Finding Inspiration Everywhere

People facing death don't think about what degrees they have
earned, what positions they have held, or how much wealth they have accumulated. At the end, what really matters is whom you love and who loved you."

                                         -- Bernadine Healy, MD
 

Success is a journey, not a destination.

                                         -- Ben Sweetland
 

There is nothing wrong with change, if it is in the right
direction. 
                                         -- Winston Churchill
 
 

Dear Friend,

In the summer of 2000, I attended a presentation by Ken Blanchard benefiting the Rescue Mission in Syracuse.  It changed my life. 

Ken Who?
For those of you who can't quite recall who he is, Ken Blanchard is an internationally known trainer, speaker, and author of many books about leadership and marketing.  In 1982, he co-authored The One-Minute Manager with Spencer Johnson (Ah, that Ken Blanchard!).

I'm going to refer to him as Ken, not because we're on a first-name basis (which we're not) or because I shook his hand (which I did), but because he's the kind of guy who is a bit too down-to-earth to be called Mr. Blanchard... or worse, Blanchard.  And besides, Ken is easier to type.

For the record, we don't know each other.  But his warmth, integrity, and radiant presence make me wish I did.

Life-Change #1
A few months after Ken's presentation, I learned of an opportunity to coach with a new company called Coaching.com*.  What led me to explore this possibility, and to believe that I would be treated with respect, was that it was a sister company to the Ken Blanchard Companies.  And if Ken was involved, I thought, it just had to be loaded with integrity. 

I was right.

I learned that not all big business is driven by the bottom line, as important as it might be to their survival. 

I also learned that if I want to live my life based on what I believe is right, I need to associate myself with people of like mind.

Life-Change #2
Of the many things he said that morning, one thing has stuck with me.  I wrote it down as best I could, and it, too, has changed my life. 

Here's what he said:

My wife wakes up every morning and asks herself four questions:

 What am I excited about today?

 What am I proud of today?

 What will I be pleased with accomplishing today?

 Who do I love and who loves me?
 

I am repeatedly struck by the simplicity of these questions, their gentleness, their effectiveness in refocusing my attention on what matters, and their ability to remind me that who I am, what I've done, and what I'm doing is worth celebrating.

I put this simple set of questions on my computer and set it to pop up every few days.  When I answer these questions, my work goes more easily and I'm more able to experience joy throughout the day.  Thank you, Ms. Blanchard!

Your turn
The "gems" that can change our lives are everywhere.  Where are you open to seeing them?

You've probably had dozens of these come into your life in the last month.  What have you done with them?  How have you used them? 

In the next week:

• Find one, just one, that speaks to you. (You may use the one I presented above, if you like it.)
• Do what it takes to get it into your awareness every day.  Make it unavoidable!
• Work it.  Play with it.
• Keep it alive for the next two weeks.

I'd be interested in hearing what you discover.

Take good care -

   Steve
 

*Coaching.com Headed by Ken's son Scott Blanchard, Coaching.com provides coaching to Fortune 500 and other companies, offering a unique web-based platform that supports the power of coaching to lock in training and other management initiatives. 

Reader Contributions

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The Reiter Coaching Letter is published by Steve Reiter on the first and third Tuesday of each month.  The purpose is to challenge you and support you in creating success and fulfillment throughout your life.

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The Reiter Coaching Letter
Copyright (c) 2002, Reiter Coaching. All rights reserved.
U.S. Library of Congress ISSN: 1539-2309