her 70s, didn't even start working out until she was 56. My uncle was a body builder in his 20s, but put that on hold until he started lifting in his 50s. Now in his late 80s, he only recently stopped competing... and winning in his age class. 

If we do it right, with age comes experience and with experience comes wisdom. We've learned from our failures and our fuck ups, our small wins and big wins. Second, third, or even fourth act careers are sometimes the most satisfying, according to those who made the leap and tell the tales. 

Some of the most interesting and successful entrepreneurs didn't have a background in their new business; they wanted to bake, teach, learn, sew, paint, code, serve others, or just had an idea they wanted to pursue. They found the resources, learned what they needed to know, and, likely a step at a time, made it happen.  

The next best advice I'd give my any-age self? Try something new. If it looks appealing, seems interesting, or fascinates in some fashion, try it. You've got little to lose and a lot to gain. If you need more incentive, search success after (pick an age) and you'll find an endless array of inspiration. 

So, what are you waiting for? What steps can you take today that move you through your list, or get you closer to fulfilling a dream? Get specific, and make it happen!  




If you like this post, or this blog resonates with you in any way, please feel free to share it, comment below, or send me a message. I'm also available for one-on-one coaching, which you can find out more about here.