Tag: Start

You are awesome. You don’t need to act like you are.

HastonHelpingHandsLeave a comment

One of my favourite shows that is no longer on television (common when you watch Netflix) is called “The West Wing” and one of the reasons is that all of the characters are fully drawn and are chock-full of nuance and erudite dialogue but sometimes their best messages are the simplest ones.

As evidenced by the episode “Hartsfields Landing” and this dialogue as spoken by the Communications Director, Toby Ziegler to the President about how you are already awesome, you don’t need to act like it. Sorkin does dialogue better than I do right now, so here is the dialogue from that scene-

“You’re a good father, you don’t have to act like it. You’re the President,
you don’t have to act like it. You’re a good man, you don’t have to act like it. You’re
not just folks, you’re not plain-spoken… Do not do not do not act like it!”

Substitute the appropriate and specific qualities and then say it about yourself.

Because it bears repeating, you are awesome. Do not, do not, do not ACT like it!

 

In the journey to a goal, you have only to take the first step

HastonHelpingHandsLeave a comment

So I went to an event last night all about getting unstuck and moving towards your individual level of awesomeness. Be that as co-worker, mother, daughter, friend, wife, etc. It’s amazing to me how inspired I got listening to the speaker who I have read his words and follow his blog and so am familiar with his work and yet there were still things that surprised me.

As I was waiting in line to talk to him and have him sign my book, I had a great idea. I am big into foot pictures and take them often, (if you know me personally this isn’t a shock) but it occurs to me anyone reading this probably doesn’t know me personally. What you might not know is why.

It started in 1999. I had just lost my job and had planned a trip to London which as a lifelong Anglophile was pretty exciting. The first day there I was excited but also really cranky, because while I had been looking forward to it forever, there was jet lag, and other travelers and the tube was not fun to navigate and on and on and I realized I was in the land where Shakespeare wrote things and where Churchill walked and wanted to capture my feet on those self-same cobblestones and it instantly lifted my foul mood.

I have inserted a photo here that shows me and the author taking that first step, its of a theatre in Austin, Texas where I live and I have seen many plays in that theatre. This is a symbol of the steps I am taking to pursue my dream. The important thing is not his feet, although that was cool, the important thing to notice are my feet, I am taking a step forward, and no longer stuck. I am moving.

Image

What step will you take? What can you do today to work on what matters?

http://www.thestartbook.com

Creativity? Piece of cake!

HastonHelpingHandsLeave a comment

My cakeballs are important. I don’t make them often, and especially now that we are doing paleo 95.4% of the time cake balls are usually not on the menu. So it is special when I make them and my husband is always telling me how good they are. I love that man.

 I was reminiscing about when I was taught how to make them. I was a newly engaged lady and in preparing to be a wife I thought, well I am 34 and probably should learn to cook. I did learn a few things about roasting a chicken and cooking some casseroles but the one that stuck the most was the cake balls. For those who don’t know, they are little drops of heaven covered in icing and sprinkles. Utterly decadent and sweet, my favourite thing about them is that you can eat just one and feel satisfied. Unlike a slice of cake or pie, you don’t feel guilty after just one.. however after 6 or 7, well you are on your own.

I remember thinking at the time, I am not creative so this is going to be hard. You know what I discovered? That I, through my own thoughtless words had perpetuated my lack of creativity and it was just recently that I discovered this. I am in fact very creative, its something that makes me a good storyteller, speaker and coach. No one has ever told me that I was not creative, I decided that on my own and continued to believe this falsehood. No more. Just the other day, someone asked me, “Are you creative?” and my knee jerk response was to say, No. but I stopped myself and said,

“Yes, I am very creative”

What lie have you told yourself over and over? What truth do you need to embrace?

This is a question I have asked myself and others since reading Jon Acuff’s book START. This book is all about questioning the beliefs you have about yourself over which cause you to get in the way of your own success.

What truth do you need to embrace about yourself? It’s time to START

 http://www.thestartbook.com/?ectid=ja.lt.jm8

Everything you ever wanted is possible……

HastonHelpingHands3 Comments

“Awesome is available like never before”

Someone, somewhere in our lives told us we were not allowed to be awesome, whatever that looks like for you. It wasn’t okay to pursue our dream of being a dancer, writer or actor. Until now.

The book is not about quitting your job to go pursue a dream. It is about pursuing your dream at your job, with your family and friends in mind.  Jon Acuff gives a very detailed analysis including some great action steps what you need to do to START being awesome now. So many books are generic when it comes to this, but Acuff gives you specific guideposts to implement.

“If you want to start a coffeehouse but have never worked at one in you entire life, you need to work at Starbucks first. Maybe you will come to hate coffee. Maybe you’ll get sick of retail hours. Maybe opening a store at 4:30 a.m. every morning will be a nightmare by month two. I’d rather you find that out in you part-time job than you full-time dream”

He is not casual about being awesome. It is a very serious business. As author

Twyla Tharp says, “Mozart was hardly some naïve prodigy who sat down at a keyboard and, with God whispering in his ears, let the music flow from his fingertips. It’s a nice image for selling tickets to movies, but whether or not God has kissed your brow, you still have to work. Without learning and preparation, you won’t know how to harness the power of that kiss.”

The biggest surprise of the book for me was how Jon talks about how we can all be more awesome human beings by listening to other people or engaging other people. Sometimes we can get so caught up in the day to day minutiae that we miss out on truly incredible experience it is to know about another human being. All it takes is a sincere question, 

How are you, and a genuine desire to know, not just wait for our turn to talk.

So what does all this mean to you, dear reader? 

You need to read this book. If you are 20 or 60, or anything in between, this book will teach you to punch fear in the face and go from average to awesome. 

You just have to START!

http://www.thestartbook.com/?ectid=ja.lt.jm8

What are you waiting for?

HastonHelpingHandsLeave a comment

What are you waiting for?

Hello dear readers!

I want to tell you today that it’s never too late.

Colonel Sanders fried his first chicken at 67.

Leonardo Da Vinci painted a masterpiece at 78.

Margaret Chase Smith was the first woman nominee for president at 31.

Elizabeth Blackwell started a hospital for Women and Children when she was 53.

Anna Mary Robertson “Grandma” Moses sold her first painting when she was 78.

Keep in mind, you don’t hear stories about all the failures and false starts, all you know about is the finish line. The road there is largely winding and full of pitfalls, mistakes, and extremely hard work, but you never get the end result of Awesome if you never started at all, right?

It’s time to START. This link is for a website all about being Awesome and the road map to get there. It’s written by a guy who is married and has two kids and had a dream to help other people.

My dream is to help him help other people so I am linking this to my blog to get the word out about his book to help as many people as possible access their inner Awesome.

I don’t know about you, but I think the world could stand to be just a little more awesome!

What are you waiting for?